The Names of God - 'God of all Comfort'

The God of All Comfort

Why am I writing about the names of God? 
When Jesus told his disciples that he was leaving this earth, they were dismayed.  He responded by saying that God would send the Holy Spirit (translated from Greek paraklētos comforter). John 14:26.

The Apostle Paul wrote about this in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Ewa (my wife) had both of her parents pass away in 2024, a little over 6 months apart.  They were married for 62 years!  We were able to make it to Poland for her Mom's funeral in the spring.  However, we couldn't make it to her Dad's funeral in the fall.  After their passing, she felt God comforting her through several experiences...  

Google Maps!?

Two days after Ewa's Dad passed away, Ewa was thoughtfully browsing through the streets of her parents' home town in Poland on Google Maps.  As she was exploring and reminiscing, zooming in and out of street shots - surprise!!  She discovered that the Google Map Car had caught her and her Mom out walking together, close to the centre of town!  Apparently, the last time that Google had been through the town was fall 2013, the same year she was there visiting her parents while her father was recovering from a significant stroke.  This was a very special discovery for Ewa - a snapshot of her and her Mom on a walk-about that she wasn't aware had happened.  She saw it as a wink for God, and it truly comforted her.

Ewa is in the pink jacket and blue jeans.  
Her mom is in the beige coat walking beside her to her right.
Notice how their strides and posture are very similar and in-synch.

The Winter Coat

While at the cemetery for Ewa's Mom's funeral in the spring, Ewa twisted her knee.  It ended up bothering her for the rest of the year.  Ewa knew she needed a new, good quality, long-length winter coat that would keep her knees warm, since we try to daily walk around the community for exercise and fresh air.  As fall turned into winter, she kept her eyes peeled in the stores for a coat that would meet those requirements.

One morning after wrapping up shopping at Costco, Ewa felt God nudge her to go look in Winners to see what they had for winter coats.  There, she almost immediately discovered the staff had just put out some new ladies winter coats, and there was a bright yellow one that ticked all the checkboxes for a reasonable price.  Ewa grabbed it and took it to the front to pay.  There, the manager saw her and the coat and said "you're getting a fantastic deal on that coat - I actually wanted it."  Ewa was intrigued, so when she got home, she looked it up, and discovered that the coat was a very high-end brand (Rudsak) and she paid less than 10% of what it was worth.  Every time we go for walk now, she exclaims "I love this coat - it was God's provision for me!"  Its like a warm, comfort hug from God with every winter walk.

The Ocean Breeze

Summer of 2025 found us in Campbell River, BC.  We were there for the impending arrival of our first grandchild.  Because babies arrive on their own time, our stay there was rather extended.  As a result, we got to spend a fair bit of time enjoying the beach while we waited for the 'special day.'  Most of our beach time was at Saratoga beach, as it was a 10 minute drive from where we were staying.  I would finish work and we'd jump in the car and head there.  Once there, I'd go for a run before joining Ewa on the beach for a walk.  My regular running route was from Saratoga beach to Miracle beach and back.  After doing this a few times, I suggested to Ewa we try exploring Miracle beach instead, since it was an 'official' Provincial park, unlike Saratoga beach.  

Red dotted lines are the trails.

Miracle beach had lots of beach when the tide was out, but not much beach when the tide was in.  However, it did have a very nice trail/path system through the park to allow visitors to explore the coastal forest and nearby estuary.  The first time arriving there with Ewa, the tide was coming in and not a lot of the beach was left, so we decided to explore the paths.  We followed a very well engineered path parallel to the beach heading towards the estuary.  About halfway there, Ewa stopped, took a deep breath in, and said:
"I'm having a flash-back.  The smells here - the ocean mixed with this evergreen forest is taking me back to vacations I took with my family in Poland.  Its SO vivid!  Its like I was there yesterday!  This is amazing!!"

When she was growing up, her family would go to the Baltic sea for a couple weeks every year.  This was sponsored by her Mom's mining company as a health benefit to get away from the dust of the mine.  They would spend all their time on the beach, or walking in the forest beside it breathing the air.

Ewa felt this moment was special - a memory from God.  It brought all the good memories back for her, and gave her a warm, cozy feeling of being close with her parents again.  She tangibly felt and smelled God's comfort that day.

The ground covered with moss beside the trail at Miracle Beach

Here we are by the trail's end at the estuary at the north end of Miracle Beach Provincial Park

Other Names of God and Our Experiences...

• El Roi - God Sees
• Jehovah Shalom - God My Peace
• Elohim Shomri - God My Protection
• Jehovah Jireh - God My Provider
• Emmanuel - God With Us
• Jehovah Rapha - God our Healer

Bees and Wax - Vacation 2025

 Build Up

'In-ear' monitors (for musicians) and noise cancelling ear buds are great technology.  I was given a pair of JZ in-ear monitors for my volunteer work with BSC bands over the years, and got a free pair of noise cancelling Jabra ear-buds as an award from work.  I had been using the in-ear monitors for several years and used the ear-buds a lot when I travelled for work last year.  One downside to using these great appliances (can I call them that?) is apparently they don't allow one's ear canal to drain properly.  This turned into a problem for me this summer (2025).

Unbalanced Hearing

A day to two into our summer vacation on Vancouver Island, my right ear plugged and I couldn't get it unplugged.  A similar situation had happened to my son late last year, and he had successfully used Earol to clear the plug, so I went to the local pharmacy, bought some, and used it faithfully for several days.  It improved things for a while, but then not.  Around the middle of that first week, I went to a local medical clinic and asked if the doctor could flush my ear, but they weren't talking walk-ins, and advised me to keep 'oiling my ear'.  This whole time my hearing in my plugged right ear was 60-70% reduced, and definitely made it challenging to truly relax and enjoy my time off.  Don't get me wrong - it wasn't life threatening or anything like that - I was still going on 5km runs, doing lots of walking, and living life normally.  It was just annoying and distracting, particularly on vacation.

Going on an ocean walk in the rain with a plugged ear

Living on a Prayer

My wife could sense this issue was bothering me.  She wanted me to enjoy vacation too.  On Monday the next week, she prayed about it and felt I should go back to that medical clinic and ask if they could see me as a walk-in.  I told her I wasn't keen on doing that because I'd already been to that clinic, asking them about this and they said 'no' and directed me elsewhere (which unfortunately wasn't helping).  So she volunteered to go talk to them and told me to come with her.  I agreed, and she prayed again, and we went to the clinic.  She explained the whole situation to the ladies there again, and said we'd tried what they'd suggested to no avail.  Between my wife's persuasion and God's help, the ladies relented and organized an appointment for me (an out of province resident) later that afternoon.  Sure enough, at the appointment the doc flushed my ear and I could hear SO much better.  We were so happy!

A couple days later I gave the ladies a thank-you card and some flowers for accomodating us.

More Likely a Wasp...

Forgive me - I thought Bees and Wax made a better sounding title for this post.  The 'bad guy' in this part of the post was probably a wasp...

Right around that same time, we went on a short day trip to Quadra Island.  My wife likes driftwood, and I just like hanging out by the beach, and we both like walking and easy hikes.  Our first stop was the Cape Mudge Lighthouse.  There was a nice walk/hike we had done on a previous trip on the resort property near there that we wanted to do again, but unfortunately the resort was closed, so we ended up at the ocean by the lighthouse.  

Just a little bit of driftwood

The tide was out and it was a ways to the water, but the attraction here was the driftwood.  My wife and I poked around the driftwood for about 20 minutes until she suddenly exclaimed 'OW!  Perry!!  What is it?!  Get it off me!'  I missed it, but a wasp had gotten under her shirt and stung her.  We went back to the truck and found some 'sting first aid' in our first aid kit.

Help, One More Time

Days later, the area where she had gotten stung was still not looking or feeling great, particularly in the heat.  The closest pharmacy when this reach a point of 'we need to do something' was the one in Black Creek, in the same building as the medical centre I'd been to for my ear.

Upon seeing the affected area, the pharmacist was concerned - it could be infected.  However, she couldn't prescribe an antibiotic without a prescription from a doctor.  My wife glanced across the office at the doctor's reception desk and headed right over there.  It wasn't busy, and the ladies there had actually overheard her story, so upon hearing my wife's situation, they said, 'We gave your husband an appointment, its only fair if we give you one too!'

My wife got her prescription the next day after her appointment, and that helped clear it up!

Surely God is my help;  the Lord is the one who sustains me

Psalm 54:4

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Snow Tubing and Desperate Prayer

What is Snow Tubing?

I grew up in a logging community, and it seemed like there was a surplus of large tire tubes - likely left-overs from the local skidders and logging trucks.  We'd use these tubes as sleds in the winter to slide down hills and take jumps.   For reference: the tubes we used were significantly larger than the red one in the picture below - more like 4-5 feet in diameter with a 2-3 feet whole in the middle.

Snow tubing with a store bought tube and a jump
at the bottom of the hill.
Image by hmschl from Pixabay

A Desperate Prayer

One winter evening when I was between 9-10 years old, kids from our church went to sled at a school (Dutch Lake Elementary School) nearby the church.  We brought various sized tubes with us, and the sledding conditions were fantastic.  The hill was similar in size to the picture above, and it also had a jump at the bottom. 

Everyone was seeing how much air they could get off that jump.  A quick observation showed that a lack of speed and tube size appeared to be the limiting factors in air-time and distance.  I decided to jump on the largest tube, face down and forward (for aerodynamics) to try and get maximum speed on my next downhill run.  Unfortunately, a number of other people thought this was a great idea and jumped on top of me.  As the tube picked up speed going down the hill, my back and body were stretched across the middle of the tube, holding the weight of everyone on top.  Dismayed and scared, adrenaline pumped through me as I realized the jeopardy I'd put myself into.  Speeding towards the jump, I wondered, 'Am I going to break my back when our airtime finishes and everyone lands on top of me??'  It was one of those moments of desperate prayer without much time to be eloquent: 'God, help!'

The tube flew off the jump, along with all of us.  We landed, a jumble of arms, bodies, and legs, and some of the people landed on me.  I had the wind knocked out of me, and it felt like my belly button touched my back bone, but otherwise I survived without a scratch.  Thank you, God!  He literally 'upheld me' that evening and protected me from serious injury.

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you;

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”   
Isaiah 41:10

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Bearspaw Christian School

BCS and Our Kids

The spring that Kornelia was finishing grade 6 and Erik was finishing grade 2, we heard an advertisement for an 'open house for new students' for Bearspaw Christian School (BCS) on the local Christian radio station.  We thought we'd all go check it out.  On the way, the kids were 'meh' about this idea.  'Why do we have to go look at this school?'  On the way home later that evening though, they were very enthusiastic about the idea of attending there the following year.  So we enrolled them.

Looking back, this was a great experience for them.  They both graduated grade 12 from BCS.  Ewa and I as parents have no regrets we made this decision.  You can read some of their experiences in the following link:  Remembering the Kindness of God in Raising Our Kids

Volunteering

You have been treated generously, so live generously.  

Matthew 10:8b

Parents were required to volunteer some time at the school as part of the commitment in being involved.  For the last 6 years of their time there, I volunteered leading one of the four student worship bands.  This involved weekly practices with the band on Thursday afternoons, and then we'd lead worship for a school chapel once every 4 weeks or so.  I really enjoyed this experience.  I organized Christmas band parties for my team, and end of year picnics, and we lots of fun and interesting experiences in chapels.  

Setting up and sound check for our of our last chapels

Fun Experiences Volunteering

Here's some highlights of volunteering at BCS that I can share now since the students involved are adults:

• An acoustic worship chapel where we had set up an atmosphere like a campfire.  At the end we ramped up the intensity of the songs and everyone was dancing (400 students and teachers) singing Bethel's song 'I've got a River....'.  Looking back, the picture I have in my mind is students and teaching singing, smiling, and busting moves for God.  I was so wrapped up in leading/playing that I had literally strummed the guitar until my fingers bled, and it made a mess of the guitar.  It was definitely a day where God met us.  When I bump into people now who were there that day, they still say 'remember that one acoustic chapel..?'
•  One practice, I had no new songs for the band, but really wanted them to 'go deeper into true worship' with the songs we were playing.  I prayed about this, and God gave me the idea to turn the lights out while we practiced.  The kids knew the songs well enough to play them in the dark.  With the lights off, no one had to worry about what anyone else was doing, and we could really focus on the words we were singing and truly worship.  Again, this turned into a special time - God's presence was there.

Christmas Worship Band party - Using toilet paper
to decorate people like snowmen

The Lost Girl

At the end of my second last year volunteering, I organized a 'year-end worship team picnic' at a nice local park, on the edge of the Bow River.  We had done this the previous year and it was a hit with the kids, so we prepared for 'the sequel.'

The evening arrived and we all met around our designated spot and built a large campfire.  After cooking and eating some hotdogs and chips, we brought out our guitars and sang some worship songs.  Everyone seemed to be having a good time.  Unbeknownst to me, one of the girls had previously had an argument with her mom that day, and decided to 'show her!'  After we had sung some songs, the girl told me she had to leave for the bathroom and I said 'fine.'  But she never came back.  

'Has anyone seen <girl's name> lately?' I asked, getting concerned after what seemed an inordinate amount of time to be gone to the restroom.  No one had.  We started to look for her.  After some time doing this, we called her Mom, and then called the police, as it was getting late.  The police took the issue pretty seriously, and in a short while had 3-4 cruisers at the park AND the police helicopter involved.  By this time I was sweating bullets and doing a lot of earnest praying under my breath and with the family.  

With the police involved, we were drawing some attention from other people passing through the park, and they volunteered to help.  It was probably close to 10pm when one of these people - a fellow on a mountain bike - ended up seeing the girl walk out of the bush at the far end of the park.  He confirmed who she was and then beelined it back to us to inform us she was OK and on her way back.  WHAT A RELEIF!!

When she arrived, I think she was a bit shocked to discover the intensity of searching that had been going on for her, with the police presence and participation.  When everything wrapped up, and we learned that she was 'trying to teach her mom a lesson' (sigh, teenage girls), I drove home VERY thankful to God that she was fine and found.

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The First Time God Spoke to Me

God speaks to children!  

"The boy Samuel was serving God under Eli’s direction.....
...God called again, “Samuel!”—the third time! Yet again Samuel got up and went to Eli, “Yes? I heard you call me. Here I am.”  That’s when it dawned on Eli that God was calling the boy. So Eli directed Samuel, “Go back and lie down. If the voice calls again, say, ‘Speak, God. I’m your servant, ready to listen.’” Samuel returned to his bed."  1 Samuel 3:8-9

My Experience

Similar to Samuel, I don't think I realized God would speak to me as a child, or how He would do it.  To be honest, when He did speak to me I did not realize it was Him until many years later.  

Let me set the scene...

I was around 8 or 9 years old, just a normal kid, playing marbles and hockey.  Not a pastor's child or anything like that.   When my brother and I were that age, my Mom always got us 'cool' pyjamas - with some kind of designs on them.  Reflecting on this now, getting dressed in 'cool' pyjamas is a good motivator for two rambunctious, young boys to get ready for bed - wise on the part of my Mom.  We lived in a mobile home then, and with its thin walls and small living space, I was dimly aware of the financial challenges my parents were dealing with at the time.

Having gotten ready for bed one evening (sort of similar to Samuel's story), I was lying in bed dressed in my 'cool' pyjamas and the light on, either reading or waiting for my Mom to tuck me in.  I guess I started day-dreaming, looking at my pyjamas. I recall being struck with thoughts that had never crossed my mind before...

"These are really nice pyjamas, and I really like them.  Mom and Dad must really love us, to work as hard as they do, and care about us enough to get us special pyjamas like these for us.  Isn't it so nice of them to want us to look 'cool' and feel special in these night clothes?"  

 I remember feeling really loved and emotionally moved, almost to the point of tears.  It was definitely a different experience for me, one I hadn't had before, and I haven't forgotten.

My thoughts have returned to this experience several times over the decades since for different reasons:

• seeing family pictures of my brother and I around that time in our pyjamas (see below)
• seeing the clothes my wife bought our kids when they were young

As I've reminisced about this, I've come to realize that God was speaking to me in my room in that mobile home about what love is, how parents love, and ultimately about His love for me as my heavenly Father.  He was not speaking audibly to me.  It was more thoughts and impressions in a special moment.  There are some scripture verses that, in the years since, have helped me realize that this had been a God moment and He was speaking to me:

• The story of Samuel, referenced above
• "Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle."
  James 1:17
• Jacob making and giving Joseph his coat of many colours
• "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!"  1 John 3:1

Me with a new Bible for my Birthday
in a pair of 'cool' pyjamas around the time mentioned above

My and my brother, also around the time mentioned
above, in different 'cool' pyjamas.

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Vacations and Volvos

God Cares

God cares about the little things.  More than once on a family vacation, He gave me a mini-parable of His tender mercy in providing safe, comfortable transportation for us to use.  This is important to me as a Dad and husband, and really means a lot to me.  As often as we rent cars on vacation (not very often), I couldn't help but notice that we ended up with a Volvo SUV on more than one occasion.  Volvos are a brand I never thought I'd drive because I considered them a luxury vehicle.  Here's those stories.

Volvo 1 

Up until 2012, I had never rented a vehicle.  That year we decided to do a 2 week trip to California and 'splurge' a bit on vacation.  We got a vacation rental in a nice coastal town and rented a Ford Explorer with all the bells and whistles, including a moon roof.  

We flew into L.A., and when we got the car rental agency, they said the Ford Explorer wasn't available.  I don't recall exactly why, but it was because of something out of their control.  I was quite disappointed, as I really wanted to experience (and have the kids experience) a moon roof.  Fortunately, before I got my knickers in knot about this, the agency offered to upgrade us to a Volvo XC90.  I wasn't expecting an upgrade, and it was a great surprise.  It felt like God was saying, 'Its ok, Perry - I got this.'  I definitely enjoyed driving that vehicle around southern California for the next two weeks.

Our Volvo XC90 in a hotel parking lot by Disneyland.

Volvo 2

Seven years later, we did another significant family trip - this time to see family in Poland.  We decided to rent a vehicle for the 2nd half of the trip as we'd be driving around southern Poland a fair bit, taking the kids to see where my wife grew up, doing some exploring into the Czech Republic, and visiting relatives.  When we booked this vehicle online, we didn't know exactly what make and model we'd get.  It was just a 'mid-size 5 seat SUV'

Lo and behold, when we got the rental agency at the airport, the only SUV they had left was a Volvo XC 40.  What a great vehicle for 'zipping around' on a European vacation - small enough to park anywhere easily and manoeuvre on some those skinny European roads, and it had all the features we needed, including GPS which was super helpful on the unfamiliar drives.

Again, it felt like God was saying 'Let me help you enjoy your family vacation.  Don't worry about the SUV, I've got that covered.'  

The XC40 parked in Ewa's brother's driveway in Poland

"And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.
So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows."
Luke 12:7

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The Names of God - Jehovah Rapha

 God Our Healer

Why am I writing about the names of God? 
This name of God came about days after God parted the Red Sea for Moses and the Israelites.  Three days march inland they came to a place with water, but it was bitter.  God had Moses throw a stick in the water and the water became 'sweet.'  God then spoke to Moses saying (Exodus 15:26):

"If you listen, listen obediently to how God tells you to live in his presence, obeying his commandments and keeping all his laws, then I won’t strike you with all the diseases that I inflicted on the Egyptians;

I am God your healer."

In My Life...

Looking back, I can quickly think of several instances of God's healing work in my life.  Sometimes it was in conjunction with doctors.  Other times it was unexplainable naturally.  I've already written blog posts about a couple of these situations.  Here's the links to them:

• The Summer After College
• 90's Trip to Europe - The Engagement Ring

My Second Bike Accident

See this link for a story on my first bad bike accident. 
I really enjoy mountain/trail riding with my bike in the summer.  Late July last summer (2022) I set out after work to do some trail riding in a large city park close to our house (Nose Hill Park).  The grass on the sides of the path had grown tall by this time, and the trails themselves where wore into the soil a ways from all the bike traffic - like one large rut.  

A trail in Nose Hill Park

I was tired, and going fast because I 'knew the trail well.'  Going around a left corner, I cut it short brushing against the tall grass and my front tire got caught up on the rutted side of the path.  I couldn't compensate my balance fast enough and fell off to the side, with my left hip taking the full force of the fall against a large rock embedded in the ground.  

The force of that stop almost knocked the wind out of me - certainly the pain in my hip took my breath away.  I fought through a minute or two of medical shock, and then walked around.  My while left leg was burning like my arm does when I hit my funny bone really badly.  After recovering for about 5 minutes, I abandoned the rest of my ride and slowly rode back home - fortunately it was downhill all the way.  I was in pain.

After a week, I still could not sleep on my left side and it was still somewhat painful to walk.  Sitting for work everyday was a chore - I did a lot of standup working during that time.  I decided to go see the doctor because things didn't seem to be healing as fast as I'd hoped, and my wife and I were planning to fly to Europe to see her family at the end of August.  I didn't see how that flight was going to work with the way my hip/leg was feeling.

The doctor had me take some x-rays, and then said they'd call if there was something further to be done.  I didn't hear from them for almost three weeks and THEN they called and said 'Oh, there's something with your x-ray that doesn't look right - like you may have fractured you pelvis.  Can we have you take another one?'  Great.  OK.  Did another round of x-rays and everything on them looked fine.  Good thing too, because we were leaving in a week, and the bone(s) already had weeks to heal.  

I was still very concerned about the flight as sitting for longer than an hour was uncomfortable.  Nine hours with minimal ability to move sounded a bit scary.  I prayed and asked God for help.  On the flight out, I had to use special pillows and sometimes get up and stand a while.   The very cool thing though, was on the flight home, I didn't feel the pain AT ALL!  I didn't have to use my special pillows or anything.  God healed my hip!

Cancer Healed!

Not long after we flew home, Ewa's mom was diagnosed with skin cancer on her forehead.  Unfortunately, it had been left for some time, so by the time it was treated with radiation (early spring 2023), a significant wound was left to heal.  While that was healing, she noticed some swelling on her neck around her ear.  She didn't think much of this at the time, but a couple of months later it had swelled quite large and was very painful.  After finally seeing the doctor about that, it was also diagnosed as cancer.

The doctors wouldn't prescribe chemo-therapy because they said it would basically kill Ewa's Mom, given her advanced age.  As a result, 5 rounds of radiation were prescribed again to try and deal with this new scourge.  After several weeks of relief following the final round of radiation for this new set of tumors,  swelling and pain started again.  Ewa's mom was so exhausted of all of this, she said she wasn't interested in more radiation or treatment going forward.  She had a visit with the doctor scheduled for Dec. 5 to see what the prognosis would be.

The Saturday before Dec. 5, we spoke with Ewa's Mom on the phone and things didn't sound good.  Getting off the phone, Ewa and I prayed believing the verses:

“...If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask,
my Father in heaven will do it for you."  Matt 18:19

and

"....Pray for one another so that you might be healed. The prayer of a godly person is powerful. Things happen because of it."  James 5:16

Dec. 5 came, and Ewa's brother called with a report about the doctor visit.  Everything went fine, no further radiation is required at this point, Mom looks and feels well.

What?  Ewa was confused, and immediately phoned her Mom.  Her Mom said on Saturday night she went to bed and she could hardly sleep because of the pain, but in the end she fell asleep... and slept better than she'd slept in weeks.  Waking up, she discovered that the swelling and the pain were gone, and the wound by her ear had closed up and was dry.  She had slept fine every night since.  At the doctor's office, the doctor hardly recognized Ewa's Mom because she had no dressing on the wound and she looked normal and healthy.  The doctor said, "You look like a new woman!"  God is good and He still heals!

Ewa with her parents in 2019

Other Names of God and My Experiences...

• El Roi - God Sees
• Jehovah Shalom - God My Peace
• Elohim Shomri - God My Protection
• Jehovah Jireh - God My Provider
• Emmanuel - God With Us
• The God of all Comfort

Dream - God's Way

Dreaming

I used to enjoy listening to public speakers, pastors, and motivational gurus expound on 'Dream large!' and 'Follow your dream!' etc.  I love future thinking.  In fact, its one of my strongest strengths.  Dreaming large for me was easy.  When I considered the actual execution of those dreams and mixing that with ambition, practical living, and immediate responsibilities... some dreams stayed dreams, or only got half done.  As it turns out, Responsibility is my strongest strength, and I wasn't going to let my dreams take precedence over family life.  Hearing talks about dreaming started to get discouraging.

A Different Perspective

One day as I was reflecting on this (and perhaps wondering at the purpose of my life a little bit), I realized something:  God had been faithful to the 'dreams' in my heart that I hadn't even entirely verbalized or prayed - dreams that were more meaningful and foundational than career pinnacles or bucket lists.  Let me explain further..

Years ago while Ewa and I were on our honeymoon here in Canada, we mused 'Wouldn't it be nice if we could bring Ewa's parents from Poland here to Canada and let them see what its like here.'  Her parents had never been outside Poland, and the beauty of the areas we were honeymooning was impossible to convey in a letter or a phone call. 

For me there was an additional unspoken, wishful thought of 'as our children grow up, what would be the ideal frequency of family visits given Ewa's side of the family lives in Poland?'  I never seriously considered what the 'right' answer would be - there was only the desire that the kids would be exposed to both sides of their family heritage and culture. 

We did not have resources to accomplish these 'dreams' at the time.  But God knew.  Over the years, He provided for means and resources to bring Ewa's parents here to Canada several times for extended stays, and for us to take our children to Poland several times as well.  Every visit had great memories and experiences for our kids and Ewa's family.  

As I considered this from the vantage point of grown children and completed trips and visits, I realized God had a different, better dream for us all along - one that included families, cultures, countries, and languages.  I was moved and filled with gratitude, realizing what God had brought about.

Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4

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Dreams Come True

Some great memories:

Ewa's parents with us in the Canadian Rockies on their 
first trip to Canada in July 1997

Ewa's parents 2nd trip to Canada in Summer 1999
Here Kornelia is enjoying playing with Ewa's
Mom in Slave Lake, Alberta

Ewa's parents 3rd trip to Canada in 2006.
Here we're all playing on a playground in Radium, BC

This was also taken on Ewa's parents 3rd trip to
Canada.  Here they're enjoying a walk along Long
Beach on Vancouver Island.  This was one place in
particular we 'dreamed' about taking them

 Christmas/New Years 2007/2008
We were able to go to Poland and celebrate the
holidays as well as Ewa's parents 50th wedding
anniversary.

This is from that same Christmas trip.  On the return
flight home we were upgraded to business class on
the flight over the Atlantic Ocean. 
A real treat for all of us!

Ewa's parents last trip to Canada in 2009.
Here we're having a BBQ/picnic at a local park in 
Calgary with my parents

In 2013, Ewa's brother and his family were able to join us
for 3 weeks in the Summer.  Here we're enjoying a visit and
a laugh in our living room with my parents and brother.

We were able to visit Ewa's family in Summer, 2019
Ewa is with our kids, standing in front of Florian's
Gate in old town, Krakow

God's Provision With Work

God is Our Provider - Jehovah Jireh

In the post linked here I talk about how Abraham gave God the name of Jehovah Jireh because he had a profound circumstance in his life where he saw God providing for him.  In that post I include a couple of examples of how God reached down into my life and provided for me and us as a family.  In this post I'll share a couple more short stories of how God has provided for us.

In many cultures around the world, men are seen as the 'providers' of the household.  It was no different for me growing up, and so when I had a family I felt that same responsibility.  So it means a lot when God helps me and aligns my career so that I can stay working and provide for my family.  I see that as God's provision for us.  Here's a couple examples of that...

Career Change!

After working in the print/publishing industry through most of the 1990's, I could see that it was not a growth industry, and there were other career choices that I was more suited to and afforded more hope to make a decent living.  Background context for this career change can be found at this link.    In short, I quit my job as a printing pressman, and we moved our family to Calgary so I could get educated as a software developer.  We strongly believed God was in this decision to move and transition.

I started IT school in January 2001 and that spring saw the beginnings of the 'dot.bomb' era in the stock market.  Up to this point, investors had been bullish (enthusiastic) about investing in IT companies.  However several large IT companies had posted questionable numbers that spring (Nortel being the main Canadian example) and the dot.com bubble burst causing stocks to slide.  As a result many IT companies went into receivership...  including the IT school I was going to.  While our school was closed, the receiver kept the Vancouver school open.  They gave us a living allowance and had us finish school there.  Because of all this I knew the IT job market was going to be tough to get into for a 'newbie' like me.  I consequently tried to get a certification in Java programming while I was still in school.... and I failed that test.  I resolved to write the test again after school was done (and I had more time to study for it).  Upon finishing school, I studied for two weeks, wrote the test and passed.   God helped me press in and finish that goal.

Returning back home, I spent most of the next 10 months looking for work.  I called every software company in the yellow pages listings one by one, and asked for a job.  When I was turned down, I learned to ask if they knew of any other companies that were hiring.  I got a 2 month contract this way, but I completed it with no further opportunities.  We had been living off of our student credit line and in the end I had to take a job framing houses with a friend to make ends meet.  This felt terrible, kind of like a surrender.  However, after 4 weeks of framing houses, I got a call from a large IT consulting company who was interested in hiring me because of the Java certification I had persisted in obtaining after school. 

As badly as I wanted that java developer position, I managed to get lost driving to the interview.  (This was before the days of Google Maps)  Realizing I was going to be late, I phoned to let them know I was lost and confirmed the directions to the office.  Fortunately, I did well on the interview and they offered me the job.  God provided a great first job as a software developer for me when the industry was not hiring junior developers, and in spite of my fumbling tardiness to the first interview.  This opportunity was entirely God's favour and provision for us!

A Promise Kept

Having worked in the software industry for about 15 years, I had not had the opportunity to work at a software Start Up.  In 2016, that opportunity came across my path with some former co-workers.  I signed on as a contractor, and then 6 months later was encouraged to become an employee.   I would get paid substantially less as an employee, but I'd get stock.  I made a deal (really, a promise) with my wife that if and/or when our savings ran out in this employee situation, I would look for a contract position again.  

A couple years later, that's exactly what happened.  Our savings were nearly depleted as we'd supplemented our income from the start-up to keep paying all the bills.  It just so happened that within a week or two of our savings getting to a critical level, a fellow from a previous company I'd worked at contacted me with a well paid contract position.

I was a bit torn.  I really enjoyed working at the startup with my team, but I'd made a promise to my wife.  I asked God what to do, and He gave me a verse:  "You’ll go back to your old work of planting vineyards on the Samaritan hillsides, and sit back and enjoy the fruit—oh, how you’ll enjoy those harvests!" Jeremiah 31:5. Your old work?!  God didn't need to tell me anything else.  I realized then and there that this was His provision and direction for me.

Transitioning into that new position, I also realized that knowing God wanted me to make that move was crucial, as it was the encouragement I needed to stay there and persist in what we were doing.  I was part of a very small team with the responsibility to help set up a new discipline/department, and there were lots of challenges and things to learn.

The Names of God - Jehovah Jireh

Jehovah Jireh - God Is My Provider

Why am I writing about the names of God? 
Jehovah Jireh (God is my Provider) was a name given to God by Abraham.  I'll be honest right now and say that I don't think I fully understand all of the idiosyncrasies behind the story of Abraham getting this revelation of God as his provider.  A simple perspective:  Abraham was a rich man, blessed by God.  But God wanted to test Abraham, and in that test He asked Abraham to give up - relinquish - the most valuable thing in his life.  Abraham obediently complied.  Right at the moment when God knew Abraham was going to be completely obedient and faithful, God stopped him and provided a replacement.  In that provision, Abraham saw God as Jehovah Jireh. I believe this sequence of events meant more to both of them than I'll ever know.

In My Life...

In my life, my perspective on God's provision has been the source of some of my greatest challenges and victories.  God's timing and method of provision didn't always line up to my expectations.  In one specific instance, that turned into a bitter disappointment for me which you can read about here.  Many other times, He provided for me ahead of time, before I knew what was coming or what to ask for.  You can read about many of these stories on the links on this page.  I'll chronicle some additional ones below.

Teaching at SAIT

After various experiences with piano teachers growing up, I always thought I'd make a good teacher.  However, I never had the opportunity to get a degree.  After a decade of working on printing presses, God directed my wife and I to make a major career change, and that offered broader opportunities that surprised me.  

A couple of years after this career change, I was riding public transit to work and saw an advert for a software development course at the local technical college.  On a whim (God's direction, no doubt), I thought I'd email them and see if they needed any instructors.  That email got forwarded to the coordinator for the department who ended up being a software teacher of mine from the past.  He offered me an opportunity on the spot, and I ended up teaching at the Southern Alberta Institue of Technology for 14 years and I loved it!  God's provision in my career!

Southern Alberta Institute of Technology
Heritage Hall

A Missed Flight

In September 2022 my wife and I flew to Poland for a short holiday and family trip (my wife grew up in Poland).  It was our first time travelling after the Covid lockdowns, and airports and airlines still had Covid protocol that everyone was required to follow.  On our return trip, some passengers didn't want to follow protocol and made our flight from Krakow to Frankfurt late.  We ran through the Frankfurt airport to catch our connecting flight back home, and saw it still at the gate.  However the airline had cancelled our boarding passes because they knew our baggage wouldn't make the flight.  It was pretty disheartening to see the plane we were supposed to be seated on leaving the gate without us.  

God, however, provided through the airline for us to stay overnight in Frankfurt for on the airline's dime.  And we had enough time to take a taxi into downtown and actually be tourists there for several hours - a city both of us had never previously explored.  It was a great surprise mini-adventure for us at the end of our time away, and we took full advantage of God's provision there.

Selfies in downtown Frankfurt

For he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.  Proverbs 2:8

Other Names of God Significant to me..

• El Roi - God Sees Me
• Jehovah Shalom - God is my Peace
• Elohim Shomri - God is my Protector
• Emmanuel - God with Us
• Jehovah Rapha - God our Healer
• The God of all Comfort

Finding Your Roots - My Story

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
    dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:3-4

Finding Your Roots

We enjoy watching 'Finding Your Roots' on PBS with Henry Louis Gates Jr.  We quickly get engrossed in the family histories and intrigue that accompanies different celebrities as they discover their ancestry.  I find it easy to wish I had an opportunity to discover my family history with the help of a bunch of experts like Dr. Gates has.  And then I remember, we had something like an episode of Finding Your Roots happen with us more than once!  Here's part 1....

Paul's Birth

My brother and I are Irish twins - 355 days apart - so I remember nothing about his birth.  My parents tell a story though, that when he was born, my Dad's foster Mom looked at him and told my Dad he should really investigate his ancestry.  Why?  My Dad was a foster child.  He became a ward of the government when he was 5 and his mother was no longer considered fit to care for him.  His father wasn't in the picture.  So why would my brother's birth suddenly bring this up?  It seemed my brother looked completely different than me when he was born.  I was fair and blue eyed.  He apparently had almost black hair and dark brown eyes.  Where would this come from?

40 Years Later...

Fast forward 40 years later.  My wife and our kids were visiting my parents, and my Mom asked our daughter what she was learning in school.  Our daughter answered that she was learning about the first nations people of Canada and was keenly interested in them.  She was so engrossed in learning about them that she told my Mom that she wished she could've been born into a first nation.  My Mom smiled and replied, 'Well, you know...' and launched into the story of my brother's birth, what we knew of my Dad's history, and the outside chance that there may be first nations blood in our family line on my Dad's side.  Kornelia was beside herself learning about this, and couldn't stop thinking about it for the rest of the day.

That evening when I was tucking her into bed she brought it all up again.  'Do you think we have some first nations blood in us, Daddy?' she asked.  'That would be so cool if we did...'  I agreed and helped her say her goodnight prayers.  Leaving her room, I wondered if perhaps, with so much information available on the internet, there might be a chance to find some clue or thread of my Dad's family history.  I decided to give a couple searches a whirl....

Knowing my Dad's full name, his birthdate, and the town in which he was born turned out to be the keys to a successful search.  I think a major God wink had something to do with it was well.  :-)  Within an hour, I had unmistakably discovered my Dad in a family tree line (from his real parents) stretching back to the mid-1700's - with several first nations grandmas!  I was beside myself with excitement and couldn't wait to share this news with my kids and my Dad.

Alex McKenzie

The most colourful character discovered in my Dad's history was a fellow named Alex McKenzie.  He is said to possibly be a relative of the explorer Sir Alexander MacKenzie, but there is no proof of that.  Born near Trios-Rivieres, Quebec, Alex was orphaned at 3 years old and sent back to Scotland to be educated and nurtured by his paternal relatives.  Later, back in Canada, Alex snowshoed across northern Alberta by himself, ending up in Peace River.  He worked there for the Hudsons Bay Company as a fur trader for 27 years.  Retiring from fur trading in 1888, he began farming in the area, and was well known for his stories of adventures and escapades as a fur trader in the north.  He died in 1919 from the Spanish flu at 76 years old.

The history I found even included a picture of Alex McKenzie!  Here he's wearing the typical coureur-de-bois outfit, formerly worn by all Hudson’s Bay Company employees and natives in the northern Alberta country – a blue blanket cloth mackinaw with cream blanket cloth cape and red trimmings, a turban cap to match and black pants with trimmings of Indian design.

Its About Identity

We all seem to have an innate desire that surfaces some time in our lives to understand where and whom we come from.  It can help give direction and confirmation to our own sense of purpose, destiny, and self-worth.  My daughter was ecstatic when she learned more about our family history and our roots here in North America.  She wanted to know as much as possible and find out if our first nations relations were close enough to get us any benefits (they weren't).  When I told my Dad about what I'd found of his family history, he was very reserved.  Understandably so, considering his life experience.  It took him a long time to warm up to the idea that he has a genuine family history with real blood relatives still living in the province.  

God knew that many people would struggle with their personal heritage and ancestry.  Wars, divorce, diseases, and other disasters are brutally efficient in wiping out traces of our histories.  In many cases, we may prefer to forget what we know about those who preceded us.  For each of us, though, no matter the background situation, God offers a new life and a new heritage.  He says:

I can give you a new name if you will accept the gift of my Son.
Along with that is a fantastic, eternal inheritance I've prepared for you.
You will have a place at my table, and a room in my house.
You can call me 'Daddy'

(see John 3:16, John 14:3, Psalms 23, Revelation 2:17, Galatians 4:6)

Want to know more?  Contact me at netfocusconsulting@gmail.com

Click here for more true stories of God's protection and work in my life

The Names of God - El Shomri

God is my protector

Why am I writing about the names of God?   El Shomri, another name for God, means God is my protector.  While there is no specific instance of a person in the Bible calling God this name directly, it is used several times in the Psalms..

Psalm 31:20:  'In the shelter of your presence you hide them from all human intrigues;  you keep them safe in your dwelling from accusing tongues.'

Psalm 121:5-6:  'The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.'

So how have I seen God as my protector?

Experience #1: The Landslide

In the early spring of 1990, the Vancouver coast got a lot of rain - notably more than it usually gets.  I was a freshman, majoring in music at a college close to Abbotsford at this time.  The college was located up a hill in the small town of Clayburn, BC.  It poured so much one cold weekend that the road up to the college washed out.  There had been a significant landslide, and it was within walking distance of our dorm.  

Road Washout at WPBC in Clayburn, BC

That afternoon couple of sophomores came up to the dorm, muddy all over.  They said there was some incredible mud - almost like quicksand - at the bottom of the landslide and it was 'pretty cool' to mess around it.  Being relatively young and inexperienced, I thought this sounded like a bunch of fun.  I changed into some throw-away cloths and headed down with them to the slide.  Sure enough, it was quite muddy down there and the mud was deep.  One could easily sink dangerously low if not careful.  We spent the better part of 45 minutes down there exploring the slide.  

S.A and G.D playing with me in the mudslide

What I didn't think about until decades later was what a dangerous position we put ourselves in playing in the mud at the bottom of the slide.  Very often (particularly if the rain keeps up) a secondary slide can happen.  We would've been directly in its path and would've stood no chance in getting to safety.  Maneuvering in that mud was slow and painstaking work.  God protected us in our youthful ignorance there that day.

Experience #2: Kamikaze Deer

Fast-forward 15 years to 2005.  Our family was on a trip from Calgary to Edmonton to celebrate a new business contract I had just signed.  We always prayed for God's protection before we left on longer driving trips like this, and on this trip was saw Him answer quite tangibly.

After praying, the kids settled in the backseat of our Honda Accord and we left.  The speed limit on that freeway between Calgary and Edmonton is 110km/hr and we were going at least that fast.  :-)  We had just crested a long hill and had a beautiful view as we continued north.  This particular day, the view happened to include a herd of deer sprinting from the west side of the highway, intent on crossing the highway and making their way east.  

I noticed them from a long way off and continued speeding north, confident that they would pass some distance in front of us, which they did.  Unseen until too late was a straggler to their group.  This deer's life mission was to catch up to its buddies.  I didn't expect the deer to be so single-minded, so I kept moving.  Our trajectories met - the deer realizing this before me, jumped and managed to mostly hurtle the car.  The car grazed its legs as it flew over our roof.  This caused the deer to fall when it landed.  It quickly got up and followed its friends east.  I continued north with a good shot of adrenaline and a lot of questioning from my wife.  The car had a hardly noticeable bump on the roof and an absent radio antenna after that.  God really protected us there.

Experience #3: Post-Covid Flying

In the last 5 months, I've done a bunch of flying - some personal and some business.  I've logged close to 20,000 miles on 12 flights through/to 7 airports in 6 countries.  There have been lots of Covid strains in the air during that time, many of them 'more virulent and contagious'  than before.  To my chagrin, I've sat beside people who have coughed halfway across the continent.  We've prayed for God's protection as we've travelled and we haven't gotten sick.  I genuinely see that as God's protection as the planes, airports, and security lines are always crowded with few people wearing masks.

My wife and I flying to Poland in Sept 2022

• El Roi - God Sees Me
• Jehovah Shalom - God is my Peace
• Jehovah Jireh - God is my Provider
• Emmanuel - God with Us
• Jehovah Rapha - God our Healer
• The God of all Comfort