my thoughts

by

On the Other Side of the Clouds

On a recent plane trip, I became fascinated by two very different realms that exist in our world. There is the realm below the clouds and the realm above the clouds. On the plane ride home from Calgary we flew above the clouds with the sun shining brightly all around and into the cabin of the plane. I noticed how some people shut their blinds so that they could sleep or to cut the glare on their TV screen while they watched a movie. Looking out my window the sun was unhindered and I found myself squinting to shade my eyes as I looked out.

Below the plane was this white base that seemed firm and as I focused on it, in my mind I could envision a vast landscape of mountains and valleys. It was pure white, clean and bright, inviting. On our descent, the clouds looked softer and billowy and certainly not solid like before.  They morphed into a wispy cottony substance as we enter them.

 This particular day, the cloud cover was thick and it seemed that we traveled a long way to get through the clouds.  Everything out my window was grey and it resembled thick smoke when it is whipped up by the wind. At one point, I thought, “How long are we going to be in these clouds?” I was surprised how thick they were.

When we finally got through, the scene was vastly different from above the clouds. Though it was only 1 pm, it looked like it was late in the evening.  The realm below the clouds was dark and grey, rainy and dull.  It was a complete contrast to the realm above the clouds.  The realm below was sun starved and I felt an immediate dip in my spirit.

Though this was the realm I live in, there was something about the realm above the clouds I wished was present.  Despite my familiarity with the terrain and the landscape, I had a longing for the bright warm and inviting sun.

So here’s my thought: When life seems rotten, when we’re down and things are going all wrong, internally we are in a realm much like I found myself in below the clouds.  In reality though, the sun is still shining – shining as bright as ever, providing warmth and light and goodness.  It just seems as if the sun is absent.

I envision the sun as God’s goodness and blessing shining on us.  For me to experience that once again, I turn to prayer.  I can’t break through my realm (through the clouds) to the realm above, but my prayers can.  Some times the clouds are thick and it seems to take a long time for my prayer to make it through them.  But that doesn’t mean God’s love isn’t shining down.  In the book of Daniel, he once wondered why it took so long for God to answer his prayer.  Look up Daniel 10:1-14. The angel tells Daniel his prayers were received right away but that he was delayed in responding, like there was a battle going on in the clouds.

Sometimes we have to pray for a long time before we see a break in the clouds, and the sun shining again in our lives.  But what I need to remind myself of is that my prayers are received by God instantly, and regardless of how long it is before my prayers are answered, God’s love and grace is shining down on me as bright as ever – even when I can’t see it. And that’s good to know.

Until Next Time!

Pastor Paul

What are your thoughts on delays in answered prayer?   Leave your comments below!

by

Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day isn’t all its cracked up to be. Sure, Mom gets a few good things out of the day.  However, I heard a few stories yesterday from a couple of moms who received breakfast courtesy of their young children. The image this creates in one’s mind is nice but the reality is, there is going to be unwanted food that needs to be consumed and a huge mess that will need to be cleaned up.  Of course, Mom is probably the one who will end up doing that task, so you have to wonder, was this breakfast a true blessing?

You would think that when kids get older things would get better.  While they can make a breakfast Mom would want, as well as clean the kitchen up afterwards, the problem is they can’t get out of bed early enough to make that breakfast for Mom, unless she wants it at about 2 in the afternoon.  In some cases, the grown child doesn’t live close enough to do anything for Mom except wish her well or send a card.

Don’t get me wrong, I think moms really enjoy what they do get from their kids.  I know Lily was thrilled with the card she received from Karlie, and the video chat they had in the afternoon.  And our son, Mike, came through nicely too – he bought flowers for his Mother and gave her a card she will treasure. He even made a restaurant reservation for lunch on Mother’s Day. He didn’t pay for lunch, but he made the reservation.

 Here’s the thing: by the end of lunch, Mother’s Day is essentially over.  But what Mom really wants is time with her kids and family adoring her, catering to her needs all day long, and not just until the noon meal ends.  Often Mother’s Day isn’t much different from April Fools Day, which only lasts until noon. (I really don’t want to make any more comparisons with that day right now.)

By the afternoon, things get back to, “Hey Mom I need this.” or “Can you do that for me?”, or worse, everyone’s falling asleep watching some sporting event on TV.  Mom is left either catering to the family needs or she is ignored as the family does their own thing.

I wonder if God feels that way sometimes. We give Him a couple of hours Sunday morning and then do our own thing the rest of the day.  We get busy napping or playing or working on projects around the house.

I don’t think we have to stay in our “good clothes” all day like I did as a kid (to prevent me from doing things that would cause me to exert myself).  However, in the things we do, instead of ignoring God, we should include Him. And when I say “include” what I mean is acknowledge Him in what we are doing.  This might take a bit of thought on our part, some intentionality, but doesn’t God deserve a little more than just a Sunday morning?

Oh and by the way, Lil, next Mother’s Day, I won’t take that afternoon nap like I did yesterday.

Until Next Time!

Pastor Paul

How do you try to intentionally include God in your Sunday? 

Leave a comment below.

by

Lawn Care

When we first moved to Kingston 16 years ago, keeping a nice lawn was a lot easier than it is today. Not that I was good at keeping our lawn looking nice, but it was easier. Now-a-days, with laws that restrict the use of weed killers that actually work, our lawn is no longer the eyesore it once was … it now just blends in with our neighbours’ bad lawns!

The other day I came home from work and looked at all the dandelions on our lawn and did my usual comparison of with our neighbours’ lawns to see if the ratio of dandelions to grass was any greater on our lawn than theirs. All I can say is, I was feeling pretty good about myself that day. Yes, we had those yellow blooms all over our lawn but our neighbours did too. And as I looked at our one neighbour’s lawn, I started to think of what it was like years ago.

When we first moved onto the street, our one neighbour had the nicest lawn on our little cul de sac. In fact, one year he entered his yard in the “Nicest Yards in Kingston” competition. In those days it was impossible to feel good about our lawn because his looked like a golf green. My big worry was that some of our dandelions would blow over onto his lawn. In reality, I shouldn’t have been worried because that neighbour was out there every day, and he would have spotted and removed any dandelion seed before it ever took root.

Things have changed, however. That neighbour moved away and since then we’ve had a couple of different families in that home. What amazed me the other day is how decay can set in so quickly. The lawn that was so nice, now might win the prize on the street for being the worst. As I snapped a couple of pictures the other day, I wondered how this happened. Sure, everyone doesn’t spend a few hours each day on their lawn like our first neighbour did, but how does grass that was so thick and lush get to the stage it is today, where there’s more variety of weeds than actual grass?

The answer, of course, is that constant care is needed to keep the weeds from infesting a lawn. And, you know, the same is true with our lives and sin. If we just live without taking time on a daily basis to meet with God, to read/study His word and pray, sin creeps in without us even realizing it. Without daily care of our spirits, we will not only allow more sin into our lives, we will start to defend them as not being as bad as our neighbour’s. We might even feel good about our sin-filled lives.

Here’s the thing: everything decays without constant attention. Your life is the same and so is your relationship with God. The question I want to keep asking myself is, “What am I doing today to care for my relationship with God?” A little care of my spirit each day will go a long way to keep my spiritual life growing strong and healthy and weed-free.

Until Next Time!

Pastor Paul