Just a while back I was reading about some of the people who were running late for work in New York city one Tuesday morning, September 11th, 2001. One man was the head of a large company but his son was new to kindergarten school and dad had to take extra time. Another person was running late because he remembered it was his turn to pick up the donuts. One woman was late because her alarm clock didn't go off in time. Darn alarm clocks! Another person got stuck in traffic on the NJ Turnpike because of an accident. I can almost picture him when he realizes that he’s going to be late, throwing up his hands in disgust maybe, or pounding on his steering wheel as he sat there in desperation, unable to even make the day’s first appointment. Another person missed the bus. One lady spilled some food on her clothes and had to take the time to change. Can you picture her frustration? Can you relate? Can you feel her blood pressure rising? There was a car that wouldn’t start. Don’t you just hate it when that happens!
Then there was this guy who had bought a brand new pair of shoes and put them on to wear for the first time that morning but, unfortunately, as he was making his way from one transit to another, he developed a blister and had to find a drugstore and buy a band-aid. That is why he is alive today. In fact, all of these people would be dead today if it weren’t for those terribly annoying circumstances that likely frustrated them to no end that morning.
It really makes you think though doesn’t it. It makes me think about what it really means to trust God. We often think it means to trust Him in big ways with big things but in reality it seems to be harder to trust Him with the little things. When someone lets us down, when we get stuck in traffic , when a small simple task unexpectedly takes a whole five minutes … all of life’s little annoyances that fill our days …
The other day I was doing some menial chore, and I can’t really remember what it was; brushing my teeth maybe or something like that, and something happened to make it a little more difficult. And before I was even conscious of the thought the words were out of my mouth – “nothing is ever easy”.
Is that the problem really? Or is the problem with me? Is the problem the fact that on a very basic level I think that I am in charge of my own life and that the goal is that everything should go the way I think it should – the easy way?
I wonder if we might be able to get a hold of this truth, that it might be likely that this is exactly where God wants me to be at this very moment and He wants me to trust Him in it. What do you think?
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Mike
I can take you today to where he is buried, even though his grave marker is long gone. I don’t believe he wanted to die. His death was sudden, tragic and very traumatic for those of us who loved him. His name was Mike. He was black.
Like a lot of dogs, Mike liked to run and to go places where he wasn’t supposed to be. That’s the reason we had to keep him in the barn at night, to keep him from getting into trouble. In former days, the old barn used to shelter cattle and the old hay mow remained a great place for dogs and kids. I can remember playing there for hours. There was still some loose hay there even for Mike to lay on. But Mike had other ideas. One night in his desperate attempt to be done with the confines of his spacious and secure prison, Mike made his escape. It wasn’t easy. I can picture him working at it for tireless hours as he gradually chewed and clawed his way through the wooden board and batting, finally pushing his body out through to what he believed to be his hard fought for freedom.
In the common style of those old cattle barns, the ground fell away to the back side where the cows would enter the stalls below the mow. Mike’s chain wasn’t long enough to allow his body to reach the ground below. The next morning, my eyes awoke to the sight of Mike’s body, his black fur sleek and shiny and beautiful in the light of day, hanging lifeless against the side of that old barn. We buried Mike in the orchard just below the barn and fashioned a wooden cross to mark his grave. We carved his name in the cross – Mike.
Mike lives on in my memory though, as a testimony to a profound truth about dogs and people. While our Master knows what’s best for us (He really does), sometimes in our relentless determination we will get what we want, even if it kills us.
Like a lot of dogs, Mike liked to run and to go places where he wasn’t supposed to be. That’s the reason we had to keep him in the barn at night, to keep him from getting into trouble. In former days, the old barn used to shelter cattle and the old hay mow remained a great place for dogs and kids. I can remember playing there for hours. There was still some loose hay there even for Mike to lay on. But Mike had other ideas. One night in his desperate attempt to be done with the confines of his spacious and secure prison, Mike made his escape. It wasn’t easy. I can picture him working at it for tireless hours as he gradually chewed and clawed his way through the wooden board and batting, finally pushing his body out through to what he believed to be his hard fought for freedom.
In the common style of those old cattle barns, the ground fell away to the back side where the cows would enter the stalls below the mow. Mike’s chain wasn’t long enough to allow his body to reach the ground below. The next morning, my eyes awoke to the sight of Mike’s body, his black fur sleek and shiny and beautiful in the light of day, hanging lifeless against the side of that old barn. We buried Mike in the orchard just below the barn and fashioned a wooden cross to mark his grave. We carved his name in the cross – Mike.
Mike lives on in my memory though, as a testimony to a profound truth about dogs and people. While our Master knows what’s best for us (He really does), sometimes in our relentless determination we will get what we want, even if it kills us.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
7 Things That Inspire Me To No End
1. The incredible and relentless beauty of this amazing world that God has made - the whole earth is filled with His glory
2. People who rise above the prejudices and biases of others to become more than the world thinks they are capable of becoming! We call them underdogs.
3. People who endure great trials and hardship, and not only survive, but thrive! These people are so much more than survivors, they are champions.
4. Sweet old people who live with bitter sorrow and disappointment but still greet life and others with a smile and portray the hope of life that we all need so desperately
5. The people in our church family who are constantly there, not only for each other, but for others who in many cases they don’t even know
6. Givers and forgivers
7. Jesus the perfectly beautiful one!
2. People who rise above the prejudices and biases of others to become more than the world thinks they are capable of becoming! We call them underdogs.
3. People who endure great trials and hardship, and not only survive, but thrive! These people are so much more than survivors, they are champions.
4. Sweet old people who live with bitter sorrow and disappointment but still greet life and others with a smile and portray the hope of life that we all need so desperately
5. The people in our church family who are constantly there, not only for each other, but for others who in many cases they don’t even know
6. Givers and forgivers
7. Jesus the perfectly beautiful one!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Sincerely Stupid
You may have seen this on the news but there is a pastor in Gainesville, Florida who is promoting his intentions to publicly burn the Koran (actually as many as he can get his hands on) this coming Saturday September 11th on the front lawn of his church building. He has a large container parked there full of wood with a big sign on it saying ‘International Burn A Koran Day’. Not surprisingly, his intentions have caught the attention of the media and he is being solidly condemned by just about everyone. So far he isn’t backing down.
His name is Terry Jones. He wears a hand gun strapped to his waist which may not be that scandalous in Florida, I don’t know. His congregation consists of about 30 people. He may not have a lot of ‘followers’ but he is certainly gaining notoriety! I watched an interview he did (I think with ABC?) and he seems pretty sincere. He calls the Koran the devil’s book and says that if Jesus were here in body today he would tell us to burn it.
The top general in Afghanistan has even gotten involved as there is a lot of concern that if Terry Jones goes ahead and actually burns those books there will be an unbelievable backlash in the form of violence as a retaliatory response from militant Muslim groups world wide.
I can’t quite figure out what he hopes to accomplish really. He says he wants to send a message but what message is he sending? There is still a chance he may recant because he does say they are still “praying about it”. I sure hope he does, but he has kind of ‘painted himself into a corner’ as they say.
Now, this is an extreme situation with dire consequences but the same scenario plays out millions of times a day in lesser forms as sincere Christians mistakenly think that we can say anything we want, just because we believe it is true, without taking any responsibility for the repercussions of our words. In this way, our words become reckless rather than pointed. They become careless rather than purposeful. And people get hurt rather than helped.
The Bible says we are to speak the truth in love. I guess Terry forgot the love part. And it was Jesus who also said that we are to be as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves. This plan of Terry Jones' would be disqualified on both counts don’t you think?!
His name is Terry Jones. He wears a hand gun strapped to his waist which may not be that scandalous in Florida, I don’t know. His congregation consists of about 30 people. He may not have a lot of ‘followers’ but he is certainly gaining notoriety! I watched an interview he did (I think with ABC?) and he seems pretty sincere. He calls the Koran the devil’s book and says that if Jesus were here in body today he would tell us to burn it.
The top general in Afghanistan has even gotten involved as there is a lot of concern that if Terry Jones goes ahead and actually burns those books there will be an unbelievable backlash in the form of violence as a retaliatory response from militant Muslim groups world wide.
I can’t quite figure out what he hopes to accomplish really. He says he wants to send a message but what message is he sending? There is still a chance he may recant because he does say they are still “praying about it”. I sure hope he does, but he has kind of ‘painted himself into a corner’ as they say.
Now, this is an extreme situation with dire consequences but the same scenario plays out millions of times a day in lesser forms as sincere Christians mistakenly think that we can say anything we want, just because we believe it is true, without taking any responsibility for the repercussions of our words. In this way, our words become reckless rather than pointed. They become careless rather than purposeful. And people get hurt rather than helped.
The Bible says we are to speak the truth in love. I guess Terry forgot the love part. And it was Jesus who also said that we are to be as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves. This plan of Terry Jones' would be disqualified on both counts don’t you think?!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Fingerprinted
Before coming to Christ I did a lot of things that I am not proud of. But last month was the first time in my life that I had to be fingerprinted.
If you are familiar with our church you will know that we follow a rigorous protocol for all of our children and youth ministries, part of which involves a screening process for all workers that includes mandatory police checks. Even though I don’t get to be involved a lot directly in our children’s or youth ministries, I have always felt it was important to go through the process and the training myself as well.
Anyway, Tracey called me back in August to remind me that mine and Florence’s police checks were going to ‘run out’ in a few weeks time and needed to be renewed. I thanked her for the reminder and we headed in that week to the police station to fill out and submit the forms. When we went to pick up the completed paperwork a week later however, I got a surprise. The girl behind the glass handed Florence her paperwork and then turning to me said, “I can’t give you yours.” And before I had any time to start wondering what was going on, she proceeded to tell me about a new policy that had just been enacted and this is how it works. If you are a male and there is any other male in Canada that was born on your birth date and has been convicted of a sexual offense, then the only way you can get a police check clearance is to be fully finger printed and to have those prints sent to Ottawa.
Well, what can I say? You gottta do what you gotta do. I had to pay $28.50 in cash and was led away to a back room where the young constable from Newfoundland proceeded to create two full sets of prints with my hands. It was a weird feeling. I know that I have not committed any type of offense that will see any repercussions from their search, but I have to tell you that it still felt kind of weird, almost like a violation of sorts. So, I just kept reminding myself that it was for a good and necessary cause. If the system prevents even one child from being abused then so be it.
And then as I was leaving, they dropped the other bomb and told me that it could take up to 4 months for it to come back!!! Now, that could create some real difficulties for our fall programs. So, if you’re reading this and you’re a children's worker or youth worker, don’t waste any time. Just keep reminding yourself that it is for a good and necessary cause – the safety of innocent little ones.
If you are familiar with our church you will know that we follow a rigorous protocol for all of our children and youth ministries, part of which involves a screening process for all workers that includes mandatory police checks. Even though I don’t get to be involved a lot directly in our children’s or youth ministries, I have always felt it was important to go through the process and the training myself as well.
Anyway, Tracey called me back in August to remind me that mine and Florence’s police checks were going to ‘run out’ in a few weeks time and needed to be renewed. I thanked her for the reminder and we headed in that week to the police station to fill out and submit the forms. When we went to pick up the completed paperwork a week later however, I got a surprise. The girl behind the glass handed Florence her paperwork and then turning to me said, “I can’t give you yours.” And before I had any time to start wondering what was going on, she proceeded to tell me about a new policy that had just been enacted and this is how it works. If you are a male and there is any other male in Canada that was born on your birth date and has been convicted of a sexual offense, then the only way you can get a police check clearance is to be fully finger printed and to have those prints sent to Ottawa.
Well, what can I say? You gottta do what you gotta do. I had to pay $28.50 in cash and was led away to a back room where the young constable from Newfoundland proceeded to create two full sets of prints with my hands. It was a weird feeling. I know that I have not committed any type of offense that will see any repercussions from their search, but I have to tell you that it still felt kind of weird, almost like a violation of sorts. So, I just kept reminding myself that it was for a good and necessary cause. If the system prevents even one child from being abused then so be it.
And then as I was leaving, they dropped the other bomb and told me that it could take up to 4 months for it to come back!!! Now, that could create some real difficulties for our fall programs. So, if you’re reading this and you’re a children's worker or youth worker, don’t waste any time. Just keep reminding yourself that it is for a good and necessary cause – the safety of innocent little ones.
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