"Fear God" was a command that I often heard in my dad's sermons. And I did. Some years after my father's death, I uncovered the only recorded sermon that I have of his. I had forgotten what a fireball that he was when he preached. Most … Read more
It was gone. Now, I had to learn a lesson about handling regrets. I thought about my now-gone treasure early one morning when a co-worker asked, "Have you ever regretted getting rid of something?" I love antiques and have since I was … Read more
Sometimes, a card or email can say it all. "You are my favourite teacher." "Do you put baby oil on your head to make it shine?" "You have taught me so much." "I was scared of you in the sixth grade, but now you are my favourite teacher." … Read more
"Come, look at this," my wife said. Gardening is in my blood. I suppose that I inherited it from my two grandfathers who farmed. When spring comes, I want to plunge my fingers and hands into the dirt and plant vegetables and flowers. … Read more
Every afternoon when I walked into the house, things had disappeared. Our possessions shrank by the day. Well … not really. We were moving, and my wife was doing most of the packing while I taught school during the day. Since I didn't … Read more
If we learned nothing else, we learned to be sensitive. Parent-teacher conference day: no teachers look forward to it. Secretly, we probably wish that no parents would schedule a conference, and equally we attempt to deal with issues … Read more
Another season was upon us. Moving. The word sends prickly shivers up my spine. I've done it so often. Either Dad was moving our family when I was young, or I was moving myself as I followed in his footsteps as a minister. Some moves, I … Read more
"Are you ready to hear a Mayberry moment?" I once pastored a small country church near a tiny country town — located, in fact, in the smallest county in the state. The chairman of the deacons served as the chief of police. We always … Read more
We knew that when God leads, we had nothing to fear. My wife and I were shocked when our landlords delivered the news. When we had initially rented from them, they assured us that they wanted long-term tenants. Our unit and a neighbour's … Read more