discourse
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When the Past Walks in
Last evening a funny thing happened. I had charged up my bygone Galaxy 9 to access some poems stored there. Suddenly, there was an oddly familiar noise! My 6:10 am alarm was going off on that old phone. Apparently it was 2021 (maybe 2022) at 6:10 am on June 16 in that previous life, and…
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The Power of Manipulation
In The Lord of the Rings, one of the most intriguing and satisfying scenes is watching Théoden, King of Rohan gain back his colour and strength after Gandalf frees him from Saruman’s control. The poisonous whispers of Grima Wormtongue had a stronghold on the once astute and vigorous king. He had lost the power of…
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Growing Older Without Wisdom
I used to think that as people aged they naturally grew wiser. And the more grey or white hair, the more wrinkles, the more wisdom. “You shall rise up before the grey-headed and honor the aged, and you shall revere your God. I am the Lord”. Leviticus 19:22 I still believe strongly in honoring our…
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Run Your Own Race
Are you running someone else’s race? Think about it. Why would anyone do that, you might ask? In my school years I ran a lot of races. Every year at the track meet I would win the sprints, and the long distances, but then one year I was met with a shock. Approaching the last…
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Lightful Steps
The trail has been steep, dark, and littered with wet roots and sharp rocks. The short days, the cold grey clouds, the dimness all collude in a feeling of weighted heaviness. There are never-ending struggles ahead. Maybe this trail is going nowhere. And out of the stillness a bird sings, the song rising and falling,…
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In Remembrance of Him
A Communion Devotional And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” Luke 22:19 Jesus told us, His followers, to remember Him. He didn’t say, “Remember your sin”. He didn’t say, “Sit there and think about what…
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Comfort and Discernment
In my Notes app I keep a list of quotes and ideas to come back to and look at more closely. Among these is this short but succinct little blast: “Your comfort level is not discernment.” The Oxford dictionary defines discernment in both a general and a Christian context, which I thought was interesting. dis·cern·ment/dəˈsərnm(ə)nt/noun1.the…
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Vengeance is Mine
“Vengeance is mine, and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that are to come make haste”. Deuteronomy 32:35 (Song of Moses) Have you ever wanted to take matters into your own hands when injustice or terrible things are happening? Or maybe…
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Observations During a Teacher Strike
Preamble Here in Alberta, Canada, we are experiencing a strike by teachers. Students have been out of class now for a few weeks, and there isn’t a firm end in sight. As a former classroom teacher I should care about it more than I do, but I already feel so removed from the daily grind.…
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Morning Muse – Taylor’s New Album
It’s an eggnog-in-your-coffee sort of morning, a run-the-garbage-to-the-curb-in-your-pajamas, frosted fenceposts, ice-on-leaves, slow sunrise October dawn. As it’s Friday, I am in love with life again because I keep choosing freedom for this day, though it scarcely works like that; the idea is enough to keep the dream alive. For some strange reason I have been…
Stories for Humans 