Our children always checked the chicken after school, to see if there were cookies. That must be why my kids decided that I should collect chickens. I have cups, tea towels, pot holders, ceramics, a carved beauty, even one that crows if you squeeze it. The most unusual item arrived by courier one Christmas. I'm sure no one else has opened their present to discover a cement chicken. Friends have picked up plates and tablecloths in other countries, so how can I refuse to collect chickens?

Aren't habits like that? We never planned to smoke (as I did) or to swear. We put off having our time alone with God a few times, until it was permanently postponed. Sometimes it is so hard to get up for church, and we skip a few services. It becomes easier to smooth over things with procrastination and so on.

As Solomon says, it is "the little foxes that spoil the vines" (Song of Solomon 2:15 NKJV).

But there is a solution: "In all thy ways acknowledge Him and he shall direct thy paths" (Proverbs 3:6 KJV).

Prayer: Lord, we come to You needing an attitude adjustment. Our habits must be cleaned up or reversed to please You and make us effective witnesses. Please help us, we pray. Amen.

Growing up in a family where grandpa, dad, and some uncles were carpenters, I was used to tools. My brother and I helped clean and oil things and get them ready for the cold winter in the tool shed.

Watching my father-in-law do carpentry without the usual tools fascinated me. He came from the old country and built his home of logs in the 1920s. He was a farmer who had been a soldier, and there were no fancy tools. He could fashion a sloop (a kind of sleigh used in farm work) with some logs and a double-headed axe. One day, I saw him smoothing a piece of lumber, not with a sander, but with a piece of broken glass.

This got me to thinking about God's way of using the unexpected for His purposes. Who would think of using Moses as an advocate, or Saul (Paul) as an advertising man? Moses couldn't even speak well, and Saul did his best to discourage people from believing the gospel message he later preached himself.

The old expression, "God uses willing hands and hearts" is only partly true. He uses the most unexpected broken pieces or persons for His glory. How glad we are that He sees value in all of us. We can be useful in His hands.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for seeing beyond our weaknesses and for using us to advance Your kingdom. Open our eyes to see where we are needed. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

In the centre is a black cross. It does not go all the way to the top, but it reaches all the way down. The idea is that Christ descended into hades. Below the junction of the crosspieces is a block of red signifying our Saviour's blood, shed there for our sins.

The upper left has dark blues representing the darkness of the sky and the mood on crucifixion day. Below is a mound of fall colours on one side of the hill, suggesting the end of Christ's life.

To the right at the top is the bright sky, reminding us that the darkness was temporary, since Christ arose, victorious over death. Below is the other side of the hill in bright greens and spring colours representing resurrection life, and leaving us feeling elated because the darkness is gone. Our Saviour lives!

Without saying a word, that hanging preached a little sermon to me. Aren't we to be like that wall hanging? Our actions should do likewise. Many of us are not good at speaking out as witnesses for Christ, but our hanging around in the neighbourhood, social groups, or church should tell people where we stand and symbolize the better way — following our Saviour — in other words, our own silent sermon. When our mouths are closed, do we mirror the way of the cross and salvation like that wall hanging? My dad used to say, "What you do is so loud, I can't hear what you are saying."

2 Corinthians 3:2-3 – You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. (NIV)

Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, we are so grateful for the message of hope pictured for us by the wall hanging. Help us to be mindful of the picture we leave behind us. Amen.

Colleen lives on the side of a mountain. When her children were both home, they begged for a pet. She reminded them that there was no one home all day.

One spring, a kitten appeared at the door. She fed it, and made inquiries, and eventually it became Mr. Kitty. The following year another showed up. More inquiries followed; of course, she couldn't leave it to starve; thus arrived Mrs. Kitty.

Then there were offspring. She found them homes. In the meantime they kept Miss Kitty, who made a trip to the vet for neutering. Mrs. Kitty disappeared, but along came another drop-off — Baby Kitty.

Not long ago, another tiny kitten showed up. This is getting to be too much, but it's little and cute. She thinks, "What is smaller than Baby Kitty?" This one becomes Itty Bitty Kitty. None of the cats are allowed inside, but this one sneaks in at every opening of the door. When Colleen hollers, "Itty Bitty," it slides across the hardwood with its feet in the air and dashes out.

Colleen tells me that she can't keep any more, yet I can tell she is smitten. Giving it a name is the dead give-away, don't you think? Once there's a name there is status.

The Bible says that God has a name for me. He plans to keep me.

Itty Bitty stole another heart, and has a new home — but she was important enough for Colleen to be sure it was a good home.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we are so glad we matter to You. As Your adopted children, we know our names are written in Your big book of life, and we can rest assured that we matter to You. We thank You, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Last year, my son and I flew to a wedding in the United States. We are both living in the northern part of different provinces in Canada. We met in the airport in Calgary, Alberta, and proceeded from there. Upon arrival in a strange city, Gene requested a GPS with our rental car. It led us to our accommodation with no hassle.

After a week of using it, I stated, "I want one of those." That's not an expression I like to use, but for someone with no sense of direction, it is a wonderful invention.

When my birthday arrived soon after, so did a new GPS. I have become an advocate. When I am on a strange road, it shows what is ahead, such as a curve, corner, or switch-back. The amazing part to me is that it sees in the dark. No matter at what time of night I am in places unfamiliar, it leads me on.

Earlier this spring, I was going to my youngest daughter's home, over an hour away. About halfway there, the GPS told me to turn left. Of course, I ignored it — I knew better. When I arrived at my destination, I told my family about this silly GPS wanting to send me off into the boonies. My son-in-law said, "Look at this lady who has a GPS and doesn't trust it. It's a short cut." Sure enough, on the next trip, I got there twenty minutes faster by following the instructions — and I saw some beautiful country as well. (Sounds like Psalm 23 — being led through "green pastures".)

According to today's Scripture, the GPS is a great analogy to God's Word. Through it, He leads us into and through the unknown. All we need do is keep our eyes on our Lord and His Word, and we will go through the dark and scary places with a guide.

Prayer: Dear Saviour, thank You for Your light and comfort as we face the unknown. All is known to You, and we praise You for guiding us. Stay with us to the end, we ask, in Jesus' name. Amen.

In this record of Jesus feeding the crowd, several things come to mind.

First of all, if one little boy had the five loaves and two fish, his basket must have been boy-sized. Needing to have enough for fifty in each group, Jesus must have created more baskets of a fair size. Maybe there was enough for one person in each basket, and it was constantly replenished as each person took theirs, but wait … the baskets are mentioned again.

Secondly, He didn't say, "Sit down and relax, fellows, we'll get the women to do the serving."

Why pick up the leftovers? They would make good compost or feed the birds. He cares about birds, too. But He wanted the place left as it was found, uncluttered. And the clean-up wasn't women's work either.

John 6:12b-13a – "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets. (NIV)

Furthermore, He didn't want waste. I imagine the twelve baskets of leftovers went to the outskirts of town or to the caves where the lepers and outcasts lived.

In feeding all those people, He also gave us several examples of Christ-like behaviour: recycle; leave as small a footprint as possible; learn to serve each other; and see that the needs of the poor are met.

Prayer: Dear Lord, we need to remember how You cared for others and set an example of caring for our surroundings, too. The environment is the big thing now, but with You, caring for the earth was just part of life. Help us to see the needs around us, especially in these hard times. We thank You for Your provision each day. Amen.

Some years ago, I got a "new to me" car; actually, it had so few miles that it was still new and shiny. In our province, we keep the same license plates and move them to each new vehicle. I'd had my plates for quite a few years, and they were crusty-looking. The paint was cracked, the metal had rock dents, and the edges were not as crisp as they once had been. They needed work to look right on a new vehicle. With a cloth over the metal, I hammered the edges and dents. I used kitchen scouring cleanser to clean the dirt off, and a chisel to scrape off the decals from previous years. Afterwards, they looked much better on the shiny bumpers.

This year, I decided that after ten years, I should have a new car. I described my license plate fiasco to a friend, and she said, "Don't be so cheap; get new plates." When I went to the registration office, I asked the price of a new set of plates. Imagine my surprise when I was told there was no charge, that I just needed to turn in the old ones!

Isn't that the way we believers are? We forget that our all-powerful God can renew us, or change any circumstance if only we ask. How often I've put up with something that needed changing because I didn't ask God for help or guidance!

Prayer: Lord, sometimes we forget to come to You when we should, or we are too stubborn to ask for help. Forgive our lack of faith and our stiff necks, and help us to ask and to believe that You are able to change us or the circumstance. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.