Food for Prayer
As well as wiping out more than $20 billion in stock-market value overnight
CBC's newsmaker of the year, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, advocates
sending the homeless to prison....
Looks like there's a few things to pray about here
CBC's version: http://www.cbc.ca/cp/business/061228/b122847A.html
A University of Alberta student fascinated by a small pocket of evangelical Cree in Northern Alberta is breaking new ground and challenging traditional ways of anthropological research.
Clint Westman, a PhD candidate in linguistic and cultural anthropology, found a small population of Pentecostal First Nations in the semi-isolated communities of Trout Lake and Peerless Lake 500 kilometres north of Edmonton while studying the 2001 federal census.
Vatican denounces Saddam's execution
Last Updated: Saturday, December 30, 2006 | 9:25 AM ET
CBC News
A Vatican spokesman on Saturday called Saddam Hussein's execution "tragic"
and said it could escalate the fighting in Iraq.
"The killing of the guilty is not the way to reconstruct justice and
reconcile society," Rev. Federico Lombardi said in a statement. "There is
rather the risk that it might fuel the spirit of vengeance and sow the seeds
of new violence."
Lombardi said the Catholic Church has repeatedly and clearly expressed its
opposition to capital punishment.
"A capital punishment is always tragic news, a reason for sadness, even if
it deals with a person who was guilty of grave crimes," he said.
In an interview published in an Italian daily earlier in the week, the
Vatican's top prelate for justice issues, Cardinal Renato Martino, said
executing Saddam would mean punishing "a crime with another crime."
Human rights groups have also condemned the execution. Zahir Janmohamed,
Amnesty International USA's advocacy director for the Middle East and North
Africa, called it a "missed opportunity and justice denied," particularly
for Iraq's Kurdish community.
read more: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2006/12/30/saddam-reaction-sat.html
Inner-City Voices
Community-Based Solutions
State of the Inner City (Winnipeg) Report: 2006
CANADIAN CENTRE FOR POLICY ALTERNATIVES - MANITOBA
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/documents/Manitoba_Pubs/2006/
State_of_the_Inner_City_2006.pdf
Interesting blog....here's another spin to consider...In light of Lk.16
where the two masters are God and Money. Read Lk 19 as if the master is
Money. It changes the whole perspective. Just a suggestion, but it helps
us with the whole "shrewd" issue ie. crafty and devious almost deceptive.
The NRSV sheds a different light. If the master is Jesus then we have to
resolve His character with the 3rd servant's summary of him.
cheers...have fun with this one...
Priests to get soccer tournament in Rome to infuse sport into religion
Published: Friday, December 15, 2006 | 10:39 PM ET
Canadian Press
ROME (AP) - The Vatican is getting ready to battle it out with priests in
Rome. On a soccer pitch.
The inaugural Clericus Cup will kick off in February 2007 with the Vatican
one of 16 teams taking part. The final will take place in the Italian
capital at the end of June, organizers said Friday.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/cp/Oddities/061215/K121511AU.html
In the parables about the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son, Jesus speaks about the idea that ".there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance (Luke 15:7)." It is a cause for celebration when one joins the kingdom. In the parable of the lost son (15:11-32) the father tells the oldest son that "Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found (15:31-32).'" Ethically speaking then we should also be concerned about, show mercy towards, and also celebrate the return of those once lost to the Kingdom.
Read the parables: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2015&version=31
(Mark 4:10-12, Matthew 13:10-17, Luke 8:10)
Jesus is recorded as using parables many times in the scriptures. More than one third of his recorded teachings are parabolic in nature. These "sayings perform the classic function of Hellenistic histories of interpreting the meaning of the narrative"*1 as a whole, particularly in Luke. In all three accounts of this parable, the parable about the sower, Jesus tells us directly his purpose for speaking in parables before explaining it directly to his disciples.
It is interesting that Luke records Jesus as saying in verse 10, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but to others I speak in parables, so that 'looking they may not perceive, and listening they may not understand.'"*2 The reference to the "secrets" (mysteria, v. 10) that they have been told, "occurs in this context in all three Synoptics. Mark 4:11 uses the singular form mysterion; and Matthew (13:11), like Luke, includes the word "knowledge" (gnonai, lit., "to know"). Only in this situation does mysterion occur in the teachings of Jesus."*3 This then is significant.
Also significant in this sub-section is the fact that others are not meant to understand -as is stated in Mark's account of Jesus discourse - "so they may not turn again and be forgiven (4:12)." There is a certain irony to this in the fact that the disciples themselves in Mark's gospel often seem to be the one's who don't understand.
About the Parable of the Sower then: this is a parable that should mean something to its original audience. Israel was indeed a story-telling culture and, at the time Jesus spoke this parable, an agrarian society. The possibility that the seed may fall on each of the kinds of ground should ring true to them: the good ground, the thorny ground, the places where the soil was shallow over limestone rock, the path - in first century Palestine, instead of a fence between each man's field, there would be a narrow well-beaten path, like the one mentioned in the parable; these were often as hard as pavement. People would have been aware of this. "Jesus' parables draw upon the familiar world but the familiar is used in a new way."*4 Those listening then should have been able to listen, hear, and understand this parable. However, they could not necessarily. This is an irony that is inherent to the parable; we can only hope that the truth of this parable - and Jesus' parables in general - will not be lost on us today.
Click HERE to read the Parable of the Sower in Luke (8:1-15) and see what it says for yourself...
Canada's official opposition has just selected Stephan Dion, a former Minister of Environment for its leader. He has a dog named Kyoto. This got my mind thinking about God's commands about the land (specifically relating to Palestine) in Leviticus 25, 26.
The land itself shall enjoy its Sabbath rest (25:2, 26:34,35) just as man is commanded to (Exod. 20: 8-11, Deut 5:15), and as God did (Exod. 20:11, Gen. 2:3). If the 'tenants' (25:23)fail in their responsibility to carry out that duty, then the owner of the Land -who cares about His land- will remove them from it. And He did remove Israel: "He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power. The land enjoyed its Sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfilment of the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah. (2 Chronicles 36:20-21)." The land is the LORD's. He cares about His land and therefore so should we.
Any thoughts about this or what it means for us here today - if anything- e-mail me at ramsay@havelock-viha.com
"The nation of Israel...was a theocracy. God was the Head of the nation. He had chosen Israel and had promised in that period to channel his saving grace particularly through that nation...To Israel he gave his revelation through the prophets. To Israel he gave the order of true worship at the tabernacle and temple. God dwelt in the midst of Israel and at last became incarnate as a Jew of Nazareth. Therefore, in Israel things that we call sacred and profane were mingled together. Before the monarchy much of the secular administration was in the hands of the priests. There was no separation of church and state."
(Expositor's Bible Commentary)
"In a sense Israel had a kind of communism. The wealth was partially redivided every few years... This was the communal sharing that works well in a family where all have the strongest ties of love and interest...Israel, like the early church, was a community of people united in worship of the true God and sanctified in him. In times of revival, at least, the bulk of Israel's citizens would have been God-fearing men and women earnest in obeying God's law."
(Expositor's Bible Commentary)
How's this for a discussion topic? Anybody have any thoughts on this?...send me an e-mail: ramsay@havelock-viha.com
Yet another perspective...
From Holiness and How to Get It!
by Andrew Bale
the Journal of Aggressive Christianity (JAC):
. Holiness is both possible and essential ('without holiness none shall see the Lord!)
. Holiness makes Christians fruitful and effective
. Holiness leads to revival
. Holiness is conditional upon
- Conviction
- Renunciation of all that is sinful and doubtful
- Consecration (absolute surrender)
- Obedient faith
. Holiness is the work of God not man
. Holiness brings about complete and instant deliverance from sin (Holy people do not sin)
. A holy life is exemplified by a love for God expresses in practical love for others
Read whole article: http://www.armybarmy.com/article3-46.html
JAC Home: http://www.armybarmy.com/jac.html
| Margery Garraway |  | |
GARRAWAY, Margery (Marge) Margery passed away peacefully on November 28, 2006 at the age of 90. Margery was born in Silver Stream, Saskatchewan. She was predeceased by her loving husband Francis and her brother Allan. She is survived by her son Lyle (Mary) Garraway, her daughter Linda (Keith) Ramsay and her sister Joan (Neil) Christensen. Gramma Marge played an important role in the lives of her grandchildren: Dale Garraway, Helene (George) Hayek, Renee (Paul) Kelly, Michael (Susan) Ramsay and Lorinda Ramsay. Margery was so proud of her seven great granddaughters: Amanda, Miranda, Rachel, Rebecca, Sierra, Sarah-Grace and Abigail. Margery will be missed by her many friends, especially Jo White and Ina Harris. She, also, leaves behind her sisters-in law Nellie, Alice, Pat and May (Don), as well as many nephews and nieces. Margery and Francis lived in Flin Flon, Manitoba; Colonsay and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; and Victoria, BC. They owned grocery stores in Colonsay and Victoria. In Victoria, Margery worked at Woolworth's, Kelly Douglas and Sears. Margery was very involved in many activities at First Baptist Church. Her faith was important to her. It was a comfort to know that she was going to be welcomed Home when she closed her eyes for the last time. The family would like to thank the many people at Esquimalt Pharmasave, John Alfred Manor and Mount Tolmie Hospital who helped to ease Margery through her final months. We thank you all so much! You were so supportive to us all! A memorial service will be held during the Christmas holidays to allow her family and friends to say goodbye. The time and place will be announced at a later date. Condolences may be offered to the family at www.mccallbros.com 321190 Published in the Victoria Times-Colonist on 12/2/2006. | ||
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Issues relating to Chinese government policies with regard to development, international cooperation, and the role of religion in building a "harmonious society" were addressed by World Council of Churches (WCC) general...
"Jesus Christ, on whom the church is founded, intended for all to have fullness of life. Building peace in the world and helping others have fullness of life is therefore fundamental to us as Christians."
Whenever a Canadian news outlet uses Statistics Canada numbers to say a certain percentage of Canadians are "below the poverty line," the federal agency makes it clear that its numbers say no such thing.
Statistics Canada sends off letters stating that its low-income cut-off (LICO) figures are not a measure of poverty, but of income inequality. Despite this, many media companies and poverty activists use the LICOs as the country's "unofficial" poverty line.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/economy/poverty-line.html
RELATED:
The Parable of the Wicked Tenants appears to be an elaboration upon Jesus' answer to the Pharisees' question about where he derives his authority (Matt 21:23-27, Mark 11:27-33, Luke 20:1-8). His original response is recorded in the form of a question: "Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?" (Matt 21:25, Mark 11:30, cf. Luke 20:1). It is a masterful way for him to avoid the verbal trap laid by the Pharisees and in the process ambush them. When the Pharisees realise that a trap has been laid for them in return, they attempt to sidestep it by not responding to the question at all. This elicits from Jesus, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things (Matt. 21:27, Mark 12:27, Luke 20:8)." He nonetheless offers a parable -or parables as the case may be- in response.
Click here to read the parable: Matthew 21:33-46
What then is the meaning of the parable of the wicked tenants? In all three accounts Jesus explains the meaning of this parable with reference to the cornerstone or capstone: "Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the scriptures: "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is amazing in our eyes'? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people [ethnos] that produce the fruits of the kingdom. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls (Matthew 21:42-44; cf. Mark 10-12, Luke 20:17-18)."
Some have argued that this passage refers to Israel itself being replaced, however, the evidence rather "indicates that the parable concerns the leadership of Israel. Matthew contends that the tenant farmers, not the vineyard, must be replaced. In this light it seems unwise to take ethnos in 21:43.as a reference to the Gentile Church.it should be understood in its most basic sense as 'a group of people,' in this case the leaders of the Jewish Christian community (Daniel J. Harrington, 304)."
Jesus then, in all three of these parables, is telling the religious leaders that "the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him (Matt. 21:31-32)." And this theme was not lost on the religious leaders for ".when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet (Matt 21:45-46)."
Sadly, "the pericope ends with magnificent yet tragic irony (v. 46). The religious leaders are told they will reject Jesus and be crushed. But instead of taking the warning, they hunt for ways to arrest him.and so trigger the very situation they have been warned about - a dramatic example of God's poetic justice. God in the Scriptures foretells this very event; and these men, prompted by hatred, rush to bring it to pass (Frank Gaebelien, B.V. 4.0.2)."
Canada's Hundred Days
Canada's Hundred Days refers to the last 100 days of World War I, from 4
August to November 11, 1918. During this time period, the Canadian Corps of
four divisions fought several battles against approximately one quarter of
the Imperial German Army on the Western Front, all with decisive victories.
Along with the battles of Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele, Canada's Hundred
Days cemented the reputation of the Canadian Corps as a tough and
professional fighting force amongst its allies and foes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada's_Hundred_Days
The day Canada honours the sacrifices of the First and Second World War and
Korea is also the anniversary of a battle that saved the country from an
American invasion during the War of 1812. And as the First World War slips
from living memory into pure history, how Canadians have marked the other
Nov. 11 from our military heritage -- the 1813 Battle of Crysler's Farm --
offers a sobering glimpse of the future of remembrance.
http://www.havelock-viha.com/FPNov11AmericanInvasion.html
InterVarsity sues to hire Christians
A Christian organization has filed a federal lawsuit against the University of Wisconsin-Superior, asking that the campus chapter of the group be reinstated and allowed to apply religious criteria in selecting its leaders.
In February, the campus chapter of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in Superior, Wisconsin, was told by school officials that because it required its club officers to be Christian, it would no longer be officially recognized by the university.
InterVarsity leaders are required to "sign a statement of faith" and "agree to live in accordance with it," according to an InterVarsity spokesman. The school claimed that requirement violated the University of Wisconsin's anti-discrimination policy.
InterVarsity-Superior, however, contends in it lawsuit that UW's position denies any religious organization the ability to maintain its own identity. In an interview with Associated Press, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship president Alec Hill says it implies restrictions on other clubs as well -- such as vegetarians.
"The Vegans have to accept meat-eaters as leaders?" he wonders. "I mean, if you're going to have a meaningful group and [one] that takes a viewpoint, it only makes sense that the student leaders subscribe to that viewpoint."
Hill says the requirement that officers be Christians is essential to the group's identity and mission. "If we were forced to have non-Christian leaders lead our groups, we would no longer be a Christian mission -- it's that simple," he tells AP. InterVarsity-Superior contends the university's policy violates several constitutional rights, among them religious and free-speech rights as well as freedom of association and self-identification of organizations.
The group also believes the policy conflicts with a recent federal appeals court ruling that forced Southern Illinois University to reinstate the Christian Legal Society despite its requirement that members pledge to adhere to Christian beliefs.
A press release from InterVarsity explains that while anyone -- Christian or non-Christian -- can be a member, those elected to leadership positions are required to subscribe to basic and historic tenets of the Christian faith.
(AgapePress)
q 1) Why would a Christian organisation be forced to non-Christians. That makes no sense. Are Tories forced to hire Liberals or vice versa?
q 2) Lawsuits? Are they okay for Christian to be involved? (probably yes in this case - I think - as the prohibitions seem to be limited to suing other Christians but maybe not...'someone asks for your cloak...', etc)
any thoughts: ramsay@havelock-viha.com
Iraqi Christians join exodus from violence-torn land
Agencies monitoring Iraq's shifting population say that many people are leaving the country altogether, some fleeing indiscriminate violence and others deliberately targeted because of their faiths.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2006/11/03/iraq-refugees.html
Copyright 2006 CBC All Rights Reserved
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
Read the whole chapter on-line: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=50&chapter=3&version=9
Have read through the Bible in a year on-line: http://www.havelock-viha.com/journal.htm
we've added some new blogs to our blog role lately. (If you can't see the side panel on the left of your screen, click the link on the right of your screen that says 'view sidebar') One we just added is SHELLROCK!
---
Michael Ramsay
Herald of the Good News
"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thess 5:16-18 TNIV
We're going to help with the festival this weekend. Anybody have any
comments on this?
Apologize to Muslims, Winnipeg groups urge U.S. evangelist
Last Updated: Friday, October 20, 2006 | 11:44 AM CT
CBC News
As Franklin Graham prepares to host thousands of Christians at his Central
Canada Festival in Winnipeg this weekend, some local Christian groups are
planning an opening-night rally calling on the popular U.S. minister to
apologize for comments he has made about Islam.
"This is a highly appropriate time for Rev. Graham to retract comments of
what amount to hatred of people because of their religion," Aiden Enns,
organizer of Operation Bless Our Enemies, said Thursday.
"He would be seen as a bright light of forgiveness and also humility, and
it's very strategic for him to make an apology at this time."
Operation Bless Our Enemies is a twist on Operation Bless Our Troops, the
name of a website the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association runs to send
prayers and inspirational material to soldiers "faithfully defending
freedom" in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the Graham website.
Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in New York and Washington, Franklin
Graham, son of televangelist Billy Graham, has denounced Islam as a "very
evil and wicked religion."
Read more:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2006/10/20/graham-protest.html
Submissions for sessional logos have started coming in...we've had some submitted from as far away as Australia (from Cadet Chris). If you have any suggestions or images, we invite you to submit them to herald@sheepspeak.com
Thanks!
FORMER CLC Communications Director,
Cadet Michael
Cadets,
The next two Saturdays help is needed to paint the Booth Centre....
|  | |||||
From Project Ploughshares
http://www.ploughshares.ca/
Internationally verified reports tell us that, since 2003, the ongoing tragedy in Darfur has resulted in more than 200,000 civilian deaths; the displacement of upwards of 2 million people from their homes; the employment of systematic human rights abuses, including rape and sexual assault, as instruments of war; and the restriction of humanitarian aid.
The Darfur Peace Agreement signed in May 2006 raised hopes that this negotiated process would begin the complex but necessary task of addressing the immediate situation of threatened civilians and the underlying grievances in this armed conflict. Unfortunately the situation in Darfur has become worse since May.
Read more: http://www.ploughshares.ca/libraries/Statements/DarfurLetterOct06.pdf
 |
The report, released by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's office on Thursday, concludes that violence against children is widely accepted as normal and occurs in every country, every society and every social group.
"We knew children were victims of violence, but even so it was very surprising and shocking that it was so widespread," Mehr Khan Williams, the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, told reporters Thursday.
"It cuts across cultures, income levels, education levels. No country is immune from it."
Food for Prayer....
Our struggle here is like the Battle of New Orleans.
The War is over. The foe has been defeated. The battle, however, still rages.
Even though the enemy has been defeated, there can still be a lot of casualties from ill-advised self-initiated battles.
(Originally published here on May 25, 2005)
2 Timothy 2:3-4 (NLT)
"3Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4And as Christ's soldier, do not let yourself become tied up in the affairs of this life, for then you cannot satisfy the one who has enlisted you in his army."
This is important for me to remember...It is so easy and tempting to worry about business, or politics, or name your distraction...
(originally posted May 29, 2005)
ILO:
The elimination of child labour is a global cause which must be embraced by all actors in society. It is only through an integrated and combined approach that child labour can be permanently eradicated and working children and their families provided with viable alternatives. Education and social mobilization are important to achieve this goal, for it is only by informing people and spurring them to action that real and lasting change can be brought about.
Read more: http://www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/ipec/themes/education/exl.htm
BBC:
An Indian government ban on children working as domestic servants or in roadside food stalls comes into effect on 10 October.
A senior official in the Labour Ministry, SK Srivastava, says, "Children under 14 are vulnerable to physical, mental and even sexual abuse. Their exploitation goes unreported and unnoticed inside the closed confines of homes and food stalls."
Mr Srivastava says anyone found violating the ban will be penalised under the Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act of 1986 and punishment can range from a fine to imprisonment.
According to the ministry, the ban will affect 185,000 children working as domestic help and 70,000 who work in roadside food stalls
Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6034203.stm
Under Turkish law, the penalty for possession of child pornography is a prison term of five to 10 years.
Are you doing what he demands of you who has sent you into the world, and to whom you will soon return? Are you doing what be wills? Are you doing his will, when as landowner or manufacturer you rob the poor of the fruits of
their toil, basing your life on this plunder of - the workers, or when, as judge or governor, you ill treat men, sentence them to execution, or when as soldiers you prepare for war, kill and plunder?
---
From 'Repent ye for the Kingdom of Heaven is near' by Leo Tolstoy
I don't usually read film reviews, but click the picture to read one on Empire by Warhol - mr
So, our Christian walk - is it more like Empire Strikes Back or Empire - Think about it...
Maybe, I'll show something like this for chapel...(-:
PS - Don't forget to your daily rations: http://www.drwas.blogspot.com/
I stumbled across this again on armybarmy. Thanks very much for re-running it!
----
Thanksgiving in Canada was celebrated 43 years before the pilgrims landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts!
Canadian Parliament: Thanksgiving would be "a day of general thanksgiving to almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed."
http://www.kidzworld.com/site/p2614.htm
Canadian Thanksgiving:
The origins of Canadian Thanksgiving are more closely connected to the traditions of Europe than of the United States. Long before Europeans settled in North America, festivals of thanks and celebrations of harvest took place in Europe in the month of October. The very first Thanksgiving celebration in North America took place in Canada when Martin Frobisher, an explorer from England, arrived in Newfoundland in 1578. He wanted to give thanks for his safe arrival to the New World. That means the first Thanksgiving in Canada was celebrated 43 years before the pilgrims landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts!
For a few hundred years, Thanksgiving was celebrated in either late October or early November, before it was declared a national holiday in 1879. It was then, that November 6th was set aside as the official Thanksgiving holiday. But then on January 31, 1957, Canadian Parliament announced that on the second Monday in October, Thanksgiving would be "a day of general thanksgiving to almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed." Thanksgiving was moved to the second Monday in October because after the World Wars, Remembrance Day (November 11th) and Thanksgiving kept falling in the same week.
Another reason for Canadian Thanksgiving arriving earlier than its American counterpart is that Canada is geographically further north than the United States, causing the Canadian harvest season to arrive earlier than the American harvest season. And since Thanksgiving for Canadians is more about giving thanks for the harvest season than the arrival of pilgrims, it makes sense to celebrate the holiday in October.
Please remember to offer thanksgiving to almighty God this weekend for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed.
I was reading a little bit about the Korean War today, the US provocation of China in this matter, its threat to 'nuke everybody' and all the people who died there....I wonder why N. Korea wants nuclear weapons? With US presidents invoking the name of God in their crimes, I wonder why Christianity 'never took' north of the line? Is this similar to the current mid-east struggles?
Closer to home, in our personal lives, do we represent ourselves - and Christ - any better than a reckless superpower? Just asking, that's all...
(The opinions expressed in this blog are at most - but not always necessarily - the opinions of Michael Ramsay. Blame me alone. - MR)
Canada adding to 'tragic' conditions of Palestinians: UN official
Last Updated Tue, 26 Sep 2006 15:10:06 EDT
CBC News
Canada is partly to blame for allowing human rights for Palestinians to deteriorate to a new low, a UN rights expert says.
John Dugard said Palestinians are subjected to "tragic" conditions in Gaza and the West Bank.
read more:
href="http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/09/26/canada-palestinians.html" target=_blank>http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/09/26/canada-palestinians.html
Pope prolongs suspense about limbo
Last Updated: Friday, October 6, 2006 | 1:04 PM ET
CBC News
Contrary to expectations, the Roman Catholic leader had failed to say anything about abolishing the idea of a not-heaven, not-hell where babies who die unbaptized, among others, spend eternity.
The Vatican's International Theological Commission, which has been studying the matter, is widely expected to come down against limbo, which came into Catholic thinking in the 13th century.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2006/10/06/pope-limbo.html
Vatican: http://www.vatican.va/
"I think the difference between [President]Chavez and most others ...is that Chavez is seeking to win, and we are instead seeking, as often as not, to avoid alienating pundits or to even appeal to them. We are seeking to avoid annoying anyone we like, or anyone we might like, or who might like us. We are seeking to avoid looking odd to anyone, or to avoid making a mistake, or to avoid seeming shrill and angry, or self serving, or passionate. And we need to transcend all that." - Michael Albert
Think about this quote from and evangelistic Christian perspective: any thoughts? ramsay@havelock-viha.com
Conservatives Put Canada's Most Vulnerable on Chopping Block
September 26, 2006
The Liberal Opposition today blasted the Conservative government for cutting $1 billion in funding that targets the most vulnerable Canadians, despite reporting a near-record surplus of $13.2 billion for 2005-06.
"The vindictive, mean-spirited cuts targeted at the weak, the needy, the vulnerable and the marginalized in Canada ..." said Liberal Leader Bill Graham.
read more: http://www.liberal.ca/news_e.aspx?id=11928
Not wishing to prejudice our readers for or against any Canadian political party in this space at this point in time, I invite you to see what any of the political parties have to say about this or other issues: http://www.elections.ca/content.asp?section=pol&document=index&dir=par&lang=e&textonly=false
MARTIN MITTELSTAEDT
From Saturday's Globe and Mail
Print Edition 23/09/06 Page A1
Bottled water has never gone down smoothly with many environmentalists, who view it as an extravagantly wasteful way of quenching a thirst, but the product is facing criticism from an unexpected source - religious groups.
Some churches in Canada have started to urge congregants to boycott bottled water, citing ethical, theological and social justice reasons. Bottled water, they argue, is morally tainted and should be avoided.
Part 3 - Howard
A number of us are committing to send money regularly to support our fellow 'Heralds', the Thistles, working at The Salvation Army's Howard Hospital in Zimbabwe. Feel free to contact me ( ramsay@havelock-viha.com ) or Jimmy if you would like to join us in this endeavour.
Michael
Part 2 - Communion
I don't think that I will take part in a 'love feast' anymore - at least not
one that doesn't actually have a feast (and unless of course protocol or
authority mandates that I must). It is too confusing for simple people like
me who have had some very meaningful experiences around 'communion' growing
up.
Not that there is anything wrong with a 'love feast' but I think I'll save
myself for communion - should the day ever come when I can have it openly in
the Army.
Warning: No offence to anyone. If the Lord speaks to one through 'love
feasts' of what ever form, shape, or size, go for it. If you want to take
communion outside the corps, go for it (provided that that is okay under O&R
and everyone else involved).
Caveat: this entry should not reflect on anyone. My fasting of this
expression (and this comment) is purely a personal decision - and I reserve
the right to change my mind about all of this on command, request or
reconsideration.... (-:
Sex trafficking.
We have just seen all kinds of stats about the number of people who are
trafficked every year for the sex trade. I was doing some mental number
crunching re: supply and demand - the number of consumers must number more
than 1 billion. That is scary. Maybe that is where we should spend a lot of
prayer and effort. Praying for the consumers (as well as the traffickers and
the trafficked victims) who are enslaved by their sin.
Maybe we should also be proactive in demanding that our governments do
something about it: we can control people's access to it on the internet -
China does. The US recently (last year) demanded that we expand our
pornography market under the Free Trade agreement - neither the government
of the day (Liberal) or Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition (Conservative) voted
in favour of challenging them on it....more and more sexually explicit acts
and ideas are becoming more and more commonplace on TV and movies - how many
of us are encouraging this through our viewing and purchasing habits?
Just some thoughts that I had sitting in chapel today...
