The Sunday before Christmas 1991 dawned bright and crisp, and our city was a glistening Christmas card after Saturday’s snow storm. Noisy snow squeaked underfoot as I trudged hurriedly to the entrance of the church. I was the worship leader and running late. I had dawdled way too long at home, mulling over whether or … More Five First Christmases
We are at the beginning of the end of Jesus ministry on earth. It is the turning point of history and of the relationship between God and Man, and a fulfillment, of sorts, of Simeon’s prayer of praise in the temple so long ago. There is so much here—what makes for greatness, the foretelling of … More Luke 22: The Beginning
Jesus knows something about life, and how we handle it. He spoke to his disciples and others about it, often in parables. I wish I could tell you what the first parable in this chapter is talking about when it says the dishonest, steward should “make friends by unrighteous wealth” so they will be his … More Luke 16: Honour and Faithfulness
This chapter starts with the heading “The Calling of the First Disciples”. Until now, Jesus traveled and ministered alone (which, oddly, I hadn’t noticed before today). Some of the men he eventually called might have been in the crowds that were constantly searching him out “to hear the word of God”. Certainly, living in or … More Luke 5: The Beginning
Let me start by saying I got a new hairdo yesterday. A summer-friendly, easy-to-wear pixie was what I asked for. And I guess that’s just what I got, so it’s not fair to bad-mouth the stylist. But the result was not quite what I expected. Enough to say, I texted my husband before I headed … More Not Again!
There’s a whole lot said these days about Faith, Grace, and Works. Christians come at those aspects of Christianity from different perspectives. In reality, they are all three connected to each other, tied by a very short rope, much too big a subject to discuss in one blog post. But the “Faith of Jesus” mentioned … More Faith of Jesus
Yesterday, I heard a young minister tell the story of when he acted on what he felt the Lord say to him, in his heart: “Buy tickets to Hawaii for you and your wife, for this period of time.” It didn’t make sense; no reason to be there, no speaking engagements planned. And no vacation … More Faint Heart ne’er won…anything.
If you’ve ever read the tragic story of how our forebears, Adam and Eve, lost their home in Eden, you know that “Hath God said…?” was the catalyst that set that process in motion. It was an innocent question. “Yes, hath God said you shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” Eve’s reply … More Hath God Said?
Have you ever wondered, “Seriously, what’s my problem?” At some time, for some reason, maybe you have questioned why you act or react in a certain way, and do it over and over again. Or maybe you have wondered where your joy went, or your passion, and why it left. You used to be much … More Am I Enough?
I’d love to say that 2018 came in on a pleasant note. Well, it did, actually, since we were happily invited again to share in good friends’ New Year’s Day Fondue tradition. A table full of good food, surrounded by good people. Yes, that was, indeed, a most pleasant start to the year. But the … More Ears that Hear
“The sun will come out, tomorrow! Betcha bottom dollar that tomorrow, there’ll be sun!” Most of us remember Little Orphan Annie’s delightful performance of this song in the titular musical. Even though this little actress, Aileen Quinn, knew the outcome of the whole story, she was certainly “in the moment” when she sang this proclamation. … More I Love Ya, Tomorrow!
I had just come from Write! Canada, the annual conference put on by The Word Guild, an association of Canadian writers and editors who are Christian. It was a highlight of my year for many reasons, one of which was the morning worship time. My favorite song that year — the one that wouldn’t leave … More To be like Jesus?
FAY ROWE 
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