Monthly Archives: July 2005

July 16, 2005 · 10:10 am

Scary

Our city used to be a good quiet place to live.  It seems as if it has become frightening these days – close to home frightening. 

We are heading down to Saskatoon for a wedding today – maybe the last of this summer’s wedding events.  I sort of feel just about overdosed on wedding parties.  This one will be a big show – huge.  I guess I am more into the small quiet affairs that don’t threaten my introvertedness so much.

Anyway, my daughter-in-law, Annette, called last night and we arranged to take her and Kieran with us since work is too busy for David to take the day off.  Then she called again this morning.  David’s car was trashed in the night – completely.  Now this car was no wonder vehicle but it got him to work and all even if the mirror and driver’s door handle had already been ripped off in a previous vandalism incident.  This time there is not much left.  All but the passenger back seat window was smashed, speakers ripped out, etc.  and pushed down the alley a way as if they wanted to drive it off but couldn’t.

They live on one of the worst streets on the east hill in Prince Albert.  Yesterday morning Annette found a man’s wallet on the street by her car as she left for work.  She arrived at the office and the first phone call was from a woman whose husband had been beaten up and robbed, teeth broken.  We had no openings.  Then she called the person who owned the wallet.  Same woman answered the phone.  We juggled our schedule and saw the man.  He lost two teeth out of the incident.  Got his wallet back with most of his cards and ID anyway.  Weird way for things to play themselves out.

Just a week or so ago, Annette had to call 911 for the neighbor.  She was being beaten by her brother.

Annette and had a security system installed in their house. 

Needless to say, I worry about the safety of my kids and grandson.  They NEED to move.  Problem is it is hard to sell a house on that street.

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July 14, 2005 · 7:56 pm

Fallout

Stuff is still falling out of the blogosphere about Make Poverty History and the One Campaign and Live8.  I’m glad.  Sometimes theses events are pushed and then die rapidly.  We can’t afford to let the issues of poverty and injustice die. 

Jordon said in a recent entry:
“It’s sad, outside of Rick Warren and a couple of musicians, many high profile evangelicals were totally silent about the One campaign and Live 8 let on the same weekend, many were making noise about Sandra Day O’Conner’s resignation from the bench. It spoke loudly to me about our priorities.”

A site called Covenant Blogs was recently begun linking some of us bloggers of the Covenant sort.  We are not a big denomination but we have a big heart for justice and for poverty issues and so there is some good stuff going on.  It was encouraging to read this report.  And it was nice to make the acquaintance of Adam Philips and through him connect with another site concerned with justice issues within the Covenant Church, The Young Pietists.

I guess Covenant leaders are not usually counted among the high profile evangelical types.  That sounds like a good thing.  Especially if it lets them stay off the pedestal of political and religious self aggrandizement and spend time on the things God told us to pay attention to.

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Filed under Dealing with stuff

July 14, 2005 · 7:19 am

Getting to work

Here I was planning to walk to work.  I need to walk more.  Last night a thunderstorm was brewing.  I should have gone anyway since not much happened.

This morning it really is raining. 

My car has gone to the lake.  It is soooo nice the kids can all drive themselves now – in my car!!!  However I have a very nice daughter-in-law who has to be at work the same time as I do.

You might wonder where Leo is?  He is still in bed!  Lazy lout!!

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July 13, 2005 · 12:30 pm

Blogging Chez Chuck.

Last evening was busy.  I didn’t get on the computer till late and so missed my debut as a guest blogger over at The World According to Chuck.  But, the blogging world being as it is – nothing is lost that quickly and you can catch the little piece I wrote for Chuck here.

Chuck is one of those blogging friends that I visit regularly.  This year I hope we will meet up in person as Leo and I travel down to Canon Beach where we are going to be visiting for a little vacation.

Now some of you others may recognize yourselves in my little story.  My apologies if you are sensitive but how can I help but mention some of my best friends.  And those of you overdue for a check-up – I think you know who you are.  Maybe this will work better than one of those little postcards!

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July 10, 2005 · 10:16 pm

Grandmothers are allowed

We are allowed to boast, in fact we are expected to, when it comes to our grandkids.  So, since I only have one living little grandson, I will.

Today was Kieran’s second birthday.  He can’t manage to hold up two fingers yet but he can say the right number when asked.  We partied most of the day.  Ate far too much.  I don’t care if I see cake again for awhile.  We had a fun time. 

So did Kieran. 

   

More pictures will be posted on Flikr shortly and you will be able to link to them here as soon as I get a set made up.

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July 9, 2005 · 5:30 pm

Weather

The pelicans have moved back to the sandbar/island across from our house.  The water has started to recede from it’s high levels of a week ago.  Our city still is hosting the displaced community of Cumberland House – about 1000 have been here for the last few weeks.  But I heard from Leo that the river has crested up there and is also beginning to recede.

Now on to the next emergency – fires.  Weird how some areas will be flooding when just a few hundred kms away the danger of forest fire threatens some other community.  We had a big thunderstorm north of here last week and the lightning ignited several fires.  The smoke from them will often force evacuations even if the fire itself doesn’t threaten the community.

I think the cold weather is more predictable for us.  We can deal with snow and 40 below.  That kind of weather forces us into our homes not out of them.

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July 7, 2005 · 6:30 am

Persuading their leaders

One Campaign (one.org) sounds like an organization that is working hard to persuade the US leaders to increase aid funds with an additional 2 billion dollars to fight extreme poverty in our world.  Via Covenant Blogs (a collection of blogs from folks in my denomination) I came across this article by Bob Smietana on our denominations site. 

The additional $2 billion would be used for four basic priorities, says Jennifer Coulter Stapleton of Bread for the World. Those priorities are clean water, education, fighting malaria, and building infrastructure. The fund would go toward practical assistance, such as building wells, providing mosquito nets and anti-malarial medication, and funding for schools, said Stapleton.

Bread for the World, and other humanitarian groups like Oxfam, Save the Children, Heifer International, World Vision, and Church World Service are working together on a global initiative to fight poverty called the “One Campaign” (one.org). The goal is to convince the US to spend 1 percent of the annual federal budget on reducing global poverty.

Read more here.

I did not realize, percentage wise, how small the amount of USAid was.  The US leaders would sure improve the image of their country in doing this.  I hope this sort of pressure on governments works.  Meanwhile, I think we all need to start giving on our own till it hurts our consumer heavy lifestyles a bit.  Waiting for our governments is a bit of a cop out.

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Filed under In the News

July 5, 2005 · 10:49 pm

Criticism – An Indicator of Success?

I was just surfing the net tonight while at work waiting for some stuff.  I was sort of sad to see so much criticism of the Make Poverty History effort.  I guess even criticism is an indication that people noticed the effort – which was one of the main goals anyway.  So perhaps the criticism is an indication of success of sorts. 

Someone, somewhere, in my surfing quoted another person who said the efforts towards eliminating the debt of third world countries will only be successful if the leaders of those countries take note and change their behaviour.  True enough.  But the person then went on to say that it is the western world that maybe should be considering changing our ways.  We need to change our lifestyles of excessive and increased consumption of the worlds resources.  We want more and more and we do not want to pay much for it.  We have become oppressors ourselves.  We overlook exploitation if it makes our lives more comfortable; if it produces stuff we “need”. 

We need to be reminded of the needs of the poor and oppressed in the world.  If the folks at Make Poverty History and Live8 made us stop and think for even a few minutes, we owe them thanks.  Lets not fall into our old complacency too quickly.  Lets stop criticizing the efforts of this group.  If they don’t please you, find another group fighting poverty that makes sense to you.  But please do something.

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Filed under Dealing with stuff

July 3, 2005 · 10:36 pm

True Drink

Today we celebrated communion and during the service some of the words of John kept coming to mind.  John talks so much about Jesus being our light but also about him being our bread and drink. 

Food, drink and light – some of our basic essentials.

As I prepared to give out the elements, the words “Jesus Christ, the true drink” kept popping into my head.  They are from John 6:55 (NLT)  “For my flesh is the true food, and my blood is the true drink.”  

These words are not from the typical passages read for the communion service but these are words the disciples must have remembered clearly as Jesus talked to them at the last supper he had with them.  I suppose they did not know the significance of the words even at that supper.  They must have remembered them pretty clearly a few days later as they realize how vividly those words have just been lived out. 

True food.
True drink.

Truly God.

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Filed under Worship events

July 2, 2005 · 8:26 am

Another family wedding

We are off to attend another wedding today.  In Saskatoon.  My nephew, Geoffrey, the one in dental school, the singer with a great tenor voice, is marrying his sweetheart, Lana, the art history person.  The wedding should be beautiful and the music will likely be a bit above average.  They chose the church to be married in for it’s acoustics. 

It will be good to see the family again.  We seem to do a lot of catch up at these events but this year they are close enough together that it is more like a monthly visit. 

Then two of my sisters will be making the pilgrimage to Prince Albert to visit briefly with my dad.  Tomorrow will be a bit special as my very musical sister and her very musical children, who are playing for the wedding today, will come up and play for a bit with Grandpa tomorrow afternoon.  Then we will have supper together.

Then I get to start off my week with my nieces and nephews as patients on Monday. 

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