Last week I was rushing around getting ready to leave the house and head to Cape Breton to perform a wedding, and the one thing I really wanted to do was clean my car. I didn’t want my car to stand out in the parking lot looking like I just went four-wheeling, so I made sure my car looked shiny and clean.

When I arrived in Cape Breton I drove directly to this beautiful historical home where I would be spending the night. I dropped off my bags, hopped back into the car and headed to the rehearsal.

Everything seemed to be going so well… until I went to hop back into the car. I had only been parked there a couple of minutes, but it was long enough for a flock of geese to do its damage. My shiny black car was now the color of my salt and pepper hair.  There must be a designated bird’s dumping zone in Cape Breton and I was parked in that spot. All I could do was laugh. So much for making a good impression with the cleanliness of my car. (Ha.)

Sometimes life just doesn’t go according to plan. But that doesn’t mean it needs to wreck our day. Sometimes the best solution is to have a hearty laugh.

What have you had a good laugh over lately?

Pastor Donald Calder

I’m not much of a mechanic, but I have tried to fix a few things in my day. And what’s discouraging is when you invest a good amount of time into fixing something, and at the end of the day… it’s still broken. UGH!

The same is true about preaching. When you invest a good amount of time into preparing a message that you have studied, and prayed about, and soaked your shirt while delivering its content… and the application fails to stick. UGH!

This past Sunday I started speaking on a new series entitled True Colors, and for the next three weeks it is all about the power of words. We can breathe life into people, and we can breathe death into people by the words we use (Proverbs 18:21). So, after sharing my heart on what the Bible clearly says about complaining, I was surprised to have someone come up to me immediately after the service and… complain. I thought there would be at least a one week delay. (Ha.)

The complaint wasn’t even about me, but it felt like death being breathed into me. There are people who simply have a natural tendency to always see the negative first before they see that God is working in our midst (positive). I am not trying to minimize people’s concerns (complaints), but sometimes we just need to sit back and know God is in control, and that He uses even the things we don’t like, to accomplish his will.

I guess it’s back to the drawing board to figure out how to make application stick. UGH!

Pastor Donald Calder