Sunday 18 October 2015

Three year-old Syrian Alan Kurdi, and the sweet, sweet sound of a voter's pencil


Alan Kurdi - from www.canadim.com
If you're not voting in tomorrow's federal election, or if you make it a regular practice not to vote, let me guess your reason. Is it:
 
Because one less vote won't matter?
Because the polling station is too busy?
Because you don't understand the political platforms?
Because you don't know the candidates?
Because many politicians break their promises?
Because you don't believe in the pledge: "We stand on guard for thee"?
Because you are exercising your right not to vote?

Or maybe...just maybe...not enough people died for your right to live in freedom. Maybe 42,000 Canadian military casualties in World War II wasn't enough for you. Maybe the civilian deaths of an estimated 29,000,000 from related military activity during WW2 were too few. Maybe the ultimate sacrifices made by millions of men, women, and families for the sake of freedom wasn't ultimate enough, or sacrificial enough. Maybe the cries of a child learning that Daddy isn't coming home again because he's dead isn't sorrowful enough. Maybe the tears wept by our aging veterans every November 11 aren't genuine enough.
 
 
Or maybe...you just don't care. You don't care about your rights and freedoms set out in the Canadian Charter of Rights. You'd be perfectly at peace with giving up your:
  • freedom of conscience and religion;
  • freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of press and other media of communication;
  • freedom of peaceful assembly; and
  • freedom of association.
If that describes you, I know of a few places in the world where you could live. Places controlled by ISIS, al Qaeda, Boko Haram, and Al-Shabaab (to name a few) all seem 'very welcoming'. They'll even take away your mother, wife, and daughters...you don't even have to ask! And, the best part is: you won't have to worry about such silly and time wasting activities such as casting a vote.

Who knows? Maybe the millions of Syrians trying to escape their homelands have it all wrong. But I doubt it. I do know this, though - Alan Kurdi, the 3 year old Syrian boy (pictured above) who was found dead on the shores of Turkey last month, will never know the sweet, sweet sound of a graphite, HB #2 pencil checking off a name on a voter's ballot. Never.
 
For the love and honour of those who sacrificed their lives so you can vote, and out of thankfulness and gratitude to God for our country - Canada, I urge you to vote.
 
 

Sunday 4 October 2015

"I wonder God if you'll take my hand"

"Mother buries 3 children and her father following a week-end crash."
     Because I live, you also will live.
"A mother to four young girls succumbs to cancer."
     Because I live, you also will live.
"A sister in Christ shares her testimony about her terminal illness."
     Because I live, you also will live.
Three sentences.
Seven deaths.
Countless tears.
One promise.
In the span of two days, I read the tragic headline about the mother burying her children; heard the news about the death of an old friend's wife through another friend; and listened to a testimony of a dying sister in Christ shared with us by her husband. Sometimes when we hear tragic news we hardly give it a second thought. At other times news like this can shake our foundations and we ask questions about life and its meaning.
So what are we supposed to do with this? Why does a mom have to bury not just one but all three of her children plus her father? How is a father to raise four young girls without their mommy? Why is a godly man asked to live out his retirement years with out his dearly loved wife of 27 years. I ask lots of questions...but receive few, if any, answers.
But amidst all the deafening questions that are screaming for answers we hear Jesus' voice rise above the noise and whisper his promise, "Do not let your hearts be troubled...Because I live, you also will live" (John 14) and we remember that our life on earth is but a blink of an eye compared to the eternity we will spend in Heaven. When we remember this promise from Jesus - death's sting is less painful, and its finality less dreadful if we have placed our trust and faith in the only person who died and was raised victoriously.
If I believed that all there is to life is a few short years and then we die, I would find no consolation, no reasonable cause for hope, and no ultimate purpose to carry on.
However, it is becoming more and more apparent as I get older, that time is slipping away and the need to share the saving news of Christ is more urgent than ever. Too much time is wasted on 'getting ahead', crossing off 'bucket list' items, feeding destructive habits, reopening old wounds, and not letting go of the past.  The source of our only hope and comfort in life and in death is Jesus Christ. Without him, there is no hope for you and I. This message of hope doesn't get any clearer!
Frances Angermeyer, a WWII soldier, wrote this dramatic poem of his own conversion in 1942.

Lord God, I have never spoken to you,
but now I want to say how do you do?
You see God they told me you didn't exist
and like a fool I believed all this.
Last night from a shell hole I saw your sky,
I figured right then they had told me a lie.
Had I taken time to see the things you made,
I would have know they weren't calling a spade a spade.
I wonder God if you'll take my hand,
somehow I feel that you'll understand.
Funny how I had come to this hellish place,
before I had time to see your face.
I guess there really isn't much more to say,
but I'm sure glad God that I met you today.
I guess zero hour will soon be here,
But I'm not afraid since I know you're near.
The signal, well God I'll have to go,
I like you lots, I want you to know.
Look now this will be a horrible fight,
who knows I may come to your house tonight.
Though I wasn't friendly to you before,
I wonder God if you'd wait at my door.
Look I'm crying, I'm shedding tears,
I'll have to go now, God, good-bye.
Strange now since I met you,
I'm not afraid to die.
If you live because Jesus lives in you; if your peace within comes from knowing Christ as your Saviour; if you believe that death does not have the final say, don't wait to share it. Someone's life depends on it.
If you want to know more about this faith I have in Christ, if you want to be convinced of Christ's authenticity, then I urge you check out Lee Strobel's, a former legal journalist for The Chicago Tribune and one-time atheist, compelling argument: "The Case for Christ: Evidence for the Resurrection".


Of auto correct and the smaller things in life

There are moments when you can't help but just laugh. Take the time when my wife, Wendi, texted me and asked where I was. Apparently...