Autumn Leaves

We are now into fall. It can be a beautiful season. Looking at the leaves change colour, and slowly walking away from the heat of summer into that ‘nice’ weather of autumn. I guess we all put ourselves in one of four weather categories. You know them and can relate best to one of them. Not a snow-cold person? Look forward to spring. Don’t particularly like too much heat, project yourself into fall. You get the picture of the other two.

We all have our preferences. But with each of these preferences we have responsibilities. In spring, you have the gardens to wake up and the barbeque to get out of the shed, and, and. Summer is the same, getting ready for this vacation and that trip and even just a drive to the beach. For those who can’t wait for the first snow, go up north as it came to them already.  Just kidding. Put the beach balls away, along with the patio furniture.  Wax the skis and invest in a new pair of gloves, and rush around for Christmas is coming.

But I think fall is different. I believe it is that time of year that we pause. How easy it is to sit and just enjoy the world around us. We here in Ontario have the most amazing colours found anywhere in this world. There is no more hurry up and get moving. No more chasing weeds in the yard. No immediate planning. Fall is just a wonderful time to love life and have the time to do appreciate it.

This past Sunday, we had opportunity to drive north of the church and felt so at peace looking at the array of colours that had already arrived there. It was the first time in a long time that we went for a Sunday drive. Remember those drives before $5.50/gal.

That is when it hit me; we have an autumn each and every Sunday when we go to church. It is an opportunity to just pause from daily life and gaze into the face of God. John told me a long time ago that coming to church on Sunday was the only time he had to sit and do nothing. Autumn, Sunday church, those moments we all need to relax, reenergize and rekindle our love for a God who paints one amazing landscape each fall.

Something to think about.   

Can't Shake That Song

Do you ever get a song stuck in your head? You know, songs like; “Who Let The Dogs Out”, or how about, “Only You” sung by the Platters, or here is one that can really stick, “Stuck On You”. I recently heard kids doing the same thing. No idea what those songs are about. They hear a song and before you know it, they can’t seem to shake it.

If you grew up in the fifties you might have been singing, (when no one was listening), “Green Door”. My sister had that record and being she only had a few 45’s, we heard it many, many times. It still comes to mind at the most unusual moment. If you grew up in the sixties, you might remember, “Hey Jude”.  And the seventies gave us one that never entirely leaves us, Joy To The World, by Three Dog Night (1971).

About that time, 1971, I started getting into Christian music. Still to this very day I have songs coming and sticking with me a while. I remember when, Bill Gaither came out with “Because He Lives”. Like so many other songs, it came at a time when it was needed.  I can remember the first time I head, “How Great Thou Art”. It came when I needed to recognize Gods importance in my life. I can still sing these songs without looking up the words.

There have been so many others lately, and we are bringing them to the next generation of church goers. Song like, How Great Is Our God, Our God is An Awesome God, Here I Am To Worship, to name just a few.

Now that I think about it, most of the songs that get stuck, (and that’s a good thing) Christian or otherwise, relate to what we need, wish for or are searching for in our lives. There is that something that is missing. Something that needs to be defined and it comes when someone like us is going through the same thing and puts it down on paper. It’s happening to me right now, today, with Matt Mayer and, All the People Said Amen, just like it did generations before in 1873 when Horatio Spafford wrote,

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Something to think about

Rob

Watching People

Many times, after sending off my article I get emails back asking the same question.  They ask; “Where do you get your ideas?” Now, the spiritual thing to say would be, “God gives them to me”. As true as this may be, I am also moved to say that I just watch people. When I was very young, I was pretty introverted.  Still am if you must know. Being like this, I soon developed a routine. I would just sit in the background and watch people. This trait probably came from my father’s mom. Grandma was also quiet and I remember going to her apartment and the two of us would sit side by side and listen to everyone else talking. She would whisper occasionally, “You learn a lot more if you just sit and listen.

So, today I sit and listen. Listening to people when they are right there in front of me. Listen on the phone as those who need someone to talk to calls, or someone has something important to share with me. With modern technology, this listening comes with reading what others are writing me about. It’s been a while since I have received a letter in the mail or even written one myself. I guess our need to listen really has something to do with having one mouth and two ears.

The internet avails us to more voices than could ever be imagined just twenty years ago. In the quiet of my office I decided to do a couple of searches this morning to find out what people were talking about. Here is what I found. If you type in the word God, you will get one hundred fifty eight million sites that talk about God in one way or another. Seventy six million sites talk about Jesus.  While I was at it, I typed in my own name. Now don’t tell me you haven’t done that. It comes up 5 times and if I type in my nick name, only once.

This undeniably tells me who is most important, and it’s not me. It also tells me like the two ears and one mouth thing, that I need to talk more about God than about myself. And that is why I listen. Listen to people as they share their story and listen to God when He shows me something in life that can impact all of us and He wants me to share it. Now you know. There is always . . .

Something to think about.

Rob

There It Is!

It was there for all of us to see.  If you were outside on Sunday you would have noticed it was a cloudless day. Everything seemed to be absolutely perfect, weather wise that is. Lots of sun, warm late summer temperature and this impeccable weather seemed to make everyone smile.  But there was more for us to see.  If you ventured outside after dark you would have had another amazing opportunity to see nature at its bests.  Out there in the cloudless sky we were given opportunity to appreciate an almost perfect full moon. Yes, it rose early in the evening, bigger than life, coming out of the east for those who enjoy the evening or thinks of themselves as night owls. Its glow bathed the whole world in its reflective light. Perfect.

There was more. Early birds also had opportunity to see its beauty. It stayed high in the sky all night long only disappearing below the western horizon as the faint glimmer of the sun began to show itself far off in the east. I’m not a science person by any stretch of the imagination but I do love to watch nature. Not just in the sun and the moon but also in things like watching as a field of Saskatchewan sunflowers turn their heads as they follow the sun through the day. Or to notice snails moving slowly along the dew drenched corners of our garden.

All of these things and more than we could ever know or experience or imagine have been put in place by an amazing creator God.  He is the one who orchestrates not only the creation of a flower but puts within it the power to open and show its beauty. He placed the sun and the moon in the sky along with all the starry hosts. Don’t tell anyone but He also created mosquitos.

His whole creation was so beautiful, in His infinite wisdom; He knew He couldn’t keep it to Himself. Even today, this far removed from creation, we are still finding new and amazing things He created that up until now, we have yet to see or experience.  I believe He wanted to share it so He made the ultimate creation, us.  We were created to see all that He could do. I believe part of this creation, just like the power in a rose bud, is the heart in us that opens to see God in everything, including in each other.  

And that is something to think about. 

Rob

NORMAL? What's That?

YAHOO!!! The Kids are back to school. And there is nothing but smiles all around. Well, almost. The regular flow of life is slowly returning. Most of the children are glad to be back at school. New classes, new teachers, new clothes and backpacks. On top of that, there are new experiences just around the corner. All good! Again I need to remind you of the operative word I used, ‘most’.
Life is returning to normal. As if there is anything that resembles normality. We create our own normal. So, have fun doing that. Zip Line if you want. I have built my life’s work on never settling for ordinary, or typical. Many of you who know me know I’m not normal, but keep it to yourself and love me anyway. 
So, let’s clarify. Life has its regular way of moving along. It’s wonderful for almost all of us here in this life. But lets face it, we get used to one day moving into the next and the next and the next. If gives all of us some sense of order or dare I say, continuity. It’s not even a pattern of living, it’s more like life feels good when it’s predictable.
And that is what our children are again getting used to. They are beginning another ten months of controlled chaos. Not a chance. They are getting ready for another amazing year of adventure, going from where they are in life to where they will emerge in ten months.  The thing is, in most cases it will be totally oblivious to them and the change comes gradually one day at a time.
So, normal is as good as it gets. It moves us from where we are to where we can be ten months or five years down the road. The same is true in our Christian journey. We are changing and growing in our faith, one day at a time. Nothing normal about that. We are indeed marching toward home, heaven. Part of this moving forward includes getting involved in our own process. That includes, daily walking with God as we read our bible and talk to Him and of course, a weekly return to the place where it all begins, CHURCH.
Something to think about
Rob