Star Appeal and Entertainment Value — ?

The original edition of the article below was written on the day of the British Conservative Party's appointment of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister Elect. Here adapted from my P-Pep! column of August 1, 2019.

Courtesy: Parliament.uk

Whether or not the Conservative Party in Britain’s election of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister will greatly improve the fortunes of their nation and heal the fragmentation that has come in the wake of the Brexit referendum, is surely not clear at present to anyone except the Almighty Himself.

Although I seldom venture into political discussion in this column, I touch base with this today – after all, my wife and I have dozens of extended family members in the UK who, if they care a hoot, will be either celebrating or bemoaning Johnson’s appointment. Perhaps you also have a vested interest in what happens in the UK, just like the personal interest that many Canadian have in what happens in the USA.

My interest is in the social and spiritual aspects. As with the USA’s President Trump, Boris Johnson’s flamboyant style and air of self-confident swagger evidently appealed to enough members of his party to have voted overwhelmingly in his favour. (Of course, at this point his is a party appointment, not a general election.) 

It seems that many people in our Western democracies nowadays are weary of what they might perceive as the stuffiness and starch of “the establishment,” with its  norms and typically dull political voices – not to mention party in-fighting. 

And so, a colourful ‘Rah!-Rah!’ rousing personality and fresh voice break on the scene. An entertaining energy emanates, shaking up the dusty halls of government and waking up swaths of the populace to feel different, more optimistic about themselves—that their voice matters—and to believe in new possibilities. Some level of nationalism is stirred and, for better or for worse, they pile on for the ride.

Do you ever wonder whether such qualities as humility, truthfulness, and integrity in a leader matter less than star appeal and entertainment value?

In the eighth-century BC the biblical prophet Isaiah presented a message of comfort to Israel —Israel, in which a great many people had slidden steeply into idolatry and fallen deeply into immorality, while acts of violence and injustice with oppression of the poor were commonplace. They would be heading into difficult times—times of correction and chastisement. 

And yet, God in His love promised mercy: “. . . I have chosen you and have not rejected you.  So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:9b -10).

What a comfort to know that, contrary to their deserving, the Lord God hadn not given up or abandoned the nation entirely, but he would bring them through the trials that would befall them, even although they’d been unfaithful to Him.

May God have mercy on our nation and others that have been so blessed, although in various ways they may have fallen short of His call to live in grace, mercy and truth.

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Peter is a retired pastor – well, sort of retired – as he is currently engaged as an associate volunteer pastor. He lives in Southwestern Ontario with his wife, May, and writes a weekly inspirational newspaper column and occasional magazine articles. Peter is author of two books: "Parables from the Pond" (Word Alive Press) and "Raise Your Gaze . . . Mindful Musings of a Grateful Heart" (Angel Hope Publishing). He and May are also engaged in leading nursing home / residential chapel services, pulpit supply and music. ~+~

Golden Apples in Silver Settings

Credit: dayspring.com

A nice card

My wife handed me the card, holding it open to reveal the inscription on the inside. The exterior was rather plain and less attractive than I’d hoped; however the wording was well suited for the occasion. “We can keep that one in mind,” I suggested, “but let’s see if we can find another one with an equally good message, but with a more attractive appearance.”

And so, we continued looking. Our search was for a variety of greeting cards that day. No, none of them were Valentines, but were for birthday, get well, thinking of you, and bereavement sympathy.

Credit: zazzle.ca

Not our choice of card!

For our taste some cards’ decorations were gaudy, cheapened by over-much gilding and ornamentation, while others we considered were too sombre and dark. In some instances we refused cards with ideal visual presentation and tasteful fonts simply because the wording was too flowery or syrupy. We finally left with a selection that we hoped would suit the persons and situations we had in mind.

The challenge was getting both the message (the language art) and the means of presenting it (the graphic art) ‘right.’

I love this word picture from the biblical book of Proverbs; it relates to the benefit of crafting a message and the means of presenting it well: “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver” (Prov. 25:11). This has often prompted me to imagine various ornaments, such as a delicate necklace, featuring apples of burnished gold, set amongst entwining stems and leaves of silver, to grace a lady’s neck.

Credit: depositphotos.com

Silver picture-frame depiction

We’ve become accustomed to trash talk at many levels of society, from the world of sports to parliamentary debate and just about everything in between. Smart phones and social media provide a platform for spewing out negative attitudes, nastiness, anger and hate. However, the medium also provides opportunity for crafting messages expressing truth, kindness and love.

Raise Your Gaze Thought: A word or message “aptly spoken” or written can be beautiful art when it comes from the heart.

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A version of the above piece is to be published in Southwestern Ontario's Standard Guide Advocate Feb. 8, 2018 

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. ~~+~~

Hope Meets Grit - by Heidi McLaughlin

Hope is not optimism or a good luck charm. It takes grit to walk through darkness and believe in something better for tomorrow. On a recent Facebook post I declared: “The darkest storms make way for the greatest sunlight.” I believe this with all my heart because God is a good God who promises that our future plans are good and abundant. But how do we survive those endless, dark seasons without any cracks of sunlight?

We need to have grit to grab hope.

Sometimes hope feels like an exploded dandelion seed floating in the air teasing my fingertips as I try to grab it.  Hope is not nebulous.  It is real and tangible but it takes backbone to step into it. I am at the three-month marker after the death of my second husband. It’s been a long, cold and hard winter outside and in my soul.  As I wait for my new season to arrive I need to do what my brother-in-law Bill says, “Give ‘er snoose.” Not entirely sure what it means but I know it entails hard work.

Give ‘er snoose.

With determined grit I step into hope every day. Here is how I do it:

• Whether I feel like it or not, I get out of bed, feet on the floor and start my day. Time with God, a shower and I make intentional appointments with friends to get out of the house each day.
• In spite of how I may feel, I start each day writing in my Gratitude Journal.
• I keep my body strong by eating healthy and walking 5 km every second day.
• I DECLARE that I will live in God’s light and that God has my glorious future. Out loud I speak against defeat, discouragement and despair. I will not allow the enemy to sabotage my thoughts with negativity and hopelessness.
• I stand on God’s promises with hope for my future. I look up verses that proclaim God’s truth for my fulfilling life. “So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.” (1 Peter 5:10)
• I remember God’s faithfulness in the past. I suffered through the death of my first husband, watched my father die of ALS and my mother of a pre-cancerous blood condition. God was with me in those grieving journeys and He restored my soul and placed a beautiful “new normal” in my life. Because God did is then…He will do it again.
• After a thundering, black storm the sun emerges and we enjoy a gorgeous rainbow. A visual imagine of an eternal promise.  Life is circular. Babies are born-we die. Winter is here-spring comes. We die-we go to Heaven. The suffering seasons we are in do not last forever.  “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. “(James 1:2)

There are many more but I will end on this note. God is the I Am of all I Am’s. The name of God is YHVH, which means “I Am.” When I say, “I am Heidi McLaughlin” that means that my “I am” only exists because of His. I know that everything in my life flows from Him and He would never intentionally hurt himself, so why would He hurt me? The only time He hurt himself was when He sent His son Jesus Christ to die for my sins and freedom. 

What kind of radical love is that?

That’s the hope I cling to each day. My God who loves me like that will walk me into a new and glorious future. I believe it with all my heart.

Heidi McLaughlin lives in the beautiful vineyards of the Okanagan Valley in Kelowna, British Columbia. Heidi has been widowed twice. She is a mom and step mom of a wonderful, eclectic blended family of 5 children and 12 grandchildren. When Heidi is not working, she loves to curl up with a great book, or golf and laugh with her family and special friends.

Her latest book RESTLESS FOR MORE: Fulfillment in Unexpected Places (Including a FREE downloadable Study Guide) is now available at Amazon.ca; Amazon.com, Goodreads.com or her website: www.heartconnection.ca

SAND IN MY SHOES - by Heidi McLaughlin

The feeling of being barefoot and feeling sand squish between my toes evokes giddiness and freedom. When I flirt with the ocean I am a child experiencing the joy of the occasional splash of gorgeous, turquoise sea water and the sun warming my cheeks. I am free to frolic, run, laugh and giggle. Being barefoot in the sand unleashes a brazen abandon that I find in no other place.

When I wear shoes I do not enjoy the same freedom. It is blatantly unrealistic of me to think that I can frolic in the sand and not expect to get sand in my shoes. Those irritating grains of sand eventually find a little open crevice and rub at me until I either take off my shoes or leave the beach. Annoying, hurtful and disappointing!

An unrealistic expectation is like an irritating grain of sand-a silent thief that robs us of freedom and joy. When people do not meet our expectations we get mad, feel hurt, rejected, disappointed and blame them for letting us down.  Here is a paradigm shift to reality.

Everything in this life is a created thing and has the potential to disappoint us.  It’s a harsh statement, but once we get it, it will unleash the same kind of freedom as running barefoot on the

beach.  I have found my greatest freedom in this life by identifying and learning to let go of unrealistic expectations. How do we do that? Realize that:

1.     It is not other people’s job to make us happy.

2.     Everyone sees the world through a different set of lenses.

3.     People orchestrate their lives to make them feel loved and comfortable in the way that has been modeled for them.

4.     We can never assume anything-always check the facts.

5.     God has made us all unique, and we cannot expect people to climb into our life’s journey and be like us.

6.     God is shaping each person’s character in a distinctive manner. It is not our job to shape other people’s characters.

7.      It is unrealistic to think that granite countertops, a flashy career, a perfect spouse, a face lift, fitting into skinny jeans, or a diamond ring will bring us lasting, and fulfilling joy.

8.     Everything in this life ends up in a box…one way or the other.

9.     We need to treasure what God has placed in our hands and receive it as a gift to be held loosely while we are on this earth.

10.  When we buy into unrealistic expectations we are setting ourselves up to be robbed of our freedom.

God is so kind and gracious to us. He tells us in John 8:31, 32 “You are truly my disciples if you keep obeying my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

What truth? It’s all right there in the bible-every word and story is a realistic expectation and promise to set us free from the hooks of this world. People and things were not put on this earth to give us freedom, only Christ can do that. Once we recognize and believe it, we will be empowered to make choices that will be as freeing as running near the ocean barefoot. No chance of gritty, annoying sand in our shoes.

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