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I Feel Responsible Even Though I’m Not

I may be responsible for bringing the snow to this area. It could never be proved in a court of law though, so I think I’m safe. 

I feel responsible even though I'm not

You know how it is, the one who brings bad news is considered bad news himself. That’s why the phrase, “don’t kill the messenger”. 

Apparently, there were at one time a lot of well-meaning people with unpopular messages getting knocked off for saying their peace.

You see that in the movies. It’s always the crime boss – some crime syndicate kingpin – who shoots the guy who simply tells him, “Ya, boss, he got away”. That poor guy is never seen again. 

I don’t want to be that guy. 

But on Saturday I decided to put the Christmas lights up on our house. 

It was a great day for it. The weather, as they say, was balmy. I didn’t even have a coat on at first. Only later did I put on a light jacket. 

It made sense to put up the lights when it was warm out. I’ve experienced many years when I waited too long and ended up freezing my hands off, up on the ladder. I didn’t want that to happen this year so I got the job done. 

The very next day it snowed. 

At first I thought it was harmless. The snow was melting as fast as it was falling. But in the end, there was a layer of the white stuff that began to stick to the ground. 

Then came the freezing rain which created a protective glaze to the snow. 

And I knew … that maybe … I was to blame.

When you have bad weather, there has to be someone to blame. We used to blame the weatherman. But in more recent years we have widened the net to include innocent people who are in the wrong place at the wrong time.

You know how it goes. When you’ve travelled from one part of the country to another, the first thing people say to you after you land is, “Did you bring this weather with you?” … as if you had packed it in your suitcase and checked it with the luggage! 

It doesn’t even help when you tell them, “No, I just came with a carry on.” Like how in the world could you ever manage to stow the weather in something as small as a carry on bag? 

Still, I do feel a little responsible for the snow. Maybe if I had delayed putting up the lights we would have had a few more days of nice, warm weather. 

I just have to keep a low profile for a couple of days. I understand that the temperature is on the rise and all this will soon be gone. 

Then whatever I have brought on – whether real or completely and ridiculously imaginary – will be deemed forgiven and forgotten. 

All I have to do is stay away from those crime bosses till then.

Here’s the thing: No one wants to be responsible for something they didn’t do or bring about. But that is exactly what Jesus willingly did. He died not for His sins but for our sins. He wasn’t responsible but He took on the role of being responsible. The punishment for that was death. He died for our sins – more specifically, He died for your sins and my sins. That act frees us from facing the punishment we would be responsible for. When we place our faith in Christ’s sacrifice and seek His forgiveness, we are free. That is something we all need to consider. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you often feel responsible for that you shouldn’t? Leave your comments and questions below.

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My Brain Is Like A Stubborn Dog Sometimes

Sometimes I think my brain works much like a stubborn dog. You know, the kind of dog that does what it wants – or at least tries to – instead of doing what you want.

my brain is like a stubborn dog sometimes

I found my brain in that kind of mode yesterday afternoon when I was working on my sermon. There wasn’t even that much more I needed to write, but I was getting nowhere. 

I had no will power to stick with it. Something would grab my attention and I would go with it. 

… Like a dog whose nap gets disturbed by a chipmunk. 

A big old dog could be sleeping away but is suddenly awakened by a chipmunk in the yard. He can’t leave it alone. The dog runs after it, trying to sniff it out of its hole. 

Then a butterfly catches his attention and he’s off leaping and running after it. 

He was sleeping five minutes ago and now look at him. 

My brain works that way sometimes – yesterday was one of those times. I was stuck. And I just couldn’t get past one point in my sermon. I spent a lot of time staring at the computer screen and my white board. 

Finally I decided to take a break. I needed to do somethings outside the church anyway.

I was gone for an about an hour. But I hoped that when I came back my brain would have reset and I would be able to get moving on the sermon again.

No such luck. I just couldn’t stay with it long enough to get anywhere. 

It was like my brain was saying, “Forget it, Paul. I’m not doing this right now. You can waste your time trying, but I’m not budging.”

… Which kind of reminds me of my brother’s dog, Chopper. He is an Old English bull dog so the name really fits him. 

He weighs in at about 75 plus pounds so when he decides he’s not going any further on a walk, sometimes he wins. 

We’ve been on walks down to the beach with my brother and about half way there Chopper has decided to pull the old stubborn donkey routine. He has locked his legs and no amount of pulling on his leash would faze him.

No way will he continue.

Instead he would pull in the direction of the cottage, and sometimes it was just best to take him back and then go for a stroll on the beach without him. 

That’s what I ended up having to do. I tried and tried to work at that sermon, but I finally gave in and stopped for the night. 

This morning I had hockey at 6:30 am, but for some reason I woke up at 5:00 am. I decided to spend a few minutes on my sermon. 

And, wouldn’t you know it, just like Chopper was ready for a walk to the beach the next day, I spent forty minutes on my sermon and got it finished. 

Here’s the thing: When do you spend time with God? When your brain is more like Chopper’s or when you are fresh and eager to think and learn? If you find that the time you spend with God is often a struggle, maybe you just need to find a time when your brain is not so stubborn. Try something new; try a different time. Notice when you are fresh and be sure to give God the best of your mind. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What time of day are you at your best? Leave your comments and questions below.

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It Can Deteriorate In No Time At All

It doesn’t take long for a manicured lawn to deteriorate and become unrecognizable. 

It can deteriorate in no time at all

The other day I watched the Master’s golf tournament on TV. It is one of the four major tournaments on the PGA tour each year. 

The Master’s is the only tournament that is played at the same course every year. It’s played at Augusta National in Augusta, Georgia. 

Normally the tournament is held in March, but this year, because of COVID, it was postponed to November.

Though the time of year was very different, the beauty of the course is unmatched. The course was lush green and the trees had all their leaves.

The course was manicured to such perfection that even someone who didn’t like golf would pause to let their eyes drink in the beauty of the scenery.  

But what if the greenskeeper and the grounds crew just walked away one day? What if they just stopped cutting the grass, trimming the trees, laying down new pine straw? 

How long would it take for that golf course to go from a picture of beauty to a forgotten field?

I ask that question because just this morning I drove by what was once a golf course but is now completely unrecognizable as one. 

Granted this golf course would never have been in any way on a similar scale as Augusta. This was a course that was played by those who didn’t really take the game of golf seriously. You might have played it if you were not a golfer and someone twisted your arm and begged you to play.

However, the grass was fertilized and cut regularly throughout each week. They used special mowers on the greens so that it was like a carpet. 

Yet, in the matter of four years, you can not tell by driving by the course that there was ever a golf course there. 

Four years and it is completely unrecognizable! 

I couldn’t find exact dates of when the Westbrook Golf Club closed for good, but I found comments about the course from August 2016. From those comments, I can’t imagine the course was still open the following year. 

I was stunned when I drove by, I couldn’t believe the property could deteriorate so quickly.

I strained to see if I could tell where some of the fairways had been. But there was nothing that gave even an outline of where they once had been.

I had only played there a couple of times over twenty years before, but a golfer doesn’t forget how a course is laid out. 

There was no longer any layout.

Seeing the lush growth of Augusta on TV the day before, it made me sad that it took only four short years for Westbrook to fall into such disrepair. 

All the work that goes into making a golf course, a park, a green space for people’s recreation will not last long without constant care and attention. 

Here’s the thing: When you put your faith in Christ, a transformation happens to your spiritual life. The Bible says it goes from being dead to alive. However, without constant nurture and care, it will not take long before your newly transformed spiritual life starts to deteriorate to the point that it’s unrecognizable anymore. Don’t let that happen. Nurture is a must. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What can you do to attend to your spiritual life? Leave your comments and questions below.

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My Old Ways May Be Coming Back

I hope it’s not true, but I wonder if I’m back to my old ways. 

my old ways may be coming back

This morning I was taking apart a speaker that wasn’t working, and the tool I was using slipped and struck my hand.

Immediately it hurt, but it wasn’t until a couple of minutes later that I saw blood. I realized then that it was more than just an ouch; I had cut myself. 

Normally that shouldn’t be a big deal. But where I struck my hand brought back some memories. 

Somewhere in my forties, I became a little clumsy.

There was one time that I was cutting off the bottom of a door in our basement so that it would not rub on the carpet. The door was big and I didn’t have a table to place it on. So I just propped the end of the door up on my leg and held it there with my left hand.

I’m not sure why I chose the particular saw I used, but it was very toothy and came to a sharp point at the end. I had other saws but I chose that keyhole saw. 

While I was sawing my way through the door, the saw slipped out of the groove and struck the base of my index finger. 

I flung my hand off the door, sending blood up to the ceiling.  Three ceiling tiles were ruined in the process that day.

I realized the cut needed more than a bandage; it needed stitches. Down to emergency we went. Lily drove; she was very concerned. 

When it was all said and done, the doctors said I was fortunate that I didn’t cut a tendon or a nerve.

Anyone can have an accident.

Three months later I was cutting some fibre board for some sliding doors in another part of our basement. 

My tool of choice that time was a utility knife.  

As I scored down the length of the board, the knife slipped out of the groove and sliced into the top of my finger – same left hand index finger. 

This time Lily didn’t bother going to emergency with me. I did get more stitches.

No one would give me anything sharp to hold for some time after that. It was a running joke. 

But those were my old ways. I’m way more careful now … well, until this morning. 

To take that speaker apart, I was using a tool that was like a screwdriver but the end on it looked more like an ice pick. It’s called an awl, and it’s used for piercing and punching. And that’s just what I used it for. 

It slipped off the speaker case and pierced into the skin between my thumb and finger. 

You guessed it – on my left hand, just below my index finger. 

This time I’m hoping to avoid the emergency room, but my old ways may be catching up with me. I now have a hole in my hand and I haven’t been able to stop the bleeding.

I think I’ll get it under control. 

Here’s the thing: I find that it is so easy to go back to my old ways. It’s like they are second nature. When those old ways are destructive or harmful, you need to consciously replace them with new ways. You may also have some old ways that God wants you to replace with new ones. Don’t just fall back to them. Ask the Lord how you can replace those old ways with something that is beneficial, good and pure. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What old ways do you need to replace? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Your Routines Are Too Important To Break

Breaking from your routines can have an effect on your day.

your routines are too important to break

Routines are important; we all have them. We use routines for almost every aspect of our lives. In fact, the way you tie your shoe laces is a routine.

And another thing: when you break a routine, it can mess you up. 

I have a routine every morning when I make my breakfast. But every once in a while I will do something out of order. It’s funny how I will stumble through making my breakfast that morning.

Routines are more than something we are accustomed to. They even get programmed into how our minds and bodies work. That means some of our routines become a part of who we are and how we function. 

That’s a good thing, by the way, because when a routine is so ingrained in us, we don’t even think about it. We just do it. It takes no thought on our part. It’s a process that works automatically.

And when you think about it, it would be brutal to have to use your brain to think through every thing you do. 

Routines are a lifesaver. 

Routines work in the background. You don’t even know all the routines you have. But during the day you use many of them to do things that you consider automatic.

But what happens when something interrupts a routine?

Maybe you have a morning routine to start your day, but you have an early meeting scheduled. It could be as simple as having to play hockey that clashes with your morning routine.

Of course you are going to play hockey and forget your routine that morning. You can usually work around routines, they are never life or death.

But they become such an important part of us that when we break those routines, even to do something we like, the routines makes us pay.

When we snub some of our basic routines, we can subsequently feel off-kilter for a while. 

In fact, maybe during that game of hockey that you broke your routine for, you might not play up to your standards. And the only thing you can point to as the cause of your sub-standard play is that routine that you broke.

The good thing is that breaking a routine doesn’t have to impact your life for a long time. You can easily get back on track – even by just making sure that you start your next day with your routine before doing anything else. 

However, if things in your life change, routines can change and be adapted. 

It might take a week or two. You may have to give it some time or thought, but before you know it, you make adjustments to your routine and everything is back to normal.

You are regular again.

Here’s the thing: The best way to meet with God is to have a routine – one that you don’t have to think about, that’s automatic. If you have time with God at the same time each day, know where you will do it and have what you need ready for you, when something comes up to break that routine, it won’t ruin you. You might feel off-kilter for a bit, but if you get back at the routine, everything will be back to normal by the next day.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What routine do you need to set up or change? Leave your comments and questions below.

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When Someone Is Present It Is Always Special

It makes a big difference in how you feel just knowing someone is present.

when someone is present it is always special

For the last week, my wife has been away and I’ve been on my own.

Lily said she was going to worry about me, but her biggest worry was whether I would eat all my meals at fast food restaurants. Her plan was to stock the freezer with as many meals as she could cook up beforehand.

The day before she left we were talking in the kitchen before dinner. When she checked on the food in the oven I was surprised to see she had two trays of meat cooking in there. 

I asked, “What’s all that for?” and her reply was that she was preparing it all for me to eat while she was away. 

You’d think that was a great sacrifice for her to do that for me. Really her motive was to hopefully keep me from spending money at McDonald’s, Swiss Chalet or my favourite wing place. 

Well, I did eat all the meals she froze for me, but I also ate my share of restaurant food too. 

During the week on my own, I noticed a couple of things.

I certainly had time to do things on my own, what I wanted to do … things just for me. 

But I found that my life has a number of built-in responsibilities, so I didn’t have all that much discretionary time on my hands.

If I wanted to watch a movie at night, I really could choose the movie of my liking. I didn’t have to consider what Lily might like to watch.

But I had a couple of meetings that happened to be in the evenings and I worked late a couple of other nights. That didn’t leave me with many nights I could sit down with a good action flick of my choosing. 

I also found myself doing things that I might not have done if Lily had have been home. Like the night I decided to open my computer after dinner and spend a little time finishing up what I had been working on during the day.

I guess I just had the freedom to do what I wanted to do, when I wanted to do it, no questions asked.

But I noticed something else about the week. It was quiet in the house. 

Other than a little tinnitus ringing in my ears, there were no other sounds. There were no sounds of a chair moving in the other room. There was no sound of footsteps on the hardwood upstairs.

The house was very quiet; you could hear every click that the clocks were making. 

I realized then that there is a feeling you have when you know there is someone close by. You don’t have to be in the same room; you don’t have to have a conversation. There is something special about having someone present in the same house.

Here’s the thing: We often think of God having a thunderous voice, possibly a harsh voice. But when He wanted to talk to one prophet, He talked to him in a whisper. It’s not easy to catch what God might be saying to you through scripture or while you are praying. You really have to pay attention and listen carefully. It’s like He whispers to you. The reason God speaks in whispers is because He is close by. God is near you. And it is special having someone present with you all the time. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you appreciate about the presence of someone in your life? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Commercials Are Interrupting My Routine

Lately I’ve been wondering if they are putting more commercials on TV than they used to. 

commercials are interrupting my routine

It’s hard to tell because in one hour you have about fifteen to eighteen minutes of commercials. You can hardly get into watching a show without being interrupted by commercials that seem to go on and on. 

And because some of the commercials are only fifteen seconds long, they just seem to keep coming at you. 

The reason I’ve been wondering this is because I’m getting back to working out regularly. And I watch TV while I work out.

Usually the best programs to watch are sports events because they fit commercials in when there is a break in the action, and not at perfectly timed intervals designed to thoroughly annoy you. 

Movies are second best to watch because they have a few less commercials than regular TV programs. 

The whole thing with the television and working out is that it distracts you from what you are doing. 

I have a rowing machine – it’s the same motion over and over again. Believe me, it is boring. There is nothing you can do to make it fun. But if you can watch something that takes your attention away from what you are doing, you can just keep on rowing.  

The time goes by fast.

The problem with commercials is that they don’t grab my attention … well, unless I’m watching my daughter’s commercial and then I’m engaged (watch it here).  

But the majority of the time, the only thing commercials do is cause me to notice how long I’ve been rowing. And how much more time I have to go. 

The little screen on my rower shows me how hard I’m rowing but it also shows how long I’ve been on the machine. Believe me, it never tells me I’ve been on as long as I figure I have.

Without commercials getting in the way, you just get lost in the action of the sport or the story of the show. Before you know it you are done working out.

So the other day I decided to watch some football, thinking it would be perfect, that I’d just get into the game. I wasn’t rowing long before the team lost possession and they went to commercial. The game came back on, but after the very next play there was an injury so they went to commercial again. 

They were only back from the commercials for maybe three minutes when the two minute warning sounded … and they went to commercial again. 

Normally commercials during sporting events are only about a minute. Not these; they broke from the action for about two to three minutes each time. To top it off, they kept showing fifteen second commercials so I had to row through eight or more commercials every time.  

It was like I was at a game. I was yelling at the TV like I would a referee, only I was yelling at the commercials to stop. I couldn’t take it any longer. 

I’m just glad I finished rowing by half time – there are way too many commercials then.

Here’s the thing: There are things in our life that may be causing an hindrance, disruption or frustration to our growth in Christ, or the quality of our relationship with Him. From time to time it’s a good idea to ask yourself what those things might be and then move to eliminate or diminish them. You will then find you enjoy Christ more.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What might be an interruption in your life right now? Leave your comments and questions below.

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All The Leaves Are …. Almost Gone

I looked out the window this morning and the leaves on our big maple tree are almost gone. Our tree looks like a guy who’s lost most of his hair, except for a ring of it just above his ears.

all the leaves are ..... almost gone

I watched for a few moments and more leaves gently floated to the ground, sometimes after a little gust of wind. But there were other times when there seemed to be nothing plucking the leaves off their branches; they just came off anyway.

By my estimate there will be no leaves on the tree by this time tomorrow. 

Watching the leaves reminded me of a song and I started to sing the first line. It’s an old song by the Mama’s and Papa’s called, “California Dreamin’”.  

The line goes, “all the leaves are brown and the sky is grey”. … The sky right now is actually blue and the sun is shining, but the leaves are brown and yellow. 

The song talks about a winter’s day. I only wish that the weather would still be like this in winter. 

But here where I am it’s only fall and the leaves are brown and already off the trees … which brought me to another thought: I need to collect those leaves. 

This might be a great day to do it with the sun shining, the leaves lying still on the ground, all naturally piled up for me.

Sometimes cleaning up leaves is like herding cats. The wind keeps blowing them around and every time you think you have them in a nice pile a wind gust scatters a few of them.

That is not the case today. 

The leaves are dry, there is no wind to bring life to them and they are neatly piled. “Neatly” is a relative term because how neat can a pile of old dead leaves really be?

This afternoon when I bring out my leaf mulcher, I’m pretty sure the leaves that are still on the tree will try to stay on a little longer to avoid being shredded like their fallen brothers.

It won’t matter. Soon they will all be gone, sucked up by the mulcher or blown over to the neighbour’s yard. And I will be longing for spring to come instead of the cold winter we are facing – all too soon for my liking.

That’s what the song California Dreamin’ is all about – wishing to be in a warm climate rather than a frosty one. 

But I’m not worried about that quite yet because the weather man is calling for double digit temperatures next week. There may not be any leaves on my tree or any left on the ground, but at least I won’t have to sing, “been for a walk on a winter’s day”.

It will be in January and February when I am California Dreamin’.

Here’s the thing: There are times when you know what is coming, like when you see the leaves fall off the trees. It’s a sign of where we are heading. Right now there are signs all around us of where the world is heading. It might be soon, but on the other hand it may take a while. Still the signs are there, calling for us to do something. You can either prepare now for what is coming or you can be unprepared and only dream of what could have been. One day this world will come to a critical point and Christ will return. I urge you to be ready for that now. Don’t be left wishing for something you can’t have. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you see coming that you could prepare for now? Leave your comments and questions below.

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I’m Trying To Lose My COVID 19

Somehow COVID has caught up with me and I’m trying to lose it now. … I guess saying it that way is better than saying that I have COVID 19.

I'm trying to lose my COVID 10

Let me clarify. 

The other day when I was playing hockey, I came back to the bench exhausted and frustrated with my play. As I settled into my spot on the bench, I said “I have COVID 19”, to which another guy on the bench responded, “I’m doing better than you; I only have COVID 15.”

We were talking about how many pounds we’ve gained since the whole COVID thing started.

I remember when I was in college, there was a running joke called “the Freshman 15”. It referred to how the freshmen girls gained about that many pounds on a steady diet of cafeteria food.

Some of the guys thought it was funny; not so much the freshman girls.

For me and my 19 pounds – which is pretty close to accurate – it’s been a steady incline. 

At the beginning, there was the loss of sports available to play, coupled with a nagging knee problem that kept me from working out in my home gym.

But as time when on, and the underlying pressure to isolate continued, I really lost my motivation to stay fit. 

It was too easy to have that extra Dr. Pepper during the week – well, maybe two extra. 

And I remembered just how good a Big Turk chocolate bar tasted. 

And those Twizzler commercials looked so fun, I had to have some liquorice.

After a while I lost my motivation all together to work out at home. I found that I was more tired than normal.

And all the time my COVID went from 7 to 10 pounds. 

There were days that I was determined to get back to exercising. But when I would get home from work, I would just look at the equipment, shake my head and grab a Twizzler while I watched TV.

The more time went by, my COVID started rising to 13, then 17 pounds. 

There were a couple of T-shirts that I didn’t wear this summer because, well, they were just too tight and I didn’t want to look like a “person of Walmart”.

But now I think I’ve turned a corner and I’m trying to lose my COVID 19.

I’ve exercised every day this week and I’ve refrained (for the most part) from stuffing my face with chocolate, chips and ice cream.

As hard as it was to turn the lights on in my home gym and to sit down on my rowing machine, I did it. I did it once and that made it easier to do it again. It got easier each day.

I’m not sure what it was that got me motivated. It might have been how sluggish I’ve felt playing hockey. 

It might be a fear of my body getting out of control. And I know there was some concern for my health.

I don’t want another heart attack. 

It’s probably all these things that came together to spur me on to lose my COVID once and for all. 

Here’s the thing: Many people are confronted with the claims of Christ. Some are convinced. Yet they still fail to follow through and commit to Christ. If that is you, ask yourself, “What will it take to motivate me to place my faith in Christ and follow Him?”

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you need motivation for right now? Leave your comments and questions below.

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A Tale Of Two Cities … Or Something Like That

Today I have a tale of two cities. Well, that book has already been written so mine is a tale of two arenas.

A tale of two cities ... or something like that

In the book, the story is played out in the two cities of Paris and London. In my tale, there are also two cities but, to be fair, one is a city and the other is a town. … Just the same, the story plays out in these two places.

That is the only similarity between my tale and the well-known Dickens’ novel, but there is an equal amount of intrigue and mystery to figure out. 

I live in the city of Kingston – an old city by Canadian standards. It was even going to be the capital city of Canada until the Queen of England stepped in and declared Ottawa the capital … there’s some drama right there. 

I’ve been playing hockey in my city for 24 years at a number of arenas, with largely the same group of guys. We played at noon several times a week, for one hour and twenty minutes.

Since COVID, things have changed dramatically. 

There is now only a couple of arenas open; several others don’t even have ice in them.

I’ve written about having to come to the arena dressed to play (you can read about that here). I’ve basically been putting on the majority of my equipment in the rink parking lot. And as the temperatures drop, this will get more and more uncomfortable. 

But recently some of the guys I’ve played hockey with over the years started playing in a town just down the road. It’s literally 20 minutes from where I live. 

At the arena in that town – Napanee – you can get dressed in the change rooms and you can even leave your equipment bag there. You can even take a shower after you finish playing. 

You still have to where a mask before and after hockey, and you do have to clear the dressing room 15 minutes after the game.

Two cities: 20 minutes apart – different rules. 

In my town, we can’t even leave an equipment bag in the dressing room while we play. We have to take everything to the bench. 

You might think that these two different cities make their own decisions, but both places are within the same health unit. And right now it’s the health units that call the shots on what can and cannot be done for the health and safety of its citizens.

One town looks at the rules and guidelines laid down by the health unit and has determined how they can abide by the rules, yet still make it viable for people who want to play hockey. 

The other city looks at the same rules and guidelines and determines how uncomfortable they can make it for people to play hockey. 

Guess where I’m playing hockey these days?

Here’s the thing: We all live under rules in this life. We can either interpret them our own way or follow how God has set them out for us. Either way we get to live life here on earth. But just like putting hockey equipment on in the parking lot will become unbearable as the weather gets colder, there will come a time when following your own interpretation of life’s rules will become unbearable. Don’t wait until then to follow God because that option won’t always be available. Choose to follow Christ now. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What change do you need to make right now? Leave your comments and questions below.

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