From reading the Daily devotionals, I have come to the conclusion that some of the authors and probably a great number of the readers are people of advanced years. I am one of them. I have done a variety of tasks in the churches that we … Read more
Fifty years ago, I spent eight months in the desert, some twenty miles from Muscat in the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman. We lived in a camp, about sixty of us, single status. How well I remember going for long walks every day after work in … Read more
My mother did not live to see any of her grandchildren get married. She was a wonderful grandmother and she would have loved to have seen her grandchildren enter into holy matrimony, but it was not to be. During the last years of her … Read more
These days, a lot is said and written about the irrelevancy of our Christian faith. Some months ago, there was a report in our local paper about a minister of the gospel who had preached for many years and submitted faith-based articles … Read more
This past Christmas, I became more and more aware of the commercialism of the season. We were talking to one family in which everybody buys a present for everybody in the family. Certainly, there are financial constraints arising from … Read more
In many churches, the traditional ways of worship have changed. The order of service is not as rigid as it used to be. Some ministers interact with the congregation, and some people even reply. There was a time when we did not laugh in … Read more
Having for many years taken part in a number of Christian activities at the local Long Term Care Centre, I have gotten to know a considerable number of people on a quite personal basis. Some of them tell me about their hopes and … Read more
One day, I was studying Psalm 121, and as I do quite often, I checked my Dutch and German Bibles. I noticed that in those two languages, there is only one word for shade or shadow, the emphasis being on shadow. That made me think more … Read more
During the last month, we have seen a number of events of terrible carnage in various places: Ankara, Turkey, October 12th – 97 killed, 250 injured; Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, October 31st – a Russian airliner allegedly brought down by … Read more
We watch a fair number of English mystery shows on television, and some of them start out with the warning: "This show contains coarse language and scenes of violence. Viewer discretion is advised." They warn us, so that we are prepared. … Read more