Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Well, that makes sense.



I was getting ready for church last week when I noticed how grey my hair had become. As I wondered how that could possibly have happened without me noticing, I remembered something I was told almost thirty years ago. Roy Corey, a member of the Truro Church, told me how he had discovered his eyesight was directly connected to the amount of pigment in his hair. When I questioned him more, he told me how he had noticed that when his hair was dark he had no problem seeing, but as his hair became progressively greyer his eyesight got progressively worse. Ergo, it was apparent that his eyesight was directly connected to the amount of pigment in his hair.
When you think about that, it makes complete sense. An obvious case of cause and effect. But I have discovered in life that just because something makes sense doesn’t mean it’s true. Those in the world will often ask you to embrace their culture and their values simply because they make sense. Granted, sometimes they do make sense, but that doesn’t mean they are true or right.
And just because you colour your hair doesn’t mean you won’t need glasses. Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Huh?



I’m confused, again.  When Bruce Jenner decided that he wasn’t the gender that he had been born and decided to change how he had been created he was lauded as a hero.  When Rachel Dolezal decided that she wasn’t the race that she had been born and decided to change it she was denounced as a fraud.  If you don’t know the Dolezal story, it appears that a  number of years ago she began living as a black woman, she coloured her skin, permed her hair and eventually was hired as the president of the Spokane, Wash., branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.  One headline announced that she had been outed as a white person.   
This is not a rant against Bruce Jenner, I don’t know Bruce and he/she has never asked my opinion, nor is it an attempt to justify Ms. Dolezal’s decision, again I don’t know her or her motives. 
What bothers me is how different their situations are being viewed by society and the media. The moral absolutes are now determined by the media and how they portray a particular story.  But regardless of how the stories are reported or how these individuals feel about themselves, Bruce Jenner is not a woman and Rachel Dolezal is not black.   Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

Love Wins!



Most folks have heard about the shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina.  If you missed it, last Wednesday during a prayer meeting 21 year old Dylan Roof opened fire killing nine, including the pastor of the church.  Roof has said that his motivation was to start a race war in the United States.
The on-line response has been interesting, I have seen a number of Pastor’s forums discussing the need for their parishioners to be able to come to church armed, in order to defend themselves in similar circumstances.  Perhaps they missed the part where Jesus said “Turn the other cheek” and “Those who live by the sword will die by the sword.”  Others have talked about the culture of violence and racial divide in the US that would allow incidents like this shooting to become more and more common.
But ultimately the voices that have been heard the loudest are the voices of the victims’ families. When Roof appeared in court just days after the shooting, family members were allowed to address the court and the accused.  And over and over again they echoed the same message, “We are hurting, but we forgive you.” 
And there is no answer to that, because ultimately: Love wins!  Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.