change

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Change Is A Curious Thing That Impacts Us Differently

Change is a curious thing. To one it can bring much joy and to another it can bring much heartache.

change is a curious thing that impacts us differently

I recently changed internet providers and the change has been a good thing.

Even making the change was not that disruptive … which was surprising because change, even change for the better, can be disruptive.

When a family moves, the change brings some challenges. The good things like more room or nicer amenities will be enjoyed, but there is that whole process of packing up one’s home and unpacking ii all in another, not to mention all the real estate and financing that has to be worked out. 

The family will enjoy the change – in this case, their new home – once they are settled in. They just have to wait until all the details have been worked through.

But for my internet change, I didn’t miss a beat. I can’t say that there was any time when my internet was down. Even though I was switching companies, they both rent the cable line from the same cable company. Somehow they made the switch without dropping the service. 

Everything about this change has gone really well. I can’t be more pleased.

However, that’s not everyone’s experience with change, nor is it my experience with every change in my life. 

Our lives change, sometimes for the better and sometimes not. There is a lot of change we can make happen but there is some change we don’t have a say in. It just happens. 

Change in our weather or climate is like that. 

This summer we’ve seen the news or experienced the devastation of fires all over Canada and now mainly in the west: people displaced, homes destroyed – it has been horrible for many. 

And there has been much finger pointing at climate change. 

The curious thing about climate change is that while the west is in a struggle to stop the fires that have altered so many lives, here where I live the weather has been wetter and cooler this summer. 

Change for one can be so different than for another. 

With climate change, I’m not sure we can control it like I can control when and how I change my internet. I’m not convinced the measures we take to prevent climate change will have a significant effect on the changing climate that’s taking place in our world. 

Maybe we should brace ourselves for change, or embrace the changes we can’t control. 

We should live responsibly and help one another through the difficulties some change brings.

Here’s the thing: This world is not everlasting; it will not last forever. Evolutionists believe it has already been here from millions of years. Creationists have God’s Word that says the world will not last. Near the end there will be more frequent natural disasters and wars, among other things. The best way to brace for change is to put your faith in God who has a plan. Embrace Christ; he will help you through all life’s changes.

That’s Life!

Paul

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Climate Change Could Be More Descriptive

The thing about climate change is that it keeps on changing. 

Climate change could be more descriptive

Even what we call it has changed. We used to call it “global warming”, but somewhere along the line it got switched to “climate change” … which is more vague that the term, “global warming”. At least with that name we knew something was happening continually over a long period of time. 

Our climate has always changed, so those who think this is a better name are fooling themselves. 

In Calgary, climate change can happen in a moment’s notice. There they are known to say, “If you don’t like the weather now, just wait a few minutes.” 

In Kingston, about twenty years ago, our family went down to the waterfront to celebrate Canada Day. It was a beautiful day; the sun was shining and it was about 25°C. We were all in shorts and T-shirts. 

That was at 2 pm. By 9 pm the temperature dropped 20 degrees to a brisk 5°C. 

Talk about climate change. Our pre-teen kids had no meat on their bones in those days and they were frozen. They were huddling up to Lily and I who were also chilled right through. 

That was July 1st – not your normal summer weather for Kingston. 

In some places around the world the climate stays relatively the same, but they still have climate change. They might not experience the spring, summer, fall and winter we do, but they have a rainy season and a hot season. 

I’m just saying, the term doesn’t really describe anything different than what we have always experienced. 

But times are changing, that is for sure. 

We recently spent a week in Palm Springs, which is a desert town in California. All you have to say is “California” and “desert” and you know it’s going to be hot. 

But it wasn’t. The temperatures only made it to 20°C twice all week. 

While we were away, there were a couple of days the early morning temperature in Palm Springs was the same as the high back in Kingston. 

Interestingly, when we got home after our week away, we had no snow in Kingston and the temperatures were above 0°C. … No worries though, that climate change thing kicked in after we got home and we had a foot of snow on our driveway by midweek. 

I’d like to say that climate change is happening again but it looks like this dump of snow will stick around for at least a week.

I understand that what is meant by climate change is overall erratic and unusual weather patterns across the world. But you have to admit that it’s not a very creative or clear name for what’s happening. 

Maybe they should pick a new name using AI (artificial intelligence). I recently read that a brewing company asked an AI chatbot to come up with a beer recipe. Apparently the recipe was good because they named it Robo beer. 

What name might a chatbot choose for climate change?

Here’s the thing: For us, change is normal. Change is always happening. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy or enjoyable. Often change is difficult and uncomfortable; many times we plain don’t like it. The thing about God is that He doesn’t change. You can count on Him. He will be the same no matter what happens, no matter how you change. You can always find a constant in God. And why is this important? – He loves you and cares for you and that never changes. Trust Him.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What unwanted change is happening in your life right now? Leave your comments and questions below.

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This Trend Needs To Change Quickly

Do you ever notice how a trend or popular belief gathers great support? It’s like there is a momentum and the trend or belief becomes bigger and bigger. 

this trend needs to change quickly

In social media they would say something has gone viral. 

I remember getting to the edge of a field with my brother and a friend one winter’s night. The conditions were perfect for making snowballs and we tossed a few at each other. 

Then we each started rolling a snowball in the snow. As we rolled, the snowballs got bigger and bigger. We ended up abandoning two of them and together pushed one snowball. By the time we got to the end of the field, it was over four feet high. 

It was huge; it had snowballed! … That’s what you call it when something gathers steam and becomes bigger than life. 

We have seen these kinds of trends over the last several years. 

One of these trends is an attitude that is very prevalent today. I would say that this attitude has snowballed; it’s gone viral. 

It’s an attitude of, “if you don’t agree with me, I hate you.” 

We often say it in different ways though. Some might call it cancel culture. We might label it as “vaxers” or “antivaxers”. 

It gets expressed as “liberal” or “conservative”. 

Hey, this same attitude can be found in gender talk these days.

The topic may be different, but the attitude is the same: if you don’t agree with me, I hate you. And I believe you hate me.

You have to wonder how we got here, to this attitude. But more surprisingly, how did we get here so fast? 

Well, that’s the thing with a snowball or something viral – it picks up steam really quickly. 

Just look at Covid. It spread really, really quickly. We went from not knowing much about it in November 2019 to full lockdowns around the world by March 2020. 

This attitude of “I hate you if you don’t agree with me” is definitely disturbing. 

But I came across a verse – actually two verses – in the Bible that kind of stopped me. 

I read 1 John 3:16 and the reference reminded me of John 3:16. When I thought about the content of these two verses, they just dovetail together. 

They were both written by the same Apostle John, but they may have been written up to 10 years apart. Then someone else over a thousand years later added the verse numbers to the text. 

It’s remarkable that these two verses share such a connection … and a message that we all need to hear right now. It goes very much against the trending attitude of “if you don’t agree with me, I hate you.”

John 3:16; 1 John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” … “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.”

In these two verses lies an important truth that we should love one another, not hate each other. 

Here’s the thing: A trend is a trend because the masses pick up on them. But a Christian should follow the Bible and not the trends. If you know Christ as your Saviour, be anti-cultural in this. Love those you disagree with and show kindness to them in word and deed.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What attitude have you struggled with lately? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Your Time Has Boundaries That Change

There are certain things you will do no matter what time it is. But what I have found is that what you will do at any time can change.

your time has boundaries that change

Here is an example of what I’m talking about: When I was in my teens, if someone said, “Paul, we have ice at 2:00 am Saturday morning,” my response would be, “I’ll be there. What arena?” 

At that stage in my life, it didn’t matter what time of day or night I would play hockey. I was on call 24/7. 

But that is not how I feel about playing hockey today. I still love playing just as much as I did back then, but now I have limits – or should I say boundaries – as to when I will play.

For years guys have asked me if I wanted to play hockey on their teams. My answer has always been the same: I don’t like playing the late games. 

Adult hockey usually starts at 8:00 pm in the evening and by the time you get home it’s 10:00 or 10:30 pm. 

But that’s not all. When you get home that late after playing hockey, you are still wired. You can’t just flop on your bed and fall asleep. You have to unwind for a while. That means you are not getting to bed until 11:30 pm or 12:00 am.

If you have to get up in the morning, it’s a killer. 

And then think about the games that start at 9:00, 10:00 pm or later. 

I once played an 11:30 game, got cut and needed to go after the game to the hospital for stitches. The emergency was empty that night but I still got home at about 3:00 am. 

Not much sleep to go on to teach Sunday school the next day … or should I say, later that morning. 

So now when someone says to me, “Hey Paul, we have ice. You want to play?” I respond with, “What time?”

I won’t do late any more.

It’s true with a lot of things. I will do it in keeping with the boundaries I’ve set. 

But just the other day I threw out the boundaries and agreed to get my hair cut whenever a time was available. 

I would not normally book a haircut in the morning. I usually have things already scheduled then. But when you haven’t had a haircut for 3 1/2 months, you are willing to take any appointment. 

I called my barber at the first of the week and he hemmed and hawed. I told him it didn’t have to be that day, and he responded with “I realize that”. He paused a few more seconds and then said, “How early do you get up? How about 7:00 am Saturday?”

I didn’t even flinch. “I’ll be there,” I replied. It was like the guy had booked a sheet of ice. 

I’d get up to play hockey at 7:00 am on a Saturday. It turns out I’d get up to get my hair cut at 7:00 am too. 

… Well, not always.

Here’s the thing: When something is really important to you, you will change your schedule, make exceptions and do what you have to do in order to accommodate that important thing. Well, consider your relationship with God. If He is important to you, what lengths will you go to in order to spend time with Him? I hope you can respond, “I’ll be there”.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What stands in your way of spending quality time with God each day? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Dramatic Change Is Coming Soon

We make many changes in life. Some changes are dramatic.

dramatic change is coming soon

The other day we helped move our son into a new apartment. At just under 30, he’s lived in more places than I’ve lived in my entire life, though we’ve both lived in the same number of cities.

This new place is not too far from his last, but it does have a few dramatic differences. 

His view is one of those dramatic differences. In his last apartment, his living room window faced an old factory building turned into offices. There was not much to see and the building wasn’t much to look at – just old brown bricks.

A view isn’t everything, but in an apartment you can’t step out into your backyard and move around. A view is pretty much all you have. In his old apartment, the other building was so close you couldn’t even see down to the ground.

The one thing it did have was quiet. I think the concrete structure made the building not only quiet from other apartments below, above, and to the sides, but it was also quiet from the outside. 

The new place? …

Well, the view is a killer. He’s 17 floors up and from his living room window he can see Lake Ontario and a vast array of tall buildings, short building, a park, and the Gardiner Express way. 

Oh, did you read that? That’s right, the highway that doesn’t sleep at night. 

That’s the other dramatic difference. This new place has a traffic hum that is constant, 24 hours a day. 

I’m sure that after a very short time it all becomes white background noice, but you can hear the traffic all the time. 

… I haven’t decided whether the dramatic view outweighs the dramatic noise, but I won’t be spending enough time there to determine which is better. 

I will say that I got a killer time lapse the other night of the expressway and all the lights from the surrounding buildings. 

Also, I can’t wait to look at the time lapse I took in the morning of the city waking up, going from night to daylight.

One thing I know is you pay a premium for being in the heart of the city. He’ll have to be very strategic about where everything is placed because it’s not a big apartment. 

When I was his age, I moved into my first apartment. It had two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a working wood fireplace in the living room. 

I wish I could remember how much the rent was back then. I think you could multiply my rent back then by 5 to reach what he pays now. 

But that view … wow, it is an amazing view! 

I always tell Lily she is living in a fish bowl when I come home in the evening and find the lights on in the living room and the curtains open. 

In Mike’s new place, with no curtains yet, he really is living in a fish bowl. He can see the world from his vantage point, but the whole world can see him.

Here’s the thing: Life brings changes, and some of those changes are dramatic. They may be dramatic in regards to space, health, relationships or scenery. But the most dramatic change one can make is going from death to life. That is what happens when one puts his or her faith in Jesus Christ. That person goes from being spiritually dead to spiritually alive. It is a dramatic change that doesn’t just last months, a year, or even a decade. This dramatic change lasts for all eternity. Be sure you’ve made that change.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What is the most dramatic change you’ve made this year? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Just Change One Thing And Nothing Else

I have a rule that I follow with most things and it is this: only change one thing.

Just Change One Thing And Nothing Else

When you need to make a change to something, anything, it doesn’t matter; just make one change. 

If you just make one change, you can see the impact of that change and can then figure out the next change to make if there needs to be one.

A good example is when I’m in the car with my wife, Lily, and she says it’s too hot or too cold. She will immediately reach for the temperature dial and move it and, at the same time, adjust the fan.

I tell her all the time that’s she’s doing too much, and we will invariably very soon need to adjust the temperature in the other direction.

Of course, that next change will be too much as well, so we just go back and forth. 

It is better to adjust one thing – like only the fan – and then wait to see if that will bring the desired result. If not, then move the temperature down one click of the dial.

And again, wait. It’s the way to tell what affect the change is making.

If you make more than one change, you don’t know which change did what and you don’t know what to do to correct it. 

It’s simple and it works well.

Today I signed up to play shinny hockey for the first time this fall. I played hockey a few times last month on rented ice but this was the first with city-run shinny.

There are new rules with COVID and I wrote about that experience in a previous post. You can read about it (here). 

For the sake of arena staff safety and social distancing, there were a number of changes that have been put in place. 

I was fully prepared that those changes would be the same for shinny as for rented ice. I figured I would still have to get my hockey gear on in the rink parking lot … no big deal. 

But they did something else – that extra change that makes it impossible to see if their first change was enough.

What they did was reduce the time allowed on the ice from one hour and twenty minutes to fifty minutes.

Why?! 

City shinny has been one hour and twenty minutes for the last twenty-four plus years. Why make that change? 

How would that help with COVID? How could it add to the safety of anything? All they needed to do was the one thing to make it COVID safe.

When I went to shinny there were only three skaters. Last year at this time they had to turn people away. 

So why were there only three people? We don’t know whether people don’t like the COVID restrictions or whether they don’t like the reduced time. 

They should have made one change only.

Here’s the thing: When we ask God for something, often we will still try to handle it ourselves. If you don’t give God time to answer your prayer, when the answer comes you won’t be sure if you brought the answer or God did. That will lead you to miss seeing God’s desire and ability to answer your requests. If you want God’s help, just do the one thing: ask. Then be patient. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What issue in your life do you just need to do one thing for right now? Leave your comments and questions below.

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A Change Can Be As Good As Something New

Sometimes a change is as good as something new. I’ve heard that saying, or something like it, before.

It’s often true – if you change something, you’ll get the same reaction or feeling as if you got something new. 

The other day I put the Christmas lights up on our house. It was a perfect time to do it; it wasn’t raining and the temperature was a mild, 8 degrees Celsius. 

I had heard that the temperatures were going to drop the next day so it was the right time to get those lights up. 

We’ve lived in our house for over 22 years – that’s 22 Christmases. All that time, I’ve had basically the same pattern of lights on the house. 

It’s not fancy – I’m not trying to compete for the most decorated house on the street or the neighbourhood. I have no desire to have people driving by our house every night just to see the lights and display. 

… When we lived in Edmonton, there was a street they called Candy Cane Lane. I don’t know what it’s like now, but when we lived there the police would have to alter the traffic and make the street one way during the Christmas season.

Every house on the street had elaborate Christmas displays. There was one house that had wrapped Christmas presents hanging all over a big old tree in the front yard. All the presents were to Dad from Santa … lucky guy!

Charities collected gifts for the needy and sold hot chocolate to raise money. 

Let me tell you, it was a production! Home owners really went all out to make it a special occasion for the thousands who would do the slow drive down the street, or park and walk it. 

I’m sure people buying homes on that street had to sign a waiver that they would continue to promote the Christmas spirit by decorating the front of their houses each year.

Well, that’s not me. I have a standard lighting configuration. I string lights along our garage and up and down the peak of our roof. 

There was a short time when I put some lights along a fence, but that didn’t last. 

Oh, and I always put a couple of coloured spotlights pointed at the house, to light up some bushes, the front brick and living room window. 

It’s worked well for years. I can put those lights up in my sleep.

But this year I had an idea: Instead of lighting up the front of the house with the spotlights, why not light up the big tree in the middle of our front yard? 

Why didn’t I think of this years ago? 

It’s like a whole new display this year!  And all I did was buy a longer extension chord, and point a red spot directly on our big rock by the tree. I pointed the other red and green spots up at the tree, letting the colours blend together as they shone on the branches. 

It’s just a little change but it looks and feels like something new.

Here’s the thing: Maybe you’ve been spending time with God the same way for years, or you’ve been serving in the same ministry for a long time. Maybe you’ve had the same long time friend for years. You don’t have to quit what you are doing, or do something radically different to spruce things up. All you need is a little change and that time with God, that ministry you serve in, or that friendship will feel new and fresh again. Just a little change can make all the difference.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What could you change to make something new again? Leave your comments below.

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I Need To Change My Mood

It doesn’t take much to change a mood. A mood is often dictated by events.

Music can put you in the mood, and lighting can set the mood. 

As a hockey chaplain, I meet with players for chapel, but also to check on them personally. This week I chatted with some of the guys after they had lost all three games on the weekend.  You could tell that, even though it was three days past the weekend, there was still some sting from the losses. Their shoulders were drooping a little.  

But this Friday my guys won 4-1 and the mood was different. The guys who were a little shruggy on Wednesday were all smiles after their game win on Friday. 

It didn’t take three wins to change their mood, or a long period of time – just one win did it. 

I remember years ago when you could buy mood rings. They were supposed to reveal the kind of mood you were in by their changing colours. Of course, it couldn’t really tell what kind of mood you were in; it changed colour depending on your body temperature. 

Kids would tease each other for being in love if the stone turned red. But you could quickly get the stone to change your mood by how you held it or placed it on your skin. 

A “yes” or a “no” can also change your mood in an instance. 

You can go into a meeting with your boss to ask him for a raise. A “yes” from him puts you on cloud nine, but a “no” sends you down into an emotional pit. 

One time I was looking forward to going biking on the trails. I hadn’t been on my bike in a week. But when I got up that morning, the rain washed my hopes of a bike ride down the drain … my mood took a downturn rather quickly.

Over the last little while my mood hasn’t been the greatest. There have been a few things that have been really disappointing and they have kind of locked me into a bad mood. 

There has not been anything to change my mood either – no positive that might jolt me out of my mood. 

It seems like my circumstances are dictating my mood, that I’m at the mercy of something out of my control. I feel like a puppet with other people and happenings pulling my strings. I don’t like the mood I’m in but I’m dependent on someone or something to get me out of it. 

But that’s not really true. Things, events, and other people don’t control my mood – I do. 

Your mood is actually based on a decision – your decision. 

I choose what mood I am in. Sure, it’s based on peripherals, but I have control of the decision. 

So today I’m changing my mood. I’m not going to be grumpy, sad, or sullen. It’s my decision, so today’s going to be a good day.

Here’s the thing: You can let your circumstances discourage you and take your hope away, but that is your choice. Resist discouragement and disappointment by focussing on God’s goodness yesterday, His presence today and His promises tomorrow. You have the choice to either zero in on your purpose or your problem, on God’s power or your weakness, on Christ or your circumstance. What’s it going to be? You decide.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What’s got you down lately? Leave your comments below.

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I’m Finding I’m Having A Challenge With Change

I will be doing something this week I don’t like to do: change.

There are some things I like to change, and others I have no problem changing, but there are some things I will avoid changing at all costs.

Change is a curious thing. I have an Apple Watch with several very different bands. I like that; I like to be able to change my watch strap.

In fact, before I got my Apple Watch, I had a collection of watches in all shapes and sizes because I like to change them up.

I’m not sure I would have been all that excited about moving to a new watch if I couldn’t do something to change the look at least a little bit.

But when it comes to other things, like changing my email address, well, that’s a whole other matter.

I’ve had the same email address for 22 years, and been with the same internet company all that time.

But things are going to change here this week. We got a new internet service and TV package.

I really struggled to make the change because I didn’t want the hassle of informing everyone that they have to stop using my old email address and change to a new one.

The crazy thing is I don’t mind doing it for other people. I get those email messages that inform me that so-and-so’s email has now changed so please update my contact list.

I do it; I don’t have a problem with it, and it works fine.

But just thinking about changing mine, well, it creates a stress that is not rational but real.

It doesn’t make any sense, but I really don’t like the thought of changing it. I’m sure no one will be devastated that they can’t contact me if they forget to make the change in their address book … and possibly I could lose some contacts that are more like spam anyway.

That wouldn’t be so bad.

I just don’t like the thought of all that I have to do to make this change … even though I actually don’t have to do all that much.

But the thought of doing it seems a bit too much. It’s disruptive; it’s changing something that has been the same for a very long time.

It’s like changing out old hockey equipment. I hang on to the same equipment until I am forced to make the change.

Years ago I had a pair of long johns I would wear under my equipment. I had the same pair for so long that they had holes all over them.

I actually sewed them together, so that I could keep wearing them – that’s how crazy my aversion to change is!

With my email address change, the price tag was what eventually forced my hand.

We could save close to $50 per month by making this bundle change.

I just couldn’t justify my old email address being worth that much money.

And you know, just talking this all out right now has made the change seem a little more doable.

Here’s the thing: Sometimes we can get stuck in a sin because we have a hard time with change. Sometimes we have a hard time moving forward in our relationship with God because it will mean change. Be careful that an irrational aversion to change doesn’t keep you from dealing with sin and moving closer to God.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What is something that God might be asking you to change? Leave your comments below.

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How to Win An Argument With Yourself

If you’ve ever tried to win an argument, you know how hard it is to change your mind.

In my last post (read here) I wrote how real change only comes when you change your mind, and not when you just do something different.

Doing something different can bring temporary change, but not long-lasting change. For the long haul you need to change your mind.

I remember I once changed a teacher’s mind. In my high school geography class we were studying Israel and who had a right to the land – the Jews or the Arabs. It was a hot issue because, at the time, it looked like Egypt and Israel would go to war.

Our teacher set up a debate for our class to decide who had the rights to the land, with one side defending the Jews and the other the Arabs.

I got thrown on Israel’s side and, since I was probably the only kid who went to church, I had some background to Jewish history.

By the end, my side had won and my teacher was really impressed that we had changed her mind with our arguments.

Changing your mind takes work; it doesn’t come easy.

If changing our minds was easy, we wouldn’t do the same things over and over again, expecting a different result.

Changing your mind is like a skill, and to develop any skill you need to work at it; you need to practice.

Years ago I learned the skill of playing the guitar. The only problem was I didn’t practice it enough. Though I play the guitar, I don’t play it very well – that would require me to practice way more than I do and, over the years, I’ve proved that I don’t have the desire to practice enough to become good at it.

Changing your mind requires that you put new or different information in your head, and then use it or practice it over and over.

It’s similar to having a favourite picture frame filled with an ugly picture. You won’t be happy with the frame until you change the picture in it.

In my office I have a picture I had taken of me with a famous hockey player. I also got his autograph to “Pastor Paul” on a separate card.

They sat on my desk for a while before I did anything with them. They were of no benefit to me until I got a nice picture frame, removed the sample picture that came with it, and replaced it with the picture of Darrell Sittler and his autograph.

It looked great; it was just what I wanted. But it took another week until Lily found the right place to hang it on my office wall so I could enjoy it.

To change your mind, you have to want to change, and then you need to put new information in your mind and use it.

Here’s the thing: If you are struggling with a sin, a habit, or a character issue and you want to overcome it, change it. Then find a verse that speaks to that issue and memorize it. Work that verse into your mind by saying it every day, and every time you fail at the change you want to make. Over time you will change your mind with that verse. It will help you to change your character so that you will not be plagued by that sin, habit or issue any more.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: When you think of something you would like changed, what verse comes to mind?  Leave your comments below.