He Is All About Details

When I spoke at church weeks ago I told a bit of the story of a friend of mine named Oliver.

He is a young man of great faith, a great writer, funny and has a very kind and observant heart. He is 14 years old and though life has not been easy by any stretch of the imagination he knows and trusts that God is on his side.


I may do a series on here about his story in the future but I wanted to quickly share something great today.

When I spoke about Oliver at church, I talked about how school fees are a huge hurdle for his family. God has provided for his schooling in great ways through neighbors and other incredible means. These last two weeks are no exception.

After my message I was approached by a few people wanting to help with his schooling and so the last two Sunday mornings there was an offering taken for him.

I had not made it known to the church how much was needed. But, when I totaled up the gifts from both weeks, the final amount was the exact amount that is needed to cover the term.

I won't say that I'm surprised as much as I am expectantly grateful. I know that we serve a God of details who knows our needs and is not only capable but insistent on providing for them. This is how I know that even though, up to now, Oliver only has money to complete grade 9, he will finish high school. I'm very confident in that and I know that he is too.

and..... fixed!

A couple of people have mentioned, and I have noticed as well, that the subscription buttons I had before were not only unnecessarily complicated, but didn't really update in good time.
I've fixed that problem with a much more streamlined tool from google's feedburner.

The subscription box is located on the left, 
beneath the top photo and is about as easy as it gets.

Step 1 - Type in your email and click 'subscribe'
Step 2 - Prove to google that you are human and check your inbox
Step 3 - Confirm your subscription

And then...once you have confirmed you will receive a notification whenever this blog is updated.

So check it out!
I, of course, tested it already and by my clock, it took 24 seconds.


Note: If you have previously subscribed, I would encourage you to sign up again, only because this new tool is much better at the job when it comes to relaying updates on time. You can always unsubscribe to the old feedblitz subscription if you decide to upgrade.

Uncontainable

The day started off badly.

I had gotten 3 hours of restless sleep before my alarm sounded with it's irritating 'cool runnins' ring to call me out of bed. I fought it though, as I always do, because even though it wasn't likely that I could get back to sleep, I was uncommonly comfortable and didn't dare move an inch before it was absolutely necessary.
The next beckoning was a text message from a friend saying that they weren't going to be able to make it to the beach today.
I was supposed to be up by then anyways, headed to Cobourg to meet other friends and hang out in the surf while doing our best to keep sand out of awkward places. I had every intention of going early, but that decision was made while I was sober, not drunk on a comfy duvet and pillow.
I eventually dragged myself out of bed though, did all that morning ritual stuff, threw on my bathing suit and another layer of clothing and headed to the car. I left about an hour and a half later than I had wanted to but I was on the way so I thought it not a huge deal. I drove in the fast lane to make up some time on the hour long drive and as I neared the little beach town I somehow missed the signs and consequently, the exit.
It would have been no big deal except for the realization that the next exit off the highway was about 20 kilometers away and there were small rain drops falling and clinging to my windshield.
Not loving that I was adding another 30 minutes to my trip I received a call from my friends who were already at the beach. It was indeed raining and they were packing up and heading to a restaurant.

This is the point in the morning when I realized that I was officially in a bad mood. Lunch would be nice indoors instead of sitting in sand with seagulls eye-balling your every move just praying that you'll drop something so they can fight each other for a fingernail sized crumb. I found my friends in the parking lot and we headed for lunch. I tried shaking my mood but even when I was able to, for seconds at a time, my mind would wander and I'd be in a daze and then I'd think, wow, I must be wonderful company. [And I do apologize for being so boring at lunch - I'll make it up to you guys. Maybe we can watch another TV series in it's entirety next week]

On the way home though, something great happened. It had stopped raining and for a split second I took my mind off myself and looked up into the sky. It wasn't intentional, it wasn't premeditated and it certainly wasn't a lot of time but it was enough to stir something inside of me. The white clouds on the brilliantly clear blue backdrop reminded me of something very important: nothing that happened this morning really matters. It doesn't matter now and it certainly wont matter tomorrow.

I drove for two and a half hours today without setting foot on the beach. So what? My bad mood shifted to a feeling of relief and even joy because I remembered that this world will throw many things at me and try to take me down but I have already declared that I'm not living for the prizes of this world.

In the car, heading west on the 401 a song came on that sang, 'the heavens can't contain the glory of the Son' and I thought, how true! This glory is uncontainable. All I did was glance at a tiny slice of creation and before I could blink, it screamed goodness back into my life. It refocused my heart on my prize; being in the presence of my creator - today, tomorrow and forever. Sure, life has nice door prizes. This planet was created specifically for us and for our enjoyment. But there are many things that will distract us from the real prize that stands before us. I'm thankful for the reminder and glad that a detour and a little rain on a beach day didn't distract me for longer than it did.

So today I do not ignore the uncontainable glory that gently reminds me of what is important and what is not.
I'll fill the car with gas and I won't be bitter.
I will live for my God.
It's the least I can do, after all, He died for me.

Insomnia: not a complete waste of time

The most challenging time of the day, for me, is falling asleep.

If the time is stamped on this post you will see it's around 4am and it's not an oddity that I'm up so late... especially these days. What's more is that, not only am I wide awake, but even if I were able to sleep in the next hour, I'm awake again at 7:30-8:00 am with much difficulty falling asleep again.

I was able to catch the last bit of 'The Machinist' on TV last night. Apparently a movie about an insomniac who goes crazy after an accident at work and I'm kind of wondering when I will go crazy. I thought, at least I get a few hours a night. It's better than nothing. But one thing I've noticed is that, unlike any prior sleep deprivation issues in my past, this time round, the only consequence I seem to be suffering is boredom.

In the past, a lack of sleep would surely bring on illness and problems staying awake during the day but it's not like that this time round. I can't remember the last time I was able to nap and my physical health is fine.

My only theory is that God is sparing me the harsh side affects because, 

1) I'm spending more uninterrupted time with Him

2) He knows that if I was any less sane during the day I would self destruct, and
3) He's a healer, yes even before illness rears it's inconvenient head.

I would love to have a 12 hour sleep session, and I will again, one day. But until then, I suppose I am thankful, for health, and for the extra time I'm able to spend with the one who values my time and cares for my company.

I am curious though, after warm milk and hot baths, melatonin and, in my weaker moments, nyquil (which gives me horrible dreams!!!) what are some things that help people sleep?