An Ounce of Prevention…

Posted on April 29, 2015 by Lynn

It started with a twinge of a sore throat, then I started to feel a little achy and then it had developed into a full-blown head, nose and throat cold.  What is it you’re supposed to do…feed a cold, starve a fever or starve a cold, feed a fever?  I was too sick to care.

I told someone that it would be a miracle if I didn’t get sick after teaching the junior highs last week.  It seemed no matter how much hand sanitizer I used, the germs would not be held at bay.  Sitting in front of me was a young man who sniffled and sneezed and coughed in my direction through most of the class.  I looked into his bloodshot eyes and felt such pity for him.  He should have been home in bed but he was “toughing it out”.  Words I remember saying to my own son whenever he had complained of a head cold.  “You can’t miss too much school.”  I told him.  “Just tough it out!”  I regret saying it to Brett now…perhaps it was he who coughed his mucus-seeking missiles in a teacher’s direction one day and that teacher suffered then as I was suffering now.  Certainly students don’t purposefully set out to sneeze all over their unsuspecting teachers or classmates, but once launched, the germs are given their marching orders to seek out the most vulnerable in the room.   Lucky me.

It would be so easy if there was some kind of invisible “battle armor” we could wear that repels cold germs.  Something like shark repellent maybe…although I suppose if a shark wanted to bite you, spraying him in the face would probably just make him madder and the consequences would be the same.  It’s like that joke about Grizzly Bears in Alberta…hikers are warned to make lots of noise in the back country and carry “bear bells” to “scare” bears away.  The theory is that bears would rather not cross paths with noisy, bell-carrying hikers.  The joke is: what do you usually find in bear scat (droppings)?…Answer: berries and bells.  Get it?

So the same sort of idea holds true when it comes to warding off colds.  I was constantly telling my kids when they were in school to take precautions to prevent getting sick like: take your vitamins, don’t go outside without a coat on, get plenty of rest, eat right…and I followed (still follow) my own advice TO THE LETTER.

The sad truth is that even with my taking the best precautions…a persistent cold germ still managed to get through.

I know there is a point to my telling my children over and over again to take care of themselves so they don’t get sick, but truly logic fails me when after all MY precautions, following MY own advice, here I am sick with a cold.  It’s unfair.

The thing about colds is that it attacks regardless of how prepared or unprepared one is.  So does Satan.

We’ve been studying the “armor of God” in class (Ephesians 6:13 -18 ). “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,  and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.   And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

The idea here is that we, as Christians, are under constant attack by the worldly enemy – Satan.  Like a cold, sometimes he sneaks up on us and catches us unaware and we cry “unfair”, and unless we have been equipped to fight him we will be totally unprepared for the onslaught to come.  Still there are times we are aware of a battle in front of us and we make every effort to guard against the barrage thrown at us.  We need to be in battle armor all the time.  The trouble always arises when we are totally unprepared.  Then we know we’re in trouble!

So as I sniffle and sneeze my way through another bout of the common cold, I’m reminded that I’ve got an arsenal of cold remedies in my hands (if I use them), and I’ve got people who can bring me chicken soup literally for the soul!  The same is true when I feel the attacks of Satan.  I’ve got battle armor to wear, and I have people who will rally with me in prayer so together we can overcome the enemy.

 

“AaaaaChoooo!”  I wrap my blankie around me tightly.  I cling to it like it’s battle armor for my cold.

“Bless you!” says the Father.

I purposefully adjust the helmet of Salvation that’s tilted at an angle on my head and listen.

“My (child), do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.  Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.  Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.  Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.  Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.  This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.”  Psalm 3:1-8

I feel that invisible weight of armor covering my body and tightly clutch the Sword (my Bible) on my lap praying as I do that I will be prepared for the next attack.

 

Posted in Family Life, Inspiration & Devotion, Proverbs 16:9 - Journey Thoughts, Teach on, Teacher! | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Hockey Superstitions

Posted on April 21, 2015 by Lynn

It is no secret that I am a hockey fan, especially during the playoffs.  My heart has been and always will be with the Montreal Canadiens, however living in “Cowtown” (Calgary), it’s hard not to have a small corner of my heart dedicated to the hometown heroes – The Calgary Flames.  So I face the dilemma of whom to cheer for if the Canadiens and Flames should meet in the playoffs.  I guess it will be a win-win for me because whomever wins I’m happy.

One thing I know for sure is: the NHL team with the best beards usually wincanadian-beards-phoenixnewtimescom!

A playoff beard is the practice of a NHL (National Hockey League) player not shaving his beard during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  The player stops shaving when his team enters the playoffs and does not shave until his team is eliminated or wins the Stanley Cup.  The tradition was started in the 1980s by the New York Islanders.  After the Islanders dynasty ended in 1984, the playoff beard tradition was lost but then was brought back in 1995 by the New Jersey Devils who used the beards.  After the Devils won the Stanley Cup, the beard has been used ever since.  The tradition is also practiced by nearly all North American hockey leagues including university and high school teams.

I am NOT a fan of the scraggly beard look.  I don’t understand the tradition myself but hockey players are a very superstitious bunch of guys.  Silly or serious, superstitions have become a part of the great Canadian game.  The Philadelphia Flyers believed in the winning powers of singer Kate Smith in the 1970’s.  She was their “lucky charm”.  Before a game at the Spectrum, if she sang God Bless America, instead of the national anthem, the Flyers often won the game.  “At one stage, Philadelphia had an incredible record of 62 wins, 13 losses and 3 ties, thanks to the inspiring presence of Ms. Smith.”  Even though Kate Smith passed away in 1986, she is still seen on tape singing before some Flyers’ home games.

Intrigued by hockey superstitions I  decided to do a little research.

“Do they do it to combat the stress or as a moral booster?  Whatever the reason, many (hockey) players are superstitious and cultivate their own rituals and habits, in the belief that this helps them play better.  Even if they sometimes doubt their utility, most players still join in collective team rituals to demonstrate solidarity or conjure up victory. This creates some strange and often obscure sights – to say the least!”  http://www.mcq.org/societe/hockey/pages/aasuperstitions_1.html

Many players will wear the same t-shirt under their jersey because they believe washing a t-shirt “wrings out the luck” 

Players wear lucky socks or lucky skates and play with what they consider lucky sticks.  They will lay their equipment out the same way before every game, put it on in the exact same order and put it away in the equipment bag in a  particular order after a game. 

“When I play, I always put my right skate on first,” a young minor hockey player said, “I tie the left skate first. I tape every stick starting from the tip of the blade, and every stick has to be re-taped after a loss. I don’t cut my hair during a winning streak, and I wear the same shirt under my pads for the entire playoffs.”

The great Wayne Gretsky is quoted as saying, “I always put my equipment on the same way : left shin pad, left stocking, right shin pad, right stocking. Then pants, left skate, right skate, shoulder pads, elbow pads, first the left, then the right; and finally, the jersey, with the right side tucked into my pants.  During the warm-up, I always shoot my first puck way off to the right of the goal. I go back to the dressing room and drink a Diet Coke, a glass of iced water, a Gatorade, and another Diet Coke.” 

Goalies are perhaps the most superstitious players of all.  Patrick Roy, the legendary netminder of the Canadiens would regularly talk to his posts during game. When asked why, he answered, “They are my friends.” Also, during the pre-game warm-up, he would skate to blue-line, look at his net, and envision it shrinking. He also never stepped on the blue or red line.”

Other goalies sweep the ice in front of their creases from the left to the right only, or right to left only.  All fans will note that their team may come on to the ice before or after their opponent before a game and after intermissions.  Some teams skate in a certain direction, clockwise or counter-clockwise during the warm up.  The most common ritual is the entire team skating past their goalie before the start of the game and tapping his goal pads with their sticks.

Numbers also play a huge role in the hockey mystique.  Certain jersey numbers define a player just as much as his own name.  If I were to say these numbers: 4, 10, 29, what Montreal Canadien players immediately come to mind?  (Beliveau, Lafleur, Dryden)  Wayne Gretsky wore #99 his entire NHL career. …and yes, there are also lucky and unlucky jersey numbers.

“For the same reason many high-rise hotels don’t have a 13th floor, Colorado College’s hockey team doesn’t have a player who wants any part of the No. 13 jersey. CC, …doesn’t have any players who want to test the age-old superstition that 13 is bad luck, and for good reason. The last two players to have No. 13 for the Tigers fled the jersey like it was on fire. Center Andreas Vlassopoulos tried it as a freshman in 2005 when his preferred No. 3 was taken by Lee Sweatt. About 25 minutes into Vlassopoulos’ first career game, he suffered a season-ending knee injury. He said he decided to give up No. 13 about the time he found out he needed surgery…Dan Quilico wasn’t superstitious, either, and he had always had numbers in the teens. When he got to CC in 2006, No. 13 was available.

“I wanted to do something with my freshman year, try something different,” Quilico said.

After playing in only eight games as a freshman, Quilico broke his ankle the following offseason. He quickly became superstitious and turned in the No. 13 jersey. He wears No. 12 now.”

Hockey coaches are also a superstitious bunch.  Apparently 95 out of 100 coaches do not allow their pictures to be taken before a game because it is considered a bad omen.  They will wear the same tie and/or suit when the team is on a winning streak.  When their team loses, they not only analyze what happened during the game but what may have happened in the spiritual realm to jinx or bless their efforts.

Like other sports, Christian hockey players will pray before a game.  Washington Capitals, Brian Pothier was asked several years ago by a Washington Post reporter what role God had in the sport.  “That’s an interesting question. I’ve heard people say, ‘God’s too busy. He doesn’t care [about sports].’ Then, I’ve heard other views, ‘If God is so great or loves you so much [to help you] to win then what about the guy on the other side who lost? What’s the deal with that? Does he like you more? You win or lose sporting competitions, and that’s fine and it’s part of the grand plan of developing and cultivating who you are as a person. You win some, you lose some, and deal with it. I think it develops who you are as a person and I think God’s in control of that.”

So as I again tune in to Hockey Night in Canada, laugh out loud at Don Cherry’s ridiculous choice of sports jacket, watch with particular interest which team may have the longest beards, and listen to the arena singer belt out “The Star Spangled Banner”  I know for sure who will win the game … all superstitions aside…

…the team that scores the most goals!

 

http://archives.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/clips/10391/

 

 

 

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What is Life?

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Lynn

What is life? Does this sound like a strange question to you?

Of course we all know what is meant by the word “life”, but how do we define it?I Need Jesus

Do all living things move? Do they all eat and breathe? Even though we all seem to know what is meant by saying something is “alive”, it’s not very easy to describe what “life” is.  Even biologists have a tough time describing what life is! But after many years of studying living things, biologists have determined that all living things do share some things in common:

1) Living things need to take in energy
2) Living things get rid of waste
3) Living things grow and develop
4) Living things respond to their environment
5) Living things reproduce and pass their traits onto their offspring

Therefore, in order for something to be considered to “have life” as we know it, it must possess these characteristics.

But is that “Life”?  I mean, just because a living thing possesses these characteristics, is that thing experiencing LIFE?

I do not know anything about the individual who posed this question but perhaps he/she was asking another underlying question: What is the Meaning of Life?

“The meaning of life constitutes a philosophical question concerning the purpose and significance of life or existence in general. This concept can be expressed through a variety of related questions, such as Why are we here?, What is life all about?, and What is the meaning of it all? It has been the subject of much philosophical, scientific, and theological speculation throughout history. There have been a large number of answers to these questions from many different culturaland ideological backgrounds.

The meaning of life is deeply mixed with the philosophical and religious conceptions of existence, consciousness, and happiness, and touches on many other issues, such as symbolic meaning, ontology, value, purpose, ethics, good and evil, free will, conceptions of God, the existence of God, the soul, and the afterlife.  Scientific contributions are more indirect; by describing the empirical facts about the universe, science provides some context and sets parameters for conversations on related topics. An alternative, human-centric, and not a cosmic/religious approach is the question “What is the meaning of my life?” The value of the question pertaining to the purpose of life may coincide with the achievement of ultimate reality, or a feeling of oneness, or a feeling of sacredness.”  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meaning_of_life

Now, I know I’m not a theologian, or a scientific scholar but I think I have the answer to “What is Life?”  It’s simple, it’s basic, it’s all encompassing….it’s not a “what” question…it’s a “Who” question.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”  (John 14:6)

Jesus is LIFE.  Without Him there is no life.  He is Creator (John 1:1); He upholds all things by the Word of His power (Hebrews 1:3); In Him all things consist (Colossians 1:17).

Without Him we walk in spiritual darkness and we are eternally separated from God (Romans 6:23), but Jesus has, through His death and resurrection, given us a way to come to the Father, because all those who come to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, may come to the Father.  Jesus is the ONLY WAY to God.

Jesus is not only LIFE today He is LIFE for eternity.

If you are living but have never experienced “Life” to the fullest, come to the One who is “the way, the truth and the life”.

Come to Jesus.

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