Life's Journey

Ever gone on a long drive, without asking at least once, or twice, “Are we there yet?” Some trips are longer than others. Some due to what is going on in the vehicle just seem very long. By the way, this has nothing to do with wishing your life away. Maybe this is the real reason that God invented airplanes. Just kidding.

But seriously, over a lifetime, many of us go on many trips and for some reason the getting there seems to take longer than the coming home. It’s the same thing with going to school. You start in grade one and you say to yourself, ‘when will all this be over? You might even have said to yourself every day in math class, ‘when will this class ever end?’  That is except for those students that are in Karen’s math class.

Which leads me to another time in life when we ask ourselves when is it really over? A recent conversation I had with a couple of us old guys finally came around to that question about when is the right time to retire.  Work life can be a long journey where many times we ask ourselves when will all this work end. We all agreed we will decide when the time is right to say, ‘we’re done’. I’m so fortunate to be doing something that I love to do. Many of us in that conversation agreed, ‘we will know’.

When we reach that point, our lives will change and we will no longer be on the road but up in the stands cheering on those who are still on their journey. In my personal journey I have discovered there is more to driving along. Life is filled with obstacles we encounter while just driving, wrong turns, flat tires and even travellers who either get in our way or come along with us. And as long as I am on this journey, I know the best traveller I want with me is Jesus.

Something to think about.

Rob

MMMMMMMMMM Mysteries

There are many mysteries in life. How the universe works and stays in perfect balance is one. Not too many planets seem to get out of their orbit.  At least that is what we have observed for a very long time. I would have to say, that the shepherds that looked up into the night sky when Jesus was born probably saw the same thing we see when we look up into the night sky tonight. All is in perfect harmony.

Closer to home, we ask ourselves, why was I born and what is my purpose in life? We are not the first to ask that question. Rick Warren in his book, ‘The Purpose Driven Life’ looked at that same question and he wasn’t the first.  We can also go back 469 years to the Westminster Shorter Catechism and discover that people were wrestling with these self-same question and were able to figure it out in many ways that helped them understand an unfathomable reality.

The Westminster Dialog answered the question of what is the chief end of man. They answered, ‘Glorify God and enjoy Him forever’.  Really? That’s all it is? Interestingly they discovered more than just that. And just like those learned men, we to can find out what our chief end is. In all cases, it comes out of the same conclusion but the journey to discover is always the highlight of finding real truth.

Recently I listened to Steve Brown and he said something that is so moving. He mention someone else realizing that as you get older, that best thing you can do is be the person you needed when you were younger. I have discovered the millennials will listen to old people. They are looking for someone to show them the way. The best thing we can show them is the Jesus we follow. And that is the answer for that particular mystery.

Something to think about.

Rob 

The Wind Blows Where It Wills

And the big wind blew! How was it at you place yesterday afternoon? We were just home from church and I was spending some time on the computer when all of a sudden I hear a big bang. At that moment the electricity went out and the screen went black. This has happened the odd time before but came back on pretty quick. Not this time. The wind was so severe the rain was going sideways and we couldn’t see five feet in front of us. I didn’t know that until I looked up from my computer screen.

I looked out the window on the second floor and didn’t see our line broken, and then I went to another window and noticed the electric pole was broken in half. Venturing outside, as the rain had stopped, I took time to take pictures and then went back inside only to go back out a few minutes later after seeing a number of people out taking all kinds of pictures. Turns out, I had not looked north on the street or I would have found one of the oldest trees on our street (over 100) was laying across the road and onto the neighbour’s lawn just missing their home.

It’s now the next morning, twelve hours later. Six electrical trucks have been working all night to replace six poles and all the wires. And one large truck is turning that very large tree into mulch. Those living close by didn’t get much sleep with that chipper going all night.

This reminds me of the moment in my life when the Holy Spirit came into my heart. It was like what happened in the bible when the disciples heard the mighty wind and the Spirit of God, which Jesus said would come, arrived. It doesn’t always happen this way but it does happen. And it happens when we least expect it. It comes when we are not looking around and it blows all the old stuff away and cleans our heart. It happens when we ask Jesus into our hearts.

Have you done that yet? Go ahead ask Him and the winds of change will change your life forever.

Something to think about.

Rob

Thankful Heart

Today is the day!  It’s Monday but it is also Thanksgiving Day, at least here in Canada.  So, are you thankful? As little children we are from a very early age taught to say please and thank you. And to a child it is a way of getting things now and repeating the exercise later.  We think, because we are so smart, if we say it now there is a good chance that it will happen over and over again as we continue to say these wonderful words, in the future, we will get other things we want.

I have mentioned this before; please and thank you are not used as often in long term care facilities. I have found myself saying those words to staff because the residents have forgotten that when you say please and thank you, it will get better results in the future. I know some residents that tell me, 'the staff are so good to me'. That is when I ask if they use the magic words and with a smile they say ‘yes’ and I say, ‘you’re welcome’.

But today is a very special day when it comes to the word ‘thanks’. It is much more than just saying ‘thanks’. We change the getting to giving and end up with that beautiful word, Thanksgiving. It’s giving thanks for so many things. It is thanking God for all that we have. Some may say, right now it’s not great but let me remind you, it’s still better than most.

I give thanks to people in my life who add to the pleasure of living and loving and laughing together.  We actually have that up on the window of our sanctuary as a constant reminder of the beauty of life and all that means. Here in North America, Thanksgiving was a day where people thanked God for the harvest. Now we just go to the grocery store and pick it up not thinking of the men and women all over the world that produce these items for us. As an urban society we have somewhat forgotten that.

The key to all this is knowing who we are to thank, not just for the things we have. In my life I have realizes, and my life is not over yet, that when we truly and faithfully thank God, He smiles and does something more for us.

At the end of the day today, thank Him and give it to Him and Him alone.

Something to think about.

Robin

Christmas All Year?

You would be please with me.  Two weeks ago I went into a big box store. Now this isn’t something unusual for me and that is not what you would be cheering about. Just as I passed through those big, clean, clear glass doors, ‘what to my wondrous eyes should appear’? Not eight reindeer.  I didn’t even look for them because all I could see was a sea of artificial trees and decorations from floor to ceiling.  WHAT are they thinking?  It’s only Sept! It was 35C and the air-conditioning is going full blast, and no, I was not in Florida yet.

As I stood there in shock, my mind went in so many directions. Halloween is not over and that means they don’t even give me a chance to enjoy my birthday before the first snow. What’s can I say. Isn’t this getting a little too early? I thought last year was too soon after the start of Oct but now it’s earlier than that.

Just read an article this past week about where we get our Christmas celebrations from.  Back a long while ago, the major festival was not Christmas but Thanksgiving.  Christimas only developed as we know it just a few hundred years ago with Charles Dickens. Back then Santa (the Ghost of Christmas Present) wore green and not red.  Then it was only after the world as we knew it, became Christian did our celebration sprout wings.

And that is where we came to be where we are now, two weeks into Sept and it starts. After thinking about it a little, and checking out the prices of the trees,  I know what I’m going to do the next time I go in that big box store. I’m going to wish the cashiers “Merry Christmas”. After all this might be a good thing. Soon, we will have Christmas all year just like we wished for many years ago.

Something to think about.

Rob