The Blame Game

Oh, stop it already. I was reading my online news the other day and couldn't get over the number of times the word "blamed" was used. A sixty-year-old schoolteacher, who stabbed a man in the throat, blamed the attack on stress he suffered from high school students making fun of his last name. A truck driver, whose rig crashed into a parked car, blamed the accident on the chilli he was eating while driving. And an actress, who recently underwent 10, yes 10, cosmetic surgery procedures in one day, blamed criticism over her looks, as the reason for the excess.

It kind of reminds me of the story of the Garden and all the blaming that went on between Adam and Eve. I think the Devil was proud of the part he played. And yet the truth remains, that it's only when we accept responsibility for the choices that we made in our past, that we can take control over our future.

So, before we start trying to point the finger at others for what happened yesterday, instead let's choose to move ahead, with God's help, and make better decisions tomorrow.
Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

    

Keeping in Real

Penn of Denn

Do you remember Steve Fonyo? He was the one-legged athlete who ran across Canada, to raise millions for cancer research in 1984. Fonyo was awarded the Order of Canada in 1985, when he was 18 years old, making him one of the youngest recipients of the order; he said that he had been inspired by Terry Fox.

Well, it seems that they want their medal back; a notice stating that the award has been terminated, appears in the current Canada Gazette. The reason? His behaviour. It seems that Fonyo has a number of convictions, ranging from assault with a deadly weapon, to fraud, to possession of a stolen vehicle. Not to mention, the number of times he's been charged with impaired driving.

The council that grants the award, felt that Fonyo's behaviour was at odds with the title he carried, so they took the title away.

Interesting. I wonder what our behaviour says about the title we carry? You know, the title of Christ Follower.

And I wonder what we should do about it? You can be assured that in the long term, changing your behaviour would be better than relinquishing the reward. Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

Say What?

Interesting.  I remember reading an interview with Observer Music Monthly Magazine where Elton John stated, “From my point of view I would ban religion completely. Organized religion doesn't seem to work. It turns people into really hateful lemmings and it's not really compassionate.”
Wow, that stings but I wonder if Sir Elton is blind or just stupid?
During the two weeks I spent in West Africa I saw wells that had been dug by organized religions, hospitals and orphanages that were operated by faith based organizations and schools that were funded and operated by various churches. But in all my travels I never saw anything being done by “once were” rock stars, or for that matter “now are” rock stars. Funny that!
I wonder what the world would be like if the compassion of organized religion was replaced with the rhetoric of people like Elton John?   I'm not sure that it would be a world I would want to live in.
Think of the difference that could be made if Elton and his ilk matched every dollar given by believers for world relief. But then again what do I know? I'm just another hateful lemming.

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

Africa Here I Come

Penn of Denn

In three days, I will be in Africa.  I will be on a different continent and in a different culture, but I will be doing the same thing I'm doing here and for the same reason. Because, like Bill Hybels, I believe that the local church is the hope of the world. And I believe that the local Church, will rise or fall on the strength of its pastoral leadership.  So, the most exciting part of the trip for me, will be the time that our team will spend working with national pastors in Ghana.  For most of our time there, we will be in a classroom setting teaching these pastors, so that they will be able to return to their villages and more effectively lead their local churches and see change in their world.

nd each of you will be a partner in the change that will happen.  Through the financial help you have provided to make the trip possible and the prayer support that will make the trip safe and effective, you have helped do what I couldn't do alone.  So thank you for helping to change the world, one life at a time.  Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

    

Ready or Not

Penn of Denn

So are you ready? According to some, it is now less than three years away, the end of the world that is. That's right, according to some doomsayers, December 21^st, 2012, marks the end of the 5,125-year cycle of the Mayan calendar.

What does that mean? It depends. To some, it means various doomsday scenarios, others feel that it simply signifies that the cycle will start over, much like in a much simpler fashion Saturday brings about the end of the week and on Sunday the week starts over. Others feel that it was just the point where the Mayan calendar makers got tired of making calendars.

But those who take it serious, are really taking it serious to the point that NASA has been getting emails from teenagers who are worried the world is doomed.

Here is what we do know from the bible. We do know that this world does have a life span, a best before date so to speak. And we know that that date is not 11:11 GMT on December 21, 2012, because Jesus told his apostles in Matthew 24:36 that nobody knows the day or hour when that will happen. Presumably that includes Mayans.

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

    
 

    
 

 

Party Crashers

Penn of Denn

Did you hear about the couple that crashed the White House party? Apparently, Tareq and Michaele Salahi, somehow faked their way into a reception at the White House, that was being held in honour of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

It has yet to determined how the pair gained entrance to the event, but the Salahi's claim of having been invited, is being denied by the authorities. They did, however, get to schmooze with both the President and Vice-President while they were there. They obviously have, as my Daddy used to say, more nerve than Dick Tracy.

What started as a publicity stunt, might ultimately land them in court and maybe jail.

The bible tells us that there will be those who will try to get into heaven without an invitation. They will talk about how they were good enough and sincere enough and how they surely deserved to be let in. However, the word of God is very clear that there is only one way to gain an invitation and that is through the grace and forgiveness of God and unlike an invitation to the White House, all you need to do for an invitation to heaven, is ask.

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

    
 

    
 

 

Inoculation

I had my H1N1 vaccine a couple of weeks ago. Since the clinic was at the church, all of my usual excuses for skipping the flu shot; can't find the time, it's not convenient etc., were rendered moot.

We all know the theory behind being vaccinated or inoculated and usually it's a good thing, but. . . and we all know that after the "but", comes the truth. It was Leslie Weatherhead who said, "The trouble with some of us is that we have been inoculated with small doses of Christianity, which keep us from catching the real thing." Interesting, but sadly true in all too many cases.

The way you can tell if you have actually caught the flu, is by how much it impacts your life. If it doesn't really affect your life, than maybe it wasn't really the flu. The same can be said about Christianity and the impact it has or doesn't have on your life.

Even though you think it might be too late for you, we would be wise to not repeat the same mistake with our kids. That's assuming you want them to catch the real thing.

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