God

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Accidents Happen In The Blink Of An Eye

It happened in the blink of an eye; the deer came out of nowhere. Last night we hit a deer traveling to our cottage to close it up for the winter.

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I had no time to react, just absorb the hit and keep the car on the road.

It was the perfect scenario for such an accident. It was dark, and there was a misty rain in the air, so visibility was hindered.

My headlights picked up the deer about one to two seconds before we hit him. All I could do was hold on to the steering wheel and keep the car steady.

We hit him in his hind quarter and he glanced off the passenger side of the front bumper.

I figure he came toward the headlights from the shoulder on the same side of the road as us. At the last moment he tried to veer off, and that’s when we clipped him.

The car continued to drive fine, but everything was not okay.

The plastic bumper was cracked and smashed. He took out our light assembly on the passenger side, and the front quarter panel was pushed back slightly so that the passenger door wouldn’t open very much.

The hood sustained a small crease and though it stayed shut, I’m unsure whether it would shut again if I tried to lift it.

The deer kept going.

On the inside of the car, we were fine. No airbags went off; neither Lily or I sustained any injury. But the dashboard lights went out, and I found out later the passenger tail light was also out.

I’ve never had a head-on collision before … unless you count the time I ran into a fence.

I was about 10 years old and my grandfather had been keeping an old 1930’s car in our driveway.

Some of the boys on the street thought it might be a great idea if we pushed the car into our backyard to see how far it would roll.

We had a little hill at the top of our yard, so all we really needed to do was get the car rolling and then let gravity do its job.

I was the logical driver since the car was on my property and it was my grandfather’s car.

It was my first time behind the wheel. I couldn’t even reach the pedals but that was okay because the drive was all about momentum.

Actually, for my first driving lesson I did pretty well. I kept the car going straight, didn’t swerve or even hit anyone. It all went great until I hit the fence at the end of the yard. No damage; the car went into the chain link fence and bounced back a bit.

The only damage came later when I had to face my dad concerning my first driving incident!

Yesterday caused a little more damage to the car than that first head-on 50 years ago.

I’m kind of hoping this is my last collision. I do plan, however, to tell my friends who are hunters that I got my first deer.

Here’s the thing: Things in life can happen very quickly, with little or no warning. You can’t always be ready and prepared for what is coming next. That’s why it’s best to have your future settled, for whatever might happen. Be sure that you have a relationship with Christ Jesus, and that you are trusting Him now and for the future.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What plans have you made for the future? Leave you comments below.

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You Need An Outlet In Your Life (part 3)

How do you know what kind of an outlet you need for a particular time? Should it be something with other people, or is an outlet by yourself good enough?

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These are important questions to answer to be able to have an outlet in your life that does what it’s supposed to do … and that is to provide a release for the stress, pressure, burden, or load of work, and all the emotions that come with these things.

In my last two posts I’ve written about what an outlet is (read here) and how to determine an outlet that works for you (read here).

In this post I want to help you discern the best kind of outlet for you at a particular time.

There are many factors that come into play in determining whether the right outlet should be with other people or on your own.

Personality has a say in this, so you need to know where you get your energy from. Are you recharged from being with others or from being alone? There are personality tests you can take to determine that.

On a basic level, if the weight you find yourself under is generated from within you – that is, you are putting the pressure on yourself – it would probably be best to have an outlet available to you that is more social.

When you feel alone in what you are going through, employing an outlet that is solo in nature is not going to give you that break from yourself that you need.

I’ve been there recently. Most of my burden comes from within, is self-packed and carried. In the midst of it, I had a window in my schedule where I could go biking.

The thought of getting my gear together, mounting my bike on my car and driving to the trails on my own was too much and I couldn’t get myself to do it.

I know I would have been glad once I got there, but being alone in this feeling that I had made it too difficult to get going on that particular day.

It might have been a better choice that day to get a few people together and go for dinner where we could watch the game on a big screen.

On the other hand, there are times that the burden you feel is because of people. In those cases choosing an outlet that isn’t social at all might be the best thing.

Going to a movie might be a bit of a bridge outlet because you can go with someone else but you don’t usually interact throughout the movie … unless you’re a teen and you’re watching a suspense movie with your girlfriend. It might become interactive as she digs her fingernails into your arm when the suspense builds!

Bottom line, it’s complicated and you need options … not just one outlet but several, some that are social and some that aren’t.

Build your list and schedule them if you can. You’ll feel better for it and be able to stand up under your burden.

Here’s the thing: God has made us social beings. It’s important that you don’t just have a consistent devotional life; you need the social interaction with scripture too. We should keep spending time alone with God, but also attend a life group to interact with God’s Word in a more social setting. By the way, there are two outlets for you: personal quiet time with God and life group meetings with others.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What kind of outlets do you gravitate to: solo or social? Leave your comment below.

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You Shouldn’t Have To Wonder Where The People Are

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The other day I wondered, “Where are all the people? Where have they gone?”

This question arose as I stood up to preach on Sunday morning. I gazed over the congregation; it was mostly empty seats that were staring back at me.

There have been times when our service was very poorly attended but that usually came the day after an ice storm.

But this was a sunny, warm, fall morning – one of those mornings where the sun peeks through the curtains and beckons you to get up and get moving.

And it was a great day. It was Thanksgiving Sunday (in Canada) … but there were not many in church.

That afternoon my son and I took in the Kingston Frontenacs OHL hockey game.

But there weren’t many at the game. Normally there would be 4000 plus in attendance, but that day there was just over 2000.

The arena looked empty; we could have sat anywhere we liked.

I wondered why there were so few people at the game when it was a holiday the next day. Much like church that morning, there were more empty seats than filled ones.

“Where is everyone?”, I thought.

Sure it was Thanksgiving weekend and people get together with family and friends for a big turkey dinner. I figured many people would have that big meal on Monday at some odd time like 2 in the afternoon.

… I’m not sure why we have special meals outside of regular meal times, but we do.

Maybe most people were having their big meal mid-afternoon.

That might be why no one came to the hockey game, but what about church? No one was going to have turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie for brunch mid-morning.

It seemed like it was going to be one of those unsolved mysteries.

We were having our family and friends for turkey dinner as well. Sunday late afternoon the house was smelling like there was going to be a royal feast.

Everyone gathered and we sat down to a phenomenal Thanksgiving dinner. There was turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, carrots cooked in a special sauce, fresh rolls, a marshmallow salad (which I consider a teaser for the dessert to follow) … and we had gravy – lots of gravy!

We finished off with pumpkin pie and whipping cream – lots of whipping cream!

The meal didn’t start until around 6:45 pm, but it was worth waiting for. We talked and laughed and ate until we were really full.

Then something broke the festivities.

I got a notice on my phone; there was a score. I stood up and announced we better get to the TV; it was already 1-0 for Texas over the Blue Jays.

We quickly made our way to the TV and, as we settling in, Toronto hit two home runs and went ahead 3-1. They later went on to win the game and sweep Texas from the playoffs.

I learned something watching the game. I learned where everyone was. They were in Toronto watching that baseball game. The stadium was jammed with 50,000 plus people and there were millions watching all over the country.

Mystery solved.

Here’s the thing: One day when Christ returns, there will be those who wonder where all the people went. It will seem like a mystery; they will just be gone. But in heaven there will be a celebration going on that will outdo any division sweeping championship game at the Rogers Centre. Be sure you’re at that one and not just watching on TV.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How do you imagine a celebration like that? Leave your comments below.

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You Need An Outlet In Your Life (part 2)

In my last post (you can read it here) I talked about how we need outlets in our lives for when we find ourselves in times of sustained pressure or burdens of some kind.

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But having one outlet isn’t enough; it will never fit all times and situations. You need several outlets.

In a home, we have many outlets in each room because we need the options. We need several outlets because usually at least one is obstructed, behind a couch or a dresser, not accessible.

With regard to outlets in your life, you need several for the variety of situations that come up.

I have a few outlets that I use at different times. One of my main outlets is sports.

But I can’t use the same one all the time. I can’t mountain bike in the winter or when it’s raining out; I can’t play hockey very much in the summer.

So I need other outlets that I can turn to when one outlet won’t work.

What you need to do is sit down and figure out what an outlet would be for you. It needs to be something you really enjoy, something that is readily available.

For me I can play hockey at noon most days of the week throughout the winter. That gives me options that I can co-ordinate with my schedule.

Find something that you enjoy that has some options or flexibility to it. Alternatively, find something you enjoy and put it into your regular schedule.

Many of us think that enjoyment is something that comes after the work gets done, something that’s an option.

But in many of our lives, the work is never done so outlets are not an option if we want to stay healthy mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Make a list of things you enjoy that you can do on your own, and things you enjoy that you can do with others.

If you’re someone who’s mainly focused on work, this will not be an easy step. Take some time; maybe you will have to discover or develop some things you enjoy doing.

Then you need to schedule them. Commit to using an outlet a few times a week, and slot it in to your schedule from week to week where it works best.

Or you join a class or team and just commit to that regular schedule.

Be cautious of only having outlets that only involve you. When the pressure is particularly great, it will be easy to bail out of it, since you’re not letting anyone else down if you do.

Sometimes the motivation isn’t there when it’s just something you are going to do by yourself. I’ve found it difficult in the last couple of weeks to hit the trails on my mountain bike. It seems to take a lot of extra effort to get going when it’s just me. I’ve backed out a few times lately.

Having that list and scheduling your outlets will really help keep you from being crushed under the pressure or burden of life and work.

Here’s the thing: Ask God for His help in finding an outlet and for the motivation to use an outlet when the pressure or burden seems too much. God is faithful and will help us at those times if we seek Him.

That’s Life!

Paul

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You Need An Outlet In Your Life (part 1)

From time to time in life we need an outlet. I’m not talking about the electrical kind you find on the wall of your home about two feet above the baseboard.

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But let me use that analogy to talk about the type of outlet I am referring to …

What I mean is an outlet for the pressure, busyness, burden of life or work.

The church building I work at was built in three stages: in the 60’s, the 70’s, and the 90’s.

The contrast between the electrical service that was installed in the 60’s to what was installed in the 90’s is very evident.

In the old part of the building there are very few electrical wall outlets in the rooms and halls. … It’s a pain to find an outlet in a place you actually need to plug something into.

The thinking back then was you didn’t really need many electrical outlets. There just weren’t that many things you needed to plug into them.

In the new part of the building outlets must be placed about every four feet, and even then there are times that outlets are hidden behind something, making it hard to access them when you need to.

I think in our day and age, just like we have more outlets in our homes than older homes did, it is more of a necessity that we have outlets in our lives.

We need outlets that are readily available.

An outlet is something we can turn to to take the pressure off, or to eliminate the burden. It can be a distraction or a way of escape from the constant demands on us.

In hockey they call it the outlet pass when a defensemen has the puck behind his team’s net and has opposing players bearing down on him.

The outlet pass to an open winger alleviates the pressure and allows the team to escape out of their end zone and move the puck up the ice.

In the days we live in, where we are available virtually 24/7 because of cell phones, texts, and email, we need outlets.

It’s imperative that we are able to get out from under whatever seems to be constantly over us –  even if what’s over us is a collection of many things that mount up in our lives.

If we don’t have outlets we will eventually be crushed under the pressure, which can cause us to make significant mistakes, creating even more harm than the burden we are carrying.

There really is no one who is immune to this. There have been high profile, high capacity people as well as your average joes who have gone down because they didn’t have an outlet.

No one should think they are stronger than the pressure or burden. We all should know the signs that we are at a tipping point and should have an outlet to turn to when that time come.

In my next post (read here) I will talk about finding an outlet and how to use it.

Here’s the thing: There are many people who don’t have an outlet. They don’t even know what an outlet might look like for them. Ask God for an outlet that would be right for you. Seek His wisdom; He knows you best.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How is the burden or pressure in your life? Do you need an outlet? Leave your comments below.

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It’s A New Era In Our Family

Well, we are starting a new era in our family: it’s a “no kids in the city” era.

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My wife, Lily, and I have been empty-nesters for a few years now but we’ve always had our son in the city … and for the last nine months he’s lived only about five minutes away.

But a work promotion and transfer have taken Mike to Burlington, southwest of Toronto. Now both our kids are down that way.

I’m not complaining because it’s nice that they are close enough for us to get to and not too far for them to sometimes come home.

In fact, after one week on the job, Mike decided to spend the weekend in Kingston since he’s living in a hotel for a couple of weeks. Karlie decided she’d come home too, so we had both kids home … though I think Mike’s idea of coming home was more about seeing his buddies than his family.

We got a golf game in one morning and it dawned on me that this won’t be happening too much any more. And since the hockey season will be starting soon, I won’t be playing hockey with him Saturday mornings either.

No more popping over for lunch in between work calls, or enticing him over for a meal that he particularly likes.

This is just what naturally happens as a family matures.

It sure is different from when I left home. I went to school out west and then got a job further west. I lived away from my family for 15 years before I returned back to the province.

Communication back then was not like it is now. There were no cell phones, no internet. Letters and expensive long distance charges were the order of that day.

Although we are a few hours away from both our children, at least we can keep up by phone (unlimited long distance), text messages, and even video chats.

It’s a different day.

But our home is now down one person who might burst through the door just to say hi or come for a meal. That is gone.

But what’s not gone is all his stuff. We saw the movers come and take his furniture and belongings in their big truck, yet in the basement there’s still a room that seems quite full of his stuff.

… Thinking about it, Karlie has continued to store stuff with us and it’s been more than a few years since she moved out.

That’s different from my experience as well. When I moved to Edmonton, I remember my dad saying, “Take it all, Paul; don’t leave anything!”

I guess it will give us an excuse to visit, and take a box of stuff every time we do.

It’s a new era for us, but it won’t be the last. When I look back, I’ve enjoyed my kids at every stage of their development. This is just one more stage.

Here’s the thing: Take comfort in the fact that God never tires of you. He enjoys each stage of your spiritual development along your life’s journey. His desire is that you will grow, but He is pleased with you right where you are now.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What stage have you had to get used to in your family’s development? Leave your comments below.

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It Was A Multitasking Nightmare

I proved to myself today that I’m not a very good multitasker. It’s not the end of the world for me because they say men aren’t good at it anyway.

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Apparently, the way the female brain is set up, women are much better at multitasking. Yet there was a time when multitasking was something everyone was trying to master.

But just like margarine was supposed to be better for you than butter, it turned out not to be true.

The same mantra has been proclaimed about multitasking. It doesn’t work; you don’t get more done, and you certainly don’t get more done faster.

I proved that today.

I was in a hurry trying to get out the door for a few errands on my day off. I just needed to brush my teeth … something I’m pretty good at since I’ve been polishing those chiclets for many years.

But when I put the toothpaste on my electric toothbrush there was just enough for that cleaning. The tube was finished so I threw it in the garbage.

With my toothbrush in one hand, putting it into my mouth, I though with my other hand I could get the next tube out of its box and ready for my next cleaning.

So I brushed with one hand, and picked up the box with my other. I was just going to leverage the box against the counter to open it and pull out the tube, but they had some kind of sealing mechanism on the box.

I couldn’t see very well because by now I was brushing my teeth and, if I looked down, the toothpaste would probably drip out of my mouth.

Turned out that the sealing mechanism was tape – very strong tape, I might add – because I was really struggling to continue my brushing and, at the same time, fight with the box.

I ended up having to let go of the toothbrush, so that it was whirling away in my mouth with only the strength of my lips providing the counter balance from the heavy handle that was dangling from my mouth.

With two hands I was literally ripping the box, tearing it limb from limb (if it had any).

Finally the tube was free and the box fell into the sink. I tossed the box in the garbage can and placed the tube in my teeth cleaning container. … Back to brushing my teeth while actually holding the brush.

When I finished up, I felt like I needed to sit down and calm down – I was all riled up after my multitasking disaster.

I’m way better off sticking to one thing at a time! … That’s why there are laws against texting and driving, putting on your makeup while driving, or doing pretty much anything while driving.

For those out there who still think multitasking is a good thing, I just have one piece of advice: Stick to one thing at a time.

Here’s the thing: Multitasking gets you moving at a frantic pace; you live hurried. Life is not a race but a journey we are on. God would rather you take time to enjoy the moments than to hurry through them so that they are a blur. Take time throughout your day to just breathe, take in  your surroundings, and thank God for those moments of calm.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How do you take breaks through your day? Leave your comments below.

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I’ve Been On The Road Too Much!

I think I just need to stay put for a little while. I feel like I’ve been on the road too much.

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Over the last month I’ve done a fair bit of traveling – not to any exotic or far away places … I’ve just been doing a lot of driving.

The good thing is I like driving, but I think it’s time to take a break and stay closer to home for a while.

Our cottage is almost 500 kilometres away from us (that’s 310 miles), and in the last month I’ve made that trip two and a half times – about 2,500 kilometres.

This last trip sort of finished me off. I had meetings just east of Toronto and then was going to take in a one-day seminar up north where our cottage is.

I spent a night at our daughter’s home, then two nights in a hotel, another night at our daughter’s and then one night at our cottage.

There was one more stop along the way, however. Our son is moving and we offered to help him do some apartment hunting in Burlington, which is southwest of Toronto.

That little adventure went very well and we found something for him by lunch time. We were pretty happy about our find and relieved that one more detail of his move was settled.

But I was already pretty tired and we had another 2 1/2 hours of driving to get to the cottage.

We were driving on different roads than we normally take and it seemed we were winding our way through the countryside and at the mercy of slow moving vehicles and road construction.

I’m not sure whether it was all the driving we were doing or the amount of time I was spending in the car, but I began to think that we needed a new car.

… a car that floated on air; one that was quiet on the inside, with no sound of the road or the wind; a car that had seats that formed to your body, and one you could put on auto-pilot and sit back and close your eyes in.

I guess I’m describing a limousine service. And I sure could have used it! By the time we got to our cottage I was done in.

I needed to just lie down and take a nap. But even that seemed to be short-lived. I was interrupted by dinner and then a walk along the beach.

Even waking up the next morning came an hour or so too early for my liking, but we had the seminar to attend and then pack up and head back home.

I felt a little like a rock star on tour. They say sometimes they don’t remember what town they’re in; it’s all a blur.

For me, I just want to stay inside the city limits for a week or so. Then I’ll probably be ready to make another trip.

Here’s the thing: One of the reasons traveling takes a toll on you is you get out of your routines and are away from everything familiar. You sleep in different places, eat out more, and don’t have the comfort and familiarity of home. One thing you can do to help steady yourself is to keep your time with God. Remember that no matter where you go, He is our constant; He never changes. Our home is with Him.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How does traveling unsettle you? Leave your comments below.

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How To Get Your Heart Set On The Right Thing

We all get pulled by our hearts in different directions. Sometimes those directions come from a want that we have or a cause we are passionate about. Our hearts might even pull us towards some necessity.

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No matter what, the end result is always the same: we have our hearts set on it, and nothing will move us from whatever it is we have our hearts set on.

It might be a brand new car.

Have you ever noticed that if there is a certain car you are interested in you start seeing them everywhere? You see them in parking lots, and about every fifth car that you pass on the road seems to be the model you’re being drawn towards.

Or maybe it’s something you need, like a new bed (I wrote about that here). It seems like once you are in the process and start checking out new mattresses, you have to go through with it … You have your heart set on a new bed.

We’ve all witnessed demonstrations, either live or on TV, and we can tell how passionate the people are about their cause.

I remember back when I was in grade 13 … yes, for all you non-Ontario readers, we had grade 13 some years ago.

Well, the previous year, teachers in the Toronto area had been on work to rule, but a whole year passed and they still had no contract with the Ministry of Education.

So they went on strike.

I remember that day in October. It was our last day of school, and Miss. Habas was teaching us Math (functions and relations). She drew a shape of a parabola on the blackboard and started to explained how to solve the problem.

But the next day the strike was on.

What happened next was the best three and a half months of high school I ever experienced.  That’s right, that’s how long the teachers were on strike.

It was fantastic for us, except for the kids who moved up to their parents’ cottages to go to school there.

For the teachers, they walked the line. They had their hearts set on a new contract and held out until near the end of January until they got what they wanted.

Personally, I would have been satisfied if they had have stuck to their guns a little longer. I was enjoying my school, which was a little math tutoring twice a week for the first three weeks of the strike.

Just like the teachers had their hearts set on a new contract, when the strike was over they got pulled by their hearts to something else.

And so it is: our hearts pull us here and there.

But there is one thing our hearts should keep pulling us to, one thing we should keep setting our hearts on.

That one thing is God.

I read in 2 Chronicles 16:9 that God seeks to support those whose heart is fully committed to Him. I take that as someone who has their heart set on putting God first in their life.

Here’s the thing: The problem is we get our hearts set on so many things. How do we keep our hearts set on God? Well, here’s a challenge for you: at each meal many of us say grace. When you say grace from now on, declare that you are setting your heart on God. That just might keep your heart set on the right thing.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What have you set your heart on lately? Is it worth it? Leave your comments below.

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How To Manage The Ups And Downs In Life

 

From time to time I republish an old post I’ve written. This post is from July 15, 2014. Enjoy.

My golf game the other day resembled life to a large degree. And, like my game, life is filled with ups and downs.

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When I was in my early twenties I played golf every Saturday morning.  It was like clockwork, unless I had a late night the night before and then I sometimes got a few pebbles thrown at my window to nudge me out of bed.

Well, this past Saturday was a blast from the past for me. I had an early 7:05 am tee off time with a couple of buddies.

It’s been years, but I still remembered the quietness of that time of day, and the stillness of the air. The dew was thick on the grass and the sun breaking through the trees created breathtaking patterns of light and shade on the fairways.

That’s a nice picture, isn’t it? Well it stops right about there because, for some reason, I couldn’t hit the golf ball on Saturday.

I started with a 6, and if you don’t know anything about golf, let me tell you, it doesn’t matter if it’s a long hole or short hole, a 6 is never a good score!

I posted another 6 on the next hole, and when I got my third straight 6, I glanced over at the score card my partner was keeping and I could see the pattern. My card read 666 and you know what that’s the sign of!

That’s maybe why I was kind of relieved when I scored – yup, you guessed it – another 6 on the next hole. With four sixes on the first four holes, it was very obvious I was having a terrible round. But at least now no one was going to confuse me for being the devil.

The rest of the front nine holes were up and down – a couple of good holes but also a couple of bad ones.

Then things changed around on the back nine. I don’t really know why; no one gave me a pep talk or anything. I just started to hit the ball better. I parred the next 5 holes in a row.

And if you don’t know anything about golf, that means I got the ball in the hole in the correct number of shots.

I had one little hiccup on the 15th hole but then I parred the next two. That’s seven pars on the back nine. That’s a great score for me, and I would say for most people.

Then came the last hole. I don’t know what happened to me, but I choked. I didn’t get a 6 though – I got a 7! I had such a good back nine but then one hole sunk it.

But you know what? As I stare at my score card now, I can’t wait to try again.

Here’s the thing: Life is sometimes bad – sometimes really bad – but it’s also sometimes very good. Often we can’t explain why it is so, we can only take what we get. We have a tendency to blame God for the bad, and just bask in our own glory during the good.

The Bible says everything comes from the hand of God, so we should be looking to God in the good and the bad. We should be seeking to know Him more in all of life. So whether life is good or bad, we should want to get up each morning and try again.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How have you handled the good and bad in life? I’d really like to hear from you; you can leave your comment below.