I see what you did there

A few weeks ago I started something I'm calling "The Motivation Project". I understand that it being the beginning of a new year my little gym will be flooded with newbies trying hard to get healthy for their new year's resolutions. I am going to help.
My little gym is no more then a treadmill, stationary bike, a TV,  and a bow flex in the common room of my condo complex. But it does have one other accessory. It's a little plastic holder on the wall intended for notices to the residents of the building and the users of the gym. It is where strata puts up warnings about fire alarm testings and complaints about leaves. That sort of thing. Well I have decided to repurpose this paper holder for a more nobel purpose. I will post a new motivational quote up there every week. I chose to put up the quote "The voice inside your head that says you can't do this is a liar. -Your friendly neighbourhood motivator" See?

New story that is probably completely unrelated to The Motivation Project:

I received a mysterious voicemail from the President of ACOP Canada (ACOP is what christian's call a denomination of churches. It's simply a group of churches that all come from the same original root, like a family.) asking me to call him back. I had no idea what this could be about. Well I'm going to save you the long saga of phone tag that followed and just tell you what he wanted. He was inviting me to come and speak at ACOP's international conference in May in Calgary. 400 pastors for 26 different countries. 

I told him I would think about it.

Then I hung up the phone and laughed. Me? Really? Who am I to speak to such a crowd? And what could I possibly talk about that would make sense to 26 different cultures?

I walked to the gym still bewildered. I've only used a translator a few times before, and that was years ago! And with talking to so many different cultures, it's guaranteed that not everyone will get my jokes. Or my references. Or will understand anything I have to say! If I talk about taking a teen out to Starbucks, maybe that's offensive to some countries. Maybe others don't know what Starbucks is! 

I go onto the treadmill, where I do most of my deep thinking, and started to run still turning the challenge around in my mind. 

"I can't do it."

That's what I surmised. 

Then I looked up. There on the wall was an innocent piece of paper, put there by an ignorant foolish girl. It read "The voice in your head that says you can't do this is a liar. -Your friendly neighbourhood motivator" And I started to laugh. And laugh hard. 

I had to stop the treadmill. Laughing and running are hazardous to my ankles. 

Ok God. I see what you did there.

Funny how God (aka- your friendly neighbourhood motivator) chooses to speak to us sometimes eh? 

So on that note, I'm happy to announce that I will be speaking on "Discipling the next generation" at the ACOP international conference in Calgary in May.

It's going to be fun.

ps- God you spelled "liar" wrong.