Do You Know Where You Are Going?

For years I thought many, many car companies were ignoring the Auto Safety requirements that all cars sold in Canada will be equipped with directional indicators. You might call them blinkers or signal lights. Seemed to me almost every car company must have left them off many, many, cars. At least that’s what I used to verbalize to myself when I was out driving and someone changed lanes, turned corners without using that part of the car that was first supposed to be standard equipment on all cars made sometime after 1960. That’s 55 years ago, but apparently, not so. I just read that, ready, it wasn’t until 2013 that most countries called for it to be stand equipment.

You know I’m trying to be nice. Next time you are out driving, take note of how many vehicles you see not using this vital safety accessory. Now, not to embarrass anyone in particular, but this is how I see it. Either you are one of those people who don’t use them or you are one of those people who are bothered by those who don’t. Yes, there are other people who just drive along and don’t give it a second thought.

Which lead me to a new conclusion. Maybe the driver of the said vehicle doesn’t know where they are going.  Yes, they are going somewhere but not sure where and wait to the last second to recognize where they are. Sort of like in life and faith. In both of these places many people don’t make a decision until the last moment and then change direction. May I say, sometimes too late?

Jesus tells us in the Bible, that He is going to prepare a place for us. Which makes me think, do you know where you are going? In Matthew 28, He asks us to follow Him. Plain and simple don’t you think? He knows the way, because He is the Way. God gives us all the signs and the bible (GPS), to lead us where we need to go. When we use our directional indicators, all those that follow us who are following Him, will get to where we are going safely.

Something to think about.

RB

Just An Email

Almost every single one of us who have computers, have at least one email account. I have four. Use two and one is just for ministry and one is just there in case… I would also say that we all enjoy getting emails from people just like we used to get letters or postcards from friends back before the internet. But wouldn’t you join me in saying, that as great as it is to get emails it is much better to get phone call or a leisurely visit. And, again if you are like me, I know you are thinking of someone right now that came to mind - someone who needs a call or visit.

Anyway, back to the emails. Do you love getting them? Me too. After you finish reading this, go send an email to someone. Then send me one, barlowrw@yahoo.com.  Along with the in box, there is one other spot on you main email page telling us there are some emails that come to us that our computer thinks we don’t really want to see. Seems to me that SPAM gets more emails then I do. Yes, it's called spam. The spam folder is that wonderful place that our provider conveniently places emails that we do not solicit. I even get hundreds a week that are in another language and script.

Somehow my computer email address knows we don't need these things and it moves them out of our way. Oh yes, we can open up the spam box and look at them, just in case. Then we click on 'delete all' and away they go.

Do you think God does the same thing for us as well? He shuffles off all those things the world throws at us, putting them in a spam folder and gives us the right to delete garbage with our own determination...... I think it has something to do with free will.  What I am saying to you and to me is, He knows what is best for us and makes it easy for us to clear our lives. We, you and me, just have to trust Him about what he moves out of our way so we can deal & enjoy all the important & good things He brings to our amazing life in Him.

Something to think about

Rob

Just Smile

We welcome many things each spring. We smile at the first sight of the perennial plants and flowers, grass that needs to be cut, nurseries to visit and annuals to plant. We also smile at the arrival of migrating birds (ie seeing our first Robin) and butterflies. Lucky for us we get to hear, each wonderful early spring morning, the chirping birds singing out their mating call. My brother yells at them at 5 am when they wake him up from a good dream. This only started once he was retired. You might yell as well.

I actually love to hear their song while it’s still dark. It seems to gently wake me. It also lets me know something was up before me. The sights and sounds of spring & then the summer bring wonderful things for us. Some believe the evidence of new life all around us warms our hearts and makes up smile more. Is that what happens to you? Do you smile because of singing birds, or fluttering butterflies? Is it the beauty of new beginnings in nature or is it just the weather? We Canadians are fixated on weather…. But that’s another story for another time.

What makes you smile? I remember back a long time ago when I smiled like never before or since. It was the spring of my spiritual life. I was born again. Christ came and made His home in me. It was a new beginning, a new start. Forgiveness came through His grace and I smiled. Maybe that is why we smile in spring. It is the new beginning in God’s creation that reminds us of His new beginning in us.

Something to think about. Something to smile about.

Rob

Be Happy

“Don’t Worry, Be Happy”. Right. For some, that might be easy, for the rest of us, not so much. Bobby wrote that song in 1988 and most of us remember hearing it way too often back then. The message is good, but how many of us live it?

Just so you know, it didn’t take too long for that song to irritate me some. I got so I turned the station when it came on the radio. Why you might ask? Well, I don’t worry. You thought I was going to say that I worry too much. Nope, not me, I just have a lot of things & people I’m concerned about. Okay, a lot of people I am concerned about. What’s the difference? The difference is, God does a better job at taking care of the people I know and love than I ever could. I don’t know medical stuff. God does. I don’t know how to help people through their own anxiety. God does. I can’t even give myself good advice at times. But, God does. And that includes sending people into our lives to help us through our worrying.

Here is the best advice I can give anyone. I know this is harder than we know, but bear with me. If you’re reading this in the paper, cut this out and put it in your purse or wallet. If you are looking at it on the computer, print it and put it in the same place. Ready? Okay, when you put your head on the pillow tonight, give all your worries and everyone else’s to God and go to sleep. That’s it. Here’s the verse; Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own”. Give it to Him as He’s going to be up all night anyway. Don’t forget, we are the people who truly believe He can do all things. So, let Him do what He does best and that will leave us lots of time to do what we do best.

Want to know something else? Read the rest of Jesus words in Matthew 6, beginning at verse 25. Take some time to read it over and over. Let it sink in and then, read it some more. When you feel you are ready, go to Him in prayer and place all your cares on Him. 1 Peter 5:7 reads this way; “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you”. Prayer is a conversation with God. When you talk to Him, let Him know who and what is really on your heart. The pain, the unknown, the illness of someone close, the loss of a loved one, the results you are waiting for, the marks from school.  Each prayer comes from a heart that loves and feels pain, our own and others. Tears come from when our heart gets close to another’s heart. Take it to the only one who moves mountains, and see’s the little sparrow fall.

Something to think about

Rob

Smelling the Lilacs

Did you know that your concept of time changes with your age? I remember thinking sleep was the biggest waste of time going. Back then I went to bed late after a very full and rewarding day. Early the next morning, as soon as my mind woke up, my feet were firmly planted on the floor before I even opened my eyes and I was off at a gallop. So many things to do, experience and be involved in.

At one church I was doing so much, the people (who were older than I was) thought I was going to burn myself out. I didn’t. It was an amazing time in my life and I would hazard a guess that it was the same for you. Back then we had more energy than we knew what to do with. I even learned to speed read so I could do my bible reading in less time. Life seemed more exciting. We wanted to learn, to do, experience and be involved in more things than time really afforded. The best part was, we did it and without gaining weight.

I notice I slowed some at forty, and each ten years has slowed me even more. Today we are different. We work more with our minds because our bodies can’t do it anymore. Especially with the extra five or ten pounds that just won’t disappear. If you are not there yet, let me say that I have learned to take life slower. We stop more often to smell lilacs, lily of the valley, roses, kiss babies, watch people and smile more often.

It takes time to learn this lesson. Now I know full well that the fullness of life consists of more than running at full speed. It is more than anything about our relationships with family, friends and even strangers we meet for no other reason than being in the same place at the same time. Sort of like being in church and working on the most important relationship of all, with God in Christ.  Just like when we sing:

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;

spend much time in secret with Jesus alone.

By looking to Jesus, like him thou shalt be;

thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.

Something to think about

Rob

One More?

Here’s the line: “Sometimes it’s easier to ask for forgiveness, then to get permission”. Go ahead, smile because you have used it many times before. But before we go too far on this, yes, at times it’s true, but. Just like the other day when I decided to buy another clock. My un-delighted wife wasn’t impressed. My reasoning to myself was that I had sold one recently to a friend and the space in the room seemed so, so empty if you know what I mean.

There are other considerations when you decide to use this wonderful line. Back to my example with the clock. No one was injured in the process. Buying it, loading it in the back of the car, driving home then carrying it into the house were all accomplished with little effort. No one pulled a muscle, no one stubbed their toe and no fingers were pinched going through the two doorways. The bonus was, the clock didn’t suffer any incidental damage in the process, and the years of dust on the top were removed.

You see, that’s the thing. No one was hurt. The line we started with only applies to situations where no one is hurt. A number of days ago, at one of the study groups, we talked again about sin. Here is my definition; sin is: something we do that hurts someone. Pretty simple, right? But if someone, namely you, someone else or God are hurt, our first line cannot be apply. One of the unfortunate consequences of forgiveness or permission is making the right decision in knowing when it’s appropriate.

As I have gone through life, as I know the rest of you have, it’s harder and harder to ask for forgiveness when our maturity knows the pain and hurt that some of our actions can inflict. Let us not forget, Jesus died for our sins so we can have an amazing relationship with our heavenly Father. Today, right this minute, I know, my daily decisions impact so many people and I decide again this morning to only do those things that God gives me permission to do. How about you?

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Phil. 4:13

Something to think about.

Rob