experiences

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Waiting For An Outcome That’s Worth It

Sometimes the outcome is worth the wait … and sometimes it’s not.

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That’s what I found last night when we went to the buskers festival downtown.

I’ve been to them before and seen all kinds of acts. It truly is remarkable what some people can do with their bodies and a few props.

On this trip to watch the street performers, Lily and I mostly witnessed juggling in various forms.

There was the guy who could juggle and eat an apple. There were the guys who juggled between each other, one on a unicycle and the other on a ladder, completely unsupported.

We also saw a guy who juggled two fire sticks and a sledge hammer – that was pretty remarkable.

Being a juggler myself, I found that fascinating. I can only juggle three objects and Lily still won’t let me attempt to juggle eggs from the fridge. … I guess I’m not quite ready to join the cast of performers making a living off the street.

As we moved from one busker to another, we noticed that many of them used similar jokes and lines. I personally found there was way too much similarity between the acts. It would have been nice to see more variety.

All the acts work on the same premise. They have one big trick, feat or demonstration that they are going to show the crowd.

That one thing probably only takes about two or three minutes to perform. They make their living off people donating to their act so, to get people to pay up, they need to build some rapport, and give people something more than a two minute reason to spend $5 or more.

What the buskers do is develop a whole act that takes about thirty minutes, leading up to this one main trick everyone is waiting to see. By then you’ve expended a significant amount of time with them and and they have been able to charm you into being generous with your money.

What I found, however, is that most acts really left you thinking, “Please, get on with it”. I didn’t say it because I’m Canadian, but I had thought of shouting out, “Okay, let’s get to the big trick!”

With most of the acts, I thought they were putting in time. But there was one act Lily and I both agreed kept everyone entertained. I never felt like I wished they’d get to the finale.

I found it to be a lot like preaching. You have a point that you want to make, and then you inform the congregation, illustrate the point to emphasize it, draw some conclusions to it, and hopefully are able to do it in a way that keeps the congregation engaged throughout, and not just hoping you’d get to the end.

Maybe I do have some street performer in me.

Here’s the thing: Following Jesus shouldn’t be like most of those busker acts where you are all focussed on the final feat (heaven). It should be more like that one act we saw, where you are engaged with Jesus and interacting with Him all through life. Christ doesn’t call us to an ending; He calls us to come along with Him in relationship.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What kind of relationship with Jesus do you have? Leave your comments below.

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Is Taking A Vacation Worth It?

My life is so overextended right now that I have to work extra hard just to get myself ready for vacation.

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Back when I was a child, and even a teen, when vacation time came around I could literally drop what I was doing and go.

Of course, in those days I had servants (also called parents) that did all the prep work for vacation. I was just along for the ride.

Family vacation was a bonus for me then anyway; I was already on vacation.

But now it’s a different story. In order to leave on vacation, I have to cover my bases, make sure people are in place, and that responsibilities are assigned.

Then there’s the issue of unfinished work.

The experts say that if you really want a rest, if you want to relax, you need to clear up the things you’ve been putting off. In other words, you need to catch up on your work so you can take a break.

The problem is we’re often behind on our work because we’re too tired and need a break.

It seems like a lose-lose situation. I need a break from work, but in order to do that I have to burn myself out before I go so that I have nothing left when I actually take my vacation.

My vacation then becomes a rest AND recuperation.

I have lots of projects that I should tackle before vacation and but there are particularly two things that will stare me in the face all throughout vacation if I don’t do them before I go.

One of those projects involves the desktop on my computer. It is strewn with files and folders, representing work that I need to file or finish.

The filing is not that difficult to accomplish; the time it will take is minimal. It’s the work I need to finish that has me reeling.

The work staring at me from my computer screen has two stages to it. It’s work I need to post to a website.

The first stage is the preparation. I need to get the work in a format that is ready to be posted … I’ve already been working on that.

The second stage involves posting it to the website. This part will take a long time. It’s a tedious, multi-step process for each file.

I remember one year going on vacation, and within an hour of leaving the house, I started feeling sick.

By the time we got to where we were staying the first night, I was sicker than I’d ever been in my life.

I think I had worked so hard getting myself ready for vacation that my body said, “That’s enough!” and it kind of shut down on me.

I was a couple of days into vacation before my body started to come around and I began feeling like myself again.

That seems counteractive to the whole idea of vacation.

Oh, for the days when I had servants to do all the work for me!

Here’s the thing: We tend to overextend ourselves, pushing hard for things, even when we don’t have the power to make them happen. We strive in our own power, and become exhausted, only in the end turning to God for the help He can provide. Why not go to Him first, and seek His wisdom, power and support? Don’t burn out in your own power.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What work or issue could you take to God, instead of wearing out in your own strength? Leave your comments below.

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My Hockey Season is Finally Over

We just celebrated Canada’s birthday, and this morning I finally hung up my skates for the season.

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That’s Canada … hockey till July! No wonder some folks down south believe we live in igloos. Those same people probably think we are still skating outside in July.

This is actually the latest I’ve played hockey in several years. There are other things that get in the way, things like golf and mountain biking.

I only have time for so much; something had to give.

I will tell you though, it’s kind of nice showing up to the arena wearing sandals, shorts and a T-shirt … and I’d much rather come out of the arena to temperatures of +25 C with the sun high in a blue sky than -25 C with the wind howling and the snow flying.

It was time to stop; the numbers were getting low. I guess people have other things to do on a Saturday morning.

We only had three aside and two goalies yesterday. It was like playing overtime in the NHL, except we did it for an hour and 10 minutes!

We even made a trade part way through the game, and my team acquired my son in a one-for-one trade.

We made a killing on the trade, and improved our team and chances by a considerable amount.

For the last game of the season, it was nice to be on the same side as my son and set him up for a few goals.

Normally, we are on opposite teams because he refuses to put a white jersey in his hockey bag. … The teams are usually chosen by light and dark sweaters, so he’s on the other side most of the time.

Before I even had kids, I remember dreaming about being able to play hockey with my children when they became adults.

Since I was in my 30’s before we started, I wondered if I would still be able to skate by the time they reached an age where we could play on the same level.

Well, it’s kind of nice now. I just turned 60, my son is 25, and we were able to dangle some moves together that hypnotized the goalie.

Lily has mixed emotions about the end of the season.

On the one hand, I leave to play at 6:30 in the morning so it’s no hassle for her because she’s still sleeping. But on the other hand, now that the last game has been played, I just added all my hockey sweaters, socks and underwear to the pile of laundry … laundry just increased by a few loads this week.

Without hockey on Saturday, I’ll be able to get at things earlier on Saturday mornings – Lily should be happy. She’ll have more of my time to coerce me into projects and tasks around the house.

Then there is some vacation time up ahead and there’s not much room for hockey when the beach is taking up most days.

It’s a good time for a break, to focus on some other things, and do some dreaming of next season.

Here’s the thing: Different seasons or times of year bring different schedules and commitments. In the changes, your time with God can get put on the shelf. As one thing stops and something else starts, be sure that you keep your time with God – that season never ends.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What seasonal activity has impacted your devotional time? Leave your comments below.

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Some Disasters Turn Into Adventures

Sometimes a disaster is a disaster and we remember it for what it was. But sometimes a disaster turns into an adventure over time.

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I was reflecting the other day on a camp adventure – I mean disaster – I was party to many years ago …

I was directing a week of junior high camp north of Edmonton at Camp Nakamun.

For one of the activities that week I planned to take the whole camp of about 60 campers, plus councillors and support crew, on a lazy river float.

I got the owner of a tire company to give me 100 inner tubes. It was going to be awesome!

The plan was to plop ourselves in the water at a designated spot, float for one and a half hours, then pull up to shore and get picked up by the bus.

It was a great plan … but I wasn’t there when they did the trial run. Everyone assured me that it would go like clockwork so I had no fears.

The day came and we all got in the water and started floating down the Pembina River. About a half a kilometre downstream, I floated by one the staffers who had gone on the trial run. He was looking back at the bridge from which we were dropped into the river.

He said to me very calmly, “I’m not sure that’s the spot we started from when we did our trial.”

I said, “What?! … How are they going to know where to pick us up then?” It’s not like the road followed the river; it actually only intersected the river in a few spots.

At the time I thought, “Oh well. It will work out.”

We had great fun for a while, linking inner tubes together to form a flotilla, splashing each other and, of course, overturning the odd inner tube, dumping the owner into the river.

What we didn’t have was medical personnel, life jackets, or food. They never met up with us.

The day was a little cooler and too overcast to call it ideal weather, so about an hour and a half into the float people were getting hungry, cold and ready to get out of the water.

We kept floating, hoping to find the arranged meeting spot. It was nowhere in sight.

It started to sprinkle rain and the natives started asking more questions. Still we kept floating on.

About two hours into the float, we beached the tubes on the shore and climbed the steep banks of the river.

We found a home close by and the kind owners built a bonfire on their lawn for the kids to keep warm.

It was another hour later before the bus finally found us.

That night I had quite a few hostile junior highers in my camp. They let me know they were not happy with me.

My hour and a half outing turned into a little bit of a Gilligan’s Island tour!

I thought it would go down as the great camping disaster, but the next year some of the kids who’d been on that float talked about it as if it was the greatest adventure.

Years later I look back and laugh at that outing; we all came back alive to tell the tale.

Here’s the thing: When we go through difficult things in life don’t miss the adventure of having God with you. Recall how God managed to get you through the disaster so that you can look back on it as an adventure through which you grew.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: Anyone remember a lazy river ride like that? Leave your comments below.

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I Just Got Some Insights On Baking

I’m not often in the kitchen when my wife is baking, but the other day I got a little insight into what goes into baking.

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She was making cookies – ginger snaps to be exact. I’ve been eating her ginger snaps for years and I really never knew what went into making them.

I knew there had to be sugar because they’re pretty sweet. I also knew that there was molasses in ginger snaps.

But what I didn’t know is that it’s not just any kind of molasses that you put in ginger snap cookies. It’s fancy molasses.

To be honest with you, when I realized that it was fancy molasses in the cookies, I found it hard to believe.

First of all, I wouldn’t call ginger snaps fancy cookies. You wouldn’t find them at a fancy restaurant, or at a high class hotel. You wouldn’t even necessarily come across ginger cookies at any special occasion like Christmas or Easter or Thanksgiving.

It’s your run-of-the-mill, every day, blue collar, working man’s kind of cookie.

So why do they use fancy molasses? And what’s the difference between regular molasses and the fancy kind?

I was really puzzled about this so I did a little research and found out that my wife, though she bakes a mean cookie, has been using the wrong molasses in her ginger snaps.

There are actually five types of molasses and it comes directly from sugar cane. I couldn’t find out why it’s called “fancy”, but another name for fancy molasses is “gold star”.

Whatever you call it, it sounds kind of special, certainly more special than the others: Lite, cooking, unsulphured, and Blackstrap.

Fancy molasses is very sweet and I now realize that’s why my wife’s cookies taste so sweet.

If she used cooking molasses, which is a combination of Fancy and Blackstrap molasses, her ginger snaps wouldn’t be quite as sweet and I would be able to eat 5 or 6 more at a time.

… It’s possible that she knows this and it’s on purpose that she makes them sweeter to cut down on my consumption per serving, but I’m not sure about that.

I think she uses a recipe that calls for fancy molasses because the person who came up with that recipe had a bit of a sweet tooth.

I’m just not sure how to break the news to Lily that she needs to change the molasses in her ginger snaps. Though she sees me as a cookie eating machine, verging on a Cookie Monster, she doesn’t respect my culinary skills or knowledge.

I think the best I can hope for is when she reads this post she will be swayed to try a different kind of molasses the next time she makes her ginger snaps.

By the way, why don’t they call these cookies “molasses cookies” instead of “ginger snaps”? There is way more molasses in them that there is ginger.

You know, if we called them “fancy molasses cookies” I bet they would start showing up in snobbier places and events … I’m just sayin’.

Here’s the thing: We all have different tastes, likes and dislikes. That’s why it’s important to create your time with God in a manner, method, and way that you relate best to Him. There are no cookie cutter relationships with God.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How do you structure your devotional time? Leave your comments below.

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That Project Left Me Feeling Incompetent

The project I worked on yesterday left me feeling fairly incompetent, until I watched a program that changed my mind altogether.

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I was replacing some wall sconces at our cottage … we had four, all the same, but Lily decided she wanted some more modern-looking ones.

She found the perfect fixtures and, a few weeks ago, I had the task of changing them.

The amazing thing was I didn’t get electrocuted!

Unfortunately, the new fixtures didn’t fit very well. I tried to modify the attachment plates but they still didn’t fit snugly to the wall. They didn’t look quite right but I ran out of time and left them.

Yesterday I took another stab at it, trying to find a better solution. I was just about to drill a couple of new holes to make it work, when I got another idea.

This idea involved a hacksaw and cutting through a metal plate.

Now, in the past I’ve had some issues with saws of various kinds. There was the time I was trimming off the bottom of a door and I made a nice starter cut at the base of my first finger on my left hand.

That manoeuvre sent me directly to the hospital. The doctors were amazed I didn’t cut a nerve. That finger still feels a little funny to the touch, however.

It wasn’t more than about six months later that I was trimming a panel for a sliding door in our basement. I was using a utility knife to slice the fine board, only I got slightly off course and sliced into myself.

And you can guess, it was my first finger on my left hand. This time it was at the top of the finger.

Well, that was all in the past because this time I didn’t cut anything … well, except the metal plates.

My problem this time was I kept doing things out of order and then would need to take everything all apart to put in a couple of forgotten screws or to trim some insulation.

I had four sconces and it wasn’t until the fourth one that I was able to do things in the right order without having to attach and unattach it from the wall two or three times.

Oh yah, I was able to complete the job unscathed but I still felt like never doing a home project again. I made so many mistakes, the time it took wasn’t worth it.

Feeling like I was done with home repairs from now on, I settled down to relax. Lily was watching some reality TV home show where contestants had to compete against each other, doing things on a construction site like manoeuvring a wheel barrel, hammering nails, painting panels.

After watching how pathetic those people were at doing their tasks, I was feeling like a professional!

I looked over at the wall to see my handiwork and thought the job looked great. I immediately forgot about my frustration and thought I could take on another project some time.

… Well, we’ll see.

Here’s the thing: When you find that sin has tripped you up, maybe for the umpteenth time, and you’re feeling pretty bad about it, with self talk like, “What’s the matter with me?”, remind yourself how God sees you. He does not see you as a failure who falls to sin; He sees you as a son or daughter whom He loves and picks back up after you fall down.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How do you rebound from being down on yourself? Leave your comments below.

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I Was A Little Overfed This Father’s Day

I’m feeling pretty stuffed today. This year Father’s Day really took a toll on me.

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For years on Dad’s day I would be treated to a special meal of some kind. Either we would BBQ steak in the backyard or we would go to a restaurant for a meal that would be easy on the work but heavy on the pocketbook. The festivities would be over by mid afternoon and I would still be able to get in my Sunday afternoon nap.

Well, the years have come and gone. We’ve done different things for Father’s Day, but this year had a new twist.

Instead of the family gathering around Father, Dad went to the family.

The festivities started right after church when I was presented with a brownie by one of our teens. All I did was be a dad.

As I shoved the whole thing in my mouth in one shot (just in case someone tried to sneak a bite), I thought maybe we should do this every Sunday. We could have different groups in the church present dads with brownies – you know, one week it could be the little children, the next week it might be the seniors.

Another week could be the wives … well, on second thought, maybe that wouldn’t work so well.

Sticking to Father’s Day this year, I had my brownie and next up was lunch with our son, Mike.

We met at a restaurant because Lily and I were going to our cottage for a day, and it would be easier to pick up and leave town after lunch.

We had a nice meal; I was pretty full after my triple decker club sandwich and, of course, the brownie I had after church.

Now if I had have gone biking after that I might have been ready for an evening meal, but all we did was sit in a car and drive for a few hours to Toronto to meet with our daughter, Karlie.

Those days of having the family all come together where Dad resides has gone by the wayside. We’re too spread out for that.

We arrived right at dinner time, but I didn’t feel like I needed any dinner. I felt that my lunch meal was still in my stomach and, because I didn’t get my nap, my body had put a stoppage to the work of breaking down my meal.

I could have skipped dinner at that point, but my daughter, Karlie, had been waiting all day for a nice meal with her dad and she was starving.

So out we went for another restaurant meal and more food. This time I even got talked into having dessert. It was seeing the people eating at the table next to me that talked me into it.

Well, when we finally rolled out of the restaurant, we got back in the car and continued on our journey to the cottage.

It was quite a Father’s Day … it was a lot of food. It was great being with both my kids!

Here’s the thing: Your Heavenly Father wants to see you, to meet with you, so much so that He will show up whenever and wherever you will meet with Him. Just make sure you show up. Don’t just take it for granted that He’s around and close by. He’s looking forward to sharing a meal with you.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What did you do for Father’s Day this year? Leave your comment below.

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I’ve Had Too May Birthdays – That’s Enough!

I guess you could say I’ve had a lot of birthdays – so many in fact, I can’t remember them all.

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I just had one the other day. This one I will remember – actually, I would like to forget it, but I’ll remember it because it’s one of those birthdays that ends in a zero.

The day before my birthday, I went mountain biking. I almost crashed into a tree, but instead grabbed it and scraped my arm a bit.

Someone asked me if I’m going to stop biking because of the injuries. I said, “No. I was in my 50’s when I crashed; now that I’m 60 my co-ordination and balance is way better!”

Most people were very nice to me on Facebook, wishing me a happy birthday. The odd person rubbed the age thing in a bit, but not too much.

The thing about it is, on the one hand, I’m proud that I reached a milestone like 60. I’m pretty pleased that at sixty I can still play hockey, ride my bike, and beat my son in golf.

But the downside of turning 60 is that it sounds so old. When I turned 40 or 50, those were ages that sounded like maturity. Even if I lacked a little at times, at least my age gave the appearance that I was a mature adult.

It’s different with 60. It just sounds like you’re an old man. Who cares if you’re mature? You’re old now and that’s all people think when you say, “sixty”.

They think, and may even ask, “Where are you keeping that cane?” “You driving a Buick yet?” “Did you hear me or do you have your hearing aid in?”

I know that by next year I will probably get used to being sixty, but right now it has a strange ring to it.

I hope things don’t start to change automatically at this age. Tonight my wife, Lily, took me out to dinner for my birthday. After dinner we went for a walk downtown and I could feel a little tightness in my hip.

… I’m hoping that was a result of my bike ride way back when I was in my 50’s, and not some age-inherent arthritis I was feeling.

As we walked, I did see a number of senior citizens who had some pretty significant limps. I was hoping I wasn’t fitting in with them.

They say you are only as old as you feel. I don’t feel that old … I certainly don’t feel like I’m 60 – that’s an old guy! My dad was sixty once, and I thought he was old then; I’m not that old.

I might have to take this next year and prove that I’m not an old man by doing things old men wouldn’t do.

… I’m not sure what those things are, since I don’t know what sixty year olds won’t do, but this year when I feel like I don’t want to do something, I’m going to do it just in case it’s one of those things!

Here’s the thing: If you’ve put your faith in Christ, when you sin, sometimes you don’t feel like a Christian. But the truth of the matter is you still are a Christian, whether you feel like it or not. Confess your sin and get on with living up to who you are.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What have you found to be a difficult adjustment to make? Leave your comments below.

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It’s A Disaster When I’m Not Focused

Some people are naturally more focused than others, but focus is important for everyone.

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When you’re focused, you get more done in less time; you rid yourself of distractions. When you’re focused, the main things seem to be clearer in your mind.

But it’s not always easy to be focused. There are times – especially when we are tired – that we just can’t focus on any one thing.

I had that experience a week ago when I was working with a committee to write a report. We had worked for many hours on the contents and finally we were consolidating and tuning all our expressions into a concise, articulate document.

After a couple of hours, I couldn’t concentrate on the point we were dealing with. All I could think of was closing my eyes, that there was time the next day to finish our task.

A few days ago, I also had a moment when I had to talk myself into getting focused. I was trying to throw a crumpled piece of paper into a garbage basket from about eleven feet away (okay, I measured the distance later).

I missed three times: to the left, to the right, and then short. Each time I thought I would make the shot, but it wasn’t until I really trained my sights on the back of the basket that I drained it.

I had to tell my eyes what to lock onto, instead of looking in the general direction. When I locked my focus on the back of the garbage basket, I put it in … and to prove it wasn’t a fluke, I did it five more times in a row after that.

When I think of focus, I think of a magnifying glass and the sun. When you get the sun to shine through the magnifier until the light draws together to form a ray that is so intense and powerful that you can start a fire, that’s focus.

When I focus on a golf ball, I will hit it squarely centred on the club face. When my focus is not trained on the ball, I will miss the centre ever so slightly and the ball will not travel as far.

In my office, first thing in the morning, if I get out my study tools and start reading, I focus on my task undistracted.

If, however, I open up my email, my focus is lost to find out who wants my attention. My mind is flooded with added thoughts, concerns, and demands that were not there before I looked at my email.

My intent, my focus is no longer laser-like; it’s not going to burn a hole through any paper.

The trick is eliminating things that distract, that widen our view and keep us from locking onto our target with pinpoint accuracy.

Here’s the thing: When it comes to focusing on God, the best time to focus is before you have any other commitment or distraction on your mind. That’s why I like the early morning, before I look at or do anything else. That’s when it’s easiest to focus on my mind on God. And if I happen to wake up with something else on my mind, I simply determine a later time when I will deal with it, so I can lay it aside for the time being.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you do to focus your attention? Leave your comments below.

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Varying Temperature

We know that temperature varies from place to place, but 20° Celsius isn’t even the same across the country.

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When you hear what the temperature is somewhere else, you immediately interpret it as what it would feel like where you are presently.

Of course, this leads to either jealousy or boasting. We either wish we had the temperature in that other city or we proudly admire the great temperature we have.

I was recently in Calgary for a conference and when I flew out of Toronto it was quite warm. When I got to Calgary, it was a little overcast and cooler.

The next day, however, was going to be around 20 C so I dressed appropriately for what 20 C would be back home in Ontario.

What I found, though, was I could have worn a light spring coat and been perfectly comfortable. It’s not that I was cold, but it wasn’t warm either.

The next day I wore shorts. It was supposed to be warmer and, though I was not chilly wearing shorts, I could have been slightly more comfortable in long pants. Choosing my attire based solely on the temperature, I should have been very comfortable.

Just before I was leaving Calgary, I stopped to grab lunch at a fast food restaurant. I placed my order, and while waiting, saw a young guy come in rather exhausted.

He said to me, “Man, is it ever hot out there!” I could tell he wasn’t kidding. The temperature had risen to about 24 C, but he seemed like he wasn’t going to make it through the day if he didn’t get some kind of relief.

He ordered water.

That’s it! It was like if he didn’t get water right then, he couldn’t go on. Fortunately, the place had lots of water and it seemed he had enough change in his pocket to pay for it.

I was ready if he had been short a few coins; I would have chipped in for the guy. He seemed a little desperate.

After I finished my meal in the comfort of the air conditioned restaurant, I prepared to head out into the blistering heat.

I thought maybe I should order a bottle of water to go in case I collapsed before I reached my rental car. … I simply took my chances.

Outside the restaurant the temperature was nice. I wasn’t sweating and I certainly didn’t feel the heat of the sun beating down on me.

I thought about the young guy inside and wondered how he would do in the same temperature in Toronto. He may have needed two bottles of water – one to carry in case it was a long distance between watering holes.

When I got into Toronto at 9:30 pm that night, it was about 19 C. It felt about the same temperature as it had in Calgary at midday with the sun shining down on us.

Someone pointed out to me that in the winter -10 C in Toronto feels a lot more severe than -10 C in Calgary. I guess it’s all relative.

Here’s the thing: In life we deal with the same circumstances in different ways. We have different thresholds for what we experience. Aren’t you glad that God is personal and deals with you, helps you, listens to you, responds to you, not according to the degree of the issue, but based on how it feels to you?

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What issues cause “severe temperatures” for you? Leave your comments below.