My Pumpkin Turned Into a Coach

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

Pastor Berlin V Guerrero

This is a press release when Pastor Berlin V Guerrero was kidnapped: PRESS STATEMENT *presented to the media, 12 nn, May 28, 2007 The United Church of Christ in the Philippines condemns in strongest terms the latest abduction of one of its pastors, Pastor Berlin V. Guerrero who was taken at gunpoint yesterday at 5:45 pm Sunday, May 27, 2007 in front of Seven Star gas station at Bgy. Casile, Binan, Laguna by undetermined number of armed men who were on board two L 300 FB vans whose plate numbers were covered. Pastor Guerrero, 46 years old, pastor assigned at the UCCP local in Malaban, was with his wife Mylene and three children when the abduction took place. According to his wife, they were on board a tricycle when military looking armed men blocked their way, poked their guns on them, grabbed her bag as they forced Pastor Guerrero in one of the vans. According to witnesses, some of the abductors were even video taping the incident. The vans fled to the direction of Carmona. As of press time, efforts to locate Pastor Guerrero in various military and police facilities are fruitless. This update was then printed: We have found Pastor Berlin. He is detained here at Camp Pantaleon Garcia in Imus, Cavite. The Philippine National Police (PNP) says he faces murder and sedition cases filed in 1991 and 1993. He is tortured. The following is a poem that he apparently wrote while in prison: A PASTOR IN PRISON When a pastor is in prison his ministry is not impaired; the bars and walls are only futile attempts to cut his connections to the world beyond the state curtain. His confinement is limited only to the physical body and never to his spirit; transcending the man-made prison he is ever connected to the Source. He remains a priest -- meditating on the liberating Gospel together with fellow prisoners, they come before the God of freedom and justice. He remains a prophet -- speaking the truth, exposing the crookedness of the prison meant to straiten persons pointing out the negligence and faults of the court system which add up to injustice already done to the poor and the oppressed. His understanding and skill of pastoral care is deepened and honed in the countless narratives of human frailty, failure and hopelessness where the only the spoken language is that of forgiveness, love and hope. He becomes a healer -- of the sick and broken -a sea of humility, its will defeated and dying. His touch caresses the hardened heart and calms the troubled soul. His ears are attuned to the whisper pleas and unspoken prayers of the remorseful, lost and heavy-laden. His voice echoes God's message of redemption in a pit of forsakenness and a ravine of damnation. He is humbled in finding himself among the wicked and downtrodden which reminds him of his own imperfection. He treats each inmate as a child of God invited to partake in Christ's feast and into God's reign in the here and now of the concrete prison cell. Christ is enfleshed through the pastor's acts in the redeemed and redemptive community he prayerfully works to bring about within the wall and iron bars of the cursed state prison. Pastor Berlin V. Guerrero June 21 2007 CPJ - TMC

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

Judge Not

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

It can be frustrating that this verse is often mis-quoted by persons who wish to justify their own sin. If we dare to call any action sin - pre-marital sex, homosexuality, abortion, drug abuse, etc - we are often told that we are not permitted to judge others. The answer, of course, is that we did not decide that these actions are sin, God did. "Judge the fruit but do not judge the motives or the intentions of the heart." This is a quote from John Bevere I do not wish to get into the debate over whether or not John Bevere promotes false teachings; I only know that this particular quote is right on. "Judging the fruit" means that we are agreeing with God that the actions that He has called sin are in fact sin. "Not judging the motives or the intentions of the heart" means that human beings are not capable of reading either minds or hearts. Only God can do that. If we say "He is only doing that to impress people" or She is only saying that for her own gain" or "If they do that they must not love God" then we are judging motives and intentions, something we are not permitted to do. We are to leave those judgements to someone who is qualified to do them accurately - God. 1 Samuel 16 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

A Blast From the Past

My brother spotted this van in the west-end of Edmonton, a few blocks from my mother's house. I don't know if it belongs, or ever did belong, to Bobby Curtola but I understand that he does live either in Edmonton or the Edmonton area.

For any of you too young to remember, Bobby Curtola was a teen idol back in the 60's. He was one of the few Canadian music artists to make it big in Canada, the US and internationally. His hits included "Fortune Teller", "Aladdin" and "Three Rows Over" as well as many more. He is in the Coca Cola Hall of Fame for his jingles "Things Go Better with Coke" and "The Real Thing".

He went on to become a Las Vegas performer; his career has spanned four decades.

Bobby Curtola was born in Port Arthur Ontario on April 17, 1943. A friend of his from Ontario was also an old family friend of my father's. Once, back in the 80's, she came to Edmonton to visit Bobby and his wife. She invited my parents to meet the Curtolas at their hotel with her and they were able to spend the evening getting to know them.

Bobby Curtola has won many awards including "The Order of Canada" and is known for his many charitable endeavors.

The Dangers of Dissing Yo Mama

It doesn't pay to disrespect your mother. A Sicilian mother took away her 61 year old son's house keys, cut off his allowance and hauled him to the police station because he stayed out late and disrespected her, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. See the whole story at: http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Mum-cuts-off-61yearold-sons-allowance/2007/08/03/1185648104257.html Proverbs 17:25 A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her that bare him. Proverbs 29:17 Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.

In The News

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





Cucumber flavored Pepsi. Available only in Japan.





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

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

Guerilla Gardening

Guerilla Gardening is sweeping both North America and Europe.

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

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

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

http://publicspace.ca/gardeners.htm

These pictures are from a website in London, England.

http://www.guerillagardening.org/

I wish someone would Guerilla Garden in my yard!