My father taught me the value of self-sufficiency: “The best job is one you do yourself.” He rarely hired a contractor or asked for help in all the work he did...

My wife and I were both suffering from extended illnesses that had exhausted us physically and financially, with seemingly no end in sight. Struggling constantly to make ends meet, we grew...

My daughter does not like to eat vegetables. My constant words of encouragement to her that vegetables are good for her health are usually to no avail. But to my surprise,...

Every Wednesday at our men’s Bible study, my friend Gene used to greet me saying, “Hey, Pastor!” But I wasn’t a pastor, and I regularly reminded Gene that I didn’t want...

I was driving alone on the highway, still two hours from my destination. I experienced an overwhelming sense of helplessness so powerful that I decided to pull over. I raised my...

Rain was pouring down, and water and mud from a neighboring farm were cascading down my hillside and pooling in my backyard. I didn’t know these neighbors, and I wondered if...

On a recent flight to visit family, I happened to get a window seat. After we had been in the air awhile, I took a break from reading and gazed out...

Today’s sky is such a pale gray-blue that it seems as if nothingness curtains the world. On a beautiful Canadian summer day, the sky may be deep blue and either cloudless...

My three-year-old son, Henrik, was clearly upset as he walked toward me in the church hallway. When I asked him what was wrong, he replied, “Someone called me a sweetie pie,...

In the last moments Jesus spent with his disciples, he warned them about the persecutions ahead of them if they were to follow him. Jesus did not share this warning to...