WAITING

God has always rewarded my waiting for His time and circumstances. I especially see this in the great jobs I have had over the many years. My contract job with the gas company in Welland after returning from Europe after I became a Christian. My job at Solar Systems in Vancouver when going through Bible School. My job at General Motors after returning to Welland and finishing my "apprenticeship" at Rosedale. My job at JT Plumbing in Nipawin after returning from schooling in Chicago. And my job at Orchid Automation in Cambridge when we came back to Ontario. All of these were rewarding jobs which led us from Welland to Bible training in Vancouver and Chicago and then back to Welland and to the pastorate at Rosedale for 12 years. Now I am waiting again and know that I will not be disappointed as I look to the Father. In His time and circumstances He continues to lead. I have not worked for 24 days now and anxiously await what is coming next both for work here and for what next year will bring in terms of mission service. Winter work is just being released so the oilpatch is starting to come to life again.

I remain in good health but am recovering from a cold. Still keeping busy with small repairs around the house, reading, prayer and trying to memorize Matthew 24. I will keep you all posted and hope to see you at Christmas.

MORE TIME OFF

 I am sending this quick update from Nipawin, Saskatchewan where the province is anticipating a win over Calgary tomorrow and a trip to the Grey Cup next week. They take their CFL seriously in the West. I have been off for 13 days. Over those days I have been able to do a number of small projects in Ben and Ashley's house including a new floor in Vance's room.

I was also able to replace a furnace for one of Ben's friends. Now it is time to get back to paid work. Please pray for a job opening that will last until Christmas and then I can make the long anticipated visit home for Christmas.

Besides a winter cough and cold all is going well. God is good and my eternal hope is growing each day into a certain reality. May the love of God consume you.

LIFE THROUGH A MIRROR

For my last twelve days in camp I was driving a 740 CAT truck. Sometimes dumping my load required that I back up using mirrors. It is impossible to look out the back window of the truck to back up because of the huge 40 ton capacity box. Mirrors are the only way to back up this big truck. The problem is that mirrors give a very limited view of what is back there. To give you an idea of what I can see from my cab as I am backing up see the picture below. Notice that in the middle of the picture are two mirrors (you can also see the reflection of other vehicles in the glass and another rock truck ahead of me, but ignore that). The large mirror is for close range viewing and the small mirror for a longer, broader view. But you can see how limited the scope of vision is and how hard it is to assess distances.

This next picture is the same view as above standing by my mirrors using my eyes (actually I would see even more than this picture shows with my eyes). Notice how much more panoramic and clear I can see and how much easier to assess distances.

Paul said in  1 Corinthians 13.12 "For now we see in a mirror dimly,  but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known". Hang in there brothers and sisters the full panoramic view of our salvation will soon be upon us.

Sometimes when I try to back up with my mirrors I get so disorientated I do not know where I am in relation to where I need to dump my load. I have to stop, step out of my cab and physically look back and get re-orientated.

The Word of God is so very important to me because it daily provides that eternal re-orientation that guides me through the day. For now we see in a mirror dimly but then face to face. I have goose bumps and tears in my eyes as I type these words. Take some time today to think about the fullness of your coming salvation. It will brighten your day.

Let's put up with the mirrors of our present sinful flesh, our worldly circumstances and the limits of our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Clarity is promised and is coming. I can't see face to face now but until that day arrives I will "drive with my mirrors clean and aligned". What an amazing life with God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord we have been given the privilege to live.

FAREWELLS

Today I am on my way to Nipawin SK, to Ben and Ashley's. I hope to finish the trim in their house and help with a furnace installation for a friend. That work should take about a week. Then I hope to be back to work with the company I am presently with. For now they do not have much work so I have applied to a few other companies because I want to work until Christmas before I return home.

The airstrip job is over. I thank God for giving me a competent, humble, patient and caring boss. I thank God for the friendly and helpful people I was working with. I also thank God for all that I was able to learn on that job and the daily sense of God's presence. Living in camp was a positive experience and I thank God for a competent and approachable camp manager.

It will be refreshing to have a week off after 23 days of work. Even though I will be doing work it will be like a holiday with family. Vance is now two years old and it will be good to see him again as well. Ben is heading home today so it will be great to spend some time with him.

Thank you for praying for me and for Gloria, and for all the care you have shown to us. I hope that in the not too distant future I will be blogging from Africa or some other part of the world where I can serve the local church and bring the Gospel to those who have not heard, in the name of Christ.

BRIGHTS AND GREYS

Written on Thursday, October 31st.

This morning the sky was grey and gloomy. Being so far up North the days are getting very short. The Sun does not rise until 8:30 and sets before 6. I am on the road by 6 am. I can literally see from day to day the days getting shorter.

Driving into the Sun early in the morning

Anyways it was gloomy for most of the day today but yesterday was a bright sunny fresh day, the kind of day that just makes you feel good. Today was one of those days that just makes one want to go back to bed.

God gives us all kinds of days because He loves us and wants us to grow up into Christ. All "sunny" days would make us very shallow people. All "gloomy" days would make us bitter and miserable people. I regularly meet shallow people focused on themselves and material comforts, and bitter people filled with ingratitude. They have missed something very important through the brights and greys. They have missed the purpose of their existence which would take them above circumstances and into an eternal hope and true meaning for their lives.

When our center is Christ and our will is to please Him above all other things no matter what the cost, the sunny and the gloomy circumstances of life, the brights and the greys, all work together to make us into a beautiful picture of Christ. With no true center in Christ we are prone to be formed by our circumstances rather than the Word of God and the work of the Spirit of God in us. Daily we must come back to the center and source of our life and then we can let the brights and greys do their work of forming Christ in us.

"Work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure". (Philippians 2.12-13)

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good, to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. ...to become conformed to the image of His Son". (Romans 8.28-29)

"Rejoice in the Lord always." (Philippians 4.4)

"In everything give thanks." (2 Thessalonians 5.8)

Saw mama moose and her baby today by the road