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.

Pick your Passion

What are you passionate about? You have to be passionate about something. What is it that brings out the best in you or the worst? If you watch the news, it isn't difficult to find out what folks are passionate about: their causes and hobby horses. And sometimes those passions change depending on where we are in our lives.

My son is passionate about the environment and how the poor are treated. It doesn't take long if you are around him to discover his views. Last week in discussion with my daughter, I discovered that she is passionate about using cloth diapers and has no problem telling you why she uses them and why others should as well.

It was Winston Churchill who once stated, "A fanatic is someone who you can't change their mind and they won't change the subject." If someone was to classify you as a fanatic what would they say you were fanatical about? Politics? Sports? The environment? Your career? Your family? Not bad things, in many cases good things, but remember, Jesus told us to Seek first the Kingdom of God and all those other things would fall into place. But if you neglect the Kingdom, in the end you will lose it Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

 

On Second Thought

I recently read that Gmail has incorporated a "Second thought" button into their toolkit. We are all familiar with the "undo function" in Word and PowerPoint, where you can undo your last action, but the Gmail application allows you to take back your words, if you are quick enough.

Once you hit Send in Gmail, you have thirty seconds, during which time, if you have second thoughts about the words you have written, you will be able to pull them back before they are gone forever. And in most cases thirty seconds is plenty of time to realize that you have said the wrong thing or maybe the right thing at the wrong time.

I want a second thought button in life. Wouldn't it be great if we could take back our spoken words as easily? How often have you spoken words you immediately regretted? If only you had a "Second thought" button to retrieve your words before they were able to cause irreparable harm and damage. But really, isn't that why God created us with a brain? And if we actually stopped and thought before we spoke, there shouldn't be any second thoughts. But that would be way too easy. Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

 

Shiver Me Timbers!

Penn of Denn
Arggh, shiver me timbers! September 19^th be International Talk Like a Pirate Day, and bilge rats from all four corners of the globe will celebrate by talking like Long John Silver and Jack Sparrow. I wouldn't be lying, would I? For nigh on ten years land lubbers have been talking the way it was intended for them to talk.  And it not be act like a pirate day, only talk like one.
The day was started as a lark by John Baur and Mark Summers in 1995 (It became International in 2002) and has captured the imagination of people around the world. For more information, you can check out their website at www.talklikeapirate.com   I continue to be amazed with what can happen when someone has a vision and is committed to seeing it succeed.  
Now, you might not think that "Talking Like a Pirate" is all that noble of a vision, but that is probably because you didn't think of it.  But, just imagine what could happen in your life and in the lives of those around you if you became that committed to the success of whatever it is that is important to you. Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.