The Golden Compass

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

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

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

" 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

Love According to 4 - 8 Year Olds

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

http://entertainment1.sympatico.msn.ca/Tom+Cruises+alien+bunker/Celebs/Bang/ContentPosting.aspx?isfa=1&newsitemid=BSBS97449&feedname=BANG&show=False&number=0&showbyline=True&subtitle=&detect=&abc=abc