experiences

by

The Trouble With Laces

It’s funny how a little thing like laces can get you all tied up in knots.

skate laces

I can’t say that I’m a real fan of laces … and I’m thinking specifically of long string-like, woven thread that we use to secure coverings on our feet.

Maybe my problem with laces is the time it takes to tie them. You have to bend down, and loosen the lace to get the shoe on. Then you have to pull on the ends to get them tight before you tie the bow.

All that takes time – time I don’t really want to commit to if I don’t have to.

So for me the shoes I wear are all slip-on. I don’t even have to bend down. Sure, I break down the backs of my shoes quicker than I would like, but I’ve got my shoes on and ready to go in seconds.

Even with my running shoes, which I mainly use for working out, I tie knots on the ends of the laces so the shoes stay at my predetermined tightness and I treat them like slip-ons.

There are only two pieces of footwear for which I have to tie laces: one is my golf shoes, and the other are my skates.

Along with not enjoying doing up my laces, I don’t like trying to fit the ends of the laces through the eyelets, especially when the lace ends break down and get a little frayed.

So what I do with my skates is I buy extra long laces so I never have to take my laces out of the eyelets . . . ever.

But I’ve been having a problem with my new skates. I don’t seem to like the laces at all.

When I bought the skates they came with white laces. I like black ones better, so I immediately bought a black pair to replace the white ones. I bought waxed laces, thinking that’s what I had put in my old skates.

But I didn’t have waxed laces in my old skates. … And I didn’t like waxed laces in my new ones.

They were rough on my hands and the wax made it harder to undo the laces enough to get my skates off. … Too much time.

I went to where I usually buy skate laces but I couldn’t find my normal brand. Finally, I found a pair without wax that seemed like they would work.

When I put those laces in my skates, however, they were so stretchy and slippery that they wouldn’t stay tight.

So now I have traders in laces – the white pair that came with the skates and two pairs of black laces that I bought and didn’t like.

I actually took out the laces from my old skates and used them. They fit just right. Do I sound like Goldilocks?

I’ve never had this much trouble with laces since I mostly stopped using them. I just hope I will find a replacement I like.

Here’s the thing: Working time with God into your day can be difficult. No matter how much time you give to God, it’s going to cut into your day. The thing is you need that time with Him and the best thing you can do is find a time and tools that will fit you well.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What time with God has fit you well? Leave your comment below.

by

Today Is The Day The Lights Go Up

So today has been declared, “put up the Christmas lights” day.  No one has put any pressure on me to do it today; it’s just time to get them up.

IMG_2566

I’ve seen the Christmas lights on many houses for the last week or so, but I’m not one to start burning through the electricity all that early in the season.

My neighbour is pretty smart. He waits for the warmest day in November and gets them up even if he doesn’t turn them on for another couple of weeks. His lights have been on for the last week and every time I drive into our court, they stare at me, goading me into playing Russian roulette with the weather.

And that’s what I usually do. I see my neighbour out there getting his lights up, wearing a light sweater or jacket … but I like to take my chances.

Sometimes it doesn’t work out well for me – I’ve put my lights up when the snow’s been flying and it’s frosty on the hands. There were times I’ve even had to wear a winter jacket and hat.

If you know me, I don’t wear hats all that much. The only time you’ll see me wearing a toque is on a ski hill, or tobogganing, or losing at weather Russian roulette putting up my Christmas lights.

It doesn’t take me too long because I’ve figured out a system and I have the right clips to make it all work. … However, it used to be a problem.

For many years the light manufacturers weren’t meeting their profit margins, so every year it seemed they would change up the clips to attach the lights to your eavestrough or roof shingles.

When I would go to put up my lights, I would invariably be short a couple of clips. So off I’d go to Canadian Tire, only to find they didn’t make those clips anymore. I had to replace them all with a new clip system.

The light people must be doing alright now because I haven’t had to overhaul my light clips in several years.

One thing I miss though is the help. Years ago, before my daughter, Karlie, left home, she would help me. It made the job a little nicer; it was something we looked forward to each year.

I tried to get my son, Mike, to help when Karlie moved away, but he never had much interest. I think he figured one day he’d be doing it for the rest of his life, so he was in no hurry to get started.

The great thing about putting up the lights today is that I won the weather game this year. It’s a mild day out there; no need for gloves.

Here’s the thing: In Ecclesiastes it says there is a time for everything, like a time to reap and a time to sow. The thing is you have to do whatever it is at the right time. If you don’t do it at the right time it will be harder or impossible for you. It works the same way with God. There is a right time to give yourself to God, and if you miss the right time, it’s not just harder, it’s impossible to give yourself to Him. The good thing is the time is now and we don’t know when it will end. The smart play is to give yourself to Him now – today. Get it done. Don’t play Russian roulette with God.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What have you put off that you should just get done? Leave your comment below.

by

The “I Want It” Principle

There’s something about not being able to do something that makes you long to do it more.  This is a true principle that we all live with.

IMG_3975

You see it clearly in the play of young children. A child plays contently until he sees the toy in another child’s hand. Then suddenly, that’s all he wants.

Children don’t have patience, and they can’t control their emotions like adults can, so they grab for what they can’t have, or get upset and have a tantrum.

We’ve all seen this. It’s predicable and amazing every time.

But just because we grow up and are able to control ourselves, doesn’t mean that this principle is not active or true for us who are mature and have lived on this earth for many years.

We are just able to process the situation, control our emotions and know when to give up on something. We have some common sense that drives us which young children don’t have.

This principle, which I call the “I want it” principle, was revealed in me today, probably because of the season.

It happens every year for me, at the time of year that our house gets decorated for Christmas. The artificial trees get hauled out of storage; the boxes of decorations begin to be uncrated.

At this time of year – every year – I have a strong desire to play pool. That’s kind of a strange urge, isn’t it?

Well, it’s not that strange when you realize that when all the Christmas boxes are brought out of their off-season hibernation, they are strewn around my pool table.

And the worse thing of all is my wife uses the top of my pool table as a flat surface to place all the tree ornaments on!

Now the table hasn’t moved in the ten years we’ve had it, and I do play pool from time to time during the year, but my urge to play is never greater than at this time of year when it is unavailable.

The urge continues over the Christmas season because we have a Christmas tree that stands about three feet from the table, making shots from that end very difficult to make.

Now in case you are wondering, no, I don’t scream or yell. I don’t get on my back and shout, flinging my limbs around at the same time.

I say nothing. I do nothing other than longingly look at my precious pool table and wish I could play a few games.

And unlike a child who you can easily distract by saying, “LOOK OVER THERE!”, to completely get their mind off the “I want it” principle, grownups aren’t as easily distracted.

Hey look, my wife is saying she just made breakfast for me . . . Now what was I talking about?

Here’s the thing: This “I want it” principle can get us confused when we pray. When we pray, we should be praying for God’s will. However, with the ‘I want it” principle in effect, we tend to believe that what we want right now is God’s will for us. Then if God doesn’t give it to us quickly, we question His ability, or care, or knowledge of us. But what we really need to do when the “I want it” principle invades our prayer life is find a distraction so that we can get our minds off the “I want it” and on to seeking God’s will.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What have you asked God for that turned out to be an “I want it” request? Leave your comment below.

by

A Momentary Action Can Change Your Life

A momentary action can make a huge impact on one’s life. The repercussions of that action can have long-lasting effects.

back-pain.gif-437580

Let me tell you about it …

This week as I was playing hockey, I crossed the blue line with the puck. A defender was right in front of me so I made a quick direction change in hopes that he would zig to my zag.

It took probably less than an second; it was just a subtle move to give me some free ice to keep moving forward.

That move may not have fooled my opponent, but it sure fooled my back. Immediately I felt a tweak down low near the base of my spine.

“Whoa!” I thought, “This doesn’t normally happen.” But I also recognized the feeling which brought a truckload of memories to my mind.

This was not the first time a momentary action had caused some pain in my back.

It started about three years ago when I was mountain biking on vacation. I carry a folding saw in my backpack to take care of small trees that have fallen across the path.

This particular summer there was a big tree too high to go over, too long to go around. I needed to get rid of it. It was too big for my saw but I thought I would just saw a little every day until I got through it.

I worked on it for a couple of days but then got impatient. I jumped on it … nothing. I kicked at it … again, nothing. So I put my arms around it and yanked.

It was a momentary action, but it sent a sharp pain to the base of my spine that left me lying on the floor of our trailer for about four days.

Since then, there has been a couple of other instances that a momentary action has given me the same result.

One time I bent down to pick up a knife I had dropped on our kitchen floor. That led to some more flat out time for me.

All these memories came back to me the moment I felt the tweak in my back. I went to the bench and stretched a little. And then a curious thought was planted in my brain: “Maybe I can just work it out by playing the rest of the game.”

So I did, but I spent the next two days pretty much flat out on my bed. The rest of the week, I’ve been moving pretty slowly. I’m hoping to be able to stand and preach on Sunday without any twinges of pain and without seizing up.

One momentary action about three years ago has now weakened my back so that new momentary actions continue to make a big impact on me.

Here’s the thing: Coming to faith in Christ is like a momentary action. It’s a decision to turn from self-rule to Christ’s rule in your life. There may be many factors that have contributed to that momentary decision, let alone the years it may have taken to get to that point. But in one moment you are changed and the impact of that change has long-lasting effects, right into eternity. You can also expect other momentary actions, triggered by the first one, that will cause more long-lasting effects as God continues to mould you and shape you into His image.

I don’t recommend the momentary action that caused my back issues, but I do encourage the momentary decision to give your life to Christ. You won’t regret those effects!

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What momentary action has left long-lasting effects on you? Leave your comment below.

by

New Doesn’t Always Feel Better At First

I’ve worn the same hockey skates now for 22 years – that’s a long time to be wearing the same set of blades.

my skates.001

Some people like to stay current and keep up with the latest improvements. Though I like new things, when it comes to hockey equipment, I don’t easily let go.

Over the years I’ve replaced my skate blades several times. But recently I saw signs that other parts were beginning to wear out.

Some of the stitching was giving way, and there were some cracks in the leather inside the boot. … That’s right, leather! It’s not easy to find skates with leather anymore. It was time for a new pair.

But this was not a quick decision. In fact, I’ve been thinking about buying new skates for a couple of years, but the thought of parting with my old skates was just too hard.

My old skates are comfortable; they are well broken in. I like to hang on to things like that. When I was in my early twenties, I sewed strips of cloth to my old long underwear, so that I didn’t have to get a new pair to wear under my equipment.

So making the move to a new pair of skates was a big deal for me.

I’ve worn CCM Tacks for 40 years or more, so that’s what I gravitated to in a new skate. But the new ones looked different, felt different and even fit differently than my old skates.

My old skates were the very first attempt at moulding the boot to your particular foot. With those skates, you put them on and they took a heat gun to the boot, making the boot pliable. Then they sucked all the air out so that the boot formed tight to the contours of your foot.

With my new skates, they went into an oven and were heated up. Then you put them on, tied them up tight and just sat with your skates on until they cooled down.

The results were pretty much the same, though I think my new skates feel even better than my old ones.

But that’s what you get with new things. Processes have been refined over the years, materials have been enhanced, and my new skates weigh considerably less than my olds ones did.

My new skates look better, more modern, up-to-date.

Even though there are many good things about my new skates, there are some drawbacks that I need to overcome. For some reason the new boot feels like there’s more to it so I feel a little clumsy in them.

My new skates also lace up higher than my old ones, which feels a little awkward. I had to undo the top eyelet so that I could get into a comfortable skating position … but tying them one eyelet lower makes them feel like they need to be done up a little higher, just not a whole eyelet higher.

I really needed to get a new pair of skates, and I know that eventually I will get used to them, but between now and then it’s not going to be fun.

Here’s the thing: When God prompts you to make a change in your life, it’s never an easy one. You are comfortable with the old; you are used to it. You feel awkward or out-of-sorts with the new. It’s going to take some getting used to, but in the end, it will be better … God is shaping you into His image.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What have you put off changing in your life? Leave your comment below.

by

This Watch Really Has Changed Everything

You know how you can get something new and think to yourself, “Hey, this changes everything”?

1426620730392

Well, maybe you haven’t ever thought that, but Apple thought of it. In a recent advertising campaign, that was the slogan they used: “This changes everything”.

Well, about five months ago as a gift, I got an Apple watch. Since then it really has changed everything. Besides the fact that it will do everything short of cooking my breakfast in the morning, it really has changed my life.

It’s changed how I think through my day. I used to go through my day without a thought for my body. Then I got a step counter and I consciously considered how many steps I take in a day.

But that’s nothing! Since I got my watch, I’m thinking of how many calories I’m burning in a day, how often I’m standing during the day, and how much exercise I’m getting each day.

I used to feel good if I played hockey a couple of times a week. Now I’m trying to get thirty minutes of exercise in each day.

It would be nice, however, if the watch could shut my mouth in the evenings to liquorice or chocolate. But I’m figuring out that there’s a part that I have to play that’s more than just wearing the watch on my wrist.

Some people would call it deficiency; I call it first generation Apple watch … they’ll figure that out in future editions.

My watch has also changed how I use the stuff in my pockets. I don’t haul out my wallet or phone nearly as much anymore.

I answer texts by speaking into my watch (like I’m an FBI agent speaking into his hand). I get my points for purchases right from my watch; no more swiping a card. I even answer my phone like Dick Tracy used to do in the cartoons when I was a kid.

My watch has got me to be conscious of how much water I drink in a day. Now I know when I need to take a sip. As a result, there have been a few times where I’ve had to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom.

They say we are 96% water … I may be approaching 97% on those nights. I think I’m a little waterlogged!

This watch has even changed how I play hockey. The other day I was on the ice, playing defence. The puck was at the other end of the rink when I suddenly remembered I wasn’t recording my on-ice exercise.

I took off my glove to set it, but as I looked down at my watch, I saw the puck go through my legs and heard some heavy breathing. I fumbled with my stick and dropped it. I had to control the puck with my feet, move it to a corner and then kick it over to a teammate.

I wasn’t that successful, but they didn’t score. When the puck cleared again, I hit the start button on my watch and everything was good.

Here’s the thing: Christ changed everything over 2000 years ago when He died on the cross for our sins. What we need to consider now is how have we changed our lives because of Him? He changed everything, but it really only changes everything for us when we accept the changes and implement them in our lives. Give yourself completely to Christ’s change.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: When you look at your life, how has Christ changed everything for you? Leave  your comment below.

by

Watch Out! The Hype Can Disappoint

When the hype doesn’t match the experience, you are doubly disappointed. And I have to say, that’s how I felt after my lunch yesterday.

eggs-benedict

It was Sunday after church and Lily was in the mood to eat out. When that happens, you always jump at it! Normally she is the voice of reason, the voice of saving, the voice of “there are leftovers at home we can heat up”.

So when she threw out the suggestion, I jumped at it. I said “sure”, even before she had second thoughts and blurted out, “though we will be spending money eating out later this week”.

It was too late, however; I had already agreed to going out for lunch.

Now it was just a matter of deciding where to eat.

Lily wanted to eat at one of those places that is only open until about three in the afternoon. You know, the ones that specialize in serving breakfast to people who get up late and want to keep that sleepy feeling that it’s still morning.

It was against my better judgement to eat there but I said, “Sure, let’s go.” When we arrived there weren’t many spots in the parking lot and the line up to get in was almost out the door.

… It has got to be a great spot when people are waiting just to get breakfast food, which usually comes with very little or no meat at all.

This place was popular because it was close to 1:30 pm and it was still jammed to capacity. The good thing was that, by that time, many people were finishing up so the wait was not too long.

The atmosphere was cheery in the bright open restaurant. Its colours of yellow, green and orange gave the impression of a beautiful sunny morning.

As we took our seats, it felt like a great day to be alive. And with the sounds of happy people talking all around, I’m sure most everyone felt the same way.

The menu was filled with pictures of the food you could order. It all looked so good, and even half healthy – not like some restaurants where even the pictures of the food make you feel like it would sit in your gut like a lump till dinner time.

I had a hard time deciding if I should go with a crepe filled with fresh fruit and cream or choose a traditional egg meal.

I decided on eggs Benedict. I felt good about my decision, even when it arrived at the table. It looked great; I had high hopes. But one bite in and I was disappointed. The hollandaise sauce was bland; no taste. The very thing that makes the eggs Benedict was blah.

We could have gone home after all. Lil can make eggs Benedict astronomically better!

Here’s the thing: When you spend time with God, put aside the flashy, popular devotional guides and books that tell you what to think. It’s far better to let God shape your thoughts and responses. Grab your Bible and turn to just a verse or two. Read the verse over a couple of times, maybe even write it out. Then ask yourself a few questions like: What’s the instruction here for me? What should I praise God for in this verse? What do I need to confess to God here? What do I need to do? There will be no hype to get in the way of really hearing from God.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What have you found to be the most nourishing devotional method? Leave your comment below.

by

I Don’t Want To Be The Backdrop To Your Stage

For some people, every environment is nothing more than a backdrop to their personal stage. They are the centre of attention wherever they go.

693a05a040654b66a62421143a99c23c

That’s all fine and good; let them be the focus everywhere they go. What I don’t appreciate is being sucked in to their audience.

A perfect example was at the hockey game last night. My wife, Lily, and I took our seats just before the preliminaries, ceremonial puck drop, and singing of the national anthem.

Right away I noticed that there was some chatter behind us. There were two women having a conversation.

I thought maybe they had arrived separately and were just catching up with each other.

I had some different thoughts once the game started. About 45 seconds into the game, one of the women stopped talking long enough to ask, “Has the game started?”

The puck and players were down in the far corner of the rink – it was pretty obvious that the game was on! Somehow she missed the face-off at center ice with all the players lined up.

I honestly thought the woman’s eyesight was impaired and she needed help following the action.

No, that wasn’t the case. She was a non-stop talker and had been busy telling a story about a relationship issue she had with another women, I believe who worked in the same office she did.

… If you’re think that you didn’t need to know that information, that’s how I felt as I watched the game on the ice and got a play-by-play of office politics.

These two women took the stage like pros, barely breathing between sentences, speaking trivial dribble like it was sensitive information that would later be reported on the 11 o’clock news.

I didn’t look back, but I am sure that thermal imprint my brain took of the scene behind me was of these two women in their thirties, turned slightly towards each other in their seats, with not an eye turned to what was happening on the ice.

It was brutal to say the least! Lily couldn’t stand it; she wanted to sit somewhere else. She immediately stood up when the horn went to end the period; she had to get away from the two performers behind us.

These women had no interest in the game. It was all just a backdrop to their conversation, which they were sure everyone around them wanted to get in on.

And sure, why wouldn’t I go to a hockey game to hear about why a guy ignored a woman in the office after she had apologized for the thing she had said in the presence of several other coworkers?

I don’t think he was being fair either. Except for the fact that, if I was that guy, I wouldn’t just ignore the woman, I would be asking my boss for a transfer, looking for another job, or doing pretty much anything else, just so I didn’t have to listen to her anymore!

Here’s the thing: Sometimes when we pray, we use that as a backdrop to our own stage, where we do all the talking, and never stop asking. When our prayer is done, it’s like the curtain closes, the lights dim and the audience leaves. Prayer is not a backdrop for our performance. It is a conversation that should involve more listening than talking. When we pray we should be sure we are allowing room on the stage for God to speak into our lives.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How do you manage your prayer time to give room for God to speak to you? Leave your comment below.

by

You Should Act On Your Impulses

Last weekend I did a little shopping on impulse. It’s not what you think; I didn’t come home with some frivolous purchase that will end up in a corner of the garage behind a stack of tarps.

031414-home-automation

I didn’t come home with anything.

What I did was more like shopping research than actual shopping. The research involved a little bit of price comparison, but my investigation mainly centred around product features.

The impulse was the idea I got in my head that it was time to get some smart home devices. Right now those items are mostly lights you can turn on and off and thermostats that can be controlled from anywhere in the world with a swipe across the screen of an iPhone.

I’m not really sure what brought on the impulse, but I sure jumped into action. The brainwave hit me when I was in a store and so I moseyed over to the right department, but they didn’t have what I was looking for.

My next stop was a nearby big box hardware store where I was introduced to a couple of products I’d not seen before. Both looked pretty good; I was leaning towards one in particular.

That’s when a store employee came by and I asked him all kinds of questions. He had some answers, even owned one of the products, and was pretty enthusiastic about it.

But he said one thing that kept me searching. He said another store sold products that would work alongside theirs. … I had to see that.

This took me to another box store where I didn’t find any compatible items to the previous store’s offering, but I did come across some new products that did similar things.

I also ran into a salesperson who owned one of the products and was again very eager to tell me all about it and how it worked.

I picked up a little more information there, but left with more questions, not about the products but about how they interacted with the smart phone technology.

I started to search the web for more information on where these smart home devices are going, and since I was close to another big hardware store, I thought I would check it out.

There I found some repeats and a few news products. I also had a salesperson, who knew absolutely nothing about the products, try to answer some of my questions.

By the time I had finished my tour of the stores, and my brief internet discoveries, I concluded that it might be too soon to jump in and get my home all smart.

There are new products in the works that will be far less limited than the ones that are available right now.

I’m waiting for when I can get my home to prepare my meals for me. Oh wait, no, that’s called a retirement home . . . I’m definitely not ready for that.

Here’s the thing: I was thinking about how I, on impulse, did some research into a product that just popped into my head, and was thinking we should do the same with the Bible. When you read the scriptures you are confronted with things that cause you to question. How often do we just keep reading and never do anything to satisfy our curiosity? Ask questions, get a commentary, read a book on something in the Bible that causes you to think. Don’t just pass up on that impulse.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What have you become curious about in the Bible?  Leave your comments below.

by

A Banking Mishap Has Made Me More Protective

The other day, I had a banking mishap that I’m sure many people have also had over the last couple of months: having to pay for using an ATM or an ABM (they should just stick with one acronym).

odd_cash_machine

Personally, I’m not a fan of paying for my banking. I think I’ve written about this before, but my feeling is that the banks should feel privileged to use our money to invest and make lots more for themselves.

Somehow banks have reversed that mindset, thinking their customers should feel privileged to give them our money for safekeeping.

Anyway, I was on my way to getting a haircut, which for me is a cash transaction. I didn’t have any so I first went next door to the Mac’s store to get a few shekels from the bank machine.

Up until a month ago, that machine was associated with my bank … I’ve used it many times over the past fifteen years.

But to my surprise, when I got into the store, the ATM was gone. I quickly glanced around and then spied something that looked like an automated teller machine, just in a different colour.

The markings read, “Manulife Bank”, but there was a spot for my debit card to go in, so I inserted it.

I got a message immediately informing me that the transaction I wanted to do would cost me $3. I quickly gave my head a shake because I thought I’d been transported to one of those cheque cashing places, like Cash Money, home of the $300 for $20.

I knew my bank would also charge me for using a machine that is not part of their network, so I had to think for a minute: “Do I really want to spend $5 to take my money out of my bank?”

I must have paused until the machine almost timed out, but I figured, “I need the cash right now, and I will not be doing this again”.

I’ve noticed these Manulife Bank machines are replacing my bank’s machines in a number of places. So now I have to plan a little more carefully when I want to withdraw money from my account.

I guess I could take out an account with Manulife, but frankly I’ve never seen a branch of theirs before. I looked on their website and found that they have five branches spread across Canada – the closest one to me is three hours away!

I don’t think I’ll be banking with them any time soon.

I know that many people don’t think twice about paying the fees for using convenient cash machines, but these banks already have my money for basically nothing. Why should I be gouged so that their president can take home a salary of $3 million a year plus bonuses?

No, I’d rather pick my ATM more carefully so that I’m not giving Manulife Bank executives a Starbucks coffee every time I use their machine.

Here’s the thing: There will always be something that comes along that will seek to take advantage of your money or your time. These things will be convenient and practical. You will feel pressured to part with your time or money. But you have to be your own protector of what is yours. Spiritually speaking, make sure that the things that seek to take advantage of you don’t take from your time with God or your stewardship of His resources.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What seeks to take advantage of your money or your time? Leave your comment below.