Monthly Archives: November 2009

I’ve taken the day.  How do things crash with no time left?

The Roughriders had the last play of the game to salvage a win.  Just keep the field goal from heading through the uprights.  And they did.  But with unfair advantage, too many people on the playing field.  A “do over” proved to be the nail in the coffin.

In the living room those gathered had yelled at the prospect of winning, then suddenly the room was deadly silent as we lost.  I was ready to go home.  A few minutes later we stepped out to go to our car.  People from other parties were headed to their homes. 

No yelling, no honking horns, just slow evenly paced steps.

The day after?  Well, it is just a game and I didn’t have much time to reminisce.  But now, as I sit at the computer, I’m reminded that struggles in life can seem so near to victory and be so close to defeat.  Fight the good fight and let the final score be left to someone else!  We are called to be faithful.

If success were all in the scoreboard . . . interestingly today I feel we won!  The team came back and stood as a team at a celebration in Regina.  Score cards fade but people remain.

Besides, there’s always next year, or eternity if it takes that long.

Off to watch the game of the year (for Canadians, that is, next to the Stanley Cup, of course!).  We’ll eat and get stuffed and come home and complain of too much food.  But I hope we can exclaim that the Riders win.

And of course, a friend has sent me a text message – actually a forward of a forward of a forward of a forward.  And I have to pay!  All to remind me of what I already know!

Go, Riders, Go!

As sets go for Christmas programs, this is a fairly easy one.  After a short time of conferring together with the directors, we moved a few stage pieces and there we were.  Set with the set.

Well, at least, the larger pieces are in place. Over the next two weeks decoration will take place and the tweaks will happen.  Then, on December 13th at 10:30 in the morning the program will roll out.

I’m looking forward to it – if you are in the area drop by the Kindersley Alliance Church at 10:30, December 13th.  The lunch meal is free!!

Tomorrow morning I will give a meditation at one of our local seniors complexes.  I’ve know a number of the residents for these past four years, worked with some of them on inviting the developer to come to town.

Now, I’ll spend time talking to them, not of dreams of a home here, but of a home to come.  And in light of that home, the ability to die a good death. 

Someone has said that pondering death is one of the best things we can do.  I’m becoming more convinced of this.  Death reminds us we have eternity to follow, if we follow Jesus.  Our aches and pains remind us that we want that eternity.  In the midst of all this, the certainty and imminence of death reminds us that we are accountable for what we do now.

I’ll use my father’s recent death to illustrate this – I’m bringing his 1937 Bible, a recent book he was reading and a scripture memory system he used.  In the end his end was just a beginning.  A good death for a life of eternity!!