Huh?

It's a quandary; MacLean's magazine recently highlighted a story entitled, "The New Canadian Morality". It seems that Anus Reid Strategies sponsored a national survey last month, asking Canadians their opinions on 21 ethical questions. Angus Reid tells us that 60% of Canadians still identify themselves as Christians, which is interesting when you consider that the majority of these folks supported same sex unions, abortion, euthanasia, divorce, saw marriage as irrelevant and that animals were more deserving of protection than the pre-born or the terminally ill.

Now I understand that many people feel that one's morality shouldn't be forced on others (that is done every day, it's called the law) but, on the other hand, those who describe themselves as Christians, are supposed to be something, Christ followers and are supposed to behave a certain way; follow Christ. Not sure that was the findings of the survey. It would appear in many cases, that being a self-identified Christian has little, if any, bearing on how you behave and what you believe. Which begs the question that Jesus asked 2000 years ago in Luke 6:46, "So why do you keep calling me 'Lord, Lord!', when you don't do what I say?" Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

    
 

    
 

Tearing down the Walls

Well, they tore it down! I wanted to tear it down in 1988 and Joe wanted to tear it down in 1995, but this week they tore it down.

For a hundred and forty years, it had been a part of the ecclesiastical landscape of Truro. For fifty-five years, it had been Pleasant Street Methodist Church and when the United Church was formed, the church was torn down and the Sunday School wing was sold to a small group with a big vision and Pastor Fred Strickland started the Pleasant Street Gospel Mission and the Sunday School wing became a church. Twenty years later, another small group with a big vision bought the building and Pastor Norman Trafton started the Truro Reformed Baptist Church, which became Truro Wesleyan Church and finally Central Nova Wesleyan Church. In 1988, while I was pastoring, we built a new worship centre and the church became the Sunday School wing again. For a hundred and forty years, that white framed building witnessed baby dedications and funerals, weddings and baptisms and this week they tore it down. But, be assured they didn't tear down the church, just the building where the church met. Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

    
 

    
 

Grampy?

Bizarre. It seems like only a little while ago I was in high school wondering what I would be when I grew up. And apparently according to the phone call I received the other day the answer to the "what am I going to be" question is . . .a grandfather. Some- one asked if I still thought of my daughter as a little girl and there are times I still think of Denn as a little boy.

A grandfather? Grandfathers are old men who wear cardigans and smell musty. When did that happen? And where was I when it happened?

The Bible tells us that our lives are like a mist, here for but a short time and then gone. And it's true. I blinked and my daughter was on her way to becoming a mother.

Someone said that grandchildren are God's reward for letting our children live and I'm about to find out.

Both of my Grandfathers passed away while I was still a child, so I don't have strong memories of them but my goal is for Grandpa to be one of my grandkid's favourite people. And if that involves spoiling them, then so be it.

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

    
 

    
 

Say What?

Interesting. Last week, I received a newsletter in the mail from a local real estate agent; that's not interesting, that's just life. What was interesting, was a comment made in an article on Canada's economic recovery. The article said and I quote, "the real estate market has made an almost Lazarus like recovery." Interesting.

I wonder how many people reading the article knew what a "Lazarus like recovery was"? Perhaps they thought it was a real estate term or an economic indicator.

It continues to amaze me, the biblical references I find or hear in everyday life: from people's prodigal sons and daughters, to the blind leading the blind. People may not know that those sayings and a plethora of others had their origins in the Word of God, but they have become part of our everyday speech, although this was the first time I had heard the Lazarus reference.

The promise of God is that His word will always bear fruit. So maybe someone in the community will be intrigued, will track down the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead and will meet a Saviour they never knew, all because of junk mail. Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.