After the first building was completed and fully occupied, we realized that there was need for more apartments, so we bought a piece of land behind the existing building and applied for permission to build 25 more units. There was also a need for geared-to-income housing for families, and the Housing Authority asked if we would take on this project as well; we built 61 units. Doris did all the administration and became the full-time manager of the complex after she left the nursing home. We became good friends, and we stayed in touch.

At the beginning of November, Doris texted me that she has cancer and there are possibly months of treatment ahead of her. The diagnosis came as a big surprise to her.

We talked about this. Doris knows about the mental struggles that my wife, Greta, is experiencing and how that affects our lives every day, so she told me about one of her favourite Scriptures:

Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (NIV)

Doris shared with me that when her sister had been killed in a tragic motorcycle accident many years before, she discovered this Scripture on her sister's bathroom mirror. It was like a message from above. It became a very special verse that got her through the tough times. Doris said that the challenge is for the head knowledge to become heart knowledge.

There are so many times when we experience difficult circumstances in our lives. It may be the death of a friend or a family member or a debilitating illness we ourselves or someone near and dear to us is experiencing. There are times when we really struggle, and, from a human point of view, we are at our wit's end. Then, it is good to look again at those familiar Scriptures:

Matthew 11:28 – Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (NIV)

John 14:27 – Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (NIV)

The situation may or may not change, but trust in the Lord will give us comfort and the ability to carry on.

Prayer: Our Father in heaven, through faith and Scripture, we are assured that we can always put our trust in You, our Lord. We thank You, in Jesus' name. Amen.

During the occupation of the Netherlands from 1940 to 1945, about 25,000 people were imprisoned for interrogation and prosecution in a jail near The Hague. Most were members of the resistance, and others were Jews and Jehovah's Witnesses. Some were tried and set free, others were sent on to concentration camps in the Netherlands and in Germany, and some were executed.

On May 5, 2024, it was 79 years since the occupation of the Netherlands was finally over. On that day, Greta and I watched a song service from a church in the Netherlands that commemorated the event. The leader told how his father had been imprisoned in that jail and how the family had prayed for him every day. After some months, he was released.

Some time before the service, he had visited the jail, now a museum, with his grandson. He showed some pictures of notes written by some of the prisoners, like "Stay strong" and "Keep the faith". There were faith statements and Bible texts, like this one:

Psalm 18:1-2 – I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (NKJV)

It was obvious that some of these men had faith in God, and that it gave them strength to cope. The leader of the service told us how his father had suffered during his time in prison, but also about the friends he had made and how they comforted each other while they saw others being taken to their execution. Records show that over 250 people were shot in the dunes not too far from the prison.

On March 13, 1941, eighteen men were taken to the dunes for their execution, and on the way, they sang verse four of Psalm 43, which I translated in part from my mother's Dutch Psalter Hymnal:

Then I will go to God's altar high above
To God, my God, the fount of joy and love
Then I will sing with harp and voice
And in His home, I will rejoice
When after a short time in pain and war
He will comfort me in peace forever more

One thing became abundantly clear: some of the people kept their faith, they comforted each other, and they were assured through the words of Scripture that God was their refuge and strength, indeed a very present help in times of trouble.

It is really a challenge to question whether we would have the faith, strength, and fortitude to stand strong like that in similar circumstances today.

Prayer: Our Father in heaven, we pray for all people who are at this time being persecuted, and we pray that they, too, may keep the faith. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

She never told us why, but Psalm 42 was my mother's favourite psalm. For such a seemingly happy and faithful woman, I found that to be a strange choice. It was written by someone who was searching for a relationship with God, someone who was desperate to find Him.

However, one day not long ago, I heard a sermon on YouTube. The minister said that he had gone through a period in his life when he was really struggling, and when he thought about Psalm 42, it gave him comfort. I think that the same may have happened to my mother.

Some years ago, a cousin told me that my mother had been in love with a cousin. They were young, and they wanted to get married, but my mother was raised in a very strict Christian family, and back then, one hundred years ago, cousins did not marry. So, they broke up, and she quit her job and went home to stay with her parents. She was 26 years old and very distraught.

While staying there, she met a man who had been married and had a seven-year-old daughter, but again, marrying a divorced man was out of the question. Her parents were against it, and she may have had some anguish over it herself, but nevertheless, they were married in 1931.

I'm sure that she had a lot of personal struggles when her life changed so suddenly. She had been living in a big city; now, she was in her husband's house in a semi-rural area with an instant family. Those were also the depression years, and things were tough. She may not have adjusted to her new life quickly. In retrospect, it may have been a very great personal struggle for her.

But she knew her Bible well, and she must have received a lot of comfort from this psalm. She could relate to the writer, and thus, it became her favourite.

Psalm 42:11 – Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God. (NIV)

Those words would have given her a new outlook on life, along with contentment and peace.

There may also be some of us who are struggling with a personal situation. There may be times when we, too, wonder what makes us so unhappy. At such times, it is good to remember to put our hope in God.

Isaiah 41:13 – For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, "Fear not, I will help you." (NKJV)

Prayer: Our Father in heaven, we know that during the difficult times in our lives, You are with us, and we thank You, in Jesus' name. Amen.

The Lord willing, in July of this year, the days of my years will be fourscore years and ten. Early one morning recently, that made me think of the many things that have changed in my life, personally as well as in society. I have lost all my ex-colleagues, some of whom I was in touch with up to a year or so ago. I have also lost some really good local friends. I talked with one of them on almost a weekly basis about his hockey career, personal things, our faith, and church life. Most of the people I knew at church have either passed away or moved, either into a nursing home or to be with or near one of their children. During the past year or so, Greta, my wife of 68 years, has been struggling with dementia.

I recall the struggles that we had when we first got married, but also the good times. I remember how we mourned the death of our first child and the joy that we had with three more healthy children, eight grandchildren, and eighteen great-grandchildren. There are so many places that we have lived and trips that we have made with our children or by ourselves, up until just a few years ago.

Now, for both of us, many days are somewhat of a struggle. Quite often we have trouble discussing important things in our daily lives: children and grandchildren, family members, current events, as well as the things that we need to do every day. Even the church has become less important to us, with new people and new ideas. Changes!

During my years doing pastoral care at the local long-term care facility, I had many discussions with some of the residents who were struggling, and I always cited three helpful Bible passages, which we then quite often discussed.

Psalm 46:1 – God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (NKJV)

Psalm 121:2 – My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. (NKJV)

Matthew 11:28 – Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (NKJV)

Indeed, we do carry our burdens in prayer to God in Jesus' name, and we do receive strength from the Lord.

If you are going through a similar situation, some of the words of one my favourite hymns may speak to your heart: What a Friend we have in Jesus, by Joseph Scriven (1820-1886).

Are we weak and heavy laden,
Cumbered by a load of care?
Precious Saviour, still our refuge:
Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Prayer: Our Father in heaven, we pray that You will give us comfort, strength, peace of mind, and patience during the difficult times in our lives. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

Although sometimes we wonder, doubting God's purposes is nothing new. Even Bible heroes had times of great doubt. One of the best examples is John the Baptist. Here's what the Bible tells us happened to him:

Mark 6:17-19a – Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, whom he had married. For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. (NIV 2011)

While he was in prison, John sat and wondered what was happening to him. He had spent so much time preparing the people for the coming of the Messiah, and he had been so sure that his cousin Jesus was the expected One. He had baptized Him just a short time before, and he had made this profound statement:

John 1:34 – I have seen and I testify that this is God's Chosen One. (NIV 2011)

But now in prison, he began to doubt this.

Matthew 11:2-6 – When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, "Are you the one to come, or should we expect someone else?" Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me." (NIV 2011)

During these tumultuous times, do you, like me, sometimes wonder where God is in all this? John did. But then, Christ is with us to help us overcome our doubts, and the very words that He added to His reassurance to John offer us encouragement: "Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me." Praise be to God!

Prayer: Our Father in heaven, there are times when we worry and wonder about all the things going on in the world. We pray that You will speak to the hearts of those who have the ability to change things and that a change for peace will come about. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

On Good Friday last year, Greta and I went to a country church that was a 45-minute drive from our place. We went because I had led worship services there many times before COVID and my health problems. We wanted to see the people again after all this time. We really enjoyed the wonderful, traditional Good Friday worship service. It emphasized the death of Jesus on the cross, and the choir sang a couple of anthems. After the service, we all gathered in the fellowship hall and had hot cross buns with coffee or tea for a very nice lunch. We had a chance to fellowship with kindred people and to reacquaint ourselves with a number of them.

At home in the evening, we watched the television news from Toronto, Canada. It started out with a report of an Easter fair which was held in a town not too far away. There were literally thousands of people in attendance, young as well as old. There were rides of various kinds and a petting zoo for children. In a certain area, there were many bales of straw, and loose straw strewn around where children could search for Easter eggs. It was a very festive occasion. A number of people were interviewed, and they commented about the great time they'd had. The festivities were to go on until Easter Monday.

Later, I reflected on that day, which so many people had spent in a carnival-like atmosphere, while others like ourselves, had spent time in worship, remembering that Jesus suffered the agony of betrayal, false accusations, and death on the cross.

I doubt that very many people at the fair had any idea of why this was "Good Friday" and what "Easter" really meant. This reminded me of one of the anthems that the choir had sung that day, called "Jesus Died Alone" written by John Parker. Each verse begins by recounting an event when crowds listened to Jesus' teaching or sought His healing or hailed Him with palm branches. Each of the three verses then goes on to contrast what happened while Jesus was facing death on the cross, beginning with "But".

But in the garden on His knees,
'Neath the silent olive trees
Where he prayed in agony,
Jesus prayed alone.

But on the night he was betrayed,
To the priest no word He gave.
No defense to them He made.
Jesus stood alone.

But when he hung upon the tree,
On a hill called Calvary,
Forsaken, died for all to see.
Jesus died alone!

Jesus died so that our sin could be forgiven, so when it comes to choosing between Jesus and the world, let's make sure that we stand with Jesus!

Prayer: Our Father in heaven, as we reflect on the events of Good Friday and Easter, it is our earnest prayer that more people would hear the truth of the gospel and believe. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

We had to drive some twenty miles to the city, which at that time still looked very much as I imagine biblical cities looked like at the time of Christ. There was a big wall on the land side of the city; the other side faced the Gulf of Oman. To enter the city, we had to go through a big door in the wall where the old men still gathered to have discussions. This door was open from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m., but there was a Judas gate, a small door through which a person could enter or depart on foot. When we got to the city, we parked our vehicles and walked through the small door into the city, down the narrow streets, past the closed shops and the residences, until we came to the hospital and the chapel. Other than those of us from the camp, there were not too many people in attendance, just some hospital staff and a few local people.

Historical writings tell us that Bethlehem was also a small walled city. Joseph and Mary, as well as many others, were forced to go to the home of their ancestors for the census ordered by Caesar Augustus. I would imagine that they also had to go through the main gate, walk down the narrow streets, past shops and places where people lived, looking for a place to spend the night. They were tired from the long trip from Nazareth and they were desperate to find a place, because Mary was due to give birth.

Luke 2:6-7 – So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. (NKJV)

As we drove back to camp after the service, we discussed the service and how nice it was to go to worship, to again hear about the birth of Christ, and to sing the beautiful carols of the Christmas season. How good it was to be away from the camp for a couple of hours! Even though some of us were lonely, far away from home, it was still a very happy event.

Joseph and Mary were also far from home, alone and lonely in a strange place. Yet, there in that place, they experienced the most happy event. That night, Jesus was born, and the words of the angel were fulfilled:

Luke 1:31 – And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. (NKJV)

Let's ensure that we participate in the joy of gathering together to worship our Lord this Christmas Eve!

Prayer: Our Father in heaven, we pray that many people will attend the Christmas services and that they will be moved by the experience and that it will bring peace in their hearts. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.