advent

Many people expect that “push the button instant pop” experience in our culture today. We get frantic when things don’t tick the way we tock. There’s panic if the internet goes down, our phones need charging and we can’t find the cord kind of panic. We want the “drive thru menu” without waiting patiently for the roast to finish cooking in the oven. Instant Gratification. When we go on a diet, we want the pounds to drop immediately. We’re at the stop light and it takes forever for the green to show so we can speed along. We tap our feet in line ups, drum our fingers on tabletops when we get impatient. We’re late! Get moving. Now!

Some may notice that for thousands of years Mother Earth lies in silence never worrying about her pace. Oh, yes, she occasionally shows her displeasure with a wild storm, flashes of lightning, an earthquake or spewing lava, but she graciously beckons each season and patiently watches as either buds and blossoms show their array of colors or sits mezmoraized by the white snowflakes dancing across the prairie grasses. She is in no hurry. We on the other hand, are anxiously defined by time as we wait for spring to arrive or welcome snow for Christmas Day.

And yet, the first 5 books of the bible (Pentateuch) reveal much about patience and waiting for Jesus, the coming Messiah who came to destroy Satan and deliver salvation to mankind. The Israelites had to wait thousands of years. God’s plan of redemption seemed to occur in small steps spread out over long lengths of time, but God is not restricted by time and Paul writes that Jesus came “at the appointed time” (Galatians 4:4). And so, as we begin the “countdown” to Christmas, light the first Advent candle, expectanty waiting and preparing for the celebration of the Nativity of Christ, let us also be patient as we wait for his return.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

Isaiah 9:6-7

absurd

No one would have believed the world shutting down when it did. I can hardly believe that I am sitting in my sunny backyard with my barefeet on the somewhat green grass and leaves on a November day in Alberta. Some might believe that a man could eat an airplane piece by piece when they read Ripley’s Believe it or Not April 2, 2019 article. Even the disciples didn’t believe Jesus would leave them so soon and others from Jesus’ day thought their miracles were absurd.

At the Songshan Airport in Taipei, 60 passengers checked in to the airport, handed the attendant their boarding passes, cleared security, got through the boarding gate and climbed aboard China Airlines Airbus. Their destination was Nowhere! Apparently, the contest was to role play a day at the airport to satisfy their nostalgia of not being able to fly during the pandemic. So the passengers buckled up, were greeted by the flight attendants, sat on the tarmack and when the seatbelt sign went off, deplaned and went home.

Another absurd idea is to take a hotel room in Fukuoka, Japan for $1.20 CAD per night. There is a catch though. You must be wiling to be live streamed on YouTube with half a million viewers. Luckily the bathroom is private!

The catch - one has to be willing to share one’s privacy; or win the contest; or only eat two pounds of steel each day to finish off the airplane meal. The amazing aspect of being a Christ follower is that there is no “catch.” One must simply give one’s life to Jesus and ask Him to do the impossible by forgiving our sins, giving us grace and loving us despite anything from our past. We don’t need to imagine what it would be like to know the God of the Universe. We can experience it each moment. He wants a personal relationship with us. We can share God’s love, we have won God’s heart and He sustains and keeps us with living water. He sees everything and nothing can separate us from his love. That’s amazing; not absurd!

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean He no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? ... No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow — not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below — indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35, 37-39)

patterns

Have you ever noticed patterns? They might be those personal morning habits of stretching, arms held high before we crawl out of bed, grabbing the toothbrush to scrub fresh breath in our mouths or putting on the kettle for that morning cup of caffeine. Maybe it’s not just the routine of our day, but something noticeable in nature such as the symmetry of a mountain range, the ripples on the water or trees planted in a row along the lane. God created patterns on the feathers of the sparrow, the wings of a butterfly and the cinnamon stripes on a soft kitten.

There are also negative patterns in our world. The incessant need to check our text messages, to grab a pill when there’s a pain or snapping back in anger when we see injustices. The Ojibway have a beautiful way of weaving a pattern of positive values into the hair of a braid.

Each strand represents a human quality to be carried through the day and into a person’s life. As each stand is woven, the person weaving meditates that quality as the process of a single braid is achieved. One braid might be love, honesty and faith. Another might be spirit, body and mind as one. The person weaving asks the Creator for guidance and uses the strand as a daily prayer. This visible reminder represents those positive human qualities and one should daily seek those values. Jesus often slipped away to pray. (Luke 5:16)

We can pick what we ponder and pray about. We can establish positive habits. We can choose not to conform to the patterns of this world. (Romans 12:2) Moses brought the 10 commandments down from the mountain to establish a pattern of living for the Israelites. The early church established a pattern as well by

Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:25

And so, as we move through our days, continue some of our quirky habits, let us encourage each other, meet, laugh and talk together and develop positive patterns in our daily lives. Are you ready to add a beautiful habit in the pattern of your life’s tapestry?

remember

As a Middle School teacher, I was always intrigued by the solemness of our students during our Remembrance Day assembly. These normally robust, energetic and fidgety teenagers would quietly sit on the steel chairs watching images of soldiers, peacekeepers, mothers and veterans displayed on the white screen as the band played. They would stand at attention as the Last Post resounded in the recesses of space and they would close their eyes and bow heads when we stood in silent solidarity for a minute that might have seemed like eternity for some. Such reverence. Such thoughtfulness. Such sincerity. Acknowledging and paying tribute to so many who gave their lives for our freedom. Remembering.

I can still recite “In Flander’s Fields” to this day. When I was a young student, we memorized John McCrae’s poem. I know that seniors I have spoken to remember the ration cards from the war years. My friend’s son remembers his days as a peacekeeper in the Middle East. One senior I spoke with remembered the “Doodlebugs” in England, the bomb with wings from Germany war planes. Others choose not to speak of the atrocities they saw and the pain they endured. Yet we must still remember those who died for us so we could be free. On November 11th, we honor those brave souls. Remembered.

Many young people today have only seen “war” on the big screen movies or television news. Yet the war we are fighting today continues. We fight for our freedoms, our rights and some for their very lives. Our war is spiritual and when both God and the devil fight for our souls, we know there is something very precious worth fighting for. And so this week, as we pause to ponder, let us remember the man who gave his life for us, the ultimate sacrifice to free us from sin and give us life everlasting. Remember.

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 1 John 3:16

giorno

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. That bible verse is clear as day. October was a month of birthdays for me. Members of my family, friends and neighbors and even myself celebrated another revolution around the sun. There was Thanksgiving and every month has its special days. Why not celebrate each one of them?

Whether it’s “dies” in Latin, “nap” in Hungarian or “dia” in Spanish and Portuguese; the word day has been with us since the Beginning.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.  And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.  God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.  God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. Genesis 1: 1-5

And so, just as words pass through our mind, our actions for the day are moments in time. LIfe is the adventure. Each day is a new prayer. As the sunlight creeps into to day, I realize that November has done the same. There is a skiff of snow, the last of the leaves have fallen and small flocks of geese fly south over the lake. No butterflies. No flowers. No need of shade from the sun. Winter is on her way and my days will be spent more indoors than out. And so, I take each day as it comes and celebrate the moments.

Today I get to sing. I am able to wake and take a breath of fresh air outside. Today I can share my love with others. I am able to serve. Today I can praise the creator of the universe. I can read, write, speak and think. I can capture my thoughts in words. I can feel, worship. dream, live. I hope you can too, so enjoy your day!

sound

Sound the alarm! If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is, but no worries because it just sounds like a plan to me. Some love the sound of their own voices and some sound like a broken record but it sounds fishy to me. We can relate to the sound system of the media with the sound track playing the same messages. We can see the sound stage of our world with its sound pollution and sound barriers. Is anyone really listening?

So many are sound asleep. Can we hear the sound of silence?

As the sun bursts into life from the womb of dawn, the sound of morning glory comes to life. Sound energy moves in waves across the landscape, the earth, the air, the water and life is heard by living beings. If we listen closely, we can hear the voice of God, our Creator, whispering in the silences of our souls. We are to be of sound mind. So many are so empty inside.

Every mouth, heart, instrument and space can be filled with songs of praise, encouragement, wisdom, love, music, stories and life. There are songs to sing, stories to tell, praises to sing, filling the world with the sound of joy. When the furnace cuts in, a car door slams, a diesel truck roars by and my day begins, I listen for the birds in the trees, read my daily bread and thank the Lord aloud for the blessings in my life.

Max Lucado tells the Parable of the Mop Bucket - a man who looks and sounds tired as his feet shuffle and the wheels of his cart move along the office hallway. Then he hears a voice like Moses heard from the burning bush; that Samuel heard in the quiet of the night; that David heard before his battles. If you would like to know what was said, check it out at: https://www.anecdonet.com/03/03/the-parable-of-the-mop-bucket/ We too can hear God’s voice in the sound of our sorrow, joyful times, strife, blessings and daily battles. Just talk to him and he will answer.

“so David inquired of the Lord, and he answered, “Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the poplar trees. As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move quickly, because that will mean the Lord has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.” So David did as the Lord commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.” 2 Samuel 5:23-25