Month: April 2015

When I was in high school, our teachers held a pep rally before every big American-style football game. Cheerleaders in short skirts and bulky sweaters led us in cheers designed to increase the courage of the team, especially if the … Read more

When my father was close to the end of his life here on earth in 1987, I spent a lot of time with him, and he told me many stories. He was born in 1900, and he went to work when he was twelve. He told me about the time when the first car … Read more

Lately, my mind has been taken up with food, as I continue to pursue my weight-loss goals. I have found during this quest that the television ads are not my friends. I cannot venture a guess as to what percentage of them are focused on … Read more

When my son was in Bible college, he had the opportunity to travel to Israel with a group of fellow students. One of the items that he brought home was a book entitled The Holy Land in Color. This was a wonderful gift that enabled me to … Read more

There is not a day that goes by that I do not end up saying "Sorry" to God. There is not a Sunday in worship, when the prayers of confession are read and said, that I don't feel guilty and in need of those prayers. Some folks would say … Read more

When I was five and my brother was four, we would play church together. We'd get all dressed up, just like the grownups did. I was the organist and played my best on the old pump organ. My brother was the preacher. He would stand on the … Read more

Today marks the one-hundredth anniversary of the Armenian genocide, an event that occurred during the Ottoman Empire. It was on this date, April 24th, 1915, that several thousand Armenian intellectuals in Turkey were rounded up, arrested, … Read more

My dad was smiling when I went to visit him recently at the nursing home. "What are you thinking about?" I asked. "Well, it's funny the things that come into your mind when you have a lot of time on your hands and not much to do," he … Read more

We have some daffodil flowers growing from bulbs that I planted last year. They are in small clumps of five bulbs each. They have been growing away quietly during the winter in the north-facing flowerbed at the bottom of our garden. I was … Read more

While I was growing up, Little House on the Prairie was one of my favourite television shows. One touching characteristic of the series was how the town's inhabitants trusted each other. After all, it was through teamwork and trust that … Read more