Monthly Archives: June 2015

I loved the opportunity to eat hotdogs and hamburgers.  To sit around a table and talk to friends.  To see kids enjoying bouncy castles. 

I look back almost 40 years ago and remember a church picnic, with the same church, that took us out to a small “lake” nearby.  We ate hotdogs and hamburgers, talked to our friends in the church and joined in on some baseball and other fun activities.

Not much has changed – at least in format.  But the people are new – a new generation.

Where baseball was the big thing, now bouncy castles suffice.  Where conversation was around an outdoor picnic table, now we sit in side.  Where food preparation was the “picnic lunch” provided by each individual family and shared with all, now the church cooks the meat, provides drinks and dessert.

Just different ways of achieving fellowship.  May we never lose that impetus in our lives – to be with others, for their sake, for our own sake and for God’s sake!

I’m constantly amazed at our Canadian craze for productivity.

Not at the desire to do well and to put in a hard day’s labour.  That is a given for me – spurred on by my parents’ example and affirmed by my Christian beliefs.

But by our our desire to never stop in the quest for greater production.  And maybe that is where the craziness of our society pierces my soul.  As a Christian, I believe that once a week we should unburden ourselves.  At least for a few hours, if not a whole day (and I lean to the whole day idea!).

For me, this past week was centered on working physically with renovations of our house.  I came to the night before Sunday and was exhausted.

Not in a bad way – just physically tired.  I had determination to continue to the work.  But I, hopefully, am getting wiser.  I chose – intentionally – to set aside the hammers and pliers.  Instead I joined with a group of other people this morning who also had completed a workweek.  Of professional labour, manual labour, house work, consulting and much more.

I rested with God and with each other.  I worshipped God.  I ate a meal together (today was our picnic so hotdogs were on the menu – YAY!).  And this afternoon I literally fell asleep for a few hours.

I’m thankful for this day – a day of rest.  May there be many others and may you also find restful days.

Loved that song when I was young.

Hi ho, hi ho, its off to work we go

Off course when I learned it, we put new words to the song.  I was in school and we were captured by how much work we thought we were doing.  So the song developed into – “we learn some junk, and then we flunk.”

Now that I’m older and working on a project I initiated, I think I would try to create new words!

“We watch you tube, so we don’t boob.”

Or something like that.

Amazing how a few years gives us new perspective.

The past builds up over the years.  In a good sense!

Yesterday I was asked to assist in setting up a new sound board at our church.  My evening was made available and I headed over at 6:00 pm. 

Now, this was fun, and I didn’t get away for 3 1/2 hours.  I had to join with another fun-seeker and finally say it was time to go home and see our wives.  Otherwise we would have been there all night!

As we began to work, I realized that the others were looking to me for guidance.  At first I didn’t understand this.  We all had backgrounds in various areas:  computers, mechanics, farm work (which means you know everything!).

Then the light dawned on me.  I had been working with this particular sound system for ten years.  I knew the wiring and capacities as well as any of our sound people.  As well, I had spent a decade in another church working with sound technicians, engineers and electricians to build and maintain a sound system that was well capable of satisfying a crowd of up to 700 people.

As questions arose last night, I would first say to myself – “I’ve encountered that before.”  Then I would have to do a bit of recalling and as I did things began to come back to me. 

In the end, with each of us contributing our little bit of knowledge, we had the system up and running in short order.

Now, all we have to do is learn the intricacies of this new sound board.

Easy-peasy!

The last words of a dreamer??