The Weeds

His name is Tim. I met Tim shortly after my family moved to NB. Tim was a total woodsman, he followed in his dad's footsteps when it came to being out in the woods. He could track little fluffy rabbits, he could fish, he could milk cows like a pro and he was only 10. Tim and I became friends real fast and he taught me a lot about being in the woods, which to be honest was a terrifying thing for a kid who moved to NB from the Toronto area. As teenagers we would hunt and fish. During hunting season we built this hunting blind out at the lake and we would hunt geese. Yes, I know some of you are already turned off but get over it, it's the life out there. We were the wake-up call for the geese each morning before school.

One day Tim went out alone, and woke the geese up with the loudest alarm clock ever. The problem on this morning was that we had taken the rubber boat home, so he had to swim out to get the birds. Remember, he was a total woodsman so this was nothing for him. Stripped down he lowered himself into the water and began the process of collecting supper. Part way out he was caught up in weeds just below the surface of the water. He struggled and struggled, but could not break free. The one thing Tim took with him out in the water was his knife, and that knife saved his life. He cut himself free and swam back to shore. Needless to say he never did that again. It was the first time I witnessed fear in his voice as he told me the story later that day.

I can see some parallels for life in Tim's experience. It's so easy to get caught in the weeds of life. We swim around in life, and before we know it we are drowning. Maybe it's what we allow ourselves to be part of: it's the small compromises that seem like no big deal, it's unforgiveness, or maybe it's full-on habits that entangle us and pull us down. Whatever it is that is wrapped around us, we need to cut it loose so we can run in this journey called life. Every once in a while we need to take a look down and see what is wrapped around our lives and cut it loose.

Is it possible that today we can begin to free ourselves of the weeds, as Tim did that fear-filled morning? Thanks, Tim, for being smart enough to carry that knife with you. I guess if you didn't take that knife this blog would of had a different application.


RB
Hebrews 12:1

Part of the story

We can all remember a moment in time where things changed and a new story started. Maybe it was not just one moment, but instead a collection of happenings you can clearly see in your mind. Life is filled with many different moments, like graduating from school, the day you said "yes" to marriage, or when someone hands a tiny screaming human to you (baby… in case you're wondering). The list can go on and on. There are also those times when you know that this particular moment is going to redefine your story and possibly take you in a whole new direction. For me, it was February 2, 1981. My brother and I had one of those moments, and I can still see and feel it as if I were still there. You see, it was that date, 29 years ago, when we were told that our dad had died of cancer. A new story was starting that day, and our main character was no longer a part of it. I spent many years wondering why this happened to us. It didn’t seem fair. The problem with the wondering years was that I had not realized a new story had started. A new story that I could not live true to because I kept looking in the rear-view mirror.

Today, 29 years later, I have come to see how God was able to use this moment as part of my story. So what's in your past that you have yet to realize is part of your story? Allow that moment in time to bring life to the pages, even if it's filled with pain. God is about telling His story through yours – if you let him. The questions are still there but they no longer have a grip on me. I have discovered that it's all "Part of the Story".

Embrace the moments as "Part of the Story".

RB

c1:29

For a long time I have been thinking about blogging but never did it because who really cares what I think. Recently, I did a trial run on another social network and it seemed to draw some attention so I figured why not start a blog and see what happens. Here is what I hope to accomplish. I hope that we can journey together placing "God thoughts" into our life experiences. The c1:29 is actually a very cool verse from the Bible where this guy named Paul works hard to move the will of others towards God, he connects his own experience to God in order to increase the pace of the listener. His desire was to see lives changed and that is my prayer as well!

May we run with pace in the journey of life!

RB