my experiences

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I’ve Found the Secret

Sometimes it’s the little things that make a big difference. The other day, my son and I went to our local golf store to try out his new golf clubs. Mike got new irons for Christmas, but we needed to make sure they had the right shafts for his swing.

The store we went to has a golf simulator that analyses your swing as you hit balls into a screen. As Mike started to warm up and hit some balls, I noticed that he wasn’t getting the distance I would get with the same club.

Ace_Golf_Simulator P3 black

The store employee mentioned that he was leaving all his weight on his right leg and what he needed to do was transfer his weight over to his left leg when he swung. I thought that was pretty common knowledge, but for Mike it was a revelation.

He started making that little change and his distance improved by about 25-30 yards, just like that. He was pretty psyched about the increased distance. I figured I would take a few shots to see if the new clubs would make any difference to my game. Sadly, they didn’t – even worse, Mike’s shots were now going a good 20 yards farther than mine!

Something as small as a shift in your weight can make so much difference to the distance you hit the ball and how you feel about your game. For a young guy, it’s all about the distance: the farther you hit, the better you feel about yourself.

Mike came home from the store and showed a friend his new clubs, he was so proud of them. He can’t wait until the spring to get a chance to use them. I think deep down he believes he will be able to beat me now. But I’m not that worried; he still can’t putt.

It’s really remarkable how little things, like shifting your weight, can make you feel good.  We often view the big things as mood changers. Things like winning a lottery, getting a big promotion, or making a significant move are what bring us big smiles.

But life is made up of little moments and not big events. Life is all about the little things, like savouring that steak that has been cooked to perfection, seeing the joy on your son’s face after he hits a golf ball, or anticipating the start of hockey on Saturday nights (finally).

We don’t live life from big event to big event. We live most of our life in the little moments that happen each day. It’s those little moments that make the real difference. It’s the little moments that sustain us every day until a big event comes along.

The last few weeks, I’ve been kind of frustrated. I think I’ve been trying to live from big event to big event and have gone through some deep valleys along the way. But if I would feed on those little moments I have each day, I would sail through even the longest gaps between big events.

Here’s the thing: The same is true with God. If we are waiting for God to do something big in our lives, we may get discouraged and frustrated in the mean time. Instead, if we are having little moments with God each day, they will take us through any valley we find ourselves in.

Until Next Time!

Pastor Paul

Question: What are the little moments in your life (day) that can bring a smile to your face? Leave a comment below.

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Missed Opportunities

I don’t get too excited about puzzle building. I’m just not very good at it. That’s why on Christmas morning, when an anonymous gift of a puzzle showed up under the tree, addressed to our family, I was not all that excited.

My wife, Lily, on the other hand, loves to build puzzles. She’s an expert puzzle builder. Naturally, I suspected her to be behind this family present.

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The puzzle was the 4D kind. (Before you screw up your face and think I got my numbers wrong, the 4th dimension in this puzzle is time.) We didn’t have to put on crazy glasses while fitting the pieces together … although, that may have made it more fun.

This present was my wife’s scheming attempt to get the whole family to do something together, rather than have some of us glued to the TV, watching sports over the holidays.

I’m sure she thought, “I know Paul will like this because it’s a puzzle of the city of Toronto where he grew up.” And she worked that angle for a while by handing me pieces with street names on them and saying “I don’t know where this street is. Maybe you can find where it goes, Paul”.

She knew Karlie would be up for doing something together as a family – after all, she came all the way from Calgary to be with us for Christmas. But Mike, our son, was the wild card.

I can’t figure out how she thought building a puzzle would be something he would want to do. Maybe she thought three out of four wasn’t bad, and we might be able to cajole him into participating.

It reminded me of when we would make gingerbread houses at Christmas. Each of us would make his own house and then we’d arrange them in a village setting. Mike never wanted to do it, but we pressured him into it each year. He would try to build a monstrosity of a mansion, only to get discourage because he didn’t understand the concept of having supports to handle the span of the roof. He was always the first to give up.

It was no surprise that as soon as he saw the puzzle he said, “No, I’m not building it.” I had similar sentiments but I didn’t want to burst Lil’s bubble so soon after opening the present.

I helped at first, but quickly faded … maybe it was the turkey dinner, or maybe I just needed a nap after all the sitting I had done in the past few days. When I woke from my slumber, Karlie and Lil had quite a bit accomplished.

A few days later, when it was suggested by you-know-who that we finish building the puzzle, Karlie was quick to take up the challenge. Mike was nowhere to be found, and I, well, I had something else I needed to do … I think … in another room.

The next morning, I came downstairs to find the completed puzzle. It looked just like a real view of the city. It was then that it dawned on me how I missed out on building it with my family. It could have been a time of talking and laughing, sharing time together.

Here is the thing: Even though I don’t like building puzzles, I should have sucked it up and participated, not to miss the opportunity. This year there will be many opportunities at work, in relationships, with God. I don’t want to miss those opportunities this year.

Until Next Time!

Pastor Paul

Question: How do you plan to make the most of opportunities this year?

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The Longest Night Ever

Note: There will be no blog on Tuesday I’m going to take a break for Christmas.  So, today I want to share with you one of my favourite Christmas memories growing up.  I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and may God bless you in 2013.

Like most kids growing up, Christmas was a pretty exciting time for my brother and I.  John is just two years younger than me and we would fuel each other’s excitement.

We were notorious for getting up very early Christmas morning. We would often sneak out of our room, only to hear a voice from another bedroom boom, “GET BACK TO BED!”  That would send us backtracking really fast.

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One year, neither of us could sleep all night. It was literally agony lying in bed, thinking about the presents that might be under the tree, and not being able to open them. John and I shared a bedroom, which only made it harder to sleep as we kept talking about what we might be getting that year.

To make matters worse, we didn’t have a clock in our room. After a while, we couldn’t handle the waiting, so we decided to go on recognizance missions to find out what time it was. That meant we had to sneak through the hall undetected, creep through the living room with the Christmas tree glistening in the moonlight, past the stockings on the couch, through to the dining room, to the clock on the wall.

I went first, and to my great disappointment, I discovered it was only 1:30 am – oh, it was going to be a long night! On my way back, I couldn’t help but notice the stockings full to the brim, with a three-pack of underwear sticking out the top (Santa always brought underwear). Accidentally brushing the underwear with my hand, I notice something else sticking out the top of our handmade, wouldn’t fit anyone sized, Christmas stockings.

I snuck back to our room, hardly able to contain myself with excitement, and whispered at barely lower than an yell, “WE GOT ARMY MEN!”  (Hey, that’s a big deal when you’re 5 and 7.)

It took a while for us to recover from that mission behind enemy lines, but after what seemed like an eternity, it was John’s turn to check the time. He did a masterful job of getting out of our room undetected. When he got back, he shared some more news of what was in our stockings and told me the time was 10 after 4. We were closing in on 7 am when our parents said we could get up.

After another long time, it was my turn to go back. I used all my sleuthing skills to be quiet and went straight for the clock. I was shocked; I had to look at it a second time. It was only 3 am!  I turned and headed back to our room.

John had a problem with hands on the clock and he had mixed them up when checking the time. Instead of being 10 after 4, it was really 20 after 2 when he had gone. I had no option … he needed a beating for that mistake.

We had trundle beds in our room, which meant John’s bed slid under my bed in the day, and at night pulled out beside mine. This was to my advantage. Not only was I two years older and maybe an inch taller, but my bed being above his, gave me an extra foot of leverage. I took my pillow and beat him silly with it. He looked like a drunken sailor wobbling back and forth, until he collapsed on his bed in a heap.

At that point, I thought that night would never end. I thought we would never get to opening up our presents. But we did … and my brother John is still alive.

Here’s the thing: I wonder what kind of night it was in heaven as all the angels waited, anticipating the birth of Christ. We know they couldn’t contain themselves when the baby was born. They joined the angel who announced the birth to the shepherds and sang, “Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth, peace to those on whom his favour rests.”  We should be that excited about Christ our Saviour!

Merry Christmas,

Pastor Paul

Question: What excites you most about Christmas?  Leave your comment below.

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Mistakes and Opportunities

Sometimes mistakes can turn into opportunities.  A week ago, a man came into the church and asked if I could help him with some grocery money.  This is not an unusual occurrence – on a weekly basis, people make the same or similar requests.

I can think of one guy who has come in enough over the years that we’re on a first name basis.  One time he asked for grocery money or vouchers, and when I didn’t have any, he asked for a computer.  When I told him I didn’t have a computer to give him, he asked for a guitar.

turn-mistakes-into-opportunitiesI actually did have a guitar I could give him!  I had just bought a new one and my old guitar was taking up space at home.  When I gave him the guitar, he right away thanked me, and then, with hardly taking a breath, asked me if I had a case for it!

A couple of days later, I saw him walking downtown on the main street, with my old guitar in his hand (no case).  But about a week after that, he came to me again and asked if I had another guitar, because the one I gave him was stolen.  I had to break the news to him that I had run out of old guitars.

He accepted the news quite well.  I say that because some people don’t take a negative answer very well.  Sometimes they get upset, so I’m careful not to promise what I can’t deliver.

That’s how I made my mistake a week ago.  There was something about this man who had asked me for grocery money.  As I listened to him briefly tell me his situation, something about his story seemed to stick with me.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have anything to give him at the time.

I told him to come back the next day and I’d have a grocery store gift card for him.  That was all fine, except I forgot to purchase the gift card.  So, when the appointed time came, I still had nothing for him.

I quickly looked around to see, if by chance, there was a card we could give him . . .  nothing.  Then Andrew, my associate, offered to go and purchase a gift card while the man waited at the church with me.  It seemed like our only solution, so Andrew left.

I decided to use the time to get to know this man a little bit.  We had a conversation about his life, what had gone wrong, and his plan to get back on track.

Then I just started sharing about how God loved him and wanted to help him in his life.  I explained to him who Jesus was, what He came to do, and what He has offered us.  By the time Andrew came back with the gift card, we were talking about how he could have a relationship with Jesus.

In the end, I prayed with him, gave him a Bible and the grocery gift card.  He left satisfied on a couple of levels.

Here’s the thing:  If I had not forgotten to get that gift card, I would have had a brief conversation with that man and sent him on his way.  But my mistake led to an opportunity to share Christ’s love with a man who really needed it right then.  I need to remember to always look for opportunities … even in mistakes.

Until Next Time!

Pastor Paul

Question:  What mistakes have you made that turned into opportunities for you?  Leave your comment below.

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I Knew He Was Out To Get Me!

I find myself wondering what goes through people’s minds when they do something that just seems wrong.  I wonder that a lot when I drive … like the person in front of me the other day who slowed down to about 10 km/hr just to get into the other lane. What were they thinking?!

It happens often to me, so maybe it’s me and not them … or, maybe everyone is out to get me.  Ya, that’s it.  People are trying to mess with me … Ok, enough of that nonsense.

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This week I was playing hockey and a guy just smoked me (hit me really hard).  Out of nowhere he knocked me flying.  I never saw him coming.  Lying on the ice, I had that thought, “What was he thinking?  This is NOT contact hockey.”  In fact, I said it out loud a few times, “What were you thinking?!”

When I’m in my car, I never get an answer to that question.  On this occasion, I did.  He said, “You turned right into me.”  I couldn’t believe it!  Even if I did, he should’ve stopped or gone around me.  But no, he decided to run me over from behind like a freight train!

I was sprawled on the ice – not hurt, just annoyed.  As I got back to playing, I noticed the guy.  In the old days, I would have marked him and stuck it to him later in some way. But, I’m pretty chill now, and put it out of my mind.

I did notice, however, that he was pretty big, but not all that agile out there.  I figured he had a head of steam behind him and when I turned to the net, he either couldn’t stop in time, or didn’t have the maneuverability to change direction.  I got shmucked in the process.

As I kept playing, I started to notice that my knee was a little sore (not really bad, not enough to stop playing, just enough to notice).  I wondered if it was going to be worse after the game.  But I kept playing.

Later on after hockey, as my knee WAS getting worse, I realized I wouldn’t be able to do my exercises that day.  That was upsetting since I had just stopped taking one of my medications to determine if it was causing some muscle pain I’m experiencing.

This was an official trial, by the way.  A nurse had suggested I stop the drug for a week to see if the symptoms went away.  Here I was, one day in, and I wasn’t sure I would be able to exercise much for the next week.  The trial was a bust.

Hey, maybe people are trying to mess with me!  Just kidding … I started back on the drug the next day and will resume my trial when my knee is feeling a little better.

Here’s the thing:  When a few things happen, we start to wonder if there is a conspiracy out there.  Sometimes, we over spiritualize by thinking we’ve done something wrong and God is punishing us, or Satan is trying to get us.  We make up scenarios in our minds about what is happening, and they’re always bigger there.  In reality, mostly it’s just life.  It’s not an act of God, or Satan, or a conspiracy against us.  So, the key to dealing with things that happen is to depend on God THROUGH them.  Don’t point a finger, blame, or make things up; just trust Him through it.

Until Next Time!

Pastor Paul

Question:  When life happens, how do you keep yourself from creating theories in your mind? Leave your comment below.

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Why Do Things Have to Change?

In some ways, things change, and in other ways, they remain the same.  At our prayer retreat this year, a ball hockey game was organized and to play we were requested to show up to the tennis courts at 2 pm.  Everyone heard the announcement; anyone could come.

I hummed and hawed a bit, mostly because I had forgotten my knee brace (usually essential equipment for me).  I convinced myself I could take it easy and not run a lot (pretty much hang out in front of the other team’s net and wait for the ball).

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Really, though, there was no decision.  You see, when I hear the word “hockey”, somewhere inside my brain an automatic switch gets turned on and I can’t really help myself.  And, of course, I always have my sticks in the car ready to go!

Not so for many of the guys – they had to use the sticks available from the resort.  I guess the people who normally stay at Deerhurst Resort shoot right because all the sticks were right-handed … total frustration for the guys who were left-handed.

I noticed something when I got to the game.  I was in a different category than everyone else.  There was a bit of an age gap.  I was born the year Elvis Presley released his first hit song, “Heartbreak Hotel”, and none of the others playing were born till after the Beatles broke up!

When I first started as a pastor, I had all kinds of buddies in ministry and we would dominate when we got together.  Back then, the old guys wouldn’t even consider trying to compete with us.  They just smiled as if to say, “You’ll get old like us one day”.

I remember being at our National Meetings, one year into ministry.  There was about 20 of us guys in our first 5 years of being pastors.  We decided to take one afternoon and hit the water park at West Edmonton Mall.

We took over the place – we were loud and created a ruckus.  The lifeguards couldn’t control us; they were yelling at us not to run or climb up the side of the pool, or get too close to the turbine that drove the wave pool.  We just laughed and kept having fun.

That was a long time ago …  “Where were those buddies now?”, I wondered.  Then they announced we were going to play “old guys” versus “young guys” and I thought, “What? I have to take them all on myself?!”

Apparently, now you only have to be 35 to be an old guy (I was thankful).  And things do change: we “old guys” hammered the young guys; they barely got a goal on us (they must have been embarrassed).

But then, some things stay the same: I still answered the call to play when the invitation was made.

Here’s the thing: God desires for us to change and grow.  He never wants me to stop growing in my understanding of Him, or in my trust of Him, or in my service to Him.  God always calls me to more, to a deeper, richer, fuller relationship with Him.  But as I continue to change, I can be confident that He remains the same.  The target isn’t moving.  It is always clear, always in reach, always right in front of me: become more like Christ (He’s “the same yesterday, today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8).

Until Next Time!

Pastor Paul

Question: What do you do to ensure you keep growing?  Leave your comment below.

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Lasting Memories

This past week Lily and I attended our 27th district prayer retreat.  Prayer retreat is a getaway for pastors and their wives.  It’s a time to be refreshed and renewed, and focus on ourselves both emotionally and spiritually.  I look forward to these retreats every year.  Just three days, but they’re special.

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Over the years, the retreat experience has varied in a number of ways.  When I started in ministry in Alberta, our prayer retreat was in Banff.  Now THAT was a tough place to be with the mountains, the hot springs close by, and the shops lining the main street that Lily loved to check out.  I’m not sure we ever bought much there, but we did have to go in every one of them!

At prayer retreat we reconnect with all our friends, many whom we had gone to college with.  After the evening meeting we couldn’t wait to get to the restaurants or hot springs just to hang out.  We’d even hang out at the Christmas shop on the main street. It had a bench just inside the door, I called it the husbands bench. My buddies and I would sit there and make comments about and to those coming into the store, while our wives shopped. We had some great times, a lot of laughs together.

Because prayer retreat was always in the off-season when the rates are cheap, we got amazing deals on great accommodations … except for one year, and my friend, Dave, and I continued on and on about it until our wives were ready to kill us.  (But Pastor Dan’s room WAS bigger than both our rooms put together!)

So, it was a real change moving to Ontario and attending our first prayer retreat at Joy Bible Camp.  The contrast was extreme!  We were in the middle of nowhere; we stayed in tiny rooms where we either shared a washroom with another couple, or had to walk outside and down a flight of stairs to get to the shower.

But Joy Bible Camp had a gym, and every night after our meetings many of us hit the gym for some ball hockey, or basketball.  It was so different from the retreats in Banff, but in some ways, the retreats at the camp had their own charm.  Oh, those afternoon broom ball matches, with Gerry knocking bodies around!

And, at the end of the retreat, there was always the bonus excitement of whether the cars would start … retreats in those days were at the end of January with temperatures well below zero!

Well, this year prayer retreat came full circle.  The retreat was in Huntsville, at Deerhurst Resort (that’s right – where the G8 Summit was held).  Our accommodations certainly rivaled those days in Banff.  And, like the retreats at Joy Bible Camp, there was even a ball hockey game!

Now, I haven’t said much about the speakers and times of prayer.  Over the years, I’ve been challenged, encouraged, made fresh commitments, prayed for others and been prayed for by others.  We have had rich times with God and each other.  And Lily and I have experienced them all together!

Here’s the thing:  God puts a variety of experiences in our path, and He brings a variety of people along to experience them with us.  God uses those experiences and those people to shape us and mold us along the way.  We should treasure each experience we have and cherish every person He brings alongside.

Until Next Time!

Pastor Paul

Question: What experiences has God used to shape you? Leave your comment below.

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Another Amazing Burger King Experience

The other day, my wife and I ate at a Burger King.  It’s not our habit to eat there; in fact, neither of us could remember the last time we had a whopper.  But we were traveling, needed to eat, and BK was all we could find.

So, here’s a question:  What does “Burger King” stand for?  Maybe they mean their burger is the biggest (they don’t call it the whopper for nothing).  Maybe they mean it’s the best burger out there (that’s debatable).  I’ll tell you what they don’t mean – they don’t mean they have the best, most efficient, and fastest service of all the fast food restaurants!

When we went in, there was a crowd of people standing in a semi-circle in front of the serving counter.  You don’t see a line up like that everyday, so I was a little confused as to where I should stand.  I asked one person if he was waiting to order, and was told he was waiting for his food.  So I went right up to the counter; there was no one else ordering.

Just before the server asked me for my order, I looked over my shoulder at this semi-circle of people.  I noticed two things:  they all had little white pieces of paper in their hands that resembled receipts, and none of them were smiling.

As I started to get an uneasy feeling, the server asked, “Can I take your order?”  His voice reminded me of my hunger and the smell of food caused me to forget about the semi-circle of people behind me.  I gave him my order and paid.  Then I turned around and found my place in the semi-circle.

I wanted to look frustrated like everyone else, but I just couldn’t.  You see, years ago I had a similar experience at another Burger King, and as I stood in that semi-circle I had a flashback …

I was with my whole family, and our kids were about 15 and 13 at the time.  When we got inside that Burger King, the line up to order was huge.  But strangely, no one was taking orders.

There was lots of activity behind the counter, and about seven bags of food sitting on the counter.  The person who was supposed to be taking the orders was busy opening the bags to see what was in them.  Apparently, they kept making food but couldn’t seem to figure out who it belonged to!

People in line were mad; some even left to eat elsewhere.  We debated leaving, but we had started conversations with people around us and didn’t want to abandon our new found friends!

The manager was a little man, who looked like Quasimodo or Mr Creeply from the Flintstones.  He was running around with a shifty looking smile on his face.  At one point, he took five bags of orders out to the drive through (because no one out there had gotten their orders either!).  When he came back in, he still had the five bags!  He put them back on the counter and chuckled in his sinister way.

After we finally got our food that day, we sat down and watched the show from our seats.  We were laughing so hard at the workers and the customers – it was great entertainment!  Hey, maybe that’s what “King” stands for … best fast food entertainment of all!

Here’s the thing:  There are things on earth we call “king”, and there are some heads of state we acknowledge as “king”.  But the Bible says there is only one King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  All others pale in similarity.  All others are laughable comparisons.  The Bible also says that every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Until Next Time!

Pastor Paul

Question: What counterfeit “kings” vie for your loyalty? Leave your comment below.

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Inspiration Can Be Unexpected

Inspiration can come at any time – sometimes when we least expect it.  This week I was woken up at 5 am with inspiration.  I don’t normally get up at 5.  My alarm regularly goes off at 6 am and if it doesn’t, I’m afraid that I would naturally wake up around the time my 21 year old son does on a Saturday.  Does noon sound like a good time to get up?

Five in the morning was pretty early for me to wake up on my own, but there I was, wide awake, looking at the red glowing numbers on our ceiling.

I like my projection clock because I don’t find the blazing white light of an alarm clock staring me in the face when I turn in bed … that’s too much like heading down a tunnel with a bright light at the end of it!

This particular morning I wasn’t just awake; I was awake and focused.  My mind was fully engaged and I was ready to get out of bed.  I had struggled the day before putting my sermon outline together, and just couldn’t see how I should organize what the passage was communicating.  I was extremely frustrated and my deadline for completing my sermon was clearly on my mind and getting closer.

In the midst of my frustration I did what you are supposed to do when you are in a jam – I prayed. I asked God to help me complete my outline.  After all, I want to preach what God wants the congregation to hear; it’s really His message.  Maybe that bugged me even more when I didn’t get the outline by the end of the day.

The week before I had been in a similar place and somehow it all came together by Friday.  But that was last week.  That was little comfort given my current situation; I was not happy.

It’s totally quiet in our house at 5 in the morning … not even the turtle is stirring at that time of day.  What woke me up, and what captivated my thoughts was my message.  I popped out of bed, and for the next hour I finished putting together my outline.  It was all in my head; my mind was brimming with words and verses and how they connected together.  It wasn’t like I was working; it was more like I was a secretary taking dictation. God had filled my mind with what He wanted communicated.

I closed my computer at 6:08 and got ready for my 7 am men’s prayer meeting.  I was energized, my outline was complete, and I wasn’t just ready to write my sermon, I was eager to get at it!  It’s funny how God didn’t give me the outline piece by piece the day before when I had asked Him.  Instead, He put it all in my head during the night.

Here’s the thing:  I write a sermon every week and I can become comfortable thinking that it is my sermon, my message that He’s helping me complete.  This week God reminded me that it is His message, and His sermon that I preach.  No matter what we do, we work for Him; He doesn’t work for us.  How often do we forget that?

Until Next Time!

Pastor Paul

Question: What has God inspired you with this past year?  Leave your comments below.

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10,000 Steps A Day

You may have heard this before, but then again maybe you haven’t – I hadn’t until recently.  Research shows that we should take 10,000 steps a day.  Doing so can help to lower your BMI, reduce your waist size, and increase your energy.  It can help with hypertension and lessen your risk for Type II diabetes and heart disease.

If this is true, TVs should be hooked up to treadmills to make them work.  Doctors’ offices shouldn’t have parking lots, forcing us to walk to see our doctors!

10,000 steps equals about 8 kilometers (based on about a 2.5 foot long stride).  That’s about the distance I travel to work each day … and, uh, I would walk it if I … uh … didn’t need my car.

Some people have jobs where they walk all day, but not me.  As a pastor, I don’t walk very much.  I work at a desk and mostly walk to or from my car.  Tapping my feet to music while I work on my computer certainly doesn’t add any steps to my day.  I bought a pedometer to track my steps and, by noon some days, I’ve only taken 500.

So, to get a few more steps in, I started to walk for 30 minutes a day at a fairly brisk pace.  I walk with Lily around our neighbourhood, or go on our treadmill while watching TV.  I would take our turtle, Winston, for a walk but his legs are pretty short and I think I would end up dragging him around.

A thirty minute walk can give me about 4000 steps, which is pretty good, but still a far cry from ten grand!  So I’ve started to do something else: I get up from my desk mid morning and mid afternoon and walk for ten minutes around the sanctuary of the church.

It’s not the most interesting walk – it’s a little boring walking up and down the pews.  The only break is walking up the outside aisles and looking out the windows.  The problem with that is, if you see something interesting, you can’ t stop to get a better look.  You have to keep moving and just hope that it’s still visible on your next lap!

But I’ve found two things that make those walks exciting.  I either take time to think about what I am presently working on, taking my phone along and dictating into it any ideas that come to mind, OR, I use the time to pray.  I’ve found that I have some good times with God in those 10 minute intervals of walking in the sanctuary.  The time goes so fast as I walk that rather boring route.

Here’s the thing:  I’ve done my devotions early in the morning for years.  But I don’t have blocks of time later in the day that I spend in prayer.  I’m finding these 10 minute walks perfect for telling God what I’m thinking or feeling about right then.  I can talk over with Him what I’m wrestling with or what’s captured my immediate attention.  These short spurts of prayer or thought are inspiring and stimulating.  They’re like an injection of energy into my day.  I never would have thought of it.

Until Next Time!

Pastor Paul

Question:  What do you do to keep God in your day?