Merry Christmas!!!

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It's Sad

I have altered one of my previous posts and taken out a video due to some saddening news that has come out this past week. Michael Guglielmucci who wrote the song Healer and who in the video I have in a previous post, has come out stating that he was not suffering with a terminal illness and lied about it for two years. I was deeply saddened to hear this and I lift up in pray all those who have been affected by his poor decisions. There are some who are saying that we should no longer use the song Healer in any worship whatsoever. My opinion on that is this. Is there anything in the words of the song that are not biblical? Is not God our portion, our healer? I realize that this may cause people to stumble so caution must be used, but to say that the song was not from God I don't know. Who are we to know the mind of God? Also, it saddens me to read comments from people that are so hurtful and angry and negative. Some are even using this as a "See God doesn't exist. Look another Christian who fell." It saddens me that God is lumped in with people who make poor decisions. Let's remember, this is a man who yes deceived others but was also deceived himself. When we get our eyes off of God and onto ourselves the result is always trouble. Did he make a poor decision, YES. Was what he did wrong? Emphatically yes! But we must also remember we too make decisions every day that are against God and are just as wrong. Tell a lie here, take a pen from work that no one will miss. Just because they aren't as public as this doesn't make them any less offensive to God. This is why when you are in ministry you need to be constantly under covering, under authority. You need to be in constant prayer and self examination. Renewing your mind daily. Removing the "stinking thinking" as Pastor Syd always says. It is very dangerous ground that one stands one when we think that we got where we are because of our own doing. So I say all of that to say this. Keep your eyes focused on God. Pray continually. Pray for Michael Guglielmucci and his family. Pray for his healing spiritually and mentally. Pray for those who have been hurt by this. But don't let your view of God be changed due to what your eyes see. See who God truly is by reading His Word. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Life

It has been interesting to me to sit back and watch over the past little while how the appointment of Morgentaler to the Order of Canada has restarted a massive debate on the whole issue of abortion and the idea of whether a fetus is a life or not. One of the things that I have found profoundly disturbing throught the whole thing is how now there are people calling those who are Pro-Life Anti-Choice. So now the sides are divided up into Pro-Choice and Anti-Choice. That just sits so horribly to me. I am Pro-Life. I have always been Pro-Life. I believe that life starts at conception. I believe that abortion is wrong and (in my personal opinion) is murder. I live in one of the few countries in the entire world that has NO laws or legal restrictions on abortion. (about the only thing that I know of is that it is very hard to find a doctor who will do a third trimester abortion in Canada. Usually women are sent to the states for that) A 12 year old girl can have an abortion and also there is no need for parental consent either. (I was shocked when I read that!) According to wikipedia over Stats Canada stated that in 2003 over 110,000 abortions are preformed every year which equates to 30 abortions for every 100 live births! The majority of abortions are due to convenience and not rape or medical reasons. Now the big Pro-Choice argument is always my body my rights. But I ask this question. Does anyone ever think of the rights of that baby or of the father who helped to create it? Neither have a voice or a say. Having carried two babies myself there is no way that I could ever have an abortion even if I was raped or for medical reasons. (my life or the baby's) To know that there is something growing inside you, moving around, breathing, living is awesome. I think that as a country we need to put in some ground rules on the whole abortion front with the first being to not allow a 12 year old to have an abortion! We need to begin to be a voice for those who have none. Who are not an inconveniece because people show poor judgement. All life is sacred and should be treated as such.

This is an amazing video I saw on youtube:

Here is the live worship video of the song "Healer" mentioned in my previous post. Awe inspiring.

Hillsong Music

I love the music that comes out of Hillsong Church in Australia. The music from Hillsong and Hillsong United (the youth worship team) is my favorite worship music. We have sung the song "Healer" at our church and I love it!! (It is on the new Hillsong album out this Tuesday can't wait!!) The song gives me goose bumps!!! I cannot wait to buy this CD and the DVD as well. (I always end up buying both because I love to watch the live worship concert. Logan loves it too)
Here are the lyrics to this amazing song:

Healer - Mike Guglielmucci
You hold my every moment
You calm my raging seas
You walk with me through fire
And heal all my disease
I trust in You
I trust in You
Chorus
I believe You're my Healer
I believe You are all I need
I believe You're my Portion
I believe You're more than enough for me
Jesus You're all I need
Bridge
Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible for You
You hold my world in Your hands

Since my last blog post I have seen numerous news stories, people being interviewed, read numerous articles and peoples responses and frankly I am fed up. What I have read being posted by those in favor of the appointment has been frankly 95% mudslinging and garbage. Those opposed are not that much better either. This has degraded into a pro-choice pro-life arguement (which I will save for another post) as opposed to what it should be which I think is this: Whether you agree with abortion or not, does what Henry Morgentaler has done in his life deserving of the Order of Canada by it's very definition?

Now I now that in my previous post I already posted what the Order of Canada is by it's very definition from the Governor General's website. (One note of interest is that the motto is from Hebrews 11:16 and the whole verse reads as follows "But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them") But I think that this whole arguement centers around that issue. Now some people may view me as being very picky but should not the things that anyone appointed to the order have done be what the Order stands for in it's very definition? Lets be honest here. Would Henry Morgentaler be nominated for the Order of Canada if it wasn't for what he did concerning abortion in Canada? Where is that a service to our nation? A lifetime of outstanding achievement? Dedication to community? Going to jail is something to be later honored? The Order of Canada is also something that is suppose to be uniting canadians. I have heard nothing else about this that is uniting. On the contrary this is a very dividing issue. One news report I watched showed a mother and daughter being interviewed who opposed each other. Read any of the blogs and you have both sides mudslinging. Even our own prime minister stated that he would rather see Canada's highest civilian award be something that unifies and brings Canadians closer together.

Another thing that has bothered me. In researching the Order of Canada I have found out that since 1967 all advisory councils (the make the nominations to the Governor General who then makes the appointments) has worked on a consensus/unanimity model, where all members had to agree with every appointment. (There have been 5,400 appointments over the past 41 years) This is the first time that it has been put to a vote. And it has since come out that at least two members voted against the appointment. Why after 41 years was the way to go about things changed just for this one appointment? Also from my understanding of what I have read the person who can decide to change the way things are done is the chair of the commitee and that would be Beverley McLachlin , Chief Justice of Canada. Did she have ulterior motives? Who knows.

I am opposed to Dr. Morgentaler's appointment based solely on the fact that I do not think that what he has done meets the definition of what the Order stands for. I feel that the whole thing is being rammed through so that the Order can be awarded before he dies. (as they do not give Orders posthumously and he has previously had a stroke) I think that this has done nothing to help Canada at all, but rather put people more at each other's throats. And I just have this point for people to ponder. What would public opinion be if the nomination was for someone who was pro-life, who's works were to say that all life is sacred? Would there be just as much of an outcry from pro-choice? See I think that someone like that would not get appointed at all. They themselves would be deemed too controversial!

Another unbelievable

Well, yet again I opened my email inbox to read a rather unsettling article. It seems that Dr. Henry Morgentaler who many consider to be the father of abortion is potentially going to receive Canada's highest honor, The Order Of Canada. (On Canada Day to boot) Now I remember back in February there was a big kuffuffle over this and it was said back then that he was not on the list. Well, it now appears that the commitee that decides who gets it and who doesn't have gone against the traditional way of deciding about who gets the order (it usually is a unanimous decision not a vote) and the majority have voted in favor of giving it to him. (See an article from The National Post here: http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2008/06/29/douglas-farrow-quot-henry-morgentaler-s-canada-is-not-my-canada-quot.aspx

I looked up on the governor general's website about the Order of Canada. It states the following: "The Order of Canada is the centrepiece of Canada’s honours system and recognizes a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation. The Order recognizes people in all sectors of Canadian society. Their contributions are varied, yet they have all enriched the lives of others and made a difference to this country. The Order of Canada’s motto is DESIDERANTES MELIOREM PATRIAM (They desire a better country)." Now I just have one question? Does the work that Dr. Morgentaler has done fall into the above definition? Has he really done something that would be considered a lifetime of outstanding achievement? How about dedication to a community? Service to the nation? Has he, the father of abortion, really enriched the lives of others? Here is a quote from him in an article from the Globe & Mail back in January of this year.
"I knew I could not save my mother. But I could save other mothers. It was an unconscious thought. It became almost like a command. If I help women to have babies at a time when they can give love and affection, they will not grow up to be rapists or murderers. They will not build concentration camps". He describes the landmark Supreme Court decision on Jan. 28, 1988, as the greatest day of his life. “It was a vindication of everything I believed in. For the first time, it gave women the status of full human beings able to make decisions about their own lives.”

I frankly find this all to be very disturbing. When a Globe and Mail poll stated that 92% of Canadians did not think that he should deserve The Order Of Canada, that should have sparked something in the commitee's head. How can we possibly give this man a medal for killing millions of unborn babies? That has bettered our country?!? Are you nuts?! It's genocide to an entire generation. There are so many other options. Adoption, not having sex in the first place until you are married. Give me a break!!!

I hope, no I pray that this does not occur. I pray that the commitee members wake up and realize the gross error that they are going to make by bestowing this award on him.

Unbelievable!

Yesterday Jason came home and told me about something that he heard on the news and my jaw dropped to the ground! In Quebec there was a 12 year old girl who took her father to court and won because he grounded her from her year end school trip. (see here for the news story: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080619.wcurfew19/BNStory/lifeFamily/home ) I personally find this completely and utterly insane and ridiculous! I cannot believe that a judge ruled in favor of the 12 year old girl! I cannot believe that the judge found the father's punishment to be excessive! Excessive? She was posting pictures of herself in outifts that her father felt were inappropriate on an internet dating site! And she also did it at a friends house after she was baned from the internet at her own house! Why would we want a father to actually be involved in his daughter's life and try to protect her from internet predators!?! No we wouldn't want that! She's 12 years old for pete's sake! Why is she posting pictures on a dating website? She has no possible way of understanding the ramifications o0f posting pictures like that on the internet. There are sick people out there who pose as kids and are really adults who just want to prey on them. And she would have no concept of how to judge that! The lawyer representing the girl stated that the weekend camping trip is a unique once in a life time event and since she had already been banned from the internet that that was punishment enough. Since when is a school camping trip a right? Last time I checked you needed paretnal permission to go on any school trip and since it's a graduation trip that would seem like a privilege type trip. This whole thing has basically shown this girl that she doesn't have to listen to a single thing her father or anyone in authority says! (Her father has sole custody of her so by court law he is the one who is to make the decisions for her) Never mind what it says to other kids and their parents as well. "I don't like what you have said mom or dad so I am going to take you to court"

Then also this week there was this story on the CBC website about how our government senators have passed a bill (Bill S-209) that will basically make it a criminal offence to as a parent spank your child to discipline them. (see here for that article: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/06/19/spanking-bill.html ) Make me want to barf! I can use force in very specific situations where my child is about to do something dangerous that could immediatley harm them but other wise using spanking as a regular part of discipling my child is unacceptable. Okay before I go to far off I want to just say this. I am in no way condoning the use of spanking as the only form of discipline. I think that spanking in excess is bad. I also think that spanking out of anger or using anything but your hand open for maybe one or two taps on the butt is in excess. I am not talking here about someone who beats on their child. That is wrong and should be punished by the law. What I have issue with is that if I choose to spank Logan for acts of out and out disobedience (I tell him to do somthing he says no, I give him a warning and he still says no, then I give him antoher warning but this time tell him I will spank him and he still says no then spank on the butt and have a seat on the stairs for 2 minute time out!) and I am not abusing him, then who is the government to say that I cannot do this? To say that the occasional spanking is violence is absurd! I looked up the definition of reasonable (love dictionary.com!) There are two defintions of it that I will refer to. 1. Being within the bounds of common sense & 2. Not excessive or extreme; fair. This bill is proposing to eliminate section 43 of the Criminal Code which allows parents, teachers and caregivers to use reasonable force to discipline a child and correct their behaviour. Based on the above defintion of reasonable the occasional spank is just that reasonable force. Beating your kid and over spanking is not!

These are just two of many examples of late where it is becoming very aparhent that the government is overstepping it's bounds. They know better than the parents of the children how to take care of the kids. By allowing this we are in fact raising this generation to be disrespectful, disobedient and immoral.

Scary scary scary!

Long time, no blog

Wow. I did not realize just how long it has been since I last was blogging! SO much has changed! I now have two kids (Casey was born in September of 2007)we now live in a house in the South end of the city and I am now a stay at home mom. It has been an interesting adjustment but one that I wouldn't trade for the world!

Jay and I are still heading up Infuzion! We are slowly growing. What started out as three kids has now grown into on average six with more moving over soon. I am so amazed at the way that these kids think, how much they know and also how little they know. (and that can be a good thing!) If you look at everything out there in the world today it is all being aimed at 9-12 year olds. (age compression marketing) Some of this is good, but all too often some of it is bad! I watched this program on CBC that freaked me right out. They had a bunch of girls aged 9-12 (or tweens) on and had them pick out clothes that they liked from racks and racks. Some of the stuff that they picked was something that shouldn't even be worn by an adult let alone a tween. Pants so low that you could see underwear (on girls), shirts with "Sexy" and "Your boyfriend thinks I'm hot", low cut shirts showing off the padded push up bras (like you need one at that age!!!) etc. When asked about what they were wearing these girls stated that they liked it because it made boys notice them and they felt sexy. When asked what sexy meant none of them could tell the interviewer. These girls said they looked up to people like Lindsey Lohan, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera (this program was pre-breakdown Britney and Lindsey) And the disturbing thing to me was that their parents didn't mind them dressing like that! I would have been killed if I dressed like they were. Not to mention that my parents would never have wasted there money on clothes like that in the first place! Being a mom of two kids I cannot understand how as a parent that you can let your kids dress like that. Or even act like I saw a kid the other day, mouthing off at his mom & dad. Again, if I did that (and I did) I would (and was) have been punished! There is no respect whatsoever in this generation. Parents think that it is better to be their kids best friend then to actually be their parents!! I was watching a Dr. Phil episode where he was discussing teenagers and sex. There was a mom on there who thought it was acceptable to take her 14 year old daughter to the doctor, have her put on birth control because the boyfriend (who was I believe like 16 or 17) had proven himself as someone who was sticking around so when they came to her and stated that they wanted to have sex she felt that this was the responsible thing to do. Dr. Phil questioned why she would think that, why she just didn't say no and the mother's response was that it was better for her to know what was going on and have her daughter trust her than to sat no! They then talked to a doctor who studies the brain and he made an interesting point. There aparhently is this study that states that once the brain enters puberty it is going through another stage of development. This results in the kid not being able to comprehend the long term affects of their decisions. This caused quite the ensuing argument but I found this absolutly interesting. I can remember back to when I was a teenager and I can totally argee that I had no concept whatsoever of what my decisions would mean for me in the long term. I made some really stupid decisions and thought that they were the best decisions ever at the time. That's why I think that this whole thing distrubs me. You have all these tweens and teenagers being told to live their own lives, make their own decisions and they don't really have the mental capacity to do so. Take a look at any teen magazine these days. Seventeen when I was growning up was about make up, hair, prom dresses, fashion and a few quizzes. Now it's about how to be thin, how to get that boy to like you and are you ready for sex? And there are kids who eat that up and end up getting into big trouble. Guys are taught to treat girls like objects based on advertising, media, music. (I do not envy my boys at all what they will have to endure when they become teenagers and wish to remain pure) Girls are taught that you need to dress a certain way, act a certain way, sleep with a guy to keep him. What ever happened to just being a kid?!?! Leave the adult stuff for when your an adult! Just go out ride bikes and hang out with friends! Maybe I'll be viewed as lame and old fashion but I'd rather be my boys parent and have my kids be kids than be their friend and have them be all over the place doing bad things!