That's not space. . .

That’s not space, that’s just really high in the sky. . .  I was brought up watching Star Trek, watching them “Boldly Go Where No Man Has Gone Before”.  When I was 9, I watched Neil Armstrong walk on the moon and when I was 17 I was introduced to the conflicts that were happening between the Galactic Empire and the rebels.  And I knew one day mankind would conquer space and explore the heavens,  and now after all these years we have the International Space Station, so cool.  But just the other day I heard on a news report that the International Space Station was 350 km above the earth.  350 km?  I never thought of it before but that’s just about the same distance as Halifax to Sussex.  If I could get my Smart Car off the ground I could be at the Space Station in three and a half hours.  That’s not space, that’s just really high in the sky.

Mankind thinks so much of itself and its achievements, we say “we’ve been to the heavens and there is no God.”  The reality is, with all that we have learned and all that we have accomplished we have barely touched the very edge of His creation.  Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

I want a Submarine

I want a submarine.  Which is bizarre since I have never really wanted a submarine, except when I was 12.  But I want one now.  It doesn’t have to be fancy or even yellow, any old sub will do as long as it floats when it is supposed to and doesn’t float when it not supposed to. 

So what has brought about this sudden desire to become a submariner?   My recent discovery that the U.S. congress has told me that I can’t.  It seems in 2008 Congress passed a law making it illegal for me, Denn Guptill, to own and/or operate a submersible or semi-submersible vessel on the high seas, in international waters outside the normal territorial jurisdiction of the United States of America.  Can you imagine?  Who do they think they are? 

Often our response to God’s laws is just as silly and irrational.  If God says we can’t do it then by golly  we’re going to do it, even when we know that God puts those guidelines in place for our own benefit and safety.  Who does he think He is?  God of course, and we are supposed to obey Him because we love Him. 

But back to the point, does anyone know where I can buy a sub?  Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

Growing Older, but not Gracefully

I thought I was going to have to pick Angela up off the floor as she was laughing so hard. She was really enjoying herself at my expense. We were shopping and the clerk at the check-out asked if I was a senior. Hello! So I replied “yes, I'm ninety-two.” Which I thought was an indirect way of saying “NO I'M NOT A SENIOR YOU NINNY.” She gave me the discount.  In retrospect, I suppose I am a lot closer to sixty-five than I am to eighteen.  Well maybe not a lot closer  but definitely a little closer.  It’s funny though, it doesn’t seem like that long ago that I was a teenager, but becoming a senior seems like a long way off. Which is all a matter of perspective.

Now I understand what James meant when he wrote; For your life is like the morning fog – it’s here for a little while and then it’s gone.  I trust that none of you are putting off decisions until later….. it’s later already. Which is why the Bible says “Today”, not tomorrow, “is the day of salvation.” Not that the cashier’s comments bothered me……. much.  You’ll have to excuse me for now, I need to look for my Grecian Formula.   Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

They will know we are Christians by our. . .

Well, it would appear that young William Swinimer has become something of a folk hero in the Christian community.  You would think he had been burned at the stake for refusing to renounce his faith instead of being asked not to wear a T-Shirt that some might feel was offensive.  Obviously nobody in the Christian community would feel it was offensive, but what about the other 85% of the population? 

The T-Shirt in question states “Life is wasted without Jesus” and Swinimer fought the good fight and the school board relented and said he could wear the shirt.

I wonder about the reasoning behind the shirt?  Was William wearing it to lead people into a relationship with Christ?   In one interview Swinimer stated, “ I have my rights as a Canadian citizen”.  If that is really the case, then this isn’t about Jesus it’s about rights.  And Jesus talked about grace, and sacrifice and love, but he never mentioned rights. 

What the decision means is that Christians have won the right to offend, but we have also won the right to be offended. 

Bottom line is this, Jesus told us that the world would know we followed Him by the way we loved, not by what we wore.  Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

Changing Speed Limits

“If higher speed limits are set, people will simply not be exceeding them as much.”  That is the rationale behind stop100.ca, a group that is calling on the Ontario Government to increase speed limits to as high as 130 km/h.  A spokesman from the Ontario Transportation Ministry stated that in 2008, speed contributed to 21% of highway fatalities and the department has no interest in changing the present limits.

Stop100.ca says that their goal isn’t to increase the speed that motorists presently drive, it is simply an attempt to de-criminalize the way people already behave.  Their rationale is :If most people break the speed limit, then  the speed limit must be wrong.  However Ontario Transportation maintains “Experience in other jurisdictions generally indicates that fatal collisions can increase with higher speed limits.” 

We see  in society the behaviours that fifty years ago would have been considered wrong, have gradually been accepted and now are considered normal.   

That has happened in the church as well.  If people couldn’t or wouldn’t live up to the standards set by the Bible, the church simply lowered the bar.  But the Bible warns us in   Proverbs “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.”   

Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.