It’s Back-To-School Week

This was back-to-school week, but really what it was back to was the people, not the institution.

back to school

Going back to school would be nothing much if it wasn’t for the people. 

Suppose this week all the kids went back to school after two or four months, but what they went back to was online courses. There wouldn’t be all the excitement and all the nerves. There would also be very little to look forward to.

You see, it’s not really about getting back to school; it’s about getting back to your friends.

Earlier this summer, a friend who lives in Red Deer came back to Ontario for his yearly visit. My old high school friends and I use that occasion to get together over a meal. 

Some of the guys see each other throughout the year, but many of us haven’t seen each other in a long time. One guy who showed up this year I hadn’t seen since high school – that’s 43 years ago! 

But getting together wasn’t about dinner. It was about seeing each other, recalling old times, telling the same old jokes, and ribbing each other about stuff we did back in the day.

It was just like getting back to school, only we didn’t have the annoyance of classrooms and teachers … not that they were all bad.

This week students everywhere got reacquainted. They told stories of their summer months, and picked back up with each other like it was spring time again. 

This week I also had a bit of a back-to-school week, minus the school. I met up with the boys on the Kingston Frontenacs hockey team for the first time since they left the rink back in March.

Some of the boys are new to the team and I’ll get to know them as the year progresses. But a bunch of them are returnees – some for their fourth year. It was great to see the guys again and some of the team staff. 

Though hockey is the centre of all the talk and activity, it is the people that we get back to – the nicknames, the stories, the jokes and the sense of being with family … not your real family, but a kind of family that shares a part of your life and experiences.  

We go through this kind of thing all the time, getting back to … it’s never the institution or the organization or the thing. 

It’s always getting back to the people. 

The only thing that will put a smile on your face when you leave your home to go to school, or a restaurant or the rink, is the people. 

That’s what makes September, the fall, getting back to school, all worth it. 

Here’s the thing:  Religion is an institution and many people who have strayed away from it or have never had anything to do with it, don’t have much motivation to become part of it, or get back to it. But Christianity is not about religion; it’s about a relationship with Jesus Christ. What Jesus is hoping for is that you will want to get back with Him this fall. As you consider all those you are getting back with this fall, consider how to get back to Jesus or get closer to Him. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What are you looking forward to getting back to this fall? Leave your comments and questions below.

I’m Burning More Calories This Week

I just raised the number of calories I plan to actively burn each day this week.

Let me explain … I have an Apple Watch which I use to track my fitness regime. I’ve blogged about this here.

One of the categories I track is how many calories I burn in a day. I’m talking about active calories, not the calories we burn just breathing, eating, sitting and walking.

Active calories are the ones I burn by exercising and being active, by raising my heart rate above a certain level.

Today I realized when setting my goal for the week that I’m now planning on burning 520 calories per day this week.

That might not seem like a lot to you and, to be honest, I smash that goal most days. But what struck me was that, at this time last year, my goal was only 320 calories per day and I wasn’t hitting it every day.

In fact, back then I couldn’t see how I could consistently burn that many calories every day of the week. Some days, sure, but what about those days when I sat at my desk most of the day and didn’t have much time to exercise or do any activity?

You see, the goal isn’t a big deal for one particular day; the goal becomes a bigger deal when you consider you have to do it seven days in a row and not have a bad day where you miss exercising or miss just getting up and moving around a little bit.

A year ago I didn’t have a plan to ensure I could meet a goal like this.

But as I sought to up my calorie-burning goal, I developed a plan that would help me consistently reach that goal each day.

The plan took a while to come together, but by February of this year I had my plan and pattern set. Since that time, I’ve only missed my calorie goal once … and I missed it by 25 measly calories!

It was a mistake; I didn’t pay attention and I blew it. By the way, that was after 231 days in a row of making that goal. You can read about that here.

I realized this morning that I have grown my weekly goal from 320 to 520 in the last year by small increments.

Many weeks I didn’t increase my goal and sometimes I lowered it, but I kept going. Even through injury and sickness, I kept going.

Today I am much farther ahead than I ever imagined. And I did it just a little bit at a time.

It seemed like such a small thing but it has grown into something much bigger.

Here’s the thing: Do you have a spiritual goal, or aspirations for your relationship with God? Have you ever dreamed of what your relationship with God could be like? Well, don’t try to set some lofty goal or make a promise that is too large to keep. Do it in increments – little ones. If your goal is to establish a consistent quiet time, start with 5 minutes a day. If it’s to journal, begin by writing a quarter of a page a day. But just don’t settle there. Continue by increments when you feel you can take a little risk. Don’t try to be a spiritual giant in a day. You will surprise yourself by how far you’ll go if you just keep adding small increments.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What goal do you need to set or increase for this coming year? Leave your comments below.