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YouTube Has Got Me Hooked – Help!

I’m becoming a bit of a YouTube junkie and I may have to start weening myself off it. 

YouTube has got me hooked- help

Most things are good in moderation, but there is always that pull to overindulge in a good thing.

It hit me last night that I might be at that place with my YouTube watching.

I spent several hours watching similar videos explaining what the best settings are for a new camera I got. Some of the videos contradicted others, some were way too technical for me, some were just plain boring.

It’s really a mixed bag on YouTube, and the videos flow from one to another.  

Now, there was a good reason why I spent so much time yesterday watching those videos: I was tired.

There is nothing easier to do when you are tired than to watch and do nothing. Well, there is sleeping … that is easier than watching. Besides sleeping, watching is easiest because you don’t have to move a muscle. 

After spending all that time watching YouTube videos, my head was saturated with information, but I wasn’t doing anything with that information. I wasn’t applying it. 

In fact, I was finding that there was so much information that I wasn’t able to process it. I wasn’t able to determine what camera setting I thought would be best for me. I needed to start doing something and that was to write down the settings people were suggesting. 

It’s similar with church. You can sit and listen to a sermon, leave, and five minutes later not be able to recall what the preacher said. That’s why I always include an outline for people to take notes. It helps you stay focused and process what you are hearing. 

Anyway … back to my YouTube watching. 

Last night when I was done watching videos (I could have kept going but I cut myself off), I kind of kicked myself for not doing something. 

I had some video footage that I could have edited and some settings on my camera that I could have tested out, but I had done nothing … except watch.

That’s when I came to terms with my YouTube addiction. 

I’ve had a few people tell me I’ve been watching too much YouTube – people like my wife, Lily.  

My son has also mentioned to Lily that I’m watching too much … and this coming from a guy who barely goes five minutes without having his phone nine inches away from his face. 

So I’m going to listen and I’m going to limit my YouTube watching. 

I will start doing as much as I’m watching. If there is something I need to see on YouTube, I will then put it into practice immediately afterwards, for at least the same amount of time it took to learn what I was watching. 

It will take a bit of discipline, but it will get me doing and not just watching. 

Here’s the thing: Whatever you are learning about God right now, I encourage you to put it into practice. If you are learning about prayer, take time to pray. If you are learning about fear or anxiety or patience, do something that you will have to trust God for. Are learning about God’s creativity or His majesty, go for a walk in the woods, or stroll by a lake and take it the view. Don’t just learn about God, experience God by doing something. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What is it that you need to do, instead of just learning about? Leave your comments and questions below. 

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Hesitation Can Lead You To Disaster

They say that caution is a friend, but I just saw how hesitation can lead to great disaster.

Hesitation can lead you to disaster

Sometimes you miss out when you hesitate … 

When you get a hot tip regarding the stock market, if you snooze, you lose.

When a store has a one day sale on something you have really wanted, but you question whether it is the right time for you to purchase it, that little hesitation could cost you getting in on that sale. 

I’ve noticed when you want to walk across certain traffic intersections, if you don’t start walking right away, an orange hand sign starts flashing. Your hesitation on the walk sign could mean you spend the better part of a day just trying to get across the street. 

The other day my wife, Lily, and I were in our car heading down the street to an appointment. 

Up ahead a squirrel dashed out to cross the road as we kept moving towards it. The little rodent stopped about half way across the road and looked back at us. He could see our car was bearing down on him. 

He continued to cross but then hesitated and stopped. He started to dash back the way he came when we were almost upon him. He stopped again, then ran for the other side. 

It was such a close call that I looked in the rearview mirror to see if there was a dark splat on the road. 

Somehow – and to be honest, I don’t know how – he didn’t get run over. 

So the play-by-play went something like this: “Look a squirrel is running across the street; wait now he’s stopped. Okay, he’s going to keep going. No, he’s stopped again. Now he’s going back; but wait, he’s stopped again. He’s going to cross the street. Did we get him? I don’t see any marks.” 

I am sure, in that one afternoon, that squirrel went from being a young squirrel to being an old senior who no longer crosses the road without help. Years were taken off that wild little critter’s life in a flash. 

Both Lily and I could not believe we didn’t run him over. We must have missed him by inches, maybe even just a fraction of an inch. 

He would not have had any issues getting across the street if he had have just gone straight across. It was his hesitation that got him into trouble. 

And even his first hesitation may not have been that scary, but three times he stopped moving and considered going the other way. … The fast moving tires and the evil grin of the car’s grill probably had him in a complete panic. 

That squirrel was not the only one of his kind to find himself in that kind of a situation. Squirrels are notorious for their hesitation. 

That is why many of them live on the edge of disaster all the time. 

Here’s the thing: Hesitation is not our friend when we face temptation. When confronted with something that is enticing us into a poor decision, a sin of some kind, hesitation causes us to flirt with disaster. When temptation comes, don’t hesitate. Know the right course of action and take it immediately to avoid potential disaster.

That’s life!

Paul

Question: In what area(s) of your life do you tend to hesitate? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Our Shed Has Become Popular

There must be something special about our shed. People just can’t leave it alone.

shed chair

We have a shed at our church where we keep garbage until pickup day. We didn’t buy a nice, fancy shed, we just turned some space under a set of stairs into one. It’s functional and does what we need it to do. 

We’ve used it for years, but lately other people are using it as well.

In August someone started a fire inside the shed. No one was in the church at the time, but fortunately a neighbour must have noticed and phoned the fire department. 

They were on the scene immediately, mostly because the fire hall is just down the street. 

I’m not sure, but maybe they came extra quickly because, for the last few years, we’ve been delivering Christmas baskets full of goodies to that particular station. Who would not want that to continue?

When it was all said and done, there was no damage to the church – just a hint of a summer campfire in the sanctuary for a couple of Sundays.

The shed wasn’t even destroyed; it merely had some scorching on the inside of one wall. The shed was back to doing its job immediately.

Then a couple of weeks ago someone decided that our garbage shed was closer than going to the dump. So they placed two wooden chairs in the shed.

It was super nice of them to give us their chairs so we could figure out how to dispose of them. 

I’d love to know their thought process in intentionally bringing their chairs over to the church. I wouldn’t think of putting some of my garbage by my curb, and then taking what’s left and putting it by my neighbour’s curb.

This garbage shed apparently begs to be used. 

Then just this past week we found a padlock on the shed. At first I thought maybe our caretaker was fed up with other people using our shed and locked it up.

But that wasn’t the case. One of our groups took the lock off and found someone’s personal belongings in the shed … along with a dog food bowl with some dog food in it. 

Then this morning, just before I arrived at the church for a 7 am prayer meeting, three police vehicles showed up at the shed. 

They talked to a young man who had been living in our shed for several days.

When I arrived on the scene the young man was all packed up, and assured me that he had cleaned everything up and left no garbage.

When I checked later, it was clean … but he hadn’t taken the two wooden chairs. 

We will still have to figure out how to dispose of them on our own. 

Unless … unless someone wants to come over to our garbage shed and pick out some fine pieces of discarded furniture.

Here’s the thing: There are many people who go through life without much thought for God. Unless … unless something major happens in their lives. Then they sometimes leave something with God in the form of a prayer, or dump something on Him in the form of blame. God wants us to be part of His family all the time, and as part of His family, He is quite happy to accept what we leave with Him. Join God’s family today by putting your faith in Jesus, His Son. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: Are you actually in a position to be dumping on God, or do you have a right to leave your burdens with Him? Leave your comments and questions below.

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The Masters Left Me With a Different Feeling

Yesterday I had a different take on the Masters than most people did. 

I love to play golf and I’m also one of those people who likes watching it on TV.

For golfers, the Masters is a must watch event. It is one of the premier golfing events of the year.

But this year I had a different feeling than most people did watching the tourney.

Tiger Woods was making a charge; he was on a comeback. He hadn’t won the Masters since 2005 and he hadn’t won a major tournament in 11 years.

He’s had operations to fix chronic back problems, swing issues that has seen him completely change his swing, and emotional issues to overcome due to a marriage scandal which captivated public interest, coincidently 11 years ago.

Some thought that with all his issues, Tiger might not play golf again – at least at a level that would see him compete on the leader board.

Well, that is all in the past now. 

Tiger Woods played phenomenally this past weekend and his body, his swing, his mental toughness never looked better. 

Tiger is back.  

He certainly is one of the greatest – if not the greatest – golfer who has ever played the game. 

What I found disturbing yesterday, as I watched this amazing comeback and rise to the top for Tiger, was what seemed to be the worship of him. 

And it seemed consistent from the TV announcers to his fellow golfers to the crowds that paid homage with their cheers and praise. 

You can not take his golf ability away from Tiger. He truly is a marvellous golfer, but we shouldn’t be hailing him as the second coming of Christ! 

Ironically, Tiger’s win, and all the worship of him, came on Palm Sunday – the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, to the cheers and shouts of “hosanna” by the people who lined his path into the city.

Tiger made a triumphant walk from the green to the club house, his family in tow … well, at least for part of the walk. He left them all in the dust behind him as he gloried in his own greatness to the fans shouting his name and reaching out to touch a piece of him.

The announcers couldn’t say enough of his achievements and how truly miraculous this achievement was fighting back from adversity to reach this pinnacle. 

But I wondered how his ex-wife felt, not about how he played or that he won, but about how everyone worshipped this man.

As he stood on the green with his arms raised in victory to the thunderous applause, I wondered if Elin felt that all he had done to shame her and break up their family had been forgotten, been forgiven.

It was like that never happened. 

Like taking a brush to a chalkboard, this victory wiped out any memory people had of the life he has lived off the course. 

It is alright to celebrate a victory, but let’s keep in mind the character of a man who actually missed the cut.

Here’s the thing: Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to the shouts and cheers of “hosanna in the highest” … but it didn’t go to his head. Instead he shook off the adoring fans and went to the cross to die for YOU. Now that’s character.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: Is your character something to be copied or something to be hidden? Leave your comments below.

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Same Experience Different Takeaway

It is no surprise that people can be engaged in the same experience but have different takeaways.

Even as I write this now, I prove this “same but different” concept to be true. It’s 3:30 am and I’m writing my blog while my wife is fast asleep. 

Just a few moments ago we were both in bed. We got into the same bed at the same time, and turned the lights out at the same time. 

All the conditions were the same, yet she is sleeping and I am not.

I spoke at a church in Spain two weeks ago. Everyone heard the same message, though some in Spanish. One woman, however, responded differently to the message than everyone else. She gave her life to Christ that day.

Back in 1974 I had waited outside of A&A’s record store on Yonge St in Toronto for tickets to an Elton John concert. My friends and I got 17th row on the floor, centre stage. 

Those tickets were pretty sweet.  

From the first note, all 20,000 of us in the Gardens that night were on our feet, jumping up and down and screaming out the lyrics of every tune Elton sang … I pretty much demolished the chair I was standing on.

Near the end of the concert, someone I knew was even closer to the stage. I’m not sure if he wormed his way up there or if his seat was just that close. 

At one point in the concert, Elton John came to the edge of the stage and touched the hands of delirious fans. This acquaintance on mine had a felt top hat in his hand. He held it out to Elton and he took it, sat down at the piano and played, “Bennie and the Jets”. 

Then Elton got up and, amongst all the extended arms, put the hat right back into the hand of my school mate.

We all experienced the same concert but that guy had a different takeaway than the rest of us. 

I just finished attending a conference in another part of the world. During one session each day, conference participants spoke about their experiences of sharing God’s love with others. 

The stories were the same in that each story was about making Jesus famous. The content of each story had the same bottom line of how Christ was changing people’s lives. 

But each story was so different.

Some of the stories involved people being healed. There were stories of kindness being the convincing factor. Some stories were about explaining or interpreting a dream. And some of the stories involved a consistent example. 

It was amazing how in one story it seemed like only an angel could have been involved in making Christ famous. 

It was so interesting because, though we heard story after story on the same theme, each story was so different.

It was the same message but each person had a different takeaway. 

Here’s the thing: The message of Christ is the same. It doesn’t change but people respond to different parts of it. Some people respond to love extended to them, some to a truth that finally clicks and makes sense. Some respond to the contrast of God’s desire for them versus the desire of another god. Some take longer to respond than others, and some respond through different means, like in dreams or visions. But to all who respond, the takeaway will be the same … salvation.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What experience have you had that needs a different takeaway? Leave your comments below.

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Just In Time For Christmas!

Just two days before Christmas we got a light covering of snow here in Kingston, Ontario. The white stuff came just in time for Christmas day. 

Some how, for us living in Canada, the presence of snow puts us in the Christmas mood. It feels like Christmas when everything glistens in white under the moon.  Snow makes Christmas.

There is a passage in the Bible that says, “But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.”

Like the snow came at just the right time, this year, Jesus came to us at just the right time.

That passage goes on to say, “God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.” (Galatians 4:4-5, NLT)

At just the right time, Jesus came, so that we could be made right with God. God wanted us to be part of his family, and Jesus makes it possible.

Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones.

And thank you for reading my blog.

That’s Life!

Paul

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I Returned To The Scene Of The Crime

I’ve been told that a criminal should never go back to the scene of the crime. I wonder if that applies to innocent bystanders?

In the last three weeks I’ve written about this incident twice. The first time, I wrote about being in a hospital emergency room when two shots were fired (you can read about that here). Then I wrote about having to give a witness statement to the police (you can read about that here). 

I really thought I was finished writing about this incident, but something came up last night and it has me thinking about the whole incident again. 

Yesterday morning I was getting ready for work and we got a call. Our church caretaker had had a stroke and was in the hospital … in emergency. 

At the time I didn’t think anything of it. I planned to visit him later in the day, but first I had a sermon to write, and a few other pressing matters that needed to be addressed. Besides, I knew he wasn’t going anywhere. 

My plan was to visit him at the end of my day; he would likely be in a hospital ward room by then. 

The day zoomed along, and finally I hopped in the car to make my way to the hospital. 

This has become an all too familiar trip for me in the last months. I have more hospital parking charges on my credit card than any other kind of charge. I’ve been to the hospital far too much for my liking.  

I parked the car in the hospital parkade and walked across the street to the main entrance. 

I had two visits to make – I knew where I was going for one but, for our custodian, I didn’t know what room he would be in. 

I picked up the phone in the lobby and asked the operator for his room number. I paused when she said Emerg, Section A.

Wow – he was still in emerg and he was in the same section where I witnessed the shooting two weeks ago. 

I made the other visit first and then headed towards the emergency department. 

There was no way I could stop thinking about where he might be. I wondered if he was in the same bay – A8 – where I was when the inmate got the prison guard’s gun. 

It was in the back of my mind as I walked the halls, as I waited for the security to let me through, as I walked towards the nursing station. 

A nurse looked up from the overcrowded area and mouthed the word “two”, and held up two fingers … not the same bay. 

I could see A8 as I spoke and prayed with our custodian. And then when I left, I walked around the other side of the nurses’ station and took a long, hard look at where I’d stood two weeks earlier wondering if I would get hit by a bullet. 

It was all ancient history now. 

Here’s the thing: When you make a significant spiritual breakthrough – maybe you decide to follow God in a life decision, or you put your trust in God –  sometimes you get to go back to the place where you made that decision or change. Those are important events to remember how you have changed or grown, and more importantly how God has impacted you and how you’ve matured. Never fear going back to the scene; it can be a time when you reconfirm what God has done in your life. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: Where might you return to confirm what God has done in and for you? Leave your comments below. 

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When Your Batteries Need Recharging

I don’t think we could live without batteries, so why are they still so frustrating?

Batteries should last longer than they do. With all the advancements we have made, surely we could improve their longevity. 

… Mind you, parents might wish batteries had shorter charges so the annoying toys they bought their children for their birthdays would stop working. 

Well, too bad for those parents; their kids will grow out of them eventually. 

Some things have changed for the better. 

I remember I used to lose all my work if my computer battery died when I was working on a document and I had forgotten to save it.

Computers are better now. They have residual life that continues to provide a minimal amount of power to the computer even though the computer shuts down. They also save as they go to compensate for finicky batteries and user forgetfulness.

At least you no longer have to worry about losing everything you’ve typed since your last save. 

But still some batteries don’t work that way. I lost my bike computer when it was running. When I later found it, the battery was completely drained. I lost all the data from that bike ride. 

Now, even though the battery is charged, it won’t record certain bits of data. It will show me my speed, but won’t track my distance or average speed … and it won’t save any data.  

What’s with that?

If the battery on my drone dies, or gets turned off before I stop recording video, I lose all the video I shot. 

Come on! Why can’t we have some continuous save or residual power even when it’s turned off to protect the camera data?

And don’t get me started about battery memory! I’m paranoid about using my batteries until they’re almost dead before I recharge them. 

You should be able to recharge all batteries at any point without the fear of losing battery life if the battery has not been almost completely depleted before being recharged.

With many batteries, if you charge them when they have twenty-five percent life left, the battery will only give you seventy-five percent of battery life after that. 

Some say most batteries don’t have memories, but those people work for the battery companies. … It’s a conspiracy to keep us dependent on the pink bunny.

But hold the phone! With some batteries, you shouldn’t run them down under four percent because then they won’t recharge any more. … I now have a few fairly new batteries that are only good for putting in kids’ toys that you don’t really want to work.  

I know we can’t expect the same kind of experience as plugging into a power source, but in this day and age we should be able to have better standards and longer life.

Here’s the thing: Many of us live our lives to the fullest. We drain our batteries every day and often don’t recharge long enough to get to our full capacity. We think we can keep on going, and that the need for rest is slowing us down. But when God finished creating the world, He rested and declared that day holy – a Sabbath. We would do well to use the Sabbath for what it was made for – to recharge our batteries and honour God. We have made many advancements in our lives, but we still need rest, both physically and for our souls. Find your rest in Christ. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How do you take a Sabbath each week? Leave your comments below.

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Stress Can Be Good Or Bad

There is a certain amount of stress that’s good for you.

If we didn’t have any stress in our lives we probably wouldn’t get anything done. We would resort to saying, “Oh maybe I’ll do that tomorrow” … and tomorrow would never come.

If there was no stress, we would procrastinate … and some of us would procrastinate more.

Stress keeps us on our toes; it moves and motivates us, makes us feel responsible, and gets us to the deadline. 

These are all good things; we need a little stress in our lives. When stress builds up in us too much, however, it’s not good.

This last week I went golfing with my family. We hardly ever golf together because some of us hardly ever golf.

My son, Mike, and I golf the most, and Lily golfs with me when we’re on vacation. Karlie hasn’t golfed in two years.

Mike had a week of vacation and thought it would be nice to get a game in with the family. We looked at a couple of courses that would be within driving distance for all of us.

We ended up choosing a course that would be better suited for Mike and I and not Lily and Karlie. We got a really good deal on it so we booked it. 

Shortly after the arrangements had been made, Lily told me not to get all stressed, because that would impact the rest of the family. 

I have to tell you, I tried not to stress about it. I even prayed about it. 

Back when I was learning to golf, I felt pressure to keep up, to not hold up other golfers, whether I was golfing with them or they were in the group behind me. 

So knowing that this course was a little long for my wife and daughter, and knowing we were playing early in the morning, by the time I got to the course I was already tense.

I was definitely not relaxed. 

Even before we teed off, I was concerned about how quickly the next group would catch up to us and if we would be holding them up. … and I felt this even though there was no group behind us! 

All I can say is my game didn’t get off to a fantastic start … and it was all downhill from there. 

I could not get myself to relax and simply enjoy some time with my family. I was tense and hit more bad shots in that game than I’ve hit all season long so far. 

I kept looking back for the group behind us. I felt responsible to watch where everyone’s shot ended up. I constantly kept telling Lily and Karlie what they might be doing wrong when they hit bad shots. 

The crazy thing was they all got better as the round went on but I got worse. And that group behind us never did catch up and have to wait for us.

Here’s the thing: We are told in scripture to give our burdens to the Lord … but stress is a difficult burden to let go of when you’re in the middle of it. So first stop and recognize the stress, what it is, where it’s coming from, and how it’s affecting you. Then tell the Lord you want to give Him that stress. Third, focus, embrace, enjoy, immerse yourself in the task at hand. Doing that will shift your emotions and allow you to let go of the stress. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How has stress got the best of you? Leave your comments below.

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Your Name Is More Than An Identifier

Other than being an identifier, what’s in a name? 

You can tell people apart with a name, but names also have meanings. When you place a name on a newborn child, there is more to it than how it sounds. There are many books and websites devoted to listing the meanings behind names.

But we don’t just pick names based on their meaning; names have to go together or fit. 

I have a cousin named Dave, whose name is actually John David. My aunt didn’t like the sound of David John, so she named him John David and called him Dave.

Last week I got together with some high school buddies. One of the boys had come back from out west to visit, so nine of us met at a restaurant in Toronto for dinner. 

As soon as I entered the place and started to greet the boys, the nicknames started flying. Once again I lost my name to the nickname I had been dubbed with some 45 years ago. 

No one else calls me by that name – only these guys.

It’s interesting that while we don’t pay much attention to the meanings behind our real names, nicknames are all about their meanings.

Some of the meanings are easy – they are a short forms of a name, or parts of a name. For instance, in college I got called “Sil” or “Silly”. 

Sports environments are the best for nicknames. Everyone has one. Sometimes you have to know the inside story to understand why a person is called a certain name. Other times it’s self-evident. 

There’s a kid on the OHL Kingston Frontenacs’ team whose last name is “Pringle”. It’s not hard to guess that his nickname on the team is “Chips”.

One of the boys from high school has the last name “Smallwood”. (He was the reason for us all getting together.) We often called him “little sticks” or “smalllumber”.  

The crazy thing is that, even after not hearing a nickname for years, there is no hesitation in responding to it. You instantly turn to see who’s talking to you, the same as if you’d been called by your first name. 

I heard my nickname a few times the other night, and I won’t hear it again until I see these guys in a year or two. It’s one of those names that requires the inside story to figure it out. 

I’m sure by now you’re a little interested to know what my nickname actually was. 

Well, it was “Woody” or sometimes just “Wood”. How I got it had to do with my hair. 

It was the early seventies back then and I had some pretty big hair. One of the guys thought that my hair resembled the crest of a certain cartoon bird.

… Somehow the name stuck. 

Here’s the thing: God knows you personally. You might think He sometimes overlooks you or is too busy to notice, but God knows you, your name, your nickname. You are not a number. He even knows the number of hairs on your head. A God who knows you personally like that, definitely wants you to know Him personally as well. Don’t neglect taking time each day to spend with Him. He probably has a nickname for you that comes with an inside story.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What nickname or names have you had in your life? Leave your comments below.