Your move...

Steph Curry

We often hear about big time athletes who profess faith.  

They regularly point to the sky after a touchdown, goal or three-pointer.

Tim Tebow

That's great and all.  But I think some sports get more attention than others.

There are other believers who rely on faith just as much, but maybe they don't get the highlight reel spotlight.

That's this fellow.

Wesley So - Chess Champion

Wesley So is the US champion Chess Player!  A grand master!

He became a Christian after moving in with a foster family who were mature believers and encouraged him to pursue his passion for the game.  He gets mocked a bit by other players because chess champions are normally not people of faith. 

But he's grown strong and loves to share Jesus! 

Here's an interesting quote from him...

"People in the chess world sometimes want to know whether I think God makes me win matches. Yes. And sometimes he makes me lose them too. He is the God of chess and, more importantly, the God of everything. Win or lose, I give him the glory. Of course, it’s hard when I don’t get what I want, the way it is for any child whose father says no. But even when I don’t understand God’s ways, I’m confident that his vision is much bigger than my own."

This is from a guy who is trained and makes a living thinking five or six moves ahead of his opponent. 

He sees God operating like a chess player!

There are reasons for every move. 

Sometimes it looks like you're losing because you've sacrificed your best piece.

This is a great perspective on life from a guy who has learned patience and faith in a way not most of us have! 

Read his story here...

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2017/september/im-rare-breed-elite-chess-player-whos-open-about-his-faith.html?start=2

The Dove Awards 2017

What good are awards shows?  Have you ever asked that?

It's a good question. 

At LIFE 100.3, the music contains the message we want to get out there. 

The music in a way IS the ministry. 

We are a radio station, and you tune in to hear your favorite songs.

Those songs are written and performed by artists.  These artists have lived the music.

They have written the lyrics you sing, the tunes you hum and perform the songs at concerts in your town.  (Or one close to you.)

At LIFE we want to connect with the artists as much as possible because it allows YOU to hear from them about the "why".  The reasons they do what they do. 

The artists convey stories of God's love through their music and through their lives.  I love that.

The songs always have a deeper message than the one you hear.

These artists make themselves vulnerable sometimes on a daily basis.  They share their pain and victories. They share their weaknesses, they share their doubts.  They share their struggles, and we echo their words with "Me to."

For an artist to have an idea, and then to write a song, then to perform and practice that song, then to record and then market and promote that song, take countless hours!  Those are hours that take a toll on them physically and sometimes emotionally.

They spend time away from their families on the road, making little money, all for the love of what they do, and the hope that what they have put out there will in some way touch a heart and change a life.  Maybe YOUR life.

Awards shows in other industries, can be mostly self-serving.  Awards shows in Christian music are just an extension of the ministry!

I've been to two GMA Awards shows now and each time I am so impressed by the commitment of each artist to what they do.

The crowd grows in Nashville.

It's easy just to accept an award, thank Jesus and your agent and family and then sit down, but it always goes further than that!  The importance of the impact of gospel music is always highlighted, and artist always are thankful they are a part of something way bigger then themselves.

Bart Millard from MercyMe.

Chris Tomlin.

It's also an excuse to get dressed up and celebrate a little!

Awards shows.  I like 'em, but for the right reasons!

Family Fun.

My wife Rose summed it up nicely.

She said "I love my family."

She ought to know.  She grew up in a family of 10 kids!

She says meal times at her house were like a fight for survival!  If you didn't grab food, it was gone!

She says they at food grown from their garden during the week, and weekends were family outings to KFC and a picnic.

It was loud, chaotic and there were often arguments!  She loved it!

Was it a perfect family?  No, there were issues, but our wonderful brains help us remember the good things and filter out the bad ones.

Family is all important to her.  I came from a smaller family, three boys.  We all had our own stuff and there were not that many fights.  Things were quiet! (Usually)

I am blessed to have the best of both worlds now!  We have three kids.  The number three is something from MY background, and they love being loud and fun, something from HER background!

Now that we are an empty nest couple, we enjoy when we can get the whole brood together in one place for Thanksgiving and play games and eat food!

This year, Barrie was the venue!

We planned to take some family pictures, carve pumpkins and consume some turkey!

The weather was not great, but we did manage to get in some picture taking time and they turned out great!

My daughter, Jasmine was the photographer and she did a fantastic job!

We ate a bunch of food and played some of our favorite games, Yahtzee and Aggravation!

We also had a lot of fun with our Nerf guns.  Don't ask me why, but we have quite an arsenal of these things!

The boy also bought new ones that fire little sponge ping pong like balls that actually hurt a bit!

Good times!

They all went home on the Sunday, and the house got really quiet again!  It was filled with wonderful memories that we can take with us forever!

A Wonderful Influence.

I became a Christian in the 80's while watching TV.

I had been to a number of Christian events but had not really bought into the whole thing.

I felt pressured and uncomfortable to make a commitment in front of people. 

When I was given an opportunity to pray with someone on TV in the privacy of my living room, I did it.

The man on the screen was Pat Robertson, and the program was the 700 Club. It's a daily spiritual talk show. 

The guests spoke about the miracles that God did for them. 

The commentary was always relevant and the hosts were well spoken. 

In Canada we have a similar program.

 It's 100 Huntley Street.

Why the similarities with using numbers in the names of the show, I am not really sure.

The founder of 100 Huntley Street was a man named, David Mainse. 

To me he seemed a bit too "smiley".  How can anyone keep a grin for so long? 

He was a man in stark contrast to Pat Robertson, the outspoken American.

David was soft spoken, kind and earnest. 

Being a kid from a border town, I was used to the brashness of our southern neighbors, so I cut my teeth on watching 700 Club and left the Canadian Shows to find their own audience elsewhere.  (Seniors, I thought.  That's their guy!)

Fast forward to 2010.

I am employed in Christian media in Sudbury.  It's been a dream of mine since I became a believer. 

I had thought I would end up in TV, but I was in Christian Radio at KFM, hosting the morning show and doing production.  Our station manager told us one day that 100 Huntley Street founder, David Mainse will be coming through Sudbury on a "Thank You Canada" tour!  He was to speak at Glad Tidings Church, which he was instrumental in building!  He also had some free time and we were invited to cruise Lake Ramsey along with him and his grand daughter and her husband!  I was intrigued to meet this man I had heard about.  The 80's were a tumultuous time for preachers on TV.  They were not trusted and being mocked.  David weathered those storms with integrity and Huntley Street kept true to it's mission to reach the lost!

It was a wonderful day and I was very impressed with David.  As the trip went on, he was easy going and loved to chat about the Lord!  At one point he lifted up his voice and said something like "Thank you Jesus for this wonderful day!"

There was no pretension, no hint that he was anything else than a genuine believer, doing his best to win people to the savior!

I was saddened to hear about his passing, September 25. 

He had been sick for some years.

My wife and I were blessed to be at his celebration of life service at Church on the Queensway in Toronto.

I was moved by the stories of David's faithfulness and authenticity.  My admiration deepened even more.  I determined  to model my life along his example!  He was a great father and husband to.

I would urge you to watch the service and allow his influence to guide you to!

Click http://www.crossroads.ca/streaming-david-mainse/

Running.

Rose crossed the finish line first!

Is it a smile or grimace?

Over the course of a bout a year, my wife and I have been on "a weight loss journey".

We are in our 50's and the nest is empty, so we have been taking steps to make sure our years as a couple again are healthy and happy!

It's been a cool thing to watch the scale tell me the results of taking positive steps to improve my health.

I have lost about 60lbs so far, and, Rose about 30!

Motivation is key when you do these things, so we decided to add some challenges.

You need a goal to focus on, so I signed us up for, what I thought was the easiest thing we could do.

A 5K run!  It was at the Toronto Zoo!

I got a little crazier and we did the Tough Mudder Half last month!

That was a breeze compared to running for 5 kilometers!

I dreaded doing this because I HATE running!

I get winded quickly and wasn't sure I could keep up!

Rose has stronger legs than me so I thought I would be holding her back!

Turns out, we picked a pace and did it!

It was about 30 degrees out and we were dripping with sweat, but we got our finisher medal and went home happy!

I was really encouraged to see people from all levels of fitness out doing the run!

Here's the lesson I learned...

You can do more than you think you can, you just have to commit to something a little scary and then do it!  Even if you fail, you will have done something that forces you to grow and see yourself and the world differently!

Make awesome happen!