On this day of pervasive rain, my memory bank gifts me with a dazzling blue summer day in North Vancouver, at the top Grouse Mountain. Here we go, edging up the mountainside in a swinging gondola, squeezed in with a crowd of other tourists. Everyone exits toward the chair lift, and here is where the … Read more
We’ve all felt them. The Apostle Peter warned us about them a long time ago. Fiery trials. Paul describes them as the fiery darts of the wicked. Their sting can completely unnerve and overwhelm us, sending our trust up in flames. But Peter says, “Don’t think those trials to be strange. Rejoice! Glory is coming!!” … Read more
What is it about music that moves us? Why is it that a song has the power to call forth our emotions, to elicit such joy and sorrow, such pleasure? After all, we are just talking about sound waves here. Why the magic? The unbeliever makes a weak stab at this question, but the mystery … Read more
You might say it had been a “bad hair” fortnight. Two weeks on the open sea with 274 Roman sailors, their ship driven helplessly by a Northeaster, neither sun nor stars appearing for many days. Everyone gave up hope except for Paul. God sent an angel to remind him that he would stand before Caesar, … Read more
A study in chaos. She catches me by surprise in Macdonald’s as I wait for my ice cream on this hot July day. Wild unruly brown curls. Faded orange shirt, stained and rumpled. Arms and legs frantically jerking, moving in patternless disarray. Eyes roaming out of control, looking for some point of reference in her … Read more
Driving by our Blue Seal store today, I noticed a sign announcing “Starting July 4 closed Sundays.” I wanted to run inside and thank them. What if every store in town did the same thing? “Wendy’s closed on Sundays – come back for chili on Monday.” ” Benson’s closed on Sundays – that washer repair … Read more
Once again, a night of rain. And I’m remembering the lyrics from “Camelot” – “no rain may ever fall till after sundown…” and I’m giving thanks for the redolent fragrance of the summer morning, the bright sunshine that streams through the trees, the sound of last night’s raindrops falling onto the ground as a gentle … Read more
Here’s one way to start the morning. These lyrics from this little chorus, written long ago by Rosalie Yoder, are taken from Psalm 143, a messianic psalm that gives us a look into the heart of Jesus as He endured the Cross for us.“Cause me to hear Thy lovingkindness in the morning, for in Thee … Read more
It’s lovely. Stuffed animals with fixed grinsDance around a crepe paper Maypole Sunlight filters down through skylightsGlows warm on rosy wallsSparkles on crystal chandeliers. Lilies of the valley weave their spellLilacs and hyacinth soothe the eyesWith lavender softness. Dinner is served.“Cranberry juice or buttermilk?”“Would you like the chicken a la king or the roast beef?”“Vanilla … Read more