Friday, October 23, 2009

I Am a C, I Am a C-H...

I am a Christian.... At least that's what I've been saying for the last twentysomething years. It seems, though that the older I get, the more questions I have. Shouldn't I be learning more as the years go by? Apparently not. Instead, the more time that passes by, the more I realize I don't know.

In our church home groups, we have been working through the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan. This week we discussed chapter 5 - "Serving Leftovers to a Holy God". Ouch. Immediately, we all assume that this could not possibly be referring to ourselves. It steps on toes and we don't want it to be our digits crushed beneath the heavy boot of reality. I could be one of many to chose to take offense at some of the things Pastor Chan has to say, but I don't want to be one of those.

***WARNING: Harsh Personal Opinion to Follow***

I personally know several people who "couldn't" finish the book. I have a feeling it's more of a "wouldn't" finish the book. When the cover plainly states "overwhelmed by a relentless God", who wouldn't want to finish the book? It doesn't matter if you agree with everything or not. In fact, if you did agree with everything, I'd wonder how sincere you truly are. So here's the challenge to those of you who are afraid to finish or even start reading the book - do it! I dare you. I dare you to make the choice to change your life. Don't get hung up on the little things, but get stuck on the big thing: GOD IS CHASING YOU! It's overwhelming because it's supposed to be! We aren't supposed to understand it all. We aren't supposed to know it all. To think we ever will is to deceive ourselves, but to stop trying to understand and know it all is to give up completely.

So here's where I am... Honestly. I know that I am saved. I was bought with a price and that price was great. I know that I was fearfully and wonderfully made and my Maker has a plan for me and that plan is good. I know that He loves me more than life because He gave his up for me. But what do I do with that knowledge? I go through my life day by day and never think about it. What an insult that is to a holy God.

I walked to work today. I'd been avoiding the walk for a long time. It takes time and it takes effort. But yet, when I force myself to get up early and do it, it's rather beneficial. I feel better (once the initial pain of long-forgotten exercise has eased), I sleep better and I get that hour and a half of fresh air every day. Here's my added bonus: I get to spend that time with God. I have 45 minutes in the glory of God's handiwork to meditate on Him. I'd be a fool not to take advantage of that, but again, it's forcing myself to do it.

I leave the house with my iPod in hand. Often I'm tempted to listen to a new album, something Spanish and pop-y, some fun jazz, maybe. Instead, I put on worship. I have to force myself to walk and I have to force myself to focus on God. I'm proud to say that this morning, I did. And the amazing part of it all - God met me where I was. All we are required to do is to take that first step toward His presence and God will rush us with wide open arms. He's waiting, go ahead, give it a try!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

The Way I See It #76

"The irony of commitment is that it's deeply liberating - in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitaion. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life." ~ Anne Morriss Starbucks Customer

Of all the things that I think are wrong with society today, I think that a lack of commitment tops the list. People commit only as long as it is convenient for them. Perhaps this ties in to yesterday's post on illiteracy (a.k.a. self-centredness). When a relationship is no longer beneficial or requries too much work, people simply check out. As a result, we have a short-term society.

Our lives are tucked neatly into 30-60 minute segments (dependant on whether your life is a sitcom or prime-time drama). When things get a little uncomfortable, we merely flick a button and change the channel and our lives rush forward in a new direction leaving a whirlwind of broken relationships in our wake.

Husbands no longer feel the need to love their wives and wives no longer honour their husbands. Children do not obey their parents and we all do as we please with no thought at all to those who surround us. We are more apt to commit to a weekly reality tv show than we are to a real, flesh and blood human being. Imagine life if we fought as hard for our relationships as some have played a game to win a million dollars...

Anne Morriss is a genuis. I wish it had been I who'd come up with the quote I started this post with. So many people view commitment as being tied down, unable to be themselves. This is where our view is so incredibly defective. It is when we commit ourselves, not just in part, but in whole, that we are liberated from the old ball and chain, so to speak. If we are committed to a person and that person to us, all fear and hesitancy should dissolve. Too many people are too slow to trust and too quick to think the worst of everything and everyone.

You may think what do I, a single twentysomething, know about commitment? I have never been in a long-term relationship, never been married and have no children. I'd like to call myself a professional observer. In my wait for lifetime commitment in the form of a loving marriage relationship, I have been paying close attention to those relationships around me. I have taken note of things that work and made a point to remember the things that don't. I have concluded that the most satisfying relationships are those where both parties have thrown caution to the wind. This is not running headlong into a relationship with eyes closed! This is entering a union with eyes wide open and clinging to it with body, mind and soul leaving nothing to question. It is when everything is bared and on the table that relationships are most successful. To say, "Here I am, all of me. I want you and all that comes with you. If you look at all this and you still want me, we can make this work." I believe that we would find the world to be happier, more safe and secure if more people would apply this to their relationships rather than trying to build on the illusions of what we perceive those around us want from us.

Here I am, this is me, like it or not! Lay it on the line. Commit! Take a risk and be yourself for once! You may find it oddly satisfying.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

The Annoyances of Living in an Illiterate Society

I live in Vancouver. Yes, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - first world country - and yet, I believe the society around me to be illiterate. Illiterate or outrageously selfish, self-serving and completely ignorant. I give them the benefit of the doubt, chosing to believe the issue a lack of education rather than a choice to live a life of complete narrow-mindedness (is mindedness even a word? If not, I'm sure you get what I mean).

Since I have not blogged in quite some time, I have been pondering several topics trying to come up with something profound, though it seems that all I can come up with are complaints about the world around me. Has the world gone awry or have I gone mad?

I was leaving Wal-Mart with my parents the other day. We walked out the exit. Yes, the exit. The doors that have a giant "OUT" sticker slapped on them right at eye level and "DO NOT ENTER" on the outside. One would think that this would deter people from trying to get in the building through those particular doors. "IN" would usually indicate the entrance. But as we were leaving, a kid came barrelling through the exit with a shopping cart, nearly taking out my knees and ankles with the contraption. Old enough to read, I assumed the poor child was developmentally delayed and could not... Then his mother followed him in. Perhaps she, too, was uneducated and could not read. At least the boy had the good sense to sheepishly say, "whoops" in embarassment at his mistake. The mother had no such reaction. Looking back I wish I had some option to offer the unfortunate family. Perhaps a continuing education course that teaches adults to read, or a tutor for the boy...

This illiteracy goes even further than words, believe it or not. Apparently pictures, too, are difficult to decypher. I would attribute the inability to read these signs to blindness if it weren't for the fact that the signs in question involve parking lots and roadways. If blindess is to blame, we have an even bigger issue on our hands.

I was with my sister and her newborn son and we had planned a day of shopping. We pulled into the mall parking lot and headed to a store which we knew to have "mommy parking" - spots reserved for expectant mothers or parents with small children and marked by signs depicting baby buggies. We found an open mommy spot and took it, though it was not the closest, it was the only one left available. We got out of the car and proceeded to gather our things as well as the baby's. As I hefted the stroller from the trunk, I noticed not one, but two men exit the department store and make beelines for their vehicles - both of which were parked in mommy parking. Again, wanting to give them the benefit of the doubt, I assumed their wives would soon follow them from the store. This was not to be. Both men started their cars and drove off. If their wives and children were indeed in the store, I feel sorry for them having been left behind by their husbands who were in such hurries. I shook my head at them as they drove away and resisted the temptation to shake my fist and holler profanities. I am, after all, a good Christian girl and it would not reflect kindly upon myself or my family to be caught in such vulgar activities. My sister and I continued our shopping appalled at the audacity of those two men who were so rude to steal parking from those who could have actually benefited from those stalls.

My choice to believe illiteracy over ignorance is a choice to save my own sanity. If all these people who cannot read traffic signs, parking signs, store signs are really as selfish as they appear to be, it appears to me that our society is quickly slipping beyond salvation. There is no longer a single thought for fellow man, for the woman on the sidewalk, for the child in the backseat. It would mean that neighbours no longer help each other. It would mean that boy scouts no longer help old ladies to cross a busy street. It would mean that those old ladies would think the worst of any boy scout who makes an offer to help her cross the street. It would mean that we love ourselves more than our neighbours and that we do not love our neighbours as ourselves.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Amazon, here I come!

Two days from right now, this very moment, I will be on a plane on my way to Houston where I will hop on a connecting flight to Lima. In Lima, I will meet up with old friends and strangers. I have been given explicit instruction on where to wait for those I will be travelling my next leg with - the cafe directly to the left once I clear customs. Don't move, don't go anywhere else, wait. Check. Wait. From Lima, we will travel as a team to Iquitos, a city of about 850,000 once known for rubber, yes, rubber. I love Iquitos.

Peru was never on my list of must-see places. I fell in love with Peru through trying circumstances and now I cannot imagine never returning again and again. I arrived in Peru last September just after the first year anniversary of the death of my grandfather. His mother went home to be with Jesus just the week before I left. Armed with my Bible and my faith, missing Papa so much it hurt, I left my lonely apartement in Toronto and flew south. I wasn't supposed to be doing this alone.

Years ago, plans began for the Amazon Ark. A boat to be built for ministry use on the Rio Amazon and it's tributaries. My grandfather was passionate about it from the very start. He kept a copy of the blueprints on the wall in his office. I was just a kid at the time, but remember the excitement surrounding the project. I'd hear my grandfather talk about it often over the next dozen years. When I was old enough and had realized the calling on my life regarding the mission field, I told my grandfather I would go with him to Peru to see and hopefully minister on the boat. The Josiah (named for the baby boy who died on the mission field) had been on the river for over 10 years when it was decided that Peru would host it's first ever Family Reunion (Congresso Familiar) in Santa Clotilde the fall of 2008.

The Association of Faith Churches and Ministers (AFCM) hosts Family Reunions around the world ever year as a way for ministers and members to get together for fellowship with each other, teaching from other ministers and to hear and see what God is doing around the world through us. We heard the news about Congresso Familiar more than a year before the dates were set. After a brief discussion, it was decided that this was the trip I would take with my grandfather. We'd travel to Peru to be a part of the ministry team on the Josiah for the Family Reunion.

It wasn't long after our decision was made that Papa started to get sick. He thought it was the flu. So did we. So did his doctor. But it didn't get better. We as a family, as a church, stood in faith that whatever had taken over his body had to leave in the name of Jesus. After several surgeries, he started getting better. He was well enough (barely) to perform my sister's wedding in June and head out to Saskatchewan on vacation in July. His brother passed away that summer and he and my grandmother stayed for the memorial service. When they got back to Vancouver, it was back to the doctor. I took my lunch hour one day to take my grandparents to the hospital for an appointment. I'd pick them up after work. My phone rang that afternoon with a call from Mama saying that I didn't need to come and get them. The doctor wanted to keep Papa in for observation over night. He never did come home from the hospital. But he didn't give up either.

Being a pastor, my grandfather was always the one to shake his fist at the devil when stupid things like cancer happened. And shake his fist he did! The last time I saw him alive, Papa smiled at me the best he could and held up two fingers. Most people would take that as a hippie sign for peace. For Papa, it was a "V" for Victory. He wasn't going to let cancer take him from this earth and I don't believe he did.

Papa went home to Glory early on a Saturday morning. He didn't go until Mama told him it was okay. It was this action that leads me to believe that he could have pushed through if he had the will to do so. When Mama had asked him to take another breath, he did. When she asked again, he did. When she let him go, he let go. His last week here on Earth, he was seeing things beyond our natural realm. Who are we to judge what took him Home? I still believe that he'd seen the other side and Earth no longer held any appeal. The last few sermons he'd preached had been on faith and glory. I don't for one minute believe that his faith ever waivered. And I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that when he left this earth, he went from glory to glory and on to a greater glory. For what could be more glorious than to spend eternity with our Father?

As difficult and as painful as it was (and sometimes still is) to let him go, we move on with life, never forgetting those that have gone before us. A pastor friend spoke at the memorial service stating that the ceiling of Papa's ministry would be the floor for ours. We have not forgotten his vision, nor the work he did in the ministry, but have started where he left off. His passion for the Nations has not been forgotten, nor has the call or vision been left behind.

Papa was gone and we had to move on. It wasn't long before I decided to go ahead with the trip to Peru. Papa's passion for the Josiah and the work able to be done because of it was contagious. I would go to Iquitos and travel the Amazon for Papa. Maybe I was selfish in my motives in that ministry had little to do with it. I made a promise to Papa and I was going to keep it. But, as always, God had other plans for me.

We hadn't been in Iquitos for more than a few hours when we took motor cars through the city. The sights and sounds assailed my senses and I was immediately taken in my my surroundings. The hot, humid air was like a brick wall every time I stepped out of the comfort of an air-conditioned building. Dogs roamed the streets as freely as the locals. Latin pop music blared from buses, stores and porch radios. Motor bikes churned up dust from the side streets. Several men worked on the side of the road trying to fix a motor car while a family waited patiently for another. I was in a world completely unlike my own and I was loving every minute of it. I couldn't help but ponder what Papa would have thought of it all. To my knowledge, he'd never left North America. I could picture him beside me laughing at local children playing in the streets, pointing at items in shop windows and trying to speak Spanish even though I'm sure he didn't know a lick of it. Papa would have loved it as much as I do.

The first few days were hard. I nearly cried the first time I saw the Josiah on the river. We sat on the banks of the Amazon and waited in the scorching sun. I got sick the next day. My skin burned and my head spinned. I'd almost convinced myself it was all due to missing Papa so much. I got better with rest and water and soon began to wander the boat talking to those on board. My life changed in a matter of two weeks. By the time we returned to Iquitos, I didn't want to leave at all. I made new friends and got closer to my extended church family. I fulfilled my promise to Papa and in doing so, found a place I'd never expected to love.

In the months since my return to Canada, I've been waiting to leave again. And now I leave in two days! This trip will be an extension of the fulfillment of the promise I made to Papa and even more so, the promise I made to God. "Send me" leads my every step (not only in spirit, but in the natural as the quote is now a permanent fixture on my right ankle). I will go where the Lord sends me and I am so thankful that He sent me to Peru. I am eager to return and pick up where I left off in October of last year. I pray that I will be open to everything God has in store for me this time around and that I will not miss out on anything He has for me because I didn't want to participate or didn't feel something was for me. I am open and ready.

Here am I Lord, send me!

Thursday, July 2, 2009

It's all good... or is it?

"We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose." ~ Romans 8:28 (Amplified)

This is one of my very favourite verses. I am sure that many Christians boast the same thing, but not for the same reasons.

I recently perused a book at a local Christian store. The title caught my eye, "10 Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe". My first thought, Finally! Someone is addressing the idiocies of Christianity! Thank you! I was more than a little relieved and completely tickled to find this verse in Romans referenced in the publication. Those who know me well know that I have had a bone to pick regarding this topic for a long time. Here goes.

I cannot begin to count how many Christians I have heard quote a portion of this verse. And I'm not just talking about new believers who don't know any better. I'm talking about people who have been born and raised in the Church. People who have sat under Sunday school, children's church, sermons, Bible school. The whole she-bang.

Sometimes I wonder if people ever think before they speak. I kid you not, I have heard this, "It's okay, I can do what I want. The Bible says God works everything together for good for those who love Him. I'm a Christian, I love God, so it will all work out!". And they believe this! These are often the same people who think it's okay to continually (and knowingly, might I add) commit the same sin and say, "It's okay, it's all under grace. God will forgive me." (It is true that God will forgive you, but He also gave you a brain - use it.)

Again, when quoting scripture, let's first of all, quote the whole thing. I've started with the Amplified version because it gives such great insight for this verse. Romans 8 is NOT telling us that everything will work out for good simply because we are Christians. Don't bother arguing with me. We (Christians) still get sick, we still screw up, we still sin, we still die (physically). These are not things that I would list in the "good" column of life. Those things right there should put these non-thinking Christians to rest. But in case this argument is not enough, I will continue to expound.

I recently had a conversation with a non-Christian friend of mine. Said friend had recently spend some time in Las Vegas. I told this person that I don't know what I'd do in Vegas. It's just not for me. My amiga then asked if I thought I was missing out on anything living out the life God has chosen for me. My response, "Honestly, no." Here's why:

I truly believe that my life could not possibly be any better living out worldy ways than following God's call for me. This is what Romans 8:28 is talking about. It's not about becoming a Christian and then everything will be alright. I feel so sorry for new sisters and brothers in the faith who are led to believe this. James 1:2 says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds." I am fairly certain that this statement was not a mistake and, since we know that the Bible does not contradict itself, we can be sure that we, as Christians, are bound to come across difficult times.

What I take Romans 8:28 to mean is that, if we are walking the path God has set before us, He will work things out for good for HIS purpose. This is not about going to God with our plans and asking Him to bless us and let us go along our merry way. This is about going to God, seeking His will for our lives and doing everything we can to follow His call for us. Nothing in our lives can be better than serving God and following His will for us. He created us all for a purpose.

If you read on in Romans you will find that God had a plan for you before you ever existed and He made a way for that plan to come to pass. In a world where we are born into sin, He created a way for us to be reborn in to righteousness. He made it possible for us to live holy and justified in Him. He has set a path for us and all we have to do is walk it! Knowing that, how could anyone think we are missing out in life? I live for the creator of life, the maker of all that was, is and ever will be! He created me with a purpose. He made a way for me to live the life He set out for me. How selfish to think that we, in our human nature, could live a better life than the one our Maker has planned for us?

God does not work out everything for the good of those who love Him. He works out everything for good for those who love Him who He called according to HIS design and purpose. It is not our plans and designs that He will work out for good, it is HIS plans and designs He will work out. God, in His infinite love and wisdom, made a way for us to walk with Him, this is what He will work out for good.

And in the end, it's all for our own good.

Monday, June 29, 2009

The Way I See It #198

"You can shower a child with presents or money, but what do they really mean, compared to the most valuable gift of all - your time? Vacations and special events are nice, but so often the best moments are the spontaneous ones. Being there. Every moment you spend with your child could be the one that really matters" -- Jim Russert Journalist

I found the above on my Starbucks cup this morning. After thouroughly enjoying my usual white chocolate mocha (for the low, low price of $5.09), I was prepared to toss the iconic white paper cup when the quote caught my eye.

I was reminded of my evening yesterday. Not one to have much patience for loud, screaming children, I had retired to the "kid-free" room of the house. All my siblings, their spouses and children had graced us with their presence to celebrate my brother-in-laws birthday - strangely, he was the only one not present at this moment in my memory. The kids were in the family room playing with a plethora of balloons left over from last week's baby shower. My siblings were gathered around the table playing Space Beans. I sat quietly in the living room with my parents and one month old nephew. Above the obnoxious noise of sqeaking balloons and stomping feet, I heard my brother and his 7 year old daughter singing a little annoying ditty together. Now, the morning after, I can't even remember what it was about, only that I made a comment to my mother.

As much as I have a hard time dealing with all the kids at once, it did my heart and mind a world of good to hear such a ridiculous tune. This proved to me several things. One was that my brother took interest in the world of his children. Not only did he know what they did and liked, he had an in-depth grasp of it all. Two was that he cared. He gently encouraged my niece if she got mixed up on the words and laughed along with her at the end of each verse (and there seemed to be many). Three was that, whether he realized it or not, he was making a moment that mattered. When that little girl grows up, she will look back and remember that Daddy used to (and hopefully still does) sing with her. Daddy cared about her world and Daddy loved her enough to learn a bunch of silly songs so that they could sing them together.

In a world where most children are left to raise themselves, my brother proved to me that functional and loving families still do exist. I'm not sure I've ever told him, but I am proud of him and his family. I love to see them love each other. I love to see the kids well-behaved, well-loved and well-adapted to this crazy thing we call life. In a world where parenting is a lost art, I praise God for the love and discipline that my brother and his wife have graced their children with and can only pray that they will be a great example for all those who surround them.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Can we ever get it ALL right?

In my quest for new worship songs - new to our church, that is - I found a list of the most popular songs in the country. Topping this list are songs like "How Great is Our God", "Here I Am to Worship" and "Open the Eyes of My Heart". There is, however, one song on this list that I am disturbed by: "Blessed be the Name of the Lord".

By title, most would wonder what my issue is with such a heartfelt and biblical statement. It is not the title of the song I am disturbed with, nor the majority of the song in fact. What disturbs me is one simple line that most people pay very little attention to: "You give and take away, You give and take away".

I myself have been swept up in the moment and the glory of this song, seen congregation unashamedly lifting their hands in worship crying out, "you give and take away, you give and take away". Wait a minute here... Didn't we just sing "Open the Eyes of My Heart"? My eyes were opened. I don't know about you, but I serve a God who gives life and life abundantly at that (John 10:10). If I recall the verse correctly, it is the devil who has come to kill, steal and destroy. Correct me if I'm wrong here, but isn't it a contradiction for God to say at one time that He gives abundant life and in the next breath say He takes away?

"But it's biblical!". I've heard this argument more times than I care to admit. Let's do a little research before we open our big mouths, here. Job 1:21 says, "...the LORD gave and the LORD has taken away..." Yes! This is in the Bible, surely it is something we can sing about! You can sing about whatever you want to, but I refuse in a time of worship to tell my loving, giving, nuturing God that he has taken away from me!

In four years of Bible school attendance (perfect attendance might I brag!) I learned many things, one of which is to look at the context in which things are said before we make it gospel truth. (Yes, yes, I know that the whole of the Bible is Gospel Truth, but hear me out.) Let's take a look at what's been going on in Jobs life up to this point:

- all but one of Job's servants in a field were slain by the Sabeans, who also took all his oxen and donkeys
- again, all but one of the servants in another field were burned up along with all his sheep
- yet again, all but one of the servants were killed by the Chaldeans who also took all the camels
- once more, all but one of the servants were killed when a strong wind came causing the house to collapse. All his children were killed as well.

So in a matter of minutes it seems, Job has lost everything he had in the world. It is at this point where he shaves his head, tears his robe and cried out, "...the LORD gave and the LORD has taken away..." The next verse says, "In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing." Here is where most people would say that they have made their argument and rest their case.

Let's back the Mack truck up. In Job 1:6 Satan comes along to have a chat with God. Job's name comes into the conversation. God tells Satan how loyal Job is. Satan asks God to strike everything Job has. Satan's goal: to get Job to curse God. God gives in and tells Satan that everything Job has is in his (Satan's) hands, but he cannot lay a finger on Job. Satan then takes his leave of God's presence.

It is after this conversation that Job loses everything he has. Hmm... coincidence? I think not. God allowed Satan to do his thing to make a point. (Let's remember that when Adam sinned in the garden that Satan was given dominion on the earth, he does have the rite if we let him...) It was Satan who took the cattle and killed the servants and children. Job cried out in his anguish.

So here is what we know. It was a mere man who spoke the words, "the LORD gave and the LORD has taken away", this man had just lost everything he owned and God and Satan had already had a discussion about Job's earthly belongings. It was God who gave, but not God who had taken away.

All of this just to explain my beef with a song. I cannot justify raising my hands while crying out the lyrics "you give and take away, you give and take away". The God I worship is a God who provides, the God of complete wholeness, the God who is more than enough. God is love and wants us to love Him. What kind of person, when seeking the love of others, takes something from them?

Sing what you want, but remember to take the time and think about the words that leave your lips. Who are you praising and why? Do your words reflect the one you worship?

Stay tuned for another beef with another commonly misquoted verse...

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

The Story Behind the Name

For those who know me, I am a face that goes by many names - a never ending stream of nicknames and abbreviations. Why Joda? one may ask. My response is simple, really.

Some time ago - long enough to be a while, yet still close enough to avoid the label of eternity - a friend of mine was making a feeble attempt to create a new nickname for me. Unfortunately for him, when I mentioned the fact that I had a plethora of nicknames already in my posession, he didn't believe me. After tossing several ideas on the table only to have them immediately discarded, this friend had to spend some time in real thought. A new nickname must not only be original, but fitting.

When Joda came to the table, I must admit that it was very nearly a hastydiscard. But I took the time to ponder it, roll it over, swirl it about in the recesses of my mind. Being the world traveller that I am, I thought it through with various accents I've heard abroad. One in particular rose above the rest in regard to this new name I was trying out.

I was in Estonia and recall being amused that none of the nationals could pronounce my name correctly. It always came out Yordan. Jordan - Yordan, Joda - Yoda! Hey, this could work! So, Joda with an Estonian accent becomes Yoda.

This appealed to me for several reasons. None of them being a desire to be a small green man with a voice comparable to that of Kermit the Frog. However, many moons ago, the idea of being green did indeed appeal to me. As a child, I was every parent's dream eating all that was green - cucumber, broccoli, peas - in order to become green myself. Stan, the blind man living in my grandmother's basement had embarked upon my quest as well, stating that he, too, carried the desire to become green (it was only later in life that I realize he had only humoured me with this comment because, being blind, he knew nothing of what green really was). So, becoming Joda (remember the Estonian accent here) would cater to my long lost desire to be green. The second reason is obvious. The original Yoda is know for his infinate stores of unmatched wisdom. "Do or do not, there is no try", "Ready are you? What know you of ready?", "Named must your fear be before banish it you can". Who wouldn't want to be Yoda?

So, Joda I have become if only for these few precious moments a day, week or month.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Good Intentions May Not Produce Good Results

So I started a blog with every intention of continuing my quest to be heard (er, read) whether what I had to say was worthwhile or not. We all want to be loved, don't we?

Today's entry springs from a ridiculous article that showed up on my iGoogle this morning. (What blogger hasn't personalized their iGoogle?) Janine had been indulging on Cap'n Crunch Crunchberries cereal for over four years in order to improve her health (and who wouldn't chow down on a sugary cereal as part of a balanced diet?). Janine was so distraught over her discovery that Crunchberries aren't actually real berries (only sugary corn cereal balls) that she filed a class action lawsuit against Quaker Oats for deceiving "reasonable" people. My question is, what is her definition of a "reasonable" person? Any child knows that Crunchberries are not real berries. Did Janine not question the fact that Crunchberries are not readily available anywhere but in Cap'n Crunch Crunchberrie cereal? Has she ever wondered why no one ever planted Crunchberry trees? Did she never read the ingredients on the box?

"Corn flour, sugar, oat flour, coconut oil, salt, sodium citrate, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, natural and artificial flavours, strawberry juice concentrate (this is the one that should give it away)..." [www.capncrunch.com/#/parentsparadise]

I sit in awe of humanity. What has the world come to when a grown woman, old enough to go through the proper channels to place a lawsuit, can't tell the difference between fruit-flavoured corn cereal and real berries? I am no less than greatly concerned for the state of our general population if these are the kinds of issues the flies on the walls of our courtrooms have to listen to day in and day out. Heck, I'd be willing to bet that those flies can tell the difference between a real berry and pink corn cereal.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

The Beginning is the End

Like Facebook, I've avoided blogging as long as possible knowing full well that getting myself invovled in such online frivolity would be the end of life as I know it. This is the beginning of a new era for me. Never one to think I have anything much profound to say, I have come to the realization that a blog need not be profound, only entertaining at best. And entertain I can... I hope. My reasoning is this: if I am able to carry on a single conversation for three hours (is that a single conversation or a series of several converasations?), there must be something entertaining enough to keep someone on the other end. And it being a telephone conversation, the other party did not disconnect so I can only assume that either the said party is mighty bored or that I am highly entertaining. I prefer to believe the latter. And so begins my life as a blogger in a day and age in which a person is not considered social unless they frequent at least three social networking sites. I suppose this makes me anti-social which, I can only assume that most bloggers are. What else would we do with our free time?