80 Years of Faithfulness and Blessing

My dad, Doug Robertson, turns 80 tomorrow. Yeah 80. Wow. He has been blessed with parents who loved the Lord and who I remember dearly. He has been blessed to marry his high school love in my mom. He has been blessed to have kids - my brother, sister and I. He has been blessed to have grandkids from all of us kids. And he has been been blessed to find a new person to love after we lost mom to brain cancer almost 3 years ago now.

Growing up with dad was always interesting. He was a hard worker, traveled a lot, and made his way up the rankings of the insurance industry. At church he was always a respected man from what I saw and heard. He served as both Deacon and Elder for 2 churches - Churchill Heights Baptist Church (Morningstar Christian Fellowship) and Fairview Baptist Church. He helped guide the building process and expansions at both churches, and still consults with Fairview for their plans.

Dad once said, "Better to be thought of as a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt." He had used that philosophy at many occasions I'm sure as I have tried to do. He served as a youth leader using the Word of Life curriculum, Sunday School teacher, and more.

One of my favourite memories growing up was when at the end of a morning service they had called for an offering and he was an usher that day, so he quickly grabbed an offering plate - one of those big metal kinds - and threw it Frisbee style to Gary Spence right across the back pews diagonally! Luckily no one was sitting there! I was upstairs on AV and saw the choir laughing - I didn't know why until later!

Dad was always big on respect - something a lot of our current generation seems to be lacking. That was something he ingrained in us as kids. He also taught us that part of being a believer is to serve - he did that by example. He led us in Bible studies, and corrected when he needed to. He didn't leave mom to handle it all, it was a home that it was understood that if you messed up, "Just wait until your father gets home."

I have had meaningful talks with dad, many during the time when mom was going through her journey towards home, and still he was teaching through example. I asked how he was doing as a son could ask a dad, and he said he was okay, but that it was not his strength, but God's. Times of joy. love, tears, and more over the years. Now he's 80, and still going strong with his new wife, and still serving as he can for the church. What an example.

Happy Birthday dad!

How old are you - as a believer?

I have 3 kids at home, 16, 12 and 1 1/2 and they show me the different stages where I need to watch as a parent, how my wife and I need to attend to their needs based on their ages. 

It reminds me how as believers we’re all in different stages and need different help as we grow. We're all in different stages in our walk with God, the question is how far have we grown? Are we still infants, crying and fussing to get our way? Are we like a young child, a little more mature but still looking out for ourselves mainly? Are we more like a Jr High student who is starting to see the word beyond themselves? Are we like a High School student who is more aware of others for sure, and starting to see the need to put others first? Are we like a college/university student who is getting all sorts of information thrown at them and trying to absorb it all and then make a reasonable decision and honour God with it? Are we adults seeking God and others first, seeing how we can be more like God day in day out? Are we experienced adults who are becoming mentors for others? So many stages to go through, and those are just some. The point is, we need to just ask God for that help as grow older in our faith!

Summer heat, not as hot as...

Okay, time to get serious. This summer has been hot yes, 35 feeling like 45 temps. People have died as a result, but as hot as that is, there is a place hotter than that. Pure fire, pain and torment for eternity. It is the place called hell. Many will go there and be surprised. Matthew 7:21 - 23, 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ Hell is a real place, with fire and pain, and no one should ever want to go there. Some people say, "But all my friends will be there! It'll be one big party!" I once heard a response to this, try getting your friends together in a house, douse it in gasoline, set it on fire, and try having a party in that. Now imagine that scenario for eternity. THAT is what we need to be saved from. THAT is why we preach repentance. God doesn’t want to send anyone there as 2 Peter 3:9 says, The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

I don't want anyone to go there. God Doesn't want anyone to go there, but if you're reading this and don't know or don't care - then this warning is for you. Scripture tells us to warn about the consequences of sin and that if we don't we will be held accountable as Ezekiel 3:16 – 21 says, 16 At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: 17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 18 When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for[b] their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 19 But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself. 20 “Again, when a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 21 But if you do warn the righteous person not to sin and they do not sin, they will surely live because they took warning, and you will have saved yourself.” Now while this was directed at the Israelites and Ezekiel at the time, the message holds true for us today, the warning holds true for us today. So for those who reject Jesus, I am sorry to say that this is what will happen to you if you don't repent and come to Him as your Lord and Saviour. My plea is that you would come to Him today! For those who are believers and playing games with God, stop and repent. May we all ask God to search our hearts and show us what needs to be changed. Myself included.

A-men.

Forgiveness

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32 (NIV) Forgiving others is tough to do sometimes, yet we need to if God is to forgive us, Matthew 6:15 says, But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. So how are we doing forgiving each other today? Just some food for thought today...

In memory of Billy Graham

Today, we lost a giant in the faith. Billy Graham. He was 99 years old and is now present with the Lord he served faithfully for 70 years in ministry.

I saw Billy Graham at what was called Skydome back in 1995 in Toronto. I had taken our youth group there and it was amazing to see him receive a huge standing ovation from over 60, 000 in attendance. DC Talk had performed Jesus Freak which was brand new at the time, and I can still see DC Talk embrace Billy and then start the chant that took over in the crowd - "Billy! Billy! Billy!" I know he would say it was the wrong chant, that they should have been chanting for Jesus. But this was a man who never lost his integrity in over 70 years of ministry. His son now operates the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and is very much like his dad. A great hero of the faith is gone at 99 years of age, but now he walks with Jesus face to face. Here's a clip from that crusade: 

 
 I have some of his books and have heard his messages. So hard to imagine his cousin was Jerry Lee Lewis - the guy who gave us Great Balls of Fire. He never wavered in his faith. He will be missed.

Where's the love?

Okay, I don't usually do this, but look at this...

Now, I want to comment about this. For me? This was not the right approach. He went with the right idea to tell people about Jesus, but the rest where he told parents they were lying to their kids, intentionally upsetting the crowd, and then playing the victim when they got upset is the wrong approach. Yes, share the truth but in love. I didn’t see much love in how he approached the crowd. Jesus didn’t go to upset people, He told the truth in love. There were times He needed to address people like the religious leaders publicly about they hypocrisy, but what does it say in 1 Corinthians 13:1 – 3? If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. So here in this circumstance, all the people heard as evidenced by their reactions, was a resounding gong and a clanging cymbal, not the message of love that Jesus is all about at Christmas.

There is a right way and a wrong way to deliver the message of hope at Christmas, the approach used above? Not the way I would recommend! 

From my family and I and the staff at LIFE 100.3, Merry Christmas!

Seasons of life

As we look toward the fall coming soon and the onset of fall routines like school and work, small groups and more - we can also look to seasons of change in our lives in a spiritual sense.

What do I mean? 

While life physically changes for us, it changes for us spiritually too - at least it should as a believer. The physical changes can affect the spiritual too. Sometimes we will go through times of great joy and excitement and it seems like we're on top of the world, other times, we can be in the valley of the shadow of death as Psalm 23 describes it. When we're there we can take comfort that God is there with us, empowering us through the power of the Holy Spirit and in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Psalm 23:4 says, 

4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

See that? Comfort in times of trouble. God is there walking with us no matter what. He won't leave us when we need Him the most. How do we view the good and bad times? The temptation is to view only the good times as God's blessing and the bad times as not from God. The bad times? They can be times of testing God has allowed to mature us, and if we don't get it He may allow it again and again until we get it right.

In times of rest and happiness and overflowing blessing, we need to be on our guard ready for the next spiritual attack from the enemy as 1 Peter 5:8 says, 

8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

It's those times of ease and comfort and blessing that we can get complacent and not be ready for the attack of the evil one and his forces. The need to stay vigilant is always necessary. 

We need to be ready at all times for the next season of our spiritual walk. There really are 4 seasons - before the spiritual attack, in the midst of the spiritual attack, coming out of the spiritual attack, and getting ready for the next spiritual attack. That may sound bleak, but it's true when you think that the enemy's goal is to devour or destroy us and our testimony for Christ.

To wrap this up, we need to be ready at all times. Reading our Bible daily, praying, trying to memorize Scripture, serving in our local church to help build each other up and in turn grow ourselves.

How are we doing today? I admit that I am not always at peak performance, but God is gracious ready to forgive and ready to help us do better.