NEVER TO LATE

 

            Today many people want to live their own lives without responsibility or

attachments.  Now this is not a new idea in fact when I was a teenager many of

my fellow young people were doing that.  We were called hippies.  Yes, it is hard

to imagine that straight shooting and even to a point straight thinking Robert

Dean Steel was a hippy.  I had the long hair, the beads, tie dye tee shirts and

bell bottoms.  I studied all kinds of philosophies and was into all kinds of weird

stuff as a young person.  It wasn't till I became a Christian that I feel I got some

common sense.   Now what I learned in those years that no matter how free and

independent you think or would like to be, you still effect others.  In the free and

so called liberated thinking of the hippy days I saw many hearts broken including

mine.  I saw lives ruined by drugs, alcohol, substance abuse and immorality.  I

saw several of my friends killed by alcohol and drug related activities.  I almost

became a victim myself on a few occasions.  It was when I had my own reality

check did I smarten up and decide to find a better and more fulfilling way.  That

is when I let God come into my life.  He has been my guiding light for a long time.

The common sense approach I take to family and life in general come from Him. 

So I thought I would share a little story to illustrate the point of letting Him

guide our lives instead of ourselves. 

            Years ago an old Scottish woman went to country homes to sell thread,

buttons and shoe strings.  When she came to unmarked crossroad, she would

toss a stick in the air and go which ever the way the stick pointed.  One day

she was seen tossing the stick into the air several times.  "Why do you toss the

stick several times," some asked.  She answered in a deep husky highland voice,

"It has pointed every time to the road on the right, and I want to go on the road

to the left.  It looks smoother."  She kept on throwing the stick into the air until

it pointed to the road she wanted to go.

            Proverbs 3:5-6 states, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not

unto your own understanding.  In all ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your

path."  To have a great life, family and future let God be your guiding light.  Let Him

direct your path.   He has been doing it for millions around the world.  It is never to

late to start.  Did you know that Colonel Saunders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame

came to Christ at the age of 74.     

 

QUOTES FOR JUNE 22, 2026

 

POWER OF INFLUENCE

 

             Today I am going to spend a little time talking about the power of influence

and to illustrate my point I am going to bring the family history of two families.

            There has been a careful search into the history of one criminal family known

as the Jukes.  It is a record of pauperism, insanity, violence, prostitution, substance

abuse, and drunkenness. 

             A total of 1200 descendents have been traced of this prolific family tree.  Some

400 of these physically self wrecked, 310 were professional beggars and con men,

130 were convicted criminals, 60 habitual thieves and pick pockets, 7 were convicted

of murder.  Out of the 1200 only 20 were ever able to learn a trade and of these half

owed it to prison discipline.

            The other is about a man named Jonathan Edwards.  He was the son of a godly

home.  His father was a preacher and before him his mother's father.  The history of this

man is as follows. 

            More than 400 of them have been traced and they include 14 college presidents,

and 100 professors, 100 of them have been ministers of the gospel, missionaries and

theological teachers.  More than 100 of them have been lawyers and judges.  Out of the

whole number 60 have been doctors.  Others have been numbered in the ranks of

authors, politicians, editors and captains of industry.

            In fact almost every major American industry has had as its promoters one or

more of the offspring of the Edward's stock since this man was married in the closing

half of the seventeenth century.

            Now my question is what kind of legacy do you want to leave.  The choice is

yours.  Joshua stated in Joshua 24:15, "As for me and my house we will serve the

Lord."  I think the choice is clear. 

I recently had a conversation with a man who was faced with a life threatening illness.  After years of focusing on himself and his world His life has changed.  He has realized that life is about touching others.  When I left his home I was encouraged even though my aim when visiting him was to encourage him. 

Legacy and influence is not just about just touching our current generation but those who will follow.  The best remedy for an ungodly society is to raise godly children.  Parents today have greater challenges than ever before.  The invention of the internet has made the world very small and our children have access to more harmful and damaging material than ever before.  To combat this, parents need to include the Lord in their family.  He is the glue that holds a family together,   His guidance will keep a family from being shipwrecked on the rocks when the storms of life come.  I have shown you what happens between a godly home and an ungodly home my question is which do you want?  I want a godly home.  How about you?

           

HOW TO MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK

 

            One night a young husband came home for supper.  His new wife put on the

table a new casserole that she had read in a recipe book.  The young man began to

eat heartily at first but the taste and smell finally overcame him and he slowed to a snail's pace in his eating.  His wife excitedly asked him what he thought of her newest attempt at cooking.  "Honey, he replied, I have never tasted anything like it."  She

then asked what he wanted for dessert.  He replied, "just some tums."  Now can

you guess her response?

            Charlie Shedd, who wrote the book, "Letters to Karen." tells a story of how

he and his wife prepared their daughter for marriage at a young age.  They would

every night pray that God would prepare the young man who their daughter was

going to marry.  In the prayer they said, "Lord help this young man to know and

our daughter to know that it will take a lifetime to get to know each other. 

            The Bible teaches that marriage was instituted by God when He gave Eve to Adam and the scripture says the two became one flesh.  God has different addition than man.  Man says the one and one is two.  God says the two become one. 

            In the movie, "Sleepless in Seattle." Tom Hanks plays a young father who

has lost his first wife to cancer and has lost his belief in finding true love.  Finally

after a certain amount of time he decided to get back into the dating game.  In one scene Tom Hanks who plays a character called Sam Baldwin turns to the his son

whose name is Jonah and says, "It talks a long time even a lifetime to get to know someone." 

            Marriage is a lifetime commitment.  This phrase highlights three important

keys to marital success.  First, respect for the uniqueness of the other person. 

Each person is different and we have to respect each others uniqueness.  Every

body has a different personality.  In fact each one of us has a different thumb print

and DNA structure.  So respect the fact that your spouse is different than you.

            Secondly, hunger for relational depth.  Do not be satisfied with a surface

relationships.  Get to know this person that you are married to.  Remember why you

fell in love with them.  Remember they had qualities that you saw when you first

got to know them.  Explore deeper qualities.  Don't be satisfied with small talk.

Only through strong, persistent and quality communication will you get to know

your spouse.  Don't let anything take away from quality with your spouse and

family.  Turn off the T.V., cell phone, palm pilot, or any other device getting in the

way of your relationship.  Love deeply and love fully.

            Thirdly, remember that marriage is a long term commitment.  Determine to

not allow yourself a back door.  The only time one should back out of a relationship

is for adultery or abuse and that should only be until the offender gets proper

counseling, therapy and has proven that they earned the right to re-enter the relationship.  Marriages that last long term or those who have made a determination

to stay in it for the long run. 

            Paul Lewis writes, "These pearls can be cultivated in the relationship of

man or woman willing to nurture them."   We have choices to make every day in

our marriages I hope we will choose to take these suggestions and apply them for

they are secrets to a long and  lasting marriage.  

SMILE FOR THE DAY

 

As you have probably noticed I have been doing more humor pieces. 

These articles are no more designed to put a smile on you face and lighten

up you day.  In the movie, "Far Away," with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman,

there is one line that is priceless.  Tom Cruise is sitting in a pub being moody

and cranky.  A man come up to him and saying, "Lighten up lad, your to young

to be drowning in your drink."  So Slave Lake, lighten up and eenjoy these

little glossary of medical terms and homespun alternate meanings.

 

Benign:  What you be after you be eight,

Artery:  The study of paintings.

Bacteria:  Back door to a cafeteria.

Barium:  What doctors do when patients die.

Cesarean Section:  A neighborhood in Rome.

Cat Scan:  Searching for the kitty.

Colic:  A sheep dog.

Coma:  A punctuation mark.

Dilate:  To live long.

Enema:  Not a friend.

Fester:  Quicker than someone else.

Fibula:  A small lie.

Genital:  A Non Jewish person.

Hang Nail:  What you hang you coat on.

Labor Pain:  Getting hurt at work.

Morbid:  A Higher bid than I made.

Pap Smear:  A fatherhood test.

Pelvis:  A second cousin to Elvis

Tumor:  More than one.

Urine:  Opposite of your out.

Rectum:  Darn near killed him.

Recovery Room:  Place to do upholstery.

 

     Well for all the nurses, doctors and workers in the medical field.  These were

especially for you.  The rest of us will just rub our heads in confusion and take

two aspirins and mail in the five dollars. 

IN THE MOOD

 

My wife told me one day that you can always tell what kind of mood I am

by the way of I write.  I write funny pithy columns when I am happy or feeling a

little weird.  I write serious and informative columns when I feel reflective.  I

write humorous columns when I feel lighthearted.  I write straight forward and

no nonsense when I am concerned about morality or the state of the family.

Today I am more no nonsense.  I am concerned about the family.  I am concerned

about the fact that Canadian children have lost their moral compass.  I am deeply

concerned about what is being taught in schools and on playgrounds.  I feel that

many of our colleges and universities have become breeding grounds for leftist

anti-family, anti-home and anti-traditional values. 

            I want to ask several important questions?  First what is wrong with wanting

to teach your children morality, responsibility and truth?  What is wrong with

telling parents to stay together and work out their differences?  What is wrong

with teaching that honesty, integrity and values are important and necessary?

What is wrong with telling parents to put good boundaries and using forms of

discipline to keep children from hurting themselves and others.  When did

standing up for a traditional family consisting of a man and woman become

bigoted and outdated?  Why is it that politicians feel that power and dishonesty

is more important than integrity and honesty?  Sorry got off track.

            Now I want to state that I did not recently have someone phone me up

or chew me out because of what I wrote or believe.  I'm writing this because

our Canadian society seems to be getting more and more mixed up as time goes

on.  On one hand I see more and more younger families wanting to turn back to

more traditional values but on the other side I see a small groups of left wing

social activists working to undermine the anchor of society the home. 

            To the people who wish to once again want to have a home with balance

and stability keep reading.  To those that insist on trying every knew and crazy

idea coming down the pike, close the paper I don't want to agitate you any more.

           

HOME

 

Turn Your Heart Towards Home - By Robert Dean Steel

Pastor of Cornerstone Pentecostal Fellowship

 

            Home is a wonderful thing.  It conjures up so many difference images. 

To some it is a nice two story cape cod home with a white picket fence and

a porch swing.  For others it is a family sitting around a table eating, laughing

and enjoying each others company.  This article is going to be the comments

of three famous people on the home.

            Billy Graham wrote, "On the average three and a half marriages out of

six in North America end in the divorce courts.  Seven hundred and fifty thousand

children become half orphans yearly because of broken homes, some total

orphans.  Said a national psychiatrist: There is little or no happiness in ninety

per cent of North American homes."  Many homes have become war zones and children are growing up thinking that anger and manipulation are ways of getting their way.  I have also been surprised about how normal it has become for children to spend their time bouncing between homes and families.  One young lady I talk too said, she spent two weeks a month with dad and the same with Mom.  I asked her how she felt about it and she said, “It is the way it is, even thought I don’t like it.”  I then asked her if she wanted to spend her life with one life partner too which she said resoundingly, “Yes,” I then asked, “why?  She responded by saying, “I never want to put my kids through what I have had to go through.”  I think that sums it up nicely.

            Eighty per cent of our criminals come from broken an unsympathetic

homes.  Our nation is sadly in need of the rebirth of a simple life.  A return to

the days when God was part of each household, when families arose in the

morning with a prayer on their lips and ended the day by gathering to place

themselves in His care.

            If there is any hope or future for our nation or others.  If there is to be

any peace and happiness in our homes, then we as a nation must turn to God

and the practice of daily family prayer.  J Edgar Hoover.

            Rev. Albert S. Taylor wrote, "One per cent of the child's time is spent

under the influence of a Sunday School, 7 per cent under the influence of the

public school and 92 per cent under the influence of the home."  This tells us that our influence is important.  What are we saying to our children and how are we influencing them for good? 

            James Dobson coined a phrase over 20 years ago, "Turn your heart

towards home."  Home is what you make it.  It takes work, creativity, wisdom

and insight to make a good home.  It means taking the resources available to

you and applying them.  It takes commitment on the part of all the participants

and it means being willing to forgive and forget.  Home is a great place for

safety and security.  Make God the center of your home and you will have a

home that will stand the test of the changing winds of society and be an anchor

and example for others around you.  I remember one time a person came to me

and said, "You know Dean, I have look at your family and have come to the

conclusion that if you can make it as weird as you are, I can."  The truth is my

wife and I have a pure and simply relationship.  She's pure and I'm simply.

Works for me.  Have a great week.

 

LIFE LONG LEARNER

 

The Life Long Learner

 

Pastor Robert Dean Steel

Cornerstone Community Church

 

            I have heard is said that to be wise you have to be a lifelong learner.  Not

long ago I took a course called the seven laws of the learner.  The gist of the course

was to remind us that life is a class room and we are learning something every day.  God has many wonderful things He wishes us to know. 

I have discovered that if you keep your eyes, mind and heart open there is no

end of the things you can learn.  For example not long ago I learned driving in the

hills without all the right equipment means you could have to walk.  One Saturday

morning last summer I decided to take one of our two four wheel drive vehicles

out for a spin.  I was bumping along one of the back roads when all of a sudden I

heard a large bang.  I stopped the jeep and found one of the tires had popped.  So

I went to change the tire and discovered we have a lock washer nut complete with

lock on the spare and that is when I discovered we didn't have a key.  So I have to

walk out four kilometers before I could even get a signal for the cell phone I was

carried.  Hey, I wasn't totally unprepared.  Long story short I spent most of the

day getting a tire on and getting the jeep out of the bush.  I learned that when you

go in the bush be well prepared and don't take anything for granted.

            Just recently the back brakes on my Jeep finally gave out.  So I contacted my son in law who in the past had put in my front brakes in to install the new ones for me.  He came over the following Saturday and as expected the first brake shoes went in without incident.  As we took out the old shoes on the other side everything began to go wrong.  What should have taken an hour took almost eight hours and many lessons were learned.  I learned never assume that everything will go easy.  That diligence and patience is not one of my strongest characteristics and I have a great family and friends because it was only their mechanical ability that things were done.  Life is a journey and many twists and turns will come with it.  The marvelous thing is that God will be with you all the way.  He promised in Matt 28:20 that He would never leave or forsake us. 

            Here is a little story about being a life long learner.  An observer at the University of Berlin in the late 1850"s reported:  "We used to see a little white haired old and happy looking man."  This was Alexander Von Humboldt, the founder of the science of natural history department at the University.  He came to review what he had neglected in his youth.  He would sit in the classes and take notes like any other student.

            During the lecture on physical geography, the lecturer a well known scholar

himself quoted, Von Humboldt as his authority and source of material.  All eyes

turned upon the white haired scientist, who rose slightly from his seat, bowed and

then resumed taking notes. 

            Let me leave you with a quote from Winston Churchill.  "Personally I am always

ready to learn.  I do not always like be taught."  Learn your lessons well because

if you don't you may have to repeat them until you do. 

 

 

QUOTES FOR JUNE 21, 2026

 

TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES

 

Truth or Consequences - By Pastor Robert Dean Steel

 

            When I was growing up I use to watch two television programs.  One was

called, "To tell the Truth," and the other was called, "Truth or Consequences."

Later I discovered that in New Mexico there was actually a city called Truth or

Consequences.  Telling the truth is always the best policy but how does one

react when a child tells us a lie.  This article will give us some ideas.  Proverbs 22:6 states  “Train a child in the way they should go and they will not depart from it. 

            The real secret in curbing lying in a child is to discourage it.  First, do not

over react to lies in children under five, but don't let them get away with either. 

Gently but firmly help them to sort fact from fantasy.  Tell them, "It's exciting

to see a monster under the table or the closet, isn't it?  But you didn't really see

did you?" 

            Next, look at your relationship with your child.  Ask yourself  honestly.  Do

I provide motivation to lie by having unrealistic expectations, demanding perfection

and competitiveness or constantly expressing disapproval?  Do I make my children

to want my acceptance at any cost?  Do I let them know that I love them for who

they are and accept them for the way God made them?  Our acceptance must never

based upon performance, their loving us or on what they give us return for what we

give or do for them.

            Thirdly, tell your children that lying to cover up makes a wrongdoing more

serious.  Encourage them that correction, punishment and discipline will be less

severe when they confess honestly.  My parent always told me that the punishment

would be harder if I lied.

            Allow you children to be honest about their feelings while remaining

respectful.  Listen to what they have to say.  If children feel that you have given them

a fair hearing they will be less likely to do things behind your back.  Children want

to be seen and heard.  This also helps lessens frustration and resentment.  Open

communication is the key.

            Stay calm in the face of a lie.  Exploding in anger makes it much harder for

a child to come clean and tell the truth.  They fear your anger and want to keep the

peace.  Anger is always a grounds in the mind of child to lie. 

            If a child lies and causes dissension or division.  Help them to develop

skills that will help them gain confidence with others and gain entrance in social

groups.  Talk about how honesty and trust will help people build strong friendships.

            When a lie occurs, discuss with the child the reasons for the particular lie.

Have you ever had a child that fake sickness to avoid school?  There is usually something happening that day the child is trying to avoid.  Find out what it is.  Many times it is a bully or another child who at the time is making your child miserable.  When you find out correct the problem as soon as possible.

            Lastly and above all else, set the example for honesty and integrity.  Your

insistence that lying is wrong must be back up by a life style that backs up what you

say.  Don't ask your children to do something you are not willing to so.  You and

I as parents are called to mentor and model honesty before our children.  Your

children will value and respect you as a person of integrity if you neither lie or

cheat.  Start today, even bad examples can be corrected when tackled with

honesty. 

            I decided to bring a more practical message on truth.  Jesus said He was the way, the truth and the life.  No one could come to the Father but by Him.  That is truth. 

           

BEING MARRIED

 

            Being married is a wonderful privilege to be enjoyed not endured but

one secret of staying married is practicing forgiveness and forgetfulness.   The

bible says that love does keep a record of wrongs.  Unfortunately we all know

someone that keeps a ledger of wrongs to use against us or other when it is

convenient.  True love walks in love, acceptance and forgiveness. 

            In my years as a counselor and family advocate I have come accross

my share of couples that have said they have forgiven each other but refuse

to forget.  In a relationship a bad memory is essential in keeping a relationship

healthy.  When asked by our spouse to forgive us it is imperative that we

forgive and forget.  No one likes to have our past mistakes brought up

especially when we were told that we were forgiven.  Nothing breaks down trust

and creates strife like having a forgiven offense re-introduced into a conversation.

Forgiveness comes with no strings attached like true love.  I am not saying that

one who breaks trust should not have to earn back the trust but it is also not

our right as the offended party to continue to use the offense as a weapon or

control mechanism. 

            Lord Balfour wrote, "The best thing to bive your enemy is forgiveness,

to an opponent, tolerance, to a friend, your heart.  To your child, be a good example.

To a father, make him proud.  To a mother, conduct that will make her proud of you.

To yourself, respect and to all men love and charity.

            I often tell my children that forgiveness is a choice which we make before

any offense happens.  Everyday when I pray I ask the Lord to help me practice

instantaneous, complete and overcoming forgiveness.  I have determined before

I am offended how I am going to react when I am confronted with a situation where

I could be offended.  I have determined that no matter what that person does I

will not do the same to them.  I will treat them how I would want to be treated. 

Now forgiveness is never easy but I have discovered that when face with offense

I become not the victim but the victor.  I am not conquered I am the conqueror.

I have discovered that unresolved hurt, bitterness and unforgiveness make us

victims because everything we see and so are colored through the eyes of hurt,

the ears of pain and the smell or bitterness.  These are chains which I refuse to

be jailed with.  So choose to forgive and get release from your prison of pain and

suffering.