Ice Berg or Ice Floe

When looking at the Arctic Ice in Canada, there are two forms that you find. Ice Bergs and Ice Floes.

Ice Floes are shallow ice, easily moved by the wind and waves and are subject to erratic movement and shifting constantly. They are not firmly planted.

Ice Bergs are deeply rooted with only 10% being visible above the water line. The ice bergs are not easily moved. They are stable.

Which one best represents you in your life. Are you easily moved by the circumstances of life around you, or are you firmly planted in who you are and what you believe. The only sure footing that we can have in our lives is in placing our trust and our lives on the solid foundation given to us in Jesus Christ.

In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus tells the story of the wise and foolish builders. I would encourage you to read that passage again today. Which one are you?

Summertime Thinking

Summertime provides, along with the wonderful array of outdoor activity, a great amount of time to just kick back the heels and ponder life. Whether it is sitting on the beach, enjoying the cool of the evening on the back deck, hiking through the wonder of God’s creation around us, or just plain chillin, there is ample opportunity to think.

If we are honest with ourselves, for the most part life gets to busy to stop and think. Some of the most profound ideas, concepts, revelations come through the process of the simplest ideas and concepts. The following phrases, quotes, etc. are from a collection that has passed by my desk over the years. I encourage you to pause for a moment and let at least one of these thoughts rattle around in your head for a while…

When you get to your wit’s end, you’ll find God lives there.

Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on your front door forever.

Some minds are like concrete, thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.

Peace starts with a smile.

Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisers.

God himself does not propose to judge a man until he is dead. So why should you?

Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous

Forbidden fruits create many jams.

He who angers you, controls you!

God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.

You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to discourage him.

Don’t put a question mark where God put a period.

Quit griping about your church; if it was perfect, you couldn’t belong

Don’t wait for 6 strong men to take you to church

God grades on the cross, not the curve.

The best math equation ever: 1 cross + 3 nails = 4 given.

Have a great summer and God bless.

Thought for the day

What God directs us to do,
God empowers us to do.

We are never called to do things on our own strength
We are to fully rely upon God

Thought for the Day

Prayer does not fit us for the greater work,
Prayer is the greater work.
                                       -- Oswald Chambers

Thought of the Day

Jesus loved the church enough He was willing to die for it,
Perhaps we should consider living in it.

It Only Takes One

It on ly takes one...

… bad apple to spoil the whole bunch

… wave to wreck a sand castle

… spark to get a fire going

… to change a lightbulb…

… to change the course of history…

Telemachus, a fourth century monk, felt God calling him to Rome. When he got to Rome, people were running about the city in great confusion. He had arrived on a day when the gladiators were going to fight in the Coliseum. Everyone was heading there to watch the entertainment.

Telemachus thought this must be why God had called him to Rome. He walked into the Coliseum, and sat down among the 80,000 people who cheered as the gladiators came out proclaiming, “Hail Caesar! We die to the glory of Caesar.”

The little monk thought to himself, Here we are, four centuries after Christ, in a civilized nation, and people are killing one another for the entertainment of the crowd.

Telemachus got up out of his seat, ran down the steps, climbed over the wall, walked out to the center of the amphitheater and stood between two large gladiators. Putting his hands up, he meekly cried out, “In the name of Christ, stop!” The crowd laughed and jeered. One of the gladiators slapped Telemachus in the stomach with his sword and sent him spinning off into the dust.

Telemachus got up again and stood between the two huge gladiators. He repeated, “In the name of Christ, stop.” This time the crowd chanted “Run him through!” One of the gladiators took his sword and ran it through Telemachus’ stomach. He fell into the dust and the sand turned red as blood ran out of him. One last time, Telemachus weakly cried out, “In the name of Christ, stop.” He died on the amphitheater floor.

The crowd grew silent, and within minutes they emptied out of the Coliseum. History records that thanks to Telemachus this was the last gladiator contest in the history of the Roman Empire.

It only takes one… 

When we look at the beauty of where we live it often overshadows the fact that there are some serious problems in our community.

… Houses are getting broken into and destroyed…

… vandalism and violence are increasing…

… drug and alcohol use is rampant among the youth…

We need to fight for our community, our children, and take a stand. There is such a thing as right and wrong, and though many would deny it, we need to uphold what is good and right and true.

It is time to stop turning a blind eye towards the problems in this town and do something about it. You have the opportunity to make a difference. Will it take work? Yes. Will you be the most popular person in town? Probably Not!! Will it be worth it? Most Definitely!!

You can be ONE who changes the course of history for West Kelowna and beyond.

God loves to use one person to make a big difference in the world, and He wants to use you.

Give me a call and let’s talk… 250.769.5481

IF

As the current golf season gets into full gear I am hoping to play more than I did last year. One of my favorite golf terms is “Mulligans.” The infamous term in golf, for those like me, that comes into play when you hit one of those shots that you just wish you could do over again… You know, the topped my ball, out of bounds, in the water, rolled into the bunker, stuck behind a tree kind of shot that won’t do anything to help your score. In a friendly game the usual set is one for each nine holes, and if you play the video golf version you can arrange the settings to have as many as you want…

Staples has produced a product that for them is a symbol of the simplicity in finding the answers to business life, the “Big Easy Button.” When you’re in an office jam you push the button and the answers will just be there. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a “Do-Over Button” that functioned as a “Mulligan” for life? How many times have we wished to have a conversation over again, or done something differently, or acted differently and if we could go back and change it our lives would be so much better… or at least more peaceful…

“IF is half of LIFE.” I know for myself that making “WHAT IF” statements will not change what has already happened, and really has no benefit other than to help me make a different decision in a similar situation in the future. Sometimes you can get so stuck on what took place in the past that you can’t let go of it, and it actually prevents you from moving forward. Hanging onto what could have been leads to holding grudges, complacency, indecision and the inability to be functional. In a sense living the “IF” does swallow up half of your life…

Letting go of what might have been and looking forward to the potential of what could be is not an easy step. Life would be so much easier if we had a “Magic 8 Ball.” Maybe you remember that toy as a child and asking a question then shaking the ball and waiting for an answer to appear. To have that information at our disposal now would be of tremendous benefit, but it would also rob us of one of the most important parts of life…FAITH. With the answer to tomorrow in front of us the aspect of faith would be removed. Faith is sometimes spelled R-I-S-K, because it is a decision to move forward without knowing exactly what tomorrow is going to bring or where it will take you…

For some, tomorrow is no worry at all because they have faith in God and know that He is more than capable to handle what tomorrow will bring. All “Mulligans”, “Easy Buttons” and “Magic 8 Balls” aside, the only true guarantee with regards to tomorrow is to place your trust in God. He took care of yesterday, is looking after today and will be present tomorrow, and He wants you to put your faith and trust in Him. We only have the opportunity to go through life once, and then we have to answer for our actions during this life (Hebrews 9:27-28).

You can “IF” your way through “LIFE,” or you can LIVE your life in FAITH.