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Have you ever watched deer enjoying refreshing streams of water? Living creatures in the animal kingdom experience a compelling yearning for water driven by their thirst. But humans, who are also part of God's creation, are also familiar with this yearning for water. Water satisfies and hits the spot. It brings life to our tired bodies and revives us. Without water, we die! Deep inside our beings, we have an emptiness that thirsts for fulfillment. Many people seek to quench th...
During the month of January, I spent four days at a Dakota Nation Winterfest celebration at Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. This event is one of the largest Indigenous sport and cultural events of its kind in Canada. During this weekend event, everyone must pass through a long hallway to get to the hockey rinks and other venues. As we walked through the hallway, I noticed a long display of framed pictures of individuals who played on the Brandon Wheat Kings hockey team over various...
Experiencing a power outage is no fun! It is especially no fun when you are by yourself and not prepared. Groping in the dark and struggling with the simplest of tasks can feel so frustrating! Isn't this how life can be when we are facing the most difficult situations? We have no physical shortage of power, but deep within, we don't seem to have the strength; life just feels so dark! God's Word says, "When we were yet without strength, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). God...
During this time of year, we prepare our hearts for the Christmas season. The Christmas story will be told all over the world thousands, if not millions of times during the month of December. The faith of Joseph, Mary, the angels, and the shepherds plus others will be recounted, as they heard about the good news of a Savior being born, the gift to all mankind. Their faith in the Lord brought about glory to God and much joy in their lives. Faith is the first step of obedience,...
Have you ever been stuck? Stuck on a school paper, or stuck in traffic, or maybe so emotionally involved with someone that you are stuck in terms of your feelings for them, even though these feelings may not be healthy for you? When we are stuck, it is very easy to do or say something drastic out of desperation. After our actions, we may end up facing consequences that are far more difficult than being stuck! I love the example of our Lord Jesus; He of course never had the...
This past week, my parents and I travelled the Needles Highway. For those of you who are not familiar with this highway, it is a 14-mile scenic byway that lies within Custer State Park, among the Black Hills of South Dakota. It offers sharp turns, narrow tunnels and winding routes. My mom, who is fearful of heights, especially when mixed in with twists and turns, managed to get to the eye of the needle at the top of the eroded mountain-without fainting. I prayerfully...
About a month ago, we had the joy of witnessing believer's baptism. A young man from Sandy Bay First Nation wanted to obey the Lord and identify with his Savior's death and resurrection by being immersed into water, as the scriptures teach. Since it is winter, the lake wasn't available, and we didn't have a bathtub of any sort. In situations like this, we use a large animal trough that a water truck fills, since we are not on a waterline. A couple of days before the baptism,...
This Winter I got the opportunity to drive to Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. I hadn't been there in more than eight years and was impressed with the complete makeover of the tourist resort of Elvis Presley. The classy exhibit presentations of his life in various showrooms contained expensive sports cars, his dazzling jumpsuits, black and white photos blown up over 20 feet high, and the walls mounted with hundreds of gold records, awards and so much more, were pretty impressi...
God's Word makes it clear that children are to be looked upon as a blessing. He speaks about the worth of children throughout His book, the Bible. "Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from Him" (Psalm 127:3, NLT). God's Word also tells us the importance of protecting children. "See that you do not despise one of these little ones" (Matthew 18:10, ESV). The world we live in often does not recognize the value of children. Sadly, evil abounds. But the Word of...
I had a little creature roaming around in my bedroom. The noise he made at night was very unnerving. It was amazing that so much noise could come from such a little creature. I prayed that whatever type of creature it was, he wouldn't come up on my bed while I was sleeping. Unfortunately, soon he began his ruckus during the day as well. One time when I was reading on my bed, much to my surprise, the little creature ran out from under my box spring! I froze in terror as I...
I was picking up a birthday cake for the drop-in center where I work. As I walked out of the grocery store, I realized that the plastic cover on the cake wasn't as firm as I had thought. It had dented in, and I smeared a small part of the icing on the side and top of the cake. I thought I would go back and see if they could fix it. The lady working at the counter was visibly disappointed; she rolled her eyes and was quite dramatic as she went to work. I commented to the other...
Have you ever bumped into someone and asked them, "What's new?" Maybe they replied, "Same old, same old." Maybe you have felt bored with life to the point where you were tired of waking up every morning, doing the same routine and looking at the same face in the mirror every day. If this is your experience, I would love to remind you of some amazing facts. You are living at this moment among seven billion people. Every day, 155000 people young and old die from various causes;...
I wonder how many doors you and I stepped through today? I probably stepped through various doorways in my house at least 15 times since waking. When I went downtown, I stepped through the post office door and the insurance agency door. I entered each purposely. I was on a mission; I needed to get to a certain place that only had one way in; I had to go through one particular door. My will totally dictated my movements and the direction I was going. There is another door that...
He set His face as a flint, while I flipped. A little while ago I got caught in a blizzard while travelling on the highway with my RV. The snow was blinding! I couldn't see anything-not the hydro polls to my left or right or even a few feet in front of me. The wind was coming straight at me and the snow was blowing in ferocious lines along the side of me on the highway. I had been driving in these hazardous conditions for about an hour. I knew I would be going down a steep...
I've been thinking a lot about my home lately. Home should be a place of safety, comfort, rest, and acceptance. Sadly, many homes do not reflect these endearing qualities. Home life can be messy, painful, lonely and loud. Sometimes people don't get along at home, and there is no rest in our homes. Even if we were to stay in the solitude of our bedroom, we know what exists outside our four walls isn't always pleasant. Home life is extra difficult when addictions and abuse are...
Recently I was very encouraged by a single line of scripture that was expounded in a devotional calendar I read from every day. The verse was from Revelation 1:9: "I, John . . . was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the Word of God, and the testimony of Jesus Christ." This sounds pretty dismal! Can you imagine being exiled to die on a lonely island in complete isolation with no friends or family and only a big body of water surrounding you? This sounds unbearable, it...
During these COVID-19 times, I have greatly enjoyed walking in the country. My dog, Blessing, and I find old fields that are acres wide to walk through. He loves sniffing and chasing the deer, and I enjoy quiet time with the Lord. This past week, I looked up from my deep thoughts and realized I didn't recognize my position that I found myself in, nor did I realize how much time had passed and how much walking we had done! I didn't know where I was as I looked at the winding bu...
Depression, anxiety and the Bible don't really seem to go together do they? I mean, the Bible is supposed to be a book of hope and depression/anxiety are very dark places, which we often don't like to admit we suffer. God's Word is full of stories of people who actually underwent much anxiety and depression. Since these struggles are part of the human experience, shouldn't they be documented in God's Word, the ultimate history book of human experience? What makes the Bible so...
Can you imagine sitting down to have a big bowl of yummy Froot Loops® only to find when you poured out the contents of the box there weren't fruity loops inside, but rather stale black loops with a horrible smell. I'm sure you would push the box and the bowl of putrefying contents from you as quickly as possible. The most anticipated bowl of fruit loops had quickly become "unfruitful." God says our attitude toward sin needs to have the same response as our attitude toward...
There's a dog in my neighborhood that has been tied to a chain for many years. He is a gorgeous shepherd with long black hair. He wasn't approachable; his neck was one big scar, and he had no hair there from the pressure of his collar. The last few months the dog has been running free, his ribs are showing, and he was a pretty pathetic sight. I tried to coax him into my vehicle with food so I could take him somewhere to get care, but he wouldn't let me touch him. I decided I...
Have you ever had a close call with disaster? I mean, so close that you could have died? Maybe the situation happened so fast that you didn't even have time to blink, but you knew as you walked away that you really shouldn't have been breathing. Maybe you've had such close encounters so many times you can't even remember them all. Maybe you're so used to living on the edge that death doesn't scare you. Scripture states that we are living in the valley of the shadow of death...
I don't know about you, but I am finding that we are living in a day and an age that is full of inconsistent information! Everybody is sure of something but nobody's stories seem to agree. Contradictions fly at us from our TVs, cell phones and our laptops. How do we know what to believe? How do we know who is telling the truth? Yesterday, I was visiting a man on a local reservation, and he was certain of a very important truth. He told me that Jesus is the way, the truth and...
The Bible portrays so many pictures of the Lord Jesus being the caring, compassionate shepherd of His sheep. He is the Good Shepherd who will look for a wandering sheep and bring it back to His fold to be kept, valued and safe forever (John 10:28). With regards to the unrest of society and the continuing struggle for various people groups to be valued and accepted, God does have good news! Where is our source of value found? Let's imagine the mindset of a sheep, like the one...
Our way of life has been changed in the last few months. Fear has gripped society. Social media and our news channels are bombarding us with all kind of stories, and we don't know what to believe! This tiny virus called COVID-19 has shaken the world! I wonder what the Lord Jesus would have to say about our response to such pandemic. Perhaps this for starters: • Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God (1 John 5:5). • I am the...
When I think about my childhood, I vividly remember having to compete against the "brown bottle." Both my Mom and Dad were drinkers. There was always a party going on somewhere. In our small town of 800 people, it seemed as if drinking was all there was to do. I can remember my mom and dad fighting, and sometimes it would be quite scary for a little kid to listen to. As I got older I got used to it. I used to wonder: "Why do they love this brown bottle so much when it brings...
