Lenten thought for the day: "To worship God rightly we cannot distinguish who we are from what we do." -Stanley Hauerwas What might it mean for us today to live such an authentic, honest, freed and intentional life? - JGP

Minor miracle or coincidence?

Here I am, wearing my new-old, free-of-charge glasses.

Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 

- Jesus (Matthew 6)

I went to the eye doctor today, hoping my prescription for my glasses hadn't changed. I 'm extremely near-sighted, so new glasses cost $500-$700, and we hadn't budgeted for that this year. 

It turns out that my eyes have actually improved over the past two years (I've reached "that age," no matter how nicely the eye doctor tries to explain it) and that was good news for my eye health. However, not-so-good news for my bank account, as it meant I needed new glasses.

And here's where the minor miracle - or coincidence - comes in. I just happened to have brought my old glasses, bought in 2005 and used only until 2007, and they just happen to be in great shape. And they just happen to be exactly the new prescription I need. As a result, I just happen to have a fantastic new-old pair of glasses that not only fit the bill but also give me a new look!

So...did all of this "just happen" as a series of happy coincidences? Or did God intervene on my behalf, creating a minor miracle?

I guess the conclusion we draw depends on whether we take Jesus' promise in Matthew 6 at face value or not. We'd all say that of course it is better to not worry, and to trust God for everything. But it's a lot harder to do that when it's your own real expense and your own real income in question.

Again, was it all just coincidence? Or was it God's promise in action? You can decide for yourself, and all of us do every day, in small and big ways, in our own lives.

All I have to say for today is...thanks be to God!

Habakkuk's Justice

Last week our churches hosted the 2012 World Day of Prayer. This year's theme was "Let Justice Prevail."
Biblical texts and themes were taken from Luke 18 and from Psalms 33 and 82.

But what most grabbed me were the excerpts from the prophet Habakkuk. They grabbed me because Habakkuk is such a shocking and powerful story, and they seemed to embrace his theme of justice while skirting the shocking nature of that justice in this tiny little Old Testament book.

Resources for Super (Bowl?) Sports + Faith

Super Bowl Weekend has arrived, and my daily sports-and-faith devotionals for the month of January have ended.

For those of us looking for something more interesting than the talking heads and the endless pre-game show, or Madonna's half-time show, here are some links that go "faster, higher, stronger" in linking Sports and Faith than my simple devotionals did.

First, there's the book from which 90% of the stories and 50% of the applications in my devotionals came from: "Devotions from the World of Sports" by John and Kathy Hillman.

Next, a blog that talks about Christian athletes and how they live their faith on and off the field. Part biography, part lessons-learned. The author (my brother Chris, can you see the family resemblance in his pic?) does on an on-going basis what I tried to do daily for just one month. Check it out!

If you want to know even more about Christian athletes, maybe even recruit one to speak at an event (as we did here in Hudson Bay last year, when a former Roughrider spoke at a Father's Day event), hop over to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes website. You'll find devotionals, podcasts, videos, downloads and more.

Enjoy the game (go Patriots!), the sports, and the Christian journey of faith.

Jan 31 Radio Message: Chosen for a Purpose

January is Steve's turn for daily devotionals on CFMQ-FM. We'll post the text and a video version each day for those interested in sports and Christian faith but who cannot catch them on the radio.  

Good morning, I'm the Rev Steve Page from St Patrick's Anglican Church, and you're listening to the Daily Devotional moment, sponsored by the Hudson Bay Ministerial.

This month, our images of Christian faith and spirituality come from the wonderful world of Sports. This is my final devotional, I hope you have enjoyed them and found them spiritually helpful.

With the Super Bowl coming this weekend, let's end with a football lesson. Let's go back to Super Bowl 22, between the Washington Redskins and the Denver Broncos in January 1988.

Jan 30 Radio Msg: Perfect Sesons

January is Steve's turn for daily devotionals on CFMQ-FM. We'll post the text and a video version each day for those interested in sports and Christian faith but who cannot catch them on the radio.  

Good morning, I'm the Rev Steve Page from St Patrick's Anglican Church, and you're listening to the Daily Devotional moment, sponsored by the Hudson Bay Ministerial.

This month, I'm drawing our images of Christian faith and spirituality from the wonderful and sometimes weird world of Sports. With the Super Bowl just around the corner, let's talk football today.

Going through an entire football season without a single loss or tie is a very challenging task. If a team does win every single game they play, it's called a Perfect Season.

Bonus All-Star Devotional: Whose side are you on?

Since this is All-Star Weekend for the NHL, here's a bonus Sports-and-Faith devotional message, one that did not air on the radio in Hudson Bay.

If past practice holds, when the hockey players take to the ice for this weekend's NHL All-Star Game, each team will dress head-to-toe in matching uniforms. Team Alfredsson will be decked out in white with red trim, to take on Team Chara in their navy with blue and white trimmed jerseys.

Hockey's all-star game, with its draft to choose the sides and its matching team looks, is unique in the world of pro sports all-star games.

In the NBA, the basketball all-stars play for their conference, East vs West. Each team wears a matching uniform, designed especially for the single game. They come together as a team, and they look like a team.

In Baseball, the all-stars represent their league, American or National, but wear the regular uniform of their own team. So this year, Jose Bautista made his spectacular sliding catch at the all star game while wearing his Toronto Blue Jays togs. They may play together, but they don't look the part. One side will be in predominantly white, the other in grey. But on each side will be red, blue, green, black hats and trim, depending on the unique elements of the uniforms of their "real" teams.