Ron Baker

We are into taking vitamin D.  Not that we always remember.  Tonight we are just now grabbing a pill or two and taking the needed water to get it down.

For years we just lived with the winter.  Perhaps a bit depressed, perhaps a bit slower than usual.

But now we are told that replacing our vitamin D will improve our winter life.  Perhaps we will be rising earlier, with greater verve to take on the day.

I hope so.  I’ve gotten rather lethargic.  And now it is time to revitalize that daily routine from light to dark – and perhaps to even find my way more clearly in the dark!

Can you think ahead to spring?  I remember those days around Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.  I was an elementary school student.  Looking out over the prairies, I would ride with friends down the back trails.  The iron bridge was there to traverse – hoping no train was on the way.  Of course, I never ventured across!!

Just a short ways out of town was a small pond.  Nothing unusual.  Nothing out of the ordinary.  Just a skim of water over the newly unfrozen soil. 

But what I really enjoyed was the music.  The frogs were loudly voicing their presence.  The harmonies were a precursor to opportunities in the future of singing and harmonizing. 

And then you would spy a tadpole swimming towards a metamorphosis.

That’s the life of spring!  Soon to appear!

Which has made me ask the question.  Where lives the frog in the middle of January??

I have been monitoring my cycles in life.  “Know Yourself,” an apt description for further exploration of life and leadership.

By cycles, I mean those times when my forward motion – meaning the rush ahead to fulfil various visions and dreams – are interrupted by the need for the treat of rest and replenishment (what is often called a re-treat). 

Today was a retreat day.  Not that I stopped my activities altogether.  Rather, I went slowly into the work and extracted myself from an end of the day commitment (moving that to another time – which is actually better for both parties!). 

And now I’m at home, writing this blog and resting. 

And fully expecting tomorrow to be back to the tasks at hand.  With joy and excitement for what is to come.  There are so many great opportunities that I don’t want to miss any!!

For the last few years I have enjoyed listening to the superb young musicians from our area.  They really come out and shine at our music festival.  This year’s activities will take place the early part of March with  the final “Festival of the Stars” on Friday, March 16th at our local United Church.

Now, I get a bit of a preview.  My wife is playing for one student, so I’ve heard our piano ringing with the accompanist version.  I’m looking forward to hearing this combined with the actual instrument. 

Saturday I was at my office in the morning.  Working on our annual report.  Words and formatting get rather tedious after a while. 

Who comes by but a young friend who has been playing clarinet for a number of years.  She is there with her teacher and accompanist.  Nothing I like better than to sit back and hear a concert free of charge.  I opened my office door and let the music flow.  What fun!!

And people are worried about what will happen with music in our next generation?  Not me!!!

The end of the night is here.  As I sat at work, after 10 hours, I was ready to continue after supper.  Having said that, in my mind, I took the pulse of my body. 

No extra umph!  No push beyond the drive home!  As I stepped in the door I decided to shed the day and rest.

Chicken pot pie, salad and squash.  What a great supper.  Then an evening, with some quiet – although the evening news is probably the most excitement of the day!!

And what does tomorrow hold?  I’m hoping to work through our annual report and come up with a format that is both pleasing and not too hard to create.  I’m excited about the various reports – showing a momentum towards God and a love towards our neighbours.  Not a bad report to be pondering!!

The exercise bike and I have an early morning relationship.  I get up before the fun rises and join my bike in exploring around 10 miles (16 kms!) or uncharted land.  The air that I breathe, the muscles I stretch and the clearing of the mind are all good.

Of course, I go “nowhere”.  The whirring of the wheel remains fairly steady and the actual landscape remains constant.  As I pedal, I travel the world of ideas through books I read.

Somehow my wife finds the whirring a soothing sound.  Much like the furnace fan kicking in.  She remains asleep and I merrily wend my way through the hills and dales of philosophy, theology, psychology and many other “ologies”. 

But today?  Well, we both must have had a good sleep.  By 7:00 my exercise was done and my wife was wandering towards the washroom.  So, the day looks like it could be rather “up and at it”.

Not a bad thing!!

As our church moves towards the new year, the old year is remembered.

Our annual report looks over the highlights of the last year.  As I write my report I can see us moving from past years of hurt to health.  We have increased in our outlook and size.  We are in a period of thanksgiving.  Our spiritual momentum is forward looking.  We have financial health.

All that to say, my report is trying to put the future into the present. 

Now, you can never do that.  Only God knows the future.  We can only glimpse as through a foggy window what is to come.  Every once in a while the fog seems to lift.  Right now there is a sense of oil pouring out on the machinery of life.  Perhaps this is a spirit of goodness, grace and kindness that is so needed in any church?? 

I’m trusting God to place us on the path with assured footsteps and lighted sight.  Keep tuned – let’s see where this is headed.

I’m starting to get used to a day off.  Six days a week I work.  The job description is rather varied, from counseling to meetings to preaching to helping to . . .

So, today I did some banking, renewed a car license, watched TV, cleaned up some computer files, ate a great supper of steak and a lunch of newly made pea soup.  The time flies – quite literally it seems to pass by, even during the afternoon nap time!!

I’m not sure I totally understand the idea of sabbathing.  But I sense that there is a difference in a week when a day is off.

I’m not sure how to describe what is happening in our church.  By the church, I mean the people – not the building (although we are seeing things happen with the building – furnaces are working properly, walls taken down, sound systems possibly being reconfigured, etc.).

One way or the other, our Sunday services have increased from around 70 people last spring to around 110 today.  Some of this is transfer growth from other churches, but some is people who have not been related to a church lately.  They may have been in the past, but not until lately have they returned to a group of people that we call the “institutional” church.

What brings that about?  God!  Yes, that’s true.  Some of it is people with kids.  Other is a need for connection with people of like mind.  What else we will see!

For the moment, I’m trusting God to provide direction in knowing how to pastor these people.

It has been awhile. 

I used to help with our youth group up until this past summer.  At that point our associate pastor was able to step in – and I added one more evening to my week!

Actually, I missed that one evening a week!  So tonight I was together with the youth group.  We played old fashioned games.  Dodge-ball and old fashioned exercises and tug of war.  All just fun! 

I didn’t realize the shape I’m in.  Which, for my age, is not bad.  I kept up to the kids and hardly ran out of breath.

And now, I’m revitalized.  Ready for tomorrow’s church service.  Where we are not sure how many will attend.  We’ve been seeing increasing numbers, for a number of reasons.  We’ll see how tomorrow fares.

I’m speaking on Colossians 3:16 – on thankfulness.  Should be good!