activities

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Make Time To Climb The Stairs

From time to time I republish posts I have written in the past. This is a repost of an article I wrote in April 2013

Does anybody like to climb stairs anymore? Has anybody ever liked to climb stairs? I’m just wondering because it seems like people try to avoid them if they can. 

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The other day, I was doing a hospital visit and my wife Lily was with me. As we got close to the elevator, she said, “We are not taking the stairs, are we?” I looked at her and replied, “You take the elevator and I’ll meet you on the 6th floor.”  

She answered that she didn’t want to climb the stairs because she was in high heels and a heavy coat. I’ve never climbed stairs in high heels before, but as I recall, my heels don’t normally hit the ground when I climb, so it should be a mute point. 

Lil isn’t a wuss so she took the stairs with me, but she was lagging behind a little. I would chock it up to those darn high heels but her huffing and puffing gave away that she was really just out of stair climbing shape.

For the last year or so I’ve been taking the stairs more often. It’s not because I like climbing stairs; it’s because it helps me get closer to my daily walking goal. And I’ve learned a few things in taking the stairs over the elevator:  

One thing I’ve learned is if you dislike crowds and being in close quarters with people, take the stairs – you’ll have the place to yourself! When I take the stairs at the hospital, 90% of the time I never encounter anyone else. The other 10% I just see hospital staff.  

If you want to sing or whistle while you get to your destination, take the stairs. Not only will no one hear you, the acoustics in the stairwell really make for a rich, full sound!  

If you need some quiet to think, take the stairs. The only sound you will hear is your own heavy breathing as you round the 5th floor.

I’m not petitioning for more people to take the stairs – I like to whistle undisturbed when I climb. I’m just saying there’s more to taking the stairs than giving you a heart attack.

There are some people who like to climb stairs. In Toronto, at the CN Tower, they’ve been running a fundraiser stair climb for 23 years. They get about 6,400 people walking up the 1,776 steps (that’s 144 flights!) every year. 

My daughter has made this climb the last two years, first doing it in just over 17 minutes and this year in under 16 minutes. I get out of breath just linking about it.

For the most part though, multi-floor buildings promote the use of elevators and escalators. The stairwells are usually in out-of-the-way places reserved for emergencies … and then good luck finding them! 

Of course, the older we get, the more we start looking for those elevators. I’ve heard that 70 year olds can spot an elevator at 60 paces, but still not be able to read what button to push without their glasses!  

I figure I’m not there yet, so I better keep using the stairs.

Here’s the thing: We gravitate to what’s fast and easy until that is all we can do. Becoming more like Christ takes time and work. If we’re always looking for the fast and easy, we may never look much like Him.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you do the hard way just to not give in to the easy? Leave your comment below.

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The Other Side Of The Clouds

From time to time I will republish a post I have written in the past. This is a repost of an article I wrote in May 2015

On a recent plane trip, I became fascinated by two very different realms that exist in our world. There is the realm below the clouds and the realm above the clouds.

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On the plane ride home from Calgary we flew above the clouds with the sun shining brightly all around and into the cabin of the plane. I noticed how some people shut their blinds so that they could sleep or to cut the glare on their TV screen while they watched a movie.

Looking out my window the sun was unhindered and I found myself squinting to shade my eyes as I looked out.

Below the plane was this white base that seemed firm and as I focused on it, in my mind I could envision a vast landscape of mountains and valleys. It was pure white, clean and bright, inviting.

On our descent, the clouds looked softer and billowy and certainly not solid like before.  They morphed into a wispy cottony substance as we enter them.

This particular day, the cloud cover was thick and it seemed that we traveled a long way to get through the clouds.  Everything out my window was grey and it resembled thick smoke when it is whipped up by the wind.

At one point, I thought, “How long are we going to be in these clouds?” I was surprised how thick they were.

When we finally got through, the scene was vastly different from above the clouds. Though it was only 1 pm, it looked like it was late in the evening.  The realm below the clouds was dark and grey, rainy and dull.  It was a complete contrast to the realm above the clouds.  The realm below was sun starved and I felt an immediate dip in my spirit.

Though this was the realm I live in, there was something about the realm above the clouds I wished was present.  Despite my familiarity with the terrain and the landscape, I had a longing for the bright warm and inviting sun.

So here’s my thought: When life seems rotten, when we’re down and things are going all wrong, internally we are in a realm much like I found myself in below the clouds.

In reality though, the sun is still shining – shining as bright as ever, providing warmth and light and goodness.  It just seems as if the sun is absent.

I envision the sun as God’s goodness and blessing shining on us.  For me to experience that once again, I turn to prayer.  I can’t break through my realm (through the clouds) to the realm above, but my prayers can.

Some times the clouds are thick and it seems to take a long time for my prayer to make it through them.  But that doesn’t mean God’s love isn’t shining down.  In the book of Daniel, he once wondered why it took so long for God to answer his prayer.

Look up Daniel 10:1-14. The angel tells Daniel his prayers were received right away but that he was delayed in responding, like there was a battle going on in the clouds.

Here’s the thing: Sometimes we have to pray for a long time before we see a break in the clouds, and the sun shining again in our lives.  But what I need to remind myself of is that my prayers are received by God instantly, and regardless of how long it is before my prayers are answered, God’s love and grace is shining down on me as bright as ever – even when I can’t see it. And that’s good to know.

That’s Life!

Paul

What are your thoughts on delays in answered prayer?  Leave your comments below!

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My To-do’s Are Never Ending

Recently I had a to-do list that I was trying to work through – the only problem was that it kept expanding. For every item I crossed off the list, I added one or two more to it.

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When I have a list of things I have to do, there is no greater pleasure for me than to be able to check those items off the list when they are completed.

And to be honest, when I check something off a to-do list, I give it more than a check. When I make the list out by hand, on a piece of paper, I don’t usually put a check mark beside the item when I’ve done the task … I obliterate it from the paper!

It’s like I don’t want to be reminded of what it was that I’d just finished. I draw lines through it about a dozen times so that the best intelligence agent could not decipher what lies beneath the pen strokes.

But I find that I only use pen and paper when I’m in a time crunch and all the to-do’s need to be completed by a deadline. Otherwise, I use a task app which puts a nice little check beside each item and fades the type for a while before it totally disappears. The app is called “Nozbe” and it’s a great little task manager.

This week I’m in one of those time crunches and so out came the lined paper and a pen to scratch out my to-do’s.

The first day I made some progress … not as much as I’d hoped, but I was able to almost rip through the paper with my lines on a few of the tasks.

The next day didn’t turn out as well. I was able to obliterate two items from my list but had to add three more that also needed to be finished by the deadline.

One of the items came as a by-product of completing a task. It was one of those,”well I did this, which means now I have to do that” kind of thing.

Another task was something new that came up. It didn’t really matter; it all felt the same. My list was not getting smaller.

I was inclined to give up on the list all together and just do what came to mind until the deadline, but that would cause me greater grief in the end.

That’s the problem with to-do lists: they don’t end! There is always another thing that needs to be taken care of.

Right now I’m going through my list to determine if there are some things that can wait, and be completed after my deadline.

What would make me happiest is to know that I have gotten to the end of my to-do list. So before I add anything else to the list, I will destroy my current task sheet and start a new one … after my deadline.

Here’s the thing: We need a sense of completion with things, whether it is a to-do list or reading the Bible. When you have a goal in mind, I would suggest that you set up a reading plan and work to complete it before you start your next plan. That way your Bible reading won’t seem never-ending but will have a start and finish date. Then move on to the next plan.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How do you gain a sense of completion with your Bible reading? Leave your comment below.

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The Season Is Over!

It’s been a long season, but now, in mid April, thoughts are turning to new things suited for warmer temperatures.

That’s right, the hockey season has come to an end for me.

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You might think it’s the end because the NHL’s regular season is over and the Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t make the playoffs again this year. … The only good thing about that is that none of the other Canadian teams made the playoffs either, so I’m not hearing the usual spring jokes about the Leafs hitting the golf course early.

The real reason hockey is over for me is that the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs were ousted from the playoffs tonight in the second round.

I’ve been the chaplain of the team for the last two years, so I’m pretty attached to this group. I’ve met with them weekly and attended most of their home games. I know how hard it is for them to be done after having such a great season.

As a team they set several records. They finished first in their conference and also had a decisive win in the opening series of the playoffs.

Now a few guys who have completed their junior careers will have to move on to new chapters in their lives.

In September it won’t be “pick up where we left off”, it will be “start all over and try to prove ourselves once again”.

For me, it’s no more chapels, no more trips down to the arena to chat, no more Friday night games, and no more pizza for the guys … well, at least until next season.

It was a long season but I was willing to go for another month or so. I’ll be out in Calgary in May and I understand the Memorial Cup is in Red Deer this year. I would have gladly driven the hour and a half from Cowtown to see the boys play if they had have made it.

Not now though. It’s all over. I’ll probably have a few more games of pick up hockey before I dry out my equipment for the year. And unlike some people in Canada who will not be watching the NHL playoffs, I will.

I don’t just watch hockey because I like a team; I like hockey, therefore I will watch it.

I just find this year a little tougher to let go than other years. I had such high hopes for the “Fronts”. I really care about those guys and I know they must be feeling pretty low.

I just hope I get a chance to say goodbye to them before they all disperse to their home towns. I’m so proud of them and all they accomplished this year. … Get your sights fixed on next year!

In a couple of weeks, I will be playing golf and mountain biking and this hockey season will be long behind everyone. We will move on; reset for the fall.

Here’s the thing: You can work really hard for a long time, and then stumble. In the moment, it seems like there is no way forward, that all is a loss. But the Lord is a forgiving God, and He longs for you to come to Him and reset your soul. Don’t stay discouraged; run to God and get moving on a new season.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you need to run to God for right now to get moving again? Leave your comment below.

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You Can Trust Your Memory

I don’t know about you, but I don’t always trust my memory. I find I more readily trust what I’ve written down or am able to look up somewhere.

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Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, but I don’t trust my mind with the information I gather. I feel I must write it down or I think I will forget it. The truth of the matter is I probably will forget it.

The process of writing something down seals it in my mind so that I don’t have to worry about using my mind to remember it at all.

But my mind is more powerful than I give it credit for. This week was proof of that …

I was in the research phase of sermon preparation, gathering information and gaining insight and understanding of the passage I would be preaching from on Sunday. I was recording this information, making notes on my computer.

At noon I stepped out for lunch and, when I came back, my computer was off. I hadn’t plugged it in and the battery had run down. My computer is six years old now so the battery doesn’t last as long as it used to.

I plugged it in and turned it on. Often in this case, the computer has just gone into a deep sleep, like a hibernation. It’s not really turned off, but it almost takes as long to boot back up as a fresh start up. The difference is all the programs are still open when it’s comes back on.

Not this time. I had to start up my computer and then open my programs again. When I did that I found I had lost all my notes.

It reminded me of the early days of computers when, if you didn’t save your document regularly and your computer crashed, you lost whatever you hadn’t saved.

I learned through many losses to save every time I paused from typing.

Now word processing apps save data automatically … but I don’t use a word processor to record my sermon notes.

I lost it all.

The great realization I made, however, was that I could remember a lot of the notes I had made.  The next day I was able to retype them and continue from there to make more notes.

I made triple the amount of notes I had typed the day before, but then had to leave for a meeting.

By the time I came back to my office, my computer had shut down again. And once again I lost all my notes.

Yes, everything! – the retyped notes from the day before and all the new notes I’d made in the morning.

On my third attempt to record my commentary, I made sure that I closed the program before I left my computer alone. Again I was amazed at how much research I remembered as I reentered my data for the third time.

The process of writing something out locks it into your mind more securely, which in turn allows you to trust your memory with that information.

Here’s the thing: Many people say they can’t memorize or remember scripture passages. You’ll find you are able to remember far more scripture if you write it out. If there is a passage you want to remember, write it out a few times, say it several times and you will find it sticks in your mind better than you thought it would.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What is your method for remembering scripture? Leave your comment below

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When The Conversation Is Out Of Your Control

Conversations usually flow from one topic to another at a gathering, but when the party is heavy on the testosterone you lose all control of the dialogue.

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That would be how I would describe our Easter dinner this year.

In my last post (read it here), I wrote about our plans for Easter dinner and said that in this post I would write about how it turned out.

Lily was sort of forced to buy a thirty pound turkey because that was the only size she could find at the grocery store. To save me from having to eat turkey for the next six months, she came up with a plan to invite some people who knew how to finish off a ton of food.

We invited two players from the Kingston Frontenacs hockey team, and two of our son Mike’s friends.

That gave us five guys 25 and under, myself, Lily and our daughter, Karlie. When it came to the food, Lily and Karlie didn’t stand a chance. And when it came to the conversation, the guys monopolized that too.

Easter is a time when our focus is on the resurrection of Christ, the price He paid for our sins and the amazing gift of a relationship with God that Christ offers us.

However, some of our company had just come back from an afternoon of riding quads on muddy trails, so naturally the boys needed to spend some time rehashing all the ups and downs of the episode.

Some of our conversation around the dinner table focussed on the more spectacular antics on the quads, getting stuck, who almost died on the outing and who made the biggest fool of themselves.

I’m not much into that sport; in fact, I’ve never ridden a quad before. I have, however, ridden my mountain bike on some pretty muddy trails, so I was all ears as we listened to the exchange among the guys. Voices and laughter seemed to get louder as the stories turned to the personal shortcomings of one and all.

At Easter dinner there is nothing wrong with diverting from the main theme of the day, but hey, we also had some hockey players with us who are right in the middle of the OHL playoffs.

Everyone wanted to know how they were feeling about the series and how they thought it would turn out. We analyzed the team and talked about old hockey stories that related.

Of course, on any hockey team there are some characters that stand out. And just like with the boys who went quading, there were moments in the conversation that focussed on some of the crazy antics that happen within a hockey club.

By the time dinner was over, there was a table full of stuffed people who barely had room for dessert.

Though we didn’t really talk about the Easter message – other than a quick explanation and saying grace – most of the guys felt like they’d been verbally crucified by the others over the course of the meal … not typical for an Easter dinner, but typical when you gather five young men around the same table and bring food into the mix.

Here’s the thing: When guys get talking the stories can become bigger and better. The biggest story in the history of the world, however, is the love God has shown us in sending His only Son to die on a cross so that you and I can have a relationship with Him. There is no bigger story!

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How do you relate to the biggest story in history? Leave your comment below.

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The Turkey Was Meant To Be

Some things are meant to be. You don’t always know why at the time, but it makes sense later.

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For Easter dinner this year Lily decided to cook a turkey. She went out and bought a thirty pounder.

Some farmers try to plump up their turkeys before they get to market. I think Lily’s trying to plump up the family, but I’m not sure for what!

Thirty pounds of turkey split four ways … well, you do the math. I’d have to play a lot of hockey AND be on my rowing machine for a couple of weeks to get rid of all that extra weight that would be showing up on my scale each morning.

To be fair to Lily, she didn’t look for a thirty pound turkey; it’s all she could find in the store. She was forced into it.

Nevertheless, we needed to do something to cut down on that total turkey intake we were looking at on Easter Sunday.

We knew Karlie was coming home and would participate in the feast but probably to a minimal degree. Mike would also be home for Easter dinner, and that would mean lots of potatoes and gravy, too.

That left Lily and I to clean up the rest and I wasn’t looking forward to eating leftovers for the next month. I like turkey leftovers, but there is a limit to how long I really want to be eating them.

Lil also has this volunteer position as a chef for a major frozen food company that helps with leftovers. I believe it’s called “Lil’s kitchen creations.”

She’s been doing this for a year now. She cooks a large meal, more than we can eat, and then makes up single serving containers of the meal which she freezes and delivers to her mother, and sometimes Karlie and Mike.

Well, with a thirty pound turkey, that’s a lot of frozen meals, even if they are spread around to others.

Lil needed a plan for this meal and so she started thinking of who else she could invite. She did the smartest thing: she invited some young guys over.

There were a couple of Kingston Frontenac hockey players on the list. Young guys in their late teens are much like chocolate Easter bunnies: they are hollow inside, perfect for hiding a lot of turkey and stuffing.

… I remember the days when I could hide a lot of food. But those days are long gone. I need to get on my stationary bike for twenty minutes after a turkey dinner or else I’m looking at buying a new belt!

Lil figured that if she also invited Mike’s roommate and another of his friends, they would be able to do damage to the turkey. Guys in their mid twenties have had lots of practice putting away large volumes of food; they know where to put that stuff.

So we were all set. The distribution of thirty pounds of turkey was accounted for. … I’ll let you know in my next post how it all turned out (read it here).

Here’s the thing: You have to make the best of what you have. And when you have plenty, you need to spread it around. At Easter we have the greatest message there is: Jesus died for our sins so that we can be forgiven, and because He rose from the grave, we can have a relationship with God and heaven waiting for us. That’s a large meal that needs to be shared with others.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: Who can you share the message of Easter with? Leave your comment below.

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I Desire To Do What I Can’t Do

There is something about not being able to do something that creates a desire for doing it.

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… I don’t mean a fanciful thing like seeing someone perform a neurosurgical procedure, or climbing Mount Everest – not that you couldn’t do those things, but they would require more than just a desire to make them happen.

I’m talking about seeing something that is perfectly in your grasp or power to do but you are prevented from doing it because of a commitment to do something else.

Today I went down into our family room and as I passed by the pool table it seemed more luring than normal. Maybe it was the way the light was hitting it. The lonely cue ball resting on the green cloth seemed to be inviting me, calling me, “Come and play”.

I took a longer look at the table than normal. My gaze lasted until I sat down. And in my mind I had a little conversation with myself on whether I should play a fast game or not.

I sat down on the couch and I didn’t play pool … but the urge was there. I wanted to but I really couldn’t because I was committed to doing something else.

I thought about it and realized that I didn’t really want to play pool as much as I didn’t want to do what I was committed to doing.

You see, that pool table has sat in the same spot for over ten years – It’s not the kind of pool table you move around. I pass by it every day. Every time I walk into our family room, it’s there to greet me.

But it doesn’t lure me in every time I see it. I don’t play pool nearly as often as I probably should. I ignore it more than I play it.

But sometimes when there is something I must do, but don’t feel like doing, that’s when the desire to play pool is at its highest.

I don’t know if you can relate or not but this phenomenon doesn’t just happen to me with my pool table. It happens with other things as well.

It’s that principle of longing for something you can’t have. It’s a temptation to shirk your responsibility, or put off what you don’t want to do.

I read a phrase in the Bible that is sort of like this principle. In Deuteronomy 28:67 it says, “In the morning you will say, ‘If only it were evening!’ and in the evening, ‘If only it were morning!’…”

Now the circumstances involving that verse deal with disobedience to God, but the idea of wishing for something you can’t have – because you don’t like what you are facing – is the same.

I didn’t give in to the lure of the pool table. I sat down on the couch and did what I was committed to do … write this blog post.

Here’s the thing: There will be times when something else will look more attractive than keeping your commitment to meet with God. It’s that principle of not wanting to do something you’re committed to. Don’t give in to the temptation because it will only become harder to resist the next time. Stick to meeting with God and see afterwards how luring that other thing really is. I’ll bet you pass by that pool table without a thought!

That’s life!

Paul

Question: What seeks to lure you away from your time with God? Leave your comment below.

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Saturday Morning Starts Early

Saturday mornings I play hockey at 7 am … some people think that’s too early to be getting out of bed for something you don’t have to do.

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I’ve been getting out of bed for things I like to do but don’t have to do for most of my life.

I wouldn’t say it’s always easy. There are many times it’s a struggle to get up simply because I haven’t had enough sleep.

One time in high school, some guys decided to set a new Guinness World record for the longest indoor ball hockey game.

We played in shifts over three or four days, 24 hours a day. Everyone would play for a few hours and then have a couple of hours off.

Some guys slept in the school but I lived across the parking lot so I went home. I had a tub of baking powder by my bed. I would sit on my bed, put my feet in the baking powder, and then go to sleep.

When I got up I would rub on heat liniment, put my feet back in the tub and get ready to play. There were times it was brutal trying to get out of bed for my next shift.

Then there were the times I played golf every Saturday morning with a couple of guys. Many times I slept through my alarm and woke up to little pebbles hitting my window.

It was the boys waking me up to hit the links.

I love playing hockey or golf early in the morning but it’s not always easy getting up.

That’s why I wasn’t too surprised when my son didn’t respond this morning for hockey … he gets half his genes from me you know.

I texted him at 6:15 am to make sure he was awake and ready for me to pick him up. I got no reply.

That was a bad sign. I waited five minutes, then I phoned.

Mike’s phone rang about eight times before it clicked off. I knew right then he might not make it.

I called him again with the same results; the phone just rang and rang. I decided to call right back thinking that maybe if the last call seemed dream-like this call would get him conscious.

It didn’t work; no response. So I got in the car and backed out of the garage.

I decided to try one more time, just in case … no luck. I figured his phone was either buried under clothes or in another room.

I drove to the arena, got dressed, stepped onto the ice, took a few shots and then felt my watch vibrate on my wrist.

I took a look and there was a voice mail message. I knew who it was immediately. I went back to the dressing room and gave Mike a call.

He was pretty groggy but said he’d come. Surprisingly, he got about half the game in.

It was nice having him on the ice with me, and good to know that he’ll also get up for something he likes … even if he needs some friendly help.

Here’s the thing: Meeting with God in the morning is something I like doing, and I hope you do as well. But in order to ensure you’re able to get up, it’s best to get enough shut-eye during the night so you are able to rise to the occasion.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How do you ensure you can get up early for something you enjoy? Leave your comment below.

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Get Greater Understanding From A Different Perspective

When you see things from a different perspective it opens a whole new world of understanding.

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I went to a movie yesterday; it was based on the Easter story called, “Risen”. It wasn’t quite the typical presentation about Jesus’ death and resurrection.

This movie gave the angle of someone from the outside looking in on what happened. We were witnesses to how the Easter story unfolded from the eyes of a Roman officer.

It’s a different way to look at it. The Roman officer was charged with unravelling the mystery of the disappearance of Jesus’ body from the tomb.

I won’t spoil the movie for anyone who might want to see it, but it’s very well done. It’s a good story and basically follows the Biblical account, from a non-Biblical perspective … that means there are events in the movie that are impossible to know if they actually happened or not, but they give you something to think about.

It’s like a different camera angle of the same scene. … There was a movie called “Vantage Point” that was made that way.

In that movie a president was shot and the movie took you through six different sight views of the shooting. Each angle provided a little more information because they could see something from that view that they could not have seen from one of the other vantage points.

In my sermon yesterday, I made reference to this same principle. I said if you have trouble forgiving someone who has hurt you, look at all the sin you have committed against God and put it on a scale opposite to the hurt you experienced. I’m sure that hurt will pale in comparison; yet God has provided forgiveness to us in Christ Jesus.

A different perspective gives you new information to help you understand and make better decisions and judgements.

When a hockey team snaps their nine game winning streak, some people wonder what’s gone wrong. From a fan’s vantage point there’s a problem with the team.

But from the team’s perspective, they know they’re in first place and are, therefore, rolling out all four lines against a team that is trying to gain a higher place in the standings and are sending out their top line every second shift.

That’s what made the movie I saw yesterday refreshing. It wasn’t just a re-tell of the same story. It was the same story from a different vantage point.

Unfortunately, this movie has a limited run in theatres; it may not even be there in the two weeks before Easter.

I would recommend the movie to anyone. But go to the movie knowing the Biblical account of the resurrection. First read the last chapters of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Then you will be ready to see the Easter message from a different vantage point. It will get you thinking.

Here’s the thing: Many people make up their minds based on something they’ve heard, or an experience they’ve had. That’s okay to do when the issue is where to go on vacation or what restaurant to eat in. But when it comes to your life and future, you need to look at all the angles. God loves you; check out how He has shown His love to you. Read the Easter story, see the movie “Risen” if you can, and make a decision based on a greater perspective.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What keeps you from seeking a greater perspective? Leave your comment below.