Thought for the Day

“I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. The world is moved along not by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker.”
-Helen Keller

Life....

(Psalm 36: 5-7 NIV) Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.

Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O LORD, you preserve both man and beast.

How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings.

Happy Birthday Steven!! 8 years old....cool dude!!

Home safe

Arrived home safely from Portland with Natalie. Alas, the good physicians there confirmed what docs at Children's hospital had already said...That there really is nothing they can do to help Nat's scoliosis. Nat was disappointed, to be sure, but she wants to move on and continue with her life. This brave young lady has had 10 operations in her life, some of them life threatening, and still she has a beautiful smile (like her Mom's) and a wonderful outlook on life that is contagious.

Our van is fixed. We decided to bite the bullet, use the old credit card and get it fixed. We are off camping for a week in August to recharge and keep away from all forms of electronic media in order to hear "that still small voice". (And thank you Derek and Simone for thinking of us)

Elissa is home this week. Yahooh!

(Jeremiah 29: 11-12 NIV) For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Car troubles and more...

Alas, once again our family van has expired. This time it is a "front-end job", which translates into $2-thousand and I am, as usual, not flush with cash. The van has been a blessing to us, though, and the 300,000 km on it have really gotten our family around. With children growing up and reaching for their dreams, we are almost at the point where we can down-size to a mini-van. But, that too costs money...thank God for our wonderful little Echo, which manages to transport various members of the Gerk clam to and fro and even makes 2 trips to Church so we can get everyone there and back. Not sure what we will do

Tuesday will see Natalie and I travel to the Shriner's Hospital in Portland. Nat is having an assessment done regarding her scoliosis. Please pray we have a safe trip and that the examination goes well. They may or may not be able to help her, but we wanted to at least try!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDREW!!!

(Epheseans 5:20 NIV): "...always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Currently Watching:
Batman Begins: 2005

Wow, a great movie. Marina and I took Kimmy to see this, and we all agreed you can pretty much dump the old Batman movies and start again...which is what they are doing. Well done, believable and once again pointing to the age-old battle between good and evil.

(Revelation 17:14):They will go to war against the Lamb but the Lamb will defeat them, proof that he is Lord over all lords, King over all kings, and those with him will be the called, chosen, and faithful."

Currently watching (and listening to)
Mr. and Mrs. Smith: Original Soundtrack: 2005

Marina and I went to see this movie...certainly not for kids, nor is it a "family" movie. Best scenes: The Assassin's Tango and the scene where they both hunt each other in their home. Best music from the soundtrack: Mondo Bongo and Assassin's Tango. Other than that, stay at home.

Currently watching:
The Pelican Brief
(1983: DVD)

Currently watching:
Runaway Jury: DVD
(Widescreen Edition) (2003)

A Moment of Silence

(Thanks to Small Dead Animals)

Honest, I wasn't driving....

The Captain of this vessel deserves a medal. David told me as we heard the horn blow non-stop: "Well there's no doubt that ferry has a horn". Little did we know....

Home again...

Got home after my whirlwind trip to the island with David. I will sure miss him!! (He's working with some friends for a month) With the ferry mishap (photos on the way) to the wonderful and interesting drive to the middle of no-where, it was another Gerk adventure.

We sure do pick em.

Currently watching:
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: DVD Boxed set
Jeremy Brett

Another scam in Nigeria?

Evangelist Benny Hinn needs a time out.

The BBC is reporting that Hinn was upset over smaller than expected crowds in his Nigerian crusades (They expected millions)

Stated the BBC:

"Four million dollars down the drain," he shouted into the microphone from the huge rostrum.

So much for priorities.

Ahh, this is the life

What can I say? I've been spoiled. Father's Day and my birthday all in the space of a week.

Marina made a wonderful dinner..and the kids....well...Mars Bars and Pepsi for Dad! A new PC game from David and Andrew (Cossacks 2)...movie from Steph and Nina....

It really doesn't get any better than this!! I love you all!! (And I still would even if you never gave me another Pepsi or Mars Bar again!)

Honest!!

God Bless Reader's Digest

You gotta love them. Most of us have, for years, endured the various telemarketers to manage to call us at all hours...in their never-ending quest to separate us from our money.

My Dad, John Gerk, died on November 27, 1992. He was the most awesome Dad anyone could have. I'll even write more about him in a later post.

What does he have to do with Reader's Digest?

My Mom just received another of those nice offers from Reader's Digest...contest and all, addressed to my Dad.

Only 13 years after he died, they still are trying to sign him up for the contest of a lifetime.

We did notify the nice folks at RD of my Dad's death, as Dad was always getting mail from them. It stopped for a time. Starts up every now and then.

But 13 years? I guess my Dad didn't realize that not only was his name written in the "Lamb's book of life", the Condensed version is being kept by Reader's Digest.

Revelation 21: 22-27 (NIV) I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Graduation

This past weekend was probably the busiest of our lives. Our #3 daughter, Natalie, graduated after 12 long and tortuous years. (that's how she would describe it) We are so proud of Nat, and our hope and prayer is that all her dreams will come true. She's gone through so much with all her surgeries, yet she is still here with a destiny! What can we say...we love her desperately and are thankful that God blessed us with her! You go girl!!

Romans 15:13 (NIV) May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

How I'll spend my summer vacation....

Or, the books I "hope" to read this summer.

Epic by John Eldridge
Five Days in London by John Lukacs (started but need to complete)
Created to be God's Friend by Henry T. Blackaby
Gulag by Anne Applebum
The Brother's Karamazov by Fydor Dostoyevsky

Allergies

Torture 101. That's right, I had my yearly allergy test where they stick about 50 needles into me, only to discover...are you sitting down...that I have allergies!!

The truth is, the test, the medicine, etc makes me grouchy for that day. What helped is my conclusion that King David must have been suffering from allergies too, because he writes:

Psalm 6:6 (NIV)I am worn out from groaning;
all night long I flood my bed with weeping
and drench my couch with tears.

Obviously the symptoms of an allergy attack!

So, after 3 years of monthly allergy shots, I get to have a go for another year! Wahoo!

Pray for me.

Remember those in prison...

Voice of the Martyrs now has a blog: Christian Persecution Blog.
I encourage you to bookmark it and return often. (Thnx: BTW)

Hobbies and family go together...

Currently Reading:
Los Abuelos Alemanes del Volga
by Alberto Sarramone


From time to time you will see some sort of weird, foreign-language book posted. Usually that means I have been helping someone find family. Given our ties to Russia, I get a lot of mail, both snail and e-mail, from folks who have left Russia and settled in Germany. In most cases, they are looking for family that they have not heard from for over 50 years. During the time of Stalin, it was usually a death sentence to even admit you had relatives here in the west. The children of these folks, desperate to discover something about their past and that of their family, write in hopes we can provide leads to relatives that got out while they had a chance. Over the years I've had the priviledge of helping with the reunification of a number of these "returnees" and their families in North America, and in some cases, even Argentina. It's very satisfying and I work on it when I can. I'm currently helping a 90-year old lady in Germany find various family who either settled in the US or in Argentina. She usually writes to me in dialect, which means it takes me about 3 hours to decipher. This letter, however, is in Russian so Marina can read it for me while I take notes.

Psalm 78:1-7 (The Message) Listen, dear friends, to God's truth, bend your ears to what I tell you. I'm chewing on the morsel of a proverb; I'll let you in on the sweet old truths, Stories we heard from our fathers,counsel we learned at our mother's knee.
We're not keeping this to ourselves, we're passing it along to the next generation--
GOD's fame and fortune, the marvelous things he has done. He planted a witness in Jacob, set his Word firmly in Israel, Then commanded our parents to teach it to their children So the next generation would know, and all the generations to come--
Know the truth and tell the stories so their children can trust in God, Never forget the works of God but keep his commands to the letter.

Mazel tov!

Our good friends Dan and Bonnie will see their oldest daughter, Jessica, get married this weekend. A typical June wedding. Marina is busy helping out where she can, trying to be a blessing to the family. Our whole family is even invited, which is a blessing because we are a crowd wherever we go! It promises to be a joyous time with much feasting!!

Next week, Natalie graduates! Our third daughter will complete her twelve, long, grinding, never-ending years of school. Well done!!!

I'm working on a book list for the summer...that's right...an actual list of books I want to read during the summer months. I'll post them soon, you'll get a good idea of my interests (which are really all over the place).

Listening to:
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers [SOUNDTRACK]
Howard Shore

Memories of a life lived...

He came to this country in April of 1924. Born in Russia in 1902, he along with his wife, Elisabeth, left all their family in hopes of starting a new life. The plan was to bring the rest of the family here, but the iron curtain slammed shut, never to be opened for them. My grandfather, Paul Gerk, whom I never knew, died 51 years ago on June 3, 1954. From time to time I will mention my work on "the book". This is, of course, my attempt to document the life of my family in Russia, the sacrifices they made, the faith that sustained them, the terror that they lived through. I started this "hobby" when I was 18 years of age..so it really has been my life's work. I wanted something to give to my children, so they could tell the story to their children. Every year I say, "this is the year" and I plan to print it up. But of course, I was talking about THIS year...I'm publishing it this year...don't you know?In my spare time...honest. I really mean it this year!

Currently Reading:
Five Days in London, May 1940
John Lukacs

Listening to:
Welcome to Diverse City
Tobymac

Life is sometimes sad

Sad news from Russia. Our dear friends, Len and Olga, lost Olga's mother this past week. I know they had spent many hours speaking to her about God and faith and all those things that have changed their lives. I know she made a commitment to God, but her lifestyle was typically Russian, sad, melancholy with little hope. One wonders at times like this...we have all had loved ones, dear friends and others who have died and we ponder their ultimate fate.

I always think of that scripture:

"Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" Genesis 18:25

It comforts us that no matter what, He will do what is right in His eyes. It's a matter of trust with us, isn't it? God gives an individual every opportunity to establish a relationship with Him. And I like to think that even in those twilight hours, when life slips away, He still works in a person's heart...attempting to lead them home. He never really gives up on us, does He?

Never lose heart

Listening to:
Gladiator: Music from the Motion Picture [SOUNDTRACK]
Hans Zimmer, Lisa Gerrard

Had a great lunch today with a dear friend, Derek. Thanks Bro! What a refreshing time to talk about God, not "the Rockets" or even work. I need more of that. It helps keep me focused on the big issues of life...on what really matters. I value those times more than you know! I come back in awe of God, humbled, thoughtful of His plan in everyday life, sometimes confused about it all, but knowing He continues to work among us...even when some of the news is bad.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18, "We do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporal, and what is unseen is eternal."

I just knew it!

How's your sense of humour? A new study is out.

We knew it all the time.

Why Islam is disrespected

Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby has written both a fascinating and disturbing look at Islam in North America. A great read!

National Post columnist Lorne Gunter has a blog, and it should be required reading if you want a fresh perspective on the news of the day.

Scandal in Canada

And so it continues. Everyone going goo-goo over a blonde, who, just because she looks better than our PrimeMinister, jumped ship and joined the Mafia, er, the Liberal Party of Canada.

I have a column to write for the Interim so I won't write too much here....it's just a chore to keep things hopping at my political blog without getting caught up in all the outrage.

Leave you with this quote from Robert Bolt’s "A Man For All Seasons" :

“Why, Richard, it profits a man nothing to give his soul for the whole world... but for Wales?”

The wonderful world of 'Narnia'

So begins the story in USA Today. The new trailer is out, and so far it looks great!! Douglas Gresham, the step-son of CS Lewis, promised the movie would be faithful to the Christian message found in the Narnia series, and I have no doubt he will live up to the task. I heard Gresham speak at a conference a few years back, and enjoyed his talk immensely. I can hardly wait until the movie hits the theatres this fall!

Blyss: Storm

Currently Reading:
The Sacred Romance: Drawing Closer to the Heart of God
By Brent Curtis, John Eldredge


I just love this song by Blyss. It's not that I'm down, but this song says it all about life.

How long have I been in this storm
So overwhelmed by the oceans shapeless form
Water's getting harder to tred
With these waves crashing over my head

If I could just see you
Everything would be alright
If I had to see you
This darkness would turn to light
And I would walk on water
And you will catch me if I fall
And I will get lost into your eyes
And everything will be alright
Everything will be alright

Know you didn't bring me out here to drown
So why am I ten feet under and upside down
Barely surviving has become my purpose
Cause I'm so used to living underneath the surface

If I could just see you
Everything would be alright
If I had to see you
This darkness would turn to light
And I would walk on water
And you will catch me if I fall
And I will get lost into your eyes
And everything will be alright

And I will walk on water
You will catch me if I fall
And I will get lost into your eyes
And everything will be alright
Now everthing is alright
Everything is alright

It's a boy!! Congratulations!!

Yes, indeed! My dear friends in Moscow, Len and Olga, had their 5th child on Sunday. 5 kids in Russia are unheard of these days, where the abortion rate is astronomical. Len and Olga run the Model School of Tomorrow. On my varius trips to Russia I have had many great times with this wonderful family. Len and I still have to go back into the villages to look for the pieces of his Lada we left last time we were there! They are great and dear friends and are being used by God to impact their nation. We are so happy for them!

Time....

Wow...a bunch of time has passed since my last post. As usual, life is a blurr of activity. I did, honest I did, manage to get some "God time" Ahhhh, like a bottle of fine Pepsi on a warm day...it was truly refreshing.

Other than that, and that was indeed the highpoint, I am back from Vancouver where I was at a Board meeting, got to meet my blogger mentor Jordan Bateman, all the while keeping my political blog up and running, as well as beginning negotiations and plans for an interesting national blog examining the role of the media in society. Life is never slow..or boring as God leads and directs.

Busy, Busy....

There doesn't seem to be enough hours in a day! How often have we heard that, and are we living it? Between updating web sites, consulting on others, running a bioethics news service and birthing these new blogs, I am out of breathe! All part of making a difference, I guess. But why some things seem to happen at once, is anyone's guess. A good friend of mine, Larry Schram, is a Pastor, but he manages to sneak in alone time, which recharges his batteries. He encouraged all of us to take time off, not just for a holiday, but to be alone to think, pray, refocus. That is something we need to do everyday. It's Thursday today, on Friday I am definitely sneaking out to my private place to do just that!

My plans...

Everyone has plans. A blog is no different. As time permits, I hope to add my thoughts about life, being a follower of Jesus, and how one allows yourself to make a difference in the world. It's not easy, there are so many voices, so many roads to take. Life really is a pilgrimage, where you can allow events to shape or overtake you, or you can seek for ways to make a difference, all the while achieving what I call "illumination". More as time goes by...