Wednesday, August 22, 2007

This and That in Pictures

I was browsing my photo archives. These are some of my interesting ones.

I love this picture. I "borrowed" it from my nephew's blog.
Printer Jam : I understand the mouse was released without harm.

This is interesting.









I got this picture in an e-mail. It was labeled : a poor man's bar-b-que.
This is our chopper. We sold it to my nephew a couple of years ago. He never got around to getting his motorcycle license so we are buying it back.


The first picture was taken of our front yard in January 2006, the second one January 2007. What a difference a year makes.





Monday, August 20, 2007

Voice of the Martyrs


Indonesia
The Sword will not Separate
Brought to you by The Voice of the Martyrs

From the left side, Noviana Malewa may look like any other 15-year-old girl. In her eyes you see a sadness and a strength much too deep for any girl her age. She has the look of someone who has witnessed more than they want to see and endured more than they think they can survive.
In October 2005, Noviana and three other teenagers were taking a small footpath on the way to their Christian high school near Poso, Indonesia. Suddenly, from out of the jungle, sprang six masked men in all black, wielding machetes. Noviana fought bravely, but was struck across the side of her face and neck with a machete. She fell to the ground and rolled down into a ravine. Above, she heard her friends screaming. Just when she was about to lose hope, a van of soldiers appeared and took her to a hospital.
Noviana was the only survivor that day. After the attack, she was hidden in a Christian village and guarded by police because her testimony was needed in court. The radical Muslims who had killed her friends were still looking for her. It was even too dangerous for her to attempt a hospital visit.
After months of negotiation to guarantee her safety, VOMedical was finally able to arrange transportation to a hospital in Surabaya, Indonesia. While in hiding VOMedical will continue follow-up treatment. Though Noviana's physical scars are beginning to heal, she still struggles with the emotional and mental scars from witnessing the brutal murder of her three friends. Yet, she remains steadfast in her faith.
Check out this link for information on Voice of the Martyrs

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Some Words of Wisdom

"I am not available right now, but thank you for caring enough to call. I am making some changes in my life. Please leave a message after the beep. If I do not return your call, you are one of the changes."

Aspire to inspire before you expire.

Frustration is trying to find your glasses without your glasses.

Blessed are those who can give without remembering And take without forgetting.

The irony of life is that, by the time you're old enough to know your way around, you're not going anywhere.

I was always taught to respect my elders, But it keeps getting harder to find one.

Every morning is the dawn of a new error.


The quote of the month is by Jay Leno: "With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, "Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"

The man whispered, "God, speak to me" and a meadowlark sang. But the man did not hear. So the man yelled, "God, speak to me" and the thunder rolled across the sky. But the man did not listen. The man looked around and said, "God let me see you." And a star shined brightly. But the man did not see. And the man shouted, "God show me a miracle." And a life was born. But the man did not notice. So the man cried out in despair, "Touch me God, and let me know you are here." Whereupon God reached down and touched the man. But the man brushed the butterfly away .. and walked on. Don't miss out on a blessing because it isn't packaged the way that you expect.

Friday, August 17, 2007

rios2008_But_The_Father_Makes_Them_Grow

Watch this. It's wonderful.

Can You Say Appeasment?

According to the New World Dictionary Second College Edition the definition of 'appeasment' is 'the policy of giving in to the demands of a hostile or aggressive power in an attempt to keep the peace.'

From an article posted on WorldNetDaily August 15, 2007:
Catholic churches in the Netherlands should use the name Allah for God to ease tensions between Muslims and Christians, says a Dutch bishop.
Tiny Muskens, the bishop of Breda, told the Dutch TV program "Network" Monday night he believes God doesn't mind what he is called, Radio Netherlands Worldwide reported.
The Almighty is above such "discussion and bickering," he insisted.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=57178


Exodus 3:13-15
And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?
And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

God did not tell Moses that His name is "Allah".

Exodus 6:3
And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob knew Him as Jehovah, not "Allah".

Nowhere in the Holy Bible is God referred to as "Allah". God insured that His people knew His name. What makes Bishop Muskens think that God doesn't care what He is called? My name is Trudy. I would soon be offended if someone insisted on calling me "Sally" when they already knew what my name is just because they liked "Sally" better or because someone else liked that name better. For that matter, what makes Christians think that Muslims will like us any better if we appease them? If anything, they will lose even more respect for us because we don't even have the courage to stand fast for what we believe. Well entrenched hatreds will not go away simply because we back down on matters of our own faith.




Thursday, August 16, 2007

My Pumpkin Turned Into a Coach

It's a long, sad story but my 2000 VW Jetta has turned into a 2005 Ford Focus and a trip to Vegas! My husband very generously decided to buy me a car. See : "I've Got Wheels" July 13, 2007. Almost immediately problems started. See : "True Love Never Runs Smooth" July 17, 2007. After two weeks in the shop we had the Jetta back for two days when another problem surfaced. When the headlights were turned on a wierd noise eminated from the radio. The sales manager at the Ford dealership told us that the Jetta that they had sold us was "a piece of sh*t" (his words) and that they would take it back and get us into "a decent car".By the time we were finished we had a car that is five years newer, a better interest rate, three days and two nights in Vegas and lifetime service with free oil changes. The Focus has all of the bells and whistles that the Jetta had except we traded the sun roof for heated seats. After all, we do have to live with Alberta winters! And the Focus has a CD player - the Jetta only had a tape deck. The Focus runs so quietly that when it is idling you're not even sure it is running. I'm sure we're going to be very happy together.

Friday, August 10, 2007

Pastor Berlin V Guerrero

This is a press release when Pastor Berlin V Guerrero was kidnapped:

PRESS STATEMENT
*presented to the media, 12 nn, May 28, 2007
The United Church of Christ in the Philippines condemns in strongest terms the latest abduction of one of its pastors, Pastor Berlin V. Guerrero who was taken at gunpoint yesterday at 5:45 pm Sunday, May 27, 2007 in front of Seven Star gas station at Bgy. Casile, Binan, Laguna by undetermined number of armed men who were on board two L 300 FB vans whose plate numbers were covered.
Pastor Guerrero, 46 years old, pastor assigned at the UCCP local in Malaban, was with his wife Mylene and three children when the abduction took place. According to his wife, they were on board a tricycle when military looking armed men blocked their way, poked their guns on them, grabbed her bag as they forced Pastor Guerrero in one of the vans.
According to witnesses, some of the abductors were even video taping the incident. The vans fled to the direction of Carmona.
As of press time, efforts to locate Pastor Guerrero in various military and police facilities are fruitless.

This update was then printed:

We have found Pastor Berlin. He is detained here at Camp Pantaleon Garcia in Imus, Cavite. The Philippine National Police (PNP) says he faces murder and sedition cases filed in 1991 and 1993. He is tortured.

The following is a poem that he apparently wrote while in prison:

A PASTOR IN PRISON

When a pastor is in prison
his ministry is not impaired;
the bars and walls
are only futile attempts
to cut his connections to the world
beyond the state curtain.

His confinement
is limited only to the physical body
and never to his spirit;
transcending the man-made prison
he is ever connected to the Source.

He remains a priest --
meditating on the liberating Gospel
together with fellow prisoners,
they come before the God of freedom and justice.

He remains a prophet --
speaking the truth,
exposing the crookedness of the prison
meant to straiten persons
pointing out the negligence and faults of the court system
which add up to injustice already done
to the poor and the oppressed.

His understanding and skill of pastoral care
is deepened and honed
in the countless narratives
of human frailty, failure and hopelessness
where the only the spoken language
is that of forgiveness, love and hope.

He becomes a healer --
of the sick and broken
-a sea of humility, its will defeated and dying.

His touch caresses the hardened heart
and calms the troubled soul.

His ears are attuned
to the whisper pleas
and unspoken prayers
of the remorseful, lost and heavy-laden.

His voice echoes
God's message of redemption
in a pit of forsakenness
and a ravine of damnation.

He is humbled in finding himself
among the wicked and downtrodden
which reminds him
of his own imperfection.

He treats each inmate as a child of God
invited to partake in Christ's feast
and into God's reign
in the here and now
of the concrete prison cell.

Christ is enfleshed
through the pastor's acts
in the redeemed and redemptive community
he prayerfully works to bring about
within the wall and iron bars
of the cursed state prison.

Pastor Berlin V. Guerrero
June 21 2007
CPJ - TMC

Please pray for Pastor Berlin V Guerrero and his family as they attempt to get through this ordeal.

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Judge Not

Matthew 7:1
Judge not, that ye be not judged.

It can be frustrating that this verse is often mis-quoted by persons who wish to justify their own sin. If we dare to call any action sin - pre-marital sex, homosexuality, abortion, drug abuse, etc - we are often told that we are not permitted to judge others. The answer, of course, is that we did not decide that these actions are sin, God did.

"Judge the fruit but do not judge the motives or the intentions of the heart."
This is a quote from John Bevere

I do not wish to get into the debate over whether or not John Bevere promotes false teachings; I only know that this particular quote is right on. "Judging the fruit" means that we are agreeing with God that the actions that He has called sin are in fact sin. "Not judging the motives or the intentions of the heart" means that human beings are not capable of reading either minds or hearts. Only God can do that. If we say "He is only doing that to impress people" or She is only saying that for her own gain" or "If they do that they must not love God" then we are judging motives and intentions, something we are not permitted to do. We are to leave those judgements to someone who is qualified to do them accurately - God.

1 Samuel 16
But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

A Blast From the Past

My brother spotted this van in the west-end of Edmonton, a few blocks from my mother's house. I don't know if it belongs, or ever did belong, to Bobby Curtola but I understand that he does live either in Edmonton or the Edmonton area.
For any of you too young to remember, Bobby Curtola was a teen idol back in the 60's. He was one of the few Canadian music artists to make it big in Canada, the US and internationally. His hits included "Fortune Teller", "Aladdin" and "Three Rows Over" as well as many more. He is in the Coca Cola Hall of Fame for his jingles "Things Go Better with Coke" and "The Real Thing".
He went on to become a Las Vegas performer; his career has spanned four decades.
Bobby Curtola was born in Port Arthur Ontario on April 17, 1943. A friend of his from Ontario was also an old family friend of my father's. Once, back in the 80's, she came to Edmonton to visit Bobby and his wife. She invited my parents to meet the Curtolas at their hotel with her and they were able to spend the evening getting to know them.
Bobby Curtola has won many awards including "The Order of Canada" and is known for his many charitable endeavors.

Monday, August 6, 2007

The Dangers of Dissing Yo Mama

It doesn't pay to disrespect your mother. A Sicilian mother took away her 61 year old son's house keys, cut off his allowance and hauled him to the police station because he stayed out late and disrespected her, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
See the whole story at:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Mum-cuts-off-61yearold-sons-allowance/2007/08/03/1185648104257.html

Proverbs 17:25
A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her that bare him.


Proverbs 29:17
Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.


Friday, August 3, 2007

In The News

Here are a couple of interesting stories "In the News" in the last couple of days.





Cucumber flavored Pepsi. Available only in Japan.





The Duggar family of Rogers, Arkansa - Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar just had their seventeenth child, a girl named Jennifer.

All of the children have names beginning with the letter J. Joshua 19, John David 17, Janna 17, Jill 16, Jessa 14, Jinger 13, Joseph 12, Josiah 11, Joy-Anna 9, Jedidiah 8, Jeremiah 8, Jason 7, James 6, Justin 4, Jackson 3, Johannah 2 and baby Jennifer. Michelle has been pregnant for 126 months or 10.5 years of her life. She says that they would like to have more children.

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Guerilla Gardening


Guerilla Gardening is sweeping both North America and Europe.


This is from the website of a group in Toronto, Ontario.


Without permit or license, we plant seeds and seedlings in all those neglected corners of public space. Join us as we vandalise the city with nature!


Seed Bomb and Little Sign-Making Session
Sunday, May 6 ~ 2pm519 Centre at 519 Church St
We need to get together to make the seed bombs and "Please Water Me" signs that we use for the season. Please bring whatever paints and art supplies you may have...
























These pictures are from a website in London, England.

I wish someone would Guerilla Garden in my yard!