my thoughts

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You May Not Be As Strange As I Think

 

The other day I came to realize I’m as strange as other people.

I think most of us think we are normal and everyone else is a little weird … or, at the very least, that other people have odd quirks about them that we don’t.

That’s not correct. I see now that we all have our little bits of oddness; we are all odd.

… Which reminds me of a club in my city – it’s called the Odd Fellows. Now there is a group that has embraced the fact that they are not like most people. They are okay with being strange, a little off-centre, even weird. And they have banded together to accept one another. 

I guess that’s what we should all do. 

I came to my realization of being odd during a conversation about the strange eating habits of other people. Granted it was almost dinner time, the BBQ smelt delicious and I was hungry. 

I mentioned that I knew a guy who didn’t like his food to touch and who ate his food one item at a time. 

My friend jumped in at that point and said, “What’s wrong with that? I don’t like my food to tough either and I always eat my food in an order.”

My first thought was, “Wow! There are two of them out there.” 

But that was really nothing compared to this guy I know. When he would eat pizza, he would separate all the parts. That’s right, the toppings (eg. pepperoni) would each go in separate piles, the cheese in another pile, leaving the crust bare. Then he would systematically eat each pile until that pizza all came back together in his belly. 

They say that when you eat, your food gets all mushed together, but when you eat like this guy I think your food actually reforms to its original prepared state!

That description even made my friend, who identified with this guy, exclaim, “Wow”, as in, “That guy really is weird.” 

But this is where it started getting spooky for me. I kept thinking and talking about how I eat some foods. 

For instance, when I have corn-on-the-cob with my meal, I always eat it first. Before I eat or taste anything else, I finish off my corn. But if the corn is already off the cob as kernels on my plate, then I eat them with everything else.

When I eat Chinese food, I always eat my egg roll first. I never leave it to the last, or eat part of it and save some for the middle of my meal. I down that thing first.

When I eat at Swiss Chalet, the first thing I do when I get my meal is butter that bun and eat it. I don’t touch the fries or the chicken until that bun hits the bottom of my stomach.

And It was right about then that I realized, “I’m as weird as the guy who eats pizza like it’s a  three course meal!” 

I don’t think I can handle the idea of me being weird so it must be that we are all a little odd … which actually makes us all the same.

Here’s the thing: We are all in need of the same saviour because, though our sins may be different, and some sin may SEEM worse than others, the fact is we are all the same in that we all sin. Never excuse your sin as being normal. We’re all in need of a Saviour – Jesus Christ – and His forgiveness.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What sin have you excused yourself of because you view it as normal? Leave your comments below.

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It Couldn’t Be Easier To Return

I’m always looking for an easy return.

I have a tape measure in our cottage that doesn’t return very easily. You have to tug hard to pull it out and then you have to push it back in. I want to throw it out and get a tape measure that will easily return after I extend it to measure something. 

So often we want an easy return. 

When you buy something that isn’t quite right, you want to be able to return it to the store for an exchange or refund … and you want that process to go smoothly.

It wasn’t always easy to return items. At one time, when you bought something, the store had no responsibility for it unless it was defective. Only then could you return it. 

If you bought something and the colour didn’t match, or it wasn’t the right thing after all, those were not grounds for returning it. You made the decision to purchase it, and it was yours – period. 

There were no easy returns. 

Something changed along the way, however, to the point that almost everything has become easily returnable. 

Recently I returned an item twice to a store before I got the right size. Both times it was an easy return – no questions asked. (Read about that here.)

There are some things that return so easily that you actually have to work hard to keep them from returning. 

I grew up playing with yo-yos. I still toss one from time to time. In fact, when I see one on a store shelf, I have a hard time resisting the temptation to pick it up and give it a toss.

When I see a child with a yo-yo, it’s all I can do to restrain myself from saying, “Here, give it to me and I’ll show you how it works.”

You see, the thing about yo-yos is that they are designed to return. But to be able to do tricks and to yo properly, you have to train it to sleep. 

Sleeping is basically delaying its return, making it spin out on the end of the string, so that you can perform some magical formations with that string. 

It takes training to learn how to do it. 

Nowadays you can buy a yo-yo that has a clutch built into it that will make it automatically sleep. But with a real yo-yo, if you place it in someone’s hand and they throw it down, it will automatically return. 

It’s just that easy. 

Here’s the thing: Do you realize how easy it is to return to God? I believe some of us think, or have trained ourselves to think, that it’s hard or difficult. The fact is that it’s easy to return to God; we’re designed for it. If you look at the Bible, the Old Testament is filled with page after page of examples where it was easy for people to return to God. He makes it easy. God is so patient and so eager that we return to Him, He sent His Son Jesus to make it easy for us. When you sin, don’t train yourself or fool yourself into thinking it’s too hard to return to Christ. It is easy – just humble yourself and return. He’s waiting. It really is just that easy.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: When have you found it difficult to return to God? Leave your comments below.

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When You Fall, Get Back Up

There is a saying that when you fall off a bike you should get right back on it again. 

The saying doesn’t specifically refer to riding a bike, rather it’s a reference to anything you fail at. You should get right back at it and do it again.

We’ve all followed that rule with many things in life, including riding our bikes. 

When that first date didn’t go so well, you didn’t stop dating; you got right back at it. When you didn’t make that team, you didn’t stop playing the game. 

When you failed a test you didn’t quit school, and when you stubbed your big toe, you didn’t stop going barefoot, and resort to wearing steel-toed boots to bed.

No, you got right back at what you were doing. That’s what we’re supposed to do. 

There are some things, however, that are harder to get right back to.

I remember one time as a kid that I got sick after eating corn on the cob. The corn had nothing to do with me being sick, but as I was losing my lunch over the toilet bowl, the sight of …. you get the idea and the picture. 

I couldn’t look at corn for a long time. After that incident I didn’t eat it at all for a few years. 

But slowly, my love of corn returned and I did eventually get back on the bike and start eating it again. 

In fact, when I was in high school at a youth event, in a challenge with another guy, I ate something like 18 cobs of corn! … No, I was not sick after that, but I did feel like I was waddling around for a few hours.

I say all that because, though we are supposed to get right back up when we fail or have a bad experience, it’s just difficult to do sometimes.

That’s what I’m experiencing these days. I haven’t been riding on a trail all week. There have been some days when the weather hasn’t been good, but many days when it’s been a perfect day for a ride. 

Instead, every day I’ve chosen to ride on the road.

The reason? The last time I rode my trail, I stopped to build a new section. When I got back to the cottage, I found another tick. (You can read about the first tick I brought home here.)

I’m two for two. Both times I’ve worked on a new section of trail, I’ve brought home a tick. … I hope it’s only been two! 

This one I found on the bath mat just outside the shower. I take it that the tick didn’t feel like having a shower with me.

I haven’t hit the trails since; these two ticks are keeping me out of the woods. I now have a partial trail that leads to nowhere. 

Fear of what could happen – and Lily not being too excited about the friends I’ve invited in – have stopped me so far. 

I may not finish that trail but I just have to get back to mountain biking. 

Here’s the thing: Sometimes it can be something very small – even as small as a tick – that stops you from going deeper with God. What does God want next for you? What failure, fear, or distraction is keeping you from moving forward with Him? Get back on your bike and ride. Go deeper with God. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What has ever stopped you in your tracks? Leave your comments below.

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I Wish Clothing Sizes Were Consistent

I thought the idea behind clothing sizes was to provide a universal standard so you could easily find things that fit. 

Obviously, I was wrong in my thinking. 

It’s been over a month since my birthday and I’m finally able to wear the shirt my daughter gave me as a present. 

Getting the right size should have been easy, but obviously people have different comfort levels when considering the fit of something.

For instance, I normally take a size 8 to 8.5 shoe, but when I buy skates, I look for a size five … not because skate sizes are all messed up, but because I like to cram my foot into my skate with no space at the toe and no room for even a thin pair of socks. 

It’s just personal taste. 

I’m not talking about personal taste here, though; I’m talking about the same size in one brand not being the same as the same size of another brand. 

Are you following me? 

Some clothing companies size their clothes differently than other manufacturers. It destroys the whole concept of size and gives the customer absolutely no confidence in what size a shirt he or she should buy.

For my birthday my daughter bought me a size small shirt. But when I tried it on, it was very tight – way too tight! 

So I exchanged it at the store for a size up. The clerk at the counter had another employee go get me the same shirt in a medium. We filled out the paper work for the exchange and away I went, happy that it was all going to work out. 

When I got home, I put the shirt on to show Lily, and to my amazement it was too small as well. 

I know what you’re thinking, that I’ve gained weight and don’t want to admit that I’m getting bigger. 

On the contrary, in the last year and a half I’ve lost some weight and have had to downsize a lot of my clothes. 

Leaving the store I was confident that a medium was the right size. I had thought medium would be the right size even before I tried on the small my daughter had bought me. 

When the medium didn’t fit, I was shocked …. Me? A large? It didn’t seem right to me. 

So back to the store I went … again. This time I was taking no chances; I wanted to try the shirt on before I left the store. 

Amazingly the large fit perfectly. I hope the sizes go up to quadruple XL or a lot of people won’t be able to buy that shirt. 

There is something wrong with the clothing industry if they can’t get sizing right. An inch is an inch; a centimetre is a centimetre. Use rulers, people, and get your sizes right!

Oh, and why this all took over a month to solve is because we don’t have this particular store in Kingston. I had to travel to Toronto twice to finally get the right size.

Here’s the thing: Unlike some clothes we buy, God is consistent. He will not deal with you with different standards or in a way you can’t predict. God also knows you so well that He will fit you with a purpose, plan, and help that is perfect for you and your shape. Seek and trust Him daily for everything you will encounter.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What are you perfectly fitted for? Leave your comments below.

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My Replacement Blog

From time to time I republish a previously published post. This post was written and published in the summer of 2013. I hope you enjoy it. 

It’s not easy writing these blogs, you know. Sure, it’s only 500 to 600 words; some people can speak that many words in a minute or two. But it’s not the actual writing that’s difficult.  

I remember when I was a kid. To write 500 words was a death sentence! It’s only a page of words, but when I was young I didn’t have that much to say. Plus, I’m a male and we can say lots with just a look on our face or a few non-intelligible sounds.

The tough thing about writing is the critiquing of what I write. Today I wrote a killer blog.  I thought it was one of my best, so I was anxious for someone to read it. I kept asking my wife, “Have you read it yet?”

I think my asking got her more intrigued with it, so she finally got on her computer and took a look. Everything was going well for the first 3 paragraphs. And then she stopped.

“You can’t write about that.” she said. I replied, “Keep reading”, thinking that maybe when she digested the whole blog she would have a change of mind. But after every paragraph she would stop and say the same thing.

Now, I don’t mind when she says, “Your grammar was really bad on that one” or “the punctuation needs some work.”  I don’t even mind when she says, “You should rephrase that.”  She has great ideas some times. After all, she does all the editing for my blog site.

The thing that I do mind, the thing that is tough to hear, is the content can’t be published. I spent some quality time writing my blog today and when I was finished I was proud of my work.

But now no one is going to read it. I wish I could publish it, and share it with others, but because it’s about a close family member, I’ve been instructed to keep it in the vault.

I ran into this problem several years ago when my kids became teenagers. I used to use illustrations in my sermons that were about things my kids did, or experienced. When they were young they loved hearing me tell stories about them. 

But for some reason, by the time they hit about 12 or 13, I was finding that I needed to ask for permission if I was going to speak about them in church. Eventually, I thought it best to just leave them out of it. So for many years they have been missing from my sermon content.

Maybe they’re happy about it. Maybe they don’t do or say things that are as “preachable” as they did when they were kids. But one thing is for sure, censorship doesn’t just revolve around the CRTC (Canadian Radio & Television Commission). 

Most of you would have liked my blog. You would have laughed, and been concerned. Some of you, who know my family well, would have had some follow up questions that you really needed answers to. 

But unfortunately, you won’t get a change to read it. So just forget I mentioned my killer blog that I can’t publish. This will have to do as a replacement.

Here’s the thing: Sometimes we want to do things that God doesn’t want us to do. He doesn’t force us, but if we continue, we might cause harm to ourselves or others. We can be stubborn and do it anyway, but the benefits of listening to God’s wisdom may save us a lot of heartache.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How have you benefitted by not doing something you really wanted to do?  Leave your comment below.

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No Complaints; Just Enjoy

I don’t want to hear any complaints about the weather. Let’s just take it and be satisfied.

We are experiencing a bit of a heat wave where I live. And it’s not just the temperature that we have to consider – it’s the humidity that sears the heat in.

It has been a long time since I’ve felt this kind of weather, other than in Mexico or the Caribbean. 

It was 36 Celsius yesterday and, with the humidity, it felt like 49! 

If you are not watering your grass, you don’t have any, and even then, the green stuff you see on your lawn may only be weeds. 

We went up to our cottage on the holiday and discovered that in our community there was a watering ban … and a ban on AC! The park we are in was experiencing brown outs and the only way to stop it was to cut the AC, since it’s such an drain on the power grid.

I say that’s okay; I’ll take the heat over air conditioning. I’ll battle the hot temperatures, keeping in mind that before long we will have a good five months of cold weather that I’m going to have to layer up for. 

It was so hot, we hung out on the beach until after 8 pm and then went back down at 10 pm to catch some John Tavares Day – I mean Canada Day – fireworks.

… I just can’t contain my excitement over the Leafs signing Tavares in the free agency sweepstakes! … but back to those fireworks on the beach. 

It was pitch black out after the light show and, though we headed back to our place, the beach was still littered with people.

Many still had their beach chairs set up! People were lying out getting a tan from the moon and the stars. That’s how hot it was. 

But the heat doesn’t stop some people from pining away for cooler temperatures. They would welcome some rain, because we really need it. 

Well, the farmers might need it, but we don’t. Summer should be a time when your grass is brown. If you can keep your grass green all summer, you either live on a golf course or you are experiencing less than perfect weather. 

Let’s enjoy this heat. Let’s celebrate it and not look beyond it to cooler, wetter weather. Just get out and embrace it. 

I realize there are many people for whom the heat is not ideal – the elderly and those with breathing issues. But listen, the weather won’t suit everyone all the time. They can treat those really hot days like a winter day. If it was really cold and snowy, they would stay indoors.

Right now we have a little heat. Let’s enjoy it. Spend more time at the beach; get out and do some things that you can’t do when it’s -15 outside. 

I don’t really want to hear people tell me they can’t wait for a break in the weather. Come on! Embrace what we have been given and be enthused about it. 

Here’s the thing: People are always looking for perfect. And if they find perfection in something like the weather, it is only short-lived. There is nothing or no one who is perfect except for God. So be enthused about Him; give yourself completely to God because it is only in Him that you will find perfection and true satisfaction.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What was the last thing you complained about that you really should have been thankful for? Leave your comments below.

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We Don’t All Share The Same Views

Do you care if I have the same views as you do? You actually do care and might not even realize it.

You might be the easiest going person in the world, but it will bug you when you realize I don’t view something as you do. 

I’ve met people who hate golf; they actually turn up their nose and shake their head just hearing the word, “golf” … unless it’s in reference to the car.

I do like golf and when I meet people who are passionate against it that kind of bothers me. Why would they care that much about something they don’t do or have to do? Why would they go out of their way to make it clear to me that they don’t like the sport and think it’s boring, a waste of green space and time?

I’ve also met people who have gone out of their way to tell me they don’t like other sports that I participate in and enjoy. 

It’s unclear to me what reason they would have of being so animated about something they have no real interest in. Possibly they had a parent who tried to shove the sport down their throat, making them angry and resentful.

But here is something to note: I have feelings too and when someone criticizes and puts down a sport that I support and love, it hurts. 

I am sure those people who hate my sports wouldn’t like it if I trash talked something that they really enjoyed doing.

I remember having a conversation with someone who hated hockey, and stated the main reason was because of all the violence, referring to the fights and dirty hits that sometimes happen in hockey games. 

While he was talking, his voice started to rise and he got red in the face. He was really into it. 

All I could think of was, “Isn’t his emotion right now exactly why fights break out in hockey?” How come he couldn’t understand that and have some sympathy for the poor guys who get all caught up in anger. 

I’ve learned that I have to stay away from people who trash my sports … or at least don’t talk about sports in their presence. 

I sure wouldn’t want to make them angry. Who knows? A fight might break out in our conversation.

It should be acceptable that I can view something one way and someone can view it another way, with both of us being okay with that … that we won’t get all emotional and upset that our rights are being denied. 

… Just like what happened in British Columbia with the Supreme Court case ruling, denying Trinity Western University the right to have a law school as part of their institution. 

The school was denied because students at TWU are asked to sign a covenant while they attend the school, that includes abstaining from sex outside of marriage (defined as being between one man and one woman). 

Maybe people who don’t want to sign such a covenant should just attend another school. There are sixteen of them in our country!

Why would you want to go to a school that didn’t share the same views as you? … unless, maybe, you wanted to start a fight.

Here’s the thing: God has two main guidelines for humans: love God and love each other. When we focus on our rights, we will always step on someone else’s rights; someone’s rights will always be denied.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How passionate are you about your views? Leave your comments below.

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Recorded Music Has Changed, But Is It For The Better?

Recorded music is changing … again … and it’s not exactly going forward. 

When I was a kid, the popular music form to buy was the 45. That stood for 45 rpm, the speed at which the records turned on the record player. 

I remember my brother buying me a Beatles 45 for Christmas one year. It had “Hey Jude” on the A side and “Revolution” on the B side. 

Back then you knew what was on both sides of a record … “Penny Lane” side A; “Strawberry Fields Forever” on the flip side. 

Those were singles, but a record album spun at 33 1/2 rpms. Both 33’s and 45’s laid on a platter and spun around while a needle picked up the sound from the grooves. 

Then came the cassette and eight track. We bought whole albums this way and even recorded music from the radio onto cassettes. 

Eight tracks didn’t last very long, but cassettes took off in popularity while record albums started to fade. 

I remember two big record stores on Yonge Street in Toronto: A&A’s and, right beside it, Sam the Record Man. They were famous landmarks in Toronto for many years, but both stores eventually closed and now there is no remaining evidence that they ever existed. 

I remember waiting outside A&A’s all night to get tickets to an Elton John concert in 1974. That was an experience!

We got them at 7:00 am, then cruised by Maple Leaf Gardens with windows down, flashing our tickets and yelling to the thousands of people lined up on the street waiting to purchase their tickets.

Cassettes didn’t completely wipe out vinyl records, but when CD’s made their way onto the scene, they really ended the popularity and production of record albums. 

You could barely find any store that sold records; people had record players only because they had old albums. Record players were collecting dust because no one used them anymore. 

Downloading and renting digital music has become the latest way that we listen to recorded music. We now buy music online or get it through an online music subscription that gives you access to all music. 

With our phones we can listen anytime and anywhere. 

Not long ago, however, my son bought a turntable. He has started collecting some albums … yes, real vinyl LP’s, 33 1/2 rpm records. 

Who would have thought it? Vinyl is making a bit of a comeback, and it’s partly to do with the quality. 

It turns out that all the advancements we’ve made in recording music have not produced a better quality. Vinyl records have a better sound than digital. 

Maybe it’s time to get out my old albums, dust off my turntable and start listening to music like I did when I was in my teens. 

… I’m just not sure I want to spend hours at a record store combing through the albums to find something I want to purchase. 

I enjoy getting my music online. 

Here’s the thing: You’ve probably made some changes spiritually over the years. Some of those changes have likely not been for the better. Maybe they have hindered your relationship with God. It’s time to make a change back to your spiritual roots and connect with God in a deeper, richer way. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you need to go back to in order to enrich your relationship with God? Leave your comments below.

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Reminiscing Is Good For Your Soul

Have you ever thought of how reminiscing is good for the soul? It creates a “make you feel good” moment.

We reminisce all the time. Any time you run into a long-lost friend or even just get together with long time friends, at some point the conversation always goes back to “remember back when…”

I think when we get older that’s why we like the past, and like to reminisce. The old songs, the old ways make us feel good, so we are drawn to them.

I know that every time I get together with friends I went to high school or college with, we talk about the things we did and laugh about them all over again. Even when they weren’t that funny back then, they are great for a laugh now. 

We are constantly rehashing the past, and finding it more and more comforting. 

Although it is something that we do more often the older we get, all ages reminisce. 

That’s why when you play mini stick hockey in the basement with your son, the next day he’ll hand you a mini stick while you’re watching the game on TV. 

It’s just his way of reminiscing about yesterday and wanting to relive it. 

When we get older the difference is the huge span of time that has elapsed since what you’re reminiscing about … and the fact that if you tried to relive it now, you’d probably kill yourself.

My son called me up just the other day. He was learning to play a song on his guitar and was reminded how I used to play it when he and his sister were young. The memory brought a smile to his face and he wanted to share it with me. 

… And while I’m there, the first line in the last paragraph is from another song I used to play for my kids. It’s a line straight out of “Cats In the Cradle” by Harry Chapin.

I can still see them jumping up and down on the bed as I strummed my guitar and sang as loud as I could.

But there I go, reminiscing a little myself! 

The other day I played my first game of golf this season. I was in a tournament on a team with three other guys. 

I didn’t want to be the worst on the team and I didn’t want to hold them back, but I hadn’t swung a club since last fall. 

I started to think about the parts of my swing that I had been working on last year. I was worried I wouldn’t remember what to do to incorporate them. I didn’t want to go right back to my old habits.

But when I stepped up to the practice tee to hit a few balls, it all came back. As I stood over the ball, I remembered what to do. It was like I was reminiscing about swinging the golf club again.

Here’s the thing: Our minds provide us with a lot of feel good memories. But that also means that there can be sad, painful, guilty memories that show up as well. Just remember if you are a follower of Christ, God has taken all your sin away. So you can reminisce over the memories with a smile on your face.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What has this post caused you to reminisce about? Leave your comments below.

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It Feels Like The Longest Days Of The Year

We are in the longest days of the year right now. I realize that it won’t be until late in June when we reach the maximum daylight, but still, these are the longest days of the year.

I used to live in Edmonton which has long days in the summer. I remember being on a golf course at 11pm at night!

When I directed a week of junior high camp for a few years, we would turn the clocks ahead. We called it “camp time”. We did it so the sun wasn’t still high in the sky when we would have our camp fires. 

Those definitely were long days. 

We got blackout blinds on our kids’ rooms so that when we put them to bed they didn’t think it was still the middle of the day.

But right now, at the beginning of May, we are experiencing the longest days of the year.

And if you are wondering why that is, it’s not that the sun is standing still in the sky. It’s not even that it is staying light out most of the night in Alaska. 

No, it’s that we are experiencing the NHL playoffs. 

You see, with eight teams still in the playoffs, there are two games every night and one is always a western game, giving us in the east a starting time of about 10 pm. 

… That means my days are very long, often extending after midnight.

Even though my team is out of the playoffs, I can’t stop watching the games. They flow from one to another. 

If one game runs a little late with overtime, the TV network joins the next game immediately … and the best part is you don’t have to wait for the national anthems to be sung. You get beamed into live action as a player is receiving a pass up the ice.

One of the difficult things about these long days is my day don’t start any later than usual. I’m up at my regular time; I’m just not getting to bed until much later than I’d like.

It’s not hard to handle this pace for a day or two, but day after day with no breaks until this round is over and four teams will be knocked out, that’s tiring. 

And I know what you are thinking – “Just don’t watch the late game.”

But that is easier said than done. 

If I open a bag of potato chips in front of you and say just have one, how well would you do with that? – especially if the bag was still hovering around your nose after you had devoured your first chip!

See? I thought you might understand if I gave you that analogy. 

These are long days we are in, and as much as I have enjoyed the action in all the series, I will be looking forward to a week from now when we will only have one game a night.

… Maybe I’ll have to take a nap early in the evening so I can stay up and watch those late western games.

Here’s the thing: When your routine or schedule gets changed, do you find that it is hard to maintain some of the things you are used to doing? There is never a time where God is thrown off His plan or will. With Him everything always gets accomplished right when He determines it. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How do you get back on track when your routine or schedule has been interrupted or adjusted? Leave your comments below.