Hockey

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How To Transition To A New Season

We’re into October and it’s time for me to transition into the new season. Some of you are thinking, “Great. He’s finally recognizing the leaves are changing and that it’s fall.”

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That might be the transition some people make. They put the fall decorations around the house, get the rake out to bag the leaves, and start thinking of pumpkins and of the colours brown, yellow and orange.

But that’s not the transition to the new season I’m referring to. For me, the transition is going from biking and golf season to hockey season. And with that, I guess you could say, there comes some decorations.

One thing that I have to do is ditch the bike rack, and the clubs from the trunk, put the hockey sticks in my car and make room for my equipment bag.

But not so fast. I’m having a hard time making the transition to the new season. I still want to bike, and there may be a few more rounds of golf left in my clubs.

I have to admit I have some urges to make the transition. Every time I drive past the arena I think, “Boy, it’s time I get those blades out and hit the ice.” But I still am hesitant.

I just don’t want to put my bike away yet. I realize that there are fewer and fewer opportunities to mountain bike. It rains more at this time of year. It gets darker sooner. It’s getting cooler.

Also, making the transition will mean I have to lug my equipment out to the car and back into the house. I’ll have to put up with the annoyance of hearing “That equipment stinks!” from one unnamed person in the house (it doesn’t really smell).

I think what might put me over the edge to make the changeover is going a week without being able to bike, or finding there is not enough light to see the trails.

I know it’s just a matter of time, but I want to ease into it. Maybe I will play hockey once a week just to get my feet wet (or frozen, in this case). I’ll keep biking but I’ll play a little hockey as well.

I’m going to slowly make the transition … like when you go swimming in a lake, and slowly walk out into the deeper water, allowing your body time to adjust to the cooler temperatures. Lake Huron, where we swim, is like that – you can go a long way out before you have to go all the way under.

Once I’m in, it’s all good; I can stay in. I will have made the transition; I won’t be pining away for my bike or golf clubs. And I’ll enjoy the new season … until it’s time to transition again.

Here’s the thing: When God wants to change something in us, we often resist that change. We’re comfortable and don’t want to change. If we focus on the good or the blessings that change will bring – instead of the loss of what we have – we will slowly let God work that new change into our lives and let go of that thing we’re hanging on to.

That’s Life!

Paul

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

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They Turned Me Into One!

There are things in life that we pursue, create or proactively bring about. But there are also things in this life that just seem to happen to us without much intention on our part.

It’s the day after my birthday and I am feeling like something just happened to me that I never asked for nor set out to make happen: I’ve become a super fan.

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You know those guys that paint themselves up before the big game? They have and they wear the jersey of their favourite player (in both home and away colours). You can spot these super fans by the flag waving out their car windows, the bumper stickers plastered on their cars, the paraphernalia dangling from their rear mirrors, and by their golf accessories (I’ll explain).

It’s no secret that I’m a Toronto Maple Leafs’ fan – hey, I grew up there. I do have a few Leaf things in my possession. My office walls even have some Leaf memorabilia.

I have a picture and autograph on my wall of Darrel Sittler, one of my hockey heroes growing up. But nothing I have is overt. You would not be able to look at me and somehow tell that I’m a Leaf fan … not that I’m trying to hide it.

This year I broke down and bought a TML ball cap, but not one that stands out. It has their crest on the front but the colour of the hat is a blue grey and so it’s not really obvious.

I’ve never wanted to be a super fan and I don’t think anyone would ever accuse me of being one either … until now, and through no doing of my own.

It seems this year that my family took it upon themselves to turn me into a super fan, whether I like it or not. This year was one of those years when my birthday falls on Father’s Day. I think because it was a bonus day for me, they got a little carried away!

It started a year ago with my son getting me a bright blue Toronto Maple Leaf golf bag (no, it doesn’t really stand out). This year everyone got into the act. They got me a TML  golf umbrella to match my golf bag. And then for some reason, my wife, Lily got me a golf shirt that matches exactly the colour of the bag and umbrella (see the picture).

My son laughed and said he had thought of getting me Toronto Maple Leaf head covers for my clubs. It’s all a little too much for me – they’ve turned me into a super fan. Look for me the next time you’re golfing or even passing by a golf course. I won’t be hard to spot

There is one more thing that I got for my birthday that does make me a super fan but doesn’t show until you are in my family room – the “Budweiser Red Goal Light”. I can hardly wait until the Leafs score their first goal next season! … How do you spell, “super fan”?

Here’s the thing: God loves me so much that He did something so outrageous as to send His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for me. He certainly didn’t hide His feelings for me, and so I should be proud to show that I’m a fan of Jesus and that I receive God’s love.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What are you a super fan of? Leave your comment below.

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The Health Risks of Cheering

For health reasons, maybe the Toronto Maple Leafs shouldn’t make the playoffs more than every nine years. That’s how long it’s been since the last time my stress level went off the scale.

Frankly, I had forgotten what it was like to watch a playoff game in which I really – and I mean really – cared about the outcome. For almost a decade I never really got too excited in the playoffs because I didn’t really care which team won.

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This year is different. I care, and I had forgotten just how much I cared until the series began. Unfortunately, my wife and I decided to take a week’s holiday in the US during the first five games of the playoffs.

The US usually does everything big: their stores are bigger than in Canada; their restaurants serve larger portions; their cities, for the most part, seem larger. But when it comes to hockey, it takes a backseat to basketball and baseball.

To be fair, NBC has done a great job of covering the playoffs so far. Their motto has been “every night, every game” … but not the Leafs! They were on CNBC, whatever that is. All I know is that our hotel room didn’t get that channel and neither did the places we went to look for the games.

By the time we returned to Canada, I had missed the first 4 games of the series, and the fifth game was being played while we were driving home. When we crossed the border, we checked for radio stations that might cover the game.

We finally found one but it was competing with a station that was airing a talk show in another language. I could barely make out that the Leafs scored to make it 2 – 0. I immediately pressed harder on the gas pedal believing that any police officer would understand my urgency to get home.

I got home with 10 minutes left in the game. There was no unloading the car, no unpacking – it was straight to the TV!

I was so stressed for the last half of the period that I couldn’t sit down. I paced back and forth in our family room, watching, holding my breath, screaming at the players on the TV to get the puck out of their end.

I thought I was going to have a heart attack, and I know what that feels like so I had my Nitro ready in my back pocket just in case. Well, we won and that set the stage for game 6.

This time I was home for the whole game. I was able to sit, but there was no talking, no distractions, just rocking back and forth on the edge of my chair. The only calming effect was the pizza and Dr. Pepper.

The Leafs played a great game and won, which brought the series down to one last game in Boston. It was do or die tonight. After a promising 4-1 lead, a loss in overtime has left me a little shaken. If there are no more blogs after this one, you’ll know the Nitro didn’t work.

Here’s the thing: Much of what we get stressed about is over in flash and has no lasting effect on us. Eternity, on the other hand, is something worth stressing over if we are not ready for it … because the effects are forever.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What thing or event causes you the most emotional stress? Leave your comment below.

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Guaranteed to Cure the Common Cold

If you want to know how to get over a cold really quickly, I have the secret remedy. You may have to buy hundreds of dollars worth of hockey equipment to do it, but I swear by this method. I’ve been doing this for years and the results speak for themselves.

Johnson And Johnson Recalls Children's Cold Medicines

The other day I woke up with not the beginnings of a cold, or even the sniffles. I woke up with a full-blown, about a 2 days in cold, without any prior symptoms. I have no explanation for it other than it’s my wife’s fault. She must have given it to me.

There is a slight possibility that my late nights this past week have weakened my immune system, but I really think it was Lily who gave me this cold. She may not have had any symptoms herself, but I think she’s sometimes a carrier for these types of germs.

So there I was, sneezing every fifteen minutes, blowing my nose every ten minutes and coughing in between. My body was a little achy but I was more chilled than anything. I even hauled out my Grandma afghan, and when I do that, I’m sick!

I tried to get a good night’s sleep but I tossed and turned all night. I woke up the next morning not feeling any better. Mind you, my alarm went off at 5:30 a.m. and NO ONE feels at the top of their game at that hour!

I had a decision to make: roll over and go back to sleep, or drag my achy, chilled, sorry-looking body out of bed for hockey. It was a quick decision I made – I had to! If I thought about it for even a few seconds, I would have pulled the covers up over my head.

I had gotten out my hockey equipment the night before, just in case. But if I was going to play, I needed something else: the secret remedy/weapon to blasting a cold out of your system. I needed a sweatshirt, the thicker the better.

This remedy involves all my regular hockey equipment, but I wear a t-shirt AND a sweatshirt under my hockey sweater. This allows me to – how can I put this delicately? – sweat like a pig. Oh, I sweat when I play hockey, but with the extra layers, I get to the point of overheating and that’s the condition you need to be in to gain the desired results.

Just to make sure my method was going to work, the group that was coming on the ice after us needed a few extra bodies. I decided to stick around and keep the perspiration flowing.

When I was all done, I was pretty tired. By the time I changed and showered, I was feeling achy and chilly again. So I came home and jumped into bed for a couple of hours. When I got up, voila! I was better! – aches gone, chills gone, the need to blow my nose … well, I’m still going through Kleenex at a rapid rate, but I feel better.

Here’s the thing: For many of the requests we have of God, we just pray. It might be a nice, calm, logical prayer of what we want or need from God. But there are some things that require us to sweat it out with God, to get on our knees and pour out our hearts and souls to Him. That’s the tough work of prayer. You shouldn’t neglect that kind of prayer.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: Have you found yourself in need of sweating out your prayer with God?  Leave your comment below.

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Just The Way I Like It

I bought a new hockey stick the other day.  And I started to reflect on how important my stick is to me. I think everyone who has a hobby takes pride in the instruments or equipment they use to participate. I don’t know, but maybe some people will only buy a certain kind of knitting needle, or their automotive tools have to be a certain brand.

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We do that because, for some reason, when we wield our weapon it has to feel right in our hands. For me, the hockey stick starts with a curve … and it’s getting harder to find my curve pattern in stores.  They make a Hall curve, an Iginla curve, or a Crosby curve, but not a Silcock curve.

I don’t know why they change things. People get used to an article of clothing and for some reason they change it on you or stop making it for a newer, slightly different model. I’ve had to change my sticks over the years.

I moved from a wood stick to a carbon shaft with a wood blade, and for several years I just replaced the blade of the stick. But now my sticks are one piece all carbon, have a heal curve (Lidstrom pattern), and are ten times lighter than the old wood ones.

Once I buy a stick I still have to prep it. You know, break it in or customize it.  I cut off about eighteen inches and insert a wood handle that’s tapered to fit my hand better. My son says I should only pay half price since I only use half a stick.

For me, it’s not just a matter of going to the store and picking out a twig to use on ice. There’s a lot of thought and work that goes into getting it ready.  I take a rasp to the end of the stick to get the right shape for my hand.  And then there’s the tape job.

Taping my stick is not a quick process. The handle has to have the right size of nob on the end, and I tape the blade of my stick from toe to heal. I make sure there are no creases in the tape and that the overlap is consistent along the whole blade.

I finish it all off by coating the stick with ice wax. The wax seals the tape onto the stick and prevents moisture from getting in. Basically, it strengthens the tape on my stick and makes me feel that the puck will stick to my blade when I’m stick handling around other players.

That’s it, I’m done. Then I hold the stick in my hands and picture the goals I will score and the moves I’ll make with my new weapon of choice.

Here’s the things: If I will take that much time and care to make sure my hockey stick is just the way I like it, I need to put the same kind of thought into making my relationship with God just like I want it to be, and how He has designed it to be.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you put a lot of time and effort into so that it is just the way you want it? Leave a comment below.

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I Knew He Was Out To Get Me!

I find myself wondering what goes through people’s minds when they do something that just seems wrong.  I wonder that a lot when I drive … like the person in front of me the other day who slowed down to about 10 km/hr just to get into the other lane. What were they thinking?!

It happens often to me, so maybe it’s me and not them … or, maybe everyone is out to get me.  Ya, that’s it.  People are trying to mess with me … Ok, enough of that nonsense.

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This week I was playing hockey and a guy just smoked me (hit me really hard).  Out of nowhere he knocked me flying.  I never saw him coming.  Lying on the ice, I had that thought, “What was he thinking?  This is NOT contact hockey.”  In fact, I said it out loud a few times, “What were you thinking?!”

When I’m in my car, I never get an answer to that question.  On this occasion, I did.  He said, “You turned right into me.”  I couldn’t believe it!  Even if I did, he should’ve stopped or gone around me.  But no, he decided to run me over from behind like a freight train!

I was sprawled on the ice – not hurt, just annoyed.  As I got back to playing, I noticed the guy.  In the old days, I would have marked him and stuck it to him later in some way. But, I’m pretty chill now, and put it out of my mind.

I did notice, however, that he was pretty big, but not all that agile out there.  I figured he had a head of steam behind him and when I turned to the net, he either couldn’t stop in time, or didn’t have the maneuverability to change direction.  I got shmucked in the process.

As I kept playing, I started to notice that my knee was a little sore (not really bad, not enough to stop playing, just enough to notice).  I wondered if it was going to be worse after the game.  But I kept playing.

Later on after hockey, as my knee WAS getting worse, I realized I wouldn’t be able to do my exercises that day.  That was upsetting since I had just stopped taking one of my medications to determine if it was causing some muscle pain I’m experiencing.

This was an official trial, by the way.  A nurse had suggested I stop the drug for a week to see if the symptoms went away.  Here I was, one day in, and I wasn’t sure I would be able to exercise much for the next week.  The trial was a bust.

Hey, maybe people are trying to mess with me!  Just kidding … I started back on the drug the next day and will resume my trial when my knee is feeling a little better.

Here’s the thing:  When a few things happen, we start to wonder if there is a conspiracy out there.  Sometimes, we over spiritualize by thinking we’ve done something wrong and God is punishing us, or Satan is trying to get us.  We make up scenarios in our minds about what is happening, and they’re always bigger there.  In reality, mostly it’s just life.  It’s not an act of God, or Satan, or a conspiracy against us.  So, the key to dealing with things that happen is to depend on God THROUGH them.  Don’t point a finger, blame, or make things up; just trust Him through it.

Until Next Time!

Pastor Paul

Question:  When life happens, how do you keep yourself from creating theories in your mind? Leave your comment below.

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Ya, It’s Nice to be Back!

Recently I went back to playing hockey.  I felt good enough to play, but since I did have a heart attack after the last time I played hockey, I also felt a little weird about it.

Since I left the hospital back in March, I have had to carry a nitroglycerin spray … just in case.  I haven’t had to use it, but when we got to the bench, I told my son Mike where it was in the dressing room, in the event I might need a little shot.  I just felt it would be good for someone to know where it was.

When I got onto the ice, I found that my skates didn’t fit right.  I don’t understand how a heart attack could affect my feet, but my skates which have fit perfect for the last 18 years put my feet into agonizing pain.  It didn’t matter whether I was on the ice or on the bench, my feet just hurt.  That lasted about 45 minutes before the pain went away.

I’ve never experienced that before, nor have I experienced aching muscles around my hips when I skated before.  But that, too, seemed to be a relatively new change for me.  I feel I have aged over the last seven months.

And then there were all the “mothers” that showed up to play.  It was a little embarrassing.  Every time I came to the bench, someone would ask me how I was feeling.  If I looked out of breath or in a little pain, if I slipped or got bumped by someone, these big guys dressed in full hockey gear got all tender on me and asked, “Are you okay?”  One time I answered back, “Yes, dear” and I don’t think he asked me again.

I also had to get used to a new routine.  Apparently, hockey is kind of hard on one’s heart.  That’s why they have installed defibrillators in all the arenas in the city.  It’s not that hockey isn’t a good way to exercise, but when you go from racing up and down the ice to sitting on the bench, your heart rate rises and drops rapidly.  Well, that’s not ideal.

So, now I have to coast at the end of my shift, or walk a few laps around the bench before I sit down.  Let me tell you, that gets a few looks and comments from the other guys.

But in the end, I felt good that I got that first game under my belt.  It was great to be on the ice again.  Hockey has been the last thing I’ve returned to after my heart attack.  Now I’m back participating in everything I used to do.  I just do it at a slower pace, I think.  But maybe that will get better too.

Here’s the thing:  When we get off track with God in some way – whether it is sin in our life, or just a drifting away from Him – coming back to God may seem a little awkward, not as natural as it did before.  It may mean trying something different or new, or changing something in you life.  But coming back to God, seeking His forgiveness, knowing you are right with Him, feels good.

It gives you a peace, a comfort, a knowing you’re in the right spot, that you’re in a good place … you feel like you’re back where you should be.

Until Next Time!

Pastor Paul

Question:  What has caused you to feel distant from God?  What keeps you from moving closer to Him?  Leave your comment below.

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Mystery Phone Calls

The other day I had a phone message, but I didn’t recognize the name.  My secretary said he asked for me by name and seemed to know me.

I went to my office and hesitated making the call, not being sure what this person may want from me.  Instead, I made another call, just to warm up to the idea of returning this message.  It didn’t help.  I again looked at the message, to try to figure out who this person might be, and how I might know him.  I decided to give it a shot; I made the call.

Some people answer the phone and start talking like you know them, and if you don’t immediately make it clear that you have no clue who they are, the phone call becomes awkward.

It’s agony when that happens. You strain to pick up on any tip the person may drop as they talk.  About a month ago, I was five minutes into a conversation before I figured out who I was talking to.  During that time I thought it was one person and then I thought it was someone else.  When I eventually figured it out, what the guy was saying finally made sense.  I was sweating on the other end of the line.

Thankfully, this guy didn’t leave me hanging.  He could tell I didn’t have the slightest idea who he was and asked, “You don’t know who I am, do you?”  When I said “no”, he gave me some context to place him in.

I had played shinny hockey with him years ago. In fact, except for one game of hockey he played with me about a year ago, I probably haven’t seen him in about 5 years.  Let’s just say he hadn’t been in my circle of associates for a long time, and I had only known him by his first name.  He phoned me because he knew I was a pastor and thought maybe he could talk some things over with me.

The guys I regularly play shinny hockey with all know that I’m a pastor.  Somehow it comes out.  When they find out, their language usually changes for a while, and when they slip up they usually apologize … at first.

Even though I’ve been playing hockey with some of these guys for years and years, not often am I asked for anything other than a pass on the ice.  This call was pretty unusual, especially given the fact we had been out of touch for so long.

We talked about setting up a time to meet and then ended the conversation.  When I hung up the phone, I just sat in my chair for a moment, thinking about how that guy came to call me at this particular time in his life.

Here’s the thing:  What we do today may not seem like it makes much difference.  In fact, one day may not make much difference.  But over a long time, being genuine to those around you may trigger something in someone, years from now, in their time of need.  That’s when being a consistent Christian example before them will make a difference.  God reminded me this week, through this phone call, that the testimony of my life has no expiry date attached to it.  So, I need to keep living a life God can use.

Until Next Time!

Pastor Paul

Question: How has your life, your testimony, your example made a difference years later?  Leave your comment below.

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Canadians and Hockey

There is something weird about us Canadians.  The other day I was out for dinner with my family – that would be 3/4 of my family because one quarter left us for Alberta five years ago and has not yet found her way back.

Anyway, we were in this restaurant having one of my favorite meals, hot wings. This particular restaurant had television screens all over and they were tuned to a sports channel.

I like sports so, even though the sound was off and pop music was playing through the speakers, I found myself watching what was on the screen.  About 5 minutes went by before I realized I’d been watching hockey highlights, goal after goal, great saves, and awesome hits.  But these weren’t highlights from last night’s games – they were from last year!  There’s a hockey strike on right now.

Now that’s Canadian.  It’s hockey season, so strike or no strike we’re going to watch hockey in some form or other.  It was funny because I was ogling the dekes these guys made on the goalies, and banging the table when the goalies made their out-of-nowhere glove saves.

I thought to myself, “Why am I interested in these highlights? I’ve seen them all last year.”  And after 5 or 10 minutes of watching in the restaurant, I’d seen them several more times.  But I kept watching, even though there weren’t many “Leaf” highlights.

I wasn’t the only one watching; my son was watching too.  We talked about what we were looking at as if it had some bearing on world peace or maybe war in the middle east.  There is just something about September that forces us to tune in; it flows through the veins of Canadians, like the urge to pack up the lawn mower and tune up the snowblower (man, I wish I had one of them!).

To be honest, I don’t think this NHL hockey strike is such a bad thing.  Right now my Toronto Maple Leafs have a perfect season going.  In fact, they’re in first place in the league.  I realize it’s a tie with every other team in the league, but hey, if the playoffs started right now, the Leafs would have a chance!

In one Toronto store, I saw on their TVs they were showing a hockey playoff game between Montreal and Philly.  I thought to myself, “This is Toronto and they’re showing a Montreal game?”  Then I remembered, if they showed a Leafs’ playoff game it would be in black and white!

Personally, I believe this strike comes at a good time.  The Leafs haven’t made the playoffs since the last strike so this strike should break the jinx … we’ll probably see them in the playoffs again regularly.

Here’s the thing:  We all have things that grab our interest, command our attention, draw our focus away from everything else.  But does that happen with God?  When you read the Bible, do you get lost in what it’s saying to you?  When you are alone with God, do you lose track of time and everything else around you?  I don’t think it will happen all the time, but at certain moments, seasons of our life, our God should grab our interest, grab our attention, draw our focus away from everything else.  If it doesn’t happen, we should look into why, and make some changes.

Until Next Time!

Pastor Paul

Question: When has God so grabbed your attention that everything else faded around you? Leave your comment below.