by Deanna Vandebrake | Aug 6, 2026 | Devotional
Living in Alaska, we were driving to a famous ski resort and enroute tons of people had pulled over the side of the road. They had empty jugs and water bottles . The second time we decided we wanted in on whatever the hype was. There was this pvc pipe that extended...
by Don Freeman | Aug 4, 2026 | Devotional
Planning a surprise birthday party requires lots of planning, swearing guests to secrecy, a sizeable amount of subterfuge (little white lies for cover), arranging the venue, the food, the decorations, the timing, phew! When it comes off without a hitch, it is so...
by Don Freeman | Aug 1, 2026 | Devotional
I was privileged to be raised by, in addition to my parents, our church family. So tight as a family that, when a teenager, I was acting, well, like a teenager, several of the older ladies wouldn’t hesitate to remind me that, as one-time nursery workers, they had...
by Don Freeman | Jul 30, 2026 | Devotional
Be prepared.’ That’s the scouting motto both in the US and in Canada. That two-word encouragement, in its brevity, covers a multitude of situations one may encounter. In another context, those words could sound like a warning like ‘watch out,’ ‘keep your eyes open,’...
by Don Freeman | Jul 28, 2026 | Devotional
It’s so tempting, when reading the Bible, hearing a sermon, or just belonging to a church, to picture all things of God as ancient history, precious relics, heartwarming stories, and beautiful music – with fellowship dinners thrown in. And maybe the more formalized...
by Don Freeman | Jul 25, 2026 | Devotional
Think of two lines, one beneath the other. The top one is architect straight, spot on. The lower one resembles a string of Christmas lights as they are taken out of the box each year, once again frustratingly knotted, kinked, and twisted. The first shows God’s pattern...
by Don Freeman | Jul 23, 2026 | Devotional
I’m struck, in the last several years, by photos from around our ‘global village.’ I’ve been ‘feeling’ the emotions in each, without considering the location where the photo was shot, and I’ve arrived at what I guess is an obvious observation – the emotions are...
by Don Freeman | Jul 21, 2026 | Devotional
Like the uniqueness of a thumb print or the cardiogram readout of each human being, so also is the arc of each individual’s lifespan. While God knows all things, every new day is, to us, a gift containing elements anticipated and non. I think it’s children who thrive...
by Don Freeman | Jul 18, 2026 | Devotional
When traveling, and you stop to ask for directions from one of the locals, often what you get are vague distances and a series of forgettable twists and turns. Then, the pièce de résistance, the phrase that strikes terror into the hearts of those with a poor sense of...
by Don Freeman | Jul 16, 2026 | Devotional
Colleges and universities offer Appreciation classes in: Writing, Art, Architecture, Music, etc. One demanding aspect of these courses is responding to what was read, seen, heard, in a way that goes beyond unacceptably wimpy words like nice/didn’t like/OK/boring, etc....
