Noah's Ark

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

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

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

New York's Cupid Cabbie

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!