GENEralities

For myself:

Lord, today I turn my back on death and evil. Instead, I choose life and good that I and my children may live, loving you, the LORD my God and holding fast to you, for you are my life and length of days.

For others:

Lord, may N(&N) turn away from death and evil today. May she/he/they choose life and good that she/he/they and his/her/their children may live, loving you, the LORD his/her/their God and holding fast to you, for you are his/her/their life and length of days.

O, yes!!

Deuteronomy 30.15, 19

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The granddaughters have just returned from their Disney cruise.

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My Sabbath is on a Wednesday this week. Some interesting bits from my blog reading this morning:

More Anglican good news

…this time from The Rev’d Dr. John W. Yates II who lists the good things about Anglicanism. At its best, Anglicanism:

1. is Biblical
2. is Sacramental
3. is Evangelical
4. is Liturgical
5. is Worldwide
6. is Charismatic
7. is about Accountability (we have bishops)
8. is Musical
9. Engages society and the world us
10. is Prayerful
11. is a Community of Grace
12. loves Children
13. loves Beauty

All here (H/T VirtueOnline).

What Marriage and Leadership Have in Common

In our Sabbath devotional this morning, Jude and I read this:

Contrary to hundreds of Hollywood romance movies, marriage is not primarily designed to make us happy. God is not primarily interested in our happiness, but in something deeper and more lasting: our holiness. Or we might say that God is so interested in our long-term happiness — our eternal joy, which only holiness leads to — that he reserves the right to sacrifice our short-term happiness to ensure we receive it.

Ditto for leadership. Kevin Miller, here.

The Anglican Covenant

The excellent ANGLICAN DOWN UNDER has a good point about the living with an Anglican Covenant and whether or not it can work:

Is homosexual practice compatible with Scripture? Some say No, some say Yes. But together we have not yet agreed to one of two things which would accord with a common approach to truth: either that it does not matter if an open contradiction on this matter is a feature of Anglican life, or that it matters that there is an open contradiction but nevertheless we can live with the contradiction.

That’s the question. Wise Kiwi. All DOWN UNDER here.

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A few days ago Archbishop Mouneer Anis, Primate of Jerusalem and the Middle East, resigned from the Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion. Archbishop Anis is a wise and faithful leader in the Anglican Communion. There are many quotes from his letter of resignation throughout the blogosphere, but I’ve not found anyone who quoted this bit; the conclusion of his letter of resignation:

O, yes!

His whole letter, which is worth the read, is here.

Don’t you love the way, whenever Anglicans make a solemn declaration of something, they number all the paragraphs? So decently and in order. 

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A wee nugget from the Ottawa Citizen’s David Warren on Wild Rose Country. Alberta is

where all the sane people seem to have congregated for a last stand.

A wise man from the east. And to think that it’s Epiphanytide. All here.

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…further to my last post. Isn’t she a beauty! Owner, one Annie Thomson, at the wheel.

Are my brother’s knuckles white? Or is that just an illusion?

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My brother, Don, is now the house artist for Historic Racing Drivers Magazine, a new publication in New Zealand. Last weekend at  Hampton Downs Motor Racing Park near Auckland, he and my brother-in-law, Deryck, represented the magazine at the NZ Festival of motor racing, the biggest classic motorsport event in NZ history, with some 350 cars entered from the UK , USA, Australia and NZ. Look at these beauties:

The car in the foreground is the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup race winning Darracq powered by a 4 cylinder 14.5 litre motor. Brother Don got to do 4 laps as riding mechanic. No seat belts, just a couple of brass handles and a foot rest off the chassis. He was supposed to pump the engine oil as he rode, but he was too busy hanging on. He’s still flying. He’s also doing a painting of it here.

Deryck aboard Nuvolari’s 1935 Alfa Tipo C GP in which he, if I’ve got it right, won the 1935 German Grand Prix which many think was the greatest victory in car racing of all times and which ticked the Third Reich off, big time. This car is still raced.

Don (looking smug) in a Sunbeam Brooklands special (270 bhp with a 12.5 litre V12 engine) which he got to drive around the car park.

Gorgeous. Those were the days.

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Bob Davisson, President of Lifeline Haiti, spoke at StB this morning. His is an amazing story of growth in ministry; from 1 to 13 schools in 4 years now serving 4,300 Haitian children. Lifeline Haiti pays the teachers, provides food, uniforms and books for the children. The earthquake, of course, has caused huge problems. Lifeline Haiti water trucks are now being used to deliver water in earthquake stricken areas by the Canadian Military. Bob is still waiting to hear about the fate of 2,300 of those 4,300 children.

Lifeline Haiti website here.

Lifeline Haiti blog here. Bob provides daily updates on developments over there.

Containers of needed material will be heading out from Medicine Hat shortly. They’re still receiving donations. Here’s what they need:

Medical

Blankets, Sheets Bandages, Medical Tape SterileGauze, Soap Crutches, Canes Latex Gloves Work Gloves, Dust Masks Water Purifiers Cloth Diapers Sanitary Napkins

Equipment

ATV Generators Portable Welders Water Pumps (gas/electric) Gas Cut Off Saws Come-along, Winches Chop Saws, Grinders Pallet Jack

Tools

Shovels, Picks, Axes Crow Bars, 4’ Pry Bars Hammers, SledgeHammers Hand Saws, Hack Saws Straw Brooms, Push Brooms Brick Layer and Concrete Trowels Large Bolt Cutters, Re-bar Shears Sewing Machines Construction Staplers/Staples

Supplies

Full Boxes of Nails and Screws Tarps/Heavy Gage Poly Rope, Duct Tape Hinges, Door Handles Lumber, Wood Pallets Industrial Size Cooking Pots Large Ladles, Spatulas Vitamins, Dry Protein

Towels and Wash Cloths

Immediate Relief items Needed for Haiti

Lifeline Haiti is hoping to collect and ship as many of these items as they can, to assist in the relief and rebuilding of Haiti.They accept new, or used, but do ask that items are in good working order because of the cost of shipping. Small, light weight items can be dropped off at ABC Country Restaurant (Redcliff Drive SW) – OR – M&M Meat Shops (Northlands Shopping Center) in Medicine Hat. Any hardware/tool items can be dropped off at A&B Steel (30th Street SW). Large or heavy items can be picked up by volunteers. Please contact John Devine, (Director of Relief) and lifelinejohn@hotmail.com or 403-928-0241.

If you need information about any other items not on the list, feel free to contact John Devine, lifelinejohn@hotmail.com. Donations by cheque will receive a tax-deductible receipt by mail. Personal donations will be matched by the Federal Government. New equipment accompanied by sales receipt will receive taxable receipt to the donor. Used equipment and tools valued over $500.00 can also qualify for a taxable receipt (leave info).

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Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof…

We are not worthy to have you come into this hospital room or even to ask you for this,

…but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. (Mt 8.8)

…and my family member, my friend, my parishioner, will be healed.

O, yes!

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I listened to more Resurgence on my last drive to Calgary and one of the speakers reminded me that a defining characteristic of life is reproduction. If a church is to stay alive, it must reproduce. So I looked “life” up in Wikipedia:

Life (cf. biota) is a characteristic that distinguishes objects that have self-sustaining biological processes from those that do not—either because such functions have ceased (death), or else because they lack such functions and are classified as “inanimate.”

No processes, no life. No life processes and a parish becomes nothing but an inanimate thing, nothing but a building. Just as a living creature must have self sustaining biological processes at work in it to be alive, so a parish must have self sustaining spiritual processes at work in it to be alive.

In biology, the science of living organisms, “life” is the condition which distinguishes active organisms from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, functional activity and the continual change preceding death.

If a parish is a “living organism,” it has the capacity for growth (spiritual and physical), functional activity (ministry) and continual change (from glory to glory). For a parish, however, healthy change leads not to death, but life eternal. Consistent refusal to change, on the other hand, may well lead to death.

As for a parish, so for the individual members of that parish.

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