Oops

He was just doing what he was told to do. Who would have thought it could be so wrong? Apparently, two senior citizens from Britain were touring Germany when the GPS in their car told them to turn right, and they did, even though there was no road on their right to turn on to. Instead, the 76-year-old driver drove straight into the side of the village church, writing off their car and damaging the church's foundation. A police spokeswoman commented, "They were confused and didn't notice that the navigation system was faulty". I guess there is the entire confused thing, but you'd think he would have noticed the church! The Bible tells us in Proverbs 16:25, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." The rough translation of that admonition is to pay attention to where you are going. And if you need some route guidance don't forget Psalm 119:105, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." And while we trust His word will lead folks to church, we would prefer that they leave their cars in the parking lot.. Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

Way to go China!

Penn of Denn

Well, kudos to the Godless communists!  Last month government officials from China announced that they had shut down more than 60,000 pornographic websites and vowed to keep up their campaign against material deemed obscene.  Beijing has been running a highly publicized  battle against what was referred to as: smutty and lewd content overwhelming the country's Internet and cell phones, threatening the emotional health of children.
I know there are all kinds of people who will denounce the move as government censorship.   So?  Wikileaks has already proved the existence of government censorship; this move at least is aimed at protecting children.
I read recently that the internet is made up of 30% retail, 30% porn and 30% lies, and we have provided our kids with a key to Pandora's Box.  I fear for the generation whose moral outlook will be shaped by what is so widely available a mouse click away and whose relationships are defined by what pornographers have defined as normal. 
So, what is the answer?  It is the same as it's always been. Society can't be changed without people being changed.  Only God's grace can change people but the church needs to be the messenger of that grace.  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

That was kind of ironic. Don't know where you stand on the entire WikiLeaks thing that's been going on. I know there have been all kinds of opinions expressed on both sides of the argument and a lot of people just don't have an opinion. But I found it surprising last week when WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange got all cranky when he discovered that there had been police reports about the sexual exploitation charges against him leaked to the media.

Interesting, when Julian leaks information to the media he defends his actions by claiming he is a journalist, but when the shoe is on the other foot, not so much, then it's an invasion of his privacy.

Hate me if you will but I am a bit of a WikiLeaks fan. I for one think the government keeps a lot of things secret that we should know about. If you don't want people to know you did it, then don't do it. But on the other hand, Assange now knows what it feels like to have your secrets uncovered.

There will come a day when all of our secrets will be revealed. Trust that you've already taken care of that with God. Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible

"What does Jesus have to do with Christmas?"

Penn of Denn
Last week I was talking to a friend of mine who is a music teacher in the elementary school system. He was telling me that in one of his grade five classes they were discussing Christmas songs that weren't really about Christmas. Jingle Bells was mentioned, as was Frosty the Snowman. When pressed for more some of the songs suggested were what we would think of as traditional Christmas Carols, Away in a Manger, O Little Town of Bethlehem and the like. At least one student asked the question "What does Jesus have to do with Christmas?" Interesting. In response, another child suggested that we celebrated Christmas because that was when Jesus died. Interesting.
Which made me wonder how many people don't make the connection and are simply confused over the number of religious songs that they hear being played this time of year. I wonder how many questions have been asked about the Nativity scene on our front lawn?
On the other hand it does provide a wide open door to talk about our faith and the reason we celebrate. My friend talked about the limitations that are placed on him as a teacher, aren't you glad those limitations aren't placed on you as a friend? Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible

By Chance and by Choice

December 6th was the anniversary of the Halifax Explosion, but I'm sure most of you knew that. And you probably knew that it was the largest man made explosion until the explosion of the atomic bomb. The Halifax explosion has defined our city for the past 90 plus years. And I knew all those things but what I didn't know, until just recently, was that my great grand-father was here when it happened. My mother's grandfather was a young sailor from Estonia who jumped ship in Halifax to start a new life, but he wasn't counting on being a part of history. Family folklore says that he was behind Citadel Hill when the two ships collided and escaped the force of the blast.

More than 1900 people died that day, but Pritu Rahnell did not, and because of that, I'm writing this today.


It was by choice that Pritu jumped ship in Halifax and it was by chance he was protected from the blast of the explosion. Each of our lives will be shaped by choice and by chance. We really can't do much about the chance but we are the author of our choices. So instead of complaining about chance, we need to do our best with our choices. Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible

Oops

It was supposed to be a prank that everybody would talk and laugh about for years. Instead it turned into a tragedy that cost one friend his life and another friend his freedom. All because someone didn't stop to think.
On Thanksgiving Day, in Manchester Vermont, a 23 year old man decided to wake his visiting friend by shooting him in the chest with an air rifle. Except the air rifle was a real rifle and instead of surprising his friend he killed him. Which was probably a surprise but not the kind he was thinking of.
So Jeffrey Charbonneau is dead and his friend will be charged with his death because as the State Attorney said, "It was reckless behaviour and he meant to shoot the gun. This was not like they were hunting together or they were cleaning a gun."
How often in our lives do things not turn out the way we had anticipated because we didn't stop and think. We thought it would be funny or fun but never really thought it through and it ended in a much different way than we had anticipated.
God gave us a brain for a reason and if we take the time to use it we will probably have fewer regrets. Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible

 

Dreamer

You every have weird dreams? I mean really weird dreams? I normally don't remember my dreams when I wake up, but this past Sunday night, three of them were in the forefront of my mind when I awoke. I dreamt that I gave flowers to our General Superintendent and she ate them. I dreamt that I sailed my little red car in the Bay of Fundy and then I dreamt that Jason and I found a brown striped rabbit in the basement of the church (think skunk stripes but in ginger brown!). And what really doesn't make sense is, the church doesn't have a basement. Must have been the Moroccan food I had Sunday evening.

16 years ago, I had a dream of starting a church that would have an impact on the community and would reach out to the pre-churched, the unchurched and the de-churched in a relevant manner and to some folks that seemed a little weird. But here we are 16 years later impacting the community and reaching those who are pre-churched, de-churched and un-churched, so I guess that wasn't so weird after all. Now, if I can just figure out what to do with that silly rabbit. Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible