My Favorite Part of Handel's Messiah

For many people listening to or going to see Handel's Messiah performed is part of their holiday traditions. Although it is not part of my holiday traditions, it is something I very much enjoy. I have heard it performed live with full accompaniment once, but do not have a version of it on CD at this point. For many people the high point of the Messiah is the Hallelujah Chorus. I have sung it when I was in choir in high school, but it was never my favourite. This is my favourite:

Wonderful Hymns

I am always looking for new, theologically sound worship music. I say that because there are so many contemporary worship songs that while generally good, are often not that deep and sometimes have things with theologically are questionable. Well today while reading over at the Ref21 blog Phil Ryken posted a link for Church Works Media. I went there to see what I could see, and what did I find but selection of wonderful new hymns which seem to be fairly easy to sing. Best of all, they have wonderfully deep content that points one to the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ. If you are interested, I encourage you to check it out.

Take Comfort, God Is Coming -- Isaiah 40:1-11

Life is filled with trouble. Where can a person find comfort? In this sermon we look at what Isaiah 40 has to say in answer to that.

Frustrating

I have been working on tiding up the video/digital audio recording area in the church I serve. To achieve that I needed to put a table up there, and with a little searching I found one in a storage room in the basement of the church building. However, after dragging it upstairs, by myself (I did it alone by choice, I work better at things like this alone). I started to unfold the legs only to discover why it had been in the storage room in the basement rather that out in the fellowship hall being used. The one leg was broken. No problem I though, it is metal and I have a welder I can just weld it. So I took it off the table, brought it home, and got out the small MIG welder. After getting everything set up and cleaning the area that needed to be welded, I geared up to start welding, and . . . the wire wouldn't feed. I checked the tip (sometime it can get welded to it) but it was free. Checked a few other places, and could not figure it out. Tried re-feeding the wire, it jammed, and jammed and jammed until it actually came out near the welder ripping the sleeve. Frustrated I went inside. After a rest I got the welder and tried again inside with my darling wife's help. The wire fed through. I took it back to the garage to weld. It jammed. Then I saw the problem, the tube it should go through had somehow come loose. After a little fiddling I got it jury rigged to work and got the welding done. Thank-you God. Now I still need to get the legs back on the table, and get things organized. I also need to take the welder back to Princess Auto and see if they will stand behind their product. Now to see if I can find the receipt.

Canadian Political Crisis

As I write this the three opposition parties made up of the slightly left of centre Liberals who garnered the lowest popular vote in the history of their party because of their weak leader, the NDP, a highly socialist party whose economic stands were attacked by all parties in the recent election as dangerous to the health of Canada's economy, and the Bloc Quebcois, a party whose only vote base is in Quebec and whose primary goal is the separation of Quebec from Canada; have decided to form a coalition government and over through the minority Canadian Progressive Conservative party.

Here are my thoughts. First, I am tired of the opposition parties and their supporters saying that the Conservatives are partisan. Of course they are, but what the other parties and their supporters seem to be completely blind to is that they are just as partisan in their stand. The issue is not being partisan. In fact if the person I elected to parliament was not partisan I would start to wonder why I voted for them. I want them to stand on their ideology. I voted for them because of that, and I assume those of other political views voted for their candidates because they supported their ideology. If that was not the case, why did you bother to vote. Second, I am tired of the repeated statement that the majority of Canadians who voted did not vote for the Canadian Progressive Conservatives. That is a meaningless number unless the parties in the attempted overthrow had run on the possibility of forming a coalition, especially a coalition with the Bloc Quebecios. Based on many of the poles out there, there are many Canadians, including those who voted for the Liberal and NDP who are unhappy with this coalition because either they see it a compromising the ideas of the party they supported or they see it as making the BQ the power brokers in this country. Not something that anyone who is a federalist would consider a good idea.

Moving on, I am dead set against this coalition. First and most importantly because it will give a party that is merely regional and which has as its primary goal the destruction of Canada by having Quebec separate from Confederation. The Liberals used to be lead by staunchly federalist leaders such a Pierre Elliot Trudeau. While I disagreed with those leaders on many points of policy, I agreed strongly with them in their federalist stand. However, it seems that all that has went out the window. Federalism means nothing if the current leader and members see a way to take power, even if that means getting in bed with the BQ. Listening to Stephan Dion responding to that point today on CPAC made me realize he is either horribly blind to what he is doing to the point of being deluded, or he simply does not care that this move will give power and impetus to the sovereigntist movement in Quebec.

Second, the coalitions is proposing a supposed economic stimulus package focused mainly on the auto sector and the forestry sector. What this does is beg the question, how precisely this will stimulate the economy? I would assume it would be meant to keep the big 3 auto companies producing cars so they don't temporarily or permanently close factories and that the forestry industry can continue to harvest trees and produce lumber. My question is who is going to purchase these vehicles and this lumber? The vast majority of what we produce in both of these areas is produced for consumption South of the border. Until the USA gets their economy to the point where the people can get loans to purchase cars and build houses no matter what we produce it will not have any market and will do nothing but drive prices down further.

Third, at this point Canada is the envy of the other developed countries because our economy is weathering this world wide economic "crisis" so well. We are one of the few who is still seeing growth, small though it be, in our economy in spite of the fact that our economy is highly dependant on export to countries who are in recession or who are seeing negative economic growth. We have much stimuli in the economy already thanks to the foresight of the current government, and while additional stimuli may be needed that would be the business of a budget which is well thought out, not an economic update.

Finally, the thing that has these three parties and their supporters so angry was the proposal to remove the $1.95/vote support from tax monies for political parties in Canada. In other words, they want their entitlement. I realize some will say this is how we can avoid large corporations from influence pedalling, however, is that really the case. We already has limits on donations that can be made by corporations or individuals, and that is a valid way to limit that sort of manipulation. Additional rules in that area might be needed, but the $1.95/vote will do nothing to stop that. Even more than that, it seems that the Liberal party has shown a great many ways to get money to themselves in the past in less that legal ways. In fact that whole scandal was part of the reason they were voted out of government. Their concern is that they will lose what they see as their entitlement. However, they are not entitled to this money. It belongs to the Canadian tax payer and should never have been given to any political parties. Besides, why should tax payer money go to support a party that wants to destroy the country. Parties should raise their own monies from their own supporters. If they are not willing to give, then perhaps they are not a committed to that party as they claim to be.

I am hoping to get out and protest this travesty of a coalition that makes the BQ the power brokers. I have no issue if they bring down the government, but if they do I want an election to see if they still have the support of their base now that they have cozied up to the BQ. Right now the only thing uniting these three parties is their loathing of Stephen Harper, if they get him out of power there is no unity in their ideologies so ultimately they will fall to a confidence vote.

Go to Rally for Canada to see where protests will be held this coming Saturday (December 6th.) I'm planning on being in London, ON in front of City hall to show my opposition to this coalition.

Also, consider writing a respectful letter to the Governor General of Canada. A good template can be found here.

Living Out The Truth -- 3 John 1-8

Living Out The Truth -- 3 John 1-8

Sinners Who Want to See God -- Isaiah 64:1-9

Many people, whether they believe in God or not, desire to see God come down and do something. However, if God were to come down, that coming would result in something they don't want, because all their wrong doings would be shown for what they are. So how can a sinner who want to see God ever do so?

Sinners Who Want to See God -- Isaiah 64:1-9

Last Week's Sermons

I didn't get these done last week, and when I did get them converted into MP3 files, I did not take the time to upload them. However, as I was doing today's AM sermon, I posted last weeks as well

The Surprise Dividing Line -- Matthew 23:31-46

Warning Against False Teachers -- 2 John 7-13

We Had More Snow

The forecast for the last two days, and to a lesser extent for today was snowsqualls off the lake. For some places near us they were calling for 50 centimeters (that is almost 2 feet) by today. Not only did they get that already yesterday, but they have gotten more today.

We got our share as well. I don't know the exact amount, but there was about a foot and a half in the driveway this morning to clear out. Thankfully we have a snowblower.

Here are some pics.

First one of our backyard:


Now look at this wonderfully happy dog:


Now a pic of the front through the window:


And finally a pic of the vehicles in the driveway:

I Wish This Was In The ESV

Since the English Standard Version came out, it has grown to be one of my favorite translations. I am looking forward to someday getting an ESV Study Bible, and then I stumbled upon this. For those of you familiar with Jonathan Edward's Blank Bible, this is very similar. What Edwards would apparently do is take a Bible and remove the binding, then insert blank pages between all the pages and get it rebound. That would allow for lots of space for taking notes. Well, now we have something like that in the NIV. I just wish something similar was available in the ESV because, frankly, wide margins are not enough room for me.

http://www.sermoncloud.com/bethel-reformed-church/walking-in-the-truth-means-walking-in-love----2-john-4-6/

This is the second in a series of sermons on 2 John. Sadly the first sermon was not recorded due to technical difficulties.

When the truth is on the line our desire should be to defend the truth. However, as we defend the truth we can often do so in the wrong way. Not in holding to and defending the truth, but in doing so in a unloving manner. Instead, we must live in the truth and live in love.

Living In The Truth Means Living In Love -- 2 John 4-6

How Should Christians Respond To Persecution -- Psalm 83

Today the congregation I served participated in the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. As we did so we considered how we as Christians should first and foremost respond to persecution.

How Should Christians Respond To Persecution -- Psalm 83

A Resident Who Probabably Won't Be Resident Long

I noticed this rather interesting resident in our house a while back. I snapped some pictures, and showed Annette. That was probably not wise as she hates spiders in the house, and will probably end this one's life eventually. However, I kind of like the look of him/her. As far as I can determine this is an Orb weaver spider, but if someone knows differently, I would love to know. BTW, they are harmless to humans.

This Morning

Last night we went to bed with snowsqualls actively happening where we live. This is what we woke up to this morning. I know some people will hate this, but I think it is beautiful. My mine will probably change by February or March though.

And They Call This Global Warming!

Today is the 28th of October. Throughout the day we have had snow mixed with rain. Now I look at the Environment Canada weather website and this is what I see:

Weather warnings in several counties including ours.

And it isn't just any warning, when you click on the counties with warnings, this is what you get:

Goderich - Bluewater - Southern Huron County
3:22 PM EDT Tuesday 28 October 2008
Snowsquall warning for
Goderich - Bluewater - Southern Huron County issued

Significant snow squall event setting up for tonight and Wednesday.

This is a warning that snowsqualls are imminent or occurring in these regions. Monitor weather conditions..Listen for updated statements.



Although Halloween is still three days away..Some frightening weather is beginning to appear already.

An east coast storm is intensifying as its centre heads from western Massachusetts to just east of Montréal this evening. Periods of rain will change to snow heavy at times this evening over eastern Ontario. Snowfall amounts of 10 to 15 centimetres are expected in this district before it eases off somewhat later tonight then tapers to a few flurries on Wednesday.

Strong northwest winds of 50 gusting up to 70 km/h tonight in combination with the snow will create hazardous driving conditions due to snow and blowing snow with low visibilities especially when the mercury edges just below the freezing mark. Also any residual leaves left on trees may create additional concerns of snow-laden limbs affecting power lines.

Farther west..Strong cold northwest winds blowing over the relatively warm waters of the Great Lakes will set up significant snow squalls. Scattered wet flurries or showers are currently falling to the Lee of Georgian Bay and Lake Huron this afternoon but will intensify this evening and gradually change to snow away from the shorelines. Showers will linger near the shorelines.

Two main bands will set up. One will stretch from near Grand Bend to London and St Thomas. The other will come ashore from Georgian Bay near Wasaga Beach and affect communities southeast to Newmarket.

Snowfall amounts in the squalls will locally reach 15 centimetres tonight with additional similar accumulations possible on Wednesday. Amounts may be somewhat less in the Newmarket area..Closer to 10 cm tonight and 5 on Wednesday.

Strong northwest winds of 30 gusting 50 km/h will cause local whiteout conditions in squalls. As a result driving conditions will become quite hazardous due to very low visibilities and icy roads.

Then a glance at the local radar:


Yup! This is global warming alright. Man made too. Good thing I like snow.

Keep Away From Idols -- 1 John 5:21

Wrapping up our study of the 1st letter of John, we looked at his closing statement.

Keep Away From Idols -- 1 John 5:21

Christ Alone -- Acts 4:11-12

This Reformation Sunday we looked at how salvation is in Christ alone.


Christ Alone -- Acts 4:11-12

I Can Identify

I read this today and have to say I can identify. There are times when it very much seems that I am one of a very small number in our denomination, our Regional Synod, and even our Classis. I know I am not alone, as there are a others in the Classis and I know in the Regional Synod and the Denomination who share these same thoughts and feelings. However, they are scattered about, and that leaves one feeling alone in the wilderness. I echo the thoughts of the author, who points out it is for this reason the Banner of Truth Minister's Conference is so refreshing to me as well. It is a place where I meet other ministers who, although they come from many denominational backgrounds, all share the commitment to the doctrines of grace and the authority and sufficiency of scripture.

Tool Definitions

This made me laugh, because for the most part it is all too true:

DRILL PRESS: A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your beer across the room, denting the freshly-painted part which you had carefully set in the corner where nothing could get to it.

WIRE WHEEL: Cleans paint off bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench with the speed of light. Also removes fingerprints and hard-earned calluses from fingers in about the time it takes you to say, ''What the...??''

ELECTRIC HAND DRILL: Normally used for spinning pop rivets in their holes until you die of old age.

SKILL SAW: A portable cutting tool used to make studs too short.

PLIERS: Used to round off bolt heads. Sometimes used in the creation of blood-blisters.

BELT SANDER: An electric sanding tool commonly used to convert minor touch-up jobs into major refinishing jobs.

HACKSAW: One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board principle. It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion, and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal your future becomes.

VISE-GRIPS: Generally used after pliers to completely round off bolt heads. If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.

WELDING GLOVES: Heavy duty leather gloves used to prolong the conduction of intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.

OXYACETYLENE TORCH: Used almost entirely for lighting various flammable objects in your shop on fire. Also handy for igniting the grease inside the wheel hub you want the bearing race out of.

TABLE SAW: A large stationary power tool commonly used to launch wood projectiles for testing wall integrity.

HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK: Used for lowering an automobile to the ground after you have installed your new brake shoes, trapping the jack handle firmly under the bumper.

EIGHT-FOOT LONG YELLOW PINE 2X4: Used for levering an automobile upward off of a trapped hydraulic jack handle.

E-Z OUT BOLT AND STUD EXTRACTOR: A tool ten times harder than any known drill bit that snaps neatly off in bolt holes thereby ending any possible future use.

BAND SAW: A large stationary power saw primarily used by most shops to cut good aluminum sheet into smaller pieces that more easily fit into the trash can after you cut on the inside of the line instead of the outside edge.

TWO-TON ENGINE HOIST: A tool for testing the maximum tensile strength of everything you forgot to disconnect.

CRAFTSMAN 1/2 x 24-INCH SCREWDRIVER: A very large pry bar that inexplicably has an accurately machined screwdriver tip on the end opposite the handle.

AVIATION METAL SNIPS: See hacksaw.

PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER: Normally used to stab the vacuum seals under lids and for opening old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and splashing oil on your shirt; but can also be used, as the name implies, to strip out Phillips screw heads.

STRAIGHT SCREWDRIVER: A tool for opening paint cans. Sometimes used to convert common slotted screws into non-removable screws.

PRY BAR: A tool used to crumple the metal surrounding that clip or bracket you needed to remove in order to replace a 50 cent part.

HOSE CUTTER: A tool used to make hoses too short.

HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

MECHANIC''S KNIFE: Used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard cartons delivered to your front door; works particularly well on contents such as seats, vinyl records, liquids in plastic bottles, collector magazines, refund checks, and rubber or plastic parts. Especially useful for slicing work clothes, but only while wearing them.

DAMMIT TOOL: Any handy tool that you grab and throw across the garage while yelling ''DAMMIT'' at the top of your lungs. It is also, most often, the next tool that you will need.

HT: Dafrogtoad at AstroSafariVans.com

Three Things We Know II -- 1 John 5:18-20

Knowing how Christ has changed those who believe, and what the world is really like is the focus on the second of the things we need to know as believers in Jesus Christ.

Three Things We Know II -- 1 John 5:18-20

Three Things We Know I -- 1 John 5:18-20

What we know affects how we live. As John draws his letter to a close, he points to three things that we need to know to stand firm.

Three Things We Know I -- 1 John 5:18-20

In God's Image -- Genesis 1:26-31

What makes human beings special? What sets them apart? In Genesis 1 we find the answer, they are made in the image of God.


In God's Image -- Genesis 1:26-31

She's Coming Home

In about 15 to 30 minutes, Annette will be leaving the True Woman conference in Chicago, and will be heading home. Talking to her last night she has enjoyed the conference a great deal, and has been challenged to grow through the various speakers. My hope is she has a safe drive home. It will be good to have her back, hopefully by about 9PM tonight.

Going Well

Things are going well here while Annette is off to the True Women conference. However, Justin seems to think that getting up various times throughout the night to go to Grandma's room is ok. That keeps all of us up which is not that great.

I am finding feeding the baby bunnies to be a lot of work. They are going to be 4 weeks old on Saturday, so weaning time is coming up. All of them eat well from the bottle except for one who only drinks out of a saucer. The other saucer drinker died yesterday probably because it decided eating the wood chips that make up the bedding would be a good idea.

I am off to feed them again. Then to do the rabbits outside. Then to do my regular work.

I got an e-mail from Annette and she is enjoying the conference.

We Need One Of These

I saw this video posted by a friend on facebook. Once I saw it I wanted one as we have a dog that is a real ball hound, and she is smart enough to figure this out. It would keep her busy and tired for hours.

And She's Off

So Annette is off to Chicago for a womens conference. For the remainder of this afternoon that means I will be taking care of Justin, but thankfully Grandma is able to come up and help or I would never get my sermons done for Sunday. I hope she has a good time there, and a safe drive there and back.

He Fills What Is Empty -- Genesis 1:14-25

He Fills What Is Empty -- Genesis 1:14-25

Another Episode In Simon's Cat

Praying For The Brother Who Sins -- 1 John 5:16-17

In this passage we find that the instruction to pray for our fellow believers who have fallen into sin, but with it comes the difficult to understand qualification that we should not pray in the case of a sin unto death. What does this mean, and how does it apply to praying for our brother or sister who is sinning? This sermon will look at this.

Praying For The Brother Who Sins -- 1 John 5:16-17

Form From Formless -- Genesis 1:3-13

Continuing our study of Genesis we look at the first three days of creation finding how God took the earth which was first created formless and empty covered in darkenss, and brings it to an ordered form through his word.

Form From Formless -- Genesis 1:3-13

Going Back To The Old Facebook

While I was not as opposed to the new Facebook layout as some, I did prefer the old style. There is a group that you can join which give directions on how to change back, but they are also quite self serving in having the first several instructions being joining the group and inviting your friends to join. However, you don't need to do that. Just follow the instructions below, and you should be able to go back to the old Facebook layout.

1. Use FireFox. If you don't have it, download it here.
(This ONLY works with FireFox. FireFox is a browser much like Internet Explorer and one of the most used.)

2. Install Greasemonkey found here.
(Click the Green "Download Now" button to do this)

3. Restart FireFox.

4. Install the script at this page.
To do this, just click the black "Install" button on the top right corner and it will install.

5. Go to Facebook and login normally. You should have the old version of Facebook. It might take a couple of seconds for the design to change from new to old after you log in, but it WILL.


Make sure you spread these GOOD news to the world! :D

For proof that it works, look at the photos :)

Confidence In Prayer -- 1 John 5:13-15

One thing that grows out of knowing one has received eternal life through faith in the Son of God Jesus Christ, is that a person can have confidence in coming to God. This sermon looks at that confidence and what it means for prayer.

Confidence In Prayer -- 1 John 5:13-15

In The Beginning God -- Genesis 1:1-2

This Sunday we started into a series looking at the first 11 chapters of Genesis. These chapters deal with the initial history of the world, and as with many beginnings, they help us understand more of what we see around us now.

Although we may consider it easy to do, if we think about it, it is very difficult to imagine what it would be like before the universe we know around us came into being. But the Bible is clear, there was a time when there was nothing material at all. It was only when God created all that exists, that what we know came into being. This sermon focuses on what the Bible has to say about the beginning of all things, and helps us to come to know the foundations of all things so we can understand thing better today. More than that, it points to the fact that above all else, is God from everlasting to everlasting.

In The Beginning God -- Genesis 1:1-2

The Elusive White Chipmunk

Just discovered this

We volunteered here this past May.

More Diet Coke and Mentos

I don't know if I posted an earlier video by these guys, but I liked this one as well and thought I would post it.

Got'er Done

It was a long, difficult stretch of work, but I got the van's rear end finished. The axle seals are in, the differential is closed up and filled, the air-adjust shocks are installed and working, and everything is back together. It is good to be done. The next big one will be the front end, but that can wait for a while.

It is nice to be done. I like the sense of accomplishment when the installation is all done.

Getting Closer

Today was a good day off. Now Monday's are normally my day off, so although it is a holiday here in Canada, it really does not seem like a long weekend to me.

I wanted to get the van finished, so I ran off to Canadian Tire to get the correct gasket maker (Napa didn't give me the right stuff.) I made sure the differential cover and the differential housing were both clean of the old gasket and any oil that may have gotten on them while I was working. I put the bead of gasket maker on the cover and attached it to the housing following the instructions on the tube. That required an hour wait until tightening the bolts all the way, so I took the time to start to take off the old shocks. Got one bolt loose, and then the hour was up so I tightened the bolts, showered, and we headed to London to get some bunnies, and have a picnic with my Mother.

The picnic did not turn out well . . . it started to rain, so we stopped at Wendy's. Then after picking up a bunny we headed to Mom's place, dropped off Justin, and went to Wal-mart to allow Justin some time with his grandma. After picking up a few things we headed back, picked up Justin and headed home.


Then I really went to work. I removed the old right hand shock. That was the more difficult one. I put the new shock on, but was not sure which way to face the air fill fitting, so I decided to leave it loose until I could ask some people. I moved on to the left shock. It was not too bad to remove, and again I left the new shock loose until I am sure which way to face the air fitting.

Not a bad day overall, and with maybe an hour or so of work on the van tomorrow, I should have it back running.

Almost All The Way Done

At last I found a way to get the pinion locking bolt out. It took a universal adaptor, and some shed blood, but it came out. Once it was out I realized I had a problem, because the pinion shaft would not come out.

See this picture:


Then I found out that I could rotate the whole thing by putting the van in Neutral. That would have made the whole process go much smoother. Once I got things rotated, I was able to get the bolt out, the shaft out, and remove the c-clips so the axle could slide out. After that it was easy.

Now everything is back together, but the cover is not yet back on because I am considering getting a new one because this one is much more rusted that I originally thought. That means I will have to wait until tomorrow when I can make some calls.

However, at this point the end is in sight.

O For A Six Point 5/16 Box End Wrench

Today is the day I take care of Justin. I thought while I was doing so, I would be able to get some of the work done on the van replacing the rear axle seals. All went well until . . . I found that the pinion locking nut would not come loose. I used my 5/16" box end wrench on it, but it is a 12 point, and even worse, it rounded the points of the bolt off a little bit.

Before doing more damage I thought I would see if I could find any way to get a six point socket on it. Not a chance there simply is not enough room. You can see it looking at this picture:


My only thought is to go and get a 6 point 5/16" wrench when Annette gets home.

Our Visitor

We have had a visitor since earlier this spring. She made her nest on the sill of our bathroom window, and has already raised on clutch of eggs to fledglings. She is working on number two right now and here is a picture I took of here from our back yard with my new camera.

How Can You Know -- 1 John 4:13-16

It has been a while since I posted a sermon. I have simply been quite busy, and it takes a certain amount of time to get the sermon captured on the computer, rendered into an mp3 and posted. Anyway, here is the sermon from out evening service on July 6th, 2008.

Begging Taken To An Art

Our dog Sassy has taken begging to an art. I don't even have anything to give her and she can pull this off.

Canada Day -- Fireworks

Last night we took Justin to his first fireworks display. We have not been able to go with him before because the display does not start until 10PM, and he would be in bed. Today we got him to nap so we could attend. We arrived a little after 9PM, and found a spot to sit. While we waited Justin and Annette went for a walk to see what they could see. I, having done a fair amount of work today, took the opportunity to sit, and relax. When they returned, Justin noticed some other children playing with a ball beside where we had set up, and he went off to play with them. He enjoyed it, although he still needs to learn a bit more about how to play with others.

At 10PM the fireworks started. We were unsure what Justin would think of them since he had never experienced them before. Happily, he loved them. He watched wide-eyed, and got quite excited about the whole thing. I think for him the display ran a little long--for me too to be honest. However, he enjoyed it.

Canada Day

Today is Canada Day. The day we Canadians celebrate the birth of our nation. I don't have much to say except that even with all the wickedness that is growing in this county, the growing opposition to Christianity, and the fact that we still pay about 20% more for things than those in the US even though our dollar is pretty much at par with the US dollar, I still am thankful that I live in Canada. It is a country which is free, where I can worship and preach without fear, and it is a country, that overall, wants to care for those in need.

My prayer for our country is that those Christians in this country will not trade the great gospel we are called to proclaim for the bells and whistles that will gather a crowd, and that God will send his Spirit to revive this nation bringing many to saving faith in Christ.

Happy Canada Day!

Sassy & Sparks

Sassy likes to bug Sparks. Sparks, well he just pretty much ignores her.

Global Warming and Fuel Prices -- Must Read

I was directed to this article from Challies.com, and found it well worth reading.

Weekend Update

Overall this past weekend was quite enjoyable. We went to the Hensall town-wide yard sale. While I enjoyed the Fireman's Breakfast, Annette did some shopping. By the time I was done, and found her, the sales were winding down, so we wandered a bit more, then went back to the car. It started to rain, so we drove around town only to find that many people had left the remains of their yard sale stuff at the curb for free. By the time we were done the car was packed full, so we headed home and Annette unpacked her treasures.

By the early evening we headed to Kitchener/Waterloo to visit friends. We had a good evening visiting, and Barry gave me his old drill press and bench grinder as he had replaced them. (Thank-you again Barry.)

We spent the night there, and went to worship at Riverside ARP in Cambridge. I had never been there so I didn't know what to expect. The congregation was wonderful. Both Annette and I felt at home right away, something that doesn't happen for either of us very often. The worship was good, as was the sermon. Justin even spent the whole worship service with us rather than going to the nursery. Afterward I had lots of fun talking, and was quite sad we had to leave because we had to meet with some people and get back to the place we stayed the night for lunch. I have to say, I did not realize how much I missed having people around who are our age and have children until I worshiped with Riverside. It is a congregation I very much wish I was part of.

We headed home in the middle of the afternoon, all of us very tired. Annette and I had to switch who was driving part way home as fatigue at the wheel was becoming a problem. I was exhausted by the time we did get home, and even had an afternoon nap, something I very rarely do. Even after the nap I was still very tired so I didn't do much else that day which means not only did I not get the rest of the Banner posts finished this weekend, but the reading I wanted to do in Pierced for Our Transgressions did not get done on Sunday either.

No matter what, it was a good weekend worshiping and visiting.

Banner Stuff

Our trip back from the Banner Conference went well, except for a rather long wait due to an accident in front of us. That meant getting home between 2:30 and 3:00AM. I didn't get as much sleep as I would have liked as my son was very excited his daddy was home and wanted to play once he got up. I hope to get the rest of my entries for the conference up before the weekends if up, but at the moment I am too tired to be able to think them through.

Reflecting on the conference it was quite good. I was challenged where I needed to be challenged, encouraged where I needed to be encouraged and instructed where I needed to be instructed.

The one complaint I have is that it seemed all too short. Starting last year they changed the schedule so instead of finishing with a Thursday evening session, the conference ends at about 3:30 or 4:00PM in the afternoon. I believe some of the thinking there was that there were some people who left Thursday afternoon, sometimes even a rather large number, rather than staying for the later afternoon session or the evening session. Perhaps this change was meant to encourage them to stay later. Sadly, if that was the intention, it has not worked. Many people left before the closing message, not to mention a sizable number left before the panel on preaching. As for me, I would just as soon go back to the previous format which allows for more time fellowshipping with one another Thursday afternoon following lunch, not to mention allowing for staying Thursday night at Messiah and having breakfast there followed by a leisurely drive home on Friday.

Overall, a good conference of which I am looking forward to getting the CDs.

Banner 2008 -- Day One

I know as I post this Day two of the banner has already come to an end, which means tomorrow we will be heading home by about 4PM. However, I did want to post on the events of the first day.

As is the practice of the group of men I travel with, we headed down to Pennsylvania on Monday and spent the night at a Motel 6. While there we met up with a group of ministers who traveled up from down South who pastor or serve as elders in the ARP. Together we went out for dinner where there were some excellent discussions in spite of our being tired.

The next day, day one of the Banner conference, we headed into Carlisle for breakfast at a place called Fays, and then went to Cumberland Valley Books. Having made our book purchases we headed to Messiah College. I was pretty sure I knew the way, and I actually did, but I missed a turn so we enjoyed a scenic drive in the area before arriving to register.

Registration went well, although I ordered a shirt size that doesn't fit me. I don't know if that was intentional on my part, or if I accidentally clicked the wrong box. Either way, it is an encouragement to loose weight.

The first session started at 3:30PM with the opening conference sermon by Iain Murray. He focused on the passage from John 21:15-22, in particular the call of Jesus to follow me. In this sermon he pointed out that the call to us is to follow Jesus as well. To seek to keep close to him in all our life. Usually I would take quite detailed notes, but when I hooked up my keyboard to my PDA, I found I had forgotten to install the keyboard drives after my last hard reset, so I simply listened.

One point that was made which stuck in my mind was the reason Jesus told Peter by what death he would glorify God. I had never considered why Jesus would tell Peter this, but Iain Murray pointed out that it was given to Peter to encourage him. He had denied Jesus three times, even having been warned before hand that he would do so. Just before this, three times Jesus asked Peter if he loved him which brings those denials to mind. This information on how Peter would glorify God in his death was meant to encourage him, that when the time came, he would not deny Jesus again, but instead would glorify God in his death. What a wonderful reminder of the love and care of our Saviour and Lord to encourage Peter that way.

Supper was good, and it was a time to reconnect with people I have not talked to (at least in person) since last year. I talked for a very short while with Tim Challies, and then went and sat with Peter Butler who I had not seen since last year. He is a fellow RCA minister, and it was good to reconnect.

The second message came after supper, and so I had time to go to my room, download the keyboard driver and install it. My notes are not the greatest, but hopefully they will give you a sense of the message delivered by Craig Troxel entitled "Fan The Flame" based on 2 Timothy 1:6. For some reason (probably that I forgot my binder that I usually set the keyboard on when I don't have a desk handy so it remains stable) I had a difficult time typing. I edited things up, but there are probably still a bunch of errors. The day ended with a run out to Friendlies for Ice-cream. With that, here are my notes from Craig Troxel's sermon:

Banner 2 Craig Troxel

Fan The Flame

2 Tim 1:3-7

1. The Gift

-first we need to remember this is given by the grace of God

-not something you buy or earn or purchase

-in fact we don't deserve it at all

-manifestation of the Spirit

-given for the good of god's people

-to strengthen edify build up

-not a collectors item

-or something we hide away

-all gifts are given to bring about greater purity in the church and the glory of god

-not to brag about

-but for betterment of other people

-Paul points to gift received when Timothy commissioned by the laying on of hands (1 Timothy 1:4) implies gifts are a stewardship

-they have divine origin

-yet still include human responsibility

-as they are entrusted to human hands

-Colossians 1:25 also points to this truth that we are stewards of the gifts given to us

-what a steward does is oversee what does not belong to him

-he doesn't use it for his own good

-but use it for the purpose of God

2 Timothy 4:5 gives a call to fulfill your ministry

-this call can be made because he is a steward of the gift of ministry

-remember the parable of the talents

2. Fanning the gift

-so fan into flame the gift of God

-it is something that needs to be kindled afresh

-that means it can be quenched as well

-sin lack of pray and other things can quench this gift

-even our negligence to fan it can quench it

-the call then is to not neglect it

-but instead to fan it

-lest it go out

-there is very great danger of those who have great gifts

-they can lead to carelessness

-tendency to coast rather than fan the flame of their gifts

-but great gifts bring great obligation

-so seek to excel

-people around us do this all the time

-doctors lawyers and the like

-all seek to increase their abilities

-to strive for excellence

-gifts can fail from self sufficiency

-changes we long to see can only come through a sovereign gift of grace

-yet we should always be striving to be always reforming

-rather than being satisfied with the status quo

3. Gift is of the Spirit.

-our work with all its frustrations forces us to confront our weaknesses and inability

-in doing so we are directed to cast ourselves on God again and again

-because if we seek to do fan the flame of our gift by own strength -we will fail

-we seek to do this instead by going to the source of the gift

-to God

-because we are called to kindle what we cannot inflame

-only god can do this

-so need to seek god

-this is a work of cooperation but not synergy

-so don't confuse means of doing this with the one who causes it

-the Holy Spirit

-so in calling us to fan the flame we are called to fall back on the one who gave the gift and who empowers gift

-this gift must be stirred up, cultivated, stirred up

-but while we use means to do so the one effectively working is the Holy Spirit

-the key to whole passage is this for God gave us a spirit

-not a spirit of fear

-so don't fall back into the fleshly fear and worry

-and not shrink back from declaring truth for fear of men

-or fear of failure

-or fear of guilty conscience

-that says you are unworthy

-it is true you are unworthy

-but the truth that you are unworthy is meant to make you turn to Christ not give way

-the Spirit is here typified by power

-Jesus charge to disciples to wait for Spirit in Jerusalem who will cloth them with power (Acts 1)

-this is only one of several passages in Bible that speak of the Spirit being a Spirit of power

-so the Spirit overcomes fear by his power

-enables boldness for Christ

-so we will not compromise

-this is a gift of love

-gives confidence in God

-his love for us

-comes by abiding presence of the Holy Spirit

-so we know God has not abandoned us

-this is what we need to cultivate in our church as well

-that God does not cast off those who make mistakes

-but receives all who repent

-and it is a gift of self-control

-where did Moses go wrong at Meribah

-told to speak to rock

-but he hit rock

-and did not uphold God as holy before Israel

-he acted in unbelief

-in 1 Corinthians 2:1ff Paul saw the same danger

-that people would put confidence in him if he preached the wrong way

-that they would be distracted away from God

-since he realized this danger is effected both the message he proclaimed and the way he proclaimed it

-this danger comes from forgetting we are stewards of the gift

-and it is not for our good or glory

-need self-control from spirit

-to not give into this temptation

-to be full of faith instead of full of ourselves

-showing power of spirit

-not our own sufficiency

-this is an ongoing battle

-because we are so given to self-sufficiency, arrogance, and thinking that something is ours that never belonged to us in the first place

-Spirit is a Spirit of self-control that works against this

-as we find in Proverbs 27:21, “The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and a man is tested by his praise.”

-the amazing thing is God uses our meager abilities to do something great

-he can make bad sermons bring about good blessings

-and something we think is really good and have it crumbles before our eyes

-but even this is fanned into flame

-by making us go to the Holy Spirit

-who gives what is needed to fan gift into flame

-the one who gave the gift is the one who inflames the gift

-so go in prayer that gift would be fanned for the people of God

-ministry is a work of faith

-and thus is a ministry of prayer

-go to scripture

-when see how you are the problem holding church back

-Matthew 12:20 the smoldering wick the embers are there

-Christ sees them and will not put them out

-even now they can be fanned

-because the good work Christ began will be continued Philippians 1:6

-when you ascend pulpit as smoldering wick

- Jesus can stir it into life

-for it is his work

-carried out by his Spirit

-we don't always see it

-and that is why it is a ministry is a ministry of faith

-but Satan cannot snuff this gift out

-Christ's grace is sufficient

-and his power made perfect in weakness

-so praise to him

At the Banner

I am currently at the Banner of Truth Minister's conference. I was planning on blogging the various talks, but found I had run out of energy, not to mention forgetting to re-install the keyboard driver for my PDA for the first session. I have notes from the rest of them, and will post them later tonight, but for now a bunch of us pastors are heading out for ice-cream. The conference is wonderful, and has challenged and encouraged me exactly in the areas I need.

That's all for now. I will post more later. Now for some ice-cream.

Why Can't They Do It Right The First Time?

I had a crack in the windshield of the Safari which I finally got around to having replaced. Since there is only one place in the town we live in, I thought I would help the local economy and keep my business and money in town. That was a mistake.

The place installed a new window, but when the first rain came, it leaked. He came around today to fix it while we were at the Toronto Zoo. I never should have let him at the car a second time. His idea of a fix was to slather the compound they use to seal the window along the top of the window, thus effectively sealing the window to the headliner. I have no idea if that will actually seal the window leak, but it may very well redirect the water to above the headliner. I have not seen it in the light, but it feels like a real hack job, and the attempt at a picture made it look that way as well.

I'm not sure if I want him touching the van again, as this "fix" made things look worse. I can only imagine what a third attempt might result in.

I'm not sure what my options are now, but I will take the van out for a test drive and listen for wind noise, and then I will give it a good drenching with the hose to see if there are any leaks.

I just wonder how a guy can keep in business with that sort of lack of quality. If that is typical, I would guess that word would get around town. I know even if he corrects this--I'm not sure how he could as no matter what the compound is on the headliner and I doubt it will come off--I will not be doing business with him when I replace the window on our mazda protege. He had his chance, and has lost my business and the business of anyone I talk to as well.

Any one know if the windshield can be removed and replaced without breaking it? If it can I may call around in London where there are lots of places, and see about someone else fixing his mistakes although in the long run is may require removing the front headliner and repairing it.

Some More Work On The Van

I haven't cleaned the van yet, but I did get some other work on it done. I put the summer tires on, and although they need to be replaced and I will probably do that this year, they are better than what was on there. I also replaced the centre caps with a different style. The new one look like this.

Moved The Rose Garden

So far my week has been fairly busy, just what I need for a week of vacation.

Monday, I did some work on the van. I did an oil, lube and filter, worked at changing a broken lug bolt, with little success, and started to prepare some lug nuts to switch with the ones I currently have by removing the rust and giving them a coat of paint. I got about half of them done. Then Annette and I headed to London to see The Chronicles of Narnia - Prince Caspian. We both enjoyed it, although I found I had forgotten a lot of what is in the book. I decided to read the book, which I finished today, and can say that while making an entertaining movie, the adaptation missed the main point of the book completely.

Today, Tuesday, I woke up feeling miserable. My plans were to move the rose garden and get some of the patio re-done. However, all I wanted to do was stay in bed, sleep and read. On the positive side it let me read the entirety of Prince Caspian, on the down side I didn't get done what I would like. I did get the rose garden moved, more or less, but still have to move two more roses and add some more soil to the new garden. I also received the bar code reader that Library Thing sells to help people enter their books today, so while resting I entered the vast majority of the books I have not yet added to my Library Thing. Now I am sore, I have not eaten well today, and I have more to do tomorrow.

Our plans were to go to the Toronto Zoo tomorrow, but the weather forecast is calling for cold and rain. We will make the call tomorrow, but we may have to put it off until Thursday. I also have to clean the van in preparation for our travel to the Banner of Truth Minister's Conference next week. This is not to mention I have to pick up my passport, get some US cash, and various other preparations to do as well.

This weekend we will be volunteering at the Ontario Regional Agility Association of Canada trials, so I don't expect to get much more done on Friday or Saturday.
Once again I have more to do than time to do it

I Know This Is Wrong

I know I was a reasonable high-school student, but I certainly did not pay attention this much.

You paid attention during 100% of high school!

85-100% You must be an autodidact, because American high schools don't get scores that high! Good show, old chap!

Do you deserve your high school diploma?
Create a Quiz

It is OFF

I finally got the one fender off my Sunrunner. What was holding me up were two screws that were somewhat inaccessible and quite rusted. After soaking them for a long time (weeks in fact) with penetrating oil, I finally got it off. Of course now I see all the rust that was hidden underneath, but with it off, I can now access those points and hopefully get it fixed while I am fixing the fender. This is all a learning experience and in many ways an experiment to see what I can do. Up to this point all my attempts to do body work has been quite a failure. Hopefully this will be less of a problem with the actual fender off. It certainly will be easier to get at working on it one a workbench rather than on the vehicle.

Two More Weeks To The Banner

It is only two more weeks until our group leaves for the Banner of Truth Minister's Conference. I can already feel the anticipation growing. I have been very drained from a very busy couple of months. Even when it wasn't busy, I found that I have been spiritually flat. God has been gracious in that sermons did get written every week, but each week the task became more and more difficult. Just knowing I will have some time off to recharge is encouraging. Knowing that, DV, I will be doing that under the preaching of God's word with other men who serve as pastors, elders, and those who are studying to do so, is something I look forward to even more.

Can You Say Manufactured Shortage

I was reading this article which concludes with these words,

The notion that this planet is running out of oil is one of the great misnomers of our age. There is more oil available today than there was a hundred, fifty or ten years ago. And there is every indication that this trend will continue into the future. Instead of lamenting that we are running out of it, it would be far more accurate to say that we are constantly bumping into new oil. This is why two years ago the Economist headlined an article on the topic The Bottomless Beer Mug.
The general public, however, is largely ignorant of these facts. The divergence between the conventional wisdom and reality could hardly be any wider. Profoundly misinformed and alarmed, people place false hopes in misguided alternatives. Rather than implementing harmful, inefficient and expensive substitutes, we should insist that our government lift the obstacles which prevent us from availing ourselves of this superabundant resource.

It made me realize once again how the radical environmentalist want to keep people ignorant of the facts, not to mention the oil companies that manufacture shortages by not only not building new refineries but closing refineries so they can keep the prices up with a manufactured shortage.

I Cannot Imagine Doing This

(HT: DR Brooker)

Early Bird Cut-off For Banner Coming Up

I have mentioned the Banner of Truth Conference before. I was reminded today that the early bird cut off date is May 2nd. After that the prices go up. Head over to The Banner website and sign up in the conferences section.

Engineer's Guide To Cats

Worth the 7 minutes it runs.



(HT: Challies Dot Com)

Why Are Plastic Bags Bad?

With the growing anti-plastic bag movement including bans in various Canadian towns, I have been considering what lies behind this. I know the statements that generally are part of this movement is that plastic bags are environmentally unfriendly, but rarely do I find any actual support for that beyond an outright statement. While I can understand that other than some biodegradable bags these bags do not disappear particularly quickly, at the same time plastic bags are recyclable and can be reused. The study that claimed that animals were being killed by plastic bags in the ocean has been shown to be an outright lie and has been changed to reflect that (something that is not generally ever mentioned by the way).

Paper on the other hand requires the destruction of trees, and while it can be recycled will likely get soaked with various fluids that will require it to be garbaged and thus will end up in the landfill where it will take up the supposedly unavailable landfill space as much as plastic.

So, why are plastic bags bad? I want something more than opinion, I want facts, especially with supporting scientific literature to show the evil of plastic bags.

For Those Big Companies That Threaten Small Ones -- Some Turn About

While reading through Slashdot.com I found this link to a letter responding to Monster Cables who threatened Blue Jeans Cable, a small cable company. Little did those who sent the letter from Monster Cables know that the head of that company was a lawyer for 25 years before going to Blue Jeans Cable. His letter, which is both humorous and insightful, can be found here. It is long, but well worth the read. BTW, this is a lawyer I could actually like.


Technorati Tags: Humor, Litigation, Big Business Bullies

Sign On To Ban DiHydrogen Monxide

This substance that is used by pesticide companies, nuclear companies, chemical companies among others. It is found in the food and drink we consume, and tests have shown it is in everyones bodies.

Protest this ubiquitous threat.

Watch the following video for more information:

Luther on Charity and Unity in the Context of False Doctrine

As I was doing some preparations for next weeks morning sermon, I was reading through Luther's commentary on Galatians which I just recently added to one of my Bible Study programs. As I read the quote below, I started to wonder if Luther lived today and was facing the same doctrinal controversies that I am others face in the denomination I serve within. Even though he did not, his comments strike true even today.

Let others praise charity and concord to the skies; we magnify the authority of the Word and faith. Charity may be neglected at times without peril, but not the Word and faith. Charity suffers all things, it gives in. Faith suffers nothing; it never yields. Charity is often deceived but is never put out because it has nothing to lose; it continues to do well even to the ungrateful. When it comes to faith and salvation in the midst of lies and errors that parade as truth and deceive many, charity has no voice or vote. Let us not be influenced by the popular cry for charity and unity. If we do not love God and His Word what difference does it make if we love anything at all?

Paul, therefore, admonishes both teachers and hearers not to esteem lightly the doctrine of faith as if it were a toy with which to amuse oneself in idle hours.

—Luther's Commentary on Galatians