The Banana Story

...Planting bananas is a little like planting seeds; one never really knows what will grow. Let me explain. Several months ago I had to go the grocery store. Standing in the doorway was a beggar asking for spare change. I know better than to give money, so I told the person I would buy him some food. I wasn’t too sure what to buy; so I picked up chocolate milk, a cheese bun, and I figured some fruit, a banana. My intention was to hand my purchase over to the person on my way out, and I say, “ your welcome”. To my surprise when I went to find that person he was gone, nowhere in sight. I was a little ticked off. You see, I thought we had an agreement. I had wasted time and money on something I didn’t need to buy. Something else happened that day. We often pass by people in need, and I know we feel more compassion in us to help; why we don’t, is anybody’s guess. I grew up in a time when giving up your seat to an elderly person on the bus was just the way it was; or holding the door was the gentlemanly thing to do. Being polite, saying please and thank you was a sign of a good up bringing. That day I decided to buy food for someone in need has thought me a lesson in listening, in obedience. Sure the man was gone. It’s not so much in the giving, it’s more in the willingness to listen. At home I had some explaining to do. I don’t normally buy chocolate milk, so everyone who looked in the fridge asked, “Why do we have chocolate milk in our fridge?”
The other morning my wife tells me she has been buying something extra for that needy person standing in the doorway of our local grocery store. I was so surprised, and proud, when my son told me he gave some fruit from his lunch, to a homeless man in the park. Out of my obedience, I was the one who was blessed. Somehow my little act of kindness has moved other members in my family to listen to that voice. So you see when you plant seeds of kindness, of giving, of helps, of compassion; even if the seeds are disguised as bananas, who knows what will grow? Log-On

Stay Connected

So who you talk’n to? You. Who you talk’n to? You!... Simpler times. The good old days. I think one of the reasons I like log homes is the feeling I get of a simpler time. A time when people were more connected to each other, and the land. I enjoy technology as much as the next person, but really hasn’t it gone too far, and gotten out of control? Let me explain. One day while traveling on the ferry to the Sunshine Coast, as I was walking down the aisle looking for a place to sit, a lady was walking towards me. She was on her cell phone. As I was looking for a seat, all I could see were people on their I- pods, or playing small handheld video games. I started to think,“Don’t people interact with each other anymore?” Just as I was having this thought, a lady came around the corner. No lie, she was texting. I have also noticed walking down the street, two girls and a guy, and both the girls are texting someone. That old song comes to mind, ‘Love the one you’re with.’ I grew up in Ireland, and as a young boy I can remember being the first one on my street to have a T.V. Back then T.V. came on only in the evenings, with a choice of two stations. Now we have so many stations 24-7, that we can’t even make up our minds what to watch. My own mother, she’s a great grandmother, asked me, when did the cartoons on T.V. get so bad that she can’t sit down and watch them with her grandchildren. Some people have the idea that some cartoons are for adults and not children. How’s a child going to know the difference? Most of us will remember when Elvis’ hip moving was censored, and thought to be too sexy when he performed on the Ed Sullivan Show, so he was filmed from the waist up. What’s happened and how did we get this far off course? Back in the sixties and seventies when the music industry was exploding, and most of the popular bands of the day came out of England, the media called it The British Invasion. Songs like,‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’ by the Beatles, or In North America the Turtles sang, ‘Happy Together’, while the Beach Boys sang of ‘the Little Old Lady from Pasadena’, songs that made you feel happy. So when did the lyrics in song get so bad that now we need a rating system for content. One day while I was out for a walk, a car passes by with the windows down, you could feel the vibrations as the music came pumping out. Gangster rap, with lyrics that would embarrass a Gangster. Critics refer to the f word in entertainment as the f bomb. Kind of makes you think that we are in some kind of war, maybe even an invasion. I understand that we all want free choice, free to watch what we want, free to read what we want. I believe free choices come with a cost, and I think the cost we are paying for this freedom is too high. So what happened and how did we get so far off course? We’ve all heard sayings, or read something that makes you think. I had a poster once that read, ‘Earth this is God speaking. You have till the end of the month. I have a client who is interested in the property.’ Or you have read that bumper sticker, ‘Slow down the world, I want to get off.’ Have you ever felt that things were going too fast? We all have feel good memories, memories that you need to revisit every once in a while. My own Dad got so much pleasure making homemade apple pie, and his favorite, steak and kidney pie. When was the last time you peeled some apples, and made a pie? As my heart struggles for a simpler time, the good old days, I am reminded, for this generation, these are the good old days. As my spirit is feeling a little uneasy, my wife showed me a picture. She wanted to know what frame it looked better in. It was a picture of a little boy reading his Bible. In the background were newspaper headlines of war and the troubles all around him. To my surprise the picture was called ‘Peace amid the storm.’ All these thoughts of a simpler time, of reflecting, remembering my own Dad, has given me a hunger for some home made apple pie. My hope is that we all do something that will bring back some good memories, and give us a Spirit that is thankful. I think, maybe I have a pie to bake. Log-On
Psalm 106:1 NLT
Praise the LORD! Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.

Each one off us want to feel that what we do has value, that we get some kind off recognition. It could be a pay cheque or it could be a hug or a simple word of encouragement. My sign of encouragement came one night when I found an apple pie on my kitchen table. Funny thing was the person who left the pie hadn’t read this Blog yet and unknowingly encouraged me. So I would like to say to that person VINAKA VAKA LEVU

Holding On Tight

…The Ideal place to build a log home would be in a country setting, possibly on a large parcel of land. Years ago, there was this movie called ‘The Wilderness Family’. It was about a young couple whose dream was to build their own log home, live off the land, and raise a family. One day, while sitting in traffic, the young couple looked at each other, smiled and said, “Let’s go and build that cabin.” So they rented a float plane, and got dropped off in a remote valley, ready to build their homestead. I’m not quite there yet. My ideal place to build a log home would be on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia. One of my favorite things to do there, is stay at one of the many B&B’s. I love to meet the owners, and hear their life’s stories. I’ve often thought, if I owned a B&B, I would call it, ‘Open Door B&B.’
Your heart is your door, an entranceway of sorts. You could be very receptive to the things of God, or you could be so closed off that you miss even the simple things. It’s as though you have a lock on your door. I’ve come to realize that it’s our choice, how we react to situations. For some people their entrance way is a path full of flowers leading up to a welcome matt. For others it leads up to a moat with a draw bridge, and nothing is going to penetrate my castle, my space, my thinking, my bank account, my my, my. Lord forgive me. As I am sitting in my front room, I’m looking out a window with see through curtains, barely able to make out what’s outside. Wondering, do I need to add curtains to my log house or leave the windows plain? I want to be able to look outside, at all the things His hands have made, and not be afraid of the unknown. Shirley commented the other morning, maybe in a log home we don’t need curtains. Have you ever had that “aha!” moment? This was mine. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to remove the curtains, to be transparent, to be who we are on the outside, is who we are on the inside. I am not saying we need to remove all of the curtains so that the world can walk by and see us exposed, but I think we need to let the world see our Faith. Working on this part of the house has made me realize I still have some work to do in this area, and I am thankful that I know this, and feel it’s a step in the right direction. I am not sure what lesson I will learn next, as I continue, but I’m excited to see where the Lord leads.
Job 8: 9-18 (Message Translation) For we're newcomers at this, with a lot to learn, and not too long to learn it. 10 So why not let the ancients teach you, tell you what's what, instruct you in what they knew from experience? 11 Can mighty pine trees grow tall without soil? Can luscious tomatoes flourish without water? 12 Blossoming flowers look great before they're cut or picked, but without soil or water they wither more quickly than grass. 13 That's what happens to all who forget God - all their hopes come to nothing. 14 They hang their life from one thin thread, they hitch their fate to a spider web. 15 One jiggle and the thread breaks, one jab and the web collapses.

Lord help me to hold on to all that is true, all that is noble, all that is from you. My prayer is that you hold on to His word with both hands. Log-On

A light unto my path...

…I was so looking forward to this day. The day that I get to add lights to my log house. Now that it’s here, I’m feeling just a little uneasy. When you think about it, it’s the light that dispels the darkness. Right now my mind is racing with thoughts of light. Turning a light switch on in a dark room makes it impossible for the darkness to stay. Try this: sit in a room that has a ceiling lamp. Now just relax, let the light be absorbed into you. I hope that doesn’t sound too weird. Now get up, walk down a dark hallway, or go into another dark room, and turn on the light switch. Now try the same thing with the lights off. Sit in a dark room, now get up, walk down the dark hallway, or go into another dark room and look for the light switch, and turn it on. I don’t want to influence your thinking, but when I sat in the room with the light on, and had to get up and turn on the light switch in the dark rooms, I almost felt comforted, like I had taken some of the light with me. I could also turn around and see where I had come from, or I could return to the main room and absorb more light.
I have always thought the opposite of light was darkness. The more I think about it, the more I feel its temptation. We are told to resist temptation and stand your ground. The more temptation leaves us, the more opportunity light has to shine. When we pray, asking God to help us, we expel the darkness. If your heart is real, and your prayers are sincere, I believe God honors that. Psalm 119: 105. "By your words I can see where I'm going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path." As you read His word for yourself my hope for you is that your spirit will absorb some of His light. Log-On

The Guarantee

…As with any product, there are many variations, as to what accessories are included as standard equipment, and what are options or luxury items. Most log home companies offer a shell package where all you get are the outside walls. Some offer a lock-up package, which includes roof, doors, and windows, then the owner takes over and hires the sub trades. Plumbers, electricians, finish carpenters, are brought in to bring the home to completion. Isn’t odd that Jesus was the son of a carpenter? A sub trade.
I think by now if you have read some of my past blogs, you know where I’m going with this. Our bodies, in a way, are much like a log shell waiting for the sub trades to come and complete us. We are all made pretty much the same, but some of our options are a little different. Maybe you have blue eyes, or your skin color is a different shade. Some shells are blessed with different talents, but really we are all the same shell. We all want a guarantee when we purchase a product. We want assurance that it lives up to what it’s supposed to do. If the product comes with instructions, that they are easy to understand, and when the item is put together it’s complete, with no parts left over...Whole. Did you know that the word of God comes with a guarantee? It’s not a guarantee that you will be wealthy, drive a big car, or live in a fancy house. It’s a guarantee that says, “If you search for me with all your heart, you will find me.” There are many good books on the market. Books on how to get inner peace, books on spiritual growth, books to help you grow… all good tools, but don’t let these books overshadow the original instruction manual, The Bible. Ephesians 1:14. The Spirit is God's guarantee that he will give us everything he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. This is just one more reason for us to praise our glorious God.
Wholeness to me means peace. There is a peace that passes all understanding. My prayer for you is that you find His peace.
Log-On

…It’s Friday morning. I spent much of the morning detailing; adding moldings and trim around the door and window openings. I’ve also started to add some color. My first choice was green for the trim, but the more green I applied, the more I didn’t like it, so I’m am going with blue. I’m so surprised in the amount of time that this stage of construction has taken. It feels like after the major construction is over we have to deal with the smaller details.
Samuel l6. 7 But God told Samuel, "Looks aren't everything. Don't be impressed with his looks and stature. I've already eliminated him. God judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart." (The Message)
The bible says that we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We are instructed to live one day at a time, not to worry about tomorrow, that tomorrow will take care of itself. We all have different gifts to build up the body, and if we withhold these gifts the body suffers. Years ago I believe I was given a word for the church we were attending at the time. The word was to worry about nothing, pray about everything. We are called to pray at all times, to pray in every situation, and expect God to answer our prayers.
Have you ever gone ahead of yourself in things that you needed to do? Maybe you weren’t too proud of something you said, or something that you needed to make right. A promise you made, that you still need to keep. I believe our hearts can grow cold if we let these moments pass us by. So many people struggle to hear Gods voice, I think we hear fine, the struggle is in doing what He says. Somewhere in our lives we left things unfinished. It could be as simple as writing a letter to someone and thanking them for the encouragement they gave you, or visiting your mom and giving her a bigggg hug, or calling an old friend and sharing your heart. It’s funny how sometimes we have to be reminded of the simpler things of life. I’m so looking forward to the day when I start to add lights to my house, but for now I have to take stock of where this building is at, and complete what needs to be done. My prayer is that each one of us would take stock of where we’re at before we move on. Log-On.

The Gift

… Have you ever picked up your camera because you needed that special picture? It really shouldn’t come as a surprise to me anymore but it still does, that the Father of the universe wants to bless me. As I’ve said in earlier blogs this isn’t about dreams or log houses, it’s about going deeper and hearing God for yourself. On an earlier blog, I needed a picture of our church building. Since our church doesn’t look like a church, and it has many functions, the picture I needed to take would be special. Did you know that God gives good gifts to his kids? As I’m standing, thinking, do I take a picture of the people in the congregation, or a picture of the building? Just then my son walks by holding his sons hand, and my spirit is moved, and my thoughts turn to a Holy Father. A proud father, a strong father, holding his child’s hand, and the child being so comfortable, as there is almost a oneness to their stride. This isn’t the picture I had come for, but it’s the one that impacted my spirit. God wants to walk with us, all we need to do is reach up and take his hand.


Psalms 25:4-5 Show me the path where I should walk, O LORD; point out the right road for me to follow. 5 Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.