The Impossible

On Thursday night the Toronto Maple Leafs were able to pull off the, "impossible."  Most Leafs fans don't care what goes on behind the scenes, they just want to see their team win.  But sports is big business.  NHL teams have what's called a salary cap.  To make it fair for everyone, all teams can only spend a certain amount of money on player contracts each year.  It keeps the teams with all the money from signing contracts with all of the best players thereby leaving nothing for teams with less money.   The problem comes when you sign a player to big money and they don't don't produce what you had hoped they would.  David Clarkson of the Leafs was one of those players.  He was paid a lot of money but just couldn't seem to find his way as a Toronto Maple Leaf.  The issue was with his contract. Not only did he make lots of money this year, but was supposed to make lots of money until the 2020 season.  So...most people thought that it be impossible to trade him.   But the Leafs did it.  David Clarkson is now a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets.  Hopefully it works out for him and the Leafs.

I know it is a strange connection, but as I was reading my Bible I started to think about how God tends to make the impossible possible...often.  If you are facing the impossible right now, hopefully this encourages you.

~ Abraham was too old

~ Isaac was a daydreamer

~ Jacob was a liar

~ Joseph was abused

~ Moses had a stuttering problem

~ Gideon was afraid

~ Rahab was a prostitute

~ Jeremiah and Timothy were too young

~ David was an adulterer and a murderer

~ Elijah was suicidal

~ Jonah ran from God

~ Naomi was a widow

~ Job went bankrupt

~ John the Baptist ate bugs

~ Peter denied Christ

~ Martha worried about everything

~ Zacchaeus was too small

~ Lazarus was dead!

Cold

I have met lots of people who are fans of winter.  They love the snow, skiing, snowmobiling, skating, and hockey.  But you don't find too many people who love the cold (I mean the minus 25 and colder find of cold).  In fact, we could probably come up with our own list of, "It's so cold that..."  No joke.  Let's do it.  It's so cold that:

A bottle of Coke will go from warm to cold in 10 minutes outside.
Your car makes strange rattling sounds you never hear in the summer
Your nostrils stick when you try and breathe in the cold air
Dogs and cats only go outside for 60 seconds or less...because they have to (our cat used to groan before running outside to take care of business)
When you try to start your car, instead of the engine turning over it says, "Really???"
You buy a coffee or tea more to warm your hands on the cup rather than drink it.

I think this is a never ending list.  But the best part of it all, is how we brag about how tough we are when we speak with people from warmer clients.  Ha ha. Yep, I do it all the time.  Wind Chill Factor Survivors Unite!

Day One

On tv and in the movies they make starting over look so easy.  Criminal activities, difficult relationships, and just bad choices are often fixed in the witness protection program, by starting a new relationship or leaving the past behind.   But life isn't like that.  Is it?

On the surface, starting over can seem impossible.  Especially if someone hurt you or you did the unthinkable.  That is something that needs to be worked out through therapy and other healing processes.  That's what makes God's grace so difficult to understand.   Forgiving the unforgivable and forgetting the unforgettable just isn't a logical or fair solution.  But with God, He wipes away your past as soon as you ask.  It's gone.  Yes, we still have to deal with the consequences of our actions but usually the most difficult part of God's grace is accepting it.  Because by accepting God's grace we are forced to admit that we can no longer use it as a crutch in our lives.  We keep grace at a distance because it scares us.  But God knows that while vulnerability is uncomfortable for a season, the reward of freedom is exhilarating.  

Sometimes we need to wrestle with these ideas and let them roll around in our minds for awhile before we truly understand.  That's why I like music so much.  You can listen to a song thirty times before the message finally sinks in.  Other times, the message jumps up and hits you right away.  If you are having trouble accepting that free gift of grace from God, listen to this song...thirty times if you have to until you truly experience freedom.

A Life Of Purpose

I think it's safe to say that most of us us at some point in our life, if not all of us, are unsure of our purpose in life.  Sure, we can have a job, a family, good church, and still be restless.  So we search and explore, and sometimes agonize over life's possibilities and still come up empty.  I think that's why Rick Warren decided to write The Purpose Driven Life.  He knew that we all have a longing for something.  Unfortunately, so many of us never find it.

There is something called TED Talks.  They bring in special guests to give talks about creativity, productivity, leadership, motivation, etc.  I am always intrigued when someone I know is a guest, like Rick Warren.  In 2006 he was invited to speak.  This was the high point of The Purpose Driven Life book.  It had sold millions of copies all over the world and everyone wanted to know why Rick wrote the book.  His message is just over 20 minutes long, but hopefully it will inspire you for the first time and/or again to find your purpose.

Appearances Can Be Deceiving

Thanks to reality tv shows, we are constantly reminded that what you see isn't necessarily what you get. And yet, we tend to judge just by looking.  Of course when I say we I mean "I."   Someone posted this he other day on Facebook. It is a few years old but a good reminder that appearances can be deceiving...

Doors

One of the greatest frustrations in life has to be when you act on something and it fails.  It is even more frustrating when it feels like God opened the door, only to have it slam in your face before you get to walk through.  How does that make sense?  If the opportunity is there, why doesn't God let you follow through.

I have been reading through the book of Exodus lately and have been reading about Moses.  In Chapter 4:21, God instructs Moses to visit Pharoah and perform some wonders that God has given him the power to do. Then God says that He will harden Pharoah's heart.   The ultimate purpose of the visit is for Pharoah to let the Israelites go right?  Or is it?    Since I was a child I saw this passage as just a neat part of the story.  But recently, I am reading in a different way.  There is a chance that God will send us into a situation knowing that it will be a dead end.  In this case, he sent Moses to Egypt to demand that he let the Israelites go.  But he still sent Moses even though he knew that Pharoah would harden his heart.

I'm wondering if Moses' visit to Pharoah had less to do with Pharoah and more to do with Moses.  If you go back a few chapters, Moses did not believe he could do anything God was asking him to do.  Moses knew God could do anything, but had trouble believing that God could use him to make it happen.  God basically had to take Moses hand walk him through the trip, the wonders, the hardening of Pharoah's heart, just to convince Moses that He would  be true to his word.

I wonder how many doors have been closed in our lives because we don't think God can use us.  He keeps throwing opportunities our way to encourage us to take steps of faith.  Until we do, He can't let us walk through the door until we are ready for what's on the other side.  God had to use baby steps with Moses before parting the Red Sea.  What baby steps are you taking right now with God?  Are you ready to take some bigger steps?

The Letter

My family just wrapped up a crazy Christmas season.  I know it's crazy for everyone, but in my family we have birthday after birthday after birthday.  Toss in Christmas and New Years and we go non-stop for just over a month.

Now that the cakes have been eaten and the party hats have been put away, I can reflect on the season that was.  My daughter Leah turned 1, I turned 40, my wife Shauna turned %* and my son Aiden is now 4.

As a teenager, adults tell you to enjoy your life because time flies.  It turns out the adults were right. That's a tough thing for any teenager, current or former, to admit.  Now I get the privilege of reliving my childhood through my kids.  Seriously.  Think about it.  If you saw me playing with toys in the front yard, you'd think I was crazy.  But if I am playing with toys in the the front yard with my son, I'm a great dad.  It's funny how that works.

My favourite part of spending time with my four-year-old son Aiden is the conversation.  His perspective on life is funny, intriguing, innocent, intelligent, and humbling.  I guess that's why I found this story so great.  Not only did this four-year-old remind me of my own son with her child like innocence, but also how rewarding life can be when we look at it through the eyes of a child.

Taken from www.inspire21.com

a 4-year-old's letter to god

A True Story -- Author unknown

There is a kind soul working in the dead letter office of the U.S. Postal Service somewhere...

Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4-year-old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God, so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could, so she dictated these words:

....................................................

Dear God,

Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick. I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her you will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.

Love, Meredith.
(written by the mother of Mer Claire)
....................................................

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to: God in Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office.

A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had. Yesterday there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, "To Meredith" in an unfamiliar hand.

Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers, titled, "When a Pet Dies." Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:

....................................................

Dear Meredith,

Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away. Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.

Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I am wherever there is love.

"Love, God"