[This is the first half of a poem written by Susanna Moodie] Oh ye! who all life's energies combine The fadeless laurel round your brows to twine, Pause but one moment in your brief career, Nor seek for glory in a mortal sphere. Can figures traced upon the shifting sand Washed by the mighty tide, … Continue reading FAME
faith
Compromise, good and bad
The original meaning of compromise is to settle a dispute by mutual concession. From there a secondary meaning developed of a compromise being an intermediate state between conflicting opinions or plans of action, reached by mutual concessions and adjustments. Thus far the word describes something necessary and beneficial in work, marriage, business dealings and many … Continue reading Compromise, good and bad
Living faith
It appears that many Muslims in Syria and Iraq are beginning to realize that the Wahabi branch of Islam is not their friend. As long as Wahabi-inspired terrorism seemed to be mainly directed at Jews, Christians, and Western civilization in general, they could cheer for supposed Islamic victories and overlook attacks against other Muslims. But … Continue reading Living faith
A memorable small town minister
Readers may have noticed that in my last post I only gave the full name of one of the young people who met an untimely death. I named Joan Vickers because I wanted to write a little about her father, Reverend Kenneth Vickers. The funny thing is that I can bring up no memories of … Continue reading A memorable small town minister
My times are in thy hands
As teenagers we were invincible. We were young, healthy and strong, what could possibly go wrong? It turned out that a whole lot of things could , and would, go wrong. A year after we graduated from high school in 1959, Jim and his dad were installing a septic system for their home. All the … Continue reading My times are in thy hands
There is one Lord
Ministers are not lords over their congregations; husbands are not lords over their wives; parents are not lords over their children, employers are not lords over their employees. Yet God has delegated to each one of us a measure of responsibility, and even of authority. As long as we submit ourselves to the authority of … Continue reading There is one Lord
Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace
The first Mennonites to settle in Canada came from Pennsylvania in 1786 and settled near Sherkston, along Twenty Mile Creek in the Niagara region of Ontario. The church membership increased rapidly. Dissension arose between two of the ministers in the later 1840's. Bishop Benjamin Eby of Waterloo county was called in to make peace between … Continue reading Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace
Living in the presence of the Shepherd
There are well-meaning Christians who put much emphasis abiding by correct doctrine, even adding numerous rules of guidelines as rules of conduct. The intention is to construct a barrier around the people of God so that they would know not to stray far from the truth as given in the Word of God. But where … Continue reading Living in the presence of the Shepherd
Never alone
I expect most people know where I am headed with this post, but there is some rough terrain to be covered first. Alone with God is a wonderful place to be, but there are a host of other spirits vying for our attention. When destructive thoughts come – anger, envy, lust, suspicion, resentment and the … Continue reading Never alone
A tree falls on the prairie
One hundred years ago, settlers came to the flatlands of Saskatchewan. No need for axes and saws to fell trees, just a team of oxen and a plough to turn the virgin sod and prepare it for a first crop. Of course, the lack of trees also meant a lack of building materials, so the … Continue reading A tree falls on the prairie
Flatlander Faith 