Take heed how you build

Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:5). For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as … Continue reading Take heed how you build

I owe the Lord a morning song

Amos Herr (1816-1897) lived on a Lancaster county, Pennsylvania farm that had been in the Herr family since 1710 when his ancestors fist arrived from Europe. In addition to being a farmer, he was a minister of the local Mennonite congregation. One wintry Sunday morning about 150 years ago, he awoke to a raging blizzard … Continue reading I owe the Lord a morning song

Meditations on spring in Saskatchewan

For months our yard looked barren. Spring came, the snow melted, yet the weather remained cool and we waited week after week for signs of a change. The grass was brown; the trees were dry sticks. Very hesitantly, signs of new life began to appear. Last week warm weather arrived in full force, temperatures as … Continue reading Meditations on spring in Saskatchewan

What is our heritage?

One day, about twenty-five years ago, my wife and I were visiting in the home of an Old Order Amish couple. The husband was not ordained at the time, but is now the bishop of his Old Order Amish community. He is a fine man with many admirable qualities, kind, warmhearted, industrious, knowledgeable about many … Continue reading What is our heritage?

But rather giving of thanks

In Ephesians 5:4, the apostle Paul names a number of things that should not come out of a Christian’s mouth, then adds: “but rather giving of thanks.” How easy it is to forget that. In my last blog post, I mentioned the things that were stolen from us one evening almost twenty years ago. But … Continue reading But rather giving of thanks

Clinging to the rock

The majestic elm tree was a landmark along the Autoroute des Cantons de l’Est south of Montréal. It stood straight and tall on the east side of the highway, near St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, but it looked the same in summer as in winter. Like most North American elms it had fallen victim to Dutch Elm disease and … Continue reading Clinging to the rock

The Rage Against God

The rage against God, how atheism led me to faith, © 2010 by Pe ter Hitchens is a personal memoir of the writer's rejection of God in his youth and his return to faith years later. He tells how the rejection of God in British society has led to moral decay and gives a rebuttal … Continue reading The Rage Against God

A NEW DAY . . . .

This is the beginning of a new day. God has given me this day to use as I will. I can waste it . . . or use it for good, but what I do today is important, because I am exchanging a day of my life for it! When tomorrow comes, this day will … Continue reading A NEW DAY . . . .

A different kind of heroism

Ruben Saillens, 1855-1942, was the best-known Baptist preacher of his day in France. In 1895 he visited an Anabaptist community in Switzerland and then published  a couple of historical incidents that he heard from them. Here is one of them. One day, during the Thirty Years War in Europe, a group of soldiers stopped at … Continue reading A different kind of heroism

Synthetic or authentic?

Zeal is a Christian virtue. Submission is a Christian virtue. On our own we can work up a pretty convincing facsimile of one or the other. To have both at once is only possible through the power of the Holy Spirit.