Noogies and the NDP

I couldn't help myself. I was sitting in the chiropractor's office this morning, waiting for my turn, and passing the time reading the opinion page of the London Free Press.

I laughed right out loud.

It was a Monte Solberg opinion regarding what is happening with the Canadian Election. Monte makes it plain that he thinks Stephen Harper is the best man for the job of the Prime Minister of Canada.

He doesn't think much of Dion's Green Shift, or his "green collar workers".

But the best part of the whole opinion piece was his thinking regarding Jack Layton:

Sometimes Jack also comes across as way too pleased with himself in a way that makes you want to give him a noogie .

Duck, Jack! There are lots of Canadians who have their knuckles ready!

Thinking about Tyrants

I am still pondering ways to teach my children about governments - good and evil. This morning I read Psalm 2:

The Reign of the Lord's Anointed

1 Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us burst their bonds apart
and cast away their cords from us.”

4 He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord holds them in derision.
5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
and terrify them in his fury, saying,
6 “As for me, I have set my King
on Zion, my holy hill.”

7 I will tell of the decree:
The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.”

10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

I am sure that it's not a coincidence that after studying monarchy, democracy, anarchy, plurality, totalitarianism, communism, etc., the Lord guided me to this Psalm. It's a great reminder of Who is in Control!

I'm sure the most wicked dictators (we discussed Idi Amin, Adolph Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Joseph Stalin) thought they were in control, but He Who Sits in the Heavens laughs, and holds them in derision. I see Jesus in this Psalm, not as a gentle Saviour, but as the God of Glory, clothed in brilliant light, and terrifying. This is the God whose wrath is quickly kindled. This is the God before Whom we tremble.

But the last phrase of the Psalm reminds me of my position in Christ. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him! This God who is awesome and terrifying, all-knowing and all-powerful, is the same God Who is my Heavenly Father. I do take refuge in Him. And I am truly blessed.

I picture it like this: Imagine a monarchy back in the time when Kings were all-powerful. They assumed divine right, so if they disagreed with someone, it was a simple step to command, "Off with his head!" Now imaging that King finding out that a treacherous traitor was in the room. His wrath is kindled; his face aflame with fury. He bellows, and everyone in the court trembles.

At that moment, the prince comes running in to see his father. Unaware of what has just taken place, he scurries up to the throne, exclaiming, "Look, Father! See what I have found!"

His father's countenance softens, and he picks up his son, looks at the little treasure, and murmurs a few words before sending him on his way.

The King of Fury is the same Loving Father. If you know Him as your Abba, Daddy, you are truly blessed.

While pondering tyrants, I came across this post, discussing Gestapo Homeschooling Moms. It hit home, not that I am a Gestapo Mom with others' families. I am well aware of the grace of God in my life. But I fear that sometimes I am a Gestapo Mom with my own children. In my quest to have order and do everything right, I forget to simply love.

Lord, make me aware of tyrants, not only in history, but also in my own home. I am much-forgiven and much-loved. Help me to daily forgive much and love much in return. May I be the hands and feet of Jesus, simply loving my husband and my family, and letting the Holy Spirit be the One who convicts them of their own sin. I have enough of my own sin to worry about.

The Big Storm!

Ha!

It was SUPPOSED to be a horrendous mess, but what we experienced in Huron County was really just an ordinary winter day. Ice pellets made the roads very slippery, but there wasn't near as much snow as was forecast, and the wind wasn't howling (which always reminds us that this old house leaks!) so it was a great opportunity to stay put and get a lot done.

That we did. We started with a general clean-up through the house. Linda made waffles for breakfast, and accomplished that with no eggs or sugar, so we were able to eat them, even though we're still on that elimination diet. After that, we organized some big cupboards in the kitchen, moving food from one cupboard to another, and getting rid of all plastic containers that were missing lids. By the time we were finished the organizing, it was time for lunch. Jared made a stir-fry.

We cleaned the kitchen, put roast chicken and roast beef in the oven (diet - some of us can't have the beef - sob!) then headed to our Great Room for some serious studying.

I am determined to teach our children about Canada's government. We discussed the different forms of government, such as democracy, monarchy, pluralism, communism, totalitarianism, etc. It's always fun to hear how much the children understand about how governments work and about how our leaders were elected. Of course, the Sovereignty of God came into the picture, and our children made it clear that they understand that God is the One Who ordained government (Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed) so people would have order instead of anarchy.

We discussed elections, and which forms of government have elections. I needed a way to explain that people in communistic countries, even when allowed to vote, have no real choice. In one of those "Aha!" moments, I told Christopher this:

"Imagine voting is like choosing a piece of fruit to eat. In Canada, I can choose a banana, an apple, an orange, some grapes, a kiwi fruit, etc. In the same way, when I go to vote I can choose a New Democrat, a Conservative, a Liberal, a Communist, a Green Party member, a Christian Heritage Party member, etc. I have lots of choice, and each of those is different!"

"On the other hand, if I were in a communist party, I would be given a choice of a Red Delicious apple, a Jonagold, a MacIntosh, a Courtland, a Granny Smith ---> But I would really have only one choice: an apple! In the same way, the candidates in a truly communist country would all have the same ideas, the same values, and the same goals."

I think the kids have a better appreciation for the freedom of choice we have in this country. I certainly do!

There'll always be critics...I am one ;)

I was watching "An Interview with the Prime Minister" today, in which Prime Minister Stephen Harper was interviewed by Lloyd Robertson and Robert Fife. There is a synopsis of the interview ">here.

The journalists seemed somewhat antagonistic at the beginning of the interview, pressing the prime minister on certain issues to the point of sounding obnoxious. However, Stephen Harper clearly was unflappable. Critics in the past have accused him of being boring. He doesn't fly off the handle like Pierre Trudeau, who enjoyed getting a reaction with his rude comments and behaviour. He is in no way as colourful or "proud" as Jean Chretien(his words). What I like about Stephen Harper is his integrity, and his quiet assurance that he has a job to do and is bound and determined to do it, come what may.

In one instance Mr. Harper was asked about charges of "excessive control."

"You know, I guess my some 20 years in this business convinces me there are only two kinds of prime ministers," he said. "There are prime ministers in control of their government and those that aren’t. And in either case you’re criticized, but I’d rather have the criticism of, you know, leading from strength than leading from weakness."

Mr. Roberston: "You prefer to run a tight ship."

Mr. Harper: "Well, we prefer to run a disciplined organization."

It is far better to have a leader who knows how to lead. I'd rather have a prime minister in control of his government than one like Lester Pearson, who just didn't know what was going on most of the time. He was a nice guy, well-liked by everyone, but because he was a mediator at heart (he won the Nobel Peace Prize) he didn't like to displease anyone. A person like that makes a fine ambassador, but a poor Prime Minister.

Stephen Harper is a leader. He is a man of integrity who strives to never do something that would cause him to lose sleep at night. He honours his parents, valuing his mother's opinion about current events in Canada, and speaking well of his now deceased father. He honours his marriage vows, and speaks highly of his wife. He honours his commitments to lower emissions, to continue in Afghanistan as was promised, to work with the people of Quebec within the country of Canada. He is an honourable man.

The Bible tells us to pray for those in authority over us, and to recognize that leaders of nations are raised up by God. I am thankful that God has blessed Canada with a man of integrity as its Prime Minister.

We would do well to pray for him daily, in 2008.

Ontario Election

In my opinion, the election was lost at the starting gate by John Tory's proposal re education funding.

1. It upset the public school supporters because they see the problems in the school system and erroneously conclude that more money is the answer. Why would they want money sent elsewhere?

2. It upset Hindus and other religious groups because they don't want to be "brought into the fold." They are different, and intend to remain different.

3. It upset many Christian schools and homeschooling families who see it as a slippery slope. They provide an alternative to the public school for a reason: they want to have a different curriculum. To hold out a carrot (here's money, folks) that hides a big fat stick (change your curriculum to come in line with the public school curriculum) is dishonest and causes many to be wary.

We all know that Dalton McGuinty has broken all of his promises. But this one issue, brought forward at the very beginning of the campaign, killed the election for the Conservatives.

It's a shame.

I do hope that the next leader of the Progressive Conservatives (and I DO recommend that there is a leadership change) will actually listen to the people of Ontario at the grassroots level. With the unpopularity of the funding issue, one has to wonder who came up with the idea? Some executive types in a boardroom somewhere, I think. Certainly not the average Conservative Ontarian.