Sunflowers

The wind was blowing, the trees were swaying & bending. I was sitting out with a coffee taking in the sights of our back property. I began to focus on two giant Sunflowers, we had planted as seeds early in the season. Now they are 10 feet tall each with a huge, beautiful bloom.

But what caught my attention was their stalk--about the size of my baby finger. I was amazed at how these two flowers were bending & bowing in the strong winds, but not breaking. It made me think about our God--how God had given these plants the strength they needed to survive the storms that came their way. They did not look as though they should withstand the storm, but their strength was inherent in how they had been made.

If God would do that for these plants, how much more so would He do it for us, His Children. It made me feel very secure knowing that my God will give me the strength I need to endure any storm that comes my way. In fact, through knowing Christ, I already have that strength--I need only tap into it.

He has promised us He will never leave us nor forsake us. I am at Peace knowing God will Always Be There, watching over me, giving me His Strength.

By Brenda V.

Assignment BTC

BTC was announced on this Sunday in our church. Actually the full title of this new venture is “Assignment BTC”. The idea that has been brewing for a long while has our people going from our church to help others. The idea is to accept Assignments that are guided by the Holy Spirit. That we would become a Team lead by the Holy Spirit, to go where he would have us go, when he would have us go. “Assignment BTC” means “Assignment - Be The Church”. We have sat in Bible Studies faithfully over the years and now we intend to go out with what we have and share our living faith.

Last evening it was set for our BTC Team to go to a Senior’s residence and meet with people that normally don’t have visitors. Instead of a quick, “Hello, how are you?” – followed by a handshake (or no handshake) and then moving on… we intend to spend time with each one to offer our friendship and love.

So often as people come and go from the Senior’s residences they are in a hurry. I know that is true for myself. I have someone to visit and I do not have time for others. Often however the Seniors sitting in the TV room or in the hallways will smile and give you a greeting… or ask you to do something for them. In a hurry I have to offer them my quick, “Hello, how are you?”

So last evening was to be our first BTC for the Seniors in a local Senior’s Home.

Great plan but… it didn’t work that way. The three people that arrived to participate in BTC were given a new and immediate BTC Assignment. Remember we were formed to be led by the Holy Spirit. A call came at 5:00 PM from a couple that were in big trouble. When they arrived home they found their basement flooded. A hose had broken on the back of their wash machine earlier in the day when everyone was at work. The continual spray had flooded the basement with about an inch and one half of water. When the call come to ask what she should do – I recognized this as a call from the Lord – “Change plans please..”

For the next four hours our Team helped out in whatever way we could. When we left at 9:00 PM – things were damp but now drying out. Carpet had been removed from one section of the floor and other areas were drying with fans. We left happy and blessed at having helped someone with our love.

This Assignment BTC is now an adventure. The Team will grow I am sure. The opportunities are beginning to expand. Wood cutting is on the horizon now. The visits to the Seniors is waiting and the new opportunities are being investigated.

Luke 10
Jesus Sends Out the Seventy two
1After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.

Pastor Murray

Reports from the International Ploughing Match

As I reported in the last post, this past week the International Ploughing Match (IPM) was held just outside Peterborough. It attracted thousands of people. One of the booth presentations was done by the Organization of Christian Farmers. Along with hundreds of volunteers from our community and surrounding communities the Gospel Message was shared in a unique way.

It was reported on this Sunday AM in our service. We had about a dozen or so that were involved in sharing at the booth…

Using the simple leather strand of coloured beads they described what God could do for each one they spoke to. At the end of the presentation the folks that listened to the story and the sharing received a walking stick. The leather strap carried the beads and a card about the story that they just heard.

It is estimated that there was over 3500 that prayed and gave their names and addresses for a follow up of what happened.

As we walked through the grounds of the IPM we were constantly asked where we got the walking stick from. I praise God for this wonderful outreach that took place in our community. Yesterday we were praying together that the Lord would continue to work deeply in the lives where the seed of the Gospel had been sown.

One account was very touching. An older man came into the tent. They directed him to be seated with a young man by the name of Dustin. He said, "I have a grandson by the name of Dustin." When they lead him to the meet Dustin – it was his grandson. Dustin shared the story of salvation with his own grandpa – who then accepted Christ. It was grandpa’s first time to hear what God had done for him. That was only one of many stories we heard Sunday AM. Praise God for his work in our lives.

BTW – each of our folk that shared had never done this kind of thing before.

Pastor Murray

Pure Delight

Can you guess what is happening here? The picture describes it all. The look on this young lady’s face is one of pure delight. But unless you are from the country you will not understand what is happening… but again… if you are from the country you may have never done this kind of thing either.

This next shot may help you understand.

The answer is “Milking a Cow”. To help educate a new generation of children (and even adults) the farming community organizations have developed this very “cooperative cow” that stands quietly and allows a hundred little hands to pull on her teats milking her. In real life – the old pail would have been kicked to the back of the barn when she disapproved.

All of the activities, that the hundreds of thousands of children and adults experienced this week near Peterborough, were at the International Ploughing Match (IPM). IPM is a place where the rural communities and the non-rural folks can meet – and amazing things take place. There really are not enough words to describe what took place.

When we arrived early we chauffeured in an amazing “rural limousine” from the parking lot along the main road to the IPM sight. And then from there on for the next hours we walked and walked and walked through a farmer’s fields – that had been transformed into a small city.

These photos may help to capture some of the size. We were hanging from a 175 high Sky Bucket from our Hydro Electric company.

The most amazing sight for myself was not all the machinery or the hundreds of displays. It was the literally hundreds of people walking through the IPM grounds with their new Walking Sticks. We had one as well. Many people came up to ask where we got the Walking Stick. This happened over and over again. Each time we were asked we referred them to a special tent where they could get the Walking Stick for free.

You may ask what the Walking Stick is all about. Well let me share this with you… there is this leather bracelet attached to the top of it… with six coloured beads on the leather piece. The Gold bead represents Heaven and God. The Black bead beside it represents Sin in our lives – in that all of us have fallen short of God’s plan for our lives. The Red bead represents what God did for us when he let Jesus, His Son, die on the cross for our Sins. The White bead represents what happens to us when we ask Jesus to come into our life and take the sin away – He “washes” the Sin away – He gets rid of it all. The final Green bead is the one that represents a New Life that we can live with God’s help. As you follow the leather bracelet further you arrive back at the Gold bead, now you are connected with God again and can look forward to Heaven someday.

Back to the special tent… there were about 20 or more volunteers seated in this tent with a smile on their face. They were apart of hundreds of volunteers that showed up this week to take part in this Christian Outreach to share the love of God and the message of Salvation.

When we went into the tent the place was a buzz of people talking and telling the story – over and over again. As I looked on every small group was at different stages of the presentation. Some were talking and others were praying. As I looked on the some folk were rising as they held their new walking sticks and were smiling. They had heard the story of Jesus and someone had just prayed for them.

The most important part of what happened was… the Holy Spirit walked out with them and into a New Life.

Please pray for the results of this powerful IPM outreach.

Deep Losses - Great Gains

In Psalms 116:15 the writer makes a powerful statement that has been quoted hundreds if not thousands of times weekly – all around the world – for along time. I have chosen these words again to begin telling the story of another saint that has gone home.

15. Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. (NIV)

Eva MacLeod has been called home. Last night she passed from this life to her next one – with her Lord. We received the call just after midnight.

Some reading this page know her well – for others her name is new. For God she is a close friend and a saint.

Eva has four children and each of them meant so very much to her. I have never met a family that has been prayed over more than this one. When we were together she would ask me to pray for them and I was delighted to do so. It was by this joined prayer that I came to know them.

In recent years God blessed Eva with her husband Ron. It was my joy to stand before them and assist in performing their marriage. During the wedding Eva began to giggle and cry at the same time. Ron smiled from ear to ear as he stood beside her.

In these last years as they discovered the cancer that was moving through Eva’s body it became more difficult for the two of them. But through each day their faithfulness and love sustained them. Earlier this year at one stage we all thought that Eva was going to pass away. But she rallied again and was able to come home. Ron stood with her and was her helpmate in every way. She remained at home until yesterday and was cared for by Ron.

She was insistent on attending church as often as she could. That happened even up until last Sunday. What a blessing she has been to her friends and family with this special brand of faithfulness.

It hasn’t always been easy for Eva. The life story that she has lived is very complex. But yet in the midst of it, all her life has been encouraged by the Lord in minute details. Often as we shared personal updates she would glow as she described another piece of evidence she had received that very day of God’s great love.

Eva wasn’t perfect but in God’s eyes she is a saint. That is what the whole of Psalm 116 says to me. It really describes Eva’s life. In her brokenness she came to the Lord.

A few years ago now Eva was with my wife and I as we said goodbye to Yudell Haggart. Together we stood beside her bed as she slipped into God’s presence. They were very close friends and prayer partners for many years.

Last evening, as my wife Alida and I left the hospital, Alida said, “I think Yudell is looking on now flapping her wings and saying, ‘Come Eva, I am waiting.’ Then we both choked up as we smiled at each other. Today they are skipping together along with Jesus. How precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints… one of them for sure

Eva’s Psalm 116:1-19

1. I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.
2. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.
3. The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow.
4. Then I called on the name of the LORD: "O LORD, save me!"
5. The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.
6. The LORD protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved me.
7. Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.
8. For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling,
9. that I may walk before the LORD in the land of the living.
10. I believed; therefore I said, "I am greatly afflicted."
11. And in my dismay I said, "All men are liars."
12. How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to me?
13. I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD.
14. I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.
15. Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.
16. O LORD, truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant; you have freed me from my chains.
17. I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the LORD.
18. I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people,
19. in the courts of the house of the LORD-- in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD.
(NIV)

Resentment – the cancer of society

As the Newspapers of Montreal unfolded the story of Kimveer Gill, the shooter at Dawson College, it became evident that the hatred that drove him to this act was deep. The hatred came from some where. Yet when the family members were interviewed these was no reason apparent. According to reporters, the family had not witnessed anything unusual in his behaviour that would have given them a warning of any kind. Kimveer did have a deep fascination for guns – which they thought was simply his hobby. Over the previous weeks he had become somewhat withdrawn and quiet – but they thought nothing of it.

Kimveer has an East Indian heritage from what they have told us. He also grew up and lives in Quebec. He is not French. He was not part of the society that he lives in. One of the good articles that describes in a detailed analysis was written by Jan Wong in the Globe and Mail Newspaper – September 16, 2006 entitled “Get Under the Desk”

The following is from her article…
Quote…
This week, Montrealers were asking: Why us? Youths elsewhere in Canada are addicted to violent video games. Youths elsewhere in Canada live in soul-less suburbs. Youths elsewhere are alienated and into Goth culture. Yet while there have been similar high-school tragedies, all three rampages at Canadian postsecondary institutions occurred here, not in Toronto, or Vancouver or Halifax or Calgary.

"A lot of people are saying: Why does this always happen in Quebec?" says Jay Bryan, a business columnist for the Montreal Gazette, the city's only English-language daily. "Three doesn't mean anything. But three out of three in Quebec means something."

What many outsiders don't realize is how alienating the decades-long linguistic struggle has been in the once-cosmopolitan city. It hasn't just taken a toll on long-time anglophones, it's affected immigrants, too. To be sure, the shootings in all three cases were carried out by mentally disturbed individuals. But what is also true is that in all three cases, the perpetrator was not pure laine, the argot for a "pure" francophone. Elsewhere, to talk of racial "purity" is repugnant. Not in Quebec.

In 1989, Marc Lepine shot and killed 14 women and wounded 13 others at the University of Montreal's École Polytechnique. He was a francophone, but in the eyes of pure laine Quebeckers, he was not one of them, and would never be. He was only half French-Canadian. He was also half Algerian, a Muslim, and his name was Gamil Gharbi. Seven years earlier, after the Canadian Armed Forces rejected his application under that name, he legally changed his name to Marc Lepine.

Valery Fabrikant, an engineering professor, was an immigrant from Russia. In 1992, he shot four colleagues and wounded one other at Concordia University's faculty of engineering after learning he would not be granted tenure.

This week's killer, Kimveer Gill, was, like Marc Lepine, Canadian-born and 25. On his blog, he described himself as of "Indian" origin. (In their press conference, however, the police repeatedly referred to Mr. Gill as of "Canadian" origin.)

It isn't known when Mr. Gill's family arrived in Canada. But he attended English elementary and high schools in Montreal. That means he wasn't a first-generation Canadian. Under the restrictions of Bill 101, the province's infamous language law, that means at least one of his parents must have been educated in English elementary or high schools in Canada.

To be sure, Mr. Lepine hated women, Mr. Fabrikant hated his engineering colleagues and Mr. Gill hated everyone. But all of them had been marginalized, in a society that valued pure laine.

End quote…

Where the cancer comes in…. “Resentment”
This story is not limited to the Quebec borders. It happens in lots of places.
Maybe it just doesn’t end in such tragic ways as did the three events in Montreal.

I believe it is possibly a result of “Resentment”. Recently I was able to get a copy of a book entitled “Quiet Courage” by Paula Todd. The first section in her book she writes of Dr. Graeme Cunningham and his battle with alcoholism. Dr. Graeme Cunningham stated a powerful thought about “Resentment”…

"Resentment comes from the Latin verb resentire—to feel again. When you do something bad to me, what my head does is replay the events and you get worse and / get better. Then, you end up living rent-free up there in the dangerous neighbourhood called my mind. I deal with that by becoming selfish."

As I read this powerful statement I was deeply moved to realize that many possibilities have come my way to allow me to build up resentment… and many times I have taken that journey because of the “resentire—to feel again” that comes my way. The valuable rent-free space taken by the thought in my mind resulted in selfish attitudes and actions on my part.

Now place this idea grid on Kimveer Gill, Marc Lepine or Valery Fabrikant and see how their selfish acted out – they took other’s lives – the ultimate act of selfishness.

In the very important Psalm 139 David says these words…
Psalm 139:23-24(KJV)
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

But if you look closely to what he is stating just prior to this famous statement there is a hint of his mind space where he may have given free-rent to some bad thinking. The real possibility is there for resentment to have had control over his life. His ultimate selfish sin was that of adultery. It certainly has me thinking about David and me and Kimveer.

Montreal 9/13

It has been a week since the tragedy that struck at the Dawson College in Montreal. The news papers have been filled with analysis and accounts of what has taken place. Stories have surfaced how a young man evolved into a killer.

As some of you know my wife and I were celebrating our Anniversary in Montreal at that time. As we walked through the community this past week the streets were filled with young people. The place where we were staying is close to the University. The grocery store that we visited is filled with the young adults that live in the community.

Accounts are now coming as well from families that have been deeply moved as they realized how close their children were to this tragedy. Yesterday they buried both the girl that was murdered and the murderer. My emotions are stirred deeply with this story with all that has happened.

Montreal has experienced the horror of “their own 9/11”. The world of these families will never be the same.

A Pastor’s Account…
Pastor Joe shared his account of last Wednesday the 13th. Pastor Joe is on staff at Montreal Evangel Temple just off St. Catherine’s street. The church is very close (less than ½ Block) to the old Montreal Forum where the “Montreal Canadiens” used to play hockey.

Just after lunch time a young person came to the church office and was very upset. The student described how there has been a shooting at the Dawson College. (Dawson College has about 10,000 young adults attending classes in the college building and its sits just to the northwest of the old Forum building.)

Joe described how he went out of the building with the student. Together they walked towards the Forum. As they came closer, suddenly a group of students came running in their direction. Joe described the group as possibly 300 to 400 in size. Many were crying as they ran in Joe’s direction. He said that he would never forget the look in their eyes – one of sheer panic and terrible fear. Many had witnessed the shooting of their friends and had seen the gun man personally. At this point no one knew for sure how many gun men there were. First reports said there could have been three people doing the shooting.

My wife and I sat in the Evangel Church on Sunday evening listening to Pastor Joe minister to the people that attended. He read from Psalm 10 which gave a clear picture of the events that had taken place on the past Wednesday.

I am asking you to pray for the churches in Montreal this week as they help in the ministry to these families and the community as a whole. I was very impressed with Pastor Joe and his ministry. I know that God has his hand on this whole situation.

In the service of Sunday evening four people raised their hands to indicate they wanted to accept Jesus as their Saviour. God is moving through all of this.

Psalm 10
1 Why, O LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
2 In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises.
3 He boasts of the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.
4 In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
5 His ways are always prosperous; he is haughty and your laws are far from him; he sneers at all his enemies.
6 He says to himself, "Nothing will shake me; I'll always be happy and never have trouble."
7 His mouth is full of curses and lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue.
8 He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent, watching in secret for his victims.
9 He lies in wait like a lion in cover; he lies in wait to catch the helpless; he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.
10 His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength.
11 He says to himself, "God has forgotten; he covers his face and never sees."
12 Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless.
13 Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, "He won't call me to account"?
14 But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.

God’s blessing comes to us in unusual ways. Doesn’t it? All professional Christians – specially Ministers know that!

For a number of months now my wife and I planned to get away for a few days to celebrate our 39th Anniversary. We planned our trip to Montreal, Quebec… where we are today. But His blessings come in unusual ways as I said above.

Our train rolled into Montreal at just after 2:00 PM. There was to be a short ride in a Taxi to the hotel where we are staying through familiar streets. The streets, however, were filled with young people – many running along the street. It was unusual for 2:00 in the afternoon.

When we arrived at our hotel room, the TV news was flashing pictures from the Dawson College Shooting that had happened about an hour before. A man dressed in black had shot about 20 students and some were in serious condition. Many were nearby and many more could have died. That is why the sirens and the police vehicles were all over the place. Now it made sense. There were 10,000 young adults in the college and they were being evacuated only a short distance from our Taxi ride and not far from our hotel area – and no one knew for sure how many more shooters there were and how dangerous the situation would continue to be. Montreal’s world was turned upside by guns.

What an anniversary. Last night we prayed for the people involved.

Today as part of the day’s activities, my wife and I were able to attend a local minister’s meeting. As we shared prayer requests with each other one pastor described how their church is close to the Dawson College and how the young adults were coming into the church asking for help. There was a wonderful time of prayer together. The way that the pastors shared in prayer was so uplifting.

Pastor Saul Ho described how his son, who studies in the same building, was in the northeast area of the college and was able to quickly get out of the building when the reports came their way.

Following this meeting we spent the afternoon and evening with some very special friends in an art gallery, and then over Chinese food and followed by fresh Bagels.

God’s blessings come in unusual ways. Today we were able to pray with others, we cried with others and we encouraged others. And above all we were encouraged. All of it happened on our 39th Anniversary celebration. But there is more to the story…

A long time ago….
39 years ago when we were married we lived about 60 miles from here and I was not what I am today. So much has changed since those days. But 39 years I was running from God, went into the same art gallery and also ate Chinese food and Bagels – but I was very, very unhappy. I had run away from God and had no intention of coming back. But God had a different plan. He followed me and loved me – no matter what. He set me free.

When I prayed today – I knew I was truly free. The tears flowed freely.

Just after we prayed with the pastors, God gave me another blessing. The cell phone rang and a very special “niece” of ours called to see how we were doing. It was our “Irene” – a young lady that had attended university in our city and has become like a niece to us. She is a young lady that had come to know God in a special way, graduated university and returned home. The call was all the way from Indonesia. Thanks for the blessing Irene…!

I have found a verse that makes more sense than ever before…

Lamentations 3:21-26 (The Living Bible)
21 Yet there is one ray of hope:
22 his compassion never ends. It is only the Lord's mercies that have kept us from complete destruction.
23 Great is his faithfulness; his loving-kindness begins afresh each day.
24 My soul claims the Lord as my inheritance; therefore I will hope in him.
25 The Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for him, to those who seek for him.
26 It is good both to hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
(TLB)

~ Pastor Murray ~

Miracles on the "A Team"

I need to begin this posting with a scripture to help you understand what I am about to write.

2 Cor 4:6-7 (NIV)6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

Last night I witnessed this shining of the light of the Gospel. Few people will ever experience this. This is a miracle of proportion so unbelievable that it is hard to write about. I have asked the persons involved if it was alright with them if I shared this. Their answer was amazing - "Yes, absolutely." There was complete agreement.

Tonight I sat with the "A Team" - as I call them. "A" stands for Alpha - not the Alpha groups but Alpha as a new beginning. These guys are part of the new Bible Study Support Group that I began for men coming out of prison. We have just completed our fourth week. We are looking at the Characters of the Bible that were in jail and or in trouble with the Law of their times. We have started with Moses.

The group is made up of four men and myself. The four men have all spent time in prison. They are all my friends. I can honestly say I love them as brothers.

Tonight Darin, lead the Bible Study for us. We looked at God's call on Moses life, Moses' reaction and God's reaction. Darin asked one of the guys if he wanted to read the Bible for us. I will call him "R". R began to read haltingly. He couldn't read. He struggled with every word. "P" sitting across the table began to help him with the words that he couldn't say. Each time he finished a verse "P" said - "Hey you're doing great!" R is 49 years old and P is 60. "M" was there too. He can't read either - he is about 28 years old and slow in thinking. He listens and wants very much to discuss things with us but gets confused at times. "B" had a bad head ache and only lasted for a short time. "B" is 50+ years old.

As we listened to R read it was amazing as he tried so hard. Darin and I both cried as we watched the miracle before our eyes. After every verse R stopped to tell what he read in his own words. The words were hitting home each time he said them. The Word of God was healing and setting free as R read the Bible. His "Wow" at certain stages were like a real Pentecostal AMEN! He was feeling what was happening inside and out.

R studied in school until he was in grade two and then there was no more school.

At the end of the Bible study and the reading - P asked, "Can I pray first?" For the past three weeks I have prayed each time - except once that Darin prayed. Then R said, "I want to pray next". Both prayers were halting and stumbling but beautiful. They both prayed and thanked God for me. I am crying as I write this - it was the most beautiful thing I have heard for years - they both were close to breaking in their words.

P, R and M are considered dangerous and high risk people in the community. They are considered pedophiles. And God is doing a work in their lives. Their strongest statements that they have picked up from living around us is their desire that, "There will be NO MORE VICTIMS!"

After we finished the prayer and we were going to break up the meeting R began to talk about himself and his long journey that lead him up to this point tonight.

At birth his parents placed him in a residential facility - and orphanage in central Ontario. He lived there until he was 21. School was not provided - up to grade two was as far as he made it. I am not sure if it was because it was on the outside or if he has a major learning disability. He cannot read... but tonight he was reading slowly.

At 10 he was molested by a staff member by the name of Barry. Barry took him to his cottage on a weekend and did it there. He did it again and again and again. Other leaders did it to him as well. It was almost common place - it is just what happened in this place. He was not the only boy that it happened to, others were subject to the same thing as well.

He described how the boys used to have sexual contact with each other and that it was a common thing.

We discussed the awakening of sexual things in boys and then the experiments that they did with each other after the leaders used them. As he grew older in the school he became the older person having sex with younger boys - around 10 - the same age as he was.

When he was "released" or required to leave the residence he had to find a place to live. With no education and no ability to read and no work he chose to live with families from place to place to place. When I asked him how many - he struggled with that and said - "hundreds". He named the cities and places he has lived - its staggers your mind.

When he lived with the families he also was involved with the family's children. Yes - he likely molested some of them as well. My guess this was likely the reason for the many moves happened. He was found out. But there was always another home that needed money and a boarder.

As the description of this story unfolding tonight I had a picture of true darkness. Some of the deepest darkness that I have ever witnessed was shared.

His conviction was a result of incidents that happened in the last 9 years where he found himself going back to young boys, that were his age when he was molested, and experiencing this thrill all over again. It is as if he missed the home where he knew this kind of thing as a way of life... now in homesickness or frustration to know a home - he was doing it to those around him. In his mind they were consenting as the other boys consented with each other. In his mind he is 10 years old all over again. A layman’s assessment only.

R tells with a simple pride that he is on a needle now. He couldn't say the name of it - but is called Lupron, a chemical castration. He said he will never go off this stuff as it takes away the strong feelings he has about kids.

I was with these guys for about three hours tonight as I listened. The account I have heard almost makes you sick as the darkness had R so deep in his journey to hell. But the gospel has shown into his life. Tonight I witnessed the power of God's Word beginning to clean him.

And when R prayed for me I was honoured....

Jesus is so wonderful. If he can take a life like this and show his wonderful love and work so deeply... there will never be anymore victims. I am so privileged to be so close to see this happen.

I can't wait for next Tuesday PM...!

This week I am off to Montreal to tell this and other wonderful stories to a group of people that wonder how they can help men like this. This is God's timing and God's place.

Please pray for R, P and M along with B and Darin and Murray - we are the "A Team"

Again... this makes sense more than ever...
2 Cor 4:6-7 (NIV)6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

- Pastor Murray

Black and White TV? Emma's Hmmm Moment

This past Sunday just before our noon meal, our granddaughter, Emma, was watching TV. The small TV is in the kitchen near the table. As I came into the room her question caught me, “Grandpa, why is the TV Black and White, there is no colour?”

I explained that the TV movie that was on the television(Bob Hope and Bing Crosby) was so old that it was made before there was such a thing as colour TV or colour Movies. The look on her face was puzzlement. Could there ever have been such a time? That led us to talk about the old days of Black and White TV. I told her that grandpa never even saw a TV until he was 12 years old – about the same age as her older brother. Her big brown eyes took it all in. There was that “Emma Hmmm Moment” Hmmm comes as she ponders her thoughts. I have had a few of these “hmmm-s” lately too. I guess it comes with age.

Our Pastor Tim Taylor, presented a powerful study on Sunday PM. As he did he asked us to consider a book title that we are studying together – “The Jesus I Never Knew”. The premise so far is that many of us have known something about Jesus – from our childhood days or from what the community’s perception is – and yet we may not really know who he is. At the end of this Blog you will be able to read the Description of the book.

Together with Emma’s question, my Hmmm-s and Tim’s questions of Sunday PM – I have been trying to sort through my thoughts about Jesus too. After all I am a professional Jesus Person. I get paid because of what I am supposed to be able to tell people about Jesus. I AM A MINISTER – Ordained on top of that with a Big REV. in front of my name.

The fact is that I am trying to understand who he is now. I am constantly trying to get a clear picture of who he is and how he works in this world today.

The events of 9/11 (in 2001) and all the television presentations of yesterday certainly have made me think too. We live in one very sick world today. My image of Jesus as a Saviour is real – but how will he work all of this “Saviour” stuff out in the world that we live in today?

In the New Testament of the Bible, Paul makes a statement in 2 Corinthians 5:16 when he says…16So we have stopped evaluating others by what the world thinks about them. Once I mistakenly thought of Christ that way, as though he were merely a human being. How differently I think about him now!

Paul’s confession that once he thought of Jesus in a different way than he does now has produced more Hmmm-s in me. Could it be with all that I know so far – is not really what I need to know now?

That is kind of an Emma moment as she considered a Black and White TV world – long before she was born or even thought of….

Today I want to know who Jesus is. I would like to know who he is and how he can help in my family, my community and my world. He said that he would do whatever I ask in his name. Jesus said in John 14:12"The truth is, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. 13You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, because the work of the Son brings glory to the Father. 14Yes, ask anything in my name, and I will do it!

That is another “Emma’s Hmmm Moment” for sure. Wow!

Pastor Murray

Description of the Book – “The Jesus I Never Knew” by Philip Yancey: What happens when a respected Christian journalist decides to put his preconceptions aside and take a long look at the Jesus described in the Gospels? How does the Jesus of the New Testament compare to the ''new, rediscovered" Jesus -- or even the Jesus we think we know so well? Best-selling author Phillip Yancey says, "The Jesus I got to know in writing this book is very different from the Jesus I learned about in Sunday school. In some ways he is more comforting; in some ways more terrifying." Yancey offers a new and different perspective on the life of Christ and his work -- his teaching, his miracles, his death and resurrection -- and ultimately, who he was and why he came. Relating the gospel events to the world we live in today, The Jesus I Never Knew gives a moving and refreshing portrait of the central figure of history. With a willingness to tackle difficult questions, Yancey looks at the radical words of this itinerant Jewish carpenter and asks whether we are taking him seriously enough in our own day and age. From the manger in Bethlehem to the cross in Jerusalem, Yancey presents a complex character who generates questions as well as answers; a disturbing and exhilarating Jesus who wants to radically transform your life and stretch your faith. The Jesus I Never Knew uncovers a Jesus who is brilliant, creative, challenging, fearless, compassionate, unpredictable, and ultimately satisfying. This honest book will help you discover a different Jesus from the flannelgraph Sunday school figure, the sweetly smiling Victorian Savior, and all the cultural clichés that have tamed Jesus and kept him in comfortable religious boxes. According to Yancey, "No one who meets Jesus ever stays the same. In the end I found the process of writing this book to be a great act of faith-strengthening. Jesus has rocked my own preconceptions and has made me ask hard questions about why those of us who bear his name don't do a better job of following him."

The Wonder of It All

It is hard to understand sometimes why you are in certain places. At least that is my experience at times. I know one thing that God has a plan for me over all these years.

It is a “Wow Factor” again for me.

About nine months ago I received a call from a young lady that lives in the Northeastern USA. She was looking for a pastor to perform her marriage. The question was if I was willing and if I was available for the date of September 9, 2006 to officiate at their ceremony.

Now I should explain that the couple is not part of “my denomination”. They come from a strong traditional church background – but as the bride to be explained they didn’t particularly have a strong church experience.

So how they were able to get my name and number out of how many other ministers in the area – I don’t know? Within our city I believe that there are well over 100 pastors and ministers that could have done this task, let alone the area where they were to be married. Only God knows why and how it all happened – I have not yet figured it out – other than He wanted me there for this occasion.

These are divine appointments I believe. An appointment that is so special and so intricate that only God himself could arrange them.

The Setting
For the people in the Peterborough area they will be more familiar with the Viamede Resort, on Stoney Lake, where the Stoney Lake Cruise originates. This beautiful Resort is the place that this wonderful wedding was planned for… to be conducted down by the water’s edge in an almost idyllic setting.

Rehearsal was held on Friday at 10:30 AM at the water’s edge under the classic arbour built for wedding parties and ceremonies. The clouds were possibly rolling in for rain later in the afternoon. The bride had been checking the weather reports for the next ten days – for the past ten days. There was a concern.

As we stood at the side of the lake and under the arbours I told them that I would pray for God to bless us and give us a clear sky for the Saturday evening.

Friday and Saturday’s events
By the time we returned to the city on Friday afternoon the clouds were big and rolling in fast. Within a few hours there was lightening and thunder that kept us guessing for a few more hours. I prayed during the storm that God would carry us through and make this wedding go smoothly.

Little did I know what was taking place back at the Resort where the wedding was to be conducted. It was not so peaceful and not so easy for these folk.

Lightening struck a major power supply in the region to the south of the Resort and blew a large transformer out of service. That was at about 2:00 PM.

All of the guests were from the USA. All were staying in the quaint and rustic cottages of the Resort – but now without power the cottages became rustic. Believe me, at the wedding, guests wanted to talk weather and the events of the day before.

Where do you shave and how do you shave in the dark? How do you do your hair and prepare with your royal regalia for a wedding – whether you are a Bride of a great auntie? How do you remain cool in the middle of a storm and the hours that follow the storm – when there is no power?

When my wife and I arrived for the 5:30 PM ceremony the guests were all talking of the events of the day before. One lady in her frustration described the setting for her husband and herself… and then said… “But we are clean!” The bride’s father described how he helped his daughter by going across the lake and renting five cottages at another resort. He told me that during the Saturday morning and early afternoon they had switched the wedding from the water’s edge to the small wooden church and then back to the water’s edge – three times. Frustration had been great for a few hours to say the least.

Now what I haven’t shared is the Resort has its own hostess who helps with weddings and their coordination. All things were to run smoothly but they had not. The strain of the day was telling as I spoke with her. She described what our electric company(Ontario Hydro) had told her… something about a transformer coming from either the USA or Montreal and that the repairs would be completed 5 hours after the transformer arrived.

As my wife and I walked to the arbour area to prepare for the ceremony, sounds of gas powered generators welcomed all the guests.

As we looked on the clouds that had been there for the past few days began to withdraw. The sun came out and the lake was calm and perfect again after the storm.

As I prayed at the beginning of the wedding I thanked God for clearing the sky and providing sunshine. There was an audible giggle from the Bride and Groom as they listened to the prayer… and I think God was smiling as well.

Now one more thing to share, the reception was being held on site at the Resort as well. How do you cook a meal for these guests and then how do you possibly enjoy eating that meal when it is black inside the building that you are to be in?

Just as we were pronouncing the benediction and announcing the bride and groom the electricity came on. The work on a transformer many miles away was complete.

It was a wonderful evening together. I won’t forget this wedding – ever!

By the way I didn’t tell all of you… this special day was Alida and my 39th Anniversary. What away to celebrate! Wow!

On the Side…
Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Liam and Elizabeth Fallon – may God’s hand continue to push back the clouds from your lives. May his big hand of blessing be richly upon what you do in these years to come. As I promised you in the ceremony – I will pray for you until I am finished praying.

Part of the prayer I prayed for you…

• Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter for the other.
• Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other.
• Now there is no more loneliness for you, for each of you will be companion to the other.
• Now you are two bodies, but there is only one life before you.
• The hand that you offer each other is an extension of yourselves, just as the warmth and love which you express to each other.
• Cherish the touch, for you are touching another life. Be sensitive to its pulse, and try to understand and respect its flow and rhythm, just as you would your own.
• Enter now into the days of your togetherness, and may they be good and long upon this earth.

May God bless you!

Your friend,
Pastor Murray Lincoln

Creaking and Cracking

Last evening six friends had dinner together. I was one of them.

It was so much fun and there was much laughter. It was getting later and we all decided to head home. As we rose from the chairs to head to the door the notable thing that connects all of us, besides our friendship, is the fact that we all have some ailment of some kind or other.

I would never say that we are old – just getting older and with it comes the realities of the aging process. Stuff inside doesn’t work right anymore.

One of the people at the table will have major surgery in a few weeks time, two others had horrendous headaches all day, two others just plain hurt most of the time and then there was me. I creak and crack now in every joint. I rise slowly with a bad back and couldn’t run across the yard if my life depended upon it. I am very slow. I can walk but not fast. And that happens only after straightening up slowly.

What happened to my once vibrant body that could do almost anything it wanted to do? Remember when we were invincible? I remember when I climbed mountains and was able to run cross country races of over 20 kms just for practice – EACH NIGHT. What in the world happened?

All of us became grandparents is one answer. No the grandkids didn’t cause it – it was the waiting for the grandkids to arrive that pretty much did it for me. The waiting let the years slide by and the body continued to slow and develop some of its problems.

I think that I am wearing out. I am like my old 1996 van… but I am a 1944 edition. I am rusting a bit now and the suspension is not what it was at one time. The paint is dull now and the doors have a few more dents in them… and the bumper has hole in it from someone else’s trailer hitch.
The conflict and turmoil is from the fact that inside I feel like I am 22 and can do anything. The outside however is 62 and refuses to do certain tasks when ordered by the inside. If the outside obeys the inside – then all sides feel it the next week or so. Yikes – what a dilemma!

But with all of that there is hope inside. There is a spirit that is not crushed by age. There is a life that will continually spring alive with the things that are happening on the exterior. It can possibly produce many different responses to stimulus.

When one of my grandkids does something crazy and then says, “Look at me grandpa”, I bust out laughing with them. Last evening with my friends we laughed deeply even though we were hurting. One of the couples had received some serious news that day – and yet we laughed together.

I have found a secret in the Bible when it says ….Proverbs 17:22
“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Happy people make the journey easier. But people with other stuff than happiness dry everything… and make it tough for those around them.

Now I know that we can’t always feel on top of it all the time. I have found that as I have been studying some of Paul’s letters in the New Testament he has given me some secrets to consider as well.

In 2 Corinthians 4 we read the following…
7 But this precious treasure--this light and power that now shine within us--is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies.[a] So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own.
8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don't give up and quit. 9We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going. 10Through suffering, these bodies of ours constantly share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.

That’s it… I now have a “Perishable Container” – my body – that contains some wonderful light and power that shines out of me… or potentially can shine out of me. It has been a “Perishable Container” for a long time – from the start – but it is now that the reality is hitting full force.

When verse 8 says “pressed on every side by troubles” that pretty much describes some of us doesn’t it? Then Paul goes on in his writing and says “but we are not crushed and broken”…etc.

There is hope when things are not what you planned them to be. There is still light inside when the outside seems the gloomiest that it can get. And when I can’t go it another mile God is there to help me. Paul finishes that paragraph with.. “so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.”

God understands what we face today. He has not left us alone. What a wonderful thought.

There is hope even in the midst of creaking and cracking. WOW!

Awesome

As she slipped her arm through mine she smiled. Her lightly tanned skin was clear and clean. Her blonde hair was blowing in the light breeze as she had run toward me. Her smile was amazing. She grinned from ear to ear. What a beautiful woman she will be. I am sure that Eve must have looked something like this gorgeous young lady holding my arm – so pure and so radiant.

As we walked along she said something that I will never forget. They are words that are so encouraging and carry so much power. They are words filled with dreams and possibility. They are words that will carry her forever – if she can keep a heart that matches what she expressed in that special moment.

She looked up into my face and said, “Grandpa, Grade Two is awesome!”

Meet Emma, my only granddaughter. She is 7 years old. This is Day Two of the 2006 school year. Two teeth are missing and she can smile to show them. This is what angels are made of I am sure!

In the next few moments as we walked to the car she poured out what her day had been like. I learned that she loves her teacher already – “She is amazing”. I found out that Emma has forgotten lots of her French but she was able to read real well today and is really excited about what she is going to do in this grade – because Grade Two is awesome.

“And Grandpa, guess what. I have an ‘agenda’ now!” The delight she expressed in that statement is difficult to place on paper. Her voice was filled with excitement. I was the very first person that she has shared this new secret with which made it even more fun.

I wish everyone could meet Emma. Emma makes a difference when she comes into a room. My guess is that Emma will make a difference wherever she goes. No one will ever be the same after they meet Emma.

Let me tell you more. She now speaks French as well as English. But to top that off she has mastered at least three different accents in English. When she does her impressions of “Nanny McPhee” (Click here to find out what the movie is about)– the super nanny in a movie that Emma has seen – guaranteed you will laugh with her. Incidentally – Nanny McPhee is played by an Emma Thomson. (I wonder if this is prophetic?)

Our Emma is not perfect. You need only ask her brother Clifford his opinion. She can drive him crazy. But to temper that statement you must remember he is 11 years old and almost a man. Sparks can fly on a long car trip if they don’t fall asleep.

There are days that I have witnessed the smoldering that she is capable of at times. Either it has been along day or maybe Emma has a desire (that no one knows for sure where it came from) – and she can immediately enter the “Don’t go there..” stage! At that special transformation her arms cross, her eyes focus on the target in front of her, and her eyebrows follow as they come closer together to express the extreme displeasure that she is feeling at that moment.

The slow simmer that she can and does exude is one that can make huge tears well up in her eyes without moving her face muscles at all. These tears are coming from a completely broken heart – or an imagination with control that most actresses would die for. Emma is capable of expressing herself.

At one point when she was with me and tears had been flowing freely. Her arms were crossed and she broke sobbing, “Clifford wishes I was dead!” That was her opening statement to more that would follow. Grandpas are not easily caught off guard – but I was at that moment.

Yesterday… “Grandpa, Grade Two is awesome!” was a treasure and a gift that I will keep.

* * * * * * * *
Matthew 18: 3 And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Does God Care?

There are times when I wonder if God really knows what is going on around me? Could it be that with so many people to look after he is needed somewhere else?

There is an amazing story in Exodus 3 that describes God meeting with Moses. As God speaks to Moses it says….

7 The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.

If you have read the story over you will remember in the early part of Chapter 3 it describes Moses in Egypt walking out to watch the work going on and to watch his people. On one particular day he saw the Egyptian beating the Israelite. Moses stepped in and killed the Egyptian – then buried him. The following day he came again and found two Israelites fighting. When he tried to intervene he was accused of the murder the day before – Pharaoh heard about this and orders were given for his arrest and death sentence. Moses fled.

At the point that God speaks to Moses it is now 40 years later. 40 years later of thinking over his own plight and wondering why this has happened to him. In my mind he had to be thinking of the Israelites and how they were being treated. The “concern” that he demonstrated the day he intervened with the Egyptian was just as high now. His life was changed in one fell swoop. Now for 40 years he wonders – why.

In verse 7 when God speaks he is answering a heart question in Moses I believe. He assures Moses that he has heard and understands.

In your life and mine is it not the same?

The great assurance that I have comes when I read the rest of that small paragraph of what God says to Moses…

8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them.

But this all comes together for me as I back up from this scripture and read Exodus 2 verse 23-25…

23 During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. 24 God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. 25 So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.
Now try this with me… take the words of verse 25 and put your name where the word Israelites is…

For me that now says…
“So God looked on Murray and was concerned about me.”
“So God looked on Brenda and was concerned about her.”
“So God looked on Anne and was concerned about her.”
“So God looked on Terry and was concerned about him.”
“So God looked on Bob and was concerned about him.”
“So God looked on Darin and was concerned about him.”
“So God looked on (Insert Your Name Here) and was concerned about me.”

Jesus underscores this great thought for me….
Do Not Worry
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]?
28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

A simple prayer I pray…

“I trust you Lord in what is happening right now. I believe you have my interests and problems close to your heart right now. Help me Lord, I trust you.”

Jason and Mr. Jones

Some of you that connect to this Blogspot and our prayer circuit will know and remember Jason. In the summer of 2005 Jason awoke one summer morning with no vision. His eyesight was gone. It has been a full year as we have adjusted to all the ramifications of vision loss and determining what will happen for the future.

Jason now lives in the local Extend-a-care Seniors home. He may not really fit there because of his age of 26 years – and yet he is fitting in. His severe diabetic problems have caused other problems that make it difficult to function totally independent. And yet, even with restrictions that surround him every day – he is not defeated.

Jason called the other day very excited. He has enrolled himself on an Sledge Ice Hockey Team. Yes I wrote that one correctly. He will be playing a special hockey this fall.

As Jason called me to describe what he is planning to do I was impressed. He needs me to take him to a sport shop this week to buy some equipment – a helmet to protect his eyes and some gloves to protect his hands.

He described what happens in the game. He will sit on an apparatus that is something like a larger size skate board or a mini sized stretcher. On the bottom of this apparatus are skate blades. He then propels himself with two spike like handles and with a smaller size hockey stick he shoots the puck along the ice.

Now you may ask the same question that I did… how does a Blind Guy see the puck let alone know where to go? Jason laughed at that question. He will be equipped with an ear piece which has a receiver connected to it. A coaching helper from the player’s box will tell him where he should go and where the puck is on the ice. The helper becomes his eyes.

Believe me Jason is excited and wants to get started with practices and the games to come this fall. He has a new purpose.

Now what you don’t know is that Jason fell out of his wheel chair this summer and broke his hip. He uses a wheel chair because of blood pressure problems related to the diabetic condition he has. When he lays down his BP is normal. When he sits up it drops. When he stands up it drops again and he will at times fall or could lose consciousness. Add to that he has now encountered a new problem with a growing osteoporosis where bones will break easier than normal.

The spirit in this young man is something else. In his wheel chair and from his inability he can teach many people much.

Jason will be reading this from his new computer sometime later today. I will deliver a copy of the blog to him. Later this month – or sometime soon – he will be connected to the Internet personally to be able to read it himself.

For Jason and others that will read this today… the following story was sent to me from a friend. The older Mr. Jones that the story is about – could well be Jason.

Have a great big wonderful day!

Pastor Murray

Mr Jones' Story
A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably coiffed and shaved perfectly applied, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready.

As he manoeuvred his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.

"I love it," he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

"Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait."

"That doesn't have anything to do with it," he replied."

Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged ... it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it "It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.

Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away. Just for this time in my life.

Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in.

So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories! Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing."

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

Wal-Mart Letter - Sept 4, 2006

Dear Friends at Wal-Mart...

I have received an email forwarded by someone that is trying to stop business with Wal-Mart - because of a decision that your company may or may not have with the Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. I have prepared the following text to let them hear what I believe and stand for in our living... The email is copied in below.

Rev. Murray Lincoln
Peterborough, Ontario, Canada

Response Email...

"I loudly and clearly ask this question - SO WHAT if someone gives a group money that you don’t agree with? Are we as Christians... that say we are Spirit filled and guided - running scared by what someone says in an email? Or are we running scared by what a company does?

Personally I will not stop going to Wal-Mart. I have many people working there that are either from our church or another in our city. The Manager is a person that I care about - so is the Assistant Manager and all the Associates. They are all people that Jesus died for.

That is my Wal-Mart rant I guess.

As really ugly and sometimes super “turn off Christians” and extreme, queasy Christian types present their brand of Christianity... I withdraw from them.

Locally I am involved in supporting a ministry that reaches out to all the Gay and Lesbian folk that we can meet. As I sit with them from time to time I ache as they pour out their pain. I don't cringe or run from them when they tell me they sleep with someone... anymore than I run from the guy in our church that committed adultery. Jesus already knows about them and what they do... and he loves them anyway.

Further... if you need some real good fodder for hating someone... (maybe not you ... but the ones that send out this kind of email) - please remember to hate me... I sit with groups of bad people each week and study the Bible with them. These men are broken. They are hated by everyone - but still loved by God.

I am guilty of loving people... so hate me too... right along with all the Gays and Lesbians and Trans Gendered and Pedophiles and Rapists and Bank Robbers and specially the Church Gossipers... that are all likely going to hell without Jesus in there hearts.

YES I WILL SHOP AT AND CONTINUE TO SHOP AT WAL-MART!"

Pastor Murray Lincoln, a pastor to everyone!
Peterborough, Ontario, Canada

Copy of the Email Rant

Quote....
Subject: WHAT'S HAPENING TO THE "FAMILY STORE"?
(FOR YOUR INFO…..)

WHAT'S HAPENING TO THE "FAMILY STORE"?Sorry to send you this. We are not social activists.. but Wal-Mart just joined the Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce

From: Joel and Kathy ………………Sep 02, 2006

Joel and Kathy Here,

We personally have spent many thousands of dollars at Wal-Mart over the last 20 years.
Here is the link directly to the Lesbian and Gay Chamber of Commerce. Wal-Mart did indeed just join it. This fact is NOT just an internet "Target is owned by terrorists" hoax.
http://www.nglcc.org/

This is real. Wal-Mart is actively supporting the Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. Its purpose is to promote Gay owned businesses.

I doubt Sam Walton was gay, but whoever "owns" Wal-Mart now must be. Why else would they join an organization, whose soul purpose is to promote the welfare of gay-owned businesses?
We normally ignore this stuff. Too busy helping marriages. Could not ignore this one.
We are done shopping at Wal-Mart. That is sad. It has been our favorite store.

Here is the Wal -Mart contact information, though the only thing they will hear, I am sure, is the sound of millions of Christians NOT going to their registers.

Rob Walton, Chairman Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. 702 Southwest 8th StreetBentonville, AR 72716 Primary Phone: 1-800-925-6278Fax: 479-277-2473E-Mail: Rob Walton, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
We just sent an e-mail to the Wal-Mart e-mail address and it was blocked by their spam filters. You can write though -or send a postcard.

You will see other companies that are founding sponsors of the homosexual chamber of commerce on their website. http://www.nglcc.org/

They are: Intel, IBM, Motoro la, American Airlines, Lehman Brothers, American Express, JP Morgan/Chase, Wyndham Hotels, Wells Fargo, Cendant. That is all of them.

Wal-Mart is not a founding member. They just joined and made a substantial donation.

The Wealth of the Wicked is supposed to be laid up for the righteous. We, personally, have been giving most of our consumer dollars to Wal-Mart. I am sickened over this. At least we now know.

I am sorry for this e-mail. We PROMISE not to fill your mailbox with social stuff. We only want to restore marriages - this though we could not ignore.

Unquote....

The WOW Factor

“Time” magazine has me thinking even more about God. Perhaps I should say even Bigger Thoughts about him. It happened in the course of my research yesterday. I came across information about the different studies that are being done in astronomy.

I came across the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) as I was reading articles on the Internet. The following is a quote from a Web Site that explains what SDSS is about.

“Simply put, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) is the most ambitious astronomical survey ever undertaken. When completed, it will provide detailed optical images covering more than a quarter of the sky, and a 3-dimensional map of about a million galaxies and quasars. As the survey progresses, the data are released to the scientific community and the general public in annual increments.”

“The SDSS uses a dedicated, 2.5-meter telescope on Apache Point, NM, equipped with two powerful special-purpose instruments. The 120-megapixel camera can image 1.5 square degrees of sky at a time, about eight times the area of the full moon. A pair of spectrographs fed by optical fibers can measure spectra of (and hence distances to) more than 600 galaxies and quasars in a single observation. A custom-designed set of software pipelines keeps pace with the enormous data flow from the telescope.”

“The SDSS completed its first phase of operations — SDSS-I — in June, 2005. Over the course of five years, SDSS-I imaged more than 8,000 square degrees of the sky in five bandpasses, detecting nearly 200 million celestial objects, and it measured spectra of more than 675,000 galaxies, 90,000 quasars, and 185,000 stars. These data have supported studies ranging from asteroids and nearby stars to the large scale structure of the Universe.”

Now Imagine with me… in the First Phase of their studies…

• imaged more than 8,000 square degrees of the sky in five bandpasses
• detected nearly 200 million celestial objects
• measured spectra of more than 675,000 galaxies, 90,000 quasars, and 185,000 stars
• the camera takes more than 600 galaxies and quasars in a single observation

When it is completed it will have looked at only 25% of the sky.

The Bible says…
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

In the NIV (which I have quoted) we use 10 ordinary words to describe this vast array of creation. There is nothing more powerful than “In the beginning God created…the heavens and the earth.” That is the WOW factor!

Again from the Book of Job…
Job 11:7 "Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? 8 They are higher than the heavens—what can you do? They are deeper than the depths of the grave —what can you know? 9 Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea.

I suggested yesterday that we can take our biggest problems to God anytime. Take a hold of the handles on your greatest fears and drag them right up to the throne of God. It will take some effort in prayer… but you can do it in the name of Jesus. Then take one last look at the problem as you give it to God.

The Supreme God of the Universe, the One that was able to create all of it, the One that has all the design for solving the greatest problems of all the Universe, the One that is the most creative… will place his mighty hand on your problem and simply begin to work things out.

He requires some simple things from us…
1.) Faith
2.) Obedience
3.) Ask in the name of his son Jesus

Check out these promises and statements from scripture…
Faith…
Matthew 17:20He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Obedience…
1 Samuel 15:22 But Samuel replied:"Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD ? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

Jesus said… about asking…
John 14:14You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.