From my kitchen window, I enjoy the heavy, low-flying, distinctively coloured, quiet, slow-mannered pair of wood ducks that like to rest on their webbed feet awhile on the horizontal branches of my big, old maple trees almost every morning …( read more )

Whenever I feast on the wonder of a starlit sky, as daytime's sunset pulls down her blind and whispers goodnight, I cannot help but believe in God's handiwork. And though my eyesight has faded over time, and brilliant colours have lost …( read more )

Each spring in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, the season is announced first by snowdrops, then by crocus blossoms. The sloping lawns around the Parliament Buildings are adorned by beds of the cheery crocus, purple and golden. For those of us who …( read more )

We had just finally found a place to rent, a former karate studio over a downtown business with a beat-up wreck of a kitchen that looked unusable. Moving in that night, I fed the children and put them to bed before retiring ourselves. …( read more )

My mother and I were watching television. The meteorologist was warning of a storm in the area. We saw the lightning but soon realized that the power lines were snapping. We rushed to the basement, praying with every step for God's …( read more )

When my brothers and I were young, we avidly collected chunks of mica and pyrite. Because the minerals sparkled and were beautiful, we assumed that they were valuable. Pyrite is known as "fool's gold", because its metallic shimmer and gold …( read more )

Last December, I went to see an elderly gentleman in a long-term care facility. About three-and-a-half years ago, he had a stroke, but through specific exercises, he recovered quite well. But then one day, he slipped, fell, and broke his …( read more )

If ever there were a time when we need to approach the throne of grace, it's now! The whole world has been turned upside down. We need God. We need His peace. We need His strength. There is no one else to turn to. Prayer is a gift from …( read more )

When I was a student, I spent two summers in Jasper, Alberta, Canada, working in service jobs, as many students still do, earning money for the next university semester. Many mountains encircle Jasper, one being Mount Edith Cavell, its …( read more )

As the tour bus wound through the Galilean countryside into the Golan Heights, our guide pointed out the bright yellow signs posted on wire fences along the road: Danger! Mines! — in English, Arabic, and Hebrew. Mines are still buried …( read more )