KeyholeMinistries

Mother's Day (2008)

2008-05-10T19:11:00.007-06:00

Sunday, May 11, 2008 is Mother's Day, a day celebrated in many countries of the world. Although the day has become highly commercial - it is apparently the day that the largest number of people eat out - it is still an important day in the lives of most people in which to honor mothers, grandmothers, step-mothers, mothers-in-law and various other women who have made a major impact on their life.

So on Mother's Day 2008, I would just like to pass on a great big thank-you to my own mother and to my mother-in-law for the many sacrifices that these women made in order to raise both me and my husband. You are both very special women.

The Purpose of Justice

2008-05-09T18:29:00.009-06:00

What do you think the purpose of our justice system is? Is the intent to punish criminals or to rehabilitate them?

In the early 1970's, Susan Lefevre was arrested in Detroit for selling drugs to an undercover police officer. Although it was her first offence she was sentenced to 10-20 years in prison. At the end of her first year in custody, Susan escaped with the help of her grandfather, and disappeared for over thirty years.

On April 24, 2008, Susan was finally arrested again. She is now living in San Diego using the name Marie Walsh, she has been married for 23 years and has 3 children. She is apparently a model citizen.

Should Susan/Marie now have to complete the 9-19 years remaining on her original sentence plus possibly an additional sentence for the escape charge? The answer depends on whether or not we feel that justice is punitive or rehabilitative. If it is punitive then she must return to prison. If it is rehabilitative, then she has already been rehabilitated and probation is probably adequate.

Friends

2008-05-08T23:38:00.006-06:00

Almost everyone has heard the story by now of how Canadian, Brenda Martin, spent almost two hellish years in a Mexican prison and how the Canadian officials hemmed and hawed about assisting in her release. Almost everyone has also heard of her friend, Debra Tielman, who moved Heaven and Earth to get her friend back home. Has any one really considered the heroic lengths that Debra went to help the friend she hadn't talked to in 15 years and whom she hadn't seen in 32 years? Would any of us have gone to those lengths. Or would we merely have shaken our heads and said "That's terrible. I wish I could help." and then gone on with our own lives? I believe that God put Debra in Brenda's life "for such a time as this."

Brenda Martin is quoted as saying about Debra:

"She has been a godsend," Martin said Monday. "She has been as steadfast and true as any friend you could ever ask for. She gave me hope that I would get out of prison when I had nothing to believe in."

"I think what I have is conviction," Tieleman said. "I believe in what I am telling the public and I try to tell them in a straightforward way so they will understand."

Apparently, as the story goes, Debra looked at her fingernails one day and thought of her old friend, Brenda.

"Red fingernail polish has always reminded me of Brenda Martin, because when we were girls, I was a nail-biter and Brenda had gorgeous nails that she always painted red."

"I didn't know if Brenda was still married or what her last name would be, so I Googled her mom's last name and found one of your stories," Martin said.

She was talking about a newspaper story about how Brenda was in prison in Mexico accused of money laundering for her former employer's pyramid scheme.

The two girls met in grade nine when Debra's family moved to Trenton Ontario. Debra moved to Kitchener-Waterloo a few years later, Brenda followed and the two teens shared an apartment. They drifted apart over the years and lost touch.

Debra is now 52 years old, has two daughters and one grandson and owns her own business. But she put all of that on hold to come to the aid of her friend and run the campaign to free Brenda Martin.

When she realized Martin had been found guilty, she shouted, "This is justice in Mexico?" and rushed, crying, from the courtroom.
"I was devastated," Tieleman said. "I wanted it to be over for Brenda, but have to admit I also wanted it to be over for me. I wanted my life back."

On Thursday, Tieleman stood in the cold, driving rain at the Kitchener airport hoping for a glimpse of her friend as she stepped off a Canadair jet.
The government had pulled off what Tieleman called the fastest prisoner transfer in Canadian history.

"I have learned about what ordinary Canadians can make happen. We are pretty laid back, but when we have convictions, we are an incredible force to be reckoned with."

John 15:13
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Louie Giglio - Laminin

2008-05-07T21:21:00.001-06:00

This literally blew me away! You must watch this video!

Geese Gone Astray

2008-04-29T03:11:00.004-06:00

I managed to get a picture of these two geese who are living in the Inner-City, far from their natural habitat! They have even been spotted hanging out in crack-alley. Someone ought to tell them that you are known by the company you keep. Geese normally prefer wetlands, so what they are doing in this locale is any ones guess. They have been here for at least a couple of weeks. Possibly one is injured and couldn't fly any further. Perhaps they are just taking a break before moving further north. In any case they are obviously adventurous types to be hanging out in an area that is so far out of the norm.

Eric Grohe's Fabulous 3-d Murals

2008-04-29T01:14:00.015-06:00

A friend sent me the following e-mail featuring the wonderful 3-d artwork of Eric Grohe. His work is so lifelike that you can hardly believe that it is done with paint. He truly has a God given talent that needs to be seen to be believed. At the end of this post I have included a link to his web page where you can read more about the artist and see more samples of his work.

Liberty Remembers: Before ...

After ...

How to dress up a drab Shopping Mall - Niagara , NY

After. .

Indoor Murals - Miller Brewery . . . Hallway Before - Miller Fermenting Rooms

After Photos - Past meets Present in the Miller Brewery Fermenting Rooms - hooks, clipboards and aprons were added to the surface of the murals to enhance the illusion . . . You're looking at flat walls!

http://www.ericgrohemurals.com/

Secure In Your Salvation

2008-04-22T20:01:00.002-06:00

Many people, sadly enough, do not feel secure about their salvation. If you base your salvation upon works rather than faith you can never be quite sure. How do you know for sure that your good works do indeed outweigh your bad deeds? How can you be certain that you are actually using the same scales that God is using to determine your worthiness? It is frightening to think that the criteria we are using may not be at all the same criteria that God is using.

Matthew 5:20-28
For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

The following sermon was written by a good friend of mine, Tom Chambers. I believe it explains very clearly how you really can be certain of your place in eternity.
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Death has a wonderful way of showing us what is truly important in our lives. Most often when we think of death we think of those we will leave behind or of those who have gone on ahead of us. In reality Death wipes the slate clean of all the things that are of secondary importance and leaves us with the one thing that is left...our eternal destiny. As believers in God, we have two options: eternity with God or eternal separation from God...that's it. All the things we thought were important are now out of reach.
As Christians we claim our faith in Christ's promise of eternal life. Having accepted His gift of salvation not by our actions or good deeds or anything we have done but because we have professed Him as our savior. Nothing more.

I am not aware of a Christian who has not at some point in their walk posed concerns about their eternal salvation. Every so often when I think about my own walk with Jesus I am reminded of my sinful humanity. I become painfully aware that no matter how hard I try to break free from my sinful past I cannot stop sinning. God cannot and will not accept sin. When we ponder this truth, we can lose heart and doubt our eternal salvation. If God cannot and will not accept sin, how then can we be truly saved and have assurance of salvation? Clearly the confusion and doubt that ensues was not in Jesus' plan for our lives. It is important to remember that as Christians this doubt is not something we need to ponder.

Salvation is so complex and yet so simple. Amid this confusion we read Paul’s words telling us we are all sinners in Rom 3:23 and later telling us in Rom 8:1 that we are no longer under condemnation. So which is it? The short answer is “both”.

The Apostle John is credited with writing the three letters that bears his name. I want to focus in on the first one. It is a short letter that was written close to the end of the first century (around 95 A.D.) and bears a few unusual features.
First, it has no customary greetings associated with letter writing – the author bulldozes directly into a discourse that echoes the first chapter of John’s gospel.
Secondly, there is no audience identified. This letter is directed at Christian believers though none are identified by name or region, but it is clear that the recipients were well acquainted with the author.

It appears that this letter was written in extreme haste - conspicuous because of it's lack of these customary greetings. False teachers who were causing a crisis of faith amongst the Christians. Some of the claims and false teachings forwarded by these individuals were causing many to doubt their salvation. John urgently counteracts these false teaching by reminding them of what they already know. In fact, John uses the word “know” over thirty times in this letter. He also wanted to reaffirm their confidence and remind them of the source of their salvation.

I want to focus on the fifth chapter of this letter in which John lays out the assurance of salvation for his readers. John lays it out in two parts:

In the first two verses John speaks of the testimony of God. What is that testimony? In short God testifies that Jesus is divine, that he is the Christ. The Holy Spirit testifies with the water and the blood, that, according to the law, no charge could be brought against a man unless it could be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If we accept men's testimonies then we surely had better accept God's testimony.

I am reading out of the NIV. (read 1 Jn 5:10-15)

vs 10: Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made Him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about His Son.

Vs 11: And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

Vs 12: He who has the Son has life: he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Vs 13: I write theses things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life,

In vs 10:
-the word 'believe' means to commit to and have trust in. This word in Greek means more than just to acknowledge His existence, but to place, commit trust in Him. This belief and trust is a confidence that He will do what He says He will.

-The testimony in his HEART. The testimony is a witness of evidence seated in the core of your being. It is something you “know” in your very core. It represents a “gut” feeling.

Vs 11:
-Eternal of course means perpetual. Eternity is a strange word. It's concept is a word used to describe a time-frame that is beyond time. This is life outside of time. The term forever really doesn't do it justice. God has given us perpetual life which is in His Son and clearly we must have the Son to have this eternal life.

Vs 12:
-One of the defining features of the apostle John's writings are his use of contrasting ideas. This letter is full of contrasts and this one really hits the nail on the head. This concept is black and white...it's A or B, yes or no. There is no 'maybe' involved. It requires a commitment from the listener or reader.

Vs 13:
-John now limits his audience only to those who have already believed in the name of the Son of God. It means those of you who believe that Jesus is the Son of God can KNOW you are saved just because you have believed. The apostle John covers two things:
1. Believe God; and
2. Believe in Jesus as the Son of God.

That's it.

Either Jesus is accepted as the Son of God and you have salvation, or He is rejected which means that God is not believed. To not believe God is to reject Him altogether.
But in the text John is writing to believers who have believed God and accepted Jesus.
We have accepted the Son of God, therefore we have eternal life.
Now we can move to the second part; this is what we can do with the assurance of salvation:
Let's look at the next two verses.
(Read vs 14 – 15)

vs 14: This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

Vs 15: And if we know that He hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of Him.

Vs 14:
-The word confidence means frankness or bluntness...”the bottom line”. Because we have the eternal life through Jesus sacrificial death and resurrection we now have the freedom to ask for anything with the provision that it falls within His will. But note, God will not bend to our will, but we must bend to His will.

Vs 15:
-Note the present tense of the word 'HAVE'. This word tells us that since God hears our requests (which are in accordance with His will) we can be confident they are granted. This is the floor plan of an effective prayer life! The assurance of God's salvation leads us naturally into furthering His kingdom.

What does this all mean? It means that you can KNOW you are saved. The only reason you might doubt your salvation is because the enemy is throwing lies at you to neutralize your action as a believing Christian. If you doubt your salvation, the focus of your prayer life is focused upon you and the fear for yourself rather than focused on God and furthering of God's kingdom. Inward versus outward.

If you are concerned about your future with God then you are experiencing the Holy Spirit's nudge. This is that “gut feeling” we read about in verse 10. Your spirit is responding to the calling of the Holy Spirit!

John also wrote about this just a chapter or two earlier. Let's go to 1 Jn 3:19.

(Read 1 Jn 3:19-24)
vs. 19: This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set out hearts at rest in his presence...
vs 20: whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything.
vs 21: Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God...
vs 22: and receive from Him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.
Vs 23: And this is His command: to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as He commanded us.
Vs 24: Those who obey His commands live in Him, and He in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit He gave us.

In short, if you are concerned about your spiritual destiny and walk with God, then I would say you are in good shape. Those whose eternal destiny is in question are those who don't know Jesus as their savior and perhaps don't care. We as Christians need to have a healthy dose of reverent fear of God. If we have that assurance of faith then we can experience the joy that the apostle Paul speaks of in Philippians. If you have accepted Jesus as your savior you needn't ever concern yourself with doubts regarding your salvation ever again.

Worship

2008-04-12T03:08:00.001-06:00

This is what Worship is and what it isn't.

Heston on Winning the Culture War

2008-04-09T02:19:00.000-06:00

By: Charlton Heston

The following is a speech NRA President Charlton Heston gave to the Harvard Law School Forum on February 16, 1999.

I remember my son when he was five, explaining to his kindergarten class what his father did for a living. "My Daddy," he said, "pretends to be people."
There have been quite a few of them. Prophets from the Old and New Testaments, a couple of Christian saints, generals of various nationalities and different centuries, several kings, three American presidents, a French cardinal and two geniuses, including Michelangelo. If you want the ceiling repainted I'll do my best. There always seems to be a lot of different fellows up here. I'm never sure which one of them gets to talk. Right now, I guess I'm the guy.
As I pondered our visit tonight, it struck me: If my Creator gave me the gift to connect you with the hearts and minds of those great men, then I want to use that same gift now to re-connect you with your own sense of liberty...your own freedom of thought...your own compass for what is right.
Dedicating the memorial at a Gettysburg, Abraham Lincoln said of America, "We are now engaged in a great Civil War, testing whether this nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure."
Those words are true again. I believe that we are again engaged in a great civil war, a cultural war that's about to hijack your birthright to think and say what resides in your heart. I fear you no longer trust the pulsing lifeblood of liberty inside you...the stuff that made this country rise from wilderness into the miracle that it is.
Let me back up. About a year ago I became president of the National Rifle Association, which protects the right to keep and bear arms. I ran for office, I was elected, and now I serve...I serve as a moving target for the media who've called me everything from "ridiculous" and "duped" to a "brain-injured senile, crazy old man." I know...I'm pretty old...but I sure Lord ain't senile.
As I have stood in the crosshairs of those who target Second Amendment freedoms, I've realized that firearms are not the only issue. No, it's much, much bigger than that.
I've come to understand that a cultural war is raging across our land, in which, with Orwellian fervor, certain acceptable thoughts and speech are mandated.
For example, I marched for civil rights with Dr. King in 1963 - long before Hollywood found it fashionable. But when I told an audience last year that white pride is just as valid as black pride or red pride or anyone else's pride, they called me a racist.
I've worked with brilliantly talented homosexuals all my life. But when I told an audience that gay rights should extend no further than your rights or my rights, I was called a homophobe.
I served in World War II against the Axis powers. But during a speech, when I drew an analogy between singling out innocent Jews and singling out innocent gun owners, I was called an anti-Semite.
Everyone I know knows I would never raise a closed fist against my country. But when I asked an audience to oppose this cultural persecution, I was compared to Timothy McVeigh.
From Time magazine to friends and colleagues, they're essentially saying, "Chuck, how dare you speak your mind. You are using language not authorized for public consumption!"
But I am not afraid. If Americans believed in political correctness, we'd still be King George's boys - subjects bound to the British crown.
In his book, "The End of Sanity," Martin Gross writes that "blatantly irrational behavior is rapidly being established as the norm in almost every area of human endeavor. There seem to be new customs, new rules, new anti-intellectual theories regularly foisted on us from every direction.
Underneath, the nation is roiling. Americans know something without a name is undermining the nation, turning the mind mushy when it comes to separating truth from falsehood and right from wrong. And they don't like it."
Let me read a few examples.
• At Antioch College in Ohio, young men seeking intimacy with a coed must get verbal permission at each step of the process from kissing to petting to final copulation...all clearly spelled out in a printed college directive.
• In New Jersey, despite the death of several patients nationwide who had been infected by dentists who had concealed their AIDS, the state commissioner announced that health providers who are HIV-positive need not...need not...tell their patients that they are infected.
• At William and Mary, students tried to change the name of the school team "The Tribe" because it was supposedly insulting to local Indians, only to learn that authentic Virginia chiefs truly like the name.
• In San Francisco, city fathers passed an ordinance protecting the rights of transvestites to cross-dress on the job, and for transsexuals to have separate toilet facilities while undergoing sex change surgery.
• In New York City, kids who don't speak a word of Spanish have been placed in bilingual classes to learn their three R's in Spanish solely because their last names sound Hispanic.
• At the University of Pennsylvania, in a state where thousands died at Gettysburg opposing slavery, the president of that college officially set up segregated dormitory space for black students.
Yeah, I know...that's out of bounds now. Dr. King said "Negroes." Jimmy Baldwin and most of us on the March said "black." But it's a no-no now.
For me, hyphenated identities are awkward...particularly "Native-American." I'm a Native American, for God's sake. I also happen to be a blood-initiated brother of the Miniconjou Sioux. On my wife's side, my grandson is a thirteenth generation native American...with a capital letter on "American."
Finally, just last month...David Howard, head of the Washington, D.C. Office of Public Advocate, used the word "niggardly" while talking to colleagues about budgetary matters. Of course, "niggardly" means stingy or scanty. But within days Howard was forced to publicly apologize and resign.
As columnist Tony Snow wrote: "David Howard got fired because some people in public employ were morons who (a) didn't know the meaning of niggardly, (b) didn't know how to use a dictionary to discover the meaning, and (c) actually demanded that he apologize for their ignorance."
What does all of this mean? It means that telling us what to think has evolved into telling us what to say, so telling us what to do can't be far behind.
Before you claim to be a champion of free thought, tell me: Why did political correctness originate on America's campuses? And why do you continue to tolerate it? Why do you, who're supposed to debate ideas, surrender to their suppression?
Let's be honest. Who here thinks your professors can say what they really believe?
It scares me to death and should scare you too, that the superstition of political correctness rules the halls of reason.
You are the best and the brightest. You, here in the fertile cradle of American academia, here in the castle of learning on the Charles River, you are the cream. But I submit that you, and your counterparts across the land, are the most socially conformed and politically silenced generation since Concord Bridge. And as long as you validate that...and abide it...you are - by your grandfathers' standards - cowards.
Here's another example. Right now at more than one major university, Second Amendment scholars and researchers are being told to shut up about their findings or they'll lose their jobs. Why? Because their research findings would undermine big-city mayors...pending lawsuits that seek to extort hundreds of millions of dollars from firearm manufacturers.
I don't care what you think about guns. But if you are not shocked at that, I am shocked at you. Who will guard the raw material of unfettered ideas, if not you? Who will defend the core value of academia, if you supposed soldiers of free thought and expression lay down your arms and plead, "Don't shoot me."
If you talk about race, it does not make you a racist. If you see distinctions between the genders, it does not make you a sexist. If you think critically about a denomination, it does not make you anti-religion. If you accept but don't celebrate homosexuality, it does not make you a homophobe.
Don't let America's universities continue to serve as incubators for this rampant epidemic of new McCarthyism.
But what can you do? How can anyone prevail against such pervasive social subjugation?
The answer's been here all along.
I learned it 36 years ago, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., standing with Dr. Martin Luther King and two hundred thousand people.
You simply...disobey.
Peaceably, yes. Respectfully, of course. Nonviolently, absolutely.
But when told how to think or what to say or how to behave, we don't. We disobey social protocol that stifles and stigmatizes personal freedom.
I learned the awesome power of disobedience from Dr. King...who learned it from Gandhi, and Thoreau, and Jesus, and every other great man who led those in the right against those with the might.
Disobedience is in our DNA. We feel innate kinship with that disobedient spirit that tossed tea in to Boston Harbor, that sent Thoreau to jail, that refused to sit in the back of the bus, that protested a war in Viet Nam.
In that same spirit, I am asking you to disavow cultural correctness with massive disobedience of rogue authority, social directives and onerous law that weaken personal freedom.
But be careful...it hurts.
Disobedience demands that you put yourself at risk. Dr. King stood on lots of balconies.
You must be willing to be humiliated...to endure the modern-day equivalent of the police dogs at Montgomery and the water cannons at Selma.
You must be willing to experience discomfort. I'm not complaining, but my own decades of social activism have taken their toll on me. Let me tell you a story.
A few years back I heard about a rapper named Ice-T who was selling a CD called "Cop Killer" celebrating ambushing and murdering police officers. It was being marketed by none other than Time/Warner, the biggest entertainment conglomerate in the world.
Police across the country were outraged. Rightfully so - at least one had been murdered. But Time/warner was stonewalling because the CD was a cash cow for them, and the media were tiptoeing around it because the rapper was black.
I heard Time/Warner had a stockholders meeting scheduled in Beverly Hills. I owned some shares at the time and decided to attend.
What I did there was against the advice of my family and colleagues. I asked for the floor. To a hushed room of a thousand average American stockholders, I simply read the full lyrics of "Cop Killer" - every vicious, vulgar, instructional word.
"I GOT MY 12 GAUGE SAWED OFF
I GOT MY HEADLIGHTS TURNED OFF
I'M ABOUT TO BUST SOME SHOTS OFF
I'M ABOUT TO DUST SOME COPS OFF..."
It got worse, a lot worse. I won't read the rest of it to you. But trust me, the room was a sea of shocked, frozen, blanched faces. The Time/Warner executives squirmed in their chairs and stared at their shoes. They hated me for that.
Then I delivered another volley of sick lyric brimming with racist filth, where Ice-T fantasizes about sodomizing two 12-year old nieces of Al and Tipper Gore.
"SHE PUSHED HER BUTT AGAINST MY..."
Well, I won't do to you here what I did to them. Let's just say I left the room in echoing silence. When I read the lyrics to the waiting press corps, one of them said "We can't print that." "I know," I replied, "but Time/Warner's selling it."
Two months later, Time/Warner terminated Ice-T's contract. I'll never be offered another film by Warner, or get a good review from Time magazine. But disobedience means you must be willing to act, not just talk.
When a mugger sues his elderly victim for defending herself...jam the switchboard of the district attorney's office.
When your university is pressured to lower standards until 80% of the students graduate with honors...choke the halls of the board of regents.
When an 8-year-old boy pecks a girl's cheek on the playground and gets hauled into court for sexual harassment...march on that school and block its doorways.
When someone you elected is seduced by political power and betrays you...petition them, oust them, banish them.
When Time magazine's cover portrays millennium nuts as deranged, crazy Christians holding a cross as it did last month...boycott their magazine and the products it advertises.
So that this nation may long endure, I urge you to follow in the hallowed footsteps of the great disobediences of history that freed exiles, founded religions, defeated tyrants, and yes, in the hands of an aroused rabble in arms and a few great men, by God's grace, built this country.
If Dr. King were here, I think he would agree.
Thank you.

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

2008-04-07T23:40:00.004-06:00

This sounds like a must-see!

Darwin's Kool-Aid

A review of "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" (opening in theaters April 18)

By J. Matt Barber

April 7, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com/CWA) - There's a shakeup in the cult of neo-Darwinist pseudo-science, and that endearing, monotone high school teacher of "Ferris Bueller" fame is doing the shaking.
With his new feature documentary, "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" (opening in theaters April 18), Ben Stein - actor, economist, presidential speechwriter and all around really smart guy - squares off with some of the world's most prominent anti-theist elites as he gets to the heart of the question, "Who are we, and how did we get here?"
This is not your father's documentary. "Expelled" rocks the house both literally and figuratively. It's gripping, music-packed, comically wry and always entertaining. But its entertainment value is yet surpassed by its educational merit. Throughout the film, Stein boldly shines a light of honest inquiry, revealing time and again that Evolution's Emperor has no clothes. In his trademark deadpan fashion, Stein skillfully debunks the dogmatic neo-Darwinist programming we've all had relentlessly rammed down our throats ever since "Big Science" went bananas over that cute little Scopes Monkey.
Unlike Michael Moore's anti-Bush propaganda flick "Fahrenheit 911" - which sold us a lemon with deceptive editing techniques and staged confrontations - "Expelled" is intellectually honest, cerebrally stimulating and delectably provocative.
Nonetheless, there are those who won't like it, not one little bit.
Enter Richard Dawkins. Dawkins, a prominent evolutionist, outspoken atheist and the best-selling author of "The God Delusion," is featured throughout the film. In one segment, he sits down with Stein for a heart-to-heart. After dancing around several pointed questions about how life began, Dawkins finds himself at a logical impasse with no surplus of sci-fi rhetoric. He's finally forced to concede that, indeed, an intelligent being may have created life on earth. However, that being could not have been "God," but rather, it must have been some organic, alien life form. Of course, that alien life form has to have been a product of "Darwinian evolution."
Through tears of wild laughter, audience members watch as Dawkins - apparently grasping the dizzying nature of his own circular argument - turns three shades of red and becomes purply tight-lipped.
Dawkins? … Dawkins? …
But apart from space aliens, the general consensus among the evolutionary scientists interviewed was that all life, including human life, likely began when lightening struck a mud puddle (you know, like Frankenstein but without all the prefab body parts). This was then followed by a series of unexplainable, unprovable and totally random events that occurred over umpteen million years, eventually resulting in … you.
Although "Expelled" indirectly makes a strong case for the scientific theory of intelligent design, its primary message drives home the need for academic freedom, intellectual honesty and open debate on all scientific fronts.
As the movie masterfully illustrates, we live in a cultural climate where secular elitists in academia, the media and the courts chew up and spit out anyone who dares to question the gospel according to Charles Darwin. They're absolutely terrified to follow the scientific evidence wherever it may lead.
They don't want to upset the morally relative applecart, which is loosely held together by the notion that we're all just a bunch of monkeys with an instinctive, biological excuse for all our behavioral choices. To them, life's a whole lot easier under the theory of evolution. Without a sovereign Creator to answer to, we get to scoot along and party hearty, free from accountability.
Consequently, it's no wonder "Expelled" has Darwin's disciples scurrying for the shadows. Those secular humanist one-trick-ponies in the media, throughout academia, on the blogosphere and elsewhere are in full damage control. They're doing everything possible to discredit the film before it even opens. It's even been reported that two major networks are refusing to cover the movie (Gotta love that journalistic objectivity).
So, if you happen to be one of those evolutionary fundamentalists who were "randomly selected" to evolve with a built-in blindfold and earplugs, and you're comfy with your very limited worldview, be afraid of this film - be very afraid. However, if you're willing to have your eyes opened and are interested in looking at all the evidence, then suck it up, wipe away that Darwinian Kool-Aid mustache and hang out with Ben Stein for a night. What do you have to lose?
For everyone else, "Expelled" is a must-see. If you're already a person of faith, prepare to have your faith strengthened. And even if you're not, you can't possibly walk away without at least admitting that the debate over who we are and how we got here is far from over.
So hold on to your hat. "Expelled" is nothing short of earthshaking. And, as the scientific community clearly recognizes, its tremors may be felt for some years to come.
Matt Barber is one of the "like-minded men" with Concerned Women for America. He is an attorney concentrating in constitutional law and serves as CWA's policy director for cultural issues.

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Charlton Heston

2008-04-06T15:52:00.002-06:00

Movie legend, Charlton Heston has died at the age of 84 on April 5 at his home in Beverly Hills with his wife, Lydia, at his side. No cause of death has been released at this time. Heston revealed in 2002 that he had symptoms consistent with Alzheimer's disease, saying, "I must reconcile courage and surrender in equal measure."

In 1944 he married another Northwestern drama student, Lydia Clarke. They had two children. The Hestons' newborn, Fraser Clarke Heston, played the role of the infant Moses in the film "The Ten Commandments". They also had a daughter, Holly Ann, born Aug. 2, 1961. The couple celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 1994 at a party with Hollywood and political friends. They had been married 64 years when he died.

He liked to the cite the number of historical figures he had portrayed:
Andrew Jackson ("The President's Lady," "The Buccaneer"), Moses ("The Ten Commandments"), title role of "El Cid," John the Baptist ("The Greatest Story Ever Told"), Michelangelo ("The Agony and the Ecstasy"), General Gordon ("Khartoum"), Marc Antony ("Julius Caesar," "Antony and Cleopatra"), Cardinal Richelieu ("The Three Musketeers"), Henry VIII ("The Prince and the Pauper"). He also starred in "55 Days at Peking," "Planet of the Apes" and "Earthquake" among many others.

Heston wrote several books: "The Actor's Life: Journals 1956-1976," published in 1978; "Beijing Diary: 1990," concerning his direction of the play "The Caine Mutiny Court Martial" in Chinese; "In the Arena: An Autobiography," 1995; and "Charlton Heston's Hollywood: 50 Years of American Filmmaking," 1998.

In late years, Heston drew as much publicity for his crusades as for his performances. In addition to his NRA work, he campaigned for Republican presidential and congressional candidates and against affirmative action.
He resigned from Actors Equity, claiming the union's refusal to allow a white actor to play a Eurasian role in "Miss Saigon" was "obscenely racist." He attacked CNN's telecasts from Baghdad as "sowing doubts" about the allied effort in the 1990-91 Gulf War. At a Time Warner stockholders meeting, he castigated the company for releasing an Ice-T album that purportedly encouraged cop killing. Heston wrote in "In the Arena" that he was proud of what he did "though now I'll surely never be offered another film by Warners, nor get a good review in Time. On the other hand, I doubt I'll get a traffic ticket very soon."

Queen of the New Age

2008-04-05T21:52:00.007-06:00

Oprah Winfrey is very well respected and she is probably the wealthiest and most influential woman in modern times. It is truly amazing what she has done with her life considering that she started with two strikes against her, she is a woman and she is a black woman. That is one of the reasons why it is so sad that she has started down the garden path in the direction that she is going.

Although Oprah claims to be a Christian - she has a Baptist background - she is most definitely a spokeswoman for the New Age Movement or, as they now prefer to call it, the New Spirituality. Her and Eckhart Tolle are leading an on-line course that more than two million people are taking.

In this course they are teaching people that "We are all divine." "We must separate from the ego and become one with the universe." "There is no sin. There is no heaven. There is no Hell." They are teaching people to empty their minds and just feel. "There are many [thousands] of paths to what we call God." They are actually teaching occult practices and emptying the mind to allow demons to enter.

Let's look at their points one by one.

1. "We are all divine. We are all Christ." This is a direct teaching from Satan.

Genesis 3:5
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil

(emphasis added)

Isaiah 14:13-14
For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

(emphasis added)

2. There is no Heaven. There is no Hell. There is no judgement. There is no sin.

1 Corinthians 2:9

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

Mark 9:43-44

.......it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

Hebrews 9:27 -28
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

(emphasis added)

3. "There are many [thousands] of paths to what we call God." Was Jesus lying when He said the following? Or was He delusional? I think not.

John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

(emphasis added)

4. They are teaching people to empty their minds and just feel. That is not what Jesus taught. He never said "Come let us empty our minds and just feel." He taught us to use our minds and to reason.

Isaiah 1:18

come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD:

------------------------------------------------------------------

We must warn everyone we know about this dangerous and evil course of study that Oprah is promoting. It is sad that she and her numerous fans are being lead astray by false teachings. We must all pray for her and for them diligently. Their place in Eternity will be decided by who they choose to believe, Jesus or Satan and his demons.

2 Peter 2:1-2
1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

(emphasis added)

More News About Pastor Berlin Guerrero

2008-04-04T02:58:00.004-06:00

I have been posting about the situation of Pastor Berlin V. Guerrero, who has been in prison in the Philippines for the past 10 months. (posts dated - August 10, 2007; September 9, 2007; November 13, 2007 and January 15, 2008) This is the latest news :

To All:

Last March 27 2008 marked exactly the 10th. month of Pastor Berlin Guerrero in jail after that May 27 2007 abduction. How was that day for him and for us?

1) Some 8 young members of the American Mission Team from the Valley View Community Church from Ohio, USA visited Ptr Berlin in jail. The Team was led by Ms Bickbick Mendoza-Miller (a Filipina Balikbayan in Dasmarinas). The visit was a surprise to Ptr Berlin and a tearful reunion between him and Bickbick as classmates from gradeschool to college in the Philippine Christian University. Ptr Berlin joined them for lunch with conversations on his past student activisms and a worship fellowship followed in the afternoon with his cellmates.

2) Ptr Berlin was visited also by his youngest son, 14 year old Pinyen, after the boy's hospital confinement due to his operation on the adhesions in his small intestines last week of February 2008. The boy wore face mask to protect him from further infections.

3) Ptr Berlin's brother Rev Leslie Guerrero, from the Church Among the Palms at the University of the Philippines-LB-Laguna, donated a handsome and strudy "beatbox" for the Prison Ministry to match the guitar used by the Choir.

4) A sumptumous Dinner sponsored by the Mission Team, with the Mendoza family and with the Guerrero family was held at Max's Restaurant. (Not known to everyone that the Mendozas and the Guerreros are family friends way back the UTS-campus life.) The 3 groups with mutual appreciations with each other were expressed thru a short but warm fellowship.

On March 29 was the 100th. graduation celebration of the Union Theological Seminary (UTS) where Ptr Berlin is enrolled for his internship program thru the prison ministry while in jail. Among the special awards given mostly to the graduating students, Ptr Berlin coveted the award on "Community Empowerment" for his excellence in empowering his community- the prisoners and the administration of the jail for the glory of God. While receiving the Certificate of award by his/our father Sam and his wife Mylene on the stage of the Salakot Chapel, a pre-video tape for his "acceptance speech" was shown to the audience. I saw Mylene smiling but with her tearful eyes. (Only if my brother is present to join her to receive his award ...)

On March 30, German Missionaries led by the National Office of the UCCP visited also Ptr Berlin.

Two more months to go, will Ptr Berlin be freed before then? Let us continue praying for the fast resolution of his case at the Supreme Court and his fast freedom.

May our life be inspired by the ministry of Ptr Berlin inside the jail. Thank you very much............ Danielle

Signs of the Times

2008-03-30T16:30:00.001-06:00

These will give you something to think about.

Outing the Heretics

2008-03-28T13:26:00.006-06:00

The Christian church is under attack as never before. Yes, we are undergoing attacks by seculars, atheists, non-Christian "religions" and occultists, but the most frightening attacks come from within - those who claim to be Christian, yet preach another gospel.

Matthew 24:23-27
23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25 Behold, I have told you before. 26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. 27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Galatians 1:6-9
6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed

1 Timothy 4:1-2
1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
(emphasis added)

Many of our churches and "pastors" are denying the divinity of Jesus, denying the crucifixion and the resurrection, denying that Jesus is the way and the only way that we can be redeemed.

John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
(emphasis added)

Was Jesus lying when He said this? Was He delusional? I think not. I am posting a link to three other blogs that do an excellent job of outing the heretics.

http://www.sliceoflaodicea.com/

http://bold-truth.blogspot.com/

http://herescope.blogspot.com/

The Goldie Mystery

2008-03-21T00:52:00.007-06:00

March 20 was the first full day of spring. It was also a very sad day for the Paish family. My sister Val and her husband Mike made the very difficult decision that it was time to have their dog, Goldie, put down. She was an unusual dog with one blue eye and one brown eye. Goldie was getting old, thirteen years and she was deaf. Her joints were going, she could hardly walk and laying down and getting back up were becoming extremely difficult. It was all she could do to climb the three steps on their back deck. Her breathing had become loud and labored and she had lost control of her bladder. The time had come to take her to the vet.

I agreed to meet my sister at the vet's to give her emotional support and then we were going to spend the evening together. Goldie was given her shot and went peacefully to sleep. Val and I decided I would park my car at her daughter's and we would go out together. I got in my car, started it and the radio came on. As I was pulling out of the parking lot, the radio announcer said "and I just want to say, rest in peace, Goldie, rest in peace." I almost freaked!

When I told my sister what had happened, she was shocked. The radio announcer had no way of knowing about Goldie. Val's daughter, her son and her husband were just as disbelieving. My husband accused me of "hearing voices". Later, we tried to call the radio station and find out what the announcer had been talking about but the station office was already closed. It remains a mystery.

An E-mail About Samuel Golubchuk

2008-03-20T00:14:00.002-06:00

On January 7 I reported on the case of Samuel Golubchuk - "The Grim Reaper Wears White" - and on February 16 I printed an update - "Update-Samuel Golubchuk" . Today I received the following e-mail from Mr. Golubchuk's daughter :

March 19, 2008

My name is Miriam Geller,
daughter of SAM GOLUBCHUK.

You recently signed an online petition demanding that the Grace Hospital of Winnipeg continue providing basic care for our father SAM. On behalf of our entire family, I wanted to thank you for your support and prayers, and to provide you with an urgent update on the current situation.
(If this message was forwarded to you from a friend, you may not have signed the petition yet. It can be found here.)
As you will recall, last fall SAM, who had been living in a long-term care facility, came down with pneumonia and had to be moved to a hospital. Thank God, the pneumonia was cured. Unfortunately, due to his weakened condition, SAM has been unable to return to his home. He is currently receiving basic care at the hospital which includes being given food and water and assistance in breathing through the use of a ventilator.
In November the hospital, without our permission, attempted to withdraw this basic care, letting our father die. We obtained an emergency Court Order to stop them from doing so, which the hospital tried - and failed - to have reversed.
Now we are being forced to return to Court again as the hospital fights, at taxpayers' expense, to have the Order overturned.
That's right - rather than giving up, the hospital is continuing to fight us for the right to kill our father.
Let me stress that SAM is not in a "vegetative" state, nor is he suffering from a terminal illness of any kind. He is not suffering and is in no pain whatsoever. The hospital wants to end his life because he's old, he's weak and he's disabled and it doesn't want to spend money on his care - although it doesn't mind using taxpayers' money to fund its legal crusade!
This is not just about our father's life. We're also fighting for ourselves, our children and everyone we care about; We're fighting for the kind of society we want to live in and leave to future generations. If bureaucrats can refuse to care for SAM because he's too old and disabled, then they can refuse to care for anyone they deem unworthy.
In short, we're fighting for you and your loved ones too - but we can't go on without your support!
This is a fight that we can win! A judge has already upheld an Order prohibiting the hospital from ending SAM's care, but we need need your help RIGHT NOW to be able to afford the next phase of the case as the hospital continues trying to have that Order overturned.
Please make a contribution right now by clicking the link below and following the simple instructions. No amount is too small.
CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW!Alternatively, you can send a cheque or money order to:

Save Sam Golubchuk Fund
P.O. Box 1318 Station B
Ottawa ON Canada
K1P 5R4

In addition to your financial help and prayers, please spread the word by forwarding this email to everyone you know: your church, synagogue, or any other organization, group or network that you know of. If you would like to help us by volunteering some of your time please send me an email at miriam@samuelgolubchuk.com.
Sincerely,
Miriam

St. Patrick's Day 2008

2008-03-17T22:24:00.005-06:00

When I was a child we were required to wear something green to school on St. Patrick's Day or run the risk of getting pinched each time another student realised that we had not complied. St. Patrick's day is celebrated all over the world by both Irish and non-Irish people alike. It is an official holiday in only three places - Republic of Ireland, Montserrat and the Canadian province of Newfoundland/Labrador. Although the first St. Patrick's Day parade in North America was held in Boston in 1761, the record for the longest continuously running parade is held by Montreal Quebec with a parade every year since 1824. Montreal's City Flag even has a Shamrock in one corner. St. Patrick used the Shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to the pre-Christian Irish.

The largest parade is held in Chicago, with 2.5 million spectators. They also have been dying the Chicago River green for the day for the past 20 years. They use an eco-friendly vegetable dye, it takes about five minutes to color it and it disappears by evening.

Other traditions include the wearing of something green, pubs and bars serving green drinks including green beer, stories of leprechauns and their pot of gold and eating corned beef and cabbage.

There are those who are Irish and those who wish they were.
old Irish proverb

Terrorists Need Passports Too

2008-03-17T00:57:00.005-06:00

A Canadian citizen, Algerian born Fateh Kamel, who arrived in Canada in 1987, has been denied a passport from the Canadian Government on the grounds that he is a threat to the national security of Canada or another country. Kamel is a convicted terrorist. In 1999 he was arrested in Jordan and extradited to France, where he was convicted of plotting to bomb the Paris Metro and other targets and was imprisoned for eight years. He allegedly has a connection to Ahmed Ressam, who is in prison in the US for plotting to blow up Los Angeles Airport, and to Al Qaeda. A Canadian Judge, Simon Noel, has ruled that the order violates Kamel's rights as a Canadian citizen and has ordered the federal government to amend the law accordingly within six months and to then grant him a passport.

Their are two separate but equally important issues here.

1. Should a convicted terrorist be issued a Canadian passport? Does issuing a passport in these circumstances undermine the value of a Canadian passport?

Will other countries be unwilling to accept travellers with a Canadian passport when they become aware that the government is knowingly issuing them to convicted terrorists?

2. In Canada, judges are appointed, not elected. Should unelected officials be making our laws? Are judges not meant to interpret and enforce existing laws rather than actually making new ones or forcing the government to rescind existing ones?

These two issues need to be addressed before Canada loses all credibility in the international community. The rumor that Canada is becoming a haven for terrorists does not seem quite so far-fetched as it once did. Prime Minister Harper needs to act quickly and decisively on these issues.

Beware the Ides of March

2008-03-16T01:02:00.003-06:00

"Beware the Ides of March" - a literary reference from Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" - refers to the superstition that March 15th is a day which brings bad luck with it. It was the day in 44 B.C. that Julius Caesar was assassinated by Brutus and Cassius. (The Ides were monthly midpoints in the Roman calendar that fell on either the 13th or the 15th, depending on the month.)

I am really not superstitious, but today on the Ministry Van everyone we encountered appeared to be in the foulest of moods. We were sworn at several times and I was even called "the devil" at one point. It is much more likely that it was due to a sudden drop in temperature and the heavy snowfall the night before, that took the place of our lovely spring weather, that caused them to be so disagreeable. But just in case.....perhaps I'll sleep through March 15th next year.

The evil that men do oft live after them;
the good is oft interred with their bones.
-From Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar

A Very Special Day

2008-03-10T01:28:00.005-06:00

March 9 is a very special day for me. On March 9, 1972 my nephew - my sister's son - was born. On March 9, 2005 Ed & I started the first day of our ministry to the homeless at Hope Mission. But most amazing of all on March 9 Ed & I celebrated our 36th anniversary! That's pretty amazing for the couple that most people bet wouldn't last six months.

We married very young; I was 18 and he was 20. We had only known each other about a month. We came from very different backgrounds. I already had a child from a previous relationship and we had another baby almost immediately. It wasn't always easy by any means. In fact in the first 10 years of our marriage we could have broken up any number of times. At times it was only sheer stubbornness that kept us together. Neither one of us wanted to be the first one to call it quits.

But 10 years into our marriage something wonderful came into our lives. We found God again. Both of us had Christian backgrounds, but we both had wandered far away. God drew us back. And by His grace we were able to build a relationship with each other that would be virtually impossible to break. Thank you Lord for all of your blessings.

Mark 10:27
And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.

Signs of Spring

2008-03-08T01:00:00.002-07:00

I've been seeing signs that spring is just around the corner. No, I haven't seen the geese come back or my first robin yet but I noticed around the end of February that the rabbits are starting to change colour and today I spotted my first motorcyclist of the year. Now that they are going to be on the road again it is time to remind everyone to take a little more care when changing lanes or turning. Motorcycles are definitely harder to see than a car and in the event of a collision the rider has very little protection compared to any other vehicle.

The writer of the following item is unknown but the message is excellent.

THE BIKER*

I saw you hug your purse closer to you in the grocery store line. But you didn't see me put an extra $10.00 in the collection plate last Sunday.

I saw you pull your child closer when we passed each other on the sidewalk. But you didn't see me playing Santa at the local mall.

I saw you change your mind about going into the restaurant. But you didn't see me attending a meeting to raise more money for the hurricane relief.

I saw you roll up your window and shake your head when I rode by. But you didn't see me riding behind you when you flicked your cigarette butt out the car window.

I saw you frown at me when I smiled at your children. But you didn't see me when I took time off from work to run toys to the homeless.

I saw you stare at my long hair. But you didn't see me and my friends cut ten inches off for Locks of Love.

I saw you roll your eyes at our leather jackets and gloves. But you didn't see me and my brothers donate our old ones to those that had none.

I saw you look in fright at my tattoos. But you didn't see me cry as my children were born and have their name written over and in my heart.

I saw you change lanes while rushing off to go somewhere. But you didn't see me going home to be with my family.

I saw you complain about how loud and noisy our bikes can be. But you didn't see me when you were changing the CD and drifted into my lane.

I saw you yelling at your kids in the car. But you didn't see me pat my child's hands knowing he was safe behind me.

I saw you reading the newspaper or map as you drove down the road. But you didn't see me squeeze my wife's leg when she told me to take the next turn.

I saw you race down the road in the rain. But you didn't see me get soaked to the skin so my son could have the car to go on his date.

I saw you run the yellow light just to save a few minutes of time. But you didn't see me trying to turn right.

I saw you cut me off because you needed to be in the lane I was in. But you didn't see me leave the road.

I saw you waiting impatiently for my friends to pass. But you didn't see me. I wasn't there.

I saw you go home to your family. But, you didn't see me. Because, I died that day you cut me off.

I was just a biker. A person with friends and a family. But you didn't see me.

EVEN IF YOU DON'T LIKE US, RESPECT OUR RIGHTS TO RIDE WHAT WE CHOOSE AND TAKE A FEW EXTRA SECONDS TO BE SURE WE'RE NOT IN 'YOUR' WAY – LIVE TO RIDE . . . . RIDE TO LIVE

Spring Make-Over

2008-03-06T00:07:00.003-07:00

To all of my loyal readers out there, yes, you are in the right place. Spring fever has me in it's grip and I decided to go with a whole new look for my blog. New colours, a new layout and some new features. I added a couple of pictures as well as a news reel for the information junkies in my audience. Simply click on any of the featured newspapers and keep informed of current events. So please continue reading and please leave me a comment. I love hearing from you and getting feed-back on what I am writing.

The Ten Commandments

2008-03-04T15:00:00.004-07:00

An Israeli Professor of Cognitive Psychology at Hebrew University of Jerusalem claims that Moses was using psychedelic drugs when he encountered the "burning bush" and on Mount Sinai when he received the "Ten Commandments" from God. Benny Shanon does not say where he gets the evidence for such a claim. He does not substantiate his remarks in anyway. It is strange to think that such a well thought out list of rules for human behavior - rules that almost nobody can argue about - could have been compiled by someone strung out on drugs. It has been my experience that druggies are not that clear thinking. We are warned in the Bible about the danger of listening to false teachers. In my opinion, Benny Shanon fits neatly into that category. He would do well to check out #9 again.

2 Peter 2:1
But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

2 Timothy 4:3-4
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/080304/oddities/israel_religion_offbeat

Flying motorcycle

2008-03-04T14:14:00.001-07:00

This may be the way to beat commuting traffic jams. I'd love to try it!He doesn't say how high it flies. Wonder if you would need a pilot's license?

Not Too Smart

2008-03-03T23:18:00.005-07:00

The following stories were sent to me by friends who are always on the look-out for interesting items. Sometimes you just have to shake your head and wonder what some people are thinking.

Looking for a truck driver that will not let a little obstacle stand in his way?According to the person who sent this, the driver has only been in Canada a few months. He had missed his turn by Brandon Manitoba and figured he could go over the hill and continue on the road. Apparently he didn't know there were rail tracks on top of the grade..... The truck owner figures he had to hit the angle at over 55 miles an hour in order to make the top.

(I wonder just who gave him his driver's license? And do they still have a job?)

The next story goes in the "dumb criminal" class. Weren't the bikes parked outside of the bar a clue to just who might be inside?

Biker Surprise for Sydney Robbers

Two armed robbers who targeted a Sydney bar that was hosting a bikers' meeting must have 'failed robber school', said the club's chairman. The men stormed the bar brandishing machetes and wearing balaclavas - unaware that 50 bikers were holding a meeting in an adjoining room. Alerted to the robbery, some of the bikers chased the men as they fled. One was caught after trying to escape through a back door. He was later treated in hospital for minor injuries. The other man ran off but was arrested by police in a street nearby. Southern Cross Cruiser Club chairman 'Jester' told local media that the robbers had 'picked the wrong night'. The would-be bandits had entered the bar and ordered patrons to lie on the floor while they emptied the till. But someone managed to run into an adjoining room where the bikers were holding their monthly meeting. 'We were out there minding our own business and then these guys came to the bar here in the pokey (slot machine) area,' Jester told the Sydney Morning Herald. 'One of the guys took off... straight through a glass window, he didn't even bother pushing the button, he just ran straight through it.' Jester said the police were delighted when they arrived on the scene. 'They were really impressed that we caught these guys, because normally they get here and it's all over and done. But we caught the guys, still with their weapons, still in his balaclava and everything else.
'It's a comedy of errors, I can't believe these guys were stupid enough to come into a club with 50 bikers having a bike meeting - just crazy.'

Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7268653.stm

Noah's Ark

2008-02-23T01:27:00.006-07:00

Working Replica of Noah's Ark Opens In SCHAGEN, Netherlands
The massive central door in the side of Noah's Ark was thrown open Saturday for the first crowd of curious Pilgrims and townsfolk to behold the wonder. Of course, it's only a replica of the Biblical Ark, built by Dutch Creationist Johan Huibers as a testament to his faith in the literal truth of the Bible. The ark is 150 cubits long, 30 cubits high and 20 cubits wide. That's two-thirds the length of a football field and as high as a three-story house. Life-size models of giraffes, elephants, lions, crocodiles, zebras, bison and other animals greet visitors as they arrive in the main hold. A contractor by trade, Huibers built the ark of cedar and pine -Biblical Scholars debate exactly what the wood used by Noah would have been. Huibers did the work mostly with his own hands, using modern tools and with occasional help from his son Roy. Construction began in May 2005. On the uncovered top deck - not quite ready in time for the opening- will come a petting zoo, with baby lambs and chickens, and goats. And one camel. Visitors on the first day were stunned. "It's past comprehension, " said Mary Louise Starosciak, who happened to be bicycling by with her husband while on vacation, when they saw the ark looming over the local landscape. "I knew the story of Noah, but I had no idea the boat would have been so big. "In fact, Noah's Ark as described in the Bible was five times larger than Johan's Ark. But that still leaves enough space near the keel for a 50-seat film theater, where kids can watch a video that tells the story of Noah and his ark. Huibers said he hopes the project will renew interest in Christianity in The Netherlands, where church going has fallen dramatically in the past 50 years.

Update - Samuel Golubchuk

2008-02-16T17:41:00.003-07:00

On Jan 7 - The Grim Reaper Wears White - I reported on the case of Samuel Golubchuk and a Winnipeg hospital that wished to pull his feeding tube and allow him to starve to death in spite of his families opposition. A temporary restraining order was issued against the hospital in November but the hospital was appealing, claiming that they have the sole right to make the decision regarding his continued care and that the wishes of the family, and indeed the patient himself, were irrelevant.

On Feb 13 a judge upheld the original court order, preventing the hospital from acting. Thank God that common decency prevaled. However, we must also pray that the hospital will accept the court's decision and not continue to fight. For further information on how you can help check out this link:

http://www.samuelgolubchuk.com/

The Ultimate Valentine

2008-02-14T20:08:00.002-07:00

I saw this on someone's blog and just had to "borrow" it.

New York's Cupid Cabbie

2008-02-14T12:35:00.004-07:00

This story is just perfect for Valentine's Day. Ahmed Ibrahim, a 50 year old Egyptian immigrant and New York cab driver, is also an unlikely looking Cupid. He asks his passengers a variety of questions, keeps a file and then when he finds someone he thinks would make a good match, he introduces them. Apparently, 19 of his couples have stayed together for over one year.

He started match-making three years ago when a woman got into his cab who was crying because she had just broken up with her boyfriend. Three days later he picked up a man who he thought would be a good match, and the rest is history.

Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T00:22:00.005-07:00

The history of Valentine's Day is somewhat murky with no fewer than three separate saints named Valentine or Valentinus, who were martyred, being recognized by the Catholic Church.

One legend is that St. Valentine was a third century priest in Rome. Emperor Claudius II felt that single men made better soldiers than those who had families to worry about so he outlawed marriage. Valentine continued to perform secret marriage ceremonies for young lovers, for which he was condemned to death.

Another story suggests that when St. Valentine was in prison, he fell in love with the jailers daughter. He passed her a note before his execution professing his love to her and signed "from your Valentine."

Other stories say that he was killed helping Christians escape from Roman prisons where they were beaten and tortured.

The first Valentine was sent by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife from his prison in the Tower of London in 1415.

The English practice of sending Valentine's cards appears in Elizabeth Gaskell's "Mr. Harrisons Confessions" (published 1851). In the United States, the first mass-produced Valentines of embossed paper lace were produced and sold shortly after 1847 by Esther Howland (1828-1904) of Worcester Massachusetts. Her father operated a large book and stationery store. She took her inspiration from an English Valentine she had received. Since 2001 the Greeting Card Association has been giving an annual "Esther Howland Award for a Greeting Card Visionary."

In the second half of the twentieth century, the practice of exchanging cards was extended to all manner of gifts in North America, usually from a man to a woman. Such gifts typically include roses and chocolates. In the 1980's, the diamond industry began to promote Valentine's Day as an occasion for giving jewelry.

Quotes:

If music be the food of love, play on.- Shakespeare

Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be.- Robert Browning

Love is the enchanted dawn of every heart.- Lamartine

Never judge someone by who he's in love with; judge him by his friends. People fall in love with the most appalling people. Take a cool, appraising glance at his pals.- Cynthia Heimel

Love is much nicer to be in than an automobile accident, a tight girdle, a higher tax bracket, or a holding pattern over Philadelphia.- Judith Viorst

Love is like the measles; we all have to go through it.- Jerome K. Jerome

Love is like an hourglass, with the heart filling up as the brain empties.- Jules Renard

You have to walk carefully in the beginning of love; the running across fields into your lover's arms can only come later when you're sure they won't laugh if you trip. ~Jonathan Carroll, "Outside the Dog Museum"

We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love. ~Author Unknown

Seven Wonders of the World

2008-02-10T02:23:00.000-07:00

A teacher assigned the class to list the "Seven Wonders of the World."
Though there were some disagreements, the following received the most votes:
1. Egypt's Great Pyramids

2. Taj Mahal

3. Grand Canyon

4. Panama Canal

5. Empire State Building

6. St. Peter's Basilica

7. China's Great Wall

While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student had not finished her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many."The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help." The girl hesitated, then read, "Seven Wonders of the World'

#1. to see and #2. to hear

#3. to touch and #4 to taste

#5 to feel and #6 to laugh

# 7 to love!

The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop!The things we overlook as simple and ordinary and that we take for granted are truly wondrous! Here's a reminder for you. The most precious things in life cannot be built by hand or bought by man.

Medicinal Marijauna

2008-02-08T14:02:00.000-07:00

In Burlington, Ontario, the owners of Gator Ted's Pub have been taken before the Ontario Human Rights Commission for allegedly denying the human rights of a man with a spinal cord injury by insisting that he not smoke his medicinal marijauna on their property. Steve Gibson smokes a joint at least every two hours to relieve pain and muscle spasm.

The management of Gator Ted's have asked him not to smoke his marijauna beside the door to their establishment after receiving complaints from their customers. Mr. Gibson is insisting that it is his right to smoke his marijauna wherever and whenever he likes and "nobody can touch him".

This is not a case arguing the merits of medicinal marijauna. This is a case deciding if a business owner may insist that patrons do not violate the human rights of all other customers who do not wish to be in contact with marijauna smoke because the user is not willing to move a few meters out of a doorway.

Interestingly enough, Ted Kindos could lose his business over this dispute. His legal bills have already exceeded $20,000.00 which must come out of his own pocket. Steve Gibson's case, on the other hand, is being funded by taxpayers.

Exciting News About Vital's Family

2008-02-08T03:50:00.000-07:00

On September 8, 2007 I posted a story about Vital Zimarimbeho [Reunite a Family]. Vital had come to Canada about 2 years before that post, from the war-torn Congo. His mother, father and brother were all killed in the fighting. He was trying to bring his wife and four children to Canada and although all of the paperwork had been completed and passports and visas payed for, he still needed $10,000 for the air fare.

September 14, 2007 [Odds and Ends] I was able to report that all of the money required had been raised at a Benefit Concert.

September 26, 2007 [Update on Vital's Family] The location and well-being of Vital's family was unknown as the pastor who had been serving as a liason between Vital and his family had been killed.

http://keyholeministry.blogspot.com/2007_09_01_archive.html

That was all that we knew until this week. Vital's family - all five of them - have been located and he was able to speak to his wife on the telephone this past weekend. It was the first time he had spoken to her in 18 months! God willing, they will all be joining Vital here in Canada very soon. Thank you so much to everyone who prayed for them.

Groundhog Day 2008

2008-02-02T13:57:00.000-07:00

Groundhog Day is an interesting tradition that began in Europe in the middleages. It was noted that clear, sunny weather on Candlemas resulted in about six more weeks of winter - a gray, cloudy day would mean an early spring.

If Candlemas be fair and bright, Winter has another flight.

If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, Winter will not come again.

German tradition included a hedgehog. When German settlers came to Pennsylvania in 1887, the animal was changed to a groundhog.

In the United States the official groundhog is called Punxsutawney Phil. In Canada we have weather rodents in several regions, the most well known being Wiarton Willie, an albino groundhog.

In 1999, Canada suffered through a major scandal, or WillieGate, concerning Wiarton Willie. The 22 year old groundhog died sometime during his winter hibernation. [Note: Wiarton Willie the 2nd died in 2006] The death of Willie the 1st was not discovered until two days before the Groundhog Day Festivities. Organizers of the event said that instead of the traditional Groundhog Day events, a funeral service would be held for Wiarton Willie. At some point during the funeral service it was discovered that the body in the coffin was not that of Wiarton Willie, but instead a stuffed replica. Willie's body was apparently too badly decomposed for the viewing. Parents were outraged, children were traumitized and it took some time to live down the whole mess.

So what about the predictions for 2008? Wiarton Willie did not see his shadow, we will have an early spring. Punxsutawney Phil did see his shadow, the Americans will have another 6 weeks of winter.

Environment Canada's Dave Philips believes the prediction legend is "pure groundhogwash. Come on, when these groundhogs come out of their burrow, they're looking for sex! They're not looking for their shadow," he says, perhaps just a little defensively.

The Death of Freedom of Speech and Belief

2008-02-01T15:58:00.000-07:00

The United Kingdom appears to be in the forefront of giving in to the demands of homosexual activists. These activists are even writing the rules themselves.

LONDON, January 30, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Government guidelines for training school officials to be more sensitive to homosexuality, instruct teachers not to use the terms "mum and dad" when referring to students' parents, and to treat "even casual" use of terms like "gay" as equal to racism.
The guidedance was commissioned by the Labour government directly from the homosexual lobby group Stonewall. The document was launched today at a Stonewall conference by Schools Secretary Ed Balls.

In Britain's current political climate, even young children have been subject to police interventions on accusations of making "racist" or "homophobic" comments. In October 2006, a 14-year-old school girl was arrested by police and detained in a cell for three hours after she asked to be moved into a group of students who spoke English in class. Stott was denounced to police for "racism" by her teachers.
In April 2007, a ten-year-old boy was questioned after the boy sent an email calling another boy "gay".
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2008/jan/08013008.html

Religious organizations are not exempt.

"The guidelines specifically state that those with religious views regarded by the homosexual movement as "intolerant" must be silent. "

LONDON, March 22, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The UK's Sexual Orientation Regulations, that will make it illegal for Christian schools, services and businesses to operate according to their religious principles, passed its last hurdle last night in a vote in the House of Lords. A last minute attempt to defeat the legislation failed. A motion by Baroness O'Caithain that would have scrapped the Regulations on the grounds of anti-religious discrimination was voted down 168 votes to 122. The regulations will be implemented at the end of April. During the brief debate, Baroness Detta O'Caithain said the SORs are seriously flawed and drew attention to the now notorious breaches of proper democratic procedure by the government who, she said, did not allow proper parliamentary scrutiny. The Peers were not allowed to change the wording of the law but only to vote yes or no. With the passage of the SOR's, she said, the state had decided that "a citizen's right to manifest sexual orientation is absolute, but the right to manifest religious belief is not."

Faith based groups will have 21 months to adjust their policies accordingly, although it is difficult to comprehend how they can do this without seriously violating their core moral principles.

Andrea Williams, spokeswoman for the Lawyer's Christian Fellowship told the Telegraph, “The truth is these new laws will prevent Christians acting in accordance with their conscience, whether they are running an adoption agency or a business.”
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/mar/07032206.html

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/mar/07032004.html

Freedom of speech has been effectively trumped.

The Safest Place in the World

2008-02-01T13:28:00.000-07:00

How to stay safe in the world today.

1. Avoid riding in automobiles because they are responsible for 20% of all fatal accidents.

2. Do not stay home because 17% of all accidents occur in the home.

3. Avoid walking on streets or sidewalks because 14% of all accidents occur to pedestrians.

4. Avoid traveling by air, rail, or water because 16% of all accidents involve these forms of transportation.

5. Of the remaining 33%, 32% of all deaths occur in Hospitals. So, ... above all else, avoid hospitals.

BUT, .... You will be pleased to learn that only .001% of all deaths occur in worship services in church, and these are usually related to previous physical disorders. Therefore, logic tells us that the safest place for you to be at any given point in time is at church!

....And.....Bible study is safe too. The percentage of deaths during Bible study is even less.

So, attend church, and read your Bible

IT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE!

Homelessness In The News

2008-01-30T21:11:00.000-07:00

In Ohio, a man was ordered by a judge to spend three days in jail and one night homeless after being convicted of stealing a Salvation Army Kettle with $250.00 in it. The man does not think the sentence was too harsh. Harsh? One day as a homeless person is hardly harsh.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22840216/

In Austria, a shelter where Matthew Hiasl Pan has lived for 25 years is going bankrupt, threatening to leave him homeless. Donors have offered to help support him, but in Austria the law says that only people can receive personal gifts. Matthew is a chimp. Animal rights activists have tried to have him declared a person, thankfully common sense has prevaled and the Supreme Court has declared that legally a chimp is not a person. The rights group plans to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights. Don't they understand what "human rights" mean?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22670956/

In Winnipeg, 12 year old Hannah Taylor founded the Ladybug Foundation five years ago. The foundation has since raised over $1 million dollars to assist homeless people. She is trying to have January 31 named National Red Scarf Day to raise awareness of the nation's homeless population.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2008/01/30/scarf-day.html

Winter in Edmonton

2008-01-28T01:37:00.000-07:00

Sunday January 27, 2008 was not a good day for the homeless in Edmonton. The temperature plummeted to -41 with the wind chill, the wind bit through clothing, it snowed and the blowing snow made roads and sidewalks treacherous. Near white out conditions made traffic hazardous. It was a day not fit for man nor beast nor machine. And the forecast is not predicting relief any time soon. The next few days will be more of the same.

The Ministry Van prowled the streets looking for those in need of food, clothing, a ride to a shelter, but we didn't find many. I pray that is because they found shelter early in the day and were already safe and warm somewhere.

I'm afraid to listen to the news today. I'm praying no one will be found in a snowbank or behind a building frozen to death. Every winter some of the homeless succumb to hypothermia. Please, Lord, not this time.

The Best Dance Ever.... (Makes You Cry)

2008-01-26T21:43:00.001-07:00

This is awe-inspiring. They are far more graceful than many people I know who have both of their arms and legs. It shows the passion and determination of the human spirit - made in the Image of God.

The Magic of Water

2008-01-25T01:48:00.000-07:00

One of the best known bits of medical common knowledge is that people need 10-12 large glasses of water per day to be in optimum condition. We are told that this will improve the look of our hair and skin, help us to lose weight, give us more energy, flush out toxins, prevent muscle cramps as well as assist us with a myriad of other ailments. But is this really true? New research indicates that it might not be. It is possible that drinking that much water may not be all that helpful and that it might very well be detrimental to our health.

I listened to to a doctor, whose name escapes me [I know, I know, poor Journalist skills when I can't cite my source better than that] speaking on an Edmonton radio station, CHED, this past week who said that it is all a myth. He claims that the actual figure should be 8-10 cups, as in measuring cups (8 ounces). He said that at least half of that can be derived from the water that is in our other foods such as juicy fruits and vegetables - celery and lettuce, for example, are 90% water. He also said that any fluid is suitable, including fruit and vegetable juices, milk and even coffee.

Many people apparently don't believe coffee should count because it is a diuretic that may help to dehydrate us. I did some further research on the Internet and found several sources that said that although coffee is a diuretic, it's high water content still exceeds it's dehydrating ability. In fact, the only common drink that will actually contribute to a negative fluid balance in our bodies is alcohol.

The nameless doctor quoted above said that not only will high water intake not be a benefit to our health, it may actually damage our kidneys by prematurely aging them. He qualified this statement by saying that this still requires further research to verify it. He also said that the "flushing" theory may not be such a good idea since proteins will also be flushed and proteins can lead to kidney damage. We should have a definitive answer to all of this within the year.

How do we know what is the "proper" amount of water we need in a day? We obviously need to replace the water that we sweat and expel as waste. The best idea is to drink when we are thirsty. The body is uncannily good at letting us know when our water levels have gotten too low.

So why on earth would anyone want to promote the idea of drinking all of this water if it does no good? Think about it. Fifteen years ago anyone who suggested that people would be willing to pay twice as much for a litre of water as they would for a litre of gasoline would have been laughed at and considered a lunatic. Now take a look at your bottle of Dasani. Get it?

The Old Man and the Dog

2008-01-21T20:56:00.000-07:00

by Catherine Moore

"Watch out! You nearly broad sided that car!" My father yelled at me."Can't you do anything right?"

Those words hurt worse than blows. I turned my head toward the elderly man in the seat beside me, daring me to challenge him. A lump rose in my throat as I averted my eyes. I wasn't prepared for another battle.

"I saw the car, Dad. Please don't yell at me when I'm driving." My voice was measured and steady, sounding far calmer than I really felt.

Dad glared at me, then turned away and settled back. At home I left Dad in front of the television and went outside to collect my thoughts. Dark, heavy clouds hung in the air with a promise of rain. The rumble of distant thunder seemed to echo my inner turmoil. What could I do about him?

Dad had been a lumberjack in Washington and Oregon. He had enjoyed being outdoors and had reveled in pitting his strength against the forces of nature. He had entered grueling lumberjack competitions, and had placed often. The shelves in his house were filled with trophies that attested to his prowess.

The years marched on relentlessly. The first time he couldn't lift a heavy log, he joked about it; but later that same day I saw him outside alone, straining to lift it. He became irritable whenever anyone teased him about his advancing age, or when he couldn't do something he had done as a younger man.

Four days after his sixty-seventh birthday, he had a heart attack. An ambulance sped him to the hospital while a paramedic administered CPR to keep blood and oxygen flowing. At the hospital, Dad was rushed into an operating room. He was lucky; he survived. But something inside Dad died. His zest for life was gone. He obstinately refused to follow doctor's orders.

Suggestions and offers of help were turned aside with sarcasm and insults. The number of visitors thinned, then finally stopped altogether. Dad was left alone. My husband, Dick, and I asked Dad to come live with us on our small farm. We hoped the fresh air and rustic atmosphere would help him adjust. Within a week after he moved in, I regretted the invitation.

It seemed nothing was satisfactory. He criticized everything I did. I became frustrated and moody. Soon I was taking my pent-up anger out on Dick. We began to bicker and argue. Alarmed, Dick sought out our pastor and explained the situation.

The clergyman set up weekly counseling appointments for us. At the close of each session he prayed, asking God to soothe Dad's troubled mind. But the months wore on and God was silent.

Something had to be done and it was up to me to do it. The next day I sat down with the phone book and methodically called each of the mental health clinics listed in the Yellow Pages. I explained my problem to each of the sympathetic voices that answered. In vain. Just when I was giving up hope, one of the voices suddenly exclaimed, "I just read something that might help you! Let me go get the article."

I listened as she read. The article described a remarkable study done at a nursing home. All of the patients were under treatment for chronic depression. Yet their attitudes had improved dramatically when they were given responsibility for a dog.

I drove to the animal shelter that afternoon. After I filled out a questionnaire, a uniformed officer led me to the kennels. The odor of disinfectant stung my nostrils as I moved down the row of pens. Each contained five to seven dogs. Long-haired dogs, curly-haired dogs, black dogs, spotted dogs all jumped up, trying to reach me. I studied each one but rejected one after the other for various reasons, too big, too small, too much hair. As I neared the last pen a dog in the shadows of the far corner struggled to his feet, walked to the front of the run and sat down.

It was a pointer, one of the dog world's aristocrats. But this was a caricature of the breed. Years had etched his face and muzzle with shades of gray. His hipbones jutted out in lopsided triangles. But it was his eyes that caught and held my attention. Calm and clear, they beheld me unwaveringly.

I pointed to the dog. "Can you tell me about him?" The officer looked, then shook his head in puzzlement. "He's a funny one. Appeared out of nowhere and sat in front of the gate. We brought him in, figuring someone would be right down to claim him. That was two weeks ago and we've heard nothing. His time is up tomorrow." He gestured helplessly.

As the words sank in I turned to the man in horror. "You mean you're going to kill him?"

"Ma'am," he said gently, "that's our policy. We don't have room for every unclaimed dog."

I looked at the pointer again. The calm brown eyes awaited my decision. "I'll take him," I said. I drove home with the dog on the front seat beside me. When I reached the house I honked the horn twice. I was helping my prize out of the car when Dad shuffled onto the front porch.

"Ta-da! Look what I got for you, Dad!" I said excitedly. Dad looked, then wrinkled his face in disgust. "If I had wanted a dog I would have gotten one. And I would have picked out a better specimen than that bag of bones. Keep it! I don't want it." Dad waved his arm scornfully and turned back toward the house.

Anger rose inside me. It squeezed together my throat muscles and pounded into my temples. "You'd better get used to him, Dad. He's staying!" Dad ignored me. "Did you hear me, Dad?" I screamed. At those words Dad whirled angrily, his hands clenched at his sides, his eyes narrowed and blazing with hate.

We stood glaring at each other like duelists, when suddenly the pointer pulled free from my grasp. He wobbled toward my dad and sat down in front of him. Then slowly, carefully, he raised his paw. Dad's lower jaw trembled as he stared at the uplifted paw. Confusion replaced the anger in his eyes. The pointer waited patiently. Then Dad was on his knees hugging the animal. It was the beginning of a warm and intimate friendship.

Dad named the pointer Cheyenne. Together he and Cheyenne explored the community. They spent long hours walking down dusty lanes. They spent reflective moments on the banks of streams, angling for tasty trout. They even started to attend Sunday services together, Dad sitting in a pew and Cheyenne lying quietly at his feet. Dad and Cheyenne were inseparable throughout the next three years. Dad's bitterness faded, and he and Cheyenne made many friends.

Then late one night I was startled to feel Cheyenne's cold nose burrowing through our bed covers. He had never before come into our bedroom at night. I woke Dick, put on my robe and ran into my father's room. Dad lay in his bed, his face serene. But his spirit had left quietly sometime during the night.

Two days later my shock and grief deepened when I discovered Cheyenne lying dead beside Dad's bed. I wrapped his still form in the rag rug he had slept on. As Dick and I buried him near a favorite fishing hole, I silently thanked the dog for the help he had given me in restoring Dad's peace of mind.

The morning of Dad's funeral dawned overcast and dreary. This day looks like the way I feel, I thought, as I walked down the aisle to the pews reserved for family. I was surprised to see the many friends Dad and Cheyenne had made filling the church. The pastor began his eulogy. It was a tribute to both Dad and the dog who had changed his life. And then the pastor turned to Hebrews 13:2. "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers." "I've often thanked God for sending that Angel," he said.

For me, the past dropped into place, completing a puzzle that I had not seen before: the sympathetic voice that had just read the right article...Cheyenne's unexpected appearance at the animal shelter... his calm acceptance and complete devotion to my father. . and the proximity of their deaths. And suddenly I understood. I knew that God had answered my prayers after all.

Hebrews 13:2

Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

The More Things Change.......

2008-01-17T23:09:00.000-07:00

There is an old saying - The more things change the more they stay the same. An archaeology site in Northumberland demonstrates that Roman soldiers stationed in Britain some 1500-2000 years ago were not much different than people are today. Letters to and from Gaul (AD 43-410), where most of the soldiers were from, were found that had been written on slices of oak with ink made from gum arabic and water.

One of the most often written about complaints by the soldiers was the cold weather. One such letter contained a soldiers wish list. "Paria udonum ab Sattua solearum duo et subligariorum duo." - or : socks, two pairs of sandals, two pairs of underpants. Ironically the most asked for items from the Ministry Van by the homeless people are: socks, running shoes, underwear.

Cultures, traditions and lifestyles may change but the needs of people do not.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=508044&in_page_id=1770

More About Microchips

2008-01-16T00:07:00.000-07:00

On July 25, 2007 I posted an item about Microchips being implanted in human beings for security reasons as well as for buying and selling. A lot of information can be contained on a tiny chip the size of a grain of rice; security information that might be on a card that is scanned to gain access to a building or office or financial information like on your debit card. If the information is contained on a Microchip that is implanted under your skin their is no danger of losing the card or forgetting to take your card with you.

http://keyholeministry.blogspot.com/2007/07/microchips.html

On the other hand, such an implant could also be used to track your movements, your spending habits and possibly anything else that "someone" might want to know about you.

The United Kingdom is currently considering chipping prisoners so that they can deal with overcrowding in the prison system. The chip would work in the same way that "house arrest" ankle bracelets are now being used to monitor the movements of prisoners, but with less danger of the prisoner tampering with the device.

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article3333852.ece

Revelation 13:15-18
And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

Pastor Berlin V Guerro Prison Ministry

2008-01-15T23:41:00.000-07:00

I have been posting regular updates on the situation of Pastor Guerro since his arrest last spring. (see Aug 10; Sept 9; Nov 13) This is the latest news.

December 29,2007
(7 months and 2 days in Prison)

Dearest Friends and Relatives,

I am delighted to share to you the joy of God’s steadfast protection and care which sustains me everyday in prison. It is also God’s spirit that moves many of our brothers and sisters to pray unceasingly. Many have sent me greetings and encouragement in letters from various parts of the globe. Friends from here and abroad went out of their way just to see me even for a few hours. God has show God’s graciousness in the outpouring of prayers, wishes, support and advocacy not only for me but for the many victims of human rights violations.

Despite the physical limitations and some indignities of prison conditions, and the unfavourable prison culture, I remain to be in good shape physically and spiritually. The jail ministry which we launched last July here continues to grow. We now have the regular services on Thursday, Wednesday Bible study in the morning, and a Lay Formation type of study in the afternoon. I assist and teach new anthems to the inmates choir that sings in the Roman Catholic mass every Sunday morning and the UCCP Thursday services, we are very ecumenical here.

Two days ago, I organized a “ Pamaskong Harana” (Christmas Serenade)- a mini concert which included interpretative dances and short Christmas messages. A first time here at the jail, grace by the Warden and his Deputy Warden. In between the scheduled activities, I do Pastoral Counselling, Para-legal assistance, and treat wounds to the sick and share medicines. My “room”, which like a very small cabin, can be a counselling room, a clinic, a legal office and a coffee room, sometimes a practice room for the male members of the choir.

There will be more plans for the coming New Year and your prayers and support to me and my family would indeed be a great complement in our Prison Ministry.

In any case, I would like to express personally my appreciation for sharing your resources for our cause.

After the 4 months delay caused by the Office of the Solicitor General’s late submission of its comment on our petition, we can only but wait for the En Banc Hearing and Resolution of the Supreme Court on my case next year.

Please continue your prayers so that the New Year will bring good news of my release and even as we pray for the advance of the people’s struggle for Freedom, Justice and Genuine Peace! God Bless You All!

Yours,

Pastor Berlin Guerrero
Cavite Provincial Jail Trece Martirez City, Cavite

ZENN on the Rick Mercer Report

2008-01-10T22:50:00.001-07:00

Can you believe that Federal and Provincial Governments are giving this Canadian company a hard time? Aren't we supposed to be reducing our Greenhouse Gas Emissions? So what's up?

Winter Woes

2008-01-09T19:05:00.000-07:00

Almost everyone that I know has been sick lately. Everyone has been down with the flu and/or a cold that just doesn't seem to want to go away. Both Ed and I have been suffering from a severe head cold for the past two weeks. I've been trying to avoid going to the doctor but I just might have to give in and admitdefeat. They keep telling us that "not all bugs need drugs" but sometimes enough is enough. So if it seems that I haven't been blogging as much as usual, that is the reason. Pray for both of us please. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired.

The Grim Reaper Wears White

2008-01-07T23:31:00.000-07:00

In Winnipeg a chilling court case is being heard. It is the children of Samuel Golubchuk against doctors at the Salvation Army Grace General Hospital. The doctors have decided that it is time for Mr. Golubchuk, 84, to die, and they are planning to remove his ventilation tube and if that does not kill him quickly enough they will remove his feeding tube. If he shows any discomfort they will administer morphine.

His children do not want Mr. Golubchuk's treatment suspended and have said that since he is an Orthodox Jew he would not want it terminated either since this practise is completely against Jewish law.

The director of the ICU unit has told the Golubchuk children that neither their wishes nor their father's wishes are relevant! He would do what he decided was appropriate! The director's lawyer, Bill Olson, told the CBC that "physicians have the sole right to make decisions about treatment - even if it goes against a patients religious beliefs - and that there is no right to a continuation of treatment." The ICU director has the full support of Dr. Jeff Blackner, executive director of the office of ethics of the Canadian Medical Association. He said, "We want to make sure that clinical decisions are left to doctors and not judges. Doctors' decisions are made only with the best interest of the individual patient at heart." How can he possibly say that when it is undisputed that Mr. Golubchuk would oppose this decision? And I don't want these decisions made by doctors or judges. They should properly be left to the patient and the patient's family.

A judge is to decide this week if he will renew a temporary injunction against the hospital. However it was learned that Samuel Golubchuk regained consciousness several days ago and was interacting with people in spite of the fact that doctors have asserted that he has minimal brain function. They apparently failed to report his improvement to the courts.

In Holland, where euthanasia has been legal since 1984, 3% of all deaths in 1995 were due to euthanasia or assisted suicide. The figures for 1995 reported 3,600 authorized cases as well as an additional 900 others where doctors acted without consent. It has been reported that a lot of patients in Holland are afraid to go to the hospital because of this situation.

Do we want a society where doctors have the right to make the sole decision concerning who will receive treatment and who will not, who will live and who will die? I certainly don't. I do not want my life, or the life of my loved ones, to be reduced to whether or not it makes "economic sense" to keep them alive. Everyone who is as outraged about this situation as I am must make their opinions heard loudly and clearly by our elected representatives. Doctors who take these matters into their own hands must be prosecuted for murder - because that is what it is.

In Memorium

2008-01-07T02:33:00.000-07:00

One of the saddest things about our job, providing services to the homeless, is the number of deaths that we have to deal with. We tend to get very close to a lot of "our people" on the street and losing one of them can be like losing a member of our family. Some of these people die due to the violence that plagues street life, others succumb to health issues that are a very real side affect of homelessness and/or addictions.

This past Sunday, Hope Mission held a memorial service in honor of twelve people who died on the streets and in shelters in Edmonton in 2007 and our first loss of 2008, that occurred January 3. The service was packed and the participants were very emotional. Many of the staff of the Hope Mission and the Herb Jamieson Center were in attendance. We can only pray that we made some difference in their lives while we served them. We know that they made a difference in ours.

Matthew 25:35-40

For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

2007-12-31T19:01:00.000-07:00

Things Go Better With Coca-Cola

2007-12-31T17:46:00.000-07:00

Coca-Cola has been a North American icon for more than a century, but how much do you really know about this famous beverage? It was invented in 1886 by a pharmacist, John Pemberton. It was originally intended as a nerve and brain tonic and was first sold in pharmacies in Atlanta. As such, it actually contained cocaine since it was made from extracts of the coca leaf and kola nuts. These ingredients were removed from the product in 1905. The original product was a non-carbonated beverage, it is thought that the addition of carbonation may have been accidental when a soda-jerk inadvertently shot some soda water into the drink.

John Pemberton didn't know what he had. He only sold $50.00 worth Coke the first year, unfortunately it had cost him $70.00 to produce it. He had financial problems, his health was failing and he was a morphine addict, so he began selling off the rights to his invention.

In 1931, the Coca-Cola company, in an effort to become more "family friendly" launched it's famous "Santa Claus Campaign". Haddon Sundblom was commissioned to create a Coke loving Santa Claus. Up to this time their was not a standard depiction of Santa Claus. He had various looks and was depicted wearing various colors. Mr. Sundblom's Santa Claus wore a suit of the exact shade of red as Coca-Cola's corporate colors and he was soon the "official" Santa Claus of Christmas in North America.

Coca-Cola went through some turbulent transitions in the 1980's when they attempted to change the recipe of their famous soda pop. Consumer back-lash was enormous and they soon had to reintroduce their original formula.

Today Coca-Cola is one of the world's largest corporations. It's true. Things do go better with Coca-Cola.

The Carter Defense

2007-12-30T17:32:00.000-07:00

In Canada the legal limit for operating a motor vehicle after consuming alcohol is .08 blood alcohol level. Police routinely test for this with a breathalyzer, a small hand held machine that the accused breaths into. Unfortunately in Canadian law there is also a loop-hole, the Carter Defense, which has been around since 1985. According to this defense, the breathalyzer is only a machine that can malfunction. If the accused testifies under oath that he/she has only had "one or two drinks and can therefore not possibly be impaired" that statement raises a reasonable doubt as to their guilt. The accused must then be acquitted. Yes, machines can malfunction, but accused people can also lie. I would tend to place more weight on scientific evidence than I would on the word of a person who has everything to lose if convicted. The Canadian Government plans to work on changing this law in the coming year and closing this loop-hole.

Christmas 2007

2007-12-26T00:38:00.000-07:00

Christmas Day has come and gone once again and now everyone will be gearing up for New Year's. We spent a wonderful couple of days with family, we ate too much delicious food, we visited a lot and everyone seemed to have a good time. Ed will be working New Year's Eve but he should be home in plenty of time for us to see in the New Year together.

2007 was quite a year, as usual. There was our son, Edwin's ongoing sinus issue (see "Inside Ed's Head" June 22, 2007), the death of Ed's (my husband's) father, my brother's diagnosis of colon cancer. There were also good times. Our trip to South Dakota where we met with our other son, Robert, his wife and their two children, two marriages (nephews) and the announcement of two pregnancies in the family (nieces).

What will 2008 bring? We have no way of knowing. All that we do know for sure is that whatever it is, Jesus will be with us all of the way.

Jeremiah 29:11
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.

A Story Of Faith in Adversity

2007-12-23T03:46:00.000-07:00

This is a true story of amazing faith that appears in my book "Keyhole to the Kingdom - Glimpses of God". Ed and I personally know some of the family members: the husband's father, sister and brother-in-law.

On September 4, 1998 , a young couple was travelling on their motorcycles with their two young children. The husband was on the first motorcycle with his five year old son and his three year old daughter in the sidecar. His wife was riding her own bike just behind him.

He attempted to pass a slow moving vehicle, and the two collided. The father and his son were thrown onto the road and were struck by a truck. The little girl died in the sidecar. His wife was just behind on her bike and watched in horror as her entire family was wiped out in seconds. The incident was horrible and sad, but that wasn't the end of the story by any means.

The wife found out that she was pregnant just days after the funeral. She believes the baby was likely conceived the night before her husband died. Through the horrible months that followed, the baby growing inside of her was her reminder that her life was not over. The child was to be the link to the family that she had lost that tragic day.

She harbours no bitterness toward God, and she talks about her husband and her first two children with joy and happiness as she remembers the life they had. She and her husband had both made a decision to follow Christ, and she takes comfort from that. She knows that her family is in Heaven. The new baby is a gift from God that definitely helped her get through her time of sorrow.

People who have heard her story are inspired by her faith and her strength. Other family members have mentioned that she is the one who often gives them comfort. Her tragedy is an awesome testimony to her faith in the goodness of God.

2 Corinthians 1:3-6
Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.
And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.

Is Christmas Really a Christian Holiday?

2007-12-16T23:45:00.000-07:00

Many seem to believe that Christmas is not a Christian Holiday. They point to the fact that Jesus' birthday was not actually on December 25 and that that date was actually a pagan holiday. They believe that many of our Christmas traditions have pagan roots. While that is certainly true, I'm not convinced that it necessarily follows that celebrating Christmas is inherently evil. The first link I am posting outlines the position of the no-Christmas believers. The second two links give a well thought out rebuttal to that stand.

No-Christmas
http://www.dailylocal.com:80/WebApp/appmanager/JRC/Daily?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pg_article&r21.pgpath=%2FDLN%2FLife&r21.content=%2FDLN%2FLife%2FTopStoryList_Story_1268949

Rebuttal
http://members.aol.com/basfawlty/chrmas.htm

http://members.aol.com/kjvisbest/chrespns.htm

I will be celebrating Christmas with my family this December 25. What I am celebrating is the birth of my Savior with a full and grateful heart.

A Place of Refuge

2007-12-15T16:15:00.000-07:00

It was very disturbing to hear about the church shootings earlier this week in Colorado. At one time a church was considered a safe place of refuge, a sanctuary from the rest of the world. Even criminals could find a safe haven there. A person could go in and find peace, a place to pray and to refresh themselves. The doors were not even locked. Almost everyone understood that a church was sacred ground. Now churches even have armed guards. I tend to think that the fault may lie, at least in part, with some of the "new Evangelical Churches" that have removed the Holiness from their churches in an attempt to be "seeker friendly". Churches who have circuses in their "sanctuaries" come to mind.

Joel Osteen's New Book on Sale

2007-12-15T15:32:00.001-07:00

The 1st Act

2007-12-13T23:38:00.000-07:00

December is always such a busy month. There's cleaning and decorating, cooking and baking, shopping and wrapping and mailing, Christmas parties and pageants and on and on and on. Is everyone out there ready for Christmas yet? I'm certainly not.

And yet amidst all of this flurry of preparation what we really need to do is sit down, take a deep breath, relax and remember what and who all of this is really about.

It is all about our Savior, Jesus. It is all about the miraculous love of our Father. It is the 1st act in the story of our redemption. Christmas comes first so that Good Friday and Easter can follow, so that Thanksgiving can be celebrated and so that Eternity can be ours. Wow! All of the pieces fit together into a beautiful plan that only God could have conceived. Thank you, God, thank you.

Gold, Common Sense and Fur

2007-12-07T14:41:00.000-07:00

A friend e-mailed this story. It is so sweet that I just had to share it.

My husband and I had been happily married (most of the time) for five years but hadn't been blessed with a baby. I decided to do some serious praying and promised God that if he would give us a child, I would be a perfect mother, love it with all my heart and raise it with His word as my guide. God answered my prayers and blessed us with a son. The next year God blessed us with another son. The following year, He blessed us with yet another son. The year after that we were blessed with a daughter. My husband thought we'd been blessed right into poverty.
We now had four children, and the oldest was only four years old. I learned never to ask God for anything unless I meant it. A minister once told me, "If you pray for rain, make sure you carry an umbrella." I began reading a few verses of the Bible to the children each day as they lay in their cribs. I was off to a good start. God had entrusted me with four children and I didn't want to disappoint Him.
I tried to be patient the day the children smashed two dozen eggs on the kitchen floor searching for baby chicks. I tried to be understanding...
when they started a hotel for homeless frogs in the spare bedroom, although it took me nearly two hours to catch all twenty-three frogs.
When my daughter poured ketchup all over herself and rolled up in a blanket to see how it felt to be a hot dog, I tried to see the humor rather than the mess. In spite of changing over twenty-five thousand diapers, never eating a hot meal and never sleeping for more than thirty minutes at a time, I still thank God daily for my children.
While I couldn't keep my promise to be a perfect mother - I didn't even come close...I did keep my promise to raise them in the Word of God. I knew I was missing the mark just a little when I told my daughter we were going to church to worship God, and she wanted to bring a bar of soap along to "wash up" Jesus, too. Something was lost in the translation when I explained that God gave us everlasting life, and my son thought it was generous of God to give us his "last wife."
My proudest moment came during the children's Christmas pageant. My daughter was playing Mary, two of my sons were shepherds and my youngest son was a wise man. This was their moment to shine. My five-year-old shepherd had practiced his line, "We found the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes." But he was nervous and said, "The baby was wrapped in wrinkled clothes. "My four-year-old "Mary" said, "That's not 'wrinkled clothes,' silly. That's dirty, rotten clothes." A wrestling match broke out between Mary and the shepherd and was stopped by an angel, who bent her halo and lost her left wing. I slouched a little lower in my seat when Mary dropped the doll representing Baby Jesus, and it bounced down the aisle crying, "Mama-mama." Mary grabbed the doll, wrapped it back up and held it tightly as the wise men arrived. My other son stepped forward wearing a bathrobe and a paper crown, knelt at the manger and announced, "We are the three wise men, and we are bringing gifts of gold, common sense and fur." The congregation dissolved into laughter, and the pageant got a standing ovation.
"I've never enjoyed a Christmas program as much as this one," laughed the pastor, wiping tears from his eyes. "For the rest of my life, I'll never hear the Christmas story without thinking of gold, common sense and fur."
"My children are my pride and my joy and my greatest blessing," I said as I dug through my purse for an aspirin.

Dumb Things Christians Say

2007-12-07T02:49:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I have to just shake my head. Militant Atheists will sometimes make disparaging remarks about the intelligence - or perceived lack thereof - of Christians. They don't think that anyone intelligent or educated could possibly believe that collection of myths. Unfortunately far too many Christians play into their hands with uninformed - and sometimes downright stupid - remarks. One case in point is Sherri Shepherd, the newest co-host of the talk show, "The View". Sherri is apparently a born-again Christian. Recently the conversation on the show between the three co-hosts, Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg and Sherri Shepherd, turned to the Greek philosopher, Epicurus. Whoopi said that Epicurus predated Christianity. Sherri insisted that Christians came before ancient Greece and even said that nothing predated Christians! Joy said that it was first the Greeks, then the Romans, then Christians. Sherri answered, "Jesus came first. Before then."

Last September when Sherri said she didn't believe in evolution, Whoopi asked her if she also believed the earth was flat. Sherri said she didn't know! The next day she said that the question had flustered her and she did know that the earth isn't flat. How can a television personality on a talk show get so flustered by a dumb question that she gives such a dumb answer? What's wrong with the television network that they would hire someone that easily rattled and who is that ignorant of basic facts for a position as a spokesperson in the public eye?

This is as bad as the Christian fellow who was interviewed some time ago who was talking about the the fact that some Christians don't believe that the earth is as old as scientists say. When he was asked how he would explain dinosaur bones he said, "God put them there to test our faith."

huh? If we can't come up with a better answer than that we should probably keep quiet. This is the kind of stuff that reflects badly on all Christians. It's the stuff that will get remembered. We need to remember the old adage: It's better to be silent and be thought dumb than to open our mouth and remove all doubt.

Canadian "Beer Fridges" are the Culprits

2007-12-02T23:24:00.000-07:00

When I first heard this, I thought it was a joke. Apparently not. Canadian "beer fridges" - apparently 1 in 3 Canadians have one - are a "significant" factor in Global Warming. People who keep their old fridge when they purchase their new one are being cited as huge contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. I have heard a lot contradictory information on both sides of the debate about whether or not humans are the real cause of climate change or if it is a naturally occurring phenomena that has happened before without our input. To be perfectly honest, I'm not convinced that it's us. (eep.....did I really admit that publicly? Are the politically correct police going to get me?) And now, even our beer isn't safe. What next?

http://environment.newscientist.com/article/dn12975-beer-fridges-present-a-gassy-problem.html

Joseph Farah's Opinion of Rick Warren's Opinion

2007-12-01T21:55:00.000-07:00

Rick Warren, the author of the best selling "Purpose Driven Life" and Pastor of a mega-church, is part of a group of 100 church leaders who want "inter-faith dialogue and building of common ground with Muslims". On the other hand he thinks that churches are justified in getting rid of Christians who disagree with them - or "troublemakers".

Joseph Farah, in an article written for WorldNetDaily said :

Rick Warren makes a spiritually fatal error when he proclaims, without any biblical authority, that Satan's greatest weapon is disunity. That is simply not true. The Bible reveals over and over again that even one spirit-filled believer can stand up against Satan. God is not impressed with numbers. He doesn't need numbers for victory. He doesn't care about big churches. He doesn't care about the cathedrals of men. He wants numbers only because He is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).

No, Satan's greatest weapon is hardly disunity. His greatest weapon since his fall and since the Garden of Eden has been deception. In fact, Satan loves unity – as long as those unified are knowingly or unknowingly serving him. He'd love for all of us to "go to hell in a handbasket."

You can read the entire article at : http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58942

We've Been Elfed

2007-11-30T13:40:00.000-07:00

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1121013070

I got this message from my cousin and thought I'd pass it on as well :

MERRY CHRISTMAS....On the way home last night, I was listening to the radio when a newscaster called his little 91 year old granny to talk to her about the "Holidays". He mentioned that he had noticed that Christmas has become so "politically correct" that no mention of Christmas is made by most retailers, we now wish people "Happy Holidays." His granny said she missed the Old Fashioned Christmas when everyone wished each other "Merry Christmas". I thought about it and agree...so this year I will be making a conscious effort to wish everyone Merry Christmas...my way of saying that I am celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. So I'm asking my buddies, if you agree with me, to please do the same. And if you'll pass this on to your buddies, and so on...maybe we can prevent one more treasured tradition from being lost in the sea of "Political Correctness."

This is NOT a Holiday Tree
This is a Christmas tree.
It is not a Hanukkah bush,
It is not an Allah plant,
It is not a Holiday hedge.
It is a Christmas tree.
Say it... CHRISTmas , CHRISTmas , CHRISTmas Yes. CHRISTmas - celebrating the Birth of Jesus Christ!!!

Take a stand !!

Osteen Said What?

2007-11-28T05:06:00.001-07:00

The wrong message.

They Have Done Away with the Cross

2007-11-28T05:01:00.001-07:00

The right message.

The "Alberta Advantage"

2007-11-28T02:33:00.000-07:00

The so called "Alberta Advantage" has not been an advantage to everyone. The booming economy in Alberta has caused housing costs to sky rocket. Many people have come to Alberta to seek their fortunes and have found that without the skills and education required to obtain the high paying jobs, they are in just as bad, if not worse economic shape than they were before they left their homes.

These are just a few examples of housing options that some people have resorted to in Edmonton. With the temperatures plummeting to -18 Celsius
(-28 with the wind chill) in the last few days and with snow on the ground, many who are sleeping outdoors are facing the very really danger of frostbite and hypothermia.

Emergency shelters are quickly filling to capacity and although new spaces have been opened up this winter, there is still not nearly enough room to accommodate the cities estimated 2800 homeless. Not all of the homeless are employable, with ages ranging from the low teens to some who are over the age of 65. Many suffer from substance abuse problems, mental illness, physical disabilities and/or lack of formal

education and social/life skills.

While affordable housing is a necessity, that alone will not solve the homeless crisis. Strong support networks and agencies dedicated to "retraining" and instilling a sense of worth in these individuals are just as vital to achieving a long term solution.

iHuman

2007-11-23T01:47:00.000-07:00

Displayed on the outside wall of the ihuman Society building; artwork created by dis-advantaged youth:

The following information comes from the ihuman website, a charitable organization located in Edmonton Alberta. Some of their artwork is on display on the outside of their building. It shows a lot of talent. I took pictures.

Mission Statement
The ihuman Youth Society is a non-profit, charitable organization whose mission is to work with high-risk youth and to promote their re-integration into the community through a program involving crisis intervention, arts mentorship, and life skills development programs.

Clientele

ihuman's clientele consists of high risk youth, many of who are either working or living on the streets. Drug addiction is one of the youths’ greatest problems, more specifically in terms of crystal meth, with unassessed mental health issues coming in close second.
Kicking the drug habit and turning your life around takes time and constant support – the average time a youth stays in an ihuman program is three years. In that time, they get kids off the streets, and into arts-based programs which lead them to heal and discover their own identity. Simultaneously, they give the youth constant support and guidance while they transition into independent living and steady employment.

Origin of Name

The ihuman name came from an Inuit term identifying the sympathetic relationship of the individual within the collective community; One for all and all for one.

http://www.ihuman.org/

Giant Microbes

2007-11-21T00:40:00.000-07:00

Just when I thought nothing could shock me any more I got surprised - something did. I was cruising around on the net when I stumbled across a company based in Stamford, Connecticut called GIANTmicrobes that makes and sells "cuddly", plush, disease causing microbes and pathogens. Included in their list of "toys" is Polio, Ebola, the Plague, HIV, Syphilis, Gonorrhea, pimples, bad breath, Typhoid Fever, E. Coli, Salmonella and more. Also included are lice, bedbugs, dust mites and other "critters". Each "toy" comes with a tag with a picture of the real microbe and a description of the disease. They are calling these "educational toys".

I also came across a price list:

single microbe $7.95

starter collection (15 pack) $85.00

Venereals (2 pack) $12.00

maladies (6 pack) $33.00

intermediate set of 31 $178.00

critters (5 pack) $30.00

collection of all 47 $275.00

This has to be the epitome of bad taste. I'm sure that people who are victims of these diseases, not to mention those who have lost loved ones to them, do not consider this a game. This has to be one of the most disturbing examples of capitalism run amok that I have heard of since serial killer trading cards.

More About Speeding

2007-11-19T01:54:00.000-07:00

Apparently Irish judges do not respect laws discouraging speeding any more than the Alberta judge does that I wrote about in my last post. A judge in Dublin reduced the charges against a speeding driver, saying that the speed did not look as bad in miles per hour as it did in kilometers per hour. (His 180 km/h speed only calculated to 112 m/h in a 100 km/h or 62 m/h zone.) The charges against him were reduced from dangerous driving, which would have resulted in losing his driver's license, to careless driving which got him a 1000 euro fine ($1450.00).

And speeding isn't the only thing that the Irish are lenient on. There is a law that drivers who fail their first driver's test can still get their license and drive by them self. That law is being changed effective mid-2008. Transport Department statistics say that 1-6 Irish drivers have never passed a road test.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21560119/

Speed Kills

2007-11-14T23:27:00.000-07:00

That's what we've always been told isn't it? Speed kills. I've always assumed that the reason we have speed limits is because speeds over those limits are dangerous. That's not necessarily so, according to at least one Provincial Court Judge in Alberta. Last week a 17 year old driver was acquitted of two criminal offence counts of "dangerous driving causing death" after an accident in which he sped up to 143 km/h (the normal highway speed limit is 100 km/h) to pass another vehicle.

The driver sped up to pass a pickup truck. When the truck began to change lanes the boy swerved right, then jerked the wheel to the left in an "instinctive correction". The car skidded across the highway and became airborne before hitting the ditch and rolling. His two passengers, a fifteen year old girl and a sixteen year old boy, were both killed. The driver sustained minor injuries. All of the occupants were wearing seat belts and alcohol was not a factor.

The judge said that to convict the driver of dangerous driving, she would have to be satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that his conduct "amounted to a marked departure from the standard of care a reasonable person would observe in the same situation. The death alone is not conclusive proof of dangerous driving. The driving is not to be measured against the benefit of hindsight."

Again, I ask, is not the fact that we have speed limits enough to release us from the need to use hindsight to determine that speeding is dangerous? Haven't experts already determined what speed is safe and what speeds are unsafe on any given stretch of highway? If the answer to these two questions is no, then speed limits are simply an opportunity for governments to generate revenue from fines. If the answer is yes then this young man should have known that the speed at which he was driving had the potential to be dangerous and he should have been convicted.

More on Pastor Berlin V. Guerrero

2007-11-13T17:44:00.000-07:00

I received the following e-mail with an update of what has been happening with Pastor Berlin Guerrero. I posted about his situation Aug 10, 2007 Pastor Berlin V. Guerrero and on Sept 9, 2007 Pastor Berlin Guerrero Update.
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I wanted to give you an update on Pastor Berlin Guerrero. I got a nice e-mail from his wife Mylene today and they express their heartfelt gratitude for all the prayers and letters.

She says that her husband continues to receive letters from different parts of the world and they really give him comfort "despite of the indignities he experienced inside the jail". She feels the letters are making a difference. The jail personnel are hesitant to abuse him. Some of the letters he has received have been opened already but he is getting them.

They are still waiting for a Supreme Court decision. Other celebrity cases are being given priority at the moment.

A church in Ohio held a fundraiser for the Guerrero family since this has been costly for them. Just to show what kind of family this is, they immediately bought a small sound system so Pastor Berlin could hold services and Bible Studies inside the jail!

Pastor Berlin is teaching beginner and advanced Bible Studies, has started an inmate choir, and is leading worship services. He is wanting to start a health program and legal assistance program as well. His brother said that Pastor Berlin's cell has been turned into a chapel.

So - thank you for your part in encouraging Pastor Berlin. If you would like to write him or the Supreme Court judge, here are the addresses again.

Gracia Burnham
PO Box 10
Rose Hill, KS 67133
graciaburnham@yahoo.com

About "A Pittance of Time"

2007-11-12T19:44:00.000-07:00

I am a day late posting this video but it is worth listening to any time of the year. A beautiful and moving tribute to our brave men and women who defend our freedom.

The following appears on "petergosse" account on YouTube :

November 11, 1999 Terry Kelly was in a Shoppers Drug Mart store in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. At 10:55 AM an announcement came over the store's PA asking customers who would still be on the premises at 11:00 AM to give two minutes of silence in respect to the veterans who have sacrificed so much for us.Terry was impressed with the store's leadership role in adopting the Legion's "two minutes of silence" initiative. He felt that the store's contribution of educating the public to the importance of remembering was commendable.When eleven o'clock arrived on that day, an announcement was again made asking for the "two minutes of silence" to commence. All customers, with the exception of a man who was accompanied by his young child, showed their respect.Terry's anger towards the father for trying to engage the store's clerk in conversation and for setting a bad example for his child was later channeled into a beautiful piece of work called, "A Pittance of Time". Terry later recorded "A Pittance of Time" and included it on his full-length music CD, "The Power of the Dream".

A Pittance of Time

2007-11-12T19:37:00.001-07:00

Location of "Crucifixion of Christ" Sculptures

2007-11-12T00:55:00.000-07:00

My November 5 post of pictures of "the Crucifixion of Christ" sculptures near Amarillo Texas generated more hits on my blog than any other post. One comment said that the writer was having trouble pinpointing the exact location of the sculptures so I did some research and came up with an answer. Unfortunately the person commented anonymously so I can't send them the information. Hopefully they will come back to this website.

The sculptures are located on the south side of Interstate 40 between the Interstate and the old Route 66 going west from Groom Texas. While I was looking for this information I discovered that a couple of the facts I had received with the pictures may be incorrect, so here is the information I came up with. I said that the sculptures were done by one man and that he did them from the goodness of his heart. I also said that the land was donated. Apparently the two founders of "Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ Ministries" asked a third man to help them create the sculptures. He was paid for his work. Unfortunately a dispute ensued over ownership of the copyrights for the works and that matter was taken to court. I do not know the outcome of the case. I have included a link to my source for this information :

http://www.amarillo.com/stories/082205/new_2589737.shtml

In any case, the sculptures are still beautiful and I still want to see them someday.

1 Corinthians 1:18
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

Remembrance Day

2007-11-10T01:12:00.000-07:00

November 11 is Remembrance Day in Canada, a day set aside to honor our Armed Forces who put their own lives on the line to insure peace and prosperity for the rest of us. Many Canadians will be wearing a poppy, the symbol of our respect for all of those who have chosen to dedicate their life to defending our freedom. May God bless them and their families richly.

To read about the history and significance of Remembrance Day and it's traditions : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_Day

It's a Small World After All

2007-11-07T16:20:00.000-07:00

This image is owned by NASA http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/My sister, Val, is a genealogist http://kithncousin.blogspot.com/ or for her complete website http://kithncousin.com/ . She has been corresponding with a gentleman from Germany who is also a genealogist and he recently e-mailed her that he would be in Canada this week on business and maybe he could call her. Remember that Canada is the second largest country in the world by area after Russia. When she asked him where he would be he told her that he was going to Fort McMurray Alberta and would be staying in Edmonton! Edmonton is where she lives! Her and I were able to meet him for coffee and they spent the evening chatting about the families from the area our German grandmother came from. He had a wealth of information on his laptop that he was willing to share with Val.

Val's blogspot has some interesting stories about how her family and her husband's family intersected half a world away 100-200 years before they ever met. It's all very fascinating and proves that it really is a small, small world.

The Crucifixion of Christ

2007-11-05T19:59:00.000-07:00

These are some of the pictures (there were 18 in all), that were sent to me by a friend, of The Crucifixion of Christ that a man sculptured out of metal near Amarillo, Texas ... The cross is a giant made of metal also. The man did this out of the kindness of his heart. Someone donated the land to him. It is an amazing display that graphically tells the story. I would love to see it in person some day.

Halloween With the Homeless

2007-11-03T01:46:00.001-06:00

Ed & I have never worked on Halloween before - it always fell on our days off - so we weren't sure what to expect this year. Surprisingly, it was a very quiet night. Maybe because it was in the middle of the week we saw almost no one on the streets - very few homeless people and/or non-homeless people. The weather was beautiful for Halloween so we expected to see more partiers, but nothing out of the ordinary occurred. Go figure !

The following day we had an extra special shift that was filled with blessings. First, one of our very generous supporters that we hadn't seen for awhile because he was working out of town contacted us. He had gone shopping and he thought of us. He brought us a large bag of winter gloves, another filled with socks, and another with underwear. He also included a lot of toiletries - toothbrushes, shampoo etc. God bless you Dave for your generosity.

Next we came across a camp of five people in a back alley. They were excited to see us and gratefull to share in the blessings Dave had left with us. One of the women had a toy bunny she had gotten from somewhere, when you pressed it's paw it danced. We laughed and talked for awhile, then we prayed with them. It was awesome. One of the men had tears in his eyes.

A little later we came across another group of people sleeping in another alley. Again they were excited about the donations we were able to distribute. It was like Christmas to them. Sometimes we have passed that camp late at night when they were asleep already and we would leave bag lunches by them for morning. One of the men commented that it always made them feel good to wake up in the morning and find the lunches and know that it meant that we had come by while they were sleeping to check up on them. We again had the opportunity to pray with them.

To make our shift complete we came across a man who for a whole year has been bitter and angry. He would often swear and spit at us when we saw him. That night for some reason he was moved to apologize for his previous behavior and actually spoke with us and accepted a bag lunch!

Thank you God. Sometimes the work we do can be very tiring and takes a lot out of us and we sometimes wonder why we do it. That night we KNEW why we do it.

Isaiah 61:1-3
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion -- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.

The Golden Compass

2007-10-29T00:37:00.000-06:00

A friend sent me the following e-mail. I thought it is worth passing on :

There's a movie coming out in December, called 'The Golden Compass' (starring Nichole Kidman). Turns out it's based on books written by Phillip Pullman, who is basically the exact opposite of CS Lewis; he's an avowed atheist who is quoted as saying the goal of his books is to 'kill God in the minds of children.' Apparently the movie itself is fairly watered-down and based on his least-troubling first book but Christian parents are being cautioned that the books themselves are much more disturbing than the movie.

I'm including a link to the full story on Snopes.com. http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp

Operation Christmas Child

2007-10-28T14:09:00.000-06:00

From the Samaritan's Purse Website
http://www.samaritanspurse.org/OCC.asp?MPGID=1

Operation Christmas Child brings joy and hope to children in desperate situations around the world through gift-filled shoe boxes and the Good News of God's love. This program of Samaritan's Purse provides an opportunity for people of all ages to be involved in a simple, hands—on missions project while focusing on the true meaning of Christmas—Jesus Christ.

Dear Friends,

It’s a heartbreaking reality. Millions of boys and girls around the globe live in difficult circumstances and are in desperate need of hope. Whether they are slum dwellers in Calcutta or orphans in Johannesburg, children long to know that they are loved.
Operation Christmas Child is one way you can make a difference in a young person’s life. Since 1993, this Samaritan’s Purse project has shared the Good News of God’s love with hurting children through the simplest of gifts—shoe boxes! Filled with school supplies, toys, and personal items that are packed by caring people, these boxes help introduce children to Jesus Christ. Local believers follow up with evangelistic programs, and many precious boys and girls later receive Jesus as their Savior.We invite your family, church, or group to take part in this unique missions project. As you pack a shoe box for a child, please pray for the boy or girl who will receive it. Spread the word so others will get involved too. You will be amazed to see how God can use a small gift—your gift—to touch a child’s heart!

Repaying Evil With Blessing

2007-10-27T17:53:00.000-06:00

Ed and I have been involved in Motorcycle Ministry for many years. We attend secular rallies to bring a Christian presence to these often boisterous and sometimes even decadent events. We go to where the lost and hurting souls are even if it is in the midst of Satan's camp.One of the "services" that we would often provide is a coffee tent where we would provide coffee and/or hot chocolate to the other bikers, often late at night or first thing in the morning, free of charge to those who needed an alternative to drinking too much or who needed something to warm them up when the night air turned chill.

We never charged for our coffee or hot chocolate but at one particular event the grateful participants insisted on setting up a donation jar. In order to get permits for these events, the organizers need to donate any extra funds, over and above their expenses, to a charity organization. We agreed to the donation jar but decided amongst ourselves that at the end of the rally we would donate the contents to that particular clubs charity.

Sunday morning the donation jar was quite full. Ed was manning the tent that morning when a young Hell's Angel member walked over, intent on establishing his reputation. As his friends looked on from a short distance, the young man snarled at Ed and said "I'm going to steal that jar of money." Ed smiled at him pleasantly and said, "I'm sorry, but you can't steal it." "And just how do you plan to stop me, old man?" the young man questioned defiantly. Ed smiled again and held the jar out. "You can't steal it because I'm going to give it to you."

The Hell's Angel, with the wind visibly taken out of his sails, abruptly turned and made a valiant attempt at nonchalantly striding away - without the money jar.

1 Peter 3:9
Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

1 Peter 3:13
Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?

Tis An ILL Wind

2007-10-26T16:41:00.001-06:00

" Tis an ill wind that blows nobody any good."

The last couple of days a bitterly cold, bone chilling north wind has been blowing. This morning there was snow on the ground. Trying to keep warm during cold Alberta winters is a definite challenge to Edmonton's homeless population.Last winter several homeless people froze to death before anyone found them. One case in particular struck home. She was pregnant. We knew her well. The Ministry Van had served her often giving her food, clothing and a ride to a shelter. One of our Ministry Van workers had even gone to school with her. He felt a profound sense of guilt when one cold morning she was found frozen to death behind a building. He felt that he should have done more for her but we had done what we could. Another sad case was a man in a wheel chair who had been on the streets many years. He had been found frozen in snowbanks so many times that he eventually had to have both legs amputated. He was still out there last winter, struggling to keep warm.

Winter is not an easy time of year for any of us, how much worse it is for those who do not have a warm home where they can escape the merciless weather. Please remember to give generously this winter to the agencies that assist the poor and the homeless.

The Butterfly and The Flower

2007-10-26T02:14:00.000-06:00

Love According to 4 - 8 Year Olds

2007-10-22T14:09:00.000-06:00

What does Love mean? A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love." Rebecca- age 8

"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth." Billy - age 4

"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other." Karl - age 5

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs." Chrissy - age 6

"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired." Terri - age 4

"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." Danny - age 7

"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss" Emily - age 8

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen." Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate," Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday." Noelle - age 7

"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well." Tommy - age 6

"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore." Cindy - age 8

"My mommy loves me more than anybody You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night." Clare - age 6

"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken." Elaine-age 5

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford." Chris - age 7

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day" Mary Ann - age 4

"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones." Lauren - age 4

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." (what an image) Karen - age 7

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross." Mark - age 6

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget." Jessica - age 8

And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry"

YOU Have a Testimony

2007-10-22T00:49:00.000-06:00

We have all heard the dramatic testimonies of people who were drug addicts, into organized crime, involved in all kinds of demon worship and so on, that were changed by the power of God. That is wonderful and very powerful if that is the kind of people you are ministering to. The story of Nicky Cruz is indeed an inspiration as well as the stories of people who have overcome incredible difficulties such as Joni Erickson Tada.
Do not think that you do not have a testimony as well, if you grew up in the church and accepted the Lord when you were five years old. The most difficult people to witness to are the ones who feel they already have their lives together. The drug addict or gang member already knows that he is a sinner. The person who is "good" and has "never done anything wrong" is much more difficult to convince. I had a woman tell me once, after I had given my testimony in a church, "You really did need Christ didn’t you." My answer to that is , "Yes I really do need Christ. But not any more or any less than anyone else." There is a story about a young lady who was talking to a group of friends and said, "The Lord delivered me from a life of prostitution and drug addiction." Her brother, who was also there, was shocked and said, "You were never a prostitute or a drug addict!" She smiled sweetly and replied, "Yes, I know that. That is because God delivered me from it."

The Road of Life

2007-10-21T01:26:00.000-06:00

I don't know who wrote this story, but it's a good one :

At first, I saw God as my observer, my judge, keeping track of the things I did wrong, so as to know whether I merited heaven or hell when I die. He was out there sort of like a president. I recognized His picture when I saw it, but I really didn't know Him. But later on when I met Christ, it seemed as though life were rather like a bike ride, but it was a tandem bike, and I noticed that Christ was in the back helping me pedal. I don't know just when it was that He suggested we change places, but life has not been the same since.

When I had control, I knew the way. It was rather boring, but predictable it was the shortest distance between two points. But when He took the lead, He knew delightful long cuts, up mountains, and through rocky places at breakneck speeds. It was all I could do to hang on! Even though it looked like madness, He said, "Pedal!" I worried and was anxious and asked, "Where are you taking me?" He laughed and didn't answer, and I started to learn to trust. I forgot my boring life and entered into the adventure, and when I'd say, "I'm scared," He'd lean back and touch my hand. I gained love, peace, acceptance and joy; gifts to take on my journey, My Lord's and mine.

And we were off again. He said, "Give the gifts away. They're extra baggage, too much weight." So I did, to the people we met, and I found that in giving I received, and still our burden was light. I did not trust Him, at first, in control of my life. I thought He'd wreck it; but he knows bike secrets, knows how to make it bend to take sharp corners, knows how to jump to clear high rocks, knows how to fly to shorten, scary passages. And I am learning to shut up and pedal in the strangest places, and I'm beginning to enjoy the view and the cool breeze on my face with my delightful constant companion, Jesus Christ. And when I'm sure I just can't do it anymore, He just smiles and says...
"Pedal."

Do Barbers Exist?

2007-10-20T02:07:00.000-06:00

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects. When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: "I don't believe that God exists."

"Why do you say that?" asked the customer.

"Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine a loving a God who would allow all of these things."

The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop. Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and unkempt. The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber: "You know what? Barbers do not exist."

"How can you say that?" asked the surprised barber. "I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!"

"No!" the customer exclaimed. "Barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside."

"Ah, but barbers DO exist! " answered the barber. " What happens, is, people do not come to me. "

"Exactly!"- affirmed the customer. "That's the point! God, too, DOES exist! What happens, is, people don't go to Him and do not look for Him. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."

The End of the Rainbow

2007-10-19T01:44:00.000-06:00

As a child, I heard stories about the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but I had never really considered that a person could actually find the end of the rainbow. It never occurred to me that it was even possible after I learned that the rainbow is caused by light refracting through rain droplets in the air. I simply assumed that because of the angle of the light in relation to the droplets that a rainbow would always appear to be in the distance. That is, that is what I assumed until a few years ago when I actually drove through the end of the rainbow!

I was driving school bus for Sturgeon School Division one rainy day. We live in a small community north of Edmonton and my route encompassed a large rural area. The bus was climbing a small hill on a country road when the sun came out and the rainbow appeared in the sky. I noticed that something appeared a little odd, the rainbow did not seem that far away. We rounded a bend in the road and I heard an audible gasp from the students on the bus. The rainbow was directly in front of us and it clearly ended right in front of us in the middle of the road!

A small hubbub ensued, the students wanted me to stop the bus so that they could get out and look for the pot of gold. I continued driving, right into the midst of the rainbow. A moment later it had "jumped" into the field beside us. It was an amazing experience that I will never forget.

Genesis 9:12-17
And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:
And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.
And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

Northern Lights

2007-10-18T01:23:00.000-06:00

We live in a small community 20 minutes north of Edmonton so we have had many opportunities driving home on the highway at night to enjoy the Northern Lights without the lights of the city dimming their spectacular beauty. I have always been fascinated with this meteorological display. I found this picture on the Internet (we don't really have mountains in our area) as a stunning example of them.The following is an excerpt from an as yet untitled novel I am working on and gives a whimsical description of the Northern Lights :

Later that evening I sat out on the balcony of my tiny apartment, gazing into the stars. I was curled up inside my over sized, fuzzy black sweater against the chill of the night air and warmed my hands on a large mug of hot chocolate.

The Northern Lights were putting on an amazing display. They danced and moved to an invisible beat and I could even detect some colours - pinks and greens - in the fantastic production. I could almost see the ghostly orchestra on the ground beneath them and the conductor raising and lowering his baton as he guided the light show through an intricate choreography of movements. I was totally mesmerized for a time.

I felt a profound sense of loss when the vision began to shimmer and then slowly evaporated into the night. I sighed deeply, then rose and went back into my apartment, carefully locking the balcony door behind me.

Crazy Weekend....But So Good

2007-10-14T21:50:00.000-06:00

It was a crazy, busy weekend but it was also a blessing from God. Thursday night at midnight our son Robert arrived from Toronto. Ed picked him up at the airport and they headed straight to Calgary for "Promise Keepers". Promise Keepers is a men's conference dedicated to equipping and encouraging men to be the best husbands, fathers, employees, neighbours and disciples of Jesus that they can be. It was an awe-inspiring day and 1/2, with 1500-2000 men singing, praying and praising the Lord.

In the meantime I was at the Edmonton Alpha Conference (see yesterday's post) being equipped to introduce Edmonton's inner-city population to Jesus.

Rob has not been home for almost three years, so when he and Ed got back Saturday evening we spent the rest of the weekend taking him to see each of his grandmothers, his brother Edwin & his family, and then back to the airport to catch his flight home at 6:00 PM on Sunday.

It was a whirlwind trip, but oh so worth it.

Alpha Canada

2007-10-13T23:49:00.000-06:00

I attended the Edmonton Alpha Conference held October 12 & 13, 2007. Alpha is an introduction to the Christian faith. It is a 10 week course, 2-3 hours one evening a week for non-Christians, new Christians and anyone interested in learning the basic tenants of Christianity. The Alpha Conference is held to equip and refresh the facilitators of the Alpha classes. I was involved in facilitating a course for about 5 years at the Edmonton Young Offender's Center. It was an exciting and gratifying experience. Now a few of us are interested in holding courses in the Inner-City. It is our desire to introduce those people who feel helpless and hopeless to Jesus and His healing love.

God's Paintbox

2007-10-11T23:57:00.000-06:00

Genesis 1:1-5
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Psalms 105:5
Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;

Romans 1:20
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Oops

2007-10-10T01:58:00.000-06:00

My last two posts had spelling errors. My October 5 post should have read CISN radio - not KISN. My October 9 post said "greatful" instead of "grateful". Sorry about that. That's what happens when you try to post in the middle of the night after working 12 hours. Guess I should use my spellcheck more.

Thanksgiving With The Homeless

2007-10-09T00:55:00.000-06:00

This past weekend was Thanksgiving weekend in Canada. This year Ed and I spent Thanksgiving with the homeless. Hope Mission had served a turkey dinner with all of the trimmings on Thursday and Boyle Street Co-op served their's on Monday, so many of them did have a nice meal. The Ministry Van hit the streets at 2:00 PM on Thanksgiving Day, just like always. We had bag lunches like always instead of turkey but our clients didn't seem to mind. Many of them wished us a happy Thanksgiving. At one of our regular stops Sunday night a couple of people in a car approached us. They were coming from a celebration and had a large pumpkin pie left over that was still sealed in it's cellophane wrapper. They wanted to donate it to us. We found some paper plates and plastic forks in the van and clients were sitting on the bumper of the van eating pumpkin pie. It was a special treat.

Spending Thanksgiving in this way made me think of Thanksgiving in a new light. I was much more greatful for all of the blessings that God has given us - a family, a warm home, clean clothing, plenty of food - that we too often take for granted. We, in North America, are often spoiled and we forget that there are others in our own neighbourhood, as well as in many other parts of the world, who, for a variety of reasons, are not as fortunate as we are. For many, Thanksgiving is just another day of struggling to survive.

Thank you God for your provision and thank God for Hope Mission and all of the other agencies that strive to reach those in need of our assistance every day of the year.

Hope Mission Annual Radio-thon

2007-10-05T01:31:00.000-06:00

Tuesday, October 2 was proclaimed Hope Mission Day by Edmonton mayor, Stephen Mandel. Pictured below are Mayor Mandel, Hope Mission's Janelle Aker, And KISN (radio) Bruce Bowie.
Bruce Bowie agreed to live on the street like a homeless person for the three days of Hope Mission's Radio-thon to raise awareness of the plight of those who live this reality daily. The Radio-thon was a wonderful success, raising over $125,000.00 that will directly assist Edmonton's homeless population. We thank Bruce Bowie and the wonderful and generous citizens of Edmonton for their compassion and their willingness to go out of their way to help those in need.

Cults Abound

2007-10-03T02:00:00.000-06:00

Cults Abound… Signs of the End of the Age

Matthew 24:11

…and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.

Matthew 24:24 & Mark 13:22

For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible.

Tom Cruise's Alien Bunker
28/09/2007 9:30:00 AM

(BANG) - Tom Cruise is allegedly planning to build a $10 million bunker underneath in preparation for the end of the world.

The 'Top Gun' star, who is a devout follower of Scientology, is said to believe evil intergalactic ruler Xenu will attack Earth and so has designed a place to hide underneath his Colorado mansion.

A source told America's Star magazine: "Tom is planning to build a $10 million bunker under his Telluride estate.

"It's a self-contained underground shelter with a high tech air-purifying system where up to ten people can survive for years."

Scientology's founder, science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, claimed extra-terrestrial beings were sent to Earth by intergalactic ruler Xenu, who then destroyed the aliens with hydrogen bombs in a volcano. The aliens' souls attached themselves to chosen humans, known as thetans, who will be one day be saved.

Tom is a devout follower of the bizarre sci-fi cult and has been hailed by leaders of the faith as the "chosen one" who will spread the word of the religion.

The 45-year-old actor is currently in Berlin filming World War II drama, 'Valkyrie'.

He has been joined by wife Katie Holmes and 17-month-old daughter Suri, but his adopted children with first wife Nicole Kidman - Isabella, 14, and 12-year-old son Connor - are said to have spent the summer at a Scientology camp.

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Next Level Lifehouse Everything Skit

2007-09-28T14:37:00.001-06:00

The Fashion Police Will Get You

2007-09-28T02:45:00.000-06:00

It's about time somebody did something about this awful "fashion statement".

U.S. cities starting crackdowns on low-slung pants
Monday, September 17, 2007 12:22 PM ET
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The Associated Press
It's a fashion that started in prison, and now the saggy pants craze has come full circle — low-slung street strutting in some cities may soon mean run-ins with the law, including a stint in jail.
Proposals to ban saggy pants are starting to ride up in several places. At the extreme end, wearing pants low enough to show boxers or bare buttocks in one small Louisiana town means six months in jail and a $500 US fine. A crackdown also is being pushed in Atlanta. And in Trenton, N.J., getting caught with your pants down may soon result in not only a fine, but a city worker assessing where your life is headed.
"Are they employed? Do they have a high school diploma? It's a wonderful way to redirect at that point," said Trenton Coun. Annette Lartigue, who is drafting a law to outlaw saggy pants. "The message is clear: We don't want to see your backside."
The bare-your-britches fashion is believed to have started in prisons, where inmates aren't given belts with their baggy uniform pants to prevent hangings and beatings. By the late 1980s, the trend had made it to gangster rap videos, then to skateboarders in the suburbs and high school hallways.
"For young people, it's a form of rebellion and identity," said Adrian Harris, 43, a founding member of the Bronx's legendary rap group Cold Crush Brothers. "The young people think it's fashionable. They don't think it's negative."
But those who want to stop them see it as an indecent, sloppy trend that is a bad influence on children.
"It has the potential to catch on with elementary school kids, and we want to stop it before it gets there," said C.T. Martin, an Atlanta councillor. "Teachers have raised questions about what a distraction it is."
In Atlanta, a law has been introduced to ban sagging and punishment could include small fines or community work — but no jail time, Martin said. The penalty is stiffer in Delcambre, La., where in June the town council passed an ordinance that carries a fine of up to $500 US or six months in jail for exposing underwear in public. Several other municipalities and parish governments in Louisiana have enacted similar laws in recent months.
At Trenton hip-hop clothing store Razor Sharp Clothing Shop 4 Ballers, shopper Mark Wise, 30, said his jeans sag for practical reasons.
"The reason I don't wear tight pants is because it's easier to get money out of my pocket this way," Wise said. "It's just more comfortable."
Shop owner Mack Murray said Trenton's proposed ordinance unfairly targets blacks.
"Are they going to go after construction workers and plumbers, because their pants sag, too?" Murray asked. "They're stereotyping us."
The American Civil Liberties Union agrees.
"In Atlanta, we see this as racial profiling," said Benetta Standly, statewide organizer for the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia. "It's going to target African-American male youths. There's a fear with people associating the way you dress with crimes being committed."

I Got No Vundo

2007-09-27T00:20:00.000-06:00

My computer has been acting wonky for the past while. Very slow and sluggish, freezing up, pop-ups (even though I have a pop-up blocker), when I'm on the internet I'm being pulled away from the site I'm on to other sites that then don't want to let me out and even being unable to shut down properly. It's been very frustrating. Then today I started getting error messages that said I had the "Trojan.Vundo". The message said they were unable to repair the infected files and then that they were unable to access those files. Well, I'm no techy but I decided to try to fix the problem myself. I went to the Symantec website and found the information I needed to remove the "Trojan.Vundo". (That sounds like something from Star Trek !) It was difficult trying to read the information with huge pop-ups getting in my way and other sites trying to kidnap me but I finally managed to print 11 pages of instructions. Yes, I said 11. Granted, most of it didn't apply to me since the "Trojan.Vundo" usually infects networks and I'm not a network. When I had finished wading through all of the information I actually only needed about 1/2 page of it. So I proceeded to download the removal tool that I needed. Then I had to shut down all of my programs that run in the background (there's about 8) and then I had to disable my System Restore. Apparently that's a very important step. If you don't do that the program very nicely saves the virus you have just removed and then reinstalls it for you the next time you reboot ! When all of that was finished I then could run the removal tool that I had downloaded. That takes about 45 minutes. Next restart the computer and run the removal tool a second time to make sure the system is clean. This whole procedure took all evening. And when I was finished, voila! It told me that I never did have "Trojan.Vundo" !

Update on Vital's Family

2007-09-26T13:53:00.000-06:00

On Sept 8 I posted "Reunite a Family" and on Sept 14 I posted an update on "Odds and Ends". This is the latest very sad news. Please click on this link :

Prayers please for Vital Z.