vain hope is really no hope at all!

Vain hope is what most people have. They hope things get better, their job improves, their health returns, the future will be favourable and they really hope their marriages work. But all such hope is vain. It is aspiration that more often than not never quite delivers!
The recent interest in games of chance especially card games like Texas Hold’em illustrates this truth. These games are like a window into what most of us call hope. A lucky break here, a risk taken there, out on a limb praying [hoping] for something to go your way. So much depends on the hand your dealt; so much depends on when you lay your bet down. Hold your cards close to your chest and deceive everyone around the table as best you can. Try hard to make them think that you truly do have a winning hand! You've got what it takes to make it work. But in the end it truly is a game of chance and as in any casino 97% of the time the house wins.
This is how many people go through life. Round after round our chips of hope dissipate as life beats us up. We slowly but surely loose our aspirations, we loose our hope. All those Grad speeches we heard where just that, just speeches. Hopelessness is ramped in our society. Hopelessness leads to despair and that leads to all kinds of trouble. Hatred, deceit, stealing, violence, anger and rage, all stem from the root of despair that comes from the helpless sense of hopelessness.
Without hope we go through life with significant disadvantages. 1) The is no expectation that someone can save us from our selves and those nasty habits that bring damage to our lives, relationships and loved ones. 2) There is no knowledge of the great and awesome promises of God that introduce, foster and make hope flourish. 3) There is no hope past the grave. It's eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die! 4) The best hope we can muster is an, “I sure hope so…” kind of hope. 5) A desperate hopeless world breeds desperate hopeless people. It feels like a trap that is slowly squeezing the life out of us. Vain hope is really no hope at all!
Fortunately, vain hope is not the only kind of hope out there! God himself has intervened in his mercy.
Easter is all about a good and living hope. The Bible tells us that there is hope that comes from God. It describes it as a better hope, a Good hope, and a Living hope. It says, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead!
Allow me to introduce you to this kind of hope that is held out by the good news of Jesus Christ.
What he did was die and take all the punishment that we deserve because of our sin on himself. This death opens up a way for us to connect with the God of the universe. The God of all hope! A way of hope, a way of grace, so that we can now have God and all the promises he makes of a life forever where He is the center of it all.
Jesus resurrection is like a guarantee that he really means business. His resurrection means what he promised is true and those promises have power to bring us good and living hope to transform our lives both now and forever!
So, what kind of hope do you have in your life; vain hope or Living hope? If you don’t have living hope would you like to have it? Hope that is good, merciful, living and eternal! This hope can be yours by believing the message I have just told you. We must claim it as our very own, turning away from lives full of vain hope and the trouble it brings, and turning them toward God for life and hope forever which he offers through his Son Jesus. Just believe it!

Sandy Footprints

I sat and looked at these footprints for along time tonight. Maybe I am just a bit tired from the week of rollercoaster riding that Cheryl and I went on. Ministry has those moments when you feel like you're just making dents in sand dunes. When it seems like you are in a dry and weary land where there is no water. When there isn’t a person in sight and you feel all alone.
Except - someone took the picture. Someone is there, right behind me all the way. He has my back. Encouraging me to keep putting one dusty foot in front of the other. Keep pressing on. Keep the way straight.
Marks are left in the sand. A Footprint is not a monument. A monument shouts, "At least I got this far". But a footprint, a footprint says, "This is where I was before I moved again." Not stagnant but moving, not stationary but progressive, not aimless but purposeful.
Finally, I looked up at the horizon. What adventure is just beyond that hill top? The next thing, the next event, the next whatever! I suppose it could just be more sand, but maybe, just maybe there is an oasis or a city or even just a camel. Nobody but God can see over that horizon and he has my future in the palm of his hand.
I can hear him whisper, “I delight in you, and you are spectacular!"
That's all the encouragement I need.
I will get there with the Lord's help one sandy foot in front of the other.
Where are your footprints taking you?

W A I T I N G ................................................................

Waiting. I've waited an awful lot this week. In fact I waited for almost 4 hours on Monday for a part to come to the mechanics shop but when it came it was the wrong one. Then yesterday I waited for 3 hours because when they sent the right part they didn't send all of the parts that go with the right parts. So I waited. Then I waited in line at the grocery store. Then I didn't want to have to drive home then turn around and come back and pick up Paige at soccer so I waited around the soccer field. I've waited an awful lot this week.
How much time have you been waiting this week?

Road Trip!

This past week I have spent an enormous amount of time on the road. First with five screaming, laughing uncontrollably, giggly and rambunctious-gotta-stop-again-and-use-the-bathroom teen age girls cramped into one itty bitty space! I am glad to be alive!
Then a second trip took me back into Alberta country, into the beautiful and exciting town of Banff where I was able to meet up with a good friend for a couple days of R&R.
An interesting thing happened one day while I sat in the mall food court having just stuffed my face with some delicious Japanese food. I noticed an old man who was smiling at me. Or at least I thought it was me and sure enough when I turned around to see if there was someone else behind me there was no one. He smiled again and then made a B-line for the empty chair across from me. Jack Lee he said as he sat down univited. He was 72 years old and was born and raised in Canada. His grandfather was one of the first people to set foot on Canadian soil from China back in the early 1800's. In fact his grandfather and his father after him both came to Canada as stow-a-ways in the bottom of commercial ships. The journey of his forefathers fascinated me and he told his story with deep reverence. Before I knew it an hour had zipped by. I figured that this was too good an opportunity to pass up so I asked him about matters of faith. He is a devout Christian who attends a United Church in Calgary. As I got up to leave he blessed me in the name of God and shook my hand like nobodies business.
Today at a funeral service I listened to the stories of a man who moved here right after the 2 World War from Germany. Tough times, yes, but he just kept moving, building, growing until he was done and he went on to his reward.
Pilgrimage; one foot in front of the other followed by the same thing over and over again. Seems like going somewhere is quite a strong and deeply felt unction in the heart of human kind. Everybody seems to be going somewhere.
God reminds us in Psalm 85. Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
We're moving; we'’re moving on to God; we'’re moving in the right direction. Someone once wrote, "A monument only says' "at least I got this far" while a footprint says, "This is where I was when I moved again". Keep going.
The Christian life is meant to be done on the move. It is meant to be a pilgrimage, a journey for a lifetime. Are you moving these days? How's your road trip going?

It's all about understanding each other!

this ones for Niki and Paige

We need him in our church!

finally a team I could feel comfortable playing with!

Sometimes my couch feels like this!

Mackenzie and I had a good laugh over this Reebok commercial! Hope you enjoy it.

Captivate me; Elevate me; Lord!

Man races against horse

This morning I read a verse that simply took me away into the imaginations of my heart. It captivated my mind and fascinated my spirit. God has such a way with imagery, a real flare as a word smith. This weekend I picked up a book (finally used my Christmas gift card) by Eugene Peterson called "A Long Obedience in the same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society" As I settled in to read the first chapter this morning the opening verse found in Jeremiah was all I needed. It consists of two questions that the Lord asked of Jeremiah and then again he asked them to me a few thousand years later. Two questions that have the same answer; two questions that probe the recesses of the heart. Two questions that every apprentice of Jesus must settle, probably many times along the journey towards spiritual maturity. Though I found the God's Word enough to paint the picture in my mind I found a couple of pictures on the net to aid with the imagery.

The verse is Jer. 12:5 "If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?

The thickets along the Jordan River

man walks through plate glass window!

This is truly amazing! It is hard to believe to say the least

Cool car trick

What closely when the car comes out from behind the trees!

Chris's blog reminded of....

Being so exhausted that you can't even take a dump without falling asleep. This literally happened to me one time. I fell asleep on the crapper!

Things that make you go hmmm....

Yesterday two things happened that made me go hmmm.... The first was an experience I had while stopping to fuel up my truck around 7:30 last night. I pulled in just ahead of a very expensive looking SUV built by Lexus that was sporting Washington plates. Three women in their early 40's got out but it soon became totally apparent they had never fueled up their vehicles before. They had no idea of how to start the pump, they had no idea where the gas port on the vehicle was, and they did not know how to pay for their gas. They called over to me and asked how to pay so I told them to go inside for that. I finished and followed the one women in while she tried to figure out how her debit card worked. Then after several attempts she decided to go get a credit card from one of her friends but only wanted to put 10.00 worth of gas in...in her words, "to start with lets put 10 dollars in and and then see if I will need more gas after that" I finally got my gas paid for and got out of there with the women still not having put one drop of gas into their SUV! Gotta wonder?
The second thing was an email I got from one of the guys in our church. He often sends me quirky little things and most of the time they are kinda dumb. However, this one made me go hmmmm....

This is what he sent me, "Sometimes you just scratch your head....

When NASA first started sending up astronauts, they quickly discovered
that ball-point pens would not work in zero gravity. To combat this
problem, NASA scientists spent a decade and $12 billion developing a pen
that writes in zero gravity, upside-down, on almost any surface
including glass and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to over
300 C.

The Russians used a pencil. Your taxes are due again--enjoy paying them."
Just some things that make you go Hmmmm....
God is Good All the Time.

Sabbath

Sabbath. A good healthy and soulful practice that takes the pressure off, allows for moments of despair without rushing past them after all we are only human! It is good for the entire body, soul, mind and emotions. I love my day off. No church people! Nobody but family if that's what I choose. I don't have to answer any questions, I don't have to answer any phones, I don't have to check emails, I don't need to leave my haven of rest here in the house.
Sabbath was created by God for our sanity just as much as our sanctification. It is meant to be a time to unwind and recoup. I love it and after this past week I really needed it.
Thank you Lord for Sabbath.
God is Good All the Time!

Thoughts on the cost of non-discipleship

A lesson that I am learning right now regarding the cost of discipleship has been very fun to think about and learn. When you grow up in a Christian home and you tally up how many sermons you have heard, how many bible studies you have attended, conferences, camps and workshops you have enjoyed it can be a bit staggering. If I only take one sermon per Sunday over 43 years that alone adds up to just over 2400 sermons. That is a ton of biblical information running around inside my heart, mind and soul! Then something happens; an awaking comes and a fresh word is spoken to our hearts and we are like a kid in a candy shop with it.
I have heard countless sermons on counting the cost of following Jesus. I have basically always assumed that meant the cost to me personally or what I would have to give up in order to gain eternal life with Jesus. While that may be true, part of counting the cost is also counting what you gain through what you are giving up. There is a story of man who found gold in a field, lots of gold, more gold than he could ever have imagined. As it turned out he is the only one who knew the gold was there so he goes off and sells everything he owns(negative cost)and then takes the money and purchases the field with great joy (positive cost). Was it a burden to the man to sell everything to buy the field that was rich beyond his wildest dreams? Yes, but in light of what he gained the cost was almost insignificant!
Then I started to see another cost that needs to be factored in when it comes to counting the cost of following Jesus. That would be the cost of non-discipleship. What if I choose not to be an apprentice then what? It didn't take long for me to see that what I would loose far outweighed what I would gain by not entering into the apprenticeship program of Jesus. If I knew the gold was there but decided not to sell everything to purchase the property then I am the biggest looser for it. For me it should be a "no-brainier"!
I think it is healthy to think of life from this perspective; to ask yourself if you can really afford not to take on the life of an apprentice of Jesus. The way of the sinner is hard but then so is the way of the Christian who is unwilling to count the cost in both directions. If I am right about this then the cost of non-discipleship may even be harder!

Scary Night for Scottie

Last Wednesday evening while I was teaching a class on Elisha I received a call on my cell phone. I thought it might be the kids so I picked it up but saw it was my friend and kept teaching. Later I called him and found out that he was trying to get a hold of me to tell me that my cousin Scott Nichol had been seriously injured in a Hockey game. He had been watching TSN and saw that Scott had been hit, lost his balance and plunged head first into the boards. He was knocked unconscious and after laying on the ice surface for 10 minutes they got him on a stretcher and took him off to the nearest hospital. He missed most of the season up until Christmas and now this injury. They hope he will be back in the line up by the end of next week. Hope the rest of the season goes much better for him! Here are some pics that I found about the incident.

The Christian Reality Show

If been thinking lately about my own families considerable ingestion of reality T.V. shows. Right now Cheryl and the girls are focused on American Idol. I am trying hard to like it but it is not going very well. I am often told to go do something else as my comments are becoming a real nuisance to the ladies as they try and enjoy watching the show. What I find most amazing is just how horrible some if not most of the contestants are at singing if you could call it that. Yet, somehow, in their own little worlds, they believe the lie that they've got what it takes to become America's next Idol. Reality truly is the farthest thing from their minds and even the minds of those who support them in this endeavour. After completely humiliating themselves and slaughtering some song and being torn to shreds by the judges they storm off angry and hurt from their experience. Then in post interviews they bitterly argue with the judges decisions. Usually with tears and/or vulgar language they say they have perfect pitch, that they sang completely on key, they say so many things that are not remotely connected to the truth and therefore to reality. If it wasn’t for the few who can sing well you could call it Non-reality T.V.
Then I started to think about Christians and reality. I started to wonder how interesting it would be to have a reality show about how Christians really live. It may not be a hit T.V. show but it would be very interesting. It would be fascinating to see just how many Christians live out what the bible clearly teaches as the kind of life the believer is to experience. For example, you could post a warning at the beginning of the show say something like: "Tonight’s show contains scenes of violence, judgemtalism, contempt and rage. Viewer discretion is advised." Followed by a verse that would be the theme of that evenings show, something like 1 Pe 1:7 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy". Then follow a selected group of Christians around to see just what this inexpressible joy looks like at work, at home, with friends, with neighbours etc. Interspersed with interviews of those closest to the Christians in order to provide a living commentary from those who are on the receiving end of what is supposed to be “inexpressible and glorious joy!” Then as the show comes to a close the contestants would watch their lives, listen to the commentary and respond to it. Thus attempting to measure what is really true about themselves. Which could be very different from what they may think is true about themselvs.
Sounds like the makings of a sad and terrifying look at what really goes on in the hearts and minds of people who claim to be Christian yet act and think and feel something else! Or better yet, sounds a bit like judgement day!!!!

Block Buster Motto

Few and far between is how I would describe last night. It was one of those rare times when my wife and I had an evening alone at home. No kids, no running around, no interruptions, no pressure! We decided to rent a movie from Block Buster called "The Gospel". If you enjoy Black Gospel choir music then you will love this movie as the music is quite spectacular. It is basically a prodigal son story and the acting is definitely "B" rated. While we were standing at the check out Cheryl noticed the motto of the Block Buster staff.

It reads: "At Block Buster, our employees are empowered, authorized and committed to taking care of you." Pretty heavy duty stuff for a movie rental outlet half full of teenagers receiving minimum wage for their efforts!

We chuckled and thought that this would be a good slogan for a church leadership team. At Peachland Community Church our leadership is empowered, authorized and committed to taking care of you!
I like it!
God is good all the time

The Case of the Missing Mojo!

This morning I went out to leave early for my work out and my truck wouldn't start. It just kept turning over and over. I checked under the hood to see if something obvious had happened but saw nothing. I hopped back in and noticed my gas gauge was on empty and I mean right empty. No gas No go! Someone had come and taken my gas out of my tank in my truck while it was parked in my driveway at some point in the night. I think it was just under half full when I parked it last time.
So, I guess I will have to go out and buy a key entry gas cap so I don't have to go this trouble of running out of fuel and the expense of the lost petro!
We live in a fallen world but...
God is still Good all the time.