my experiences

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I Was Wrong But It’s Not Irreversible – Part 2

In my last post( read here) I wrote that doing something wrong is not irreversible. I had been doing up the straps on my knee brace in the wrong order for about twenty-nine years.

was wrong

The brace is still a saviour for me when it comes to sports – especially hockey – but for the last several months my knee has not been feeling very good. It’s been sore and sometimes a little swollen. 

But since I discovered the proper order to tighten the straps on my brace, it has made a huge difference. 

For the last while, I needed at least a day after I played for my knee to feel good enough for me to consider playing hockey again. Now my knee no longer feels sore, unstable, and tender for a period of time.

Not only have I corrected the wrong I had been committing for nearly thirty years, but in correcting that wrong I have seen an improvement in my knee’s stability. 

It is never too late to consider correcting something you have, for a long time, been doing wrong. 

When we elect a government, that year after year puts the country into a deeper and deeper debt position with seemingly uncontrolled spending, it is still correctable. 

We’ve seen it in the past. Where a government has been in power for years and an election has brought a new party into power, that change has brought the country back into fiscal responsibility. 

It’s also true with your conscience. 

We all have one. It’s that little inner sensation that tells us when we are doing something wrong or doing something right. 

Time after time we can go against our conscience in doing wrong and, after a while, we won’t have any sensation regarding that wrong. We will become numb to it; it won’t even register in our conscience any more. 

This can go on for years – just like all the years I was doing up my brace in the wrong order. 

But it is not irreversible.

If we admit we’ve done wrong – even though we don’t have a sensation about it from years and years of doing it – we can still correct it.

And when we start to correct the wrong, the amazing thing is that the sensation starts to slowly come back. Our conscience has never left us; it just grows quiet when we silence it. It can come back, be renewed, and be healthy again. 

I have a friend who smoked for years and years. He never thought anything of it, never considered anyone around him who didn’t smoke. 

Finally, after decades of smoking, he quit. Now he can’t stand the smell of cigarettes; he can’t bear being in a space where others are smoking. He thinks it’s insensitive of them to smoke with others present. His sensitivity came back. 

A long history of doing wrong is never irreversible.

Here’s the thing: You may have turned your back on God for years. Maybe you’ve never considered Him, never cared for Him. Don’t think your years of neglect and possible abusiveness towards God is irreversible. No, you can decide to reverse your wrongs by believing in Christ to save you from all the wrongs you’ve done for however many years you’ve been doing them. The Bible says you are then a new creation. It’s reversible. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question:  What have you previously been thinking is irreversible for you? Leave your comments and questions below.

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I Was Wrong But It’s Not Irreversible – Part 1

Don’t ever think doing something wrong for a long time is irreversible.

was wrong

When you do something wrong for long enough, one has a sense that it will be permanent.

It’s probably true with some things that if you set a pattern, and that pattern is in place for a long time, it will not be broken. So if the pattern is wrong, that’s just what it will be.

Recently I was checking the knee brace I’ve worn for almost three decades. I wear it when I play sports, and particularly sports that require some side to side movement. 

I don’t wear my brace when I ride my bike or play golf, but I do for most other active sports – it gets lots of use.

Since I’ve had this brace for years, and my knee has been bugging me for several months now (I’ve written about that here), I decided to do some checking. Maybe it was time for a new brace. 

I looked up on the internet the company that makes my brace and found some instructional videos on their website. I clicked on one that was specific for my particular brace. 

The video was about how to properly put on the brace. I almost clicked it off because I certainly knew how to put mine on. But since it was such a short video, I watched the whole thing. 

What I discovered was that I’ve been putting on my brace the wrong way for almost 30 years! 

Now the brace is sophisticated – it’s custom made to my knee – but it’s not hard to put on.  

… But I’ve been doing it wrong all these years.

I’ve been doing it wrong in the order I do up the straps. There are only four straps but they need to be secured properly and in the right order. 

I was stunned that I had been doing them up incorrectly all this time. 

The next day at hockey I followed the order from the video. I secured the strap under my knee and then the strap at the bottom of my calf. Then I moved to the strap just above my knee but didn’t secure it quite as tight as I normally would have. I finished with the strap around my thigh, done up a little looser. 

Wow, what a difference! My brace felt so much better while I played and it seemed to stay in place without moving down my leg. 

It was amazing.

Who would have thought that, for all these years, I have gotten away with doing up my brace incorrectly? Yet the brace didn’t break and it still provided some support to my knee. 

I would not have been able to play hockey or baseball or volleyball without it. I would not have been able to ski without wearing that brace … but I’ve been using it incorrectly this whole time. 

I have more to share on this in my next post, but …

Here’s the thing: It’s not that surprising that we can be doing something wrong for a long time and not really have any repercussions. This happens with some sin. We can live in a sin for a long time without seemingly suffering any ill effects from it – no repercussions, no judgements. But there will be a judgement day. As long as you are breathing, you have time to right your wrong.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What have you been doing wrong for a long time that you should change? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Goodbye End; Hello Beginning

The end has come, but the beginning will start soon. … I never would have said those words years ago, but they are fitting today.

Goodbye end; hollow beginning

Today we close up our cottage for the season and we won’t be back until the end of April or beginning of May – that is six months from now. 

… The end of the cottage season has come to a screeching halt. There will be no more trips up here for six months. 

Today I will put the finishing touches on the close. The final task before turning off the power and locking doors is blowing out the water lines. 

They say that everyone has the same amount of time, that we all have 24 hours in a day, and 365 days in a year. 

We all work within those time constraints, but I tell you that time seems shorter for me these days. That 24 hours for me is not like 24 hours for a 7 year old. 

I remember being young and trying to savour every bit of my birthday because the next birthday seemed forever away. 

I remember thinking that grade two was never going to end and that grade three would never happen. Well, that’s partly because I repeated grade two.  

But there was this sense that, in some cases, time seemed to stand still. 

When the summer was over, it wasn’t coming back any time soon.

But that is not the case now. Today we will lock up the cottage and walk away from it for the entire winter … but that time seems to go so fast now. 

It won’t be long before we are back at this place. The leaves will be budding on the trees and not falling off as they are now. Everything will be turning green, new and fresh, and not brown, yellow, red and orange. 

Now all the foliage is decaying – I filled three big paper yard bags full of shredded leaves yesterday. When we come back the grass will be growing at a rapid rate.

Between now and then, the same amount of time passes as it always has. But the time seems to pass more quickly.

I know this because it doesn’t seem that long ago that we were making our first trip of the season to the cottage. 

And that time has gone so quickly!

Yesterday I shot some video with my drone – sort of my way of saying goodbye to our retreat place (you can check it out here).

That video will stay on my YouTube channel all winter long and through the spring. But any time I look at those clips I will not be thinking of that day, but about the days to come. 

Maybe that is why time seems to go so fast. We are looking forward to what is coming up ahead. 

Children live in the moment and time seems to stand still for them. Adults look to tomorrow and time seems to move at lightning speed.

Maybe we need a little balance between living in the moment and looking to tomorrow.

Here’s the thing: Christ will come one day and this life we have had here will seem like it was a flash in time. The eternity that lies ahead of us, what we have anticipated for so long, will stretch before us as endless days to be savoured moment by moment. We will be able to live in the moment AND look forward to tomorrow … provided that we have here and now made the commitment to follow Jesus and submit our lives to Him.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How would living in the moment help you? Leave you comments and questions below.

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It Was Flat But I needed It To Rise

There are times when you want things flat and times you want things to rise.

flat bread

Certain things are better flat – like paper outside in the wind. You want it to lie flat.

I remember doing a wedding outside when there was a bit of a wind. I just wanted the pages of my wedding notes to stay flat, but the wind kept causing them to rise up and turn on their own.

If you are going to have pancakes for breakfast, you certainly want them to be flat and not to rise like a muffin or a loaf of bread.

One of the things I’ve always liked about my MacBook Pro is that Apple keeps trying to make them flatter and thinner than big, bulky PC’s. 

It’s caught on because I see more and more PC companies selling laptops that are flatter and thinner every year. 

There are just some things we want to be thin and flat.

On the other hand, there are some things we don’t want to be flat at all – like tires for instance. 

I always feel bad for the person on the side of the highway with their trunk open, hauling out their jack to fix a flat rear tire.

I know the feeling. I’ve been on the side of the road fixing a flat tire, with the cars and trucks whistling by, creating a wind that shook my vehicle.

But for some things, the benefit of either flat or risen depends on the situation or the time period. 

I remember in high school having a pair of platform shoes made for me. The heel had about a three inch rise and the sole of the shoe a good inch. 

In the mid 70’s platform shoes were in style big time. Mine were awesome and I wish I still had them kicking around … just to show off; not to wear.

On the other hand, if a junior high boy likes a junior high girl, and if they are going to be seen in public together, it’s best that the girl wears flats … because she’s probably taller than the boy anyway. High heels would only accentuate the height difference.

Having said all this, some things need to rise. 

This morning I got up to find that my wife, Lily, had thoughtfully pre-programmed the bread maker so I would have fresh bread ready for my breakfast. 

However, when I checked if it was done, it didn’t look like there was anything in the machine. I mentioned it to Lily and when she looked, she realized that she had forgotten to add in the yeast.

There was a hockey puck shaped lump of bread at the bottom of the bread maker. 

So unless I was leaving Egypt with the rest of the Israelites, or celebrating the Passover, flat bread was not going to cut it this morning! 

Here’s the thing: In the Bible, yeast is mostly associated with sin or evil. The reason for the unleavened bread at Passover is that it is a symbol of the absence of sin. That unleavened bread also points to Jesus who is called the bread of life – that is to say, He had no sin. Because Jesus had no sin, He could save you from your sin so you can rise with Him to heaven one day. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What’s the yeast in your life that you need to be rid of? Leave you comments and questions below.

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You Say Goodbye; I Say Hello

Yesterday I said goodbye to some friends who were moving away – friends I was used to seeing on a weekly basis, and whose home I was in every other week. … Now I won’t see them for at least a few years.

say goodbye, say hello

This morning I was reflecting on that. 

I’ve said goodbye to many people in the past, mostly when they have left my town. But there have been a few times when I’ve left town.

At the time of saying goodbye there’s usually lots of business to attend to, other people trying to say farewell, etc. There really is no time to think and contemplate about leaving, about a goodbye.

The goodbye is also not equally the same for both those leaving and those staying. 

For the ones who are going away, they leave for something new, something different. Their leaving comes with an element of excitement, unknown, even nervousness.  

But there is none of that for those who are staying and are saying goodbye. Everything stays the same for them. There is just the loss of someone leaving.

It’s kind of like eating your favourite ice cream cone. (For me, that would be a scoop of Rocky Road ice cream on a sugar cone.) 

As you take a lick, a good sized piece of ice cream comes loose and falls to the ground. If you’re like me, you hate that because you want to eat every bit. You’ve be anticipating it; you’ve been savouring the taste of that ice cream. And then to lose a piece of it, it’s hard not to be disappointed. 

Ever thought of somehow licking up that ice cream from the ground even though it’s past the 5 second rule? 

The reality is you still have most of that cone to enjoy and to delight your taste buds with. You are only losing out on a small piece. … But still the thought of missing even a morsel of that favourite ice cream borders on a deep feeling of loss. 

The experts say that the world has shrunk with technology and with travel being so accessible, but that is merely conceptual. The reality is distance changes everything. 

I remember when we moved from Edmonton to Kingston. Two weeks after we arrived our son turned five years old. 

When we discussed with him what he would like for his birthday he said he just wanted his friend, Joel, to attend the party. 

Well, Joel lived in Edmonton, but Mike couldn’t understand why his parents wouldn’t just drive him over, or put him on a plane so he could be there for his big day. Mike didn’t make the connection that it took us five days to drive across the country, staying in hotels each night. 

So until someone actually invents the Star Trek transporter, distance will not been circumvented. When you say goodbye, there is an element of missing one’s presence that lingers.

Here’s the thing: Though we will say goodbye to everyone in our life, even if it is only for an hour, we never say goodbye to God. He is always with us, even when we move. No matter where we go, He is there. So don’t act like there is a distance between you and Him. Speak to Him regularly throughout your day. Don’t treat Him like He’s gone away. And certain don’t pretend like He is not there with you. With God you always say “hello” and never “goodbye”.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: Who would you like to say hello to today? Leave your comments and questions below.

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I Want A New Deal With Bell Canada

Bell Canada has a good thing going, but it hasn’t been very good for me.

Bell Canada

Today I turned on my TV and I heard voices talking but the screen was as dark as it was before I turned it on.

I started hitting buttons, but the only buttons I could get to work were the volume and the power controls. 

My first thought was that I needed a new TV. We’ve had this one for many years and maybe it was just its time. But I turned on another device that was plugging into my TV and there was the picture.  

It seemed the problem lay with my Bell Canada Fibe TV box.

Immediately a whole load of thoughts flooded my brain. I remember sitting with a woman as she outlined the great deal that Bell had for us that would save us a ton of money. 

What she told us sounded so good we decided we would make the switch after 18 years with another TV provider and 22 years with another internet provider. 

We were given tons of promises, and everything worked pretty well. We were happy for the first month and a half. 

Then we noticed a price increase. As the months went on, the increases for varying amounts showed up about every two months. 

Then a year into the contract, we got hit with a huge increase. After less than two years, we are paying more than double what we had agreed upon when we got Bell’s service!

That is a sweet contract for them. We pay a penalty for leaving the contract early but they can raise their rates continuously throughout the contract. 

When I inquired as to why the increases, the answer was, “we are continually improving our service”.

I think that means I’m paying for Bell to dig up other streets so they can install Fibe TV in those neighbourhoods as well. 

I’ve seen no difference to my service. It’s not faster, not more reliable. I don’t even have more of the same stations to watch the same programs on!  

… Did that last sentence hypnotize you a little? Well, that’s just the reality of TV.

Every time I’ve called customer service, they refuse to honour what the original salesperson told us because they can’t verify what she said. Instead they offer to reduce my channels to reduce the impact of the increase to maybe half. They, however, always get an increase.

Just the other week I received a phone call from Bell. They said they had a great deal for me because they’ve upgraded the service in my area. 

I replied that I’m already paying more than twice what I started at a year and a half ago, and I wasn’t interested in paying more. I said I was just waiting for the end of the contract. The salesperson said they would have someone call me.  

No one has called.

I wonder … if I called and told them I’m only hearing voices, would they set me up with a psychiatrist or reduce my bill in half? Probably neither. 

Here’s the thing: In this life, institutions, businesses and people are looking out for their own interests above all else. Even God has His best interest in mind. However, God’s best interest is truly best and, because He loves you, His best interest is really your best interest as well. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you think God’s best interest for you is? Leave your comments and questions below.

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My Peace Was Interrupted

Have you ever gotten away for some peace and quiet, to a place where you can relax and think clearly, only to have your peace interrupted with noise?

My Peace Was Interrupted

That happened to me the other day.

I made my annual trip to our cottage to think, pray and plan for the year ahead. One reason I go there is that I relax well there, and the other reason is that it is quiet.

Albeit the occasional noise of a lawnmower or circular saw breaks the quiet, but for the most part it is very peaceful. All our neighbours are seniors or their kids have grown up. Lily and I are the young ones in our little section.

But last year, near the end of the summer, a family moved in just kiddy-corner to us. This family broke the pattern. They have two young children, somewhere between 3 and 7. 

I remember having kids that age, but what I don’t remember is how loud they were. … either that or this is the loud family! It seems like it’s party central all the time at their place. The kids are up early and the parents are up late.

There is nothing wrong with it most of the time – except when I’m here specifically to be quiet, reflective, to think and plan.

When our kids were young, I never thought of how loud we were as a family – especially the kids. Kids’ high pitched voices without a volume control makes for some serious noise.

Even if an adult is loud, the lower tone in their voice usually only leads to muffled noise. With kids, however, you can hear every word distinctly and clearly.

Kids are busy, too. They are not going to just sit and read. … I’m not even sure one of the neighbour kids is old enough to read. 

These kids want action! They want entertainment! And they want it all the time! 

Right now there is a road hockey game going on at 10:00 in the morning right outside my window.  

It’s summer here in vacation land – who’s playing street hockey right now? 

Growing up I played plenty of road hockey. We played mostly in the spring and then in the fall. In the heat of the summer we were down at the river catching frogs or something. 

I realize that some kids are louder than others. Some instinctively play quietly. They play with each other. 

But these kids need to be yelling and they need their parents involved. All their play is a big production. 

They have two full-sized hockey nets on the road right now. I don’t think the game is going that well for the oldest kid because he’s telling everyone that the game is over. 

No one seems to be paying attention to him, however, so he keeps reminding the adults and his sister over and over again as they play around him. 

It’s noisy, but it’s also Saturday morning. They didn’t arrive until last night … and I’m leaving in an hour or so. 

So glad they were not up for the week.

Here’s the thing: You can do your best at setting up a quiet place to spend time with God. But what you still may have to battle is how loud your thoughts are, and how distracted your mind can get. Sometimes you just have to work through those noisy sessions and find a way to focus. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What distracts you the most when you are spending time with God? Leave your comments and questions below. 

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My Face Isn’t All That Unique

I’m thinking there are only so many faces in the world … the rest are just variations of the same few faces.

Bobby Orr

I’ve come to this conclusion because I was recently mistaken for someone I am in no way related to.

I was walking up to the pro shop at a golf course I was about to play, when I noticed a group of four senior gentlemen standing around their golf carts.  

I noticed them because they were looking at me. In fact, it was more than just looking at me – they were staring at me … you know, with their mouths slightly open in that, “Is this who we think it is?” kind of stare.

I continued on like I didn’t notice them gawking at me and went into the clubhouse. 

I registered for my game and was just about to walk out the door when these four men came clambering in, almost trying to squeeze through the door at the same time. 

The first one blurted out, “Are you related to Bobby Orr?” 

If you know anything about hockey – if you’re a Canadian – you know who Bobby Orr is: one, if not THE greatest NHL defenseman of all time.

I immediately put their question to rest. “No”, I said, and kept moving. 

I could tell from how they were acting that they really thought I was Bobby Orr for a minute.

That was the first time anyone has thought my face and Orr’s face looked similar. 

Once someone thought I looked like Terry Fox, but that was back in the 70’s when I had long, curly hair. I had immediately lifted my leg back at the knee when they said it so I could be more convincing. 

 But that was from a distance; this was up close.  

I’ve never even met Bobby Orr – though I have a friend who has posted a picture  on his facebook page of him and his wife with Bobby.

My brother has met Bobby Orr. Years ago Orr shot a Planters Peanuts commercial for Hockey Night in Canada at the rink he was an assistant manager at.

Oh, and when I was young – about 9 or 10 – a guy took me to an OHA Oshawa Generals hockey game. He also gave me a black and white photo of Bobby who was about 17 at the time.  

I remember that when the guy handed me the photo he said, “Hang on to that. This kid is going to be a star.” 

I lost the photo a few years later. 

I never met Bobby Orr, but at least my sister-in-law got me his autograph. 

I did build a couple of cottages around Parry Sound one summer during my college days. I saw the larger than life image of Bobby on the “Welcome to Parry Sound; Home of Bobby Orr” sign coming into the city. 

Maybe I should practice Bobby’s signature … just in case … now that I’m looking more and more like a legend.

Here’s the thing: We can mistake something for the real thing. But when we mistake our good fortune or success in life for God’s blessing, we better take a second look. That good life you are experiencing may only be for this life. God’s real blessing is attached to a relationship with his Son and a future eternity that will last far longer that any good fortune we experience now. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What in your life do you need to take a second look at? Leave your comments and questions below.

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I Lacked Something Really Important

This week I realized I lacked something most people would assume I had. 

We sometimes assume that a store will have a certain item we are looking for, only to find when we get there that they are out-of-stock or worse – they don’t even sell that product at all. 

Not long ago I needed to purchase a wooden end plug for a new hockey stick I had bought.  The store I usually get them from was out-of-stock at the time.  

I thought I would see if I could get one at another sports store. 

When I couldn’t find even a spot for these plugs on any of their shelving, I asked an employee. His initial reaction told me they didn’t have them. He had no clue what I was talking about, so he checked his little handheld computer to discover the store didn’t even carry them.

I wasn’t that surprised to find they didn’t have them at this time – after all it is summer – but I did assume they would carry the product since hockey is one of their specialties. 

Then this week I found myself not only lacking a stick plug, but something more important.

For the last ten months we have been dealing with a leaky roof at our church. The ability to stop the leak has eluded the roofers for the umpteenth times they have tried to fix it. 

In the mean time, our caretaker has made two elaborate troughs to catch the water and keep it from hitting the carpet. These troughs are each about six feet long and very noticeable. 

The other day our caretaker said to me, “Maybe we should put the troughs away for now.”  

We haven’t had any leaks for the past three weeks and the last time the roofers came they fixed a large section that they discovered might be the problem. 

Since then we haven’t had a leak, but we also have not had much rain to really test it. 

I hesitated and said, “I’d like to believe it’s fixed but I’m not holding my breath.” … We’ve had high hopes before, only for them to be dashed a short time later when the roof started leaking again. 

I finally replied, “Well, let’s just move one trough out of the way underneath the coat rack.” I wanted it close by so that if it started leaking we could put it back quickly.

My caretaker wanted to get both troughs out of sight, but I didn’t really want to go that far.

Then he wanted to sit the other trough inside the one we put under the coat rack, virtually removing any leakage protection we had. 

To that I said, “You have more faith than I do.”

I got to thinking … I’m the guy most people would think would have the faith to believe that our leaky roof has been fixed. Faith is the basis of my job as a pastor. But here I was low on faith for something my caretaker had no problem with. 

Here’s the thing: I don’t lack faith in God, but I did lack faith in what God would do for us in this particular situation. When you lack faith, your actions or non-actions will give you away. That’s when you need to think a little more about your lack of faith. Figure out why you lack faith for something and then take steps to apply your faith in God for that thing. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What is something in your life you realize you have lacked faith for and really need to trust God with? Leave your comments below.

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My Old Tech Became New Tech Again

The other day I had to use old tech to get my new tech to do what I wanted it to do.

… After writing that sentence I realize it sounds a little hypnotizing. You might be wondering what exactly I mean.

I have a relatively new laptop that is 6 or 7 years newer than my previous one. So my new laptop has technology built into it that was not around when my old laptop was made. 

Tech changes so quickly – like with cell phones. They come out with new ones every year that have great new features. When your two-year contract is up, you are dying to get a new phone because it’s so advanced.

My new laptop has all new input ports so I needed a conversion cord to connect my old devices like external hard drives, external monitors, and even thumb drives.

It was a big jump. 

But there were some changes that, in my opinion, were a step back in time.

And one of those areas I discovered recently.  

Sometimes I have to record a sermon from cassette tape to my computer. This happens when something goes wrong with our normal recording from our sound board at church. 

For years I just put the cassette in a tape player, plugged the cord into the tape player and plugged the other end into the microphone port of my laptop.

My new laptop doesn’t have a microphone port. 

That was surprising … and very disappointing to say the least!

For some reason, the manufacturer decided that we don’t need to record sound that way any more … much like the way Apple decided that we don’t need to plug headphones into our phones any more; we just go wireless.

I guess we are just supposed to throw out all of our wired headphones. 

But before you do that, it might not be a bad idea to tuck them away for later. They just might come in handy.

With my new laptop, I found a way to get sound into it.  But I had to use old tech to do it. 

I scrounged around in a draw and found a headset device that I used years ago – I’m thinking close to 10 years. I used it for a dictation program I had with my computer. I stopped using it because they came up with a wireless headset.

I disconnected the headset part and MacGyver’d it together between my tape deck and computer.

Oh, but before I did that I had to get out my USB dongle to even be able to plug it into my computer.  

It worked. 

I used ten year old technology to get my new computer to do something that was standard a few years ago. 

The moral of the story is save our landfill sites. Don’t throw out your old, obsolete technology; it just might become like new technology all over again.

Here’s the thing: In life we learn and become proficient at things we once needed help with. There may be things in your life that you used to seek God’s help for but now seem to be easy for you to handle so that you don’t feel you need His help with them any more. You may find you depend more on yourself than God now that you’ve progressed in your faith – almost like God has become a little obsolete in that area. Don’t be fooled into thinking you don’t need Him as much. A growing faith will never make your daily need to seek God obsolete or outdated.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What have you stopped seeking God for? Leave your comments below.