Posted on by Lori Cartmell

Who Floats Your Boat?

Image by Bernd from Pixabay

Today we have a special treat—a guest post by my dear friend Veronica Gerber. Be encouraged by her insights into the story of Jesus stilling the storm!

“That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, ‘Let us go over to the other side.’ Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?’
“He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
“He said to his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’
“They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!’” (Mark 4:35-41)

In this true-life adventure story that Mark recounts for us, Jesus is roused by the cries of his disciples and dramatically calms the storm.

Are you also in a storm? Perhaps you are a believer and so Jesus is already living in your heart—in your boat so to speak—but you feel as if he’s asleep?

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Posted on by Lori Cartmell · 1 Comment

Multiply Your Thanksgiving

Image by Sabrina Ripke from Pixabay

Is it ever possible to be too thankful?

Not in my books.

Especially when Thanksgiving Day involves your favourite foods; roast turkey with all the trimmings, cranberry sauce, potatoes and gravy, and pumpkin pie.

That’s why Canadians who visit relatives in the States in the fall are lucky: they get to celebrate Thanksgiving Day twice.

This year, Canadian Thanksgiving is today, Oct. 9, while Americans celebrate their Thanksgiving on Nov. 23. Canadians popping across the border to spend time with American relatives on their holiday get to have an encore of the Thanksgiving feast.

This is not a problem if you love turkey, as I do. (If you don’t, please invite me over and I’ll eat your share for you.)

This got me thinking: is it ever possible to be too thankful to God?

Again, my answer would have to be no.

It pleases God greatly when we thank Him for what He’s done in our lives.

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Posted on by Lori Cartmell

Turning Minuses into Plusses

Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

In math, as in sports, mistakes count as permanent marks against your score.

These setbacks are always a lag on your performance, and you struggle to overcome them.

But in God’s marking system, our mistakes and failures are viewed differently: minuses aren’t permanent, and can even be turned into plusses.

First of all, God provides forgiveness for our sins through the atonement bought by His Son on the Cross. Our sins are wiped off the record, and we’re given a fresh start.

Secondly, God can even use our mistakes to further His purposes. He can bring good out of the messy parts of our lives.

Examples from the Old and New Testaments show us how:

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Posted on by Lori Cartmell

Life on Mars

Image of Mars by WikiImages from Pixabay

Is there life on Mars?

For generations, we earthlings have conjectured about the possible existence of alien life on the planet next door to us.

I’m afraid this blog can neither confirm nor deny the presence of little green men on Mars.

Scientists do tell us, however, that water once flowed on its surface.

That’s right: the Red Planet was once blue, like Earth.

So why is Mars known today as a dusty, dry, barren place, whereas Earth still has abundant supplies of water?

The key lies in Earth’s magnetic field.

A planet’s magnetic field acts as a shield, protecting its atmosphere from being blown into space by radiation from its star.

Mars once had a magnetic field of its own. But is was both farther from the Sun and smaller than Earth to begin with. Scientists theorize that over time, its molten iron core cooled, and with it the dynamo powering its magnetic field.

As Mars’ magnetic field weakened, the Sun’s solar wind slowly stripped away its atmosphere. The water which once flowed on its surface dried up, until there was nothing left but some empty channels to hint at the rivers which once coursed through them.

Simply put, Mars let its fire burn out.

I think we can learn an important lesson from our planetary neighbour.

We shouldn’t let our fire for God fizzle out.

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Posted on by Lori Cartmell

Jesus, Our Fellow Astronaut

Image by WikiImages from Pixabay

When you’re an astronaut about to set foot on a new world, you don’t want an amateur at the helm back at Mission Control on Earth.

That’s why the role of CAPCOM is so crucial to any space journey.

CAPCOM is short for Capsule Communicator, the person at NASA who is the liaison between the astronauts in their “capsule” and Mission Control. This individual is the single voice the crew members on the spacecraft hear when communicating with Earth, with all information being filtered through them.

The CAPCOM is listening to all the data about the mission from every console at Mission Control. This person hears what the Flight Director wants the crew to know, and turns it into words the crew will understand. They’re also the crew’s trusted agent on the ground, fighting battles and arguing in their stead.

The CAPCOM is essential to the success of each mission.

Understandably, this job isn’t given to just anyone.

Right from the start of the U.S. space program, it was recognized that the astronauts would need someone they could trust to be their relay back on Earth. Someone who knew what they were going through, because they’d gone through the same experience.

So the role of CAPCOM has traditionally been given almost exclusively to former astronauts.

Although there are numerous highly trained and very talented people at Mission Control who could assume the job of CAPCOM, NASA felt that someone who had been an astronaut themselves would be best able to understand what’s going on in the spacecraft and to pass information along in the clearest way.

After all, no one but an astronaut knows what it’s like to blast off in a rocket and “let slip the surly bonds of Earth.” No one but a fellow space traveller knows the vulnerable feeling of floating in the vast blackness of space, hundreds or even thousands of miles from your home planet.

Even though you and I may not be launching into space anytime soon, we still need a CAPCOM of our own.

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Posted on by Lori Cartmell

Islands of Hope

Image of lighthouse on the coast of Newfoundland by Felix Dilly from Pixabay

Transoceanic plane travel has always been fraught with potential problems.

Fuel could run low or a plane could develop mechanic problems mid-flight. The pilots would need a place to set down, pronto.

But in the middle of the ocean, where is there to land?

That’s where islands come in.

There are some handy places to land even in the vast expanse of the oceans.

In the Pacific, islands such as Midway, Wake, and Hawaii are available. The Atlantic offers Iceland, the Azores, and Bermuda, among others.

Not least is Newfoundland, an island off the eastern coast of Canada. For decades its Gander airport was used as a refuelling stop for planes making the hop across the Atlantic. It’s also an emergency landing spot for aircraft in trouble.

Gander is perhaps best known for its role in accepting 38 diverted planes that had to set down during the terrorist attacks in the U.S. on 9/11, twenty-two years ago today. Over six thousand passengers were generously hosted by the surrounding communities until U.S. airspace was reopened, a story commemorated in the hit musical, “Come From Away.”

Gander was truly an island of hope during that time.

I think we can all be islands of hope for others.

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Posted on by Lori Cartmell

God Is Always At Work

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

On Labour Day, we get a welcome day off. But even so, our minds aren’t very far from matters concerning work.

Here’s a question about work that people often bring up:

Why is it that when traffic is diverted around “Men At Work” signs on the road, we often don’t see anyone doing any actual work?

Sometimes the construction zone is deserted, and work on the project seems to be at a standstill. And yet vehicles are still forced to circumvent the area.

At other times there might be a few workers milling about and talking, or peering down an open maintenance hole. But again, lanes are blocked off and traffic is being slowed down for seemingly very little reason.

We naturally find this very annoying. The disruptions and delays would be easier to handle if we could actually see some work getting done, some real progress being made.

Sometimes we show the same impatience with God, don’t we?

We have prayers that we want Him to answer, and things in our lives that we want Him to change. But we get frustrated when nothing seems to be happening.

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Posted on by Lori Cartmell

Bring Out the Big Guns

Image of Tsar Cannon, Moscow, by Tatyana Kazakova from Pixabay

Have you ever had a day when you simply needed chocolate?

Maybe you faced some problems, and needed a pick-me-up. Or you were dealing with a heartbreak and needed a balm for your ragged emotions.

And you knew that milk chocolate just wouldn’t cut it, let alone white chocolate.

It required the stronger stuff. You needed to bring out the big guns to help you cope with your challenges:

Dark chocolate.

Only the intense flavour and strength of chocolate with over 80% cocoa solids would do the trick. Nothing else would suffice.

Sometimes we reach a similar point in our spiritual lives, too.

The Christian life isn’t all a bed of roses. Oftentimes we face desperate circumstances, and we may find ourselves crying in a heap on the floor.

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Posted on by Lori Cartmell

God Is Always a Step Ahead of You

Image by kariwil from Pixabay

Don’t you love it when someone anticipates your needs?

You feel good when someone makes provision for something you’ll require before the need even arises. Or when they start setting in motion something for you before you even ask.

It makes you feel sort of special, doesn’t it?

As a teen, I’d occasionally stop by a little fish-and-chip joint on my way home from school. This little restaurant had an open kitchen, and the owner/cook could see the street through the front window.

Carlo, the owner, would see me get off the bus and wait at the lights. He knew what I liked to eat, so he’d start deep-frying my halibut before I even crossed the street and entered his restaurant.

He anticipated what I’d want and started cooking it before I even placed my order.

God does the same sort of thing for us, too.

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Posted on by Lori Cartmell

Your Heavenly Pinch Hitter

Image by Keith Johnston from Pixabay

Do you ever feel a bit shaky when you’re “up at bat” in life?

Sometimes we face daunting challenges, and don’t feel we’re capable of facing them on our own. We feel like we need a bit of help, someone who can take over for us when we’re at our weakest.

Someone like a pinch hitter.

In baseball, a pinch hitter acts as substitute who bats for a teammate. The pinch hitter might step in because the original player is injured, or when the one next up at bat is a less effective hitter, such as when a pitcher is worn out after six or seven innings pitching.

The manager might decide that the substitute has a better chance of helping their team to score, or may send in the pinch hitter to execute a specific play. In many cases, the pinch hitter will be called upon at a critical moment in the game.

Sounds like a handy person to have around, doesn’t it?

Did you know that believers have a heavenly “pinch hitter”?

This teammate who goes come to your aid is the Holy Spirit Himself.

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