Sibling Revelry - Part 2

The idea for a series comes from my good friend David Fisher's blog "Pilgrim Scribblings". Check out His Site for a great series of pictures showing beauty in the seemingly dull, called "Attractive Drabness". The first link takes you to his latest installment, this second link takes you to a previous post which shows more pictures.

This is a second installment of what may become a series of pictures that show the wonderful side of sibling relationships. I know I treasure my siblings - my older brother Scott, and younger sister Jill - tremendously. These pictures remind me that my own kids really do love each other too! Click on the following link to see the first "Sibling Revelry" post.

Dawson and Karsy enjoying breakfast, beautiful art, and bonding

AND THE GOLD MEDAL GOES TO...

My son Dawson's hockey team, The All Saints Tykes, finished the year strong and ended up winning the playoff tournament to take home the Gold Medal! Dawson proudly shows off his gold at the year-end hockey banquet. His whole team was very excited to win a "Gold Medal"!

God and Lemonade

You've heard the saying, "when life gives you a lemon, make lemonade". I subscribe to that sort of mind set. In fact, I was thinking as I started this post that life itself is actually a lemon. Think about it, the Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We begin our lives in sin - now that is a lemon! The quintessential "lemon" is that car that is always breaking down. You get it with great hopes and dreams to drive in style, or at least get from place to place, and it ends up disappointing you. Just like life, we are born and there is great hope surrounding a new baby. As we grow up we are dreaming of what we might do - after school, on the weekend, in the summer, when we grow up, when we get a new job, when this debt is paid, when this habit is kicked, when this relationship is repaired, and on and on and on. The lemons, or bad things in life, the results of our sin and the sins of others start piling up. Pretty soon, we become jaded and the hope is gradually replaced with hopelessness. Ah, but there is lemonade to be made.



A couple of weeks ago, my daughter wanted to have a lemonade stand. It was the first really nice day of spring, and she got this notion. We both worked together and set up a stand complete with a giant jug of lemonade, disposable cups, chocolate wafers for a treat, and a little ceramic "doggy bank" for any donations. I had forgotten something inside and told Karsyn that she needed to come in with me. She first said that she would stay outside by herself and I said no. When she protested, I reminded her that I needed to keep her safe and couldn't leave her alone outside. Remembering our "street safe" talks, she quickly came in with me. As we headed back outside her exact words were "Nobody will take me now Daddy, because when they see you with me they will know that I belong to you." I was struck by the simplicity and the truth of the statement, and by how the very same thing could be said about us and God. "When they see you with me they will know that I belong to you". If you are a believer, do people know that you "belong" to God? Do people see God with you everywhere you go? That is our witness to those around us. That is what shows others who our allegiance is pledged to. When we put others ahead of ourselves, people see God in us; when we give sacrificially and cheerfully, people see God in us; when we show faithfulness through difficulty, people see God in us; when we share in others pain and hurt, people see God in us; when we welcome others into our home with hospitality, people see God in us; when we share the truth of Christ's love and the power of His death and resurrection, people see God in us - and know that we belong to Him!

Then God can make the lemonade. He takes the lemons (our lives) and makes something wonderfully refreshing, sweet, satisfying, and altogether different then what we had before - the lemonade - or, our new Life in Christ! Have you allowed Him to have your lemon and make lemonade? Have you given Him your life and asked Him to make all things new, to make it full and abundant, satisfying and rich, complete and compelling, exciting and eternal? He will - He did it for me, he's done it for others, and He can do it for you - whosoever will... Those are my thoughts on God and Lemonade.

Take care of the little things!

Have you ever noticed how the big things so often are actually just little things that got out of hand? Here is a great example. No, this isn't our car - but it got your attention, right?!!!

The other day, my wife had an appointment at 8am. She got into the car at 7:45 and soon discovered that the car would not start. There was just no sound when she turned the key. On top of being late for the appointment, Robbin couldn't bear the thought of yet another seemingly all-to-frequent vehicle expense. Flustered and frustrated, she got out of the car and made her way to the house to get my help. By the time she reached the front door, she realized her mistake. She turned around and realized that she had forgotten to put the car in gear and put the parking brake on. She knew this because our car was rolling down the driveway, and she watched it cross the (busy) street, hop the curb, and settle on the neighbour's lawn with the back end sticking out on the road! After calling a cab to take Robbin to her appointment I waited for CAA and couldn't help but wonder why she didn't remember to put the parking brake on.

When the CAA guy came, he started it up with a battery charger and tested it out and felt that everything looked good. I told him what happened and I have to say that I just gave him the facts - without complaining about "women and cars" 'cause that's just not my style. But, he did get the message that my wife did this. When I asked why it happened he explained it could be anything. He had a quick look around and discovered the interior light was switched to the on position. He looked at me and with a wry grin asked who had the car last night, to which I sheepishly admitted was me! I left the car light on all night and killed the battery! If I had taken care of a very small thing, we never would have had the car on the neighbour's lawn!

Well, the CAA guy had a good chuckle at my expense but it got me thinking about how many "big problems" could be dealt with easier, reduced, or avoided altogether if the little things were taken care of. I want to offer a little word of advice when it comes to our faith and relationship with God - Take care of the small stuff, and you will be entrusted with even greater tasks. Be faithful in the little things, and it will just be natural for you to be faithful with more important things. Exhibit integrity during the easy times, and you will persevere in tough times. Most important, be sure to say one small prayer of repentance, acceptance, and surrender and the biggest thing of all - eternity - will be taken care of! The Bible describes hell as a whole lot worse then jumping a curb and landing in your neighbour's yard...

Coming soon to "The Hope of His Calling..."

Have you ever had a brush with greatness? Who would you like to meet and get their signature to keep for posterity? Watch for a different take on this in the upcoming post "The Autograph".

An unforgettable kiss

A few weeks ago, I was getting ready to go to our annual church business meeting. I changed my clothes and brushed my teeth after dinner and was set to go out for the evening. I was about to give my wife a kiss goodbye when I decided to plant a real "memorable" one on her. With the kids giggling behind us, I pulled away and Robbin was laughing. She had just moments earlier put "teatree" oil on her lips and she asked how it tasted. Caught up in the moment, I said "it'll take a lot more than that to keep me away" and kissed her passionately once again. I skipped out the door, but by the time I put the key in the ignition the horrible aftertaste of teatree oil assaulted my mouth in full force. As I pulled out of the driveway, I hit the speed dial for home and when Robbin picked up I said into the cellphone, "Man, that teatree oil is potent stuff!!!". Robbin laughed, and I assured her that it was a small price to pay.

Now, that is just a silly little exchange between husband and wife, but don't underestimate the seemingly small stuff. I walked into the church, and while it was a fine, encouraging church business meeting, what do you really think my mind was on - my meeting or my mate?

Our lives are filled with the mundane day-to-day tasks - go to work, pick up the kids, help with homework, get supper, put kids to bed, etc. etc. Don't forget to break into the everyday routine with an exhilarating effort every once in a while. It doesn't have to be a big deal all the time, though that's nice too. Sometimes simplicity is sensational. I could have left with a simple kiss on the cheek, but those final moments of passion and fun flirting at the door with my wife had me on cloud nine for the whole evening. I couldn't wait to get back home and be with Robbin again, although I have to admit, I was hoping the teatree oil would wear off by then! Keep those homefires burning...

The Evangelists

I saw a headline the other day that read, "New Orleans Crusade Probably Graham's Last Sermon". This of course referred to well known evangelist Billy Graham and the declining state of his health. It was ironic that as I was reading this headline on crosswalk.com I could overhear my kids preaching one of their first sermons to a visiting friend.

They were all in my son's room playing "superheroes". They soon began to discuss the various merits of superman, batman, Luke Skywalker, and others. Finally my son said, "well, Jesus is stronger than anybody and he can do anything." Dawson's friend Silas seemed impressed, and agreed that God did trump the other superheroes. My 4 year old was in there as well. After trying in vain to contend that Dora the Explorer qualified as a superhero, Karsyn followed up Dawson's remark with this; "yeah, and did you know that Jesus died on a cross to forgive our sins so we could go to heaven?".

It really is a simple message, isn't it. So simple that humanity's intelligence so often gets in the way of figuring it out. As I eavesdropped on this wonderful exchange, I thought again of the great evangelist - Billy Graham. What successor to the evangelist could possibly have the impact on the world that he has had? Graham was quoted a number of years ago on the subject of a successor. He said, "I don't need a successor, only willing hands to accept the torch that I have been carrying, those who will present the gospel to a new generation,".

I heard 2 kids receive that torch into their hands the other day. My prayer is that this knowledge of Truth would grow in them and develop a passion to present the gospel to this new generation. I had a Bible College professor who's signature phrase to his students was "Keep Preaching!". Well, Dawson and Karsyn - keep preaching!

It's Playoff Time!

At least for the P.C.C.H.L. Tyke division. We lost the first game, then won the second one with Dawson getting a goal and an assist. He deked around the defenceman to get in alone on the goalie, gave him a head fake and lifted it over the goalie's leg - a big deal for a kid who has been working on lifting the puck!

In his practice Jersey, Dawson has his "gameface" on!

Dawson (in the black with yellow and white trim) goes for the puck

Slightly undersized, this All Saints star has speed to burn. When he gets a step, lookout goalie 'cause he has the moves!

Scripture and Quote of the Week Updated...

Both the Scripture and the quote are to do with sibling relationships. The quote can only be ever true if the family referred to is the family of God - believers by faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.

Sibling Revelry

Just when you wonder why brothers and sisters have to fight so much, you are reminded that they really do love each other. Jill and Scott, for all the dirty socks in my mouth, for the punches on my arm that Mom thought would give me cancer (???), for the pushing, pinching, telling blaming, and teasing that we all did, this is what it's really all about. And there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother...

Family Photos

We've all done the "kodak moment" thing, right?!!! It seems that the photographer is more into it then the subjects after a while. Take a look...

Pretty in Pink

My best girls - so far so good!

What can I say - Just as pretty as pretty gets!!!

As you can see - I'm starting to lose them. I said, okay guys, one silly shot, then back to business... Mom is not too impressed!!!

There, that's better - well... good enough, we're done!

Another Birthday Girl

My wonderful wife turned... well, you'll have to ask her - but she had a birthday this month too! We celebrated with our good friends - the Gavin's. Hey, save me some Ron!!!

Robbin (b'day girl), Karsy, Seth, and Ron

Birthday Girl

My darling daughter turned 4 years old last month!!! Here are some some pics of her celebrating with some friends and cupcakes...

Karsyn likes what she put together

Karsy's friend Seth "hams" it up!

Dawson and Luke have "icing beards"!!!

Can you say "Sugar buzz!!!"?

Yummy

I'd save some for ya... but it's too good!!!

Awakening To The Wonderful World of Books

I have always been a great lover of books. I enjoy reading, but I am not particularly good at it. No, I do not have literacy issues. I can read, but I don't read non-fiction regularly unless I have to. I find this strange because in times of "force-fed reading" (such as educational and occupational requirements, etc.) I usually love it. I am often challenged, refreshed, inspired, and otherwise satisfied with being fed spiritually and mentally. I just find that I do not regularly crack a non-fiction book and finish it with the same ravenous reading in which I attack a novel.

A few months ago I decided that I needed to develop this discipline of reading for my own personal and professional growth. The results have been somewhat mixed. In spurts and starts, I have read with a proficiency that falls somewhere in the middle of the Canadian Women's hockey team's total dominance and the men's team's utter malaise. In other words, I am not completely hopeless but I am not exactly a world-beater yet in terms of reading.

I decided to start things off with an author whose fiction I really enjoy. Ted Dekker is an amazing suspense/thriller/action novelist writing from a Christian worldview with a clear message of hope and faith in his work. So when I discovered his first foray into non-fiction, I picked it up. In fact - this book inspired the title of this blog, the hope of His calling. In reading it, you quickly see signs of a fiction writer's first non-fiction work manifested in 2 clear elements. First, it is very much "story-centric". Dekker loves to tell a story and often does to get his point across. The other element is that because of the "story-centric" nature, the book is more inspiration than information.

The sub-title "awakening a passion for heaven on earth" really states the purpose of the book succinctly, and the author does a fairly good job of achieving his stated purpose. Dekker was preaching to the choir though as I really can't wait for heaven. Essentially, the message is for many of us (me included sometimes) who just get so comfortable living our life here that we forget we are not here for here. We are here for heaven!

One aspect that Dekker deals with exceptionally well is the whole concept of the "wrongness" of pleasure. Many believers are wrongfully taught or mistakenly think that pleasure is bad. Ever hear someone say, "if it feels good, it must be a sin". So not true. Here is a quote from the book, "While the children of our culture play noisily about the yard and swim in so many pleasures and eat from lavish spreads, we often feel like the ugly stepchild, confined to our closets, starved of the pleasures that call to us."(p.165) He goes on to discuss how we are really meant to enjoy the pleasures the creator has made for us, but sinful nature distorts and perverts pleasure to the point of turning it to sin. Then on p.167 Dekker returns our focus to eternity, "When one is enamored with the bliss that actually awaits, he actually finds more pleasure here on earth, not less."

I have run into some believers who are uncertain of heaven, even scared because of the unknown or dreading it because of what they think they know. This book is a great start for those who have misconceptions of eternity. Randy Alcorn (who wrote the forward for this book) also has great stuff on the topic of eternity.

This was a good book, inspiring a passion for eternity and instilling a desire to enjoy the "foretastes" in the meantime while serving the One who provides it all. Check out Dekker's site on the link above (click on highlighted name) for more info on the author and his work. Very good stuff.

Well, that was my first - and I've read three others since, so I am improving! I'll have another review soon. In the meantime, I would recommend you pick up this book whether you need to be awakened from a slumber, or inspired to continue on in the journey to our eternal destination. And then the fun begins.

The Best Ever!!!

There has been a lot of TV watching at our place the last couple of weeks due to the wall-to-wall Olympic coverage. We have even temporarily lifted the usual "before school TV ban" to watch those early morning events. With all the coverage comes the endless commercials. Some are "Gillette fusion"

clever (the Bell beavers), some are cool (the weird water/metallic dripping off the vehicles on the fashion runway), some are silly (Ronald McDonald ski jumping), some inspiring (the child athletes with famous athlete's voice-overs), and some are just the same old stuff you always see trying to sell product. See - I told you we have been watching too much TV!

Anyway, the one I'm talking about is one of those generic "say your product is the best" ads. The first time my 6 year-old son Dawson saw the Gillette Fusion commercial, he turned to me and said with wide eyes, "Dad - did you hear that?!! You've gotta get it - they just said it will give you 'the best shave ever'!!!". He was completely serious. I'm sure if he had stubble, he would have walked right out the door to the nearest store to pick up this product. Now, I have nothing against Gillette - in fact I use one of their older products, but how many things claim to be "the best"? How many products make claims that they cannot follow through on? I have a cousin who bought an electric razor because it promised a shave as close as a blade or your money back. He got his money back. It could not deliver on the promise to shave as close as a blade. It was not as good.

So what is this all about? I'm just trying to get us thinking about promises, new things, and what is really the best for us. No, I'm not endorsing a particular razor, electric shaver, or your local barber - I'm endorsing something that is billed as the best ever - a new, better, superior way of living.

The book of Hebrews repeatedly shows that Jesus came to establish a new and superior covenant with God's creation. Hebrews 11 lists a number of people, centering them out for their faith while under the old covenant. However, it was still not perfect. They were only saved based on their faith retroactively under the new covenant. "These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect." (Heb. 11:39,40)

The old way was not sufficient. "The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God." (Heb. 7:18,19)

We needed something else. "If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the law was given to the people), why was there still need for another priest to come?" (Heb. 7:11)

So what is the difference between the old and the new? What makes the new way superior? "Therefore he (Christ) is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Such a high priest meets our need - one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever." (Heb. 7:25-28)

Now we have been promised a better way, the only way (John 14:6), a superior way. "But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises." (Heb. 8:6)

And how do we know this? How can we be sure of these promises? What is the guarantee? "Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant." (Heb. 7:22)

I love the feel of a good close shave. It feels soft and smooth, then you slap the after shave on and you feel clean and refreshed. That is what the blood of Jesus does to our lives. It removes the "stubble" of sin in our lives, it cleanses us, it refreshes us, His blood frees us.

I am not sure if I have had the best shave ever, but I know that Jesus has provided the best life ever, and I plan on continuing to live in Him. Now that is an advertisement worth paying attention to. That is something that I could endorse! Would you consider doing the same? Do it with that same child-like faith exhibited by my son, accepting God's word that it is indeed - "the best ever!!!"

Change is Overdue

Boy, that scripture and quote of the week are from Christmas! I was trying to decide whether to keep them there until next Christmas or if I should update - I've decided to update. The Scripture goes with the recent post "The Vanishing Stain". "It took Him just a week to make the moon and the stars, the sun and the earth and jupiter and mars. How loving and patient He must be, 'cause He's still workin' on me".

Coming Soon to "The Hope of His Calling..."

Have you ever had a brush with greatness? Who would you like to meet and get their signature to keep for posterity? Watch for a different take on this in the upcoming post "The Autograph".

The Vanishing Stain

I had a wonderful Bible College Professor, John Stephenson who greeted every class with a cheery, "Good morning, Saints!". This served to remind us that we are no longer sinners lost in this world, rather - we are the redeemed, bought with a price and are seen by God as Justified by Christ.

what does it take to wash the stain?

There are times though when we feel more like sinners than the saints we are supposed to be. Why is it that, though sanctified by the Holy Spirit we still sin? Though set free, we go back to jail - even if we are "just visiting"? Though justified, at times we think "Just-if-I'd" do this / not do that - no one will notice, it's really no big deal. We already have been made right in God's eyes, but not yet do we always do right.

This past week I had the opportunity to lead our church's mid-week children's program. I love doing this; I enjoy the interaction with the kids, my heart melts as they worship Him, and my heart is ignited while teaching them the truths in God's Word. This week, one of the teaching tools was an object lesson intended to show the power of forgiveness. I practiced this small "experiment" prior to the lesson, but was largely unsuccessful. It involved a glass of water, red food colouring, and bleach. As I spoke about our lives (the glass of water), I mentioned the decisions we make, the things we do that are sins that change our lives, staining us and making us dirty. I let a drop of red food colouring splash into glass and it slowly distorted and stained the water. Then came the moment of truth - I poured in the bleach as I talked about Christ's work on the cross. His shed blood that takes away our sin, his forgiveness washing out our stain. Problem was, the food colouring was still there. A little muted perhaps, diminished by degrees, but definitely there. I quickly transitioned focus from the experiment to the truth of God's word and moved on to the next activity in another room. 15 minutes later, we came back to the main area where the object lesson was and one of the kids ran up and held up the glass and said, "look, it's clear!". I was reminded of the truth of what we already are, but have not yet realized. The bleach was already poured in, but it's effects were not fully realized until later.

Yes, there are times when we fail, fall, and come short of the mark. There are times when what God sees because of Jesus' work on the cross is a gross misrepresentation of what we really are. This whole "Already/Not yet" tension can be frustrating in many ways, but I am thankful. We are already justified, but not yet glorified - already purified, but not yet perfect - already sanctified, but not yet impeccable. I cannot wait for that day when the corruptible is made incorruptible, mortality will be clothed with immortality on that glorious day of His appearing! Grace is truly amazing, totally undeserved, and abundantly poured out on whosoever will believe. Thank you Lord for the vanishing stain.

Explaining My Month Long Absence

I know I've been gone awhile, and I made my return last night. However, I do feel I owe the readers an explanation so here it is:

Well, It's Like This, See...
Santa Clause kidnapped me a week before Christmas because he was behind in productivity. My jail-like cell was near his workshop where he drove me like a slave, forcing me to work almost 20 minutes every day.

When I wasn't at the workshop I could be found sample tasting macaroons, willowcrisps, rosebuds, and slowpokes, safety testing xbox 360's, watching the world Jr. Championships on the big screen HDTV's, or shopping at Walmart. But apart from that, I was in my cell at all times.

The cell was enclosed with steel-enforced candycanes and I was fed only milk and cookies for 4 weeks. I finally made my daring escape by painting a lightbulb red, securing it to a battery pack and tying the whole contraption around my head so the bulb was on my nose. After several futile attempts at using Jedi mind tricks trying to convince the guards that I was in fact Rudolph the red-nosed, wrongfully-deposed reindeer, I repeatedly banged my head against the wall. Oblivious to the pain, I smashed the bulb, causing the tiny shards of glass to make my nose look like it had been inserted into my mom's cuisinart on homemade bread day. This led to the elves transporting me to the North Pole Regional Health Centre (busy place). Following my recovery, they had pity on me and released me after reminding me to be good for goodness sake. Thanks Santa - thanks for ruining Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mr. Nobody

Who did it? Mr. Nobody of course! There have been a series of infractions at our house recently that have not yet had anyone take responsibility for. These have been relatively minor, but the more serious problem is that the perpetrator is not "owning up" to these transgressions. It does not require the deductive skills and forensic expertise of Horatio Crane or Gil Grissom to determine who in fact is the main suspect.

The first offence took place when the Christmas tree went up about a month ago. As the decorations found their way to the branches, it was shaping up quite nicely. Surprisingly however, the decorations began to find their way OFF the branches! Our youngest was trying to "help" decorate the tree. Problem is, these decorations are made out of a glass-like material that shatters when pressure is applied. Thus, when I stepped on a Christmas tree ball it shattered into 4 333 333 shards of lethal weaponry. After cleaning up the mess the conversation with my daughter went like this.

Dad: (calmly) "Karsyn, how did the decorations get on the floor"
Daughter: (innocently) "I don't know, Daddy"
Dad: (slowly, still calm) "hmmm. Well, how did these 7 balls all get hung on the same branch here by the floor"
Daughter: (a feigned innocence with a slight guilty insistence) "I don't know, Daddy"
Dad: (sternly) "Karsyn, you put these here didn't you"
Daughter: (confidently, knowing she's committed and now has to sell it) "No I didn't. It was Mr. Nobody." (as if she's solved the mystery)
Dad: (trying to hide a smile, needing to maintain paternal discipline) "Karsyn, it wasn't Mr. Nobody. A real person moved those. You and I were the only people in here and I did not move it. Did you move these decorations?" (attempting to get the confession for teaching purposes rather than admissible evidence)
Daughter: (past the point of no return, bold face lying) "No Daddy"
Dad: (Very stern, with a slight increase in enunciation, decrease in pace, and increase in volume) "Karsyn, you moved those decorations and now you are lying"
Daughter: (lip quivers, eyes cast down, nose wrinkles, and she is reduced to melting in a pool of her own tears) "whaaaaaaghhhhhh"

There have been several other situations which found the initial finger being pointed Mr. Nobody's way. How convenient that would be in real life wouldn't it? Who did that? - Mr. Nobody! Who didn't do what was supposed to be done? - Mr. Nobody!

We must be people who are willing to take responsibility for our actions - and our inactions. Matt.25:31-46 describes the final judgment. We best take heed of that scripture and these comments from Keith Green in his song, "The Sheep and the Goats": "And my friends, the only difference between the sheep and the goats, according to this scripture, is what they did, and didn't do!!"

Don't blame your mistakes and woulda/shoulda/coulda's on Mr. Nobody. Whatever you do, be a Somebody and make a positive difference with your life!