changing

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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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Golf Is Changing, At Least For Me It Is

My first game of golf this year revealed some changing trends in how the game is played.

golf is changing, at least for me it is

This week I had the rare opportunity to play golf with my son. … There is something special about sharing the same passion with your kids, especially if you can participate in that passion with them.

It was just the two of us, so we were paired with another twosome who turned out to be a couple of grade nine high school students.

The first thing I noticed is that they both had pull carts and were not carrying their golf bags on their shoulders.

I wasn’t too surprised because, after all, they were both just turning 15 this year, and when they turned sideways sometimes I lost site of them. They were good kids and I marvelled how they were able to hit the ball as far as they did given their measly frames.

The fact that they were pulling their clubs contrasted to Mike and I who were carrying our clubs … a decision that came after a discussion on whether we should rent a cart or not.  

Usually Mike likes to ride a cart around the course but he is starting to change his opinion about that. He now likes to walk because you get into the game more, rather than rushing around bombing from shot to shot in a cart. 

This is the way I have always liked to play golf. You actually feel like golf is the primary purpose of your outing. 

When you take a cart, golf becomes secondary to all that happens in the cart – things like almost losing a passenger when you hit a ditch really hard, or turning really fast and almost stunt driving with two wheels off the ground.

This doesn’t happen much, but the driving takes away from thinking about your next shot and all the possible factors that need to be considered like wind, the lie of the ball, whether you must fly the ball to the hole or let it bounce up the green – things like that. 

As Mike’s view of taking a cart has changed, my view has softened. 

Walking around an 18 hole course, carrying my clubs on my back, wears on my muscles and joints so that by the time we’ve reached the 18th hole, I feel like an old man.

My preference now is to pull my clubs but not carry them.

Another thing I noticed was that, as the round continued, the young guys started hitting the ball farther. Mike would bomb his drive way past mine, but in the early holes I would outdrive the young kids by a good margin. By the last few holes though, they were hitting the ball as far or farther than me.  

I think as I got tired my distance started to suffer. 

All in all I think I’m re-evaluating my approach to the game. However, I still have a slight edge over my son in the scoring department. 

Here’s the thing: Life doesn’t always stay the same; things change. We can either accept those changes or resist them. Accept and embrace the changes that God brings into your life because He will walk with you through them.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What is the biggest change in you from 10 or 20 years ago? Leave your comments and questions 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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The Weather Conditions In My Home Are Changing

We are starting to enter the in-between season and it’s an appropriate time to deal with temperature change.

thermostat and human hand

I have been told that this year we may be a month behind in our weather. Because of our slow start in the spring, we got June weather in July and July weather in August.

That means September should be more like August … that’s out of the norm.

Though the temperature outside is changing, that’s not really the temperature change I am writing about.

I have to tell you that the temperature inside our home doesn’t hold to conventional, seasonal measurements either.

Here’s my problem: my wife likes the heat; she likes the heat outside and she is happy if it’s hot inside as well. So I come home from work on a sweltering summer day, and enter our house through the garage which is even 15 degrees warmer than outside. I’ve gone from hot to hotter.

Then I come into the house to the cool, refreshing air conditioned air – no, that’s not what happens. I come into the house that is just a few degrees cooler than my garage was!

I look at the thermostat to see if there is something wrong with our air conditioner, only to find that my dear wife has set the temperature to 25 degrees. When we add in the humidity, it’s probably closer to 30 in the house.

By next year our hardwood floors will probably be curling up.

I turn the thermostat down to 21 degrees because that apparently is the perfect temperature – at least, that’s what I’ve heard. There is a company called 21 Degrees Heating and Cooling and their motto is “Everybody is happy at 21 degrees”.

I want to be happy. I want the temp in our home to be 21 degrees.

After making the adjustment to the thermostat, an hour later it’s back up to 25 … she’s sneaky.

Sleeping is very uncomfortable, and Lil will admit it too, but it doesn’t convince her to lower the thermostat.

Now this is the thing I can’t understand, the thing that doesn’t make sense to me. And if anyone can help me with an answer that I can comprehend, I would be greatly indebted …

In the winter months, she doesn’t keep the thermostat at 25, or even at the perfect temperature of 21 degrees. In the winter, she keeps it at 20 and at night she lowers it to 17 degrees!!

In the winter I’m afraid to get out of bed for fear of frostbite.

What I don’t understand is, if you like it cool at night, why not make it cool at night all year round? I like to sleep in the summer just as much as I do in the winter months.

Here’s the thing: Temperature may not be conventional in my house, but it has the same beginning letters as temptation and temptation isn’t conventional either. As the apostle Paul said so well, “I do what I don’t want to do and I don’t do what I want to do.”

I don’t have a definitive answer for my house temperature other than standing guard at the thermostat to be sure it’s set at the right degree. And for temptation, we must be as vigilant in standing guard to turn it down when it starts to rise.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: When do you find you have the hardest time with temptation? Leave your comment below.