"The Difference – a Tiny Moment" by Peter A. Black

They played basketball together in highschool and regional tournaments. And,

TVRA-South-East-boys. Highschool successors 2.5 decades later.

Credit: hometownplay.ca

for some years after they’d established themselves in their careers and were raising families, they still got together for friendly old-guy games.

Eventually they got wise, as their aching knees told them it was time to quit their favourite sport – after all, they’d soon be entering their middle-age years. Instead, they made an annual pilgrimage into the USA for a concert, since they shared a common liking for a particular artist.

They used to ride down on motorcycles. One of the group’s families owned a Harley Davidson dealership, and those buddies who no longer owned a bike would rent one for the weekend. In more recent years they’d travel in a couple of trucks.

A month or so ago two of those friends and their families got together to celebrate one of the youngsters’ birthdays. The boy’s dad was an avid Harley owner. It was an enjoyable time by the pool with family and friends.

Three mornings later my wife’s mobile sounded. It was a text message. “Good Morning . . . Last night was not a good night. . . .” It went on to say that Brent was killed in the early evening, near Belmont, Ontario, and that his fellow biker was in a London hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Credit: Courtesy of CTV. 

One bike seems partly under the other & partly in the ditch.

These biking buds were devastatingly struck while riding their motor-cycles—Brent on his beloved Harley. As of my writing the full story has not been given in the media, but it appears that an SUV coming from the opposite direction, suddenly, without warning, made a left turn and plowed into both riders.

A tiny moment in time. Fractions of a second. Mere metres. The difference between life and death for one man, and for the other the difference between prime-of-life strength and serious injury, possibly with life-altering effects. A tiny moment spelling the difference for both men: between a welcome home and supper together with spouses and kids, and heartbreaking tragedy.

Our son Chris and his wife and family were the friends who hosted Brent’s youngest son’s eleventh birthday celebration only two days before that fatal accident. They grieve the loss of their friend and grieve for his wife and children. They will surely be concerned about the injured motorcyclist and his family. I grieve too. And I pray—even for the driver of that SUV.

The biblical scriptures say that after death we are to give account to God (see Hebrews 9:27). We may not know just when or how our appointment with death will come. However:

We have this moment.

It only takes a tiny moment to invest our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son our Saviour, and to apply to our hearts and lives the sacrifice He made in our behalf to purchase our redemption. The Saviour says,

“. . . whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24 NIV2011).

A tiny moment . . . an eternal difference!

~~+~~

Peter A. Black is a retired pastor – well, sort of retired – and lives in Southwestern Ontario. He writes a weekly inspirational newspaper column, P-Pep! and is author of Raise Your Gaze ... Mindful Musings of a Grateful Heart, and Parables from the Pond – a children's / family book. ~~+~~

"Take Your Time" - by Heidi McLaughlin

I am fixated on the British Open Golf Tournament taking place in Scotland at the Royal Troon Championship course.  It’s the 3rday of the tournament and Phil Mickelson, my favourite player, is in the lead. I focus on his drives, short pitches, brilliant putts and the interaction between him and his caddy. “Jim Bones” Mackay has been Phil’s caddy since 1992 and they have established a trusting relationship.  

This part fascinates me.  On every tee box both Phil and “Jim Bones” go through the routine of Phil’s next shot. They establish wind velocity, precise yardage, angles and hazards. Conversation takes place back and forth; they pick the right club, Phil steps up to the tee and then I hear Jim Bones' last words, “Take your time.”  With that simple, yet powerful send off for success, it feels like everyone can breathe again.

We need to hear “take your time” more often. We live in perilous times where we take pride in how much we can pack into one day.  Taking our sweet time about anything is simply not an option. It might even be considered laziness.

Little children teach us to savour the moments. They love to take their time playing with Lego, sitting and listening to stories. We are the ones who teach them to hurry. I can still hear myself, “Get your coat on we’re running late.” “ Quit fooling around, you need to eat your lunch so we can get out of here.” I wonder if subconsciously we learned that it’s bad or wasteful to take our time.

Our relentless pursuits to find fulfillment and success cause us to become weary, overwhelmed and sometimes cynical. I don’t think we were designed to hurry our way through life. Jesus modeled simplicity. “Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:28-29 MSG)

I confess I am also a card-carrying member of the rat race of blogging, tweeting, posting articles, Facebook memes, Instagram, Pinterest and on and on. But with all that we've invested in becoming writers and speakers I would like to suggest that we pause and “take the time” to learn from Jesus and enjoy our journey. We are to throw off all those things that are “ill fitting” and focus on the things that will bring us joy on our pathway to success. So I have to ask myself, “What do I need to take the time to throw off so that I can live freely and lightly?”

Not many of us have a “Jim Bones” to help us become successful and remind us to “take your time.”  But we have Jesus who says we are to watch and learn from Him how to live freely and lightly.  Jesus never hurried. He took time to interact with people and model The Father’s love. He focused on His purpose. He changed the world. What can you and I learn from Jesus that will help us to stop hurrying,  “take the time” and enjoy our privileged season as writers and speakers?

Heidi McLaughlin lives in the beautiful vineyards of the Okanagan Valley in Kelowna, British Columbia. She is married to Pastor Jack and they have a wonderful, eclectic blended family of 5 children and 9 grandchildren. When Heidi is not working, she loves to curl up with a great book, or golf and laugh with her husband and special friends. You can reach her at: www.heartconnection.ca

Heidi's latest book RESTLESS FOR MORE: Fulfillment in Unexpected Places was released July 14th, 2016 and can be purchased on her website or amazon.com

9 STEPS TO AN UNBALANCED LIFE - By Heidi McLaughlin

A balanced life is over-rated. Before you call me a fanatic and burn me at the Time Management whiteboard I want to ask you. “So how is time management” working for you?”

Over the past ten years we have been saturated with “how to” steps for managing our most precious commodity-time. I was the day I threw my palm pilot into the garbage that I realized I had become a slave to time management. With all the information on how to de-clutter, time management workshops, fat day timers, computer and i-Pad calendars and every piece of technology known to mankind to help us with our 24 hour days, we are still rushing, sighing and feeling overwhelmed and frustrated.

A balanced life sounds like a wise, wonderful concept; but what happens when our finely tuned “one hour increments” in our day timer fall behind and we fall apart? In a question and answer period at one my conferences someone asked me the question, “So Heidi, how do you manage your time?” It had been a long time since I looked at my daily life and this question evoked some serious evaluation. I became acutely aware that I am so blessed to be a mom and grandmother; able to still work four days a week, write books, speak across the country and mentor younger women. It made me realize that I am able to describe my life the way my youngest granddaughter’s face lights up when she is delighted about something and exclaims: “That’s yummie!”

I am deeply passionate about leaving my fingerprint on the earth in a meaningful and powerful way.  The bible inspires me with this truth: “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12 NIV).  Here is what those words mean to me:

1.    Say “Yes” to Yummie.  God has given all of us gifts and passions to make our lives, and this world a better place to live.  Ask yourself this question, “What makes my heart pound? What keeps me awake at night dreaming, thinking planning? What do other people say I am good at?” Those are gifts God has given each of us. How dare we not use them?

2.    Say “No” to clutter and useless, meaningless tasks.  Why do we feel it necessary to fill our days with things that have no value; meaningless tasks that rob us of our passions and smiles?

3.    Pray and ask God for His wisdom how to live each day. Do this before you create another calendar event into your i-phone and the two alerts to keep you on track..

4.    No, we are not responsible for everything that happens in everyone’s life.

5.    Get proper rest. Fatigue makes cowards out of us. It makes us vulnerable and before we know it, we are caving in and signing up for another thing that will rob us of more energy.

6.    Realize there are seasons of being totally out of balance. I just finished a difficult season of caring for my mother before she died; challenging disruptions at work and speaking at many conferences.  My life has been totally out of balance for a few months, but my heart is still pounding with passion and purpose.

7       7. Realize this life is about relationships and not process. The bible reminds me of this in such a powerful way: “You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man's life is but a breath” (Psalm 39:5 NIV). The breath of God within each of us is more important that the petty little tasks that consume our hours. 

8.    If you don’t know your gifts or passions, ask God to reveal them to you. He will gladly do it. ^“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5 NIV).

9.    Create your own “magical trash can” and get rid of all the “shoulds” that are robbing your joy.

God has given you and me the “breath of life” on this planet to make a beautiful and powerful impact on mankind. I don’t believe God ever meant for us to be chained to a time machine. As energetic, smart people, God fearing people living in this 21^st century, we must take the time to discover our strongest gifts, passion and the purpose that God has given us. Having clarity about our daily purpose will fill our life with pure pleasure and satisfaction. It’s time to stop, smile and say “yes to the yummie.”

 Heidi McLaughlin lives in the beautiful vineyards of the Okanagan Valley in Kelowna, British Columbia. She is married to Pastor Jack and they have a wonderful, eclectic blended family of 5 children and 9 grandchildren. When Heidi is not working, she loves to curl up with a great book, or golf and laugh with her husband and special friends. You can reach her at: www.heartconnection.ca

Retain or Remove

“Don’t worry,” the saleslady told me when I ordered laminate flooring for our main floor, “Our workers will move the furniture as they install. They’ll move everything to one side, do that side then move it all to the other side of the room.”

That sounded wonderful.  I have children and grandchildren who could help, but they all have busy lives.  If the workmen would move the furniture, I wouldn’t have to bother them. 

The first thing I saw when I came home and started imagining the ratty, stained carpet replaced by shining laminate, was the big glass cupboard fashioned by my loving husband, full of dishes—good dishes that seldom get used.  If the workmen tried to move that with the dishes inside, they’d probably not able to budge it, and if they did, the dishes would go for a slide.  Obviously, I will have to take the dishes out.  What if I found other places for those I don’t really need?  That would de-clutter my life and make it easier to keep clean. 

I moved to my office.  As a writer, and a bit of a sentimental pack rat, I have files and files of interesting items I might need some time (emphasis on might and some.)  My bookshelf is full of books about writing and for writing.  Some I use often, others I have barely scratched the surface of the pool of wisdom contained in them.  I have copies of talks given and revised for a slightly different setting.  Oh, they’re on my computer too, but I might need them sometime in the future.  There are CD’s and installation discs for computer programs that have long ago become extinct. I began to sort and decipher which of those items need to be kept and which need to go.  But the flooring people are due to come next week.

Reluctantly, I began to put things in boxes and marking them as to contents, storing them in our garage with the aim to sort when I return my office to working order after the floors are installed.  In the back of my mind I wonder how long that is going to take and fear that some of those boxes may never see the light of day.

This morning as we read or daily devotional and God’s word, it dawned on me how much my life and my mind resemble my office.  In today’s world we are assaulted with information from so many directions.  I love facts about just about everything.  I’m interested in people and love to be able to respond to needs to encourage those going through difficult times, to remember birthdays and anniversaries, and to send cards for different occasions or no occasion at all.  I like to stay in touch with friends from long ago and friends currently in my life.  I am involved in many committees and organizations doing all kinds of good things: when I’m involved I don’t want to be only an observer, so I often chair the committee, take minutes or participate in an active way.  Often my mind feels like my office—books, binders, reference materials, pictures, articles in files and drawers, stacked on shelves and overflowing—a whole pile of information waiting to be filed, and sometimes lost in the plethora, the overabundance of material.

When it comes to my office and my mind, it seems to be not just a question of whether, but a necessary action that must be taken.  I realize I’m not getting younger.  My mind is still active and I want to keep it that way.  However like many machines, if I keep feeding it too much and too fast, it can get overloaded and perhaps my grind to a halt.  I need to discern more closely what is necessary, what is expedient and what is superfluous, what can be left for others to do.  For some people, the super organizers, that may come naturally.  I’ve always had distaste for those who sit back and say “Someone else can do that.”  I fear becoming one of those people, so it’s hard for me to let go.  I need counsel and wisdom to help me know what to discard from my life and what to retain—both in my office and in my mind. 

How glad I am for James 1:5—“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” 

Ruth Smith Meyer is included in the anthology, "Fifty Shades of Grace."

She is also author of two adult novels, "Not Easily Broken," and the sequel "Not Far from the Tree," and a children's book dealing with grief, "Tyson's Sad Bad Day." 

Wasn't That a Party? by Glynis M. Belec

My brain dances all over the place some days. Today I attended an interview regarding three of my students who are scheduled for a psych assessment. As I sat in the office with two psychologists and the parents of my students, discussing various reasons for the assessments and sharing information, I realized something.

If it wasn't for the first party requiring the services of a second party (although that first party is already receiving services from a third party) then that second party would not have a purpose or be able to use her gifts and then the first party would be without direction and then the third party, who passionately wants to help that first party, would have also been without purpose and likely would not have had sufficient fodder for life and therefore would have nothing to write about.
(Phew! That's what happens when I sit with psychologists for a significant length of time)

Loosely translated, God has gifted us all in various and wonderful ways and He expects us to use these gifts but He also puts 'all things' in place and just at the precise time, he works it all for good. I know God has called me to write. My bones long to do so full time; my heart yearns to sit long hours at my computer and simply string together the trillion words that seem to be stored somewhere deep in my soul.

But then I remember all of my remarkable students.  I also realize the incredible privilege I have had over the years to work with every one of these uniquely created souls under the guise of helping them to hone their numeracy and literacy skills. I remember two special lads were 'labelled' borderline 'mentally handicapped' when they were six years old.  Now I grin with pride as I see these (twin) boys - presently in high school - rhyming off their multiplication tables better than any of my other students and jumping to the head of the class in parts of their modified program in areas like spelling and reading. I share their joy. And all these years later, I still get to work with them. There are so many similar stories that I would not have missed for the world! God has me where He wants me.

There seems so many interruptions (caring for my aging father, teaching my students, looking after my home, charity work, church work, health concerns...) but when I stop and consider my life, I inhale and remind myself that my timing is not God's timing and those interruptions are part of God's plan.

Trust in the Lord, and do good;

dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm37:4

I admit that I fuss and flutter thinking that if I don't soon get writing, I am going to be too old to write anything of any value. I hear of other writers who have oodles of time to write and speak and create so I ride the envy/pity train for a while until God pulls the chord and reminds me to focus on the haves not the have nots!

 

Then I give thanks and grin from ear to ear as I consider how thick and wide and deep my idea files are getting!


For the vision is yet for an appointed time and it hastens to the end [fulfillment]; it will not deceive or disappoint. Though it tarry, wait [earnestly] for it, because it will surely come; it will not be behindhand on its appointed day. Habakkuk 2:3

Island Time, Modern Time, & Kingdom Time - Black

"You mainlanders are aye [always] in sic’ [such] a hurry," he said in his soft Scottish highland accent. Wullie McNeil, stocky, and with a ruddy, weather-tanned complexion, smiled, shaking his head as though he just couldn’t understand what all the hurry was about in the big cities.

The year was 1965. My father and I were on a short holiday at Wullie’s place on the island of Islay, in the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland. My Gaelic-speaking grandmother was born on Islay, and Dad spent some boyhood summers there. Wullie, his cousin, had visited Scotland’s mainland many years before, but was in no hurry back.

Island time was different to mainland time. Sixty minutes to the hour, twenty-four hours to the day, and seven days to the week; these were the same, but the mental and emotional approach to living life within those boundaries was different.

Speaking of the changeableness of the weather and its effect on shipping, Cousin Wullie said, "If the boht [boat/ferry] disna’ [doesn’t] come in today, then perhaps it’ll come in tomorrow, and if it disna’ come in tomorrow, then maybe it’ll come in the following day. But if it doesn’t, then there’s no point in fretting about it; the boht will get here when it gets here." Then, with the sagacity of a learned and true islander, he added, "Ach, life is far too short as it is, without rushing out of it!"

Imagine how frustrating that approach could be for fast-paced, mainland business people trying to sell, clinch deals, and organize the movement of goods, or for government officials trying to get information flowing, when dealing with ‘island mentality’.

Ah, who knows? Perhaps there was a consistently high level of efficiency, compensating for lack of speed by the making of fewer mistakes; and maybe islanders like Wullie McNeil lived at a pace that could really be called ‘living’. They ordered their lives in such a manner that their inner voice was less crowded, their vision less clouded, and their enjoyment of the goodness of the Creator unbounded.

Punctual people loathe being kept waiting, and the instant ‘me’ and ‘now’ generation wants what it wants, when it wants – like now, or yesterday! Business people want clear, achievable, if not challenging, time-lines. Yes, the world has it’s own pace – a dizzy one, nowadays. In contrast, the Kingdom of Heaven belongs outside of time, yet comes into lives lived in time and bounded by it.

The Lord Jesus lived and walked on earth, unrecognized by most everyone that He was King of Israel and the Son of God Incarnate (although some acknowledged He was a descendant of King David). He didn’t always act when people expected or wanted Him to, and wasn’t always where they expected Him to be. He marched to 'the beat of a different drum' in response to the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

From the time of Jesus’ conception in the Virgin’s womb, God was in process of bringing the Kingdom of Heaven – an eternal kingdom – into time. In Him, the King was here, and so the Kingdom of Heaven was near.

Jesus said to Pontius Pilate, "My kingdom is not of this world ..." (Luke 17:21 NIV). Although voluntarily bounded by earth time, He lived according to ‘Kingdom time’, journeying through life to die for our sins on the Cross. He wouldn’t be rushed – nor deterred. I’m glad!
~~+~~

An earlier edition of this article was published in The Watford Guide-Advocate, March 19, 2009.

Peter A. Black is a soon-to-be-retired pastor living in Southwestern Ontario, and a freelance writer.
He is the author of "Parables from the Pond" (Word Alive Press).
His current project is ghost writing an historical biography, and he continues writing weekly in The Watford-Guide Advocate.

Time Management - Aarsen

Me and time, we don't always see eye to eye. I tend to think of time as elastic, bendable to my will. Often, on my way out the door for an appointment, I am convinced that if I wish it, I can squeeze in a quick toss of some clothes into the washing machine, perhaps a hasty phone call and maybe scribble out a quick thank you card for my friend and still get out the door on time. Then as I am flying down the road to my appointment, I wonder why I am late. I am thankful that I live out in the country and that I have a 20 mile drive over highways to make up for time wasted. I know this is no way to live and each year one of my resolutions is to allow for enough time. It still surprises me that a procrastinator like myself has managed to meet the multitude of deadlines associated with each book. The initial deadline of delivery, the deadline of broad edits, the deadline of line edits, the deadline of galley edits, the deadline of cover copy, the deadline of the next proposal and so on and so forth. In spite of the discipline of these many deadlines, I still struggle with the relentless tick of the clock, the flip of the calendar page. I have listened to time management seminars, bought time management tools, carry a day-timer with me everywhere I go and I still have to deal with the results of procrastination. I don't suppose that will ever completely disappear out of my life. I still have a tendency to see time as my friend. It isn't. It is my enemy. And today, as I look at my day-timer I realize that my relentless optimism vis a vis time is still a struggle. I am 40 pages behind on my current project. And I don't have a twenty mile stretch of road I can speed down to make up for it. I do, however, have weekends and evenings. As long as I don't try to squeeze in too many loads of laundry, phone calls and thank you cards, I might catch up.