Everything Changes

16 Years Later

2012-01-14T11:13:00.003-05:00

‎[Prayer delivered before the Kansas House of Representatives by Central Christian Church Pastor Joe Wright on January 23, 1996]

Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and seek your direction and guidance. We know your Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good," but that's exactly what we've done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values.

We confess that we have ridiculed the absolute truth of your Word and called it moral pluralism.
We have worshipped other gods and called it multiculturalism.
We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle.
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation.
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building esteem.
We have abused power and called it political savvy.
We have coveted our neighbors' possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.
We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our fore-fathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us O God and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked way in us; cleanse us from every sin and set us free.

Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent here by the people of Kansas, and who have been ordained by you, to govern this great state. Grant them your wisdom to rule and may their decisions direct us to the center of your will. I ask it in the name of your son, the Living Savior, Jesus Christ.

Amen.

The Loss Of Common Sense

2011-12-04T14:20:00.002-05:00

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend,
Common Sense, who has been with us for many years.

No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn't always fair;
- and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place.

Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition...

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I'm A Victim

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.. if you still remember him, pass this on.

If not, join the majority and do nothing.

~Author Unknown

Candle Fire

2011-09-22T12:53:00.005-04:00

Apartment fire in Costa Mesa displaces 7 people

Please... do not leave your candles unattended. This is my niece's apartment building. Her roommate lit a candle and "stepped" out for a minute. The fire displaced 7 people and my niece lost everything. Candles are cool... leaving them alone in a room is not.

Photo Credit: © 2011 Orange County Register Communications

Life In General

2011-06-22T12:30:00.002-04:00

That used to be the name of this blog. But recently I have come to terms with the fact that "everything changes" and that's okay with me. So, I have done some house cleaning and decided that it is time to move on. How? Where? Dunno, exactly. But I have to start somewhere, right? And updates on this blog just felt like the right place to begin.

Most likely, especially since the popularity of Facebook, no one actually reads this blog. But that's okay too. Because blogging, or journaling, is mostly personal. Yes, the Internet has changed that dynamic in a considerable way, but the fact still remains that writing down your thoughts (whether privately or publicly) has an element of healing connected to it. It is refreshing to get certain things off your chest (and out of your head).

So let the healing begin. Because everything changes. Your job, your friends, your place of residence, your family - nothing is immune to change. And when it is all said and done, and when everything has changed dramatically, we can still rise to the occasion and move forward.

And we will.

Let Me Listen Again

2010-06-04T23:41:00.001-04:00

What line of thinking do my thoughts take? Do I turn to what God says or to my own fears? Am I simply repeating what God says, or am I learning to truly hear Him and then to respond after I have heard what He says? “For He Himself has said, ’I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ’The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’ ” [Hebrews 13:5-6].

“I will never leave you . . .”— not for any reason; not my sin, selfishness, stubbornness, nor waywardness. Have I really let God say to me that He will never leave me? If I have not truly heard this assurance of God, then let me listen again.

“I will never . . . forsake you.” Sometimes it is not the difficulty of life but the drudgery of it that makes me think God will forsake me. When there is no major difficulty to overcome, no vision from God, nothing wonderful or beautiful— just the everyday activities of life— do I hear God’s assurance even in these?

We have the idea that God is going to do some exceptional thing— that He is preparing and equipping us for some extraordinary work in the future. But as we grow in His grace we find that God is glorifying Himself here and now, at this very moment. If we have God’s assurance behind us, the most amazing strength becomes ours, and we learn to sing, glorifying Him even in the ordinary days and ways of life.

~ Oswald Chambers

Return To The Motherland

2010-03-16T10:23:00.006-04:00

Everything about this move is bittersweet. I will miss my Ontario home but I will be helping my family. I would hope that one day in the next year (or two) I could move back to Canada, once (or if) we get my dad settled into an assisted living situation. I really love the people here and it will be hard to leave.

This is the real key for me though: 1 Tim 5:4, 8 – “If a widow (or widower) has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

I have actually considered this move many times over the last year but my friends have been the ones to keep me in Ontario – not because they talked me out of moving but because they meant so much to me. Just this past Christmas I was looking for job opportunities in the States, something I've done on and off since my siblings and I relocated my parents to the Midwest. I never wanted my parents to feel alone or trapped in their new apartment, especially since we sold their vehicle last year because they could no longer be trusted to drive. And now that my mom is gone my dad’s worst fear is that he will be alone in that apartment.

That breaks my heart.

The last time I saw my mom in September she told me how much she loved having me around and how much it meant to her when I would visit. She had also told her friends back in New York that I was going to move to their new city and get a job! I guess she was right.

So, as hard as this will be for me – and it will be very hard to leave Ontario – I feel a strong sense of Godly responsibility. And I hope one day that my family (siblings, nephews, nieces, great nephews and nieces – who are in the States) will one day feel the same responsibility for me.

Mother Dear

2010-03-07T22:53:00.020-05:00

No one can prepare you for the death of your mother. I have thought about this many times over the last week. From the moment I received "the call" regarding my mom's tragic fall, to the conversation with my brother who informed me that she had passed away, six hours before I arrived to see her in the hospital.

Much of what happened over the next few days was a blur. I couldn't think straight and I had a difficult time listening to others when they spoke to me directly.

And in the midst of my fog, I found myself assisting with the selection of a coffin, purchasing an overpriced plot of land, gathering memorable photographs and still not believing that my mother was gone because I hadn't seen her yet.

Grief seemed to come and go, interspersed with comic relief and laughter. Such a strange combination of emotions. Then the funeral director asked me if I wanted to keep her glasses. If not, he would gladly donate them to the Lions Club. Would I mind if some of the flowers were taken to the grave site?

I don't know. Sure. Let me ask my siblings what they think.

And then I finally saw her. Sort of. The flood of tears and uncontrollable sobs blurred my vision and almost prevented me from looking. But there she was. And she looked more beautiful than I remembered.

"They did such a good job."

What a strange thing to say at a moment like that. But no one prepares you for this. No one tells you what you should or should not say the first time you see your mother in a casket. What was the rest of my extended family doing just then? I don't know. I can hardly remember it already. I have been too busy trying to figure out what we are going to do next.

My dad can't live alone! But he can't live with me in Canada either. And my sister's house has too many stairs. My brother flies home in a few days and we have to figure this out! There isn't enough time to make these decisions.

"Do I go home? Do I quite my job and move back to the States? What about my Canadian status? And what about my future? I'm not even eligible for social security benefits in the States anymore!"

I think I'll watch the Oscars. They are on TV tonight. My brother likes the Academy Awards. We can watch them at my dad's place so he's not alone tonight.

Someone should have prepared me for this. At least I think they should have. But who? I don't think anyone gets prepared for this.

Wait.

The service was perfect. The tributes were special. The pastor's message was encouraging.

And my mother's passing and funeral will forever be etched in my memory.

So perhaps I really didn't need preparation. Perhaps this is the way it is supposed to happen. Maybe the busyness and distractions were helpful - or even a way to prepare me for a once in a lifetime experience. An experience that you never look forward to, but experience regardless.

Although I remain terribly sad I believe my grief is part of the whole process. I do experience comfort in the midst of my pain and I am grateful for the prayers and support of my family and friends.

But mostly I miss my mom.

And I stand firm in my faith that assures me that one day I will see her again.

Real Christian Behavior

2010-01-30T20:37:00.002-05:00

Romans 12: 9-21
J. B. Phillips New Testament

12:9 - Let us have no imitation Christian love. Let us have a genuine break with evil and a real devotion to good.

12:10 - Let us have real warm affection for one another as between brothers, and a willingness to let the other man have the credit.

12:11 - Let us not allow slackness to spoil our work and let us keep the fires of the spirit burning, as we do our work for God.

12:12 - Base your happiness on your hope in Christ. When trials come endure them patiently, steadfastly maintain the habit of prayer.

12:13 - Give freely to fellow-Christians in want, never grudging a meal or a bed to those who need them.

12:14 - ... as for those who try to make your life a misery, bless them. Don't curse, bless.

12:15 - Share the happiness of those who are happy, the sorrow of those who are sad.

12:16 - Live in harmony with each other. Don't become snobbish but take a real interest in ordinary people. Don't become set in your own opinions.

12:17 - Don't pay back a bad turn by a bad turn, to anyone. Don't say "it doesn't matter what people think", but see that your public behaviour is above criticism.

12:18 - As far as your responsibility goes, live at peace with everyone.

12:19 - Never take vengeance into your own hands, my dear friends: stand back and let God punish if he will. For it is written: 'Vengeance is mine. I will repay'.

12:20-21 - ... these are God's words: 'Therefore if your enemy hungers, feed him; if he thirsts, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head'. Don't allow yourself to be overpowered with evil. Take the offensive - overpower evil by good!

The Life & Times Of The Church

2010-01-23T15:46:00.022-05:00

I have only been to church four times in the last six months. That is so unlike me. I am one of those people who usually goes above and beyond when it comes to being loyal to something, especially church.

I was raised in church. I never knew anything differently. Church is what my family did - at least 4 or 5 times a week. I grew up wearing the right clothes, making sure I didn't swear, dance or go to movies, singing hymns, memorizing scripture and, of course, hiding sin in my life. After all, that's what people do (or don't do) that attend church.

Many post-modern churches have eliminated the dress codes and moral plumb lines connected to vulgar language, alcohol and dancing, but in the end they, too, appear bound by forms of godliness that deny the reality of who God is - and why God sent Jesus to love this world.

Church is not a building. And it is not people that meet in a building to sing songs that they don't mean. Jesus came to destroy the temple and religious people have resurrected it. Church is me. And you, if God dwells in you.

Don't get me wrong, I am still a little conflicted over all of this. Partly because I have been loyal to church attendance for 40+ years. And partly because I have experienced six months of non-church life, which is something new for me.

One thing is certain - I have not missed church at all.

When I was a kid I remember our church singing a song that said signs of the times are everywhere. Back then we were observing the decline of our culture while anticipating the Lord's return. Although sin seemed to be increasing all around us we continued to hold on to the hope that Christ would come and redeem us from the ungodly generation.

Today the signs are in the church, and it doesn't look good.

A friend on Facebook posted an article about a church that recently lost its charitable status. The article was posted on a pro-church, pro-Christian website that could potentially be biased. So I decided to research the news via the Internet only to discover a similar article in the National Post. The original article was verifiable but it left out additional facts about the situation.

The church lost its charitable status for several reasons, including a lack of clarity on how it spends it money and for participating in activities outside its stated purpose.

To me this situation is a sign. Churches are not keeping their end of the deal (legally) and they have lost sight of the purposes of God.

Churches say they are impacting cities. They say they desire unity with other churches. And they tell you that you will be blessed if you are generous with your tithes and offerings.

Yet people are not getting saved. Churches are not growing. And church finances are being spent on salaries and building projects.

Please don't misunderstand me - I believe that Christians should be in fellowship with each other on a regular (if not daily) basis. I believe that God raises up people to teach the truth of His word. And I believe that God desires that we are generous on all occasions.

I also believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe He died and rose again and that someday He will return for His people. But I don't think I have to go to a church building 3 times a week to believe these things, be who God created me to be or fulfill the purposes of God.

"The Most High does not live in houses made by men."

[ Acts 7:48 ]

I am the Temple of the Holy Spirit - I am the Church. God lives in me. And He wants me to be the kind of Church that brings glory to His name.

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T20:56:00.004-05:00

Ten years ago the world was stockpiling non-perishables and purchasing generators in preparation for the dreaded Y2K.

Today (ten years later) the media is still scaring us into doing things that are unnecessary.

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done." [Philippians 4:6]

I pray that you will have a healthy and anxiety free New Year!

Salute To A Brave And Modest Nation

2009-11-11T11:11:00.004-05:00

Until the deaths of Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan, probably almost no one outside their home country had been aware that Canadian troops are deployed in the region.

And as always, Canada will bury its dead, just as the rest of the world, as always will forget its sacrifice, just as it always forgets nearly everything Canada ever does.. It seems that Canada 's historic mission is to come to the selfless aid both of its friends and of complete strangers, and then, once the crisis is over, to be well and truly ignored.

Canada is the perpetual wallflower that stands on the edge of the hall, waiting for someone to come and ask her for a dance. A fire breaks out, she risks life and limb to rescue her fellow dance-goers, and suffers serious injuries. But when the hall is repaired and the dancing resumes, there is Canada, the wallflower still, while those she once helped glamorously cavort across the floor, blithely neglecting her yet again.

That is the price Canada pays for sharing the North American continent with the United States, and for being a selfless friend of Britain in two global conflicts.

For much of the 20th century, Canada was torn in two different directions: It seemed to be a part of the old world, yet had an address in the new one, and that divided identity ensured that it never fully got the gratitude it deserved.

Yet it's purely voluntary contribution to the cause of freedom in two world wars was perhaps the greatest of any democracy. Almost 10% of Canada 's entire population of seven million people served in the armed forces during the First World War, and nearly 60,000 died. The great Allied victories of 1918 were spearheaded by Canadian troops, perhaps the most capable soldiers in the entire British order of battle.

Canada was repaid for its enormous sacrifice by downright neglect, it's unique contribution to victory being absorbed into the popular memory as somehow or other the work of the 'British'.

The Second World War provided a re-run. The Canadian navy began the war with a half dozen vessels, and ended up policing nearly half of the Atlantic against U-boat attack. More than 120 Canadian warships participated in the Normandy landings, during which 15,000 Canadian soldiers went ashore on D-Day alone.

Canada finished the war with the third-largest navy and the fourth largest air force in the world. The world thanked Canada with the same sublime indifference as it had the previous time.

Canadian participation in the war was acknowledged in film only if it was necessary to give an American actor a part in a campaign in which the United States had clearly not participated - a touching scrupulousness which, of course, Hollywood has since abandoned, as it has any notion of a separate Canadian identity.

So it is a general rule that actors and filmmakers arriving in Hollywood keep their nationality - unless, that is, they are Canadian. Thus Mary Pickford, Walter Huston, Donald Sutherland, Michael J. Fox, William Shatner, Norman Jewison, David Cronenberg, Alex Trebek, Art Linkletter and Dan Aykroyd have in the popular perception become American, and Christopher Plummer, British.

It is as if, in the very act of becoming famous, a Canadian ceases to be Canadian, unless she is Margaret Atwood, who is as unshakably Canadian as a moose, or Celine Dion, for whom Canada has proved quite unable to find any takers.

Moreover, Canada is every bit as querulously alert to the achievements of its sons and daughters as the rest of the world is completely unaware of them. The Canadians proudly say of themselves - and are unheard by anyone else - that 1% of the world's population has provided 10% of the world's peacekeeping forces.

Canadian soldiers in the past half century have been the greatest peacekeepers on Earth - in 39 missions on UN mandates, and six on non-UN peacekeeping duties, from Vietnam to East Timor, from Sinai to Bosnia.

Yet the only foreign engagement that has entered the popular non-Canadian imagination was the sorry affair in Somalia, in which out-of-control paratroopers murdered two Somali infiltrators. Their regiment was then disbanded in disgrace - a uniquely Canadian act of self-abasement for which, naturally, the Canadians received no international credit.

So who today in the United States knows about the stoic and selfless friendship its northern neighbour has given it in Afghanistan?

Rather like Cyrano de Bergerac, Canada repeatedly does honourable things for honourable motives, but instead of being thanked for it, it remains something of a figure of fun. It is the Canadian way, for which Canadians should be proud, yet such honour comes at a high cost. This past year more grieving Canadian families knew that cost all too tragically well.

Lest we forget.

Kevin Myers
The Sunday Telegraph
London

Post Traumatic Church Disorder

2009-11-04T16:42:00.009-05:00

OVERVIEW

Most people have heard of Post Traumatic STRESS Disorder (PTSD), but I’d like to introduce you to, what I like to call, Post Traumatic CHURCH Disorder (PTCD).

Much like PTSD, Post Traumatic Church Disorder is usually a result of a single stressful event or can occur after a long period of ongoing stress similar to "bullying." PTCD occurs in churches, usually by church leadership, influential members, denominational leaders, etc.

The pain and the abuse of PTCD can be incredible resulting in deep spiritual wounds. Much like PTSD, Post Traumatic Church Disorder is a natural emotional reaction to a deeply shocking and disturbing experience. It is a normal reaction to an abnormal (non-Godly) situation that usually results in sufferers stepping out of their roles and / or involvement in the church.

SYMPTOMS

irritability
sudden anger / outbursts (or suppressed anger)
reactive depression
guilt
shame
sadness
feelings of detachment
avoidance behaviors
nervousness, anxiety
loss of interest
loss of ambition / motivation
loss of spiritual vision
poor concentration
impaired memory
confusion
emotional numbness
low self-esteem
fear
lack of trust
intimidation
feelings of oppression
impaired spiritual hearing
detachment from spiritual gifts
detachment from institutional church

EFFECTS / RESULTS

Although some people suffering from Post Traumatic Church Disorder (PTCD) turn their back on God and walk away from their faith completely, I believe this is rare. Most continue to have a loving relationship with God as the foundation of their life. Many even experience spiritual growth and increased faith by recognizing that God would not mistreat them like they were mistreated by the church.

On the other hand, PTCD causes many sufferers to stay away from "the church" that hurt them while seeking Godly relationships outside the walls of the church. While some find a few significant relationships, often their journey leads to a secluded life that only feeds the already debilitating symptoms of PTCD.

In his book Houses That Change The World, Wolfgang Simson refers to the effects of what he calls “church trauma” stating that many who had ministry callings leave their positions of church leadership to go into business or the medical field.
“Church trauma” – a very deep and tricky wound inflicted on (people) by the very institution of healing, the church, which did not live up to its own calling and which – an almost devilish scheme – has badly hurt those whose (gifts and) ministries it needed most.

The tragedy of this is that the church is God’s mission. Someone needs to find (these people), go to them, apologize to them profoundly, heal the “church trauma”, speak to that glowing spark and fan it into a flame, and then recruit them, helping them to see how God sees them and release them into their (spiritual) potential for the building up of the church. [p. 125]

PART TWO

[ I want to talk about my personal experience and how it relates to what I wrote in Part One. In Part Three I hope to provide additional data based on research I have done. The following commentary is based on a conversation I had with a friend shortly after I wrote the beginning of this article. ]

I've always wondered why I felt like my head was in a cloud after the church / denominational leadership crap I went through. It was only a couple of months ago that I read the quote about "church trauma" - and that's when the light went on. So, I started to do some research and began to write out some of my findings. I want to write more about the effects of church trauma (that I am discovering) and also how to experience healing (which I have NOT discovered yet - not fully anyhow).

I believe people who experience some kind of church trauma have various experiences / reactions / symptoms - I don't think any two are the same, which makes the whole topic of healing and recovery tricky. For example... with me, I believe I had some good support and even experienced breakthroughs (and some healing) throughout my experience - some people don't have that kind of support and get worse as they go along.

I can remember the day I released forgiveness to my denominational leaders, etc. – a very important step in my "recovery" - even though I didn't realize HOW important at the time. But lately I have felt "stuck" and I don't know how to move forward - those are the things I'm researching now and hopefully one day I WILL be able to help others, no matter what level of church trauma has affected them.

Stuck. Yeah - like a blockage in my brain - loss of motivation (RE: former ministry, writing music, etc.) - things I still WANT to do, but my motivation is gone and I don't know how to get it back! It's like the church stole the "soul" of my life through the pain and mistreatment (if that makes any sense).

I should be in ministry again. I should be writing worship songs like I used to. But I can't get there. I'm crippled, so-to-speak, and I can't seem to recover.

During my 4 year ordeal I DID write songs about the pain I was experiencing, and about hope. But when the fatal blow came and the denomination cut me off, for no justified reason, I became “blocked”. It is so hard to explain how blocked I feel sometimes - like writer's block - only "recording / ministry block".

I need to ask God about the “block”. And that would be easy if I didn't have an "asking block" too! lol

I love God - He is the foundation of my life - but I just can't seek Him like I used to - I "see" and "hear" Him the most when I'm leading worship - and usually He speaks to me about other people - it's hard to hear for myself. It's like I've had memory loss - and I hate the way that feels. Yes, I still minister, but not like I used to. And when I need to seek Him RE: "me" it's different.

That said... God seems to speak to me all the time - every day - and He leads me... clearly. But the way I seek Him is different, and sometimes I wish it was BETTER. Or at least like I used to be able to seek Him.

Obviously this is a new chapter in my life and some may think I’m in this mess because I’m unhappy. That could be, but I'm generally happy. I don't think this is a "happy" issue - I am content, at peace, love God, etc. It is more of a frustrating or confusing issue - why don't I write songs anymore? How did I lose my inspiration and creative edge? Why don't I CARE that I lost it sometimes?

There seems to be a hold on my gifts. Yes. Like my gifts have been on layaway for many years now, and no one is picking them up from the store.

PART THREE

[ The following is information I have gathered from the Internet regarding people who experience some sort of “trauma” resulting in a “stress” (or church) disorder. Hopefully the following resource will shed additional light on Post Traumatic Church Disorder. ]

It is so hard for the modern western leader to admit he / she may have such a deep wound. Another name for this wound is "shell-shock." During WWI, General Haigh had over 300 British and Commonwealth soldiers shot for cowardice - and it is now believed many were simply suffering from shell shock. During WWII many British fliers were labeled LMF. They "Lacked Moral Fiber" and were dishonored in that manor.

You see, especially in North America – with strong icons like John Wayne and Babe Ruth - suffering from crippling emotional wounding is simply not acceptable. Unfortunately much of the church feels the same way.

Thankfully, the Father of us all, the great El-Shaddai (God Almighty), has a totally different viewpoint.

Many in our modern western society just can't bear to believe you can be wounded emotionally or spiritually. It's simply un-American.

When we think of a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder we often think of war and terrorism. But in recent years it has been concluded that prolonged stress of certain kinds (bullying) can have a cumulative effect and impact you as much as one life and death threat in wartime. In other words, it is possible for a church goer to suffer Post Traumatic Church Disorder or PTCD.

Bullying can be thrust upon you by the denominational leadership, church board, leading members involved in power struggles, your mate, fellow pastors, or you, yourself, can bring this pressure on others if you are in authority in some manner.

Legalistic churches and cults are famous for bullying followers as amethod of control. When this happens, an entire culture that is unhealthy develops, sometimes on a worldwide basis if the denomination is large enough. Both leaders and lay-members become wounded in such churches.

For so many of us who have been abused in this manner (bullying), rejection is how our heart reads it. The great irony is, Christianity is the one true religion that should underscore unconditional love from a caring deity. Yet, the church, itself, can be one of the most destructive organizations to the human spirit.

With a war victim suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, the shock of what one human being can do to another plays a major factor. There is a total disillusionment with life, people and purpose. With the church leader suffering from PTCD, there is the nearly unbelievable shock of being treated in a certain manner by people claiming to be children of God. In both cases, the sensory bombardment is a reality that seems too harsh to accept. For the war victim, it is man's willingness to destroy life in a very cheap manner. For the church leader, it is the reality of the church's or denomination's carnality and willingness to play politics.

The bottom line in both cases is - real life is too shocking.

“I never dreamed it would or could be this way. I just want to go numb and block it out.”

In Part One I listed some of the symptoms of PTCD. Here I will list some reactions and symptoms often associated with being bullied, specifically.

• Fatigue with symptoms of or similar to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

• An anger of injustice stimulated to an excessive degree (sometimes but improperly attracting the words "manic" instead of motivated, "obsessive" instead of focused, and "angry" instead of "passionate", especially from those with something to fear)

• An overwhelming desire for acknowledgment, understanding, recognition and validation of their experience

• A simultaneous and paradoxical unwillingness to talk about the bullying

• A lack of desire for revenge, but a strong motivation for justice

• A tendency to oscillate between conciliation (forgiveness) and anger (revenge) with objectivity being the main casualty

• Extreme fragility, where formerly the person was of a strong, stable character

• Numbness, both physical (toes, fingertips, and lips) and emotional (inability to feel love and joy)

• Clumsiness

• Forgetfulness

• Hyper awareness and an acute sense of time passing, seasons changing, and distances traveled

• An enhanced environmental awareness, often on a planetary scale

• A constant feeling that one has to justify everything one says and does

Some of the above may apply to you or someone you know. What should our response be? How, as believers, should we handle this psychological, emotional and spiritual wound? It is deep, and life changing. You will never be the same again, but what should we do? What is the answer? How do we heal? How do we go on?

[ The following commentary and encouragement was also gathered online. I am including it as I personally prepare to write about healing in Part Four. ]

How did God work with His people in times of great stress? Elijah talked suicidal. For forty days he walked around the desert in a very bad attitude. During the whole 40 day period God never utter one word of condemnation to Elijah. In due time, God showed Elijah that a demonstration of power like the one given at the mountain to Moses and the children, or the one at Mt. Carmel, wound never change a heart in Israel. It would be the flow of His grace in the form of a still small voice to the very heart of Elijah that would heal Elijah and send him on his way.

Power reveals who the true God is, but it does not reveal much about God himself. Knowing God deeply and personally is everything, including the road back to sanity from spiritual wounding. The Father gives us no formulas to follow to be healed. He gives us Himself. It is His grace, His blood covenant love, flowing into us that will heal us and get us back to sanity and sound mind and heart. It was God's grace, not great wind and lightening shows that healed Elijah.

The two disciples on the road to Emmaus were fried to a crisp. They were burnt-out completely and deeply disillusioned. There was no more purpose to life from their viewpoint. As they walked, Jesus came along side, and in an act of grace befriended them and opened they minds and hearts to a new perspective. They came to "know" Jesus like never before. Coming to really "know" Jesus is an enormus act of healing for many problems. Like these two disciples on the road of life, we have met many who live in their own world of belief. They have a distorted gospel and strong opinions about issues that don't require strong opinions. "Religion" has taken over much of Christianity in the western world today. It is not surprising we have an epidemic of disillusionment in the American church today.

According to the Christian World Encyclopedia as many as 16 million people world wide walk out of the church each year! The church loves talking about the 19 million new converts it obtains each year, but I hear little concern regarding the millions that walk out shaking their heads in fatigue and dismay.

Let me say to those of you in deep pain right now. First, above all else, and in spite of all evidence, Father God has NOT forsaken you. He is with you, and He will bring you through this. Second, you will be healed by His grace, and end up knowing Him better than ever. That's a fact, whether you can believe it now or not, it will happen.

PART FOUR

During my research on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (specifically related to war veterans), I discovered that treatment usually consists of two things: medication and therapy (counselling). Although Post Traumatic Church Disorder (PTCD) is the result of a very different kind of trauma than PTSD, the symptoms and reactions are very similar. On the other hand, I do not think the treatment for Post Traumatic Church Disorder can be the same.

Please hear me. People will require medication and therapy of all sorts, for all sorts of health related issues. I am NOT questioning treatment methods that include drugs or counselling. In fact, during the initial stages of my personal experience with "church trauma" I participated in multiple counselling sessions that were effective, encouraging and helped me heal. You may need to talk with a professional counsellor or therapist about your PTCD experiences. I would highly recommend it. For me, it was life-giving.

I also know a few people that are being helped significantly (for depression specifically) through the use of daily medication, prescribed by their doctor. Although I do not like to take medications personally (because I prefer alternative medicine using natural supplements, etc.) I know that people can have positive experiences taking medications that improve chemical imbalances, etc.

So, for this final post on what I have labelled Post Traumatic Church Disorder, it is important that we dialogue about healing. In many ways I have not fully recovered from the "church trauma" I experienced at the hands of my former denomination, but I HAVE taken SIGNIFICANT steps toward healing and restoration.

And because there are so many variables when it comes to how "you" (or someone you know) has been hurt by the church, there are equally various solutions for helping someone heal. So even though I will share some very important steps I've taken towards healing, you may have taken other steps that I want you to share in the comments of this blog.

PRAYER. Sounds so simple, doesn't it. But asking someone to PRAY FOR YOU is so important. I have been amazed at how much relief I've experienced through a simple prayer prayed by a trusted friend. (And I'll talk about the importance of TRUST in a moment.)

CONFESSION. "Okay Paul, now you're boring me!" Yeah, I know. Again... simple. And confession goes hand-in-hand with prayer.

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. [ James 5:16 ]

If you read the context of that verse you will notice that it related to sick, or WEAK people! The AMPLIFIED VERSION says it this way...

Confess to one another therefore your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and pray [also] for one another, that you may be healed and restored [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart].

[ If you have never heard of these things I would encourage you to do some research of your own. You can start by visiting Cleansing Stream, which is the minister that helped me considerably. ]

FORGIVENESS. You must deal with unforgiveness, offense and bitterness toward the people that hurt you. I remember VIVIDLY the morning that I released forgiveness (in prayer) toward the church leaders that hurt me. What a weight off my shoulders! What a relief! Releasing forgiveness is just as much for YOU as it is for the person who hurt you. Often God will ask you to reconcile with the person, or forgive them in person, but more often God simply wants you to deal with the unforgiveness, offense and bitterness that is being stored in your heart.

SIDE NOTE: you DO NOT have to continue in relationship with people that have hurt you. You can effectively release forgiveness to them while deciding NOT to associate with them ever again. Disconnecting yourself from the church that hurt you is usually part of the healing process, EVEN IF you have forgiven them. There is NO PRESSURE to go back into fellowship with the church or leaders that hurt you.

Wow, there is so much to say, but let me conclude by talking a bit about TRUST.

You do not OWE anything to anyone. No explanations, nothing.

Stop trusting in man!

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. [ Psalms 118:8 ]

NOWHERE in the Bible will you find God telling you to trust in people. That's because people MAY fail you. People MAY betray your confidence. Even good, well-intentioned, "Godly" people. (Been there. Happened to me.)

Regardless, God uses people to help us heal. And we need people that can support us, pray for us and be a sounding board for us. So ask God to bring one or two trustworthy people to you. And when you "trust" them with your vulnerable life and pain, know that they MAY fail you. Know that they MAY betray you. But in the end of it all, GOD WILL BE THE STRENGTH OF YOUR LIFE! [ Psalm 28:8 ]

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." [ Jeremiah 29:11 ]

How To Worship

2009-11-03T19:26:00.000-05:00

H1N1

2009-10-26T15:10:00.007-04:00

The flu vaccine contains:

formaldehyde (used to preserve corpses), aluminum, MSG, gluten, latex, tritonX100, polysorbate 80, glycerin, lead, sulfates, antibiotics, acetone, continue: phenoxyethanol (antifreeze), RNA & DNA protein, monkey kidney, avian & bovine serum, thimerosol (mercury), aborted fetal tissue, sorbitol, micro organisms, gelatin, tri(n)butylphosphate, flutaraldehyde, GMO yeast, animal, bacteria & viral DNA.

Perhaps you should do some research on these ingredients before you get them injected into your body. After all, if the swine flu doesn't kill you the vaccine surely will.

The Ordinary Things Of Life

2009-10-21T13:23:00.000-04:00

It is ingrained in us that we have to do exceptional things for God—but we do not. We have to be exceptional in the ordinary things of life, and holy on the ordinary streets, among ordinary people. ~ Oswald Chambers

"Devotions" Or Devotion?

2009-10-19T12:12:00.005-04:00

By Charles G. Finney

Edited and paraphrased by Keith and Melody Green

"Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." -I Cor. 10:31

"And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father... whatever you do, do it heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men. -Col. 3:17,23

"For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord's." -Rom. 14:7-8

These Scriptures reveal the true nature of what devotion to God really is. In discussing this subject, I propose to show:

I. What true devotion to God is not.

II. What true devotion to God is.

III. That devotion, and nothing short of devotion, is true Christianity.

IV. Several mistakes commonly made upon this subject.

I. What True Devotion To God Is Not.

Devotion does not consist of reading the Bible, nor praying, nor attending meetings. These may or may not be specific instances of devotion, but are not to be regarded as devotion itself.
Devotion does not consist of a private or public commitment of our lives to God. These are to be regarded as special acts - pledges or promises of devotion - but not as devotion itself.
Devotion does not consist of individual acts or exercises of any kind. These may indeed be devotional acts, that is, "acts of devotion," but let it be remembered that no acts or exercises in themselves constitute devotion.

II. What True Devotion To God Is.

Devotion is that state of the heart in which everything - our whole life, being, and possessions - are a continual offering to God, that is, they are continually devoted to God. True devotion must be the supreme devotion of the will, extending out to all we have and are - to all times, places, employments, thoughts, and feelings.

Let your own ideas of what a pastor ought to be illustrate my meaning. You most likely believe that a pastor, in preaching the Gospel, should have only one purpose in mind - to glorify God by the salvation (and later the sanctification) of sinners. Since he professes to be a servant of God, you feel that he ought to study, preach, and perform all his ministerial duties, not for himself, not for his salary, not to increase his popularity, but only to glorify God. Now you can easily see that if he does not have this singleness of eye, his service cannot be acceptable to God. For it is not an offering to God, it is not a devotion to God - but a devotion to himself.

Devotion then, in a pastor, is that state of mind in which all his pastoral duties are performed for the glory of God and where his whole life is a continual offering to God.

Again, you feel that a minister ought to be as devoted to God in everything else as he is in praying or preaching - and in this you are right! For he not only ought to be, but really is only as devoted in the pulpit as he is out of the pulpit. If he is influenced by selfish and worldly motives during the week, then these same motives are surely in his heart on the Sabbath. If during the week his thoughts are centered upon his own interests, endeavoring to promote himself, you can be sure it's the same on the Sabbath.

You most likely also feel that if a minister's devotion is merely an outward farce - that he preaches, prays, visits, and performs all his duties mainly for the purpose of supporting his family, or to get honor and attention for himself - you would say that he was a wicked man, and unless he is converted he would inevitably lose his soul.

If these are your views on the subject, they are undoubtedly correct. Here, where you have no personal interest, you form a right judgment and decide correctly concerning the character and destiny of such a man. Now remember, nothing short of this standard is devotion in you! Bear it in mind that no particular acts or zeal or gushings of emotion - or resolutions to change, or promises of future obedience - constitute devotion.

For devotion is that state of the will in which the mind is swallowed up in God as the object of its supreme affection - in which we not only live and move in God, but for God. In other words, devotion is that state of mind in which the attention is diverted from self and self-seeking, and is directed to God - the thoughts, purposes, desires, affections, and emotions all hanging upon, and devoted to, Him.

III. Devotion, And Nothing Short Of Devotion, Is True Christianity.

Devotion and true religion are identical.

It is impossible for us not to be devoted to the object of our supreme affection. If we love God supremely, He will be the reason for which we live. If an individual loves God supremely, he will be as conscious that he lives for God as that he lives at all!
Nothing short of this can be acceptable to God. Unless devotion be a habit or a state of mind, unless the whole being be an offering to God, He must have a rival in our hearts. This He will not endure. And to attempt to please Him by isolated acts of devotion (when it is not the habit and state of our minds) is far more abominable than for a wife to attempt to please her husband with an occasional smile, while she lives only to please and gain the affections of another man.
A departure from this state is heart-apostasy. Whatever a man's outward behavior may be, the moment he turns aside from sincere devotion to God - from a supreme consecration of his whole being to the service of God - he has, in his heart, renounced true Christianity. He is no longer in the service of God, but is serving the object upon which his heart is set; and this is the object of his devotion - that is, it is his god.

IV. Several Mistakes Commonly Made Upon This Subject.

Many imagine that there is a real difference between "devotional" and other kinds of duties - as if a man could be "doing his duty" in that which is not devotion to God. The duties of devotion are generally supposed to be prayer and reading the Scriptures, together with singing and praying in the fellowship of God's House. On the Sabbath, men imagine themselves to be devotional, while on weekdays (except for those few acts they call their "devotions") they are serving themselves and are supremely devoted to their own interests. Now all such ideas arise out of a total absence of true devotion; and individuals who entertain such views do not yet understand what true Christianity is. Nothing is "duty" if it is performed for God. A man that is truly religious is as devotional in his daily business as he is on the Sabbath. The business of the world is performed by him with the same spirit and purpose as he prays, reads his Bible, and attends worship on the Sabbath. If this is not the case, he has no true religion.
Now there are some people who really live for God and are obviously in a devotional state of mind, who do not seem to realize that every act devoted to God is as acceptable to Him as prayer or praise. If by necessary responsibilities they are kept from spending much time in prayer or going to a lot of meetings, Satan takes advantage of their ignorance and brings them into bondage. He tries to persuade them that they are neglecting their duties to God by attending to other things. Now you who are devoted to God, should understand that if His providence should confine you at home to nurse the sick, or prevents you from observing those hours of secret prayer that you are used to keeping, you are not to be brought into bondage or condemnation by this - if you are conscious that these other duties are being done for the Lord.
Others think that devotion can be sincere, but yet extend only to certain duties. That is, that a man may pray sincerely and from right motives, and yet be worldly in the transaction of business. Now a little reflection will convince any honest mind that this is naturally impossible. Devotion to God cannot be sincere any further than it annihilates selfishness. Devotion and selfishness are eternal opposites.
Many mistake the religion of emotion for that of the will. You can see this from their lives - they weep and appear to melt and break down. They promise to change and offer entire consecration to God. But attempt to do business with them the very next day, and you will find them supremely selfish - they are not devoted to God at all, but to their own interests. They are ready to take any advantage, even of their brethren, to benefit themselves. Now it is obvious in this case that their melting and breaking down was merely a gushing of their emotions - not a will surrendered and devoted to God.

Some Helpful Remarks

A spirit of devotion will turn the most constant cares and the most pressing labors into the deepest and most constant communion with God. The more pressing and tedious our duties - if they are performed for God - the deeper and more continual our communion with Him. For whatever is done in a spirit of devotion is communion with God.
They are not Christians, who do not hold communion with God in their ordinary employments. If you do not hold conscious communion with God in your ordinary business, it is because your business is not performed in a spirit of devotion. If not performed in a spirit of devotion, it is sin. For "whatever is not of faith is sin." (Rom. 14:23)
They are certainly not in a sanctified state, who cannot attend to the ordinary and lawful business of life without being drawn away from God.
Whatever cannot be done in a spirit of devotion is unlawful. If you feel the inconsistency of performing it as an act of devotion to God, it is unlawful - you, yourself being the judge.
Anything not right or wrong in itself may be either right or wrong, according to whether or not it is done in a spirit of devotion. Therefore...
A selfish man may condemn a godly person for doing something that would be sinful if he, himself did it - because the motives of his heart are all wrong. The selfish man assumes that the other person's behavior is also wrongly motivated. On the other hand, a sanctified person may give credit to a selfish person when it is not due, taking it for granted that, "when the act is right, the motive is right."
There is no peace of mind but in a state of devotion. No other state of mind is reasonable. In no other state will the powers of the mind harmonize. In any other state than that of devotion to God, there is an inward struggle, and mutiny and strife in the mind itself. The conscience rebukes the heart for selfishness. Hence, "'There is no peace for the wicked, 'says the Lord."(Isaiah 48:22)
They have "perfect peace whose minds are thus stayed upon God" (Isaiah 26:3) in an attitude of constant devotion. It is impossible that they should not have peace, for devotion Implies and includes peace.
And now beloved, do you have the spirit of true devotion? Do not reply, "I hope so," for nothing but a conscious awareness should satisfy you for a moment. If you are devoted to God, you know it - and if you are not conscious of being devoted to God, it is because you are not devoted.

"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life." (Gal. 6:7-8)

Charles Finney (1792-1875) originally published this article in the Oberlin Evangelist in 1839 underthe title "Devotion." The article in its original form has been reprinted in a book called "The Promise of the Spirit" by Charles Finney, edited and compiled by Timothy L. Smith, and is available from Bethany Fellowship, 6820 Auto Club Road, Minneapolis, MN 55438. We highly recommend that you obtain a copy for yourselves.

Individual Discouragement and Personal Growth

2009-10-13T11:23:00.000-04:00

...when Moses was grown...he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens — Exodus 2:11

Moses saw the oppression of his people and felt certain that he was the one to deliver them, and in the righteous indignation of his own spirit he started to right their wrongs. After he launched his first strike for God and for what was right, God allowed Moses to be driven into empty discouragement, sending him into the desert to feed sheep for forty years. At the end of that time, God appeared to Moses and said to him, " ’...bring My people...out of Egypt.’ But Moses said to God, ’Who am I that I should go...?’ " (Exodus 3:10-11). In the beginning Moses had realized that he was the one to deliver the people, but he had to be trained and disciplined by God first. He was right in his individual perspective, but he was not the person for the work until he had learned true fellowship and oneness with God.

We may have the vision of God and a very clear understanding of what God wants, and yet when we start to do it, there comes to us something equivalent to Moses’ forty years in the wilderness. It’s as if God had ignored the entire thing, and when we are thoroughly discouraged, God comes back and revives His call to us. And then we begin to tremble and say, "Who am I that I should go...?" We must learn that God’s great stride is summed up in these words — "I AM WHO I AM...has sent me to you" (Exodus 3:14). We must also learn that our individual effort for God shows nothing but disrespect for Him — our individuality is to be rendered radiant through a personal relationship with God, so that He may be "well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). We are focused on the right individual perspective of things; we have the vision and can say, "I know this is what God wants me to do." But we have not yet learned to get into God’s stride. If you are going through a time of discouragement, there is a time of great personal growth ahead.

Oswald Chambers

The Benevolent Man

2009-10-01T12:46:00.006-04:00

2 Corinthians 9:1-12 (Amplified)

Verse 6

- sows generously that blessing may come to someone

- reaps generously and with blessing

Verse 7

- gives by making up his mind (and purposing) to do so

- does not give reluctantly or under compulsion

- is prompt to give

- his heart is in his giving

Verse 8

- is made self-sufficient by God’s ability to make favor and earthly blessing come to him

- possesses enough to require no aid or support

- is furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation

Verse 9

- gives to the poor

Verse 10

- gets his seed for sowing and bread for eating from God

- receives provision and resources for sowing from God (multiplied)

- the fruit of his righteousness is manifested in active goodness, kindness and charity

Verse 11

- is enriched in all things and in every way so he can be generous

- his generosity brings thanksgiving to God

Verse 12

- his “ministry” of generosity supplies what is lacking to God’s people

- God’s people declare thanksgiving to God because of his generosity (see v.13)

Don't Touch That!

2009-09-25T20:41:00.010-04:00

You have heard the mom warn her child...

"Don't touch the stove! It is hot! You will burn yourself if you touch it!"

In the first book of the Bible God warned...

"Don't eat from the tree in the middle of the garden! Don't even touch it, or you will die!" [Genesis 3:3]

And die spiritually, they did.

Because they touched "that" which God said not to touch.

The church seems to touch many things that they shouldn't - lust, greed, dishonesty - and often in the name of justification.

"We need a new church building."

"We can't afford to pay our taxes."

"We need to protect our people."

In the late '90s I attended a pentecostal church. I wasn't on staff, but I was a member. The church leaders decided to build a new facility vs. remodeling the existing building and I attended a membership meeting to discuss the details. Although the church planned to spend 3 million dollars on the new church they ended up spending over 5 million! But what I remember the most about the project was a conversation regarding the steeple. Members got angry because the leadership had considered NOT adding a steeple to the budget. But in the end, the membership decided to pay for a steeple vs. making the building wheelchair accessible.

Yes, you heard that right. A steeple instead of access for people with disabilities.

This week some friends of mine told me about the church they recently left. The church spent a lot of money on a new parking lot, complete with security cameras and monitors. But the same church couldn't afford to help a local family with some groceries.

Pavement instead of food for hungry people.

This week my mother gave me some cash towards a road trip. As she handed me the money that was intended for travel expenses she looked at me and said...

"Paul, please use integrity in how you spend this money."

I thought of my mother's words during the entire drive. I wanted to make sure I honored her by using the financial gift with the utmost integrity.

God has given us so many promises of blessing IF we obey His Word.

And His warnings...

"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." [Galatians 6:7]

If we touch the things that God has told us to avoid, we will reap destruction. Things in our life will not go well.

But, if we walk in the ways of God, we will reap life. We will walk in the blessing and protection of God - no matter what comes our way.

Repent. Turn from your wicked ways.

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin..."
[2 Chronicles 7:14]

"Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. He will receive blessing from the Lord..."
[Psalm 24:3-5]

"You're blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world."
[Matthew 5:8 | Message]

Living Simply — Yet Focused

2009-05-18T23:13:00.004-04:00

Look at the birds of the air... consider the lilies of the field...
[ Matthew 6:26, 28 ]

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin" — they simply are! Think of the sea, the air, the sun, the stars, and the moon — all of these simply are as well — yet what a ministry and service they render on our behalf! So often we impair God’s designed influence, which He desires to exhibit through us, because of our own conscious efforts to be consistent and useful. Jesus said there is only one way to develop and grow spiritually, and that is through focusing and concentrating on God. In essence, Jesus was saying, "Do not worry about being of use to others; simply believe on Me." In other words, pay attention to the Source, and out of you "will flow rivers of living water" [ John 7:38 ]. We cannot discover the source of our natural life through common sense and reasoning, and Jesus is teaching here that growth in our spiritual life comes not from focusing directly on it, but from concentrating on our Father in heaven. Our heavenly Father knows our circumstances, and if we will stay focused on Him, instead of our circumstances, we will grow spiritually — just as "the lilies of the field."

The people who influence us the most are not those who detain us with their continual talk, but those who live their lives like the stars in the sky and "the lilies of the field" — simply and unaffectedly. Those are the lives that mold and shape us.

If you want to be of use to God, maintain the proper relationship with Jesus Christ by staying focused on Him, and He will make use of you every minute you live — yet you will be unaware, on the conscious level of your life, that you are being used of Him.

Oswald Chambers
My Utmost For His Highest

The Dysfunctional Church

2009-04-11T00:35:00.003-04:00

I have blogged about this before. At that time our church didn't run a children's program during our Sunday service. Now we do. This issue is something I have considered for 13 years and I just can't seem to shake it.

Today I read a blog about how children and youth are being overlooked by child and youth ministries at churches.

What visitors want to see from Children’s Ministry and the Nursery is twofold—security and genuine care. If their kids have fun, that is the cherry on top.

The blog writer goes on to ask:

What do your Children Ministries say about you as a church? How are you ensuring that the standards you have in your pulpit clearly exist in other parts of your church?

This was my reply...

I think there is a much greater question to be asked here. Why do we even have (or require) children and youth ministries?

Historically churches have only had access to these types of ministries for less than 35 years, which means most parents (in 2009) grew up in some form of children's ministry. But what did churches do prior to these ministries? Well, for one thing, parents used to be responsible for the salvation of their children. And for teaching Biblical principles to their children. In many ways child and youth ministry leaders have stolen that responsibility from parents. Now the youth pastor teaches the kids the Word, not Dad or Mom. Not to mention that these ministries have caused churches to become a "dysfunctional family" - parents in one room, kids in another and youth in yet another separate section of the church.

When I was a kid we had a youth night at church every Tuesday. This was prior to youth pastors or children's ministries. In fact, our youth night was when the youth DID the ministry! (Something else the youth leaders have stolen.) And not only did the youth lead worship and preach the word, but the WHOLE CHURCH attended the youth night to support them! What a concept!

But for me (as a nine year old, attending my teenaged brother's youth night) the most beautiful part of the night came at the end of the meeting. That's when the adults attending the youth night would pray for the children and youth. Another fantastic concept that our current children and youth ministries have disabled.

So perhaps the more important church "standard" we should be concerned about is not how our child and youth ministries can genuinely care for our children and youth - but how can their PARENTS do that! And maybe, just maybe, our youth and child leaders should be helping moms and dads be better teachers so that our families can be restored "inside" the church walls.

The church "environment" is dysfunctional! No wonder people don't want their children to grow up in that!

Gloria a Deus!

2009-03-20T23:45:00.006-04:00

I received a report online today that said, "Thank you God, Jhon has been healed!" I have been wondering what was transpiring in this situation.

Yesterday someone from Brazil posted a video entitled, The healing of Jhon! In the 9 minute video people are interceding for Jhon, while Jhon himself is seen crying out to God. You can also see him attempting to stand on the leg that was disabled by the tumor. It was emotional to watch and I couldn't tell what the conclusion was.

When I lived in Brazil I experienced something very powerful - when people got sick, others would come to the house of the sick person and pray (sometimes for days) until the person was healed. I personally saw this happen with a young boy that was very sick. His family could not afford medication to help him. I almost offered to purchase it for them but instead I watched the power of God raise the boy up from his sickness.

I believe that is what I was watching on this video of Jhon. And today someone confirmed it by declaring that God has, indeed, healed him!

As I dug further to get more reports I discovered this powerful declaration on Jhon's dad's webpage:

"Jesus has healed my son!"

Wow! There is nothing left to say but... Gloria a Deus! (Glory to God!)

UPDATE: March 22, 2009

RE: video of Jhon mentioned above

Jhon's dad says:

"These scenes were recorded right after the pastor's prayed for Jhon's healing. If you could see what had happened before, you'd be surprised by the pastor's simplicity and by how great the power of God is.

At this time the doctors have admitted Jhon to the hospital because all the reports are from GOD and have confused the doctors. So they are 're-running' the tests.

'He who began the good work in you will carry it on.' Philippians 1.6"

Jhon Chrystiαn

2009-03-04T16:34:00.008-05:00

João (a.k.a. Jhon Chrystiαn) was 11 years old when I met him and took this picture. He had been playing the guitar for about 6 months. Prior to that he had not taken lessons or been able to play the guitar. His father prayed and asked God to give João the ability to play the guitar and he was playing proficiently the following week.

Yesterday I received news that Jhon needed prayer. The details are still sketchy but it sounds like they discovered a tumor between his iliac (hip) bone and femur that has disabled his walking. He has been taken to a hospital in São Paulo and I'm hoping to get more details soon. At this point they do not know if the tumor is benign or malignant.

Jhon is now 18 years old and has an incredible worship gift. Please partner with me as I pray that God completely heals and restores Jhon's physical body.

[ Jhon leading worship during an outdoor outreach event in Brazil in 2008 ]

What if Starbucks Marketed Like a Church?

2009-03-03T12:39:00.001-05:00

BeyondRelevance.com

The Poor Among Us

2009-02-19T23:13:00.008-05:00

"You will always have the poor among you..." [ Jesus ]

Recently I received a text from a 15 year old that I have known for a few years. He lives with his mom and sister and suffers from Juvenile Diabetes. His text informed me that things at home were not going very well and that he needed to get out. The plan was that he would stay at a friend's house for a few days until things settled down at home.

His request was simple. He wanted to know if the church could help him get some groceries. Because of his diabetes he is on a strict diet that consists of six small meals per day. Since he wouldn't have access to food at home he was wondering if we could possibly provide a food voucher that he could pass along to his friend's mom while he was staying there.

About two weeks ago I was at a mid-week church meeting and sensed that I should invite one of the parishioners to join me for a late night trip to the grocery store. I didn't know at the time that he was completely out of food at home. When I asked him if he needed a few things he replied with, "If I could just get some toilet paper that would make me happy." So I bought him some TP plus a few other things that he liked to eat.

Simple.

Yesterday I dropped in on some friends that have 3 kids and are currently receiving social assistance. They wanted me to come over and take some pics of their 3 month old baby. I knew that they were short on groceries until their check arrived in 3 days and I felt strongly to pick up a few basics on my way to their house.

Simple.

I asked the church if they could provide a $40 grocery store gift card for my young diabetic friend. Unfortunately they couldn't. And I was broke. At first I was going to ask some friends to help but decided to wait. A few days later I bought a $50 gift card with some money that I received. I really couldn't afford to give that money away but I felt it was the right thing to do.

A simple request and a simple solution.

Compared to the rest of the world these three families are not poor, but their immediate needs were very real. And I know what that is like because I have experienced similar circumstances myself recently.

Last week I was in the States visiting my family. On two occasions I found myself in conversations about the local church and the fact that it seems to be lacking in two areas - meeting the needs of people; and true worship. I visited a few churches while I was down south and it was obvious to me that they were lacking in MANY areas. They are great at "performing" songs and speaking "inspirational" messages, but I'm not too sure that Jesus attends those churches.

Then I got to thinking about the money we spend at our churches - staff salaries, building projects, maintenance costs, heat and electricity - and thought... WOW! Churches spend THOUSANDS of dollars every month on things that don't matter much!

When I searched for the word "poor" in the NIV version of the Bible I received 178 results at Bible Gateway - that's 178 verses that talk about the poor among us, not to mention additional verses on the hungry, orphans, widows, etc.

"...we should continue to remember the poor." [ Galatians 2:10 ]

I know that the poor among us need more than handouts - they need people to teach them how to budget their limited resources; moms to teach them how to care for their children; fathers to teach their sons how to be Godly young men - but they ALSO need handouts from time to time.

Oh to be His Hand extended
Reaching out to the oppressed
Let me touch Him, let me touch Jesus
So that others will know and be blessed

Kenya

2009-02-16T10:26:00.002-05:00

We’ve been following up on the food crisis issue and things are getting worse everyday and the new development is that mothers are selling away their children so as not to see them starve to death and others are doing this to save the rest of the family. We’ve reconsidered our decision to only feed the children and from the experience we had the last time we fed children in the streets, we left so many old and poor women who were in more terrible situations than the children and we feel that instead of cooking the food and just feeding the children who are more than 2,000, we would rather buy food, Maize, Beans, Cabbages, Rice and distribute this among the poor mothers and empower them to prepare meals for the children who are the same children who have run away from home to the streets in search of food from the garbage’s. With the promise of food in the house, these children can go back to school and study but if we just give them a meal in the streets and the slums, they’ll continue running away from home and the school to be in the streets begging.

~ Dr. Weston Gitonga, Kenya

If you can help in any way contact Worldcast Ministries:

T: 509-248-5837
E: office@worldcastministries.com

[ Photo courtesy of Worldcast Publishing & Ministries ]

The Ulimate Sacrifice

2009-01-19T12:29:00.007-05:00

Note: the following post will spoil the movie endings for Slumdog Millionaire and Gran Torino.

In Gran Torino Clint East plays Walt Kowalski, a racist Korean War veteran, who becomes increasingly unhappy at the influx of Hmong people to his neighborhood. After he catches Thao, a teenage Hmong neighbor, attempting to steal his 1972 Gran Torino as part of a gang initiation, the boy is forced by his tradition-oriented family to work for Kowalski in penance.

Estranged from his children and grandchildren, and having just lost his wife, Kowalski gradually becomes friendly with Thao and his family, learning about Hmong culture. He attempts to protect Thao and his sister Sue from the gang.

Slumdog Millionaire is the story of Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India's "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a street kid know so much?

Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his older brother, Salim, who is both his guardian/protector and antagonist, grew up - of their adventures together on the road, of vicious encounters with local gangs, and of Latika, the girl he loved and lost.

I haven't seen many movies in the past year so I found it interesting that the two most recent movies I saw had similar themes. In both movies the characters of Walt and Salim are hard-nosed, heartless men that hate people and would kill anyone that got in their way - Walt killed in the Korean war and Salim killed gangsters and crime lords from the time he was a child.

Yet both films offer incredible stories of sacrifice, redemption, freedom.

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

[ John 15:13 ]

In Slumdog Salim helps Latika (his brother's lost love) escape from Javed (the crime lord he works for) and allows himself to be killed in a bathtub full of money after shooting and killing Javed. Salim's last words are "God is great", which is a Muslim prayer.

In Gran Torino the Hmong gang that keeps pressuring Walt's young neighbor Thao to join them find Thao alone, mug him and burn his face with a cigarette. Walt confronts and beats up one of the Hmong gang members in retaliation. The gang returns days later and shoots up Thao's home, wounding Thao in the neck. Sue (Thao's sister), who had left for her aunt's house before the shooting, returns, beaten and raped. Walt confronts the gang about the shootout and rape. He waits and watches as some neighbors witness the confrontation. He takes out a cigarette from his jacket, puts it in his mouth, and asks the gang for a light. Then Walt reaches for a lighter in his jacket, and the gang unleashes a hail of fire upon him in fear, thinking Walt is pulling out a gun. Walt is killed.

Both Walt and Salim sacrificed their lives for others. And interestingly, both men planned and prepared for martyrdom - Walt by attending confession prior to his demise and Salim by praying to God.

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

[ 1 John 3:16 ]

There is a huge difference between suicide martyrdom and laying down your life. Christ died so that we don't have to. Walt and Salim reminded me of this.

For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.

[ 1 Peter 3:18 ]

And it was for freedom that Christ has set us free. [ Galatians 5:1 ]

Shine In 09

2009-01-03T11:35:00.004-05:00

A few days ago while I was driving home from the States the phrase "shine in '09" popped into my head. In the midst of the gloomy 2009 predictions that people are making I believe that this is the year to SHINE and let people see what you're made of!

Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.

See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.

Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

Isaiah 60:1-3

Vanishing

2009-01-02T08:30:00.004-05:00

According to a recent article there are some things that are vanishing from our culture. Here is a sample from the top 25:

Analog TV
According to the Consumer Electronics Association, 85% of homes in the U.S. get their television programming through cable or satellite providers. For the remaining 15% -- or 13 million individuals -- who are using rabbit ears or a large outdoor antenna to get their local stations, change is in the air. If you are one of these people you'll need to get a new TV or a converter box in order to get the new stations which will only be broadcast in digital.

Personal Cheques
According to an American Bankers Assoc. report, 23% of consumers plan to decrease their use of cheques over the next two years, while 14% plan to increase their use of PIN debit. Bill payment remains the last stronghold of paper-based payments -- for the time being. Cheques continue to be the most commonly used bill payment method, but on a bill-by-bill basis, cheques account for only 49% of consumers' bill payments (down from 72% in 2003).

Handwritten Letters
In 2006, the Radicati Group estimated that, worldwide, 183 billion e-mails were sent each day. Two million each second. By November of 2007, an estimated 3.3 billion Earthlings owned cell phones, and 80% of the world's population had access to cell phone coverage. In 2004, half-a-trillion text messages were sent, and the number has no doubt increased exponentially since then. So where amongst this gorge of gabble is there room for the elegant, polite hand-written letter?

Incandescent Bulbs
Before a few years ago, the standard 60-watt (or, yikes, 100-watt) bulb was the mainstay of every North American home. With the green movement, the Compact Fluorescent Lightbulb (CFL) is largely replacing the older, Edison-era incandescent bulb. 2007 sales for Energy Star CFLs nearly doubled from 2006, and these sales accounted for approximately 20 percent of the U.S. light bulb market. And according to USA Today, a new energy bill plans to phase incandescents in 10-12 years.

Cameras That Use Film
It doesn't require a statistician to prove the rapid disappearance of the film camera in America. Just look to companies like Nikon, the professional's choice for quality camera equipment. In 2006, it announced that it would stop making film cameras, pointing to the shrinking market -- only 3% of its sales in 2005, compared to 75% of sales from digital cameras and equipment.

Answering Machines
The increasing disappearance of answering machines is directly tied to No. 20 our list -- the decline of landlines. According to USA Today, the number of homes that only use cell phones jumped 159% between 2004 and 2007. It has been particularly bad in New York; since 2000, landline usage has dropped 55%. It's logical that as cell phones rise, many of them replacing traditional landlines, that there will be fewer answering machines.

Phone Landlines
According to a survey from the National Center for Health Statistics, at the end of 2007, nearly one in six homes was cell-only and, of those homes that had landlines, one in eight only received calls on their cells.

Dial-Up Internet Access
Dial-up connections have fallen from 40% in 2001 to 10% in 2008. The combination of an infrastructure to accommodate affordable high speed Internet connections and the disappearing home phone have all but pounded the final nail in the coffin of dial-up Internet access.

VCRs
For the better part of three decades, the VCR was a best-seller and staple in every American household until being completely decimated by the DVD, and now the Digital Video Recorder (DVR). In fact, the only remnants of the VHS age at your local Wal-Mart or Radio Shack are blank VHS tapes these days. Pre-recorded VHS tapes are largely gone and VHS decks are practically nowhere to be found.

Movie Rental Stores
While Netflix is looking up at the moment, Blockbuster keeps closing store locations by the hundreds. It still has about 6,000 left across the world, but those keep dwindling and the stock is down considerably in 2008, especially since the company gave up a quest of Circuit City. Movie Gallery, which owned the Hollywood Video brand, closed up shop earlier this year. Countless small video chains and mom-and-pop stores have given up the ghost already.

I have an analog TV that I use to play DVDs.

I borrow DVDs from the public library for free.

I don't have a VCR.

My bank now offers digital cheques and paper ones are no longer available.

I still send cards with personal handwritten notes inside.

When I'm away on a trip I often use dial-up Internet.

I only pay $21 a month for my landline phone and I use an answering machine.

This past summer I took some pics with my 35MM film camera.

I don't use CFL bulbs because they make people sick.

One generation goes its way, the next one arrives, but nothing changes—it's business as usual for old planet earth.

[ Ecclesiastes 1:4 | The Message ]

2K9

2009-01-01T15:20:00.003-05:00

It's here - another year. You can't fully understand this until you are over 30, but these days the years seem to fly by - super fast. That just means that I need to make the most of every opportunity - without wasting time on the things that don't matter.

Use your heads as you live and work among outsiders. Don't miss a trick. Make the most of every opportunity. Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out.

[ Colossians 4:5-6 | The Message ]

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-15T15:36:00.001-05:00

May God bless you and your family this holiday season!

2008-11-27T09:18:00.001-05:00

The Habit of Recognizing God’s Provision

2008-11-17T11:17:00.009-05:00

Excerpt from My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers

We are made "partakers of the divine nature," receiving and sharing God’s own nature through His promises. Then we have to work that divine nature into our human nature by developing godly habits. The first habit to develop is the habit of recognizing God’s provision for us. We say, however, "Oh, I can’t afford it." One of the worst lies is wrapped up in that statement. We talk as if our heavenly Father has cut us off without a penny! We think it is a sign of true humility to say at the end of the day, "Well, I just barely got by today, but it was a severe struggle." And yet all of Almighty God is ours in the Lord Jesus! And He will reach to the last grain of sand and the remotest star to bless us if we will only obey Him. Does it really matter that our circumstances are difficult? Why shouldn’t they be! If we give way to self-pity and indulge in the luxury of misery, we remove God’s riches from our lives and hinder others from entering into His provision. No sin is worse than the sin of self-pity, because it removes God from the throne of our lives, replacing Him with our own self-interests. It causes us to open our mouths only to complain, and we simply become spiritual sponges— always absorbing, never giving, and never being satisfied. And there is nothing lovely or generous about our lives.

Before God becomes satisfied with us, He will take everything of our so-called wealth, until we learn that He is our Source; as the psalmist said, "All my springs are in You" (Psalm 87:7). If the majesty, grace, and power of God are not being exhibited in us, God holds us responsible. "God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you . . . may have an abundance . . ." (2 Corinthians 9:8) — then learn to lavish the grace of God on others, generously giving of yourself. Be marked and identified with God’s nature, and His blessing will flow through you all the time.

The Facts Of Life

2008-10-29T08:04:00.005-04:00

The fact is, most people believe what they are told. It doesn't have to be true, it doesn't have to make sense, people will simply believe it because "it was on the news" or because "my cousin told me - he read it in the paper!"

I received an email from a well known Christian artist today. This person is a gem (in my opinion) and understands the heart of God. Unfortunately the email forwarded falsely represented a Christian organization. And it falsely represented one of the presidential candidates. You may have received this email since it's been circulating for the past few months. The email is lengthy so I won't include it all here, but the introduction says:

Obama, by Bill Brown on the Billy Graham team...

These are things we all need to know before it is too late. Make your vote count by being an informed American. Vote your choice, but vote carefully. This is well worth reading and thinking about.

It is always interesting to me to read the viewpoint of someone like Bill Brown. Bill Brown, is a highly respected retired member of the Billy Graham team. So, I take his assessment of Obama very seriously and for that reason accept his challenge to pass this on. I share his concern about the "rock star" image Obama has and watch with growing concern at the celebrity status the media has foisted upon him.

The rest of the email goes on to belittle what Obama has and hasn't done and how evil he is. Hear me. I am not taking a stand for Obama. I'm taking a stand for truth. I'm encouraging you to become informed.

I decided to research the email only to discover that it did not originate from anyone connected with Billy Graham. Go figure! Not to mention that the email repeatedly misrepresents Obama, stating things like, "He voted against banning partial birth abortions" when in fact Obama voted against a bill in 1997 which would have turned doctors into felons by banning so-called partial-birth abortion. (Not to mention that the same legislation defined a fetus as a person, & could have criminalized virtually all abortion.)

The election is less than a week away. People should inform themselves and stop listening to everything they hear in the media and on the net. And that includes my blog. Don't believe what I'm saying, research it - check it out - get informed.

Get the truth.

But this post in not about politics. This is about people believing facts that are false. Get the truth about life, death, prescription medication, health care, schools, theology - stop believing (ver⋅ba⋅tim) everything the doctor, teacher, politician, theologian, author and ESPECIALLY email forwards are saying!

The information you are receiving may not be the truth.

This may take some work on your part, and will certainly take time. Learn how to accurately handle truth. Prepare yourself to give truthful answers and to state the facts - do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience. And please, if nothing else, stop passing along information that you haven't researched or that you don't know to be truth.

That, unfortunately, is careless, misguiding and terribly annoying.

Show me your ways, O LORD,
teach me your paths;
guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.

[ Psalm 25:4-5 ]

Maybe Virtual IS Reality?!

2008-10-22T13:25:00.002-04:00

Dutch court rules virtual theft is real

By Jacqueline Carver

22-10-2008

In a precedent-setting trial, a court in the Dutch city of Leeuwarden has ruled that stealing virtual items is theft and sentenced two teenage boys to community service.

In September 2007, two teens, both aged 14 at the time, forced a 13-year-old classmate to hand over two items he had acquired playing Runescape, an internet game extremely popular with 10 to 15-year-old boys.

The culprits, who cannot be named due to their age, kicked, hit and threatened their classmate with a knife before the 13-year-old gave in and transferred the Runescape items, an amulet and a mask, to his attackers' online accounts.

Cyber goods
The public prosecutor argued, in what has become known as the 'Runescape' case, that virtual items used in the game should be considered as real and tangible goods as they have real, tangible value for the owner. The prosecutor noted that winning, collecting and trading Runescape objects play an important role in the virtual world and can also be sold for money in the real world.

According to the public prosecutor, if these items are valuable to their owner and he has been forced to hand them over to somebody else, it should be considered theft. The lawyer representing the culprits argued that legally, the items do not exist and therefore cannot be considered to have been stolen.

Material object
The court dismissed the defence lawyer's argument and cited an earlier ruling that electricity can be considered a material object for the purposes of criminal law and stealing electricity is theft. The court ruled that the same principle can be applied in this case and stealing virtual Runescape items is theft as the owner was forced to hand over his possessions.

Liberals Sneaking Into Canada!

2008-10-22T09:03:00.001-04:00

MANITOBA HERALD

UPI - Canada / September 30, 2008

The flood of American liberals sneaking across the border into Canada has intensified in the past week, sparking calls for increased patrols to stop the illegal immigration.

The possibility of a McCain/Palin election is prompting the exodus among left-leaning citizens who fear they'll soon be required to hunt, pray, and agree with Bill O'Reilly.

Canadian border farmers say it's not uncommon to see dozens of sociology professors, animal rights activists and Unitarians crossing their fields at night.

"I went out to milk the cows the other day, and there was a Hollywood producer huddled in the barn," said Manitoba farmer Red Greenfield, whose acreage borders North Dakota .

"The producer was cold, exhausted and hungry. He asked me if I could spare a latte and some free-range chicken. When I said I didn't have any, he left. Didn't even get a chance to show him my screenplay, eh?"

In an effort to stop the illegal aliens, Greenfield erected higher fences, but the liberals scaled them. So he tried installing speakers that blare Rush Limbaugh across the fields. "Not real effective," he said. "The liberals still got through, and Rush annoyed the cows so much they wouldn't give milk."

Officials are particularly concerned about smugglers who meet liberals near the Canadian border, pack them into Volvo station wagons, drive them across the border and leave them to fend for themselves.

"A lot of these people are not prepared for rugged conditions," an Ontario border patrolman said. "I found one carload without a drop of drinking water. They did have a nice little Napa Valley cabernet, though."

When liberals are caught, they're sent back across the border, often wailing loudly that they fear retribution from conservatives. Rumors have been circulating about the McCain administration establishing re-education camps in which liberals will be forced to shoot wolves from airplanes, deny evolution, and act out drills preparing them for "The Rapture."

In recent days, liberals have turned to sometimes-ingenious ways of crossing the border. Some have taken to posing as senior citizens on bus trips to buy cheap Canadian prescription drugs. After catching a half-dozen young vegans disguised in powdered wigs, Canadian immigration authorities began stopping buses and quizzing the supposed senior-citizen passengers on Perry Como and Rosemary Clooney hits to prove they were alive in the '50s. "If they can't identify the accordion player on The Lawrence Welk Show, we get suspicious about their age," an official said.

Canadian citizens have complained that the illegal immigrants are creating an organic-broccoli shortage and renting all the good Susan Sarandon movies.

"I feel sorry for American liberals, but the Canadian economy just can't support them," an Ottawa resident said. "Just how many art-history and English majors does one country need?"

Life. Faith. Family.

2008-10-14T08:20:00.000-04:00

Storage

2008-09-29T10:05:00.003-04:00

Have you ever heard the term Pack Rat? No, not THAT kind of pack rat - although they would be a challenge if discovered in your home!

I'm talking about the OTHER kind of Pack Rat, which is also referred to as Compulsive or Pathological Hoarding...

...the acquisition of, and failure to use or discard, such a large number of seemingly useless possessions that it causes significant clutter and impairment to basic living activities such as mobility, cooking, cleaning, showering or sleeping.

Okay, so most of us are not at the pathological stage just yet, (although I do know at least two people who are), but it still seems that we like to keep useless stuff - to the point where we will even store junk someplace else if we don't have enough room in our house!

As of year-end 2007, a total of some 52,000 self storage facilities have been developed in the United States on industrial and commercial land parcels, usually on three- to seven-acre properties. There is more than 2.2 Billion square feet of self storage in the U.S., or a land area equivalent to three times Manhattan Island (NY) under roof.

The U.S. self storage industry generates more than $20 billion in revenues each year.

[ Wikipedia ]

My parents have lived in a modest duplex for... EVER! In fact, my dad (who is 77 years old) was raised in the house. A hundred years ago the house had four apartments but was later renovated into two - one up and one down. I grew up in the downstairs apartment which had 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and an office. This month we moved my parents from this house into a two bedroom apartment.

The plan was to only bring some of my parent's "stuff" to the new place. But my wonderful cousin, (who volunteered to pack up the house since me and my siblings live out of town), ended up packing ALL of my parent's belongings / house contents before we could tell her what we DIDN'T want!

One hundred (or so) boxes of "things" arrived on Friday. Today is Sunday. I have been to the garbage dump 3 times and have made 2 generous van-filled donations to the local Goodwill. The van remains full with the 4th dump drop.

Last night I really understood what Jesus meant when He said,

Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.

[ Matthew 6:19-21 ]

(I think I'll clean out my closets when I get home.)

Corban

2008-09-25T11:22:00.004-04:00

Years ago I decided I liked the name Corban after reading it in Mark 7:11:

But you say that if a man says to his father or mother: 'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban' (that is, a gift devoted to God), then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother.

Last week I went to a Waldensbook store (which is now owned by Borders) that is going out of business. All of the books are marked down between 40% and 75%. As I was searching through the Christian section I noticed a series of Bible study books, including a Bible dictionary. As I leafed through the dictionary my eye caught the word Corban. The definition was interesting to me so I looked it up again online when I got home.

What is the "Corban" mentioned in this passage, and how does it tie in with Christ's words? According to Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Corban is "a word applied to a gift or offering in the Temple which declared that gift dedicated to God in a special sense. Once a gift was offered under the special declaration of Corban, it could not be withdrawn or taken back; it was considered totally dedicated for the Temple's special use. Jesus condemned the Pharisees for encouraging the people to make such gifts to the Temple while neglecting their responsibility to care for their parents . . ." (1986, "Corban").

The same website goes on to say...

The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia adds: "Anything dedicated to the temple by pronouncing the votive word 'Corban' forthwith belonged to the temple, but only ideally; actually it might remain in the possession of him who made the vow. So a son might be justified in not supporting his old parents simply because he designated his property or a part of it as a gift to the temple, that is, as 'Corban.' There was no necessity of fulfilling his vow, yet he was actually prohibited from ever using his property for the support of his parents" (Electronic Database, 1996, Biblesoft, "Corban").

Jesus taught that proclaiming something as Corban as an excuse for refusing to help one's needy parents was a violation of the Fifth Commandment, "Honor your father and your mother" (Exodus 20:12).

Whoa.

Easton's Bible Dictionary says:

Our Lord condemns the Pharisees for their false doctrine, inasmuch as by their traditions they had destroyed the commandment which requires children to honour their father and mother, teaching them to find excuse from helping their parents by the device of pronouncing "Corban" over their goods, thus reserving them to their own selfish use.

Excuses, excuses.

And to get a real in depth look at this passage (and I mean, deep) you need to check out the Matthew Henry Complete Commentary. Here is just a portion of that commentary:

(Jesus) reproves them for laying aside the commandment of God... (and) he gives them a particular instance of, and a flagrant one--God commanded children to honour their parents, not only by the law of Moses, but, antecedent to that, by the law of nature; and whoso revileth, or speaketh evil of, father or mother, let him die the death, Mark 7:10. Hence it is easy to infer, that it is the duty of children, if their parents be poor, to relieve them, according to their ability; and if those children are worthy to die, that curse their parents, much more those that starve them. But if a man will but conform himself in all points to the tradition of the elders, they will find him out an expedient by which he may be discharged from this obligation, Mark 7:11. If his parents be in want and he has wherewithal to help them, but has no mind to do it, let him swear by the Corban, that is, by the gold of the temple, and the gift upon the altar, that his parents shall not be profited by him, that he will not relieve them; and, if they ask any thing of him, let him tell them this, and it is enough; as if by the obligation of this wicked vow he had discharged himself from the obligation of God's holy law; thus Dr. Hammond understands it: and it is said to be an ancient canon of the rabbin, That vows take place in things commanded by the law, as well as in things indifferent; so that, if a man make a vow which cannot be ratified without breaking a commandment, the vow must be ratified, and the commandment violated; so Dr. Whitby. Such doctrine as this the Papists teach, discharging children from all obligation to their parents by their monastic vows, and their entrance into religion, as they call it. He concludes, Any many such like things do ye. Where will men stop, when once they have made the word of God give way to their tradition? These eager imposers of such ceremonies, at first only made light of God's commandments in comparison with their traditions, but afterward made void God's commandments, if they stood in competition with them. All this, in effect, Isaiah prophesied of them; what he said of the hypocrites of his own day, was applicable to the scribes and Pharisees, Mark 7:6. Note, When we see, and complain of, the wickedness of the present times, yet we do not enquire wisely of that matter, if we say that all the former days were better than these, Ecclesiastes 7:10. The worst of hypocrites and evil doers have had their predecessors.

Yes, deep. But awfully profound. Suddenly Corban means a lot more than simply a gift to God. I mean, Corban in itself it not a bad thing, but how we use that gift dedicated to God is. Especially if it effects our family, and our parents particularly.

Traditions, ministry, gifts, excuses, obedience, neglect, hypocrisy, obligation, commandment. Those words shouldn't be in the same sentence. But often they are.

So what does that mean for me? Or for you? It may be simple... don't let your gifts get in the way of your obedience to God's commandments. And for goodness sake don't proclaim something as Corban or offer your gifts to God while neglecting your responsibility to care for your parents.

The States & Canada

2008-09-22T17:16:00.009-04:00

I am a citizen of the United States that lives in Canada. My immediate family lives in the States and whenever I visit my homeland I am intrigued by the subtle differences between the two countries. For example, freedom of speech is alive and well in the USA. Not so much in Canada. You hear "God", "Jesus", "church" and "Christian" mentioned everywhere in the States - and you can purchase Christian products almost anywhere. Not to mention that there is an actual church building on just about every corner. There are 6 "Christian" churches within walking distance from my sister's house - all within about a 1/2 mile.

And the media in the States can talk about Jesus. Not so much in Canada.

But there have been a couple of differences that I've noticed on this particular trip south of the border that have really perplexed me. They involve recycling and the handicap.

It amazes me that the United States doesn't recycle very good! I mean, my parent's new apartment complex has 64 units and they DON'T offer recycling! They have one large garbage dumpster for the people who live here but no blue boxes or recycling pick-up! Plus, if you are at the mall or a fast food restaurant... NO RECYCLING CONTAINERS! Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

That is so weird to me.

Secondly, I am learning a lot about being handicapped and the obstacles people with disabilities face on a daily basis. Both of my parents suffer from Parkinson's disease and mobility is a significant issue for them. They use walkers and have a handicapped sticker for their vehicle which gives them the right to park in a handicap parking space. In Canada it seems that every building now has automatic doors - malls, restaurants, etc. Not so much in the States! And the doors they DO have on their handicap bathrooms are so heavy, I (as a non-handicapped person) can barely open them! Plus, the so-called ramps that restaurants in the U.S. build to "aid" handicapped people were obviously NOT constructed or researched by a handicapped person. Some of those ramps are down right dangerous for handicapped people!

I'm sure that I will be more aware of the handicap accessibility that Canada offers when I go home, because I'm thinking it is far superior to the systems in place below the border.

Plus I'll be sure to thank my landlord for providing 6 separate recycling bins at the back of my apartment building, right next to the garbage dumpster.

Priority Sequence

2008-09-12T12:15:00.003-04:00

A couple of months ago I blogged about some great customer service I received from Virgin Mobile. It was a rare experience and the last 2 weeks has proven to me just how rare good customer service is.

Because my parents are moving from one state to a new one all of their documentation, bank accounts, medical plans, utilities, etc., need to be notified of their new address. In addition, things like cable and telephone have to be cancelled at the old address and ordered for the new one. To complicate matters even more my parents are selling their house and moving into an apartment. This means insurance has to be changed (you cannot hold regular mortgage insurance on a house that is vacant) and policies need to be updated.

So far I have been in contact with 21 companies regarding these changes. And after 2 weeks of online chats and phone calls with customer service reps I loathe the phrase...

The next available representative will assist you shortly.

The new telephone company kept me on hold for 45 minutes. That was after I had an online chat with an agent that helped me place my order for new phone service. Once I finally reached a real person on the telephone they had to place a second order because they couldn't locate the one placed online.

I have spoken with 6 different CSRs from the cell phone company. It's simple. I want to port my parents old house number to their cell phone. You can do this now in the States. That way they can keep the phone number from their house that they've had since I was born. The first 2 reps couldn't find my parent's cell phone account. The 3rd and 4th rep said they placed orders for the transfer. The 5th rep had no record of their cell phone account existing OR the orders placed.

Here's hoping that the 6th rep got it right. I will know on September 17th - the day that the transfer is scheduled to be completed. (I won't hold my breath.)

I'm learning through this adventure that there is nothing priority about you or the help you get from a customer service representative.

Nothing.

Family Matters

2008-09-10T22:55:00.005-04:00

If anyone fails to provide for his relatives,
and especially for those of his own family,
he has disowned the faith
[by failing to accompany it with fruits]
and is worse than an unbeliever
[who performs his obligation in these matters].

[ 1 Timothy 5:8 | Amplified Bible ]

Fall Down Go Boom

2008-09-02T16:07:00.005-04:00

It is hard to see someone fall down, even harder if they are related to you, and horrible if the faller has been assigned to your care! I did a road trip with my parents this week. We (siblings) are relocating them so they are closer to family that can care for them. About an hour before we reached our final destination I was assisting my mom, who uses a walker, at a highway rest area. I didn't want her to fall down. And neither did my dad. Unfortunately HE lost his step and hit the ground behind me.

The first thing he said was, "I hit my head." Great! I am taking care of my parents and I let him fall down and hit his head! Oh my. There was blood. Not a lot, but blood nonetheless. As I helped him up and over to a nearby bench a woman came by and said, "My husband is a doctor. Do you want him to come over and help?"

Ummm. YES!

Doctor Paul was amazing with my dad. Asked him all sorts of questions, bandaged him up using a first aid kit that another passerby supplied and was generally polite and extremely helpful. My dad was fine and wouldn't require additional medical care.

My nerves were shot, on the other hand, and I think I NEEDED meds!

Let me back up. Both of my parents suffer from Parkinson's disease - which is why they need assistance walking. Both of my parents are 77 years old. The house we moved them out of is where my dad grew up. Huge changes for both of them.

Which is why I need to find some Schick Injector Blades.
When you have lived as long as my dad has lived you get used to things the way they are. Or the way things have always been. And my dad still uses injector blades - on the same razor handle he's probably owned for 50 years.

I bought him an updated razor today, the kind with the replaceable cartridges, but I'm not sure he will use it. So later today I'm going on a hunt for injector blades. I even Googled them to find out if they were still available. After all, with the changes my dad has had to endure (new home, new city, new razor blades) I need to keep him as comfy as possible.

And I need to help BOTH my parents land on their feet.

Life After Lakeland

2008-08-16T12:33:00.005-04:00

Life After Lakeland: Sorting Out the Confusion

Todd Bentley’s announcement that his marriage is ending has thrown our movement into a tailspin—and questions need to be answered.

It was not supposed to end like this.

Evangelist Todd Bentley had heralded the Lakeland revival as the greatest Pentecostal outpouring since Azusa Street. From his stage in a gigantic tent in Florida, Bentley preached to thousands, bringing many of them to the stage for prayer. Many claimed to be healed of deafness, blindness, heart problems, depression and dozens of other conditions in the Lakeland services, which ran for more than 100 consecutive nights. Bentley announced confidently that dozens of people had been raised from the dead during the revival.

But this week, a few days after the Canadian preacher announced the end of his visits to Lakeland, he told his staff that his marriage is ending. Without blaming the pace of the revival for Bentley’s personal problems, his board released a public statement saying that he and his wife, Shonnah, are separating. The news shocked Bentley’s adoring fans and saddened those who have questioned his credibility since the Lakeland movement erupted in early April.

“Among those who jumped on the Lakeland bandwagon, discernment was discouraged. They were expected to swallow and follow. The message was clear: ‘This is God. Don’t question.’ ”

I’m sad. I’m disappointed. And I’m angry. Here are few of my many, many questions about this fiasco:

Why did so many people flock to Lakeland from around the world to rally behind an evangelist who had serious credibility issues from the beginning?

To put it bluntly, we’re just plain gullible.

From the first week of the Lakeland revival, many discerning Christians raised questions about Bentley’s beliefs and practices. They felt uneasy when he said he talked to an angel in his hotel room. They sensed something amiss when he wore a T-shirt with a skeleton on it. They wondered why a man of God would cover himself with tattoos. They were horrified when they heard him describe how he tackled a man and knocked his tooth out during prayer.

But among those who jumped on the Lakeland bandwagon, discernment was discouraged. They were expected to swallow and follow. The message was clear: “This is God. Don’t question.” So before we could all say, “Sheeka Boomba” (as Bentley often prayed from his pulpit), many people went home, prayed for people and shoved them to the floor with reckless abandon, Bentley-style.

I blame this lack of discernment, partly, on raw zeal for God. We’re spiritually hungry—which can be a good thing. But sometimes, hungry people will eat anything.

Many of us would rather watch a noisy demonstration of miracles, signs and wonders than have a quiet Bible study. Yet we are faced today with the sad reality that our untempered zeal is a sign of immaturity. Our adolescent craving for the wild and crazy makes us do stupid things. It’s way past time for us to grow up.

Why didn’t anyone in Lakeland denounce the favorable comments Bentley made about William Branham?

This one baffles me. Branham embraced horrible deception near the end of his ministry, before he died in 1965. He claimed that he was the reincarnation of Elijah—and his strange doctrines are still embraced by a cultlike following today. When Bentley announced to the world that the same angel that ushered in the 1950s healing revival had come to Lakeland, the entire audience should have run for the exits.

Why didn’t anyone correct this error from the pulpit? Godly leaders are supposed to protect the sheep from heresy, not spoon feed deception to them. Only God knows how far this poison traveled from Lakeland to take root elsewhere. May God forgive us for allowing His Word to be so flippantly contaminated.

A prominent Pentecostal evangelist called me this week after Bentley’s news hit the fan. He said to me: “I’m now convinced that a large segment of the charismatic church will follow the anti-Christ when he shows up because they have no discernment.” Ouch. Hopefully we’ll learn our lesson this time and apply the necessary caution when an imposter shows up.

Why did God TV tell people that “any criticism of Todd Bentley is demonic”?

This ridiculous statement was actually made on one of God TV’s pre-shows. In fact, the network’s hosts also warned listeners that if they listened to criticism of Bentley, they could lose their healings.

This is cultic manipulation at its worst. The Bible tells us that the Bereans were noble believers because they studied the Scriptures daily “to see whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11, NASB). Yet in the case of Lakeland, honest intellectual inquiry was viewed as a sign of weakness. People were expected to jump first and then open their eyes.

Just because we believe in the power of the Holy Spirit does not mean we check our brains at the church door. We are commanded to test the spirits. Jesus wants us to love Him with our hearts and our minds.

Because of the Lakeland scandal, there may be large numbers of people who feel they’ve been burned by Bentley. Some may give up on church and join the growing ranks of bitter, disenfranchised Christians. Others may suffer total spiritual shipwreck. This could have been avoided if leaders had been more vocal about their objections and urged people to evaluate spiritual experiences through the filter of God’s Word.

Why did a group of respected ministers lay hands on Bentley on June 23 and publicly ordain him? Did they know of his personal problems?

This controversial ceremony was organized by Peter Wagner, who felt that one of Bentley’s greatest needs was proper spiritual covering. He asked California pastors Che Ahn and Bill Johnson, along with Canadian pastor John Arnott, to lay hands on Bentley and bring him under their care.

Bentley certainly needs such covering. No one in ministry today should be out on their own, living in isolation without checks, balances and wise counsel. It was commendable that Wagner reached out to Bentley and that Bentley acknowledged his need for spiritual fathers by agreeing to submit to the process. The question remains, however, whether it was wise to commend Bentley during a televised commissioning service that at times seemed more like a king’s coronation.

In hindsight, we can all see that it would have been better to take Bentley into a back room and talk about his personal issues.

The Bible tells us that ordination of a minister is a sober responsibility. Paul wrote: “Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others” (1 Tim. 5:22). We might be tempted to rush the process, but the apostle warned against fast-tracking ordination—and he said that those who commission a minister who is not ready for the job will bear some of the blame for his failures.

I trust that Wagner, Ahn, Johnson and Arnott didn’t know of Bentley’s problems before they ordained him. I am sure they are saddened by the events of this week and are reaching out to Bentley and his wife to promote healing and restoration. But I believe that they, along with Bentley and the owners of God TV, owe the body of Christ a forthright, public apology for thrusting Bentley’s ministry into the spotlight prematurely. (Perhaps such an apology should be aired on God TV.)

Can anything good come out of this?

That depends on how people respond. If the men assigned to oversee Bentley offer loving but firm correction, and if Bentley responds humbly to the process by stepping out of ministry for a season of rehabilitation, we could witness a healthy case of church discipline play out the way it is supposed to. If all those who were so eager to promote Bentley now rush just as fast to repent for their errors in judgment, then the rest of us could breathe a huge sigh of relief—and the credibility of our movement could be restored.

I still believe that God desires to visit our nation in supernatural power. I know He wants to heal multitudes, and I will continue praying for a healing revival to sweep across the United States. But we must contend for the genuine, not an imitation. True revival will be accompanied by brokenness, humility, reverence and repentance—not the arrogance, showmanship and empty hype that often was on display in Lakeland.

We are weathering an unprecedented season of moral failure and spiritual compromise in our nation today. I urge everyone in the charismatic world to pray for Bentley; his wife, Shonnah; his three young children; Bentley’s ministry staff; and the men and women who serve as his counselors and advisers. Let’s pray that God will turn this embarrassing debacle into an opportunity for miraculous restoration.

J. Lee Grady is editor of Charisma.

My Manga

2008-08-15T02:34:00.003-04:00

Manga (in kanji 漫画; in hiragana まんが; in katakana マンガ) is the Japanese word for comics (sometimes called komikku コミック) and print cartoons.

www.faceyourmanga.com

Sh*t Happens

2008-08-13T11:57:00.004-04:00

I came online around 11:30AM. Within 15 minutes I had 2 emails and one chat conversation all telling me about Todd Bentley's separation.

It is with considerable sadness then, that we must temper the jubilation we know you all feel with the sobering news that Todd and Shonnah Bentley are presently experiencing significant friction in their relationship and are currently separated. We want to affirm that there has been no sexual immorality on the part of either Todd or Shonnah, nor has there ever been. Undoubtedly the pressures and the burden of the Outpouring, which approaches 144 days on August 23rd, have helped to create an atmosphere of fatigue and stress that has exacerbated existing issues in their relationship. We wish to stress however, that the Outpouring is not “to blame” for the current chain of events and that in effect we have no interest in blaming anyone, but rather we deeply covet your prayers for Todd and Shonnah and for Fresh Fire Ministries during this time.

And now I'm telling you.

Prayer support? Gossip? Media exploitation?

I wonder if Jesus held meetings that created an atmosphere of fatigue and stress. I know he often retreated from the crowds to rest. Maybe that's what Todd should have done. Retreated home. Got rested. Loved on his wife.

I guess I'm sad for two reasons: the media is having a heyday with this - another evangelist gone bad; and secondly, did it have to end this way for Todd? No. I don't think it did.

Unfortunately sh*t happens - TO EVERYONE. And unfortunately the church doesn't like sh*t and doesn't know what to do with it when it happens.

SOMEONE must have seen this coming! But what did they do to help Todd? Dunno. It's not really my place to speculate, but this kind of sh*t happens in the church all the time. The money is WAY more important than the sh*t. So, we try to cover up the sh*t and act like nothing is happening. After all, if we pulled Todd away from the Outpouring for a season to get rest people might stop getting healed! We may not get good offerings anymore!

More sh*t.

GOD TV is anxious that our viewers and partners will first of all respond to these unfortunate circumstances with an attitude of Christ-like maturity and pray fervently for Todd, Shonnah and their children as a family who are precious to the Lord. While we have learned today that immorality was not an issue, no doubt the enemy has exploited vulnerabilities in their marriage.

What the devil has not counted on is the Christ-like maturity and intercession that is currently being raised up all across the earth in response. We hope you will join us as a part of this prayer covering.

Can the devil count on us? I sure hope not.

Tuna & Pasta

2008-07-24T23:31:00.003-04:00

No matter where life takes me I will be content.

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

[ Philippians 4:12 ]

I wonder wow many people can truly say that.

For me, it comes down to a simple decision. I am either content with the life circumstances I find myself in or I worry, complain and fear what tomorrow holds. And the latter doesn't help me or change anything.

So when the cupboards are left with a couple of cans of tuna and some pasta, I will be thankful for food to eat. I learned that lesson when I lived in Brazil. No, not because I didn't have food in my cupboards, but because of the Brazilians who would welcome me into their homes and gladly serve me a plate of rice - the only food they had - without embarrassment or shame. Just the opposite - they were honored that I, an American, had come to their home. And they were happy to let me be served first as their guest.

Tonight I met a man in my city that would be considered poor. Not by Brazilian standards mind you, but almost as poor as you'd find in Canada. He has no wealth and is living in an apartment that is funded by social services. We chatted about coffee shops and the new downtown renovations. He told me his age and that he moved here in 1991, the same year I landed in Canada.

Although I have seen this man around town many times I have never talked with him. And in the 5 or 10 minutes that we chatted it was obvious that he was enjoying some conversation. That's when he invited me to join him for supper - every Monday and Thursday at 4:30PM - at one of the local "soup kitchens".

Perhaps he was a perceiver and knew about the tuna and pasta.

I told him that I would come one day - on a Monday or Thursday. Maybe I could learn more about being content.

Oh yeah. How could I forget.

The secret to being content will probably help too.

I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

[ Philippians 4:13 ]

Even if that means eating tuna and pasta.

9

2008-07-20T00:36:00.000-04:00

There are nine requisites for contented living:

HEALTH enough to make work a pleasure
WEALTH enough to support your needs
STRENGTH enough to battle with difficulties and forsake them
GRACE enough to confess your sins and overcome them
PATIENCE enough to toil until some good is accomplished
CHARITY enough to see some good in your neighbor
LOVE enough to move you to be useful and helpful to others
FAITH enough to make real the things of God
HOPE enough to remove all anxious fears concerning the future

~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Virgin Generosity

2008-07-13T23:53:00.004-04:00

Last night I received a call from back home. My dad was taken to the hospital. He was having chest pain. The doctors decided to keep him overnight and today I drove to the States to see him.

On my way back home I got stuck in construction traffic, which turned into accident traffic, and I was getting frustrated. What should have only taken me about an hour was turning into an adventure.

I had my Virgin Mobile cell phone with me but I didn't have a minutes. My balance was only one cent. You can't make a call or send a text message with only a penny on your phone. So I decided to call Virgin's customer service (which you can do with or without a balance on your phone) to see if I could arrange a top up.

The customer service agent seemed like a nice guy and was very willing to help me. (Most Virgin agents are.) I told him I was stuck in traffic and didn't want to be without cell phone access. As he attempted to process a credit card top up he informed me that their system had just shut down. I asked him how long he thought it would be but he told me he didn't know.

Even more frustrated now, I told him that I'd have to wait until I got home to top up my cell phone via the Internet. That's when he said something I've never heard from a customer service representative say, never mind a PHONE company!

"Since I was unable to help you due to a system failure, and since you're stuck in traffic and in need of cell phone service, I am going to add a couple of dollars to your phone as my way of apologizing for not being able to assist you."

Cell phone minutes. GIVEN to me by Virgin Mobile.

Now THAT'S a cool company.

Music Download

2008-07-10T14:07:00.001-04:00

As a musician and publisher, I'm all for legal music downloading. That's LEGAL downloading. Figured if Derek Webb is gonna give away his music then I can support that. Maybe you should too!

σ

2008-07-07T22:33:00.006-04:00

The deviation IQ scoring system, which takes 100 as an average score, is based on extensive testing of people of different ages in many parts of the United States and on the statistical computation of mean scores for each age group. In computing these average scores, psychologists use a statistic called the standard deviation, generally denoted σ, to signal the extent to which no average scores deviate from the norm. As a result, an individual's score may be at the mean, or it may be one or more standard deviations above or below the mean.

I am fascinated by the people I've been meeting in my city. Mostly downtown, in the city center. People spawned by a society of poverty, ignorance and neglect. Delinquents, many of them, born out of a chronic, unending sickness that pervades cities.

Psychology books would describe some of them as "...socially maladjusted, having character disorders or sociopathic behavior; destructive, immature, impulsive, manipulative - with a disregard for the needs and feelings of others. A deficit of conscience and judgment; inability to feel guilt and shame."

A product of their society.

In addition to the delinquents there are the addicts, the lonely elderly, the autistic savants, the single moms, the homeless. Many, also, a product of their environment or the company they keep.

A society is a grouping of individuals characterized by patterns of relationships between these individuals that may have distinctive culture and institutions, or, more broadly, an economic, social and industrial infrastructure in which a varied multitude of people or peoples are a part.

The word society may also refer to an organized voluntary association of people for religious, benevolent, cultural, scientific, political, patriotic, or other purpose.

As I meet these people on a daily basis I ask myself a simple question:

Is it my responsibility to change society?

Even I know that I can't change society. But I could create a new one! An "association" that would enable them to find freedom from the destructive patterns that have made them what they are. An "organized" society that could provide resources and support, teaching them the basics of life. After all, these people need society, and a better one than they are currently a "segment" of.

Can you imagine what that would look like?!

The castoffs of society will be laughing and dancing in God,
the down-and-outs shouting praise to The Holy of Israel.

For there'll be no more gangs on the street.
Cynical scoffers will be an extinct species.

Those who never missed a chance to hurt or demean
will never be heard of again:

Gone the people who corrupted the courts,
gone the people who cheated the poor,
gone the people who victimized the innocent.

[ Isaiah 29:17-21 | The Message ]

Creating a society like that will take time, but I think it is possible.

'Overweight trailer caused fatal crash'

2008-07-06T01:23:00.002-04:00

Dan Nolan
The Hamilton Spectator
(Jul 2, 2008)

Virginia State Police have determined a fatal crash that took the lives of three members of a Hamilton family was caused by their overweight trailer.

William Smith, 33, his wife Sandra, 35, and their daughter Kaylee, 7, were killed last Thursday night on I-77 in Virginia when their vehicle and trailer went out of control and struck an oncoming tractor-trailer in the northbound lanes.

Two other children, Madison, 9, and Genna, 3, were treated at the Wake Forest University Baptist Center in Winston Salem, N.C., and were expected to be released into the custody of their grandparents by yesterday.

"It's been determined the weight of the trailer did cause the crash," State Trooper O.J. Lilly said Monday, adding it was a "terrible and tragic" accident.

Smith, an HSR bus driver, and Sandra, who worked in the accounting department of Turkstra Lumber, were driving a 2005 Dodge Durango and it was pulling a 35-foot trailer built in 2004.

The family, who had left their east Mountain home Thursday morning, were on their way to Myrtle Beach, S.C., with two other Ontario families. The accident occurred about 5.6 kilometres from a campsite where the three families were planning to spend the night.

Lilly said the Smith's trailer weighed about 8,000 pounds (about 3,630 kilograms) empty.

"Once you start throwing in bikes, camping gear and portable water tanks and sewage tanks and propane tanks, that makes it heavier," he said.

Investigators determined the vehicle and trailer were travelling down a four to five per cent incline on the Wythe County highway that stretches for about 1.6 kilometres.

"There was the downhill incline and in combination with the weight ... he hit the brake and the trailer started swaying on him," Lilly said.

"Once it lost control, it went into the median strip and then into the northbound lanes."

The surviving girls' grandparents, John and Jane Poulton, live in Florida and travelled to Winston Salem after being contacted by police.

Lilly said the couples travelling with the Smiths were "mentally in shock" after the crash, but assisted police with the two injured girls.

They stayed with the girls at the local community hospital and then at the hospital in Winston Salem until the grandparents arrived.

Meanwhile, a trust fund has been set up by friends and family to help the Smith family pay for ongoing expenses such as medical bills, transportation, funeral costs and the long-term needs of Madison and Genna.

The Smith Family Trust Fund has been set up at Hamilton Community Credit Union, with branches at 698 King St. E. and Mohawk Road.

The account number is 3196800, Branch No. 828, Transit No. 21152.

Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

'They were taken too early'

2008-06-28T17:24:00.006-04:00

Susan Clairmont
The Hamilton Spectator

(Jun 28, 2008)

It was to be their summer vacation.

The three sisters were beyond excited. Talked of nothing else. Swimming. Sunshine. Special time with mommy and daddy.

The giggling girls and their doting parents set out for Myrtle Beach, S.C., from their Hamilton Mountain home before dawn Thursday. Fourteen hours later, Virginia State Police were pulling them from the wreckage of their SUV on a slick stretch of I-77.

Bill Smith, 33, was dead. So too Sandra, 35. And little Kaylee, seven.

Madison, nine, was airlifted to hospital. She is in critical condition. Jenna, three, went by land ambulance. She is in fair condition.

A family decimated.

These were parents who lived for their daughters. Bragged about them, talked of them -- enjoyed them -- every chance they could.

State troopers in Wythe County say the family was in a 2005 Dodge Durango hauling a 35-foot trailer. Collision experts believe something went wrong with the trailer, causing Bill -- an HSR bus driver -- to lose control. At 7 p.m. Thursday the SUV crossed the median into northbound traffic and struck a tractor trailer head-on.

The investigation is continuing.

While police say a storm had come and gone, one witness says it was still raining at the time.

"It was raining and I was watching in my rear view mirror to see how far back the semi was," writes Andy Duplay on a Virginia radio station's website.

"Then out of the corner of my eye I saw the SUV pulling a 5th wheel camper lose control. It was storming and it was almost as if the camper may have been hit with a cross wind. It flew across the median strip. Literally airborne. I watched this all in my mirror as the semi driver had no chance and hit the vehicle broadside. It was almost as if the vehicle and camper vaporized. I was shaken ... I was also the first to call 911."

The truck driver received minor injuries.

The surviving children are at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina. After being notified of the crash yesterday by Hamilton police, Sandra's parents and a brother left Hamilton for Wake Forest hospital. Another brother lives in Dundas. Bill has a father in Hamilton who has Alzheimer's.

The two-storey Smith home on East 11th Street had its porch light on yesterday afternoon. Children's sidewalk chalk lay out front. Inside, the cat was waiting for its family to come home.

Next door, Edith Mann nearly collapses at the news.

"Is it true?" she sobs.

Rumours had been circulating, but they were unbelievable.

Edith is the girls' adopted grandma. They bring her food when she is ill. Shout her name when they want her to watch out the window. On Edith's coffee table is Jenna's artwork. A toddler's rainbow.

Kaylee is the tallest.

"She was a little stinker," Edith says lovingly.

"Any time you'd tell her not to do something, she'd do it. She was always go, go, go."

Madison is "the quiet one." Jenna stays home all day with her daddy, who works in the evening after Sandra came home from her job at Turkstra Lumber.

The older girls finished school Wednesday and Bill got the Durango back from the garage where it was undergoing some sort of repairs, says Edith. The Smiths planned to make a straight run for Myrtle Beach, "just stopping off to have something to eat." They planned to be gone a few weeks.

Edith got up at 4:30 a.m. to say goodbye. She stood at her front window -- the one Bill playfully lobs snowballs at to make Edith laugh -- and watched as the three children jumped about and were loaded into the Durango.

"I opened the window and I was listening to the girls giggling ... I'm yelling out the window 'Have a wonderful time,' and Bill said 'We'll be phoning you.' They always phoned me wherever they went."

Transit union president Budh Dhillon got the news late in the day yesterday. He was devastated. He knew Bill well and had met the whole family.

"This is very tragic," he says emotionally.

"Bill was a jolly fellow and an outspoken member at the union meetings."

Bill had been a city bus driver for about five years.

Above all, he was a proud family man, says Dhillon.

At Turkstra Lumber, a staff memo went out yesterday about Sandra, who worked in accounting.

Colleagues talk of Sandra's love for her family and how much she cherished her girls.

"She was getting ready to go on vacation and just enjoy some time with the family," says Paul Turkstra of the young family.

"They were taken too early."

[ I took this picture of Billy in 1992 - when he was just 17 - sitting at the back of the bus while on a youth group trip to a Toronto waterpark. ]

Proposed Law Goes Too Far

2008-06-25T01:08:00.002-04:00

[ As published in the Brantford Expositor Editorials - June 24, 2008 ]

So now the government wants to legislate personal hygiene and create scent-free environments, eh? Perfect. Now the guy in the cubicle beside you will smell like body odour instead of fresh and clean. Does this have anything to do with boys using popular body sprays as a replacement for a good shower? Or do we just not know how to take care of our bodies?

Yeah , yeah, I know about the lady who uses a bit too much perfume. Or the gentlemen that can't smell his own cologne while everyone else is choking from the intense overdose of his fragrance. Perhaps someone should speak to those people. Teach them how to be moderate with their daily scenting. But banning scented hygiene products in public environments? That is going a bit too far.

I understand that people with allergies probably want this ban, but maybe they should get their allergies fixed instead. A good naturopathic doctor could take care of that you know. Besides, there are alternative non-toxic scents available to consumers that help people smell good and don't cause allergic reactions. Has the government even considered the fact that their new bill would inevitably throw out the baby with the bath water?

Ridiculous. Perhaps we should educate people instead. Teach them about personal hygiene, toxic products and non-toxic solutions. Not only would Brantford smell better but we would also have a much healthier community.

It's The Simple Things

2008-06-17T21:06:00.006-04:00

I haven't been blogging much as of late. As much as I love the power, potential and pleasure that the Internet can offer I've been taking a subconscious time out from being online all the time. There is so much more to this life that we are living than sitting alone at home chatting with other people doing the very same thing. No offense.

Or maybe you should be offended. I mean, usually when we're offended by something it means that we have baggage that needs to be unpacked. Stuff we've been holding onto as sacred. And secure. But it's not really either of those things.

Tonight I had a strong urge to go for a walk in the rain. What a wonderful thing to do. Listening to the small raindrops hitting the top of my umbrella. Admiring front yard gardens that people are loving and caring for on a daily basis. The smell of a BBQ on a porch full of friends awaiting a burger or two. Saying hello to a neighborhood kid that calls me by name. Watching a young mom lift her son's stroller up the front steps after an evening walk. Sensing the presence of God in the world around me.

"I remember how I used to want it all... funny now the big things seem so small..." [ Amy Grant | Simple Things ]

Stop!

Forget the dust in your house. It can wait.

Take a day off from work. They'll get over it. Besides, you probably have a day coming.

Don't login to Facebook for a week. Or a month. Life will go on without you having to know what 256 people on your friends list (that you hardly know) are doing every second of the day.

Go to the park and look at the flowers. Admire God's creation and be reminded of just how awesome God is.

Spend time at the library. Borrow a new book. Or pick up an old book that you loved the first time you read it and read it again.

Listen to an old CD that's been collecting dust on a shelf in your bedroom.

Sit and watch a baseball game at the park in your neighborhood. What difference does it matter that the kids playing are seven and have never swung a bat before?! Enjoy their experience!

Dust off that bicycle, grab your helmet and ride, ride, ride.

Or go for a walk in the rain.

And for goodness sake, turn off the darn TV. Step away. (Go ahead, you can do it.)

After all, it's really the simple things in life that matter.

Jesus Saves

2008-05-30T23:40:00.007-04:00

REVIVALIST CLAIMS HUNDREDS OF HEALINGS (NBC News)

Bam!

2008-05-10T16:54:00.001-04:00

Family Guy

2008-05-07T00:06:00.014-04:00

No, Family Guy... YOU SUCK!

'Family Guy' crossed the line

By Amber Dowling
2008-05-05

An otherwise funny 'Family Guy' finale went too far with Michael J. Fox joke.

In poor taste: Michael J. Fox’s scribbled Zorro tagline was crossing the line, in my opinion. The actor’s been pretty brave and upfront about his battle with Parkinson’s and the joke was too much, even for Family Guy.

[ Shaking my head ]

I am so disgusted. Not to mention furious! How far will we allow the media to go? What will it take to stop this crap?!

BOTH of my parents SUFFER from Parkinson's disease. Enough said.

I never watch Family Guy and never will. As far as I'm concerned an apology is in order from 20th Century Fox and the creators of Family Guy - to Michael J. Fox, to the Parkinson's Associations around the world and to every person who suffers with this horrible debilitating disease on a daily basis.

Dirty Technology

2008-05-03T18:01:00.008-04:00

I'm goin' oldschool.

A year ago I replaced all of my incandescent light bulbs with trendy, "energy saving" compact fluorescent bulbs. Figured I'd jump on the consumer bandwagon, save some money and help the environment.

Wrong.

Six months ago I picked up a new 5.8Ghz cordless phone. After all, it is better than my corded phone and has "exceptional quality and reception".

Wrong again.

I also use a cell phone, like most of the world nowadays. Yeah, we've all heard that cell phones are bad for your brain cells but that hasn't made any of us stop using them. At least now with cell phone texting the phone stays farther away from our head most of the time.

Environmental responsibility, energy savings and convenience. Three things that are saving the planet and killing the people who live on it.

Welcome, once again, to the power and persuasion of our media, consumer driven, world.

Recently is was discovered that dirty electricity is making people sick. Poisoning them even. "Energy saving" compact fluorescent bulbs were tested and found to be producing high levels of radio frequency radiation.

50% of the total population are expected to be electrosensitive by year 2017.

[ Dr. Olie Johansson ]

In socialized Canada they will eventually force us to stop using incandescent bulbs. In the meantime you can buy three 60W incandescents for $.58 at Walmart. The "energy saving" compact fluorescent bulbs will cost you 20 times that amount. Twenty times. LOADS of savings.

On a recent television news report they interviewed two people that were sick and experiencing arthritic symptoms. They discovered that their new "energy saving" compact fluorescent bulbs were to blame. After replacing their new bulbs with oldschool incandescent ones they were feeling better within two days.

Pharmaceutical companies MUST be manufacturing these new bulbs. And maybe cordless phones too?

DECT (Digitally Enhanced Cordless Technology) has been incorporated into many new cordless phones (and some models of baby monitors) by manufacturers such as Panasonic, GE, Motorola and V-Tech. These phones have become very popular in the last few years because they are very powerful providing clearer reception. If you've purchased a new 2.4 GHz or 5.8 Ghz cordless phone recently you may very well own a phone that uses new high-powered DECT technology. DECT technology is "always on" and produce a very strong radiation field, similar to that of a cell phone tower -- even when not in use and just sitting idle in the cradle.

[ EMF Solutions Canada ]

Baby monitors even. BABY MONITORS!

Oldschool.

I struggled all winter with aches, pains and depression. Last week I went to Walmart and picked up some incandescent bulbs to replace my "energy saving" compact fluorescent bulbs. I can't tell you how much better I have felt (physically) since then.

I also visited Value Village yesterday to pick up an oldschool corded phone. Works wonderfully. If you are interested in a high-powered 5.8 Ghz cordless phone I have one for sale.

And, oh yeah. I'll keep my cell phone, for now. But only because it has a loudspeaker option that allows me to make calls without putting the phone near my brain.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like... Spring!

2008-04-17T00:30:00.004-04:00

First day back at the park!

(Well, actually... I went to the park yesterday to take a few Spring pics.)

So... first day back at the park to sit on my favorite bench, drink a Tims and enjoy the sunshine!

Welcome back, Spring! I missed you!

When Kids Were (Allowed To Be) Kids

2008-04-07T13:26:00.008-04:00

(Received this today via email.)

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930's 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes. Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking. As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this. We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank koolade made with sugar, but we weren't overweight because WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING! We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day.

And we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem. We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computer's, no Internet or chat rooms... WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them! We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever. We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!! The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever! The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

If YOU are one of them . . CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good And while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave (and lucky) their parents were.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!

Mama-se Mama-sa Ma... Makoosa

2008-04-04T21:57:00.004-04:00

Makoosa = (I) dance

Well, not I dance, cuz I don't really dance. Unless, of course, I was listening to Don't Stop The Music by Rihanna. THAT just might make me want to put a little boogie in it. But that's not really the point.

Is there really anything original out there? Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' is a 1983 single released from Michael Jackson's multi-platinum selling 1982 album Thriller. Some think he was the first to Makoosa. Even Rihanna sampled Michael makoosa-ing on her song.

But apparently Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango was the first to Makoosa 10 years earlier. Dibango broke into the American market in 1973 with his classic song Soul Makossa. Some sources even say that Manu successfully sued Michael for plagiarizing his Makoosa. Which probably means that Dibango is one rich dude. Especially now that Rihanna is sampling Jackson, who sampled Dibango, who, apparently, has had his Makoosa sampled by many others.

Are you confused yet? I think it's time to dance.

After all, "there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven..." (and there is) a time to Makoosa! [ Ecclesiastes 3:1-4 ]

Media Manipulation

2008-03-31T14:09:00.004-04:00

It's maddening, really. The way people read a headline or listen to a news report - and believe it as fact.

Case in point: there was an online news teaser today that read, Islam Now World's #1 Religion. So, of course, I clicked on the link to read the startling (?) news, only to discover that the REAL headline of the Associated Press article reads, Muslims Outnumber World's Catholics.

VATICAN CITY (AP) - Islam has surpassed Roman Catholicism as the world's largest religion, the Vatican newspaper said Sunday.

"For the first time in history, we are no longer at the top: Muslims have overtaken us," Monsignor Vittorio Formenti said in an interview with the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano. Formenti compiles the Vatican's yearbook.

He said that Catholics accounted for 17.4 percent of the world population — a stable percentage — while Muslims were at 19.2 percent.

But most readers won't even get to the end of the article, much less remember what it says:

When considering all Christians and not just Catholics, Christians make up 33 percent of the world population, Formenti said.

"The most effective propaganda is that which relies on framing rather than on falsehood. By bending the truth rather than breaking it, using emphasis and other auxiliary embellishments, communicators can create a desired impression without resorting to explicit advocacy and without departing too far from the appearance of objectivity."

[ Methods of Media Manipulation | Michael Parenti ]

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T13:53:00.003-04:00

On the first day of the week, at early dawn, the women went to the tomb, taking the spices which they had made ready.

And they found the stone rolled back from the tomb.

But when they went inside, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

And while they were perplexed and wondering what to do about this, behold, two men in dazzling raiment suddenly stood beside them.

And as the women were frightened and were bowing their faces to the ground, the men said to them, Why do you look for the living among those who are dead?

He is not here, but has risen!

[ Luke 24:1-6 | Amplified ]

70°F

2008-03-21T23:20:00.001-04:00

Yup. That's how warm it was today. 70 beautiful degrees. (Or 20°C for all my Canadian friends. TWENTY!)

Oh, and did I mention the clear skies? And the light southern breeze?

But there IS some good news and bad news. The good news? It is supposed to stay warm while I'm here. The bad news? I didn't bring any SHORTS or short sleeved shirts!

Ugh. I guess I'll just have to suffer and BUY SOME NEW ONES!

;-)

(There must be an Old Navy somewhere around here.)

Mexican Town

2008-03-19T22:29:00.003-04:00

The talk of our town has been about an article published this week that says that Brantford is the the crime capital of Ontario. The article also places Brantford in the startling position of having the second-highest per capita rate of reported sexual assaults in Canada.

COMPARED TO WHO?!

I was born in the United States and now live in Canada. I have lived in Western New York (home to Buffalo) and an hour outside of New York City. When I first moved to Canada 16 years ago I felt like I had gone back in time! No longer did I need to lock my car door or be afraid to walk down the street alone. Canada was so SAFE! In fact, the crime rate in Canada was so low compared to cities in the United States that I often mocked the evening news. The lead story was usually about the plight of farmers in Manitoba or about the antics of Canadian politics. Oooo... so scary!

No. You wanna know scary? Drive through Detroit! That's what I did today on my way to visit family in the States. But I DIDN'T know that Interstate 75 (which is the highway I needed to take) currently looks like a war zone! There isn't a highway to drive on near the border crossing! No, I had to follow the scenic detour through Mexican Town.

Now hear me out. I don't have a racist bone in my body. This isn't about the Hispanic community or any other people group for that matter. This is about feeling unsafe. YIKES! The I-75 South detour took me through the slums of Detroit!

Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm stereotyping - gangs of youth walking down the street, burned out buildings, horrible streets with major potholes and not one person of MY color (which I guess would be NO color) to be found. Again, I don't have a problem with people of color. My family is full of people of color (Korean, African American, Hispanic). I actually wish my town had MORE people of color living there! But today I was the minority. And when you're the minority things "feel" different.

Which brings me back to MY city being the crime capital of Ontario!

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!

That is funny.

I think Macleans magazine needs to read an article THEY published two years ago and STOP making people afraid of things they DON'T need to FEAR!

Simple: Wish I Was HERE!

2008-03-08T14:03:00.001-05:00

*Dominion From Sea To Sea

2008-03-03T17:04:00.012-05:00

Law bans prayer
Editorial

Ending the practice of reciting the Lord's Prayer in the Ontario legislature is long overdue.

As I am sure Dalton McGuinty is aware, the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled, in the case of Freitag vs Town of Penetanguishene (1999), the practice of beginning city council meetings with the Lord's prayer to be illegal and a violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights. Saying this Christian prayer in an official government setting is in violation of Ontario law.

By bringing this proposal forward, the premier is acknowledging the rule of law. He is attempting to end the practice of favouring Christians over non-Christians. He is respecting the concept of equality of all citizens.

The next logical step in respecting the equality rights of all Ontarians, of course, is to eliminate the superior education privileges Ontario Roman Catholics now enjoy under the current system, by moving to a single secular school system. Maybe that's next.

Peter W. Jones
Brantford

[ *Psalm 72:8 - Canada's official motto since 1921 ]

Psychedelic

2008-02-26T23:20:00.000-05:00

Depression sucks. Literally. It sucks the life right out of you. You can't function in a normal, everyday way. You can't get up and get going most days. And often you can't even get out of bed.

Life = sucked = out.

You don't feel like yourself. Your thinking gets foggy. And when it comes to motivation? Forget it!

Jesus came to give full life. KJV abundant life.

And when I stop to think about it, albeit through psychedelic eyes, I realize just how full my life is.

I have food to eat, a car to drive, clothes on my back and a warm place to sleep.

But my life is fuller than just that. I have family to love and friends that care about me. I live in a country untouched by war and an AIDS epidemic that allows me to worship freely. And I have clean water to drink.

But the fullest part of my life? God is the foundation of everything I am. And Jesus is my peace. And my light and my salvation.

So with all that is within me I will ARISE [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept me] and SHINE... for the Light has come.

God, let Your glory rise in me.

Don't be Facebook 'target,' Canadian soldiers warned

2008-02-26T15:48:00.001-05:00

The Canadian Press
February 26, 2008

The Canadian military is warning its members to be careful about using Internet social-networking sites such as Facebook to keep in touch with friends and family, CBC News reports.

The CBC says a Department of National Defence memo circulating through the ranks is advising soldiers not to appear in uniform online - or to disclose their military connection at all.

The department also says it is concerned about photos and information about events, such as a roadside bomb attack on a Canadian convoy, making its way onto the Net.

The reasoning is that computer-savvy insurgents such as Al-Qaeda and the Taliban are monitoring such sites for useful information.

Organic Church

2008-02-15T20:45:00.009-05:00

[ From my journal | July 13, 2006 ]

I'm going through a, sort of, church crisis. No, this is not the same as a crisis of faith, which people often experience at various stages of life. This is more... structural.

The "Body of Christ" is a vivid description of an organic being, not an organized mechanism. Church consists, at the local level, of a multitude of extended spiritual families, which are organically related to each other as a network. Too much organization has, like a straitjacket, often choked the organism for fear that something might go wrong. Fear is the opposite of faith, and not exactly a Christian virtue. Fear wants to control; faith can trust. Today we need to develop regional and national networks based on trust, not a new arrangement of political ecumenism, for organic forms of Christianity to reemerge.

[ Wolfgang Simson ]

I'm sure that abuse and control resulting from the current North American church structure has something to do with the crisis I'm experiencing, but it even seems greater than all of that.

[ Fast forward to today | February 15, 2008 ]

The movement Jesus initiated was an organic people movement; it was never meant to be a religious institution.

[ Alan Hirsch | p.54 ]

"Systems story" - a.k.a. paradigm or mode of church - the continually repeated life story that determines the way an organization behaves; how an organization feels, thinks, and thus acts.

Ivan Illich was once asked what he thought was the most radical way to change society; was it through violent revolution or gradual reform? He gave a careful answer. Neither. Rather, he suggested that if one wanted to change society, then one must tell an alternative story. Illich is right; we need to reframe our understandings through a different lens, an alternative story, if we wish to move beyond the captivity of the predominantly institutional paradigm that clearly dominates our current approach to leadership and church.

[ Alan Hirsch | p.53 ]

Hirsch also explains that after 2000 years of the gospel, the "church" is on the decline in just about every Western cultural context. He says that even North America, which has been a bastion of a distinct and vigorous form of cultural Christendom, is now experiencing a society that is increasingly moving away from the church's sphere of influence and becoming genuinely neopagan. [ p.51 ]

In a bid to separate church and state – or, in this case, province – Premier Dalton McGuinty wants to end the practice of reciting the Lord's Prayer in the Ontario Legislature. McGuinty surprised observers at Queen's Park this morning by appealing for an all-party committee to replace the prayer.

"I believe it is time for Ontario's Legislature to better reflect Ontario's reality and celebrate our diversity," the premier wrote to the leaders of the Progressive Conservatives and New Democrats.

"It is time to move beyond the daily recitation of the Lord's Prayer in the Ontario Legislature to a more inclusive approach that reflects 21st century Ontario," he said, noting the prayer was last updated in 1969.

"Our counterparts in other provinces and the federal government have adjusted their customs to reflect the diversity of the population.

"The members of the Ontario Legislature reflect the diversity of Ontario – be it Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or agnostic. It is time for our practices to do the same. That is the Ontario way," McGuinty wrote.

[ The Star | February 13, 2008 ]

Bill Easum notes that following Jesus into the mission field is either impossible or extremely difficult for the vast majority of congregations in the Western world because of one thing: They have a systems story that will not allow them to take the first step out of the institution into the mission field, even though the mission field is just outside the door of the congregation.

It seems that the template of this highly institutional version of Christianity is so deeply embedded in our collective psyche that we have inadvertently put it beyond the pale of prophetic critique.

[ Alan Hirsch | p.51 ]

"This systems story determines how an organization feels, behaves, no matter how the organizational chart is drawn. It's the primary template that shapes all other things. Restructure the organization and leave the systems story in place, and nothing changes within the organization. It's futile trying to revitalize the church, or a denomination, without first changing the system."

[ Bill Easum | Unfreezing Moves: Following Jesus into the Mission Field ]

I can't impress this on you too strongly. God is looking over your shoulder. Christ himself is the Judge, with the final say on everyone, living and dead. He is about to break into the open with his rule, so proclaim the Message with intensity; keep on your watch. Challenge, warn, and urge your people. Don't ever quit. Just keep it simple.

You're going to find that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food—catchy opinions that tickle their fancy. They'll turn their backs on truth and chase mirages. But you—keep your eye on what you're doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the Message alive; do a thorough job as God's servant.

[ 2 Timothy 4:1-5 | The Message ]

Photo Frenzy

2008-02-14T22:27:00.000-05:00

Some of you know that I spent 6 months in Brazil a few years ago. In order to keep in touch with my Brazilian friends they asked me to sign up for Orkut, which is Google's version of Facebook. Orkut seems to be primarily used by Brazilians and most of the profiles are in Portuguese (which I learned while in Brazil).

Up until now I've only been using Orkut to view my Brazilian friend's new pics and to get updates on the church I worked with while in Brazil. Today I decided to look around Orkut. So I started by viewing various friend's profiles, and then looking through some of THEIR friend's profiles, and so on, and so on. Unlike Facebook you can view people's profiles on Orkut even if you're not someone's "friend".

While looking through a bunch of profiles I discovered a profile pic I recognized - a picture of my Flickr friend's young boy from North Carolina! (Who knew he was on Orkut?!) So I clicked on the pic to view the profile and what I discovered made me sick to my stomach.

Let me backtrack. The same Flickr friend USED to post pictures of his two boys on Flickr - publicly. Just general pics of his kids. Hanging out at home, on school trips, at birthday parties. I remember emailing him about all the pics he was posting because I started to notice that he was getting a lot of "views". And I mean a LOT of views! In the email I encouraged him to be careful posting his kid's pictures publicly because there are a lot of strange people out there in Internet Land. He replied and thanked me for my concern but felt everything would be fine.

About six months later I noticed that all of his kid's pictures had been removed from his Flickr account. Apparently he discovered that people were stealing the pictures of his boys (which anyone can do by simply right clicking on the picture and "saving image as") and were posting them on very terrible websites.

So you could imagine the horror when I discovered that someone was doing the very same thing with his picture on Orkut!

I emailed my Flickr friend today to make him aware of this situation and sent him additional information on how to report abuse on Orkut. I also translated the profile description for him (from Portuguese to English), but WON'T do so here due to the sickening details.

Two weeks ago I found that someone had been linking a few of MY Flickr pics to inappropriate sites as well. I posted two beautiful baptism pictures that I took while in Brazil. The pictures included the pastor's wife, a small group leader and two young women that were being baptized - all wearing regular clothes standing in a swimming pool. I discovered that a website (for people that like to look at pictures of women in wet clothes) was providing the links to these two pictures!

Sick.

And just yesterday I encouraged a friend to check the stats on HER Flickr pics, just in case someone was linking to her pictures. Yup. A parenting magazine posted a picture of her friend's son that she took on their site. Nothing sick or inappropriate, but stolen (without permission) nonetheless.

To this day I will not post people's pictures on Flickr publicly without their consent because of problems like this. In fact, if I don't know you personally (face to face friend or family) you cannot view my people pics on Flickr. Okay, there are a few generic people pics on my Flickr page mostly of people I DON'T know personally (taken at a public event, etc.) but generally speaking you won't see people pics on my Flickr page.

So, why am I writing about this? Because the world is a very different place these days. We hear the warnings about the dangers of the Internet all the time, but do we actually heed them? You know what? We probably should.

And for goodness sake, don't post kid's pictures online (publicly).

Bell Sucks

2008-02-14T18:30:00.003-05:00

Up until recently Bell controlled the home telephone service monopoly. Now there are a few more players offering residential service. In Ontario Bell has been known for horrible customer service. A couple of years ago I endured "Bell hell" on behalf of my employer who was moving to a new location. As part of the communication nightmare with Bell's customer service department I began ended all of my phone conversations with, "... oh yeah, one more thing... Bell sucks!" I've been told that Bell has a wall where they display all the terrible things that people say to them over the phone while receiving customer service.

Today I received a voicemail from Bell asking me to call them regarding my telephone number. At first I suspected that it was a marketing call, trying to sell me additional Bell products. But after searching for information online I discovered this call was the real deal. Here's why:

Bell Canada revealed yesterday nearly 3.5 million customers in Ontario and Quebec have had some of their personal information swiped.

Acting on a tip received in mid-January, the country's largest phone company said its corporate security department and police searched two locations in Montreal yesterday morning, arresting a 30-year-old man and recovering the stolen data.

Bell said the information recovered included names, addresses, telephone numbers and a list of Bell's services for some 3.4 million of its customers.

About 5 per cent of the stolen records included unlisted phone numbers. Bell said it was in the process of contacting the affected subscribers.

[ The Star | Feb 13, 2008 ]

Yup. ME = affected subscriber.

They offered to change my phone number (for FREE) which is something I was planning to do at the end of this month anyhow. Why? Well, I've been receiving so many calls for Connie and Matthew (not to mention 10 - 20 hang ups a day) that I decided to get a new number. Now I don't have to pay for it!

p.s. I have no idea who Connie and Matthew are.

Reflecting The Sun/Son

2008-02-11T13:59:00.000-05:00

PERFECT day to sit in the sun!! (Indoors, of course, especially since this morning was the coldest day this winter feeling like -30c!)

@ Tim's - almost sweating! Woo hoo! I just wish I had a short sleeved shirt on... maybe shorts... some sand!

:-)

Tried to take a pic of my reflection in the Tim's window.

Wow... sun is so therapeutic.

While I enjoyed the sunshine for an hour or so today I wrote the following words...

God, I'm ready to go, do, say, live, start, develop, create, encourage, teach, lead, sing, play... whatever, whenever, however... so, speak Lord. Cuz I'm ready to listen. I'm ready to hear and obey.

I'm also ready to... pray, drive, visit, care for, study, contact, treat, walk with, work for, partner with, buy, sell, give, help, remember, forget... whatever, whenever, however and with whomever.

...and to write, forgive, heal, restore, seek, eat, not eat, hire, invite, confront, move, watch, serve, avoid, be, read, grieve with, support, protest...

Late Day Sun

2008-02-07T16:49:00.001-05:00

Sunshine! Ahhh...

Okay, so it's 4PM, and I got out of bed just over an hour ago, but I'm grabbing the last hour of sunshine regardless.

And it feels so warm on my face... sitting in the window at Tim's. Yes, the sun is setting quickly, but I don't care. Twenty minutes of direct sunlight is all I need.

(Maybe it will be sunny again tomorrow!)

S.A.D.

2008-01-29T02:08:00.000-05:00

It's shortly after 2AM and I can't sleep. Well, that's not totally true. I CAN sleep, but just not during "normal" sleeping hours. I haven't experienced depression like this for about 10 years. Back then it lasted for about a month. And it, too, affected me throughout the month of January.

According to Psychology Information Online:

Each year over 17 million American adults experience a period of clinical depression. The symptoms of depression may vary from person to person, and also depend on the severity of the depression.

The first time I experienced depression I didn't know what it was. Apparently this is common and often people who experience symptoms of depression think they are caused by other things. It wasn't until someone helped me understand what I was going through that I realized I was depressed. Once I put a name to what I was experiencing I did some research and basically pulled myself out of the depression.

So this time it is different, mostly because I recognize the symptoms. Unfortunately the deliberate course of action that got me out of my last bout of depression doesn't seem to be working this time. That has led me to think I'm experiencing something different.

Hear me out. I don't recommend self-diagnosis when it comes to these things, and I have visited my naturopathic doctor in this regards. Mostly because I wanted some help getting out of this slump and I didn't want to take anti-depressants - unless they were in the form of a natural supplement, etc.

But even the supplements don't seem to be working. They help, but it is the reversed sleeping schedule that I can't seem to break free from. Perhaps I just need to change my "stance" like Charlie Brown.

:-)

Then there is the S.A.D. element - Seasonal Affective Disorder - a new name for a depression specifier. Unlike depression, S.A.D. is not yet considered a psychological disorder, rather a mood disorder that appears to vary according to the seasons of the year.

The primary feature of seasonal affective disorder is a pattern of depressive or manic episodes that occurs with the onset of the winter months. As the days become shorter, and the weather colder, there is an increase in vegetative depressive symptoms. Individuals eat more, crave carbohydrates, sleep more, experience chronic fatigue and gain weight.

Researchers are still hesitant to confirm the existence of seasonal factors in some depression. In the meantime, some people have found that a short winter vacation to a warmer climate helps...

That would be nice.

The Fringes

2008-01-17T22:23:00.000-05:00

"In the study of the history of missions, one can be formulaic about asserting that all great missionary movements begin at the fringes of the church, among the poor and the marginalized, and seldom, if ever, at the center. It seems that when the church engages at the fringes, it almost always brings life to the center."

[ Alan Hirsch | The Forgotten Ways ]

I can't help but think about about all the people I know outside the walls of my church. People I interact with on a regular basis. Is it my goal to get them to come inside? Or simply for Jesus to become their Lord, whether they come to church or not.

Andrew (not his real name) thanks me all the time for the things I've done for him and his family, and then apologizes for not coming to my church! Am I making him feel pressure to come?

Lately I've been trying to teach Andrew that he can reach out to God anywhere - whenever he needs God to help him. He still doesn't "get it" but I believe one day he will.

And then what?! Should he start attending a church? Or... should I disciple him... in the context of his own world?

Wow. Just thinking about it. I know a LOT of "Andrews" in my city. Perhaps as many as the number of "attenders" at my church!

At this point I began writing down the names of people that I know outside the walls of my church. Non-Christian friends, acquaintances, business associates. People that I visit or see on a regular basis. I stopped writing at 65 names. After reviewing the list, I began to remember other people that I know, also unchurched. My God. There are a LOT.

"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields."

[ Matthew 9:36-38 | New Living Translation ]

Saved, Forgiven And Sanctified

2008-01-12T22:28:00.000-05:00

My Utmost For His Highest has always been one of my favorite devotional books. The wisdom and understanding that Oswald Chambers had never ceases to amaze me.

A couple of days ago I received some clarification from Oswald. You see, I have always wondered how "Christians" could turn their backs on God, or make simple decisions to stop living for Him. In my life, God is the foundation of who I am. I could never imagine myself walking away from my relationship with God no matter what!

And Oswald helped me understand why. Because, not only am I saved and forgiven, but I have taken a second step and allowed God to sanctify me too.

God’s first sovereign work of grace is summed up in the words, ". . . that they may receive forgiveness of sins . . . ." When a person fails in his personal Christian life, it is usually because he has never received anything. The only sign that a person is saved is that he has received something from Jesus Christ. Our job as workers for God is to open people’s eyes so that they may turn themselves from darkness to light. But that is not salvation; it is conversion-only the effort of an awakened human being. I do not think it is too broad a statement to say that the majority of so-called Christians are like this. Their eyes are open, but they have received nothing. Conversion is not regeneration. This is a neglected fact in our preaching today. When a person is born again, he knows that it is because he has received something as a gift from Almighty God and not because of his own decision. People may make vows and promises, and may be determined to follow through, but none of this is salvation. Salvation means that we are brought to the place where we are able to receive something from God on the authority of Jesus Christ, namely, forgiveness of sins.

This is followed by God’s second mighty work of grace: ". . . an inheritance among those who are sanctified . . . ." In sanctification, the one who has been born again deliberately gives up his right to himself to Jesus Christ, and identifies himself entirely with God’s ministry to others.

The following program contains...

2008-01-10T22:29:00.000-05:00

Okay. So I sort of did an experiment tonight.Mostly because I have been getting SO ANNOYED at all the commercials on TV! I decided to sit down and watch TWO full hours of TV, (something I almost never do), and keep track of the commercials that come on.

Do you have ANY IDEA how many commercials are shown during 2 hours of TV?! Holy advertising Batman!

No, really. Guess. How many 15 or 30 second commercial spots do you think you will take in (because you ARE taking them in, you know) within an hour of CSI and an hour of Grey's Anatomy?

Okay, so that's EXACTLY what I did. I watched two hours of television and wrote down the name of each advertiser and the amount of times each commercial came on during the shows. Too much time on my hands, you say? Well, maybe... but I'm gonna scratch this one off as... research.
I've heard it said that the average person watches 6 hours of TV per day. WHO DOES THAT?! And who has TIME to watch SIX HOURS of television?!

(Be right back - gotta grab a snack. Blogging is making me hungry. Plus I'm feeling a bit bloated...)
Okay, where was I...

Right! The amount of commercial advertising contained within a two hour period of prime time television. (Which, I might add, costs the advertisers MILLIONS of dollars.)

Okay. I've teased you long enough. If you are still reading this blog you probably REALLY want to know what my sort-of scientific research came up with during my recent study on the commercial time displayed during a regular Thursday night in TV Land - and no, I'm not referring to the TV Land Network, just regular 'ol broadcast television.

NINETY TWO!

Yes. I counted them. And I'm even going to share the breakdown near the conclusion of this email. (And the end is near, honest. Thank you for sticking around to the end of this simple, yet extreme waste of jpegs and glue.)

Still there? Did you really wait for all these annoying logos to load? (My bandwidth must be in pain!) Thanks. You just proved that advertising works! (And that I didn't waste my time grabbing all the logos off Google Images. I wonder if I'll get extra AdSense cash for all the free promotion! Or maybe some FREE STUFF! Yeah. Who doesn't like free stuff!)

Okay. Here's the run down, for those who care. What I REALLY want to know is, why the heck do we put up with this crap?!

(In order of appearance + number of times shown)

Zellars - 2
Tim Hortons - 2
Ford Truck - 1
Tetley Green Tea - 3
CNIB Lottery - 1
Corner Gas Promo - 3
Local News Promo - 4
Comedy Central Promo - 2
Sears - 1
Chevy Truck - 1
American Idol Promo - 2
Thrive Gum - 1
Gas X - 2
Various Movie Trailers - 9
Philadelphia Cream Cheese - 1
Hockey Canada - 1
Grey's Anatomy Promo - 2
President's Choice Organics - 3
Campbell's Soup - 3
Air Miles - 1
Bell - 3
Pearl Vision - 2
Fabreeze - 1
Ford Focus - 1
Diet Pepsi - 2
KFC - 2
Tic Tac - 1
New Orleans Pizza - 1
Walmart - 4
Mott's Garden Cocktail - 1
Expedia.ca - 1
Jiffy Lube - 1
NFL Playoffs Promo - 2
Nolitours - 2
Degrassi Promo - 1
Local Community Events Promo - 3
Advil - 1
Lean Cuisine - 2
Best Buy - 1
Weight Watchers - 2
Ontario Lottery - 1
Heart and Stroke Lottery - 1
NeoCitrin - 2
Cadillac - 1
Coffee Crisp Singles - 1
Aero Bar Singles - 1
Benylin - 1
Robitussin - 2
Pantene - 1
Moonlight Promo - 1
Ghost Whisperer Promo - 1

"Advertising is of the very essence of democracy. An election goes on every minute of the business day across the counters of hundreds of thousands of stores and shops where the customers state their preferences and determine which manufacturer and which product shall be the leader today, and which shall lead tomorrow."

- Bruce Barton, chairman of BBDO

"Advertising is the poetry of Capitalism."

- Michael Maynard, Chair of the Department of Advertising at Temple University

Advertising is the principal reason why the business man has come to inherit the earth."

- James Randolph Adams

Do not gather and heap up and store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust and worm consume and destroy, and where thieves break through and steal.

But gather and heap up and store for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust nor worm consume and destroy, and where thieves do not break through and steal.

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

[ Matthew 6:19-21 | Amplified Bible ]

Don't Be So Silly!

2008-01-09T22:14:00.000-05:00

HUNTINGTON, N.Y. (AP) — The Huntington Town Council is getting serious about Silly String. The issue: a claim that the plastic goo mars the finish on fire trucks during parades.

Town spokeswoman Fran Evans said a public hearing will be scheduled to air a proposal to ban Silly String and similar substances during "parades, processions, fairs and expositions."

Rob Oram, product marketing manager for manufacturer Just for Kicks, said that while he's not familiar with the fire truck claim, the label includes cleaning instructions. Oram said Silly String shouldn't be allowed to dry in the summer heat for more than a few minutes, but it's easily removed from clothing.

The stuff also has been used by the military to detect trip wires for booby traps in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Resolve To Love

2008-01-03T19:10:00.000-05:00

I am not into making New Year's resolutions, in fact, I don't think I have ever personally made one. It's easier that way. Cuz if you don't make a New Year's resolution, then there is no chance of going back on a high-pressure promise you made to yourself.

On the other hand, I AM into daily resolutions.

Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord.

The Psalmist resolved that his mouth would not sin.

And Paul resolved to know nothing except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

Good daily resolutions.

But recently God has been speaking to me about some of the OTHER basics - love, kindness, gentleness; treating others with respect; and trusting God with my whole heart - which can be challenging, to say the least.

Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled (distressed, agitated). Trust in God; trust also in me." [ John 14:1 ]

Easier said than done. Especially when your bills are piling up, or your family is faced with illness, or you're unemployed, or there is no food in your cupboards, or crisis is staring you in the face, or unexpected hardship comes your way, or, (worse yet), God asks you to do something you don't want to do!

Been there. Didn't do what He asked. Wrestled with God (not recommended). Finally surrendered to His request.

So while God was asking me to trust Him the other day, He also gently gave me these reminders:

Love is kind, sweet.

Love is never exasperated with people.

Love protects; would rather quietly mend things than publicly display them.

Love always believes the best about other people.

And then I heard God say:

Hang tight, don't figure this out, watch and be amazed at how I take care of you.

In the meantime... whatever is lovely, pure, noble, etc., think about those things and make them the center of your life.

Again, I will encourage you... trust me.

And resolve to love, (because love conquers all - even fear).

Crossroads

2007-12-30T00:47:00.000-05:00

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." [ Jeremiah 29:11 ]

Happy New Year!

This Week Only!

2007-12-27T17:39:00.000-05:00

In sociology, counter culture is a term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day; a culture with lifestyles and values opposed to those of the established culture.

I think it would be safe to say that the established North American culture embraces shopping for stuff we don't need (a.k.a. materialism / consumerism) as a normal Christmas behavior. This behavior has also become "normal" at Easter, Halloween, Valentine's Day, birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, baptisms, births, deaths, graduations, job promotions, retirement parties and various other special occasions throughout the year.

Don't misunderstand me - I don't have a problem giving gifts, in fact, I love to give gifts to people. I even believe God wants us to be generous givers. But does it make sense to spend thousands of dollars on Christmas gifts that go on sale the day after Christmas?

And what about Christian stores that adopt the same sales and marketing strategies as the established culture? For example - Christian retailers sell "Jesus Junk" to their born again customers for 40 - 70% above cost in the weeks leading up to Christmas, only to drastically reduce the prices a few hours AFTER Christmas so those SAME believers can spend even MORE money on stuff they don't need!

On December 24th the latest TobyMac CD your preteen wants for Christmas will cost $15.99. But on December 26th (less than 48 hours later) you could buy the same CD for $7.97! But because you don't want to disappoint your preteen you purchase the CD at the higher price. That way you can have it wrapped and under the tree for Christmas morning so that your kid won't be sad that they didn't receive the CD they asked Satan, I mean Santa, to bring them! Afterall, TobyMac is about as counter culture as you can get! Isn't he?

(No, wait. Actually, I think TobyMac is status quo when it comes to Christian pop culture. Yeah. Christian, pop, culture. Okay, I'm WAY off topic here. Now where was I.)

Oh yeah! What it means to be counter culture as a Christian. Hmmm. I may have to buy a copy of the latest Relevant Magazine to continue this chat. Surely they could help me sort this all out.

(Hopefully it's on sale!)

Christmas Offering - Paul Baloche

2007-12-19T19:05:00.000-05:00

Sarcasm 101

2007-12-16T11:53:00.000-05:00

Sarcasm [derived from the word annoyance] is the sneering, sly, jesting, or mocking of a person, situation or thing. It is strongly associated with irony, with some definitions classifying it as a type of verbal irony intended to insult or wound — stating the opposite of the intended meaning, e.g. using "that's fantastic" to mean "that's awful". It is used mostly in a humorous manner, but can express annoyance or anger and is frequently referred to as the "lowest form of wit". [Wikipedia]

Generally speaking I would not consider myself to be sarcastic, although I sometimes use sarcasm in my blogs to drive home a point. When it comes to sarcasm in relationships, I just hate it. Some people love it.

Oddly enough, sarcastic remarks are often used between friends, perhaps as a somewhat perverse demonstration of the strength of the bond—only a good friend could say this without hurting the other's feelings, or at least without excessively damaging the relationship, since feelings are often hurt in spite of a close relationship. If you drop your lunch tray and a stranger says, "Well, that was really intelligent," that's sarcasm. If your girlfriend or boyfriend says it, that's love—I think. [EGHSAP Literary Terms]

In my experience, sarcasm is often connected to insecurity—people say something as a joke because they don't have the confidence to speak their mind. I've heard it said that there's an element of truth in every joke. If that's the case, I think we should learn how to joke a lot less and speak the truth (in love) a lot more.

Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic,
be loving, be compassionate, be humble.
That goes for all of you, no exceptions.
No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm.
Instead, bless—that's your job, to bless.
You'll be a blessing and also get a blessing.

Whoever wants to embrace life
and see the day fill up with good,
Here's what you do:
Say nothing evil or hurtful;
Snub evil and cultivate good;
run after peace for all you're worth.
God looks on all this with approval,
listening and responding well to what he's asked;
But he turns his back
on those who do evil things. [1 Peter 3:8-12 | The Message]

Have Less, Live More

2007-12-14T00:51:00.001-05:00

BuyNothingChristmas.org

'Tis The Season

2007-11-30T12:41:00.000-05:00

Man dies hanging Christmas lights
Shocked and falls 30 feet from ladder
By STEPHANIE KISZCZAK

November 29, 2007 - 9:25PM

EDWARDSVILLE — A man died Thursday night after he was shocked and then fell 30 feet off a ladder while hanging Christmas lights on a tree outside his home.

Bruce R. Coultas, 42, of the 100 block of North Fillmore Street, was perched on an aluminum extension ladder against a large pine tree in his front yard and was attempting to hang Christmas lights. He came into contact with high-tension power lines carrying 7,200 volts of electricity and fell some 30 feet to the ground, Edwardsville Fire Chief J. Brian Wilson said.

“It appeared he may have thrown the strand (of Christmas lights) to make it across the tree,” Wilson said.

The strand of lights came into contact with an Ameren power line, which transmitted electricity into Coultas, Edwardsville Police Chief James S. Bedell said in a news release Thursday night. He was “thrown from the ladder and landed on the ground.”

A witness walking by the house “saw an electric arc, flash of light and then saw the victim fall to the ground,” Wilson said. The witness called 911. The Edwardsville Police and Fire Departments got the call at 5:35 p.m. and arrived on the scene just two minutes later.

Rescue crews found Coultas “unconscious and unresponsive” by the sidewalk in front of his house. After using an electricity-sensing device to verify that Coultas no longer was in contact with electrical wires, rescue workers put him in an ambulance and began resuscitation. He was taken to Anderson Hospital in Maryville, where he died of his injuries, Wilson said.

A cause of death has not been determined, Bedell said in the release.

The Forgotten Ways

2007-11-17T19:28:00.000-05:00

[ Book Review by By B. Brisco - The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the Missional Church by Alan Hirsch ]

Using studies by Rodney Stark, Hirsch calculates that the early church grew from 25,000 in AD 100 to about 20,000,000 in AD 310. How did this happen? What was going on in early Christianity to experience this type of growth? To illustrate that this phenomena was not just an early church experience Hirsch shares the example of the church in China. When Mao Tse-tung took control of China there were approximately 2 million Christians. However, when the Bamboo Curtain was lifted some estimated the Christian population in China to be near 60 million. Moreover, the number of Christians in China today are around 80 million. Once again, how did this kind of growth happen?

Hirsch states some qualifications:

1. They were an illegal religion throughout this period.
2. They didn't have church buildings as we know them.
3. They didn't have scriptures as we know them.
4. They didn't have an institution or professional forms of leadership.
5. They didn't have seeker-sensitive services, youth groups, worship bands, seminaries, etc.
6. They actually made it hard to join the church.

In chapter one, titled "Setting the Scene" and subtitled "Confessions of a Frustrated Missionary" Hirsch tells a bit of his own story as leader of South Melbourne Restoration Community. Hirsch shares how he and his wife were brought to the church as a kind of last ditch effort to revive a church that had experienced birth, growth and decline in its 140 year history. Through the process the Hirschs came to the conclusion that they wanted to be involved in a church that was highly participatory (much more than the 20:80 rule) and missional.

Hirsch provides a good contrast between the typical church growth principles that are used today to grow a contemporary church and the essential components that best describes the nature of the church. Hirsch states "if you wish to grow a contemporary church following good church growth principles, there are several things you must do and constantly improve upon:

1. Expand the building for growth.
2. Ensure excellent preaching that relates to the life of the hearers.
3. Develop an inspiring worship service with an excellent band.
4. Make certain you have excellent parking facilities.
5. Ensure excellent programs for children and youth.
6. Develop a program of cell groups rooted in a Christian ed model.
7. Make sure that next week is better than last week.

In contrast to the above, Hirsch discusses the nature of, or innate purpose of the church according to scriptures:

1. A covenanted community
2. Centered on Jesus Christ ("Jesus is Lord").
3. Worship, defined as offering our lives back to God through Jesus.
4. Discipleship, defined as following Jesus & becoming like him.
5. Mission, defined as extending the mission of God through the activities of the covenanted community.

In the last section of the chapter, and my favorite, Hirsch discribes the practices that their faith community "came up with" as:

1. The basic ecclesial (church) unit was to become much smaller so as to transform from the active:passive ratio from 20:80 to 80:20.

2. They would not devleop a philosophy of ministry per se, but rather a covenant and core practices.

3. Each group had to be engaged in a healthy diet of spiritual disciplines, following the TEMPT model:

T: Together we follow -- community focused.
E: Engage Scripture -- integrating Bible into life.
M: Mission -- missional activities bring cohesion.
P: Passion for Jesus -- worship and prayer.
T: Transformation -- character development & accountability.

4. They would organize the movement in three basic rhythms: a weekly cycle of TEMPT groups, a monthly regional meeting of TEMPT groups, and a biannual gathering of all the groups in a movement-wide network.

5. Each TEMPT group would covenant to multiply itself as soon as it is organically feasible and possible.

In chapter two of "The Forgotten Ways" author Alan Hirsch proposes that the decline of the church in Western culture can be attributed to defaulting to a Christendom mode of thinking. Moreover, because of our Christendom default mode we don't even know that there is a better alternative.

Quoting Bono from U2, "we are stuck in a moment and now we can't get out of it." Or from one with few more academic credentials; David Bosch in Transforming Mission states: "Strictly speaking one ought to say that the Church is always in a state of crisis and that its greatest shortcoming is that it is only occasionally aware of it."

For Hirsch the root of the problem is Christendom and our inability to adequately deal with the very assumptions on which Christendom is built and maintains itself. Relying partially on Stuart Murray's excellent Post-Christendom: Church and Mission in a Strange New World, Hirsch provides a convincing summary of the significance of Constantine's decisions. Just a few of the Christendom shifts include:

1. The movement of the church from the margins of society to its center.

2. The assumption that all citizens were Christian by birth.

3. Sunday as an official day of rest and obligatory church attendance.

4. A generic distinction between clergy and laity, and the relegation of the laity to a largely passive role.

5. The defense of Christianity by legal sanctions to restrain heresy, immorality, and schism.

6. The division of the globe into "Christendom" or "heathendom" and the waging of war in the name of Christ and the church.

7. A hierarchical ecclesiastical system, based on a diocesan and parish arrangement, which was analogous to the state hierarchy and was buttressed by state support.

Hirsch states: "This shift to Christendom was thoroughly paradigmatic, and the implications were absolutely disastrous for the Jesus movement that was incrementally transforming the Roman world from the bottom up."

He follows this up with a fantastic quote from church historian Rodney Stark: "Far too long, historians have accepted the claim that the conversion of the Emperor Constantine (ca. 285-337) caused the triumph of Christianity. To the contrary, he destroyed its most attractive and dynamic aspects, turning a high-intensity, grassroots movement into an arrogant institution controlled by an elite who often managed to be both brutal and lax."

On page 64 Hirsch offers an excellent comparison table between three "church modes." He compares the "Aposotolic & Post-Apostolic Mode" (AD 32 to 313), the "Christendom Mode" (313 to present) and the "Emerging Missional Mode" (past 10 years) in six different categories.

The characteristics of the Christendom mode include:

1. Locus of gathering: Buildings become central to "church."
2. Leadership: Institutionally ordained clergy/professional guild.
3. Organizational structure: Top-down.
4. Means of grace: Sacraments experienced only "in church."
5. Position in society: Church is perceived to be central to society.
6. Missional mode: Attractional and extractional.

The characteristics of the Emerging Missional mode (and in most cases parallels the Apostolic mode):

1. Locus of gathering: Rejects need for "church" buildings.
2. Leadership: Pioneering-innovative, 5-fold ministry.
3. Organizational structure: Grassroots, decentralized movement.
4. Means of grace: Redeems/ritualizes new symbols, including Lord's Supper.
5. Position in society: Church is once again on the fringes.
6. Missional mode: Incarnational-sending and missional.

Hirsch offers a short introduction to the second section, in which he presents the core piece for the rest of the book - mDNA (missional DNA). He states:

"With this concept/metaphor I hope to explain why the presence of a simple, intrinsic, reproducible, central guiding mechanism is necessary for the reproduction and sustainability of genuine missional movements. As an organism holds together, and each cell understands its function in relation to its DNA, so the church finds its reference point in its built-in mDNA. As DNA carries the genetic coding, and therefore the life, of a particualr organism, so too mDNA codes Apostolic Genius (the life force that pulsated through the New Testament church and in other expressions of apostolic Jesus movements throughout history)."

So what are the key elements of Apostolic Genius? The six distinctives identified by Hirsch are:

1. Jesus is Lord
2. Disciple Making
3. Missional-incarnational Impulse
4. Apostolic Environment
5. Organic Systems
6. Communitas, Not Community

After introducing these six elements Hirsch then moves in chapter 3 to the heart of Apostolic Genius - "Jesus is Lord." I found much to like about this chapter. I enjoyed Hirsch's insights on how the early church, in order to survive in the context of persecution, had to "jettison all unnecessary impediments" such as an institutional conception of the church. Additionally, in the midst of persecution Hirsch maintains that the church had to "travel light" in regards to a simple Christology (essential conceptions of who Jesus is and what he does).

I also appreciated Hirsch's discussion on the Shema and the consistency that is to be found between it and Christ. Moreover, the implication that "christocentric monotheism" has for bringing to an end the false dualism of things sacred/secular. However, for sake of brevity I thought the best summary of Hirsch's overall purpose for this chapter was in the following paragraph:

"At its very heart, Christianity is therefore a messianic movement, one that seeks to consistently embody the life, spirituality, and mission of its Founder. We have made it so many other things, but this is its utter simplicity. Discipleship, becoming like Jesus our Lord and Founder, lies at the epicenter of the church's task. It means that Christology must define all that we do and say. It also means that in order to recover the ethos of authentic Christianity, we need to refocus our attention back to the Root of it all, to recalibrate ourselves and our organizations around the person and work of Jesus the Lord. It will mean taking the Gospels seriously as the primary texts that define us. It will mean acting like Jesus in relation to people outside of the faith."

Ad Nauseum

2007-11-03T20:58:00.000-04:00

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

2007-11-03T18:18:00.000-04:00

November 1st, the day after Halloween. It's a new day and kids everywhere are recovering from sugar hangovers. I, with no sugar or candy in my system at all, walk into the local Walmart in search of a bargain.

While strolling through my favorite Walmart department (electronics, of course) I realize that a familiar tune is stuck in my head, but I can't quite put my finger on the exact song. JUST THEN SOMEONE IN THE DEPARTMENT BEHIND ME SCREAMS FOR ALL TO HEAR!"What?! Christmas music?! Already?!?! Oh my gosh!"
Yup. That's right. Walmart was playing Christmas music via their PA system. Christmas music. On November 1st.

Welcome to the growing commercialization of the beloved Christmas holiday.

I lived in Brazil during Christmas a few years ago, working with a local church. One day I asked the pastor if the church was planning to decorate for Christmas by putting up a tree, etc. The pastor seemed puzzled by my question and looked like he had just seen a ghost! He was so taken back by my question that he simply responded by saying,"Why would we do that? We're Christians? Putting up decorations and a Christmas tree is something the world does!"
Right! Ha! Of course it is! Silly me.
"We meet together on Christmas day and celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
Yes! We do that too in North America! At least, some of us, sort of, do that around Christmastime at our churches during a special service that is usually no longer than an hour... sort of. But we mostly put up decorations and Christmas trees and spend money we don't have on giving gifts to people we don't really know and make special cookies and hold parties with wine and cheese and string our houses with colored lights and... oh yeah, sometime we'll host a turkey dinner at our church for people who don't have tons of money to do all those things...

So, yeah. It's kinda the same thing.

Óculos Novo [ New Glasses ]

2007-10-08T00:08:00.000-04:00

One Year Warranty

2007-09-30T21:47:00.000-04:00

I'm kind of sad about the whole Great Glasses thing. I re-read my original post today (and the 44 comments) and still believe my initial concerns were valid. I understand that GG wants to be an innovator in the optical services industry but perhaps they could go about it another way.

I bought these specs at Great Glasses almost a year ago. This past week I noticed that one of the arms was getting loose, so I stopped into Precision Optical to get them checked out. The optician told me that the arm was about to break off and suggested new frames.

Darn. It's been less than a year! My glasses usually last two or three years at minimum! Then I remembered... these frames came with a one year warranty! If I can find the receipt I can go back to Great Glasses and get them replaced! Perhaps my GG experience would turn itself around!

Wow. THAT was a mistake! Who knew that all the employees at Great Glasses read my blog! AND that if you Google the words "great glasses" my blog comes up as the second most popular response just below the Great Glasses website! (No, really! Who knew?! I didn't!)

Let's just say my experience at Great Glasses today was rather, um... icy. I simply asked about the one year warranty and was told that I may not be eligible for it because of... well, my BLOG!

[ THAT was weird. ]

By the time I got home I started to wonder if I should be concerned for my safety! After all, Great Glasses has all my contact information in their computer, including my home address!

Whatever happened to "the customer is always right?" Isn't that one of the laws of customer service?!

Well, by the time you read this I imagine that every employee at Great Glasses will have read it too. I'm really a nice guy and want to work this out. Unfortunately, I don't respond well to defensive customer service.

Hey Great Glasses, maybe you can fix my glasses for me, after all, they ARE covered by the GG warranty and I DID pay over $400 for them.

Call me? I think you have my number.

[Sigh.]

The Vision

2007-09-18T21:22:00.001-04:00

Post Traumatic Church Disorder - Part Four

2007-09-05T22:20:00.000-04:00

During my research on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (specifically related to war veterans), I discovered that treatment usually consists of two things: medication and therapy (counselling). Although Post Traumatic Church Disorder (PTCD) is the result of a very different kind of trauma than PTSD, the symptoms and reactions are very similar. On the other hand, I do not think the treatment for Post Traumatic Church Disorder can be the same.

Please hear me. People will require medication and therapy of all sorts, for all sorts of health related issues. I am NOT questioning treatment methods that include drugs or counselling. In fact, during the initial stages of my personal experience with "church trauma" I participated in multiple counselling sessions that were effective, encouraging and helped me heal. You may need to talk with a professional counsellor or therapist about your PTCD experiences. I would highly recommend it. For me, it was life-giving.

I also know a few people that are being helped significantly (for depression specifically) through the use of daily medication, prescribed by their doctor. Although I do not like to take medications personally (because I prefer alternative medicine using natural supplements, etc.) I know that people can have positive experiences taking medications that improve chemical imbalances, etc.

So, for this final post on what I have labelled Post Traumatic Church Disorder, it is important that we dialogue about healing. In many ways I have not fully recovered from the "church trauma" I experienced at the hands of my former denomination, but I HAVE taken SIGNIFICANT steps toward healing and restoration.

And because there are so many variables when it comes to how "you" (or someone you know) has been hurt by the church, there are equally various solutions for helping someone heal. So even though I will share some very important steps I've taken towards healing, you may have taken other steps that I want you to share in the comments of this blog.

PRAYER. Sounds so simple, doesn't it. But asking someone to PRAY FOR YOU is so important. I have been amazed at how much relief I've experienced through a simple prayer prayed by a trusted friend. (And I'll talk about the importance of TRUST in a moment.)

CONFESSION. "Okay Paul, now you're boring me!" Yeah, I know. Again... simple. And confession goes hand-in-hand with prayer.

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. [ James 5:16 ]

If you read the context of that verse you will notice that it related to sick, or WEAK people! The AMPLIFIED VERSION says it this way...

Confess to one another therefore your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and pray [also] for one another, that you may be healed and restored [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart].

During my journey God "tricked" me into a confession session. Have you ever had God do that? I didn't want to "go" there. I just wanted to complain about how bad I had been hurt. But instead, God wanted to CLEAN ME UP FIRST so that I could be ready to not only be HEALED and RESTORED, but then to give it away to others. And he brought me to a person that embraced me COMPLETELY and UNCONDITIONALLY that I was able to "spill my guts" with. It was a very significant part of the healing process for me and included breaking soul ties, renouncing generational curses, etc.

[ If you have never heard of these things I would encourage you to do some research of your own. You can start by visiting Cleansing Stream, which is the minister that helped me considerably. ]

FORGIVENESS. You must deal with unforgiveness, offense and bitterness toward the people that hurt you. I remember VIVIDLY the morning that I released forgiveness (in prayer) toward the church leaders that hurt me. What a weight off my shoulders! What a relief! Releasing forgiveness is just as much for YOU as it is for the person who hurt you. Often God will ask you to reconcile with the person, or forgive them in person, but more often God simply wants you to deal with the unforgiveness, offense and bitterness that is being stored in your heart.

SIDE NOTE: you DO NOT have to continue in relationship with people that have hurt you. You can effectively release forgiveness to them while deciding NOT to associate with them ever again. Disconnecting yourself from the church that hurt you is usually part of the healing process, EVEN IF you have forgiven them. There is NO PRESSURE to go back into fellowship with the church or leaders that hurt you.

Wow, there is so much to say, but let me conclude by talking a bit about TRUST.

You do not OWE anything to anyone. No explanations, nothing.

Stop trusting in man!

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. [ Psalms 118:8 ]

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." [ Jeremiah 29:11 ]

Lancaster Bomber & B-25

2007-08-31T10:58:00.000-04:00

The Avro Lancaster bomber was the most outstanding heavy bomber of the Second World War. The aircraft carried a bomb load of up to, and including, the 22,000 lb Grand Slam bomb.

The B-25 –J Mitchell is a twin-engined bomber and fought in every theatre of World War II. This aircraft is also the one that Colonel Jimmy Doolittle led off of the deck of an aircraft carrier to make the first bombing raid on Tokyo.

The National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder estimates that one of every 20 World War II veterans suffered symptoms such as bad dreams, irritability and flashbacks.

According to Department of Veterans Affairs' statistics in 2004, 25, 000 World War II veterans were still receiving disability compensation for PTSD-related symptoms.

Studies suggested that the most poorly treated prisoners of war had fewer symptoms than front-line soldiers because the prisoners were no longer in a position where they had to kill.

Stay tuned for Part Four - the conclusion of my series on Post Traumatic Church Disorder.

Post Traumatic Church Disorder - Part Three

2007-08-10T00:17:00.000-04:00

[ The following is information I have gathered from the Internet regarding people who experience some sort of “trauma” resulting in a “stress” (or church) disorder. Hopefully the following resource will shed additional light on Post Traumatic Church Disorder. ]

“I never dreamed it would or could be this way. I just want to go numb and block it out.”

In Part One I listed some of the symptoms of PTCD. Here I will list some reactions and symptoms often associated with being bullied, specifically.

Fatigue with symptoms of or similar to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

An anger of injustice stimulated to an excessive degree (sometimes but improperly attracting the words "manic" instead of motivated, "obsessive" instead of focused, and "angry" instead of "passionate", especially from those with something to fear)

An overwhelming desire for acknowledgment, understanding, recognition and validation of their experience

A simultaneous and paradoxical unwillingness to talk about the bullying

A lack of desire for revenge, but a strong motivation for justice

A tendency to oscillate between conciliation (forgiveness) and anger (revenge) with objectivity being the main casualty

Extreme fragility, where formerly the person was of a strong, stable character

Numbness, both physical (toes, fingertips, and lips) and emotional (inability to feel love and joy)

Clumsiness

Forgetfulness

Hyper awareness and an acute sense of time passing, seasons changing, and distances traveled

An enhanced environmental awareness, often on a planetary scale

A constant feeling that one has to justify everything one says and does

Some of the above may apply to you or someone you know. What should our response be? How, as believers, should we handle this psychological, emotional and spiritual wound? It is deep, and life changing. You will never be the same again, but what should we do? What is the answer? How do we heal? How do we go on?

[ The following commentary and encouragement was also gathered online. I am including it as I personally prepare to write about healing in Part Four - the final part of this series. ]

Post Traumatic Church Disorder - Part Two

2007-07-26T23:07:00.000-04:00

[ I want to talk about my personal experience and how it relates to what I wrote in Part One. In Part Three I hope to provide additional data based on research I have done. The following commentary is based on a conversation I had with a friend shortly after I posted PTCD Part One. ]

Post Traumatic Church Disorder - Part One

2007-04-12T22:23:00.000-04:00

Charity

2007-02-14T15:33:00.000-05:00

It's Valentines Day in Canada. And I've been thinking about the word charity for a couple of days.

[char-i-tee]-noun

1. generous actions or donations to aid the poor, ill, or helpless
2. something given to a person or persons in need; alms
3. a charitable act or work
4. a charitable fund, foundation, or institution
5. benevolent feeling, esp. toward those in need or in disfavor
6. leniency in judging others; forbearance
7. Christian love; agape

In the Vulgate (the Latin version of the Bible, prepared chiefly by Saint Jerome at the end of the 4th century a.d., and used as the authorized version of the Roman Catholic Church) charity (from the Latin word caritas) was used as translation of the Greek word agape (love) to avoid the sexual suggestion of the Latin word amor. The Vulgate also sometimes translated agape by the Latin word dilectio, "to esteem highly, to love."

[a·gape]-noun

1. the love of God or Christ for humankind
2. selfless love of one person for another without sexual implications (especially love that is spiritual in nature)
3. a religious meal shared ("love feast" - held in connection with the Lord's Supper) as a sign of love and fellowship

When agape is translated by charity it means either (1) a disposition in man which may qualify his own character (1 Cor 8:1) and be ready to go forth to God (1 Cor 8:3) or to men; or (2) an active and actual relation with other men, generally within the church (Col 3:14; 1 Thess 3:6; 2 Thess 1:3; 1 Tim 1:5; 4:12; 1 Pet 4:8; 5:14), but also absolutely and universally (1 Cor 13). In the earlier epistles it stands first and unique as the supreme principle of the Christian life (1 Cor 13), but in the later writings, it is enumerated as one among the Christian virtues (1 Tim 2:15; 2 Tim 2:22; 3:10; Tit 2:2; 2 Pet 1:7; Rev 2:19).

[NETBible]

Two days ago I wired money to my friend David in Uganda, as an act of charity. As I was coming out of the bank a woman was "begging" for money - money, she said, she needed to buy food for her eight year old son. I recognized this lady. I've seen her begging elsewhere, and even bought her a bagel and a bottle of water once outside a Tim Hortons. I asked her a couple of questions about her son and then told her I'd buy him (and her) a slice of pizza if she was interested. She said that would be fine but she'd have to keep it with her for a bit.

Three doors down from my bank is a grocery store. I told the woman to wait and I'd be back in a few minutes. I went into the grocery store and purchased two $10 food vouchers. When I came out the woman was waiting for me. I handed her one of the vouchers and asked her to make sure her son had food to eat. I went to my car and put the second voucher in the visor - for next time.

And then I had a thought. I said to myself, "It's only money!" And we all know that money comes, and money goes. And money is not really that important in the big scheme of things.

But charity, now that's important.

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
[1 Corinthians 13:1-3, 13 | King James Version]

Email Request

2007-02-12T15:03:00.000-05:00

Dear friend,

If you're receiving this email then you are most likely someone who has supported me prayerfully and/or financially over the last 5 - 10 years. Some of you may remember me talking about David from Uganda. Recently his apartment was lost to a fire and his landlord has blamed David for this loss. His landlord is threatening to have David jailed for six months if he doesn't pay the renovation costs ($400USD).

I've known David for 14 years and I'm in contact with him on a regular basis. Prior to this situation David has only once asked me to help him financially and that was to attend a youth camp that cost $25. David has not asked me to send him money regarding this apartment fire, but I have made direct contact with his landlord and told him that I would transfer the money to David's account this week to resolve this matter.

I am sending the money either way, but I am asking you to pray about helping me do so. $400USD plus the bank fees will cost me about $525CAD. Anything you can do to help would be appreciated. If you are unable to help financially please pray that this situation would be resolved quickly and that David would remain safe and be able to find a new place to live.

Thank you for being a blessing in my life!
Paul