These stories are used with permission from Signs Publishing Company. More of these stories can be found in these collections: Ordinary People—Extraordinary God, Ordinary People—Faithful God, and Ordinary People—Generous God
A Bermuda coat
I will never forget the morning of March 1, 1961. I was 13 years old and my father had gone to hospital in an ambulance the day before.
Read DevotionalGod's angels at work
First, I went to the optometrist to pay my bill. Opening my bag, I picked up the account only to find no wallet--meaning I could not pay it.
Read DevotionalNo-one seemed to notice
I was a normal girl, living in a normal family in a normal suburb-- nothing special and nothing bad. But my teenage years were a crazy, wild fun fair of experiences.
Read DevotionalThe conversation game
I had no concept of where the conversation was heading until my own statements were used to demonstrate the vanity of Christianity. It was as though my acquaintances considered the conversation a game of chess and I had failed to recognise that they had inexorably drawn me toward the final play.
Read DevotionalGreen towels
This was an important question: the towels were meant to be in the bathroom cupboard along with the other bath towels, not in the wardrobe on top of the sheets. If one understands the concept of having things in order, one can truly appreciate my green-towel dilemma--and being a person who likes to have things in order, I would spend some time each day exchanging disorder for order and how happy that made me.
Read DevotionalBecause they shared
Never mind that God had worked things out so we could move to Palmerston North in time for my older brother to continue his Christian education at Longburn Adventist College. God had made it possible for Dad's employer to arrange a job transfer; had found us a big enough house on a comfortable-sized section of land in the countryside, which was not too far from the college, in a doable price range--all within a week of the real estate agent laughing in Mum's face when she gave her list of requirements.
Read DevotionalThe truth about Ruth
On learning her surname, I realised I knew her parents. Ruth came from a wonderful Christian family.
Read DevotionalPlanting trees
It was something we had meant to do for quite some time--and now we finally got around to it. Early one afternoon, we walked down to a nearby park to join in with the community project we had walked past and noticed so many times.
Read DevotionalFarming for the future
When I married my husband, Bruce, he was a cattle grazier but he had a dream of growing organic vegetables. I was a single mother, struggling to achieve my own dream of living simply in the bush.
Read DevotionalA little BIT goes a long way
After praying about it, I had an idea: what if I asked others to join me and we all built the orphan home together? None of my family or friends could afford the full amount but perhaps together we could all make a difference.
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