The Cost of The Thing

"The cost of a thing is the amount of what I call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run."
~ Henry David Thoreau

As I caught that quote I had been searching for more information on “Line of Credit”. In doing so I stumbled on to these few pages offered on the Net. The full link to it is included below.

Henry David Thoreau (born David Henry Thoreau; July 12, 1817 – May 6, 1862 was an unusual man for his time – maybe even for ours as well.

In reading the quote above, in the full context of where it appears, it is fascinating. Thoreau states just after the quote,
“An average house in this neighborhood costs perhaps eight hundred dollars, and to lay up this sum will take from ten to fifteen years of a laborer’s life, even if he doesn’t have a family; - estimating the pecuniary value of every man’s labor at one dollar a day, for some receive more, others receive less; - so that he must have spent half his life commonly before his wigwam will be earned.”

Remember this is probably written between 1845 – 1849.

Imagine 10 to 15 years to pay for a house. Imagine that amount of time was likely half a working life time – about the same as today’s “30 and Out” program some companies have. Then think of a house for $800 – total payment to by it.

In 2008 to find a mortgage that would be $800 a MONTH is a dream.

Further to help with perspective – Thoreau stated in the same article that, “An annual rent of from twenty five to one hundred dollars…”. Renting a house was from $25 to $100 a year – a nightmare then. Compare today’s prices and see if it is any less of a nightmare. It is NOT!

Our Northview Church has run into the Line of Credit – our Overdraft – often over these last few years. With the monthly income shrinking we had to go into this area regularly. And in the last year we were there all the time. In our church’s case that Line of Credit is $50,000. Another church I know has about $200,000 line of credit.

When we could no longer clear this amount off at the church we had to reduce the expenses – that was salaries and that meant layoffs. If you have followed this Blog – that was my loss of a job.

How can it get that way? Well income drops, expenses go up and it happens. It also happens when many of the congregants have also been carrying their own line of credit – with many families operating in that Line of Credit… and not having an increase in their income – but rather an increase in their spending. Then they learn to accept it and simply live with it. That’s the way it is.

The church became an extension of the average of each family. Older families didn’t(don’t) use the Line of Credit – younger ones did. But for the most part it had become acceptable – because there was not other way.

In the USA in recent times there has been a crisis with the Housing Mortgage field. The “Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac” shock has taken its toll. These are two large Mortgage companies that were in huge trouble.

I couldn’t understand why really – until someone explained for example that people had houses that were worth a possible $400,000 to begin with. They would have the mortgage together with their Line of Credit owing on the house. Then the value of the house dropped with the drop in prices everywhere across their area. When their house value dropped to less than what they owed – they were dead! Many of these $400,000 houses were worth less than $150,000 to even $75,000 (or nothing if you cannot find any buyers) with $300,000 left on a mortgage and the people had a full line of credit at maybe another $75,000 – they owed $375,000 on a house that they couldn’t sell.

It didn’t happen once – it happened thousands upon thousands of times.
Again the quote…
"The cost of a thing is the amount of what I call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run."
~ Henry David Thoreau

Paul the Apostle says….
“Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.” (Romans 13:8)

I hate Debt! I have watched DEBT Kill people and churches. I say it again – I HATE DEBT!!

10 years ago I stepped into the leadership of Northview church as their pastor – the debt has gone down from $1,350,000 to $775,000 in the 10 years. But that next $775,000 is a new goal to get it gone – along with the “Line of Credit need”.

Today I wonder if the dear old folk that planned for the Northview Church to be built on the hill where it is at now…would have gone as far as they did into debt knowing what might happen down the road? I wonder if any have thought about it since?

I certainly do… and I HATE DEBT! – and I had “no say” over the Debt that was originally incurred – but did it ever change my life – wow!

Christmas is just around the corner – and I will again refuse to buy anything on credit. I will not take a trip I cannot pay for. I will not take a telephone offer that looks good but will cost me in the end… because… and here it is again – I HATE DEBT!

~ Murray Lincoln ~

Sources
Walden and Civil Disobedience – Page 28

"You'll Know When You Meet Them" by Bruce Lindsay

The following article was written by my son-in-law, Bruce. This helps round out the idea of people looking on at what Christians act like….

Thanks Bruce….
~ Murray Lincoln ~

You'll Know When You Meet Them
By Bruce Lindsay

In the Prodigal's son story
"The father saw his son coming from far off…"
Is it just me, or do other people find this a wonderful part of the story. My kids both play football. They are on the field with eleven other athletes. From the sidelines, all anyone can see are a bunch of black and yellow jerseys, big shoulder pads and helmets. If I was to look for your boy, you'd have to tell me his number.

But I don't have to look for numbers to find my son and daughter. I can pick them out of thousands. I know them. Their walk is distinctive. I know their walk. I know them so well because I love them and spend all kinds of time with them.

My wife jokes that she can pick me out of a crowd because of my walk. I could do the same with her, except that she's so short she's lost in a crowd.

Isn't that exciting that Jesus added that to the parable? He wanted us to know our Heavenly Father knows us so well, He can see us coming from far off. I think Jesus wanted us to know how much our Heavenly Father loves us. He knows us from far off. HE KNOWS US!

To help illustrate this further here is account about my nephew, 'Little Boy'.

Little Boy’s View
I have a young nephew, 4 years old, named Eli. I have many nephews & nieces, cousins who have children who are just like nephews & nieces. I can't keep track of them all. So, in short, instead of trying to remember their names, I make up knick-names. The kids don't mind, in fact they usually like it. The parents don't usually like it.
Eli's knick-name is 'Little Boy'. When I call him 'Little Boy', he answers, "I'M NOT A LITTLE BOY! I'M FOUR!"

Eli is a Christian. At that age, he's not ashamed to tell you either. He wants to know if you are a Christian too. He's learned that if he asks everyone that, it sometimes makes people feel uncomfortable, they don't know what to say. So instead, he asks his parents, "Do these people know Jesus?"

Eli and his family visited our home over the summer. He was just a baby the last time we saw him, so he wouldn't remember us at all. Before arriving, unbeknownst to me, he had asked his mother (my sister), "Do these people know Jesus?"

My sister had just driven 17 hours from Nova Scotia and wasn't in the mood to chit-chat with him so she answered, "You'll know when you meet them."

After a few minutes in our home, he whispered in his mother's ear, "Oh yes. These people know Jesus."

She asked him, "How do you know that already?"

He answered, "I can tell by the angel."

In our home we have a good number of carvings. One is an angel carved by Murray Lincoln (my Father-in-Law). I think it was supposed to be a Christmas ornament, but we just like it, so we leave it out all year round. Eli saw the angel, put two and two together, and concluded that we know Jesus.

I think it would be a better story if Eli knew from the fact that I said grace, prayed with him before he went to bed, and let Jesus shine through everything I said and did. But I'm not going to be fussy. I'm proud this 'Little Boy' could tell that we know Jesus within just a few minutes of meeting us.

What about you? Do you know Jesus? If a 'Little Boy' came into your home, would he be able to tell that you do? Are there things in your home that reveal your faith, or are there things you would need to hide?

WE KNOW HIM!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Murray’s comment…
A long time ago in my early Christian experience I first heard the simple song that said it all…. “They’ll know you are Christian by your love….by your love… Yes they’ll know you are Christian by your love”. For me it was almost a chant. I think it came from the “Hippy Era” – or the early Charismatic movement.

When I first heard it – it was sung by a strange looking group of long haired people sitting cross legged on the floor, wearing “tie dyed” clothing and beads. Most of the guys had beards. And there was a faint smell of smoke from incense in the air. They certainly weren’t like the stuffy Christians that I had grown up with – each lady wearing a hat on Sunday – men in tight and uncomfortable suits and sitting in neat pews in an orderly fashion.

I was wearing a Brush Cut – the short, flat top kind and from a business world. Man did I ever look out of place. In the church I was cool… in this group I was anything but cool. But in front of God what was I? – What did He think?

Now 40 years later….and Eli – is looking at me… I wonder what He thinks?

~ ML ~

Finding Lost Treasure – Number 2

Okay – Okay – sometimes I am too honest. Some of my pastor friends that read what I write say, “Right on! That is exactly true!” Some of my layman friends gently say, “Pastor how could you feel that way?” Each is right from their place in life. Each has a different perspective.

Yesterday I revealed one of my responders in church, on any given Sunday, that crossed her arms and shook her head when I preached. She seemed to react in most situations in a scowling way. I stated that after reflection I was glad that I was not married to her. (You should have caught my tongue in cheek statement on that one.) My comment was to state that I was feeling free of the kind of reaction. She was a sideline.

The intent anyway, was to describe My Freedom. However the reaction is not always the same. Some that attend the church where I preached will wonder which one of the older ladies was scowling. Others were concerned for my mental health. Yikes.

Yesterday…
Yesterday a story was shared with me after a long phone call. I was talking to another pastor. We know each other well. In our conversation he told me that our mutual friend had left the ministry at the end of August.

He left broken, frightened and without any support. He and his wife’s health is poor – both have to take medication which were covered under a health care program pastors have while in the leadership of the churches they are leading. Now that support was gone.

As my friend told me more about our mutual friend I gulped. His situation is a parallel to mine. We were both in our last year of ministry when we had to leave the leadership ministry that we had. Mine was somewhat different than his.

In my case with the loss of income at the church we could no longer pay the salaries. I understood perfectly. With the attendance dropping and the giving dropping as well there was little that any of us could do – except let the entire staff go – a complete lay off. It just made sense.

In his case, a year ago, the board had to cut his salary in half in an attempt to save his ministry at the church. Lack of giving and maybe holding back of giving on the part of angry people had deeply affected the church’s offerings.

Now the man and his wife are living a long ways from their last home. They had to sell everything and move with almost nothing to begin again. My heart hurt as I heard the account. I promised the pastor that I was speaking to that I would get in touch with our mutual friend.

It seems that there was more than one older lady with her arms crossed and scowling. There were a number of people that had chosen to react in a favorite way and resist anything or everything that this man did or said. The nightmares that he would have on Monday mornings would be almost impossible to imagine.

My pastor friend made a comment about our mutual friend. He said, “I think that “John” died in the church a year ago and then didn’t leave.” I agreed that it was possible to happen. But I added, “Maybe they killed him a year ago, and he was so broken he couldn’t move away?” He agreed heartily.

I pause here…
My non Christian, non church going friends read this Blog often. I realize that you may well be wondering that some of this happens in church – a place they talk so much about love and helping each other. Well we wonder about it too. And we wonder why you don’t attend church with us – until we look in a mirror.

Am I airing dirty laundry… yep… I am. Just like my grandmother did a longtime ago… every Monday morning she washed clothes and hung it on the line to dry. Hanging clean, freshly washed laundry on a line to dry was a statement that Emma, my grandmother, was up and able to do her work(that is what she felt)… and it was also a loud statement about the amount of dirty laundry there was in her house before she began to wash.

I had a comical thought one day. What if the church had to have a license to be open in our community? What if they were like a Hotel or a Restaurant? What if their license was granted on the basis that they did what they said they were intending to do when they opened? Would some churches have to be closed – because they would lose their license? They were not doing what they said they would do.

My friend Dan Haley, our community chaplain, tells a story of his upbringing in a “Closed Church”. The church prides itself on the fact that no one is allowed to join. No kidding it really happens (even in Peterborough)!

The leadership of the church stood with Dan’s father as he beat his son regularly. It was what he had to do to make sure that Dan accepted all that they said. It was so Dan would rise up as a leader some day and beat the living daylights out of his own children – so that the church’s way would be preserved. It was so that the anger that was resident in the group would be covered and no one would ever know.

The problem was that Dan escaped the nightmares that he lived under that leadership.

Not long ago Dan stopped to see his aging mother. He mustered enough courage to drive to his home and knock on his door. His mother came to the door, looked at him and his car sitting in her driveway. She came out to ask what he wanted. He had not seen her for well over 27 years… no kidding! She asked him to move his car away from her house in case someone saw his car there.

Dan stood in the driveway for over an hour talking with his mom. Driveway you ask? Yes – because of the power of the teaching of that church, the power of her reactions to the teaching and reactions to her friends in the church – he had to stand outside.

Dan found out that day that his father had died a few years back. No one was allowed to call Dan – not even his mother because of the FEAR that was ordered against Dan.

Now at this point – you are allowed to be angry and question a lot – and thank God that the church is CLOSED.

We need also to be looking for Love in every pew in church. We need to be looking for the “Perfect Peace that passes all understanding”.

A further testimony about “our church” – the one that I no longer pastor – that is still “our home church” – it is amazing. They are together and they are working at being a place that shows the Love of God. They Love us… unlike my Pastor Friend that is completely broken and moved far away.

We are finding the lost treasure of Peace and Love. Oh it is good!

~ Murray Lincoln ~

Finding the Lost Treasure

It happened twice in one week for us. Searching through an old box I discovered something we had stored away in our move to Peterborough – 10 years ago. The lost was found. An old piece of treasure we had picked up along the way of living had been found. But not just one piece of treasure – but two.

I couldn’t help but wonder how many more things we have buried in our household items that we have been wondering about for 10 years.

Yesterday it happened again. Only this time the treasure was much bigger than the other two. The other two were cheap pieces of memorabilia. The one found yesterday was worth millions – maybe even more.

Here is how it happened.

I began the day in a hurry. With great resolve to get lots done I had a list ready to make it happen. There were three major things that were cooking.

Heading out to do one of the things I walked around the van and the tire was flat as a pan cake. Oh no! I had just put a tire plug in the tire yesterday because of a nail puncture. Now the stupid tire was flat again.

So – I stopped the flow and set aside the list. I fetched the jack from the rear of the vehicle, placed it under the side where the jack was suppose to go, then began to crank it up. The vehicle started to rise and the tire was almost off the ground. It is at that point that I loosened the nuts and took them off. But it wasn’t high enough to get the tire off… so I cranked it a little higher… That was when “it” happened. The vehicle began to go down – not up! Something is wrong when you jack a car up and it goes down.

These months of further “old aging” on our van has taken its toll. The rust is finally taken over the jacking up area and then let go as the vehicle was in mid air. The top of the jack was now buried three inches up into the bottom of the undercarriage.

“It” is not a good feeling at that point – there is a kind of a super sick feeling that comes over me. The tire would need to be replaced – but you cannot jack up the vehicle normally – and the jack you jack it up with is stuck deeply into the body – which now cannot be moved as it is hanging down. And there are no ambulances that can pick up a vehicle in your driveway as it is facing the wrong way against the garage doors and take it to the “Owiee Car Hospital” where they cannot replace the body of a dieing vehicle.

The story could get longer. But to shorten it – in one hour I had it fixed. The jack did come out and I found a less rusted place to get it back up. The tire patch was okay – it was only the valve stem that needed a new valve.

Though “it” wasn’t on my list – the car was running again. Might die to tomorrow but it is running today.

Now back to the list again. I needed to paint the rest of the window and door frames as the weathering had taken its toll. That means scrapping off the old paint and then applying a fresh new coat. It was done a few years ago but the peeling had to be dealt with.

As I applied the scrapper to the lower section of the door frame that goes out to our back deck “it” happened again. (Keep track here – that is my second “it” in one morning.) The lower six inch section of the door frame fell away. Below the peeled paint that was about an inch across was completely rotten. The whole section came out as I ran the scrapper across the section. Nothing but mush!

You cannot pain over “mush”. “Mush” in a door frame means that something is happening that is not good. If “mush” and the wood rot is in other places on this old door frame – we are going to have to replace the whole double door assembly which means more KACHING$$$$ that we don’t have now. Oh boy.

I am a wood carver. This is a piece of wood. Why not carve a new bottom section? A cut here. Another cut there. Then a little chiseling and all the rot was gone. I then cut a piece of solid oak that I had kept for a possible special job and carved it to fit in the cavity that I had created getting rid of the rotten wood.

In an hour the job was done and the new paint applied. It almost looks like new. The new “it” was behind me.

I turned on the television in the garage. I sat down to watch a program as I ate my lunch outside. Then “it” happened. No picture – only sound was coming from the TV. It is an older TV retrieved from the road side – a garage sale kind of TV I had rescued from the flood a few years ago in Peterborough. Yesterday it had been working good – but today “it” had happened again.

I tried this and I tried that. Nothing. Then I happened to look at the TV remote. It was dirty and dusty – after all it is in my garage. The way that it is constructed and the fact that something was laying on it – the brightness of the TV was turned way down – to a BLACK. When that something was laid on top of the remote it had blackened the TV. No picture but only sound.

I had fixed another “it”. I was on a roll. Kind of Superman of the Fixit Shop yesterday – what a feeling!

Later in the afternoon I discovered the treasure that I mentioned earlier in this Blog. I was walking behind the lawn mover cutting the grass. The breeze was blowing nicely through the yard. The sun was shinning through the trees. It was a good late afternoon. What peace these was around me.

That’s “it”. Perfect Peace had been mine all day – absolute Perfect Peace. Through three major crisis moments – I had simply done the job at hand and taken care of the thing that had needed to be done. The overwhelming panic that normally has set in – was not there.

There wrapped up in the middle of an impossible situation after situation was the Perfect Peace. It is worth Millions upon Millions to me.

It shouldn’t be this way today. I am still on E.I. I am looking for small tasks that I can do – like E.I. says I have to. I am waiting to see if the new program I have applied for will kick in. I am calling churches and pastors to see if there is a spot in their hearts or church budgets to include a new chaplain and his wife for support. I am asking if there are places where I could preach. I am continuing to try… but it is slow – very slow. It is a time for me to pray, read, write, pray some more and then squeeze in a few things on my “it list”.

It shouldn’t be a place of Perfect Peace. But it is. The rush and pain is gone – at least for now. While standing in the back yard there was a rush of Perfect Peace. I had found it over these weeks of waiting and staying still.

In the church I had lost it I think. In the ministry that I had been rushing to do – it had evaporated. In the pulpit as I preached it had been pushed away by weird reactions in the pew. In one case - when that older lady kept glaring at me each week with her arms folded and shaking her head – IT WAS GONE. She was in my thoughts each Monday morning – what a nightmare!

I thought about her yesterday and chuckled – at least I am not married to that one… that is perfect peace.

I am now into 82 days since I completed my 34 years of ministry and entered the no zone – the uncertain zone – the neutral zone as William Bridges puts it in his book “The way of transition”. And I am at peace.

I have found a lost treasure… and it is worth so much… so very much.

Hey today I am praying for you – the reader. I am praying specially for Pragyan Simkhada today. He is my friend in Nepal. We talk to each other each morning when we both have time. He likes to carve wood as well and is involved in the education field… but he has expressed he has no Peace at this time. The struggles he goes through are very great.

Pragyan Simkhada I am praying for you as you read this as well. The Perfect Peace is there for you as well.

~ Murray Lincoln ~

Rickrolling and Internet Meme

“Rickrolling?” It just happened to me! Go figure. It has happened before on the Internet but I didn’t know what it was all about. I figured someone had just made a mistake.

I have been “Rickrolled” – in fact I have been rickrolled so many times over the years that it is almost embarrassing. So have you.

MSN posted these words today… MSN Quote…
Remember the '80s hit that went "Never Gonna Give You Up / Never gonna let you go / Never gonna run around and desert you"? No? Watch this. Today, this song by Rick Astley is enjoying a resurgence as the butt of an Internet joke.

What's the joke, exactly? Victims think they're clicking on an enticing and perfectly harmless link ("Mmmmm, no-fat doughnuts" or "Cute frolicking puppies!") only to be met with the hip-swaying song stylings of Astley.Yes, you were just "rickrolled."
End Quote from MSN…

I went to this site to find information that another Minister Friend sent me about “Purity Rings” that were discussed on the MTV Awards. When I clicked on the Link he offered – I came to the information about Rickrolling. Go figure. With his email post to me he has let me experience both Rickrolling and Internet Meme.

Confusing? Naw… here is more to help you.

If you missed trying the “Mmmmm, no-fat doughnuts” – try http://search.live.com/video/results.aspx?q=Rick+Astley+Never+Gonna+Give+You+Up&docid=2661298929835&FORM=MSNHAL If you tried that just now you have experienced an “Internet Meme”.

How does it happen – or how can you do it to some one else?
First - if you place a Line in an email you are sending to your friend… type in “My Dog Rolls Over”. Then Highlight it by running your cursor/mouse pointer over the words…. Then after it is highlighted… click the “Insert Hyperlink” in your command line above… copying in the Link above… giving you this result…. “My Dog Rolls Over”

If you try this on your friend – you will have Rickrolled them.

Wikipedia explains Rickrolling….
Rickrolling is an Internet meme involving the music video for the 1987 Rick Astley song "Never Gonna Give You Up". The meme is a bait and switch: a person provides a Web link they claim is relevant to the topic at hand, but the link actually takes the user to the Astley video. The URL can be masked or obfuscated in some manner so that the user cannot determine the true source of the link without clicking (and thus satisfying their curiosity). When a person clicks on the link given and is led to the web page he/she is said to have been "Rickrolled". By extension, it can also mean playing the song loudly in public in order to be disruptive.

And believe it or not you have also experienced “Internet Meme” if you have clicked on the links that are at the bottom of these Blogs that I write – my “Sources” or “Resources”

So in a short period of time you have come to realize that people play cruel jokes on each other.

I think the first time that it happened to me was at about 17 years old – when I experienced my first “Blind Date”. My friend was wishing to take a girl out on a date. She wouldn’t go except if her friend was able to go along too. So he recruited me to take up the role of dating her friend.

Oh my… I won’t tell all the story. It was embarrassing to say the least. There was absolutely nothing to talk about. Nothing in common so nothing was said. The “blind date” that sat beside me listened with me to my friend and his new “girl friend”(her friend) talk, etc..etc.

The only other Blind Date that I tried was when I met Alida, 46 years ago… and that one wasn’t that bad.

Rickrolling and Internet Meme – or a form of it first happened to Eve and Adam. Convinced by the serpent that… “the fruit was okay – actually really good for you – God is playing a cruel joke on you… try it – you’ll love it!” She did and so did her man Adam. The rest is history.

Anytime someone portrays some thing as being something it is not they have Rickrolled someone – somewhere. And sadly – it is not always a joke.

A brilliant young man that I know was Rickrolled in his life. He has a wonderful wife and two kids. Somehow he met another gal in the community. She has some kids of her own. Without his wife knowing what was going on – he fell in love with the second woman. Adultery was committed over a long period of time before his wife would find out. When that happened his marriage was over.

Some of us that looked on from the sidelines were amazed that he would fall into the new woman’s arms. She was not at all like his wife…not at a Miss Canada… what was wrong with his head. He clicked on to something that was definitely not what he thought it was.

Oddly enough the joke of Rickrolling is that the song and its words are part of the joke…

In the practical world and also the spiritual world we experience something that has been named “Temptation”. When we yield to it and “click through” with our actions we get “Rickrolled”.

The original reason that I discovered “Rickrolling” – was that I clicked through to find about “Purity Rings” – something important to keep yourself clean and away from temptation.

Hey – have a good and safe day… and watch what you click through to… a lot of stupid stuff is waiting for you.

~ Murray Lincoln ~

Lyrics to Never gonna give you up
We're no strangers to love

You know the rules and so do I

A full commitment's what I'm thinking of

You wouldn't get this from any other guy

I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling

Gotta make you understand

Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down

Never gonna run around and desert you

Never gonna make you cry, never gonna say goodbye

Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

We've known each other for so long

Your heart's been aching but you're too shy to say it

Inside we both know what's been going on

We know the game and we're gonna play it

And if you ask me how I'm feeling

Don't tell me you're too blind to see

Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down

Never gonna run around and desert you

Never gonna make you cry, never gonna say goodbye

Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down

Never gonna run around and desert you

Never gonna make you cry, never gonna say goodbye

Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

(Ooh give you up)

(Ooh give you up)

(Ooh) never gonna give, never gonna give (give you up)

(Ooh) never gonna give, never gonna give (give you up)

We've known each other for so long

Your heart's been aching but you're too shy to say it

Inside we both know what's been going on

We know the game and we're gonna play it

I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling

Gotta make you understand

Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickrolling

The BIG BANG and Large Hadron Collider

This report is super important! Today someone is going to “flip a switch” that will start a machine… and then “POOF” the Biggest Experiment ever will take place… stuff will happen below the earth.

Read these few paragraphs and think about what is about to happen…

“Scientists in Connecticut and around the world will be watching closely today when their colleagues in Switzerland flip the switch on what is being touted as the world's grandest experiment in particle physics.

If all goes according to plan, the Large Hadron Collider, a gigantic particle accelerator underground near Geneva, could re-create the very moment 13 billion years ago when scientists believe a tremendous explosion known as the "big bang" created the universe.

"It could be the most exciting thing since Einstein," said Yale Professor Paul Tipton, part of a multinational research team, including physicists at Yale and Fairfield University, that has spent years designing and building the collider.

Data collected in the coming months has the potential to lead to the discovery of new dimensions, a new understanding of time and space, or advances that could someday be applied to fields such as medicine or energy generation, said Tipton and other scientists.”

Some one is playing with a really big something below the surface of the earth… to literally re-create Creation… the BIG BANG. WOW!

The first images I have of what will happen is a really BIG BANG inside of the Tunnel that they have constructed. After all the name of the Gizmo should tell you something, the “Large Hadron Collider”.

The article that I read this morning states that…
“Construction on the 17-mile long tunnel 328 feet underground began 14 years ago and has so far cost $5 billion.”

It is a very long tunnel under ground where the stuff is going to happen…very quickly… and powerfully.

One man stated he would be watching this happen from a “remote spot” so he might be able to tell his grandchildren about what he saw. In other words it could be a huge explosion – it is called a BIG BANG – and stuff could happen.

Interesting as they continue….
“Scientists hope the collider will shed light on things that have eluded researchers, Baker said, things they have been unable to see in experiments or describe with current models of understanding. For example, the way scientists understand the big bang suggests that the expansion of the universe should be slowing, Baker said, but in fact, it is expanding and accelerating outward. So they are hoping what might explain this. Similarly, researchers know nothing about what accounts for the rotation curves of galaxies, he said.

Baker and his team are searching for something called the Higgs Boson, sometimes referred to as the "God particle." Scientists have theorized that the elusive Higgs Boson, if it exists, is what gives particles mass, but researchers have not found it. Baker has hopes that if it does exist, the Large Hadron Collider will help find it.”

The “God particle” caught my attention as a Pastor and as a Christian. I have been dealing with that “God particle” for about 34 years trying to convince people that it exists. Now somewhere below the crust of the old earth – they are going to make one – or prove one… or make a really BIG BANG.

Christians are so naïve – they simply read that “God created the heavens and the earth…” and believe it. That believing never cost any $5 billion dollars nor did it take 14 years to get to “flipping the switch”.

They just believe it… so simple… so easy… so straight forward. It is called FAITH.

There are some small concerns that I have. In order to understand my concerns you need to open the “Google Earth” program where it lets you see the whole earth at one time – before you punch in a name to look or zoom into.

Take a look at our little ball that we call home. Think about the thin crust that we live on… it is less than 1% - that is ONE PERCENT – of the earth’s mass. In other words it is like an egg shell over the really hot interior…

Now – it isn’t going to happen today – when they throw a switch somewhere… for the BIG BANG… but think of it… what happens if some silly person makes it all go BOOM? Will it all crack and whatever…?

Something is kind of funny or tragic about this whole scenario. Do you know how many starving people $5 Billion dollars could feed? But instead a bunch of Big BOYS and GIRLS are going to go BIG BANG… or a small “POOF” whatever the case may be…

Okay…okay…. Now I am starting to sound like some kind of “Old Radio Evangelist”…. NOT! Never will be… I just question the sense of it all. When FAITH is so easy…. So very easy….

~ Murray Lincoln ~

Sources…
http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-cthadron0910.artsep10,0,6923966.story

Our Special Anniversary Gift

There are days I could do cart wheels. You know like great big celebrations for what has happened. I just received another report about my young friend Jonah. It is a GIFT for Alida and me to get this report. What a special way to start the day!

For Jonah it has been a struggle from his very start. I was there the night he was born and began to pray for him at that time. There has not been any reports about Jonah that have not been amazing. The guy’s second name should be amazing!

Here is the latest.

The following words were shared by George Van Spronsen, Jonah’s dad – last Sunday Morning.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Well this has been an interesting last couple of weeks. We have had many exciting new developments happen in our young son, that is only possible through God.

First off: We received word that Jonah’s diagnosis has been wrong. The geneticist that was working on his case mixed up Jonah’s file as well as 14 other families files. Jonah was wrongly diagnosed with Di-George syndrome. For those who don’t know, this is a very immuno-compromised condition, that requires almost complete quarantine from September -April of each year from anyone who is sick. However, Jonah’s new diagnosis is CHARGE syndrome. This is a much better diagnosis. It has increased Jonah’s life expectancy by 60 years, and has given him a much better outlook for his future. Kids with CHARGE syndrome have grown up to become Doctors, Lawyers and parents of healthy children. This is great news to us. Thanks be to God that the diagnosis was seen as wrong by his Sick Kids speech pathologist, and therefore an investigation launched into Jonah’s right diagnosis.

Secondly: Jonah recently had his kidneys tested for the reflux he has. He had to undergo several procedures including internal x-rays and x-rays that lasted 1 hour. The results came back that Jonah’s reflux has downgraded from a Grade 2, to a 1. This means that Jonah will not have to undergo surgery for his kidneys, and this is one less thing that Jonah has to worry about.
Thirdly: (I know, I know God has really blessed us eh???) Jonahs nursery school have made a decision that Jonah is just like any other kid. He is not going to have to have a nurse follow him around the school daily, instead there will be an EA on hand, that will have 4 kids to look out for. She will not deal with Jonah directly. For the first time since he started, Jonah gets to be a regular kid!! Praise God!! This is a boost of confidence our small son needs.

Fourth on our List of Blessings: Jonah received an all is well from his physiotherapist. He still needs a little prayer, because Jonah has to “JUST LET GO”. The therapist said that Jonah is capable of walking on his own, has all he needs physically, but is so afraid to let go of his walker, he lacks the confidence--this is the kid we were told would never walk---well guess what--he will! So when you see him, tell him to LET GO!!! She is quite confident he will walk up to get his diploma from nursery school next June!! And so are we!! Praise GOD!!

The Final and Fifth blessing: Jonah is beginning to use his voice---the one the doctors said was damaged. He is using it much more. He has even begun to sing. His favourite tune is Jesus loves me, and while he signs it, he tries to sing along. The other night, while saying his prayers (he prays for the whole world but himself), he audibly said Tim. Meaning our good buddy Pastor Tim, Jonah prays for him all the time, that he’ll keep singing for him. We are hopeful that Jonah will soon have his tracheotomy out shortly, thus surprising all of the doctors who said this isn’t possible. As our family motto goes: through God all things are possible!!

Thanks to God for the blessings, and thanks to all of you for the prayers!!

~ George Van Spronsen
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I said earlier that this was a special gift for us….

Today is our 41st Anniversary. We start our Celebration early with the story of Jonah. Then later the big meal will be over Goat Roti at a favorite restaurant in our downtown. Finally we will remember that wonderful day.

The other day in a meeting I was asked to introduce myself. One of the things that was asked of us was to tell of our marital experience. When it was my turn to share and I told them that in another week or so it was to be our 41st anniversary – EVERYONE applauded.

I think 41 years is the new 61 years in marriage. Everyone else in the meeting had been married around 12 to 15 years.

It has been a wonderful journey with the Lady I Love. Thanks Alida for the many blessings over all these years. We are not younger – we are just a lot better…. Wooieee!

And thank you Jonah for being a part of our special day!

~ Murray Lincoln ~
Jonah walking http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k59Ugz3FYIA

Like the Following Photo states - Here is PROOF!