Canada 150

Canada 150.  Compared to England, we’re a youngster. Just to make sure everyone reading this knows, I was not there that day in 1867, 1917 for the 50th. This week we will celebrate the making of this nation didn’t just come on that day one hundred and fifty years ago. I happened before that date and will happen again tomorrow. Becoming something is an ongoing exercise. They laid down a foundation that began even before one particular day. Since then all of us have contributed to the building of this great nation.

It is the same with each of us individually. We didn’t just all of a sudden become who we are. There is no point in which you became who you are. It even happened before we were born with the parents God prepared for us to be born to. We lived and were nurtured until the day we walked out into the world on our own. We are still walking, still going forward and still in the process of becoming who we are. It only ends when we graduate into the next life.

That too is a process. We didn’t all of a sudden become a follower of Christ and on a trajectory to heaven. It has come from parent, teachers at church, pastors, friends, and many other individuals who impacted us with the never changing message of Jesus Christ. We had to get to know Him and then make a decision that He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God just like Peter did. That is our personal anniversary. It’s the day everything in our life changed.

Now, many years later, we can look back on our spiritual awakening and know that the journey still goes on. This coming Saturday don’t just reflect on Canada but reflect on how your life in Christ continues to unfold.

Just because it’s something important to think about.

"What Are You Thinking?"

Have you ever been sitting watching people, say at the mall, and ask yourself, ‘I wonder what they are thinking?’ Of course we probably will never find out. And for those you love, who you catch day-dreaming, you can ask the same question. Most of the time we get, “Nothing really.” That’s not a good answer especially when you know something is on their mind and they definitely have something going around in circles in all that grey matter.

I know it might sound crazy but I wonder about God. I wonder what He is thinking as He looks down on us. He may be looking down on the whole of His masterpiece and thinking to himself. Does He look at us with a stern look? Or is there a hint of a faint smile every now and again as He watches every move of His greatest creation? No, I don’t believe in the theory of evolution, especially when it’s been around for over 150 years and it’s still not been proven.

Here is what I think. He said He knew our every thought, before we opened his mouth. It’s on days like that, while I am praying, that I could be better at what I am doing when I call myself His child. Then I wonder if what I am involved with in my life brings a tear to His eye. And what is the tear for? Is it because He is moved that we are doing so well or a tear knowing that something is definitely wrong with how I am doing with my life? Maybe it’s because after I gave my life to His Son, I take it back every once and a while?

In the bible, there is a story about someone going and getting to heaven and God said to them, “Good and faithful servant, come into your rest.” For me, I pray I can bring a smile to the face of God. That He will be pleased that I am living up to the title of being called, His Child and a Christ Follower.

I pray we can all say, life may not be easy but with God it’s better than it has been.  After all I don’t know how I would feel if I asked God what He was thinking about me and He lowers His head in sadness.

Something to think about.

Rob

On Your Way Up.

A long time ago, when I was really into old cars, we went to a weekend car meet with our white, 1955 Ford convertible.  Usually at these three day experiences they would come up with some silly games for all the Tim Allen kind of guys. Sometimes we actually thought they would be fun while others were just fun to watch. At this particular get together, there seemed to be one contest that I thought was worth the effort.  It took skill, it took determination and it took split second coordination. It would be a challenge and, yes, it was not so easy.

This is how the event happened.  You would have to drive your car up onto a platform that basically was a teeter totter bridge. The object, get yourself, your car and a passenger up on the platform and for a whole 10 seconds, balance the car, then drive down the other side. Let me say it again, it was not easy. Proudly, my brother and I did the best we could and at 6 seconds we were better than anyone else. No one actually went 10 seconds so no one won. Because it was so difficult the committee, in their wisdom thought they would flip the platform over and actually grind a short section in the middle to make things easier. Once this was done, someone won. Actually there were quite a few that breached the 10 seconds and the longest one was the person that took home the plastic trophy. It was disappointing that the committee would not allow any of the early participants another try.

The Christian life is much like the teeter totter bridge.  Take churches for instance, they are born, grow into adulthood and then decline in old age. That is unless they reinvent themselves. As a Christian, you are either on your way up, or on your way down. You either are going up getting closer to God in Christ or you are headed down and away from him. There is no middle, no balancing act, no special circumstances in our relationship with God. One of my favourite verses tells us that we need to be always getting closer to God. It reads, ‘that I may know Him…’ Every day we are to strive to get to know Him better, and in doing so, get closer to Him.

That being said, which way are you going?

Something to think about

Rob

Have a Seat

I’ve been doing something new lately. It isn’t earth shattering or anything like that. It’s more like a gentle push in a direction that I’m not used to going. After a very full week I took the opportunity to just go and sit down outside. Liked it so much I did it again the next day.

All this interest in quiet moments came out of watching a commercial on tv. You have to know that I mute almost all commercials. I don’t want what they are selling and don’t want to hear about a, “you deserve this” item. It was about all the electronics in the home that are on 24/7 and you can get a great deal having them all connected. You know the company.

Well, I turned them all off. I started with the computer, then the cell phone, the radio and the tv were already off. The only think I didn’t turn off was the land line. Walking out the back door of the house, I took the firsts chair and just sat down. I watched birds and squirrels, chipmunks the Canadian flag flying. Listened to the breeze and felt it on my face that was being warmed by the sun in the cloudless sky.

It felt so good. Ironically the land line started to ring and I let the answering machine take care of it.

Within a few moments my mind started to dance over many things that are part of my everyday life. The wandering mind gently settled on . . on God and what a beautiful life we have.  One think I didn’t think about was all the things I should have been doing. After all, we are human beings and not human doers. Didn’t take long until I started to like what I was doing, unlike how for years I have been a workaholic.

Then… I started to talk with God. Doesn’t our Bible tell us that we need to ‘be still and know that I am God’? I pray this can become, for all of us, a journey of taking time to just sit and have a conversation with the Father that loves us. It’s another journey where we take back our lives that are too full. A time to just sit back and just wait for Him to show up.

Something to think about.

Rob