Author: Paul Silcock

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Comfort Is A Problem Moving Forward

There is something about old things that draw us back to find comfort in them.

I was just realizing this in the aftermath of Christmas.

My wife, Lily, and I had our two children home with us for a few days over Christmas. Yesterday we said goodbye to our daughter. Now that the house is a little more spacious, I realize that it’s really a little more empty.

Those few days with the family home brings back a comfort that we don’t want to end; we want it to stay.

That’s why we like old music; we find a comfort there that we don’t want to see leave.

That’s why it’s hard to make eating changes; there is a comfort in having that chocolate bar at 9 pm.

We can’t stop time, that’s for sure. We also can’t stop our kids from developing their own plans, dreams and pursuits. But it’s not like we can’t go on without the comfort of the old.

So what happens when we feel a little empty, when the comfort of having our children back home comes to an end?

We suck it up and accept it!

There are, however, some things we have much more control over. It is with those things that we struggle with leaving the comfort behind.

The comfort is like a craving – a craving that is stronger than your willpower, stronger than what you know is best.

Food is one of those areas for me – junk food, that is. It’s hard for me to say no to it. I crave sweet things more than most people.

But in the last month, I’ve tried to cut a lot of sweet stuff out of my life. … I know, this was a crazy idea to have around the Christmas season, but you have to start sometime.

This is what I’ve found: I feel better when I cut sweet things out of my life. I feel healthier, I lose weight, and it probably lowers my cholesterol all at the same time.

It sounds good, but in the evening when I look in the pantry, or on the counter, or if I walk into the living room, there are dishes of candy everywhere – sweet, mouth-watering candy!

Even though I have more reasons to say no to eating the sweets, there is a comfort in indulging in them.

I know I will not feel as good having that third cookie or eating several chocolate-covered almonds after already having a little of my toffee. But you know what? There is comfort in doing it anyway.

… That’s just one example. It really comes down to not being controlled by our comforts.

What do you want to do or change as you enter this new year? Start by figuring out how you are going to do without the comfort you find in whatever you want to change.

That’s the key.

Here’s the thing: At the beginning of a new year, make a commitment to God that you want to deepen your relationship with Him. To do that it will mean you have to make some changes that will most likely include doing away with some comforts. Figure out how you will put those particular comforts behind you so that you are free to move forward.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What is one of your comforts you don’t want to part with? Leave your comments below.

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A Word On The Last Day Of The Year

The last day of the year is a perfect time to reflect on the past and dream about the future.

It’s like you have one foot still in the past and one foot ready to step forward. It’s like a freeze frame for a brief time.

… Kind of like those ultimate mannequin challenges that are all the craze right now.

They’re a moment in time that tells a story, or something … I’m not sure I really get them.

But they’re much like the last day of the year. It’s a moment in time that tells of what was and points to what might and could be.

I guess the caution is not to stay there too long or you end up getting stuck in time … caught listening to 70’s music over and over and sporting a mullet haircut.

It’s good to reflect back, but you don’t want to do it for too long. Just take the best from the past and continue it; take the worst and learn from it. The rest you won’t remember.

The older we get, the more life speeds up. There is a tendency to try to put the brakes on to stop your life from flying by. You end up staying in the past in some way.

When I was a child I remember that a year felt like a long time. Once Christmas was over, it felt like three years until the next one came around.

Now it feels like Christmas comes around every six months.

Don’t fight the speed of life. Embrace each moment but don’t hold on to it too long. There is more to experience just around the corner.

Look to the future and make plans for what you want it to be. If you make no plans then other people’s plans will become yours.

You can end up getting into a routine or rut that you feel trapped in with no way to escape it. In reality, it is only a lack of planning and future thought that keeps you from breaking out.

I remember as a teen sleeping in on Saturdays until 11 or 12, or even 1 o’clock. I would get up and feel tired because I had overslept. I would feel that the day was half gone which also made me feel frustrated that the day had been wasted.

But I couldn’t seem to do anything about it; every Saturday was the same.

That was until I decided I needed to have a purpose to get up. I set my alarm and had something I wanted to do. I ended up reclaiming hours of my precious day off.

It was my purpose and planning that helped me make that change.

The future is unknown and therefore it can feel scary. But put fear aside and look at the future as exciting, with new adventures that await.

On the last day of the year, you have a foot in both the past and future. Use it wisely.

Here’s the thing: No matter how you look at life, if you know Christ as your Saviour, this is what the Bible says about your life: Your past has been taken care of and, as for your future, He has a wonderful plan for you. Step into it.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What is one thing you are going to do in this next year because of this past year? Leave your comments below.

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Another Christmas Eve Nightmare

I had said that I would not shop on Christmas Eve again, but there I was going from store to store.

This year Christmas has been particularly busy for me. There were many things I didn’t get to that I should have or really wanted to.

I just couldn’t fit it all in. Each day I had plans to do more than could possibly be done in a day so there was always some carry over.

And in that list of things, shopping for Christmas presents seemed to get bumped the most.

It’s okay to put it off from one day to the next to the next, but you eventually run out of days. And there I was staring at Christmas Eve and still needing some presents for the family.

I know people who complete their Christmas shopping in August. I don’t know how they do it. I can’t think Christmas when I’m sitting on a beach with the water lapping at my feet.

I’ve also had a bad experience with early Christmas shopping … but it wasn’t me doing the shopping; it was my mother.

She got way ahead of herself one year, and bought presents for my brother and me. But by the time Christmas came, she had forgotten all about them.

Those presents showed up mid-Christmas morning unwrapped, while my brother and I were wandering around the house thinking, “Is that it? Is that all we get?”

I don’t want to be doing that. I also don’t like wandering around stores in a daze or trance-like state, looking for the perfect present which I will only know what it is when I see it.

That’s not a good feeling.

There was one Christmas – it seems like a hundred years ago now – that I had thought of getting Lily a sweater for Christmas.

This was in the days before we had children. We were living in Edmonton, a city with more than a few big shopping malls.

I had scouted out all the women’s clothing stores in all the malls and had seen a sweater that I liked in one of them.

The only problem was I couldn’t remember which store or which mall I saw it in.

Christmas Eve became a little frantic for me. It was Lily’s main gift and I couldn’t locate it.

To make matters worse, the sweaters were starting to all look the same and I couldn’t remember exactly which sweater was the one.

I literally flew from one store to the next, from mall to mall in search of a sweater I hoped I would recognize when I saw it in a store I had been in over the last few weeks.

I was in a panic at 4 pm, dragging myself through West Edmonton Mall like I was in the middle of the desert without water.

I went in to one store and literally had to convince myself that this was the sweater and that it would fit her.

It all worked out back then. But it was deja-vu all over again this year … I’m never doing this again – for real!

Here’s the thing: We sometimes get so caught up in details that we miss the big picture. Christmas is about celebrating Christ but we get all stressed about having the right present. Often in life we are so detail focussed that we bump our relationship with Christ to the next day and the next, thinking we have time. The details will always pressure us, but you can run out of time with Christ. Don’t let that happen; make Christ a priority today.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What kept you too busy this Christmas? Leave your comments below.

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Christmas Tradition

The Silcock Christmas wouldn’t be the same without our annual tradition.

It’s not a generations old tradition, passed on down from great grandparents. It’s a tradition started with my generation. We keep it every year when we get together for our Christmas gathering.

We play hockey.

My father passed away 11 years ago and, since that time, we decided to do something special when we got together for Christmas.

Hockey is a unifying thing in our family … though over the years there are less and less of the women involved.

When we started, the kids were still pretty young. We would pleasure skate for a bit and then start a game, during which the pleasure skaters were just more obstacles for us to deke around.

It got to the point where the pleasure skaters didn’t really like the pucks whizzing by their heads. They have slowly dropped off over the years.

This year my wife, Lily, was the only pleasure skater and my daughter, Karlie, played hockey with us guys.

In the early days, when the kids were younger, my brother and I kind of dominated the game. It was great having all the ages on the ice working together.

Between my brother, sister and I, we have 8 children. Their ages span 12 years.

Each year we invite a few friends along to round out the teams, and the calibre of hockey is pretty good.

The last two years, the games were really fast-paced.

However, not everything is getting faster. The kids are faster, and their friends they invite out are faster … but my brother and I are slower. We don’t dominate the ice any more.

In fact, my brother John hurt his knee the night before and he didn’t play in our Christmas tradition this year.

I was the old guy.

Now even the youngest of the kids can hold their own, make plays and pass well.

I was the one who was gasping for air and needing to come off for more than regular breaks.

It’s not like I didn’t contribute at all but by far the tables have turned and the young guys are taking over.

It reminded me of a time when my son’s hockey team had a father and son game. The sons were talking like they were going to take it to us and that we didn’t have a chance.

I thought they would be surprised that the old men still had it in them. I guess I was wrong. The other dads either hadn’t played in a very long time, had never really played before, or were really out of shape.

The long and the short of it was, us dads didn’t look good and we got creamed by our boys.

From now on every year I will measure my decline by our Christmas family tradition.

Here’s the thing: As time goes on, we take more of a backseat to those coming up. As the younger generation starts to shine, and we take more of a supportive role in life, don’t merely bow out of the scene. Our role is to instill values and character in the young ones so that as they shine, they shine with the light of Christ in them.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What Christmas tradition do you make sure you keep? Leave your comments below.

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Our Annual Christmas Trip To Toronto

Christmas is fast approaching and it’s time for our annual trek down to Toronto to celebrate Christmas with my family.

It’s always a guess as to what the weather will be like for the trip.

The gathering is a one-day event. We leave early in the morning and come back after dinner in the evening.

Sometimes the weather is just fine both way. Sometimes we get good weather one way but miserable the other.

The worst trips are when the weather is bad both ways. That’s when the neck gets stiff and the hands get sore from tightly gripping the steering wheel.

The all-time worst trip was about ten years ago. We were driving a GMC Safari van at the time and my daughter had just got her license.

As we piled into the van, Karlie said, “Hey, can I drive?” Without a thought I said, “Sure”.

By my wife Lily’s face, I could tell she didn’t think this was a good idea. But I got in the passenger seat and Karlie got behind the wheel anyway.

Backing out of the driveway, I could tell the road conditions would not be ideal. At the end of our street, the van slid a little when Karlie put the brakes on, eliciting a few comments from the backseat … nothing that you could remotely consider as encouragement. I could tell that those in the backseat felt their lives were at risk.

I couldn’t say I felt comfortable either, but we kept going. The snow was deep and there was a layer of ice underneath.

It was ten kilometres to the highway and I really hoped that the 401 had been cleared and we would be fine.

That wasn’t the case. As we rounded the cloverleaf to merge onto the highway, Karlie spun the car.

Lily could not contain herself any longer. “That’s it! She’s not driving!” Lil exclaimed in no uncertain terms.

I could tell this woman was scared to death. At that point I got behind the wheel.

It was a good thing. We had a 1 pm family hockey game to get to and I wasn’t sure we would make it; we really needed to make some time.

As we started down the 401, my hopes of playing hockey were disappearing. Cars were traveling at 40 km/hr in single file in the right lane. The huge ruts between the lanes made it very risky to venture into the left.

I was fairly sure we were not going to make it when a bus went by us, traveling in the left lane, going about 100 km/hr.

I thought to myself, “The only chance we have of making the game is getting behind that bus.”

So I pointed the van into the knee-high snow ruts and we bounced through them.

I swerved and steered into the tracks the bus made and pushed the pedal down.

We motored by all the cars in the right lane, making great time. After about an hour of horrible conditions, we ran out of the snow.

As I caught up to the bus, I could see the driver looking at me in his side mirror. I waved thanks to him, and drove on by.

Without him blazing the trail, we never would have had a chance.

… Well, this year they’re calling for that same kind of weather. I sure hope the weatherman is wrong … or that there is a bus driver who needs to get to Toronto on time.

Here’s the thing: In life there will be trouble. The key is to recognize when something comes along to alleviate the trouble. Two thousand years ago a Saviour came on the scene to provide a way past sin and hell. Recognizing this Saviour, Jesus, will alleviate your guilt and suffering.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What helps you out of trouble? Leave your comment below.

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I Have An Idea For The Next Ten Minutes

I have an idea that I’m going to test out over the next little while. It’s partly out of necessity.

This time of year is a busy one for me, just like it is for many others. With all the things I’ve got to do, it’s easy to forget some things, put some things off until they are urgent, and work away at the thing or things that have to be accomplished next.

The problem is the “forget” and “put off” columns keep getting longer!

My idea is to take all the things that are on the to-do list and spend ten minutes on them each day.

That’s right, just ten minutes.

For me, I spend the greatest amount of time in the day on what is next. But at some point everything on my to-do list will become a “next” activity.

That’s when I’ll be in real trouble.

So in the mean time, I’ll spend just ten minutes a day on those other-than-next-thing items, just to make a little progress on them.

They say the way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time, so that’s my idea … I’m just considering a very small bite.

We don’t have much use for ten minutes in our day. Ten minutes has become much like “give me a minute”; it’s just a pushback to give us more time.

We look for bigger blocks of time to get things done. The problem is I don’t have the big blocks of time to give to anything other than the “next” thing.

We have done away with the penny and there is talk about doing away with the nickel as well. These are small denominations of currency that we don’t really use much any more.

Well, we also don’t use ten minutes for much any more. … When was the last time you were in a ten minute meeting?

When was the last time you just waited ten minutes to get into your appointment?

The only thing that is ten minutes these days is how long it takes for my chicken wing order. When I call up for wings on Saturday night, they always say, “They’ll be ready in ten minutes.”

Why I want to focus on ten minutes is because if I spend even ten minutes on something, at the end of my day I’m going to feel like I made progress, like I got something done on my list.

The long and short of it is, I’m going to feel better; I’m not going to feel the same pressure on my shoulders.

So how it will work is this: I will give ten minutes to as many things on my list as I can each day.

I may use my ten minutes on a to-do item as a break between my work on the “next” thing. I might even stack those ten minutes up and work consecutively on them at the end of my day.

… We’ll see how this plan works out.

Here’s the thing: All the things you have going on in your life will crowd out other things. You get to the point where you say, “I don’t have the time for that.” You might say you don’t have time for God. But you do have ten minutes somewhere … and that’s a great place to start. Give Him ten minutes if that’s all you have, but be consistent. See if your time with God will become a “next” kind of thing for you.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What are you doing to make progress on your to-do list? Leave your comments below.

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Tough Experiences Become Fond Memories

It’s funny how you can look back on tough experiences with fond memories.

The other day I was sitting in the dressing room at an arena talking about playing hockey outdoors.

There was a young guy with us, probably about 14 years old. He had no clue what most of us experienced growing up playing pond hockey.

I’m sure he’s played some hockey outdoors, maybe even on a frozen lake or pond, but certainly not in the conditions most of us did.

When I was growing up, the only indoor hockey you got to play were league games, and then even some of them were on outdoor rinks.

On those cold winter nights you would layer up under your equipment and then somehow fit a toque under your helmet.

That pompom was always a sore spot – literally! It made your head sore in one spot.

Fortunately, in those days hockey helmets never fit all that exactly so there was a little wiggle room for that little wool ball on the end of your hat.

But that really was nothing compared to the after school hockey we played on the Humber River.

We lived pretty close to the ravine and it was a perfect spot to set up a hockey game. We would get our stuff together and carry our skates slung over our hockey stick, like a hobo leaving town.

We had to cross the high school football field and walk down the hill into the ravine, being careful not to fall as there was no real path; it was almost straight down.

Sometimes we had to bring shovels, or a net, but often we used our boots as goal posts.

We would play until it was too dark to see, or we got too cold to keep going.

The latter was most common. We would get so cold that we couldn’t or wouldn’t take off our skates. We just couldn’t bare the pain, so we would walk home in our skates.

That’s right! – we had to climb out of the ravine with our skates on, dulling them on the dirt and snow, gouging them on the rocks and stones.

Usually by the time we got up the hill, we were crying or on the verge of it. It was a long walk going from one end of the football field to the other.

… And we’re talking a Canadian football field – 10 yards longer plus the extra yardage of the end zones.

By that time our fingers didn’t work to hold on to our boots. We had to carry them like you would a baby in your arms.

Our toes were so cold, the pain was excruciating. But there was still one more hurdle to climb.

And yes, we had to climb. We climbed a 6 foot metal frost fence because the thought of walking around and taking the extra time was unthinkable.

Boots and sticks were flung over the fence, then skates and all we climbed up the fence and over.

From there it was a short distance to the warmth of our home, to mom, hot chocolate, and the utter pain of thawing toes and fingers.

We’d swear we’d never do that again. But the next night we’d be at it all over again.

Here’s the thing: Those tough times shaped us. We were stronger, more determined because of those times. When you battle spiritually, remember those wounds will bring a perseverance and character that you will look back on with fondness.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What has been a tough experience that made you stronger? Leave your comments below.

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Apple Computer Prices Are Off The Charts

I’ve been a really loyal Apple computer fan over the years, but the other day I got a little discouraged with the company.

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My computer is about seven years old, is still running well but showing signs that it’s time to replace it. In fact, the plan was to replace it this coming spring.

A few years ago I made an investment in my laptop to keep it going for another couple of years. Back then it was running slowly, so I maxed out the ram and put a gigabyte hard drive in it.

That certainly gave it new life and saved me a lot of money not having to replace it then.

But now I can’t update the operating system to the latest version – the computer is too old.

Best Buy has a trade-in offer if you buy a new computer, but my computer is too old for the trade-in rebate!

The computer is running fine and I won’t have a problem waiting until the spring to replace it, but when I do it’s going to cost me a lot more money.

Apple products have never been cheap. They are extremely well made, durable and reliable … but they are expensive.

I’m okay with that. But the new MacBook Pros they’ve just come out with also come with beefed up price tags.

Granted it’s been seven years since I bought my last laptop but, even still, the latest model is about $400 more than last year’s model.

To add to that, they are no longer upgradeable. That means when it gets a little older and shows signs of slowing down, I won’t be able to add ram or put in a newer, bigger, faster hard drive.

There’s a good chance I won’t be able to get seven years out of my next computer.

… I thought the whole idea of manufacturing was to mass-produce items so they cost less.

Companies are always looking for ways to entice more people to buy and keep buying so they add features that cost more … and there are always lots of people who want the latest and best model.

Consumers really jump through hoops for companies because they don’t want to own something that might be a little older or out-of-date.

Out-of-date matters when it comes to things like milk and maybe medication. But if a product still works, it’s not out-of-date.

If you look at all the cars on the road there are more newer cars than older cars. We seem to need to keep up with what is being produced.

Maybe it would be better if consumers got the companies to jump through their hoops … but that would mean we would have to be satisfied with what we have.

I don’t see that happening in the near future. And because of that, we’re all paying more to have the new bells and whistles on the products that are produced.

Here’s the thing: Consumerism is a threat to your spiritual life. We are so used to the latest, the newest, the updated, that when fads and counterfeits to God and the Bible come out, we can be tempted to go for them. We should always stick to the Bible as our rule. It’s old, but it’s reliable; it’s extremely well made (it’s “God breathed” 2 Timothy 3:16 ).

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What perfectly good product have you been tempted to upgrade? Leave your comments below.

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The Day I Got My Reprieve

I got a one day reprieve yesterday that was pretty amazing.

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Let me take you back three days earlier … I was doing a funeral service for a family, after which we went to the cemetery for the interment.

I generally ride with the funeral director in the lead car and this time was no exception. It was a quick ride because the cemetery was literally minutes away.

When we had finished at the graveside, I gave my condolences once again to the family and got  back into the lead car.

The funeral director got behind the wheel and shut the car door. Almost simultaneously to the door being shut, he sneezed really hard.

Immediately I thought, “Is there any way I can keep myself from breathing for the next few minutes until we get back to the funeral home?!”

That would have been a tricky act because how do you talk and not take a breath? … I’m sure he would have noticed if all the words out of my mouth came while I was exhaling. You could only keep that up so long.

But I knew it was not good. I was trapped in a car with the germs swirling around our confined compartment.

What were the chances I would escape unscathed?

Turns out, not that great! The next morning I woke up with a sore throat. All day, though I was drinking water by the gallon, it seemed my throat kept getting a little sorer.

That was Friday, and I still felt good despite my sore throat. The next morning, however, my sore throat remained so I tried my personal remedy for getting rid of a cold: sweat it out on the rink.

And that’s what I did. I wore something around my neck and an extra tee shirt. After hockey I still felt okay but, as the day wore on, my sore throat also turned into laryngitis.

That’s okay … unless you’re a pastor and you have to preach the next day! By dinner time I had nothing coming out of my vocal cords. I could only whisper one word at a time.

It was not looking good. I went to bed early and my wife, Lily, prayed for me that I would be able to speak the next day.

At church on Sunday, the service leader also prayed for my voice. Someone else offered me some throat lozenges.

When I got up to preach, my voice was clear – no cracking, no trouble putting sentences together. I didn’t even need to take a drink while I spoke.

I felt a little weak but, other than that, I didn’t feel too bad.

Well that was Sunday morning. By late Sunday afternoon I went to sleep, not feeling well. I even took some Tylenol before bed, and I don’t usually do that.

This morning I was hoping I would be a little better, but nope. I feel worse – achy, shivery, with a little bit of a headache.

But did I ever get a reprieve Sunday morning! Prayer works.

Here’s the thing: Some of our needs are selfish; they are for our own benefit. We wonder why God doesn’t necessarily answer them the way we want. But if your need is in line with God’s purposes, you can count on Him answering your prayer. I never doubted that I would be able to preach; I was just amazed how He did it.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How has God come through for you in a big time of need? Leave your comments below.

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Thank Goodness The Christmas Season Has Begun

In the United States, Thanksgiving is the indicator that the Christmas season has begun. In my house it’s when the Christmas tree gets put up.

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For some people, they start to get into the Christmas spirit when Advent starts – the four weeks when we anticipate the coming of Christ into the world. In churches a candle is lit, scripture is read and someone says something about the signs that Christ was coming.

Some people get into the Christmas spirit when they see snow on the ground. In some places that happens pretty early in the fall.

Others have that Christmas spirit for most of at least half the year. They start their Christmas shopping then too.

But honestly, I don’t think that any of that is really the Christmas spirit. They’re all just things we attach to a time of year. We like tradition.

Memories are powerful so when we see, hear, smell or touch something that brings back a memory, we relive that event. We can see it again in our mind and it brings some great emotions with it.

So the Christmas spirit has more to do with our memories and our emotions than it has to do with the coming of Christ.

All the generosity and kindness and brotherly love, it probably has its root in our feelings and not in the fact that Christ has come to save mankind.

Maybe the Christmas spirit has nothing to do with Christmas. Maybe we don’t need Christmas at all to experience all the good cheer we have at this time of year.

… Well, before we go too far down that road, we should investigate the real reason we have the kinds of memories we have at this time of year.

It’s this time of year that we identify as the time that God sent his Son to earth. That’s a pretty big deal in itself but not an incredibly emotional, memory-producing event.

What does create the emotional memory is why God sent Christ to us. God sent Christ to us as a gift to save us.

Down through the years people have received this gift of Christ and have been saved from their sins.

So when the time of year comes around when we remember Christ’s coming to us, the memories of the gift of Christ have brought all kinds of warm emotions that have resulted in expressions to others of generosity, kindness and brotherly love.

In our time, we have focussed more on the memory of the caring acts and so we respond in kind.

We attach the memories more to presents, festive happy gatherings, and acts of kindness to one another … but that is pretty superficial and temporal.

The real Christmas spirit should come when we realize that Christ is God’s gift to me, and that by receiving this gift I am forgiven of my sin.

That’s the real Christmas spirit. And that can influence your life and actions all year long. So actually, the Christmas spirit is not part of a season but part of who you are.

Here’s the thing: God sent His gift. If you’ve received this gift, then act like every day is Christmas. If you haven’t received the gift of Christ, do it now . . . Christmas is coming!

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What gets you thinking about Christmas? Leave your comments below.