Thursday, November 5, 2020

How false advertising on Facebook showed me how much God loves us!


I love roaming around flea markets when I can. It's relaxing and fun and I love finding something special.

Facebook Marketplace is like a huge online flea market, where you can scroll instead of walk! It's fun too!

Sometimes, as I'm scrolling through Facebook Marketplace, I see something that catches my eye, and then I look at the price and it says FREE. 

Well, of course, I'm going to investigate. I love to get a deal!

As you might expect, the FREE was just to get your attention, it's really not free, it's a lot of money! No one really goes to the trouble of taking a picture and posting a description of something, just to give it away. (Unless it's something that an angry wife wants out of the house because it reminds her of her divorced husband! Sorry, that got dark.)

It's false advertising! The old "bait and switch" routine! I hate it!

Then I thought about the word FREE.

The Bible says in Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (NLT). 

The scriptures say the gift of God is eternal life, and it's free! 

It really is free, because the price has been paid! 

How about that for an ad? Come and get this because someone bought it for you!

Friday, October 23, 2020

Tuesday, October 6, 2020

Get-Up & Go

 

My birthday is July 7th, I turned 54 this year, and my wife, Rose, and I are empty-nesters. We are at the stage of life where we have a lot more time together and I like to go on what I call adventures. What that involves is taking roads that are not the main roads, just to see what’s down there. We visit places that are out of the way, we try new things. It’s a lot of fun! I wrote a book! My wife has written some songs, I entered a comedy tournament in Nashville! It’s fun and a little bit scary at times! I tell you this because no matter what age you are, we are all on a journey that will take us to fun and scary places. Just like the times we are living in now and the times that others have lived before us, there are ups and downs and what keeps us moving forward is our faith! We have faith in God and then we have to have faith in each other. 

I want us to read a verse from the book of Acts. Chapter 7 and verse 36. He brought them out, after that he had shown wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea and in the wilderness forty years. 

For a little background, this is part of what a man named Stephen was saying to a group of people accusing him of being a disturber because he was ministering the gospel with great results! He was rehearsing the history of Israel and telling them about their journey out of captivity in Egypt. They were there for hundreds of years and God miraculously set them free! BUT, they had to go out of Egypt into a wilderness! They had to bring all they had and walk to this new place so they could enjoy the freedom they had been given. To do this meant going somewhere they have never been, under circumstances they had never lived through, complaining the whole way! It’s almost funny when you read about how much they complained. They were grumpy about pretty much everything! We don’t like the food, we need more water, it was better back in Egypt! On and on! 

Here we are in the 21st Century, a generation that is going through an extraordinary experience, on a path we’ve never been on, and there is no shortage of unhappy people! But I want to share some perspectives that will help hopefully help you navigate through, not only this pandemic but anything else you will have a pop up in your life, and we all have the pop-ups! 


First, think about this, God is with us in the journey we have never been on. 

If you read the book of Exodus, you find out that even though they were out in uncharted territory, with the possibility of danger everywhere, the Israelites had God with them the whole way. It’s pretty amazing. The bible talks about a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night that was always ahead of them! 

No one in the group could say “Oh, ya, I’ve been through this, we’ll be ok. They had no idea what was ahead of them! It was a new road, a new experience, but God never left them alone. All of us are affected by this global outbreak of Coronavirus. I don’t know about you but, it’s my first pandemic. First time walking on the other side of the road just to keep my distance from someone coming the other way. The first time having to cancel plans and missing out on opportunities because large gatherings of people are forbidden. It’s a new frontier, but we are not alone. At one point, God instructed them to build a tent, not for them but for Him in a sense, so they could really know and understand that He was right there with them. It’s easy to feel alone, very easy. I am sure that some people right now feel like I am by myself in this thing, no one cares or understands. It feels like your lost and vulnerable and could lose everything. That’s why the tent was there, they could look and be reminded that they were not alone. They could rest and then keep going. The tent was portable, you didn’t leave it behind, it came with you on the road. It adapted to the terrain, just like you. It could handle the trip. God is with us. In Deuteronomy 31:6, there is that wonderful verse they needed to hear and we all need to hear: Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. 

What do you say to your kids when they are scared? “I’m right here, it’s OK”. My son is pretty adventurous, there’s not much he won’t attempt, he seems to have no fear, I on the other hand am not so much. I am not a fan of heights and most of my childhood hood I was scared of the deep end of the pool. I remember coming to tears at a camp one time when a councilor was trying to get me to jump in. I was not a fan of having nothing under my feet but water. I liked the security of touching the bottom! The counselor said I’m right here, go ahead, just jump in and I’ve got you. I doubted it even though I could see her treading water right in front of me! But I did it, scared as anything, I did it! I’m sure you're just waiting for me to go ahead and talk about Peter, and how he got out a boat in the middle of a storm and walked on water to see Jesus. He got scared and sank, but Jesus caught him! Great story, yes, Read that one later today on your own! Spoiler alert, he survived! He probably cried though, like I did! 

Let’s never forget, that on the road through the weirdest, darkest parts of our life journey, God is with us. 


Secondly, think about this. We have each other! For better or worse, we have each other! 

Moses was the leader of the Israelites, but he never thought he was qualified. I think he had what we call imposter syndrome. We’re scared that someone will discover we have no idea what we’re doing! He argued with God about it in the book of Exodus. It’s the whole burning bush experience. I would not blame that guy one bit for not wanting to lead this group of people either! IT wasn’t long after they marched out of being captive, that the complaining started. They did not like the food, they needed water, they even complained about his wife! That’s some nerve right! To me, it seemed like an administrative nightmare! A perfect storm of every shade of personality, projecting on him 24/7. His father in law had to step in and give him some great advice, delegate! Find some other leaders and put them in charge and then only deal with the big stuff! Thank God for that guy! What I want you to think about here is that, on this journey, it’s going to be alongside many types of people with a great many opinions on how things should be done. It’s very interesting to study things like the Enneagram or the 5 love languages or even the Myers Briggs personality test and to be able to understand what motivates people to do what they do. It’s great to just find out why I do what I do! 

It takes some of us longer to find out how to successfully have healthy relationships. For others, it seems to come naturally. Some of us want to fix the world, some of us want to sit back and drink lemonade watch the sunset. Some people want to control what others do, some don’t care what you do, just do it over there! We are a wild and crazy group and what’s even more interesting is that individually we think WE are the only sane one! Right? I’m the best driver on the road. Of course! All you all are either too fast, too slow or too careless! Is this sounding familiar? 

When you have a large group of people, you have conflict. You have fights. You have disagreements. It’s unavoidable because we are humans. We can get on each other's nerves, rub each other the wrong way and just outright cheat and lie to each other! But we are stuck with each other! 

During this pandemic, I received many direct messages from people on my Facebook friends list, particularly from friends who never sent me any messages before, all of a sudden just had to share videos and articles about the truth behind what’s going on! There were details about conspiracies and cover-ups! These are supposed to be my friends! I thought, why have you never sent me a hello, how are you? It’s just like panic! Of course, you know, they got a hold of some information, got excited, and sent it to everyone on their list, no time to make it personal you know! So, I just deleted those! Why? Because we need to have some kind of deeper connection before I listen to what you’re saying! Don’t we all need that? What’s going to carry us through the trip on a dark unknown road? Being with someone we know may be crazy, but a least we know we are committed to each other and have more than a superficial connection. 

In my book, Conexus, I write about this. The story is set in a time when artificial intelligence is trying to take over the world, but don’t let that scare you away, it’s really about relationships and how much we need them no matter how fractured they may be! It’s for sale on my website toddgale.ca! There’s my plug!  

So even though there was a massive group of unthankful, bitter and angry people to work with, God still said, OK, let’s go! Let’s move forward through the scary parts, we have each other! 


Now lastly, think about this, on this unknown journey we also have a tour guide! 

If you’ve ever been somewhere new on a vacation, you appreciate a good tour guide! Tour guides that are professional, have to be certified, have to continually train and have to be good with people, and have to think on their feet. You could visit a place and look around and go, wow that’s nice, leave, and never scratch the surface of what that place has to offer if you don’t have a guide. You could even tour your own hometown with an experienced guide! A good one will tell you about local buildings, landmarks, and abandon sites you may pass every day! What a way to enrich your life! It helps you remember where you come from and frames how you think about the future. 

In John 16:13 it says “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” 

 The Greek word for a guide there is odega — a word that describes a tour guide or one who would lead you on an excursion. What good is a journey, if along the way, we don’t appreciate what’s around us? Are we in such a big rush to “get though” things that we miss some of the sights and lessons along the way? There were times in the bible when certain people were instructed to build these stone monuments and give the place a name. They did this because future generations would visit and remember the events that happened there. When children would ask about it, they could hear the story of what God did along the road, and their faith could grow. 


A guide is someone who can make the journey a better one. Sure, the destination is important, but the road to get there will be a long one if we miss what’s outside the car window! Take it in, look around, breathe a little! 

God wanted to take them to this wonderful land, filled with great things, but just like them, we can forget that, even though we’re going through something unknown and even scary, He is with us. We could fail to take into account that even though we’re in this with a lot of others who want all have a say and feel like they are the most important thing going, we are in this together and we need each other. And we have to always remember that along this dirt road, we’re going to arrive at our destination with joy because we didn’t close our eyes and miss the beauty along the way! 

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Faith Through It

Hey there!

Ya, YOU!

I hope you are well, but I think we are all a little bit jumpy these days.

This pandemic thing has us all doing crazy thinks like staying apart and wearing a mask.

I was reminded about another time in history where a region was thrown into a situation that demanded them to give up some of their conveniences and disrupted daily life and business.

It was Christmas!

In the bible, there was a time when Herod asked the whole nation of Israel to undergo a census. You were required to travel to the town of your birth and be registered. There was no door to door census takers, you had to get up and go with your whole family, no questions asked.

For a young carpenter named Joseph, this was quite a concern because he had to shut down the business and load up his pregnant wife and WALK to Bethlehem! There was no government travel subsidy available, no pre-natal support system, and no guarantee of a hotel room when they got there.

They had to do what the government said.

Period.

It was disruptive, inconvenient, and costly. Sound familiar?

But here's the thing, these were the very circumstances where the Saviour of the world showed up!

Jesus appeared in the middle of this disruptive time!

Conditions were less than ideal, people were grumpy and rude and nobody was happy with the course of events, BUT, God came into human form to bring salvation to us all!

Maybe you are feeling like that. Grumpy about having to wear a mask, stay 6 feet apart, stay home from work and juggle finances in order to get by,

Remember, you're not alone. Jesus can be born in the middle of all of it!

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Endurance


     What the heck is even going on? We are living in a time of global pandemic! Not what I thought the future would look like when I was a young lad at D.A Gordon Public school in Wallaceburg, Ontario. I used to think ahead to the year 2000 and wonder what it would be like to be 34 years old! Would I be married? Would I have kids? I never thought I would ask about the possibility of a virus locking in us in our homes while we stare at our wafer-thin screens, watching an entire season of a TV show in one day! Bizzare!
     When news of the pandemic first began to break, I went through a brief season of anxiety. I was unsure of the future, like all of us. I wondered about how a charitable organization like listener-supported Christian radio would survive when the world was being told to stay home. With no one working, would donations stop? Would I need to be a DJ from my man-cave tucked in the suburbs of Barrie? Am I going to catch the virus and suffer the effects of trying to breathe while my lungs are attacked? IT was all very hard to go through, but things have evened out into a sort of "normal". The listeners to LIFE responded amazingly! We were shown that they value what we have to offer and want to make sure it's there during a quarantine situation. They said that staying at home would be better with us on the air! That really encouraged us to keep doing what we do. We will endure, in spite of everything going on.
     It got me thinking about "endurance". What is that? Is it like the old Timex watch ad that said: "...takes a licking and keeps on ticking"?  I went to the bible for an example. I remembered Jesus in the garden. He was thinking about what was about to happen to him. He knew the plan, he knew the crucifixion was imminent. He was stressed. He prayed. He knew he would have to go through it, but did not want to. It was coming and he asked God to change the plan if possible, but deep down he knew that there was no going back. He prayed for the strength to endure.
We may feel the same way about this pandemic. We don't want to go through it, but we have to. If you are praying, pray for strength to endure, like Jesus.

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

It's a New Day!



I remember the moment I prayed to really tell God that I was ready to believe in Him and that Jesus was the Saviour of the world.

I was alone at home in Wallaceburg, Ontario. I was watching the 700 Club on television in the living room of our home on Queen Street.

The show was almost over and the host was explaining the Gospel. He invited anyone watching to join him in a prayer to become a believer. I prayed along with him and that was it. From that moment on I called myself a Christian. Not just a Christian, a born again Christian!

Months and years of thoughtful consideration went into that one decision. It wasn't made hastily or carelessly. I did not know much about the bible or have many Christian friends, but I did have a newfound faith that was hungry to learn more!

I was shy to talk about what was going on inside me and I don't think my family understood what was happening. It caused a bit of a stir and I did not know how to navigate the new dynamic. I did not have the words to be able to explain myself and was short on communication skills.

Even though the path may have had a rocky start, I have never regretted making that decision.

God has been faithful to help me grow my faith and share as much as I am able.

Do you remember the day you said: "I believe"?

How has the journey been?

Friday, February 21, 2020

What Just Happened?


Did you pray today? Did you get an answer?
Did you work out? Did you hit your ideal weight right after?
Did you smile at a stranger? Did they become your best friend?
Did you put in a hard day's work? Did you get recommended for a raise?
Did you encourage someone going through a hard time? Did their problems go away?
Did you put away $10 in a savings account? Did the interest compound enough for you to retire comfortably tomorrow morning?

The answer to all of these questions is probably NO!

None of the good things you may do today will yield the result you are looking for TODAY.

It won't even guarantee a result tomorrow.

I can tell you this...

NOT doing any of those things on a daily basis makes the chances of those things happening precisely ZERO!

Just like planting a seed and expecting a prized rosebush in a few hours is unrealistic, so is the idea that you can do any of the activities I listed above and expect results right away is equally unrealistic.

But, NOT doing those things and expecting results is living in a fantasy world too!

Do those things. Do good things!

Hebrews 10:36 says "Patient endurance is what you need now so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised."

You're working toward the moment when you will wonder how you got to where you are! You'll be amazed at the things that are possible! You will also encourage those who are growing a little tired of putting in the work!

Keep at it!


Monday, February 3, 2020

It's Magic! NOT!

Uri Geller
I have a small fascination with magic. It’s not what you think. I am not a wizard!  I like to do small tricks with items you can find at thrift shops or dollar stores.I like having something I can do to bring a bit of wonder to an otherwise ordinary day.  I can do the classic cups and balls trick, pick your card out of the deck and vanish a coin. Pretty basic stuff, but I have never claimed to have special powers!
In the 1970’s there was a craze about psychic phenomena. One man, in particular, captured the public's attention by claiming to be able to bend spoons and manipulate magnetic fields. His name was Uri Gellar. He was big on the talk show circuit, bending cutlery, guessing hidden drawings and starting stopped watches, and nobody it seemed questioned his seemingly genuine abilities. That is until a Canadian conjuror named James Randi wrote a book called “The Truth About Uri Geller”

James Randi
Randi is a paranormal investigator who offered a million-dollar prize to anyone who could prove they had psychic or paranormal abilities under scientific scrutiny. The money has never been claimed. In his discussion on the spoon bending illusion on an Australian television morning program, Randi said something interesting that I find applies to our lives. When asked how Gellar bent the spoon, Randi replied that he did it when you weren’t looking! 
The secret was in the misdirection. When you were looking one way, something else was happening in your blind spot and the result was mystifying to the point where you were convinced that he had supernatural powers. 
Sometimes we can consider someone to be superhuman by what they demonstrate to us, forgetting the fact that something else was going on outside our observation.
Here’s what I am driving at.
Some of us have gifts and some of us have to work at it. Those with gifts sometimes don’t know the value of those gifts and never explore the possibilities they offer.
Have you ever seen someone super fit? They have 0% body fat and can run like the wind? How did they get like that? You might see before and after pictures of people who have gone through a weight loss journey. ow did that happen? It happened between photo one and photo two. 
It happened when you weren't looking!
It seems miraculous, even super-human! But it’s not! It happened in the kitchen when they made a healthy meal, it happened in the basement by riding a stationary bike, it happened at a gym where they chose to sweat and do awkward uncomfortable things. It happened when no one was looking.
There really is no mystery to what can be achieved once the mind and will get involved.
Let’s take the example of Jesus Christ. He was born to an average family with modest means. His birth was a big deal. It made some people happy and some people angry and jealous enough to commit mass murder. Pretty intense. After the birth, Jesus and his family disappeared into Egypt for years. Let’s call this the time between photo one and photo two. Not much is known about what happened in His growing up years. It was unobserved and undocumented, living only in the memory of His parents and siblings. I am going to guess that during that time he was not wasting the majority of his time doing trivial things. I think he was raised to study the history of his people, the scriptures and the family trade. All good things that became very important to Him in later years.
The flip side of this is that if you neglect to do the important things out of the public eye, it becomes evident when the need arises. If you go to the gym and don’t put in the work, you won’t see the results at the beach! If you don’t take time to pray and think about the scriptures, things like doubt and fear will have a greater influence over you, which could lead to things like anxiety and even weight gain! What you do in secret always becomes evident in one way or another. It’s just a fact. You can’t magically wish yourself to a better life.
Today is your day to start!
What will you do in secret today that will improve your relationships? Your body? Your faith?
We’re all waiting to see!


Matthew 2:13-23, Luke 12:2, Matthew 6:6