South Dakota Vacation

I won't be blogging for awhile. We are leaving tomorrow morning to drive to South Dakota for a couple of weeks. We will be meeting our son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren from Toronto there. We haven't seen them in about two years [shortly after the youngest was born] so we are really excited. We were going to go last year but two weeks before we were to leave, Ed had his heart attack. We are planning to go down through Yellowstone Park and see the geyser "Old Faithful". On the way back we want to make a stop at "Little Big Horn". I will be taking tons of pictures, some of which I'm sure I will post when I get back. Hope everyone has a wonderful couple of weeks. See you when we get home.

Going Through Hell

Can we get good advice from a country song? It sounds like an oxymoron. Well, I heard some advice in a song on my way home from work last night that I really liked. It was from a Rodney Atkins song:



When you're going through hell, keep on moving
Don't slow down, if you're scared don't show it
You may get through it before the devil knows you're there.


This is apparently a twist on a quote by Winston Churchill: If you're going through hell...keep going.



Anyway, I just thought I would share that with you.

Stories From the Ministry Van

The Ministry Van was driving down 107 ave one evening when we were approached by a young man who flagged us down. His name was David and he told us he was on his way to purchase heroin, he didn’t want to do it but he was doing it anyway. He asked us to pray with him. A couple of weeks later we received a phone call from a friend of ours who was at the Royal Alex Hospital to pray with people. He said that David came up to him when he saw that our friend was wearing a Christian Motorcyclist's vest and it reminded him of the patch that Ed wears. David told him that we had prayed with him and he had not bought the heroin that day and was still clean. Another couple of weeks passed and we ran into David again by the Mission. He told us he was still clean. The reason he had been at the hospital when our friend saw him was because his dealer had severely beaten him when he would no longer buy his product. His face had to be reconstructed because almost all of the bones were broken. Doctors had to fashion a plastic piece to hold his eye in place because the socket was destroyed. But he was still clean!

When the weather began to turn cold last November we picked up a man-down who was wet and very cold and transported him to a shelter. We met him by the Mission the next day and he said, "I believe in God because He sent you to me and you saved my life."

Last year when the van was cruising the downtown area around midnight we came across a man-down in a doorway. He was not simply sleeping it off, he had been stabbed. Medical personnel said that he was near death and would not have lasted much longer if he had not been found.

Another man-down was found severely beaten on a sidewalk near the Herb Jamieson building. Ministry Van personnel were again first on the scene.

A couple of years ago the Ministry Van was patrolling the River Valley where homeless people camp. A man’s tent caught fire and our staff pulled him to safety, undoubtedly saving his life.

Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

The Strangest Places

Sometimes God gives us opportunities to share our faith that we would never have imagined on our own. The following incident happened over a year ago to Ed but it’s too good not to share.


Ed had gone into the washroom in Humpty’s Restaurant and had just settled himself comfortably in a stall, when he heard someone else enter the washroom. A moment later a disembodied voice asked him, "Are you a biker?" He must have seen Ed before he went in, wearing his ever present jacket that says "Riding for the Lord" and his hat that says "Jesus First". Ed told him that he is indeed a biker. The man then asked him, "Are you a Christian?" Ed again told him that yes, he is. Ed asked him, "Are you a Christian?" The man hesitated, then said no he isn’t. "But I do carry a Bible with me and I go to church. I don’t know what’s wrong with me," he said wistfully. Ed said to him, "In that case, your next step is to ask Jesus into your heart and to give your life over to Him." "Yes," the man agreed. "Yes." As Ed tried to quickly get himself presentable to leave the stall, he heard the door open and close again. When he stepped back into the washroom, the room was empty and the man was gone. As he returned to the restaurant, Ed glanced around, trying to make eye contact with someone but no one looked at him. Ed left, never knowing who it was that he had spoken to, except that his name is Don.

The next time you are praying, please remember to add a prayer for Don. And never be afraid to share your faith, even in the strangest places.

1 Peter 3:15
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

The Sacred Cat of Bast

The Sacred Cat of Bast is a rendition of the ancient Egyptian cat goddess, Bast. The sculpture in this picture was probably found in a temple dedicated to the goddess at Bubastis. That’s where most of the goddess worship was centred. Now it is on display in the Detroit Institute of Art. It is dated between 664 and 525 BC, from the 26 Dynasty, is made of bronze and it’s height is 10 3/8 inches. There is a similar sculpture in the Louvre in Paris. Actually, many statuettes and figurines of Bast have been found, made of various material. Bast - or Bast-et, as she was sometimes known - was thought to be the daughter of Isis and Ra. Originally she was a warrior goddess portrayed as a lion but she gradually evolved into a kinder, gentler form and became seen as a house cat. She was sometimes represented as a human figure with a cat’s head. They thought she could protect people from evil spirits and she had the power of healing. She also represented female fertility. She was widely worshipped and highly respected. Cats held a place of honour in Egyptian homes, likely because they protected the food supply from mice and rats and would attack snakes. Cats were given the run of the house, even being allowed to eat off of the human’s plates. When a cat died it was embalmed and all the members of the household would shave off their eyebrows. Killing a cat got you the death penalty.

Now does that story bear any resemblance at all to this???This is a picture of our cat, Malachi, taking a nap after dumpster diving. He didn't even have the decency to try to distance himself from what he did.

Just a Good Day

Today felt like a day of thanksgiving. It was warm, the sun was shining, Ed & I worked in our yard, coaxing things to grow. I spoke to family on the phone, Ed & I discussed plans for our upcoming vacation. We are going to South Dakota where we will meet our son, daughter-in-law, and two grandsons whom we have not seen for two years (they live in Toronto).
It was the kind of day where everything feels right with the world.

These three grandchildren live in Edmonton so we get to see them more often.

Psalms 118:24
This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Deuteronomy 4:39
Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else

Freedom of Speech

The issue of "hate crimes" is in the news again with the United States attempting to pass federal hate crimes legislation. Canada's hate crimes legislation has been in place since 1970, preventing hate propaganda, the promotion of hatred against identifiable groups. Since then it has evolved into a situation where we are now not just talking about anti-discrimination in employment and housing, we are now talking about serious limitations on what we are able to say and do.

Mon, August 21, 2006 Calgary Sun- Praying aloud gets man jailed Something's wrong with police priorities By Licia Corbella
Maybe if Artur Pawlowski had been holding a flag of the outlawed terrorist organization Hezbollah, Calgary Police would have left him alone. Perhaps had they seen him on a street corner smoking crack cocaine -- or selling it -- they would have turned the other cheek, as is so often the case. But Pawlowski was clearly doing something much more provocative. Wednesday afternoon on the corner of 17 Ave. and 8 St. S.W. He -- along with about six other people -- were praying and reading the Bible. Pawlowski, 33, who has been helping the homeless for years, gave up his lucrative home-building business last year to start up The Street Church full-time. With the support of area churches, he spends most of his time feeding, clothing, housing and loving members of Calgary's homeless population. He starts by taking his church to them -- in front of the Drop-In Centre mostly, but for the past four years, he has often preached to the drug dealers and street kids who congregate in the block-long park in front of Mount Royal Village shopping centre. Because Pawlowski has been threatened so often by drug dealers angry their clients often turn away from drugs as a result of his message of hope and help, he started videotaping every outing. Wednesday's was no different. Pawlowski and his friends, including his younger brother, David, stood in the far southeast corner of the park praying and reading the Bible. Shawn Pierson, 25, once a street person himself who is "one of the fruits" of Pawlowski's ministry can be seen and heard on the videotape reading from Psalm 140: "'O Lord, I say to you, 'You are my God.' Hear, O Lord, my cry for mercy.' "Such activity was clearly too fringe for the Fringe Festival underway in tents further west (and out of earshot) in the park. On Monday, Pawlowski and his brother went to the park, talked with tarot card readers and other practisers of "sorcery" to tell them the Bible condemns such practices. Video shows they remained calm but the vendors became agitated. Event organizers called police and Pawlowski and his brother David were asked not to talk to the vendors again. They agreed and left. On Wednesday, when they returned to pray, they stayed far away from the vendors. Organizers called police anyway. The video shows Pawlowski standing on the public sidewalk with his hands in his pockets. He asks a burly police officer in a calm voice, "Why are you harassing me? What did I do wrong?" The police officer responds with: "I'm going to arrest you for obstruction." At that, Pawlowski is handcuffed and made to walk backwards to the police cruiser where he was frisked. Pawlowski is then heard telling the police officer about his Charter rights to freedom of speech, assembly and religion, pointing out his family immigrated to Canada from communist Poland so they could be free from oppression. He was also charged with trespassing and disturbing the peace. He spent one night in jail and is to appear in court on Sept. 7. Insp. Ed Yeomans confirmed Pawlowski's story, saying Wednesday's arrest was the police's second dealing with Pawlowski. "One vendor closed up her booth and others left the park because that man and his group were causing a disturbance to other users of the festival," said Yeomans. But the video shows clearly Pawlowski and his group did not approach vendors. Do people have a right to read the Bible in a public place? Obviously, some don't think so. Many Calgarians will likely read this and shrug. But consider this: The video clearly shows six police officers attending to the calm Pawlowski. Your tax dollars at work, folks! What's ironic, said Pawlowski, was he saw a couple of known drug dealers watching as he got arrested. Something's not right with that picture.((Source: http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Columnists/Corbella_Licia/2006/08/21/1767214.html

in another related story:

Posted: September 10, 20051:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com
A Canadian pastor who works with at-risk youth is preparing to face his province's Human Rights Tribunal because of a letter to the editor he wrote calling homosexuality immoral and dangerous.
The letter by the Rev. Stephen Boissoin of Alberta also called into question the province's new homosexual-rights curriculum, reported LifeSiteNews.com.
The complaint was filed by Darren Lund, an assistant professor at the University of Calgary, after Boissoin's letter was published in the Red Deer Advocate.
If Boissoin loses, he could be forced to pay $7,000 in fines – $5,000 to Lund personally and another $2,000 to the homosexual-rights group EGALE Canada.
In addition, Lund requests that Boissoin, married with two children, be forced to apologize to his readers in another letter in the Red Deer Advocate.
Boissoin says, however, he will not apologize or pay the fines, even if it means prison.
He told LifeSiteNews.com he has no money to represent himself before the Alberta Human Rights Commission, which likely will hear his case in October.
"I know nothing about human rights case law," he says. "I'm trying to learn. Understand this, I work every single day, have two kids … and right in the middle of that I'm trying to learn human rights law. So, I'll be very happy when it's over."
In his letter, Boissoin wrote, "Children as young as 5 and 6 years of age are being subjected to psychologically and physiologically damaging pro-homosexual literature and guidance in the public school system; all under the fraudulent guise of equal rights."
Boissoin said he's concerned behavior that is dangerous, and sometimes fatal, is being presented as normative and even healthy to the most impressionable.
"I was just writing a letter to the editor, to the heterosexual population," he said, "saying this is something to be very, very concerned about."
But his accuser, Lund, has likened him to a local white supremacist, Terry Long of Aryan Nation, and a holocaust denier, James Keegstra.
Boissoin told LifeSiteNews.com he expects to be found guilty, noting he met with an officer of the Human Rights Commission who said the letter went against the panel's "position."
The pastor is preparing carefully for the hearing, however, asking a number of witnesses to speak on his behalf.
"I feel almost too humble to say this, to be honest with you," he says, referring to the witnesses, "but they say they've worked with me, and they've seen my devotion to teens, bi-sexual and homosexual alike, and they're hurt that I can be fined, and potentially, if I don't pay these fines, I can be imprisoned."
Boissoin said he will be OK, regardless of the outcome.
"I'm just going to trust God. I've been through a lot in my life … ," he said. "[God] may have me speaking just before the panel and judges and it may touch someone's heart and minister to them. I'm just going to go in humble, and leave the outcome to God."
----------

Freedom of speech is being eroded at an alarming rate. Whatever has happened to the sentiment commonly attributed to Voltaire "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

Happy Mother's Day

I would like to pay tribute to my mother on Mother's Day. Raising children, molding them into responsible citizens is no easy task. My mother made many sacrifices for my two brothers, my sister and for me. She never had a career, she stayed home to take care of us. She went without nice, new clothes and other coveniences so that we could have skates, bicycles and so that we could take part in Cubs, Scouts, Brownies, Guides, baseball, hockey, figure skating, majorettes and gymnastics. She was involved in our activities - Sunday School teacher, Brownie Leader, she participated in Community League and 'Home and School'. She always had a garden and canned her own food, made jam and pickles, baked from scratch and made sure that we had wholesome meals. She sewed and knitted. She shared with us a love of reading and learning. She was always there when we needed her and we could count on her to do what ever needed to be done. Thank-you mom, we love you.

Deuteronomy 5:16
Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee

Go Away Paris Hilton Music Video

My sentiments exactly.

Update: Past Posts

- On May 7 I posted an item about Starbucks "The Way I See It" program. Within moments of that posting Starbucks Corporation was on my site checking it out. (I know because I reviewed my hits on my site meter account). They are obviously monitoring key words on blogs to see what we are saying about them.
- On May 4 I posted a story about Tim Hortons. They sent me an e-mail that they have seen the story and are forwarding it to their marketing department to review and perhaps consider for promotional purposes.
- On April 27 I posted a picture and comment about the plaque that Ed received from EMS for Hope Mission Minstry Van's partnership with them. That picture has been included in their 2007 EMS Calendar. Ed is now "Mr. October".

In The News

Mysterious Spy Coins

Apparently the US Defence Department issued an espionage report concerning mysterious coins with radio frequency transmitters after some Army Contractors travelling in Canada discovered some strange coins in their pockets with a bright red flower in the middle. The coins were studied at length under high powered microscopes. It was suggested that the coins were being used to track the movements of individuals. How dumb do the Americans think we are? How do you track an individual using a coin that they might spend or give to a homeless person? Would we advertise the coin by making it so conspicuous?

The coins were actually the Commemorative Poppy quarter that the mint produced in 2004 to commemorate Canada's 117,000 war dead. They produced nearly 30 million of the coins


Starbucks Cup Has Anti-God Message

An Ohio woman is angry with Starbucks for printing an Anti-God message on the side of her coffee cup. "I don't think there needs to be a religious dialogue on it. I just want coffee." she is quoted as saying. The message was part of Starbucks "The Way I See It" campaign where people are invited to send in their comments that are then published on the cups. The message said:

"Why in moments of crisis do we ask God for strength and help? As cognitive beings, why would we ask something that may well be a figment of our imaginations for guidance? Why not search inside ourselves for the power to overcome? After all, we are strong enough to cause most of the catastrophes we need to endure."

The quote was written by Bill Schell, a Starbucks customer from London, Ontario, Canada. The woman, Michelle Icanno of Springboro, Ohio, who is a married mother of three and a Catholic says that she will not be going back to Starbucks even though she was a huge fan before this incident.

AED

This weekend was spent taking a first aid course. Not only did we update our standard first aid skills, we are also now certified to operate an Automated External Defibrillator or AED. Our workplace is acquiring some of these devices so that in the event of a cardiac arrest we will be prepared to handle the emergency. Although the idea of applying electric shock to someone's heart is somewhat intimidating, the survival rate with the use of this machine is over 80% as compared to only between 5-10% with traditional CPR. The AED is quite simple to use and will even walk you through the steps with voice prompts and pictures. It monitors the patient by the use of two small sticky pads that are applied to the patients chest and lets you know if and when a shock is required. The device is light wieght and does not take up much space.








This heart may not look as romantic as the one you see on Valentine's day but it's a tough little muscle.

Deuteronomy 5:29
O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever

Tim Hortons Obsession

This picture (click on it for a better look) - which was labelled "Canadian Tourists Spoil Antartica" - reminded me of a funny Tim Hortons story:

My sister, Val, and I drove across the country to southern Ontario in June of 2004 to visit relatives and see some of the places our ancestors came from. We took the route north of the Great Lakes going so we decided to come back through the Northern United States. Crossing into the United States the first time was no problem. Then we made a fatal mistake. We had been hitting Tim Hortons for coffee regularly throughout our trip and, knowing that they are scarce in the United States, we decided to cross the border at Fort Francis just long enough to get our Timmy's fix, stop at a bank machine and pick up some packaged pastrami for lunch. When we tried to cross back into the United States at the same border crossing and tried to explain that we had only gone back into Canada for about 15 minutes even though we were coming from a trip to Ontario and going back to Alberta, the crossing guard became suspicious. He couldn't seem to wrap his mind around the concept that we would leave their country just to get a coffee and then come back. We were told to get out of the car and go into the crossing office, our driver's licences were taken away and our car was searched. Our lunch was confiscated because at the time Canadian beef could not be imported into the United States because of the Mad Cow scare. (Who would think that processed meat slices would bear any resemblance to beef - we hadn't even thought about it. And we weren't really importing, it was our lunch.). In all we were detained nearly 30 minutes all because an American border guard did not understand the Canadian obsession with Tim Horton's coffee! By the way, my sister and I look as little like terrorists as you can get. We are both in our 50's, plump, greying grandmothers. To get from the United States to Canada at that point we had to cross a toll bridge that cost us $15.00 and the lost pastrami cost us about $5.00. In all it turned out to be an expensive cup of coffee. If any Americans are reading this we still love you anyway.