my experiences

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Confidence Is Fragile And Can Evaporate Easily

It is sometimes the little things that give you confidence in someone … or not. 

confidence is fragile and can evaporate easily

In my last post I wrote about my experience of going to the urgent care unit at the hospital (read about that here).  

I got hit while playing hockey and later that day saw some flashing lights in my peripheral vision. The urgent care unit couldn’t help me. So first they made an appointment for me with the eye clinic and second, I guess it wasn’t that urgent. 

The next day I arrived at the eye clinic for my follow-up. I was really hoping that someone would actually look at my eye this time. 

The good thing was that they did. I was escorted to a dimly lit room and asked to sit in a chair that pointed directly at a light panel. The light panel was on the wall at the far end of the room.  

They had me read the letters that came up on the panel, put drops in my eyes and then sent me back to the waiting room.

Not long after that, I was summoned to exam room 6. No one came to get me; the announcement came over the intercom, sort of like an announcement at Walmart, “There’s a blue light special over in aisle 6”. 

Fortunately, I could still see well so I found my way to the exam room and was greeted by a resident. He asked me a couple of questions and then started poking around my eye. He flashed light in my eyes and pushed on my eye while he had me look in different directions up and down, to one side, then the other. 

My eye got a good workout. 

He then wanted to do another test but first needed to turn my chair around and recline me back in it. 

The problem was that the chair wouldn’t move. He tried a couple of times and nothing. So he said, “Just a minute” and left the room.

When he came back, he had another resident with him, full of confidence. He tried to move my chair as well, but it wouldn’t budge. He then simply reached to the side, moved a lever, said “the lock was on” and left.

… That didn’t give me a lot of confidence in the resident who was working on my eye! 

After some more eye gymnastics, he told me what was wrong and said he would report this to the doctor.

When the doctor came in and looked at my eye, she told me I have a vitreous detachment, which happens naturally when we age. However, my hockey collision likely caused it to detach quickly, creating in some large floaters. 

Nothing can be done and my eye was not damaged.

Hearing her diagnosis gave me confidence that things would be alright. 

I had little confidence in the resident. … When he couldn’t move an examination chair, you have to wonder how many of these exams he had done. 

I walked out squinting because my eyes were dilated to the size of a nickels, but confident I got the right diagnosis in the end. 

Here’s the thing: Confidence can evaporate quickly with the slightest thing, often because we have put our confidence in ourselves or others. If you put your confidence in God, you can rely on His wisdom, His care and His power to diagnose and respond to every issue.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: In who or what do you tend to first put your confidence in? Leave your comments and question below.

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Urgent Care Doesn’t Always Mean It Will Be Quick

Well it was Monday morning and I was driving down to the Urgent Care Centre at the hospital. 

urgent care doesn't always mean it will be quick

They used to call it “Emergency” and maybe they still do, but not at the hospital I was on route to. 

Urgent Care is for those who think they need a doctor and can’t wait for an appointment with a medical worker. 

Let me tell you, when I arrived there was a long line of people who were looking for some quick answers to their issues. The variety of problems was extensive, there was no order to who was next, and the people kept rolling in. 

It reminded me of going to the local barber shop when I was a kid. 

It was usually a Tuesday evening and us kids were lined up along the windowsill because all the waiting chairs were taken by adults. There were maybe 10-15 of us looking to get buzzed – yes, “buzzed”; that’s what barbers did to kids in those days. 

The cut itself didn’t take long, but there were so many of us, and there was no numbering system. You had to know who was in front of you and who was after you or there was going to be trouble. 

And that’s how I felt going into urgent care. There was a sea of humanity and no one was keeping track of the order in which we came in. 

… And, by the way, that was just to get to triage!  

I found myself calling out to others, “Who was last in?” I wanted to know where I stood. The guy next to me said, pointing, “You came in after the guy over there.” 

So I asked that guy who came in before him. He had no clue. 

A few minutes later I was taking charge of the room, figuring out who was next and what order we were moving in toward triage. 

… Man, has nobody been to an old-fashioned barber or what?!

The reason I was at the Urgent Care Centre was to have my eye looked at. A couple of days earlier, while playing hockey, a guy ran into me on the ice. It was a pretty good collision and we both went down hard. 

I didn’t think too much about it, but several of the guys asked me if I was okay. I just thought they asked because I was the senior citizen of the group. 

Later that evening, however, I noticed some flashing lights off in the peripheral of my left eye. I didn’t think that was a good sign. 

So Monday morning I was at Urgent Care, waiting for 3 hours to see someone about my eye. When I finally got to see a doctor, she didn’t get closer than 5 feet from me. She listen to my story and said, “We can’t check that here; we don’t have the equipment.” So she made me an appointment for the next day at the eye clinic. 

So much for Urgent Care. Maybe they should rename it to the “We Care Unit” and leave it at that. 

There wasn’t much “urgent” about any of it. (Stay tuned for part 2.)

Here’s the thing: Most of us want answers to our problems – fast … yesterday, if that could be arranged. But often, even when we think our issue is urgent, the answer takes some time. God knows what you need and when you really need it. Just take your concern to Him and let Him work out the timing. God’s timing is always perfect.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What urgent matter do you need to leave with God and His timing? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Pay Attention To The Conditions You Find Yourself In

Sometimes we don’t pay attention to the conditions around us and end up paying a price for it.

pay attention to the conditions you find yourself in

This happened to me the other day when I was biking. I didn’t consider the conditions I was riding in and it cost me. 

We all have experienced unstable conditions when we are walking, driving or just enjoying the great outdoors.

When there is ice, or the possibility of black ice, we know we need to be careful walking along a sidewalk or driving on the road. Driving conditions can change with the weather, so often there are signs like “Slippery When Wet” that remind us to pay attention.

When a floor has been mopped in a store or a mall, there is often a “Caution” sign left behind to remind us to carefully make our way forward, paying attention to the conditions before us.

That is just common sense. But …

Sometimes we fail to pay attention to a sign or notice the conditions we are in and that is why we have TV shows like “Funniest Home Videos” or “Fail Army”. We laugh and/or cringe when someone falls down a slippery step and groceries go flying everywhere.

You have to know the conditions and be careful to proceed appropriately.

The other day when I was mountain biking, the trails were very wet from the previous day’s downpour. Not only was the trail itself slippery with puddles in strategic places, there were also exposed roots and rocks that became very treacherous.  

My friend went down a few times while negotiating a corner or two. 

For the most part, I was being careful.

A couple of times I felt my bike start to slide out from under me, but I was able to regain my balance and keep the wheels underneath me. I really had to pay attention and stay focussed on the conditions. 

It was going pretty well until I got near the end of the ride where there’s a large downhill section that is basically like a ski slope mogul run with high banked corners at every turn.

To start this downhill run, you drop off onto a banked turn made of wood. 

When I got there I forgot everything and just went after that bank. 

What I didn’t consider was that the wood would be all wet and slippery. … I went down hard, scraping my elbow and bruising my forearm, my palm and my leg. 

My shoulder and helmet hit the bank and I slid down right by a puddle of water at the bottom of the turn.

It took just a second or two of forgetting about the conditions to leave me shaking the cobwebs from my head and picking up all my paraphernalia that had gone flying.

I was okay to finish the ride, but I was a little achy the next day.

Here’s the thing: There are indications all around us that conditions are changing. The world is changing politically, and it’s changing environmentally as well. All these conditions are foretold in the Bible, written between two and four thousand years ago. It’s like a sign that says “Dangerous Road Ahead”. We would do well to check what the Bible says we should do to pay attention to the conditions. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What conditions do you need to pay more attention to right now? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Change Is A Curious Thing That Impacts Us Differently

Change is a curious thing. To one it can bring much joy and to another it can bring much heartache.

change is a curious thing that impacts us differently

I recently changed internet providers and the change has been a good thing.

Even making the change was not that disruptive … which was surprising because change, even change for the better, can be disruptive.

When a family moves, the change brings some challenges. The good things like more room or nicer amenities will be enjoyed, but there is that whole process of packing up one’s home and unpacking ii all in another, not to mention all the real estate and financing that has to be worked out. 

The family will enjoy the change – in this case, their new home – once they are settled in. They just have to wait until all the details have been worked through.

But for my internet change, I didn’t miss a beat. I can’t say that there was any time when my internet was down. Even though I was switching companies, they both rent the cable line from the same cable company. Somehow they made the switch without dropping the service. 

Everything about this change has gone really well. I can’t be more pleased.

However, that’s not everyone’s experience with change, nor is it my experience with every change in my life. 

Our lives change, sometimes for the better and sometimes not. There is a lot of change we can make happen but there is some change we don’t have a say in. It just happens. 

Change in our weather or climate is like that. 

This summer we’ve seen the news or experienced the devastation of fires all over Canada and now mainly in the west: people displaced, homes destroyed – it has been horrible for many. 

And there has been much finger pointing at climate change. 

The curious thing about climate change is that while the west is in a struggle to stop the fires that have altered so many lives, here where I live the weather has been wetter and cooler this summer. 

Change for one can be so different than for another. 

With climate change, I’m not sure we can control it like I can control when and how I change my internet. I’m not convinced the measures we take to prevent climate change will have a significant effect on the changing climate that’s taking place in our world. 

Maybe we should brace ourselves for change, or embrace the changes we can’t control. 

We should live responsibly and help one another through the difficulties some change brings.

Here’s the thing: This world is not everlasting; it will not last forever. Evolutionists believe it has already been here from millions of years. Creationists have God’s Word that says the world will not last. Near the end there will be more frequent natural disasters and wars, among other things. The best way to brace for change is to put your faith in God who has a plan. Embrace Christ; he will help you through all life’s changes.

That’s Life!

Paul

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Getting Lost In Your Thoughts Is A Must Exercise

I found a new way of getting lost in music and thought. I haven’t really done this kind of thing for years and, honestly, probably not for 49 years.

getting lost in your thoughts is a must exercise

As a teenager, I had lots of time on my hands. I would often just lie on my bed, listen to record albums and let my mind drift along with whatever thoughts wanted to flow through it.

If you’ve never done it, it’s a pretty cool experience, relaxing, entertaining and creative. Some great ideas have come from those times.

But way back then it was different than it is now … 

I remember going to a record store and combing through bin after bin of albums. I’d thumb my way over album covers of my favourite rock groups, hoping to find a gem at a reasonable price. 

That reasonable price was somewhere between $7 and $11. Compared to the $50 I recently paid for a record I got my son, that was a bargain!

It was always risky to buy an album, though. You knew one or maybe two songs on the record because they were on the radio. The rest of the album could have been horrible … you never knew unless you listened to FM radio. 

FM stations would often play two or three non-hits off an album. I listened to the hits on 1050 CHUM (Toronto) but the “B” side songs on CHUM FM (104.5). By listening to FM radio, you took some of the risk out of buying albums. 

When the purchase or purchases were made at the record store, I’d take them home and put them on the stereo to listen to them. 

You could stack a number of records on a stereo. The mechanism that used to drop the next record onto the platter was the inspiration for the game “Mouse Trap” … or maybe it was the other way around.

I could stack three records from my favourite band or listen to three different bands. I would lie on my bed or on the couch in the living room and just let them play. Then I’d get lost in it all and let the music wash over me, daydream, wonder and contemplate. 

It was an awesome time. 

Now that I’m retired, there are parts of my teen years that I’m reliving – like having large amounts of time on my hands.

The other day I did what I would do so many years ago … except with a difference. 

I don’t have to buy albums anymore. I have Apple Music that will play me whatever I want. Now I can stream any number of songs or albums without addition cost. 

So there I was, lying on my couch, listening to a Steely Dan stream. And my iPhone just kept playing the band’s songs, song after song. 

Thirty minutes into that enjoyable, relaxing, free-flowing thought train, my brother stopped by. And my listening stream just continued, becoming the background music to our conversation. 

… Not a bad afternoon for a guy “living the life of Riley”. Again.

Here’s the thing: We all need time to lie down, to think, dream, and let our thoughts pull and tug at us. It’s also important to do this with God – to meditate on a Bible verse or passage, to let His words and ideas pass through our minds. It’s a way of letting God, through the Holy Spirit, speak to your heart and move you in His direction.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: When will you make time to think and meditate? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Consistent Effort Reaps A Harvest Of Achievement

Being consistent is a major key to achieving what you want.You don’t necessarily have to be the best at something to achieve; you just need to be consistent. 

consistent effort reaps a harvest of achievement

Those who try things for a while and then stop will usually fall short of achieving what they want. 

For instance, I’ve played the guitar for 37 years. You would think that someone who’s been playing the guitar that long has got to be pretty good. Well, I’m sad to say that I’m not a very good guitarist. 

As much as I complain that I have a disconnect between my brain and my fingers, the real problem is consistency.

I don’t see progress as fast as I would like so I get discouraged and put my guitar away for a while. When I finally get excited to play again, I’m not really building on my skill, but actually starting back at the basics that I mastered when I first learned.

I’m not progressing; I’m more like staying the same as I have been for many, many years. 

I don’t think I’d ever be a Jimi Hendrix or Eric Clapton on the guitar, but if I could get over my discouragement in my progress and just play and practice, I would definitely get better. 

Sure, some people pick things up quicker that others. Some may have more of an aptitude, which in turn produces faster progress that leads to greater satisfaction and more motivation to keep going. 

However, if people could just be consistent with something, in the long run they would see achievement. 

We came up to our cottage the other week; we hadn’t been up for a while. When we pulled into the driveway, the grass was green, lush and long – really long.

Our cottage is in a very sandy place. The name of the town is Sauble Beach, with “beach” being the operative word. Grass doesn’t just grow on its own very easily there. It takes work and, more that that, it takes water. 

Our grass had been failing for years and we wanted to turn it around. But, with only being at the cottage for very short stints, interrupted by weeks of being away, it was difficult to get any grass growing. So I installed a few underground sprinklers hooked up to a timer. No matter how infrequent we were at the cottage, the grass could still get watered.

The last couple of years though, I’ve been discouraged because, even with the sprinkler regularly scheduled to water the grass, the lawn kept getting worse. 

About two months ago I discovered that the timer was working, but not communicating to the sprinklers. The lawn wasn’t getting any water. 

So off to the hardware store I went. I got a new timer, threw some grass seed down and we left for home. 

A week and a half later, after consistent watering every night, we have a jungle. 

Consistency works. If you want to achieve something, just keep at it and don’t stop.

Here’s the thing: About 26 years ago I decided that I would read through the Bible during the year. I’ve done that every year since. It’s not a great feat; it only means reading about four chapters a day. But over those years, among other things, I got a better understanding of what God thinks of us and His plan for each one of us. Let me encourage you to consistently read God’s word and you will achieve a greater understanding of God’s role in your life and this world. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you need to be more consistent at right now? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Experiences Can Happen When We Least Expect Them

We should always be prepared for experiences that are out of season. Most of the time, it is easy to tell when things are out of season. 

experiences can happen when you least expect them

You know when you bite a Macintosh apple in the middle of July that you are having a not-in-season fruit.

In Canada apples ripen in the fall. So if you are eating apples in the summer, those apples were probably picked in October of the previous year. 

Now, with trade partners and global shipping, today we can often get fruit that might be produced in season somewhere else in the world.

Although grapefruit ripen and are picked in the summer months, I eat them right through the winter. I eat half a grapefruit every morning because, for much of the year, the grapefruits I eat come from Israel.

That’s an example of an out-of-season experience. 

But we have these experiences in other areas of life as well. 

The best sales usually come when a product is at its end or out-of-season. Whether it is clothes, BBQs or snowblowers, we look for those out-of-season sales.

When we lived in Alberta, we had a pastors’ conference every fall. In those days it was always held in Banff – a picturesque spot definitely worth seeing, but it is a tourist place. 

Summer in Banff is beautiful and an awesome place to go hiking, camping, etc. In the winter, it is a true winter wonderland with skiing, snowshoeing and shopping. Banff is as beautiful in the winter as it is in the summer. 

But there are bumper seasons in Banff. You could call them out-of-season times, when the weather is not as warm as in summer, but there is not enough snow to ski. 

That’s when we held our pastors’ conference. We could get hotel accommodations for several hundred people at a fraction of the cost of what it would be in season. 

Those conferences and experiences in Banff were simply due to the out-of-season time we met. 

This week I had some out-of-season experiences: I played hockey in July. 

I could have easily decided to go biking instead of playing hockey, but I don’t often get that out-of-season experience so I made good on it. 

And I’m sure glad I did.

There’s nothing like showing up to the rink with your equipment bag slung over your shoulder, hockey stick in hand, wearing shorts and sandals. And there’s nothing like coming out of a cold arena into the hot sun after sweating it out on the ice in about 4° Celsius.

I haven’t played hockey in the summer for many years. I just haven’t had the opportunity. So there was no way I was going to miss getting in on some out-of-season experiences this past week. 

You just have to be ready to play any time anywhere.

Here’s the thing: There is a verse in the Bible that says “be ready in season and out of season”. It is a charge to a pastor by his mentor. But we should all be ready to speak about Christ, who He is and what He’s done for us any time an opportunity presents itself. Experiences in sharing what we believe can present themselves at any time; we just need to be ready.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: Would you say you are ready in season and out? What would it take to be ready?  Leave your comments and questions below.

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Being Present Is Not As Easy As You Might Think

It should be a no-brainer, but when you are present, you should be present. 

being present is not as easy as you might think

We know that though we can be physically present, our minds can be somewhere completely different. We often call this daydreaming or being distracted.

Not being present can take many forms … like when my kids were little and wanted me to play with them, but I was watching a sporting event on TV.

With my eyes on the TV, watching the game, they’d be diving off the couch onto my back. I managed to wrestle and play while I had one and a half eyes glued to the television.  

It took talent to pull that off, but it’s an example of not being present. 

My wife, Lily, has also caught me not being present … not in wrestling but in conversations.  

Many times she has tried to communicate something important to me over the phone while I have been working on my computer. I guess I’m not good at talking and focussing on a screen at the same time. 

She has asked me something, followed either by a long pause or me asking her to repeat the few words she had just spoken.

She would know I was distracted by something and would often say, “Are you working on your computer?”

Busted again! I would have to take my hands off the keyboard and sit back in my chair to be present in the conversation. 

The same thing happened many times in high school. I remember sitting in the back of history class as the teacher went on about the political climate in the world just before World War I … while I was writing out the lyrics to Elton John songs for my buddy sitting next to me. 

There was no question that I would be marked present for attending history class, but really I was not present at all.

I think it’s a matter of discipline to force ourselves to be attentive and present in the space we are in. 

One might think that this should get easier as we get older, but it doesn’t. 

The other day I was sitting on the sofa at my cottage reading. Yet while I was reading, I found myself thinking about other things.

My thoughts went in a completely different direction from the topic I was looking at with my eyes. In fact, I was thinking about doing three things that had nothing to do with what I was reading. 

I was not present with that book. 

We need discipline to get back to being present. … I picked up a pen and paper and wrote those three things down. 

The simple act of acknowledging those thoughts by writing them down gives your mind the confidence that you will not forget them.

You can get to them later so you can focus on what you are doing now. That’s being present. 

Here’s the thing: This distraction from being present often plagues me when I am spending time with God. I get thoughts of what I need to do that day, or thoughts of projects I’d like to be doing. To get back to being present with God, I write them down to relieve my mind of them and to get back to being attentive to the conversation I am having with the Lord. Try it, it works. 

That’s Life! 

Paul

Question: When do you find being present the hardest? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Something Outstanding Still Needs Evaluation

When you find something that is truly outstanding, you’re tempted to go all in with it. But that’s not always your best move. 

something outstanding still needs evaluation

For years I’ve had a love relationship with Dr. Pepper. 

You could stack any number of beverages in front of me and I would pick DP every time. 

When I was in college I would often go to the local convenience store and get a Super Big Gulp sized cup of the nectar. If I had a paper due or needed to study late, I would suck that back till the wee hours of the night and then fall fast asleep. 

I know there is caffeine in Dr. Pepper, but it never had an effect on me. I slept like a baby.

But after years indulging with the Doctor, it started to negatively impact my health. 

I had to learn that a good thing isn’t a good thing all the time. You have to show restraint. You must have discipline. It’s not best to dive into something without holding something back. 

In poker when a player goes “all in”, others think that player has an outstanding hand. He puts in all his chips; he goes all in. He risks all his chips without holding back.

Several months ago, going through the check out at Costco, I noticed they sold ice cream cones. This wasn’t something new. I’m sure I’d seen the signs before, but this time I felt like having some ice cream. 

For the first time I decided to get a cone. They’re a good size too. You get about a pound of soft ice cream on a waffle cone, all for the price of around $3.00 after tax.

It’s a great deal! 

But as good a deal as it is, if the ice cream is not that good, who cares how much there is or how cheap it is. 

Anyway, I was juggling a couple of packages I had purchased when the lady handed me the cone. I took one lick … and almost dropped my packages.

It was the best soft ice cream I had ever tasted! It was not made from ice milk – more like 45% cream. 

.. Let me tell you, Dairy Queen would do well to find the formula Costco is using for their ice cream because it is truly outstanding. 

I was hooked. 

The next time I went to Costco I was with Lily. Naturally I had to get another cone so she could taste how good it was. To be honest, I didn’t like sharing it with her and it is still a sore spot between us. 

I then went to Costco another day just to get an ice cream cone. That’s when I realized I needed to show some restraint. 

You can’t go all in just because something is truly outstanding. If I did I would put on about 100 pounds and my arteries would be solid white … soft white, but definitely white. 

It’s the best soft ice cream out there, but I discipline myself now so that I will be around long enough to enjoy a cone once in a while.

Here’s the thing: Going all in on something truly outstanding needs evaluation. But you can go all in with God and be confident you won’t have to hold anything back. He is the only one who will not lead you down a path that can have negative results. Don’t be afraid to follow Him completely. Pursue Him hard, with all you’ve got.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How can you follow God more closely? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Doing Stuff You Don’t Like Doing

Where do you sit on doing stuff you don’t like to do? Are you one of those people who takes it on as a challenge or a duty? Or are you one of those people who will, if possible, do anything other than the stuff you don’t like doing?

Doing stuff you don't like doing

For some things, I often fall into the second category. If I can I will avoid things I don’t like to do and for as long as I can.

When I was young we had a huge back yard and my brother and I would take turns cutting it. I didn’t like cutting the back yard because it took an hour and a half. And when you are thirteen, an hour and a half is like an eternity! It was precious time I would never get back. 

Well, I would put off cutting the lawn until I almost needed a swather to come cut it. I always hoped that a farmer would look at our lawn and bring his combine over and make hay bales out of the grass. 

The thing about leaving something you don’t like doing is that the delay often makes it worse. You will eventually have to do it but it’ll be harder to do when you finally get to it. 

I sometimes will look for excuses to not do the stuff I don’t want to do … like a baseball pitcher with a hang nail who misses his start in the rotation and has to go on the DL. 

Put a little crazy glue on that hang nail and get out there and throw some strikes! 

Meanwhile in the NHL playoffs this past week, a player had a skate jammed up under his visor just missing his eye. He went to the dressing room, got 74 stitches in his forehead and around his eye, missed about thirty minutes of the game while the doctor worked on him, and then came back to play the rest of the game. 

He gave no excuses … and probably makes $10 million less a year than the pitcher with the hang nail. 

And then there was me the other day. 

I hate raking the lawn the first time in the spring. I will avoid it and flat out say, “No, I’m not doing it.” But now I’m retired and have some time on my hands. 

It’s definitely one of those things I don’t like doing. But I decided rather than putting off doing stuff I don’t like doing, I would get’er done.

So I got the rake out, put some gloves on and started raking. Five minutes in, my rake broke. 

That was my excuse; it was perfect.

But I hopped in my car and went and bought a new rake. Then I got right back to it.

Three rakes in, the handle came off. 

I was almost ready to call it quits and give in to my desire not to rake. Instead I took that rake downstairs and drove a nail through the rake and the handle. 

No excuses! I raked the lawn. … We’ll see about next year.

Here’s the thing: We can get into patterns or habits around our relationship with God. Circumstances often bring about those patterns or habits. One of those patterns I observed since coming out of lockdowns is people not going to church. It’s too easy to sleep in on Sunday morning or to watch church online … or to get to where church fits into the category of not doing stuff you don’t like doing. It’s not easy to break the pattern or change that attitude, but get up and get back to going to church. You will be more engaged in your faith and an encouragement to others who attend.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How much effort will it take to make it to church this week? Leave your comments and questions below.

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