A Lesson from Face Coverings
A Lesson from Face Coverings I must confess I’m not keen on wearing face masks. There are a number of reasons. One is practical. had someone make me a facemask out of fabric. When put it on, the elastic kept pulling off my ears. came to the conclusion that this kind was not going to work for me. When...
Being Faithful to Your Wife
Being Faithful to Your Wife My heart breaks when I hear of husbands cheating on their wives. I think of a situation where a wife and mother of her children is living at home and her husband, though living at home, is spending time, even nights away, with another lady. The grief and hardship is unimaginable....
Building Bridges, Not Barriers
Building Bridges, Not Barriers I am thankful for an outlet for writing, to let my thoughts flow freely. It has been now more than two months since the pandemic was declared. The phrase, ‘stay home, stay safe’ has been etched in our minds. It has begun to shape the way we live. I understand the caution. I practice it...
Who Would Think -- School at Home?
Who Would Think – School At Home? Three months ago, if the teachers of your children would have said to you, “Next month your children will have their school at home,” you may have been upset. Now we find ourselves in that situation! We find ourselves in a ‘new normal.’ So much has changed in two months! Our children...
A Virus With A Remedy
A Virus With A Remedy We live in a ‘new normal.’ Compared to one month ago, we live in a very different world; a world of social distancing. A month ago, we probably wouldn’t have known what ‘social distancing’ meant. But now ‘social distancing’ and ‘self-isolation’ are words in our everyday vocabulary. The COVID-19 virus has changed the way...
Knowing God (Part 2)
Knowing God [2nd part] In our last article [February 2020] we concluded that we come to know God through His creation. His creation bears wonderful testimony of who He is. His majesty and wisdom radiate throughout all creation. His universe “is before your eyes like a beautiful book. . . ” His witness is clear, so plain, that man...
Knowing God (Part 1)
Knowing God [1st part] How can we come to know God? You may be saying, ‘that’s a highly philosophical question and only for philosophers to answer.’ But it’s not. It’s a...
Jesus Knows Our Need
Jesus Knows Our Need I know Christmas is past. That was December 25. Now it is January 2020. A new year has begun. But I would like to pass on the message of Christmas as we enter into the New Year 2020. I want to share some words of encouragement with you, words from a professor who was...
Sifting Through 'Climate Change' Hysteria
Sifting through ‘Climate-Change’ Hysteria I am no scientist. Neither do I pretend to be one. But ‘global climate change’ was one of the hot button issues in the election campaign. As a Canadian citizen, therefore, I see that this also gives me the permission to ‘weigh in’ on the discussion. I do so as a Christian. ...
What is Grace?
What is Grace? We hear so much about ‘grace.’ We hear about this or that person showing grace to others. So what is grace? Grace is more than kindness, generosity, gentleness, sympathy or mercy. It includes all these qualities but it’s far deeper and richer. It is love; specifically, undeserved love. It’s showing love to someone who does not...
Why is Marriage Dying?
Why is Marriage Dying? According to statistics, more than fifty percent of marriages end in separation or divorce. From time to time, I hear older children from these broken...
Who Made Marriage and Why?
Who Made Marriage and Why? The historical definition of marriage has always been understood as ‘the union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others.’ This is the traditional definition of marriage. This begs the question, however. Who decides what marriage is? Who made it? Did man decide that marriage should be...
Teaching Responsibility to our Children
Teaching Responsibility to Our Children Another year of school is behind us. The beautiful days of summer have come! Children are free from the responsibilities of homework. In my visits to homes, I’ve been asking older children and teens, “So, what are you doing this summer?” Most sound bored already! “Oh, I dunno”, some say....
Praying for Rain
Praying for Rain “What!” you say, “Praying for rain? We’ve had lots of rain! Please, enough!” I know what you are saying. But I’m talking about a different kind of rain. It’s dry, very dry. There’s a drought throughout our beautiful country. The hearts of people are very dry. Hearts have become very hard. There is no life in their...
An Honest Day's Wages
An Honest Day’s Wages There is no better feeling of satisfaction than having worked a full day, and knowing that the money you made was earned honestly. But a strong work ethic is compromised in one of two ways: either by being lazy and not working at all or not working as you should...
The Problem of Racism
The Problem of ‘Racism’ I dislike the term ‘racism.’ Not because discrimination or prejudice does not exist. It does exist. But ‘racism’, I would suggest, is not a good word to use to describe discrimination towards those of a different color or from a different nation. The term ‘racism’ suggests that there...
Honoring Your Parents
Honoring Your Parents We just celebrated Family Day on Monday February 18. This day got me thinking, ‘How can families celebrate Family Day without children honoring their parents? How can they have a good time together? The same applies for Mother`s Day and Father`s Day. One of the Ten Commandments God gives in the Bible is...
What Makes People Not Clean?
What Makes People Not Clean In religion, there are often many rules for what is clean and what is not clean. People apply this to food. Certain foods are declared unclean like meats, eggs or alcoholic beverages. They subject themselves to regulations – “do not touch, do not taste, do not handle…” People also apply this to various...
Behold, I Make All Things New
“Behold, I Make All Things New!” As we turn the page into another year, we are conscious of the passing of time. We live seventy years and if we have the strength, eighty years. Our years are often filled with sorrow and trouble. Our yearly resolutions fail in moments of weakness. We still live in...
Love Casts Our Fear
Perfect Love Casts Out Fear Fear is an awful thing. Fear paralyzes. Fear holds you in its grip. People are afraid bad things will happen to them because God is not happy or because people might do `black magic` on them. People go to temples to do their rituals, to perform their rites. They try to satisfy their...
What Is Truth?
What is Truth? An important question! Some tend to avoid and suppress this question by saying, ‘No one knows. Just live truthfully.’ But how do you live truthfully if you don’t know the truth? You might be believing the lie. Can anyone know the truth? Often you hear people say, ‘It might be true for you, but...
Designed for Dignity
In his book, Designed for Dignity”, Pratt refers to a newspaper article entitled, “The Irony of Being Human.” The columnist reported two events that occurred on the same day. In the first story, a young woman was sitting in her hotel room. She left her husband and her two children to live with another man. But...
Hope Academy: A Good Choice
Hope Academy: A Good Choice September is around the corner; so is the new school year. As parents, we face many choices. And one of those choices is the kind of education our children receive. We easily assume there is only one kind of education for our children and that is publicly, state funded education. Our choice,...
Deceiving Others
Deceiving Others Deceiving others – is it okay? What if it is to your advantage? Is it then okay? Or, what about deceiving because you don’t want your friend to get hurt? We easily justify ourselves in deceiving others. Most people deceive to cover themselves and to gain advantage. People deceive agencies in order to get more money from the...
Where Is Your Treasue?
Where is Your Treasure? We live in a society where people are consumed by gaining treasure. want more, more, and more. try to outdo our neighbor. It’s like we are rushing a hundred kilometers an hour. For what? Only to end up in our graves and lose everything. What have we gained? I have been reading to a group of...
Words Can Never Hurt Me?
Words Can Never Hurt Me? You may be familiar with the child’s retort to the playground taunt: “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me.” But words can hurt more and the wounds that words can inflict may take a long time to heal....
Forgiving and Giving
Forgiving and Giving Some of the most difficult words to say are, “I am sorry. Will you forgive me?” Almost as difficult are the words, “I forgive you.” How do you forgive a person who has so wronged you and hurt you? Forgiving is saying ‘I no longer hold against you...
Living Contentedly
Living Contentedly one is content, he is satisfied. His heart is happy, even full. Discontentment, on the other hand, as one author says, “is life’s thief.” It robs you of happiness, peace and satisfaction. We think about what we don’t have. Sometimes, we are obsessed day and night – wanting but not having. And when we get what we want,...
Loneliness
Loneliness If you build walls, you don’t get hurt. If you never love, then you’ll never cry. This reminds me of an old song by Simon and Garfunkle, “I Am A Rock; I Am An Island” The song ends with these two lines, “And a rock feels no pain, and an island never cries.” ...
Holding Life Together in the New Year
Happy New Year! We say it so easy without thinking about it. Will it be happy? Will it be good? We enter the year with new expectations and new hopes. But will I be able to hold my life together? I think you agree with me that we don’t have that kind of power. We don’t have...
Holding Life Together [New Years Message 2018]
Scripture: Colossians 1:15-20 2018-01-01 Text: Colossians 1:17b In Him, All Things Hold Together! Beloved in Christ, as we begin this New Year, we may be asking, ‘will it be blessed? Will it be happy? Will it be good?’ ...
Sanitation or Sanctification -Desi News
Sanitation or Sanctification? Sanitation has to do with making or keeping clean. We take baths; we keep our homes, schools and hospitals clean. Medical equipment is frequently sanitized. Sanitation, you might say, is keeping the ‘outside’ clean. Sanctification applies to the inside, the heart of a person. ...
Are You Thankful? -- Desi News
Are You Thankful? That’s a fair question to ask. It’s a timely question. Thanksgiving Day, our national holiday, is just around the corner. This day coincides with the timing of the harvest. Most crops, including fruits and vegetables, have been harvested and stored. Again, there is an abundance! This is a time to give thanks. Are you...
How Many Races Are There? - Desi News
How Many Races Are There? Lately there has been a plethora of voices on the news and talk shows about racism. So much of the debate has been fueled by the violent clash between white nationalists and counter-protesters on August 13 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Since then “a far-right protest” drew...
Christian Education: A Distinct Alternative - Desi News
Christian Education: A Distinct Alternative You may be thinking about your child’s education again. Summer is half over. School is just around the corner: new teacher, new school year, and new things to learn. You are still on vacation mode but thoughts are now focusing on purchasing school supplies, and checking out good prices on your child’s...
Teens and work - Desi News
Teens and Work Reading a recent report, I was saddened to learn that many teens [ages 16+] do not work. It’s not that work is not available; they have no desire to work. There may be multiple reasons. But I want to give reasons to parents why work is so important for their teens. Summer is here...
Wasting Precious Life - Desi News
Wasting Precious Life Boredom, leisure, pleasure and lack of incentive to work hard describe our modern digital age. Part of the reason, I believe, is that many lack purpose and focus in life, and therefore motivation. Many dads and moms share with me their grief as they think...
Status or Relationships? - Desi News
There is something in us that makes us want to look really good on the outside. We often see ourselves in relation to others. We want ‘one-up’ in rank or position. Call it status. A neighbor, friend or relative have a nice car, a beautiful home, and educated children. You want to do ‘one-up’ on them by getting a nicer...
Can Religion Help? - Desi News
Some say religion is a ‘crutch. ’ You use it when you need it, and then you throw the crutch away. It’s not so different from the view of Karl Marx who called religion, “the opium of the people.” It’s like a drug; use it when you need it if you think it helps you to function in daily life....
