Shelves

My son Daniel fixed up some shelves for me today. He added some 2 x 2's to the front of some existing shelves, because they were just a little bit too narrow. This allowed books and papers to hang over the edge of the shelves, causing them to look messy.

Apparently I never voiced my desire before today. I don't remember not saying out loud that I wanted someone to make the shelves wider...but I guess I didn't say it. I THOUGHT about it, a lot. So it was wonderful that Daniel saw what I meant as soon as I expressed my desire, and he went right to work, making those shelves just a bit wider, and a whole lot better.

Not only that, but last week he made a huge floor-to-ceiling shelf unit for all of the family videos and dvds.

So I am (really!) on the home stretch of organizing the great room where we do our learning together. It has literally been months since I began this project, but we are getting there. I have a huge stack of boxes that I need to sort through, but they, for the most part, have already been partially organized.

Once that all gets done, I will have all of our books and papers in order. I already have the books I am using to teach the kids on a specific shelf; they have their own books and notebooks and binders in their own boxes, too. I have all of our books in categories on overstuffed shelves, and I plan to weed those out, culling the books that are in really bad shape, or the ones that have too much garbage in them to make them valuable to our family.

My friend Isobel once told me that she had a dream about me. In the dream, I had moved into my new home, and was giving Isobel the tour. Every room was filled with shelves. There were shelves in the closets, shelves in plain view, shelves behind huge doors, shelves in the basement. Isobel was so excited for me, because she knows I LOVE shelves.

I do. But what I really love is books...and good, sturdy bookshelves are necessary for any bibliophile!

So, today, I am thankful for Daniel, the master builder of bookshelves! Thank you, son!

(Now, how'd you like to build some shelves in the basement, for storage? Hmmmmm.)

Response to Anonymous - Telling the Truth

Anonymous wrote, "How one woman blessed with such a large family can be such a hate monger is beyond me. Jesus never said a word about Gays. And the Bible is just words written by men who hated homosexuals just like you do. The blood of all children who come from gay families is on your hands. These children are bullied, harassed and are more likely to commit suicide than there straight counter parts. This is all your fault..read your bible..God is about love for all his children. Who the h*** do you think you are to say other wise."

Anonymous, I am confused about the accusation that I am hate-mongering. It's also amazing to me that you have jumped from my post that asks Christians to have courage and tell the truth to assuming I am guilty of causing children from homosexual families to commit suicide.

What I wrote was: "And that is why the following article is so timely. We must take courage and stand against this darkness. We must be bold enough to tell our children what the Word of God says about homosexuality and the beautiful plan God has for marriage between one man and one woman.

If we don't say something now, when we are still somewhat free to do so, our children won't be able to even teach these truths in the privacy of their own homes."

My point is that we Christians must be bold enough to stand for what we believe in. The Bible you decry by saying it is just words written by men who hated homosexuals (and then, surprisingly, you demand I should read) is very clear that homosexuality is against God's design. Read Romans, Chapter 1, verses 24 - 27. God speaks about men dishonouring their bodies among themselves, and He calls their acts "shameless". That implies that they ought to be ashamed.

I do not hate homosexuals. I have known some who have chosen this unfortunate path, and I have treated them with the same respect that I use in interactions with anyone. But I will continue to tell them that their choice to practice unseemly acts is sinful, and that they ought to repent.

Would you consider me a hate-monger if I were to tell my child that he ought not to lie about stealing a brownie? Telling the truth is important, and if my child were lying, I would correct him. I would not minimize it so he could feel better about his sinful act.

Homosexuality is sin, plain and simple. So is lying, stealing, murder, covetousness, dishonouring one's parents, and so on. People sin.

And that is why in a couple of weeks we will be remembering that God had to send His Son, His only son, the sinless Christ, to take our punishment upon Himself and die in our place. We who deserved to die were spared, and He who never sinned, not even once, was brutalized and hung, nailed to a cross, in order to redeem us.

This Christ offers salvation to all who will believe. And if you read the Bible, you will find that fornicators and liars and thieves and swindlers and yes, even homosexuals were redeemed from darkness and brought to light by the wonderful mercy and grace of God.

I do not hate. I love. I love God and my neighbour. And I love my neighbour enough to tell him the truth. Sometimes the truth hurts. But it is still the truth.

Imagine a person plunging a knife into the belly of a man. Blood pours out. Pain follows. Now imagine that the person with the knife is a surgeon, and the belly of the man who is bleeding has a cancerous tumour inside. The knife is meant to do the work of saving the man's life.

The truth of the darkness of homosexuality might hurt a person who is trapped in that lifestyle. But that truth is the only thing that gives life. With that truth, he can repent, turn to Christ, and be saved. I would be hateful if I didn't tell the truth.

The Time Has Come...

My friend Royal Hamel has been called of God to be a watchman, exhorting pastors and churches to be salt and light in this generation. His ministry, Light the Darkness, can be found here: http://lightthedarkness.org/about.shtml

Royal graciously gave me permission to reprint the following article. The time has come to speak up, people. We can't continue to say nothing when we hear or read that our culture sanctions gay marriage, and that there is no problem with books like "Heather has Two Mommies". The recent controversy in California is shocking. Governor Schwartzenegger has agreed to legislation that bans the use of "mom and dad" in books in their public school system. It's discriminatory, they claim.

Huh? What about the discrimination against those increasingly rare families made up of a mom, a dad, and their children? Don't they count?

Apparently not.

And that is why the following article is so timely. We must take courage and stand against this darkness. We must be bold enough to tell our children what the Word of God says about homosexuality and the beautiful plan God has for marriage between one man and one woman.

If we don't say something now, when we are still somewhat free to do so, our children won't be able to even teach these truths in the privacy of their own homes.

THE TIME HAS COME TO SPEAK UP

“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14)

Persecution of Christians by the state has arrived in Canada. I speak of the recent spate of attacks by the Human Rights Commissions against Pastor Stephen Boisson, Rev. Alphonse de Valk of Catholic Insight Magazine and Ron Gray, President of the Christian Heritage Party of Canada. Those attacks are directly linked to militant homosexual demands that Christians keep their mouths shut about scriptural teaching on homosexuality. Let no one be in doubt here; although three specific Christian leaders have been targeted, the real object of the attack is the entire Christian population of Canada.

But can we legitimately say that Christians are being persecuted? Well, nobody has been killed for being faithful to Christian teaching. But people have lost jobs, have been forced to spend thousands of dollars in defending themselves, have been fined large amounts of money, and some businesses have been closed. And all of this through a quasi law system instituted by our government. In this system there is no presumption of innocence, the accused must pay for their own defense while accusers are granted court paid lawyers, and even establishing the truth of one’s commentary is no acceptable defense to the accused. Bishop Fred Henry of Calgary recently stated, "I really feel that we are into a crisis situation here where we are experiencing a trumping of religious freedom."

So where does that leave us? Well it seems that we have now arrived at the moment when devout followers of Christ are called to walk the more difficult road. For Christians do not have a choice in this matter. 2000 years ago faithful believers were put to death for refusing to burn incense to Caesar while calling him “Lord.” Faithful Christians today, while loving those trapped in the practise of an ancient wrong, have no authorization from scripture to bless what God has not blessed regardless of the dictates of the state.

Human Rights Commissions have recently been criticized by many editorialists and columnists because high profile journalists like Ezra Levant and Mark Steyn have been cited for hate by certain Islamic leaders in Canada. But there has been no media storm protesting the attack on free speech of Christians who have been hauled before these tribunals. It’s a pity. Shouldn’t the media be concerned for justice for all?

Is there any relief forthcoming by politicians who will courageously speak on behalf of believers? Don’t bet on it! A powerful lobby group has convinced the public, including politicians, that all opposition to homosexuality is due to hate. Governmental leaders, almost to a man, are thoroughly intimidated. And they will not speak a word in defense of Christians who have manifested far more courage than they have.

What then can be done in the present situation? Is it possible to slow down the course toward even more draconian forms of persecution? Yes!

But it calls for initiative from Christian leaders. Recently a key evangelical leader wrote a letter to the National Post protesting the abolition of the Lord’s Prayer in the Ontario legislature. If evangelicals can go public on prayer in the legislature, then surely they can go public on the much more serious matter of the growing persecution. To be fair, there has been some speaking by some leaders, but the defense must be pursued with much greater energy and vigor. The various heads of Christian denominations could issue press releases defending the right of individual believers to speak the whole truth found in scripture. Presidents of evangelical colleges and seminaries could speak up by assigning some professors to write articles in local newspapers. Since 40 percent plus of our population is Catholic it is also incumbent on courageous Catholic archbishops and bishops to speak on behalf of their constituency who are undergoing persecution as well. Some have certainly spoken; many more need to find their voice.

I suspect that most Christian leaders may be taking a cautious, low profile approach, praying that the situation may get better. They may think it wiser to try and woo those who oppose the gospel rather than graciously contending with them. Truth is, that hostile opponents of biblical truth have assumed much power; they are not going to go away quietly. Like Esther, God may have raised Canada’s Christian leaders to prominence for just such a time as this. Esther spoke up. She used her voice in defense of her people. Who knows what may happen if our Christian leaders do the same?

A version of this article was published in the March, 2008 edition of The Interim, Canada's pro-life, pro-family newspaper

Royal Hamel is a freelance journalist and director of Light the Darkness Ministries. He served for 22 years as pastor and cross-cultural worker with the Christian and Missionary Alliance of Canada.

OPP Report on our Bad Guy

OPP CATCH FLEEING SUSPECT

On March 4, 2008 at approximately 4:45 pm Huron OPP officers were advised that a 2007 Chevrolet pickup truck that had been left running in front of a business in Exeter had just been stolen. Officers were also advised that the vehicle was equipped with "OnStar". With assistance from OnStar, it was determined that the vehicle was in Mitchell and traveling south. Officers located the suspect in the stolen vehicle but the driver refused to stop for police and fled. Officers followed until called off due to concerns for public safety. While continuing to work with OnStar, it was determined that the vehicle was stopped in Huron East on a side road. Officers arrived on scene within minutes, but the suspect had fled on foot. At that time the suspect was able to evade officers including the canine unit.

At approximately 12:30 am on March 5, 2008 police were advised of a second stolen pickup truck from Huron East. The owner saw the vehicle being driven out of his driveway. The truck owner called OPP and followed the stolen truck in another vehicle. Police intercepted and once again, the suspect failed to stop for police when the emergency lights were activated. On London Road, south of Clinton, the spike belt was deployed on the stolen vehicle causing progressive tire deflation. The suspect stopped the truck and fled again on foot. Officers, including the OPP canine unit, contained and began searching the area. The suspect was located hiding in a farm vehicle at a nearby residence. It was confirmed that the male located hiding at the residence was the same male who had fled from police on the prior evening.

The male was arrested and taken to hospital for treatment of environmental exposure. A 22-year-old male from Oneida has been held in police custody pending a bail hearing on March 5. He is facing two counts of Drive Disqualified, two counts of Flight from Police Officer, two counts of Trespass by Night, one count of Theft Motor Vehicle Under $5000 and one count of Possession of Property Obtained by Crime over $5000.


Well, there you go...it really happened! I thank God that no one was injured in the event.

Difficult Days

We all have them. Days that seem to have one trouble after another. It is a reminder that we live in a sin-cursed world, and that this world is not our home. We don't want to get too comfortable here, because we are just sojourners, on our way to our true home...the one that really matters.

Yesterday our old dog, Fatty, began having seizures. He was lying on the floor, stretched out, neck extended, and his legs were "running". About two minutes later, he stopped seizing. He began to look about, but was obviously disoriented and very upset. He wanted to be comforted, and he pressed himself against his people, I think just to know he wasn't alone.

He had another couple of seizures this morning. I called the vet and made arrangements to get him put to sleep. After all, he's an old dog, and any kind of investigation would be very costly. It doesn't make much sense to invest hundreds of dollars into the old guy, especially with an engine to pay for.

Rick, too, was feeling rather poorly yesterday. He just felt "blah", he said. He looked gray. Couldn't eat. Felt an odd feeling in his chest. I finally asked him if he wanted to go to the hospital, and he agreed.

The doc, after running tests, said that his heart was fine. However, his blood sugar is highish...enough to be a concern. "Go see your family doctor," he urged.

So, this morning I made two appointments. One for Fatty to be put down at the vet; the other for Rick to get his blood sugar re-tested.

All the kids were upset. Tiana was tearful about the dog. "Maybe he'll be alright," she hoped. But I told her that Fatty would likely not get better. She said, "Poor Fatty and Poor Daddy...both of them have to go and get put down."

"What?!!?" I asked her, shocked that she would say that.

"I'm just kidding," she said. She had a lopsided grin on her face. I was thankful that my little girl could find some humour on a very trying day.

Rick went to bed and slept the morning away. The kids went off to piano lessons. When they got home, they went outside to play for a while, then Tiana came to the door. "Mom! Fatty's fine! He's playing! I don't think we have to take him for his appointment."

I looked at our old dog in disbelief. He was running with the other dogs and the children, jumping through the snow, tail wagging. He seemed to have most of his balance back, although we can see a little imbalance once in a while.

So I phoned the vet and cancelled. I woke Rick up and took him to the doctor. More bloodtests were done, and we go back for the results next week.

I don't know what the future holds. Fatty could die tonight. Rick could end up with diabetes. We just do not know what lies ahead.

But as I chatted with my 11 year old daughter, I realized that it's all okay. God has a plan for all these trials. Tiana told me that she prayed last night for Fatty and for Daddy. She told me that she believed that God heard and answered her prayers. She also said that she knows that God could still say no... that Fatty could get sick and die; or that Daddy could get sick, too. But she also knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is good, and that He would never allow anything to happen that wasn't in His plan.

What a blessing it is for me to know that God has heard MY prayers. My children are growing in grace, and in the knowledge of the Lord. They have gone through many trials this past few months, but have not reacted in bitterness or anger or resentment. They have grown in faith.

And for that, I praise and glorify our Beautiful God.

'As Charles Spurgeon once said, "There are two great certainties about things that shall come to pass-- one is that God knows, and the other is that we do not know." It is true that we do not know all the truth about the future, but we do know the truth. It is the truth that abides within us, the truth that sanctifies us, the truth that makes us free, the truth that ensures our future. And although we don't know the future, we know the One who sovereignly holds the future.' ~ Burk Parsons

Manhunt underway!

When I got back from Toronto this evening, Linda and I noticed some strange goings-on. When we investigated, we saw about 5 cop cars in our area. A few minutes later, one of the policemen stopped in our driveway and told me that they were after a car thief. He said the guy had ditched the car and was in the field or the woods behind our house. I offered to let our dogs out, and he said, "No, don't do that! We have police dogs out there, and your dogs will mess everything up."

About two hours went by. We could see the lights flashing across the field as the policemen tried to trap the thief. Finally, another cop came to the door to tell us that they have not yet caught the guy.

Our vehicles are locked, our doors are locked, and we are heading to bed soon. It is a bit unsettling, because we have a garage, a barn, and a woodshed that he could hide in. The cop said to let them know if someone comes knocking on the door to get help.

We are experiencing a winter storm on top of it all. High winds, lots of snow.

So, I am praying that the guy will turn himself in or get caught. I am not too happy about the fact that he is in our area. However, I am glad that our dogs would raise the alarm if someone came to our door.

We are safe at any rate, because God is in control! Nothing will happen to us if it is not in His will.

Isn't it good to know that? Heather commented today that she really isn't afraid when she is in dangerous situation, because she knows for sure that the Lord has numbered her days. She will not die one second before it is her time to die. This gives her courage in the face of danger.

It reminds me of Gladys Aylward, missionary to China. Gladys was a little bit of a woman, not really suited to missionary life. But that didn't stop her! She travelled half-way around the world because she knew that God had called her to China.

After quite some time, she impressed the Mandarin, who commissioned her to be the foot inspector. This allowed her to go inside homes and converse with women as she checked to see if they were following the law, which banned the ancient practice of foot-wrapping.

Her relationship with the Mandarin grew, and she began to tell Him about Jesus. She told him how Jesus would protect her.

Then came the day that the men in the prison rioted. The Mandarin summoned Gladys. "You go into the prison and find out what's wrong."

"Me?" Gladys stammered.

"Yes, you!"

"Why me?" she asked.

"Because you have told me that your God will protect you."

Gladys realized that this was where the rubber met the road. If she really believed that God was in control of all things, including the days of her life, then she would walk into that prison full of rioting criminals.

And so she did.

Because of her bravery in marching right in there and telling the men to stop, she found out that the men had nothing to do. She organized work for them, procuring looms so they could weave cloth and sell it. She made sure they had proper food and clothing. She made a difference in their lives.

I don't know if I will ever be called upon to stand up in a dangerous situation for my faith. I do pray that if the time comes, I will be able to testify that God is true, and that He is able to protect me.

And so He is.

Good out of Evil

We serve a Beautiful God. His attributes are astounding. He is slow to anger, rich in mercy, and His loving kindness is better than life. His steadfast love endures forever.

In Zephaniah's day, the people had turned away from God and were serving idols. They had begun chasing after false gods, living unrighteous lives, oppressing the poor, and living a life of syncretism. A bit of Yahweh, a bit of Milcom (Molech), a bit of Baal. See Zephaniah 1:4-6. Let's just keep all of the bases covered, they thought.

God was not pleased. He saw the officials like roaring lions; He saw the judges like evening wolves. Fickle prophets, profane priests, unjust men who knew no shame. He warned them that He was about to bring judgment down on their heads. He was sick of their wicked ways, sick of their unjust dealings, sick of seeing their hearts turned far from Him. "I will bring distress on mankind, so that they shall walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the Lord; their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them on the day of the wrath of the Lord."

But all is not lost. Chapter 3, verses 9 - 20 outline the Conversion of the Nations and the Joy and Restoration of Israel. God will "change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech". He will remove the proudly exultant ones and leave in their midst a people humble and lowly. These ones would do no injustice and speak no lies.

God is always in control, and He is always able to bring good out of what we perceive to be evil. Remember the story of Joseph? His brothers meant to harm him by sending him with the traders... but God meant it for the good of His people.

When Elijah was serving God, he thought he was the only one who loved God. The land was so wicked that there were no other prophets to be found. Yet God opened Elijah's eyes to see hundreds who had not bowed the knee to Baal.

In our day, there is plenty of corruption. People are listening to "New Age" vain philosophies. They are buying the lie that children are a burden instead of a blessing. They read their horoscopes instead of seeking God through His word. They believe that "love is what matters", so homosexual unions must be fine, because they "love each other".

But there has always been, and always will be, a remnant. God will always have His people - those who know that apart from His grace, they are undone. They realize that God is in their midst, and that He is mighty to save. Nothing will thwart His will.

I am a moderator of the Patriarch's Wives, an online group that seeks to have a Titus 2 ministry among women who love the Lord and their husbands and children. Our list owner, Stacy, has written books explaining how women can fulfill their calling to be keepers at home, even in this day and age. Because she is part of the remnant, there are always those naysayers who want to criticize her. Women who hate the message she brings that there is joy in serving one's family from home, and that it is possible to do so, have been writing negatively online for some time.

But God is able to bring good out of evil.

One of the newer members of our group wrote this:

I have learned so much from reading the posts here. I
often think of a question and you answer it before I
even get around to writing it. I am very grateful to
be here and constantly have a sense of God working in
my life through your words. I wanted to let you know
that, even though I am not writing much, you are
helping me. I appreciate it and I praise God for
bringing me here.

(It is a great example of God bringing good out of
evil. I learned about Stacy's blog from the writing
of people criticizing her and attacking her that made
me curious to check it out for myself. I was won by
her sweetness and devotion to God to become a regular
reader of her blog and occasional mentions there of
this mailing list brought me here.)

So, in spite of the wicked gossiping and character assassination that Stacy has endured, one woman at least has been doubly blessed. She has learned more of what it means to be a Titus 2 woman, and she has had her heart turned to God's word.

Just as in Zephaniah's day when God brought judgment on the haughty but raised up the humble, God is judging the haughty of this day. I have no doubt that He is rejoicing over these humble ladies who are serving Him with all their hearts, with gladness. (Zephaniah 3:17)