my activities

by

Why Aging Gives You New Perspectives And Opportunities

What goes around comes around, and when it comes to aging there is a lot of that going around. I just started playing hockey at 6 am Saturday mornings (there are still a few spots if anyone’s interested), and believe me, I didn’t think I would like it … but I do!

aging_process_man

Back when I was growing up, 6 am games were the worst. I hated having to get up in the dark, still half asleep, barely able to put my equipment on in the correct order. Those games were murder.

Then, as a father, I hated having to take my son to 6 am practices – mid-week, if you could believe it – adding the hassle of trying to get him to school on time after practice.

Part of the reason I hated 6 am games or practices was I didn’t like being stirred from my warm, comfortable bed, only to be jolted awake by the cold of the arena.

I never minded playing late at night; in fact, it didn’t matter if there was ice at 10pm, midnight or 1 in the morning – I was up for it. But now I don’t like playing hockey at night. It gets to be around 8:30 pm and I start debating whether I really want to play or not.

You have to understand it’s not as simple as playing the game, coming home and going to bed. No … it doesn’t work that way. You are so juiced up on adrenaline after a game that you are way too wired to go to bed.

In my late teens, my brother and I would come home from hockey practice at 1 am and sit in the kitchen making milkshakes and discussing the practice for another hour.  That’s a killer, for getting up in the morning.

A couple of years ago, I relented on my “no night hockey” policy because I had a chance to play with my son, Mike. The games were only at 9 pm but we weren’t getting to bed until after midnight. Morning came awfully early.

With this 6 am hockey now, somehow waking up at 5:15 am to get there isn’t that big a deal for me. It’s way easier than thinking about playing at nine at night.

This morning, for instance, I played and was home before 7:30 am. I had a full day ahead of me, though I did take a bit of a nap later in the morning.

I’ve gone full circle. I used to hate morning hockey and now I love it. And it’s all because of aging. It’s given me a new perspective on when to play hockey.

I talk to lots of people who are down on getting older. They warn me of the hazards and hindrances (I’ve even experienced some), but I’m trying not to look at my life from the perspective of when I was a young adult. My current perspective has opened up some new opportunities for me.

Here’s the thing:  As you age, you may not be willing to serve God the way you once did. Our tendency is to look at service from the perspective of the past and think we are done serving.  But with age comes a new perspective and that will open up new opportunities to serve God in ways you never before thought of as possibilities.

That’s life!

Paul

Question: How has your aging changed your perspective on what you do or how you serve God? Leave your comment below.

by

When You Know Life And Purpose Have Aligned

There is a sweetness when our life and purpose align. When life and purpose come together, there is something special that’s hard to put into words.

fireplace

Its an amazing feeling like being by a fireplace, sipping your favourite beverage and listening to good music – can you imagine that feeling?

This week Lily and I were at our District Pastors’ Retreat. Once a year, the pastors in our denomination get together in each district for a couple of days to be renewed and refreshed together. We go to be preached to, challenged, encouraged and sent out again.

It’s sort of for us, what we do each week of the year for others.  Lily and I look forward to these times together, and even view the drive to the retreat as special.

This year, it was just a little different. Lily and I went to prayer retreat with our daughter. Now, I think she was at one retreat when she was about 5 or 6 months old, but this year she came as a pastor.

It’s pretty special to have your daughter join you as a colleague, and not just your daughter, at a special work related event. She was there as a fellow worker in ministry.

Along with all my peers and pastor friends was my daughter, as one of them. She didn’t come as my child, but as a co-worker.

Every time I introduced her, I felt a sense of pride – a thankful pride. I had this warmth deep within me that spread to every part of my insides. And even though there was a sense that Karlie was now invading my territory, it was in a good way, a welcoming way.

It wasn’t all good though. There were some things about having our daughter along that didn’t make our pastors’ retreat easy for me. I think it started on our trip up. When we stopped for dinner, I was talked into eating a “wrappy pita thingy” … lots of lettuce, not much meat.

Our afternoon of strolling through the town of Huntsville didn’t really work for me. The shopping trip into town was against me. Now there were two people who wanted to shop in stores I had no interest in.

I couldn’t even hurry Lily up because she had a partner who also wanted to stay longer. I ended up by myself at the chocolate store. And I think I soothed my woes by purchasing a little more candy that I should have.

On the other hand, I didn’t feel so bad leaving my wife to shop in some Christmas store; she had Karlie to keep her company.

There was this “two against one” thing going on the whole retreat – I caved on a lot of things. Still the pride in my heart and the warmth in my spirit made it all worth it.

Here’s the thing: Think of God creating you with a purpose, then watching you grow and develop. He sees you choose right and wrong along the way, and cringes a little when you make some decisions to go in ways that lead you away from His purpose. Then He watches how you turn, or begin to get on the path of what He has created you for. Finally, God surveys life and purpose align with you serving Him, working alongside Him in the purpose He created you for. Well, I know how God feels. He’s proud of His creation!

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you wish for your children? Leave your comment below.

by

Have You Made This Mistake In Completing A Project

Mistakes are common occurrences; I made a mistake the other day (oh, and I just made another one). Mistakes are the fuel of great discoveries, amazing breakthroughs, and huge successes.

photo 1

The key in making a mistake is to learn from it, use it to help point you in the right direction.

The other day, I looked out our back window and gazed at our back fence, where the lattice along the top of it had all been punched out the night before.

Back in the spring, one night some teens had walked by our property and punched a hole in our lattice . . . in 5 sections of it! It was rather disturbing. But when I went out to take a closer look, I was able to push the lattice back into place.

There were a few broken pieces, and it didn’t go back exactly like new, but it looked pretty good. So I left it. I figured I wasn’t going to fix it until school was out.

I didn’t want to immediately give those kids another target, and I didn’t want to give them the satisfaction that I had to fix it. In my mind, leaving the lattice sent the message that it really didn’t put me out.

Well summer came and went and I never got around to fixing my fence. Finally, the other day I knew it was time to replace the lattice because it got punched out again.

I couldn’t help being ticked off about having to do the work. I kind of wanted to get back at them.  You know, maybe booby trap the lattice, making it spring-loaded so if they punched it again, it would bounce right back in their faces. Or, maybe hide out and wait for them (maybe not). Or put a spy camera in my backyard to catch them.

I pictured them as angry teenagers, or maybe some tough karate kid who was showing off.

Then I started thinking back, trying to remember if I did stuff like that when I was a teen … and, yes, I did stupid things like that! I couldn’t think too poorly of them – they were much like me. I didn’t write myself off, so I shouldn’t write them off either.

I went to the store, found the lattice and purchased the five sheets I needed.

Back at the house, I gathered all my tools together, ladder, hammer, skill saw etc., and got to work. In one hour I had all five sections of lattice replaced. I stepped back and it looked good, and I thought, “Why didn’t I do this sooner? … like 5 months ago?!”

Not only does it look better to me and everyone else who walks by, but the new lattice is stronger, and it will be harder for someone to punch through again (they might need a green belt or something).

So far, I’ve been able to give my neighbour advice on fixing his lattice, there have been no more school dances – no punched in lattice … I’ll keep you posted.

Here’s the thing: When you have a question reading scripture, or from a sermon, or in a Bible Study, don’t put off seeking an answer to that question. Take time to dig deeper. Gather your tools: Bible, concordance, commentary, a book on the topic (most of these are available online).  You’ll resolve the issue, you will be stronger in your faith, and you’ll be able to help others.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What will it take for you to get working on that project or question that you have been putting off? Leave your comment below.

by

Why You Should Reuse Your Plastic Bags

I need a show of hands today – how many of you reuse those ziplock plastic bags? That’s what I thought … only my wife raised her hand.

tumblr_inline_mqk04clGxf1qz4rgp

It doesn’t matter what size of ziplock bag. In fact, the other day Lily was putting away a large, freshly washed ziplock bag and exclaimed, “I really like this large size. They are so handy.”  How can you be attached to a bag?  Really!?

Now, I don’t have anything against ziplock bags. I use them all the time. But let’s get one thing straight: they are to be used and then tossed. The idea behind them is simple: easy disposable.

Did you hear me, Lil? They are disposable! But there we were the other day, washing ziplock bags. Six of them, all in one dish washing session. That has to be a record and there should be a law or at least a rule against it.

I hate drying those bags. I know it’s all in my head. I just see them as a convenience item, something to be used and then chucked … I mean recycled, that’s what I mean.

In fact, by using them over and over, we are probably preventing some great recycled plastic product from being made. Ya, because my wife likes to recycle ziplock bags, we may be slowing down the production of surgical tubing or vehicle air bags or something important like that.

I just don’t like drying those bags. They are not hard like a glass, plate or even a plastic container. They don’t feel like they should be washed and dried. They look all wrinkly  and worn after they have been washed, and sometimes, the zip part of the bag doesn’t work as well.

The week before, my daughter was home and was helping with the dishes. She looked at the bags on the counter and asked, “Do you wash these?” I turned, looked at her, shook my head and mouthed the word, “no”.  But somehow Lily heard that and said, “Yes, wash them please.”

My wife insisted. But six bags, that’s over the top. She had been away for a week and there’s no way I had been collecting them. I wondered if she saved them from her trip or found them in an airport somewhere and thought they might come in handy.

I dried them but I didn’t like it. Now, if the next time I see one of those bags, it’s filled with a bunch of raspberries, I guess I won’t mind having dried it. I love raspberries.

Here’s the thing:  There are many words, verses or whole passages in the Bible that you’ve read but don’t have a desire to read again. You don’t see their application, they don’t seem beneficial, or they may be downright disturbing. Don’t neglect those parts of the Bible as being disposable or not applicable. At some point, that passage may have some meaning to you (yes, even genealogies). You may find an uninteresting passage suddenly now has particular application to you when it never really did before. It’s all there for our benefit, so take advantage of ALL of it. Get the most out of God’s Word.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What have you wanted to dispose of but later found useful? Leave your comment below.

by

How Someone Can Jinx Something

Okay, it does sound wrong for a pastor to talk about jinx. That’s just superstition, right? And a pastor, of all people, shouldn’t believe in superstition (touch wood . . . just kidding).

yawns-are-contagious-766

Well, no, I don’t believe in superstition, but I do have a take on jinxing something.

The other day, I was with two friends and we were deciding on where to go for lunch. My one friend came loaded with coupons from every fast food restaurant in town.

We were price-matching the coupons and it looked like Wendy’s might be the best deal.  The problem was my one friend really doesn’t like Wendy’s. So he had a dilemma since Wendy’s offered the best bargain.

Both my other friend and I were fine with square burgers, but I think it was only the cheap price that caused Don (not his real name) to give in and agree to go to Wendy’s.

Though Don agreed, it didn’t stop him from sharing his views along the way. By the time we arrived at the burger joint, we knew exactly what the issues were that kept him from being a regular patron.

When we got our food and sat down, the complaining began. He used the phrase, “See? This is what I was saying!” frequently.  And I had to admit, he was right. It really was the worst experience I had ever had at Wendy’s.

I didn’t like the bun, the burger was greasy, and the fries were like they were day olds and double fried. The fries were so bad we were comparing them to what the people a table over from us were eating.

My other friend looked down at the floor, saw a fry half squished and said the exact same thing I was thinking: “That fry looks better than the ones we ate!” … and it had probably been there for an hour!

By the end of the meal, we were all disgusted with the food. I thought if this was my only experience at Wendy’s, I would never want to come back. … It’s interesting that I had that thought after eating with a guy who came into the restaurant with a negative attitude.

I even said to him, “Don, you probably jinxed our meal.” But this is what I really think: When you get something in your mind, you become focused on it and it shapes your experience.

Ever notice when you buy a new car how many other cars of the same colour or the same make you see on the road? Your mind is now focussed that way, so your experience is slanted that way.

I’m sure if, at another time, I had been served that same meal at Wendy’s (and there’s no doubt I have), without the negative attitude, I would have focussed on what I liked about the meal and not really noticed how bad it was.

The whole jinx thing is not superstitious; it is just our mind focussing on the negative. But it works – that was one bad meal!

Here’s the thing: If you are unsure that God loves you, wants and will bring about what’s best for you, then you will question His ability and power in your life. And that will affect your life experience. You will see God as not able to do what He says. But if you are sure of God’s love, you will trust and seek His power in your life and that will change your whole life experience and perspective for the better.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What past negative experience has impacted your willingness to experience something again? Leave your comment below.

by

Here’s A Quick Way To Change Your Perspective

Getting back into an old routine is like slipping into your favourite sweat pants. There is something about it that feels right – it’s comfortable; it’s where you belong.

wings&DP.001

That was me Saturday night: a quick trip to my wing joint to pick up my hot wings, and then home to settle into the hockey game on TV.

It’s what I do on Saturday nights. My wife, Lily has come to accept it and even puts in her order for a half pound of honey garlic wings. It all happens around the TV – wings, a can of Dr. Pepper, and the Leafs on Saturday night.

I went the whole fall and part of the winter last year having to find something else to do on Saturday nights, but man, it just feels so good to have the games back on!

This year I have my red light to announce the goals as if I was at the game itself. The red light flashes like a goal light and I get a big sounding fog horn to boot!

This past Saturday night was very interesting. The red light actually went off before the puck was in the net. Mind you, it was only about two seconds before each goal went in, but it was early for all four goals, and two shoot out goals as a bonus.

You saw the play develop with the potential of a goal, and then the horn went off and the light came on just before the goal went in. I was celebrating before the players on the ice were! I knew they scored before they did … well, maybe.

I found myself anticipating goals, thinking to myself, “This could be it!” And then, before the play was over, I knew it wasn’t going to be a scoring play. I didn’t get all that excited about a great shot because I knew it wasn’t going in before the puck got to the net.

So, in some ways, I was able to prepare myself for what was or wasn’t going to happen around the net of the opposing team. I was able to manage my emotions better, and not get too disappointed when things didn’t work out.

Being able to tell the future really had me watching the game differently than normal. I wish my red light could have told me a little more in advance, but even two seconds was pretty good.

It’s hard to describe the feeling that I had – maybe satisfaction, or confidence, or insight – in watching the game unfold before me … especially during the shoot out when I knew what was going to happen.

It was a new experience for me, and a great outcome for my team. The Leafs have started the season 3 and 0 – not too shabby.

Here’s the thing: The Bible gives us a glimpse into the future, though it is on a macro scale and not a micro one like the hockey game Saturday night. Even so, with knowledge of the future, it allows us to prepare for what’s to come, to celebrate even before it happens and have a sense of satisfaction, confidence or insight as the future unfolds. Those are some good reasons to know what’s in the Bible. Read on.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How would knowing the future impact your life? Leave your comment below.

by

Four Reasons To Stay Focussed

Bad things can happen when you don’t stay focussed. I learned that lesson (again) the other day while biking in the woods. Mountain biking is a little different than road biking.

Andras-Parti-falls-mountain-bike

On the road you just stare at the pavement in front of you, maybe a white line as well.  But when you are biking on a trail amongst the trees, there are all kinds of obstacles you have to watch out for.

You have to focus on what’s ahead of you, like that rock (whoa), or that root, log or (yikes) that cliff! If you’re not paying attention you’re going to crash. If you lose your focus for a moment – even on a trail you know by heart – you could be in trouble.

I found myself in that place the other day. I was biking on a trail I’ve been on at least a hundred times. It was near the end of my ride and getting dusk so I turned on a light to shine on the path ahead of me.

I was going down a steep hill, which I like to take fast at the top and then slow down near the bottom because of the obstacle that’s there. At the bottom of the hill the path also makes a 90º left turn.

That’s not that big a deal, but to make that 90º turn you have to go over a huge log that lays across the path. If your front tire hits the log at the wrong angle, you fly over your handle bars. If you’re going too fast, you’ll miss the turn and smash into a tree.

You have to focus, start slowing down near the bottom, hit the log on the right angle, get off your seat, get your weight over your back tire, (oh ya) AND turn left.

I was doing everything right as I approached the log. I barely have to think about it, but I do need to focus on what I’m doing.

I’m not exactly sure what my light reflected off of, but out of the corner of my eye I saw something. And instead of staying focussed on what was ahead of me as my tire hit the log, I turned my head slightly to see what caught my eye.

About three seconds later I was six feet from my bike, picking myself up off the ground!

What had happened was I had stopped focussing on what I was doing. In other words, I lost sight of my goal (literally); my eye was not on my target. That’s the first reason not to lose focus.

Next, I lost my balance. Going downhill, having to turn and go over a log was impossible without staying focussed on the path. I could NOT navigate the course without focussing.

Then I fell. In my case, I bailed in mid air. I knew it wasn’t going to end well and I figured I’d do better if I wasn’t attached to my bike. … When we lose focus, we fail.

Then lastly, I hurt myself. I really banged up my shin (the same shin I had hurt one week earlier). I will heal but I’ll be sore for a bit and carry a scar for a while.

I just hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow so I can get out there and try it again!

Here’s the thing: It doesn’t matter whether it’s biking or the Christian life. If you lose your focus, you’ll lose sight of your goal of living for God, then you’ll lose your balance, making mistakes which will cause you to fall, or sin, that will leave you and/or others hurt and with scars … Four good reasons to stay focussed on your Christian life.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: When have you lost your focus and witnessed these four things? Leave your comment below.

by

What Everyone Ought To Know About Maintenance

The word “maintenance” has a tag-along emotion for me . . . it’s called frustration.

I get frustrated with maintenance because I want to enjoy the thing that needs to be maintained; I don’t want to work on it.

Bike Maintenance

Bike Maintenance

I want to use something and not have to care for it or fix it. In the 80’s I didn’t want a PC because you needed to know DOS and a series of commands and what pressing the “Ctrl+Alt+Del” keys did. I just wanted to use a computer, not figure out how it worked.

I like to ride my bike; I don’t like cleaning it. I want to just pull the cord on my lawnmower and start cutting the grass. I don’t like having to scrape the grass off the undercarriage or keep it tuned.

The problem is, in the last week, my avoidance with maintenance has accentuated my frustration. I broke the chain on my bike, probably because I didn’t clean the gritty oil off it.

My lawnmower is having a hard time starting these days and it’s not cutting evenly because it needs a tune up and a wheel adjustment.

And my computer needs some file maintenance soon or I will run out of space on my hard drive.

This was all fresh in my mind when I watched a little 3 minute video on how to clean your bike after a ride so it’s ready for your next ride. The guy on the video said you could do it in five minutes, but somehow (through the magic of video, I guess) he showed us in three.

I’m almost convinced that I need a new attitude toward maintenance, but for that to happen I really need a new emotion to go with the word. I’ve been thinking of some emotions that I could associate with maintenance – emotions like affection, confidence and satisfaction … but I can’t seem to trick myself and instead I feel annoyance, contempt and suffering.

Some people love maintenance, maybe even more that using the item. But not me. I know my things would last longer if I had a warm, fuzzy attachment to the word but it’s just not that easy. I can’t turn a switch on and like it.

I thought of a couple of solutions. I could give away my stuff when it needs some maintenance, and just bless people with things that sort of work. But that would require me needing a lot of money to replace my items.

Also, I could farm the maintenance out to people who like doing it. But that too would be costly and I would be without my beloved whatever, while it was being serviced.

There doesn’t seem to be an easy solution for me that works. I might have to do maintenance even though I don’t like it, even though it frustrates me. I might have to just discipline myself in spite of the piggy-backed emotion that comes with the word.

Here’s the thing: Relationships, like with things we own, require maintenance. We might like the idea of just enjoying our relationship with God but to maintain that relationship, we need to connect with Him, grow in Him and serve Him. That kind of maintenance might seem like work that we might not want to put our energy into, but maintaining our relationship with God will require us to discipline ourselves in order to connect, grow and serve.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How disciplined are you at maintaining your relationship with God?  Leave your comment below.

by

The Blues is Still Kickin’

The Limestone City Blues Fest was on this weekend and my wife, Lily, and I decided to take it in. I like the “blues” so I was looking forward to hearing some music that sounded like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert King or Colin James.

IMG_1733 - Version 2

There was an open-air concert right on Princess Street and when we got within a few blocks, we could hear the guitar man wailing away. We didn’t really need to pay the admission fee; we could hear the music fine from the other side of the barricade. But it’s only up close that you get to feel the music, so we paid.

As we entered onto the blocked off street, we ran into one of our son’s friends. He was eating on the patio of a restaurant in the “hub”. We had a short chat and then moved on to get close to the music.

As we left Gibby, that was the last time I saw someone under 25 for the rest of the night. Actually, it was the last time I saw someone under 65!  We passed into a time warp and everyone you looked at was old, and from a bygone era.

I don’t mean just middle aged – we were the young people in the crowd! I gazed over everyone sitting in their lawn chairs in front of the stage, and it was a sea of white hair. I couldn’t believe it.  Where were all the younger blues fans?

The band leader was just givin’ it on his guitar and these people were soaking it up. I think they probably had their hearing aides turned down and all they really heard was a muffled sound.

Hey, some of them probably turned off their pacemakers because the kick drum was so heavy you felt it inside you, like it was replacing your heartbeat.

It was funny to see all those old folks (some with canes), all happy like they just got out of a nursing home for the night. I checked, but there wasn’t any one of the seniors from my church at the event. And I couldn’t imagine any of them being there, or at least staying for more than two minutes.

The band we saw was called “Papa Chubby” and it was a very descriptive name for the leader of the group. He sat and played his guitar for most of the set, but it wasn’t like his show lacked energy!

The old folks were into it, too; they were moving. One guy reminded me of the bobble head figurines, only he was a whole body bobble head, standing there jiggling.

People were tapping their canes and even formed something of a weak resemblance to a mosh pit at the front of the stage.

We checked out just before it ended. We left the concert area to go grab some gelato on Front Street. And there we were, transported back to present-day Kingston!

Here’s the thing: Just like the “Blues” isn’t music for just an older generation, God is not the God of a past generation. And like anyone can enjoy listening to the Blues, Christ came to reconcile all generations to God. You are never too old or young to believe in God.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What have you stereotyped as being for another generation? Leave your comment below.

by

Why You Should Keep Things Simple

The other night, my wife, daughter and I went downtown to the Buskers Festival. Years ago buskers were individuals on a street corner who had some kind of talent and were trying to make a few bucks in the summer.

buskers pole guy

Now it’s an industry, with people traveling all over the world to cities bringing them in for festivals. They block off streets and allow large crowds of people to gather round.

At one time, they used to just open their guitar case or throw down a hat and hope people would put money in as they passed by. It’s a little different now.

I hadn’t been down to see the buskers in our city for several years, but I sure noticed something different this year. These performers were into entertainment more that performing their stunts.

I saw three acts and there was no question about their talent and abilities, but I got bored with their acts. They were too long. I wanted to see the pole guy climb the pole more, and do more tricks up there.

Perhaps the guys he picked from the audience to support the pole weren’t as strong as they looked. Maybe he needed to give them a rest in between trips up to the top of his free standing pole. I kind of wanted to see him carry the female volunteer from the crowd up with him.

The lady who could stick her head through her legs was a little creepy, but she could really do the hula hoop … several of them … at one time … all on different appendages.

But she went on and on about how long she had been practicing her craft, and how dangerous it was to do the hula hoop from 7 feet in the air. That’s not even the height of a normal ceiling in a home.

At least the pole guy didn’t talk. I’m not sure if he couldn’t talk or if it was part of the act. But he didn’t go on and on about preferring bills over change like the hula girl did.

I kept looking over and wishing we had gone to the fire guy about a half a block over. I’m not sure what he was doing, but he had fire, and anything with fire is more exciting than a hula hoop or a pole.

I liked seeing these street performers, but the crowds were so big that they all really needed bleachers, which sort of takes away from the “street” part of the performance. My suggestion would be to have more acts, so that the crowds would be smaller around each act and the performers wouldn’t feel they had to talk so much.

I just want to see more amazing tricks, stunts, and talent.

Here’s the thing: There are times when I add things to my devotions that really aren’t part of it. Sometimes I have the inkling to check something like my email before my time with God. All those extra things do is get me distracted from just being with God, listening, learning and talking to Him. I need to remember to keep my time with Him simple and to the point.

Question: What distracts you most when you want to spend time with God? Leave your comment below.