The Pain of Change

I read a very interesting devotional by Joyce Meyer this morning.  She was talking about how God works in our lives, allowing difficult situations for spiritual growth and to bring about change.  But in that, she readily admits that spiritual growth can be difficult - not just for the time and effort you have to put in, but also for the tough situations you have to encounter and persevere through.

In making that point Joyce had this quote about her own personal resistance to change.  "Finally I realized that I was trying to avoid pain, but I had pain anyway.  The pain of staying the way we are is much worse than the pain of changing."

What a profound thought.  We so often resist change because it can be hard, because it hurts, and because, yeah, quite often, change sucks!  Or at least it feels that way.  But it comes down to a simple premise.  We know that God is good, right?  And we know that if He's trying to effect change in our lives, it's for a good purpose.  So are we really helping ourselves when we resist change?  When we won't give up a sinful habit, forgive the person who hurt us, be generous with our money, etc?  The answer is pretty obvious, Joyce Meyer nailed it.

So the simple question with the not-so-simple answer - what change is God trying to instil in your life?

Kayak!

So I am thrilled about my latest purchase...a kayak!!  Just bought it last week, but went out for a paddle a couple days ago and it was great!

Just to set the record straight, I'm not normally a purchaser of big-ticket items like this.  However, this was not a whim purchase, it's something I've wanted to do for a while.  I've been planning and saving since last year, testing out different kayaks and doing research to find the right one for me.  I'm so glad I put in the time because I found the perfect one!  (I was tempted to buy one last year without doing any research, and now I'm thrilled that I waited because while it was a good kayak, it wouldn't have been a good one for me).

Anyhow, as I mentioned I went out for a paddle this week.  There's something about being out on the water - away from the traffic and busyness, an escape even just for a couple of hours, where it's quiet and it's just you and nature - you and God.  A great chance to reconnect and admire God's creation.  That, and exercise are the two main reasons I bought a kayak, and I can't wait to use it a ton next summer!  I got it at a smokin' deal being the end of the season, but the only problem is that now I have to wait about 9 months before I can really use it. It's going to be torture every time I open my garage this winter!

In the end, two main points - enjoy God's creation however you do it, and never underestimate the value of taking the time to do your due research before making a big purchase.  It's worth it in the end.

Pedal-less bike?

So here's the latest invention - a bike without pedals or a seat...and I really like it.  At first I thought it was pretty ridiculous, but then I watched the video and I've been swayed.  It probably helps that I do this same thing on shopping carts by leaning over the handlebar, but you can't get good speed in grocery stores, and people get in the way in the aisles!  Frustrating...comon' people, make way!  ...I suppose this new bike is a better option.

It's a German invention called FLIZ bikes, and it's up for a prestigious James Dyson engineering award. What do you think?  You've gotta watch the video before you weigh in though, it might change your opinion!

...on a side note, admittedly there is a wedgie concern...but I'm sure there has to be a solution of some sort...  :)

Summer

Friday, August 3rd, just past the halfway mark of the summer, how's yours been?

I was just telling my wife the other day that I feel super blessed about how this summer has gone.  I LOVE sports, I LOVE being active.  If I could play sports or do something active everyday, I'd be living the dream.  Most of my summer's don't shape up that way because it can be expensive to join leagues, or it's tough to find someone to do something with because everyone's so busy.

But this summer has been different, and I've loved it.  I've played in a soccer league on Friday nights for the past few years, so I continued that this year.  But new this summer is that I've joined the Barrie Canoe and Kayak Club, and I've been out on the water 1-2 times a week, canoeing, kayaking, and SUP'ing.  Also, a friend and I have settled on 'Tuesday Night Tennis', and we're sometimes lucky enough to play a couple of times a week.  And finally, I've been able to golf a few more times this year than normal.

I'm definitely not meaning to brag, apologies if it comes across that way.  (Side note - that's what drives me crazy about facebook or blogging sometimes, is that it makes it seem like someone's life is perfect.  It's far from that, and of course that is completely not my intention!)  But I am definitely thanking God for the active summer it's been.  Between the four activities, this has been one of the most active - and hence, most enjoyable - summer's I've had in a long time!  Hope yours is going well too!

Spiderman!

I'm not one of those guys who likes really sappy stories, they usually make me kind of sick.  But this story is too good - window washers at a children's hospital dressing up like Spiderman!  What a great idea, awesome way to make kids smile!  There is still good in this often difficult world.

http://furiousfanboys.com/2012/07/spider-man-window-cleaners-do-it-for-sick-children/


(On a side note, sappy and emotional are two different things, lol...while I may not be sappy, I do have to fight back the waterworks sometimes for an uplifting story, or when passion is involved!)

Freedom

Before he preached his sermon on Sunday, our pastor said that that morning's message would be a tough one.  He repeated that during and after the message too...and he was right.

He gave a powerful reminder on repentance and forgiveness.  He talked about Psalm 51, the psalm David wrote after he committed adultery with Bathsheba and killed her husband Uriah.

There were two parts that hit me.  The first was verses 16 and 17 - You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.

After reading these verses the pastor then referenced more verses in Isaiah, all saying that God does not want our sacrifices if our hearts are not right.  We can do all the right things, say all the right words, act so nicely, and fool everyone - but not God.  All of our greatest efforts - playing on the worship team, serving in Sunday School, helping your neighbour, volunteering at the food bank - it's all great stuff, but if we're not right with God, it's not worth much.  God is more concerned about where our hearts are than about what we're doing.  In fact, what we're doing should come out of where are hearts are.  Doing it the other way around usually means we're trying to earn it.

The other big thing that hit me was the idea of freedom.  How much this applies to you may depend on how honest you want to be with yourself - the fact that we get so caught up in sin sometimes that we don't realize how much it has taken over our lives.  It becomes part of our daily routine, and we either get used to it or we get more and more depressed because we don't know how to get out of it - or, in a frustrating paradox, both of those happen at once.  Either way, it's a horrible state because deep down, we are not truly happy.  We're hurting.

But then the pastor showed the video I've linked to below, and brought it home.  And he quoted Galatians 5:1, and I truly grasped the meaning of that verse like I've never really understood it in the past - "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free."

Watch the video:
http://www.worshiphousemedia.com/mini-movies/31742/Free

So what do you need freedom from?  God wants to help.

Languages

How many languages do you speak?

I've been able to do some travelling in my years, a bit through the Middle East, Europe, and some of the Caribbean.  It always amazes me when someone speaks to me in english, then that same person turns and speaks to someone else in french, then moves on to a conversation in spanish, and rounds it off with some italian.  So cool!

Personally, I speak english (obviously, lol), some french, and arabic as my parents are Egyptian.  I've always loved languages and think it's really neat to be able to communicate with someone who doesn't speak your native tongue.  There are several advantages of course:

1 - Travel is much easier
2 - Ministry is much easier, both for missionaries and for those who are not - conversations can be had
3 - The number of jobs available to the bilingual is crazy, both locally and abroad
4 - It's great to learn new things!

I didn't realize that I like languages until mid-university.  A little late by that point, but not too late.  I took a sign language course and a few french courses.  That was years ago and if you don't practice, you lose it.  My knowledge of sign language is gone unfortunately except for a few words here and there.  As for french, I actually became quiet proficient, but not having spoken it regularly for a few years, it's definitely not where it once was.  However, I'm pleased that I was able to carry on a conversation in french last week when my wife and I were away on vacation - not as fluent as I would have liked it to have been, but we understood each other!

My goal a few years ago was to perfect french and then move on to spanish.  But since then, life got in the way and it's the age old excuse - I got busy and there was no time (or money) to learn.

Last week's travels have inspired me though.  It's never too late, right?  I'm tackling french first.