Nice Saturday morning - sitting on the front porch with the dog by my side drinking coffee, watching the storm roll in & working on a sudoku.
The Spec sudokus (what is the plural - sudoki ??) get progressively harder each day of the week. I usually can finish off Monday to Thursday pretty quickly, Friday's take awhile but the two on Saturday are very hard & usually remain unfinished.
Except today when I finished the first one !! Yeah for me.
If it keeps raining I'll try the second one this afternoon.
After conquering the sudoku I was sitting thinking about the problems in my life and the lives of those I care about while watching the storm get closer and closer with all the accompanying thunder and lightening.
When the storm finally hit with all its fury (driving the dog into the house to watch her crazy master safely from the other side of the storm door) it hit me that I serve a God who could quiet the storm with a single word !!
And this same God loves me & cares about me!!
It also struck me that I would be better off if I spent less time worrying about things & more time seeking Him.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
The Room
In "Storey" the author tells of a man who tried, unsuccessfully, to assassinate his brother, the king.
Now the brother was so grossly overweight that he couldn't pass through a normal sized doorway so as punishment the king had him placed in a tower room with a view of the sea, with three rich perfectly prepared meals served each day and an unguarded normal sized doorway leading to freedom. (Presumably the room was built around the prisoner or the doorway made smaller after his arrival.)
All the man had to do was lose enough weight to fit through the door and he would be free.
He died in the room.
How often are we like that - we cry out to God to remove us from a situation when all along all we really need to do is walk away from something or stop doing something and we would be free.
Now the brother was so grossly overweight that he couldn't pass through a normal sized doorway so as punishment the king had him placed in a tower room with a view of the sea, with three rich perfectly prepared meals served each day and an unguarded normal sized doorway leading to freedom. (Presumably the room was built around the prisoner or the doorway made smaller after his arrival.)
All the man had to do was lose enough weight to fit through the door and he would be free.
He died in the room.
How often are we like that - we cry out to God to remove us from a situation when all along all we really need to do is walk away from something or stop doing something and we would be free.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Story
My daughter lent me "Story" a novel by Steven James.
One of those books I just couldn't put down & read it in less than a day.
The following is a quote he uses from Soren Kierkegaard then his comments on it.
"The difference between an admirer and a follower still remains, no matter where you are.
The admirer never makes any true sacrifices. He always plays it safe. Though in words, phrases, songs, he is inexhaustible about how highly he prizes Christ, he renounces nothing, gives up nothing, will not reconstruct his life, will not be what he admires, and will not let his life express what it is he supposedly admires."
Soren Kierkegaard
As I read and re-read these blunt words, I had to ask myself, "Am I really a follower of Jesus, or am I just an admirer?"
I don't think there are too many followers of Jesus around anymore. There are plenty of churchgoing admirers, but most of us would rather not leave our nets behind and follow him. Instead we prefer dragging the nets onshore with us so we can have the best of both worlds. But of course that never works - you can't follow Jesus while you're dragging your old life along behind you. If you try to you'll wind up losing out on both.
One of those books I just couldn't put down & read it in less than a day.
The following is a quote he uses from Soren Kierkegaard then his comments on it.
"The difference between an admirer and a follower still remains, no matter where you are.
The admirer never makes any true sacrifices. He always plays it safe. Though in words, phrases, songs, he is inexhaustible about how highly he prizes Christ, he renounces nothing, gives up nothing, will not reconstruct his life, will not be what he admires, and will not let his life express what it is he supposedly admires."
Soren Kierkegaard
As I read and re-read these blunt words, I had to ask myself, "Am I really a follower of Jesus, or am I just an admirer?"
I don't think there are too many followers of Jesus around anymore. There are plenty of churchgoing admirers, but most of us would rather not leave our nets behind and follow him. Instead we prefer dragging the nets onshore with us so we can have the best of both worlds. But of course that never works - you can't follow Jesus while you're dragging your old life along behind you. If you try to you'll wind up losing out on both.
Friday, June 12, 2009
New Doors
We had a new front door & a new patio door installed yesterday.
The old front door had a side window but no window in the door - the new one has a large beveled glass window & a side window so it brightens up the foyer considerably.
Mrv is happy :)
The old front door had a side window but no window in the door - the new one has a large beveled glass window & a side window so it brightens up the foyer considerably.
Mrv is happy :)
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Old Jeans
There's nothing like a comfortable pair of old jeans.
I was thinking that this morning as I got ready of work & pulled on a pair of jeans that had been around forever.
Around 8:30 as I sat down at my cube with a coffee I heard a ripping sound and realized that the back end of my jeans had developed about a 4 inch tear in them.
Not even on a seam - just tired old material giving up.
Good thing the shirt I had on was long enough to cover the rip because I had to run downstairs (carefully so as not to expose myself or rip the jeans any more) to borrow the keys to Joe's car - we car pool & today, of course, was Joe's day to drive.
At the closest mall, Zellers was thankfully open (it seems most stores in Mississauga open at 10)
and had jeans on sale.
I was thinking that this morning as I got ready of work & pulled on a pair of jeans that had been around forever.
Around 8:30 as I sat down at my cube with a coffee I heard a ripping sound and realized that the back end of my jeans had developed about a 4 inch tear in them.
Not even on a seam - just tired old material giving up.
Good thing the shirt I had on was long enough to cover the rip because I had to run downstairs (carefully so as not to expose myself or rip the jeans any more) to borrow the keys to Joe's car - we car pool & today, of course, was Joe's day to drive.
At the closest mall, Zellers was thankfully open (it seems most stores in Mississauga open at 10)
and had jeans on sale.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Saratoga Springs
This morning finds MRV & I in Saratoga Springs New York at the Gideon Putman Resort & Spa no less. The hotel has that "old money" feel to it - lots of friendly but respectful staff.
It's modernized but not completely - they use the old elevator with the half circle thing on the wall above the door to show where the elevator is as their staff elevator & have installed a new modern one for guests.
Our room is smallish but with all the the modern touches we have grown to require - Internet access, cable TV, etc.. but the bathroom has been left like it was in the 50's (with a hair drier though) - mrv is not impressed with the bathroom :)
We are here to meet one on mrv's on-line canasta friends & her husband - something I was kind of leery about after the last time we met one of her on-line buddies (but that's a story for another time).
We met up with Lynn & Paul last night & they turned out to be a delightful couple much to my relief. They met us with all sorts of Saratoga Springs souvenirs (Tee shirts, hats etc..).
We are off now to meet for breakfast & then I think Paul & I are going for tour of the chemical plant he manages while the girls are off for a tour of the casino.
It's modernized but not completely - they use the old elevator with the half circle thing on the wall above the door to show where the elevator is as their staff elevator & have installed a new modern one for guests.
Our room is smallish but with all the the modern touches we have grown to require - Internet access, cable TV, etc.. but the bathroom has been left like it was in the 50's (with a hair drier though) - mrv is not impressed with the bathroom :)
We are here to meet one on mrv's on-line canasta friends & her husband - something I was kind of leery about after the last time we met one of her on-line buddies (but that's a story for another time).
We met up with Lynn & Paul last night & they turned out to be a delightful couple much to my relief. They met us with all sorts of Saratoga Springs souvenirs (Tee shirts, hats etc..).
We are off now to meet for breakfast & then I think Paul & I are going for tour of the chemical plant he manages while the girls are off for a tour of the casino.
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