Are you Done Inside?

Which frying pan are you in today? We are all in some kind of frying pan – some situation that makes us feel uncomfortable at best and burning hot at worst.

On the first evening of Prayer Week, I asked God what posture he wanted me in, what attitude he wanted my heart to adopt. I saw a picture in my mind, so bizarre, it had to be from him. I have since tested it and yes I do believe it was his answer to my question.

I saw a frying pan with a pancake in the middle. It was nicely browned on both sides and seemed ready to take out and eat, but it wasn’t. It was gooey inside and needed to stay in the heat a bit longer. I believe God was saying that he wasn’t finished using the situations I’m in to make me whole and fully mature inside.

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Who Are You Serving?

By now your New Year’s resolutions may be filed away for next year. Oh how we start with big dreams and good intentions. Why are they so hard to follow through on? I think I might have an answer …

In September I took some training for a new course I’m helping facilitate this winter called “Freedom Session”. It’s about letting Jesus heal our pain and hurts that keep us captive, freeing us to move forward. One thing the instructor said has stayed with me even months later: In order to move forward, you have to want something else more than staying where you are. In other words find out what will motivate you to change. 

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O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree…

If you’ve read any of my blogs or articles, you’ll know I have quite a sentimental streak when it comes to family stuff. For instance, my wife, Darlene, and I have been collecting Christmas ornaments for many years. 

We have ornaments that speak of key times in our journey together – handmade ones from Christmas Markets in Germany when I used to tour there, ones indicating our ‘first’  Christmases (marriage, kids’), ones that speak of our return to Canada after living in the UK for 12 years… all kinds of momentous occasions! I even have a favourite from my childhood, which I found in my mom’s collection, to remind me of family Christmases with members that I can no longer share the season with. And every year when we trim the tree, these are beautiful reminders of events and journeys that God has brought us through.

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You Think You Have It Bad?

Recently I was having a conversation with a friend of mine, and as most conversations go with most every guy, things eventually shifted towards sports.  As we talked about our favorite teams, my friend was lamenting about the current status of his patron team.  When he continued to complain about his suffering through a rough season for his team, I retorted with the statement; “Well you think you have it bad…let’s talk about my teams.”  When I divulged the teams I passionately follow, I soon found myself at the brunt of ridicule and banter.  You see, it’s been some dry days for me as an avid sports fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs (insert your Canucks fan jokes here____), Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Raiders, and Michigan Wolverines.  In fact the winning percentage of these teams combined over the past 2 years is a paltry .385%, so the only saving grace I have as a sports fan is my beloved Los Angeles Lakers and hometown Windsor Spitfires, both of whom won championships last season (NBA & Memorial Cup champs).

Now if you’re a sports fan, you will undoubtedly, at some point, have to endure some hard times as your team rebuilds or re-invents itself.  If you’ve followed a successful team, you can just take it granted that every year will be followed by a long playoff run, division titles…and perhaps a coveted championship trophy.  Sports can be very humbling…one moment your team is at the top, and 2 seasons later you’re considering adopting another franchise to follow.  When a few flourish, others must suffer…some are always worse off than others.

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Making Room 4 God

I am not a coffee connoisseur, but I have been brought to (or should I say dragged to) enough Starbucks boutiques that I can pretty well tell you where most of the Starbucks are located in the Fraser Valley. I like to spend time with my wife - and well - she likes to spend time at Starbucks. People often tell me – “oh I ran into your wife yesterday” - and I can guess, and usually guess right – “don’t tell me, was it at Starbucks?” So my wife is one of those Starbucks queens - Tim Horton’s is looked down on with disdain, and for her, restaurant coffee is given the same consideration as dirty dishwater. 
When we go for “coffee” - I will often stand in line and make the purchase while Virginia finds a good spot for us to sit at. Starbucks has a pretty consistent way of doing things and I remember the first time I heard what are now very familiar words “would you like room for cream?” The first time I was asked that I may have thought how considerate my barista was.

But it didn’t take long for a more cynical perspective to cross my mind. I envisioned a bunch of Starbucks executives meeting in a boardroom discussing stagnant profits and how they could increase their profits with a little question like “would you like room…?” On one cup, the bit of coffee they don’t serve you which far exceeds the few drops of cream that most people add may seem insignificant. But when you multiply it out by the mega millions of cups they serve around the world, in my estimation, that adds up to a significant additional corporate profit.

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