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Gaining Victory Out Of What Seemed A Loss

I achieved a victory even though I lost. 

gaining victory out of what seemed a loss

Have you ever had that happen when you technically lost, but in a way you won? It happened to me driving home from the Kingston Frontenacs hockey game the other night. 

During the hockey season, Friday nights are date nights for me and Lily. It’s something we do together and both enjoy. 

Because I’m the team chaplain, Lily has also gotten to know the players and so she has a personal interest in watching them play. She’s a pretty vocal supporter, too. She will shout out their first names and, with all kinds of passion, encourage them to skate after that puck or go for the goal.

This fall Lil has been coming in to work at the church on Friday afternoons. Our standard practice is to take just one car down to the hockey game and leave the other one at the church to pick up after the game.

It’s not that there is anything said or that we plan on it, but one thing leads to another and, during our drive home, the race is on. 

This past Friday I switched lanes thinking that I would be behind someone who was going to travel faster than the car I was behind. 

It was a big mistake! 

The car I had been behind turned off the road just after I changed lanes and Lily moved up and ahead of me in that other lane. 

I then got boxed in because the new car I was following was not going as fast as the line of cars beside me. I couldn’t change back and kept getting further and further behind Lily.

… Then came an opening. I made my move and, well, drove a little fast. 

Lily was way ahead but I kept up my speed and caught up to her at a red light. 

I again got in the opposite lane from her, knowing that her lane had to merge due to construction. … But I didn’t count on the guy in front of me going slow enough that Lily was able to get in front of him, and not get stuck waiting to merge. 

Once Lily turned off the main road, there were no more opportunities for me to get ahead of her. It was like she had already won and we were still a kilometre from home. 

I stayed right behind her though.

As we turned onto our street, I hit my garage door remote and my door started opening before hers did. She pulled into our driveway; I came up beside her and drove directly into the garage. From there I quickly exited the car and got to the door before she was able to park her car. 

I kind of won, but she made it to the driveway first. Luckily my garage door remote has a farther range and my door opens and closes faster than hers. That’s what gave me the win. 

Lily keeps protesting the results, insisting it’s the first to the driveway who wins, but I’m still claiming victory.

Here’s the thing: We saw a similar scenario in what Christ did. He lived a perfect life only to die because the religious leaders were jealous and threatened by him. It looked like Jesus lost when he died on the cross, but really he won the victory for you and me to have our sins paid for and to have a relationship with God the Father. His seeming loss was real victory.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: Have you taken hold of the victory Jesus won for you? Leave your comments and questions below.

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The Last Half Phenomenon Is Driving Me Crazy

There is a last half phenomenon that I wish we could reverse. 

the last half phenomenon is driving me crazy

The phenomenon is that the second half of something goes faster or is repeated faster than the first half.

Have you ever watched the gas gauge on your car? You fill the tank up and are all set for five to six hundred kilometres of driving. No worries for a while – a good long while. 

But after the gauge drops to halfway, you need to keep your eye on that gauge because the needle starts to move faster. You look at it and think, “Wow, how did I get to a quarter of a tank? I was at halfway just a day or two ago.” 

That’s the last half phenomenon and nobody writes about it, studies it, or puts out scientific journals about it. 

It seems that we just accept it or maybe, more accurately, we don’t want to think about it because this phenomenon happens in every area of life. 

If you ask a ten year old about their birthday that is coming up in a month, they will say, “I can hardly wait. It’s taking so long to come. It feels like it’s never going to get here.” 

I remember being in grade three and feeling like I was spending three years of my life in that grade. I wondered if grade three would ever end. 

But if you ask someone who is over fifty about an event that is coming up in the next month, they’ll tell you that it’s coming so quickly, it will be here before you know it. Older people think time is moving really fast. They say the years just fly by. 

It’s that last half phenomenon – the last half goes quicker than the first half. 

There have been some people who have tried to manipulate things to produce this phenomenon in their products. A few years ago, Apple Inc. was accused of reducing their iPhone battery’s charging length once the device got to be a certain age. 

That was tricky, and I’m not sure Apple was ever made to reverse that in their products.

… Which brings me to why I was thinking about this last half phenomenon in the first place. 

I have had my latest iPad for a long time now – either five or six years. I’ve noticed lately that when the battery gets low, I almost have to run to plug it in. 

I have a little icon of a battery on my iPad that shows a depleting green fill as the battery gets used. I also have a percentage figure right beside that to tell me the percentage of battery I have left. 

When my battery gets to about 20%, that number starts to count down almost as fast as the second hand on a digital watch. 

I run to plug my iPad into the charger because I know I don’t have much time left. 

… How old are you? Do you feel like I do with my iPad?

Here’s the thing: No matter how old we are, time is ticking away. To be honest, we never know how much time we have left. Your life could be cut short today or tomorrow. But for anyone who feels that life is moving pretty fast, my advice is to make sure you have considered Christ’s saving solution. He died so that you could have life – eternal life. Now that changes the whole last half phenomenon completely. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you find goes faster than you would like it to go? Leave your questions and comments below. 

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The Third Time Is Not Always A Charm

They say there is a first time for everything, but I say there is a third time for some things.

the third time is not always a charm

What I’m referring to is the mistakes we make. Sometimes we can learn from our mistakes. There are other times when we just keep repeating the same mistake over and over.

If you do something for the first time that ends in failure, you may not want to try that again.

I know of people who had a car accident when they were first learning to drive. They were afraid of repeating their error so they decided not to ever drive again.

I think mistakes are important for us to learn from. They shouldn’t scare us away. We should use our mistakes to make corrections, to change the formula, to improve the process. 

That is why I keep using my garage every day. I don’t park outside the garage; I drive my car inside. 

The reason I tell you this is because the other day I drove my car into my garage door. 

You might be thinking that anyone can make a mistake, but this is not the first time I’ve done it.

This is the third time I’ve driven into my garage and wrecked something.

There is another saying, “third time’s a charm” … well, not when it comes to garage doors, it’s not. 

The first two times were a little different. I had a bike on top of my car both of those times and so I didn’t really hit my garage door but the frame above the door – one time destroying my bike rack and the other time knocking the side view mirror off my car.

This time it didn’t involve my bike, but the bike rack still gets a starring role in the story.

Usually when I come home from work, I hit the garage door button when I turn the corner onto our street. That way the door is almost up by the time I get to my driveway. 

This particular day last week, Lily was shovelling the driveway when I came home and she had the garage door already up. 

So when I hit the button, the door started closing instead of opening. As soon as I saw that, I hit the button again, but that only stopped the door. It didn’t send it back up. 

Meanwhile, I was smiling at Lily as I passed her on the driveway until “BOOM!” … The door was just low enough to catch the top of my bike rack.

I probably would have snuck under the door if the rack had not been there, but the lock on it is jammed and I can’t take it off.  

The accident pushed the bottom panel of the garage door off the track and put a good-sized dent in it. Now the alignment is off and the door doctor says I will have to replace the panel. 

At least we don’t need to replace the whole garage door. 

… And just maybe, after the third time, I’ve learned my lesson.

Here’s the thing: It is good to know that God will forgive you when you sin – even if it’s not the first time you have sinned that way. This doesn’t give you a license to sin, but it does give you hope that your failings can be forgiven even if you haven’t learned from your past mistakes.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What failing do you need to learn from? Leave your comments and questions below.

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My Car Is Possibly Contracting The Corona Virus

I’m just wondering here, but can a car get the corona virus? I know it sounds like a crazy question, but I’ve seen some odd things on the roads lately.

My Car Is Possibly contracting the Corona virus
Single car parked on a top of a garage parking lot. View from the above.

Maybe it stems from what we are being told to do, as opposed to what we’re being told about how the virus spreads. 

The authorities want people to stay at home as much as possible. I’ve heard the Prime Minister even say, “go home and stay there”. 

That sounds pretty serious to me. It also sounds like a kindergarten teacher scolding his class of delinquent five year olds. 

But I get the picture that we are to stay in our homes. 

Yet we are also told that the virus is not floating around in the air everywhere. The virus doesn’t really float well; it’s more like it has to be flung at you. It gets passed when someone with the virus coughs on you, sneezes on you or maybe talks “on” you like Sylvester the cat. 

That’s why the six feet or metres rule. You can only fling the virus so far. Personally, I like the six feet over the six meters because it’s a lot less. 

But the one measurement that I like the best is the hockey stick rule: Stay a hockey stick length away. 

That idea was not really well thought out though because everyone’s hockey stick is different. For instance, I cut my hockey sticks way down, so they are well under six feet in length … maybe under five feet in length. … They wouldn’t do. 

I guess what I’m saying is that we need to stay clear of people, but we shouldn’t have to stay indoors. 

I played a little basketball on my driveway the other day. It was by myself, mind you, but I did win so I hope I don’t get in trouble for that. 

There were no people in the vicinity if potential sweat droplets got flung off my body. Then again, there was no sweat involved at all. The temperature was above zero but not high enough for any of my glands to be producing sweat particles. 

So that brings me back to the cars on the road … 

I’ve noticed people being very cautious when approaching an intersection. Any time a light turns red, I’m shocked at the number of cars that are stopping well back from the traffic lines. 

People are driving their cars like they are standing in line waiting to get into Costco.  

It’s like there is potential for my car to get too close and catch something, or like they’re afraid heat or exhaust from the engine might infect someone crossing at the lights. 

Let’s keep our distance. You never know if somehow something got into your gas tank and is now spewing corona to all the cars that pass by. 

… I don’t know for sure – and I haven’t heard any of our health experts comment on it – but I think we can drive normally … although driving like your car can get COVID may be normal for some people.

Here’s the thing: The message of what Christ did for us on the cross is the best news there is. It’s the news that everyone should know about and have a chance to respond to. However, for others to be exposed to the gospel message they have to have some proximity to it. Don’t be afraid of getting close enough to someone (while practicing social distancing) with the best news they can hear. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How can you stay social while social distancing? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Your Brain Never Stops Working

Have you noticed how you brain works even when you’re not thinking? 

Your Brain Never Stops Working

It’s sort of like when you turn your car off but the radio continues to work until you pull the keys out of the ignition. You can turn your car off and just sit there with the music playing away … no down time, no stop and start. It just keeps on playing. 

What’s interesting about that is, if you get in your car and put the keys in the ignition, the radio will not play until you turn the key to the “on” position.

Your car windows work like that too. If you turn your car off and quickly hit the window button, the windows will close or open as if the car was still on. 

It’s like you’ve unplugged it but there’s still some electricity flowing through the wires … or something like that.

The other morning I was going to play hockey at 7 a.m. which means I leave the house at about 6:30 a.m. The arena is close by and it IS 6:30 in the morning, so there’s no sense getting there too early.

The day before I had checked my email with the when and where details. I knew the place well; I had been to that arena already once that week.  

Hauling my gear to the car and drove straight there, avoiding all the traffic lights. I pulled into the parking lot, lifted my hockey bag out of the trunk and started to walk towards the front entrance. 

I had only taken 10 steps when I stopped. This was at the wrong arena. Keep in mind it was 6:30 in the morning.

I had not forgotten what arena I was playing at. There was no sudden reminder on my cell phone.

No, I matter of factly stopped in the middle of the parking lot and turned around. I put my hockey equipment back in the car, started the engine and drove to the rink I was supposed to be at.

I knew all along where I was playing but, as I was thinking of other things, my brain was still working and took me to the ice pad I usually play at on Saturdays … just like when you unplug a battery charger and the “on” light stays lit from some residual power still running through the charger. 

My brain was still working. I was thinking about the song on the radio, about where I needed to be after hockey, about how I got all green lights on the way to the arena. 

So my brain just took me to hockey – well, where I play hockey through the week and almost every Saturday.

I was not surprised when I started thinking again that I was at the wrong place. I just chuckled and thought to myself, “I hope I really did get all green lights on the way to the rink!”

Here’s the thing: What you have learned, what is ingrained in your memory, will come back to you when you need it. If you’ve engrained some sin in your life, when you are not thinking, you can bet your brain is still working and will lead you right back into it. But if you learn deeply the things of God, and stow them away in your brain – God’s Word, His promises, or what He thinks of you – then when you’re not thinking, or not thinking well, your brain will lead you to God’s truth concerning what you need at that time. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question; What do you most need to store away in your brain right now? – Scripture verses or God’s promises to you? Leave your comments and questions below.

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I Just Had A Date With Frustration

I’m a little frustrated right now – actually, I’ve been frustrated most of the day.

In the morning I was cutting it fine getting to work for an early meeting, only to find myself driving behind the slow guy who drove just fast enough to keep me from getting around him.

At noon I had a short turn-around to get my lunch and rush back to work for another meeting. I got stuck behind the lady who didn’t like moving into the intersection for a left-hand turn until there were no cars in sight.

We had to wait for a whole new light cycle until we got an advance green light. Only then did she finally feel she could get through the intersection, allowing me to go through as well.

Later in the afternoon I had a couple of drop-ins at the office that put me behind in a project I was working on.

… I was beginning to feel like I had a companion with me and its name was frustration.

On the way home from work, traffic was heavy and every time I changed lanes to get into the lane that was moving faster, it became the slow lane almost immediately.

More frustration.

It was almost like frustration was following me around, and sitting next to me with everything I did.

After I got home from an evening meeting, I watched the third period of the Leafs’ hockey game on TV.

It was the one part of the day where I felt that frustration had left my side; it had gone to interfere with someone else’s life – the Leafs were up 2-0.

However, shortly after the third period got underway, the Flyers scored. I quickly realized that, at best, frustration had only momentarily left me … like it went out to the kitchen to get a drink or snack of some kind.

I could feel my frustration build with each play or broken play the Leafs left on the ice.

Frustration – my new found best friend – was sitting so close I could feel it on my neck.  There was a cloud over us and, if it could have rained in the room, it would have.

I’m not sure if I was talking to frustration or to the TV, but I was getting more and more vocal about how my team was playing as the game progressed.

When Philly tied the game up, I kind of noticed a smile on frustration’s face and I didn’t like it very much.

I didn’t have a good feeling about the end of the game.

The game went into overtime, but not much – just 18 seconds in, the Philadelphia Flyers scored the winning goal.

I didn’t like frustration at that point, but it just wouldn’t leave me alone. I even found it putting words in my wife’s mouth, causing me to react negatively to her.

I saw it standing just over her shoulder with a big grin on its face. This was no friend; how could I let it hang around me all day?

I went to bed and hoped I wouldn’t see it in the morning.

Here’s the thing: Frustration can attach itself to us through the simplest, unsuspecting things. And it can stay with us and interrupt our day. That’s when you need to stop, take a breath, and focus on Jesus, being thankful for Him and what He’s provided for you. You will get a new perspective … and you won’t have to entertain an unwanted friend like frustration.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: During what recent frustration should you have stopped, breathed and refocused on Jesus? Leave your comments below.

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I Just Didn’t Remember Doing It

I recently did something, but then moments later couldn’t remember doing it.

On a daily basis, when I leave the church, I set the alarm and lock the outside door. One day not long ago, after getting into my car, I thought, “I don’t remember setting the alarm or locking the door.”

It bothered me enough that I wheeled the car around to the front door, got out, tested the door, and looked to see if the armed light was red on the control pad.

Yup, I had set it, locked it and walked to my car … without really being conscious of doing it!

I remember my mother telling me that when I was young I would sometimes talk in my sleep. I apparently never made any sense; it was more like muttering to myself.

Doing something in your sleep is one thing; being fully awake and doing something you don’t remember doing takes it to a whole different level!

Maybe when I was locking up I was focussed on something else and wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing. … I’ve been accused of that before.

Sometimes when I’m on the phone with my wife, Lily, she can tell if I’m also working on my computer.

While talking to me, she will throw in a question. When I don’t respond right away, her next statement will be, “You’re on your computer; you didn’t even hear my question.”

I will then pause to listen to the question she asked. But because I’ve been working on my computer and not listening, I don’t always get the background to the question. She usually has to repeat the whole thing again.

She gets frustrated. Me? Just amused.

But again that’s a little different than doing something and not knowing you did it.

I think I have been doing the same routine of setting the alarm and locking the door for so many years that it is ingrained in me.

It’s like it’s second nature; I don’t have to think about it to do it.

It’s like tying your shoes. You don’t consciously think about the movements your fingers make in tying your shoes laces; you just do it. Only if you had to describe the process to someone would you think about each step.

When I was leaving work the other day, and didn’t remember setting the alarm and locking the door, I was just deep in thought about something else and went through the motions like I was tying my shoes.

Now you have to wonder, “What in the world was I thinking about that was so captivating that I didn’t remember my lockup routine?”

Truth? I don’t even remember what so captivated my thoughts that I wiped a few seconds of my life from my memory banks.

But that’s a whole other story.

Here’s the thing: It’s not always easy asking God for help, wisdom or guidance when you are in the middle of something. You are focussed on the matter at hand and not necessarily thinking about God. If you can find a way to remind yourself to check in with God in the midst of your decision or action, the more you do that the more second nature it will become … until you automatically, without thinking, confer with Him on matters you need Him to weigh in on.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How would it help you to check in with God like it was second nature? Leave your comments below.

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I Think I Can Squeeze A Car Wash In Today

I think I will wash my car today. It could really use one; it’s been a while.

I have this power washer that I don’t seem to use very much. When I look at it, I have a desire to use it, but I never seem to get around to it.

Today will be the day that I get it out and spray down my car. It’s a good day to do it because we are in between rain days … and, if I wash the car early enough, I will have a good portion of the day to enjoy it before we get back into some lousy weather.

When I was in college, I was a professional car washer. I had a job with UPS washing their vehicles each night when they would return from delivering packages.

In those days that was the only form of advertising the company did. They believed that clean trucks communicated care – if they took care of their vehicles, they would also care for their packages.

Every evening I would wash down a dozen or more vans. I became rather quick at washing them too, so you’d think washing my car each week would be a cinch!

Well, it doesn’t seem to be that way. Though I like the look of my power washer, and have a desire to use it, I never really feel like I have the time at the moment to use it.

It’s always something I would like to do, when I have a little time.

The thing is there is always something else I need to or should be doing.

Sometimes when I fill the gas tank I run the car through the car wash there. The one by my place is quick and, like using my power washer, it doesn’t touch the car with brushes.

Opinions vary though. Some people think it’s best that a car wash not have brushes because they can scratch your car and rip off your side mirrors and antenna. Others say that if there are no brushes the car wash won’t do a good job of getting the dirt off your car.

I remember being in a discussion on which system was better. When my brother-in-law, who worked for Petro Canada overseeing the car washes in the region, was brought into the discussion, he simply said, “Oh, we touch your car all over the place!”

My neighbour across the street washes his car regularly by hand, but I like the idea of using my power washer. You don’t have to get so up close and personal with the vehicle, and you get to use a tool.

For me, washing my car is about using the washer as much as it is about getting the car clean.

I hope the sun stays out today because I am really talking myself into power washing some dirt off my car.

Here’s the thing: There are things in life that we have access to but never get around to. We might even like the idea, but never find the right time. If God is calling you to something, wanting you to move in a direction, don’t keep putting it off. If Christ is calling you to give Him your life, find the time, make a decision and trust your life to Him. There is no sense in not doing what’s available to you. You never know when it won’t be available any more.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you need to act on today that you might be tempted to put off again?  Leave your comments below.

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It’s Time To Get My Golf Clubs In My Car

The other day I put my golf clubs in my vehicle for the season … but I still haven’t used them.

We are now into June and I haven’t swung a golf club yet. … I know there are many people who will only play a couple of games this season, but that’s not me.

In fact, I can’t remember a year when I have not had my clubs out by now.

It usually happens like the hand off in a relay race. There is this zone where the two team mates are running and the one hands the baton off to the other.

For me that’s the time when the hockey sticks get taken out of the car and the golf clubs get put in the trunk.

But this year we’re getting past the transition zone and I’m about to be disqualified.

Well, not really disqualified, but I have a golf tournament I will be in this week and I need to get reacquainted with my driver before that date.

One of the biggest roadblocks is finding a little time between the rain drops that keep falling every other day!

All winter long you look forward to doing things outside and then a spring like this comes along and you’re still stuck inside because of the rain.

Golf and rain have never really gone well together, especially if there is thunder rumbling in the distance.

It’s never a good idea to be close to lightning with 13 lightning rods strapped to your back!

… I remember golfing many years ago with a friend and we were down in a valley when the thunder got loud and close.

We took cover for a while, but then decided we should make our way to the club house. As we were walking up the path out of the valley, I turned to say something to my friend.

At that moment the sky lit up behind him, making him a silhouette, followed immediately by a huge crack of thunder.

At that point we started running for the club house; we just wanted to get out of the target zone before we got hit.

But it’s not just the rain and potential lightning that has kept me off the course this year, it’s also the cool temperatures.

I’ve had that feeling of playing golf when it’s cool outside. If you hit the ball a little thin, you get this vibration that starts in your hands and moves up your arms.

You feel like the cartoon character, Wiley Coyote, who just missed the roadrunner with an iron pan and hit a rock instead, leaving his whole body vibrating in mid air.

Well, that’s what it feels like, and I hate that feeling.

But this week I will be playing, whether I’m ready or not. So I better brave the cold and rain and start hitting a few golf balls before that date.

Here’s the thing: There are things that will happen in life whether you are ready for them or not. So why wouldn’t you get ready for them if you can, even if getting ready is going to mean making some changes? Christ is coming back some day. The thing is we don’t know when. We need to be ready for His return, so why not prepare yourself now? Place your trust in Christ alone for your salvation. Yes, it will cost you, but you will be ready for His return and it will make the perfect transition to the next life.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What transition do you need to make right now? Leave your comments below.

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I Need A Car Real Soon

Well, I’m in the market for a car but I do have some standards – mind you, they aren’t that high.

lot-image-1

I don’t have a certain make of car that I have to drive, though I remember growing up we always had GMs.

My dad went through the models. In the early sixties we had Pontiac Parisiennes; in the late sixties and early seventies it was Oldsmobile Delta 88s. Then in the mid to late seventies and on it was Buick LeSabres.

In fact, my Dad never drove anything but Buick LeSabres from then on.

For me, I’ve been all over the map: Buick, Renault, Chrysler, Ford, Lincoln, GMC, Honda, Hyundai.

I’ve never owned two of the same make of car in a row. You could say with this that I’m a blank slate. I’m open to any kind of car.

However, there is one thing that I would like and that is a little peace and quiet. In our last car we didn’t get much of that.

When driving on the highway, Lily and I would practically have to shout at each other to be heard over the sound of the wind outside the car.

It was almost like driving with our windows down all the time.

So quiet is a big deal, and then there is room. We would also like something that is a little bigger than our previous car.

It doesn’t have to be too much bigger, but a little would be nice.

The car doesn’t even have to be new. In fact, I have an aversion to making payments so on that account a new car is not that attractive.

I just don’t like to be paying for a car for years and, when I’m finished paying for it, find it’s time to get a new one and have to start the payment thing all over again.

To make it worse, I also have an aversion to paying interest. If I had to I could stomach a 0% interest payment for three years or so, but that’s about it.

… I think I have about a week to get that kind of deal before they disappear for a while.

A used car is probably what we will end up with – something that I don’t have to put too much money into but something that’s going to last us four to six years or so.

There are lots of cars out there and today we will start taking a look.

This is where our kids come in handy. One of our son Mike’s buddies is a car salesman. We’ll see what he can do for us.

Over the years we’ve fed him numerous meals and Lily has given him lots of advice. She even calls him our #2 son. It’s almost like he owes us a good deal.

The biggest thing is we can trust him. We can be sure he will do the best he can to get us into the right car that meets all our standards.

Here’s the thing: Often in life we find ourselves at a crossroads. We need to make decisions that require more insight than we have. We need people who can step in and help us in those times. When it’s a spiritual matter, a spiritual mentor or life group is invaluable. Be sure to surround yourself with people who can help you make the right spiritual moves.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How long does it take you to reach out for help on spiritual matters? Leave your comments below.