God

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There’s a Scrooge In Every One Of Us

Christmas is the time for giving, generosity, and kindness … except when our inner Scrooge comes out.

Generally most people are a little nicer at Christmas time. People will go out of their way to help others or just be nice in some way.

The other day I came out of an arena and saw I had a really low tire. As I started driving, I was torn: do I try to make it home or do I find a gas station on the way and pump it up? 

It was cold out so I wanted to get home and pump it up in my garage. But I pulled over, got out, looked at the tire again, and realized right away I needed to find a gas station fast.

I pulled into the first gas station I came to but there was a sign on the air compressor: “Sorry. Out of order”. 

I got out of my car to see if there was some kind of compressed air I could buy in the store. 

Before I got into the store, however, a worker came out and told me they didn’t have anything, but that he would hook up the air inside. He then proceeded to fill my tire for me; I just stood and watched him. 

I thanked him profusely and drove home. 

Maybe he would have done that for me at any time of the year, but I think there is some kind of “niceness code” at Christmas time that we live by.

However, I also think there is still a little bit of Scrooge in all of us at Christmas as well. It comes out at the most inappropriate times.   

My wife, Lily, always bakes cookies at Christmas and this year was no exception. About two weeks before Christmas she started pounding out all of the family’s favourite cookies. 

I happened to come into the kitchen when a couple of batches were cooling and I casually said, “It doesn’t look like there is enough cookies.” 

That seemed to be the wrong thing to say because I got a terse reply of, “There is only two of us”.

In my head I was thinking, true, but the whole family will be here at Christmas so that’s technically six of us. It seemed like we didn’t have enough was all I was saying. 

Two days later I’m being scolded rather hostilely for eating all the cookies. … Seems like now Lily is realizing she didn’t make enough. 

But I’m taking the brunt for the cookie shortfall.

The next thing I know is three quarters of the cookies are gone … apparently to the freezer … so I won’t eat them all before the family arrives. 

Lily does a lovely, kind thing in baking cookies but then she hides them from me so I can’t eat them. 

Scrooge.

If it was just Lily, I wouldn’t think much of it. But I remember my mother would bake cookies and then hide them from me and my brother. She had a little Scrooge in her as well. 

I would just like to eat the lovely cookies that were baked. Can’t someone be generous enough to let me at them?

Humbug.

Here’s the thing: We celebrate Christmas because it is when God sent His only Son to us. God didn’t pull a Scrooge; He went all in with Jesus. And Christmas is just half the story because God later had his Son die on a cross to pay for our sins and save us. Then by raising Him from the dead this Son offers us forgiveness and a relationship with God. There is no Scrooge there! 

Merry Christmas!

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How do you tend to be a little like Scrooge at Christmas time? Leave your comments and questions below. 

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Torn Between Two Choices. Which One Will Win?

Have you ever been torn, wanted to be in two places at the same time? Well, I sure have, and it seems to be happening every fall now. 

torn between two choices. which one will win?

My wife, Lily, and I closed up our cottage earlier than ever this year. For several years we closed it the week after Canadian Thanksgiving, the second Sunday in October. But the last few years it’s been the first weekend in October. This year it was the last few days of September. 

That seems crazy early to me, especially when the sun is shining and it’s still 23 degrees Celsius during the day. When you can walk on the beach and be greeted by a sunset like this picture almost every night, it’s tough to leave it all behind.

My first impulse is to squeeze every ounce of summer-like weather out of the fall and there is no better place to be for that than at our cottage.

It should be a simple decision of when the weather starts to turn, you close up and say goodbye until the spring. 

I remember going to college in another province and when school ended I had no problem packing up my belongings and turning my back on Regina for the summer. But there was really nothing to keep me there, nothing I felt I would be missing out on when I left. 

Leaving my cottage behind is a different story. 

I want to be there. I like the relaxed atmosphere of a beach town, the walks on the sand and up the strip, maybe with a stop at the ice cream shop for a scoop of black cherry on a sugar cone.

Though I want to be there, and though I miss so much there, home is calling and I also want to be there. 

Much of what is happening at home could wait till the weather turns sour at Sauble. But one thing at home seems to be starting earlier and earlier. 

It’s hockey season. 

Though the NHL season doesn’t start until the first week of October, my hockey starts the first week of September. And to make matters worse, the OHL Kingston Frontenacs team that I’m the chaplain of start tryouts and preseason at the end of August. 

I feel torn between being home and being at the cottage because if I’m enjoying an incredible sunset I’m also missing out on playing hockey with my team. 

Have you ever had to choose like that? … Suppose you were with your family for the weekend, let’s just say Thanksgiving weekend. You’re having a good time with everyone; everything is going well.

Then on the last day you get a text. You had planned a family pickleball match before everyone went their separate ways. However, the text is an invitation to watch a Toronto Blue Jays playoff game … sitting in box seats. 

Now that’s being torn. Do you bail on the family game and go to the Blue Jays game. Or do you say no to the tickets? 

Tough decision, right? 

Well, that’s how I was torn between the cottage and home. Hockey won, that’s all I can say. 

Here’s the thing: God wants you to be part of His family for all eternity. But it comes with a choice. By faith will you believe that Jesus died and rose again to pay for your sins, or will you trust in your own self for your future? You may be torn in making that decision, but eternity is a long time. For me, being part of God’s family is the best choice to make. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What are the big choices you are torn between making? Leave your comments and questions below.

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They Did It And We’re Done

It’s been a long time, but this past weekend they did it, and now we are officially done.

They did it and we're done

There are times when you are ready for the next chapter, next phase, but you are waiting on others to get you there.

Well, we just had one of those moments this past weekend. It’s been 34 years in the making but it was all worth the wait. 

On Sunday we watched our youngest – Lily’s baby boy – get married.

To be fair, I did more than just watch the whole thing take place; I performed the ceremony. So, in a sense, I got it done. Without my signature on their marriage licence it wouldn’t have happened.

I think every parent thinks and dreams about the day when their kids grow up, move out and get married to the girl or guy of their dreams. To be honest, it might be for some ulterior motive. What parents really want is grandkids! 

We want to redo having young children in our lives, only this time with very little day-to-day responsibility. 

In our case the first step has been achieved: we have a new family. 

But this has taken so long that I’m concerned that I will not be able to do justice to my role as grandpa. I might be so old that the kids will have to play on me rather than me play with them. 

Wait … actually when my kids were little they would play on me while I flaked out in the middle of the living room. … I guess that will be okay then.

With our son, Mike, taking so long to get married, it has meant I have had to wait a very long time to use hidden embarrassing material against him.

When Mike was about three, he and his sister, Karlie, each had a PlaySchool cassette recorder. Attached to each recorder was a hand-held microphone. They almost wore out the cassette tapes they made so many recordings. 

But Mike made a certain recording of a song with some background music playing. He made up some words in time with the tune. 

When Lily let me listen to what he made, I knew immediately that I somehow needed to save it for the right moment. 

Several years went by with Mike’s song still on that cassette. When the technology existed, I made a digital copy of it on my computer. As computer sound programs got more sophisticated, I eventually filtered some of the noise out and bumped up the volume. 

Finally this weekend came and I got to play that 30 second clip of that 31 year old song. 

One person at the wedding was embarrassed but 200 others got a big kick out of it. I figure if you can’t embarrass your son at his wedding, when can you?

Natalie, Mike’s new wife is a beautiful addition to our family. 

Now we’re done; both kids are married. Bring on the grandkids!

Here’s the thing: Christ is going to return one day and those who have placed their faith in Him will go to heaven. But in the meantime, we wait for that special day and His arrival as we live our lives out here.

That’s life!

Paul

Question: What are you waiting for someone to complete so you can be done? Leave your comments and questions below.

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When Creative Juices Flow, Don’t Stop Them

One should never let their creative juices dry up. It doesn’t matter in what way you are creative, the important thing is never stop being so.

When creative juices flow don't stop them

Creativity is the spice of life. It’s what makes ordinary things fun, exciting, heart-pumping. 

Last year my brother and I bought scooters for using up at our cottages in the summer. We turned some heads in our sleepy little summer town of Sauble Beach … not because we were riding electric scooters, but because we are in our late 60’s bombing around at 30 km/h on these two-wheeled platforms. (Read about it here.)

To be honest, I think we started a little bit of a trend in Sauble because I’ve seen a lot more adults riding scooters since we started.

Not only are electric scooters fun to ride around on, but they are also practical.

Our cottages are in a park that has a few designated structures to take garbage and recycling to. Instead of walking our bags and recycling containers to the garbage barns, we can now zoom over to them on our scooters.

However, sometimes there is too much to carry on a scooter. Sometimes things get a little precarious – like taking my recycling container to the barn. I have to place it on the platform of my scooter and squeeze my knees against it so that it doesn’t fall off and spill everything out.

Even more difficult is getting a 30-pound propane tank refilled at the station. Just imagine pressing both legs against a round tank going about 20 km/h. It takes some skill … not that we can’t do that, because we have on multiple occasions. 

… And that is where the creative juices comes in. So when they start flowing, you can’t stop what’s produced. 

My brother, John, and I recently got the idea to make trailers for our scooters. … I know, it sounds rather funny. Still we get smiles on our faces thinking about it.

We started imagining how to make them, watched some YouTube videos and came up with a design. We used pvc piping, thinking it would be cheap and easy. … Let me just say that all those T-joints and elbows really add up ($$), not to mention that the wheels ended up being a lot more expensive than we thought!

We figured out a way to attach the cart to the scooter and then began cutting the piping and dry-fitting all the joints and elbows together. When it was all together, we tested it out and it worked. 

Then came the hard part of gluing all the pieces together. The gluing wasn’t difficult, but keeping all those pieces in correct alignment when we glued and set them was. We couldn’t make any adjustments or tweaks after about ten seconds.

Now when we drive by, people are not just smiling at the two old guys on scooters, they are doubled over laughing! 

Here’s the thing: When you look at the world around you – trees, rivers, lakes, sunsets, mountains, fields – you know they point to some amazing creative juices at work. And while no one laughs when they gaze at them, they do think they are amazing. That is what God has made, not random, not by chance, but by design. Discover God through nature and learn about Him in the Bible. 

That’s life!

Paul

Question: What gets your creative juices flowing? Leave your comments and questions below.

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You’re Often In Your Own Way Of Progress

Have you ever got in your own way from obtaining the progress you desired? I have been doing that for a while now.

you're often in your own way of progress

In my last blog post (click here to read), I mentioned how we had a significant snowfall over the course of two days. What I didn’t mention is that I had been shovelling my neighbours’ driveway as well as mine. The end result was that I tweaked my shoulder during that battle with the snow.

“Tweak” may not have been the correct word to use, however, in describing the soreness of my shoulder. It was closer to the Monty Python skit with the knight who kept losing limbs in a sword fight with King Arthur, but said, “it’s just a flesh wound”.

My shoulder was really sore. … Sore enough to wonder whether I should play hockey two days later. But, of course, I played.

And to my surprise, my shoulder didn’t bother me one bit. I felt 100% out on the ice. 

However, about an hour later when I was driving home, as I reached to put my turn signal on, I got a stabbing pain in my shoulder. I had to reach across and through the steering wheel with my right arm to lift up the turn signal. 

I later spoke with my son-in-law who told me I’d probably pulled some ligament in my shoulder attached to my bicep. It wouldn’t affect my arm movement playing hockey but picking up a glass of water was another matter. He said I needed rest. 

So I gave it rest. I didn’t play hockey for an entire week after that … until Wednesday rolled around again. 

My shoulder wasn’t feeling better after playing hockey the week before, but it was a little better. So, of course, I played hockey again. 

And guess what happened? It didn’t bug me at all playing hockey. But afterwards it was like I’d taken two steps back in the healing process.

I sort of got in my own way of recovering.

I decided I better give my shoulder another week to heal. So I went from playing hockey four times a week to one time.

Each week had the same results. My shoulder would start feeling a little better and then I would play hockey and it would regress. … Getting in my own way again.

That was until last Wednesday. 

On my first shift, I reached for the puck and I felt something like a pop in my good shoulder. I felt like I lost the strength in my arm for a bit.

Now both my shoulders feel really messed up. Ever try putting on your shirt or coat with bad shoulders? It’s not a good look.

So for the first time in a month, I’m not playing hockey this week at all. 

And hopefully I will start to recover. I’ve been getting in my own way of getting better. 

One thing I’m settling on is getting a snowblower so this shoulder thing doesn’t happen again.

Here’s the thing: Often we get in our own way when it comes to getting right with God. We either make excuses for our actions, or we invent our own storyline. But God’s right there; He sees what we are doing and He still waits for us to give in to Him. Stop getting in your own way with God. Go to Him, put your faith in Christ, ask for forgiveness and stop getting in your own way. God’s waiting. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How have you been getting in your own way lately? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Snow Changes My Perspective On Things

This last weekend has reminded me of what winter snow was like when I was a kid.

Snow changes my perspective on things

We’ve had a fairly mild winter up until this last weekend – not much snow and not very low temperatures.

We typically don’t get any snow until around Christmas Day. This year we had a light dusting, enough to make the landscape white. Even the new year didn’t bring a lot of snow. With just a little here and there, shovelling was at a minimum. 

But this last weekend sure made up for it. 

I remember winters like this as a kid. The snow was up to your knees and made walking through it burdensome. I always thought there seemed to be so much snow because my legs were shorter back then, but I think there was a lot more snow back in the 60’s. What I’m looking at out my front window agrees with my memory.

Obviously weather has changed over the years. As a kid they would flood a portion of the school yard and put up boards for us to play hockey on. But by the end of the 60’s when I was in junior high, they started building tennis courts at schools – tennis courts with an ice plant attached to them – to have tennis in the summer and artificial ice skating rinks in the winter. 

The city (Toronto) did that because the temperatures did not stay cold long enough to sustain flooding the ground for a natural rink. 

In high school I remember going to the school rink and skating when it was plus 1 or 2 out. 

I remember my first winter in Edmonton (‘85, ’86), driving in snow ruts for a portion of the winter. … I don’t think that happens much anymore. 

As time has marched on, the cold and snow conditions have lightened up.

But the mountains of snow piled up on each side of my driveway remind me of days gone by when it was colder and snowy. 

I can say for sure that I like that we no longer have winters like this all the time. 

Sunday I shovelled my driveway three times and then again on Monday morning. 

In fact, I think my contract with snow shovelling is pretty much up. I need to renegotiate my price with my wife before the next snowfall or she will have to drive over the snow rather than on clear pavement.

I’m also a little ticked because I tweaked my shoulder and I’m concerned it may hamper my shot when playing hockey. 

My wife, Lily, should be thankful that I’m a hockey player and not a baseball player. They demand hundreds of millions to play.  I’m happy to keep shovelling for the league minimum of $775,000 … though I’m not sure I’ll get it, since Lily’s funds have been considerably reduced since she retired.

I guess it better not snow anymore this winter.

Here’s the thing: So many things change in life as we grow up and grow older. For some things that’s good, but for other things it makes life more difficult or more uncertain or stressful. But there’s one thing that does not change and that is God. God never changes. So you can expect from Him His same presence, His same love, comfort and care no matter what changes you experience in your life or situation. Place your faith in Jesus to take you through all the changes that life throws at you. He won’t disappoint you. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What is a big change you’ve noticed in your life over the last 10 or even 2 years? Leave your comments and questions below.

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To Clean A Room It Might Take More Than One Person

We don’t all clean the same way – some of us involve others in the chore.

to clean a room it might take more than one person

This Saturday I was minding my own business when out of nowhere I got conscripted into a war I wanted no part of.

My wife, Lily, is battling an extreme case of eczema and to take her mind off the itching she decided to organize things in our laundry room / work room.

She went downstairs to get a puzzle, thinking that would be something simple to keep her mind distracted. But something went radically wrong.

I heard drawers open that you would not open if you were looking for a puzzle. And the time it was taking her to come back upstairs was way too long.

That should have been a hint to me to quickly change my immediate plans. I should head out the door to run an errand.

I didn’t do that and instead kept on reading. After a time I heard Lily say, “Hey, I’m doing some cleaning and I need your advice on some things.” 

She is the neat one out of the two of us. So I started wondering why would she need my advice on cleaning anything. 

When I had finished reading I asked her what she wanted my advice on. That’s when I found out I was getting conned into something evil. She wasn’t really cleaning anything; she was actually sorting and purging things in the laundry/work room.

I really didn’t wanted any part of it, but she started in on me with questions like, “What is this and do we still need it?”

Now Lily could have started anywhere in that room and probably seventy percent of the cleaning would not have involved me at all. However, she chose to start in an area that only I had the expertise to make decisions on.

Earlier that morning before she was even awake I had thought about what my day was going to look like. By the time she was getting going in the morning I had my day pretty well organized. 

So when she roped me in, I could see this might take over and keep me from my plans. I resisted, but the questions kept coming: “What about this, and this?”

… I remember helping out a friend once who was putting in a new water heater. He needed help and it was time sensitive. I was busy at work but, hey, it was an emergency so I dropped everything I was doing and went to help.

This was different. Lily didn’t need to organize that drawer. In fact, when the draw is closed, you would never notice it needs organizing. … But the rest of the room clearly does to anyone who takes one step inside. 

Some people just like to involve others when they clean and I married one. 

I guess, in the end, it will make it easier for me to locate things I might need in the future.

This morning I kept it to one drawer and then I stayed far away from the laundry room until the dust settled.

Here’s the thing: I wonder how often God has asked us to do something we didn’t want to do or had no intention of doing. Maybe it was a decision to make or an action to take or an invitation to make Him the boss of our life. But instead of getting involved, we turned away. It would not be a great way to respond in a marriage and it’s worse to respond to God that way. In the end, following through on God’s promptings will benefit you.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What might God be calling you to right now that you are resisting? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Out Of Routine And You’re Bound To Miss Something

When you’re out of routine, sometimes you forget what you’re missing.

out of routine and your bound to miss something

My Saturdays during the winter are all pretty much the same. They usually centre around three things: playing hockey, wings and watching hockey. 

So when I recently got out of routine, I didn’t even know what day it was.

… That can be a bit of a problem anyway when you’re retired. Every day of the week is like the weekend. But I do have various routines each day that give them some kind of distinction so they don’t all roll into one. 

When you’re working, you have clear separations in your days. There is morning pre-work routines, work and then evenings. I would often spice that up with some meetings or out of office work. And each day of the week I worked on some specific aspect of my sermon. Each day had some uniqueness to it. 

But you know that feeling when you’re about two weeks into vacation? Once you’ve spent an inordinate amount of time by the beach or pool, you can sometimes forget what day it is. 

Well, retirement can be like that unless you have some specific details to keep you focussed.

My Saturdays usually have those details. I start with some quiet time from about 5:45 to 6:45 am. Then I go to play hockey. After hockey I have breakfast and mull over the rest of my day. And sometime around noon I get the wings out of the freezer for dinner that night.

I may have a variety of things I do mid morning to late afternoon, but they vary from week to week. 

At about 5:30 pm I start to prepare the wings for the fryer. I have recently streamlined that process so it takes me about half the prep time that it used to. After they sit for a half hour, I get the deep fryer up to temperature. When it is ready, I drop the wings in for seven minutes.

Usually by then it’s pregame for Hockey Night in Canada. We all (Lily and I) gather around the TV and have wings while getting updates on the games, players and teams playing that night. 

Then it’s game time and I’m pretty much locked in for the evening. 

… Except for this past Saturday. 

To start, I didn’t play hockey in the morning, so that was weird in itself.

Then we had Lily’s whole family over for our Christmas get together. As the house filled up, I forgot what day it was. At one point in the evening my Bud light goal light sounded, indicating that the Toronto Maple Leafs had scored. 

Not only had I not been watching, I wasn’t aware they were playing, even though they play every Saturday night. There was also a World Junior game that I missed. 

After everyone had left and Lily and I were doing some clean up, I suddenly realized we hadn’t had wings.

The crazy thing was, I missed it and didn’t know it.

Here’s the thing: One day we will all find ourselves at the end of our lives. We will stand before God and it will be drastically out of our normal routine. For many of us, it won’t be expected; it will sneak up on us. God will ask, “Why should I let you into heaven?” I pray we all have the answer and that we didn’t miss it. … By the way, the answer to God’s question is, “I placed my faith in your Son, Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of my sins.”

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: When have you missed something because you were out of routine? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Christmas shopping – I Could Use Some Help

For me, Christmas shopping has always been that task that has been left to the last moments. 

Christmas shopping - I could use some help

Over the years there is probably no other activity I’ve procrastinated over more than Christmas shopping. The biggest reason has always been time. Where do you fit shopping into your schedule? My answer has more than often been, “at the end of it”. 

I’ve had some crazy last minute shopping trips … like the year I spent four hours on Christmas Eve looking for the main gift to give my wife, Lily. 

I travelled to every mall in Edmonton and twice to the West Edmonton Mall (at the time the largest shopping mall in world). I had seen a sweater for Lily but I could not remember where I had seen it. 

By the end, I was pretty sure I had made up that sweater in my head. And the sweater I did get her was a conglomeration of all the sweater ideas I had looked at. 

That day was one of my worst memories. I was stressed!

But now I don’t have time constraints to keep me from shopping early and often.

My problem is nobody is coming up with good ideas for Christmas presents. What I mean by that is, an idea has to pass my approval rating to really be considered as a possible present option. Not every suggestion is worthy of me going to the store. I have to want to give the gift. 

I’m not sure if this is a “me” thing. But unless I’m really feeling it, I can’t lay down the money to purchase it. 

There have been years that family have gotten gifts that they never asked for simply because I didn’t like their suggestions. 

However, I don’t like taking gift giving into my own hands because it’s a lot of work. I have to weave my way through the stores and the other shoppers just hoping something of interest will catch my attention.

That’s a lot of work, especially when you don’t like shopping in the first place.

This year I’m being faced with this kind of scenario because no one is coming up with viable options for me. 

I even put a message up on my sign board for my family to read. It says “Should be shopping for presents, but nobody wants anything.”

Where are the good old days when my son would literally circle every toy in the Sears Christmas wish catalogue? It made things so much easier. 

Now with less that two weeks before Christmas I have to get moving to find just the right gifts to get my family. 

Sure I have the time – I have all afternoon today, in fact – but wandering around a shopping mall is not my idea of fun. 

I want to get gifts that I can walk into a store and grab off the shelf and go directly to the cash register with. 

All I know is I’m going to need a few extra naps after all my shopping trips in the next week or so.

Here’s the thing: Sometimes, like at Christmas, we don’t know what we need, or we think we know what we need but it may not be what we need most. Unlike me trying to figure out Christmas presents for my family, God knows exactly what we need. He sent us the greatest gift of all, His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus is the perfect gift for everyone. We have no greater need than to be made right with God (forgiven) and made part of His family. This year be sure you have God’s gift of Christ for yourself and for others in your life. It’s all there for you by placing your faith in Jesus Christ. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you need most this Christmas? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Shopping Doesn’t Mean The Same Thing For Everyone

Let me ask, is shopping a leisure activity or is shopping a hunting activity for you? 

shopping doesn't mean the same thing for everyone

There was a time when hunting was far more prevalent than shopping. … But when you think about it, now shopping has mostly taken the place of hunting. 

The days of going out to kill an animal so you could have meat for dinner have been replaced. Now we go to the grocery store and pick out a juicy steak or frozen pre-cooked ribs already sauced.

We hunt for bargains at the store. We go to malls to gather the items from the list we made before we left home.

But for some people shopping is not so much a hunt, or a replacement for gathering the necessities of life. No, shopping is more of a leisure activity.

So when you shop, is your approach more like a hunt or an activity? 

… To be fair, even hunting has taken on a more leisurely tone lately. I have a friend who just got back from hunting but didn’t shoot anything. He was 15 feet from a moose but they weren’t in season so he didn’t bag the prize. 

There was a time if you came back from the hunt empty-handed you and your family were going hungry. It was imperative that you hunted until you had something to bring home.

Still there’s a distinction between shopping as a hunt or an activity.

For me, when it comes to shopping, I’m more of a hunter than an activity seeker. I like to get in, bag that item I’m looking for and get out.

Recently, due to my wife Lily not feeling all that well, I’ve been doing most of the grocery shopping. This is not my forte, but I’m getting the job done.

Recently on one trip I had to stop a fellow shopper to ask her where I would find egg noodles (at least I was in the right aisle). 

She showed me where the noodles were and told me there were different shapes, to which I said, “I guess I’m going to have to phone a friend for this one.” I had to phone Lily to find out which shape of egg noodles she wanted. That meant using two “lifelines” on one item on that shopping trip. 

The biggest thing I’ve learned lately about shopping is that I’m a hunter. 

… Although at some places it could be tempting to turn shopping into an activity. At Costco there is such a variety of items, an abundance of products and samples to lure you in to making it a leisure outing. 

But not for me – one time I even went to the checkout with one item. The guy in front of me was astonished and asked how I was getting out of there with one thing. 

I’m a hunter, man!

The other day at Costco I picked up four items. When I got home, Lily asked what new things they had in the store. I didn’t know; I never looked. I got my four items and quickly got out. 

No leisure strolling for me. 

Lily, on the other hand, likes shopping and looking at the different items … and that’s how very differently we approach shopping.

Here’s the thing: It is a good thing God’s approach to you and me is a hunter and not just a leisure shopper. There is a song I’m reminded of that gives a picture of this. The song “Reckless Love” has a couple of lines that say, “Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God. Oh, it chases me down, fights ‘til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine”. If you ever get the sense that someone is seeking you, hunting you down, it’s God … and He’s doing it out of love. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How do you need to respond to God’s love for you today? Leave your comments and questions below.

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