The Great Tease

Picture this.

 You're on a bus, looking out the window, just appreciating the gorgeous view as you roll down the highway. The sun is shining and the sky is the perfect shade of blue. There are forests rolling into mountains and it all looks amazing. Up ahead you get a brief glimpse of a beautiful snow-capped mountain, but it is quickly hidden from view by the trees beside the road. You look intently for another glimpse, and you see flashes through the trees but never the full picture. Finally the trees clear, but there are hills and forests in the way, still partially blocking the view. It takes another 5 minutes before the trees and hills clear to give you the full picture- that perfect view revealing something truly spectacular.

 That is exactly what happened to me. It is what prompted me to start writing this blog on the bus trip down to Victoria for my hockey game. It was a vivid illustration for a passage I read earlier today from Philippians 3:

 " I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things." - Philippians 3:10-15 NIV

 When I was trying to see the mountain, I was reminded of this passage, especially the part about forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I was straining to see the mountain view so much that I didn't even look at the trees that were getting in the way because I was looking beyond them, enjoying the brief glimpses given to me of the prize beyond. In the same way, as Christians, sometimes we get distracted by the trees of the material world- money, power, fame, lust- but when we get a glimpse of Jesus' true nature- in a church service, in the bible, or on a friend's couch- we can't help but look past the temptations that lie directly before us as we look ahead to that beautiful moment when we will get the full picture and see Jesus.

 In fact, to further my example, this is the reason I was looking out the window in the first place. It is the reason I had my headphones blasting praise music, looking past the seductive R-rated movie playing on the bus because it doesn't compare to the beauty of creation all around me. And I am convinced that the wonders of creation are only the first glimpses of the beauty of Jesus Christ who died to save me from a life of sin and death. This is why I worship and why I cannot wait for the day I get to see Him face to face for the first time.

Not the Blog I Planned...

I know I promised a new blog this week, and I had something in mind for it already.  That one will get posted at some point, but sometimes life throws you a curveball and something comes up that you have to talk about.  This is one of those times..

The Only Guarantee
If there's one thing I've learned over the last three years, it's this: the only guarantee in junior hockey is that there are no guarantees.  Ice time is never a given, and your spot on the team isn't secure until after trade deadline, no matter what you think.  Those who know me, know that I've had to go through this part myself and it's been really tough, but I thought this year would be a bit different.  What I didn't realize is that it isn't just tough when you're going through adversity yourself, but also when people close to you get put through it as well. 

First it was my brother- as many of you know he was not given much opportunity to play with the blazers despite leading the team in points in the preseason.  It finally got to the point where about a month ago, they reassigned him to junior B to get ice time and get his confidence back.  Funny how closely the two coincide.  He's currently lighting it up for the KIJHL-leading Kamloops Storm and is in good spirits.

Dropping the Bomb
The second big example of this doesn't quite have the happy ending of the first one, and is the part that I felt like I HAD to get off my chest this week.  On Monday, I went to the gym to work out with the team just like every week.  When we all got there we were told that one of our teammates had been traded.  Obviously guys have been getting traded all year as we try to make the best team possible to take into playoffs but this one was especially tough for two reasons:

1.  I was pretty good friends with the guy and I knew I would probably feel his absence at the rink more than most

2.  He was one of our 20 year olds, in his last season of junior hockey.  All he wanted for his last year was to win a championship and he knew that our team has a good shot at winning it this year.  

Not only that, he had really made Campbell River his home ever since he got traded here last season; so much so that he decided not to go to Kimberly (the team we traded him to) and just stay in town here.

Lesson From Mom

When I was younger and things didn't go my way, my mom would tell me "life isn't fair."  This was usually a defense mechanism on her part to try to get me to stop complaining about an early bedtime or the like, but it rings true.  Talking with my teammate on the phone on Monday night, it was obvious that this lesson from Mom is still true today.  He did not know what he could've done to get a better outcome, and it was really tough to hear what he was going through.  I didn't know what to do except listen and console the best I could.  I had gone through similar experiences in my relatively short hockey career and I knew exactly how he felt in that moment.

In moments like these, people relate closely to the angrier psalms of the bible, like Psalm 35, when David cries out, "They repay me evil for good and leave my soul forlorn...[my] attackers gathered against me when I was unaware. They slandered me without ceasing."

The Old Testament is full of stories of injustice, and I love how it presents life the way it truly is: ugly, unfiltered and unfair.  Stories about people like Job, Jacob, Joseph, David, Hezekiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel come to mind immediately.  Yet all of these people knew where to go for support- to God, who loves us despite our flaws and all our baggage.  It is an incredible truth, that always seems fresh and relevant, and it seems I need constant reminding of this fact.

In the End...

Life isn't fair.  That is a fact everyone will have to confront sooner or later.  As I listened to my friend wrestling with this fact, there was so much I wanted to say to him, but either didn't know what to say or knew it wasn't the right time.  I wanted him to know that there is someone to turn to in times like this for answers.  His name is Jesus, and he had one of the most unfair lives ever lived.  He came to save people from their sins, did nothing except love and teach and heal people.  In return he got spat on, beaten and hung on a cross to die.  However, because he is God, he overcame death and now lives at his Father's side in the heavenly realms.  

I wanted him to know that Jesus knows exactly what he is going through and wants to be there to help you through the toughest moments of your life.  I will keep on praying for him, not only that he would come out of this adversity as a stronger human being, but that he would come to trust in Jesus- the only one who is able to take away every burden and heal every pain.   

The Bible says that "we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are- yet was without sin.  Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." -Hebrews 4:15-16

Meat and Potatoes

    I know, I know, it's been way too long since my last post.  I've been meaning to get this one up for awhile now.  I'm still in Campbell River for those who are wondering, and I've kind of sunk into the routine of life here: practice in the morning, class or work after that, then hit the gym in the afternoon and relax in the evening. 

    I'll touch on routine again later on but first I should explain the title.  Meat and Potatoes.  No this has nothing to do with food, believe it or not.  In the game of hockey there are the snipers, the goal scorers, the Crosby's if you will.  Then there are those known as grinders, energy players, meat and potatoes kind of guys.  They might not be as flashy or as talented as the snipers, but they are an essential part of any team.  These are the guys that you need on your team come playoff time, the guys who win you Stanley Cups.

    Now think about this:  Christianity works similar to a team in many ways.  You have "allstars," people like Billy Graham or CS Lewis who get a lot of press.  Then you have your "average" meat and potatoes Christians like me...a regular guy who doesn't have a "spiritual" job or go to a "spiritual" school.  Many people would not consider someone like that as important as one of those Kingdom "snipers" but I would argue they are just as crucial if not more.  Energy players will work extremely hard and often draw penalties through their determination.  They get the powerplays so the offensive players can score the goals on the man advantage.  In the same way, these average Christians do the work, day in and day out they show Christ's love to their friends and coworkers, being a witness to the good news of Jesus.  Maybe they invite them to a church service or a Christian conference where the preacher speaks a great sermon and makes them decide to follow Christ.  Was it the pastor or the church member that led the person to Christ?  It takes both kinds of players to win a championship. 

    This leads me to my second point.  The phrase "spiritual high" gets thrown around a lot in the church these days.  This can refer to a feeling you get at church or a manifestation of the Spirit.  Not that there is anything wrong with any of that, in fact those are often the times of greatest spiritual growth.  The problem is too often we come down from those mountaintop experiences and fall back into routine.  You can have the most powerful spiritual encounter at church with other Christians but I believe God is far more concerned about the other 6 days of the week.  How do you live out your faith around non-believers at your school or workplace?  That is a question we should all be asking ourselves a lot more often than we do.

    I heard a really great quote awhile ago; "Salvation cannot be achieved through effort and spiritual maturity cannot be achieved without it."  Peter emphasizes this when he says to "Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.  For if you possess those qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." -2 Peter 1:5-8.  He goes on from there using the phrase "Make every effort" twice more in his letter before its end. 

    To be honest, the reason I'm talking about all this is I haven't been doing it all that well lately.  I feel like I haven't really been putting the effort in.  So please be praying for me that daily I would have the courage and commitment to "fight the good fight of the faith" and" take hold of the eternal life to which you were called" (1 Timothy 6:12).

    Lets make every effort to be effective in our day to day roles, wherever we are called to be, and learn to rise above the monotony of the weekly schedule to live a life worthy of our calling.
   

Remind Me - The Genesis Story

    Well I finally had a bit of a break after what was a crazy couple weeks.  I guess a general recap is in order:  As most of you know, I was trying out for the Alberni Valley Bulldogs (Junior A).  I was a call up player for them last year and ended up playing abut a dozen games with them last year so I was pretty confident going into tryouts.  What a crazy camp!  When it was all said and done, I had played 8 games in 7 days, plus a practice.  I had a good camp, but my final game last Sunday I was pretty much exhausted, as was everyone else.  Needless to say I didn't exactly have my best game.  We had exit interviews afterwards and unfortunately I got cut.  Snipped.  See you later.  It came as a shock to me as I thought I'd make it down to at least the final cuts.  So right now I'm back in Campbell River (Junior B) getting ready for the season up  here.  Things are still a bit up in the air though, there is a some possibility that another junior A team shows interest in me if I light it up at the start of the season and someone decides they want me on their team.

    Changing topics a bit, in the summer I started a 3 year Bible reading plan, where I read 1-2 chapters a day instead of the usual one year plans which have 3-4 chapters per day.  I'm almost finished Genesis right now (chapter 45 to be exact), and one thing really struck me while going through the story of Abraham and Isaac.  Starting with Abraham way back in Genesis 12, God speaks to him and promises that he will be the father of a great nation.  He speaks to him again in chapter 13, reminding him of the promise and saying that his descendants will inherit the land he is staying in.  Fast forward to chapter 15:  Abraham is losing faith, Sarah is childless and they're getting old.  God promises once again that he will be the father of many and makes a wicked cool covenant basically signing his name in fire by Abraham's sacrifice, however by chapter 17 he needs reminding again.  Finally Isaac is born: the promised son, but Isaac seems to have the same problem his Dad did.  At the beginning of chapter 26, God promises to make his descendants "as numerous as the stars."  Immediately afterwards, Isaac plots to deceive the King of the Philistines to preserve his own life instead of trusting God to look out for his safety.  So by the end of the chapter God has to tell him again not to fear because he has been promised much blessing.

    It really speaks to our humanity and how God constantly needs to remind us of things: His love, His grace, our humility, etc.  Now to tie everything together: one thing that I have needed constant reminding of over the last few years is that God has a plan for my life and it isn't always in line with what I have planned.  For example, this year I had a plan that was mainly centered around making the Bulldogs.  I truly believed it was the best situation possible and that Port Alberni was where I was meant to be.  I get cut, and suddenly my plan falls apart.  So I am reminded that I don't get to have full control over my life, that I don't get to be the boss of things, and that things don't always work out the way I think they should.  It brings about some much needed humility in my life.  Of course I have a new plan based on where I'm at now, but I am okay with the fact that it might not play out the way I have it drawn up.  Don't get me wrong, I believe in the value of planning ahead, that you shouldn't just go wherever the flow takes you.  But don't throw in the towel just because something unexpected happens. 

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." -Jeremiah 29:11

The Awkward First Post

If you're reading this, you probably already know me, but in case you don't, here's a bit of background on me:  I'm a young Christian who plays Junior Hockey on Vancouver Island (though I'm from the mainland).  I decided to start blogging because of what I've learned from other blogs written by godly men and women that I look up to.  I thought it would be a great creative outlet to share all the crazy things I'm learning and experiencing in my life through the teaching and guidance of God's Word and the Holy Spirit.  So follow along or don't, but hopefully you can learn something from my life that applies to yours as well.  Correction/feedback is welcomed of course as I am human and prone to misinterpretation at times.  Cheers