Roads...

For some of us, the roads that lead us forward in life are safe, soft, picturesque, narrow and quite non-threatening. We travel this road with confidence, believing that not much will change and we are quite comfortable with that. We can view the scenery well without having to venture anywhere off the road as the scenery is close up and we don't have to move much to the left or right. It's all right there, not too far away. Easy, peasy....safe.

Others of us have huge roads of life, big 'four laners', with twists and turns, ups and downs, with a great many obstacles darting out at every intersection and we're never really sure where it will take us....but we get on it and go. We go hard and fast with nothing to stop us. We see great amounts of scenery on either side as well as up ahead as far as the horizon. There is a great vastness to our view. It's exciting, thrilling and breath-taking. We have a few accidents because of our recklessness but we seem to recover and get back on that road and go. It's a hard road...a road of unknowns and setbacks. But it's the road we have chosen...so we continue on, fast and hard.

I wonder, when we finish this road of life and look back over it in the rear-view mirror, whether we will be able to say we traveled the road well. Will we be able to say, that even with setbacks and accidents on that "four-laner", we were able to get back on that road and go.

Or maybe we'll be saying that we didn't see much or even do much, but at least we were safe and comfortable. No mishaps on that sweet country road.

I think it's a question that all of us will ask one day.

I guess my thought is that if I have traveled either of these two roads and be able to say that God led me on which ever one I traveled, then I have traveled well.

Just some thoughts I had today......

Enjoy the journey.....we have only one.

Enunciate....enunciate....

Should God not have read my last post from yesterday...... he possibly thought he heard all of us shouting together:

WE WANT SLEET!!!

WE WANT SLEET!!!

WE WANT SLEET!!!

WE WANT SLEET!!!

I'm thinking in our zealousness to ask for HEAT we may have made it sound like SLEET.

It's possible.

Anyway, it's what we're getting tonight. Thanks God.

At least it's moisture and not 30 cm. of snow like Cypress Hills received today:-(

We'll have to enunciate next time.

All together now.....

WE WANT HEAT!!!

WE WANT HEAT!!!

WE WANT HEAT!!!

WE WANT HEAT!!!

.......please.............

......and if I'm not too bold in asking.....could you make it at least over +25C while you're at it?

Not that I'm complaining God....just cold.

Consistent???....

If there was one thing I could leave people for when I'm not here anymore, I wonder what it would be?

We've had a rash of folks passing away...relatives of co-workers....parents mostly and a few who have retired and have died suddenly (not known to me, but nonetheless.......).

What will we leave as our legacy? How will we be remembered. Elvis Presley....by his singing. Rembrandt....by his paintings. Winston Churchill....by his stalwartness. Jesus Christ....by his love. Sharon Kent......by her inconsistencies and failures in life.

Perhaps people would say "Remember her....the one who......(fill in the blank) - 'messed up her life pretty badly at one point' OR 'was a totally rotten mother most of the time' OR 'didn't think of anyone but herself' OR 'didn't really do much in life that was very memorable' OR 'she didn't really have much going for her'...etc. etc. etc."........

Or would they say things like "Remember her...the one who (fill in the blank) - 'even though she messed up her her life pretty badly at one point, by the grace of God, went on to be a better person' OR "Ya, sometimes she messed up as a mother alright but on the whole, taught quite a bit about love and forgiveness to her kids' OR 'No, she didn't really do much that was memorable but I remember how she cared about others' OR 'No, she didn't have much going for her but that wasn't important to her because what she did have was God in her life'....etc. etc........

At this point in my life, I'm trying, with God's help, to end up like the comments in the preceding paragraph. I'm trying. But you know, I just fail so badly some days at being a human being. I get arrogant; I become pitiful and loathsome; I get grudge matches going which I lose every time; self-righteousness becomes my second name..maybe even my first name:-( I don't think of others before myself; I say nasty things about people I care about......and I'm 61 years old!! I sound some days like an adolescent who is only beginning to learn lessons in life and here I am 61 and learning the same lessons I learned when I was 16!!!

I never cease to amaze myself at my inconsistencies.

By God's grace, I shall be a somewhat more likable human being tomorrow, and learn how to live a more consistent grace-filled life.

May God help me.......

Weary....

Yes. Weary.

As I type, I look up at that picture........ and my inner being would love to be a cow. Ya, I know. Quite the plan for my life.

They are always so peaceful looking....when the bulls aren't around. But they just sit there, watching the clouds roll by, the grass growing and bugs landing on their hind quarters.

They chew cud too, but even that looks peaceful.

Times come in our lives when we need to just sit. Sit. Get rejuvenated. Think about life.

It must be gettin' close to vacation time 'cause I'm runnin' out of steam.

And it's an extremely busy week next week as we get to meet a couple who will be "candidating" as co-pastors in our church. A husband and wife team. A young couple. He's the same age as our son!

It will be a time of "discerning"....asking the questions of God that will give us peace as to whether these are the people He wants to lead us at Gateway and to involve themselves in ministry in this city. It's a good place to be...in the will of God. Things seem to go much more smoothly when that happens as opposed to attempting to do things on our own.

Interesting times.......we're looking forward to them.....

I still wouldn't mind being a cow....... for a day or two at least.........

The sky....

Yes, Saskatchewan licence plates are aptly named: "Land of Living Skies".

And the sky is so very huge.

You get several kazillion water droplets in there and it makes for interesting visual fare.

I think so, anyway.

More green....

Green was the color of choice for the weekend.

Brittney's Campbell Collegiate in Regina - same school

colors as

my alma mater...Riverside Collegiate in P.A.

Brittney rocked at her dance recital. (centre back)...


she jived.....

She did some fancy breakin'...

and movin'......

and groovin'......

and enjoyed herself a whole lot (and she was good too!!)

on the way home it was a good cloud day.

Their new Regina digs.

May God watch over this one vehicle/three working people at different times...family.

The driving/riding scheduling will, I know, be a challenge.

We had a great time too.

And now to finish off the week here........oh shoot, it's only Tuesday tomorrow......