devotions

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No Complaints; Just Enjoy

I don’t want to hear any complaints about the weather. Let’s just take it and be satisfied.

We are experiencing a bit of a heat wave where I live. And it’s not just the temperature that we have to consider – it’s the humidity that sears the heat in.

It has been a long time since I’ve felt this kind of weather, other than in Mexico or the Caribbean. 

It was 36 Celsius yesterday and, with the humidity, it felt like 49! 

If you are not watering your grass, you don’t have any, and even then, the green stuff you see on your lawn may only be weeds. 

We went up to our cottage on the holiday and discovered that in our community there was a watering ban … and a ban on AC! The park we are in was experiencing brown outs and the only way to stop it was to cut the AC, since it’s such an drain on the power grid.

I say that’s okay; I’ll take the heat over air conditioning. I’ll battle the hot temperatures, keeping in mind that before long we will have a good five months of cold weather that I’m going to have to layer up for. 

It was so hot, we hung out on the beach until after 8 pm and then went back down at 10 pm to catch some John Tavares Day – I mean Canada Day – fireworks.

… I just can’t contain my excitement over the Leafs signing Tavares in the free agency sweepstakes! … but back to those fireworks on the beach. 

It was pitch black out after the light show and, though we headed back to our place, the beach was still littered with people.

Many still had their beach chairs set up! People were lying out getting a tan from the moon and the stars. That’s how hot it was. 

But the heat doesn’t stop some people from pining away for cooler temperatures. They would welcome some rain, because we really need it. 

Well, the farmers might need it, but we don’t. Summer should be a time when your grass is brown. If you can keep your grass green all summer, you either live on a golf course or you are experiencing less than perfect weather. 

Let’s enjoy this heat. Let’s celebrate it and not look beyond it to cooler, wetter weather. Just get out and embrace it. 

I realize there are many people for whom the heat is not ideal – the elderly and those with breathing issues. But listen, the weather won’t suit everyone all the time. They can treat those really hot days like a winter day. If it was really cold and snowy, they would stay indoors.

Right now we have a little heat. Let’s enjoy it. Spend more time at the beach; get out and do some things that you can’t do when it’s -15 outside. 

I don’t really want to hear people tell me they can’t wait for a break in the weather. Come on! Embrace what we have been given and be enthused about it. 

Here’s the thing: People are always looking for perfect. And if they find perfection in something like the weather, it is only short-lived. There is nothing or no one who is perfect except for God. So be enthused about Him; give yourself completely to God because it is only in Him that you will find perfection and true satisfaction.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What was the last thing you complained about that you really should have been thankful for? Leave your comments below.

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Do I Turn It On Or Leave It Off?

I’m not sure whether I should turn it off or leave it running. For the last month and a half we have had our dehumidifier going round the clock. 

It was getting far too chilly down in the basement – so much so that you really didn’t want to spend any time down there.  

I would go down to exercise, or to get something that I needed, but I really didn’t want to be in the basement for any length of time.

It was just too cold.

The cold was due to the humidity, however, and since we rolled out the dehumidifier, the temperature is just right. 

The only problem now is that the dehumidifier is so loud you don’t want to be in the same room as it. To watch TV you have to have the volume set ridiculously loud.

There are two issues with the noise. First there is a fan that runs all the time, and it’s not quiet. But then there is the hum – yes, a hum. It’s louder than the fan and you can hear it upstairs.

The good thing is that it’s so loud it drowns out any neighbourhood sounds of dogs barking, loud music or motorcycles.

I don’t pretend to know the process of extracting moisture out of the air, but this machine really has to work at it. You can tell it’s no easy matter to make it rain inside that unit.

Don’t get me wrong, though; it does a great job. We regularly have to empty its water collection bucket.

I think it’s time for that Dyson guy to take a crack at dehumidifiers. He’s tackled the vacuum, and he’s made a really cool fan … pun intended. A machine that sucks water out of the air and blows dry air into a room would be a perfect fit for his next project. 

I realize that if Dyson makes one, we would likely have to take out a mortgage on the house to pay for it, but it might be worth it.

I’m either going to go deaf or freeze to death in my basement. Neither of these two options are all that appealing.

It’s not that we haven’t tried to get the thing to shut up. I put a piece of duct tape on the container to stop the vibration. It worked for a while but not all that long. 

Then we wedged a rubbery grip sheet in there. Again there was some success, but nothing seems to last for any length of time.

I would like to figure out other methods to keep the noise of this dehumidifier down to a bearable decibel, but it’s so loud I can hardly think! 

I guess I might have to stay upstairs even when the temperature in the basement has become liveable.

Here’s the thing: There are side effects to every action. For example, if you take a pill to help correct something, there is often some other issue you will have to live with. When you seek God and He gives you a course of action, there will be something else you will have to live with. The temptation is to keep things the same, but if you take God’s direction the benefit will always outweigh the side effect.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What are you holding off considering because of an unwanted side effect? Leave your comments below.

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Making Judgement Calls

Sticking with your judgement call is not always easy. People will scrutinize your decision – even think a different call should have been made – and then use hindsight to evaluate your call.

It’s not always fun being the one who has to make that final decision, the one with “the buck stops here” responsibility.

Years ago when I was a youth pastor in Edmonton, one Friday afternoon we were experiencing heavy rain, even some flooding. We had a youth activity scheduled for that night, but I had gone home early because a lake was suddenly forming on the street in front of our church and cars were getting stuck.

I needed to make a judgement call on whether we would hold our youth event or cancel it. 

We never canceled meetings, but that day the weather reports were calling for extreme weather. By about 4 pm I made the decision: we would cancel that night’s activity. 

Phone calls went out and the feedback poured in … not much of it was positive.

Sometime after the decision to shut down our event, closer to the time we would have started, the sky changed.

I recall looking out the front window of my home and calling Lily to take a look. It was all calm, silent, even still. But the clouds in the distance were changing at a rapid pace, and were amazing colours of green, grey, almost black, and purple. 

It was mesmerizing; it looked ominous. 

Then, as the clouds came upon us, the wind picked up and was violent. It was loud and relentless. You could sense the tremendous power of the wind. 

But it didn’t last long. The weather calmed down, and it wasn’t bad outside.

I felt guilty for having canceled youth group that night, thinking maybe I had made the wrong call.

That was July 31,1987 – they called it Black Friday. A tornado had touched down and ripped a path through Edmonton’s east side from south to north. It left 27 people dead and 300 injured, in the wake of 417 km/h winds. 

You know, I didn’t get a lot of complaints about canceling that activity after the fact.

This past week we had our church picnic. Our plan was to hold the service and picnic on the lawn at the back of our church.

Early in the morning, the skies were all grey and it looked like it could rain at any moment. The weatherman was forecasting rain.  

Somebody had to make the call. We decided at about 7 am that we would have the service and picnic inside the church. 

We brought in a bunch of decorations to try and give an atmosphere of a picnic indoors. We even created space for people to sit on the carpet for the service, as if it were the lawn outside. 

In the end, the clouds lied. There was no rain in them; it just looked like there was. 

In hindsight we could have held the whole thing outside and kept dry. 

It was a judgement call.

Here’s the thing: When you have to make a decision, the pressure is on to make the right one. Often the pressure comes from inside, from you; sometimes it comes from others as well. It’s easy to question, second guess, even back down from your call. But God has given us the Holy Spirit to live in us and guide us. Seek His wisdom in your decisions, find strength in the direction He gives you, and stand firm on your judgement call. 

That’s Life! 

Paul

Question: What judgment call do you need to seek God’s wisdom for? Leave your comments below. 

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How A New Part Makes The Whole Thing Seem New

It’s always nice to find a new trail to ride. It’s not like the old ones get boring, but a fresh path is always welcomed.

When I’m at home, every week I ride the same trails. I mix and match between about five of them. But as a general rule, there is just one trail that I usually ride. Part of the reason is time. The home loop at my mountain bike club takes me about 45 – 50 minutes to ride which is perfect. All the other trails take a little to a lot longer to ride. 

Riding the same trail isn’t boring because I always try to beat my best time. The woods are also beautiful with a new scene to take in at every turn.

But when I get a chance to ride something new, it’s always a thrill. 

Up at my cottage, I’ve been riding the same trails for about ten years. Some are more like skidoo or ATV trails than mountain biking trails – they’re wider and less technical … but on the upside, they flow really well.

I have been riding these paths to get me to some single track trails that are made for mountain biking. In some places I even have to ride on the road to get to the good trails.  

It’s not perfect, but it’s better than nothing. 

Last year I almost ran into another biker on the trails. It was the first time in years I’d seen someone else in the woods. For years I’d felt like I was the only mountain biker in the area, but recently I’ve noticed signs that there are other riders using the trails.

It was also last year that I discovered a new trail and, because of it, I changed my route. I even got adventurous and built a short connector trail to link up the far end of my loop with the main trail. 

Well, yesterday while riding at my cottage, I found another trail. This trail means I can now avoid more roads and spend less time on the wide snowmobile and ATV paths.

It won’t be long until this new section of trail is old hat, just a regular part of my loop – by the end of this season I will have ridden it more than twenty times. But right now it’s exciting to pedal hard through a section that I don’t know very well.

It’s kind of like getting a new accessory for a product you’ve had for a while. When you get that new piece it makes the whole thing seem fresh and original again. 

This is shaping up to be a good biking season. (Want to see the trail? Click here.)

Here’s the thing: I have my set time every day when I do my Bible reading, journalling and prayer. I even have a certain place in the house where I like to spend that time. There is a lot of sameness to my meeting with God, but it’s not boring. But every once in a while I change something: I find a new place to meet with God, add different devotional readings, or take time to ask the Lord some very specific questions and wait on Him to answer. These new things I do just make my experience with God fresh and original again. Try something new – it will make a good time with God great again. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What gets you excited about new things? Leave your comments below.

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We Don’t All Share The Same Views

Do you care if I have the same views as you do? You actually do care and might not even realize it.

You might be the easiest going person in the world, but it will bug you when you realize I don’t view something as you do. 

I’ve met people who hate golf; they actually turn up their nose and shake their head just hearing the word, “golf” … unless it’s in reference to the car.

I do like golf and when I meet people who are passionate against it that kind of bothers me. Why would they care that much about something they don’t do or have to do? Why would they go out of their way to make it clear to me that they don’t like the sport and think it’s boring, a waste of green space and time?

I’ve also met people who have gone out of their way to tell me they don’t like other sports that I participate in and enjoy. 

It’s unclear to me what reason they would have of being so animated about something they have no real interest in. Possibly they had a parent who tried to shove the sport down their throat, making them angry and resentful.

But here is something to note: I have feelings too and when someone criticizes and puts down a sport that I support and love, it hurts. 

I am sure those people who hate my sports wouldn’t like it if I trash talked something that they really enjoyed doing.

I remember having a conversation with someone who hated hockey, and stated the main reason was because of all the violence, referring to the fights and dirty hits that sometimes happen in hockey games. 

While he was talking, his voice started to rise and he got red in the face. He was really into it. 

All I could think of was, “Isn’t his emotion right now exactly why fights break out in hockey?” How come he couldn’t understand that and have some sympathy for the poor guys who get all caught up in anger. 

I’ve learned that I have to stay away from people who trash my sports … or at least don’t talk about sports in their presence. 

I sure wouldn’t want to make them angry. Who knows? A fight might break out in our conversation.

It should be acceptable that I can view something one way and someone can view it another way, with both of us being okay with that … that we won’t get all emotional and upset that our rights are being denied. 

… Just like what happened in British Columbia with the Supreme Court case ruling, denying Trinity Western University the right to have a law school as part of their institution. 

The school was denied because students at TWU are asked to sign a covenant while they attend the school, that includes abstaining from sex outside of marriage (defined as being between one man and one woman). 

Maybe people who don’t want to sign such a covenant should just attend another school. There are sixteen of them in our country!

Why would you want to go to a school that didn’t share the same views as you? … unless, maybe, you wanted to start a fight.

Here’s the thing: God has two main guidelines for humans: love God and love each other. When we focus on our rights, we will always step on someone else’s rights; someone’s rights will always be denied.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How passionate are you about your views? Leave your comments below.

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Some Work Is Never Done

It seems like some people’s work is never quite done. It’s like they always have just a little more work to do.

When you were a child and you wanted your parents’ attention, they often had some work to do first. For a child who has so much time on his or her hands, a parent’s work appears to never end. 

Over the last number of years I have found myself in the situation of having work to do when others are all finished. It’s not because I am a slow worker or thinker, it’s because I’ve served as a secretary on a number of committees. 

For more years than I want to count I have served as the secretary on a district committee for my denomination.  

I don’t mind taking notes; I like trying to capture the gist of the conversations and the action of the committee. But when I type out those last words, “adjourned”, into the minutes, that only really applies to the other committee members. I still have more work to do.  

That’s the part that’s hard. They start packing up their computers, and saying their good byes while I have a little more work to do, cleaning up the minutes so they are in order. 

About a year ago, I finished that role and had thought that that would be the last time I would be a secretary for that committee, or any other for that matter. 

But I recently got a call, asking if I’d be willing to be a secretary at our denomination’s national conference. My first answer came out of my mouth quickly – no hesitation, no indecision. 

I said “no”. 

It was a short conversation after that. But when I hung up the phone, I began to think about my answer and whether it should have been my answer.  

I started to have second thoughts that maybe it was something I should do. … It only took me about a week and a half to decide that I should at least let someone know I would be willing to do the job. 

In that week and a half, considering the numerous people the denomination would be able to contact, they should have been able to fill the three needed secretarial positions. 

But for some reason I just knew that, when I contacted them, I was going to get the nod. 

Sure enough, just as I thought, I was placed on the team. 

So I took on a job where there is always just a little more work to do.

When the business sessions were over, and delegates went for breaks, my team and I had a little more work to do. 

When we were finished for the day, and it was time to go, I had a little more work to do back at the hotel. 

On the last day of the conference, when the last session was about to begin, I had a little more work to do. 

I’m flying home now from the conference, but when I get there, I’ll still have a little more work to do. Well … at least it seems like it.

Here’s the thing: As much as it seems like we have a little more work to do, it is actually true for God. He is always working. If you are a follower of Christ, be glad that God is always working in you and for His purposes to be worked out in you. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What work never seems to end for you? Leave your comments below.

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Waking Up Has Never Been Easier

There are some people who have an easy time waking up early … I’m not one of them.  

On Monday we had to catch an early flight out of Toronto. Even with staying overnight at our daughter’s, we still needed to get up early to make it to the airport on time. 

I’m definitely not one who wakes up by my inner clock. Even though I get up at the same time every day, I still need an alarm – otherwise I can keep sleeping.

As a teen, I used to prove that every weekend; I could easily sleep in until 11 or 11:30 am. But I didn’t like how much of the day I wasted so I started setting an alarm.  

I just don’t wake up unless that alarm goes off.

But not Monday. I actually woke up two minutes before my alarm was set to go off and it was set for a half hour before my regular alarm. 

I was amazed! … so amazed that I laid in bed those extra two minutes pondering what had just happened. This was a very rare moment for me and I needed to savour it, for at least two minutes – I think I even took three. 

I had gone to bed late, had to rise early and somehow my body knew when to stir me from my slumber.

If you don’t think that’s pretty amazing, let me tell you I’m the guy who would look forward to 7:30 am T-off times, yet be the one whose buddies would have to throw pebbles at my window to wake me up … while my alarm was going off. 

I also can turn off an alarm clock and never know I did it. I position my alarm so that I have to actually move rather than just flop my arm out of the covers and hit a button.

I’ve been getting up at 6 am for over 20+ years and I still don’t wake up on my own. I need a jolt to my system, that jumpstart to kick my brain in gear.

I need that voice calling me back from the deep.

This morning, however, I did the impossible, proving the impossible is possible. 

… I also fall sleep fast, and then not much will wake me. 

When I worked with youth, I never told them how soundly I slept because I feared they would leave the cabin as soon as I was out. I would try to stay awake as long as I could just to make sure my group was asleep before me.

I know, it’s a tough burden I bare.

But one miracle morning does not constitute a trend. I’ll continue to set an alarm to wake up … I don’t want to end up keeping the boys waiting for me Thursdays at 7 am for our men’s prayer time.

At least they won’t come to my window and throw stones at it until I wake up.

Here’s the thing: Christ is going to return one day. The question for each of us is, “How do we want to wake up to that?” If we only wake up to the blaring alarm, it will be too late to respond. But if we wake up to that inner clock, telling us it’s time to put our faith in Christ, we have time to ponder the amazing grace of God’s love for us and to respond by putting our trust in Him.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How do you like to wake up? Leave your comments below.

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How To Get The Right Temperature

Getting the temperature of things just right is not always easy. 

It certainly wasn’t easy for Goldilocks – she had to try porridge that was too hot and too cold before she found the bowl that was just right. 

I feel a little like that. My office at work is located in a corner of the building. At this time of year, as the day progresses and the sun moves around, the temperature in my office increases significantly. 

Without a window air conditioner I might as well be working in a tin box with the sun beating down on it!

In the winter, I also have trouble because the church is heated by hot water radiators – it’s an old system that doesn’t respond very quickly.

I find that I’m either hot or cold; there is no Goldilocks middle ground for me there. 

So I error on the side of being too warm; I just don’t like being cold. 

Lately, as the temperatures have risen, I’ve found that I’m avoiding the basement of my home. 

I’ll go down there to get something, but I won’t hang out in the family room. I have more of a “get what you need and get out” mindset because it’s cold down there. 

Either I’m getting old or this year it seems colder in my basement than in other years. I think it’s due to how damp it is down there; the last couple of weeks have been rather humid. In fact, even when it was not as warm, the air was humid. 

As I walk down the stairs, I can feel the temperature taking a nose dive with every step. 

I hate to say it but it’s a bitter cold. I just don’t want to be down there too long – unless I’m exercising; then my body temperature rises to counteract the frigid air.

We have the air conditioner going but it hasn’t really made any impact on the humidity. 

So the other day I rolled out our dehumidifier. I don’t think we’ve used it for a few years; possibly it wasn’t as humid as this spring has been. 

Anyway, I thought I would see what it could do to make it more inviting in the family room. 

It’s certainly done something! – I’ve been emptying bucket after bucket of water that it’s collected from the air. 

Now when you go downstairs, it’s a similar temperature to upstairs. 

It’s “just right”, as Goldilocks would say. 

There’s only one problem with this solution, however, and it’s that the dehumidifier is so loud that you can’t enjoy being downstairs while it’s on. 

Now I’m once again avoiding the basement, just for a completely different reason. The dehumidifier is too loud to enjoy watching the Stanley Cup playoffs on TV.

I may be in the market for noise cancelling headphones to watch TV in my family room. 

… I can’t seem to get things just right. 

Here’s the thing: Nothing in our lives stays “just right” for very long. Sooner or later something will come along that will change things and they won’t be just right until you make some adjustments. But think about our world … how long has the earth been kept the precise distance from the sun, ensuring we don’t burn up or freeze? Only God can make things just right and keep them that way. Turn to Him when thing aren’t just right and He will help you make the adjustments. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What is not “just right” in your life? Will you seek God for His help? Leave your comments below. 

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Recorded Music Has Changed, But Is It For The Better?

Recorded music is changing … again … and it’s not exactly going forward. 

When I was a kid, the popular music form to buy was the 45. That stood for 45 rpm, the speed at which the records turned on the record player. 

I remember my brother buying me a Beatles 45 for Christmas one year. It had “Hey Jude” on the A side and “Revolution” on the B side. 

Back then you knew what was on both sides of a record … “Penny Lane” side A; “Strawberry Fields Forever” on the flip side. 

Those were singles, but a record album spun at 33 1/2 rpms. Both 33’s and 45’s laid on a platter and spun around while a needle picked up the sound from the grooves. 

Then came the cassette and eight track. We bought whole albums this way and even recorded music from the radio onto cassettes. 

Eight tracks didn’t last very long, but cassettes took off in popularity while record albums started to fade. 

I remember two big record stores on Yonge Street in Toronto: A&A’s and, right beside it, Sam the Record Man. They were famous landmarks in Toronto for many years, but both stores eventually closed and now there is no remaining evidence that they ever existed. 

I remember waiting outside A&A’s all night to get tickets to an Elton John concert in 1974. That was an experience!

We got them at 7:00 am, then cruised by Maple Leaf Gardens with windows down, flashing our tickets and yelling to the thousands of people lined up on the street waiting to purchase their tickets.

Cassettes didn’t completely wipe out vinyl records, but when CD’s made their way onto the scene, they really ended the popularity and production of record albums. 

You could barely find any store that sold records; people had record players only because they had old albums. Record players were collecting dust because no one used them anymore. 

Downloading and renting digital music has become the latest way that we listen to recorded music. We now buy music online or get it through an online music subscription that gives you access to all music. 

With our phones we can listen anytime and anywhere. 

Not long ago, however, my son bought a turntable. He has started collecting some albums … yes, real vinyl LP’s, 33 1/2 rpm records. 

Who would have thought it? Vinyl is making a bit of a comeback, and it’s partly to do with the quality. 

It turns out that all the advancements we’ve made in recording music have not produced a better quality. Vinyl records have a better sound than digital. 

Maybe it’s time to get out my old albums, dust off my turntable and start listening to music like I did when I was in my teens. 

… I’m just not sure I want to spend hours at a record store combing through the albums to find something I want to purchase. 

I enjoy getting my music online. 

Here’s the thing: You’ve probably made some changes spiritually over the years. Some of those changes have likely not been for the better. Maybe they have hindered your relationship with God. It’s time to make a change back to your spiritual roots and connect with God in a deeper, richer way. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you need to go back to in order to enrich your relationship with God? Leave your comments below.

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Reminiscing Is Good For Your Soul

Have you ever thought of how reminiscing is good for the soul? It creates a “make you feel good” moment.

We reminisce all the time. Any time you run into a long-lost friend or even just get together with long time friends, at some point the conversation always goes back to “remember back when…”

I think when we get older that’s why we like the past, and like to reminisce. The old songs, the old ways make us feel good, so we are drawn to them.

I know that every time I get together with friends I went to high school or college with, we talk about the things we did and laugh about them all over again. Even when they weren’t that funny back then, they are great for a laugh now. 

We are constantly rehashing the past, and finding it more and more comforting. 

Although it is something that we do more often the older we get, all ages reminisce. 

That’s why when you play mini stick hockey in the basement with your son, the next day he’ll hand you a mini stick while you’re watching the game on TV. 

It’s just his way of reminiscing about yesterday and wanting to relive it. 

When we get older the difference is the huge span of time that has elapsed since what you’re reminiscing about … and the fact that if you tried to relive it now, you’d probably kill yourself.

My son called me up just the other day. He was learning to play a song on his guitar and was reminded how I used to play it when he and his sister were young. The memory brought a smile to his face and he wanted to share it with me. 

… And while I’m there, the first line in the last paragraph is from another song I used to play for my kids. It’s a line straight out of “Cats In the Cradle” by Harry Chapin.

I can still see them jumping up and down on the bed as I strummed my guitar and sang as loud as I could.

But there I go, reminiscing a little myself! 

The other day I played my first game of golf this season. I was in a tournament on a team with three other guys. 

I didn’t want to be the worst on the team and I didn’t want to hold them back, but I hadn’t swung a club since last fall. 

I started to think about the parts of my swing that I had been working on last year. I was worried I wouldn’t remember what to do to incorporate them. I didn’t want to go right back to my old habits.

But when I stepped up to the practice tee to hit a few balls, it all came back. As I stood over the ball, I remembered what to do. It was like I was reminiscing about swinging the golf club again.

Here’s the thing: Our minds provide us with a lot of feel good memories. But that also means that there can be sad, painful, guilty memories that show up as well. Just remember if you are a follower of Christ, God has taken all your sin away. So you can reminisce over the memories with a smile on your face.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What has this post caused you to reminisce about? Leave your comments below.