When I was young, there were many heroes to look up to. One of them was the American boxer, Muhammad Ali, who raised his gloved hands in victory and declared, "I am The Greatest!" As a child, I wondered what made him great. Was he a great athlete, a great dad, a great...
As a child, I loved watching the black and white old movies, especially of the Marx Brothers. Their funny hats and hair and antics were endlessly fascinating, as were their comic banter and impossible tangles they got themselves in and out of. The wit of Groucho...
I have a favourite angel visitation story, found in Judges 13. It is the story of Manoah and his wife, who became parents of mighty Samson. An angel appeared to Mrs. Manoah, and told her she would become the mother of a son, a Nazirite (like John the Baptist), who...
Each spring, the melting snows flow into the Madawaska River. From its source in Algonquin provincial park, it spills from lake to lake, punctuated by hydro dams along its course, until it meets at last the Ottawa River. The lakes rise and break their chains of...
I love to read, and especially enjoy reading biographies. Reading these accounts gives me a real sense of connection with people of the past, and helps me see how history unfolded during their lifetimes. So many people with fascinating lives were part of...
I recently saw a video on-line called The Atheist Delusion, featuring interviews by Ray Comfort. Most of those interviewed were young people, who claimed to be atheists; in their teen years they failed to see believable evidence for the existence of God, and so...
My brother lives in the Ottawa Valley, by a lake nicknamed the Lake of Storms. Often choppy, the wind can whip the water into high waves and whitecaps quickly. All wise boaters know when to go ashore! This pales, though, in comparison to storms at sea."Others went out...
On a gloriously sunny, cool Sunday in October, I made my way to the Rideau Falls in Ottawa, the place where the Rideau River tumbles into the Ottawa River, surrounded by parkland and memorial gardens. The week’s demands had made my soul weary, and I wandered across...
I have an artist friend who paints glorious landscapes in amazing detail. His depictions of the Atlantic waves breaking themselves on the rocky shores of Newfoundland, or the gentle slap of fresh water on the burnished, burnt rocks of Georgian Bay are so alive with...
My mother gave me a gold ring set with a star sapphire when I graduated from high school. The rounded, polished sapphire appears as a rich, dark blue in subdued light, but a direct light on it reveals a sharply defined six pointed star. Its appearance is caused by...