Monday, April 13, 2009
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Mom & Easter....
Margaret Gerk, left, and Marcelle Sayers carry the cross along Leon Avenue during the annual Way of the Cross procession as it wound its way through Kelowna’s downtown on Good Friday‘ The cross was carried by volunteers and made scheduled stops at social agencies for speeches and prayers‘
GARY NYLANDER/The Daily Courier
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Monday, April 06, 2009
Thoughts....
Finally Home
by Mercy Me
I’m gonna wrap my arms around my daddy’s neck
And tell him that I’ve missed him.
And tell him all about the man that I became
And hope that it pleased him
There’s so much I want to say
There’s so much I want you to know
When I finally make it home
When I finally make it home
Then I’ll gaze upon the throne of the King
Frozen in my steps
And all the questions that I swore I would ask
Words just won’t come yet
So amazed at what I’ve seen
So much more than this old mind can hold
And the sweetest sound my ears have yet to hear
Voices of the angels
by Mercy Me
I’m gonna wrap my arms around my daddy’s neck
And tell him that I’ve missed him.
And tell him all about the man that I became
And hope that it pleased him
There’s so much I want to say
There’s so much I want you to know
When I finally make it home
When I finally make it home
Then I’ll gaze upon the throne of the King
Frozen in my steps
And all the questions that I swore I would ask
Words just won’t come yet
So amazed at what I’ve seen
So much more than this old mind can hold
And the sweetest sound my ears have yet to hear
Voices of the angels
Friday, March 13, 2009
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Surgery Successful!
Many thanks to those that prayed for Kristina. Her knee surgery seemed to have gone well. Now, all we have to do is to convince her to be careful for the next few weeks and not overdo it...she should be up playing basketball in no time!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Pause for reflection
Pause for reflectionBeing out of power and out of fashion has advantages
Tony Woodlief
I'm looking forward to Time in the Wilderness. It's a phrase one must now capitalize, so often has it been repeated about American conservatives, and American Christians, and especially those American conservatives who call themselves Christians. The party that most claimed to represent these crowds has been thrashed at the polls. Milton Friedman is dead; John Maynard Keynes is reborn. King James is out; The Message is in. And so the various strains of conservatives and Christians with political aspirations are headed to the wilderness, as the narrative goes, to find themselves.
In truth, most of the people who make their living from politics will do no such thing. Temporarily deposed, they will write campaign manifestos thinly disguised as memoirs, or become lobbyists or consultants or television talking heads. They might slim down, or buff up, or get a tan. They will await the gradual unfolding of slip-ups and scandals that signal the impending downfall of their opponents. Surveying American politics is, in this regard, like watching a game of musical chairs between two surly teenagers with one chair. The kid on the chair puffs out his chest; the kid without the chair sulks and bides his time.
But just because the professionals are unlikely to take advantage of this opportunity for reflection doesn't mean the rest of us shouldn't. I've given some thought to what the wandering time might look like. One blessed power of wilderness, for example, is that it shuts people up. Even the chattiest of chatterboxes finds words inadequate when he is surrounded by towering sequoias, or scrambling up a rocky slope in thinning air. We could use less chatter, I think. Especially the chatter that is in essential agreement with itself, and convinced that those who disagree are Of The Devil. When you find yourself surrounded by people who agree with everything you say, you're headed for a fall. No wonder the Bible warns against idle talk.
Another thing about wilderness is that it simplifies, which is, as the artist Hans Hoffman explained, "to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak." You forget about your petty grievances when you are tensely waiting for a mother bear and her cubs to cross the trail up ahead. Whatever disagreements may have been festering among your small band of brothers disappear in that moment, because you are reminded that there are no animal cages out here, no ambulances, no one to look after you but these people here alongside you. The unnecessary has gone; there are only the necessities of brotherhood and faith.
A dissipation of chatter and the renewal of brotherhood are overdue. And so I'm encouraged by two small endeavors. In one instance, a young Christian friend has started a series of dinners to bring people in Washington, D.C., together to discuss not politics but ideas. He's modeling it on "The Other Club," which Winston Churchill and a friend started in response to being snubbed by the mainstream London political club of their day, "The Club." The Other Club's original membership was one-third Liberal and one-third Conservative, with the last third consisting of accomplished people outside politics. They were bound by rules of civility and thoughtfulness, but not commonality of thought.
Other friends have started a Hall of Men, which meets fortnightly in Wichita, Kan., to share a meal, discuss great men of the Christian faith, and sample homemade brews. Here Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestants come together to learn about the feats and writings of men like Athanasius and G.K. Chesterton, closing each meeting with Compline—evening prayers. The conversations here run much deeper than politics, to faith, culture, art, and civilization. I suspect these are the concepts to which we need to return, during our stint in the wilderness, if only to remind ourselves why we cared so much about politics in the first place. And who knows, maybe some struggle and reflection might change the mind even of someone like me, who is always right.
There's something more important going on here than intellectualism. For all the talk in conservative circles about a need for "fresh ideas," what's even more imperative is renewed hearts.
Copyright © 2009 WORLD MagazineFebruary 14, 2009, Vol. 24, No. 3
Monday, January 26, 2009
Happy Birthday Natalie!
It seems like only yesterday that a dear little one was given to us from Heaven. This little bundle was so small and fragile that we almost lost her the day she came into the world. Despite the medical challenges, our daughter Natalie has grown into a fine young woman! She is a testimony to the goodness and grace of God.
Natalie, we love you and we wish you many Blessings from on high...Happy Birthday!
Ouch.....
Silent betrayal
Public confession may be difficult, but it's half the gospel
Andrée Seu
I have made the Word of God complicated. I have taken the Psalms—"I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations" (Psalm 89:1)—and rendered them inert. One can do that in at least two ways: Regard them as prophetic ecstasy; regard them as bygone liturgical recitations.
A day is coming when we will groan at how simple this all was: You do not tell your lover in private how awesome he is, and then act embarrassed about him in public. This would not be called discretion but betrayal. And yet I have called discretion my public silences about God, and have spun Byzantine rules for the when, where, and how of it, until my sledge has bogged down in the mud and I hardly speak of God at all. No wonder Jesus loves children best.
Talking about "God" can be a form of cowardice. Some give public nods to "God," knowing that generic confession does not invite reproach. No one is won to faith in Christ by mention of "God." Even presidents every four Januaries lisp "so help me God," and except for Michael Newdow, it produces a yawn. "I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins"—That's what gets you in trouble; that's what saves.
While I am busy betraying God in a restaurant, people at the next table are chatting with abandon about their Reiki class, appointments with a psychic, the Buddhist temple they discovered last week, and their Trans-Life Regression therapy.
For 30 years I have missed half the gospel. Here is the whole: "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). Even a mediocre grammar student can parse it: The "If" governs both "confess with your mouth" and "believe in your heart," both clauses being the condition of "be saved." I had shrunk the "confess with your mouth" part to responsive reading in worship services, or a rote response on church membership Sunday. This is eisegesis, not exegesis.
Speaking of which, I know a man who used to be on the membership interview committee in my church. He once told me that it is remarkable that you can always tell a seminarian. Every other candidate, when you ask why he desires to be a member, will talk about what Christ has done for him. The seminarian wants to talk about theology. Paul Simon said it rightly: "There must be 50 ways to leave your lover."
My anecdotal experience is that, in general, the higher the level of Christian education, the less likely the person will publicly praise God. Sit next to a degreed Bible student on an airplane, and ask about his life, and he will say he is a theologian. Or is working toward an M.Div. Or plans to be a pastor. That's fine as an entrée, I suppose. But I should think he has warmer things to say about his wife.
What finally prompted this essay was a eureka moment during my blessed insomnia. There is a man I have lost touch with who boasts about Jesus all day long—Jesus this and Jesus that, Jesus his hope, Jesus his deliverer from addiction, Jesus his healer. My end of the conversation was more of the defeated and whiny variety. I am ashamed to admit that I thought him quaint, which is a way of feeling superior to someone. What dawned on me in the wee hours is the way God has exalted him. Whatever sins the man has, he honors God with his mouth, and so God honors him.
The Lord is willing to overlook a lot when a child of His continually praises Him publicly from a joyful heart. Your wife may have foibles aplenty, but if she loves and respects you—and everybody knows it—it doesn't matter so much to you if she stands the knives the wrong side up in the dish drainer. I think God is like that.
I don't consider this column public confession, by the way. It takes no courage whatsoever to type alone in my study. Especially when I'm typing for a safe audience.
If you have a question or comment for Andrée Seu, send it to aseu@worldmag.com.
Copyright © 2009 WORLD MagazineJanuary 31, 2009, Vol. 24, No. 2
Public confession may be difficult, but it's half the gospel
Andrée Seu
I have made the Word of God complicated. I have taken the Psalms—"I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations" (Psalm 89:1)—and rendered them inert. One can do that in at least two ways: Regard them as prophetic ecstasy; regard them as bygone liturgical recitations.
A day is coming when we will groan at how simple this all was: You do not tell your lover in private how awesome he is, and then act embarrassed about him in public. This would not be called discretion but betrayal. And yet I have called discretion my public silences about God, and have spun Byzantine rules for the when, where, and how of it, until my sledge has bogged down in the mud and I hardly speak of God at all. No wonder Jesus loves children best.
Talking about "God" can be a form of cowardice. Some give public nods to "God," knowing that generic confession does not invite reproach. No one is won to faith in Christ by mention of "God." Even presidents every four Januaries lisp "so help me God," and except for Michael Newdow, it produces a yawn. "I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins"—That's what gets you in trouble; that's what saves.
While I am busy betraying God in a restaurant, people at the next table are chatting with abandon about their Reiki class, appointments with a psychic, the Buddhist temple they discovered last week, and their Trans-Life Regression therapy.
For 30 years I have missed half the gospel. Here is the whole: "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). Even a mediocre grammar student can parse it: The "If" governs both "confess with your mouth" and "believe in your heart," both clauses being the condition of "be saved." I had shrunk the "confess with your mouth" part to responsive reading in worship services, or a rote response on church membership Sunday. This is eisegesis, not exegesis.
Speaking of which, I know a man who used to be on the membership interview committee in my church. He once told me that it is remarkable that you can always tell a seminarian. Every other candidate, when you ask why he desires to be a member, will talk about what Christ has done for him. The seminarian wants to talk about theology. Paul Simon said it rightly: "There must be 50 ways to leave your lover."
My anecdotal experience is that, in general, the higher the level of Christian education, the less likely the person will publicly praise God. Sit next to a degreed Bible student on an airplane, and ask about his life, and he will say he is a theologian. Or is working toward an M.Div. Or plans to be a pastor. That's fine as an entrée, I suppose. But I should think he has warmer things to say about his wife.
What finally prompted this essay was a eureka moment during my blessed insomnia. There is a man I have lost touch with who boasts about Jesus all day long—Jesus this and Jesus that, Jesus his hope, Jesus his deliverer from addiction, Jesus his healer. My end of the conversation was more of the defeated and whiny variety. I am ashamed to admit that I thought him quaint, which is a way of feeling superior to someone. What dawned on me in the wee hours is the way God has exalted him. Whatever sins the man has, he honors God with his mouth, and so God honors him.
The Lord is willing to overlook a lot when a child of His continually praises Him publicly from a joyful heart. Your wife may have foibles aplenty, but if she loves and respects you—and everybody knows it—it doesn't matter so much to you if she stands the knives the wrong side up in the dish drainer. I think God is like that.
I don't consider this column public confession, by the way. It takes no courage whatsoever to type alone in my study. Especially when I'm typing for a safe audience.
If you have a question or comment for Andrée Seu, send it to aseu@worldmag.com.
Copyright © 2009 WORLD MagazineJanuary 31, 2009, Vol. 24, No. 2
Monday, January 19, 2009
Happy Birthday David!
Our son David is 19 today! May God richly Bless him and continue to reveal His destiny for you. We love you so much David!!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Concerned and frightened for our country
My grandparents escaped from Communist Russia in the 1920's. The lived through the revolution and civil war...they experienced the wonder of the "Red Terror".
They didn't come to this country to have a bunch of morons march in our streets to the chants of "Death to Israel"!
I am astounded...I am even more astounded that the Canadian news media, ever so eager to make front-page news of any anti-semitic right winger, stand silent as folks march in the streets with their pathetic Hezbollah flags and their anti-semitic slogans.
This is MY country. Anti-Jewish crap has no business in this country...
Monday, January 05, 2009
Happy Birthday Kimmy!
Wow...this young lady is now 14 years old! Her beautiful smile (like her Mom's) and her wonderful disposition is such a blessing to our family!We love you Kimmy!
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Together at last...
Christmas morning found all 11 of our children together in one room! Natalie had arrived this morning from Calgary, making the family complete. Presents and breakfast before Becky had to leave for her responsibilities to her future in-laws.
But for a few hours, our family was together. I above all men am truly blest! It was for me, the best Christmas present!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Oh Bother....
I know the federal election has come and gone. I wrote a letter for our local daily newspaper, which was published, lamenting the fact that we actually allow people to run for the Communist Party in our elections...when we would never allow anyone to run for the Nazi party.
While I am speechless that there are actually 218 people in Kelowna who obviously had no family members who were sent to concentration camps or starved to death under Communism, I guess their "socialist revolution" is small enough that they won't be uniting with other "workers of the world" anytime soon.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Life after Death....
Just a few days after I posted that great song by Steve Camp, There will be a Day, we get word that a friend of ours, Marina Thomas, went home to be with Jesus this morning. This mother of 10 had a nursing baby just 3 months old.
Ron Rolheiser comments about the book, "The Shack", and how it deals with pain, evil and suffering:
Roheiser also wrote in another column:
I post all of this because we are all in a state of shock.
Why? Death is indeed a regular occurance. It happens. But when it involved people you know, or the situation is one of a Mom with 10 children, you look up and ask the question, Why?
So I ask. Why? The answer is not what I am looking for...but it is an answer that involves trust and redemption. And for now, I have no alternative but to accept it.
Ron Rolheiser comments about the book, "The Shack", and how it deals with pain, evil and suffering:
How does the God we meet in The Shack answer the question of evil? Pretty much like Jesus at the death of Lazarus, when he is asked: Where is God when bad things happen to good people? God, Jesus tells us there, does not necessarily rescue us from suffering and death. Rather He enters into them with us and ultimately, though not immediately, redeems them. Asked if he could have prevented Mack's daughter's death, God answers: Yes. First, by not creating at all. ... Or secondly, I could have chosen to actively interfere in her circumstance. The first was never a consideration and the latter was not an option for purposes you cannot possibly understand now.
So what is God's answer to the problem of evil? The God we meet in The Shack replies: At this point all I have to offer you as an answer is my love and goodness, and my relationship with you; essentially what Jesus offers us in the Gospels, not an intellectual answer but a relationship.
Roheiser also wrote in another column:
The sisters of Lazarus, Martha and Mary, send a message to Jesus telling him that "the man you love" is gravely ill. Curiously though Jesus does not immediately rush off to see Lazarus. Instead he stays where he is for two more days, until Lazarus is dead, and then sets off to see him. When he arrives near the house, he is met by Martha who says to him: "If you had been here, my brother would not have died!"
Basically her question is: "Where were you? Why didn't you come and heal him?" Jesus does not answer her question but instead assures her that Lazarus will live in some deeper way. Martha then goes and calls her sister, Mary. When Mary arrives she repeats the identical words to Jesus that
Martha had spoken: "If you had been here my brother would not have died!" However, coming out of Mary's mouth, these words mean something else, something deeper. Mary is asking the universal, timeless question about suffering and God's seeming absence. Her query ("Where were you when my brother died?") asks that question for everyone: Where is God when innocent people suffer? Where was God during the holocaust? Where is God when anyone's brother dies?
But, curiously, Jesus does not engage the question in theory; instead he becomes distressed and asks: "Where have you put him?" And when they offer to show him, he begins to weep. His answer to suffering: He enters into peoples' helplessness and pain.
Afterwards, he raises Lazarus from the dead. And what we see here will occur in the same way between Jesus and his Father. The Father does not save Jesus from death on the cross even when he is jeered and mocked there. Instead the Father allows him to die on the cross and then raises him up afterwards.
The lesson in both these deaths and raisings might be put this way: The God we believe in doesn't necessarily intervene and rescue us from suffering and death (although we are invited to pray for that). Instead he redeems our suffering afterwards. God's seeming indifference to suffering is not so much a mystery that leaves the mind befuddled as a mystery that makes sense only if you give yourself over in a certain level of trust.
Forgiveness and faith work the same. You have to roll the dice in trust. Nothing else can give you an answer. And I do not say this glibly. I know too many people who have been hurt, brutally and unfairly, in ways that make it difficult for them to accept that there is an all-powerful God who cares.
But sometimes the only answer to the question of suffering and evil is the one Jesus gave to Mary and Martha - shared helplessness, shared distress, and shared tears, with no attempt to try to explain God's seeming absence, but rather a trusting that, because God is all-loving and all-powerful, in the end all will be well and our pain will someday be redeemed in God's embrace.
I post all of this because we are all in a state of shock.
Why? Death is indeed a regular occurance. It happens. But when it involved people you know, or the situation is one of a Mom with 10 children, you look up and ask the question, Why?
So I ask. Why? The answer is not what I am looking for...but it is an answer that involves trust and redemption. And for now, I have no alternative but to accept it.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Happy Birthday Becky!!
For some reason, I'm not able to upload any photos...I'll keep trying...in the meantime:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BECKY!
Such a jewel, she is engaged to be married next August. She has brought us so much joy over the years, we are proud to have her as our daughter!!
Love you Becky-Boos!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Jeremy Camp: There will be a day
I try to hold on to this world with everything I have
But I feel the weight of what it brings, and the hurt that tries to grab
The many trials that seem to never end, His word declares this truth,
that we will enter in this rest with wonders anew
But I hold on to this hope and the promise that He brings
That there will be a place with no more suffering
(Chorus)
There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more, we'll see Jesus face to face
But until that day, we'll hold on to you always
I know the journey seems so long
You feel you’re walking on your own
But there has never been a step
Where you’ve walked out all alone
(Chorus)
Troubled soul don’t lose your heart
Cause joy and peace he brings
And the beauty that’s in store
Outweighs the hurt of life’s sting
I can’t wait until that day where the very one I’ve lived for always will wipe away the sorrow that I’ve faced
To touch the scars that rescued me from a life of shame and misery this is why this is why I sing
But I feel the weight of what it brings, and the hurt that tries to grab
The many trials that seem to never end, His word declares this truth,
that we will enter in this rest with wonders anew
But I hold on to this hope and the promise that He brings
That there will be a place with no more suffering
(Chorus)
There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more, we'll see Jesus face to face
But until that day, we'll hold on to you always
I know the journey seems so long
You feel you’re walking on your own
But there has never been a step
Where you’ve walked out all alone
(Chorus)
Troubled soul don’t lose your heart
Cause joy and peace he brings
And the beauty that’s in store
Outweighs the hurt of life’s sting
I can’t wait until that day where the very one I’ve lived for always will wipe away the sorrow that I’ve faced
To touch the scars that rescued me from a life of shame and misery this is why this is why I sing
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Something Beautiful: Newsboys
I love how this song presents the wonder and awe of the many gifts God gives to us....
Friday, September 26, 2008
A Story that can now be told Part 2
Last year I wrote the story of my great uncle, Jakob Gerk, and how I was able to fill in the blanks of his story. (Read the post here) The brother of my grandfather, Jakob perished somewhere in the Soviet Gulag. The family was never sure where he died, only that some fellow prisoner years later would contact them about when he died, and approximately where.
In the summer of 2007, I was able to meet one of his children, Lydia, who was 82 at the time. Lydia told us the story of how her Dad took care of them. But even in 2007, she had doubts about the rumours of her father's death....and hoped that someday, it would be learned that he had survived and not suffered the fate of so many millions.
Alas, this past week I researched a publication I had received from Russia: GEDENKBUCH: Книга Памяти немцев-трудармейцев Усольлага НКВД/МВД СССР (1942-1947 гг.). Сост. Э.А. Гриб. Ред. В.Ф. Дизендорф. М.: Общественная академия наук российских немцев. - 2005.
The book details a list of people who died in the labour camp located in Usolaga, Perm Oblast, Russia. Jacob Gerk is listed there, who died on December 3, 1942....all the particulars seem to fit that this is the same Jakob Gerk.
I'll write the family in Germany to let them know this sad news. And it is sad. The book details lists of a few thousand names. All these people had hopes and dreams. Families. And, most importantly, they had their faith.
I think of the quote by CS Lewis: “We're not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be”
At any rate, this closes a chapter that was waiting to be written. I had made numerous requests of archives in Russia, and came up empty handed. Now we know. Jakob is resting in peace. I know that. Now his family can have closure.
To our family, Jakob was a heroe. His story can be told.
Now it is on to another brother of my grandfather, Georg Gerk. He too perished in a labour camp...we do not know when...the family suspects it was in the Chelyabinsk region. Here was a notorious camp where thousands died. So the sleuthing continues....
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Where am I?
No, I have not forgotten to post. Life gets so busy sometimes.
It has been said that a man spends the first half of his life wrestling with sin, and the second half wrestling with God.
I can totally concur!
There has been lots happening, which is natural in a family our size. Birthdays, anniversary, camping, all these things take place regardless if I write about them here. All these events are special in their own way, regardless of my written thoughts.
But I wrestle. It's frustrating. I never leave well enough alone. But what is "well enough"? I'm wrestling with God in a number of areas right now. I won't bore you with the details...you would probably find them very silly. But to me...they are life. So I deal with what life sends my way. I deal with all the events and issues of raising and maintaining a family. And then I deal with the things God is showing me...or, more precise, I wrestle. After that, I don't have much emotional energy to write here.
It has been said that a man spends the first half of his life wrestling with sin, and the second half wrestling with God.
I can totally concur!
There has been lots happening, which is natural in a family our size. Birthdays, anniversary, camping, all these things take place regardless if I write about them here. All these events are special in their own way, regardless of my written thoughts.
But I wrestle. It's frustrating. I never leave well enough alone. But what is "well enough"? I'm wrestling with God in a number of areas right now. I won't bore you with the details...you would probably find them very silly. But to me...they are life. So I deal with what life sends my way. I deal with all the events and issues of raising and maintaining a family. And then I deal with the things God is showing me...or, more precise, I wrestle. After that, I don't have much emotional energy to write here.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Awards Night
This past Wednesday was awards night at HCS. Our Kristina made the Principal's List, as well as a number of other academic awards...well done Kristina we are very proud of you!! Also, Kimberly made B Honour Roll after working very hard this ast year...well done Kimberely! We are also very proud of all the hard work you did!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Awards and Birthdays
It was time to celebrate Ashley's Birthday, as well as celebrate Steven's achievements in school! Well done! We are so proud of you guys!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
George Grant on Leadership
Inevitable Controversy
All leaders are controversial. They invariably risk the ire of others. Because they stand for certain things, they necessarily stand against certain things. This causes them to stand out. It makes them more than a little peculiar in this plain vanilla world of smothering uniformity. G.K. Chesterton asserted, “A man with a definite belief always appears bizarre, because he does not change with the world; he has climbed into a fixed star and the earth whizzes below him like a zoetrope. Millions of mild black-coated men call themselves sane and sensible merely because they always catch the fashionable insanity, because they are hurried into madness after madness by the maelstrom of the world. The man with a definite belief is sure to be the truer friend. Therefore mark the inequalities of the world and celebrate them as matters of definition and preciseness.”
In order to maintain a sense of equilibrium, a leader must keep several things in mind as he or she does what’s worth doing:
1. To affirm one thing is to deny another. It is not possible to take a stand without calling into question another stand. And that is invariably an offense. There is simply no way around it. A strong leader is always careful, tries to measure language, and seeks to moderate extremes. But no matter how hard he or she may try, someone, somewhere, somehow is going to be offended. Andrew Jackson admitted, “I know if I were to say the sky was blue, someone would take great offense, as if I had purposefully neglected the prerogatives of the multitudes of Chinamen then dwelling under the pall of night.”
2. Accept the nature of the struggle. Our world is inclined to polarization. People take sides. And since there are at least two sides to every issue, folks are going to hurry into opposite lines in order to oppose one another. You can be sure that there will be folks along each flank itching to pick a fight. That is just the way things are. It may not be particularly desirable. But it is reality. The good leader is able to assess the situation as it actually is—not as it ought to be or used to be or one day will be. John Quincy Adams confessed, “It is never my desire to fight but it is always my intention to do so. I am resigned to such a posture only because I know the nature of man is contention and not conciliation. Thus, the vast majority of the moral work which needs to be done will be accomplish only after the clash and clatter of conflict.”
3. If you have to fight, fight fair. All is not fair in either love or war. There are ethical restraints to which we must give heed. We may be forced into conflict against our wills, but we need not be forced into concupiscence against our wills. We can stick to the point. We can avoid personal attacks. We can avoid mud slinging. We can be accurate. We can maintain decorum, respect, and integrity. We can fight fair. If we are fighting for the right thing, the least we can do is fight in the right way. If we are fighting for justice, the least we can do is fight justly. If we are fighting for that which is good and true, the least we can do is use goodness and truth as the ground not only of our ends but also of our means.
4. Admit to the mystery and complexity of the world. Some folks want to reduce everything in the world to simple formulas. They want to be able to summarize everything in an easy to grasp shorthand. They invariably attribute the doings of history to this, that, or another vast right wing conspiracy. But the fact is that history is full of the indecipherable mysteries of providence, and thus any attempt to reduce the process of its legends, epics, movements, heroes, and villains to a mere mechanical or material science is destined to be more than a little ridiculous—as the sad legacies of Marx, Gibbons, and Toynbee so readily demonstrate. It is true that certain undeniably fixed milestones emerge—like the battles of Hastings and Waterloo, the regicides of Louis XVI and Charles I, the triumphs of Bismarck and Richelieu, and the tragedies of the Hapsburgs and Hoenstauffens—and we can, from them, build up certain vague rules regarding the onward march of civilization. But for the most part, the events of history have the habit of coming up out of nothing, like the little particles of ice which float to surface of the Seine at the beginning of a frost, or like the little oak trees that crop up everywhere like weeds in the broad fields of East Sussex. They arise silently and unpredictably. And that surprises us. It is too easy for us to forget—or to try to ignore—the fact that the doings of man are on the knees of an inscrutable providence. One of the most important and most neglected aspects of the story of men and nations is the fact that the story is not yet complete—and will not be until providence has run its resolute course. We can only truly comprehend the issues and events that swirl around us when we recognize them as part and parcel of the ethical out-working of that inscrutable providence. The irony of this is so large that it may be too large to be seen. To admit as much is the better part of wisdom.
5. Match medium and message. Leaders believe that how they communicate the riches of truth is no less important than what they communicate. As a result they will actually demonstrate the what in the how. Substantive messages should be communicated substantively. An appeal to history ought to be historical. An appeal to morality ought to be moral. Leaders want to effectively communicate. The question is what do they want to communicate? And how do they best go about communicating it? Hilaire Belloc once said, “If you ask me why I put Latin in my writing, it is because I have to show that it is connected with the Universal Fountain and with the European Culture, and with all that heresy combats.” And again, “Note that pendants lose all proportion. They never can keep sane in a discussion. They will go wild on matters they are wholly unable to judge. Never do they use one of those three phrases which keep a man steady and balance his mind; I mean the words (1) After all it is not my business. (2) Tut! Tut! You don't say so! And (3) Credo in Unum Deum Patrem Omnipotentem, Factorem omnium visibilium atque invisibilium; in which last, there is a power of synthesis that can jam all their analytical dust-heap into such a fine, tight, and compact body as would make them stare to see.” In short, the medium ought to match the message and vice versa.
The battle rages. Leaders never relish that fact—but they always recognize it and then act accordingly.
All leaders are controversial. They invariably risk the ire of others. Because they stand for certain things, they necessarily stand against certain things. This causes them to stand out. It makes them more than a little peculiar in this plain vanilla world of smothering uniformity. G.K. Chesterton asserted, “A man with a definite belief always appears bizarre, because he does not change with the world; he has climbed into a fixed star and the earth whizzes below him like a zoetrope. Millions of mild black-coated men call themselves sane and sensible merely because they always catch the fashionable insanity, because they are hurried into madness after madness by the maelstrom of the world. The man with a definite belief is sure to be the truer friend. Therefore mark the inequalities of the world and celebrate them as matters of definition and preciseness.”
In order to maintain a sense of equilibrium, a leader must keep several things in mind as he or she does what’s worth doing:
1. To affirm one thing is to deny another. It is not possible to take a stand without calling into question another stand. And that is invariably an offense. There is simply no way around it. A strong leader is always careful, tries to measure language, and seeks to moderate extremes. But no matter how hard he or she may try, someone, somewhere, somehow is going to be offended. Andrew Jackson admitted, “I know if I were to say the sky was blue, someone would take great offense, as if I had purposefully neglected the prerogatives of the multitudes of Chinamen then dwelling under the pall of night.”
2. Accept the nature of the struggle. Our world is inclined to polarization. People take sides. And since there are at least two sides to every issue, folks are going to hurry into opposite lines in order to oppose one another. You can be sure that there will be folks along each flank itching to pick a fight. That is just the way things are. It may not be particularly desirable. But it is reality. The good leader is able to assess the situation as it actually is—not as it ought to be or used to be or one day will be. John Quincy Adams confessed, “It is never my desire to fight but it is always my intention to do so. I am resigned to such a posture only because I know the nature of man is contention and not conciliation. Thus, the vast majority of the moral work which needs to be done will be accomplish only after the clash and clatter of conflict.”
3. If you have to fight, fight fair. All is not fair in either love or war. There are ethical restraints to which we must give heed. We may be forced into conflict against our wills, but we need not be forced into concupiscence against our wills. We can stick to the point. We can avoid personal attacks. We can avoid mud slinging. We can be accurate. We can maintain decorum, respect, and integrity. We can fight fair. If we are fighting for the right thing, the least we can do is fight in the right way. If we are fighting for justice, the least we can do is fight justly. If we are fighting for that which is good and true, the least we can do is use goodness and truth as the ground not only of our ends but also of our means.
4. Admit to the mystery and complexity of the world. Some folks want to reduce everything in the world to simple formulas. They want to be able to summarize everything in an easy to grasp shorthand. They invariably attribute the doings of history to this, that, or another vast right wing conspiracy. But the fact is that history is full of the indecipherable mysteries of providence, and thus any attempt to reduce the process of its legends, epics, movements, heroes, and villains to a mere mechanical or material science is destined to be more than a little ridiculous—as the sad legacies of Marx, Gibbons, and Toynbee so readily demonstrate. It is true that certain undeniably fixed milestones emerge—like the battles of Hastings and Waterloo, the regicides of Louis XVI and Charles I, the triumphs of Bismarck and Richelieu, and the tragedies of the Hapsburgs and Hoenstauffens—and we can, from them, build up certain vague rules regarding the onward march of civilization. But for the most part, the events of history have the habit of coming up out of nothing, like the little particles of ice which float to surface of the Seine at the beginning of a frost, or like the little oak trees that crop up everywhere like weeds in the broad fields of East Sussex. They arise silently and unpredictably. And that surprises us. It is too easy for us to forget—or to try to ignore—the fact that the doings of man are on the knees of an inscrutable providence. One of the most important and most neglected aspects of the story of men and nations is the fact that the story is not yet complete—and will not be until providence has run its resolute course. We can only truly comprehend the issues and events that swirl around us when we recognize them as part and parcel of the ethical out-working of that inscrutable providence. The irony of this is so large that it may be too large to be seen. To admit as much is the better part of wisdom.
5. Match medium and message. Leaders believe that how they communicate the riches of truth is no less important than what they communicate. As a result they will actually demonstrate the what in the how. Substantive messages should be communicated substantively. An appeal to history ought to be historical. An appeal to morality ought to be moral. Leaders want to effectively communicate. The question is what do they want to communicate? And how do they best go about communicating it? Hilaire Belloc once said, “If you ask me why I put Latin in my writing, it is because I have to show that it is connected with the Universal Fountain and with the European Culture, and with all that heresy combats.” And again, “Note that pendants lose all proportion. They never can keep sane in a discussion. They will go wild on matters they are wholly unable to judge. Never do they use one of those three phrases which keep a man steady and balance his mind; I mean the words (1) After all it is not my business. (2) Tut! Tut! You don't say so! And (3) Credo in Unum Deum Patrem Omnipotentem, Factorem omnium visibilium atque invisibilium; in which last, there is a power of synthesis that can jam all their analytical dust-heap into such a fine, tight, and compact body as would make them stare to see.” In short, the medium ought to match the message and vice versa.
The battle rages. Leaders never relish that fact—but they always recognize it and then act accordingly.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Ron Rolheiser on Father's Day
Father’s Day. What do you celebrate if you lost your father a long time ago?
My father died 38 years ago, I was twenty-two and just beginning to appreciate what an adult relationship to a father could mean. But he died, at age 62, and our family felt his death as a wound that rubbed raw for three months until our mother, even younger than my father, also died. We went numb after that.
But time heals and now, all those years later, everything about my father, including his death, feels warm and gives off a blessing. The same holds true for my mother. There’s a warmth where once there was a wound.
So mostly I don’t miss my father, at least not in the way we normally miss someone we love. I don’t need him in a certain way any more. In the few years that I had him he gave me what he needed to give me and now I know that no matter what I’m doing, good or bad, he is aware of it. That’s frightening too and I wonder if he blinks sometimes as he sees my life.
Remembering him today, on Father’s Day, I realize, more than ever, that I was lucky. He was a good father, and in ways not so immediately evident.
Jesus was once speaking in a crowd when a woman raised her voice and complimented his mother by saying: "Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breast the nursed you!" Jesus didn’t deny that he had a wonderful mother, but added that his mother was wonderful not so much in that she had given him biological birth but especially in that she had given him birth to deeper life. The same could be said about my father. His fatherhood was more than biological.
The externals of his life weren’t extraordinary, though he tended to have a pretty full plate. Besides being a farmer, he was involved deeply in church and community. He worked for much of his life for his favorite political party, was a councillor for the local municipality for many years, and sat occasionally on both the local hospital and school boards. Once he ran for public office, for Reeve of the local municipality (something akin to being a rural mayor) and he lost. It was a tough blow for him. I remember the disappointment in him, even while he was trying to put on a brave face. What hurt was not so much the fact of losing, he didn’t much want the job anyway, but the fact of knowing that the local community preferred someone else to him. There’s pride in us all.
Beyond that, he managed a local baseball team for many years. He loved that but, given local politics, that too was sometimes more of a political joggling act (whose sons got to play and whose didn’t) than a welcome distraction to the everyday grind. But from that I inherited a lifelong love for baseball and would love to have had the chance to go to a major league game sometime with my father.
But what made him outstanding as a father was his personal integrity and his stubborn, uncompromising moral edge. For my father, there were no excuses for moral compromise, for compensating just because you were tired, or confused, or in an over-tempting situation. He issued no exemptions, to you or to himself. The real effort of life, for him, was to measure up, in faith and in moral behavior. It didn’t help to protest that you were human after all and couldn’t be expected to be perfect. His answer: "It’s no great thing being human. Everyone is that! I want someone to show me something that’s divine!"
He made it clear to us, to all of his children, that our lives were not our own, that we were given a vocation from God and that vocation is to give our lives away, even if that means hard sacrifice. I haven’t always lived that perfectly, but his voice inside of me has pushed me always in that direction.
He was a strong, stubborn moral voice, one from which you didn’t easily walk away. But he never bullied, grew nasty or violent, or over-pressured. The pressure came from whom and what he was and, from that, I inherited, I think, more than I wanted. In that moral stubbornness, he was too a reticent man, he didn’t dance easily or with much fluidity. I sense that now in my own life, in my body, in my bones, in my hesitancies, in my over self-consciousness at times, and in my failure sometimes to be able to abandon myself healthily to life.
But that’s who he was and that’s who I am, for better and for worse. He was my father and I carry a lot of his DNA, both the biological and the other.
And, thirty-eight years after his death, I walk in gratitude for that DNA, with both its strengths and its inhibitions.
My father died 38 years ago, I was twenty-two and just beginning to appreciate what an adult relationship to a father could mean. But he died, at age 62, and our family felt his death as a wound that rubbed raw for three months until our mother, even younger than my father, also died. We went numb after that.
But time heals and now, all those years later, everything about my father, including his death, feels warm and gives off a blessing. The same holds true for my mother. There’s a warmth where once there was a wound.
So mostly I don’t miss my father, at least not in the way we normally miss someone we love. I don’t need him in a certain way any more. In the few years that I had him he gave me what he needed to give me and now I know that no matter what I’m doing, good or bad, he is aware of it. That’s frightening too and I wonder if he blinks sometimes as he sees my life.
Remembering him today, on Father’s Day, I realize, more than ever, that I was lucky. He was a good father, and in ways not so immediately evident.
Jesus was once speaking in a crowd when a woman raised her voice and complimented his mother by saying: "Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breast the nursed you!" Jesus didn’t deny that he had a wonderful mother, but added that his mother was wonderful not so much in that she had given him biological birth but especially in that she had given him birth to deeper life. The same could be said about my father. His fatherhood was more than biological.
The externals of his life weren’t extraordinary, though he tended to have a pretty full plate. Besides being a farmer, he was involved deeply in church and community. He worked for much of his life for his favorite political party, was a councillor for the local municipality for many years, and sat occasionally on both the local hospital and school boards. Once he ran for public office, for Reeve of the local municipality (something akin to being a rural mayor) and he lost. It was a tough blow for him. I remember the disappointment in him, even while he was trying to put on a brave face. What hurt was not so much the fact of losing, he didn’t much want the job anyway, but the fact of knowing that the local community preferred someone else to him. There’s pride in us all.
Beyond that, he managed a local baseball team for many years. He loved that but, given local politics, that too was sometimes more of a political joggling act (whose sons got to play and whose didn’t) than a welcome distraction to the everyday grind. But from that I inherited a lifelong love for baseball and would love to have had the chance to go to a major league game sometime with my father.
But what made him outstanding as a father was his personal integrity and his stubborn, uncompromising moral edge. For my father, there were no excuses for moral compromise, for compensating just because you were tired, or confused, or in an over-tempting situation. He issued no exemptions, to you or to himself. The real effort of life, for him, was to measure up, in faith and in moral behavior. It didn’t help to protest that you were human after all and couldn’t be expected to be perfect. His answer: "It’s no great thing being human. Everyone is that! I want someone to show me something that’s divine!"
He made it clear to us, to all of his children, that our lives were not our own, that we were given a vocation from God and that vocation is to give our lives away, even if that means hard sacrifice. I haven’t always lived that perfectly, but his voice inside of me has pushed me always in that direction.
He was a strong, stubborn moral voice, one from which you didn’t easily walk away. But he never bullied, grew nasty or violent, or over-pressured. The pressure came from whom and what he was and, from that, I inherited, I think, more than I wanted. In that moral stubbornness, he was too a reticent man, he didn’t dance easily or with much fluidity. I sense that now in my own life, in my body, in my bones, in my hesitancies, in my over self-consciousness at times, and in my failure sometimes to be able to abandon myself healthily to life.
But that’s who he was and that’s who I am, for better and for worse. He was my father and I carry a lot of his DNA, both the biological and the other.
And, thirty-eight years after his death, I walk in gratitude for that DNA, with both its strengths and its inhibitions.
Saturday, June 07, 2008
My fav Russian Photo
This was taken at Tsarkoe Selo near St. Petersburg.
Marina and I had such a wonderful time, and because we never expected to EVER go there, it was also a very Blessed time.
We are thankful!
Friday, May 16, 2008
Back from Russia
Well....we made it safe and sound. The trip was a success...we have commitments to get teachers who will write a complete Russian language curriculum with a Christian Worldview...and some strong interest by a group of Ukrainian teachers to do the same. Once again our trip was filled with divine appointments.
Greg will be returning in August with a small team from our school to train teachers in online course writing, as well as an enhancer. (No, I won't need to be there for this)
Marina and I did have a couple days off to explore St. Petersburg....it was a wonderful time and we saw many amazing things. I've posted most of our photos on Facebook: Here, here and here.
I must say, this being my 5th visit to Russia, that things steadily improve. There is a middle class now. But my heart is still in the country, where poverty and lonliness prevail. I'm hoping that the model of schooling being set up, will also work in the villages..where the need is still great. Thanks for your prayers...and those who sponsored and prayed for me throughout the years and many visits to Russia..know that your committment has paid off!
This wonderful photo of Marina was taken at Peterhof, a palace built by Peter the Great. The lavishness is amazing!
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
School of Tomorrow
We arrived safely in Russia and have hit the road running, so to speak. The first day was spent in meetings with teachers and then the admin team. We are endeavoring to explain the concepts of online school to them, they are eager to grap the concept, but it is, after all, outside the box.
The school is located in Moscow and is quite a nice facility. Russian law dictates that all schools must provide both breakfast and lunch to students and staff..so we are well taken care of. The student population gets 2 hot meals per day, in keeping with a nutrition chart. It would be an interesting endeavor in Canada to implement.
We are exhausted, though. Marina has had trouble sleeping and adapting to the new time. She is amazed at the Russia she sees...we went into some Moscow kiosks near the metro...very dirty...yet we were in a new mall and it was like any mall in Canada....with differences in the food court of course.
Friday is Victory Day so everything will be closed to mark the victory of Nazism. There will be a big parade which we will try to see...Friday night we will take the train to St. Petersburg.
No word from Stephanie on how they are doing in Mexico...although we did get an email from Mr. Smith saying all is well. Please pray for Steph...and pray for strength for us. See you soon!
PS: We are staying in the missionary apartment with Julie and 2 girls from South Africa. Here is a shot in their kitchen.
Monday, May 05, 2008
Off to Russia
Wow...the time has crept up on us...Marina and I leave today for Russia! It will be Marina's first visit back to the land of her birth since she left in 1976 at the age of 15. She naturally has mixed emotions.
When we arrive there will be lots of meetings, but it looks like we will have the weekend off to explore...so we may be going to St. Petersburg...a dream of Marina's...and a great Mother's Day gift.
Please pray we have a safe trip...that all our meetings go well...that Greg and I will accomplish what needs to be done to get online schooling up and running for this September.
When we arrive there will be lots of meetings, but it looks like we will have the weekend off to explore...so we may be going to St. Petersburg...a dream of Marina's...and a great Mother's Day gift.
Please pray we have a safe trip...that all our meetings go well...that Greg and I will accomplish what needs to be done to get online schooling up and running for this September.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
With a different father in mind
Written by Tony Woodlief May 2, 2008 World Magazine
Lately I’ve grown ashamed of how often I discipline my children out of anger, or annoyance, rather than a genuine desire to train them up. If three year-old Isaac’s repeated thumping of a table leg penetrates my consciousness at dinner, I’ll tell him to stop it out of irritation, not because I want him to have good table manners. If eight year-old Caleb tells me I said A and not B, I’ll glower and tell him not to correct me, as if it’s a principle I’m standing on, rather than my expansive pride. If six year-old Eli mumbles, I’ll snap at him to speak up, not because I am, in that moment, concerned with the development of his elocution, but because it’s consuming mental bandwidth to discern what he’s saying.
My disciplinary actions too often have me at the center — my wants, my ego, my sense of how things ought to be in my domain. I suspect we all fall prey to that impulse from time to time, or perhaps a lot of the time, or perhaps it’s mostly just me. But maybe I’m not the only one who tells himself some subconscious story about the righteous anger of God, to justify my own anger. Maybe other parents repeat to themselves how they’ve tried and tried, in order to justify their barks when the whippersnappers forget yet again to close the back door. Maybe too many of us we pretend that, because our children have become outwardly inured to our browbeating, that our glares and raised voices don’t wound them — worse, that it’s only our anger that gets through their thick little skulls.
So I’ve been practicing patience. Emphasis on “practicing.” When Isaac launches into one of his interminable monologues, right in the middle of a discussion between me and the wife, instead of shushing him, I’m trying get down to his level, put a hand on his small shoulder, and explain that mommy’s talking, and that the polite thing to do is wait his turn. I’m also trying to listen more, to really look him in the eye and stop whatever I’m doing and just listen, so he feels less inclined to interrupt just to be heard. I’m trying to patiently, lovingly guide my children, rather than gripe at them so much.
But there’s so much work to do, isn’t there? There’s bills and laundry and the daily grind of jobs, and meals to be made and dishes to be washed, lawns to mow, and — in our case — fallen trees to cut up and rooms to paint and essays and books to write. There’s much to be done, and it’s so much easier just to shush them or glare at them or talk over them to make my point and get my way.
Yet if you were to ask me what is the most important thing I have to do here on earth, I would say it’s training up my sons. So I’m going to start trying harder to act like it. I’m praying the Lord will have mercy — on me, on them — every time I fail.
Lately I’ve grown ashamed of how often I discipline my children out of anger, or annoyance, rather than a genuine desire to train them up. If three year-old Isaac’s repeated thumping of a table leg penetrates my consciousness at dinner, I’ll tell him to stop it out of irritation, not because I want him to have good table manners. If eight year-old Caleb tells me I said A and not B, I’ll glower and tell him not to correct me, as if it’s a principle I’m standing on, rather than my expansive pride. If six year-old Eli mumbles, I’ll snap at him to speak up, not because I am, in that moment, concerned with the development of his elocution, but because it’s consuming mental bandwidth to discern what he’s saying.
My disciplinary actions too often have me at the center — my wants, my ego, my sense of how things ought to be in my domain. I suspect we all fall prey to that impulse from time to time, or perhaps a lot of the time, or perhaps it’s mostly just me. But maybe I’m not the only one who tells himself some subconscious story about the righteous anger of God, to justify my own anger. Maybe other parents repeat to themselves how they’ve tried and tried, in order to justify their barks when the whippersnappers forget yet again to close the back door. Maybe too many of us we pretend that, because our children have become outwardly inured to our browbeating, that our glares and raised voices don’t wound them — worse, that it’s only our anger that gets through their thick little skulls.
So I’ve been practicing patience. Emphasis on “practicing.” When Isaac launches into one of his interminable monologues, right in the middle of a discussion between me and the wife, instead of shushing him, I’m trying get down to his level, put a hand on his small shoulder, and explain that mommy’s talking, and that the polite thing to do is wait his turn. I’m also trying to listen more, to really look him in the eye and stop whatever I’m doing and just listen, so he feels less inclined to interrupt just to be heard. I’m trying to patiently, lovingly guide my children, rather than gripe at them so much.
But there’s so much work to do, isn’t there? There’s bills and laundry and the daily grind of jobs, and meals to be made and dishes to be washed, lawns to mow, and — in our case — fallen trees to cut up and rooms to paint and essays and books to write. There’s much to be done, and it’s so much easier just to shush them or glare at them or talk over them to make my point and get my way.
Yet if you were to ask me what is the most important thing I have to do here on earth, I would say it’s training up my sons. So I’m going to start trying harder to act like it. I’m praying the Lord will have mercy — on me, on them — every time I fail.
Friday, April 25, 2008
A Hero: Kristina Gerk
The last 2 weeks have been so busy! But there is always time to showcase a hero, and for this post, it is my daughter Kristina!
Kristina is a wonderful 14 year-old who made the decision to publicly proclaim that she wants to follow Jesus...so she was baptised!
No easy decision, nor was it easy to deliver her testimony in front of so many people telling us all why she wanted to do this, what Jesus had done in her life, and the choices she wants to make for the future.
It took courage and conviction for her to do this...and I am so proud of her.
Kristina, let the adventure begin!!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Busy Time
Wow...lot's happening. Our yearly convention is this week. Probably the busiest time of the year in our shool....we expect 500+ folks to be attending...
On another note, I'll be traveling to Russia on May 5th, to meet with school officials on the topic of online schooling. The relationships we have developed over the years are set to impact Russia in a big way! It's an exciting time....please pray for the trip...Marina will also be going with me this time...it's short and quick but necessary.
On another note, I'll be traveling to Russia on May 5th, to meet with school officials on the topic of online schooling. The relationships we have developed over the years are set to impact Russia in a big way! It's an exciting time....please pray for the trip...Marina will also be going with me this time...it's short and quick but necessary.
Monday, April 07, 2008
Happy Birthday Elissa!
Our oldest daughter had her birthday today!!
It is so hard to believe that so many years ago we brought this little bundle home from the hospital....that's a lement every parent says.
Enough about me...it's her special day...and a Happy Birthday to her! May God Bless her and keep her, and keep her in His care.
It is so hard to believe that so many years ago we brought this little bundle home from the hospital....that's a lement every parent says.
Enough about me...it's her special day...and a Happy Birthday to her! May God Bless her and keep her, and keep her in His care.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Still Chasing Francis
Wikipedia has more on the Gorbachev statement that he was a Christian:
And so will we all!On March 19th 2008, during a surprise visit to pray at the tomb of Saint Francis in Assisi, Italy, Gorbachev announced that he was a Christian. Gorbachev stated that "St Francis is, for me, the alter Christus, the other Christ. His story fascinates me and has played a fundamental role in my life." He added, "It was through St Francis that I arrived at the Church, so it was important that I came to visit his tomb."[26]
However, a few days later, he reportedly told the Russian news agency Interfax, "Over the last few days some media have been disseminating fantasies—I can't use any other word—about my secret Catholicism, [...] To sum up and avoid any misunderstandings, let me say that I have been and remain an atheist."[27]. In response, a spokesman for the Russian Orthodox patriarch Alexei II told the Russian media: "In Italy, he (Gorbachev) spoke in emotional terms, rather than in terms of faith. He is still on his way to Christianity. If he arrives, we will welcome him."[27]
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Chasing Francis
By: Ian Morgan Cron
Nav Press / 2006 / Paperback
I am re-reading this book...it is challenging to the core. Interesting read. The story is of a pastor who has a crisis of faith and then decides to go on a pilgrimage, visiting the places that St. Francis of Assisi lived out his faith.
It has many words of wisdom so it is worth a read...especially in light of the following post:
Chasing Francis: Mikhail Gorbachev admits he is a Christian
Mikhail Gorbachev admits he is a Christian
By Malcolm Moore in Rome
Last Updated: 3:04am GMT 19/03/2008
Last Updated: 3:04am GMT 19/03/2008
Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Communist leader of the Soviet Union, has acknowledged his Christian faith for the first time, paying a surprise visit to pray at the tomb of St Francis of Assisi.
Accompanied by his daughter Irina, Mr Gorbachev spent half an hour on his knees in silent prayer at the tomb.
His arrival in Assisi was described as "spiritual perestroika" by La Stampa, the Italian newspaper.
"St Francis is, for me, the alter Christus, the other Christ," said Mr Gorbachev. "His story fascinates me and has played a fundamental role in my life," he added.
Mr Gorbachev's surprise visit confirmed decades of rumours that, although he was forced to publicly pronounce himself an atheist, he was in fact a Christian, and casts a meeting with Pope John Paul II in 1989 in a new light. Mr Gorbachev, 77, was baptised into the Russian Orthodox Church and his parents were Christians. In addition, the parents of his wife Raisa were deeply religious and were killed during the Second World War for having religious icons in their home.
Ronald Reagan, the former United States president, allegedly told his close aides on a number of occasions that he felt his opponent during the Cold War was a "closet believer".
Mr Reagan held deep religious convictions himself. However, until now Mr Gorbachev has allowed himself to express only pantheistic views, saying in one interview "nature is my god".
After his prayers, Mr Gorbachev toured the Basilica of St Francis and asked in particular to be shown an icon of St Francis portraying his "dream at Spoleto".
St Francis, who lived in the 12th century, was a troubadour and a poet before the spiritual vision caused him to return to Assisi and contemplate a religious life.
Even in his early days, St Francis helped the poor, once giving all of his money to a beggar. As well as spending time in the wilderness, he also nursed lepers and eventually became a priest.
"It was through St Francis that I arrived at the Church, so it was important that I came to visit his tomb," said Mr Gorbachev.
"I feel very emotional to be here at such an important place not only for the Catholic faith, but for all humanity."
He also asked the monks for theological books to help him understand St Francis's life.
Father Miroslavo Anuskevic, who accompanied the former Soviet leader, said: "He was not recognised by any of the worshippers in the church, and silently meditated at the tomb for a while. He seemed a man deeply inspired by charity, and told me that he was involved in a project to help children with cancer.
"He talked a lot about Russia and said that even though the transition to democracy had been very important for the world, it was very painful for Russia. He said it was a country which has a great history, and also a great spirituality."
Monday, March 17, 2008
Why Blog?
There are a variety of reasons. For myself, it allows me to voice, even if it is only to myself, my thoughts on various life lessons that I'm learning through many means, ie. books, friends, etc.
It's also a tool to help other people. I've started a few other blogs, one of which is dedicated to the village my family lived in and helped establish: the Volga German village of Josefstal. Through the posting of photographs, I've already helped one family find relatives living in Argentina. I'm hoping it will do much more as well...it becomes a way to get historical material out that I've been collecting for 20+ years.
As many of us document the history of our people, blogging can be a rich source of information that no one even knew was available. I've also set up a blog dealing with the refugee camp my grandfather was in, located in Frankfurt/Oder Germany....just after he escaped from Russia. This will provide an outlet for a number of hisorical documents I and others have collected on the Volga Germans and the persecution they underwent. As well, it provides a rich resource of stories...of great faith and great tragedy...amazing how those always seem to go together!
And, naturally, there is my abortion blog, which seeks to document some especially grizzly abortion practices here in BC and elsewhere. As I come across information...why keep it in some dusty old file? Blogging allows all of us to get these stories out.
So there...just a few examples of how we can impact our culture and society!
It's also a tool to help other people. I've started a few other blogs, one of which is dedicated to the village my family lived in and helped establish: the Volga German village of Josefstal. Through the posting of photographs, I've already helped one family find relatives living in Argentina. I'm hoping it will do much more as well...it becomes a way to get historical material out that I've been collecting for 20+ years.
As many of us document the history of our people, blogging can be a rich source of information that no one even knew was available. I've also set up a blog dealing with the refugee camp my grandfather was in, located in Frankfurt/Oder Germany....just after he escaped from Russia. This will provide an outlet for a number of hisorical documents I and others have collected on the Volga Germans and the persecution they underwent. As well, it provides a rich resource of stories...of great faith and great tragedy...amazing how those always seem to go together!
And, naturally, there is my abortion blog, which seeks to document some especially grizzly abortion practices here in BC and elsewhere. As I come across information...why keep it in some dusty old file? Blogging allows all of us to get these stories out.
So there...just a few examples of how we can impact our culture and society!
Friday, March 14, 2008
Tolerating Infanticide - Tolerating Murder
Stand to reason blog reports:
A recent study indicated that young Christians are interested in a broader array of social issues and ending abortion has become a lower priority. Some theologians and social activists encourage us to broaden our agenda, but somehow in that broader agenda abortion is not usually mentioned, and ending it is not a goal. There are a number of important concerns wrapped up in "social justice," but abortion always has to be a high priority because it has tremendous ramifications on our view of humanity, and that in turn results in further social injustices.
Wesley J. Smith warns that our society is growing more tolerant of infanticide because we've sacrificed the fundamental principle of intrinsic value in accepting legalized abortion and its philosophical companions that undermine the humanity of the most vulnerable.
A few years ago we were introduced to the "Groningen Protocol" from Holland. Shocking. Yet, the ideas weren't greeted by universal horror. The New York Times and the New England Journal of Medicine wrote sympathetic articles about Dutch infanticide. Princeton ethicist Peter Singer has been endorsing infanticide for years.
And now in "Ending the Life of a Newborn," the Hastings Center Report —the most important bioethics journal in the world—has just published another pro Groningen Protocol article, granting even greater support for Dutch infanticide among the bioethics intelligentsia. Not only do the authors, a Dutch and an American bioethicist, support lethally injecting dying babies, but also those who are disabled, writing, "Critics charge that the protocol does not successfully identify which babies will die. But it is precisely those babies who could continue to live, but whose lives would be wretched in the extreme, who stand in most need of the interventions for which the protocol offers guidance."
The article assumes that guidelines will protect against abuse, but infanticide is by definition abuse....
With growth of personhood theory that denies the intrinsic value of human life, and with the invidiously discriminatory "quality of life" ethic permeating the highest levels of the medical and bioethical thinking, we are moving toward a medical system in which babies are put down like dogs and killing is redefined as a caring act.
But bigotry is bigotry and murder is murder—even if you spell it c.o.m.p.a.s.s.i.o.n.
A recent study indicated that young Christians are interested in a broader array of social issues and ending abortion has become a lower priority. Some theologians and social activists encourage us to broaden our agenda, but somehow in that broader agenda abortion is not usually mentioned, and ending it is not a goal. There are a number of important concerns wrapped up in "social justice," but abortion always has to be a high priority because it has tremendous ramifications on our view of humanity, and that in turn results in further social injustices.
Wesley J. Smith warns that our society is growing more tolerant of infanticide because we've sacrificed the fundamental principle of intrinsic value in accepting legalized abortion and its philosophical companions that undermine the humanity of the most vulnerable.
A few years ago we were introduced to the "Groningen Protocol" from Holland. Shocking. Yet, the ideas weren't greeted by universal horror. The New York Times and the New England Journal of Medicine wrote sympathetic articles about Dutch infanticide. Princeton ethicist Peter Singer has been endorsing infanticide for years.
And now in "Ending the Life of a Newborn," the Hastings Center Report —the most important bioethics journal in the world—has just published another pro Groningen Protocol article, granting even greater support for Dutch infanticide among the bioethics intelligentsia. Not only do the authors, a Dutch and an American bioethicist, support lethally injecting dying babies, but also those who are disabled, writing, "Critics charge that the protocol does not successfully identify which babies will die. But it is precisely those babies who could continue to live, but whose lives would be wretched in the extreme, who stand in most need of the interventions for which the protocol offers guidance."
The article assumes that guidelines will protect against abuse, but infanticide is by definition abuse....
With growth of personhood theory that denies the intrinsic value of human life, and with the invidiously discriminatory "quality of life" ethic permeating the highest levels of the medical and bioethical thinking, we are moving toward a medical system in which babies are put down like dogs and killing is redefined as a caring act.
But bigotry is bigotry and murder is murder—even if you spell it c.o.m.p.a.s.s.i.o.n.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Reading....
Currently Reading:
The Shack
by William P Young
An interesting book that will impact you as you read. I will not give out too much of the plot here, but I must admit that this book has the potential of changing the way you see and relate to God. As each of us walk through and are involved in our "story", from time to time something or someone comes along and makes things a little clearer. I'm still mulling over the potential I see in this book...and the impact it will have on my relationship with the Creator. Stay tuned...and in the meantime, why not read it with me...and then we can talk about its impact?
There is even a web site, forum and testimonials you can visit for the book here.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Writing again....
It feels good to have a venue where I can write and share. My Pastor, Dave Kalaman asked me to write a column on abortion for his weekly Castanet column.
I was honoured and so here it is. Enjoy.
I was honoured and so here it is. Enjoy.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Not Blogging
I haven't been blogging for awhile...sorry....these pages have been boring, not that my life is boring, it's anything but, I just have not had the time or energy to add thoughtful comments here. I still debate wether I should switch to my Xanga site, but have not yet decided.
Stay tuned...I'm reading some interesting books that I'll post here.
Stay tuned...I'm reading some interesting books that I'll post here.