Bible

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Knowing Where To Start Is Sometimes The Hardest Part

Have you ever attempted to do something only to realize you don’t really know where to start?

knowing where to start is sometimes the hardest part

That was me the other day when I was staring down the hedge in front of our house.

We hadn’t trimmed it all year and, to be honest, this is a job that my wife, Lily, usually does. What I was looking at was kind of new to me. I didn’t know where to start.

I got the feeling of what it would be like to cut someone’s hair for the first time. 

It looks pretty simple when the barber/hairstylist gives you a trim. But if you had to do it, well, that would be a different thing.

That’s why so many kids got the bowl cut when they were young. 

You know, when your mother would pick an appropriate sized bowl for your head and then just cut around it. You hoped your mom had the philosophy of one size fits all.

I also remember when they came out with the flow bee. It was a vacuum cleaner with some sharp blades at the end of the tube. 

The idea of these, and probably other crazy haircutting ideas, was to make cutting hair simple and quick. 

The problem with them was they left your melon very unattractive. Nobody ever mistook a bowl cut or a flow bee do for a real haircut. 

The reason is there is more to cutting hair than just going at it with a pair of scissors.

However, the other day when I was looking at our hedge, that is exactly what I was about to do – just go at it with the hedge trimmer.

What I didn’t want was my neighbours driving by thinking, “Wow, Paul really put a bowl cut on his hedge.” I was wishing I had taken some kind of barber class, so I had the theory behind getting a good shape on the shrub.

When you think about it, there is a lot of similarities with trimming a head and trimming a hedge.

First you have to cut them, then you have to comb them to make sure you get all the cut hair or stems out of it. Then you have to go back and trim any loose pieces and make sure it is properly shaped. Sometimes you have to do a little more tapering. 

The only thing you don’t do with a hedge is spray it down or put some gel in it to make sure everything stays in place.

Well, I started in on the hedge and though I’m not an expert hedge barber yet, I don’t think I did half bad. 

One thing about the hedge that makes it a little harder than cutting hair is that you are dealing with something that is six to ten feet wide, and not six or seven inches. It’s not easy getting both sides looking the same. 

Anyway, I have a new appreciation for hairstylists.

Here’s the thing: When someone has a desire to read the Bible, it’s not easy to figure out where to start. It’s not like a novel so you don’t have to start at the beginning and read to the end, though I do that every year. Starting in the Book of John will give you a good sense of what God’s desire is for us and how Jesus is key to accomplishing it. From there you can dabble in other parts to get rounded out on the beginning and ending of His creation. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: Where do you need to start on something today?

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Circumstances Should Dictate Our Actions

In order to be successful in our pursuits, or even protect against harm, we need to understand the circumstances we live in.

circumstances should dictate our actions

It’s one thing to be blindsided by something you didn’t see coming, but, if you are unaware or not paying attention to the circumstances, you will not see what’s coming. Then your reaction or actions will be out of step with reality.

This can apply to even the weather.

If you are unaware of the outdoor temperature, it’s very possible that you will not be dressed properly for going outside.

That may be a minor inconvenience in the summer, but in the winter it’s a lot more serious. You definitely want to be wearing the right coat when the temps dip below 0 Celsius, or wearing boots if there is a foot of snow outside.

To be caught unaware of these circumstances would be a mistake you wouldn’t want to make again.

On the other hand, if you have a rare collection of baseball cards and don’t understand that card collection is a hot fad at the time, you will probably miss out on getting as much for those baseball cards as you could have.

I’m beginning to wonder if some people in real estate right now are not paying attention to the circumstances they are in. They’re not in tune with the signs of the times.

My son is looking to buy a condo right now. Some might say it’s not a good time, but sometimes your circumstances force the issue.

He’s looked at a lot of homes and has put offers on a few. What he’s finding is the sellers all want more than what they are asking. 

I don’t blame the sellers because who wouldn’t want to get more than your asking price? But the economic circumstances we find ourselves in right now might not accommodate that kind of thinking or selling practice.

Some sellers set a price but don’t want to settle for anything less than way over what they are asking. Then there are other sellers who set a low asking price and take bids on a certain day. They are hoping for a bidding war that will drive up the price of what they get. 

However, we don’t live in that world right now. That’s not reality.

Twice now my son has placed the best offer on one of these bidding listings. Once he was the best offer between a whopping total of two bids. The other time he was the only bid. He didn’t get either one of the homes. And because what the owners really wanted was a figure far above the asking price. 

It seems that some real estate agents and their clients still believe the circumstances are like they were during covid.

The other night ended with two unhappy groups and a lot of wasted energy, hope and expectation.  

You have to know your circumstances.

Here’s the thing: We can see the world struggling environmentally, struggling to find peace between countries, struggling to solve world economic and health concerns through a one-size-fits-all controlled system.

Thousands of years ago the Bible predicted it all, but also gave a hope in the midst of it all. That hope is Jesus Christ and, by having our faith in Him, no matter what happens to this world we can share eternity with Him in heaven. Be aware of the circumstances and act appropriately.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What circumstances have you been ignoring lately? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Pay Attention To The Conditions You Find Yourself In

Sometimes we don’t pay attention to the conditions around us and end up paying a price for it.

pay attention to the conditions you find yourself in

This happened to me the other day when I was biking. I didn’t consider the conditions I was riding in and it cost me. 

We all have experienced unstable conditions when we are walking, driving or just enjoying the great outdoors.

When there is ice, or the possibility of black ice, we know we need to be careful walking along a sidewalk or driving on the road. Driving conditions can change with the weather, so often there are signs like “Slippery When Wet” that remind us to pay attention.

When a floor has been mopped in a store or a mall, there is often a “Caution” sign left behind to remind us to carefully make our way forward, paying attention to the conditions before us.

That is just common sense. But …

Sometimes we fail to pay attention to a sign or notice the conditions we are in and that is why we have TV shows like “Funniest Home Videos” or “Fail Army”. We laugh and/or cringe when someone falls down a slippery step and groceries go flying everywhere.

You have to know the conditions and be careful to proceed appropriately.

The other day when I was mountain biking, the trails were very wet from the previous day’s downpour. Not only was the trail itself slippery with puddles in strategic places, there were also exposed roots and rocks that became very treacherous.  

My friend went down a few times while negotiating a corner or two. 

For the most part, I was being careful.

A couple of times I felt my bike start to slide out from under me, but I was able to regain my balance and keep the wheels underneath me. I really had to pay attention and stay focussed on the conditions. 

It was going pretty well until I got near the end of the ride where there’s a large downhill section that is basically like a ski slope mogul run with high banked corners at every turn.

To start this downhill run, you drop off onto a banked turn made of wood. 

When I got there I forgot everything and just went after that bank. 

What I didn’t consider was that the wood would be all wet and slippery. … I went down hard, scraping my elbow and bruising my forearm, my palm and my leg. 

My shoulder and helmet hit the bank and I slid down right by a puddle of water at the bottom of the turn.

It took just a second or two of forgetting about the conditions to leave me shaking the cobwebs from my head and picking up all my paraphernalia that had gone flying.

I was okay to finish the ride, but I was a little achy the next day.

Here’s the thing: There are indications all around us that conditions are changing. The world is changing politically, and it’s changing environmentally as well. All these conditions are foretold in the Bible, written between two and four thousand years ago. It’s like a sign that says “Dangerous Road Ahead”. We would do well to check what the Bible says we should do to pay attention to the conditions. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What conditions do you need to pay more attention to right now? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Getting Lost In Your Thoughts Is A Must Exercise

I found a new way of getting lost in music and thought. I haven’t really done this kind of thing for years and, honestly, probably not for 49 years.

getting lost in your thoughts is a must exercise

As a teenager, I had lots of time on my hands. I would often just lie on my bed, listen to record albums and let my mind drift along with whatever thoughts wanted to flow through it.

If you’ve never done it, it’s a pretty cool experience, relaxing, entertaining and creative. Some great ideas have come from those times.

But way back then it was different than it is now … 

I remember going to a record store and combing through bin after bin of albums. I’d thumb my way over album covers of my favourite rock groups, hoping to find a gem at a reasonable price. 

That reasonable price was somewhere between $7 and $11. Compared to the $50 I recently paid for a record I got my son, that was a bargain!

It was always risky to buy an album, though. You knew one or maybe two songs on the record because they were on the radio. The rest of the album could have been horrible … you never knew unless you listened to FM radio. 

FM stations would often play two or three non-hits off an album. I listened to the hits on 1050 CHUM (Toronto) but the “B” side songs on CHUM FM (104.5). By listening to FM radio, you took some of the risk out of buying albums. 

When the purchase or purchases were made at the record store, I’d take them home and put them on the stereo to listen to them. 

You could stack a number of records on a stereo. The mechanism that used to drop the next record onto the platter was the inspiration for the game “Mouse Trap” … or maybe it was the other way around.

I could stack three records from my favourite band or listen to three different bands. I would lie on my bed or on the couch in the living room and just let them play. Then I’d get lost in it all and let the music wash over me, daydream, wonder and contemplate. 

It was an awesome time. 

Now that I’m retired, there are parts of my teen years that I’m reliving – like having large amounts of time on my hands.

The other day I did what I would do so many years ago … except with a difference. 

I don’t have to buy albums anymore. I have Apple Music that will play me whatever I want. Now I can stream any number of songs or albums without addition cost. 

So there I was, lying on my couch, listening to a Steely Dan stream. And my iPhone just kept playing the band’s songs, song after song. 

Thirty minutes into that enjoyable, relaxing, free-flowing thought train, my brother stopped by. And my listening stream just continued, becoming the background music to our conversation. 

… Not a bad afternoon for a guy “living the life of Riley”. Again.

Here’s the thing: We all need time to lie down, to think, dream, and let our thoughts pull and tug at us. It’s also important to do this with God – to meditate on a Bible verse or passage, to let His words and ideas pass through our minds. It’s a way of letting God, through the Holy Spirit, speak to your heart and move you in His direction.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: When will you make time to think and meditate? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Consistent Effort Reaps A Harvest Of Achievement

Being consistent is a major key to achieving what you want.You don’t necessarily have to be the best at something to achieve; you just need to be consistent. 

consistent effort reaps a harvest of achievement

Those who try things for a while and then stop will usually fall short of achieving what they want. 

For instance, I’ve played the guitar for 37 years. You would think that someone who’s been playing the guitar that long has got to be pretty good. Well, I’m sad to say that I’m not a very good guitarist. 

As much as I complain that I have a disconnect between my brain and my fingers, the real problem is consistency.

I don’t see progress as fast as I would like so I get discouraged and put my guitar away for a while. When I finally get excited to play again, I’m not really building on my skill, but actually starting back at the basics that I mastered when I first learned.

I’m not progressing; I’m more like staying the same as I have been for many, many years. 

I don’t think I’d ever be a Jimi Hendrix or Eric Clapton on the guitar, but if I could get over my discouragement in my progress and just play and practice, I would definitely get better. 

Sure, some people pick things up quicker that others. Some may have more of an aptitude, which in turn produces faster progress that leads to greater satisfaction and more motivation to keep going. 

However, if people could just be consistent with something, in the long run they would see achievement. 

We came up to our cottage the other week; we hadn’t been up for a while. When we pulled into the driveway, the grass was green, lush and long – really long.

Our cottage is in a very sandy place. The name of the town is Sauble Beach, with “beach” being the operative word. Grass doesn’t just grow on its own very easily there. It takes work and, more that that, it takes water. 

Our grass had been failing for years and we wanted to turn it around. But, with only being at the cottage for very short stints, interrupted by weeks of being away, it was difficult to get any grass growing. So I installed a few underground sprinklers hooked up to a timer. No matter how infrequent we were at the cottage, the grass could still get watered.

The last couple of years though, I’ve been discouraged because, even with the sprinkler regularly scheduled to water the grass, the lawn kept getting worse. 

About two months ago I discovered that the timer was working, but not communicating to the sprinklers. The lawn wasn’t getting any water. 

So off to the hardware store I went. I got a new timer, threw some grass seed down and we left for home. 

A week and a half later, after consistent watering every night, we have a jungle. 

Consistency works. If you want to achieve something, just keep at it and don’t stop.

Here’s the thing: About 26 years ago I decided that I would read through the Bible during the year. I’ve done that every year since. It’s not a great feat; it only means reading about four chapters a day. But over those years, among other things, I got a better understanding of what God thinks of us and His plan for each one of us. Let me encourage you to consistently read God’s word and you will achieve a greater understanding of God’s role in your life and this world. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you need to be more consistent at right now? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Instructions – Are They Really For Everyone?

When assembling anything, following instructions is optional for some people and not for others.

instructions - are they really for everyone

I personally am one who likes to follow the instructions. 

I don’t want to be that guy who puts something together and has a handful of nuts and bolts left over. It looks like it’s finished, but will it work or will it fall apart? 

There are the companies that just use pictures for a manual and leave you a little confused. 

More than once while building a “KALLAX” or a “BILLY” from IKEA I had to take something apart because I had put the wrong piece in place.

I, for one, just want clear easy-to-follow instructions that guide me to the assembled product. 

Then there are those who you expect to be able to do things without instructions, like the person who maybe had built that product a hundred times and can do it in the dark, blindfolded with only one wrench. That guy is the expert.

We don’t expect the expert to follow the instructions. We expect him to just go at it and get the job done. 

I remember watching a friend do the Rubik’s cube back when it first came out. The guy could solve it in a matter of seconds. His hands flew as he spun the cube and made little adjustments. Then, all of a sudden, each side was all one colour. 

I was fascinated at his skill and knowledge. I had complete confidence in him to solve the cube in any state of mess.

We figure the experts know what they are doing and can do it without having to follow the instruction manual step by step. 

Well, this week we had to get a new stove for the cottage. It runs on propane and the range we got had to be converted from natural gas to propane.

I watched a bunch of YouTube instruction videos on how to make the conversion. But I decided that I didn’t want to take the chance of blowing Lily up while she was cooking spaghetti or something. 

I called in an expert, someone who is trained in working with gas. However, I think this person may not have done too many stove conversions before. 

I got a little nervous when she opened the manual and started reading it like I would have done. 

To be honest, I was not confident that she would be able to do the job until right near the end. 

But the expert was able to finish the job … even though it cost me more than it should have in labour. 

If she wasn’t an expert before, she is now. I guess it was a good thing we had the instructions for her to follow.

Here’s the thing: Most people go through life trying to figure out what their life is all about. Along the way they discover their skills and gifts, their passions and aptitudes. Some try to figure out the purpose of life and their purpose in it. We can try to figure that out on our own, but we have an instruction manual given to us that will guide us to it. It’s called the Bible, God’s instruction manual for us. I encourage you to use it. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How are you at following instructions? Do you welcome them or resist them? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Old Tech – Do You Really Need It Anymore?

When is a good time to get rid of your old tech? The answer: maybe never. I know that’s not something my wife, Lily, wants to hear. 

old tech - do you really need it anymore

I still have an old eMac computer that dates back to 2002 taking up space in our basement. Lily would jump at the chance to get rid of it. 

I have older tech than that as well. I have an old one-button Mac mouse that dates back to the late 80’s or early 90’s. That item I keep just in case I ever create an Apple shrine in the house … but we won’t mention that idea to Lily.

I will admit that saving old tech sort of goes against my pattern recently.

Over the last six months, we have purged a lot of stuff from our house. When I retired back in October, I got rid of a lot of books, paper and files. We got rid of a big desk and a slew of other things we didn’t need and were no longer going to use. 

But I have a tendency to keep most of my old technology.  

For instance I have an old floppy drive that hadn’t been used for more than fifteen years. However, it came in handy during my fall purge. I was able to get information off of dozens of floppies before I tossed them in the garbage. 

No one uses VCRs anymore but I still have one. And I used it recently to get the contents off some old VHS tapes and then digitize them into a usable format for the modern world.

This process was a true testimony to the importance of keeping old tech around. 

I used my VCR to play the VHS tapes. Then I hooked up a 23-year-old camcorder to record the tape to digital format. Once I’d done that, I used my old 2009 MacBook Pro to download the digital recording into an old movie editing software. I needed the old Mac because it is the only computer I own that still has a FireWire port on it.

I felt like McGyver … only I wasn’t using sticks, rocks, rubber bands and sulphur to make an explosive device.

But if you really want to know why you shouldn’t throw out old tech, it’s because your spouse still needs it. They don’t think they need it, but they do. 

Yesterday Lily came from visiting her Mom and handed me a 16G iPod Touch from 2007. She simply said, “This was my Mom’s. Can you see what’s on it?”

Well, there is no way I could find out what was on that iPod without charging it. And it hadn’t been charged for five years or more. 

In order to charge the iPod, I needed a 30-pin connection. I haven’t used one of those for years. That connection goes back three iPads ago and to a 2010 iPhone for me.

But I still had the connector.

I charged the iPod and gave the information to my wife. … You’re welcome!

Here’s the thing: Today there are many people who are saying the past is not important, and perhaps even harmful. There are those who say the Old Testament of the Bible should not be used, that we should bury it. Many people today don’t think we need to pay attention to some passages anymore. But the Bible is God’s word. It’s true, it’s right, and it is old. There may be unpleasant passages in it, but don’t dismiss them or this book. It is God’s word to us. Read it, memorize it, know it and live by it. I’m sure God would say, “You’re welcome.”

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What old tech have you kept around? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Inspiration – Boy Do I Need It Bad

When you don’t have any inspiration, you don’t have much. 

inspiration - boy do I need it bad

Inspiration gives you the ingredients to make something. You can’t make anything or make something happen from a vacuum. 

 A vacuum sucks the life out of anything.

I remember back in about 1990, I got a new pair of skates called Vacu Tacks.

These skates were different than most. To get the right fit, you would put them on and the salesman would heat up the skates with a heat gun, like an industrial-powered hairdryer. It got so hot in the skates that you could hardly keep your feet in them. 

Then they zipped a special bag around each skate while the skates were still on your feet. With an air pump hose attached, they sucked all the air out of the bags, forcing the skates to form tightly to your feet.

… A vacuum is good for skates but not for inspiration.

Being in the lockdown here in Ontario is like being in a vacuum. I have no inspiration to write. You need something to give you inspiration, but with this vacuum there’s nothing. 

The last several weeks have proved the most difficult for writing these blogs since I started back in 2012.  

I’ve been writing this blog for nine years now and I have never found it very hard to come up with a topic to write about. There is usually something that happens that I can turn into a post. 

Right now there seems to be nothing happening. 

I have spent more time sitting, staring at an empty screen than I have writing. When I have something to write about, it usually generates more ideas. The main thought gives me inspiration and the words just flow.

The only vacuum that would give me inspiration right now is the food sealer I saw one time at Costco. That gadget was amazing! You could put anything in the bag and the air would be sucked out so that the bag formed tightly around the food. 

I thought we should get one, but Lily believed if you just put a straw in a bag, sucked the air out and quickly sealed it up, that would work just as well. 

Well, now that they are making straws illegal (an environment hazard), how is she going to make that work, I wonder. 

I’ve pulled things out of the freezer before and there were all kinds of ice crystals that clung to the food, like barnacles on the bottom of a ship. … At least there was something there. There had to have been some moisture inside that bag when we put it in the freezer. 

You may not like having to scrape freezer burn off the top layer of your ice cream either, but at least you have something to do. 

In space there is no air, but at least they can float. 

With the gravity here on earth, it’s like we are stuck on the ground but with the life sucked out of us. 

How can I write in those conditions? … I guess I found a way.

Here’s the thing: We need inspiration to write. The Bible was written by the inspiration of God on about 40 different authors from many different walks of life that spanned over 2000 years. You know a book like that had to have divine inspiration to stay consistent to the main theme and point to the one true hope: Jesus Christ. Now that is real inspiration. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What’s giving you inspiration these days? Leave you comments and questions below.

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I Never Thought I’d Like This

This is a repost of a blog post I published in June 2013

I find it interesting that you can trick yourself into liking something you don’t really like – in this case, something you don’t usually like doing. Recently, I bought a new weed trimmer.

This garden tool goes by several names, “weed-whacker”, “weed-eater”, “whipper-snipper”, and I’m sure there are a few more.

Regardless of the name, they don’t really have anything to do with weeds. They are designed to trim the long strands of grass that grow along the edge of your lawn that your lawn mower can’t get.

Now, I don’t really like yard work. I cut the grass when it needs it, but while I’m cutting the front lawn, I keep looking at the basketball hoop in my driveway thinking, “It’d be nice to take some shots right now.” Funny thing is, it’s the only time I have that urge. When I’m done cutting the lawn I no longer have the desire to make a few hoops.

I can think of a million things I could be doing when I have to do yard work, and none of them include taking care of or maintaining anything growing around my property.

So it really surprised me the other day when I got my new cordless … we’ll call it “grass trimmer”, and was anxious to get out there and start using it. The really amazing thing was that not once did I have the urge to put it down and pick up a basketball.

My new trimmer is fantastic! I can push two buttons in and turn the bottom part so it can be used as a edger. I have never edged anything in my life so it came as a real revelation that edging really makes your lawn look good.

When I was all finished I went in the house and looked out the window at how stunning my walkway looked leading up to our front door.

I used my knew toy . . . err . . . a . . . I mean, tool to trim both front and back yards and the battery didn’t die before I was done. It normally takes me about 25 to 30 minutes to cut my lawn, front and back. And usually I can’t wait to get back to doing pretty much anything else.

I even got out my leaf blower afterwards to blow away the grass that blew onto the cement walk and the driveway just so that it looked neat and showed off my trim work.

The only thing that I am concerned about is how long my new found infatuation will last.  This baby is new but how will I feel about using it when it’s another week old or in three months?

By the end of the summer will I be wishing the battery isn’t charged so I don’t have to get out there and trim? Will I be looking longingly over at my basketball hoop and accidentally cut the tops off my wife’s flowers?  I don’t know.

But I do know that my wife, Lily is happy right now and I’m liking the look of my lawn.

Here’s the thing: Sometimes a fresh look at something can give us new inspiration or cause us to find new meaning. Whether it’s a familiar Bible passage, or an old problem, or whether it is God Himself, take a fresh approach and you might be surprised to find something you really like.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What have you found a new enjoyment or appreciation for? Leave your question below.

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I Experimented This Christmas

My Christmas experiment is over – well, sort of.

Christmas experiment

Every year I put something fun in our Christmas stockings. Often times it is some kind of gun that fires foam bullets or flying discs … and for a few minutes early on Christmas morning a war breaks out.

But some years I have put other things in the stockings. There was the year that we all got tattoo sleeves. I wore mine all Christmas Day and felt like I was a biker or something.

But probably the best was the year I got us all hand grenades. I thought they were a great idea, but my wife, Lily, didn’t like them at all.

She didn’t like them even before we tossed one. But after we did, she tried desperately to negotiate a cease fire, even going as far as threatening sanctions (to stop cooking).

But there was no stopping us. By mid-morning there was shrapnel (exploded baking powder and water residue) on the hardwood in the living room, on the walls, and into the kitchen.

That may have been my best year.

This year was tougher, perhaps because I started looking late and all the good stuff was gone … or maybe it was the Liberal government’s fault.

With making our armed forces more of a peace-keeping military than a fighting one, maybe the whole nation is going passive.

Anyway, what I came up with this year was eggs. That’s right, everybody got eggs this year – not Easter eggs but dinosaur eggs.

These were eggs you had to put in water in order for them to hatch. They contained dehydrated animals that expand in the water until they break through their shell and “hatch”.

The only problem was that this was a very slow process. No wonder some scientists think that the dinosaurs lived millions and millions of years ago. It took that long for one of these things to hatch!

In other years we opened the gift and started firing. Not this year! We sunk those things in water and watched and watched, and pretty soon ignored them.

It was supposed to take 24 – 48 hours for them to work, but our guys were pretty shy and it took a week for them to fully come out of their shells.

It wasn’t the gift that keeps on giving; it was more like the gift that keeps you looking.

Well, they’re out of their shells and have reached their full size … I’m not sure what the scientists would say about that.

Our kids have both gone back to their homes so we took pictures for them to see what happened.

But now Lily is ready to throw them out. These guys have just spent one day out in the wild and Lil’s ready to chuck them.

I prefer to let them shrink back to their original size, and then maybe watch them grow again.

… Lil’s giving me opposition, but hopefully I can save them from extinction for a week or two.

Here’s the thing: We like things that are ready to go; we want things to be instant. When it comes to our relationship with Christ, it’s the same. But growth takes time and we have to keep at it and be patient. Take time to grow closer to Christ this year. One suggestion is to read through the Bible this year. Yes, it will take a year and about twenty minutes every day, but you will grow and that takes time. In the end, it’s worth it.

That’s Life,

Paul

Question: How are you going to grow this year? Leave your comments below.