I never thought I’d say this but living in a small town has its disadvantages. Don’t get me wrong, I love my little community; there’s no better place to raise kids. But the very thing that makes you feel safe – that people know each other – can also come back to bite you if you misbehave.
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Our first snowfall brought more than the promise of a white Christmas. It gave me a chance to thank God for my most valuable earthly gift – my husband, Mr. Opposite. We discovered soon after our marriage that while opposites attract, they can also repel! We got along like two cats in a sack that first year. Fortunately, my husband learned and then taught me that when our differences threatened to blow the lid off our relationship, tipping the steam vent with spurts of laughter born of grace could change everything. Read More...

When my 24-year-old husband assumed his first pastorate in a north-Saskatchewan village, he thought he’d ignite some spiritual fire in the community. He did much more than that. He became known as the preacher who put the word arson in parson.

The church and parsonage where we lived was a two-acre parcel of land on a hilltop overlooking a lake. My husband kept the grass watered and cut all around the buildings but the rocky slope below our bay window was impossible to mow. The grass grew tall and untended all summer then faded and lay dormant under winter’s snow to reappear, an unsightly tangled mess in the spring. I thought it marred the beauty of our lake view so I suggested to my husband that he clean it up. Read More...

Men have not changed since the dawn of creation. Although we have morphed from the Stone Age to the Space Age, men have simply exchanged their crude clubs for credit cards -- they are still hunters and gatherers.
In Canada, the busiest shopping day of the year is December 26. It’s called Boxing Day.
In 2000, Boxing Day dawned clear and cold. Long before the sun peeked over the horizon my husband Gerry was in his car heading for Future Shop. There wasn't a soul there when he skidded into the dimly lit parking lot at 5:30 a.m.
“I’ll be first in line!” he chortled Read More...

I know a beautiful young Christian woman who is spiritually dry right now. She hates going to church. She says Sunday is the worst day of her week. She is frustrated when other believers talk about hearing God because she feels abandoned. She can’t sense His presence. Heaven is silent. Read More...

The women were excited but the men were tentative in the weeks leading up to the “Love and Respect” marriage conference at our church. Women buzzed around the registration table, eager to sign up, hoping we’d get our money’s worth once our husbands heard all the things they were doing wrong, smartened up, and became more like us. We had been to marriage conferences before and, typically, it was the men who needed to do most of the changing. I was smugly convinced this was going to be more-of-same. Boy was I in for a Big Surprise. Read More...

Everybody wants to walk on water, but nobody wants to get out of the boat. Have you ever noticed that? Most of us want to experience the “wow!” with God but when He calls us to step out in faith we say “whoa!” Too risky! Can I really trust Him?
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We’ve all heard the excuse; the dog ate my homework, right? Well how about this one? Our son incurred a rather hefty personal debt between the end of Grade 12 in June 2006 and the first paycheck from his summer job. Most of his days were spent a-straddle a riding mower on the 160-acre campus of the local Baptist seminary. Well, his ship finally came in and he crowed about how rich he was as he arrived home, paycheck waving. Always ready to rain on the parade, I reminded him of the chunk of change he owed us.
“I’ll get it to you,” he promised. Read More...

Hearing the door close roughly and footsteps in the foyer, I looked up from my desk to see my 20-year-old son. He had the look of defeat written all over him – shoulders slouched, head drooped, arms slack. Every mother knows that look from years of sitting in hockey arenas or on soccer bleachers at the end of a big blowout. Your first thought is always, “How can I cheer him up? How can I explain that sometimes we win and sometimes we lose and losing makes us stronger…?” You know the drill. Read More...

I never knew that a couple of my law-enforcement friends were celebrities until some women visiting from Texas clued me in.

As a Canadian, I grew up thinking our national police force – the Royal Canadian Mounted Police – were just like cops everywhere. Dressed in their regular blue uniforms with a tool belt full of weapons on their hips, they chase bad guys in their white squad cars and almost always get their man.
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My husband is a morning person. Years ago we discovered the best way to guarantee he remained happy was for me to stay in bed until after he left for work. That way there was no chance I could ruin his good mood.

However, when we have houseguests, I feel compelled to get up early and make breakfast because I don't want people to know I don't do that every morning. I dutifully stumble around the kitchen making coffee, buttering toast and setting out cereal. I try to say as little as possible because I don't trust my tongue until after I've had caffeine in massive doses. That usually takes about an hour. Read More...