Our human insignificance and the One who makes us matter
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Our human insignificance and the One who makes us matter

“As long as we are not quite sure we are unworthy, God will keep narrowing us in until he gets us alone.” Oswald Chambers There’s a kind of loneliness that almost befriends you. A kind that wraps around me, scarf-like, as I ski across the fields. The snow is much like I imagine manna would…

Little wins and a lot of rejoicing
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Little wins and a lot of rejoicing

It was a slippery patch of white, that driveway, and soon I found my all-season tires stuck in snow. I was late already for the girls’ tap lessons, all three of them strapped into the backseat, and now this. Now I would need to admit to my in-laws that I couldn’t back up straight out…

My worst birthday yet
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My worst birthday yet

It might have been my worst birthday yet: a four a.m. wake-up call from a child who hasn’t slept well since we uprooted years ago. A child with a stomach bug. Another’s meltdown that involved screams so deep they felt existential (and maybe like mourning). A job that has always felt beyond my grasp, which…

A Divine Encounter on Main Street
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A Divine Encounter on Main Street

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15). I’m eating caramel cake and my friend is drinking a Huckleberry latte. The sun flirts with the clouds, and I flirt with my army green jacket. Passersby come and go,…

What will it take to crumble pandemic walls?

What will it take to crumble pandemic walls?

A long-time friend stopped by for a quick visit, one of only a handful in the past two years. But while the chat was welcome, the stilted politeness was new and awkward. We never talk about it, but she and I both know we’ve moved in different directions with respect to pandemic-related questions. That day,…

Judgements
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Judgements

I was lucky Conroy was in his office, or in total exasperation I would have spilled it all to the secretary – that’s how angry I was. “He’s not coming back in,” I told the principal. “I’ve had it with the kid. He’s a jerk, and he’s pushed me over the line. He’s out of…

To live ‘coram deo’
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To live ‘coram deo’

Some call it the witching hour. That lost piece of time, like a forgotten tune, tucked between pages of homework, serving supper and filling the tub, the space between unpacking the dishwasher and packing school lunches, brushing little teeth and saying prayers and quickly washing clothes because your oldest son has run out of pants…

Rescue dogs and recovery cats
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Rescue dogs and recovery cats

When I think about others, I like to consider all our relations – of all species. We have been blessed with so many abilities and luxuries and we have a responsibility to help those who are more vulnerable, and this includes all the animals and winged ones. When I was in my Toronto apartment, still struggling…

When God meets you at the beach
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When God meets you at the beach

I love a cold, crisp morning, when the sun’s just broken over the horizon. I bundle up in my thickest coat, pull on my mittens and hat, and make my way outside. It’s about a 10-minute walk through my neighbourhood, past still-sleeping houses. There are a few other early morning walkers out as well, some…

Can we skip to the good part?
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Can we skip to the good part?

I was a voracious reader as a kid. I wasn’t stuck on a particular genre, but if the story became too intense or lagged on long, I’d skip over the chapters and catch the ending. I welcomed spoilers. Later, as a young adult in college, my friends and I would commiserate over the fact that…

Should I invest in fear or love in 2022?
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Should I invest in fear or love in 2022?

In the Bible, Matthew 25 is a parable about a kind of investment banker who, before leaving on a long trip, distributes eight bags of gold among three of his employees. The first employee gets five bags of gold, the second gets two bags, and the third employee gets just one bag of gold.  When…