We want to prosper in life, we want to have fun, we want to taste all the good things that are available to us. But we don’t find satisfaction in the things that promised pleasure, other people disappoint us, there never seems to be enough money to do all that we want, there is too … Continue reading This game is rigged!
joy
Can there be peace in Babylon?
Jerusalem had been destroyed and the Jewish people carried away as captives to Babylon. There were prophets among them telling them that God was soon going to set things right, punish the horrible people of Babylon and bring them back to their own land. Jeremiah sent a letter to the Jews in Babylon, saying essentially, … Continue reading Can there be peace in Babylon?
Preface
Half a century ago a drunken young man announced to a couple of friends that one day he would be a Mennonite and wear a beard. His friends dismissed this as babbling inspired by the booze he had consumed. The young man himself was bewildered. The few Mennonites he had met, from his mother’s side … Continue reading Preface
Inside or outside?
There is a line that we cross when we give our hearts to the Lord. Many people stop once they have crossed the line, mill around with others they find there and wonder why they are not experiencing the blessings of Christian life that they were promised. After awhile, some of them step back to … Continue reading Inside or outside?
Spiritual mourning
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. There is an obvious way of understanding these words. We encounter sorrow and loss during our lives that are cause for mourning, and we can find comfort in Jesus that is not available anywhere else. But these seemingly simple words also contain a far deeper … Continue reading Spiritual mourning
Summer hibernation
Two weeks ago, we still occasionally ran the air conditioner to make the house comfortable. Now we use heaters in the morning to make it comfortable. We haven't seen hummingbirds at our feeder for four days now. Blackbirds are gathering by the hundreds, sometimes perched all along the wires of the power lines. We hear … Continue reading Summer hibernation
Miserable comforters are ye all
“I have been hurt more by Christians than by non-believers.” This was said, not so much as a complaint but as a simple statement of fact, by a friend with whom my wife and I were visiting the other day. This lady has many heartaches and struggles in her past and I don't doubt her … Continue reading Miserable comforters are ye all
Sing Out!
Alf Soper was janitor of the school I attended as a boy. Once he had been a travelling repairman for a farm implement company, then the boss of some large construction projects. New he was old and content to tend the coal fired boiler that heated the two storey brick school, sweep the floors, carry … Continue reading Sing Out!
Being childlike without being childish
"When I became a man I put away childish things" (1 Corinthians 13:11). That would be things like: -wanting to be the centre of attention -wanting to be entertained -wanting what somebody else has -wanting other people to do what I want -feeling sorry for myself when things don't go the way I want -trying … Continue reading Being childlike without being childish
What are the signs that someone is a Christian?
A brother asked that question Sunday evening — a couple of verses of Scripture came immediately to mind, and more have come since that tine. I will put those thoughts down on the computer screen. I believe they give a good picture of what should characterize a true Christian, and while I acknowledge that it is … Continue reading What are the signs that someone is a Christian?
Flatlander Faith 