BLACKOUT

This is the first year.  The first year that I have followed suit with the Warriors playoff theme.  Usually playoff looks range from heads shaved bald, to hear dyed bleach blonde, a mix of hair colour or a Mohawk shave.  I just couldn;t do any of those.  But this year I decided to get in on the action, when the Warriors dyed their hair black to go along with this year’s playoff theme.  This theme is a take-off on the tradition that many hockey clubs have championed over the years at playoff time…..  for example in Calgary it’s the Sea of Red; in Philadelphia it’s Orange Crush; in Winnipeg, Vancouver and other places it is WHITEOUT.  Well, in West Kelowna this year, it’s our own verson: BLACKOUT.  While the result was a little stark, I am glad that I decided to ‘get on board’ with the theme.  Thanks Andrew Deans for giving me the push to join in!

We are now into a much needed week of rest before we begin our eagerly anticipated series with our arch-rivals, the Penticton Vees.  The series starts on Good Friday in the Peach City.  I am certain that there will be many fans traveling back and forth between West K and Penticton for this highly charged second round of the playoffs.  Royal Lepage Place will be absolutely buzzing for games 3 and 4 on April 1 and 2.  I really can’t wait to get this thing started, but I am certian that the boys are glad to have a few days to heal up all their bruises and various war wounds.  BLACKOUT revs it’s engines again on Good Friday!

And, as important as this Game One is (and it really is), there is nothing in the world  that even comes close to the importance of the real reason for Good Friday.  This is the Day that our Saviour Jesus Christ was lead outside of Jerusalem and crucified.  An interesting thing is recorded about what occured immediately after Christ died on the cross.  In the Bible, Luke 23:44 states that at noon on that day, darkness covered the entire land.  When I think of blackout, my mind goes way back to the first Good Friday, to this original blackout.  Why is it called Good Friday?  Simply because for those who trust in Jesus and what He accomplished on the cross that day, it is Good News.  Good because Friday is the beginning of the Easter weekend, which commemorates not only His death on the cross but celebrates His resurrection.  The darkmess of Good Friday is replaced with the brilliance of Easter Sunday.

Rest up well Warriors, for soon the battle heats up again and we’ll be ready.

God bless you all,

Chaplain D

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The Place to Be

Wow!!  What an exciting weekend of playoff action we were treated to at Royal LePage Place!  Friday night’s 6-1 victory against the Merritt Centennials was an impressive start, but we all knew that Merritt would be much better on Saturday, and they were.  It took a full 3 periods, overcoming 2 one goal deficits, plus a little extra hockey to take the second game 3-2 in the first overtime.

Friday’s opening game was such a charged atmosphere; I personally was sky high with anticipation and adrenaline as I sang the National Anthem….  The Warriors played an inspired game and made the most of their opportunities that night.  Saturday’s game was much closer in every aspect, with some of the highlights being Tyler Briggs brilliance in net, Ambrose Firkus’ spectacular end to end rush that ended up with his shot hitting the crossbaar, and Josh Monk’s OT winner.  (I took this fuzzy celebration shot with my iPhone.)

Royal LePage Place was certainly the “place to be” this weekend.  Everyone in the arena was excited, from the fans to Alex Draper at the Shutout Collectibles table in Section 101,to Jon Zacks calling the game broadcast, and Andrew Deans handling the roving mic around the rink.  The one person I missed was Stuntman Steve Francis, who was a home nursing a severely strained throat.  May God bless you and keep you Steve as you recover.

The Place to Be.  I have found that Place, a permanent Place, a solid rock of a Place in the midst of the mayhem of life.  It is here that I have found grace, peace and forgiveness at the Cross of Christ, in a Person who never lets me down.  It is here that I find strength to extend forgiveness and grace that I have received when on my own I simply cannot.  Here are the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  What a great Place to Be…. there is no Place like it.

I look forward to a wonderful Warriors playoff run this year.  We have 2 big wins so far, with some very difficult games to come.  Let’s enjoy the exciting ride together, for this spring, Warriors games are the place to be.

God’s blessings to you,

Chaplain D

Instant Gratification

Before I start my chaplains blog, I just want to take a moment to congratulate the Warriors for a great game in Victoria last night.  The Grizzlies are a very good first place team, and we simply battled hard all night for a tough 4-3 OT victory.  Our tying goal late in the third period was a beautiful passing play and the OT winner by Ambrose Firkus was a breakaway highlight reel tally.  I am so very proud of these guys, what a great win this was!

I want to take a few moments and focus on the topic of instant gratification.  Its a real-life subject that will be my next chapel talk with our boys.  We live in an instant world, which frankly, I quite enjoy, but that just might be the point…..

My smartphone is not the very latest, and I ussually have to wait a five seconds or so for the  internet to load up on the screen.  It’s soooo slow!  How ridiculous is that, and yet how true?  Internet on a smartphone, and I’m restless because I had to wait five seconds!  However, I admit, I love to have things instantly, or sooner.

The Bible says in Isaiah 30 that “The Lord longs to be gracious to you, He rises to show you compassion, blessed are those who wait for Him.”  BUT I HATE WAITING!!  Yet, I have discovered and still am discovering that waiting is more often the greater part of life, and I can learn through the journey to trust in God for the outcome.

I am also learning that anticipating is oftentimes a wonderful part of any experience, whether it’s going on a trip, buying a new vehicle, or looking forward to a date with someone you really like.  I recall buying a new vehicle years ago, and realizing as the monthly paymenets seemed to never stop that the anticipation of the new vehicle was actually better than the vehicle itself!  Don’t get me wrong, the car was great, but the novelty wore off a lot sooner than the payments did!

We live in a world where we are told by advertisers that we ‘deserve’ everything…. and right now.  So buy today.  This is simply one of many facets of Instant Gratification (or IG).  IG examples could include things like fast foods, movies on demand, itunes music, (CD’s and DVD’s are now virtually obsolete) digital cameras, even a Fast Pass to all Disneyland rides!  These are all great things, however they feed the IG factor in our lives.

Perhaps the issue with IG is summed up in Keith Richards and Mick Jaggers Rolling Stones song, “I can’t get no satisfaction.”   You see, IG tends to makes people self focused, and continually unsatisfied. I believe that it is then difficult to develop good Chrsitian character from there.

Patience is often thought of as a four letter word in our culture, but it is highly spoken of in the Bible, and is very much a Christian character builder.  With that in mind, I close with a question:  Is IG ultimately short term partial gratification, which ends up in ‘no complete gratification’ or ‘endlessly delayed gratification’?

I have found that the best way for me in my life has been this: to fully commit my life to Christ, Who through love, patience and forgiveness helps me find long term satisfation and gratification.  But, it does involve waiting……. and yes, satisfaction.

Finally, Pslam 27:14  summs it up in this,  “Wait for the Lord, be strong, take heart and wait……”

For the long haul,

Chaplain D