13 Hours of Rain

Do I believe in Christ’s redemptive work for me in the present? Do I believe that Christ has given me a new identity? Do I believe God can change me into who He wants me to be? Do I trust God to lead me in the best possible way? I wish I could exclaim a resounding “YES!” to all the above questions. Truthfully, the way I live my life floats somewhere between yes and no. Intellectually speaking, I do believe God can and will transform me into Christ’s image over time, through the conviction and empowering of the Holy Spirit. But often, my heart is somewhere else, trying to earn my own salvation. Once again, I am processing ideas proposed by Lane and Tripp in their book How People Change . In the book, the authors claim that Christians are often guilty of trying to fill their lives with good things that become ultimate things. In other words, we start pursuing ideas, practices or beliefs that take the place of God in our lives. While we acknowledge that God is our Savior and that He h...

Today I write to promote a National program called Shared Thanksgiving where Canadian citizens open up their homes to share their Thanksgiving Dinner with immigrants or newcomers to Canada. Before I share the details, I would like to share a short story about my family. My parents emigrated from India to Canada in the early 1970’s. Both of them are third generation Christians. I was born in large metropolitan city in central Canada. Six months after my birth, our family moved to the prairies. I spend my elementary years in a small hamlet in the northwest region of our province where the hills roamed, the evergreens soared and crystal lakes pooled. There, my Dad taught Grade 6 at a nearby Indian Reservation. Evangelical churches were hard to come by in this region of the province. It wasn’t until four years later that my parents settled into a warm, hospitable Pentecostal church located in a nearby town. My parents were not Pentecostal by denomination, but it was either that or the C...

We are caught on this side of heaven, where we await our complete transformation, when we cross the threshold to the other side. There we will spend eternity with the Three-in-One who sacrificed His Divine rights out of majestic love for humankind. For many, this future hope is enough. Fire insurance has been received, so to speak. The here and now is theirs to keep, without God, enslaved in sin. Yet, God came to set us free here and now . Your Daddy and I are taking in a Sunday School class where we are pondering the writings of Timothy S. Lane and Paul David Tripp through their co-authored booked How People Change . It speaks of the “Gospel Gap”, where Christians struggle with Christ’s redemption in their present day situation. It is easy to present the Gospel as forgiveness of our past sins and hope for eternity. But what about “the now”? How can the implications of Christ’s death and resurrection make a difference as we struggle with sin day-to-day? What does it mean that...

There is a crispness to the morning air. A few leaves are starting to change colors. And there is a risk of frost next week. We are heading into the last days of summer. It was a good summer. While we were unable to accomplish all that we wanted during the months of July & August, we still enjoyed simple yet meaningful experiences. Family Bible Camp (and the zip line!). Swimming lessons. Reuniting with many friends over yummy eats. Visits with extended family. A just-the-two-of-us holiday for your Daddy and I while you kids hung out with Uncle, Aunt & cousins. A day trip to a Provincial Park with a friend. Ice cream, marshmallows roasted over the fire pit, and all things barbequed. A camp out in our back yard (where I had to get ear plugs at 4:00 a.m. because the leaves were rustling too loud). Harvesting a bumper crop of Roma tomatoes! School has now begun. A new preschool schedule was printed and posted to inspire my time at home with you, my son. Our family bulleti...

My burden was once again punctuated by a moment where I witnessed you kids singing Vacation Bible School songs at a church near our home. I teared up as I took in the sight and sounds of 100+ kids praising Jesus. In that space, I prayed that the seeds of faith would be planted deep in your hearts. And that your faith and the faith of the ones surrounding you would grow and mature and survive the transition from home to adulthood. Because so many young adults these days are packing their bags, moving away, and saying goodbye to church. I believe the North American church does a reasonable job of introducing our children to Jesus. We have our Sunday School programs, mid-week Kids' Clubs, Bible camps, and Vacation Bible Schools. And as our children transition from childhood to the teenage years, Youth Groups take over with their mix of Bible Studies, pizza parties, and community service. It is often the hope and prayer of Children Ministers and Youth Pastors that these experiences...

Yesterday, I found myself in the stationary store, filling my cart with school supplies while methodically checking items off a list. You two kids were exploring the surrounding treasures or accompanying your Dad as he picked up items from obscure aisles. Part of me was giddy, as I soaked in the aroma of new wax crayons and the sight of fan-dangled binders. I loved school as a kid and purchasing school supplies brought back happy memories of learning. The other part of me was sad at the end of two very quick months of random schedules and flexible timelines. I have enjoyed viewing more cork board than paper on our family's bulletin board. I have thrived in a more relaxed environment, where we awoke when we wanted to (well, you kids anyway) and enjoyed quieter weekdays. Plus, it was been great to have your Daddy home. Soon, the schedules will begin, the alarms will sound, the school newsletters will arrive. And we will rush off to catch the big yellowish-orange bus for another 1...

Your Grandpa & Grandma's backyard is a gold mine for a photographer's eye. The entire yard is filled with a variety of foliage, texture and ambience that transforms a run-of-the-mill portrait to something deserving a second glance. I had a blast clicking and experimenting away on you two! Here are some of my favorites pictures taken with a Canon EOS Rebel T5 and a 75 - 300 mm zoom lens: Settings: Creative Auto , 1/200, 5.0, ISO 100   Settings: Portrait , 1/200, 4.5, ISO 100, Light/Scene: Shade Settings: Portrait , 1/250, 4.0, ISO 100, Light/Scene: Shade For all of the above pictures, my camera automatically set the shutter speed, the aperture opening and ISO rating based on the subject and background lighting. However, for the last two shots, I selected the Light/Scene setting as "Shade" before I took the picture, which gave the picture a warmer tone than under the default setting. For comparison, check out the next picture which was taken ...