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Being Well Equipped
Recently two of my sons went on a backcountry hunting trip. It involved lots of hiking in treacherous places with elevations that require strength and endurance. One of my sons lives in that area and so had been in the territory before. He was able to train for the trip in the place where the excursion was to occur. My other son trained as well to build his strength, but he lives in a different location and his training area was not as arduous. While both made it through the trip okay, one son managed the trip better than the other. The training he did in the local area could…
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Look and Find
Favourite books for my children and grandchildren, as well as my students, are Look and Find books. These books have vivid pictures filled with many intricate details. The objective of the books is to find particular items within the multitude of pictures on each page. I have had young ones fascinated for long periods of time with these delightful books. I must confess – I enjoy searching with the kids. I love puzzles and mysteries and these books are a fun way to do some problem solving. It’s so exciting to finally succeed at finding the hidden object. Sometimes when we are feeling low, it can feel like we are…
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Joys and Sorrows
As I hold my newest grandchild, joy overflows. This new little life is so very precious, a wonderful God given gift. There is so much hope in looking at that little one as I wonder what her life will hold. Within days of celebrating the joy of her birth, sorrow strikes. Without much warning, my dear precious mother went home to be with her Lord. What a contrast in emotions. I went from hopeful and bright to sorrowful and disjointed. Grief is insidious – rising up to bomb a person’s emotions at the least provocation. In the up and down days that follow I move around in a fog. How…
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The Big Three
Some days are filled with such long to do lists or other obligations. When life gets crazy busy, I just want to be directed to the main things I need to do. What can I do to survive and still do what is needed? Well, there is no magic list fairy that is going to tame my to do list or give me an outline for how I should spend my time. As much as I would like some kind of direction, I find I am pulled in many different directions each and every day. Even in my faith life I have those feelings. There are many different agendas out…
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When Being Thankful Seems Impossible
Lately I find listening to newscasts extremely frustrating. There is so much hurt and pain in the world. I don’t think a day goes by without some natural disaster occurring or major accident or political turmoil being reported. At times, the weight of it all lies heavy on my heart and mind. It is so easy to find myself drawn to thinking about all these unpleasant things and letting those thoughts detract from my day. Perhaps you are similar – bad reports all around us drain us of our energy. We can feel powerless as we learn of all these terrible things going on in our world, many of which…
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God Leads, We Follow
As I look out at my students and see them all on task, I am grateful. Getting my students on track is a big task in the early weeks of school. When we finally get to the point where the majority know what they are to do and when and where they are to do it, we have accomplished a great deal. Our classroom would not be successful without obedience to both school and classroom expectations. Obedience is part of the framework that helps our day run successfully. Of course, I always have those darling little imps who like to frequently push the limits. They quickly learn, however, that obedience…
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Casting Your Cares
It is a memory I cherish – my little three-year-old girl singing her heart out. She has always loved music and she was taken with a musical group that visited our church. One of their songs that she latched onto was the praise chorus – I Cast All My Cares. She sang that song over and over for weeks. Even at this young age, she grasped the importance of this beloved chorus which is based on the following verse: “Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you.” Psalm 55:22 As she sang that song over and over, I was given the reminder of how our loving God…
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Where Is the Joy in This?
One of the many tasks I have as a teacher is outdoor supervision for recess breaks. Generally, I enjoy walking around and engaging with the students in their various activities. Of course, there are always the moments when conflicts arise. Sadly, bullying and unkindness occur. Some of the hardest words to hear are when children approach me and says others are being mean to them and they don’t know what to do. Sometimes I have to directly intervene, but frequently my advice to these students is to go enjoy another part of the playground and remove themselves from the bad situation. I remind them that it is lovely to be…
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God Can Do Dramatic Changes in Us
A young man stands there with a smug, arrogant look on his face. There is actually delight in his demeanour as one of the followers of “The Way” (another name for the early Christian church) is stoned to death. This is what he is working for – to eliminate those in this new movement; a movement he doesn’t truly understand. Young Saul hears the words of Stephen, whose last speech was a great oracle of faith. Stephen clearly speaks of God’s plan of salvation in Jesus Christ alone. Yet Saul appears immune to all he hears. Saul quickly gains a strong reputation for his tactics to round up and arrest…
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I Remember You
The early Christian Church faced many trials and tribulations. As the fledgling Christians tried to make sense of their new way of life, they had many questions. It wasn’t an easy road they faced. There were many ups and downs as they navigated new relationships and a new lifestyle. Psalm 63 was written by David when he was facing deadly enemies. It was prescribed for daily public prayers for the early church. As the early Christians faced trials, these words offer great solace and hope: “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary…
