Wednesday, November 24, 2010

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

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

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

Thursday, November 11, 2010

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

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

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.