covid

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The Wait Is Over And It Was All Worth Waiting For

Though it was a long time coming, the wait was worth it. Sometimes we can wait so long for something that we lose the joy and excitement of it. Sometimes we lose interest in it all together. 

the wait is over and it was all worth waiting for

I’ve had the same putter for forty years. There have been a couple of times that I’ve thought of getting a new one, but I waited, thinking that it might be a birthday present that someone would want to give me. 

At one time you could buy a nice putter for thirty or forty dollars. Now a good putter can run you into the hundreds. I thought of saving my money for one, but by the time I had enough money to get one, I decided I didn’t really want a new putter any more. 

Then there are times when you want something for a long time and you never lose interest during that long wait. 

Almost from the time we moved into our house, I wanted to get a pool table. But our kids were young and a pool table would have taken up a lot of playing space for the kids. 

Years went by, but my desire to get a pool table didn’t wain. 

When the kids were older and that space in the basement was no longer being used for a hockey rink, football field or wrestling ring, I started to get serious about getting a pool table. 

But they are expensive and I had to wait. I even took masking tape and outlined the shape on the rug in the family room so I could see exactly where it would go. 

Though the wait was long, I never wavered and eventually got that pool table. 

Well, last weekend, two years and two months after our daughter, Karlie, and her husband, Matt, got married before an audience of eight, they did it again. 

This time there were 160 family and friends who showed up to celebrate their marriage. We had a full wedding ceremony and reception. 

I thought that maybe after the long wait, the event would be anticlimactic, that it would seem lame because it was so after-the-fact. I wondered whether people would take the time to come because, after all, Karlie and Matt were already married. 

And there had already been two previous attempts to have this public celebration. 

They had rescheduled their celebration for a few months later in 2020, hoping that COVID restrictions would be over … but that was not the case. We didn’t even begin planning that one because it became obvious very quickly that it would not be possible. 

They again made plans to walk down the aisle one year after their wedding … but that didn’t work either. 

So two years and two months later, the wait was finally over. 

And our daughter’s wedding was just as exciting and joy-filled as if it was the first time! 

Here’s the thing: Christ will be coming back again. The wait has been long that some have lost interest, some think He’s not coming. The long wait is because God is patiently waiting for us to respond to His love offer. So don’t lose interest; get excited about Christ’s return. The wait will be worth it all. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What have you been waiting a long time for? Leave your comments and questions below.

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I’m Missing Something This Spring

There is something missing right now that would make spring just that much better. 

I'm missing something this spring

Some years what’s missing in early spring is half decent weather. Well, I can’t say we are missing that this year.

I went biking the other day for the first time this year and it felt like a mid-summer ride. It was 25 degrees Celsius.

We’ve had a mild winter and now a fantastic start to spring. What is there to complain about, except COVID?

But I feel it. There is still something missing and the nicer weather has brought it to my attention: I’m missing my drone. 

Right now I would be getting my drone out and looking for places to fly it. But it’s not happening this spring. 

It’s not that I’ve lost my drone or can’t find it, I have it. In fact, it’s right beside me now. But my drone is broken.

Back in December I flew it into a tree and it fell about thirty feet to the ground, and not just the ground, it fell onto ice. 

I knew it was finished then, but I put it back in its case and have kept it around. 

Then about a week ago, I watched a video of a guy who fixed his broken drone. 

Well, I got inspired. I hauled out my drone, viewed the video once again, and then looked at the damage on my drone. 

My heart sank again, just like it had done in December. The damage to my drone was way more extensive than the one in the video. 

I have a couple of wires extending to the props that are disconnected and I just don’t have the skill to be able to reattached them. 

Besides that, there is damage to the forward sensor and two places on one of the prop arms that are cracked and left dangling. 

The drone is just too far gone.

And so I’m reminded that I’m missing what I would normally be doing, finding places to fly my drone … and getting some great drone footage to use in video projects. 

When things go missing, often times they come back or are found again.

When children lose a tooth, they may have a gaping hole in their smile, but they won’t be missing that tooth for long. A bigger, stronger tooth is on its way.

When you’re older, however, and a tooth goes missing, there is not any hope of it coming back. You must look at different ways to fill what is missing from your smile.

One thing I know for sure about my drone is that it is not going to fly again. The only way I will be replace my missing drone is with a new one. 

It’s too bad that my birthday isn’t until mid June. 

Like a young child without his tooth, I will be missing my drone for a while. 

Here’s the thing: The only sad thing about heaven is that there will be people missing from it. You will, undoubtedly, be missing someone you loved and wanted to share all eternity with. There will be no replacement. Therefore, it is important to do what you can to ensure your loved ones have an opportunity to choose Christ, so they won’t be missing in heaven. Do not wait for someone else to share Jesus with them; take the initiative yourself. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: Who or what is missing in your life right now? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Closing Up Shop Is Never A Pleasant Experience

Closing up shop is usually an unpleasant experience for me, although sometimes it isn’t as unpleasant as other times.

closing up shop is never a pleasant experience

When you close something down, there is always a process you go through. 

When I leave the office at the end of the day, I shut down my computer, pack it up, turn off lights, lock doors and make sure the alarm code is set.

Some people have a closing up shop routine when they go to bed at night. You know you make sure the lights are off and the doors are locked. If they have kids in the home, they take a quick peak to check that they are sleeping soundly.

The worse case scenario for closing up shop is when a company is going out of business. When it is winding down its operation. Every step of that process is unpleasant.

Every time we leave our cottage, we have a closing up shop check list.

We go through the list of things that need to be checked off so that we can leave the place safe and secure until we return. 

 We don’t want to leave the refrigerator on if we are not going to come back to the cottage for a month. And it’s important to make sure we’ve locked the shed before we go so no one has access to it.

Closing up shop takes time to complete, but it’s necessary. 

The closing up shop routine that I dislike more than any other is when we leave our cottage for the last time before winter. I dislike it more because there is more to do. It’s a bit like a final closing up shop. It will be five to six months before we come back so it has to be done right. 

One of the things we do to close the cottage up – the last thing before we lock the doors – is to blow out the lines. Water can do a lot of damage if it’s trapped in the lines and then freezes. 

We use an air compressor to push air through all the hot and cold water lines. It flushes the whole system of water so there is nothing to freeze. 

I wish this was a quick process, but with our unusual set up, it takes time. Our system doesn’t have a hot water tank bypass, so as we blow out all the lines, the hot water tank gets flushed as well … and that takes time.  

So as we close up shop, and check off everything on the list, the one thing I’m not looking forward to is blowing out the lines … because once that is done, it really settles in that we won’t be back for a very long time. 

Here’s the thing: It’s nice to keep things open. Closing up shop is unpleasant; there is some finality to it, even if it is temporary. At this particular time, when some people are not attending church because of COVID, be careful not to close up shop on church. It’s not usually a simple decision but a process where you slowly check things off you are done with until finally it’s a done deal. Keep actively participating in church and ministries in person or online. Don’t close up shop.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What have you closed up in the last few months? Leave your comments and questions below.

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The Script Of A Movie Is Most Important

We should take more notice of movie script writers than of actors.

the script of a movie is most important

For the last seven months, people have probably been watching more movies at home than they ever have. One drawback to that is that the studios have not been making movies because of COVID. 

There also seems to be a lot more movies that are going right to online streaming services and not starting in the theatres.

At one time movies that went straight to video were not very good, but lately I’ve watched a few that have surprised me with their quality. I have also been very disappointed with some of the movies I’ve watched. 

Usually, if there is an actor you like, you can pretty much guarantee that a movie they are in will be one you’ll enjoy. For instance, if Jason Statham is in a movie, I will go see it because I think it will be a good movie, even if I know nothing about it. 

We all have our favourite actors and we all feel that a great actor will make a movie great. 

However, in this last year I don’t think actors rule, rather it’s the script writers who rule.

I’ve watched several movies with well-known, industry-honoured actors playing starring roles. Some of those movies I saw were horrible. Even the star actor didn’t seem to do a good job acting.  

My take is that they can only act up to the script they have been given. 

I’ve seen movies this year that were so bad I could have written the dialogue for them! The lines were so predicable; there was little to no character development. 

Good movies have good lines. And those big time actors know how to deliver those lines perfectly. 

Some of those lines we remember for years and years – lines like Clint Eastwood’s, “Go ahead, make my day.”

I could fill a page full of lines from that actor. Those lines are hooks. They get you into the character, siding with the character. Every movie needs a memorable line from its lead. 

I watched a movie the other day and the lead actor was fairly well known. But because the script never dealt with his background, relationships, or personality, every time he had an emotional scene, whether it was anger, sadness, or frustration, it all seemed forced. It actually seemed out-of-character.

At the beginning of a movie or when the credits role, the main stars’ names appear across the screen in big letters.

We should see the names of the people who wrote the screenplay, big and bold on the screen. They make the actors’ performances something to remember and take note of. 

Here’s the thing: Just as a movie script is important, so is the writing of the Bible. For a book to be included in the Bible, the writings were under great scrutiny. For instance, books in the New Testament first had to be recognized as being inspired by God. Second, they had to be written by an apostle or under the authority of an apostle. Third, they had to have wide circulation and acceptance by the churches. Fourth, the writings had to agree with the apostles’ oral teaching and be contradiction free. Fifth, they had to be written in the first century during the lifetime of the apostles. It was so important that the writings were “God-breathed” and stood up to all the tests that many other writings didn’t make it into the Bible. The script is true and powerful. Be sure you read it. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What portions of the Bible have you read and what will you read next? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Face Masks May Become The New Fashion Statement

There is a time and a place for face masks, but some people haven’t figured out that place.

face masks may become the new fashion statement

… It’s crazy that I just wrote that sentence! Three months ago I would never have thought about writing about face masks.

But now, in the midst of COVID, face masks are even becoming fashionable. A whole cottage industry is rising up, making these accessories that used to be set aside for kids pretending to be cowboys or for biker gangs.

I know those masks look a little different, but apparently I may have to dig out a bandit scarf from our kids’ old tickle trunk if I want to go to Costco.

There have been times when I have worn a face mask and a couple of times when I wore a goalie mask. When I was doing some home construction I wore one because of all the dust and debris.  

There is a time and a place for face masks, but the other day I saw a whole lot of wrong places for these facial protective devices.

We were traveling from Kingston to Toronto on the highway, where we saw several people driving – some probably for hundreds of kilometres – wearing a mask … wait for it … ALONE in their vehicles! 

That’s right, they were protecting themselves from themselves.

It’s possible they had the coronavirus and they were making sure that they didn’t give it to themselves again. Maybe they thought they needed to filter the air that was circulating through the car, which happened to be the same air they were breathing into the car’s ventilation system.

I figure that wearing a mask for a long trip would get all hot and sweaty. They were probably incubating a new form of the virus or the next virus that will send us into a second wave of the pandemic. As soon as they open their car door at a gas station, the virus will be unlocked and spread to all those unsuspecting people innocently pumping gas into their tanks. 

Or that guy who was driving a van wearing a mask, can you imagine how many germs he would release into the atmosphere after being stored up for a few hours in that rolling container?

Now I’m not saying that people should not be wearing face masks. They’re fine if you are in a crowded area, or if you want to protect others. 

The bottom line is a face mask is appropriate when other people are around. 

If you are walking alone through a park – wait, can we do that yet? – you don’t need a mask.

If you’re outside suntanning in your backyard by yourself, you don’t need to wear a mask. But if you do, afterwards you’ll look like you have a permanent mask on your face.

During this time, there is a place for wearing a face mask. You just have to pick the right place to wear it. 

Here’s the thing: There is a time and a place for everything. But in this age of COVID, the time and place for things can become muddled. We can find ourselves doing things that we wouldn’t normally do during this time or place. For instance, with not having to get ready and go to church on Sundays, it would be easy to fill that time with something else. So, during this pandemic, make sure you keep a time and place for meeting with God and your church family.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How has your church experience been during the last couple of months? Leave your comments and questions below, and subscribe to have these posts delivered to your inbox.