mmmmmm......

The way to a man's heart is through his stomach.  You've heard it said a thousand times.  I'm here to tell you, it's true.

Being at home for maternity leave, my wife is able to cook all these delicious, homemade meals (which she enjoys doing).  And I am the lucky man who reaps the amazing rewards.  It seems almost shallow that I feel so much affection for my wife when she cooks a delicious meal that she knows I love, but it's true.  But it does come down to a simple truth - she knows I love it, and it's a way that she gets to show me how much she loves me.  And believe me, I do feel the love.  Ladies, take note, I am not alone on this one.

This week's creation, homemade Big Mac's and fries.  Delicious.

God's perfection

I was originally going to write about the crazy events of this week - being the News Director at a Christian radio station and covering the amber alert in Peterborough County on Sunday, the Boston bombings on Monday, and the explosion in Texas yesterday.  What a crazy week.  But everyone is talking about those, and something else happened to me today that helped put those a bit more into perspective.

Yesterday during my show, I talked about what I'd read in my devotions earlier that day - James 1:2, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, when you face trials of many kinds...etc."  I also talked about verse 5, where it says to ask for wisdom, and how I always forget that part.  I was simply sharing what I had read and what hit me...and to be honest it's something most Christians already know.  The cool part came today when I checked my email. I have some friends who are going through a very tough situation, something more difficult and painful than I could ever imagine.  They were writing with an update of more bad news, but mentioned that they had heard me talk about James 1 and being joyful during troubles and asking for wisdom.  They found it an encouragement in what had been another tough day.

After seven and a half years of doing Christian radio, what still absolutely amazes me is God's timing.  We as DJ's never know who is listening and when.  When we share something on the air, we don't know that "John in Owen Sound" is listening at that exact moment, and this is exactly what he needs to hear.  But God's timing and planning over-arches everything.  Yesterday, He allowed me to read that passage in my devotions.  He knew/planned exactly what time I would share it during my show.  He orchestrated it that those friends would have their radio on at that moment, and would be listening.

Perhaps you have to be in radio to understand why I'm so amazed.  Here's the perspective - when I do my show for two and a half hours every day, I'm in a room all by myself.  It's easy to forget how many are listening, and that God can use your words to change lives.  And yet, that's exactly what happens.  God takes the music, the teaching programs, and even what we say as DJ's, and uses it all for so much more than we could ever imagine.

It's humbling to think about.  It's an honour to be a part of.  And it's wonderful to be reminded about three incredible things about God:

1) He uses us at any and all moments
2) His timing is perfect
3) He is working in all situations - my friends' struggles, the Boston bombings, the Texas explosion...ALL situations

Preparation is key

A key lesson I learned a few years ago was put into practice the past couple of days, and it's paid off.

When I started working in radio, I quickly learned that preparation is key to success.  Being in the news department throughout my entire time at LIFE, I realized that making sure I was well prepared for press conferences, interviews, and of course, newscasts, all helped to make the newscasts sound great.

Transitioning to being a jock, it's the same deal.  A lot of people think that you just jump on the radio and start talking - just have fun!  And yes, while you do have fun, a lot of work goes into it before you even turn on the mic.  If you want your show to sound great, you plan it out - know what you're saying and when, and know where you're going when you say it.  The more prepared, the better.

The past two days I've jumped in to do The Wonderdog Show.  It's been fun!  A learning experience as it's different than the other shows I've done so far, but fun.  But I think part of the fun has been the fact that I've put the above lesson into practice - I've made sure that I'm prepared.  Then when I jump on the air, I can relax because I know I've got a plan.  If something comes up, it's no problem to deviate a bit or add it in, because the original plan is still there to follow and/or fall back on.

I only write all this because I've learned the hard way.  I've realized what it is to be unprepared.  It's an awful feeling, to be stressed and nervous because you're winging it.  Worse is when you get caught for doing it last minute - there's no valid excuse.  It's also quite unprofessional to just fly by the seat of your pants and hope it all comes together.  Sometimes it does, although very often it does not.  And it reminds me of Colossians 3:23, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters."  God demands our first fruits, our best.  I don't need to prepare my show and my newscasts only for the sake of sounding good and impressing listeners and my bosses; I need to do it because it pleases God.

Now I'm not saying I've got it all down and I'm ALWAYS prepared and do it all perfectly all the time...that'd be nice.  In truth, it's a continual process for me as I haven't always been like this.  But I've come a long way from where I once was, and it's been a valuable lesson that has proven successful the more I've put it into practice.

And the biggest part about this lesson is that it applies to everything in life.  When we have a responsibility to something, part of that responsibility is being prepared.  If you're a small group leader at your church, do the work ahead of time and be prepared to lead.  If you coach a team, have your drills and equipment ready.  If you call a meeting, have a plan in place.  The more prepared we are, the better a job we can do, and the more pleasing it is to God - who sees not only the end result, but the process by which we got there.

Easter

When you've been a Christian a long time, it can be hard to make sure the major events - Easter and Christmas - are meaningful.  You've heard each story so many times, it's easy to let them pass by without really taking them in.

This Easter I'm thankful to my pastor for bringing up a couple of great points - one I've never really thought of before, and the other a much-needed refresher.

1) We know the end of the story

The past two weeks, my pastor has talked about the fact that we have the whole story in front of us - we know the beginning, the middle, and the end.  And because we know the end, we look at the disciples and all the people who lost their faith when Jesus died, and we think, "Come on people!  Where's your faith?  How could you be so fickle?  To welcome Jesus with palm branches, then a week later nail him to a tree...  And to lose heart when He died, thinking that that's the end of the story...where's the faith??"  But as my pastor pointed out, we're looking back with 20/20 vision.  We know that Jesus rises from the dead, but it's very possible that many people back then did not.  Even though he told the disciples before his death, they might not have understood.  Or they may not have believed it when Jesus actually died - it's one thing to say you believe, it's another thing to actually believe when you're in the middle of the tough situation.

It gave me a new perspective, being in their sandals and realizing that they didn't know what was going to happen.  Those must have been 3 really tough days for the disciples and everyone who believed in Jesus.  Seeing Him beaten, spit on, tortured, and brutally killed...and all your hopes for who He was 'supposed' to be are dashed...  A lack of faith, yes, but put yourself in that moment and you realize why that would have happened.


2)  Isaiah 53

My pastor took a look at Isaiah 53 and (re)opened my eyes to the prophesy about Jesus.  Isaiah 53 spells it all out.  You have to read the whole chapter, but here's an excerpt:

⁵ 5  But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.
⁶ 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.

That's exactly what happened.  Seriously, read the whole chapter, it's a play-by-play of what happened to Jesus - and it was written 700 years before Jesus walked the earth.  So cool, and it adds so much credibility to the story.

So, what did you learn - or re-learn - this Easter?

Environment!

If you're an environmentalist, this week has a couple of big days - today is World Water Day, and tomorrow, Earth Hour.

I think most people will support World Water Day and what it represents.  When you look at the fact that 5,000 children die every day from dirty drinking water, and 3.4 million people die every year...and meanwhile we have the technology for water filtration systems, but for some reason, it's not reaching everyone in the world.  I find that unacceptable.  We're so blessed here in Canada because we have fresh water anytime we want, at our fingertips.  It's so much so that we waste water - we dump it out if there's a speck in it or if it's too warm, we let it run while we're brushing our teeth, we take excessively long showers or several showers a day...  It actually drives me crazy when people laugh at someone for being a conservationist.  For example, when I turn off the tap for someone who's just let it run, they think I'm crazy, but who's the crazy one?  Put a dying child in front of us as we're letting the water run and the humour is gone real fast.  Then comes the argument, "Fine, mail that cup of water to a third world country."  Sorry to be so blunt, but what a stupid argument.  It's about the principle of it all - it's not that one specific cup, it's the bigger picture!

Same deal with Earth Hour.  Lots of people pooh-pooh it, saying it doesn't make a difference.  But it's not about the one hour, it's about what it represents - a change in lifestyle to be more conservative with our energy.  There is so much unnecessary pollution in all forms, and we need to do our part to help reduce it and save the world we live in.  That sounds so 'new-agey', but think about it, all those activities you love to do outside - canoeing, kayaking, hiking, camping, admiring a beautiful nature spot - the more we pollute, consume, and waste, the more we ruin all that stuff.  But just like World Water Day, there's an argument here - this time it's "look at the governments and big corporations and how much they're polluting!  How will it make a difference if I conserve?"  Valid argument in that, yes, corporations are terrible polluters.  But horrible argument in that everyone makes a difference.  If 1,000 people say, "I won't make a difference, so I'm not going to do anything", then nothing happens.  If those same 1,000 people say, "I can make a difference", then something big happens.  But it all starts with one.  And who knows, maybe we'll start to inspire the governments and corporations.  It's a vicious cycle right now - we're waiting for them to get better, they're waiting for us to get better, and in the meantime we're all getting worse.

For both World Water Day and Earth Hour, it's starts with one.

Ah, Memory Lane, one of my favourite lanes to walk...

Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you'll know the big story of the week - the election of the new pope.  Sorry to start off on a tangent, but I have to say that it's been interesting to watch how it all takes place and how much media attention there has been on this - particularly because it's a religious thing and western media does not usually take well to religion.

Anyway, being in the news I've been watching a lot of it and I've really enjoyed it - partly because it was interesting, yes, but more so because it brought back a lot of cool memories for me.

My wife and I backpacked through parts of Europe two summers ago, and one of our stops was of course Vatican City, St. Peter's Square and Basilica, and the Sistine Chapel.  Seeing it all on the news is cool in general, but having been there makes it so much more interesting.  Every TV shot is a memory - "Oh yeah, remember when we were there?"  "Remember when we had lunch at this spot?"  "Remember when we saw the pope here?"  etc...

The coolest part for me over the past week was seeing the Sistine Chapel again.  You're not allowed to take pictures or video inside the chapel, so my wife and I spent an extra long time in there trying to memorize as much of it as we could.  Then seeing the pictures of the cardinals in the chapel this week just brought it all back...so cool...

In the square 

The inside of St. Peter's Basilica

We did not actually plan to see Pope Benedict but we found out he was holding a 'General Audience' when we were there, so we waited around.  He drove past us, 8-10 feet away, then we heard him speak a bit.

Fighting in hockey?

The question has reared its head again, after that awful fight last night between the Toronto Maple Leafs' Frazer McLaren and Ottawa's David Dziurzynski, where Dziurzynski was knocked out cold.

I was at the game (a wonderful Valentines/birthday gift from my wife), and will never forget seeing Dziurzynski's lifeless body drop to the ice.  It was one horrific moment after another - when he was knocked out by the punch, when he seemingly fell face first into the ice (at least from where I was sitting), when he could only get off the ice with the help of teammates (and barely at that), and when the crowd couldn't get enough of it all.

The punch alone was enough for me to say that fighting has no place in hockey.  To clarify, I am a HUGE hockey fan, and I used to love a good fight...but my perspective has changed in the last few years and was solidified yesterday.  Hockey is a game of intensity, finesse, speed, skill, hands, and vision.  Fighting belongs in a different arena.  If you want fighting, watch boxing, wrestling, or UFC - that's their express purpose.  But hockey's purpose is to try to get a puck into the opposing team's net.  How does fighting figure into that?  Basketball, soccer, and football all have similar structures - score on the other team - but none of them have fighting.  Why hockey?

I'm all for intensity.  I want to see the game played hard, and that intensity can bring some aggression.  That's fine, but know the line.  Fighting is too far.  Dziurzynski has a concussion, which is in essence a brain injury.  What's most frustrating is that it was so unnecessary.  This concussion could affect him for the rest of his life.  In fact, it could have even killed him if it was bad enough.  How is that "entertainment" when my wife and I just want to watch a hockey game?  Or when I take my kids to a game in the future?  I don't want them seeing that.

The other thing that made me sick to my stomach yesterday was the crowd's reaction.  Watching replays of the fight, you hear a  hush come over the crowd...but not from where I was sitting.  From my seat, I heard a huge roar when Dziurzynski was knocked out.  Thousands started cheering "Go Leafs Go" as he was lying on the ice.  The cheering continued as he was helped off the ice.

Absolutely classless.

And then the worst part - when it was all over, everyone sat down again, completely oblivious to the fact that someone in the building just suffered brain damage.  People went back to laughing, joking, enjoying their beer and food, and taking pictures.  Most did not give a second thought to what just happened.  Out of sight, out of mind.

Perhaps most importantly though, is the message we're sending the kids.  Go ahead, fight!  It's okay, it's part of the game!  No it's not.  The game is Canada's past-time, to be played on frozen lakes and rivers and ice-cold arenas.  It's to be played with friends who grab a stick and hit the ice to shoot the puck around.

Want to play with intensity?  Dig into the corners, skate hard, block shots, master puck control.  But don't hit another guy in the face.  That has nothing to do with hockey.