Monthly Archives: February 2009

So, early this morning we were warned on the news that a convoy was headed our way.  Almost thirty feet wide (maybe a little exaggerated), 3 stories high and over 300 feet long (again, evangelistically speaking).  Regardless, they were to start early in the morning so that not a lot of traffic would be blocked.  The convoy would make it to Rosetown (an hour down the road) today, and tomorrow scurry on towards Kindersley.

Meanwhile, I’m planning on driving past Rosetown on my way to Regina, Saskatchewan.  And hoping I won’t meet the “convoy”.

OK, it was a bit of a letdown.  The convoy was really trucks warning of the load coming, along with the one “truck” carrying the part for the oilfield.  Not to say that the part was not massive.  If anything, it was humungous.  My Dodge Neon could never have pulled the load.  In fact, it would have been squashed under one of it’s wheels. 

Enough description.  Here’s the picture!  Oh, they borrowed a road in Rosetown to park it overnight!!

Yesterday I had a great discussion with my son over the use of “insignificant” in my morning sermon.  I had said that people are insignificant.

OK, I’d like to qualify that statement.  But more often than not, the sermon is not about what you intended to say, but what someone actually thought you said.  My son felt I had said that people are not valuable, and that we have no reason to continue life if we are not significant!

I believe people are invaluable in God’s sight.  Each of us is created in God’s image and for that reason alone none of us are insignificant.  But, few people remain known to history after a century or a millenium of time.  In that sense most of our lives will be insignificant on the scale of human history — as recorded and kept by the archives of the world (a little plug for the greater funding of archives!!).

This is a discussion that has been ongoing for years.  The “royal history” which “older historians” recorded was excoriated (flayed verbally, denounced) by a new generation of historians.  The “new world” of history would be about the peasant and the man on the street. 

Obama was about the man on the street.  And guess whose history will be recorded?  The plumber or Obama?  Strange way we have of remembering who is significant. 

But God keeps a record that is perpetual and forever of each and every person, and God can access that record at any time.

So, you are significant in God’s eyes, but maybe not so much in the world’s eyes.

Shooting shooters carooming off impatient players.  Two smiles around a kitchen table.  Both the sights and sounds of yesterday.

Our daughter arrived with our grandson around 3:00 in the afternoon.  Christopher is a true delight, bringing his smile and the light of is play into our abode.  His uncle, Tim, just hangs around and enjoys him!

Later in the evening we had 16 youth and  young adults around tables trying to learn the game of crokinole.  You see, we have challenged our seniors to a tournament the end of March.  Usually that is no problem except for one slight thing!  Some of them have never played crokinole.  So, this was the evening to give it a try.  They all did well — and were very kind in explaining that the seniors didn’t stand a chance!  (OK, so they were a little more direct in their speech, but we’ll leave it at the fact that they figure the tournament is theirs!!)

I’ve been working on a Lenten series of sermons. 

Some of you may ask — what’s that?  Well, usually about six weeks before Easter the lenten season starts.  For those in the church Lent is the time to prepare for the event that intersects history with untold consequences.

Unfortunately Lent has gotten a bad rap, bad press and generally is disliked.  You see, most people think of it as a time to give up something.  So some give up chocolate, some smoking, some coffee.  Sort of give up something that is bad for you.  Give up something without a reason, just do it because it is expected.

And that’s where the depth of Lent needs to be explored once again.  I’m going to talk about “living forward”.  The season is more about looking to the good news of Jesus for the world.  If all we think of is how bad it is to give up something bad, we’ve missed it!!

But, if we think of living forward into the future, of moving forward from where we are at right now, of forwarding our fears onto God, of becoming forward in telling others about Jesus, of being forward thinking . . . perhaps we will be excited about what we can leave behind, what we can forsake, what we can give up.

That’s the start.  I can hardly wait to see what evolves from here!