November 30, 2017

My schedule has been busy with long days as I have attempted to work through another bout with bladder stones this past week. I have been informed about the multitude of options and had cleared them up naturally in the past. What I did not know was the complicity of beets to the process of creating them. This time of year fresh beets are inexpensive to purchase and I really enjoy eating them. After including them every day for a week in one of my meals, I came to realize such action for me came with a consequence.

So, last night I decided I was taking an evening to what a movie. My wife has been focussed on decorating the house for Christmas the last number of days, so my daughter picked a Christmas movie off the internet for us to watch. I don’t even know the name of it.

The lesson expressed in this movie was about the importance of relationships and the need to make the effort to establish them. Relationships do not happen by accident, they are developed when individuals make a decision to connect with one another. What was true in this happily ever after movie Christmas movie, is in fact true in real life. Things may not always happen as we hope them will, nor will they always go smoothly, but if we do not have a desire and motivation to make them happen, they never will. We are about to launch into the month of December. Do not get so caught up in your daily “to do” list of activity that you fail to enjoy the Christmas season. Seek to build relationships rather than dread them. Do not forget to say YES to the relationship with Jesus. Also, do not crowd Him out of your life.

Giving my body time to rest and heal, might be something to consider if there is an outcome I am seeking to achieve. Beyond the things that must be done, there is an ever increasing list of new and creative things I want to do in the process of helping others be and do what they were created for.

The lesson in the movie was something I needed to be reminded of. How about you? Are there things you should slow down enough to remember? Becky Kelley sings a powerful song, calling us to remember the importance of the season we are entering into titled, “Where’s the Line to See Jesus.” This video has had almost five million hits on You Tube in the last seven years. You might want to check it our at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OExXItDyWEY

I am heading back to put my feet up, sit in the light of the two Christmas trees in our family room and count my blessings.

November 29, 2017

I was involved in a conversation with a group of people recently where the subject of Christmas arose. Someone asked the group how you respond to the current, out of favour, politically correct elimination of the word, “Christmas.” One of the group responded she was given a button to wear by her daughter which said, “It’s Okay to wish me Merry Christmas.”

There are powers in this world which are seeking to extinguish the powerful vibrations of love, joy, peace and goodwill which have traditionally been part of the Christmas season. By wearing such a button you give everyone permission to do what the majority of people would desire to do, but are afraid to do, because of pressure to conform.

There are a variety of styles you can chose from at https//:www.zazzle.ca. Those in the United states can order from https://www.zazzle.com/. I chose a design that included the nativity to remind people of the reason for the season. In fact there was a sale on when I ordered yesterday and you can take advantage of it, if you order before the end of November. You do know there are usually benefits for those who take immediate action, right?

The conversation in our meeting moved on to include the importance of finding ways to not only appease those who view the coming of Jesus to this earth as a baby through the specific birth narrative, but also to engage the attention and interest of those who have viewed this narrative as just an old story to be ignored like all other stories.

Part of my passion has been to demonstrate the 21st century nature of Scriptures and eliminate the criticism that they are archaic texts of a distant past. The power of God’s Word to align with quantum physics is for me fascinating and exciting. Bridging that which is unseen to a world that says, “If I can’t see it I won’t believe it,” may be a challenge, but it leaves people who are open minded with a consistency issue in this present day if they deny it, when so much of what goes on in our world is in fact unseen.

The Apostle Paul reminds us in Colossians 1:13-17, “He has rescued us from the jurisdiction of darkness and transferred us into the realm of the Son He loves. {14} We have deliverance , the forgiveness of sins, in Him. {15} He is the image of the invisible God, the first born over all creation. {16} For everything was created by Him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things have been created through Him and for Him. {17} He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together.”

Let’s make this coming Christmas season a time when we celebrate the real reason for the season. I will wear my button when it arrives, in the power and spirit of Yahweh. I would encourage you to find some way you can do the same. As it is Okay to wish me a Merry Christmas, I trust it is the same for me to do so to you.

November 28, 2017

I attended a community meeting yesterday evening and discussion turned to the process of communicating a message to a segment of society that was not either listening, or not interested in what was being offered. In the course of the discussion one of the individuals in the group who was recovering from cancer surgery updated the group as to his progress. It seems the pre-operation biopsy allowed the cancer to escape its containment field before it was removed. While the doctor says he got all the cancer he could see, he does not know about the cancer that might not have been seen. The doctor is now saying this individual has a 65% chance of being cancer free. Now he needs to decide in the next week whether to proceed with radiation treatment, or not. To do so would increase his chances at being cancer free to 70%. In that moment of time there were only two options in his mind to choose from.

Having been forced to look at options myself, I chose to suggest there was at least a third option he might consider based on the science of epigenetics. I gave just a little information as to what that was and left it for him to let me know if he had any interest in knowing more about this option. This was the path I chose for myself. Everyone must make their own decision and then live with the consequences. My Dad chose radiation and this process took out his heart, liver and kidneys and he was dead in six weeks. His decision fast tracked him to an early grave. It was his decision and all we could do was support him in his decision.

Another acquaintance of mine chose the traditional western medical path, moved on to experimental stem cell treatment and when the doctors told him to go home and prepare to die in less than two months, his wife persuaded him to try epigenetics. That was over two and a half years ago and this person is doing great and living a full and healthy life.

The point I want to make in this article is to have you consider there may be options beyond what you have yet considered in your life that will provide answers far more beneficial than you know in this moment of time. Investigate your options before you blindly accept someone telling you there is nothing else you can do.

I would suggest if you have not considered the value of saying YES to the relationship with God through His Son Jesus, that you do so. I would also suggest you spend time getting to know Him through His Word, the Bible. I would go so far as to suggest do not make your decision based upon those who do not live by the standards of God’s Word. Humans can let you down and fall short of being their best in any area, not just the spiritual realm. You are 100% responsible for your decisions and actions. Choose wisely.

Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us, “Trust in Yahweh with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding;{6} think about Him in all aspects of the course of your life, and He will guide you on the right paths.”

November 27, 2017

I took a bit of time last night to look through the shelves of books in our library room reflecting on what I was seeing. There was the biography/autobiography section, the history section, the theology section, the “church growth” section, the “Christian education” section and the list goes on and on. There are also book shelves in other locations of the house because the library walls are filled. I stopped from time to time to pick up a book I had not read in a long time, or another that I never remembered opening. Some books go back almost five decades to when I was in college. There are also the books which found their way into my life and to the shelves that are newcomers. Many of these books played an important role at various times in my life.

When I look at the selection of books located on these shelves, I can see a pattern, or process of journey related to my life and the focus of where I was in my thoughts, beliefs, words, intentions and actions during those times. Those books reflect not just a journey, but a life of varying experience and experiences. We should always seek to be an ongoing life time learner, with interests to be pursued and achievements to be reached.

My wife told me of a gentleman who died recently at the age of 105. He was still living his passion and active at it when he died. Those looking through his things discovered that at 105 years old he still had a planner that laid out things he wanted to do over the next five years. What an inspiration demonstrating how we ought to live life.

How about you? Are you continuing to pursue your passion and dreams, living your life to the full? Are you continuing to learn new things and achieve more in your life? What are your expectations of what the next five years will be like? What are you doing now to prepare for that reality?

Yesterday I had the privilege of participating in the annual Memorial Christmas service held in the county nursing for those who had loved ones pass away in the last year. One of the long term members of the congregation I co-pastor with my wife, lives in that nursing home. A number of months ago, my wife met with the family who had been called in to say their goodbyes to their mom and grandma, as she was not expected to live more than a day or so. The doctor and staff however were wrong in their assessment and this great saint of God continues to shine and influence those around her in such a marvellous way. She waved me over at the end of the service to tell me, she wanted to arrange a day when my wife, daughter and I would be able to come and have a meal at the nursing home with her. This is something the nursing home encourages it residents to do during the Christmas season.

What an encouragement to see someone almost everyone had given up on, continue to live with an attitude of love and joy and a desire to continue to move forward with her life.

This would be a good time to reflect on your attitude towards life and see where it’s taking you. The words of Jesus as recorded in John 10:10 tell us about Jesus’ intentions for our life. He said, “I have come so that they might have life and have it in abundance. Strong’s Greek & Hebrew Dictionary says the word translated in English “abundance” here means, ” (in the sense of beyond); superabundant (in quantity) or superior (in quality); by implication excessive.” Let’s demonstrate that kind of life daily.

November 26, 2017

When you are faced with some challenges what is your automatic response mechanism? About a month ago I had the incredible opportunity to be at a live event in Los Angeles where my mentor Joel Bauer was speaking. He had demonstrated incredible passion and commitment to the process leading up to the launch of his brand, “Mentoring4Millions.” In the final days leading up to this event Joel was dealing with adrenal exhaustion and yet he was 100% committed to being present and gave everything he had with a level of passion and heart for everyone who was present.

The reality, no one really knew what he was actually going through by how he gave of himself through that time. What he did was truly inspiring. As I have mentioned in previous articles yesterday was to be the day I held my first full day training event. In the days leading up to this event, few people knew that I was having a challenge with bladder stones, as I was preparing for the event. It was a challenging night preceding the event. When I got up in the morning I received notification that some individuals who were excited about coming the day before, were now dealing with health issues and not coming.

My wife asked me, “What do you want to do?” I immediately thought of Joel and said, “We go forward and I give everything I got for those who will be there.” I speak often, but it is usually in time slots of 30 minutes or less. It is something entirely different to speak for over 6 ½ hours in one day. I learned some things through the process which will make my next event even better. I am also grateful that during the hours of the event I was not bothered by the discomfort of previous days. I am grateful for the interest and attentiveness of those who did attend.

This day was also a reminder for me of the importance of our influence in how we deal with situations which arise in our life. The example of Joel Bauer made a powerful impact on my life and I am very grateful for it. I look forward to pursuing not only my passion, but what I perceive as my calling, in the process of helping others to achieve what it is they are called to be and do on this planet.

We read the words of the Apostle Paul in Colossians 3:23 which says, “What you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord, and not for men.” May we follow through with such a level of commitment in all we do in our life.