I can see a how a grieving person could be drawn into the false comfort of turning to a medium or a spiritist. Like a moth to the flame, some might seek out such a "practitioner" to try to re-connect desperately with the dear departed. The Bible is our clear guide through the confusing world of spiritism:

Leviticus 19:31 – Do not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out to be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God. (NASB)

I had a second-hand brush with a medium after a relative went to one. Afterwards, she reported to me that the medium had "channeled" my dear departed daughter. Never having met us before, the medium gave my daughter's name and knew that it was a car accident that had taken her life. To the unsuspecting, this could seem like a welcome encounter, but I knew from the Bible's counsel that it was a counterfeit voice. Supernatural spirits have supernatural knowledge of events, so the familiar details didn't impress me. There are two sources of supernatural knowledge: God and Satan.

What gift would you accept from the enemy of your soul who is out to get you? Scripture tells me, "The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy." (John 10:10a NASB) The devil tried to give Jesus gifts, too. He offered Him bread when He was starving and all the kingdoms of the world if He would only bow down and worship him. Jesus' response is mine, too: "Be gone, Satan!" (Matthew 4:10a ESV)

There will indeed be a day when I will talk to my daughter again, and that will be when I am where she is: in heaven. Until then, my heart is satisfied to stay close to the Shepherd's side, to receive His comfort and to obey His guidance and escort through this world's dangerous enemy territory.

Isaiah 8:19 – When they say to you, "Consult the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter," should not a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living? (NASB)

If you are grieving the loss of a loved one today, let me encourage you to fall into the arms of the eternal God for all comfort and relief. He is the place of safety and rest. He's the One Who truly cares for your welfare. He proved that on the cross. His many promises are yours.

Matthew 11:28-29 – Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you shall find rest for your souls. (NASB)

Prayer: Lord, help us to walk with You during our time on earth in a manner that is pleasing to You, forsaking what You have told us to forsake, and embracing the things of God. Only in obeying You and in seeking You will we find comfort for our souls, now and in eternity. Amen.

The last time I looked for a wedding dress was in 1970. I was 19, the dress was pink, and the wedding was at city hall. I was a typical sixties-thinking, cute gal, and a white dress didn't have much meaning for me then. But this wedding would be different. For one thing, at 63, I was far less cute. For another, I had been scooped up by the heavenly Bridegroom at 27. So, although I had lost a husband to a blonde, the wedding gown would be white, since a modest, white gown is a biblical reflection of the purity of the Bride of Christ. I had waited twenty-four years for this groom – a godly man. Now He had provided an earthly groom for me, one of His best men, Allan Smith.

So there I was, a grandmother at a wedding gown boutique, with all the young cuties, trying on dresses. The first thing that I noticed was that all the wedding gowns were strapless and revealing. Gone was the notion that a bride was to look chaste and modest in a white gown denoting purity. One of the most meaningful comparisons in the Bible is that of Christ as the Bridegroom and His church as the pure bride. Being mindful of this, I knew that the gowns that I was seeing would not fit that comparison! Against all odds, I finally discovered a beautiful dress that was strapless but not revealing! A trip to another bridal boutique provided the modest lace jacket overlay. I knew that in this dress, I could feel like a Christ-following woman walking down the aisle to meet my bridegroom.

With the wedding just days away, I arrived with great excitement at the wedding boutique to pick up my dress. The gown was beautiful, and my heart was full of thanksgiving that God should grant me such joy at this time of life. Surely goodness and mercy had followed me. (Psalm 23) As I tried on my gown, the woman in the next change room began to talk to me. I could tell by her voice that she wasn't love's young dream either. I asked her if she was the mother of the bride or the bride. "The bride!" she said, sounding as excited as I was. Her name was Joanne. "Well I'm a 63-year-old bride," I responded. She told me that she was a 60-year-old bride. Stepping out of the change rooms we shared our romantic stories as if we had been friends for years. Both Joanne and I were to be married on the coming Saturday. What an unexpected kinship I felt towards her. I told her that I had found it difficult to find a modest gown. She shared that in her church it was important that a bride dress modestly. I shared that the Bride of Christ depicted in Scripture is pure, without spot or wrinkle, and that I wanted to honour that comparison with my wedding gown. She seemed really moved by these words. We shared a meaningful embrace and blessed each other as believers.

Whether we serve the Lord Jesus as married or single (which I did joyfully for many years), may we keep our souls dressed in the inner bridal gown, white and pure, until we go to meet our eternal Bridegroom.

Isaiah 61:10 – I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (NKJV)

Prayer: Lord Jesus, enable Your church to walk through the world as Your chaste bride, with our lamps trimmed and our garments spotless, ready to meet You. We long to be with You as Your bride, dressed in our pure and modest white garments of salvation and righteousness. Amen.

I was eager to get to my mother's hospital room as she recovered from breaking her hip. During the visit, I began a conversation with a dear lady named Inga in the next bed. She had been admitted for a serious digestive problem and had been told that it might be cancer. My heart went out to her as we spoke. She introduced me to her long-time boyfriend, Fritz, who was 99 years young. He explained to me that they weren't married because they couldn't find the right bridesmaid!

Inga told me that despite the blanket that she had brought from home, she was still so cold at night. I thought, What she needs is a polar fleece blanket. I immediately recognized God's bidding to do something about this. The next day as I toured a department store, I was sure that I would find that particular kind of blanket. It would keep her warm in the drafty hospital room. But no such blanket was to be found. I was sure that I had heard from the Lord that this was His errand for me that day. How did I get it wrong?

Later that day, I e-mailed my neighbour, a sister in the Lord. I told her that Inga had really touched my heart and that she was cold at night. Shortly afterwards, she e-mailed me back that she had made a blanket for Inga. Wow! So I did hear from the Lord, but He had commissioned another believer to come up with the goods. When I went to pick up the blanket from her house, we both had tears in our eyes as she explained that she, too, had an Aunt Inga and that her heart really went out to this Inga. She just knew that she had to care for this Inga by sewing her a blanket. That's how it is with God's people — we can care for strangers through Christ in us.

I hoped that the lady was still there to receive her gift, as people come and go quickly in hospitals. My neighbour said that surely God hadn't put this in our hearts to miss the mark. It was her errand for the Lord, too. She had even stitched the name INGA on the corner — a loving, personal touch.

When I got to the room the next day, Inga was still there, and I learned once again the joy of doing the Lord's errands. As I laid the beautiful blanket on her bed, she gasped. Running her hand over her stitched name, she said, "Oh! that there are still such people in the world!" The right, unplanned words that I had prayed for filled my mouth: "God sees you here in this room, and He loves you. It's the love of God that brought this to you. We are praying to Jesus for you." Her smile was broad as she explained a further joy: the tests showed no cancer. I threw my arms up and said, "Thank You, Jesus!" When I was leaving, she rose feebly from her chair to hug me once again and express her heartfelt thanks. The next day, Inga went home, and the opportunity to share the Lord was ended — right on time. We got in through God's window! My friend's blanket and my delivery services working together were God's errand to a forlorn senior lady in a chilly hospital bed. To be used for such holy errands is truly one of the greatest joys in life.

The way that this came together made me mindful of the fact that kingdom people need to be ever ready and ever aware of divinely-appointed errands. These come across our path in the most ordinary times and in the most unexpected ways.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, won't You use us today to do Your errands to spread Your love? Surely there is some kind word or deed that can cross our paths today. May we be busy for You in our busy days. Thank You for the joy of bringing Your love into those empty places in people's lives. To You be all the glory! Amen.

I love Christmas. I haven't loved every Christmas in my life, however. The first Christmas four months after my daughter died in a car accident was a bad one. The Christmas before that, after my husband left, that same daughter wept as she opened presents sent from her father. That was not a good Christmas either. Christmas cards, movies, television programs, etc., all promote the perfect family sitting down to the perfect meal after opening lovely presents. But what about the other people – the ones who find the sting of loss even more excruciating at Christmas next to the template of that perfect family Christmas? What Christmas cards are there to send those people?

I think I could make one. It would show someone with their face turned to heaven in the shadow of the cross with the nativity scene to one side. It would say, "Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow because of the Child given so long ago." The inside might say, "He has sent me to bind up and heal the brokenhearted…" (Isaiah 61:1 AMP). I have been one who has been bound up with healing from the Son of God Who read those words in the synagogue in Nazareth that day. By God's mercy, I have enjoyed many good Christmas times since those sad ones.

The family side of Christmas is important, as our emotions are more tender at this time of year. However, deep in the heart of every Christian is the recognition that Christmas is not truly about a family Christmas. Rather, it is about appreciating the tremendous gift of salvation given as God in Christ stepped into time at Bethlehem to accomplish our salvation. And what does one do with this appreciation? How do we please God during this season? Reaching out to others, especially when we are sorrowful, can end up being a comfort for both the giver and also the receiver – a sort of two for one. They feel better, and so do we. What visit, what meal, what kindness can we give someone else to alleviate their painful Christmas? That's the key: thanksgiving to God and an outstretched hand to others in need. Now there's a good Christmas card sentiment.

Happy or sad, may the Lord Jesus bless your Christmas with joyful thanksgiving of what Almighty God did to make a way for us to be forgiven, because of that first Christmas.

Prayer: Help us, Lord, to comfort others this Christmas the way You have comforted us. In doing so, may we please You and also find our own peace through it. Thanks be to You, O God. Amen.

I was in a long lineup at the bank when I noticed the nicely-dressed senior ahead of me with silver hair. As he turned, I saw that he wore a navy blue Legion jacket sporting many small brooches and pins — for awards and accomplishments, I imagined. He smiled, and so I said, "That's a lot of honour there on your lapel." He seemed pleased that I had recognized that. I asked him if he had been in Europe during the war, and he said that he was on the beaches of Normandy on D-day where his cousin was killed. From my entrance onto the scene in the 1950s during peacetime, I can barely imagine what he must have suffered that day. I shudder to think of the young men I know today, for I have sons as well. I imagine what it must have been like to see such young men leave home, perhaps never to return. I asked him what he thought of the wars in the world today and all the young men and women who go overseas to serve their country. He said that war is not something that mankind can solve, and that there would be only one solution for it all. I held my breath for the answer, and then he said these golden words: "The return of Jesus Christ will be the only answer for it." I reached for his hand and said, "Oh! Then I must greet you as a brother in Christ, for I believe that, too."

On Sunday, I looked in the glass cabinet at church, and saw the picture of a very young man in uniform. He was noted as having died for his country. He had such a handsome face — I think of how his mother must have wept when she got the bad news.

For all those bumper stickers that say, "Thank a Vet", I say, "Thank you", and I honour you with respect, especially on November 11th. On this Remembrance Day or Veterans Day, we salute those who fought battles, who endured unimaginable sacrifice and loss, who bravely left home and hearth to defeat tyranny, who now defend our country, and who through it all still have the focus to believe that Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, is the answer to all the earth's travail. God calls all of us to be peacemakers, and until Jesus comes again, we must do our best in our own way to work for peace in all our relationships.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we give thanks to You for the freedom that we enjoy in many countries today because of those who paid such a price. As the Canadian national anthem says, "God keep our land glorious and free". Amen.