Year: 2001

Change of address cards are piled in my study as I write this. We are moving, and looking forward very much to our arrival at Parkwood Church, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, for December 1st. Change of address announcements, whether sent via … Read more

Driving home from our Presbytery meeting the other day, our group pulled up behind a car with a pumpkin windsock flapping about on the end of its radio antenna. Obviously, the driver was celebrating autumn. A little further on, we … Read more

During the first week of Advent last year, friends passed along to me a couple of e-mail messages that made me think for a bit. The first one was titled 50 Good Reasons Why Jesus is Better than Santa Claus. … Read more

It is a very wet and windy day near the end of October. I have just finished the draft of the Christmas Eve service and bulletin. You may think me mad for having this done so far ahead. I do … Read more

I hate waiting in line. Get me in a long line and I am not a happy camper. You can bet that whatever line I am in will go slowly. I am one of those people who can always choose … Read more

The other weekend, my son and I were shopping at the Target store for a birthday present for my wife. She wanted a pedometer so she could keep track of how many miles she walked each day for exercise. We … Read more

For some months now, my grandson, who earlier underwent surgery to remove a tumour on his brain, has been living with me. The recovery has sometimes been difficult. Last week, a series of problems in my own life left me … Read more

I had a fire drill the other day, so I looked at the torch that we have for evening use. I checked the battery by placing my tongue across the terminals to see if it would give me the expected … Read more

While there is joy in receiving, there is greater joy in giving. We are all taught to say "thank you" when we receive something, but what about saying "thank you" when we give something away? And who else is there … Read more

The hardest job I ever had was managing my father's cotton gin. That fall three decades ago, when I returned home from overseas military service, he said, "Son, I'm tending to the harvest. You'll have to learn to operate the … Read more