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The Masters Left Me With a Different Feeling

Yesterday I had a different take on the Masters than most people did. 

I love to play golf and I’m also one of those people who likes watching it on TV.

For golfers, the Masters is a must watch event. It is one of the premier golfing events of the year.

But this year I had a different feeling than most people did watching the tourney.

Tiger Woods was making a charge; he was on a comeback. He hadn’t won the Masters since 2005 and he hadn’t won a major tournament in 11 years.

He’s had operations to fix chronic back problems, swing issues that has seen him completely change his swing, and emotional issues to overcome due to a marriage scandal which captivated public interest, coincidently 11 years ago.

Some thought that with all his issues, Tiger might not play golf again – at least at a level that would see him compete on the leader board.

Well, that is all in the past now. 

Tiger Woods played phenomenally this past weekend and his body, his swing, his mental toughness never looked better. 

Tiger is back.  

He certainly is one of the greatest – if not the greatest – golfer who has ever played the game. 

What I found disturbing yesterday, as I watched this amazing comeback and rise to the top for Tiger, was what seemed to be the worship of him. 

And it seemed consistent from the TV announcers to his fellow golfers to the crowds that paid homage with their cheers and praise. 

You can not take his golf ability away from Tiger. He truly is a marvellous golfer, but we shouldn’t be hailing him as the second coming of Christ! 

Ironically, Tiger’s win, and all the worship of him, came on Palm Sunday – the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, to the cheers and shouts of “hosanna” by the people who lined his path into the city.

Tiger made a triumphant walk from the green to the club house, his family in tow … well, at least for part of the walk. He left them all in the dust behind him as he gloried in his own greatness to the fans shouting his name and reaching out to touch a piece of him.

The announcers couldn’t say enough of his achievements and how truly miraculous this achievement was fighting back from adversity to reach this pinnacle. 

But I wondered how his ex-wife felt, not about how he played or that he won, but about how everyone worshipped this man.

As he stood on the green with his arms raised in victory to the thunderous applause, I wondered if Elin felt that all he had done to shame her and break up their family had been forgotten, been forgiven.

It was like that never happened. 

Like taking a brush to a chalkboard, this victory wiped out any memory people had of the life he has lived off the course. 

It is alright to celebrate a victory, but let’s keep in mind the character of a man who actually missed the cut.

Here’s the thing: Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to the shouts and cheers of “hosanna in the highest” … but it didn’t go to his head. Instead he shook off the adoring fans and went to the cross to die for YOU. Now that’s character.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: Is your character something to be copied or something to be hidden? Leave your comments below.

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Same Experience Different Takeaway

It is no surprise that people can be engaged in the same experience but have different takeaways.

Even as I write this now, I prove this “same but different” concept to be true. It’s 3:30 am and I’m writing my blog while my wife is fast asleep. 

Just a few moments ago we were both in bed. We got into the same bed at the same time, and turned the lights out at the same time. 

All the conditions were the same, yet she is sleeping and I am not.

I spoke at a church in Spain two weeks ago. Everyone heard the same message, though some in Spanish. One woman, however, responded differently to the message than everyone else. She gave her life to Christ that day.

Back in 1974 I had waited outside of A&A’s record store on Yonge St in Toronto for tickets to an Elton John concert. My friends and I got 17th row on the floor, centre stage. 

Those tickets were pretty sweet.  

From the first note, all 20,000 of us in the Gardens that night were on our feet, jumping up and down and screaming out the lyrics of every tune Elton sang … I pretty much demolished the chair I was standing on.

Near the end of the concert, someone I knew was even closer to the stage. I’m not sure if he wormed his way up there or if his seat was just that close. 

At one point in the concert, Elton John came to the edge of the stage and touched the hands of delirious fans. This acquaintance on mine had a felt top hat in his hand. He held it out to Elton and he took it, sat down at the piano and played, “Bennie and the Jets”. 

Then Elton got up and, amongst all the extended arms, put the hat right back into the hand of my school mate.

We all experienced the same concert but that guy had a different takeaway than the rest of us. 

I just finished attending a conference in another part of the world. During one session each day, conference participants spoke about their experiences of sharing God’s love with others. 

The stories were the same in that each story was about making Jesus famous. The content of each story had the same bottom line of how Christ was changing people’s lives. 

But each story was so different.

Some of the stories involved people being healed. There were stories of kindness being the convincing factor. Some stories were about explaining or interpreting a dream. And some of the stories involved a consistent example. 

It was amazing how in one story it seemed like only an angel could have been involved in making Christ famous. 

It was so interesting because, though we heard story after story on the same theme, each story was so different.

It was the same message but each person had a different takeaway. 

Here’s the thing: The message of Christ is the same. It doesn’t change but people respond to different parts of it. Some people respond to love extended to them, some to a truth that finally clicks and makes sense. Some respond to the contrast of God’s desire for them versus the desire of another god. Some take longer to respond than others, and some respond through different means, like in dreams or visions. But to all who respond, the takeaway will be the same … salvation.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What experience have you had that needs a different takeaway? Leave your comments below.

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Just In Time For Christmas!

Just two days before Christmas we got a light covering of snow here in Kingston, Ontario. The white stuff came just in time for Christmas day. 

Some how, for us living in Canada, the presence of snow puts us in the Christmas mood. It feels like Christmas when everything glistens in white under the moon.  Snow makes Christmas.

There is a passage in the Bible that says, “But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.”

Like the snow came at just the right time, this year, Jesus came to us at just the right time.

That passage goes on to say, “God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.” (Galatians 4:4-5, NLT)

At just the right time, Jesus came, so that we could be made right with God. God wanted us to be part of his family, and Jesus makes it possible.

Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones.

And thank you for reading my blog.

That’s Life!

Paul

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I Returned To The Scene Of The Crime

I’ve been told that a criminal should never go back to the scene of the crime. I wonder if that applies to innocent bystanders?

In the last three weeks I’ve written about this incident twice. The first time, I wrote about being in a hospital emergency room when two shots were fired (you can read about that here). Then I wrote about having to give a witness statement to the police (you can read about that here). 

I really thought I was finished writing about this incident, but something came up last night and it has me thinking about the whole incident again. 

Yesterday morning I was getting ready for work and we got a call. Our church caretaker had had a stroke and was in the hospital … in emergency. 

At the time I didn’t think anything of it. I planned to visit him later in the day, but first I had a sermon to write, and a few other pressing matters that needed to be addressed. Besides, I knew he wasn’t going anywhere. 

My plan was to visit him at the end of my day; he would likely be in a hospital ward room by then. 

The day zoomed along, and finally I hopped in the car to make my way to the hospital. 

This has become an all too familiar trip for me in the last months. I have more hospital parking charges on my credit card than any other kind of charge. I’ve been to the hospital far too much for my liking.  

I parked the car in the hospital parkade and walked across the street to the main entrance. 

I had two visits to make – I knew where I was going for one but, for our custodian, I didn’t know what room he would be in. 

I picked up the phone in the lobby and asked the operator for his room number. I paused when she said Emerg, Section A.

Wow – he was still in emerg and he was in the same section where I witnessed the shooting two weeks ago. 

I made the other visit first and then headed towards the emergency department. 

There was no way I could stop thinking about where he might be. I wondered if he was in the same bay – A8 – where I was when the inmate got the prison guard’s gun. 

It was in the back of my mind as I walked the halls, as I waited for the security to let me through, as I walked towards the nursing station. 

A nurse looked up from the overcrowded area and mouthed the word “two”, and held up two fingers … not the same bay. 

I could see A8 as I spoke and prayed with our custodian. And then when I left, I walked around the other side of the nurses’ station and took a long, hard look at where I’d stood two weeks earlier wondering if I would get hit by a bullet. 

It was all ancient history now. 

Here’s the thing: When you make a significant spiritual breakthrough – maybe you decide to follow God in a life decision, or you put your trust in God –  sometimes you get to go back to the place where you made that decision or change. Those are important events to remember how you have changed or grown, and more importantly how God has impacted you and how you’ve matured. Never fear going back to the scene; it can be a time when you reconfirm what God has done in your life. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: Where might you return to confirm what God has done in and for you? Leave your comments below. 

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When Your Batteries Need Recharging

I don’t think we could live without batteries, so why are they still so frustrating?

Batteries should last longer than they do. With all the advancements we have made, surely we could improve their longevity. 

… Mind you, parents might wish batteries had shorter charges so the annoying toys they bought their children for their birthdays would stop working. 

Well, too bad for those parents; their kids will grow out of them eventually. 

Some things have changed for the better. 

I remember I used to lose all my work if my computer battery died when I was working on a document and I had forgotten to save it.

Computers are better now. They have residual life that continues to provide a minimal amount of power to the computer even though the computer shuts down. They also save as they go to compensate for finicky batteries and user forgetfulness.

At least you no longer have to worry about losing everything you’ve typed since your last save. 

But still some batteries don’t work that way. I lost my bike computer when it was running. When I later found it, the battery was completely drained. I lost all the data from that bike ride. 

Now, even though the battery is charged, it won’t record certain bits of data. It will show me my speed, but won’t track my distance or average speed … and it won’t save any data.  

What’s with that?

If the battery on my drone dies, or gets turned off before I stop recording video, I lose all the video I shot. 

Come on! Why can’t we have some continuous save or residual power even when it’s turned off to protect the camera data?

And don’t get me started about battery memory! I’m paranoid about using my batteries until they’re almost dead before I recharge them. 

You should be able to recharge all batteries at any point without the fear of losing battery life if the battery has not been almost completely depleted before being recharged.

With many batteries, if you charge them when they have twenty-five percent life left, the battery will only give you seventy-five percent of battery life after that. 

Some say most batteries don’t have memories, but those people work for the battery companies. … It’s a conspiracy to keep us dependent on the pink bunny.

But hold the phone! With some batteries, you shouldn’t run them down under four percent because then they won’t recharge any more. … I now have a few fairly new batteries that are only good for putting in kids’ toys that you don’t really want to work.  

I know we can’t expect the same kind of experience as plugging into a power source, but in this day and age we should be able to have better standards and longer life.

Here’s the thing: Many of us live our lives to the fullest. We drain our batteries every day and often don’t recharge long enough to get to our full capacity. We think we can keep on going, and that the need for rest is slowing us down. But when God finished creating the world, He rested and declared that day holy – a Sabbath. We would do well to use the Sabbath for what it was made for – to recharge our batteries and honour God. We have made many advancements in our lives, but we still need rest, both physically and for our souls. Find your rest in Christ. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How do you take a Sabbath each week? Leave your comments below.

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Stress Can Be Good Or Bad

There is a certain amount of stress that’s good for you.

If we didn’t have any stress in our lives we probably wouldn’t get anything done. We would resort to saying, “Oh maybe I’ll do that tomorrow” … and tomorrow would never come.

If there was no stress, we would procrastinate … and some of us would procrastinate more.

Stress keeps us on our toes; it moves and motivates us, makes us feel responsible, and gets us to the deadline. 

These are all good things; we need a little stress in our lives. When stress builds up in us too much, however, it’s not good.

This last week I went golfing with my family. We hardly ever golf together because some of us hardly ever golf.

My son, Mike, and I golf the most, and Lily golfs with me when we’re on vacation. Karlie hasn’t golfed in two years.

Mike had a week of vacation and thought it would be nice to get a game in with the family. We looked at a couple of courses that would be within driving distance for all of us.

We ended up choosing a course that would be better suited for Mike and I and not Lily and Karlie. We got a really good deal on it so we booked it. 

Shortly after the arrangements had been made, Lily told me not to get all stressed, because that would impact the rest of the family. 

I have to tell you, I tried not to stress about it. I even prayed about it. 

Back when I was learning to golf, I felt pressure to keep up, to not hold up other golfers, whether I was golfing with them or they were in the group behind me. 

So knowing that this course was a little long for my wife and daughter, and knowing we were playing early in the morning, by the time I got to the course I was already tense.

I was definitely not relaxed. 

Even before we teed off, I was concerned about how quickly the next group would catch up to us and if we would be holding them up. … and I felt this even though there was no group behind us! 

All I can say is my game didn’t get off to a fantastic start … and it was all downhill from there. 

I could not get myself to relax and simply enjoy some time with my family. I was tense and hit more bad shots in that game than I’ve hit all season long so far. 

I kept looking back for the group behind us. I felt responsible to watch where everyone’s shot ended up. I constantly kept telling Lily and Karlie what they might be doing wrong when they hit bad shots. 

The crazy thing was they all got better as the round went on but I got worse. And that group behind us never did catch up and have to wait for us.

Here’s the thing: We are told in scripture to give our burdens to the Lord … but stress is a difficult burden to let go of when you’re in the middle of it. So first stop and recognize the stress, what it is, where it’s coming from, and how it’s affecting you. Then tell the Lord you want to give Him that stress. Third, focus, embrace, enjoy, immerse yourself in the task at hand. Doing that will shift your emotions and allow you to let go of the stress. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How has stress got the best of you? Leave your comments below.

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Your Name Is More Than An Identifier

Other than being an identifier, what’s in a name? 

You can tell people apart with a name, but names also have meanings. When you place a name on a newborn child, there is more to it than how it sounds. There are many books and websites devoted to listing the meanings behind names.

But we don’t just pick names based on their meaning; names have to go together or fit. 

I have a cousin named Dave, whose name is actually John David. My aunt didn’t like the sound of David John, so she named him John David and called him Dave.

Last week I got together with some high school buddies. One of the boys had come back from out west to visit, so nine of us met at a restaurant in Toronto for dinner. 

As soon as I entered the place and started to greet the boys, the nicknames started flying. Once again I lost my name to the nickname I had been dubbed with some 45 years ago. 

No one else calls me by that name – only these guys.

It’s interesting that while we don’t pay much attention to the meanings behind our real names, nicknames are all about their meanings.

Some of the meanings are easy – they are a short forms of a name, or parts of a name. For instance, in college I got called “Sil” or “Silly”. 

Sports environments are the best for nicknames. Everyone has one. Sometimes you have to know the inside story to understand why a person is called a certain name. Other times it’s self-evident. 

There’s a kid on the OHL Kingston Frontenacs’ team whose last name is “Pringle”. It’s not hard to guess that his nickname on the team is “Chips”.

One of the boys from high school has the last name “Smallwood”. (He was the reason for us all getting together.) We often called him “little sticks” or “smalllumber”.  

The crazy thing is that, even after not hearing a nickname for years, there is no hesitation in responding to it. You instantly turn to see who’s talking to you, the same as if you’d been called by your first name. 

I heard my nickname a few times the other night, and I won’t hear it again until I see these guys in a year or two. It’s one of those names that requires the inside story to figure it out. 

I’m sure by now you’re a little interested to know what my nickname actually was. 

Well, it was “Woody” or sometimes just “Wood”. How I got it had to do with my hair. 

It was the early seventies back then and I had some pretty big hair. One of the guys thought that my hair resembled the crest of a certain cartoon bird.

… Somehow the name stuck. 

Here’s the thing: God knows you personally. You might think He sometimes overlooks you or is too busy to notice, but God knows you, your name, your nickname. You are not a number. He even knows the number of hairs on your head. A God who knows you personally like that, definitely wants you to know Him personally as well. Don’t neglect taking time each day to spend with Him. He probably has a nickname for you that comes with an inside story.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What nickname or names have you had in your life? Leave your comments below.

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How A New Part Makes The Whole Thing Seem New

It’s always nice to find a new trail to ride. It’s not like the old ones get boring, but a fresh path is always welcomed.

When I’m at home, every week I ride the same trails. I mix and match between about five of them. But as a general rule, there is just one trail that I usually ride. Part of the reason is time. The home loop at my mountain bike club takes me about 45 – 50 minutes to ride which is perfect. All the other trails take a little to a lot longer to ride. 

Riding the same trail isn’t boring because I always try to beat my best time. The woods are also beautiful with a new scene to take in at every turn.

But when I get a chance to ride something new, it’s always a thrill. 

Up at my cottage, I’ve been riding the same trails for about ten years. Some are more like skidoo or ATV trails than mountain biking trails – they’re wider and less technical … but on the upside, they flow really well.

I have been riding these paths to get me to some single track trails that are made for mountain biking. In some places I even have to ride on the road to get to the good trails.  

It’s not perfect, but it’s better than nothing. 

Last year I almost ran into another biker on the trails. It was the first time in years I’d seen someone else in the woods. For years I’d felt like I was the only mountain biker in the area, but recently I’ve noticed signs that there are other riders using the trails.

It was also last year that I discovered a new trail and, because of it, I changed my route. I even got adventurous and built a short connector trail to link up the far end of my loop with the main trail. 

Well, yesterday while riding at my cottage, I found another trail. This trail means I can now avoid more roads and spend less time on the wide snowmobile and ATV paths.

It won’t be long until this new section of trail is old hat, just a regular part of my loop – by the end of this season I will have ridden it more than twenty times. But right now it’s exciting to pedal hard through a section that I don’t know very well.

It’s kind of like getting a new accessory for a product you’ve had for a while. When you get that new piece it makes the whole thing seem fresh and original again. 

This is shaping up to be a good biking season. (Want to see the trail? Click here.)

Here’s the thing: I have my set time every day when I do my Bible reading, journalling and prayer. I even have a certain place in the house where I like to spend that time. There is a lot of sameness to my meeting with God, but it’s not boring. But every once in a while I change something: I find a new place to meet with God, add different devotional readings, or take time to ask the Lord some very specific questions and wait on Him to answer. These new things I do just make my experience with God fresh and original again. Try something new – it will make a good time with God great again. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What gets you excited about new things? Leave your comments below.

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The Aches And Pains Of Old Age

I have been told that as you get older you have aches and pains that you can’t explain.

When you’re young, if you’re hurting, you know the cause of it – it’s because you fell off your bike, or tried to jump a fence, got caught on the top and landed funny.

When you’re young you have many questions that need answers, but why you’re hurting is not one of them.

When you’re older, however, you get some pains that are unexplainable; you just can’t come up with answers.

I sometimes have some pain in my shoulders. I don’t know why; I didn’t do anything to hurt them recently.

I have pain in my wrists sometimes too, and I can’t put my finger on a cause for that either.

I usually chock it all up to years of falling off my bike, or body abuse from years of hockey – you know, just old injuries that healed, but probably left some lasting side effects that will make their debut sometime after I turn 60 or 70.

Up until now I’ve experienced some minor phantom aches and pains in my body. But this past weekend I experienced a new one. This pain came out of nowhere, but left me thinking I needed a hip replacement.

It was like a switch got flicked and I went from being upright, like a fully-formed homosapien, to  being all hunched over, like a regressing neanderthal.

On a dime I turned into an old man who really needed a cane to get around. Trying to walk up a staircase was agony! … and I don’t mean agony just because of the pain; it was agony for anyone to watch me.

Every time I walked it felt like my bones were crashing and rubbing together, as if I was trying to start a fire with the friction.

It was quite concerning. But here is the crazy thing …

A few hours earlier I had been playing hockey, racing up and down the ice like a young man.

I never got hit, never crashed into the boards. When I got off the ice, I had no symptoms of restricted movement whatsoever.

After hockey I attended a men’s breakfast where about a half dozen men from my church saw me walking just fine.

This hip issue came on a few hours later when I sat down to write a blog post.

I am a bit of a sloucher and I wrote the blog sprawled out on our couch. When I finished and tried to get up – wow! – I suddenly felt like 78 years old, on a waiting list to have my first of two hips replaced (if you need one, you know the other one is coming).

Fortunately, after an uncomfortable night’s sleep, I woke up to a hip that was much better. I still don’t know what happened or why … but I am over 60.

I do have hope that it will get better and soon I will be racing up and down the ice like a young man again.

Here’s the thing:  They say that when we get older we get wiser. But that doesn’t mean we have the answers to everything. We might fool ourselves into thinking we know, but when something unexplainable happens, we are left dumbfounded. There is never an age when we don’t need the wisdom and the help of God. In fact, there is not an age when we need God more. We always need more of him, so never stop seeking him.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What unexplainable thing draws you to the all-knowing God? Leave your comments below.

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Seriously, Something Is Wrong Here!

Today’s blog post comes from my wife Lily. She is the one who edits my posts and every once in a while she get inspired to write a post of her own. I hope you enjoy this post.

Even though the weather this week doesn’t feel like it, I know summer is coming … I’ve been dreaming about it … flip flops, scorching heat, a refreshing glass of cold lemonade and carefree days!

Ahh, those images take me back to my childhood …

When I was growing up, it was common place to either see or to have a lemonade stand on the hot, humid days of summer. Well, actually it usually wasn’t a lemonade stand but a Kool-Aid stand.

You remember Kool-Aid, don’t you? … “Kool-aid’s here bringing you fun, Kool-Aid’s got thirst on the run. Get a big, wide, happy ear-to-ear Kool-Aid smi-i-ile!”

I think Kool-Aid stands were our mothers’ faults. After all, they were the ones who would repeatedly spout the phrase, “Go outside and play.” Eventually, we’d get tired of skipping and biking and jumping on pogo sticks. We’d run out of scenarios for playing cowboys and indians (ya, I’m that old!). We’d finish soaking ourselves with water guns while playing cops and robbers. And there were only so many freezies we were allowed to eat before supper.

After sitting with siblings and friends on the curb for a while, racking our brains for ideas, someone would invariably suggest selling Kool-Aid. Even before the logistics were worked out, we’d be arguing how we’d spend our fortunes.

Logistics boiled down to someone running home and begging Mom to make a jug of the finest colour of Kool-aid in the house, and someone else ravaging their pantry for plastic cups …. which weren’t hard to find back in the heyday of Tupperware!

Of course, some kind neighbours would always oblige and purchase a glass or two, and the ever-loving moms would buy a glass of the drink they had just moments ago pulled from their own cupboard and mixed for us … Could there ever be people who love others more than moms?!

Today’s kids, however, are missing out on all that. Our country has gone berserk in bureaucracy! Remember that news report last summer about two sisters, aged five and seven, whose lemonade stand was shut down because they didn’t have a permit and weren’t following the bylaws? And they were selling lemonade to raise money for a summer camp for kids with cancer! Can you imagine?!

Seriously, for starters, who would report two little girls for trying to raise money for a cancer camp? What bylaw officer would actually follow through with shutting them down?

In the end, they are allowed to reopen their stand, but guess what? They had to change their adorable, crayon coloured “lemonade” sign because the word had to be written in both official languages!

What have we done to our kids? When are we going to stop reacting to every complaint and problem by creating more regulations and rules?

… Makes me nostalgic for the old, carefree days of summer where everything wasn’t regulated and kids didn’t have to be bubble-wrapped before venturing outside to play.

I think I’m going to go buy some Kool-Aid.

Here’s the thing: God has given us some rules to live by. But when we fixate on the rules alone, we can go berserk in Christian bureaucracy. God never intended us to live by rules, but by love. Our lives should be lived in response to God’s great love for us, and what Christ did for us by dying and taking the punishment we deserve.

That’s Life!

Lily Silcock

Question: What rules have you gotten fixated on? Leave your comment below.