An Incorruptible Crown

Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

1 Corinthians 9:24-25

Tonight is a huge night in the world of hockey. The Pittsburgh Penguins will host the Tampa Bay Lightning in game seven of the NHL's Eastern Conference Finals to decide who will play the San Jose Sharks for the right to hoist the Stanley Cup. If you're as big of a sports fan as I am, you understand when I say that there's no bigger part of the sports year as far as I'm concerned.

If you try to convince me that there is any more prestigious trophy in sports than the Stanley Cup, you might as well try to argue with a brick wall. I can tell you right now that there will be no sale. There are several reasons for that. First, it's no ordinary trophy, but it's nearly three feet tall and is made up of 35 pounds of silver. Second, it has a history that no other trophy can come close to competing with. If you don't believe me, a quick Google search will reveal some of its bizarre experiences. Third, the winners have their names engraved into the rings on the Cup's base, literally etching them into the history of the sport. Fourth, and perhaps most importantly, it's unique. There's only one Stanley Cup, meaning that no team has a case full of them, including the 24-time Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens.

Well, perhaps a bit of an asterisk should be attached to that last point. While it's technically not incorrect to say that the Cup is unique since the same trophy is awarded year after year, there are, in reality, three Stanley Cups. Obviously, the original 1892 Cup is one. The "Replica Cup," which was made in 1993 is another. Its purpose is common sense. When the "real" Stanley Cup is on official business, the Toronto-based Hockey Hall of Fame displays this version so that fans can still interact with the prized trophy. However, for the purposes of this post, the third version, 1963's "Presentation Cup" is likely the most relevant.

It was in 1963 that NHL President Clarence Campbell commissioned the creation of a new Stanley Cup because he was afraid that the original had become too fragile to stand up to the rigors the trophy was subjected to. If you made that Google search I suggested earlier, you won't have to wonder why. Again, the decision was one based on common sense. If you have as prized of a relic as the Stanley Cup, you naturally want to take care to preserve it. Since its retirement, the Original Cup has been on display in the Vault Room of the Hall of Fame.

In the story of the Stanley Cup, we find that the most timeless of trophies still fall victim to time. Nothing lasts forever. Everything in this world eventually fades away. As the hymn "Abide with Me" says, "change and decay in all around I see." Eventually, this old world itself will burn up, and everything in it will be gone.

I'm not going to tell you that there is no value in some temporal things. I do some work as a high school sports photojournalist, and personally, I think there's a great deal of value in the athletic pursuits those kids I cover take part in because of the character building that can take place. Still, it doesn't last forever. In 100 years, I and the vast majority of them will have long been forgotten for our involvement, proving that point. What then, can we do to establish something that will last forever?

There's only one answer to that question. It is to live a life of service to God. The Apostle Paul used multiple sporting analogies in his epistles to illustrate the importance of perseverance in God's work, but he also pointed out that the glories offered by those sports were temporary. The crown won by ancient Olympians faded away, just as the original Stanley Cup weakened. However, a life lived in service to Jesus Christ will be rewarded with an eternal crown that will survive eternity. It will be something that we can cast at the feet of Jesus in thanksgiving for what He's done for us and be an everlasting reminder.

Ask any hockey fan, and they'll tell you that the Stanley Cup is special. I'm a hockey fan, and I think so. Still, even its grandeur and the glory it bestows upon those that win it are nothing when compared to an eternal reward granted by God Almighty. What kind of trophy are you working for? Is it temporary or permanent?

Whiter Than Snow

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Psalms 51:7

Very few people seem to think that they aren't good. They can easily recite the reasons that they believe they are good, and they always seem to have an excuse for their bad behavior. Truth be told, we all have plenty of bad behavior to make excuses for, and ultimately that proves the point that we aren't so good after all. Jesus pointed that fact out when He spoke to the rich young ruler: "Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God." In the Lord's case it was, of course, true. He is God, and He is good. That label however, doesn't apply to any of the rest of us.

By extension, the fact that we're not good means that we're also dirty. In fact, we're filthy at best. Isaiah 64:6 says that our righteousness is as filthy rags. If that's the best we have to offer, how bad must our worst be?

The fact that we are dirty means we can't enter into Heaven. That's a concept that any parent can easily grasp. Imagine a group of kids that have been playing in the mud after a rainstorm. They end up with mud caked onto their clothes and their bodies. Once they've had their fun, they decide to go inside, but their mother stops them. She won't let them in the house until they're out of the muddy clothes they're wearing. If she were to do so, there would be mud all over the carpet and everything they touched. That being the case, why would we expect God to be any different?

We see then that we have to be clean to have any hopes of getting into Heaven. Our biggest problem is that God's standard of clean is much different than ours. His is nothing less than perfection. White has long been associated with cleanliness, and as such, God uses it to represent spiritual cleanliness in the Bible so that we can relate to it. Snow specifically is used in the Bible to represent something that is clean. Freshly fallen snow has an albedo of up to 0.90. That means that it reflects up to 90% of the light that hits it. A completely white object would have an albedo of 1.00.

That means that not even snow is completely "clean." We therefore have to be whiter than snow. In fact, there's not a single object in the universe that reaches the standard of being perfectly white. Of all known objects in the Solar System, Saturn's moon Enceladus (seen in the photo above) likely has the highest albedo at 0.99. The surface of Enceladus is made of ice, which can be compared to snow since snow is crystallized flakes of ice. In other words, even the brightest known object in the Solar System isn't completely "clean."

Going back to the concept that our best is filthy rags, we see just how far short we truly come. If there's nothing in the universe that reaches the standards of pure whiteness, there's no hope to be found for us unless the only "good" One does the job for us. The good news is that He did. He came to this earth and lived the perfect life that we were incapable of living, and traded His righteousness -- His "whiter than snow" life -- for the filthy rags that we wore. In fact, He literally became sin so that we could be righteous.

The only way to get into Heaven is to be whiter than snow. The only way to become whiter than snow is to have our sins washed away by the precious blood of Christ. Are you whiter than snow? You never will be in your own right. A spiritual trip to Calvary to meet and trust in the Saviour is the only thing that will do it. The good news is, He's eager to do it. If you'll call on Him, He'll take you to Calvary and wash you whiter than snow.

Yet Will I Not Forget Thee

Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

Isaiah 49:15-16

I'm not a youth pastor, a teacher, or a coach, but in the last several months, I've spent a good deal of time around teenagers. That's because in my capacity as a part-time high school sports photojournalist, I've walked up and down the sidelines of football and soccer games, and I've stood in the dugouts of baseball and softball games. I have to say, it's really a lot of fun, and I love interacting with those kids. To say that they can be entertaining would be a huge understatement. If it were to ever turn into a full time job, that would be perfectly fine with me.

Of course, in the position that I'm in, I don't learn the backstory of most of them. There are a few of them that I've had deeper conversations with, but for the most part, I only know what I see and hear on those sidelines or in those dugouts. I see the fronts, but I don't see what's under the surface. I do not need to see that, however, to know that many of them are hurting. That doesn't mean that I know which ones they are, but I know enough about human nature and the state of the world today to know that it must be true.

I believe it is that knowledge that helped to create the main character of the book that I'm currently working on. I'd like to introduce her to you. Her name is Caelynn Aucoin, and she's 14 years old. She's originally from Summerside, Prince Edward Island, but has recently moved to Moncton, New Brunswick. There's a huge hole in her world, but I'm not referring to the one created by moving away from her longtime home, even though it meant leaving behind her beloved older brother who is attending university back on the Island. Rather, I'm talking about a hole that was created eight years ago when her father walked away from her family.

Caelynn, like so many young people in reality, knows what it's like to feel rejected and unloved by someone that she should have been able to count on. It's not just young people either. Many of us as adults have experienced the rejection of those we felt that we could always count on. There are some people we feel will never turn their backs on us, and yet, all too frequently, the sinful nature of humanity kicks in and we find ourselves deserted. One thought that has been on my mind lately is that if that sort of thing is so painful as an adult, it would have to be excruciating for a child or a teen.

Surely, a parent would never walk away from his or her child, right? We all know that's not true. We all know of instances in which it has happened. If that can happen, there's no guarantee from anyone. right? Wrong. There is a guarantee that God Almighty will never forget His children. A mother might leave her child, but that child is not forgotten by God. A father might walk away, but then God becomes a father of the fatherless. But still, some might be wondering, how can I know that God won't forget me? The answer is simple. It's in His hands.

When the nails ripped through the flesh of Jesus' hands when He was nailed to the cross, something amazing happened. Those nails did the most impressive work of engraving ever performed. They etched the names of all of those who would ever trust in Him into his palms. Every time Jesus Christ looks down at the scars in His hands, He sees my name. If you're a child of His, He sees yours as well. He also sees the names of any of those kids whom I've hung out with on those sidelines or in those dugouts that have trusted in Him. He sees the names of all believers. There's no way He can forget us.

Maybe you're hurting and feeling the pain of rejection today. If you know Jesus Christ as Saviour, He's right there with you holding you in His arms. If you don't know Him, those arms are extended out to you. Perhaps you know someone who feels that pain. Why not point them to the Saviour that loves them so much. Let them know that He loves them enough that He allowed those nails to do something so special. He never forgets.

Musical Guidelines

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Colossians 3:16

In the past, I've written quite a few posts on this blog that are based on hymns and gospel songs. There are a couple of reasons for that. For one thing, music is an important part of my life. I've always been a music lover, and I've been the music director at my church for the past five years. Secondly, well-written music can teach us a lot. It is no substitute for the word of God, but when done correctly, it can teach us about scripture.

When it comes to music, we are certainly confronted with a lot of options. There is plenty of debate about what is acceptable and unacceptable when it comes to music choices. Fortunately, we can search the Bible and find guidelines that will help us make that determination. In this post, I'd like to look at some Biblical principles that will help us determine what is acceptable and what isn't in our musical choices.

1) Does it sound like something from the world?

I believe that there shouldn't be doubt about what a Christian is listening to when someone else comes along. If their first impression is that we're listening to something from the world, that should be a red flag. Titus 2:14 and 1 Peter 2:9 say that we are to be a "peculiar people." Second Corinthians 6:17 tells us to be separate from the world. That should apply as much in our music as it does to any other part of our lives. Our musical choices should be peculiar to the world and show that there is a separation.

2) Does it stir the spirit or the flesh?

Our own flesh is our worst enemy because we have to contend with it all day long, every day. We should always strive to avoid things that will arouse it and turn to things that will lift up our spirits. There is a reason that the Bible refers to "spiritual songs." Galatians 5:24-25 tells us that those who are in Christ have crucified the flesh and that they walk and live in the Spirit. If we're in a spiritual battle, shouldn't our music reflect that?

3) Does it glorify God or man?

Revelation 4:11 tells us that God is worthy to receive glory and honour and power. That is something that no human has any claim to. Ultimately, our musical selections should point us to the fact that God is indeed the worthy One. If a song glorifies a man, it's no good. Any song that has a person as a central character should use that person's life to point us to God and encourage our faithfulness to Him, such as the song "Dare to be a Daniel." That's what the accounts of the heroes of the faith in the Bible do, so why should it be any different in song?

4) Does it teach sound doctrine?

Music is no substitute for the preaching of the word of God, but if it is done correctly, it can play a key role in preparing the heart for worshiping the Lord during preaching and in teaching us about the Bible. Colossians 3:16 makes it clear that music can teach us. If we're going to learn from it, shouldn't we make sure we're learning the right things? I do want to say that we can violate the spirit of this if we're not careful. I've read articles online in which people attacked the song "Victory in Jesus" because it mentions "angels singing" and the Bible never mentions angels singing. Ultimately, I find something like that to be trivial and inconsequential. Talking about angels singing has nothing to do with central Bible doctrines. If a song teaches something that does violate those principles, however, we should steer clear.

There you have it. It is my prayer that the principles above will help to guide anyone who has questions about Godly music and point them toward things that are edifying. Music is indeed powerful, and it's important to know how to harness that power for good to edify ourselves and other believers, and maybe even help to point a lost soul toward Calvary and the Lamb of God.

God's Time and Purpose

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

Ecclesiastes 3:1

It's been a while since I posted anything on here. I've had a lot of things going on, not the least of which was finishing the publication process for my first book, Hazard at the Haunted House. Now that that particular task is finished, it seems that the time is right to get back to writing this blog, and I believe that book actually makes a good topic for a post.

You can read a little about the book and find purchasing links here if you're interested, but I won't spend too much time on that, because that's not the purpose of this post. Rather, I'd like to tell you a little bit about how the book came about and what it has meant in my personal life. You see, that book helped me to learn that there really is a time and a purpose for everything that happens in life.

"One day, I'm going to write a book." I can't tell you how many times I said that over a period of a decade or more. Let's just say that I wish I had a dollar for every time I said it. There were a couple of abortive attempts during that time, but I'm not sure how serious I really was about them. I think there were several reasons that it took so long before I decided to tackle the challenge. Honestly, I believe in one respect I was afraid of failure. That was a personal issue that I fought for a very long time, and have really only begun to overcome fairly recently. Be that as it may though, I think the primary reason was that, little known to me, it simply wasn't the right time.

I believe that the desire I had was a good one. I believe that there are few things in life that are worth more than a good book. I can relate to the Thomas Jefferson quote, "I cannot live without books." Books are an excellent way of sharing knowledge and understanding. However, I believe that for my book to be as edifying as it needed to be, there were some changes that had to be worked in my own heart.

I've spoken in the past on this blog of how I've experienced things that I never would have imagined I'd ever go through, and how those things have helped me more fully realize the grace and sufficiency of God. One of the things He used to bring me through the (so far) most devastating events of my life was writing. Just under two years ago, when I felt that I was near total despair, the idea of writing a book came back to my mind. This time, for better or worse, I was going to give it my best effort. It was finally time.

I say that it was time for two reasons. First, the time I begun my "career" as an author was the time that I needed it the most personally. At that time, it was edifying for me personally, and helped to rebuild my spirit from the pain it had recently suffered. Second, the trials that I was going through helped to turn my heart to the Lord in a way it had never done before. I was already saved, and had been for many years, but when I faced those trials, they drew me much closer to the Lord. A heart that is close to God is a heart much more able to do something edifying to others. And so it began. I started out with a very basic idea and started writing. Hazard at the Haunted House, a story about the importance of obedience and family, was the end result. Other books, which will hopefully be released in the future, followed.

That explains why I said that the book taught me about the timing of things, but briefly, I'd like to explain what it taught me about the purpose of things. If I had not gone through the heartbreak that I did two years ago, the book might have never been written, Now that it has been, it is my prayer that it will be a blessing in the lives of young people and that it will help them grow. If that happens, it will be something good that comes out of something very bad that happened.

You see, all things aren't necessarily good, but they work for good in the life of a child of God. If they draw that child closer to his Father's side, that's good. If they equip that child to better help and serve others, that's good. If my writing this book -- something that happened because of something bad happening -- helps others, that's good.

I certainly hope and pray that my book will help young people to learn something that will be good for them spiritually, but even if it doesn't, it has already taught its author a valuable lesson: God's timing is always right, and He has a purpose for everything.

A Great Cloud of Witnesses

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.

Hebrews 12:1

It goes without saying that I'm a big hockey fan, but like many other hockey fans, I don't at all like many of the changes that have been made to the NHL in recent years. One such change was made this year, when the All-Star Game was converted into a three-on-three tournament with a team from each division. When that announcement was made, I immediately lost all interest in the event.

Before long, however, something happened that made me start paying attention. Fans were allowed to vote on the league's website for the captain of each team. The highest vote-getter from each division was to win that honor for his team. Every player in the league was eligible, and the fans decided to have some fun with it. A campaign was started to elect John Scott -- then of the Arizona Coyotes -- as the captain of the Pacific Division team.

Before this season, many hockey fans would have responded by asking, "Who?" if someone mentioned Scott. Those who did recognize the name would likely have known of him only because at 6'8", he's one of the tallest players in NHL history. I don't mean to sound brutal, but Scott's on ice stats are far from attention grabbing. In 285 NHL games to date, he has merely five goals and six assists, for a total of 11 points.

Yet, somehow, the campaign took off, and it began to look like a real possibility that Scott would win the vote. Publicly, the league insisted that the fan vote would be honored, no matter the outcome, but it was no secret that the front office was not happy about what was happening. Some fans even charged that back-room deals were at play to keep Scott out of the game. First, he was traded from the Coyotes to the Montreal Canadiens, which the league suggested could affect his eligibility because he was in a new division, and then, he was demoted to the AHL, which was also suggested could make him ineligible.

Those ideas caused an uproar among the fans. In the weeks of the campaign, they had gotten to know John Scott better than some obscure enforcer. They started to get to know him as a funny, happy-go-lucky human being that just about anyone would enjoy hanging out with -- and they were not at all happy about what they thought the league was doing. The response was deafening, and in the end, the league allowed Scott to play.

This is where things start getting stranger than fiction (if they weren't already). Scott not only played, but he scored two goals in the game, and was chosen as MVP. and as a member of the winning team, earned a share of a million dollar bonus -- not a bad deal for a guy whose wife was expecting twins any day!

John Scott certainly appeared to have some pretty powerful enemies to his chance to play in the All-Star Game, and we have some powerful enemies that we battle in our spiritual lives. The world, the devil and his demons, and even our own flesh fight against us every day of our lives. Sometimes we feel like we're all alone, but the truth is, we're not. In John Scott's case, the outrage of the fans was more than enough to offset any plans the league might have had to keep him out of the All-Star Game, and we have forces much more powerful in our corner as we serve the Lord.

First and foremost, we have the Lord. He's far greater than anything the forces of evil can ever conjure up. If he can create a universe in just six days, certainly he's more than sufficient to give us strength in our every day battles. Second, we have the support of the heavenly angels. "For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways." While I do believe that the concept of guardian angels is greatly overblown in our society, there is some truth that underlies it. The heavenly host does look out for us as we serve the Lord. Thirdly, we have the watchful eye of the saints that have preceded us into Heaven cheering us on. They experienced the same things in their lives that we do, and in many cases, much, much more.

My dear brothers and sisters, as we serve the Lord, we have quite a cheering section behind us. I hope you'll remember that the next time you're tempted to give in or respond wrongly to the pressure of life. We all have those times, and we all know they're coming. If we continue to serve faithfully, we have much more waiting than a temporal MVP award and a monetary bonus. We'll receive eternal rewards that we can lay at our Saviour's feet in thanksgiving for what He has done for us. Remember: they're all cheering for you!

He's All I Need

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19

I remember that when I was a kid, I couldn't wait to grow up. For a kid, there's an attraction to the concept of the additional "freedom" that comes with being an adult. If you're an adult, you no doubt understand why I but the word freedom in quotation marks. That freedom comes with a much higher level of responsibility, and a requirement that you face the world on your own. No longer is there another person that stands between you and the trials that life throws at you. Now, you must face them yourself.

Because of that, I look back at that desire to grow up so quickly and marvel at the innocence and naivete of it. Becoming an adult proved to be nothing like what I expected. With that knowledge now in hand, I'd encourage any teenager reading this to enjoy your youth as the blessing from God that it is Once it's gone, you can't get it back.

Those first two paragraphs seem to paint a pretty dark picture of life, I know. The reason is, life can be a very dark thing. Just when you think you have everything planned, something unforeseen, and certainly unplanned and unwanted often comes into the picture. Life often feels like a battle in which you can't win for losing. I've been at that point. I've seen my world and the worlds of those I love turned completely upside-down. All of that said, however, I've also learned that life isn't hopeless There's always strength to be found if you know where to look.

Despite the difficulties involved in the responsibilities of adulthood, however, I've learned a lesson that more than makes up for all of that: I've learned from experience about the sufficiency of the grace of God. In truth, if not for the struggles of life, that's a lesson I might not have ever learned. The song in the video above is one that really didn't mean a lot to me as a child, but now it means the world to me. Now, it's one of my favorite songs to sing.

The details might be different, but I have a feeling that the essence of my life's story is very much like that of many of you reading this. I've been through a few of those things that I never thought I'd see happen. I've been through battles that were much too big for me to fight alone. I've fought through emotions that I didn't understand. And through all of that, I've become a stronger person. That strength has nothing to do with me, but with the fact that Jesus Christ is all I need.

When many people think about God providing their needs, they think of their physical needs. That's certainly a part of it, but there's much more to it than that. Jesus is my comfort. He eases my pain. Every time I find myself desiring something more than what the world can give, He fills that need. As the song says, He's my soul's inspiration and my heart's consolation. In fact, Jesus isn't just enough to satisfy my needs. He's more than enough.

Not only have I never gone without something I needed, but I've had a lot of extras in my life. God has given me opportunities to do things and experience things that, while not necessities have enriched my life and brought me joy. Writing blogs and books isn't needed to make life livable, but I enjoy them, and God has given me the chance to do that. Attending and writing about sporting events isn't a need, but God has given me that chance as well, and I draw enjoyment from that. I'm sure all of you could tell similar stories.

Yes, youth is a gift of God that most of us don't appreciate until it's too late, but at the root of it all, even the struggles that we face when we grow up are gifts as well. They teach us that Jesus is all we need. They teach us that He supplies our necessities and more. They teach us that He's all we need, and so much more. If I know anything, at the top of the list is the fact that Jesus is all-sufficient. He's my everything, and He's all I need.