Souljourn

I agree

I share this author's perspective on considering November 11th a holiday.  It is a day off for most. but I don't think it should be considered a day for ourselves.  It is a day to remember.  A day to reflect, and a day to honour.

Is it really just another day off?

Lest We Forget  

We remember

Here's the story behind the song:

On November 11, 1999 Terry Kelly was in a drug store in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. At 10:55 AM an announcement came over the stores PA asking customers who would still be on the premises at 11:00 AM to give two minutes of silence in respect to the veterans who have sacrificed so much for us.

Terry was impressed with the stores leadership role in adopting the Legions two minutes of silence initiative. He felt that the stores contribution of educating the public to the importance of remembering was commendable.

When eleven oclock arrived on that day, an announcement was again made asking for the two minutes of silence to commence. All customers, with the exception of a man who was accompanied by his young child, showed their respect.

Terrys anger towards the father for trying to engage the stores clerk in conversation and for setting a bad example for his child was channeled into a beautiful piece of work called, A Pittance of Time. Terry later recorded A Pittance of Time and included it on his full-length music CD, The Power of the Dream. 

Thank You to the Royal Canadian Legion Todmorden Branch #10 and Woodbine Height Branch #2 for their participation in the Video. 

Please visit www.terry-kelly.com

Lyrics: A Pittance of Time
Written by Terry Kelly
Published by Jefter Publishing

They fought and some died for their homeland 
They fought and some died now its our land 
Look at his little child, theres no fear in her eyes 
Could he not show respect for other dads who have died? 

Take two minutes, would you mind? 
Its a pittance of time 
For the boys and the girls who went over 
In peace may they rest, may we never forget why they died. 
Its a pittance of time 

God forgive me for wanting to strike him 
Give me strength so as not to be like him 
My heart pounds in my breast, fingers pressed to my lips 
My throat wants to bawl out, my tongue barely resists

But two minutes I will bide 
Its a pittance of time 
For the boys and the girls who went over 
In peace may they rest, may we never forget why they died. 
Its a pittance of time 

Read the letters and poems of the heroes at home 
They have casualties, battles, and fears of their own 
Theres a price to be paid if you go, if you stay 
Freedom is fought for and won in numerous ways 

Take two minutes would you mind?
Its a pittance of time 
For the boys and the girls all over 
May we never forget our young become vets 
At the end of the line its a pittance of time 

It takes courage to fight in your own war 
It takes courage to fight someone elses war 
Our peacekeepers tell of their own living hell 
They bring hope to foreign lands that the hatemongers cant kill.

Take two minutes, would you mind? 
Its a pittance of time 
For the boys and the girls who go over 
In peacetime our best still don battle dress 
And lay their lives on the line. 
Its a pittance of time 

In Peace may they rest, lest we forget why they died. 
Take a pittance of time 

I'm left speechless, and I'm supposed to be a voice

I am glad that organizations like this exist...although I wish there was no need for them.  Their existence does not get me off the hook from having to be a voice and force for justice in our world.  The Bible is very clear - '..speak up for those who can not speak for themselves...' (Proverbs 31:8)

Food for thought

I came across these quotes today.  I hope they make you uncomfortable.

 

Eggs, gutters, insulation and a pressure washer

What do these four things have in common?  I'm glad you asked.  

This Saturday we are starting something new with the men in our church and I think it is going to have a big impact inside and outside the church.

We are going to meet one Saturday a month for breakfast and then we are going to split up into groups and go out into the community to do some basic maintenance, repair, and service projects for people who otherwise couldn't do them.  

We have been in contact with some of the service organizations in the area and they have told us that they often receive requests for these types of issues but don't have the ability to respond to them.  Well their problem is now our opportunity!

I think this will give us guys an opportunity to better connect around some projects and know that we are doing some very valuable service for others (as well as an excuse to get some new tools!).

The Bible tells us that kindness leads to repentance (Romans 2:4) so we believe that by showing kindness to those around us in extremely practical and necessary ways there will be a softening of their hearts toward Jesus Christ.  If the world is ever going to know that God is good it is only going to happen through our displaying His goodness.  I have a BIG problem when we approach the world through protests, accusations and condemnation, and in fact, so does God.  He expressly told us in John 3:17 that Jesus did NOT come into the world to condemn it but to save it with a message of good news, and then in John 20:21 we are told to go into the world in the same way Jesus did.  

So if you're in the area we start this Saturday morning at 8am and by 8:45 we should be heading off to our respective 'job sites'. 

The truth isn't sexy

This is the name of the new ad campaign the Salvation Army has launched to raise awareness about the sex trafficking that goes on right under our noses.  I applaud them for their boldness in presenting the situation accurately without the cultural 'sheen' that often gets applied to the sex trade.  You can find out more about their campaign here.

I think this is one of the ways we live out Proverbs 31:8 - "...speak up for those who can't speak for themselves...'

We will be talking about prayer this weekend.  This is certainly reason enough to increase our prayers. (not that all we do is pray but we must start there)

Here are some of their ads:

Complete Understanding

Here is another proverb I read this summer that challenges me.

Proverbs 28:5 - Evil people don't understand justice, but those who follow the Lord understand completely.

There is a pretty wide range of topics that I have a basic level of familiarity about.  Not enough knowledge to engage deeply in them, but enough to carry on a casual conversation.  The list of subjects that I am actually knowledgeable about is much smaller than those I am simply familiar with, but it's probably still a good size list.  But I don't think I can come up with an issue that I would say I 'understand completely'.

So when I read this proverb and it informed me that I should understand justice completely that really caused me to pause and consider.  

There is no way I will ever understand something completely if it doesn't even register on the radar of my life.  Even if it happens to make it to a place of awareness in my mind, but remains on the periphery of my life, at best all I could say was that I was familiar with it.  If I make it an annual tradition in my life and revisit it on a regular basis my knowledge would significantly increase, but I still don't think I could honestly say I would understand it completely.

If I am going to understand something completely it is going to require a constant level of attention and action.  It is going to need to move from the periphery to the priority.  An infrequent dabbling, an annual tradition, or a periodic project will never see me arrive at the place of complete understanding.

So I have to ask myself.  Where does the issue of justice register on my radar?  Is it something I am familiar about? Knowledgeable about? Or do I understand it completely?

Now before I head off and begin googling 'justice' in an effort to increase my comprehension, the answer to my predicament is found in the same proverb --- what I have to do is follow Jesus.  My pursuit isn't for more knowledge about an issue, it is for a deeper relationship with a person.  The closer my relationship with Jesus is, the more I will understand justice.  It will not be an understanding gleaned from the pages of a textbook, theoretical knowledge is never complete, it will be a comprehension fully shaped by my active involvement in the issues that Jesus involved Himself in - reaching out to the poor, setting captives free, rescuing those who were being oppressed (Luke 4:18)

Justice isn't a theory, it's a person, and His name is Jesus.

One last Proverb on my way out...

Proverbs 31:8 "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, ensure justice for those being crushed." 

What kind of a God does the world see?

I saw this picture and just had to say something.  Placards like the ones shown in the picture incense me.  I can't believe people would put something like that on a sign and then take it to the streets for people other than themselves to see. 

Two rights NEVER make a wrong.  I do not agree at all with what Dr. George Tiller was involved with as a late term abortion doctor.  I can not for one second understand how he reconciled his personal faith with his actions.  The Bible very clearly upholds the value of life, and life begins at conception. (click here for more information on the story if you are not familiar with the murder of Dr. George Tiller.)

But while I don't agree with his actions, neither do I agree with the actions of the individual who confronted him at his church and ended his life.  As I see it, one murder does not justify another.  And then for some to claim this was an action motivated by God?  Are you insane?

I am saddened for the lost lives of God shaped babies that never saw the light of day.  I am saddened for the lost of Dr. Tiller's life.  And I am saddened that the baggage for these actions gets attributed to God.

I believe in the sanctity of life.   I believe marriage is between one man and one woman.  I believe same sex relationships are sinful.  

I don't believe in waving a placard in the general publics face with an angry look on mine.  I don't believe in marching against someone.  

I believe that God's kindness will lead people to repentance and God's goodness will overcome evil and guess what?  The Bible say it is so...

Romans 12:21 - Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Romans 2:4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?

As Christians I think we still need to work at finding our voice in society and I pray we don't land on an angry, condemning voice that presents a God this way.  

 

Speak Up! (well not for you)

 "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, 
       for the rights of all who are destitute.

 Speak up and judge fairly; 
       defend the rights of the poor and needy."  Prov. 31:8,9

This is a pretty clear call to be a voice of justice.  There's not a lot of wiggle room to avoid this mandate so I was surprised when I read this news story that opens with the statement: "The more often Americans go to church, the more likely they are to support the torture of suspected terrorists..."

Now I know that we can't take everything we read in the news at face value, and certain news outlets are very obvious in their bias, but let's just consider this for a moment.  With the statement that Evangelical Protestants (that's us) are the most likely (of religious groups) to say that torture is justified an interesting question is raised for those of us who have been given the charge of upholding justice --  "Are we willing to sacrifice justice for one in the attempt to secure justice for many?"  

I know that you can get statistics to say almost anything you want, and it may not have been a big enough survey, and CNN is not a particularly faith favouring news(?) outlet, but lets not let those issues get us off the hook.  What are our thoughts on justice?  And more importantly, what are our actions for justice?

It is easy for me to point fingers at other people and say that they shouldn't do what their doing, or they should do more to help others, but what I really need to do instead of pointing fingers is to take a look in the mirror.  And then the question is, 'What am I doing about issues of justice?'  

Over the last couple of years as a church family we have been able to really raise some awareness about issues of justice in our world.  We have looked at the mandate of God's Word and the reality of our world and seen the stark contrast.  We have taken steps forward in serving our community and world as a force for justice.

We need to take more.