The all occasion, perfect prayer

We prayed the Lord’s Prayer every school day, in my elementary public school classrooms. I still hear the voices of my classmates, heads bowed, hands folded. Holly Parker, always the class rebel, likely peeked and passed notes to Larry McKay. (Okay, I peeked at least once.) “Teach us to pray,” …

Remembering our Father’s love

A large rabbit bumped its way across the street ahead of me as I walked the dog the other morning. Cash and I watched it make its funny zig-zag path in and out of front yards, then back onto the road, grey ears flapping, powerful hind legs pumping. I thought …

Knowing Jesus brings joy in hard times

These are excellent times to prove the truth of God-inspired words of scripture. Ancient words promising that even in hard times, following Christ brings serenity, peace and joy. I miss talking about this with my Bible study friends. Most of us were working women, grabbing a warm island of companionship …

Once upon a porch

Anything can happen on a porch. Connection. Refreshment. Reflection. Rejection, sometimes. Even buying and selling. As a child in the sixties, I had the chore of sweeping our small front porch clear of its weekly accumulation of dirt and spiders. Rarely do I remember anyone but company using that porch …

One door and only one

The Preacher has always left home decorating choices to me. He even tolerated the pink fireplace with the blue mantel, thankfully now decades behind us. So I didn’t tell him about the plan I recently had for the door at the end the boring hallway leading into the garage. That, …

What was that black velvet jacket telling me?

Just thirteen months ago, who could have imagined the things Canadians are experiencing right now? We scarcely recognize ourselves as the indomitable Western society we were just over a year ago. God has used the pandemic to humble us. I have shopped in person only rarely since COVID restrictions began. …

Never hoist me on a pedestal, please

Folk often in the public eye become too well acquainted with pedestals. Occasionally someone familiar with my small corner of influence hoists me up on one. I wish they wouldn’t—I don’t belong there. They don’t know the real me, you see. At home, dust often collects like fur on my …

The sometimes overlooked role of bishops

“Danny called today,” the Preacher told me, when I got home from work one day. I felt a smile start in my soul. Dr. Daniel Gales.  In all the years I’ve written this column, I’ve never given a shout-out to those elected to oversee congregations of their denomination within a …

Mourners still need community, even during a pandemic

In 2004, my cousin Eldonna and I travelled to India. During part of our time in that country, we stayed with an Indian family I’d only known through correspondence. While there, we received news that Eldonna’s mother in Saskatchewan had died unexpectedly. With no cell phones, we hadn’t been in …

God’s reflection reminds us he is still there

Cloudy days of the soul often block our view of God, threatening faith in his goodness. But they persist in our souls’ regions, these pandemic times. “Cloudy with increased chance of precipitation, in the form of salty tears,” a forecaster may say. The Preacher has fought depression ever since he …

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