I had a great day yesterday, skiing, enjoying snow and mountains and good friends. Almost Christmas, friends and family seem more important than usual. Jesus is in my thoughts even more than He is normally. It is a special time of year.
I did a strange thing this year at the beginning of December. I asked Jesus to make this a very special Christmas for me. I didn’t ask Him to make sure I received lots of presents, or even any presents. It wasn’t my favourite meal or a white Christmas. I asked that I would see and experience Christmas again as a small child experiences Christmas. I asked that this Christmas I would be immersed in the wonder of what happened 2000 years ago in Bethlehem. I asked the Lord to allow me to experience Christmas in the magical way a five year old experiences Christmas. That was my Christmas wish, my Christmas prayer, this year. I know, it is a lot to ask, but I asked it.
So what happened? Joy happened. Unspeakable joy. Every Christmas carol fills me with joy. Emotion wells up within me. Every thought of Christmas is joyous, magical, incredible. The Lord answered my prayer, a prayer I didn’t think could be answered, and I am once again experiencing the wonder of Christmas as a child. I struggle to even try and convey the sense of wonder and joy I have this Christmas, the sense of God’s presence with me, the awe of what He has done in giving us a Saviour, Christ the King. Merry Christmas. May yours be as glorious as the one I am experiencing.
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
What’s Important In Life?
I just returned home after ministering in Cuba. The return is always a difficult one for me. The contrast between Canada and Cuba is huge. With each return home I am pushed to think about what is truly important in life. What are the essentials, what really matters?
My friends in Cuba have little in the way of material things. Each day can be a struggle. Here in Canada most of us have more than we need. We take for granted things my Cuban friends only dream of having. We eat things which my friends there will never be able to try. Yet there is an even bigger difference between my Cuban friends and many of my Canadian friends; it is a spiritual one. My Christian brothers and sisters in Cuba are walking closely with their Lord Jesus. They don’t have fancy foods, they don’t have myriad electronic devices (most have none) or 100 television channels to watch, but they are content. They walk closely with Jesus and let Him set their path. They have the joy which comes only as we walk closely with Jesus. They truly care about one another, help and serve one another. Their relationship with Jesus, their Christian faith, is not cultural, it is not something added into a too-busy life, it is the centre of their universe. And because Christ is the centre, everything else works, they have joy. That part of their life I want to copy.
My favourite Bible passage is found in the book of Proverbs, chapter 3, verses 5 and 6.
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding; in
all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.
My Cuban friends teach me the truth of this verse, a truth I want to live out each day.
My friends in Cuba have little in the way of material things. Each day can be a struggle. Here in Canada most of us have more than we need. We take for granted things my Cuban friends only dream of having. We eat things which my friends there will never be able to try. Yet there is an even bigger difference between my Cuban friends and many of my Canadian friends; it is a spiritual one. My Christian brothers and sisters in Cuba are walking closely with their Lord Jesus. They don’t have fancy foods, they don’t have myriad electronic devices (most have none) or 100 television channels to watch, but they are content. They walk closely with Jesus and let Him set their path. They have the joy which comes only as we walk closely with Jesus. They truly care about one another, help and serve one another. Their relationship with Jesus, their Christian faith, is not cultural, it is not something added into a too-busy life, it is the centre of their universe. And because Christ is the centre, everything else works, they have joy. That part of their life I want to copy.
My favourite Bible passage is found in the book of Proverbs, chapter 3, verses 5 and 6.
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding; in
all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.
My Cuban friends teach me the truth of this verse, a truth I want to live out each day.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Change
I received an e-mail notice from Facebook the other day letting me know they were going to change things, again. When I came home from vacation this summer I found the page I use for my browser home page had dramatically changed it’s layout. I liked the old style better! Change is all around me, and although I adapt to it, I don’t necessarily like all of the changes. Am I getting too old and set in my ways?
I understand that life is changing, people are changing, younger people (like I once was) have different likes and dislikes from those who are older, but the pace of change seems so fast. I have no trouble keeping up with change, I am not stressed about it, but realize that I am generally happier when things don’t change too dramatically. If you look through the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, you see lots of change. Civilization changed, progressed and evolved. That is evident as you look at the historical writings of the Bible. One of the great unchanging constants in life, in the universe, is God. He is changeless. He is perfect, we are not, yet He loves us anyways. And He provided a changeless way to forgive all of us for the wrong things we do, our sin. I received forgiveness of my sins and entrance to fellowship with God through receiving Jesus as my Saviour. The man we call the Apostle Paul received that same forgiveness, the same way, almost two thousand years ago. In church our music changes, the way we worship God changes, the style in which we teach and preach all change. The way we are forgiven and gain access to God is unchanging. At least something in life remains constant.
Some change I like, some I don’t. I like new technology, it fascinates me. On the other hand I often don’t like changing things with which I have become comfortable and familiar. It seems that in God’s scheme of things there are always many changes, although He is changeless, as is His plan for our salvation.
I understand that life is changing, people are changing, younger people (like I once was) have different likes and dislikes from those who are older, but the pace of change seems so fast. I have no trouble keeping up with change, I am not stressed about it, but realize that I am generally happier when things don’t change too dramatically. If you look through the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, you see lots of change. Civilization changed, progressed and evolved. That is evident as you look at the historical writings of the Bible. One of the great unchanging constants in life, in the universe, is God. He is changeless. He is perfect, we are not, yet He loves us anyways. And He provided a changeless way to forgive all of us for the wrong things we do, our sin. I received forgiveness of my sins and entrance to fellowship with God through receiving Jesus as my Saviour. The man we call the Apostle Paul received that same forgiveness, the same way, almost two thousand years ago. In church our music changes, the way we worship God changes, the style in which we teach and preach all change. The way we are forgiven and gain access to God is unchanging. At least something in life remains constant.
Some change I like, some I don’t. I like new technology, it fascinates me. On the other hand I often don’t like changing things with which I have become comfortable and familiar. It seems that in God’s scheme of things there are always many changes, although He is changeless, as is His plan for our salvation.
Monday, April 29, 2013
A Can of Bear Spray
I bought a can of bear spray on the weekend. It’s something I really didn’t want to do, because I don’t like carrying bear spray. I think it gives people a false sense of security. I would rather be proactive, careful to avoid bears as I hike, making lots of noise so the bear knows I am coming and moves off the trail. Why buy the spray? Sandra and I are volunteers in the National Parks for a few weeks in the summer and they like us to carry bear spray.
I have hiked my whole life and only had face to face chats with a few bears, some black some grizzly. We have had short but nice conversations, the bears and I both moving away from each other. The bears usually move away very quickly because they like us even less than we like them. I’ve had these brief conversations with bears when I have not being doing what I should do when hiking. What I should do, and almost always do, is talk, sing, make noise, all of which alert bears to my presence and gives them lots of time to get off the trail. Being proactive is a lot safer than being reactive. It is far better to let bears know you are coming and get out of your way, rather than have to react to an encounter because you surprised them. Much of life is similar. We can choose to be proactive and avoid problems and trouble, or let the problems come and then react to them. As we go through life we can be aware of things around us, think of possible problems and plan to minimize their possibility of happening, or we can just blindly walk through life and react to whatever happens. Proactive people tend to get more done, have far fewer problems and generally enjoy life. Bear spray? A reactive solution that can cause you problems, or death, because you should have worked harder at not meeting the bear in the first place.
There is an even more important proactive step each of us needs to take. One day all of us will die and will meet our Creator and Judge. The only way to make sure that encounter is a nice conversation is to be ready to meet God. We do that by asking Jesus to forgive our sins and be our Saviour. That gives us forgiveness of our disobedience to God, puts us in relationship with Him and provides entrance into heaven. For bears there is a reactive solution called bear spray which sometimes is effective. There is no reactive solution to getting into heaven. You have to make that decision before you enter eternity.
I have hiked my whole life and only had face to face chats with a few bears, some black some grizzly. We have had short but nice conversations, the bears and I both moving away from each other. The bears usually move away very quickly because they like us even less than we like them. I’ve had these brief conversations with bears when I have not being doing what I should do when hiking. What I should do, and almost always do, is talk, sing, make noise, all of which alert bears to my presence and gives them lots of time to get off the trail. Being proactive is a lot safer than being reactive. It is far better to let bears know you are coming and get out of your way, rather than have to react to an encounter because you surprised them. Much of life is similar. We can choose to be proactive and avoid problems and trouble, or let the problems come and then react to them. As we go through life we can be aware of things around us, think of possible problems and plan to minimize their possibility of happening, or we can just blindly walk through life and react to whatever happens. Proactive people tend to get more done, have far fewer problems and generally enjoy life. Bear spray? A reactive solution that can cause you problems, or death, because you should have worked harder at not meeting the bear in the first place.
There is an even more important proactive step each of us needs to take. One day all of us will die and will meet our Creator and Judge. The only way to make sure that encounter is a nice conversation is to be ready to meet God. We do that by asking Jesus to forgive our sins and be our Saviour. That gives us forgiveness of our disobedience to God, puts us in relationship with Him and provides entrance into heaven. For bears there is a reactive solution called bear spray which sometimes is effective. There is no reactive solution to getting into heaven. You have to make that decision before you enter eternity.
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