Pilgrim Scribblings

Gary Carter

2012-01-19T19:51:00.001-05:00

Here's the latest report on my friend, Hall of Famer, Gary Carter. Things don't look good. Please pray for Gary! THANKS!

Leaning on Jesus

This past week has been one of the hardest weeks for my dad. Every day is exhausting and every move takes great effort.

Wednesday, dad went to the oral surgeon to take care of the open gum wound. He had to get shots to numb the area so they could remove a small sharp bone and shave down what had been bothering dad for quite a while. Thankfully, that area in his mouth has been starting to feel better.

Thursday, dad went to a follow up appointment with Dr. Pearce who works along side Dr. Harris. Unfortunately, as he was leaving, he had a very bad fall in the hallway. Since he was at the doctor's office, he received immediate care.

Friday, dad got two MRIs in North Palm Beach, Florida...one for his brain and the other for his shoulder/arm. The results of the shoulder MRI were revealed later that afternoon. Unfortunately, with the combination of his fall on Christmas Eve and the fall on Thursday (plus probably years of baseball), he completely tore his rotator cuff. It is very painful and needs surgery, but all dad can do right now is rehab to heal.

Sunday was my dad's golf tournament banquet. Great friends, teammates and family filled the room in support of my dad, autism and local schools. Dad was so appreciative of the many hugs and encouragement given to him throughout the evening. Jim Palmer was the spokesperson for the golf tournament. Dad spoke a few words thanking everyone for being there and for all the support and prayers. He said he wants to feel better so he can continue to help others.

Monday was a beautiful day of golf. Although dad could not be there, we were told it was a successful day and overall a wonderful tournament event. Thank you everyone!

Yesterday, we were waiting in anticipation for dad's MRI results (since they were being sent to Duke) but were told they would be in today.....dad had a difficult day and he had to rest.

Just a few moments ago, my mom received a phone call from Dr. V at Duke. I wish I could say that the results were good...

Dr. V told my mom that there are now several new spots/tumors on my dad's brain. I write these words with tears because I am so sad for my dad. Dr. Jimmy Harris will be coming to my parent's house this evening to talk to the family about the next step. I will continue to keep you all updated. Love to everyone and thank you for the prayers.

"The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart." - Psalm 28:7

Finally Free

2012-01-18T13:58:00.008-05:00

A Book Review

The Emancipation of Robert Sadler

Over thirty five years ago I sold copies of a book entitled The Emancipation of Robert Sadler in the Christian bookstore I owned at that time. Sadly, I never took the time to read this amazing story of a twentieth-century slave.

The book, graphically penned by noted author Marie Chapian, has been re-issued and this compelling story gripped me and I couldn’t put the book down.

Robert Sadler was sold into slavery at the age of five (5) by his father for $85.00 and spent his childhood and much of his teenage years as a young, black slave in the employ of a cruel, ruthless, white plantation owner in South Carolina.

Chapian has written this account in the third person as though Sadler is relating his own, powerful yet heartbreaking saga of the cruelty, oppression, bigotry and hatred heaped on him by “Massah Beal” and his family. Reading the story where the vocabulary spoken by uneducated, black slaves is often used, the reader is drawn into the daily abuse that Sadler endured at the hands of his master (sic). It’s hard to believe that this treatment of a young boy was so prevalent in the southern United States in the twentieth century.

Sadler thankfully escaped from the plantation when he was fourteen but freedom was such an unfamiliar experience for him that he returned to the plantation as a seventeen-year-old to the comfort (???) of the known and familiar. The Beal family and their plantation had fallen on hard times. “Massah Beal” was very sick, most of the slaves who Sadler knew had died or left and he wasn’t welcomed on his return.

The book hauntingly recounts Sadler’s search for meaning and significance as he moved from town to town, state to state, looking for employment and purpose. As a slave he had experienced God’s love, portrayed by several fellow slaves, but never internalized that faith or belief until later in life when he had a dramatic, genuine encounter with the living God and his life was forever transformed.

Sadler met a woman who loved him unconditionally, they married and began holding church services and Bible studies in their home even though his wife, at that point, hadn’t embraced Christ as her Saviour. Several years later Jacqueline finally surrendered her life to the Lord and the Sadlers were used by God in wonderful ways.

Sadler’s simple faith, his passion to see others share that faith and his absolute trust in God allowed him to see the eternal God do supernatural and miraculous things that most of us will likely never experience in our lifetime.

The Emancipation of Robert Sadler is one of the most powerful books I have read and I’ve read hundreds. The back cover states, “A gritty, raw, real-life tale that will both shock and inspire you.” It certainly did that for me and I very strongly recommend that you get a copy soon and be challenged to the core of your being.

This book has been provided courtesy of Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing Group, and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House Publishers". http://www.grafmartin.com/

Early Light

2012-01-16T07:52:00.004-05:00

Here's the view from my office window this morning..."by the dawn's early light..."

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee.

King Eternal

2012-01-15T20:34:00.003-05:00

Be Still

2012-01-15T20:26:00.004-05:00

Lori, over at It's All In The Heart, posted a great reflection entitled STILL recently. I've taken the liberty of posting it here on Pilgrim Scribblings because it struck a note with me.

When was the last time that you were intentionally STILL? What about me? When am I ever STILL?

Lori writes:

"That little word “still” brings to mind many things. Waiting on God requires something of me and most often it means I need to be still from the constant pressure of things that I think need to be done. Finding that one particular quiet moment takes a little effort on my part, I seem to be able to find a million other things to do, but entering into that moment of stillness is priceless.

I think of other things that the word still means to me, things like the constant love of my husband who manages to still love me even with all my faults. It is a dependable word that is hung in the doorway of the hearts of those who love others beyond what you could imagine. It is a word of hope, like “still waiting”, like God does with us, and like we do with others. We learn patience that way. We learn how to sit through the hard things that would otherwise drive us away.

It is an active, living word that carries with it a determination to see things through and it is faithfulness that helps us believe for the best even when it looks like it couldn’t get any worse. It is not knowing the outcome but learning to trust in situations when trusting and believing is the most difficult thing for you to do. That little word “still” embraces those who are discouraged and have given up and we step forward and love them in their brokenness. Still is knowing that God hasn’t left you and you are not alone."

     Be still and know that I am God,
     The Psalmist's plea rings out;
     Just come apart and rest awhile
     Be freed from fear and doubt.

       - David Fisher, January 15th, 2012

Powerfully Present

2012-01-10T23:29:00.002-05:00

Pete Wilson

I posted this on my Facebook page earlier today but this great quote by Nashville pastor Pete Wilson needs to be repeated and taken to heart.

He said, "God is most powerfully present when He seems most apparently absent."

If God seems absent tonight...He's not! Maybe hidden but NOT gone! - David

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." - Psalm 46:1 (KJV)

The Truth

2012-01-06T10:51:00.006-05:00

My friend Paul Wilkinson posted this list on his Thinking Out Loud blog. It's not original with him. He posted a link to the source. Something to think about!

Things You Can Do With Truth

1) Deny it.
2) Ignore it.
3) Cover over it.
4) Reject it.
5) Make fun of it.
6) Mimic it.
7) Twist it.
8) Talk about it.
9) Avoid it.
10) Proclaim it.
11) Be changed by it.
12) Represent it.
13) Embrace it.
14) Love it.
15) Hate it.
16) Live it.
17) Live by it.
18) Long for it.
19) Seek it.
20) Believe it.
21) Wrestle with it.
22) Lament it.

Things You Can’t Do With Truth

1) Change it.

Grief & Affliction

2012-01-05T22:17:00.001-05:00

A dear friend of mine who is in constant pain from an accident several years ago sent along these encouraging words today.

I hope they will be a blessing to you as you struggle beneath the weight of your present trial...whatever that might be. - David

Vaclav writes:

Dear friend, here's a word of encouragement for you...

Lamentations 3.31-33

31 For no one is cast off by the Lord forever.
³² Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love.
³³ For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone.

In grief and affliction, as a believer you might be tempted to think and feel that you are abandoned and cast off by the Lord, especially if the hard trial you have been in is lasting a long time. But the promise of God is that "no one (none of God's children) is cast off forever". Notice, that grief doesn't just come by chance, but it is the Lord, "he brings grief", he is in control, he has a good and gracious purpose in it, one that you might not understand at this time, but one day you will. And because God loves you more than you can imagine, for "great is his unfailing (or covenant) love, and so "he will show compassion" to you, at the right time, and you will praise him and glorify him.

Notice one more thing, "he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone", just as any parent that loves their child, must discipline it for their good, though it breaks the parent's heart to discipline, because it is painful. No good parent wants to see their child in tears, though sometimes it's needful. So, my friend, be not discouraged at your great affliction or grief, but rejoice in the Lord, because by the hard times you're going through, God is purifying your faith, that you may trust and love Jesus more! I speak as a fellow sufferer in the kingdom of his grace...cheer up, in Christ!

Vaclav

Amazing Love

2012-01-02T14:45:00.007-05:00

Kim Collingsworth at the grand piano

Check out this link here Kim Collingsworth plays Charles Wesley's classic hymn, AND CAN IT BE. If this doesn't move you...nothing will. Be sure to read the lyrics as well and you'll find yourself saying, "Amazing love...how can it be?"

AND CAN IT BE - by Charles Wesley

And can it be, that I should gain
An interest in the Saviour's blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! how can it be
That Thou, my God, shoulds't die for me?

'Tis mystery all! The Immortal dies:
Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the first-born seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine.
'Tis mercy all! let earth adore,
Let angel minds inquire no more.

He left His Father's throne above,
So free, so infinite His grace,
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam's helpless race:
'Tis mercy all, immense and free;
For, O my God, it found out me!

Long my imprisoned spirit lay
Fast bound in sin and nature's night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray,
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth and followed Thee.

No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine!
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach the eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

What Crisis?

2012-01-01T22:17:00.002-05:00

These verses have always brought encouragement and hope to me when things looked impossible or hopeless.

God's Word hasn't changed and what He said through the prophet Habakkuk is still true today. Trust God and believe that He will carry you through. He promised He would...and He will.

Now I just have to take these truths to heart and believe them myself.

Fear Not

2012-01-01T10:45:00.005-05:00

Humanity's Hope

2011-12-31T17:36:00.000-05:00

As we bid 2011 good bye and usher in a New Year, we are very much aware that Jesus truly is the only HOPE for humanity.

He came to give us life, a meaningful life with purpose. He brought forgiveness, redemption, peace and HOPE.

Apart from JESUS life is pointless and without purpose...without HOPE.

My prayer for you is that you will entrust your life to JESUS and accept all He has to offer in 2012.

You won't be disappointed!

I Believe

2011-12-28T13:22:00.002-05:00

Morning's Greeting

2011-12-28T08:56:00.002-05:00

This is the scene we woke up to this morning.

I must admit, it's beautiful but the scraping and shoveling to get ready to leave for work weren't much fun...for Carol.

She did most of it...I just confess.

I guess we're not going to avoid winter after all.

While getting ready for work these words came to mind so I wrote them down.

There's a song in there somewhere...I think!

God still cares for His own,

Rivers of mercy still flow from His throne;

When you are anxious and feel all alone

God is still on His throne.

Let's remember that today!

Incarnation Mysteries

2011-12-25T17:08:00.007-05:00

Thanks to Ann Voskamp at A Holy Experience for posting these profound truths.

We will never fully understand and comprehend the length, breadth and depth of His love:

”He was poor, that he might make us rich.
He was born of a virgin that we might be born of God.
He took our flesh, that he might give us His Spirit.
He lay in the manger, that we may lie in paradise.
He came down from heaven, that he might bring us to heaven…. that the ancient of Days should be born.
that he who thunders in the heavens should cry in the cradle….
that he who rules the stars should suck the breast;
that a virgin should conceive;
that Christ should be made of a woman, and of that woman which himself made,
that the branch should bear the vine,
that the mother should be younger than the child she bare,
and the child in the womb bigger than the mother;
that the human nature should not be God, yet one with God

Christ taking flesh is a mystery we shall never fully understand till we come to heaven

If our hearts be not rocks, this love of Christ should affect us .

Behold love that passeth knowledge!”

~Thomas Watson

Birthday Blessings

2011-12-25T09:02:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas to all our Pilgrim Scribblings readers.

May God's peace be yours today as you remember the birth of His only begotten Son, Jesus!

Every blessing in Christ,

David Fisher

No Song

2011-12-24T09:11:00.000-05:00

Christmas Eve view from my office

Seven years ago I penned a poem that I often re-post during the Christmas season. I pray that there will be a song in your heart this Christmas as you recall that holy night.

THERE WAS NO SONG

There was no song
In David’s town that evening;
Where God incarnate
Graced a rustic stall.
Tired and taxed they came
For Caesar’s census;
So unaware that roy’lty
Would call.

Then angels told
The shepherds of His coming;
They came to see
Emmanuel, God’s Son.
That dark, cold night
Welcomed Christ the Savior;
And glory reigned
Before the night was done.

He came to bring
Salvation and forgiveness;
For which the world
Had waited oh so long.
The Christ of God
The Hope of all the ages;
Brought peace on earth
And birthed a brand new song.

And now by faith
In Christ the King of Glory;
We are assured one day
In heav’n a place.
‘Til then we’ll journey
On our way rejoicing;
And some day soon
We’ll see Him face to face.

The trials endured
As pilgrims heading homeward;
Are temporary and
Will not last too long.
So hand in hand
We’ll cross the final valley;
Eyes fixed on “home”
We sing redemption’s song.

© David W. Fisher – December 13, 2004

Walking Home

2011-12-23T21:39:00.005-05:00

Bruce and Paul Mackay

Here's a "feel-good" story about two friends of mine, Bruce and Paul Mackay. Enjoy!

Mom's lesson leads to son's giving

By Luke Hendry

Bruce Mackay's mother taught him a lesson he never forgot.And on Friday, he used that message to help others.

Mackay, 40, walked from his office at Mackay Insurance on Dundas Street East to his home in Corbyville, a distance of eight to nine kilometres. And though he raised more than $2,000 for local charities, that wasn't really Mackay's goal.

Twenty-five years earlier, on Dec. 23, 1986, Mackay had borrowed the keys to his mother Margaret's vehicle. The family had a long driveway, and Mackay would drive the family vehicle up and down it to practice for his driving test that January.

But on that day, Mackay's father, David, dropped him off at the mall; Margaret would pick up her son after his haircut. Except Bruce had her keys in his pocket. He called home — and didn't like what he heard.

"I think you need to learn a lesson," Margaret said. "You need to walk." He did, heading north to Blessington Road. And every Dec. 23 since, he called his mother to remind her of what she did; they always shared a laugh about it.

"Last year she said, 'Are you ever going to let that thing go?'" he said Friday, laughing. "I said, 'No.'"

Margaret died in August; Bruce did the eulogy. "And now, you've gone 'home' and I'm left, once again, to walk alone," he said in closing.

Since Friday marked the 25th anniversary of that first walk, Mackay decided to repeat it, though the distance would be greater. He told his family about it, asking for donations to the Christmas Sharing Program. It provides food to people in need.

Margaret Mackay had long been pushing her family to forego their annual Christmas lunch in favour of donations to charity. "I was hoping to raise a couple hundred bucks," he said.

About an hour before Mackay started his walk, Sharing co-ordinator Joan Elsasser was updating The Intelligencer about the program's progress. She said all the food had been delivered, but the campaign was $2,000 short of its $18,000 goal.

An hour later, Mackay counted his donations prior to his walk. He was clearly humbled to learn he totalled more than $2,000 for Christmas Sharing and $170 for the Salvation Army.

"It makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up when I hear that's what they needed," he said. I'm very grateful. It's humbling." "Isn't that cool?!" said Paul Mackay, Bruce's brother. "Mom's up there stirring things up."

Back at the Sharing office, Elsasser's voice went up an octave upon learning the needed funds had been raised.

"Isn't that just amazing! Wonderful!" she said. "There is a Santa Claus." Less than two weeks ago the program had been 20 per cent short of the target. But donations kept coming, Elsasser said. In total about 1,300 food baskets or grocery vouchers were distributed.

About 115 people had registered for the Community Christmas Dinner Sunday at noon at the Salvation Army Church (Bridge Street West at Palmer Road). As many as 150 are expected.

Volunteers also registered hundreds of children for the Belleville Professional Firefighters' Toy Drive. Bruce Mackay, though, didn't quite learn his mother's lesson as well as he could have.

His wife, Tanya, was planning to be present as Bruce and Paul began the walk.

The problem: someone had taken her keys accidentally.

"I had a good laugh about that," Bruce said. "I think Mom's laughing, too."

lhendry@intelligencer.ca

Christian Bookstores

2011-12-23T18:07:00.007-05:00

My friend, author and blogger, Tim Challies, posted an article regarding Christian bookstores recently that I took exception to. Does that change how I feel about Tim? Not at all! I concur with some of his points and disagree with others. Check out Tim's post here.

Fellow pilgrims who regularly read Pilgrim Scribblings will already know my perspective on Christian bookstores.

Here is my response to Tim Challies" article:

Having owned a Christian bookstore for 15 years...before Amazon, Chapters and CBD were a factor, I have strong opinions about "Christian" bookstores.

It was a challenge to satisfy customers from varying denominational perspectives. Some of the charismatic books that customers wanted me to stock were downright BAD.

Customers often complained that we didn't have enough stock. They seemed to expect our small store to carry every "Christian" title on the publishers' backlists. Not possible! No chance!

It was always disappointing that a large segment of the local and area Christian population rarely frequented our store. I could sit in church and count on two hands the members of our congregation who faithfully dropped in to the store.

Looking back, I thank God that friendships were forged within those walls that will last a lifetime. One of my best friends came into the store the day after he was converted to Christ and is still thankful that we were there.

Customers were led to a saving faith in Christ in our store. Struggling Christians were prayed for and encouraged. That doesn't happen with Amazon and Chapters mail order purchases.

Another question begs to be answered. "Am I a more faithful steward of God's resources if I purchase online at a discounted price rather than supporting our local Christian bookseller and paying full price? I struggle to find an answer. I just don't know.

So the battle rages on. While our community has a Christian bookstore I will be a faithful customer. I'm blessed when I pay the store a visit. I don't buy "gospel garbage", "Jesus junk" or "holy hardware" but I try to be an encouragement to the owner and other customers who I meet in the store.

Choose what you want to do but please don't complain when your local Christian bookstore closes its doors...forever.

Note: Our local Christian bookstore is Emmaus Family Books located in the Market Plaza across from the marina on Little Lake. Drop in and tell Jim Rose that I sent you!

Justus Encounter

2011-12-23T17:06:00.005-05:00

Three years ago I wrote a short story for publication in a book that our writers' group put together. The story was entitled The Justus Encounter. With Christmas just around the corner I wanted to share this story again.

The Justus Encounter

Greetings, friend. My name is Justus. Each year at this time my mind drifts back to that bitterly cold night when deity took on humanity in a musty animal stall behind an inn in Bethlehem.

We were the last family to secure lodging inside the bustling hotel. When my wife Sarah, my daughter Eunice and I arrived every room was spoken for. The innkeeper graciously lent us a small cot, one blanket and a resting place in the corner of the entrance hall.

Our family had journeyed to Bethlehem to be accounted for. Caesar Augustus had ordered a census be taken throughout the Roman empire requiring citizens to travel to their ancestral hometown. We lived in Bethany, a little to the northeast of Bethlehem, and had traveled by foot to “the city of David”. I was thirty years old at the time and little Eunice was just an infant.

Exhausted from the trek, Sarah and Eunice quickly dozed off. I sat on the floor by the cot but sleep eluded me. About an hour later another road-weary couple burst into the inn. The woman was obviously “great with child” and her husband – I assumed they were married – requested a room. The tired innkeeper advised them that there were no vacancies but that they could find shelter in a stable behind the inn. He offered them a horse blanket or two to ward off the cold but they declined. As they left I felt constrained to hand them our only blanket, the one the innkeeper had lent us. They hesitated momentarily but accepted my offer. I finally nodded off to sleep, my head resting on the corner of Sarah’s cot.

After a brief nap I awoke to the raucous clatter of a dozen or more shepherds. Some even had lambs in their arms as they burst into the inn. They were talking excitedly and inquired where the Saviour, the Messiah, could be found. The innkeeper, hearing the commotion, stumbled to the counter. “Where’s the Messiah?”, they queried. “A host of angels announced on a hillside outside of town that a baby has been born in a manger and He is to be our saviour.” The bewildered innkeeper re-directed them to the stable out back.

The sheep herders had awakened Sarah and little Eunice with their exuberance. Eunice was crying and Sarah was frustrated by the interruption. Me? I was wishing they’d hurry up and go out to the stable to find this promised Messiah.

Imagine a band of angels announcing a newborn King to a motley crew of shepherds. Sounded kind of crazy to me. Guess I’m a sceptic at the best of times. I get irritated by people who get their directions from heavenly voices. The commotion died down as the shepherds went to investigate but then built to a crescendo as they discovered that the Messiah had, in fact, been born in a cattle manger of all places. They woke everyone in the inn, the whole town I’m sure. We didn’t get back to sleep. What a night!

The next morning we registered for the census after sunrise but I was grumpy for the rest of the day. You know how you get when you don’t have a good night’s rest, when you’re in someone else’s bed or on the floor.

This Messiah, Jesus, grew up in his father’s home in Nazareth. Mary and Joseph were his parents, the couple I had given the blanket to. I discovered later that they weren’t even married that night. Scandalous! I learned that she had become pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Now that was hard to believe! I’d never heard anything like that before but, as I said, I was sceptical of everything.

Back in Bethany we heard a lot about this man called Jesus. He helped in His father’s carpenter shop until he was about thirty years old. Then he began preaching around the countryside. He visited our town several times. Mary, Martha and Lazarus, neighbours of ours, were friends of his. One day Lazarus died and his heartbroken sisters sent for Jesus. They were upset when Jesus didn’t arrive until four days later. According to the townsfolk He supposedly raised this man Lazarus from the dead. If you ask me, he was likely just asleep, unconscious or in a coma but not dead. Raising a man from the dead was a little far-fetched for an unbeliever like me.

That all changed one day, an event that’s indelibly etched on my mind. Our daughter Eunice was about thirty-two years old at the time. She hadn’t married, was still living with us and was working as a seamstress. She became violently ill one evening and we thought she would die. She was bleeding profusely and was very feverish. Several times we thought we had lost her.

Sarah ran to Martha’s house and was surprised to learn that Jesus was staying with them. Hearing of Eunice’s condition, Jesus came quickly. Our eyes met as He came through the doorway and I knew in that moment that He was more than just a man. I was strangely moved! He quickly made His way to the room where Eunice lay and gently placed His hand on her forehead. Immediately the fever vanished. The bleeding stopped. Eunice sat up in bed, instantly healed and I bowed before this man called Jesus, a changed man.

Belief filled my heart where scepticism and doubt once ruled. Jesus prayed with our family, pronounced His blessing and quickly was gone. I’ll never forget the look of compassion in His eyes.

The next morning the thought crossed my mind briefly that I should tell Jesus that it was my blanket that cradled Him on that cold, frosty night in Bethlehem but I quickly realized that He already knew. He was God and He knew everything. I was changed forever by this encounter with the One I had rejected for so long.

Don’t be a doubter like me. Investigate His claims. Read the biblical account of Christ’s life. Seek out a Christian pastor or friend if you want to know more. Jesus Christ is everything the angels said he would be and He will change your life. Just give Him a chance!

Nearing Home

2011-12-23T10:29:00.009-05:00

Nearing Home - A Book Review

As one who followed Billy Graham’s ministry since I was a young boy, I was anxious to read his latest book Nearing Home in which he graciously shares his reflections on growing old...and finishing well.

Citing examples of several heroes of the faith including Noah, Enoch, David and Zechariah he points out that God continues to use His children even in their advanced years. The reader is encouraged to finish strong and not drop out of the race.

Throughout the book the author shares scriptures which provide hope and encouragement for those who are nearing home. Graham states that if he had to summarize in one word the changes that take place as we grow older it would be the word decline. Graham transparently shares how there are times when he’d like to “hike up the hills” or “stand in the pulpit”...”but the walker, wheelchair and cane near my bed remind me that chapter of life is past.”

He cites several perils which an older person may face. He lists fear, depression, anger, intense loneliness and becoming absorbed in our own problems as issues we will likely battle.

Throughout the book the author makes reference to his wife Ruth who passed away several years ago. It is obvious that they were deeply committed to one another and he misses her dearly. He shares that the words that Ruth wanted inscribed on her tombstone were “End of Construction. Thank you for your patience.”

Graham challenges the reader to leave a legacy for those who come behind us and also to attempt to resolve relational conflicts before it is too late. Of course he takes an opportunity to simply share the gospel story again as he has done thousands of times throughout his ministry.

The book is an easy read with many personal vignettes from Billy Graham’s life but I found the chapter concerning financial planning, mastering your money and insuring that a will is in place was more difficult to get through.

Nearing Home confirmed what I had already determined many years ago. Billy Graham is a godly man who has lived well and is filled with hope as he is nearing home. I highly recommend this book.

"This book has been provided courtesy of Thomas Nelson and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Thomas Nelson". www.grafmartin.com

Book Lovers

2011-12-01T18:33:00.001-05:00

I'm often asked when people see the bookshelves lining my office if I've read every one of them. I hate that question because it begs an answer that is often misstated and then misunderstood.

No, I have not read every book. I have not even read half of them. Some of them have only been briefly scanned. Many are theological reference books. There's nothing more exciting than sitting down and reading the 8 volume set of Lewis Sperry Chafer's Systematic Theology. Some books are written to be read in one sitting. Others are written to be refered to. That's why they're called reference books.

I was pleased to read Winston Churchill's comments regarding books. The former British Prime Minister wrote:

"If you cannot read all your books, at any rate handle, or as it were, fondle them - peer into them, let them fall open where they will, read from the first sentence that arrests the eye, set them back on the shelves with your own hands, arrange them on your own plan so that you at least know where they are. Let them be your friends; let them at any rate be your acquaintances."

Finally...someone else who feels the way I do about books. He said it better than I ever could. Now I'm going to "fondle" an F. F. Bruce book. Just kidding.

But...I DO LOVE BOOKS!

Snow Scene

2011-11-30T17:12:00.001-05:00

About half an hour ago I looked out my office window (at home) and saw this stunning scene.

I guess snow isn't so bad after all.

God's colour scheme sure beats anything that man (or woman) could dream up.

When God gets out His divine paintbrush we sit back and marvel.

What does the atheist think or feel when he or she witnesses the beauty of nature/creation?

Who do they thank?

"For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." - Romans 1:20 (NIV)

Two Heroes

2011-11-16T12:32:00.001-05:00

Gary Carter

In the corner of my office sit two baseball bats. Both have special stories behind them. Both belonged to heroes of mine whose lives are presently going in opposite directions.

Gary Carter, Hall of Fame catcher, gave me one of his bats during the 1976 season while playing for the Montreal Expos. As a result of the special friendship forged with Carter an outreach to professional athletes, Epistle Sports Ministries, was born.

Now, over 35 years later Gary Carter is battling for his life with stage 4 brain cancer taking its toll on this fine man. Our prayers go up on behalf of Gary, his wife Sandy and his incredible family.

The other bat belonged to Mike Matheny, one of the finest men I had the pleasure of meeting in the game of baseball. Matheny only spent one season with the Toronto Blue Jays (1999) but we became good friends. One Sunday following the chapel service Mike presented me with a beautiful black Louisville Slugger bat with a very personal inscription written with a silver Sharpie. There’s a story behind that bat but I’ll leave that for another time.

Earlier this week Mike Matheny was named manager of the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals taking over from Tony LaRussa who retired after leading the Cards to their World Series victory. As one headline stated, “Matheny is short on managing experience but long on character”. He is a fine, godly man. So is Gary Carter.

Mike Matheny

Two bats, two godly men, two divergent courses of life. One wonders why God allows such a special husband, father, grandfather, friend as Gary Carter to go through this horrendous struggle for his life. “Why Gary?”, I mumbled last night. “Why him?” Meanwhile Mike Matheny is realizing his dream. Managing the Cardinals for whom he played and coached.

God has His reasons for allowing these circumstances to intersect with the lives of His people. Somehow, through it all, God will receive glory and lives will be impacted for eternity.

The two bats are a constant reminder of the blessing that these two men have brought to my life. Please pray for both of them. They both are facing challenges that seem immense but “with God all things are possible.”

Don't Forget

2011-11-11T17:32:00.001-05:00

My friend Greg Asimakoupoulos has written another excellent poem.

Check this one out:

Marking Time on Veterans' Day

The cadence of a grateful heart

A grassy field of markers and a multitude of flags
call attention to those veterans who are gone.
'Neath the sod they sleep in silence waiting for the reveille
when old Gabriel trumpets resurrection's dawn.

As I wander through a graveyard on this cold November day,
I am warmed by countless names that catch my eye.
They belong to men and women who obeyed their Uncle's call
and then served our nation proudly till they died.

Each (in uniform allegiance) pledged unflaggingly to serve
freedom's cause no matter where that need might be.
And because they did, we're vested in both rights and privileges
that define the fabric of democracy.

Without speaking I bear witness to these heroes of the past
through the cadence of my grateful beating heart.
Marking time I count my blessings for the legacy they left
as I hear their plea for me to do my part.

Princely Purpose

2011-10-23T10:25:00.000-04:00

Nice View

2011-10-10T18:32:00.000-04:00

Visitors just dropped by our home for the 1st time and they commented on the great view we have from our front yard.

I've posted pictures here on Pilgrim Scribblings looking out from one of my office windows but after hearing those comments I thought I better take more pictures.

Here's one I took this afternoon, Thanksgiving Day, and it reminded me of something that we can be thankful for...a house with a "nice" view.

We will be putting out home on the real estate market in the next week so we are enjoying our country location while we can.

Thank you, Father, for your provision.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING ???

2011-10-10T09:37:00.000-04:00

While looking through the archives I found the following Thanksgiving poem. I had written it to be posted on the American Thanksgiving Day back in 2007 but much of it applies to us here in Canada. Here it is!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Tonight I put a few lines together and called it...
An Atheist's Lament on Thanksgiving Day.

How sad it must be to have so much and yet not believe in the God who is the giver of every good and perfect gift. Sad to say, the words of this poem could be true of many people during this Thanksgiving season.

Today I am thankful for friends and great food,
I don't have to work so I'm in a good mood;
Our family will be here and we'll watch the game
We'll be feasting on turkey, it's always the same.
And when it's all over, I've said my "goodbyes"
I'm sick to my stomach, I've got bloodshot eyes;
The bottles are empty and my mind is blank
But saddest of all...I've got no one to thank!

Note: For the believing Christian, Thanksgiving should be one of the most joyous days of the year. The Father has blessed us bountifully and we have so much to praise and thank Him for.

Safely Home

2011-10-09T21:44:00.002-04:00

Paul Collet - Brother Beloved

Most people, if they are fortunate enough, have friends who come into their lives and impact them in ways that are unforgettable.

My life-long friend and mentor, Paul Collet, was one of those special people. Tonight I learned that he is now in the presence of the Lord he loved and served for many, many years.

Paul was a friend who I looked up to when I was a young boy. He encouraged me to love Jesus and continued to do so until the very end.

A year ago, as a result of failing health, he moved to British Columbia to be cared for by his son Dennis (a life-long friend of mine) and Nancy (his daughter-in-law).

If I was asked to mention one thing about Paul's life it would be..."he was in love with Jesus."

Now he is in the presence of the Lord forever. What a glorious entrance it must have been!

Good bye, dear friend. We'll meet again soon.

Wild Card

2011-09-29T22:27:00.002-04:00

In all my years of involvement with professional baseball I've never experienced the drama of a wild card race like I did last night.

Boston and Tampa Bay tied going into their final games. Rays down 7-0 to the Yankees and pull out an 8-7 win. Boston ahead 3-2 in the 8th and Baltmore squeaks out a 4-3 win. Tampa moves on. Boston is out.

Same in the NL. The Braves fall apart and the Cardinals advance. Wow! What a finish!

Gary Carter

2011-09-11T18:47:00.005-04:00

Gary Carter , Hall of Famer

Nothing seems to wrench one from self-absorption and pity parties like the realization that there are others whose battles are raging more fiercely than your own. This is especially true for me when I read the journal Gary Carter's daughter, Kimmy, as she relates her dad's fight with cancer.

Gary was my 1st friend in Major League Baseball back in 1975 and he played such an important part in the early days of my ministry to pro ballplayers.

Please take the time to read Kimmy's account. God has gifted her in marvelous ways and her account of her dad's battle is both gut-wrenching and God-honoring at the same time. - David

Kimmy writes:

I have learned how to appreciate people, time and everyday life more these past four months than ever before. It’s the simple things that make me smile like when I make a phone call to a friend or family member and I hear a simple, "Hello" on the other side. It brings me true joy to have a conversation and catch up. I encourage all of you to say "I love you" more, give more hugs and jump on every opportunity to spend time with the ones you love. There may not be a tomorrow.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

Jeremiah 29:11-13

On Friday, I had another opportunity to share dad's story at PBA's chapel. This time it was for FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes). I actually don't feel comfortable speaking in front of people but I had a peace knowing the words that came out of my mouth were straight from the Lord. Daily, I ask Him to use me for His glory even if it is out of my comfort zone.

This day was a tough day for dad. He was sad and very down. To lift his spirits, mom ordered pizzas for the family to enjoy and bring us together. I think it helped but dad was still not having an upbeat day. He was exhausted and the day just dragged on.

"Behold, GOD is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid: for the LORD

JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; He also is become my salvation."
Isaiah 12:2

Saturday was another difficult day; however, through the sadness, dad still got out of bed and swam laps in the pool. That evening, my mom and dad (with my daughter) ate dinner with my sister, Matt and the boys. My sister had prepared a nice meal and invited them over for an enjoyable evening. Dad lasted just over a hour before he needed to go home. While my family was enjoying a nice meal, my husband and I (with friends Ronnie and Marissa) drove to Port St. Lucie for the Mets game. In between the doubleheader, dad's good friend Jack Brenner presented a nice check to the Gary Carter Foundation. The money was raised through Jack’s encouragement and we thank him for such a nice gift. It was a special, emotional evening to honor dad.

Sunday we went to a nice church service and came home to grab a quick bite to eat at my parents’ house. Before dad rested, we (dad, my husband and I) went to PBA for about 2.5 hours to clean out dad's office. Aside from being a little worn out, dad was sharp and doing well as we helped him organize his things. He felt there was some accomplishment, which made him feel good. On the way home, dad and I played our “song game”…be the first to name the artist who is singing the current song on the radio. We have played this since we were little. Before we arrived to my parents' house, the song "Can you feel the love tonight?" by Elton John began to play. Of course we both knew the famous artist and I began to sing the lyrics. It was awesome that dad remembered every word and sang with me in the car. Again, it is the little things I treasure each day.

On Monday, dad slept pretty much all day as the exhaustion was really taking over his body. He got out of bed a few times but for the most part, slept a good portion of the day. I was proud of him though that he was able to swim 14 laps in the pool. What a fighter! That evening we were all looking forward to a nice evening at a Mexican restaurant called La Bamba. We had received gift certificates from our precious friends the Hobgoods and we decided to make it a fun night out! Unfortunately, my sister's oldest, C.J. got very sick so they stayed in for the night. Mom, dad, Kyle and I still went to dinner and enjoyed a nice night. Unfortunately, C.J. was the first of many more family members that got sick for the next few days. Thankfully my dad and husband did not get the “plague”. We were hit hard and are glad that is all over.

On Tuesday, mom and dad went to Wellington to meet with the doctor. They were told that dad looked good and that he was able to still have his Avastin treatment in a couple days. You see, Avastin is wonderful to destroy these tumors; however, the downside is that Avastin can create blood clots. Dad will continue to give himself a shot everyday in his stomach to dissolve the blood clots. So, dad has to fight extra hard so we need extra prayers! His breathing is much better. He doesn’t need to sleep with oxygen anymore but it is still in the house just in case. Dad will have his next appointment with the doctor in two weeks.

After the doctor’s appointment, my parents went to a movie and spent some time together. It is always good to get dad out of the house and have something fun to do. Before he went to sleep, dad enjoyed that crazy show Wipeout and he roared with laughter, something we haven’t heard in a long time. Again, it's the little things.

On Wednesday, dad met his good friends Dave Van Horne and Tommy Hutton for lunch. Dad was very aware and had a great day overall.

On Thursday, dad swam laps in the pool before Mead Chasky and Ronnie Strawberry came by the house for a few hours. When they left, dad rested before going with my husband to PBA at 5pm to watch his baseball guys test for strength and conditioning. Kyle told us that dad watched a few exercises and then made his way from the balcony down to the gym floor (it was moved inside due to the south Florida afternoon rain). Between exercises, the players all walked over to dad and each guy gave him a hug or shook his hand. They surrounded him and he said a few words to greet them and shared how he has been feeling. It was a special moment for dad being welcomed so warmly by his guys!

Throughout the workout, he was interacting with the guys and joking with some of them (mostly inside jokes from last season). It was a blessing for Kyle to see him "in his element" around the baseball team. At the end of the workout, Coach (Kent) Bottenfield asked dad to come over and say a few words. As he spoke, it was, for a moment, as though dad was 100%! His fatigue had been lifted (although temporarily), and he was firing up the guys and sharing his expectations for the spring season. Kyle took a picture of this moment and texted it to me, mom, Christy and DJ to share the good news! I am hoping that being around his guys more often will really help dad gain more energy.

Yesterday, mom and dad had a conversation with the doctor and it was a good report. His white blood count was good as well as his vitals (bp, heart, temp, breathing, etc.) and he was able to get his Avastin treatment today. Praise the Lord!

Mom has been dad's greatest encourager. They have been married for over 36 years and are a great team. Mom has done many things to make things better for dad...driving him around, cooking him nutritious meals, going to every doctor's appointment and daily encouraging him to stay positive. I love that mom and dad are fighting together and pray together each night for comfort and strength through this battle.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
Philippians 4:13

Prayers for the upcoming week:

Blood clots to go away in the lungs and leg
A strong week of activity, energy and motivation before he starts his
5 day chemo treatment the following week
Exhaustion...pray he gets rest but then FEELS rested. He has the time to rest but is frustrated when his body shuts down and has little energy.
Continued functioning of his body...besides exhaustion and bruising/cuts on his legs and arms, everything else is working as it should.

HEALING, HEALING, HEALING
...October 11th will be a good result for dad's next MRI in DUKE

OTHER FAMILY MATTERS

My sister's family and sweet C.J. It is not an easy road for them as they are battling autism. Their journey is difficult and they have many many bumps each day.

Looking Back

2011-09-11T09:35:00.006-04:00

More from Greg concerning Todd Beamer and 9/11:

Courage Has a Face

Ten years ago
four planes went down.
Two towers fell
at Zero Ground.
And one young man
who cried "Let's roll!"
gave bravery a face.

Todd Beamer
(on Flight 93)
defended
faith and liberty
as he lived-out
what he'd been taught
and died without regrets.

At home
and at Jon Blanchard's school,
Todd learned
that no one is a fool
who gives away
what he can't keep
to gain what he can't lose.

At Wheaton
Beamer Center stands
reminding us
to serve God's plans
across the street
or 'round the world
or on a hijacked plane.

So on this anniversary
as we recall that dreadful day,
let's thank the Lord
for those who died
that we might freely live.

* http://www.wheaton.edu/Student-Life/Activities/Beamer-Center

** Todd Beamer's godly mother spoke truth into the young patriot's life before it was prematurely concluded http://www.crosswalk.com/11622565/

*** http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20110906/news/709069751/

September 11

2011-09-11T08:02:00.004-04:00

The following reflections on September 11th, 2001 were written by my friend Greg Asimakoupoulos:

You can read more of Greg's prose and poetry at The Partial Observer.

Where were you on Sept. 11, 2001? That’s a question the vast majority of Americans can easily answer.

On that unforgettable Tuesday morning I was driving from Naperville to Carol Stream listening to WFMT. Carl Grapentine, the announcer, interrupted the music and read a news bulletin.

First reports indicated a small single-engine plane had crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center. Subsequent reports brought the fuzzy news story into fearful focus. We were a nation under attack.

The magnitude of the tragedy soon became unimaginable. Thousands of lives had been lost. Tens of thousands had been personally impacted. The skyline of New York City had been altered beyond recognition.

What was worse, our enemy was unknown. Subsequent attacks were possible. As a result, airports across the country closed down for the better part of a week. Churches opened their doors for spontaneous prayer services. There was a renewed sense of patriotism and dependence on God independent of party lines or religious affiliation.

Although the sudden fervor of faith faded as our nation regained its emotional balance, a haunting fear has dogged us for the past decade. National security remains on most everyone’s mind. The increase in terrorist activity overseas, as well as the senseless mass-shootings in our country, has left us feeling vulnerable.

The 10th anniversary of Sept. 11 provides us with an opportunity to remember how quick we were willing to turn to God a decade ago. This sad milestone causes us to recall the fragility of life and fleeting nature of peace. It is an invitation to reflect and listen to what our Creator is attempting to say to us in the midst of daily headlines that rob our sense of confidence.

We all reflect and listen differently. Some meditate in silence. Some brush paint on an empty canvas. Others journal their innermost thoughts. Still others go on a contemplative walk in nature.

My preference is to write poetry. As the anniversary of Sept. 11 approached, I put pen to paper as I was reminded that God holds us securely even when the slippery fingers of our faith find hanging on to hope difficult.

Since Sept. 11 is a Sunday, local clergy can use the following poem as a congregational hymn. (Suggested tunes: “Ode to Joy” and “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.”)

God remains our source of courage when we’re traumatized by terror.
When we’re haunted by the headlines and the violence everywhere.
Hear God whisper in the silence, “Don’t despair, I’m in control.
Hurting hearts and broken cities will at last one day be whole.”

God recalls that tragic Tuesday when twin towers disappeared,
when 3,000 people perished and our hearts were numbed by fear.
Yet God whispers 10 years later, “Justice will in time be done.
I will stand with those who need me ’till my Kingdom fully comes.”

God invites us to be trusting when we find that faith is hard.
When we’re fearful for our safety and our nerves are frayed or jarred.
Still God whispers in the silence, “Even when your faith is weak,
I will keep your feet from stumbling when your way is dark and bleak.”

An ancient Hebrew poet composed a hymn for an insecure nation that offers a similar theme. You don’t know the tune, but it’s likely you know the words:

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.” — Psalm 46:1-2 NIV

Ravens Fed

2011-09-08T22:54:00.000-04:00

Here's a re-post of a poem I wrote back in 2008. God still provides!

The wicked king Ahab
Makes others' sins pale
He's forsaken My ways

And now worships Baal.

Get over to Kerith
And there by the creek
I'll send you your groceries
Each day, not each week.

Don't question the method
I use to send bread
These scavenger ravens
Will do what I've said.

The drought you have forecast
Will dry up the land
There'll be no more water
Except by My hand.

Just wait here and trust Me
Be patient and true
In the fullness of time
You'll know what to do.

A Zarephath widow
And her only son
Will offer you lodging
But wait, I'm not done.

In the midst of the drought
There'll be flour and oil
Enough for each day
And it never will spoil.

And there you will see
My great power and might
So trust me today
Don't give up the fight.

Now just like Elijah
The prophet of old
My people can trust me
With faith strong and bold.

I'm Jehovah-Jireh
Your needs I'll provide
I'm sovereign and faithful
I'll walk by your side.

So lay aside doubting
Your burdens I'll bear
The Lord God Almighty
Has you in His care.

Third Prize

2011-09-04T10:55:00.005-04:00

Here's the article that appeared in today's (September 3rd) Peterborough Examiner.

Thanks to Mike Davies for promoting this contest:

Komets finish third in Filmpossible contest

By MIKE DAVIES / Examiner Sports Director

The Kawartha Komets special needs hockey team finished third in the Filmpossible Contest sponsored by the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital.

While final vote tallies were not made public, Komets co-founder Carol Fisher said she was told by organizers the Komets video, Bringing Visibility to Disability, was 50 votes shy of first place.

For their efforts the Komets win an Apple ipad 2. The grand prize was $5,000 and second prize $1,000. Winners were selected through online voting.

"Even thought we didn't win thousands upon thousands of people looked at these videos," said Fisher. "For every vote Holland Bloorview got $1 up to $10,000. They reached their $10,000 goal which is amazing.

We also got to promote Special Hockey International."

The Komets video depicted efforts made by team members to get a young girl from Pittsburgh, who requires an adapted walker to skate, her first goal. She scored against the Komets during the Special Hockey International Tournament in Boston in April.

"We want to thank everyone who faithfully voted for our entry," said Carol's husband and co-founder David Fisher. "Thanks to all of you who asked your friends and contacts to vote for us. We appreciate your support so much. Thank you to Carlo Raponi for putting the footage together so skilfully and to our coaches Dale Lowe and Sean Quinlan for their excellent commentary. Sean, if you hadn't caught the moment on your video camera we couldn't have shared this moving experience with thousands of viewers."

Full contest details and the video can be viewed at www.filmpossible.ca.

Sad Stigma

2011-09-01T21:51:00.003-04:00

Wade Belak - R.I.P.

Culture of winning creates stigma of mental illness in pro sport

by ANNE McILROY

From the Globe and Mail, Published Thursday, Sep. 01, 2011

The stigma that still surrounds mental illness may prevent professional athletes from seeking the help they need.

“This is, I think, a huge issue. There is a culture around professional sports, a culture of strength, a culture of winning. You can’t be a professional athlete without those pieces in your psyche,” said Stanley Kutcher, an expert on mental health at Dalhousie University in Halifax. “So if someone has a mental illness, it must be very, very difficult to deal with that. Because the expectations are that you are always strong.’’

Former National Hockey League player Wade Belak, 35, was found dead in his hotel room on Wednesday. He took his own life. Dr. Kutcher said he doesn’t know anything about the circumstances, but he suspects it may be hard for professional athletes to seek help if they feel depressed or suicidal.

Mr. Belak retired from playing earlier this year.

Retirement can be especially difficult for professional athletes, said Antonia Baum, a doctor at George Washington University Medical Center who, in 2005, published a research paper on athletes and suicide.

The transition can be more “abrupt and dramatic than for one who does not rely on his body for his livelihood or identify,” she wrote in the journal Clinics in Sports Medicine.

Since 1980, at least seven former National Football League players have committed suicide after retirement, she reported.

“Mike Wise, a pro lineman for the Los Angeles Raiders and the Cleveland Browns, killed himself just three weeks following his waiver by Cleveland. A few days earlier, he had told his fiancée ‘… that he equated having his name on the waiver wire with having it in an obituary.’ ”

She also cited a study that found that many retired NHL players – 67 per cent – have injuries and 20 per cent have marital or emotional problems.

High Church

2011-08-31T22:00:00.002-04:00

Our boys always want us to get to their summer camp(s) early so they can grab a top bunk.

I've never been able to understand why they want to climb up there and then try to navigate the ladder in the middle of the night when nature calls.

I always tried to get the bottom bunk closest to the door.

Maybe if we installed these pew punks there'd be a rush to get to church early.

Maybe not!

For more "Christian" laughs check out this link.

Deadline Day

2011-08-31T18:42:00.002-04:00

Today I posted the following Status Update on my personal Facebook page...and the Kawartha Komets Facebook page:

"If I was a rich man I'd give each ONE who votes for the Kawartha Komets video TONIGHT...the deadline...$100.00 but if I was that wealthy it wouldn't matter if we won the $5,000 first prize or not. Anyhow...it's a moot point because we're not RICH in material goods but we have 35 priceless hockey players that have been given a chance to play HOCKEY."

Yes, TONIGHT, Wednesday, August 31st, is the DEADLINE. If you haven't REGISTERED, LOGGED IN and VOTED today...PLEASE DO IT NOW.

For the sake of the kids,

David & Carol Fisher

Did You?

2011-08-26T13:01:00.002-04:00

Day 3 of the voting for best video in the Filmpossible Contest.

You can VIEW and VOTE at www.filmpossible.ca

Voting ends at midnight on August 31st so please vote TODAY and EVERY DAY.

If we win 1st prize of $5,000 we will be able to help with registrations, equipment, coaching clinics, bus trips to away games, etc.

THANKS FOR CASTING YOUR VOTE!

Komets Koverage

2011-08-25T21:40:00.000-04:00

Check out the coverage the Kawartha Komets received this evening on CHEX TV. Thanks to Meaghan Roy for her excellent work!

Click here to watch the clip.

Be sure to VIEW and VOTE at www.filmpossible.ca

You only have to register once and then you can log on EVERY DAY and cast your vote. Voting ends at midnight on August 31st!

Thanks for supporting the Kawartha Komets Special Needs Hockey Program!

Vote Today?

2011-08-24T23:16:00.002-04:00

Please take time to cast your vote for the Kawartha Komets' entry in the Filmpossible Contest We are one of 6 finalists.

Thousands of special needs hockey players across North America will benefit as you view the video and cast your vote.

Here's the link.

Thank you!

Komets Advance

2011-08-24T00:38:00.004-04:00

WE DID IT!

Tonight we learned that the Kawartha Komets video entry in the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital's Filmpossible Contest was voted on by the judges as one of the 6 finalists. Wow! Exciting news!

Now we just have to get the word out to all our family, friends, associates, schools, clubs, etc. and get YOU to vote...EVERY DAY.

Here is the PRESS RELEASE that we are sending out today:

The Kawartha Komets Special Needs Hockey Program’s video submission to the Filmpossible Contest sponsored by the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital has been voted one of the six (6) finalists by the judging committee. The entry is entitled Bringing Visibility to Disability.

The objective of the Contest, according to the Holland Bloorview web site, is “to increase awareness of and promote engagement with the issues of childhood disability and to encourage and celebrate those who advocate for childhood disability by sharing their stories.”

The Kawartha Komets submission centers around video footage shot by one of their coaches, Sean Quinlan, at the Special Hockey International Tournament in Boston in April. This entry was put together by videographer Carlo Raponi and includes commentary by Sean Quinlan and another Komets coach, Dale Lowe.

As seen on the video, one of the Komets’ players, Brandon Vansickle, placed the puck on the stick of a Steel City Icebergs (Pittsburgh) player, 5-year-old Nicole Mullins with multiple physical challenges, allowing her to skate down the ice in a special walker fashioned by her father. Players from both teams watched as Nicole took a shot on the Komets goalie, Colin Gillis-Bateman, who plays without a goalie stick. Colin has cerebral palsy on one side of his body as a result of a stroke in utero. Nicole scored her first-ever goal and the crowd went wild.

Voting on the six finalists begins today, August 24^th, and runs for a week ending August 31^st. First prize is $5,000, the 2^nd place winner receives $1,000 and 3^rd prize is an Apple iPad 2.

You must register to vote and then you can log in EVERY DAY and vote for the Komets entry entitled “Bringing Visibility to Disability”. Every member of the family can vote as long as they register and log in with their own e-mail address.

Please register, log in and vote on the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital web site at www.filmpossible.ca

Please forward this e-mail to everyone on your e-mail list and encourage them to REGISTER, LOG IN and VOTE. THANK YOU!

THANK YOU everyone for helping to increase awareness of these very special athletes. YOUR VOTE WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Farewell Rick

2011-08-21T21:33:00.002-04:00

In the aftermath of NHLer Rick Rypien's tragic death, Scott Burnside writes, "This is what we do in the face of unexplained tragedy. We ask questions for which there are precious few answers. We demand change and action without really understanding what it was that led to the tragedy in the first place. We wonder at what might have been done differently, what signs might have been missed."

Mental health issues are so difficult to admit, get help for and be understood by others. So tragic!

Please keep Rick Rypien's family in your prayers! I pray that the stigma attached to mental illness will somehow, someday, forever be removed.

Motive8 You

2011-08-20T21:01:00.002-04:00

David Fisher is available to speak to your service club, organization, church, club or school. He has been a sought-after public speaker for over 35 years.

David spent 29 seasons as the chapel leader for the Toronto Blue Jays and 14 years in the same capacity with the Peterborough Petes Hockey Club.

David speaks on a variety of topics including Sports, Mental Health Issues, Dealing With Depression, Adoption, the Christian Faith and many others.

Contact David @ (705) 750-0655 for further details or e-mail him at: dwfisher@nexicom.net

Any Electives?

2011-08-16T11:15:00.002-04:00

Recently I read the following quote by Joseph Stowell in his excellent devvotional book, Strength for the Journey.

Stowell writes, "When we see the 'school of adversity' that God enrolls all of His saints in, we may want to say, 'Thanks anyway, Lord. Do you have any electives?'"

God's way is not always the easy way but...it's the best way.

Video Contest...Please View and Vote

2011-08-12T22:27:00.002-04:00

We, the Kawartha Komets, have submitted the video that our coach Sean Quinlan shot at the Special Hockey International tournament in Boston in a contest sponsored by the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital.

The Kawartha Komets have an opportunity to win $5,000. for our Special Needs Hockey Program if we receive YOUR vote and many others. Please go to the following link and vote every day. Get each of your family members to vote as well.

Here's the link.

Please view and vote...EVERY DAY. We are already 23 days behind other entries because we just submitted the video today...the deadline.

Many thanks to Nicole, Colin and the entire Steel City Icebergs and Kawartha Komets teams for giving us such a memorable moment.

Possibilities DO come from disabilities. Watch the video and you'll be convinced!

Books, Books

2011-07-30T15:58:00.001-04:00

While sitting in my office I wondered what life would be like without books.

Wouldn't be much fun for a bibliophile like me.

I'll never be one to switch from a book in hand to an electronic book reader.

Books have a personality! A look, smell and feel of their own.

Good friends! You don't want to leave home without one.

Thought I'd take a couple of pictures in my office.

Dying Out

2011-07-30T10:55:00.004-04:00

How long before our places of worship close down and internet "church"
is the cool thing to do? The times they are a' changin'. Sad!

Click here for another "sad" story of bookstores dying.
This is the Borders bookstore chain. If they can't survive
what will be the fate of our local, independent Christian
bookstores? Their future is at stake and you can make
a difference. Don't be indifferent! Support them!

PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL CHRISTIAN BOOKSTORE.

IT IS MORE THAN A RETAIL OUTLET...IT IS A LIGHTHOUSE

IN THE COMMUNITY...A SAFE HAVEN...A PLACE WHERE

GOD DOES "GOOD" THINGS.

£300 Plus

2011-07-26T17:27:00.004-04:00

Recently I was encouraged as I read Joseph Stowell's account of a moving story from the 1800's in his excellent devotional book, Strength for the Journey.

He related how the Prince of Preachers, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, had been preaching a series of meetings in Bristol, England hoping to raise money for his orphanage back in London.

The week was drawing to a close and Spurgeon had already reached his goal of £300. He was thrilled with the response but couldn't sleep that night. God prompted him to give the money to George Muller to help with his orphanages right there in Bristol. "But Lord?" No, Spurgeon felt he must go to see Muller.

Arriving at Muller's home he found George on his knees in prayer. Spurgeon handed over the £300 and Muller acknowledged that he had been seeking God for that exact amount. They embraced and marvelled at the provision of God.

Upon his return to London, Spurgeon found an envelope containing £300 plus 300 shillings. God had provided what Spurgeon had passed on to Muller...with interest.

As another great servant of God once said, "I shovel out and God keeps shoveling back but God has a bigger shovel."

Why do we doubt God's promises to provide? He is Jehovah-Jireh...our Provider.

Note: For more encouraging stories about God's provision please visit our George Muller blog here. You will be blessed.

Hot Spots

2011-07-13T22:01:00.003-04:00

Check out this interesting link to see what the denominational demographics are in the United States of America. It's interesting to note where the Bible belt cuts across the mid-section of the U.S. Not surprising to see where the lowest percentage of Evangelical Christians are found.

Thanks to Paul Wilkinson from Thinking Out Loud for sharing this link on his blog.

July 4th

2011-07-04T09:56:00.002-04:00

We wish our special American friends a very special Happy 4th of July.

"Let Freedom Ring".

Thanks for being such great neighbours...or neighbors (as you spell it).

Too Cool?

2011-07-04T09:43:00.002-04:00

This morning I read this article by Rachel Held Evans.

Check out more about her at the end of the story.

I found myself silently uttering AMEN throughout Rachel's comments.

Rachel writes:

People sometimes assume that because I’m a progressive 30-year-old who enjoys Mumford and Sons and has no children, I must want a super-hip church—you know, the kind that’s called “Thrive” or “Be,” and which boasts “an awesome worship experience,” a fair-trade coffee bar, its own iPhone app and a pastor who looks like a Jonas brother.

While none of these features are inherently wrong (and can of course be used by good people to do good things), these days I find myself longing for a church with a cool factor of about 0.

That’s right.

I want a church that includes fussy kids, old liturgy, bad sound, weird congregants and - brace yourself - painfully amateur “special music” now and then.

Why?

Well, for one thing, when the Gospel story is accompanied by a fog machine and light show, I always get this creeped-out feeling like someone’s trying to sell me something. It’s as though we’re all compensating for the fact that Christianity’s not good enough to stand on its own so we’re adding snacks.

But more importantly, I want to be part of an uncool church because I want to be part of a community that shares the reputation of Jesus. Like it or not, Jesus’ favorite people in the world were not cool. They were mostly sinners, misfits, outcasts, weirdos, poor people, sick people and crazy people.

Embracing the Distractions

Cool congregations can get so wrapped up in the “performance” of church that they forget to actually be the Church, a phenomenon painfully illustrated by the story of the child with cerebral palsy who was escorted from an Easter service for being a “distraction.”

Really?

It seems to me this congregation was distracted long before this little boy showed up. In their self-proclaimed quest for “an explosive, phenomenal movement of God—something you have to see to believe,” they missed Jesus when He was right under their nose.

Was the paralytic man lowered from the rooftop in the middle of a sermon a distraction?

Was the Canaanite woman who harassed Jesus and His disciples about healing her daughter a distraction?

Were the blind men from Jericho who annoyed the crowd with their relentless cries a distraction?

Jesus didn’t think so. In fact, He seemed to think they were the point.

Jesus taught us that when we throw a banquet or a party, our invitation list should include “the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind.” So why do our church marketing teams target the young, the hip, the healthy and the resourced?

We Are All Uncool

In Bossypants, Tina Fey describes working for the YMCA in Chicago soon after graduating from college. This particular YMCA included, “a great mix of high-end yuppie fitness facility, a wonderful community resource for families and an old-school residence for disenfranchised men.” Fey shares a host of funny stories about working the front desk. One such story involves one of the residents forgetting to take his meds, bumping into a young mom on her way to a workout session and saying something wildly inappropriate. Fey writes: “The young mother was beside herself. That’s the kind of trouble you get when diverse groups of people actually cross paths with one another. That’s why many of the worst things in the world happen in and around Starbucks bathrooms.”

Church can be a lot like the YMCA—or a Starbucks bathroom.

We have one place for the uncool people—our ministries—and another place for the cool people—our church services. When we actually bump into one another, things can get “awkward,” so we try to avoid it.

The truth is we’re all guilty of thinking we’re too cool for the least of these. Our elitism shows up when we forbid others from contributing art and music because we deem it unworthy of glorifying God, or when we scoot our family an extra foot or two down the pew when the guy with Asperger's sits down. Having helped start a church, I remember hoping our hip guests wouldn’t be turned off by our less-than-hip guests. For a second I forgot that in church, of all places, those distinctions should disappear.

Some of us wear our brokenness on the inside, others on the outside.

But we’re all broken.

We’re all uncool.

We’re all in need of a Savior.

So let’s have some distracting church services—the kind where Jesus would fit right in.

Rachel Held Evans is the author of Evolving in Monkey Town: How A Girl Who Knew All the Answers Learned to Ask the Questions (Zondervan, 2010). She blogs at http://rachelheldevans.com.

Bittersweet Holiday

2011-06-19T13:37:00.002-04:00

The Pilgrim's Dad

Poet, pastor, friend and all-round good guy Greg Asimakoupoulos has echoed my sentiments again in his Father's Day submission.

Greg writes:

It's that day of the year
when I'm glad I'm a dad
but I grieve that my own's not around.
And I wish I could tell him
how deeply he's missed
since we laid him six feet 'neath the ground.

I'd love him to know
that my girls have achieved
and have made godly choices in life.
How I wish he could meet
the young man who proposed
and will soon make my daughter his wife.

There is much I would ask him
about real estate,
how to broker a deal on a car,
when to liquidate assets
or buy struggling stocks,
how to read a long putt for a par.

Seems I took Dad for granted
and wrongly believed
he would always be there to ask how.
I deluded myself
thinking there would be time
even when cancer furrowed his brow.

And while I am grateful
for all that he did
(not the least was to teach me to pray),
I've a lump in my throat
and a knot in my gut
as I thank God for Dad this Sunday.

Greg Asimakoupoulos

Greg's Note: My dad lost his 14 year battle to prostate cancer on November 4, 2008. I miss him more than words can say!

David's Note: My dad went "home" to be with Jesus on May 21st, 1992 after losing a brief battle to cancer. Like Greg, I miss him dearly! Life is sure different without a father. Mine was the best!

New Venture

2011-06-10T17:54:00.007-04:00

Welcome to FRIENDS Peterborough, a local outreach of a program that began internationally in 1998. We have been serving the people in Kenya, Brazil, India, the Sudan and other countries but now we are launching our program, giving people a "hands up" right here in our own city, Peterborough.

Here in Peterborough we want to help our "friends" any way we can. We will be available 5-6 days a week from 9:30 - 2:30 in a downtown location that we will announce as soon as negotiations are finalized.

We will lend a listening ear to those to need someone to talk to. We will not solve the problems of those who visit us but we will refer them to the proper agencies, health care facilities, organizations, etc. that can best meet their needs. We will be available to help seniors, new Canadians, young people, single parents...in fact, our arms will be open and our hands up...to lend assistance to anyone who comes through our doors.

We will reach out with an attitude of respect, giving dignity to a needy world.

OUR MISSION:

Our mission as FRIENDS is to be hands extended to those in need. There are many people in our community that are deprived of the basic essentials. As a humanitarian organization we will seek to provide help to those individuals.

OUR STAFF:

FRIENDS Peterborough is governed by a Board of Directors. Working in conjunction with that Board will be three men initially. We will add additional staff and volunteers as needed.

The three men who will co-ordinate the FRIENDS Peterborough program are Chanda Kaziya, Jim Duggan and David Fisher.

As soon as we have finalized our location we will be posting that information here on this site.

We welcome all our future "FRIENDS" to FRIENDS Peterborough!

FRIENDS is a not-for-profit charitable organization registered with the Canadian Revenue Agency. Our registration # is 890961022 RR0001

Note from David Fisher: FRIENDS Peterborough asked me to join forces with the two other staff members to help co-ordinate this new venture. I will continue to write to and encourage athletes through Epistle Sports Ministries.

Tree Toppling

2011-06-10T14:10:00.002-04:00

Wow! What a storm! Wednesday evening we were in town while the storm was raging and headed home after the winds died down and the rain quit pelting us. As we drove along our country road we saw several trees that had either been blown over or hit by lightning.

As we pulled into our driveway we noticed that our largest blue spruce tree on the front corner of our lot looked a bit strange...like it wasn't "all there".

After getting out of the car and navigating around the basketball net which had blown over, we surveyed the tree from a different angles. The power was out and remained "out" for 24 hours. Our kind neighbour has been busy cutting up the tree...as it landed in his driveway.

Thank God...we're back to normal now...whatever "normal" is!

Carter's Cancer

2011-06-02T22:49:00.001-04:00

Gary could be saying..."My God is greater that this cancer!"

Over 35 years ago I wrote a note of encouragement to a young, promising catcher with the Montreal Expos, Gary Carter.

As a result of that initial contact I was invited to present Bibles to the entire Expos team in 1976, their last year at Jarry Park. Almost the entire team attended the chapel service that Sunday morning and friendships were forged that have endured the test of time.

My friendship with Gary Carter is one of those that will last a lifetime.

Naturally we were saddened in the past week to learn that Gary has inoperable brain cancer. Gary is a strong, committed Christian and has the support of his loving wife Sandy and their children and grandkids.

Please pray for Gary Carter! THANK YOU.

Here is a recent article concerning Gary's condition:

The news keeps getting worse for Hall of Fame catcher and former Met Gary Carter.

Duke University doctors confirmed Tuesday that the 57-year-old Carter has inoperable Stage 4 brain cancer, but did mention paths of treatment.

Allan H. Friedman and Henry S. Friedman, co-deputy directors of Duke's Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center, said in a statement:

"The results of biopsies performed on the tumor in Gary Carter's brain have conclusively shown that Mr. Carter has a glioblastoma. While surgery is not a good option given the location of the tumor, we discussed an aggressive treatment plan with Mr. Carter and his family, which will include chemotherapy and radiation. ... Mr. Carter's youth, strong physical condition and fighting spirit will be to his advantage as his treatment commences."

The Hall of Famer was returning to his home in Florida to begin treatment.

Carter's family issued its own statement in conjunction with the Duke release: "While we are saddened by the news we received today, we take comfort in the overwhelming support and prayers that have been extended to our family during this difficult time. ... Gary was always a fierce competitor on the baseball field and that same tenacity will help him not only fight but win this battle. So please join Team Carter and continue to pray with our family."

Carter first learned of the original diagnosis of brain tumors on May 21. According to a Carter family website, the father of three spent Memorial Day relaxing by his hotel pool and spending time with his wife, Sandy, children and grandkids.

His daughter Kimmy Bloemers wrote on the family website: "When I was a little girl, I remember many many awesome memories with my family. One in particular was when dad would play a song called 'Break My Stride' by Matthew Wilder extremely loud throughout the house. When dad played that song, it meant it was time for the kids to dance with dad. That is dad's mission ... 'nobody gonna slow me down ... ain't nothin' gonna break my stride ... gotta keep on moving.' Dad has promised that he is fighting tooth and nail. He has and never will be a quitter. Dad is a fighter and a champion!"

Silent Suffering

2011-05-30T21:42:00.004-04:00

Recently I had the pleasure and privilege of participating in an event sponsored by the Canadian Mental Health Association.

I prefaced "the story of my journey" by reading the following anonymous account of someone's battle with depression.

It seemed to resonate with the audience. It certainly did with me when I read it before sharing it with those in attendance.

DEPRESSION...by an anonymous fighter

"You wake up and you just know it’s going to be “one of those days”. You try to muster up every ounce of determination, call to mind every positive motivator, every quote by a well-meaning friend...but nothing works. You try to squash the negative thoughts that percolate near the surface but they continue to simmer unabated. You “think positive thoughts” and feel like a bloody hypocrite because, deep down in the inner recesses of who you are, you “feel like _ _ _ _”!

You try to explain how you’re feeling but how can you? Sometimes it’s impossible to translate gut feelings into words or phrases that others can comprehend. You know what’s inside! Nobody else does! How could they? You are unique and unlike any other person ever created. You’re different...”so different”. You are YOU and you can’t explain YOU in a way that anybody else would understand. So, you “suffer in silence” and throw your own little pity party (that nobody attends), all the time trying to absolve yourself of the guilt thrust on you by others and by your own skewed thinking.

After a few hours of this dark, cloudy, miserable existence you are totally exhausted from trying to “hold it together” and you just want to crawl into a hole away from the prying eyes and unhelpful platitudes of those don’t “give a _ _ _ _” and those who really DO love you and genuinely want to help. Often trying to distinguish one from the other can sink you even deeper into the pit of despair. You don’t even care who cares.

Does this sound like fun? Absolutely not!

These are the daily delights of depressed souls and you can’t just “snap out of it” so don’t even suggest it."

Still Here

2011-05-21T23:24:00.001-04:00

Oops! I'm still here! What happened? Jesus didn't return! Harold Camping was wrong! Again! When will we realize that NOBODY knows the year, the month, the day, the hour...that Jesus will return!

What an embarrassment to those of us who believe the promises of God! Please apologize, Mr. Camping, and admit to the world that you were wrong...dead wrong!

Thanks, Ken

2011-05-19T22:46:00.000-04:00

Recently I asked Ken Andersen, the official photographer for the Peterborough Petes, if he would take a few pictures of me with a couple of players who had meant a lot to me over the last 4-5 years. The Petes' captain, Jack Walchessen, and their unstoppable, tireless fireplug, Joey West, had become close friends and were such a blessing and encouragement to me especially during this past year.

The pictures turned out surprisingly well! Of course Joey and Jack looked great but to get a shot of me that was better than my horrific passport photo was quite a challenge. Ken took on the job and I was happy with the results. He cropped the other two guys out of the picture and sent along this mug shot for promotional purposes. What am I going to promote? Beats me! Anyhow, I thought I'd use Ken's photo here on Pilgrim Scribblings and as my profile pic on Facebook!

Please keep it off your dartboards!

Tight Toilet

2011-05-11T16:56:00.000-04:00

Being 77 inches tall, or 6' 5" if you prefer, I've had a few struggles over my 65 years with cramped quarters in bathrooms, restrooms, washrooms, loos, johns or whatever you call those "relief stations" in your part of the world.

Many years ago I was the guest speaker at a breakfast meeting in a nearby town. Just before I was to be introduced, the MC announced that the group would sing a song and then I'd be "on". I quickly excused myself and found the restroom.

Wow! It was so small I had to sit sideways but...I'm already giving you far too much information. Well...the group had to sing that song several times because I was wedged in there and couldn't get the door open. You can imagine my desperation. Finally I was able to kick the door open, walk back into the waiting crowd with sweaty palms and a red face.

That's only one of dozens of tales I could tell but I'll save them for another day...or a book.

When my friend (and Kawartha Komets coach) Dale Lowe posted this photo on his blog I knew I had to recount my "tight toilet tale".

Check out Dale's blog here!

Pizzazz Problem

2011-05-09T18:32:00.005-04:00

Thanks, Chuck! You said it better than I ever could and a lot more people will listen to what you write than to what this pilgrim scribbles. - David

A Leadership Journal interview with Chuck Swindoll:

The Problem With Pizzazz...

Has entertainment replace worship as the center of our worship?

A survey in 2009 asked pastors to identify the most influential living preacher. Chuck Swindoll came in second only to Billy Graham. How does one use that kind of cachet? Apparently to call the church back from its captivity to entertainment.

Dr. Charles R. Swindoll is the pastor of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, the chancellor and former president of Dallas Theological Seminary, a prominent radio preacher on Insight for Living, and a prolific author.

His latest book, The Church Awakening: An Urgent Call for Renewal, outlines the dangers when churches seek the world's affirmation and copy the world's methods. Leadership Journal's senior editor Skye Jethani spoke with Swindoll about the use of entertainment values in worship.

Early in your book you say that when the church becomes an entertainment center, biblical literacy is the first casualty. So why do you think the church has become so enamored with entertainment?

We live in a time with a lot of technology and media. We can create things virtually that look real. We have high-tech gadgets that were not available to previous generations. And we learned that we could attract a lot of people to church if we used those things. I began to see that happening about 20 years ago. It troubled me then, and it's enormously troubling to me now because the result is an entertainment mentality that leads to biblical ignorance.

And alongside that is a corporate mentality. We're tempted to think of the church as a business with a cross stuck on top (if it has a cross at all). "We really shouldn't look like a church." I've heard that so much I want to vomit. "Why?" I ask. "Do you want your bank to look like a bank? Do you want your doctor's office to look like a doctor's office, or would you prefer your doctor to dress like a clown? Would you be comfortable if your attorney dressed like a surfer and showed movies in his office? Then why do you want your church's worship center to look like a talk show set?"

Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, "When the church is absolutely different from the world, she invariably attracts it. It is then that the world is made to listen to her message, though it may hate it at first."

When a church is spending more on media than shepherding, something is wrong.

Some time ago a group of church leaders decided that they didn't want to be hated. They focused just on attracting more and more people.

But if we're here to offer something the world can't provide, why would I want to copy the world? There is plenty of television. There are plenty of talk shows. There are plenty of comedians. But there is not plenty of worship of the true and living God.

You think it's rooted in a deep insecurity that we have as church leaders?

Yes, I do. I think you've put your finger on it. We want a crowd to make us feel important and liked. But why is getting a crowd our focus? Jesus never suggested that crowds were the goal. He never addresses getting your church to grow. Never. So why is that the emphasis today?

We can look back before modern technology entered the sanctuary and see the same values at work. The crusades of Billy Graham, the revivals of the Great Awakening, even all the way back to the Reformation, you see that Martin Luther used music and forms of worship that were relevant to his German culture. So what's wrong with taking relevant cultural expressions in the 21st century and using them in our worship?

Nothing, if they square with Scripture and if they honor the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is nothing wrong with using something new. We are called to sing new songs. I love them. Nobody sings louder in our church than I do—both the old and new songs.

But everything must square with Scripture. We must make sure that new things actually help people grow in the truth, that they edify the saints and build them up. Will it equip them to handle the world around them? Will it form them into the kingdom of God rather than the kingdom of this world?

In many cases we use new things because they are novel, not because they are helpful.

So the issue is not innovation or tradition, but why we're using a particular method or technology.

Exactly. I have been to church services, and you have too, where the only people who knew the songs were the band. I'm not edified. I'm just watching a show. And they're not interested in teaching me the songs either. They just sing louder to make up for the fact that no one else is singing. Loud doesn't help. Why do they do that? Do you want me to be impressed with how loud you are singing, how accomplished you are? I'm not. I'm not here to be impressed with you. I'm here to fall back in love with Christ.

Innovation doesn't have to be loud or a gimmick. How about silence? Most people get no silence in their world. Imagine three or four minutes of silence. No music. No background distractions.

Or change the order of worship. Start the service with an invitation rather than ending with it. Nothing in the Bible says to walk down an aisle. So be innovative. I'm not against screens, or new songs, or innovation. I just don't like the gimmicks. I want to know when worship is over that that leader's sole purpose was to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. He's not important to himself, and I'm not.

Here's what troubles me: I don't know why leaders younger than me aren't saying this. I'm not talking about novices, but the leaders in their forties and fifties. Why aren't they raising questions and showing some concern for where the church is heading with its focus on media and headcount and passive spectating? I know one church that has 17 people on their media staff and only 12 on the pastoral staff.

When a church is spending more of its budget on media than shepherding, something is out of whack. We have gotten things twisted around. My book is simply saying come back, folks. I'm not against innovation. But we need more wisdom.

Speak to the 35-year-old pastor leading a young, growing church. The ministry is focused on communicating the gospel and honoring Christ, but he wants to incorporate more technology and media. How does that pastor know how far to go? What are the red flags he and his team should look for?

First, he needs to surround himself with people that ask the hard questions, people that are not all his own age.

Second, he needs to study the Scriptures deeply and ask whether he can square what they're doing with what the Bible says should be their focus.

Third, he should ask whether or not this the best use of our money and time. Would I spend my time better pouring over God's Word, in prayer, getting my heart right, mentoring younger men and women, and building into my staff? What investment of my time is going to lead others to say, "You know what, these people are so different; this is so refreshing; this is beautiful."?

That was a major theme in your book. Ultimately what attracts the world to the church are sanctified people, filled with God, living in communion with him and one another, and not an entertaining show.

I'm so glad you got that. It's called "the body."

Let's talk about what you do on Sunday morning. How do you discern the difference between the genuine presence of God among his people, and a fabricated experience generated by the staging, music, and lights?

That's the danger of using too much media and technology in worship. I try to keep it as simple as I can. I deliberately hold back. I don't plan out every single phrase so that it's timed exactly with a slick presentation. I deliberately leave room for the Spirit to lead.

We use video occasionally but about eight to ten times a year, no more. We're not here to show videos. People have videos all week long. We use the screens for a song or two that we don't know. Otherwise we're using hymnals.

We try to keep it simple so that the pizzazz doesn't become the reason to bring a neighbor. You have to come see the light show next week. Man, it is unbelievable! The thing will knock your socks off … Wrong. They can stay home and watch that on Friday night.

When you come Sunday, you're going to focus on One who is eternal, and we're all going to meet him together. And in doing so, we're going to leave different than we came because we will have been in his awesome presence, and we will be ignited by the work of the Spirit within us.

You are a very engaging communicator. Philip Yancey even said that "Charles Swindoll doesn't have a boring bone in his body." Some might even say that you are very entertaining to listen to. How do you reconcile that with what you've just said about the dangers of being entertainment driven? How do you ensure that people attracted to your ministry are engaging it for the right reason?

I talk about that. I tell them, "Keep me off the pedestal. You're heading for a real disappointment if you put me on that pedestal. I am a sinner just like you are. Yeah, I've got gifts. I can't help it. That's the way God made me. But don't think I'm better than I am."

One of the best pieces of counsel I got was from a staffer with The Navigators named Jim Petersen. He had ministered in Sao Paulo, Brazil, for years with great effectiveness. I said, "How did you do it, Jim?" He said, "Oh, I let them see the cracks in my life." I love that answer.

So I blow it from time to time. I lose my place in my sermon. The other Sunday I read from the wrong passage of Scripture—I was a full book away from where I was supposed to be. We all had a good laugh about it.

I let people see the cracks in my life. We can't be phony. We've got to keep it real.

Moving Moment

2011-05-04T13:25:00.001-04:00

As a co-founder with my wife Carol of the Kawartha Komets, we appreciate the dedication of our coaching staff. The following story was written by Dale Lowe...one of the totally committed coaches of the Komets. - David Fisher

Grab a tissue before you read Dale's moving account:

"Anyone who volunteers will tell you that you get back twice as much as what you put into it. And, I've come to learn that even more so over the past 2 years, helping to coach the Kawartha Komets special needs hockey team.

This past week, our 2 local squads participated in the 64-team Special Hockey International tournament. It was my first time to attend the annual year-end event. And, as we boarded the bus early last Wednesday morning for Boston, I knew that I was in for an emotional 5 days of watching special athletes from across the world...playing the game they love so much.

But, nothing had prepared me for the tear that ran down my face on Saturday afternoon.

In special needs hockey, there can often be some disparity between teams because of their wide range of hockey skills and challenges. As the undefeated Junior Komets entered their final game against the Steel City Icebergs (from Pittsburgh), it was clear that our team was faster and more skilled than their opponents. And (realizing this) our juniors quickly adapted their game...showing a tremendous amount of empathy for the Icebergs. Then, the most incredible spontaneous act of sportsmanship happened in front of the Steel City net.

Brandon Vansickle (# 58) of the Kawartha Komets gave the puck to 5 year-old Nicole Mullins of the Icebergs. As you will see in the video, Nicole uses a special-made walker created by her father, fully equipped with her hockey stick. Nicole was born with hip dysplasia...meaning she has two dislocated hips, two short-bent femurs, and two club feet. But, special needs hockey has allowed her to be part of a team...and allowed this tiny, courageous and very determined girl to achieve her goals.

After Brandon put the puck on Nicole's stick, the entire Komet line skated the length of the ice beside her, and watched her score a goal...as fans from both sides cheered wildly. Afterwards, there were tears running down the cheeks of many of us who had witnessed this unprompted, unscripted act of sportsmanship. I have never been so proud to be part of a sports program.

I should also mention that the Senior Komets showed remarkable sportsmanship too. Entering their final game (undefeated as well)...they met the undefeated Washington Ice Dogs. The level of competition was quite intense and spirited in a game that saw each team hold the lead at various times.

And, although the Komets lost the game on the scoreboard (8-5)....they proved that sometimes the team that LOSES looks like the WINNERS...through their on-ice actions. Our boys were able to display an incredible amount of respect and sportsmanship in that defeat....and we are all so proud of them for representing Peterborough so well.

And so...we've packed up our memories in equipment bags for another season - - with the anticipation of creating even more special moments next year - - as the Kawartha Komets continue to “blaze a trail” in special needs hockey."

O. K. Click here to watch this "moving moment". One of our coaches, Sean Quinlan, captured this on videotape and the number of views on YouTube is going to be phenomenal. This is what Special Hockey International is all about!

Yess! Amen!

2011-04-24T13:06:00.002-04:00

What more do we need to say? YESS (with a double S) spells it out perfectly.

When our favourite team scores a goal or hits a home run we say, YESS! When our income tax refund is more than we expected we shout, YESS!. When we open a gift and it's something we love but never thought we'd receive we exclaim, YESS!

When a crucified "Man of Sorrows" bursts forth from the tomb, defeating death and the grave why shouldn't we let loose with a loud, YESS! Christ is risen! He is alive for evermore and we can have life eternal in and through Him.

YESS !!!

Good Friday

2011-04-22T11:07:00.002-04:00

How could a day so dark and gruesome
Ever be described as “good”?
When the sinless, spotless Jesus
Gave His all, His life, His blood.

But, ah, the “good” accrued to sinners
We, ourselves, deserved to die;
But the blood of His atonement
Rent the veil and brought us nigh.

Now we stand, redeemed, forgiven,
Ransomed, justified and free;
Guaranteed a place in heaven
With the King eternally.

All the “good” that we could muster
Never could our sin debt pay;
But by trusting in His merit
We have LIFE this “Good Friday”.

~ David W. Fisher, March 21st, 2008

Book Worms

2011-04-16T22:26:00.000-04:00

Our local library held its annual (or is it twice a year?) Friends of the Library Book Sale yesterday and today. I always try to get there before things get too picked over. I also try to sneak in before Carol knows that I'm going. Why? Because another book is the last thing I need. After all...over the past three years I've had to reduce my personal library from about 5,000 volumes to a measly 2,000. So why would I want another book? I just "do. No explanation other than that. I LOVE BOOKS!

Anyhow, I didn't have to "sneak" in. Carol kindly dropped me off at the library without any fuss, handed me a $1.00 as said, "enjoy yourself"!

While jostling (is that a word?) for position at the "Christianity" table trying to catch a glimpse of the offerings I overheard so many weird conversations. The others at that table certainly weren't looking for my type of book. Clairvoyants, new age stuff, Eastern mysticism an all manner of non-Christian books at "my" table. Were these bargain hunters from Mars? Sounded like it.

I wandered around the crowded room thinking I'd come back to "my" table when it wasn't so busy. What a motley collection of "book wormy" types picked through the thousands of volumes which loaded down the tables! Do all bibliophiles wear strange clothes, talk funny and purchase crazy books?

One guy was apologizing to one of the volunteer ladies for preaching at her. She was just overjoyed to see him leave the building. Several other browsers were talking to themselves without getting an answer. Finally I was able to squeeze up to "my" table only to discover that there was only a smattering of good books available. I knew my friend Reid hadn't snatched them up earlier because he was unable to attend. After digging through several hundred books I had chosen five of them and paid my $5.00. As I approached the exit I saw the "preaching man" holding the door for everybody coming and going. He said something I didn't understand as I walked out the door.

Carol picked me up in front of the library and asked what treasures I had found. I confessed that I had bought five books but that I already had three of them and one was for my friend Reid. When she asked why I had bought three books that were already on my shelf I realized that I was just as crazy as the rest of them.

Can't wait for the next sale.

Fifty Nine

2011-04-07T19:35:00.004-04:00

After the last post, Old Guys, I thought I better leave you with some scribblings that are more "spiritual", more edifying than entertaining.

Here goes:

Yesterday I celebrated by 59th "spiritual" birthday. What do I mean? I'm one of those Christians who remembers the year, month, day, hour and circumstances surrounding my conversion. The wording used to define what happened is a matter of semantics. You could call it any number of things including:

The day I was "saved"
When I became a Christ-follower
The moment when I realized that I was a "sinner"
When I was "redeemed"
When God forave me

Others who grew up in other traditions would call "it" something else or not even place value on what I'm referring to.

Many Christians can't pinpoint a time or place when these events transpired. Contrary to what some people believe, this does NOT make one any less of a Christian and it shouldn't cast doubt on the reality of what happened.

Anyway, enough of that. What happened April 6th, 1952 at 7:30 on a Sunday morning at the kitchen table at 28 Glenavy Avenue in Toronto was "real" and I'll be eternally grateful to God that it was His doing and not mine.

So that was 59 years ago. How did I celebrate? By spending 59 minutes back in Toronto.

Carol and I are providing an autographed Jose Bautista jersey (he's the Toronto Blue Jay who hit 54 home runs last year) to three different charities for upcoming auctions. I had to pick up the jerseys at the Rogers Centre. With the price of gas hitting $1.25 or more for a litre it was much cheaper to take the Go Bus and the Go Train. With my Senior's discount I only had to fork out $16.50 for the return trip. It would have cost me more than that just to park the car in downtown Toronto.

I jumped off the train (after it stopped) and quickly walked to the ballpark. Good exercise! After picking up my bag of goodies I headed back to Union Station in time to catch the 4:25 train back to Oshawa. Really! It was about 59 minutes spent in the "big city" where my Christian pilgrimage began 59 years earlier.

So what are my reflections as I look back?

I have many, many things to thank God for. He has blessed me far above and beyond what I deserved. That's grace! He didn't give me what I should have received. That's mercy!

Times haven't always been easy but God never said they would be. At times I couldn't see the Light (Jesus) but He was there. I've stumbled and fallen so many time but He graciously extended His loving hand and lifted me up.

Fifty nine years or fifty nine minutes, He's never forsaken this struggling pilgrim.

The truth of the Bible verse that my Grandma Fisher taught me has given me strength throughout the journey.

"The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him." - Nahum 1:7 (KJV) or as a more modern rendition puts it..."God is good, a hiding place in tough times. He recognizes and welcomes anyone looking for help." (The Message)

Old Guys

2011-04-07T18:49:00.005-04:00

Recently I paid a follow-up visit to my urologist. Lots of fun! I was more relaxed than I’d been before my initial visit several weeks earlier. At least I knew I didn’t have prostate or bladder cancer.

Not being so self-absorbed, I watched and listened to others in the busy waiting room, knowing that some might be nervously waiting for “bad news”.

There must have been at least two dozen old fogies shuffling around in that crowded space. Do I give up my seat to someone else? No! I’m just as old as they are, a scary thought I might add.

I’d forgotten or hadn’t noticed that seniors wear jeans too. Not stylish ones but faded representations that don’t hang properly and show far too much sock. Maybe it’s because they’re hoisted up around their owner's armpits that they don’t look so great.

And the shoes! No Nikes or Reeboks here. The generic Runmasters or Jogging Sensations from the five and dime store. The half-cocked baseball caps carried the logos of obscure farm supply stores, girl’s ping pong teams and foreign travel providers.

What am I doing here? Am I in the twilight years of my less-than illustrious career? A member of I. P. Knightley’s club? Many disturbing questions begged an answer.

One by one they hobbled in to see their physician. Two doctors shared office space in the medical complex. Good thing or I’d have been there forever. As the men exited their doctor’s inner sanctum they either reluctantly booked their next visit or were told by the nurse/receptionist when their dreaded surgery would take place.

Listening to the waiting patients talk about the “good old days” was both humorous and enlightening. One spoke of the days when winter graced us with 60 below temperatures. Another talked about making 30 cents an hour. “But that was yesterday and yesterday’s gone.”

It was finally my turn to pee in the bottle but that’s “old school” now apparently. I was led into a room when I could leave my “specimen” in a seemingly computerized pot where a printout would inform the doc of all he needed to know.

After a 35 minute wait and a 3 minute consultation I left. I’m still not sure whether I felt like a puppy in the company of a bunch of old dogs or perhaps that life had somehow passed me by and I was now one of the old guys. Not a nice thought. My next appointment is a year from now! Can't wait!

Looking Back

2011-04-04T18:44:00.002-04:00

Recently I found this Couriers for Christ prayer card and my mind went back to those days in the mid to late 60's when a team of young people from the Peterborough area went around singing and preaching. Those were good old days. On Sunday evenings we'd sing in a park in Lakefield as part of Lakefield Gospel Chapel's Open-Air Services.

One summer John King, Carl Whitehead, Brice Martin and I drove to Wawa, north of Sault Ste. Marie, and did door-to-door tract distribution. We took a tent trailer and stayed at a campground in the area. Each night we would put on a concert (???) in the park. John would play his saw, yes, that's right, his saw, Carl would squeeze some tunes out of his accordian and I had an old pump organ that kept my legs busy. We'd always draw a crowd. Maybe they wondered what the racket was. We had great times back then.

I'm grateful that God touched my heart back in those days and called me to serve Him. For many years I owned the local Christian bookstore and preached a lot on the weekends. Epistle Sports Ministries was formed in 1975 and continues to this day. John King went with Wycliffe Bible Translators and still serves with them. I played the organ at John & Laura's wedding. Carl also serves with Wycliffe in Papua, New Guinea with his wife Pat. I was Carl's best man at their wedding in Winnipeg. Brice went to seminary and went on to pastor a church. We all got our start with Couriers for Christ, a makeshift ministry that we started when we were young men.

Those are fond memories! Paul challenged Timothy and told him to let nobody despise his youth. God calls and uses young people to accomplish His purposes. I'm grateful for those early opportunities to serve Him.

Just goes to prove that the Lord of the Harvest can use anybody. Let Him use you to make a difference!

Book Buddies

2011-04-04T17:44:00.001-04:00

There's no friend like a good old book!

Wherever I go I try to take a book along. I've got them in the car, a thousand of them in my office, another thousand or so in the basement. They're stacked by my bed. There's always a book in my suitcase just in case I forget to pack one.

Books, like people, come in all sizes, colors and shapes. I love to take the dust jacket off a hardcover book and check out the binding, the color, the title engraved on the spine. The different type faces and paper colors intrigue me.

The bibliographies, notes and indexes in the back always fascinate me. The dedications in the front of the book are very telling.

The cover can either make me want to dig into the book or it can turn me off reading it. Maybe I have a book fetish. If that's wrong, so be it. I'm guilty!

Want to make me happy? Give me a book! Want to upset me? Borrow a book and don't give it back.

When I take the train or plane I'm always weighed down with books. What great companions! They keep me company, they never argue, never talk back and they can change my life if I allow the Holy Spirit to speak through them.

Having a good book in hand affords the blessing of a one-on-one visit with the author, quietly discovering what makes him or her tick. How else can we engage with Augustine, Tozer, Lloyd-Jones or Lewis?

Yes, I'm an incurable bookaholic! It's almost bed time but I better read a chapter or three.

Good night!

Eating Air

2011-04-01T20:34:00.004-04:00

My friend Greg Asimakoupoulos can take something as simple as popcorn and write about it in such a way that you have to go and pop some.

Where does that guy get his ideas?

His mom should have called him "Cracker" Jack!

Check out Greg's "stuff" here.

Fiber with a Flair

A popcorn lover's tribute to his favorite nightly snack

Popcorn is my favorite snack.
It's fiber with a flair.
The calories are next to none.
It's just like eating air.

From way back when I was a boy
(you'll probably think it odd),
I thought of popcorn manna-like.
A daily gift from God.

That Jiffy Pop was quite the rage
until I finally learned
that lest you shake that tin pan fast,
the corn is bound to burn.

The hot-air kind was healthier.
That's how it was made known.
But it was dry as cardboard puffs...
like chewing Styrofoam.

I make it the old-fashioned way.
A kettle on the stove.
Then pour the oil, add the corn
and wait till they explode.

But yellow kernels aren't my thing.
I only like the white.
A little butter and some salt.
Let's pop some up tonight.

And here's my (David's) little postscript:

Yes my friend Greg can really write,

I wish I had his touch;

He takes something like popping corn

Turns "nothing" into "much".

I Am

2011-03-29T19:44:00.004-04:00

Today I pulled a book off my shelf entitled Wrestling With Giants, a British publication edited by John Young. The sub title is "Stories of Hope and Faith For All Who Struggle". The author seeks, with biblical truth, to help readers who deal with panic attacks, disability, cancer, bereavement and depression.

He closes with a poem by John Clare (1793-1864) and prefaces Clare's poetry of lament with the following statement:

"I have chosen a poem by the so-called "rustic poet", John Clare, an uneducated but outstanding nineteenth-century poet. He suffered from severe mental illness and spent the last twenty-three years of his life in the General Lunatic Asylum in Northampton. John Clare's poem catches the anguish of mental illness and the deep longing for release. Despire the bleakness of his experience, he expresses his faith in 'my Creator God'."

Dare I admit that Clare's words resonated with me? I guess I just did. If you are encouraged by this post and you are a step closer to understanding that you are not alone in your struggles, then sharing these scribblings will have been worthwhile.

Clare writes:

I am—yet what I am none cares or knows;

My friends forsake me like a memory lost:

I am the self-consumer of my woes—

They rise and vanish in oblivious host,

Like shadows in love and death's oblivion lost;

And yet I am, and live—with shadows lost.

Into the nothingness of scorn and noise,

Into the living sea of waking dreams,

Where there is neither sense of life or joys,

But the vast shipwreck of my life’s esteems;

And e'en the dearest that I loved the best

Are strange—nay, rather, stranger than the rest.

I long for scenes where man hath never trod

A place where woman never smiled or wept

There to abide with my Creator, God,

And sleep as I in childhood sweetly slept,

Untroubling and untroubled where I lie

The grass below—above, the vaulted sky.

by John Clare

He Does

2011-03-26T19:08:00.008-04:00

My cousin Heather Arnelien is a talented musician...a great pianist, composer, singer...she can do it all. She has a heart for God and for others who are struggling.

She's also a good writer and you can check out her From the Farm blog by checking on the link below.

Recently she penned the following lyrics that really resonated with me. I pray that you will be encouraged and refreshed knowing that He Does care.

Heather wrote:

He Does
copyright Heather Arnelien

Tear-stained pillow
sleepless nights
all the "what ifs?"
no hope in sight.
alone and abandoned
no reason to live
you've screamed and cried and died inside
you've nothing to give.

Oh, but He does.
Oh, He does.

He gives beauty for ashes
His strength for fear,
gladness for mourning,
peace for despair.
He gives hope for the broken
The Best, for 'what was' -
When you've got nothing to give - He does.

Tears of mercy,
prayer-filled night,
in the garden-
He is fighting your fight.
All of your sorrows, your shame and each loss-
He took them all upon Him when He went to the cross.
Oh, and He lives.
And He gives...

He gives beauty for ashes,
His strength for fear,
gladness for mourning,
peace for despair.
He gives hope for the broken,
the Best for "what was"-
when you've got nothing to give - He does.
When you've got nothing to give, He does.

Check out Heather's From the Farm blog here.

Valley Thoughts

2011-03-23T21:48:00.005-04:00

Out of curiosity I checked back in the Pilgrim Scribblings archives to see what I had posted six (6) years ago when this blog was young...and vibrant and I was still in my 50's, albeit late 50's.

Here's what I found and the truth in these lyrics has NOT changed one iota:

Recently a friend gave me a CD and several songs blessed my spirit in a very special way. The day after receiving the CD I was listening to a song made popular by the Whisnants entitled "Even in the Valley".

As I enjoyed the song I had to pull off the road as the Spirit of God brought tears to my eyes. I know that we grow in our "valley" experiences and (I think) I can praise God in the dark depths of the valley. This time though, I had such a wonderful sense of being in the presence of the Holy One. God ministered powerfully to this troubled soul. Enjoy the lyrics but more important sense the loving embrace of Jesus as you go through your valley whatever it might be.

Even in the Valley

High upon this mountain - the sun is shining bright

My heart is filled with gladness here above the cares of life

But I've just come through the valley of trouble, fear and pain

It was there I came to know my God enough to stand and say:

Chorus:

Even in the valley - God is good

Even in the valley - He is faithful and true

He carries his children through - like He said he would

Even in the valley - God is good

The road of life has lead you to a valley of defeat

You wonder if the Father has heard your desperate plea

But there is hope in the rugged place where tears of sorrow dwell

Can't you hear Him gently whispering "I am here and all is well".

Pendulum Swings

2011-03-18T21:37:00.001-04:00

Peterborough's source of wisdom gave us another pearl this week. Sidney doesn't compare with the biblical Solomon but here's what the roadside sign on Peterborough's Parkway said tonight:

Sidney says, "The pendulum WILL swing back."

I guess it's all a matter of perspective. Maybe some don't want it to swing back because they find themselves in a "good" place right now.

Me? I'm waiting for it to swing back.

It will!

You Choose

2011-03-15T23:55:00.004-04:00

At least these 57 varieties are at different times on Sunday so they don't get all blended together into an unholy casserole.

Which service would you attend?

Maybe your preference isn't one of the choices.

There are still several hours during "the Lord's Day" when other styles could be added.

Maybe you'd like to attend "The Hymns of the 1700's" at 4 P.M.

What next?

Another World???

2011-03-15T20:15:00.002-04:00

I've contemplated posting these thoughts for several years but backed off in case I offended some of my fellow pilgrims.

Have you ever noticed that some segments of evangelical (???) Christianity speak a totally different lingo? When perusing their web sites, looking through their magazines and even conversing with some of them I wonder if I'm the weirdo or are they from another planet.

Now don't write me off as some fundamentalist, narrow-minded cessationalist who condemns every charismatic to hell? Honestly...some of my closest friends have their credentials with Pentecostal denominations. I have no issue with classic Pentecostalism...well almost none!

But when you read the bios of some of these other "whatevers"....you might find something like this:

Apostle Frederick J. Franco moves in the prophetic, specializing in interpretation of astroprojectional intergalactic visitations. He has seen millions of troubled Christians healed from cancer, indigestion, boils and interceptional postulations. Franco's converts fall sideways instead of backwards when stricken by the Holy Ghost...based on the scriptural admonition to walk beside your fellow believers.

Frederick has trained under the tutelage of His Royal Highness Apostle A. P. L. Spencer and has walked on water hundreds of times.

Prior to launching out in his itinerant ministry Franco was the lead Apostle at the Holiness High Church of the Fire-Baptized, Footwashing, International Prophetic, Visionary, Missionary Fellowship of the Eastern Conference.

What language are they speaking? Have I missed out on something all these 65 years of my pilgrimage? Am I a 2nd class believer because I haven't raised anybody from the dead?

Just wondering...

Comments will be graciously entertained.

Komets Night

2011-03-15T18:59:00.002-04:00

This Wednesday, March 16th at 7:00 p.m. there will be three great teams playing the exciting game of hockey at the Peterborough Memorial Centre. The Peterborough Petes take on the Niagara Ice Dogs in the Petes' final home game of the regular season.

It's Kawartha Komets Night and the Komets will take to the ice between the 1st and 2nd periods to showcase their skills. Prior to the game members of the Komets will be greeting fans at the arena entrances and handing out FREE Komets fridge magnets.

Tickets for the game can be purchased at the reduced rate of $12.00 per person if you mention the code word "KOMETS". $2.00 from the sale of these tickets will go directly to the Kawartha Komets to help BUS THE BOYS TO BOSTON. Be sure to mention the word "KOMETS" when picking up your tickets at the Box Office. This will be the Komets' final fund raiser before we head to Boston for our tournament on April 27th.

Come out and enjoy a great evening of entertainment during the kid's March Break and support the Petes and the Komets at the same time.

See you Wednesday at the Memorial Centre.

Go Petes Go!

Check out our Kawartha Komets web site here.

Horseless Carriage

2011-03-15T12:46:00.001-04:00

"You bought it...you get it home!"

This picture was enough to drive me buggy!

I must confess that sometimes these "scribblings" are not sources of deep, spiritual insight but...hopefully you will get a laugh from time to time.

I wonder what the KEEP OUT sign is all about.

Buggy boys!

Baseball Bits

2011-03-11T20:18:00.006-05:00

Vernon Wells

Joe Carter

Yes, you read the post title correctly...Baseball Bits...not bats.

Every year when Spring Training time rolls around my mind goes back to those early days when I would make the trek to Dunedin as "spiritual caretaker" for the Toronto Blue Jays. I didn't make the trip for the first two seasons, 1977 and 1978 but flew down at least once each spring until I hung up my spikes about 6 years ago.

Tonight as I checked out today's box scores for the Grapefruit circuit (Florida) and the Cactus league (Arizona) I felt a little homesick for those "good ol' days".

So I share a few scrambled scribblings with my readers knowing that the majority of you might not recognize most of the names but...I just had to write.

Andy Pettitte

Here goes...in no particular order...

The Chicago White Sox are my least favourite team and it's mostly because I have a hard time liking their manager. I'll omit his name to prevent a lawsuit because, knowing his fiery personality, he might just stumble on my scribblings and take me to court.

I hope ex-Blue Jay Vernon Wells has a great season in his new locale, Southern California, with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Gabe Gross

Cito Gaston was one of the kindest, fatherly men I had the privilege of knowing and working with. I'll miss him.

Mike Sweeney is an unsigned Free Agent and I will miss him as well. One of the most powerful services I had the pleasure of conducting was a Good Friday service in Toronto for the Kansas City Royals when Mike was their chapel leader. Thanks for all the encouragement over the years, Mike.

Note: Mike signed a one day contract with the Kansas City Royals, his original team, and then retired...wearing the Royals' jersey - # 29. He will work in some capacity with the team he enjoyed such success with. CONGRATULATIONS on a great career, Mike!

Another good friend is hanging up his spikes this season. We will miss Andy Pettitte. A great guy!

I wish the Montreal Expos still were in business. I spent many happy years leading their chapel program.

John Olerud was and is about the most humble man I've ever met.

Mariano Rivera

Mariano Rivera, the Yankees' closer, isn't far behind.

Will there ever be another smile as refreshing as Joe Carter's? Another home run as exciting?

Gabe Gross is a non-roster invitee in the Mariner's Spring Training Camp. I sure hope he cracks the line-up or gets a chance somewhere else. He's been my best friend in baseball since he started his rise through the Blue Jays' farm system.

Even though I spent over 30 years in baseball ministry, I find the game very boring. Don't tell anybody.

There are only two Blue Jays left on their roster that I've met...David Pursey and Aaron Hill. How times have changed!

That's all folks! Just had to get that off my chest.

Go Jays Go!

P. S. One more note of interest. Danny Farquhar was a relief pitcher in the Blue Jays minor league system working his way up. I never had the privilege and pleasure of meeting him. In fact I knew nothing about him until his mother, Beatriz Farquhar-Guzman, became a friend and prayer partner through her blog. Check out her scrapbooking blog here. It's not often that I meet a ballplayer's parent before making his acquaintance. Danny was traded by the Jays to the Oakland A's so we won't get to see him in a Jays' uniform in Toronto...unless there's a future trade, of course. All the best Danny!

Danny Farquhar

Potty Prescription

2011-03-10T12:42:00.002-05:00

Recently I was referred to a urologist by our family doctor. I dreaded the visit but knew that he would tell me what was wrong and prescribe what I needed. Of course I was told that I needed more exercise. What else is new?

Like a trusting patient I took my prescription to our local pharmacy without reading the doctor's scribbling. I likely couldn't have read it anyway.

You can imagine my surprise when the pharmacist brought out what the doctor had ordered.

Understanding God

2011-03-08T16:59:00.006-05:00

Sometimes I read someone else's musings and feel that they must have read my mind. There are others out there who think and feel the same way I do. Ann Voskamp referred to Big Mama's blog and to the following post in particular. Read it and see if you can identify with the writer's angst. I did.

Big Mama writes:

Oh if you only knew the irony of the post I’m about to write. It’s thick. Especially since I tend to stick to writing about reality television and other meaningless nonsense. Like my love for bright yellow jackets on sale for $23.99. I just tend to write about the funny, lighthearted things because I am generally a funny, lighthearted person.

But then I spent a large portion of the day reading various things like books and articles and blog posts because P and Caroline went down to the ranch to set some things on fire. And somewhere in the course of the afternoon, I felt a different kind of fire start in me.

(My deepest apologies to those who just stumbled here in search of a cute jacket.)

I am sick and tired of watching Christians eat their own. And what I mean by that is all the attacking and the back-biting and the endless arguments over what Jesus said and how he said it and who is right and who is wrong. I will never claim to be a great theologian, largely because I am not a great theologian, but I believe in a God who loves mercy and grace. I believe in a God that tells us that without love we are just clanging cymbals.

And I believe when we spend so much time dissecting the Word of God merely to argue with others over who is the most right, it makes God sad. I think it makes Him shake His holy head and wonder how we are missing the entire point of Christianity while we eat lunch and go to work and shop the sales at Gap with people all around us who don’t know Him. But instead of showing them who He is, they see us fight and argue and judge each other instead of extending grace and understanding and mercy.

Don’t get me wrong, I believe we are called to examine God’s word and to know it. We are called to be able to give an answer for what we believe and why we believe it. But when we use that knowledge to belittle others or condemn them? OH NO MA’AM.

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.” 2 Peter 1:5-9

I think Satan (oh yes, I just dropped in a Satan like I’m the church lady) loves when we get so distracted by all these small debates that cause us to become so inwardly focused that we forget about the world around us that is hurting, hopeless and lost. A world that is desperate for something that looks different. Something that offers a hope and a future that’s different from the wreckage of the past and present.

I have lived a large chunk of my thirty-nine years in rebellion against God. I’ve ignored His word, run from His love, and tried my best to screw up my life with a lot of wrong decisions. I’ve also spent many years devoted to Him to the point of becoming legalistic and judgmental and losing the joy of my salvation because I’ve been so worried about the rules. I’ve looked at a lot of specks in other people’s eyes while ignoring the big old plank in my own.

But somewhere over the last several years, I’ve begun to realize that my small mind can’t comprehend the love and mercy of God. He is not a one size fits all Creator. He is the God of the Universe and He has made us all uniquely different and equipped each of us with gifts and abilities to fulfill plans He has for us. Why would we assume that our walks with Him or even our understanding of Him would look the same? As it says in Isaiah 40:13 “Who has understood the mind of the Lord, or instructed him as his counselor?”

My walk with Christ is as uniquely mine as my personality. I’ve spent a lot of time believing I should be more like this Bible teacher or more emotional like this person or hear from God in a certain way or adopt a child from Africa or sell all my earthly possessions, but He’s made me to be me. And He’s made you to be you. If God was only after one type of relationship with one type of person, it probably would have been a whole lot easier for Him to just create one person and be done with it. I speak from experience. I only have one child and it’s easy to know her because she’s the only one I have.

But I know from watching my friends with multiple children that they have unique relationships with each of those kids based on their personalities and their gifts. They talk to their kids differently and show them how they love them in ways that speak to that child. I believe God is the same way.

And I believe it’s ignorant when we start to think that our understanding of Him is the only way and there’s no room for growth. I don’t believe any of us will get to heaven and receive a trophy or a plaque with “YOU WERE THE MOST RIGHT” engraved on it. Throughout my life, He has been my Redeemer, Protector, Provision, Salvation, Lover, and Friend. He has caused conviction where I am in the wrong and He has loved me lavishly and extravagantly where I am just His child in need of grace and mercy.

I am not a Biblical scholar. I can’t tell you all the Greek and Hebrew translations in the Bible. In fact, I just bought a fancy Bible a few weeks ago with the Greek and Hebrew translations and I’m sure it will be great as soon as I learn how to use the thing. I’ll keep you posted.

But here’s what I do know. I do not want to serve a God who fits into my limited understanding. I don’t want to serve a God who can be completely explained in the human realm. I want a God that is so much bigger than me that I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to know Him more, love Him more, and serve Him better.

I believe in a God that removes my sins as far as the east is from the west because that’s a distance my mind can’t comprehend. I’m doing Beth Moore’s study of Revelation and she talks about when John has his vision and sees the throne room of God. He describes so many incredible, unbelievable things, but he never describes God. Most likely because God defies description.

To me, that’s the God who is worth my devotion. That’s a God I want to share with a lost world instead of reducing him to what my limited human perspective can understand.

It makes me think of a passage I read to Caroline last night in Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis where Lucy sees Aslan after a long time apart and exclaims, “Aslan! You’re bigger.”

“That is because you are older, little one, ” answered he.

“Not because you are?”

“I am not. But every year you grow you will find me bigger.”

I pray that every year I grow I will find Him bigger.

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.” I Corinthians 13: 1-3

Peanut Butter

2011-03-02T17:51:00.003-05:00

Friends of ours here in Peterborough founded a charitable organization called Seeds of Hope to feed, clothe and educate impoverished Haitian children.

Gord & Heather Rodin have launched a drive to get local citizens and individuals to donate jars of peanut butter which will be shipped to Haiti in a container along with an ambulance later this month. They are hoping to fill every corner of the container with supplies and food.

Carol and I are providing a number of jars of peanut butter and we encourage all of our friends and contacts in the Peterborough area to do the same if possible. By the way, Sobey's have a sale on Kraft peanut butter...two 1 kg. jars for $5.00 up to and including March 3rd. Farmboy has 2kg. jars for $6.49 until March 4th.

Donations of peanut butter can be dropped off at the CHEX TV studios on Monaghan Road or The Wolf/The Kruz Radio at the corner of King and George Streets in Peterborough...during regular office hours Monday to Friday.

We believe in and support Seeds of Hope and we challenge you to do the same.

You can check out the Seeds of Hope web site here.

Thank you!

David & Carol Fisher

Strange Place

2011-02-27T17:55:00.004-05:00

Depression can be ugly. Believe me, I've been there. You can mask it for awhile but eventually the ugliness breaks through.

But the Man of Sorrows, Jesus, knows every detail, every nuance, every heartache, every gut-wrenching situation and stands ready to help carry us through the darkest hell.

The other night I couldn't sleep. My mind played games. Ruminating can be disastrous. But words and phrases that came to mind were placed in sentences and random thoughts became poetry, albeit frightening stuff.

Here's what I wrote about the strange place I found myself in:

This strange place in which I stand

Is neither hell nor promised land;

But shards of both now pierce my soul,

O God, please make me well and whole!

This strange place in which I sit

Can be a throne or deep, dark pit;

But hidden from the Son's warm ray

O God, please take the pain away!

This strange place in which I lie

With dread cry out "O let me die";

Now where I lie or sit or stand,

O God, please take my trembling hand.

This strange place so fraught with pain

Beset by loss and seldom gain;

Can be the place You've brought me to

Where all I have is me...

And YOU!

Copyright © 2011 - David W. Fisher

God has a way of bringing us out into a better place. During those dark, depressing hours I reread the 18th Psalm where David joyfully states, "He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me." - Psalm 18:19 (NIV)

Note: Your comments are greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Duke Snider

2011-02-27T17:17:00.002-05:00

In over 35 years of involvement in ministry to professional baseball players I've met many classy individuals and a few miserable coots.

One of the finest, kindest and classiest gentlemen I've met was Duke Snider who fashioned a Hall of Fame career with the Brooklyn Dodgers and then the Los Angeles Dodgers following their relocation to the west coast.

Snider was a broadcaster with the Montreal Expos following his playing career and I had many conversations in the press box with this fine man.

Duke passed away from an undisclosed illness this weekend to a better land where there are no tears or sorrows. Duke often spoke to me of his abiding faith in Jesus Christ and was such an encouragement to me when I served as chapel leader for the Expos.

Our loss is heaven's gain. Rest in eternal peace, Duke!

Thanks for the memories!

Balcony Boy

2011-02-26T19:38:00.001-05:00

I'm sorry to admit this (no I'm not) but the pilgrim scribbler needs a laugh every so often.

When I need a good chuckle I head over to the Sacred Sandwich and I'm never disappointed.

If this picture doesn't tickle your funny bone then you don't have one.

Check out the Sacred Sandwich here.

Plexiglas Pulpits

2011-02-23T21:25:00.008-05:00

While surfing the web I stumbled across a quote by John MacArthur concerning expository preaching. The segment that caught my eye was his mention of "plexiglas lecterns"...a pet peeve of mine...I must confess. I know I'd be better off concerning myself with the dearth of expository preaching rather than bemoaning the plethora of plexiglas pulpits but...

MacArthur writes:

"Everyone who knows anything about my ministry knows I am committed to expository preaching. It is my unshakable conviction that the ministry of God's Word should always be the heart and the focus of the church's ministry (2 Tim. 4:2). And proper biblical preaching should be systematic, expositional, theological, and God-centered.

John MacArthur preaching

Such preaching is in short supply these days. There are plenty of gifted communicators in the modern evangelical movement, but today's sermons tend to be short, shallow, topical homilies that massage people's egos and focus on fairly insipid subjects like human relationships, "successful" living, emotional issues, and other practical but worldly—and not definitively biblical—themes. Like the ubiquitous Plexiglas lecterns from which these messages are delivered, such preaching is lightweight and without substance, cheap and synthetic, leaving little more than an ephemeral impression on the minds of the hearers."

Check out MacArthur's sermon in its entirety here.

Any thoughts, my fellow pilgrims?

Spring Training

2011-02-21T21:01:00.006-05:00

For 29 seasons I served as the "spiritual caretaker" for the Toronto Blue Jays, working under the umbrella of a great organization, Baseball Chapel. That meant annual spring visits to training camp in Dunedin, Florida where I always welcomed that first "crack of the bat".

My friend Greg Asimakoupoulos writes about that very thing:

A Season for Starting Over

Spring training is a picture of grace

As mounds of snow begin to melt
some other mounds appear.
The spell of winter's wearing off.
Spring Training's finally here.

Though base paths still are mostly mud
and infield grass is brown,
I think that I can almost hear
those most amazing sounds...

The slap of leather, crack of bat
and feet stomps in the stands.
The vendors' cries, the ump's "yeer out!"
and cheering of the fans.

And though my team was bad last year
and finished up dead last,
with spring a new day dawns with hope.
Regrets are in the past.

And that is what the Bible says....
Grace offers brand new starts.
The old has passed. The new has come
with clean, forgiven hearts.

* "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV)

Judas Asparagus

2011-02-17T16:58:00.003-05:00

A child was asked to write a book report on the entire Bible.

Here's the child's report:

In the beginning, which occurred near the start, there was nothing but God, darkness, and some gas. The Bible says, 'The Lord thy God is one', but I think He must be a lot older than that. Anyway, God said, 'Give me a light!' and someone did. Then God made the world. He split the Adam and made Eve. Adam and Eve were naked, but they weren't embarrassed because mirrors hadn't been invented yet.

Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating one bad apple, so they were driven from the Garden of Eden.....Not sure what they were driven in though, because they didn't have cars.

Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was Abel.

Pretty soon all of the early people died off, except for Methuselah, who lived to be like a million or something.

One of the next important people was Noah, who was a good guy, but one of his kids was kind of a Ham. Noah built a large boat and put his family and some animals on it. He asked some other people to join him, but they said they would have to take a rain check.

After Noah came Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob was more famous than his brother, Esau, because Esau sold Jacob his birthmark in exchange for some pot roast. Jacob had a son named Joseph who wore a really loud sports coat.

Another important Bible guy is Moses, whose real name was Charlton Heston. Moses led the Israel Lights out of Egypt and away from the evil Pharaoh after God sent ten plagues on Pharaoh's people. These plagues included frogs, mice, lice, bowels, and no cable.

God fed the Israel Lights every day with manicotti. Then he gave them His Top Ten Commandments. These include: don't lie, cheat, smoke, dance, or covet your neighbor's stuff. Oh, yeah, I just thought of one more: Humor thy father and thy mother.

One of Moses' best helpers was Joshua who was the first Bible guy to use spies. Joshua fought the battle of Geritol and the fence fell over on the town.

After Joshua came David. He got to be king by killing a giant with a slingshot. He had a son named Solomon who had about 300 wives and 500 porcupines. My teacher says he was wise, but that doesn't sound very wise to me.

After Solomon there were a bunch of major league prophets. One of these was Jonah, who was swallowed by a big whale and then barfed up on the shore.

There were also some minor league prophets, but I guess we don't have to worry about them.

After the Old Testament came the New Testament. Jesus is the star of The New. He was born in Bethlehem in a barn. (I wish I had been born in a barn too, because my mom is always saying to me, 'Close the door! Were you born in a barn?' It would be nice to say, 'As a matter of fact, I was.')

During His life, Jesus had many arguments with sinners like the Pharisees and the Democrats. Jesus also had twelve opossums.

The worst one was Judas Asparagus. Judas was so evil that they named a terrible vegetable after him. Jesus was a great man. He healed many leopards and even preached to some Germans on the Mount.

But the Democrats and all those guys put Jesus on trial before Pontius the Pilot. Pilot didn't stick up for Jesus. He just washed his hands instead.

Anyways, Jesus died for our sins, then came back to life again. He went up to Heaven but will be back at the end of the Aluminum. His return is foretold in the book of Revolution.