Holy Spirit

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Light Is So Important That You Can’t Do Without It

Losing light is more problematic than just making a room a darker place. We’ve all gone into a room, flicked on the lights and realized one of the bulbs is burnt out.

light is so important that you can't do without it

You notice immediately that it is not as bright in that room. The room seems dull and, if it’s a bathroom and you are over 40, you complain that you can’t see your face well enough to do the work that needs to be done on it.

Losing just one light out of many makes a difference. Sometimes the difference is between finding something you are looking for and not finding it at all.

The older I get, the more important light is to me. 

I’m fine with low lighting when I’m out for a nice dinner. It doesn’t matter if I can’t make out exactly what the vegetables are on my plate. It’s the mood that counts most and I will forgo being able to see if my steak has been cooked medium or medium rare.

But when I’m looking for something or trying to read, I want to put as much light on the matter as possible. One light down and the search becomes frustrating; reading becomes a chore.

Currently I’m missing a light in our family room and it’s really bugging me.

It’s not a light that prevents me from seeing or changes the mood setting of the room. It’s a light that turns on when my team scores a goal. I have a Budweiser goal light. The only time it turns on is when the Toronto Maple Leafs score a goal. 

I realize that this year the Leafs aren’t scoring a ton of goals, but this light is not turning on for any goals. 

The other thing about this light is that it not only cycles a red light for a few seconds, it also gives two blasts of what sounds like a truck horn.

It is awesome! 

It can be annoying if you are doing something else or in the middle of speaking. It can be frightening if you are not watching the game and all of a sudden the light and horn go off. I’ll admit there have been a few times I’ve jumped when it’s gone off. 

But it is also very exciting when you hear the sound and come running into the room, see the light flashing and catch the replay of the goal.

That’s all nice but sadly my light has not been turning on at all this year. 

For the first part of the hockey season I couldn’t connect it to the internet. I thought it was a problem with my modem, but it turned out that its batteries were low. The goal light takes four D sized batteries. 

After I put new batteries in I had no problem connecting to the internet. But it’s still not announcing goals.

Other people have also had issues with their lights not going off. … Maybe Budweiser had to lay off the guy that presses the goal button. They have had some troubles lately.

All I know is, I’m missing my light and I want it back. And if not now, at least for the playoffs.

Here’s the thing: For people who have a relationship with Jesus, they have a light in them, a light that guides them and shows them the way. This light is actually the person of the Holy Spirit. The only thing that can dim this light is if we ignore Him. Pay attention to the light in you and follow His direction. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What light in your life have you noticed is not working? Leave your comments and questions below.

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I Need Those Batteries Now

These days you can’t go very long without needing a bunch of batteries to replace ones that have worn out.

There is a clock in the sanctuary of my church that reads 5:05. That’s not the current time; it’s been showing that time for a week now.

It needs a new battery.

I wear a mic when I preach and every week I take out the batteries and charge them so they are ready to go for the next week.

I’ve been noticing that even rechargeable batteries can’t be recharged forever.

What would we do without being able to quickly pop in a new set of batteries to run our clocks, lights, mics, vacuums, you name it – even our drones?

Especially drones!

I have two drones and the batteries in them don’t last very long.

The battery in my little drone only lasts about seven minutes and the one in the bigger drone only lasts about ten.

I don’t get much flying time before I need to replace them.

The problem is they don’t take standard AA batteries. They have their own shape and connections so you can’t just go to the store and buy new ones.

You usually have to order them online and they generally come from China which takes a long time. … Replacement batteries for my little drone arrived the other day and I’d been waiting for them for two months!

I think it’s China’s secret way of crippling the west. If they just hold out on the batteries,  we in North America will be at their mercy.

Forget weapons and armies, they’ve got our batteries!

And the batteries for these drones are a step backward in technology. You don’t want to overcharge them; that will damage them.

You don’t want to recharge them if they still have some charge left in them either. They have a memory, so they will only remember to charge for the shorter amount of time.

And you don’t want to let the battery run down too low because, if it does, it won’t take a charge at all.

My brother found that out the hard way; that’s why he has two batteries on order right now.

We need batteries to be more reliable and to last longer. They can figure out how to get a car to run on batteries for an hour; we need someone with that kind of know-how to make our drone batteries last that long.

The keyboard I write this blog on needs a battery to power it. I’ve had it for over a year now and I still haven’t had to change the battery … That’s the kind of battery life I’m talking about.

And while they’re at it creating a better battery, they should make sure we can just leave it sitting around for a month or two without fear of it draining all on its own.

After all, it’s not like the energy produced by Niagara Falls, where we have to use it right after it’s produced.

Here’s the thing: This week I was reminded that a Christian has everything we need in us for life and godliness – that everything is the Holy Spirit. He never runs out, never has to be recharged. We just have to use Him and work with Him to produce in us the character qualities that God wants to see in us.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you need recharged right now? Leave your comments below.

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Maybe “Jersey Shore” is on to Something

I have never really been into fitness, though I have always exercised in some fashion.  You see, I don’t like lifting weights or doing aerobic exercises.  You wouldn’t find me taking out a gym membership or dressing in tight clothes, wearing a head band, moving in front of a TV, and following an instructor who has way too much energy and enthusiasm for one person.

I’d rather play hockey, ride my bike on trails, or have my golf clubs with me when I go for a walk.  In fact, if there is some kind of game associated with an exercise, there’s a good chance that I would enjoy it.

But for the last two weeks, and at least for the next 14, you can picture me in those tight fitting exercise clothes (please don’t) doing some movements, or pumping iron, or going for power walks without golf clubs on my back.  That’s right, I’m a fitness guy now.

It’s not that I want to be a fitness guy, but the cardiac rehab clinic is trying its hardest to turn me into one.  Every day I have to go for a power walk, as well as either do an aerobic workout or weight training.  They give me Sundays off … small comfort.

I haven’t even met with the nutritionist yet, but when I do at the end of the month, I’m sure she’ll slap me with a few dietary restrictions that will officially turn me into a nuts and berries kind of guy.  She just better not pull meat from my diet!  (I don’t consider it a meal if it doesn’t include meat.)

Thankfully, when I exercise in a way that I enjoy – like playing hockey or mountain biking – I can count that.  That’s why on Saturday, instead of doing my thirty minute aerobic exercise, and going for a thirty minute power walk, I went for a two hour bike ride through the woods near our house.  I listened to tunes playing through my ear buds, took in the amazing view of the coloured leaves, and negotiated the slippery, leaf covered trails.  It was an awesome ride!

With everything I’m being instructed to do in a day, I’m starting to feel like I’m on the reality show “Jersey Shore”.  A typical day for Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino is GTL which stands for Gym, Tan, Laundry.  He doesn’t have much time for anything else in his day.  I’m beginning to feel the same way!

I know in time I will fit these new things into my daily pattern of life and they won’t feel as forced as they do right now.

Here’s the Thing:  This past Sunday, I spoke about giving control of one’s life to the Holy Spirit.  It has to be something I give myself to on a continual basis or I’ll take back control.  In order for the Holy Spirit to influence my thoughts, words, decisions and actions, I have to allow Him to be in control every day.

That means I have to make some adjustments in life to allow Him room to direct.  That’s not easy.  It means other things might need to be eliminated, or at very least rearranged.  It takes a while to discipline oneself to accommodate those changes, but in time, being controlled by the Holy Spirit will not seem forced.  Rather, it will be my natural pattern of life.

Until Next Time!

Pastor Paul

Question:  What needs to change in your daily routine to allow the Holy Spirit control? Leave your comment below.