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

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.

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.

That’s Stupid

Penn of Denn
People who call themselves Christians can be so stupid at times. Have you heard about the church in Florida that is planning a Qur'an burning? Seriously, the Dove World Outreach Center church is planning a "Burn a Qur'an Day" to commemorate the 9th anniversary of 9/11. Seriously!
The pastor, Terry Jones, has been advised by authorities that his bonfire will have repercussions around the world, inciting Islamic extremists and endangering Americans in Islamic countries, but he refuses to back down. Jones claims the Qur'an is an evil book that contradicts the Bible. If that is his criteria for burning books then he'd better build himself a bigger fire.
That is the same mentality that burnt witches and burnt crosses, they rationalize their actions but in the end, they besmirch the name of Christ and his church.
Jones has apparently never read Voltaire who wrote, "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." Or for that matter Jesus who said, "Love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you." I don't know the Jesus that is worshipped at the Dove World Outreach Center but he sure doesn't look like the one I read about in the Gospels.
Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

Oops

Oops, or something like that. If you've been following the local news you've probably heard Irving Oil mentioned a time or two lately. In early August, they discovered their high-test gasoline wasn't actually high test, so for a week they sold it at the same price as regular. Then they discovered the problem had been an ongoing one and they began issuing a 3 cent a litre refund to drivers who had purchased the premium brands since January 1. Now they have determined that the issue may date back to early 2008 and affected not only Irving gasoline but other brands that buy their gasoline from the Irving refinery. Oops!

I don't use premium gasoline but if I did I would be a little ticked and a 3 cent a litre refund wouldn't impress me much. After all, if I wanted to burn regular gas I would have bought regular gas.

But in the long term it really won't matter much. What will matter more will be those who have bought into the Devil's lie that what he has to offer is better than what God has to offer, and at the end of the day when people find out he lied there will be no refund, or even an apology. Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

The More the Merrier?

I don't want to say, "I told you so. . .but!" Recently at a national convention, a committee of the Green Party of Canada, voted to send a motion to the full party for it to be debated and voted on. The motion will call for the decriminalization of . . . you waiting for it? Polygamy!
The motion has been brought forward by Trey Capnerhurst, a polyamorous (a person having more than one intimate relationship at one time. There used to be another name for that) Green Party candidate in Edmonton East.
Capnerhurst insists, "It's a human rights issue". And of course she is right. If the right to marry someone of the same sex is a human rights issue, how can the right to marry many people of either sex not be a human rights issue? The question though shouldn't be; is it a matter of human rights? The question should be; is it right? Society has already gone down the road of ignoring what is right and what is wrong, and that happened long before the same sex marriage issue came up, but that doesn't mean the church has to follow. Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

It's what I said but it's not what I meant.  Don't you hate it when someone deliberately misrepresents your words?  I googled my name the other day. I know, I know I'm so vain.  Actually I do it occasionally to see who is quoting me in their sermon,. I know, I know, I'm so vain.   The other day was different though. My name showed up on a website promoting a book called: O'Habits: 40 Success Habits of Oprah Winfrey and the One Bad Habit She Needs to Drop!  On the page,"What people say about Oprah", along with Roseanne Barr, and David Letterman was this:  Ordained Wesleyan Church minister Denn Guptill surmising what Jesus would say to Oprah: I think that Jesus would say, "Well done Oprah."
And I did write those words in a message entitled, "What Would Jesus Say to Oprah?", but they were just 9 words from a 2912 word message and they were 9 words taken out of context.
However, taking 9 words of Denn out of context doesn't matter a great deal, but we need to be careful about taking portions of the word of God out of context because that can make an eternal difference.   Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

Changing Afghanistan

Penn of Denn
90,000! That's the number of leaked American military documents that were recently made public by "Wikileaks", the online whistle blowing site. It will be interesting to see how the revelations from those documents impact the American and Canadian's public support for the war in Afghanistan.

I've been torn on the issue for a long tim. On one hand, I hear about the difference Canadian troops are making for common people in that country, about women being granted rights that we take for granted, about hospitals and schools being built and the seeds of democracy being planted. But, on the other hand what happens when we leave? And we will leave. Nobody has ever won in Afghanistan Not the British, not the Russians and I don't see that pattern changing. And it's not like the enemy can be driven back home. They are already home.

Military action my change a lot of things, but the one thing it can't change is human nature. The only thing that can change human nature is a new birth and the One who grants the new birth never indicated that it would be brought about through military might. And Jesus demonstrated that you can only change society by changing people. Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

Silly Talk

Have you ever noticed how many accident reports on the news end with the words "alcohol may have been a factor"? Especially in the summer time. The interesting thing is that it doesn't really seem to concern folks. If every weekend there was an accidental gun death there would be a national campaign to ban guns. If every weekend someone died as the result of a particular make of automobile we would demand that that automobile be taken off the road, not to mention the millions spent on an enquiry.

Last October everyone was in shock when a young folk singer was killed by coyotes. There was a demand that those coyotes be hunted down and destroyed and that the provincial bounty be reinstated on the animals, and that was the only recorded death by coyote in Canada, ever! And yet when we hear "alcohol may have been a factor" it doesn't seem to register at all. There is no call to track down those who provided the alcohol, or those who encouraged the person to drink.

No one seems to connect the dots. Maybe if alcohol is a factor then maybe alcohol is to blame. But that's just silly talk. Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

The Blame Game

The Blame Game. We've all played it from one time or another, trying to pin the reasons for our bad behavior on somebody else. It's my parent's fault, my friend's fault, society's fault; it must be, because I'm not to blame for how I behave.

Gabrielle Nagy has taken it to the next level and has blamed Rogers Communication for the breakdown of her marriage and is suing the telecommunication company for $600,000.00

It seems that Nagy had a cell phone in her maiden name and the company inadvertently included the bill with the family's cable and internet bill and her husband noticed hours of phone calls to one number. Mrs. Nagy explains, "He called and found out about my infidelity from the horse's mouth."

So, she's suing. Makes sense. Obviously the failure of her marriage had nothing to do with the fact that she had been sleeping with another man for a year and everything to do with an administrative error on behalf of Rogers.

We might not take it to the same extreme but anytime we seek to blame others for our sin, we relinquish control not only of our past but also our future. Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

Off to see the Queen

Penn of Denn
Pastor G, Pastor G, where have you been? I've been to Halifax to visit the Queen. Pastor G, Pastor G, what did you there? . . . Well, I didn't chase a mouse right under her chair and I have no idea how the silly cat got past all the security in the first place.

In spite of my misgivings about the event, it was kind of cool; I wore a suit! And a tie!! And nobody was being married or buried. The things you do.

This past week, I was invited to a reception "in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen of England." It was a small intimate gathering. Not! A couple of thousand people showed up. In the midst of all the pomp, the one thing that surprised me was how little the Queen is; she's just a little bit of a thing.

Most of us will go through life without meeting earthly royalty, but every day, we are invited to stand in the presence of the King of the Universe. And we will accept the invitation or reject it, but when we see God, we marvel at how small we are. Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

 

 

 

I am Smitten

I have been smitten! As most of you know, there is another woman in my life and she is absolutely gorgeous. A blue-eyed blonde, she already has me wrapped around her little finger. So it looks like Angela is going to have to share me, and she doesn't seem to mind. No, we aren't moving to British Columbia to join Bountiful! We have a new granddaughter. You didn't seriously think the Penn would have been about anything else this week did you? And so it made sense that I would drive 4 ½ hours to hold Capri for an hour and then drive home again. As I held my granddaughter and looked at my daughter I realized that the tiny bundle I was hold was a link to both the past and future, she was a reflection of what was and what would be.

It also brought home the fact that God has no grandchildren. It doesn't matter what type of relationship our parents had with God, each new generation has to start out fresh in their relationship with Him. Each of us has to accept his offer to become one of his children. Have you? Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

 

Say What?

Since deciding to use the inukshuk as a theme for our summer messages, we have been on the quest to find inuksuit. (Now you know what the plural of inukshuk is!) And I realized that in our culture a lot of people are familiar with the term. I wouldn't have thought that at all. I was at Costco and had an employee ask if they could help me find something,( I'm not making that up about the Costco employee asking to help by the way!), and when I said we were looking for an inukshuk he said, "We don't have any yet but we are expecting some later in the season." Then I was at Kent and inquiring about Styrofoam, when the clerk asked what we were going to do with it so I told him "build a giant inukshuk!" To which he replied, "Cool". Yet somehow, I think that the same references south of the border might have elicited the reply, "You shook your what?" That is not a slam at our neighbours as most of you probably don't know what chitlins are.

Our church culture has words and phrases that we are comfortable with but if we are trying to reach those who don't know Jesus we might want to translate. Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

 

Oh Stop it!

Penn of Denn
It's people like Lauren Rosenberg, who disprove evolution. The Utah woman is suing Google Maps, because she got hit by a car, while following walking directions provided by the free online service. Yep, Rosenberg claims that by following the directions on her BlackBerry, she ended up walking along a rural highway without sidewalks and as a result was struck by a car. Not her fault, no sir, the lawsuit alleges that the accident was "a direct and proximate result of Defendant Google's careless, reckless and negligent providing of unsafe directions. . ." Had nothing to do with Rosenberg being an idiot.

I understand that it wasn't Ms. Rosenberg's intent to get hit by a car, but nobody put a gun to her head and made her walk on a dangerous highway.

I recall as a kid, being told to go play in traffic, but even as a kid, I knew that might not be the wisest thing to do and if I had of done it and got hit by a car, my parents would have said, "Denn use your head."

Maybe if we all used the sense God gave us, we'd stay out of trouble and off the road. Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

 

So they will know I was Cranky

Penn of Denn
My inukshuk had been decapitated. And I was cranky, maybe even a little angry. How, you might wonder, had my inukshuk been decapitated? Glad you asked. My summer series of messages will be based on, "The Kingdom of Heaven is Like an Inukshuk." (You will have to be here on June 20th to hear more.) Back to the story, I had purchased a garden inukshuk, made out of resi,n not rock. It was perched on the floor of my car and while I was driving to the church, a truck pulled out in front of m. I slammed on my brakes; my laptop flew off the passenger's seat and voilà, a decapitated inukshuk. And I was a little cranky. I blew my horn; I scowled, I did not cuss but I was grumpy for the rest of the day.

How often do we let outside circumstances or people determine whether or not we enjoy life? Because of something they said or something they did we relinquish control to them. Really, the guy driving the truck probably enjoyed the rest of his day, didn't even give the incident a second thought. And I probably shouldn't have either. Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

 

We are all Gonna Die

It's interesting what we worry about in life. Most of us, at one time or another, have probably worried about how our lives will end and wondered what we might do to extend the time we spend on this earth. If you watch the news, you may have come to the conclusion that this is a fairly violent world we live in and a disproportionate number of people die as the result of criminal acts and armed conflicts.

But according to a World Health Organization study, done in 2002, fewer than 3% of people died as the result of an intentional act. Seriously, of the 57,029,000 people who died that year (give or take a few), 1.5 % were suicides, 1% died as a result of criminal violence and only .3% were killed in armed conflict; that would be war. So, statistically speaking, out of every 100 deaths recorded, fewer than 3 were intentional, 30 were related to cardiovascular disease, 12 were the result of cancer and 6 were accidental.

But the reality is this, it doesn't matter how you die, because you will die, what matters is that you are ready to die. Are you? Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

I’m Loving It!

I spoke with a lady a while back, who told me she had never eaten at a McDonalds, ever! Never, not even once. She had never eaten a McChicken, a Big Mac, an Egg McMuffin or McDonalds' Fries. I didn't know that such a person existed in Canada. I mean, think about it, how could you go eighty-two years without ever having darkened the door of a McDonalds? I have always believed that when I got to heaven, that just inside the Pearly Gates, there would be the Golden Arches. And so I did what any caring individual would do, I took her to the closest McDonalds.

I am sure there are others out there, who have never tasted McDonalds' food and that is a shame.

Do you know there are people in our community, who have never been inside a church and they have never tasted God's grace? And that is a tragedy.

If by some bizarre choice, you have never experienced McDonalds fries, your loss is temporal, although you might get to try them in heaven. But if you've never experienced Christ's forgiveness, your loss will be forever. And forever is a long time, especially without a Big Mac and Fries. Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

Rat? What Rat?

It has been said that one man's meat, is another man's poison and obviously one man's art, is another man's graffiti.

A clean-up crew was dispatched by Melbourne, Australia's deputy mayor, Susan Riley, to clean up an alley, after residents complained about the dirty conditions. Part of the crew's mandate, was to remove all graffiti from unapproved sites, simple enough. Obviously, they went about their work with a passion to do not just a good job, but to do a great job and in the process they painted over a parachuting, goggle wearing rat. And not just any parachuting, goggle wearing rat, but a parachuting, goggle wearing rat, which was created in 2003 by world-renowned British graffiti artist Banksy, one of the world's best graffiti artists; a recluse who refuses to use his real name. Needless to say, city officials are a little embarrassed.

How often in our lives and our relationships, are our problems simply a matter of miscommunications? "I thought you meant get rid of all the graffiti, even the parachuting, goggle wearing rat." Really, wouldn't life be easier if we all just said what we meant and meant what we said? Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

What seems right isn’t always

So, a guy in France is being investigated, on the suspicion that he might have four wives, which in this day and age might not seem unusual. The difference is, he has them all at the same time. Lies Hebbadj, is an immigrant from Algeria, and French authorities are having some difficulties with the case, as you can imagine.

The issue isn't whether or not he has four wives; he doesn't debate that at all, the issue is how he got four wives. If he married them in France, then he has committed an illegal act, however, if he married them in Algeria, not so much. The French system simply wouldn't recognize wives 2, 3 and 4, but with that being said, they would each qualify for state aid as single moms. Interesting.

Hebbadj defends his actions by stating, "As far as I know, mistresses are not forbidden, neither in France, nor in Islam." Come to think of it, mistresses aren't forbidden in Canada either. Kind of sounds like the statement in the Old Testament, where it is recorded, "Everybody did what was right in their own eyes." But that didn't make it right then and doesn't make it right now. Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

 

    

Just Stop It!

Litter bugs me? I just can't get my head around it, what possesses people to just throw their trash on the ground? This time of year seems to be the worse and Tim's cups seem to be the greatest offenders, but that might just be perception, after all, their spring cups are red and easier to spot. Or maybe people get upset with having the opportunity to play again and out of frustration, they just throw the offending cup out their car window.

I understand that in some countries, they cane people who litter. I wonder if that would take provincial or federal legislation, to make that a law in Canada?

I don't litter, but I assume that those that do think, "Well, it's just one cup, or one can or one bag, what will it hurt?" And if it was just one cup or can or bag, it probably wouldn't hurt. But if you do it once, you will do it again and the point isn't that it's not much, the point is that it's wrong and irresponsible.

And, I suppose it's the same with whatever small sins litter our Christian lives and the answer is: just stop doing it. Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

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Sinners not Celebrities

What's with the Sandra Bullock, Jesse James thing? If you have caught any of the celebrity news at all, you have probably heard some of the story. Actress Sandra Bullock, who won both a Razzie and an Oscar this year, is estranged from her husband, celebrity mechanic Jessie James, after discovering he was guilty of multiple infidelities. Who did the man think he was? A professional golfer? What amazed me is how surprised and hurt she was, at the revelation of her husband's affairs.

This was, after all, his third marriage and she had met him while he was still married to wife number 2. Maybe it never crossed her mind, that Jesse might have a problem with commitment and there might be a wife number 4 out there somewhere.

The news has been filled with accounts of celebrities acting badly, but it is not limited to actors, athletes and politicians; we just hear about them because of who they are. The problem isn't that they are celebrities, the problem is that they are sinners, like all of us. And they don't need rehab nearly as much as they need Jesus, like all of us. Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

When you’re Dead you’re Dead

Penn of Denn
Two women were arrested the other day in England, for trying to smuggle contraband onto a plane flying from Liverpool to Germany. I know it happens all the time; someone tries to sneak a gun aboard an airplane or worse yet, 150 ml of mouth wash or shampoo, but this was different.

It seems that the women were trying to sneak a dead relative aboard the flight, seriously, I kid you not. The 91-year-old man was being pushed through the airport in a wheel chair, wearing sunglasses, when airport personnel got suspicious. You think? The two women were charged with failing to give notification of a death and released on bail.

The news account didn't provide a motive for the crime, but I'm suspecting that it probably had to do with the price difference of shipping a dead body, as opposed to a seat sale for a live body.

In the book of the Revelation, Jesus spoke of a church that was dead, but tied to pass itself off as being alive. That didn't work either. And apparently, it takes more than the appearance of life to make you alive, for airline passengers and for churches.

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

 

 

    

He is Risen

Penn of Denn
Talk about a swing in emotions. I have been working on two separate messages this week, one for Good Friday and one for Easter Sunday. A message of despair and a message of hope. A message of defeat and a message of victory. A message about the depths that man can fall and a message about the heights that God can lift us. Two messages both need to be preached, but truthfully I prefer Easter Sunday messages to Good Friday Messages. I know that without the crucifixion, we couldn't have the resurrection, but still we killed Him!

He offered us life and we killed him. He came in love and we destroyed Him with hatred. Good Friday? For who? Jesus? They nailed him to a cross. For humanity? We showed how depraved we really can be. Good Friday, I think not. Black Friday? Maybe. Bad Friday? For sure. Without Sunday, Friday is a blot on the history of humanity. But Sunday changes all of that and turns despair to joy, defeat to victory.

We may not have been there on Friday, but we are just as guilty. We may not have been there on Sunday, but we are just as forgiven.

Have a great week and remember: He is Risen.

 

 

 

    

Look Behind You

Penn of Denn
Did you hear the one about the man who was hit by the airplane, while he was jogging? True story. Robert Jones, of Georgia, was jogging along a beach in South Carolina, with his headphones on, when he was struck from behind and killed by a small aircraft, making an emergency landing.

Seriously, you have to think about things like that, and that is why I don't jog. I don't know how many times I've thought, "I should go for a run." And then I think, "No, what happens if you get hit from behind by an airplane, that is making an emergency landing?" Better safe than sorry, that's my motto.

The story is a reminder of just how short and fragile life can be. I'm sure that when Jones went for his jog, that morning, that his death was the last thing on his mind. He was probably planning on returning home after his business trip, to be there for his daughter's third birthday. But that wasn't how the story ended. We all make plans for tomorrow, maybe even including beginning a relationship with God, but what if there is no tomorrow? Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.


 

 

 
    

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

It's here, it's here! That time of the year that we all look forward to. The time of the year that we realize how lucky we are to live in this wonderful country and we can take the time to reflect on how blessed we are. That's right... it's "Tax Time"! What did you think I was writing about? Spring? March 21^st isn't actually the beginning of spring, it is just an arbitrary date picked by some lunatic who never lived in Nova Scotia.

But tax season is a great time to be thankful. Seriously, if you have never visited a third world country you have no idea how privileged we are with our health care, transportation and political stability and most of those things are a result of the taxes we pay.

Don't want to pay tax? No problem, just don't earn enough money. So, we need to be thankful that we make more than the threshold, and that the CRA graciously allows us to deduct our giving to the church. Try that in most other countries. So this year instead of grumbling while doing your taxes why not take a moment and breathe a prayer of thanks.

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

 

 

 
    

The Game

Quite the game, eh?  And if you have to ask what game, you have obviously been living on a different planet over the past couple of weeks. And at the end of the game, the Canadians celebrated, the Americans were disappointed and the Russians whined.  Oh well. 

I read the other day, that the game was the most watched television broadcast in Canadian history.  At least one source referred to it as “the Crosby Show”, which is probably unfair to the rest of the team.

The interesting thing, is the sheer number of people who watched the game; those in the know, tell us that an average audience of 16.6 million viewers watched the Olympic title game, which is almost half the population of Canada!  In addition, about 80% of the country, 26.5 million Canadians, watched at least some part of the game.  Incredible!

But there is another event that will be watched by an even greater audience and that will be the return of Christ.  And some people will celebrate and others will be disappointed and others will whine.  You will have to decide for yourself, which category you will be in.  Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

Interesting

Have you ever felt like you've been cheated? You know, you were planning on doing something and looking forward to doing it and then somebody else did it for you or before you and you just felt disappointed, like you had been robbed or cheated. But sometimes you find out someone was going to do it and you are able to stop them, so even though they almost ruined it, they didn't.

That must have been how the state of Ohio felt last week, when prison officials found Lawrence Reynolds unconscious on his cell floor, after taking an overdose of pills.

Luckily, officials were able to revive Reynolds and rush him to the hospital, where he is expected to make a full recovery. Good thing, because they had to re-schedule his execution for next week. Apparently, when they discovered him, it was only hours away from his date with the executioner. I've always thought it was strange that they put death row inmates on suicide watch in the days before the execution, but I guess it goes back to my assertion that capital punishment is more about revenge than about justice. Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

 

 

 

    

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.