Consider this

                Taking one last look at the Newfoundland coast before heading out over the Atlantic Ocean, Charles Lindbergh wondered what the next several hours would hold for him.   He had taken off from Long Island’s “Roosevelt Field” at 7:52 that morning and for the next eleven hours he navigated by spotting landmarks and comparing them to his numerous maps and charts.   However, that was about to change.   Now, in the dark and over the featureless ocean, he would have to rely on the two compasses that his airplane, The Spirit of St. Louis, carried.   As well, he would also have to make exact calculations on his charts, because being a few degrees off on this side of the ocean would mean that he would be hundreds of miles off course when he got to the oth...

                  I am the type of person that looks for patterns in everything.   I see pictures in the clouds (“Ooh, that looks like a monkey in a top hat”) and I often see faces in trees.   It should be no surprise, then, that when I approach the Bible, I look for patterns.                   One of the benefits of looking for scriptural patterns is that it allows us to learn from passages that we would overlook otherwise.   Mark 1:29-31 is a good example.   It says, “As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. So he went to her, took her hand and h...

Many years ago, our Bible college honoured a couple who had been good givers to the school. To look at them, you would not know that they were good givers, or that they even had the means to be such.   They did not drive new cars.   They did not own a big house.   They certainly never talked about how much money they made.   Apparently, though, they were very generous. As the ceremony was winding down, someone said, “The best part about this couple is that they gave without remembering”.   I have never forgotten that phrase, because it struck me as being such a rare thing.                 I know some generous people, but I also know that some of those generous people find it hard not to talk about all the good they have done.   I know some people ...

                I like those “Spot the Difference” puzzles where you are shown two almost identical pictures and then must figure out what changed from one to the other.   In a Biblical version of that game, I am going to give you a passage of scripture that retells an Old Testament story.   Your job is to tell me what detail has been left out.                 “By faith Abraham, even though he was past age – and Sarah herself was barren – was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise.   And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore” (Hebrews 11:11-12).                      ...

                  Especially at this time of the year, most people are aware of the fact that God loved us so much that he sent his Son (See John 3:16-17).   It is important to know that God is a giver and that he took the first step to bring us back home.   What most people do not realize, though, is how God gives.   1 John 3:1 says, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”   How does God give?   He gives lavishly.   His giving is over the top and more than we could possibly imagine.                   Luke 6:38 restates that idea when it says, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed do...

                  When Dianna Rasing woke up on November 21, 2016, she had no idea that her life was about to change.                 While swimming laps at the Pam Am pool that morning, she noticed that the left side of her body felt numb.   As she made her way to the side of the pool, lifeguard Andrea Orobko realized that Rasing was in distress and came to her aid.   Rasing was having a stroke and without Orobko’s help she would have been in big trouble.                 One year later, Rasing went back to the pool to meet the woman who had saved her life.   She gave Orobko a big hug, a package of lifesavers and a super hero c...

                For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to go to Cape Canaveral, Florida and visit the “Kennedy Space Center”.   Last week, I got my chance. For an entire day, Sara and I wandered around marvelling over rockets, spacesuits and moon rocks.   It was incredible!                 The amazing thing about the space program is that it was built entirely on hope.   When John F. Kennedy made his famous speech stating that the United States was going to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade, America had put a grand total of one astronaut into space.   In fact, that historic flight by Alan Shepherd was not even an orbital mission.   All he did was go up and come back down. ...