Christmas Is Coming

The race is on. No, I’m not talking about NASCAR. The race I’m writing about all the stores trying to be first to get you to buy for Christmas. A couple of stores have their decorations up and the rest will probably be done by next weekend.  Really, it’s true.

I guess it means the next thing will be Christmas music piped in at every store. The one place I never heard this music is at the gym. Unfortunately I can’t stay there all day. But then again, I like most Christmas music, even the “Hippopotamus For Christmas” one. But I draw the line on, “Last Christmas I Gave You My Heart”. What was most most noteworthy about last year, for me anyway, was the long lead up distracted me about the shorter amount of sun light each day. At the same time I thought more about Jesus every day when I was surrounded by the presence of all those things that reminds me of Him.

It’s the same with most things in our lives. There seem to be more positives then negatives as we go through our lives. One outweighs the other and we can cope with one when we have the other. It’s like having a dog and we get all the love and affection from him or her and we endure taking it for a walk and cleaning up after it.

Some people would even apply it to church and being part of a community of faith. Now I’m not talking here about the people that make it to church on Sunday. I’m referring to the two sides of the coin, rules & rewards. In this case not only are both sides of the coin good, but even the edge of the coin has miniature steps to climb. Some think the 10 commandments are hard, but not really. They are there to make the other side of the coin a wonderful place to be.

So, when you see all those Christmas decorations in the next week or so let it remind you that each side of the ‘faith’ coin are bright and beautiful and a treasure to behold.

Something to think about

Rob

Teach Me Your Ways

A long time ago, I learned about ‘Life Long Learning’. Or maybe it was that I just slid into it a few years after realizing that I didn’t know everything. Just so you know, I still don’t. They say that there are more books printed today in one year than you can read in a lifetime. That’s lots of words.

In our world we have two ways to relate to this information. We either engage in the learning or we just take snippets of what we are interested in. Reminds me of some individuals I knew over the years that bought magazines and just, you know, looked at all those beautiful pictures. I did that at one time when I was interested in old car.

We can also enjoy our lives and get through fine, thank you very much, just getting by and having an entertaining way of moving on in life. But, aha, you knew that was coming. But is it enough? As I have said on a number of occasions, Artie Shaw just couldn’t just coast. His theme of life was, “Good enough is not good enough”. And for most of us, we love to learn new things. Not all things, but new things that perk our interest.

The more we get excited about something the more we read and go out and learn by doing. That is what I’m talking about. At most of the churches I have preached at I had a sermon on ‘enthusiasm’. It’s never the same but it has its root in that one word. Interestingly enough it’s not about hockey or baseball, or any of that stuff. When we break it down we get three words; en or IN and Theos or God, The rest is Excitement. So we put it together and we get Excitement In God and I can really get into knowing Him.

All the other interests I have and hopefully all yours are second to getting to Know Him and the power of His resurrection. That is a life time process of learning about the Christ who died that we might have life.

Something to think about.

Rob

WORD'S

Recently, someone asked me what type of society we are today. Pretty straightforward question on the surface at least that is what I initially thought. There are a number of ways to describe our world, including; chaotic, busy, colourful, fake, mosaic, and terrifying. There are more but you know some of them as they impact your life. I could say, “there was a day . . .”

Here are a couple of ones I think of that are changing us all.  We are becoming ‘lonely’. Yes we are.  In a more crowded world we sit in groups and focus on that small screen in front of us. There is no direct communications. We are becoming so fixated on technology we forget there are real people all around us needing the same thing we need and that is, here is the words, personal interaction. I even see it in church where people are on their phones, sitting beside someone who is doing exactly the same thing.  But I’m not going to say, “I remember when . . .”

Here is another, lazy. Hang on, let me explain. No one needs to cook anymore or go for groceries, etc. Order what you want from almost every food outlet in the world and there it is. You can even track the where about of the delivery person is on his way to your house. They will actually bring the food into your house and put it right on your lap. Ask anyone where they have their dinner each night now and ‘the dinner table’ is seldom mentioned. In front of a screen is what most people would say. I’m not going to say, “and I remember a day . . .”

You see, we have the ability to describe society in negative terms or in beautiful words. The secret is, it’s all in our hands. I want all of us to think of society and indirectly our lives with words like, exhilarating, fun, beautiful, challenging, fulfilling, friendly, and filled with experiences, learning and love, joy, peace, forgiveness and contentment. To be sure, the last five come out of my connection to the Peacemaker, Jesus Christ. Maybe it’s letting Him back into our society that will help us all experience all these beautiful word, and then some. Then we can all say, “Just the other day: it was so awesome when…”

 Something to think about

Rob

Helping Dad

This past Sunday we talked about priorities. Most of us in this world have them and most of the time we are able to sort them out in relation to what is most important. Well, most of the time. If your life is much like mine you realize very early in life that everything that goes on is fluid, much like honey. Or as many people put it, ‘at times, go with the flow’.

I’ve had that happen more times in a week than I change my shirt. It seems like, when I have got it all figured out, BAM, something else presents itself and changes everything. Scrap that page, or re-write it with new priorities.

A long time ago, my dad called me a lot. One particular occasion he needed some help with something at their house and wondered if I could come over and give them a hand. I offered my right hand because my left hand was busy. He didn’t laugh. Being a good son, I told him I would be over as soon as I could. You see, I had my list and was working the list. Two hours later I get a phone call from his wife asking me why I’m wasn’t there yet. You see, the help they wanted and needed was at the top of their list. And, I guess their #1 priority trumped (pun intended) mine.

Interestingly, when I hung up the phone, I continued on my #1 priority until it was done and then made my way to dads. That is when a song came into mind. “Let’s Just Praise The Lord!” I sing that a lot now. Sort of helps me realize what’s really important, and that something is loving God enough to let go of my priorities when showing love to others is His.

Something to think about

Rob

School Is Calling - all of us.

BACK TO SCHOOL! What a great line. Sometime this week, all our children will head back to school. For most it will be the same building but different room. And with the different room, it will be a different teacher. That is unless the teacher also graduated to the next grade. Most everyone will feel pretty comfortable getting back.

Then there are others who have now left the primary grade school and going in the door was, well, unsettling. There is the new building, all new teachers and yes, definitely a different room. I remember moving from grade six to grade seven where I first noticing the high ceilings. So, I thought, lol, this is higher learning. And it was. Those first changes in our educational journey changed most of us. We viewed ourselves as growing up. High School did that again only on a greater scale with more students in one building.

A few of our number are now in college or university. There they will have many teachers, many buildings and lots more to learn. It is also where our freedom from home makes us measure our responsibility to which we measure our maturity. After that? Well, learning doesn’t just come to an end with a diploma. That is not the end. We all have lifelong learning ahead of us.

And just as the students are off to school so we must be off to church. It is there that we learn week in and week out that we don’t know enough about God and it will take a lifetime to get to know him. Even if you have taken a year or two off of church you can still catch up. In four months we will leave behind our verse for the year here at the church. But it’s presence in our life will not fade.

Phil 3:10, ‘I want to know Christ – ‘

Something to think about

Rob

Remember: Back To Church Sunday Sept 15th