Tournament, a one day vacation.

You know the saying that a change is as good as a vacation?
Well, I experienced that again the other day.

It was Cohen's first tournament of the year.
We walked through the March snow, both under our feet as well as coming down from the sky. Very different from last year, when the weather was so warm the little kids could play outside in the playground.

The gym was noisy and crowded with kids and adults in their white Tae Kwon Do uniforms. We recognized the judges by their two piece suits and ties, walking around with lists. They separated the different age groups of contestants. The bleachers and rows of red, uncomfortable chairs were filled with proud and expectant parents and grandparents. Little brothers and sisters sat on the floor, close to the roped off rings, waiting for the action to begin.

It was a long wait, and the ladies selling coffee and donuts from Tim's were doing brisk business. But finally the younger kids and lower belt levels were organized. The judges sat down behind their tables, and the air filled with the sound of 'hut, hut'.

When the bleachers got too hard, I walked around, but always ended up again with the small group of parents from our school. We hang out together a lot, just waiting for our kids to finish their lessons, and often end up at the same tournaments, cheering our kids on, and drinking endless coffee.

We had to wait all day for the nunchucks demo from Cohen. When it was finally his turn, most of the crowd was gone. But the masters of the different schools were still there with their older students. Cohen's hand was sore from sparring, but he ignored it. Once he heard the music he went into his own world, and performed a beautiful routine. The applause and cheering were loud in the partially empty gym, and someone called for an encore.
Soon the Pirate's music filled the air again, and we all watched with satisfaction a repeat performance.

When we finally got outside again in the snow, it was like stepping back into the reality of every day life, just like after a vacation.

God has given you great gifts, my son.
Use them for His honour and glory.

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Merry Christmas, in March

This morning I woke up to over an inch of snow, again. All the messy mud from yesterday's thaw was covered with a fresh layer of beautiful white fluff.

But in Japan they woke up to the same cold, dirty, mind numbing circumstances as yesterday. At this point it does not seem possible that anything in the world can cover up the devastating destruction created by the earthquake and the tsunami.

But God is on their side!

Jesus tells us to proclaim to the world the year of the Lord's favour.
Already I hear friends making plans to go to Japan to help clean up the mess. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 brought an overwhelming response of loving aid. Ministry teams are still going to Haiti.
May Japan experience that as well, and see Jesus.

John 13:35

"By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

And the earth quakes. 11-3-11

Psalm 46

1 God is our refuge and strength,
always ready to help in times of trouble.
2 So we will not fear, though the earth quakes
and the mountains crumble into the sea.
3 Let the oceans roar and foam.
Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!
(NLT)

What a picture of yesterday's earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The quake registered 9.1 on the Richter scale. The devastation is unimaginable. The number of dead and missing is climbing by the hour. And the nuclear reactor burns....

Lord, may this disaster cause many people to look for You.
Amen

10 "Be silent, and know that I am God!
I will be honoured by every nation.
I will be honoured throughout the world."

Made in His image

In Genesis 1:27 we read that God made us in His own image. Unimaginable!
After all, the previous verses tell us about everything God just created. He made plants and animals. And we try hard to follow suit. We propagate, clone, and genetically modify seeds and plants. Now we're into animals, and even humans.

What I`ve also noticed is that we try to make everyone around us to be like us. We expect from others what we expect from ourselves. If we are always on time, we expect the world to be just like that, and we judge and grumble if they`re not.

This carries over in the political and spiritual arenas of our lives.
Are you into recycling? Then everyone else should do it too.
Do you hold to a certain doctrine? Then it is hard to leave others theirs.

We put our views and ideas forward as the only truths, often without considering if what we believe is the Truth.
Where do we find the true truth?
What is worthy of a fight?

The world does not consider truth to be singular. Kids get taught that what's true for you does not have to be true for me. But that does not work. Blue cannot be green, just because I am colour blind.

Jesus is the Truth and the Life. Everything we believe must be held up to the mirror of His views. Everything we do must reflect His love. Everything we say must echo His words.

God made us into His image. As the moon reflects the sun`s light, so we must reflect God. Not try to be Him. Jesus, though God Himself, was the perfect example while here on earth of reflecting God. He repeatedly said that He did not do anything without the Father.

May our lives reflect the Father's as Jesus` life did.

Amen