Jesus had the twelve; Moe had Larry and Curly Joe, and Butch had Sundance; who do you have? Who’s your group? Who has your back? Who is there in your life who prays for you, laughs with you and cries with you? Who could you call at three in the morning if you had to…
Who’s to Blame?
It suddenly dawned on me how cold it was. I was walking across the parking lot at Costco when I realized that I was cold, and not just a little cold, either. I was really cold. And then I had an epiphany. The wind chill was minus 14, and I was walking along with my…
I Am Resolved (New Years 2023)
Well, it’s the last day of 2023; who would have thought it? And I would suspect that there will be a pile of New Year’s resolutions made in the next 24 hours. And if the truth be known, there will probably be a pile of New Year’s resolutions broken in the next 48 hours. We…
Origins: Shaking the Family Tree
His name was John Allen, and he was born on January 3, 1746 in Edinburg Castle. His parents were Major William and Isabelle Allen, and they had sought refuge in the Castle during the Jacobite rising of 1745. In 1749, John’s father accepted a position in Nova Scotia and moved his family to Halifax. When…
Putting Christmas Away
So, how did you spend the week between Christmas and New Year? Along with family time and a movie, we put Christmas away. Well, we didn’t actually put Christmas away. We just put our tree and all our decorations away. But you knew what I meant.As we undecorated the apartment, I wondered how many people…
Expectations vs Experience
I was disappointed twice this week. Not a lot disappointed, just a little disappointed. The first disappointment was with a slice of pecan pie on Christmas Day, and the second disappointment was with a movie I went to on Boxing Day. Now, to be truthful, there was nothing wrong with the pecan pie; it was…
You Shall Call His Name Immanuel. . . Not!
And You Shall Call His Name Immanuel, Not! Matthew 1:23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’ ” Now, that’s a familiar verse, isn’t it? We hear it every Christmas. We read it with every reading of…
Like Candles on a Cake
The weather hasn’t been very Christmassy, but that sure hasn’t prevented people from putting up their displays of Christmas lights. I love looking at the Christmas lights when I drive through our community. Seeing all the different lights, it’s like the entire city is shouting, “Happy Birthday, Jesus!” They range from the sublime to the silly.…
The Absurdity of Christmas
Imagine that you are standing out in your driveway, marvelling at the fact that it’s the third Sunday of Advent, and tomorrow they are projecting a high of 11. In your imagination, you do not live in Alberta. Suddenly, a UFO lands in the middle of your front lawn, and the door slowly…
When do we stop being. . .
This week, we had the opportunity to hear an old friend sing at the Scotia Bank Centre. Mike wasn’t the reason we were there. He was a bonus. Earlier in the fall, we had won tickets to see Boney M, a band from our past, and earlier this week, we discovered that Mike would be…