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Some Work Is Never Done

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I said “no”. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That’s Life!

Paul

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

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Waking Up Has Never Been Easier

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I need that voice calling me back from the deep.

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

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

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

I know, it’s a tough burden I bare.

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

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

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

That’s Life!

Paul

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

With our phones we can listen anytime and anywhere. 

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

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

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

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

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

I enjoy getting my music online. 

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

That’s Life!

Paul

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

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Reminiscing Is Good For Your Soul

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But there I go, reminiscing a little myself! 

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

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

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

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

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

That’s Life!

Paul

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

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Having Different Definitions Can Cause Trouble

We have different definitions of being ready … at least we do in our home.

Getting ready to go somewhere has always been a point of tension for Lily and I.

It seems that I am always waiting for her when we are going to leave the house. In her defence, sometimes she has more to do before she is ready to leave.

But I think it has to come down to a difference in our definitions of being ready.

On Saturday we decided to go to a store late in the afternoon. The store was not going to be open for very long so we needed to go quickly.

I asked, “So, are you ready to go now?” Lily answered, “Yes”. I headed to the door and put on my shoes. Lily headed into the bedroom!

I was literally ready to walk out the door when I had asked her if she was ready to leave. Lily just needed one minute before she was ready to close the door behind her. 

This was not an isolated incident; this is a reoccurring scenario.

When we were recently going to our cottage for a few days, we had a number of things we needed to take with us, being the beginning of the cottage season. 

The night before I piled everything we needed to take by the front door. Lil did the same.

The next day when I was ready to start packing the car, I knew that everything that needed to go was right there before me. 

Lily said she was ready. “I just need to put the food from the fridge into the cooler”, she said.

“Great”, I thought as I started to pack. The only problem was that the bag with her clothes was not at the front door. 

I started packing but the bag wasn’t showing up and I needed that bag near the beginning of the packing because of its size.

She said she was packed, but apparently not completely packed. There were still a few things she needed to add in. 

When I say “I’m all ready”, by definition I mean “I am ready this instant”. When Lily says she’s ready, her definition means that there are only a couple more things she needs to do first. 

We did finally pack the car and head off to the cottage. As we were driving, we got a text from our daughter, asking us to pick her up on the way. 

I asked her if she was like her mother and still needed to pack. Karlie replied that everything was by the door. 

Lil shot me a look and said, “I guess she’s not like her mother.” 

Well, when we got to Karlie’s house, I expected to grab her bags that were by the door and leave. 

It was perfect … she still had a couple of things that had to be added to her bag! Then we left. 

I guess it all comes down to definition.

Here’s the thing: We may have different definitions of being ready for Christ’s return, but there is only one definition that matters: His. Ensure your faith is securely placed in Christ as your Saviour and Lord because, when He returns, there will be no time for one more thing.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What is your definition of being ready? Does it fit Christ’s? Leave your comments below

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It Was a Royal Day At My House

It was a royal day in our house today. I don’t mean we had a visit from someone from the royal family or anything. The day was just filled with hours of television tuned to the proceedings and the analysis of the royal wedding of Harry and Meghan.

I’m not much of a royal family follower. I have a hard time identifying anyone past the next in line to the throne. But my wife, Lily, can recognize pretty much anyone who has a remote chance of being the king or queen.

I wasn’t sure if she would be getting up at 4 am to start watching the festivities, but she discovered that we have a PVR so she decided to sleep in a bit and watch the pregame show later.

When I left for hockey at 6 am, all was quiet at our house, but by the time I got back at around 8 am, the TV was definitely on and tuned in. 

She kept channel surfing too, not to see what else was on but to check out the quality of coverage on the other networks.

I, however, had lots to do and didn’t really have time to watch a wedding. After all, I’ve performed many weddings; I didn’t need to watch one on TV.

But there it was; I couldn’t get around it. So I found myself watching some of the ceremony and that long, tedious drive around town in a buggy.

They could have gotten to the reception in about one minute, but they took a ride in a horse-drawn carriage down a road they called, “The Long Walk”.

I noticed the horses acting up a little, so maybe they found it to be a long walk as well.

This wedding captured Lily’s attention. She didn’t want me to make any comments about the hats and fascinators, or any of the people in attendance. 

She didn’t even like me singing along to “Stand By Me” when the choir sung. She just wanted to soak it all in without any distraction. 

I couldn’t help thinking that at hockey a few hours earlier no one in the dressing room had mentioned the wedding. And no one was in a hurry after hockey to get home to see it.

… That’s not to say that I didn’t have any comments to make about the wedding.

There were a few things I noticed: 

Oprah Winfrey seemed to be walking around aimlessly in a daze. Elton John didn’t seem to like the sermon from the Bishop. He had his nose turned up when the camera was on him.

The Queen must have forgotten her glasses, because she was all bent over when they sang the hymn. She could barely see the words.

The bride’s mother seemed to be more sad than happy with everything that was going on. 

The commentators yammered on way too much about nothing. 

And Prince Phillip was walking really well for a guy in his late 90’s who’d just gotten a new hip! 

Those are just some of the things I noticed.

Here’s the thing: When something impressive, something that is bigger than life comes along, it captures our attention. We take notice and pause to take it all in. God has given us His Word, which is filled with insight into Him and what He wants us to know. Don’t act like you don’t have access. Let it capture your attention every day.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What strikes you about God’s Word? Leave your comments below.

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It Was My Most Difficult Drive Ever

Even though the driving conditions were excellent, last night was one of the most difficult drives I have made.

I’ve driven through snowstorms when all you could see were the big flakes coming right at the windshield. 

I’ve driven in rainstorms that were so heavy and dark that I was thankful when lightning flashed so I could see the lines on the highway.

But a drive like the other night’s ranked up there as one of my all-time most dreaded times behind the wheel.

Ironically, the weather couldn’t have been better. The roads were dry; the sky was so clear the moon and stars lit up the road.

The traffic was light and I was never hindered by trucks or cars from passing slower vehicles. 

What made the trip one of the worst was that I was tired … really tired.

I’d done a lot of driving in the previous two days, and had some late nights. Earlier in the afternoon we’d taken a two hour trip to see Lily’s mother for Mother’s Day.

I never go to bed at 9:30 pm but that night I could have. Instead, we were just starting to make the two hour trek back home.

I’ve had some scary night drives in the past. When I was young and foolish, I fell asleep in a buddy’s car driving back home from out-of-town.

When he woke me up, I thought we were home. He instead said we had a flat tire. I also noticed that my shoulder was a little sore.

I couldn’t get out of my side of the car, but when I climbed out the driver’s side and came around to my side, I noticed we had two flat tires, and racing stripe-like indents all along the body of the car from the steel cable on the guard rail. 

My friend, who was driving, had also fallen asleep. 

Another time in my 20’s, I was driving up to my girlfriend’s cottage late at night after working all day and leading a youth group activity in the evening. 

My girlfriend was tired and said she was just going to close her eyes. I turned up the music but it didn’t help. I woke up when we hit the shoulder. I swerved back onto the road, and eventually stopped the car about twenty feet down in the ditch between the highway.

I sure didn’t want that to happen this time, but I was so tired it could have. I snacked on a few things, changed my position often, and kept shaking my head.

I leaned forward so that my chin was almost on the steering wheel. Lily rubbed my back and pinched my shoulders – anything just to keep me awake.

We talked to our daughter on the phone for about thirty minutes of the trip. It was a good thing because just being involved in that conversation helped to keep me from closing my eyes.  

I was never happier to turn into our driveway. I think I was asleep within minutes of walking into the house.

Here’s the thing: When you are tired, there is a tremendous pull to give in, close your eyes and rest – even when you know that it’s dangerous to give in to that temptation. The urge is so strong, it can be overpowering. The best way to prevent that danger is to not put yourself in the situation at all. … When it comes to sin, the same is true: don’t put yourself in a place where the temptation is too great to resist.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you do to keep yourself from temptation? Leave your comments below.

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It’s The Little Things That Make It Special

Often it is the little things that make something really special and stand out. 

Yesterday I attended an event at the Hockey Hall Of Fame in Toronto. We took in all the sights and looked at the history making events and people. 

There were even a few former NHLers who attended the event. One was Ron Ellis who not only was a Hall of Fame member but also has his name on the Stanley Cup.

A visit to the Hockey Hall of Fame isn’t complete without visiting the room where the Stanley Cup resides. 

The room itself is amazing. It’s set in an old bank with a high, domed, stained glass ceiling. The room is adorned with the many trophies that are handed out to NHL players for various achievements, as well as glass plates with images of those who have been inducted into the Hall. 

But the key piece, the item that stands out over everything else, is the Stanley Cup. 

I got my picture taken with the cup but I told Lily that I couldn’t touch it so I wouldn’t jinx myself from ever winning it … haha.

But that’s one of the things that make the Stanley Cup the most special of all trophies in sports. 

It’s a magnificent looking trophy, so large you need two hands to hold it. It’s also old, having been first awarded in 1893. 

Those little things are what make it the greatest trophy in sports. 

I joke about not touching the cup, but a Junior hockey player or a current NHLer won’t touch it until they win it. 

The cup has gone around the world, spending a day in the home town of each player who has won the cup that year. 

People have drank from the cup; they have sat babies in the bowl of the cup. The Stanley Cup has been left on the side of the road; it’s been tossed in a river. There was once an attempt to steal the cup. 

It has been touched and held by more people than any other professional trophy. 

And there is no other celebration of victory that centres around a trophy quite like the Stanley Cup.

Some trophies are handed out to the winning team in a press room or locker room. Some are presented on a high stage with all the focus on the owner who created such a great team.

But the Stanley Cup is the focal point of the hockey championship. It is presented to the captain, who skates around the rink and then passes it to his teammates who each get to skate and lift up the trophy. 

The win is all about getting your hands on that cup. Oh ya, and the honour of having your name permanently engraved on it. 

… Now that’s special.  

It’s all those little things that make the Stanley Cup the greatest trophy in sports. 

Here’s the thing: It’s the little things in Christianity that make it special. The big thing is that Jesus died on the cross to pay for all mankind’s sin – that’s a big deal! Other religions leave it up to you to have to work your way to their god. But the God of heaven did all the work for you. That’s big; there is no religion like it. But our God is also very personal. He meets with us, speaks to us through the Bible, helps and directs us on a daily basis, and lives in each of us by the Holy Spirit. Those are the little things that make being part of God’s family so special. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What is one little thing you are thankful to God for? Leave your comments below.

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It Appeared Out Of Nowhere

Yesterday something just appeared on me and I have no idea how it got there. 

I had just washed my hands and, as I was drying them, I looked at my fingers and noticed something I hadn’t seen before. 

In fact, I was so surprised I exclaimed, “Whoa” out loud. I said it loud enough that others heard me.

I felt I needed to explain my surprise to them, so I walked over and showed them my hands.

You could tell the middle finger on my right hand was a different colour. It was dark red, sort of like it was going to develop into a big bruise. It went from the knuckle of my hand all the way past the middle knuckle on my finger.

The thing is I can’t remember what I did to get it. 

That’s not like me. I usually know what I did to get the aches and pains, bumps and bruises I incur.

But I couldn’t remember what I did to get this injury. I do remember hurting my knuckle, but what I did doesn’t seem memorable enough for me to be able to recall it. 

It’s sort of like my wife, Lily. I will see a bruise on her arm and say, “How did you get that?” And her reply is always the same: “I don’t know.”

She never knows, and I always walk away muttering to myself, “How can you not know how you got that?” 

I usually know exactly what I did to get a bruise … even when I was on a powerful blood thinner for a few months after my heart attack years ago. 

Back then my doctors didn’t want me playing hockey or really doing anything where I could get hit because of the chance of bruising. Even then I could tell you where I got bruises from. 

But not this time. 

I told someone it might have happened when we were doing yard work at the church, or it could have happened when I was playing hockey earlier.

But I just don’t know. It’s a mystery just like all of Lily’s bruises (not that she has a lot of them).

I don’t recall many times when something just appeared on me out of nowhere. 

I do, however, remember a time that something disappeared into nowhere. That was at our wedding. 

One of our bridesmaids fainted during the ceremony; the pastor made an amazing catch and got her before she hit the ground. 

Lily’s cousin had recorded the whole wedding so when we got the tape – yes, the tape – and viewed it, I was waiting to see all the action. 

But all you saw was her losing her balance and then poof, she was gone. Lil’s cousin edited the incident right out of our video.

It was amazing. One minute she was there, the next she was not. 

And that’s what I’m hoping for with my finger, that the redness disappears as quickly as it appeared out of nowhere.

Here’s the thing: The Bible tells us that one day Jesus is going to return, and His return will come as a surprise. There will be many who will not be ready. There are lots of predictions and sign watching right now about when Jesus will return. It could be soon. But my view is to be ready now so that you are not taken by surprise when Christ appears out of nowhere. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: Are you ready now for Jesus’ return if He should come today? Leave your comments below.

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It Feels Like The Longest Days Of The Year

We are in the longest days of the year right now. I realize that it won’t be until late in June when we reach the maximum daylight, but still, these are the longest days of the year.

I used to live in Edmonton which has long days in the summer. I remember being on a golf course at 11pm at night!

When I directed a week of junior high camp for a few years, we would turn the clocks ahead. We called it “camp time”. We did it so the sun wasn’t still high in the sky when we would have our camp fires. 

Those definitely were long days. 

We got blackout blinds on our kids’ rooms so that when we put them to bed they didn’t think it was still the middle of the day.

But right now, at the beginning of May, we are experiencing the longest days of the year.

And if you are wondering why that is, it’s not that the sun is standing still in the sky. It’s not even that it is staying light out most of the night in Alaska. 

No, it’s that we are experiencing the NHL playoffs. 

You see, with eight teams still in the playoffs, there are two games every night and one is always a western game, giving us in the east a starting time of about 10 pm. 

… That means my days are very long, often extending after midnight.

Even though my team is out of the playoffs, I can’t stop watching the games. They flow from one to another. 

If one game runs a little late with overtime, the TV network joins the next game immediately … and the best part is you don’t have to wait for the national anthems to be sung. You get beamed into live action as a player is receiving a pass up the ice.

One of the difficult things about these long days is my day don’t start any later than usual. I’m up at my regular time; I’m just not getting to bed until much later than I’d like.

It’s not hard to handle this pace for a day or two, but day after day with no breaks until this round is over and four teams will be knocked out, that’s tiring. 

And I know what you are thinking – “Just don’t watch the late game.”

But that is easier said than done. 

If I open a bag of potato chips in front of you and say just have one, how well would you do with that? – especially if the bag was still hovering around your nose after you had devoured your first chip!

See? I thought you might understand if I gave you that analogy. 

These are long days we are in, and as much as I have enjoyed the action in all the series, I will be looking forward to a week from now when we will only have one game a night.

… Maybe I’ll have to take a nap early in the evening so I can stay up and watch those late western games.

Here’s the thing: When your routine or schedule gets changed, do you find that it is hard to maintain some of the things you are used to doing? There is never a time where God is thrown off His plan or will. With Him everything always gets accomplished right when He determines it. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How do you get back on track when your routine or schedule has been interrupted or adjusted? Leave your comments below.