A World Wide Pause

For the past 18 days our home has been transformed either night time or day time – some times the whole daytime– by the Olympics in Beijing.

Just now Alida and I finished the last installment of our marathon viewing by watching the live TV of the closing ceremonies in Beijing. WOW! There is little to compare with the spectacular display that one country has presented. These Olympics are perhaps the greatest ever! If not the games themselves it is the complete World Spectacular that has been given by the nation of China.

I know it is small – but Thank You China and all your people for letting us in.

As I have written before – we are more than a little bit proud in that our nephew Zach Bell was a participant and did well in what he took part in. For the very first time taking part in this kind of greatest ever world event – he placed well! Way to Go – Zach!

Though I am doubtful in my world as I view it – there seems to be hope – for a moment. Everyone is together, everyone celebrating – and the fire works wow – actually double wow! What a sense of pride a jubilation.

As a Christian I think I just had a preview of what heaven will be like.

Yet as human I am so aware of my world. Just north and west of us at a little community known as “Township of Tiny” a horrendous fight has been going about a small strip of sand on Balm Beach. People want to walk on it. However, one family doesn’t want that that to happen in any way. The family by the name of John and Elizabeth Marion do not want people on their small section of the beach – that they claim to own.

You can read about it in the newspapers every where. Placing “The Star - Balm Beach and the Marions” in a Google Search and you will get 8040 possible things referring to these dear folk.

There are many people hurt over a silly and over crowded piece of land on Georgian Bay, Ontario and 100s of phone calls to the police.

TALK ABOUT STUPID! Read about it below…

But then last week – the Friday newspaper showed us a small family’s photo on the front page of a Soldier Dad, his wife and two daughters. It was taken in July 2005 as he was leaving Canada to fight in a war in Afghanistan. He is coming home this week in a box to his wife and kids. WOW! All over a piece of sandy and rocky land that doesn’t want to change a whole lot.

Now something is wrong with this picture here. We are celebrating TOGETHER in Beijing China and killing each other over stupid pieces of sand in other places.

Do I sound like a passive person? Yep, I am. You are completely right if you guessed that! I don’t see how killing can settle anything.

You cannot set people free that don’t want to be set free.

And it(Afghanistan and Iraq Wars) all started when some really sick people took thousands of people’s lives on September 11, 2001. These sick ones thought they were on their way to heaven but woke up in Hell.

Then we(the west) have added to that number by throwing our men and women into the stupidest of all fights – in Canada’s case – “rebuilding Afghanistan”. We have now lost 93 Canadians…nothing beside what the USA loses each month. At one point they were losing 4000 men and women per month – more than was lost in one day of 9-11. And that has gone on for not just months – BUT FOR YEARS!!!!

Somehow the only ones that are rebuilding are the people who make coffins for the military.

Is it right or correct for a Pastor to call for the leaders that are involved to pull people out of a terrible war zone – a zone that we had nothing to do with in the first place? YES – I think it is terribly right to stop a wrong.

The radical Islamic people that are fostering this hatred are not normal Islamic people. Neither are the radical Christian people that maintain the need to kill – like the normal Christian people.

In God’s name I ask humbly - could we all stop – just for a moment and listen to each other without killing anymore?

That is a radical appeal that will never likely be heard by anyone other than the few that read this simple BLOG.

What if there was a world wide pause – just for a moment and then we listened to each other.

As a Christian I believe in a finality of it all. Soon the return of Jesus Christ will take place. I believe it. So you may not – that doesn’t mean we need to fight over it. One moment I will be gone and you… well…?

When it happens all the Christians will disappear – at least all the ones that are ready for Him. There may be a few left behind that were still messing with beaches and silly sand. But I believe in an end…which will be the start of something even better.

But I am not here to preach. Today in church most of us have been listening to a familiar old story and then leave there to do whatever.

If today you could pause – just for a moment and wonder with me – could it be different while we exist here together.

China and all the people of the last 4 years and 18 days have proven it to be true. Now if only the rest of us could catch the full picture – whatever faith grouping we come from – maybe just maybe we could be neighbours…

Enough ranting for today… back to churchy stiff and stuff…. AMEN!

~ Murray Lincoln ~

Take a look here….
Fence draws line in sand over waterfront access
http://www.thestar.com/article/484318