Happy Canada Day

Happy Canada Day!  Or... if you are old enough to remember 'Happy Dominion Day'.  When our country was choosing a title to go along with our name there were some political 'sensitivities' to be considered.  With a restless America to the south, it was important that the name not be seen as a threat.  'Kingdom' wasn't an option even though we would be part of the British Commonwealth.  We were holding to a British Parlaimentary system so 'Republic' wouldn't work either.  The Fathers of Confederation chose 'Dominion' coming out of a verse in Psalm 72.  The verse was perfect in the sense that the Confederation would stretch from sea to sea (Atlantic to Pacific) and from the river (St. Lawerence) to the ends of the earth (Arctic).

While I'm not a 'dominionist' in terms of my theology, I'm fascinated by the fact that our founding fathers chose this verse as a framework to define our nation.  Dominion speaks of sovereignty, ownership or control. We are blessed to live in a free, democratic country where we choose our leaders and give them the authority to lead.  Leading Influence recognizes that the challenge of leadership is immense.  We are committed to serving and supporting leaders by providing spiritual and moral counsel and support as they serve our nation in this way.  Along the way we have met many amazing people who are believe in the future of our great nation.   It is a privilege to walk with them and to invest in their lives.  Thanks for your interest and support.

'and He shall have dominion from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth'

Flooding Situation

Lord Jesus, you see what is happening in our province today.  From Sicamous to Prince George, Chilliwack and beyond, flood waters are impacting and threatening thousands of people.  We ask today that You would intervene in this situation and cause the waters to begin to recede.  We ask that You would cause the rain to stop and that the melt rate would slow so that the rivers could contain the water. 

We pray today for civic leaders and workers who are dealing with the current situation and we ask that You would give them Your wisdom and Your strength as they seek to protect the communities from the rising water.  Help them as they plan, fill sandbags and build dikes.  Keep them safe from harm.

We ask this in Jesus Name.  Amen

Exactly What I Needed

I was on my way to lunch in the Dining Room when an MLA waved me over to his table.  When I was close enough to have a conversation he began to tell me how perfect the daily MLA prayer was for him that day.  I had no idea what was happening in his life on that particular day, but someone, somewhere, several weeks earlier was inspired to write a prayer that was exactly what he needed on that particular day.  Later on, he stood in Question Period and I understood exactly why the prayer was a fit for him on that day. 

This particular prayer so impacted him that on at least 3 other occasions over the next week, both privately and publicly he expressed his appreciation.  I love it when we have this kind of impact.

The Bible tells us that we should pray for those who govern over us.  PrayBC is a tool that helps you do that on a daily basis.  The prayer is delivered to your inbox every Monday to Friday night and is there for you in the morning.

Our team of writers and editors ensure that they are easy to pray and that you can do it anywhere.  To join the PrayBC team, visit  www.praybc.blogspot.com and add your name to our email list. You’ll start receiving prayers the next day.

Distractions...

I've become a bit of a blogging sluggard. There... I said it....  It's not that I don't want to write, I really enjoy writing.  It's more that I have been distracted by a mountain of other things. In the time that it's taken me to write this post, I've checked Facebook 5 times, answered 4 emails, sent 3 text messages and had 2 conversations….)  I'm probably ADD but that's really no excuse at my point in life.

I'm convinced that distraction makes us needlessly busy and that 'busyness' results in fatigue. It’s the kind of fatigue that saps you emotionally, physically and spiritually. Ultimately, distraction keeps you from fulfilling your God given destiny. 

The key to overcoming distraction is to stay focused on your goals.  My life is evidence that this is much easier said than done.  However, it can be done and if we have any hope of changing the world around us in a meaningful way, it must be done.

The Bible addresses our propensity for distraction multiple times. Hebrews 12 reminds me to ‘fix my eyes on Jesus’ and to run with diligence (or perseverance) the race that is set before me. Stay focused.  Keep running!  Finish well!

Talk to you next week!