Taking time to Remember

It was quite the crowd. They were all there from the very young to the very old. From babies in strollers to veterans in wheelchairs and they had all come for the same reason; to remember.
I marvel each year at the number of people who show up to the Remembrance Day service at the cenotaph in Bedford.  Literally hundreds of people come out each year, take an hour out of their day to pay their respects.  And they don't come for the service, which stumbles along and is relayed over a screechy public address system, nor for the music, such as it is.  They come and stand for an hour out of respect and to give thanks for the freedom they have. Freedom to come or not to come to the event.  
And really, isn't that why we should come to church? To remember that sacrifice that was made for us and not because of how good the service is done for us?  In theory that works, but in practice it is a little different.  And I suppose if we only did church for an hour once a year it would be different and maybe that explains all the strangers on Christmas Eve.   Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible

What about the Ponies?

I saw a headline the other day that said, "The Global eradication of Polio" and my first thought was, "I didn't know there was a movement to eradiation Polo. Maybe it has something to do with the way they treat the ponies."  Seriously, I am not making this up. And then I realized the article was about polio, the disease and not polo, the sport.
If we are honest we have all heard and read things the wrong way, and in most cases it really doesn't make a whole lot of difference. And sometimes it's good for a laugh. 
Unfortunately I have met people through the years who have based their theology and are wagering their eternity on something they read or heard and didn't take the time to verify that thought.
Just because you read in a book, saw it on Oprah or Dr. Phil or heard it on the platform at Cornerstone, doesn't make it the irrefutable. If you are willing to trust your eternity to a concept, you'd better be sure of the veracity of that concept.  Which is why God gave us common sense and brains.  My concern is: what they will do with the ponies when they have eradicated the sport? Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible

That’s Not News

Do you ever wonder about things that end up in the news that just aren't news? Last week a headline caught my attention that said, "Charlie Sheen found drunk and naked in a New York hotel." And that isn't news in so many ways. Events are supposed to be news if they are of importance to a large number of people and I'm not sure that many people care about Charlie's antics . And "news" is supposed to be about things that are different, not the normal state of affairs and that just doesn't hold true for Sheen's misbehaviour. Perhaps if it had read, "Charlie Sheen found sober and responsible", that would have been worth reporting.

Seriously, Charlie has some problems. My biggest issue with Charlie's behaviour is that he professes to have had a life changing relationship with Jesus, but nothing seems to have changed.

And I know some of you are thinking, "It's not right to judge people Denn." True enough, however Paul does remind us in 1 Corinthians 5:12 that we have an obligation to the church to judge the actions of believers. After all, as a Christ follower, Charlie's actions are a reflection not only on Charlie but also on Jesus. And so are ours. Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

Sorry for What?

Russell is sorry. Well, that's nice. Not! The disgraced former Colonel finally broke his silence on the last day of his trial to tell the world how "indescribably ashamed" he was concerning his actions. Indescribably ashamed might cover the disappointment that he caused for his family and the Canadian Forces. Indescribably ashamed might describe emotions at the pictures of him posing in lingerie that were shown in the media around the world, but it really doesn't cut it in regards to his actions as a murderer and sexual predator.

If Russell Williams hadn't been caught, I am very sceptical that Jessica Lloyd would have been his last victim. So the question is, did he "deeply regret" what he did or was he just sorry he got caught? We'll probably never know. But unless a switch was thrown in the past few years that turned him into the monster he was, I would suspect that Williams is guilty of crimes that we will never know about.

On a smaller scale, how often have we committed actions that we are sorry for only because we have been caught? You understand, whatever it is that you are hiding, whether actions or attitudes, God already knows about it.
Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

Double Down

Penn of Denn
Let's see...... Should it be the miners in Chile or the monster in Belleville?  Decisions, decisions, decisions.  Sometimes there are just too many good news stories to pick from.  I know! I will write about the one everyone is talking about. It's been on the television news, online and in the papers. The commentators have called in experts to weigh in on the topic and there have been passionate opinions on both sides of the issues.
That's right! The KFC "Double Down."  If you haven't seen or read a story about this topic, it is a sandwich sans the bread.  Two deep fried chicken breasts cradle two strips of bacon and two slices of cheese. 
What can be said about a society that makes a major news story out of a chicken sandwich?  What surprised me was the number of people who were willing to express an opinion having never experienced the "Double Down."  Kind of like the people who have strong, negative opinions about Christianity and the church without any first-hand experience, and that isn't fair to the sandwich or the church.
So my commitment to you is not to form an opinion about the "Double Down" until I've actually tried it.  Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

What’s Good for the Goose. . .

So apparently, what's good for the goose isn't good for the gander.  Less than a month ago the eyes of the world were focused on the pastor of a small church in Florida who announced plans to burn copies of the Qur'an on the anniversary of 911.  You might recall the furor raised when Terry Jones announced his plans.  There were threats of violence from Muslims around the world.  Riots overseas resulted in deaths that were attributed to Jones' plan.  President Obama weighed in, asking Jones to reconsider and governments from around the world implored Jones to reconsider.  And he did.  Not one page of one Qur'an was burned.
In a recent news article I read that Muslims in southern Malawi have been burning bibles in protest against their distribution by Gideon's International.  You probably didn't read that because it didn't really make the news.  The press hasn't put pictures of those responsible on the front pages of their publication. It hasn't been a topic at the UN. I don't know if even one government official has noticed and if they have, if it crossed their minds to say anything.
I guess in the end the world expects more from Christians, as they should. Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

Don’t Judge Me!

Do you watch, "Dancing with the Stars"?  A couple of weeks ago we accidently happened to catch a snippet of Michael Bolton in his last performance.  My thought was, "As a dancer, he's a pretty good singer."  Which says something for me because I quote the statistic that, "4 out of 5 people who fall asleep while driving are listening to Michael Bolton at the time", but that's a different story.
Well, the judges were underwhelmed with Bolton's performance and expressed that opinion with judge Bruno Tonioli, stating that it was the "worst jive" he had seen in the 11 seasons of the show.  Apparently Michael was hurt by the comments because he is demanding a public apology and insisting that Tonioli be reprimanded.  For what?  Bruno didn't besmirch Bolton's character, he didn't question Bolton's integrity, he simply commented on his dancing.  Which is what he's paid to do. Good work if you can find it.
When you comment on someone's behaviour not being in line with biblical standards, often you are told not to judge people.  But like Bruno, we should be able to judge behaviour without making it personal.  If someone isn't dancing right how will they know unless someone tells them? Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.