experiences

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Live vs. Prerecorded

From time to time I repost articles previous written. This was originally posted on October 30, 2012

This week I attended a conference on leadership.  It was the annual Global Leadership Summit that Willow Creek Church puts on.

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Years ago if you were to attend this conference you had to travel to Chicago to be there in person.  Then they made it easier for people by having simulcast sites all over North America so you could still attend the conference “live”, in your home town, or at least close to where you lived.

I’ve done both in the past, and though being there live is kind of special and you get the real feel of the conference, I have become pretty comfortable watching the speaker on a screen.

What helped was realizing that even when I was in Chicago, because the auditorium was so big, I found myself watching the screens there.  You could see the speakers better that way.  So being somewhere else watching a screen wasn’t a difficult adjustment – at least you knew it was happening in present time.

Now this conference has taken things to a new level.  Not only do you not have to be in Chicago for the conference, but now you don’t even have to attend when the conference is taking place.

I attended this week, but the conference actually took place and was recorded in the middle of August.  This week, Bill Hybels (the host speaker) was probably speaking some other message, somewhere on the other side of the world, while we were taking in the conference like it was happening live.

The host sites do a good job, though, of keeping it fresh, and “live-like”.  We had a live band to lead us in some songs and a live host, who lead us to the all important refreshments at break times.

But we were also encouraged to respond to things like it was happening live.  For instance, at the end of a message, the audience in Chicago (back in August) all clapped.  We were encouraged to do the same, but our clapping was pretty feeble, since we were only clapping to a screen.

At the very end of the conference, Bill Hybels challenged everyone to pray and give our all to making the local church the hope of the world.  He asked us to pray a set prayer for the next 30 days, and if we agreed to do it, to sign the card the prayer was on … and to do it in the presence of a witness.

And that is when any sense of it being live fell apart for me.  He said “If you don’t have someone who will witness you signing your prayer card, I will be up here at the front and would be happy to witness it for you.”  I looked, and I hung around at the front for a moment; Bill wasn’t there.  He was in Chicago, or Zimbabwe, or some place else.

Here’s the thing:  I’m good at pretending something is live when it has really been recorded.  For the most part, I don’t miss the live action.  God, however, is live all the time, 24/7.  When I want to respond or need a response, with God I’m never left hanging around, waiting for someone who’s not there to show up.  I never want to take for granted how much better my live God is.

Until Next Time!

Pastor Paul

Question:  How often do you take advantage of God being live, 24/7? Leave your comment below.

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Don’t Be A Whiner!

Let’s not be whiners. I know there is a great temptation to be one because of the weather, but let’s suck it up. Let’s be brave and face the cold – let’s be Canadian!

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I think global warming is having some serious negative effects all over the world. One of those negatives is convincing Canadians our positional latitude is quite a few degrees lower than it really is.

We don’t live in North Carolina, people! When we get a blast of winter’s harshest, we shouldn’t get all whiny and complaining and stay indoors until spring. We live in the North – period.

Yesterday was an Alberta-like winter day in Kingston, Ontario. By that I mean that the sky was blue, the sun was shining, the snow was glistening and it was -25 Celsius outside.

I heard people complaining about the cold. But listen, we’ve only had 3 days of it! By tomorrow the temperature will be in the single digits and by next week we will be basking in temperatures up above zero.

This has been an easy winter so far; let’s not complain about a few really cold days. You see, the good thing is that we know what cold is like and we have appropriate clothing in our closets to keep us warm through it all.

We don’t need to stay indoors and huddle under blanks while we bemoan the fact that it’s freezing outside.

Let’s just be Canadians and keep going. Let’s act like nothing is special about this weather.

After all, with the memories of the last two winters still fresh in our minds, we’ve got to be smiling from ear to ear every morning when we get out of bed.

I shovelled more snow in one week last year than I have in total so far this season.

I realize that this can be confusing for some of us. Hey, it even confused the various groundhogs in Canada and the USA. They didn’t agree on whether we will have six more weeks of winter or whether it will wrap up quickly.

The way I look at it, we really haven’t had much of a winter. I’m a little sorry that I put my snow tires on this year because they hardly had any snow to perform on.

Still, there are people who aren’t happy with the first sign of winter … even if that first sign is in the middle of February.

These are the people who stay indoors, and feel that it’s too cold to go outside, knowing full well that they will get into a car and only have to walk a few steps until they’re inside a building again.

No, they would rather stay home and watch the movie, “Frozen” on TV. That way they can get their fill of the cold and ice and never have to leave the warmth of their family room.

Let’s not give in to that mindset. Let’s live and live up to what it means to be Canadian.

We are hardy, adventurous … we’re crazy Canucks!

Here’s the thing: It’s pretty easy to get used to life when it is good. Then when we go through difficult times, we act like we’ve never experienced them before. Life is filled with good and bad,  easy and hard. Trust God in it all. Lean on Him when it is difficult and keep living, not complaining.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How have you found this winter so far? Leave your comment below.

 

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How To Keep Your Lights Working

I don’t know what we’d do without lights. I guess we would all go to bed earlier … and wake up later.

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Lights keep us working late; they keep us going when we run out of daylight.

Recently I’ve realized that I have lights IN me. They’re called electrolytes.

Actually, I’ve know about them for many years, but recently I clued into something about them that is making a difference in my exercising.

For some time I’ve been having muscle problems when I play hockey or do anything strenuous. What happens is my muscles in the lower half of my body feel like they have been exercised to the max and I just can’t get any more out of them.

That would be understandable at the end of a workout or near the end of a game of hockey, but unfortunately it happens to me very soon after I start exercising or on my first shift playing hockey.

I thought it was a reaction to the medication I take. I even wrote about that and you can read that post (here).

But it’s more than the medication. What my research is revealing to me is I need more lights or “lytes”, that is, electrolytes.

My son just laughs at me like, “How can you be so old and not know this?”

You see when I play hockey I don’t drink any water. I’m sweating tons of it but not replenishing any.

In other words, I use lots of electrolytes but I’m not putting any back into my body.

And I really need them so that my muscles don’t seize up!

Over the last couple of months I’ve been experimenting. I’ve been loading up on water before I play hockey and, amazingly enough, during the game as well.

I actually take a water bottle out to the bench, just like most of the other guys. I guess I’m not special after all, just normal like everyone else.

This hydrating myself has worked pretty well. I’ve noticed a marked difference but it’s not perfect. I still have shifts where my muscles feel all worn out.

So today I tried something different. I thought maybe I needed more electrolytes than what I get in just plain water. I decided to guzzle a bottle of Gatorade before the game.

Well, I would have drank Gatorade because my son works for Pepsi. But the vending machine only sold Powerade so I downed a bottle before I hit the ice.

As I said before, I don’t know what we’d do without “lytes”. This electrolyte-packed drink kept my muscles from barking at me the whole game. Not once did I get a message to stop skating and take a rest.

I think I’m on to something here and I’ll keep the experiment going until I come to a definite conclusion.

Oh ya, and I’ll keep taking a bottle of water out to the bench.

Here’s the thing: Like with your body, spiritually you can only give so much before you need to replenish. The warning signs that you are not getting enough spiritual nutrition will be a lack of love for God and a heaping pile of unconfessed sin. To replenish, you need to read God’s Word, but not just read the words, soak them in, ask questions and personalize what you read. Your spirit will be renewed and you will be able to keep going, staying strong spiritually.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What problem have you been trying to find an answer to? Leave your comment below.

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I’m A Bit Of An Open Book

Have you ever found that being an open book has tripped you up? Well, I have!

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As a pastor, there are times I share things about my life with my congregation that kind of exposes me to their scrutiny.

I wouldn’t say that I reveal everything about myself to my congregation, however, there have been times my wife, Lily, has complained that she finds things out about me in my sermon, along with the congregation.

… Those conversations are a little revealing as well.

Over the years, I would say my congregation knows what I’m like. They know some things that I like, and some things I don’t. They’ve found out about situations I’ve been in.

They know about some of the problems I’ve had. They know some things that make me happy and some things that make me sad.

They also know about things that make me angry, or mad.

And they know about my health. They know I had a heart attack. They know I try to exercise and try to eat the right kinds of foods.

They know my weakness for Dr. Pepper … even though I’ve tried to convince them that it works together with my cholesterol medication.

They know my weakness for junk food and fast food.

When it comes to things like that, I’m a bit of an open book.

As a pastor, it’s not just your family who’s reading you, it’s your whole congregation who’s reading you.

So yesterday I was in a grocery store … pretty innocent – I mean a lot of people go into grocery stores everyday.

It’s just not a good sign when I’m in one. You see, Lily would rather me not go grocery shopping with her. There are too many things that catch my eye and end up in the cart.

And the things that catch my eye are never on her list of things that we need. They are, of course, items that work together with my cholesterol medication.

It’s good that I don’t go in grocery stores that often. They are big places with lots of people strolling, or trolling up and down the aisles.

But that’s where I was yesterday afternoon. Lily was off getting some healthy things down in the produce section … I was in the candy aisle.

And that’s when someone from my congregation spotted me. She paused, cleared her throat, and I looked up.

I was caught! I had already been to the chip aisle so the evidence was in my hands.

What do you say to someone who knows you had a heart attack, that you are trying to live healthier, but they catch you with chips in hand, drooling over a big pack of licorice?

Well, what you do is you play the card you can only play one day a year.

I looked at her, smiled and said, “You’ve got to have junk food for the Super Bowl!”

And that was a good enough answer.

Here’s the thing: Being an open book can trip you up sometimes. But you know, whether you think about it, realize it or not, we are all open books to God. He sees it all, even the things that aren’t seen, like our thought and words. So it’s best to be honest and up front with Him. Don’t pretend He doesn’t see or know. He does. Be quick to confess, and let His awareness of you control your actions, thoughts and words.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What have you been caught doing lately? Leave your comment below.

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I Gained Weight Just Being There

What is it with conferences that you automatically feel about 10 pounds heavier when you come home?

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Is there something in the water or the air that adds weight to your body? I’m not sure what it is but I don’t like it.

I don’t think I’ve ever come back from a seminar or conference feeling like I even broke even in the weight department.

Is there anyone out there who knows my pain?

This weekend my wife, Lily, and I flew to the metropolis of Steinbach, Manitoba for a church conference.

I only had a glass of water on the plane but I was sure I felt a little heavier as I walked into the Winnipeg airport.

The feeling that I put on weight in all the wrong places didn’t go away since the first thing we did when we pulled away from the airport was drive directly to a restaurant.

It certainly didn’t help that after lunch we drove an hour, then sat in an orientation session for another hour, and then guess what we did?

We had another meal!

There is no way my body had time to process all the food I’d eaten at 1 pm. I don’t think an athlete with a metabolism that’s fine-tuned like a violin could process what I’d packed away for lunch and be ready, waiting and eager to partake in evening morsels at about 5 pm.

Conferences are good for two things: long meetings where you sit down and don’t move much for a couple of hours and breaks where you stand in one spot, usually close to a table that has some kind of food on it.

You repeat this process only to break it up with large meals and spending time in a hotel room that’s about twenty feet long.

Is it any wonder that by the end of the first day I felt like I was waddling into my hotel and crashing onto my bed, almost bouncing Lily off the other side? (… just kidding about that one.)

Day two I had a plan. This time I wasn’t going to take in any snacks between meals … but the fruit looked pretty good on the tables so I stayed close by and ate an apple.

I thought I needed to walk around more because in just two days my legs felt like they were covered in cellulite – can a guy even get cellulite? … at the very least, I’m sure I had lost all muscle tone.

At my age you don’t rebound quickly either. No, weight that only takes one day to gain will take a week to lose!

The thing is you don’t even realize you’re gaining weight when you are there. It’s like your body adjusts to the new weight overnight and you wake up feeling like you’re carrying the same poundage as the day before, which you’re not.

I think you have to be vigilant; you have to have a plan. You need to be disciplined to fight the conference convexity (look that one up).

So today I plan on no snacks at any break. I’m spending my time walking around the halls … maybe that will work.

Here’s the thing: Sometimes just being in a certain environment can have a negative spiritual impact on you. It’s not that you are doing anything wrong, but where you are is not generally conducive to spiritual health. You need a plan to ensure you can stay connected to God and are able to maintain a Christ-like attitude and posture.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you find difficult to maintain when you are away? Leave your comment below.

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How Children Develop

I have watched my children grow up and I have enjoyed every stage of their development. Now that my children have reached the stage that they are out on their own, I’m enjoying that part too.

IMG_1648It’s good on a couple of levels. It’s nice to have my house to myself … with my wife, of course. It’s also great to see them stand on their own two feet and makes me proud that, in all those years, our parenting has worked.

Lily and I actually accomplished something! I know parents since Adam and Eve have achieved this marvel, but to each parent it’s truly an amazing revelation.

… I think my parents were in shock for a lot longer than most.

But as much as our children have exercised their wings and been flying on their own, it’s not like they have it all together.

It’s just impossible for them to leave home, set up their own dwelling and be able to have it all together like an adult of, let’s say, late 50’s (very late).

The other night my wife and I were staying with our daughter in her home. In the past three years we have gone from sleeping on the floor when we’ve been there to sleeping on an air mattress.

This time, however, we were upgraded again to a sofa bed. My daughter – I’m so proud of her – we actually slept on something that resembles a real bed in her home!

But as happy as I was to sleep on her new sofa bed, she has to get some pillows!

I didn’t get the soundest of sleeps because the pillow I was provided with was so thin my head was barely lifted above the mattress.

You know how those microfibre blankets are so thin, yet provide a great deal of warmth? Well, it doesn’t work with pillows. Micro-thin pillows are an oxymoron for no pillow at all.

I had the feeling that I was sleeping downhill. Every time I turned in bed I had to fold the pillow in half just so the blood wouldn’t rush to my head. When I changed my sleeping position I kind of woke up in order to keep my melon from slipping off my origami cushion.

I have already reverted to engaging my parental mode by thinking of how I might purchase new pillows for her, which would actually not be for her but for me.

I used to buy her pillows when she lived at home and never thought anything of it. Now that she has her own home, I’m still thinking of making sure she has adequate night gear for her visitors.

It’s like she is in this quasi-state of being all grown up but not fully capable of looking after herself. But as her Dad, I kind of think I’ll always see her a little like that.

I’m going to resist buying that pillow, even if I have to use duct tape to keep that darn pillow folded.

Here’s the thing: As Christians we are loved by God. He loves us just the way we are, but more than that, He loves to see us progress, grow and become more mature in our faith. Though God would like us to have it all together and be just like His Son, He is patient, gracious and loving no matter what stage we are at. God loves you and roots for you to keep on growing in Christ. Let’s keep growing.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What is it about your maturing process that makes you thankful God is patient with you? Leave your comment below.

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I’ve Got Nothing To Write About

This morning I have nothing to write about. It doesn’t happen all that often, but sometimes I just can’t think of anything to tackle.

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I did start to type out a few hundred words on an idea, but it kind of fizzled and so I abandoned it. Other than that, I have nothing for this post.

I’ve sat listening to the sound of silence for close to an hour now.

Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel wrote a song called “The Sound of Silence”, but I’m not trying to comment on our inability to communicate clearly with one another, as some have suggested the song is about.

I will tell you that, as far as silence goes, there really isn’t any. There is always noise of some sort.

There is the woosh of the furnace starting up. There’s the sound of wind as the warm air is forced through the air ducts and out the vents in our house.

Even when that has stopped and you can barely detect the tick tick of a clock somewhere in the house, there is this noise in my ears, sort of like faint static between radio stations.

It reminds me of an Emerson Lake and Palmer concert I went to in 1977. It was an outside affair at CNE stadium in Toronto and, though I was halfway back from the stage, the music left my ears ringing for three days.

… Nothing has jogged my memory or pricked a thought for me to write down – well, other than to document my inability to find something to write about.

I kind of feel like I’m in a Seinfeld episode, the TV comedy show which focussed mostly on the interactions of four characters.

Seinfeld was on the air for nine years – not bad for a show about nothing.

There is a part of me that just wants to stop and go and do something else right now. I’m getting a tad bit hungry and I could really use a little breakfast.

Not long ago, in my silence, I heard my wife upstairs and I’m drawn to know what she’s doing at this moment.

The problem I have with leaving the couch and my iPad, for either of these two worthy endeavours, is that I won’t be closer to having written a blog. And I need to write a blog this morning. This is the time I’ve set aside to write and I might not have time later this week.

My wife tells me about people on social media who just post stuff they are doing at the moment, like that they are upset at their child, or they are watching TV or what they are eating for a meal – like anyone cares.

Well, I think I’ve just written a blog post like that. As Seinfeld would say, “not that there’s anything wrong with that.”

But I guess my silence has ended up producing something in me, like a “vision that was planted in my brain, still remains, within the sound of silence.”

Here’s the thing: There are times when it is difficult to hear God’s voice. Our temptation is to listen to what’s inside us and attribute it as being from God. But we should seek confirmation from God’s Word and God’s people before we attribute it to God.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: When have you felt silenced? What did you do about it?  Leave your comment below.

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Apparently I’m A Binge Drinker!

The other day I had a conversation with my wife, Lily, and she called me a binge drinker. I know some of you are now eager to hear some deep, dark secret of mine. Well, don’t start salivating like one of Pavlov’s dogs for some juicy morsels just yet. Let me explain …

I was complaining to Lily about how much water I have been drinking lately and how it’s interrupting my life. The thing is, the more water you drink, the more you find yourself visiting the washroom.

I used to use the facilities only a few times a day like when I got up in the morning, at noon, around dinner time and at bed time.

Not now! I’m hitting the john about every hour or so and it’s all because I’ve been drinking more water. Since we are supposed to drink more than most of us actually do, I got an app that helps me track how much water I drink. So naturally, I’m drinking more now.

In fact, I’ll have four glasses of water from the time I get up in the morning until the end of breakfast. When Lily heard this she shook her head and said, “You’re a binge drinker” … and I guess I am in a way.

So I started thinking, “When did it become so difficult to live that I’m not even drinking my water at the proper intervals?”

It used to be that we got up in the morning and didn’t think about when we drank water; we just did it because we were thirsty. Now it seems I need to read up a little more on the subject because my water bingeing is probably not that healthy for me.

I can still walk a straight line. I can even touch my finger to my nose and I never poke myself in the eye.

People don’t tell me that I’m slurring my words after I’ve had a couple of quick glasses of water either.

But I guess I still need some help because I found out I’m drinking too much water at meal times. My daughter tells me I shouldn’t be drinking water any closer than 45 minutes before a meal.

My question is, “How did people who lived 100 years ago survive?!” I’m sure they didn’t know this stuff back then. I understand that people didn’t live as long as they do now; maybe that’s why?

I think I may need a few lessons on breathing too. Apparently I breathe out of my mouth more than I should.

I wish I had a computer chip in my brain that could be reprogrammed so that I breathe and drink properly. When I look around it amazes me how many people seem to be living fine and they don’t follow any kind of breathing rules, or drinking rules for that matter.

All I know is that my mother taught me how to drink when I was a baby and I’ve been doing it ever since. And as for breathing, well I think a doctor smacked me on the butt when I entered this world and I haven’t stopped taking a breath yet.

Here’s the thing: We can be Christians with very little understanding of what that means. But if you want your life to be effective, then getting some special training is necessary. Don’t neglect the training you can get through the study of God’s Word.

That’s Life,

Paul

Question: Where could you use some focused spiritual training? Leave your comment below.

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I’m Not Going To Read Anymore Reviews

If you have ever written a review of a service or product, this post may offend you. I’m just giving a general warning that may or may not apply to you.reviews

With the advent of the Internet and social media, it seems everybody wants other opinions on products, services or what they are going to be doing at 6:05 this evening.

It sounds like it might be a worthy endeavour but, let me tell you, it really is a waste of time.

When I get a notice that an app I use wants me to rate it, I always decline. I don’t give reviews, and I don’t often take surveys online.

The reason is it doesn’t really help anyone.

Have you ever been interested in staying at some resort or hotel, or even eating at a certain restaurant?

You go online to see what others say about it, and what you find is an array of responses that range from “absolutely the worst place in the world; do not go there; do not spend the money” all the way to “this was the best experience I have had in my whole life”.

The point is people see things very differently. People have different standards. Some people can figure things out easier than others.

… Of course the slew of spelling mistakes in these reviews take away from the confidence you might have in the expressed opinions.

I wish you could tell from the review what kind of person wrote the comment. I’m thinking maybe with every review you should have to fill out a mini IQ test.

The results could be listed at the end of their review so that the reader gets a better grasp of the intelligence of the reviewer and can take the review with a “grain of salt” (whatever that means … I know you know what it means).

Instead of an IQ test, they could use some algorithm to measure the number of spelling mistakes against the total word count to create a score for the reviewer. The higher the score, the more nuts the reviewer probably is!

I know I’m being a little overdramatic here, but today I was in the market for a sleep app for my phone and watch. I looked at several and narrowed it down to a couple.

Then I started to read the reviews … not helpful at all. I started talking to myself, actually arguing with myself on the pros and cons of the app from the reviews I read.

I felt a little schizophrenic.

One reviewer wrote that it was difficult to install the app. If you simply touch the price or the “get it” box, basically it gets installed on your phone. I’m not sure what that reviewer was trying to do. He did have a few spelling mistakes in his review though.

The problem with all these reviews is that even though you know half of them are completely worthless, they put an ever-so-tiny doubt in your mind which makes you hesitate taking a chance.

Here’s the thing: Everyone has an opinion of God. Some of those opinions can’t be trusted, but they can put doubts in your mind. The only way to really know God is to experience God for yourself. If you seek Him, try things His way, listen to His voice, you won’t have to rely on well-intended people who maybe should not be giving their opinion at all.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: When has a review put doubts in your mind about God? Leave your comment below.

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There Are Too Many Voices In My Head

Sometimes when you tell people your problems, they make stuff up. They don’t have a better solution to your predicament, but they come across as experts anyway.

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Even when you tell them what remedy you’re trying, they disagree and give you a fix that you don’t want to have to resort to.

People do this all the time.

Recently I got a new pair of skates (you can read that post here). They are awesome skates but there is one issue that I was having with them.

They were rubbing and causing about a 2 1/2” long rug burn on each ankle.

It wasn’t too bad the first time it happened, but then I played hockey a couple of days later before the rug burns had healed. That time it kind of opened the wounds up and made them a mess.

If you know anything about rug burns, they take a long time to heal – longer than a straight cut. So the next time I played, the scabs quickly opened up and it was very sore to play at first until I got used to it.

I knew I needed to do something or they would never get better … well, at least until after the season.

My solution was bandaids that were long and padded. I found some at the drugstore that were four inches long. I hoped that covering and cushioning my ankles would stop the disaster they had become.

I figured all I had to do was get the skin healed up. The skin would get tougher so that this situation wouldn’t happen again.

The next time I played I tried out my bandaids. Surprise, surprise – they worked like a charm!

There was a little blood but it was minimal.

This is when all the experts came to my rescue. As I was taking off the bandaids, the guys in the dressing room turned into Dr. Bob or something.

They all had solutions. My ankles still looked pretty messy so they didn’t think my solution would work.

The “back of a pack of matches” physicians had to give me their second, third, and fourth opinions. “Wear socks”, one said. Another one said, “Cut the foot part off a sock and just wear the ankle portion”.

Others agreed with the diagnosis and said there was no other way. “You have to put something over your ankles.”

I disagreed but smiled and said, “We will see.” They all trashed my solution.

Well, I’ve been doing the bandaid thing for a month now. I’ve stopped wearing one on my right ankle and it’s crazy – like magic, the skin has toughened up and I have no more issues!

The other ankle is almost ready to go. The next skate I’ll take the bandaid off and give it a shot.

Maybe Dr. Silcock does know best after all. … I’m sure glad I didn’t cut up socks and wear them like sweat bands around my ankles!

Here’s the thing: Other people will be the loudest voices in your life and it will be easy to listen to them. They are well-meaning voices and they may even have good ideas for you to follow. But the best voice to listen to is the still, small voice of God. It might be hard to hear God’s voice over all the other voices, but if you listen closely you will hear Him and He will give you the best advice hands down!

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How do you hear God’s voice over other voices? Leave your comment below.