Hide And Seek

Children are so much fun to watch. In some cases, that is the only thing you can do. They say that with the acquisition of wisdom comes the moment you say to yourself, “I can’t do that any more.” It is a good moment and a sad moment, all at the same time.
This past weekend we had three very energetic young children over to visit with us. At ages eight, six and one and a half they sure could find things to do. They also change games half way through. None of this worrying about who wins and who looses. Just move on to the next game and keep going. It was a lot of fun to watch them run back and forth, doing this and that. It was especially entertaining to watch them play Hide and Seek. The older two some how knew the youngest one may not have participated in this game and without any coaching by us parents, they gave him clues to where they were hiding. They all shared in the joy of finding and being found.
Life is simple for our young ones. It doesn’t take much to entertain and amuse them. No sophisticated electronics, no complicated rules and regulations to read and remember. Just, “I’ll hide, you come and find me.” I know what you are thinking. Life is not that simple for us as adults. And yet, just maybe we should relearn how to play charades or pictionary or a number of other adult games of years gone by.
I think we have done the same thing to our faith in God. We make it complicated. The message of the gospel is simple. We need to believe that Jesus came into this world to save sinners. He came to pay the price for all the things we have done wrong. His dying on the cross takes our sins away if we ask Him for forgiveness and invite Him into our hearts. Easter tells us He conquered death and we have the opportunity to share in the eternal resurrection. Some of us will think it is not that simple, but it is. And yes there are other things we need to learn about God and Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Of all the things the Bible tells us, two verses stand out for me. “I have come to seek and to save what was lost.” And “those who seek me will find me.” In both cases the words seek implies something that takes time. Jesus is seeking us at the same time we are seeking God.
You may say that it is too late to find God. You may also glibly say your life has not been the greatest and you question whether God can forgive you all the wrongs you have done. Leave that to God, He has an amazing capacity to forgive. As you think about the children running here and there, remember that unlike the game of Hide and Seek, God is not hiding. Now . . . You’re it!
Rob

Just Do It!

Has life passed you by? Are there still things you want to do before you can’t? Do you have mountains you want to climb or rivers you want to cross? Do you have this dream no one knows about? A dream to do something just because?
A few weeks ago I listened to a person talk about what his dream was. He had been pulled from his boat just minutes before it went down somewhere in the Atlantic. It could have ended differently. They asked him why. His answer was disturbing for me, a simple, mild-mannered middle aged predictable fellow who’s most excitement was to drive double the posted speed limit on a motorcycle. He told the reporter it wasn’t the danger it was just something he wanted to do.
I believe each one of us have a deep down want. Something we have always wanted to do and as of today, has not just gone and done it. The lucky ones in this life had done these things. Many of us still have at least one thing we want to still do. Something we have harbored in our souls and only seldom ever mentioned.
I’m not talking about ordinary wants. Like wanting to eat ice cream while on a diet. Most wants are put off due to our schedule. It just doesn’t fit in, or we don’t have the money, can’t take the time off, or a million other reasons. Or is that excuses?
I consider myself fortunate. Most of the things that I have wanted to do, I’ve done. Opportunities have always presented themselves to give me a chance to take the ring and go around a second time. Always wanted to sleep in the Rocky Mountains. As a 15-year-old in army cadets I was chosen, along with ninety-nine other fellows, to live at Banff for four weeks in the summer of 1964. Still have the tee shirt to prove it. Unlike today, when looking for a job way back when, five came along in one week. When the university didn’t accept me, bible college called. Time and time again when all seemed impossible, possibilities came.
All through life, opportunities do present themselves. And again, we make the choices. We decide if this is what we want to do. Notice the word is ‘want’. We weigh the cost and make the decision. In Psalm 37, David writes this, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."
A lifetime ago, I was working in a factory in Hamilton and I had opportunity to pastor a church for a summer. Work, situations, family, finances etc. said it wasn’t to be. I was young and full of fire to be ‘out there’ doing ministry. There were so many things in the way and as hard as I tried, it didn’t seem possible. My supervisor said I could go if it had happened in the company before. Sure enough, it had happened only once. So, for four months I pastored my first church.
Today, I still have wants and desire of things I would like to accomplish before God calls out the kitchen door, "Come home, come home, Its supper time."
Go back to that verse in Psalms. All our wants and wishes start with the first part of the verse, "Delight yourself in the Lord . . . " God wants to grant us our hearts’ desires, but first we need to delight ourselves in Him. Life is not a race to the end but a journey in which we take opportunity to chase our dreams. What are your hearts desire today? What want is burning in your heart? Burning so strongly, that only doing it! would quench the fire? It’s not too late, your still here.
Something to think on.
Rob

Forget The Lines!

Everyone has a favourite television show. Your may be a detective show, medical shows, game shows, soaps, reality tv or decorating shows. I’ve always wondered why they call them soap operas. Maybe it’s all the dirt in them???
One of my favourites is "Ask This Old House." Part of each episode is a segment called, "What is It?". Now I thought I was quite good at this. A lot of interesting tools have come and gone but my average is not doing well anymore. I don’t want to admit it but I have been batting 1000 this last year or so. That is 1000 to the negative. I just can’t figure any of these new gadgets out. Expectantly I wait for them to show me the tool and then I have this blank burned out light bulb stare. I have absolutely no idea.
If I was a child and looking at something I would have a totally different stare. They look at new things as adventures. We look at new things as if we were looking at something we saw before and just can’t make it out. After all, we don’t want to look totally stupid. Maybe we need to become childlike again where we look at things as adventures or a time of discovery.
When my brother and I were much younger we used to do all kinds of strange things. I remember one time, we found an old piece of plywood and a couple of 2X4's down the alley. No one was home at the time and our imaginations went wild! Before you could count to 27, we stormed into the garage and grabbing two shovels. We dug a hole in the middle of the backyard for what seemed to be hours. It was probably less then one. Laying the 2X4's over the hole and then placing the plywood down we made a roof for the hole. After shoveling the dirt back over the whole thing, we had a room underground, where we could get away from everyone and no one would be able to find us. Well, so we thought. The large bump in the middle of the yard seemed to be a give away of what was up, no pun intended.
And what a surprise for our parents when they arrived home! Mom was not impressed but only asked, "Why." And Dad, he thought it was okay, he now had less grass to cut for a while. You see, back then our parents were not gardeners. We only had grass and a push lawnmower.
When children are young and impressionable, it doesn’t take them long to learn what a crayon can do. You put it in their hand and move it across the page. Before too many minutes goes by they are doing it themselves or trying to eat it. Then we do a most horrible thing to our children. We encourage them to colour inside the lines. Children run and skip and can have great fun for the first few year of their lives, until we introduce them to television as a babysitter. This is the beginning of the end of our imaginations. And we really end it when we take them to school and make them sit still and listen. I wonder if the people who invent these tools I can never guess, sit in front of tv’s or computer screens playing mindless games?
Children sitting in class is sort of like adults in church. We ask you to come to church and sit and listen to someone doing it all for you. You even stand and sit when told. We have taught ourselves to let the leaders do it for us. You don’t need an imagination. You don’t even have to read your bibles. We can do that for you. And even if you did read your bible on your own you would be like me with, "What is It?".
Jesus said, "I have something I want to show you." We need to take the gospel and examine it, get into it and find out for ourselves what it means to us. A little encouragement is good from others but for it to be ours, we have to know Jesus on our own. Take time this week to colour outside the lines and get to know the best teacher of all. Then we can all sing together, "What a friend we have in Jesus."
Something I thought about. Rob

Hey Jesus, Got a Question for You

At church this past Sunday, we looked at a bible character who was looking for an answer to lifes greatest question. (Just to let you know, this is not the sermon. You had to be there to hear that). At night time, he came to Jesus and made an important statement. He didn’t show up at Jesus residence and say, "What’s happening or what words of wisdom do you have for us today?" He started with his statement, recognizing Jesus for who he was and what he did. This is something each of us needs to ask of ourselves. Jesus didn’t ask like he did Peter, "Who do you say that I am?"
Nicodemus saw something special in Jesus and went to him, not to exert power but to learn. Nicodemus was a powerful man in the community but Jesus had power from God. One sided you might think, but Nicodemus wasn't interested in who had what power. He put his power away when he came at night so no one would see him.
The important part of this story is not in the balance of power but in how Jesus responded to Nicodemus’s statement. Jesus cuts to the chase. There is no pussyfooting around. He knew what this powerful community leader needed to know and He told him. I believe the most wonderful part of this story is, he was heard. So often we go to our bibles and read something. It tells us how to better our life here in this world. Our problem is, it doesn’t fit into our lifestyle or the way we see life. When was the last time you really read the Ten Commandments? For some, the only time you looked at the Exodus story was in the 1956 Cecil B DeMille movie. These are commandments not suggestions. They are there to help us not to hinder us. Too often in our society we want to exert power over our lives and we do not want to give in to God. So we change the name of sin and make it sound less harsh. Adultery is now, having an affair. Stealing is, getting my fair share. You get the picture. Add your own.
All through our lives we look for answers but neglect to listen. We want to know why but ignore answers we don’t wish to hear. Our children and grandchildren come to us and ask us strange and intriguing questions. That is until they reach the teen years and then they know it all. At a young age, their questions are usually followed by a number of why questions. In Nicodemus’s case he asked a how question. Jesus knew what he was asking. Nicodemus was looking for an answer to a burning question in his heart. He already knew the head knowledge. He wanted to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was going to heaven.
As smart as you get, I want you to know, Jesus can teach you more. He has a few things to teach all of us. He taught this community leader so much when He said, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes on Him should not perish by have everlasting life."
Our world now sets its own truth. Some people want to tell us there are no absolutes anymore. What is true for you is right and what is true for me is right and that’s how it is. But what do we do with the words of scripture which say, "You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free." God’s truth is real absolute truth. We need to tune out our own life and agenda and tune into God, who really knows. Rob
Turn your radio on and listen to the music in the air
Turn your radio on, heaven's glory share
Turn your lights down low and listen to the Master's radio
Get in touch with God, turn your radio on