It's Cold Out There

Pretty soon you will be able to see your breathe when you are outside. For some, that’s awesome, for others, not so much. After such a beautiful weekend and this week we are now it, it seems so foreign to be even thinking about things like that.
In fact, many of us don’t want to think about what’s before us. We love things as they are today and feel content with today. We can cocoon ourselves in the warmth and serenity of the moment and just want it to go on forever. Sorry to burst your bubble, but, not going to happen. Life moves forward, we go from one season to another, one year to another, one stage in life to another and before you know it, you will get comfortable in the cocoon of those days yet to be dreamed about.
Here it is sports fans, nothing stands still, nothing is forever! Did I really say that? Yes, I did. In the bible it tells us that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. How can both those things exist at the same time. Easy. God is the only thing that is forever the same. Our world changes every minute and He wants us to change with it. The cocoon of His love for us will never change and that is the truth. While He is doing His thing, we need to do something as well. We need to change in our love for Him more each day, especially when He is the only unchanging stable thing in our lives.
Something To Think About.

I Forgot Again!

We have all walked into a room and asked ourselves, “Now, what did I come in here for?” When this happens we sometimes call it a senior’s moment. Well, I did some research. My research, even though it’s not too scientific, came up with the conclusion that almost everyone has these moments. Interestingly, they seem to come more often as we get older. My research didn’t explore that part.  When it happens to me,  I usually remember about three weeks later, and by then it doesn’t matter anymore.

While this part of our mental wellbeing confounds us, our minds do other strange things. It remember the most  unusual things.  It’s almost like trivia for no reason at all. Well, actually we do remember all those trivial moments because many of them come from times where situations impacted our lives. Like the times, yes plural, when I came out of the house to drive to work only to find a flat tire and knowing that I had it down to a science and could change a tire in five minutes flat.

As I visit residents at Macassa Lodge here in Hamilton, I have found that everyone wants to share their story, their memories. They talk about long ago. Sharing how their life evolved and who walk with them. Almost everyone who shares their story ends up talking about their best friend.  Today they are called BFF. Interestingly, they seldom talk about things. Do you understand what that means? It means the most important part of life is wrapped up in people. Tell that to the rich young ruler who came to Jesus and asked what he needed to have eternal life.

For those of us who have walked a long time with God, we can tell stories of how God came into our lives, how He walked with us in our sorrows and how He shared in our triumph when we leaned on Him. You see, He is not just our friend, He is our Father. There is also no one in all creation that can be a better friend then Jesus, and that is why we sing:

What a friend we have in Jesus,

All our sins and grief’s to bear!

What a privilege to carry

Everything to God in prayer!

Oh, what peace we often forfeit,

Oh, what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry

Everything to God in prayer!

Something to think about

Rob

It's Not The Last

I heard someone say this could be the last of it. Almost like opening the fridge and finding a couple of ounces of milk in the container. Yes, enough for a coffee but not near enough for the bowl of dry cereal that you just poured. Might even be the last of the paint and you need, ‘just a bit more’.  But this means, getting in the car, driving to the store, realizing you forgot what colour it was, driving back home, picking up the lid to the dry empty paint can and going back to the store. Once you are there you have to buy more paint than you really need to finish the job. But that is okay, because you will know that sometime down the road, before the new can dries up, you will need it for touch up.
But really, it’s not fun when you get to the last of it. For kids it’s getting to the last piece of pizza. Five youth sitting around a twelve piece pizza and who gets the last two pieces. Inevitably it’s not me. I think we should never almost finish anything that is to go back in the fridge. Use it up and start new. Yup, that’s what I think and I’m going to stick with it.
What I really heard was this could be the last of the warm weather for this season. Notice I said season. Warm weather might take a few months to return, but it will. And I will be first in line to welcome it. Nothing so wonderful as watching the warm sun rising in the eastern sky to warm our faces. God’s Son does that at well, but He warms our hearts.
And this is not the last of the church. There are so many articles about the death of the institutional church. Let me reassure everyone, this won’t be the last of it. Even if it's true that 4000 churches will close this year in North America, it's not the last. Well, I for one am not going to let it happen because I will do everything I can to help Jesus build His church. It’s not mine. It’s His. When it becomes mine, yes, it may be the last of it.  My bible tells me about Jesus saying something that is as fresh today as when He said it.  “I will build my church”.  Interestingly, He said it before the church even began. This is what I do know: Christianity is growing faster than any other religion in the world, and we can be part of it's growth.
One day, we will all wake up to who Jesus is and the church here will becomes the church that shines like the sun, or is that Son.
Something to think about.
RB

HELP

HELP! Life is like that sometimes. We realize our shortcomings and cry out.  Just yesterday I was working on something important and I wanted it done right, so I called my brother and went over. Going to him is easy because I know he can do it right and he has all the right tools for doing it right.  In all, it took him maybe five minutes. No idea how long it would have taken me. Lucky for most of us, we have individuals in our lives that can step in and HELP when we call. The HELP can be as trivial as taping a hole in a piece of metal, to replacing a hot water tank, like my neighbour did for me this past week. I just love it when the people around us are there for us. Just give a call and they come running. Well, maybe we are the ones that doing the running to them.

This makes me think about the problems we face as we go through this life. Something, sometimes things get the better of us and we go to those closest to us for help. It’s a different type of HELP. Maybe that is why God gave us all ‘best friends’.  I’m lucky I have a number of best friends. Have you ever heard someone say this to you: “I’m here for you!” Sure you have. It’s a nice feeling to know someone is not only there for you but they’ve got your back. And sometimes, we have their back when they can call on us. 

I believe God created Best Friend for just this very purpose; to have someone stand with us when we need someone to lean on. But never forget, Jesus is always there. Late at night, when we are all alone and the night is seems so long and so dark, Jesus shows up, because we yelled HELP! In those moments, call His name. After all, He is the one that said, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you”.  Leave means just that, He is not going anywhere, and forsake, well that means God will never give up on you.

And that my friends, is something to think about.   

Rob