Murray's Musings

Well, technically, they never really disappeared as you can order all year long, but…

Last year I wrote a blog post on “Christmas and Compassion“.  If you didn’t read it then (or can’t remember that far back), I suggest you read it again, especially these two paragraphs…

A few years ago, we decided in our extended family, that we had WAY too much, and so we decided that we would all shop for ONE gift for the person whose name we’d drawn the previous Christmas.  That one gift would be purchased at a second hand store (like Value Village, or the Thrift Store, or something like that) and that the money that we WOULD HAVE spent on that gift had we bought it new would be donated to Compassion for a special project.  This year we’ve decided to completely be done with individual gifts (we already have too much anyway — see a post coming soon on cleaning house!) and have decided to donate it ALL to Compassion.

If you think you’d like to do something like that, then I strongly suggest you check out Compassions “Gifts of Compassion” site where you can buy a soccer ball for $10, or a goat for $45, or even a kitchen for $3000.  Do you really need the extended edition of Avatar on BluRay, or Season 23 of The Office to line your shelves?  Wouldn’t it be better to give something to someone who really needs it?  Or, if you don’t already sponsor a Compassion kid, why not start today!!

Well, Christmas is once again approaching, and I bet you are starting to think of all the stuff you want.  But there are countless kids around the world that would love to have just something like fresh drinking water, or a good meal, or a chicken for eggs for Christmas.

There are now 7 billion people in the world.  Most of which have FAR less than you do.  Why not give even a little of what you have to a child in need through Compassion Canada’s “Gift of Compassion” program (for readers outside Canada use this link).  Or, why not sponsor a child through Compassion Canada or Compassion International today and give a child the best Christmas present they could ever ask for.

TTFN

It’s been way too long since I last posted.  It’s not that there’s been nothing to talk about, nor has it been that I had too much to do to find the time to write up something.  Certainly the opposite is likely more true.  There’s been SO MUCH to talk about, and lots of time to think about it.  The problem is, I haven’t been exactly sure HOW to say it without giving away too much information, saying something I’d regret, or offending anyone who might read.  Anyway, the straw has broken the camel’s back and I need to write something… anything… to relieve the stress.

First the good news…

• The concert we had at the church a couple weeks ago (see my last post) was a huge success!  The bands (To Tell, and Every Spare Second) were terrific!  The logistics all worked out (except that the third band cancelled the night before and so we had to come up with “filler” to stretch the night out), and the best part is that we raised around $1500 for Compassion Canada for water wells in Ghana and Ethiopia.  I was really proud of Every Spare Second.  For their first “gig” they were fantastic.  Even the guys in To Tell thought so!!
• I hear of a girl in our congregation who is engaged to be married in September to a wonderful man who went through our Alpha program, and I couldn’t be happier for them!!  They are a wonderful couple and I can only wish blessings upon them.
• And Jordan came home on Satuday from Thunder Bay.  That means the reality of his wedding is getting just that much closer (only forty days from today!!)

Now the bad news…

• I feel like I’m watching our church implode, and it grieves me SO MUCH!  The service on Sunday was great.  The message, the Praise, the people all our great!  But afterwards I hear of problems.  I hear of financial woes.  I hear of conflict.  I hear of stupid rules that make no sense.  I watch people leave and I’m saddened.  I hear rumours.  I hear stories.  My heart is heavy.

The Really Good News!!!…

No matter what’s going on, God is in control!!  I wish I knew what He was up to, but I just KNOW that He’s directing the traffic and shaping our lives, and the lives of those around us.  Sometimes it looks like things are out of control, but God’s got it all in control, and the ending will be wonderful!!!

TTFN

My birthday is Wednesday.  I don’t need anything, so don’t even think about it.

BUT…. if you really want to get something for my birthday, then why not sponsor “Jackson Nahun Ramos Peraza” from Honduras through Compassion Canada.  He shares my birthday, and I’m sure he needs FAR more than I do!!  He was born on March 30th, 2003 and has been waiting for a sponsor for over a year now.

Do it!  For Jackson.  You’d give me, and HIM, a Happy Birthday!!!

UPDATE: I checked and Jackson WAS sponsored!  Praise The Lord!!

Tomorrow is the beginning of Lent and according to that fount of all knowledge, Wikipedia, here’s how Lent is described…

Lent in the Christian tradition, is the period of the liturgical year leading up to Easter. Lent is a time of sacrifice for Jesus. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer — through prayer, penitence, almsgiving and self-denial — for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the events linked to the Passion of Christ and culminates in Easter, the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Conventionally, it is described as being forty days long, though different denominations calculate the forty days differently. The forty days represent the time that, according to the Bible, Jesus spent in the desert before the beginning of his public ministry, where he endured temptation by Satan.

This practice was virtually universal in Christendom until the Protestant Reformation.[2] Some Protestant churches do not observe Lent, but many, such as Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, and Anglicans do.

(Taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lent)

 At our church, we call it “The Season Of The Cross”, but no matter what you call it, it’s (as Wikipedia says) “the period … leading up to Easter” (I’m going to call it Lent from now on, as I think the other is too long and should probably be called “The Season of Preparing for The Cross”, but I digress).

Now. a lot of people observe Lent by saying “What can I give up?”  But I really don’t think that’s what God wants! To me, this smacks of the “salvation by works”, where if I’m a good boy, and stop doing bad things, then God will like me more.  So people give up chocolate, TV, Facebook, sex, meat and a myriad of things.  [For me, I always give up brussel sprouts and creamed asparagas. 🙂 ]

I think what God really wants us to do is DO things, not stop doing things.  This should be a time when we spend more time in doing things for others, reaching out, reading, writing, praying.  And, oh, by the way, we should keep doing it even after Easter!!!

So tonight, as you give your one last “Hurrah!” by pigging out on pancakes and sausage and syrup and other sweets (yeah, right!), think about the things you’re going to DO for Christ, not what you’re going to give up.

By the way, for me, I’ve decided that I’m going to signup to have the GSCC Lenten Devotionals emailed to me daily (signup at http://devotional.gscc.ca) and try to read through each one and see what God is saying to me each morning.  I’m also going to spend time thinking about what God wants me to do from here on out vis-a-vis the church, my family, Compassion, and our community.

Maybe you should too!

TTFN