experience

by

Getting Lost In Your Thoughts Is A Must Exercise

I found a new way of getting lost in music and thought. I haven’t really done this kind of thing for years and, honestly, probably not for 49 years.

getting lost in your thoughts is a must exercise

As a teenager, I had lots of time on my hands. I would often just lie on my bed, listen to record albums and let my mind drift along with whatever thoughts wanted to flow through it.

If you’ve never done it, it’s a pretty cool experience, relaxing, entertaining and creative. Some great ideas have come from those times.

But way back then it was different than it is now … 

I remember going to a record store and combing through bin after bin of albums. I’d thumb my way over album covers of my favourite rock groups, hoping to find a gem at a reasonable price. 

That reasonable price was somewhere between $7 and $11. Compared to the $50 I recently paid for a record I got my son, that was a bargain!

It was always risky to buy an album, though. You knew one or maybe two songs on the record because they were on the radio. The rest of the album could have been horrible … you never knew unless you listened to FM radio. 

FM stations would often play two or three non-hits off an album. I listened to the hits on 1050 CHUM (Toronto) but the “B” side songs on CHUM FM (104.5). By listening to FM radio, you took some of the risk out of buying albums. 

When the purchase or purchases were made at the record store, I’d take them home and put them on the stereo to listen to them. 

You could stack a number of records on a stereo. The mechanism that used to drop the next record onto the platter was the inspiration for the game “Mouse Trap” … or maybe it was the other way around.

I could stack three records from my favourite band or listen to three different bands. I would lie on my bed or on the couch in the living room and just let them play. Then I’d get lost in it all and let the music wash over me, daydream, wonder and contemplate. 

It was an awesome time. 

Now that I’m retired, there are parts of my teen years that I’m reliving – like having large amounts of time on my hands.

The other day I did what I would do so many years ago … except with a difference. 

I don’t have to buy albums anymore. I have Apple Music that will play me whatever I want. Now I can stream any number of songs or albums without addition cost. 

So there I was, lying on my couch, listening to a Steely Dan stream. And my iPhone just kept playing the band’s songs, song after song. 

Thirty minutes into that enjoyable, relaxing, free-flowing thought train, my brother stopped by. And my listening stream just continued, becoming the background music to our conversation. 

… Not a bad afternoon for a guy “living the life of Riley”. Again.

Here’s the thing: We all need time to lie down, to think, dream, and let our thoughts pull and tug at us. It’s also important to do this with God – to meditate on a Bible verse or passage, to let His words and ideas pass through our minds. It’s a way of letting God, through the Holy Spirit, speak to your heart and move you in His direction.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: When will you make time to think and meditate? Leave your comments and questions below.

Subscribe to my blog and receive posts like this one to your email weekly. 

by

Too Quiet Is Something We Don’t Experience Much

We all need a little quiet time in our lives but sometimes it can be too quiet.

too quiet is something we don't experience much

This past week my wife, Lily, went out of town for a few days to help her mother. That meant I had to fend for myself for four days. I’m not much of a cook so Lily left me with enough leftovers and quick meal options to cover most of my meals. 

She likes to do that so that I don’t have any excuses for going out to eat. She knows I don’t need much of a reason to grab a burger or a pizza from one of my familiar spots. 

And she doesn’t like me spending the money … or maybe it’s that she doesn’t like that I’m eating out without her. 

There is nothing new with this routine, but there’s something different this time. 

It’s way more quiet this time, or perhaps I should say it’s quiet for longer this time. 

You see, any time Lily has gone away for an extended period of time, I’ve been working. Most of my days were spent working at the office. I was out of the house and busy during the day. 

Even my evenings were filled with meetings and events. 

But now that I’m retired, I don’t have an office to go to. I’m just in the house all day long and it’s quiet – too quiet.

Now don’t get me wrong; I don’t mind the quiet. In fact, even when I was working, I needed quiet to work. 

Being blessed with a touch of ADD, I didn’t need anything to distract me when I studied. So quiet was what I looked for.

One time I had a staff member whose office was beside mine. In the mornings when I would be working on a sermon, he would play music. It wasn’t that his music was bad or anything, but he had a woofer that kept pounding the beat. I couldn’t really hear the tune or the instruments, but the constant boom, boom, boom I did hear. 

That was enough to distract me so that I couldn’t focus on what I was studying. I often took my laptop and went into the sanctuary where it was quiet. 

I like quiet and I need quiet. But what I’m finding is that quiet without being highly focussed for long portions of the day is maybe a little too quiet. 

I may have to resort to doing random shopping for things I don’t know I need. Maybe I should start drinking coffee so I can pop into Tim Hortons and grab a cup in a noisy environment. 

Last night I listened to a sermon while I played pool for an hour.

My big fear is that if it’s too quiet for too long I’ll start talking out loud to myself. … I could use different voices and accents and talk about nothing just so that it wouldn’t be too quiet. 

Here’s the thing: Most of us will try to limit the amount of quiet in our lives so we don’t experience too much quiet. But to hear God speak to us we need quiet. In fact, many people don’t experience God in their lives because they are never quiet long enough to really get in touch with Him. Try some quiet time and focus your mind on God. Prepare with reading scripture, journaling your thoughts and prayer. See if God speaks to you out of your quietness.

That Life!

Paul

Question: How could you add a little quiet to your life? Leave your comments and questions below.

Subscribe to my blog and receive posts like this one to your email weekly. 

by

Wonder Is Something There Is No Short Supply Of

I guess we will never lose our wonder over things people invent. 

Wonder is something there is no short supply of

Yesterday I experienced what I think is a relatively new invention. 

I was on my way to our cottage, it was getting past dinner time and I was a little peckish. But I had a destination in mind and was willing to stave off the urge to steer my car towards one of the numerous fast food spots along the way. 

The last few times Lily and I have driven up to the cottage we have seen these big boxes with a picture of a pizza on it. Some of these boxes are tucked beside a restaurant or a store. Some of them are just by themselves. 

We’ve seen five or six of them on our travels this year.

I wondered what they were, so one time I pulled up to one of these boxes and discovered they are a pizza dispensing machine.

The crazy thing is that they don’t just dispense cold pizza. They offer hot, ready to eat, on the spot pizza as well. 

Well I tucked that thought back into my brain, knowing there would come a time when I was going to try it. 

Yesterday was the day. 

It may be just another gimmick but I was intrigued.

… I’m sure when they came out with the first pop or sofa dispensing machine people went “wow”. You just dropped your coins into a slot, pressed a button and – boom – the pop of your choice came out. 

We don’t even think about that now, but back when they first came out it would have been a wonder.

This trip up to the cottage I was by myself and was set on trying this pizza. 

How could this huge box spit out hot pizza and do it in three minutes? Come on!

I pulled in and there was a family just finishing a pizza. When they saw me heading for the machine the mom said, “It’s pretty good.” 

Back in the early nineties, we had a Chrysler New Yorker. It would talk to us. If the door wasn’t quite shut, a voice would say, “a door is ajar” … to which we would all reply in unison, “The door is not a jar; it’s a door!” 

One day when our son was about two or three, I was driving with him in our other car. He asked me very seriously, “Daddy, why doesn’t this car have a little man in it?”

I laughed and thought, “Boy, the wheels are really turning in Mike’s head over this one.” 

Well, to be honest, how do you get a pizza in three minutes out of a box that’s about 7 feet by 8 feet by 4 feet? 

The obvious answer is that there’s got to be a little man in it. I’m sure I’ve seen a little man selling frozen pizzas on TV before. 

Well, this box pumped out my pizza … Hawaiian, of course. And though I’m not a connoisseur of fine pizza, it was not horrible.

Chock one up for new inventions. 

Here’s the thing: There are time we are filled with wonder about what we see, hear or experience. If we took time to think, time to ponder, we would always be filled with wonder at mountains so high, grass so green, minds so creative, newborn babies so intricate and small. All that wonder should be directed to God who made everything. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What has filled you with wonder recently? Leave your comments and questions below.

Subscribe to my blog and receive posts like this one to your email twice weekly.

by

We Forget How Much We Enjoy Things

This week I noted that you can forget how much you enjoy something when you haven’t experienced it for a while.

We forget how much we enjoy things

It can happen in all areas of our lives. For instance, when I was growing up my mother often made a lemon cake-top pudding for dessert. She would make it every couple of months so the memory of the taste and texture was engrained in my mind. 

As an adult though, years and years went by without me having that lemon pudding. I kind of forgot about it. 

But somehow my wife, Lily, found that old recipe of my mom’s and decided to try it. 

Unbelievable! – that’s all I can say. Everything about that pudding was amazing from the way the soft, fluffy cake emerged from the pale yellow semi-thick sauce to the lemony taste that can’t be replicated in any other dish. 

I truly forgot just how good it was. … Sorry, the recipe is an old family secret now. 

But the other day I had an experience much like that. I went golfing.

I’ve golfed a lot over the years. Many years ago I would golf three, sometimes four times a week. But my golfing has tapered off over the years for many reasons.

One reason is that it takes up a lot of your day, and my days seem to be fuller, busier than they used to be. I’ve also lost some of my golfing partners to other things, and my interests have shifted. I’ve done far more mountain biking over the last ten years than golf. 

So on vacation I booked a tee time for Lily and I. It took me three weeks to do it and I’m not sure why. The thought of golfing sparked some interest but I guess not enough to pick up the phone, search for a deal and book a time. 

Finally I got around to it, and you know what? I had forgotten just how much I love taking out that driver and giving my golf ball a good smack. 

I get excited standing over a twenty foot putt and stare down that hole, willing my ball to go in.

I love standing on an elevated tee box and looking down the fairway at the contoured mowing, the trees on either side, and the lush green gleaming in the distance. 

I’ve played one other time this year, but for some reason this round brought back how much I enjoy the game of golf. 

I didn’t score all that well – what golfer is ever satisfied with his or her score?- but I hit the ball well. 

That feeling of hitting the ball in the sweet spot of the club face and then watching that ball sail through the air towards the target – mmmm … just like that lip-smacking lemon cake-top pudding when it crosses your teeth and hits those taste buds.

I’m going to feast on that enjoyment and savour every moment of it as I look forward to my next game in a couple of days with my son. 

Maybe I will score better too!

Here’s the thing: I’ve noticed that in life we can get completely focused on what we are experiencing, especially the trials and difficulties, like what many of us may be experiencing now. All our effort and focus is on what we can do to alleviate, or eliminate the trouble. We forget we have a God who is all powerful. During these days, reach out to God and remember just how good He is in the midst of the rough waters in life. Enjoy Him. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What aspect of God do you need reminding of right now? Leave your comments and questions below.

Subscribe to this blog and receive these posts delivered directly to your email inbox weekly.

by

Real Freedom May Not Be At The End Of Your Hard Work

Sometimes you work hard to give yourself more freedom later, only to be disappointed when that anticipated freedom becomes available.

freedom

That was my experience the other day. I was trying to finish a talk I was scheduled to give in two days because I didn’t want to have to work on it the next day.

I was tired and wanted some freedom the next day – some time off. I didn’t have plans; I just knew I needed some time to myself.

So I worked at it all day – even when the ideas were flowing more like a frozen lake than a rapidly moving river in the spring. 

I found out late in the afternoon that my evening engagement was cancelled so I just kept on working through the dinner hour. I put my head down and kept writing. In fact, I got on a bit of a roll, and it was then that I determined to finish the talk, no matter what, so that I wouldn’t have to work on it the next day.

The thought of having a free day inspired me to keep going. I didn’t make a list of things I wanted to do; just the idea of being able to do whatever I wanted was so appealing right then.

By 8 pm I had finally finished my talk. It was a huge relief, a weight off my shoulders. 

But I still was not quite finished. 

If I wanted to be really free the next day, there were a couple more things I needed to do. I spent the next twenty minutes putting my power point deck together for my presentation. I then put together the online outline and uploaded it to the server. I printed a copy of my talk and then put my computer copy in a format for my iPad. 

By 9 pm I was done. I left the office tired but feeling really good. I was ready for a full day off.

Life was good; I felt free. I was looking forward to the next day.

The next morning, I started the day with a 7 am hockey game. Then the rest of the day was all mine. 

What do you do when you have a whole day in front of you and you have no responsibilities? 

Well, let me tell you what you do: you make a plan. Right away, immediately, you make a plan so that you use your freedom to give you maximum enjoyment and fulfillment. 

… You don’t do what I did. 

I put absolutely no thought into what I wanted to do. I just had this idea of being free for a day, but I didn’t plan anything for that free time. 

When the end of my day off came, I felt that I had wasted my freedom. I didn’t do anything of consequence because I hadn’t thought of what I might want to do. 

When what you are looking forward to is vast and vague, you will never be happy with the outcome unless you make a concrete plan.

Here’s the thing: The idea of complete bliss and unending tranquility when life is over will not materialize unless you have a plan for it now. Plan now for what you want your future to look like by putting your faith in Jesus Christ and trusting your life and future to Him. Then, when all your work in this life is over, you won’t be disappointed. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: Right now how will you go about making your plan for the future? Leave you comments and questions below.

by

Same Experience Different Takeaway

It is no surprise that people can be engaged in the same experience but have different takeaways.

Even as I write this now, I prove this “same but different” concept to be true. It’s 3:30 am and I’m writing my blog while my wife is fast asleep. 

Just a few moments ago we were both in bed. We got into the same bed at the same time, and turned the lights out at the same time. 

All the conditions were the same, yet she is sleeping and I am not.

I spoke at a church in Spain two weeks ago. Everyone heard the same message, though some in Spanish. One woman, however, responded differently to the message than everyone else. She gave her life to Christ that day.

Back in 1974 I had waited outside of A&A’s record store on Yonge St in Toronto for tickets to an Elton John concert. My friends and I got 17th row on the floor, centre stage. 

Those tickets were pretty sweet.  

From the first note, all 20,000 of us in the Gardens that night were on our feet, jumping up and down and screaming out the lyrics of every tune Elton sang … I pretty much demolished the chair I was standing on.

Near the end of the concert, someone I knew was even closer to the stage. I’m not sure if he wormed his way up there or if his seat was just that close. 

At one point in the concert, Elton John came to the edge of the stage and touched the hands of delirious fans. This acquaintance on mine had a felt top hat in his hand. He held it out to Elton and he took it, sat down at the piano and played, “Bennie and the Jets”. 

Then Elton got up and, amongst all the extended arms, put the hat right back into the hand of my school mate.

We all experienced the same concert but that guy had a different takeaway than the rest of us. 

I just finished attending a conference in another part of the world. During one session each day, conference participants spoke about their experiences of sharing God’s love with others. 

The stories were the same in that each story was about making Jesus famous. The content of each story had the same bottom line of how Christ was changing people’s lives. 

But each story was so different.

Some of the stories involved people being healed. There were stories of kindness being the convincing factor. Some stories were about explaining or interpreting a dream. And some of the stories involved a consistent example. 

It was amazing how in one story it seemed like only an angel could have been involved in making Christ famous. 

It was so interesting because, though we heard story after story on the same theme, each story was so different.

It was the same message but each person had a different takeaway. 

Here’s the thing: The message of Christ is the same. It doesn’t change but people respond to different parts of it. Some people respond to love extended to them, some to a truth that finally clicks and makes sense. Some respond to the contrast of God’s desire for them versus the desire of another god. Some take longer to respond than others, and some respond through different means, like in dreams or visions. But to all who respond, the takeaway will be the same … salvation.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What experience have you had that needs a different takeaway? Leave your comments below.

by

It Was A Powerful Experience

There are a lot of powerful things in nature, and this past year we’ve seen more than our share of nature’s power on this earth.

Though there have always been reports and news stories of hurricanes, tornados, floods, tsunamis, and earthquakes, this year we have felt the power of nature a little closer to home. 

Canada gets its fair share of cold, ice and snow, but for the most part we’re spared many of the devastating natural disasters. 

This year, however, we’ve had run-ins with fire, wind and water on a greater scale. Yet, in spite of all that, where I live we experienced the best summer weather in about four years.

You can’t really appreciate the power of nature by watching it on TV. It’s only in person that you can feel the immense force of nature. 

… Like when you stand on the edge of a rock, overlooking the surge of water dropping to the next level – that’s when you really get how powerful water can be. 

… Or when you drive through a city that was hit by a tornado the night before and see metal twisted around trees, and roofs ripped off of homes, then you realize the power of wind. 

Yesterday we were closing up our cottage for the year and during the day the wind got progressively more intense. 

The trees seemed to all move to the music of the wind … and it must have been more like rave music than a slow waltz because the trees were dancing wildly!

There were warnings of extreme winds, but from the comfort of our cottage, the only indication of the weather was the sound it provided. 

Just after sundown, Lily and I went for a walk down to the beach. We could see the dark clouds racing across the sky. 

As we got closer to the beach, the noise of the wind increased. We also felt the wind more, especially when there was nothing in the way to block it.

I’ve watched television news reporters standing outside, giving their weather reports, hours before a hurricane would be full throttle on that city. Sometimes you could tell they were struggling not to be blown away. 

I have often thought that those reporters had tiny toothpicks for legs … I don’t any more.

We stood just onto the beach. The forecast was for wind gusts up to 80kph, and though I didn’t fear that I was going to get blown over, I had to brace myself to take pictures and video. See one of the pictures I took above. 

When we walked against the wind, we had to do so with a serious forward lean to fight the push back of the wind. 

… And that wasn’t even close to the power of the wind in a hurricane! 

Both Lily and I marvelled at the power of the wind and the waves as we surveyed Lake Huron from the beach.

Powerful.

Here’s the thing: As powerful as the wind might be, as hungry as a fire is, as devastating as water can be, God’s power is over all these and more. There is nothing – no power of earth – that is as powerful as God. So when you see first hand the power of water, fire or wind, comprehend its force, but know that there is someone more powerful. There is One who can control and command the power of each and every element we have on earth: God. May you be in awe of the Lord every time you see the power in nature. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What powerful force have you experienced lately?  Leave your comments below.

by

A New Idea For Your Shopping Experience

I’ve come up with a new idea for grocery stores, something I’m sure could be used in other retail businesses as well.

The idea is a bit of a throwback to the “service is king” mentality of yesteryear. It should work well because it will market to people who remember yesteryear.

“Yesteryear” is a time in the past – not really sure when – but it was long ago. It’s also referred to fondly by many as “the good old days”.

This idea I have is for seniors, and I really think it could take off. It would cost the grocery stores some money in employing young teens who can handle a harsh comment and a light touch of a cane to the back of the leg.

Here’s where I got the idea from …

I was at a grocery store helping Lily do the shopping. Actually, I was adding to the shopping cart, her shopping list and to the price we would be paying.

I had found something about two aisles over from where Lily was with the cart. As I made my way to Lil, I saw a little old lady (not the one from Pasadina) at the end of the aisle where Lily was looking intently at the label on a package of paper towels.

The lady caught my eye because she was just standing there with her hand on a stack of pop cans, with a look on her face that I identified as “I think I might need some help here”.

I thought maybe she was not feeling well, like maybe she was dizzy, or weak, or confused. So I asked her, “Are you okay? Do you need some help?

She responded by saying “I can’t find my shopping cart; someone has taken it.”

Hearing that I was ready to jump into action and overpower the jerk who took the old lady’s cart. But just as I was about to start looking, a teenaged store employee came along with her cart and a cane.

I guess she had wondered off from them and didn’t remember where they were. The young man called her by name and said, “here you go” as he handed her her stuff.

She turned and commented, “It’s hard; I’m 91 years old.” As she shuffled away, I saw a cashier trying to wave her down, telling her she also had some groceries waiting at the cash.

You know that lady was going to get into a car and drive away after that?! … but that’s another blog post altogether.

When I saw all this happen I got inspired. I bet a lot of seniors – I mean the really senior kind of seniors – would love to have a young guy or girl push their cart and fill it, all on their command.

Seniors would flock to a grocery store that had that kind of service. The kids wouldn’t mind; they might even get a tip, and something monetary from the seniors they served.

Who knows? By the time I get to be a real senior, I might like a little of that yesteryear treatment too.

Here’s the thing: We all need a little help at times in life. One of the most important things a church provides is others to walk with you when you need that helping hand. Church should be a place where people assist each other and we all should be on the lookout for those we might be able to help.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How have you been helped by someone in your life? Leave a comment below.