Oh What a Night !

Full moon last night

That was an interesting night. A gorgeous full moon. I saw it after I dropped my daughter off at youth. A huge orange globe raising over the trees - rather eerie looking. So I raced home, got the camera and tripod and tried to get  a picture. The winds were blowing at 80km/hr so it was very difficult getting a nice shot. The picture at the start of the blog is one of the ones I took. 

Then, around midnight, the peaceful night was interrupted. For the first time in 15 years, my wife is sick. Add to that, my daughter is sick also. So I got to watch a lot of t.v. last night. as my daughter stayed on the couch and I manned the Lysol spray & wipes. I've been on the roller coaster of feeling good, feeling yucky for the last 7 days. I felt pretty good first thing this morning - then I laid down at 11am. Next thing I knew, it was 4 pm.  Sort of a recovery day for everyone I guess.

My nephew celebrated his 5th birthday today and my daughter and son had planned for the last month to go to Kid Zone with him. Plans changed. My daughter slept the day away. 

Things happen for a reason though - we had planned going for a day away tomorrow, but alas, plans have changed. The weather was terrible this morning. Blowing snow, very strong winds, cold temperatures. Tomorrow they are calling for about 15 cm's of snow and maybe some freezing rain mixed with it. Better to just stay home. We'll go away another day :)

The main thing now is that everyone get rested and healthy.

Sick wife, sick daughter

No update today...I was up all night with a sick wife and a sick daughter.

What power words have ! part 2

A couple days ago, I talked about the power words have....today I am going to share with you a secret. Some people may know this already, but I dare to say, most do not.
Do you know that Presidents, Prime Ministers and most business executives do NOT write their own speeches. I tried to tell this to some friends of mine and they laughed at me. Yes, most politician are great speakers, but they have teams of people - Communication Experts, Lawyers, and Statistical professionals to write what they say in public addresses. These teams are constantly looking at polls, monitoring the news, and it is their job to protect the politician or company's image. Many strategies are used: some can use simple, clear straight forward language while others use confusing, long winded, complicated language to avoid answering tough questions or create a message that sounds great, but is of little substance. They know the power of what they say and what they don't say moves, motivates and monetizes the economy. 
I have friends that work in these fields. Most are wonderful, energetic, smart and very intelligent. It all boils down to - as much of life does - how you use your talent. 
I'm going to pass on the political aspect today and concentrate on a couple business phrases. Phrases that I personally have heard before - phrases that I heard first hand...and continue to hear today on the news - this is what they actually mean: Just a word of caution - if you hear these your warning light should go off.



Phrase: "We need to be more competitive"
Translation: "We're making money, but we want more money, so we're going to cut jobs and make the remaining employees do more work for the same pay. If you complain - you too will be fired."



Phrase: "We have enlisted the expertise of a world class consulting company to study our processes in order to maximize growth."
Translation: "We want to close some plants, transfer the lines to another plant, hire new people at a lower wage and blame it on the "study" so we can wash our hands of responsibility.



Whenever you hear a news release from a company, or a political party - examine the wording...see what it says and doesn't say. There is always more to the story... 

It was a good night.

It was a good night. I was able to read the first three chapters of the book I got yesterday – Crazy Love by Francis Chan. I like his writing. Plain, simple, challenging truth. I would recommend it for any Christian wanting a deeper relationship with God.

I then had the opportunity to go to church last night and pray. Just me and 2 friends, lifting our voices to God. It was peaceful, it was encouraging, it was refreshing. Good things are in store for W.R.P.C. Like anything, seasons change. And a new season is at the doorstep. A new season of hope. A new season of praise. A new season of refreshing. A new season of growth!

I encourage you – where ever you are – Pray for your family. Pray for your pastor. Pray for your church. Pray for your community. God loves to hear from you and delights in your praise to Him :)

Psalm 100 says

Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!

Worship the Lord with gladness.

Come before him, singing with joy.

Acknowledge that the Lord is God!

He made us, and we are his.

We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise.

Give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good.

His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

Have a great day friends !

What power words have ! Part 1

What can empower a person feel to like royalty, or can be destructive enough to cripple a person? The answer.... Words. Those simple little phrases that spew from the lips. Those few syllables that can be a heavenly blessing, or a cursing from hell...Words.

Some people fight with their fists, kick with their feet, scratch with their nails. And we all know that this is abuse. Someone forcing their will upon a person by using physical violence. But today, I want to talk about another form of hurt. Another form of pain. Another form of violence. One that is not visible. One that leaves no physical evidence. But one that scars the memory and is as real twenty years later as it was the day it happened. Words...

Words are powerful enough to drill deep into a persons strongest emotions. A beautiful word can make a person cry in joy. A hateful word can break a persons spirit. As people, we are responsible for not only controlling our physical actions, but also our verbal actions. It made me think of the bible study that we are doing at our church in Sunday School. The Book of James talks a lot about the tongue – but what comes from the tongue....words. Here is part of the passage:

James 3:2-10 For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect (mature) and could also control ourselves in every other way. We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!

How powerful is that little muscle in our mouth. Blessings vs. Cursing, Encouragement vs Discouragement, Praise vs Criticism, Love vs. Hate, Motivation vs Degradation, Inspiration vs Deflation, Truth vs Lies.....Words..we need to choose them properly. Today I choose to be an encourager. Today, I want to help lift you up. :)Today, I want to share some of the most encouraging words that I know. Some of the most powerful, wonderful, promising words I've found are from the Bible.I encourage you to read these out loud. They will lift you up :)

Psalm 27:1
The LORD is my light and my salvation;Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life;Of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 36:5
Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.

Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

Romans 8:28
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

2 Timothy 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. 

Have an amazing day friends :) 

Thank you for Reading :)

I am really thankful for YOU, the people that take the time to read my Blog. When I first started a few weeks ago, I didn't know what to expect. Comments have been very positive. And some have been very thought provoking. Interesting Statistics - these are the viewing stats from the last 6 weeks of my Keep looking UP Blog.

Canada - 1,637

United States - 135

Denmark - 5

Australia - 4

Singapore - 2

Germany - 1

United Kingdom - 1

The weekly poll is not doing as well as I had hoped, but it has only been up for 5 days. This weeks question is - "Do you donate Blood?"  42% have said yes - the other 58% are either a No, don't like needles, or Not Yet. And it's not too late to vote yet. 
In a couple days a new poll is going to be up. Still undecided what the topic is going to be. Anyways people, thanks again for your support.
Take Care,
Tim

Oh, by the way - tomorrow I am going to be writing on "The power of Words"

One of the Greatest Love Stories Ever Told

On this Valentines' day, I want to share with you a beautiful love story. The Song of Solomon. Below is chapter one from the New Living Translation:

Song of Solomon 1

 ¹ This is Solomon’s song of songs, more wonderful than any other.

Young Woman

 ² Kiss me and kiss me again,
      for your love is sweeter than wine.
 ³ How fragrant your cologne;
      your name is like its spreading fragrance.
      No wonder all the young women love you!
 ⁴ Take me with you; come, let’s run!
      The king has brought me into his bedroom.

Young Women of Jerusalem

   How happy we are for you, O king.
      We praise your love even more than wine.

Young Woman

   How right they are to adore you.

 ⁵ I am dark but beautiful,
      O women of Jerusalem—
   dark as the tents of Kedar,
      dark as the curtains of Solomon’s tents.
 ⁶ Don’t stare at me because I am dark—
      the sun has darkened my skin.
   My brothers were angry with me;
      they forced me to care for their vineyards,
      so I couldn’t care for myself—my own vineyard.

 ⁷ Tell me, my love, where are you leading your flock today?
      Where will you rest your sheep at noon?
   For why should I wander like a prostitute
      among your friends and their flocks?

Young Man

 ⁸ If you don’t know, O most beautiful woman,
      follow the trail of my flock,
      and graze your young goats by the shepherds’ tents.
 ⁹ You are as exciting, my darling,
      as a mare among Pharaoh’s stallions.
 ¹⁰ How lovely are your cheeks;
      your earrings set them afire!
   How lovely is your neck,
      enhanced by a string of jewels.
 ¹¹ We will make for you earrings of gold
      and beads of silver.

Young Woman

 ¹² The king is lying on his couch,
      enchanted by the fragrance of my perfume.
 ¹³ My lover is like a sachet of myrrh
      lying between my breasts.
 ¹⁴ He is like a bouquet of sweet henna blossoms
      from the vineyards of En-gedi.

Young Man

 ¹⁵ How beautiful you are, my darling,
      how beautiful!
      Your eyes are like doves.

Young Woman

 ¹⁶ You are so handsome, my love,
      pleasing beyond words!
   The soft grass is our bed;
    ¹⁷ fragrant cedar branches are the beams of our house,
      and pleasant smelling firs are the rafters.

Is this sensual? Yes. Is this suggestive? Yes. God is not afraid of this. I thank the Lord that this Book was placed in the Bible. And Yes, there are many parallels between Christ and His bride - but we must also recognize that this is a fantastic love story. 
If you want to read the rest of it - hear is a link - ENJOY !
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Song%20of%20Solomon%201-8&version=NLT

Wind knocked out my sails...but sailing on :)

You may have noticed on my Facebook page a little saying that I put down. "It's not how many times you get knocked down that counts - it how many times you get back up !" Today was one of those days when I got knocked down. It's the 4th time in the last 2 weeks. But guess what, I'm getting back up. I'm not quitting. I'm not being defeated. I'm not throwing the towel in. I can't. 

It's amazing that the last couple weeks when the wind has been taken out of my sails, I just keep saying to myself - better things are awaiting me and my family. 

A couple weeks ago when the evangelist prayed over me, he said several things that hit home. One thing that stuck out was "Tim - God's divine plan for you is His. Quit trying to figure it out." If anyone knows me, you know that I analyze things.... a lot....actually too much. I've starting coming to grips with this. I think that by trying to analyze everything, especially in what God is doing in my life, I am showing a lack of faith.  A lack of faith because if I need to know every step, I am not relying on God....I actually just analyzed this... Well friends, I'm going to bed. Tomorrow is a new day. :)