Fun to Say - Incredible to Know

Some words are simply fun to say. A good example is the word, inconceivable. Give that one a try, putting particular weight on the third syllable. InconCEIVable!

Another word I like is, immutability. Try saying that one a few times. You'll find it kind of just rolls off your tongue... Immutability.

It means unchangeable. It's the characteristic of being inherently incapable of change. Think of something rock solid, weighing thousands of tons, like a mountain that's been there for eons, and you will still lack an adequate example of immutability. Even a mountain's shift of one centimeter a year disqualifies it from being considered immutable. The fact is, there is only one reliable example of immutability: God Himself.

Hebrews 6:17-18 says, "Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us" (NKJV).

This tells us that God's words to us are absolutely unchangeable, as is His oath or promise to us. And it's obvious that God is super eager for each of us to recognize this unparalleled immutability that is manifest in His character. We see this in the way He set out to show Abraham how changeless He was (which is the example Heb. 6:17-18 is referring to). God chose a doubly-abundant means of doing so when He not only spoke to Abraham of His plans for him and his descendants, but also confirmed those words with an oath. Why would Almighty God need to confirm His words with an oath? Because He wanted to "show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel." This is God in His mercy going out of His way to reinforce a point. He speaks and then He makes an oath as if to say, "I really mean it! I will not change My mind! You can count on the reliability of My immutability."

Hebrew 6:18 then tell us that it is because of God's incredible constancy that we can be greatly comforted in difficult circumstances and flee for safe refuge in the sure and certain hope that God's promises provide for us. Promises like:

• We can "come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16)
• "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him [Christ], since He always lives to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7:25)
• "...with His own blood He [Christ] entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption [for us]" (Heb. 9:12)
• "...the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, [will] cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God" (Heb. 9:14)
• "...but now, once at the end of the ages, He [Christ] has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself" (Heb. 9:26)
• "By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Heb. 10:10)
• "For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified" (Heb. 10:14)
• "Then He adds, 'Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more" (Heb. 10:17)

Isn't that encouraging?! So then, "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful" (Heb. 10:23). And it is inconCEIVable that the God who promised all of this will ever change!

© 2015 by Ken Peters

A sad farewell. A fond farewell.

Omar Sharif has passed away, for which I feel a genuine sadness. Which is strange to me, because with all the horrible things to be sad about in this world, why would the passing of a complete stranger affect me? I think it's because of how we were introduced.

I remember feeling absolutely mesmerized as he made his entry to the film "Lawrence of Arabia." It is one of the greatest entries of a character in a movie ever filmed. Who has ever taken longer to enter a film (and I've read that David Lean wanted it even longer but was talked out of it)? 

His entry left me stunned not only because of the wonderful drama of it, but because of how gutsy it was to film for that long without a word spoken as Omar gradually grew from a speck to a fuzzy mirage to a solid form that gradually became a recognizable man. And as that man entered, he entered with a force of principle that left one man dead and another man aghast. 

But it didn't take long for Omar to shift from menace to ally to friend, until he made his exit from the film, disappearing into the darkness, in tears. 

As any of my friends know, this movie has made a significant impression on me, and I am thankful to Omar Sharif for his part in that.

© 2015 by Ken Peters

A lesson even Dirty Harry knew...

I've already admitted that God spoke to me from one of Arnie's Terminator movies, as well as from Sly in one of the Rocky movies, so why wouldn't He be able to from Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry? It was just the other day, as I flicked on the TV and caught the last 20 minutes or so of Magnum Force, that I heard Clint growl a line that left me wondering if God had me in His sights.

It was a simple line, and one that I at first dismissed even though I couldn't help but feel provoked by it. Take a listen to this brief clip...

I don't know about you, but I often can't resist comparing myself to others in my line of work only to be left feeling discouraged at how inadequate I perceive myself to be compared to how amazing they seem to be! It's like I believe that, in order to feel truly adequate or acceptable, I have to be as good as whoever I'm tempted to compare myself to at whatever they do well at. And since I know some very gifted pastors, that can leave me feeling pretty useless at times! And not only useless, but exhausted as well after wasting time trying to excel at things that aren't my areas of strength. Of course, it also reflects a definite lack of humility as I try to be some kind of Superman rather than celebrating the diversity of strengths within the team of pastors around me.

So that's why I think it's important to heed Harry Callahan's advice in the above video. And that's why I also think that Paul wrote in Romans 12:3-4, "For by the grace given to me, I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them..."

We all have a unique measure of faith and grace, and each of us has a different spiritual gift mix according to that grace. That means that we need one another as each of us brings our strengths to help with things in areas in which some of us feel weak. And that means we can appreciate each person's contribution, unthreatened by how much better others are at things we don't do so well. 

After all, as much as God calls us to believe Him to do miracles through us, the only way to avoid the petty jealousies that can arise as God uses specific people to do those miracles, is to get to know our limitations – and to be grateful that others have the strengths to make up for them.

© 2011 by Ken Peters

Gift-Getting

Every Christmas, I find myself internally-conflicted in a couple of ways. On the one hand, I love giving presents. Turns out that gift-giving is one of my top love-languages. And I'm known in my family for buying gifts that people don't expect but are thrilled to get. Like the Australian leather cattleman's hat I bought for my dad not long ago. I should also mention the diamond ring I bought for Fiona one Christmas.

But on the other hand, I'm not so great at getting presents. Fiona tells me that I'm very difficult to buy for. Either I'm totally distracted by the cost of her buying me something after I spent so much on her, or I'm just not very easily pleased with what people get me. I can be ungrateful, focusing on the gift rather than the giver, wanting them to provide me with the same thrill I just gave them.

I guess that may be why I found the following video of Andy Rooney somewhat amusing...




Add to that the huge distraction of world poverty compared to the extravagant amount of money we as North Americans spend on Christmas presents and I can end up a real grump on Christmas morning. For example, did you know that last year, consumers in the United States spent about 10.7 billion dollars on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving), 6.9 billion dollars on the Saturday before Christmas, and 7.9 billion dollars on Boxing Day? That's over 25 billion bucks spent in three -- count 'em! -- three short days. To put that in perspective, Burundi's GDP (gross domestic product, or the total value of all the goods and services a country produces in one year) is about 3.1 billion dollars. Haiti's GDP is about 6.7 billion dollars. Those figures create some of the internal conflict I feel at Christmastime as we lovingly buy unnecessary items for each other.

Ah, the joy of living in the tension of two truths. I want to remember the poor, but does that mean it's wrong to bless Aunt Nellie with a new set of tea towels?

So that leaves me needing to remember two important lessons as Christmas Day approaches. First, when it comes to gift-giving, gratitude is as important as generosity. Gift-getting is as much an act of love as gift-giving, and no one's act of kindness ought to be spurned, no matter what the circumstances! And secondly, in the same way that God doesn't intend for the needs of the world's poorest people to prevent me from blessing my family and friends at Christmas, I don't believe He wants me to spend so much on them that I'm unable to give anything to help the poor in a meaningful way as well.

Hopefully I can remember those things this Christmas, and then I'll be able to enjoy the gifts I get as much as I enjoy being a blessing to others in the many meaningful ways that God leads me.

© 2010 by Ken Peters

A lesson from Rocky

Here's a clip from a movie that I was initially quite skeptical about, but once I watched it, liked it so much that I soon bought it.  It seemed such a ridiculous premise: A beaten up old boxer who had retired long ago coming back to fight the reigning heavyweight champion (much like George Foreman's career when he won an improbable championship fight at 45 years of age!).  And yet the screenplay is so well-written that it comes across as both believable and inspiring.  Most film critics loved it, and it did better than expected at the box office.

But one scene in particular caught my attention.  So much so that I played it over and over until I had a significant part of it transcribed into my journal.  It's a conversation between Rocky and his grown son.  And for a Hollywood movie dialog, it provides a fair bit to reflect on for those of us who are sometimes afraid of what others may think of us, or who can sometimes be discouraged by adversity.

Check it out... and "keep moving forward!"



© 2010 by Ken Peters

The Blog that ate up all my free time

It's my blog's second birthday today!  Yep.  It's been two years and 163 posts since I began this little online spiritual journal.  And I'd like to believe that it hasn't all been a complete waste of time.  I've enjoyed the opportunity it's given me to write, and I hope others have enjoyed reading what I've written.


A year ago, I reflected on the recurring themes that had appeared in my blog up until that point, and for the most part, I find that the same major themes still stand out a year later (with a few new additions).


But here at the two-year mark, I find myself reflecting back on what my original reasons were in starting this blog.  Why would I spend so much time carefully crafting sentences as I share about my struggles and the lessons that I'm learning in life?


Well, the primary reason is because I love to write, period. Regardless of whether people read what I write or not, I feel an inner compulsion to write my thoughts down.  It feels like a need, and can grow so strong that it's difficult to restrain.  It wants to fill all my free time, rob me of my sleep-time, encroach upon my family-time, and even creep into my work-time.  It truly is like The Blob!


But in addition to that, there are four other reasons why I make time to blog (and I'm grateful to a blogger who has gone before me for the thought he's given to what makes blogging a worthwhile exercise).

1. To be known...  As I mention in the "Who is this guy?" link above, "I began this blog because I wanted to share with others from the things I'm learning form God."  That often means sharing vulnerably about my struggles in life, but it also means sharing about encouraging things that God is helping me to learn.  Whichever the case, my desire is that those who read my posts will get to know me personally rather than simply the things I'm learning.
2. To interact...  I enjoy seeing people face-to-face, but a blog is a great way to interact with others in a much more convenient way.  There's room for dialog in the comments option beneath each of my posts, and I welcome people's feedback so that we can learn from each another in this blog.
3. To recommend...  Every so often, I get so excited about something that I want to recommend it to others.  I've even created a Recommendations category that readers can click on in the index (in the column to the right).  Such posts might be about anything --a book, an opportunity, a charity or even a place.  If I've found something helpful or enjoyable, I want to share it with you!
4. To teach...  This is simply about me wanting to use this blog to share some of the brief insights I sometimes receive from the Lord during my times spent with Him.  Such lessons may come as I read my Bible, but can also come up as I simply read the news or a book.

With that in mind, I welcome you to continue reading this blog and to leave a comment now and then to let me know what you're thinking!

And in celebration of my blog's second birthday, you're welcome to take a minute to watch a few classic scenes from the second installment of the original "Blob" movie...




© 2010 by Ken Peters

A view of healing & the sovereignty of God I've never heard quite this way before

I've had my struggles over the past 20+ years as my wife Fiona's kidneys have gradually grown worse and worse until she ended up on dialysis.  Wanting to believe that God heals today when we pray today, I and others have prayed for her many times, but only to see her health grow worse.  Amidst all this, in an effort to find peace with God amidst so many disappointments, my theology has gradually shifted toward an emphasis on God's sovereignty regarding the timing of His answers for such prayers.  In other words, if I can just see how God has a purpose for such lengthy delays in answering, I can be at peace that all is well, and that my wife is still living in the midst of God's plan for her life, and that her healing will happen when the time is right.  After all, she certainly has grown tremendously through her trust in God amidst all the challenges of this illness.  Obviously God is using these circumstances for good.

And then today I watched the following video and it bent my brain. It's from Bill Johnson, the pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, California that has seen many miracles of healing.  Sometime just after the 5:20 mark, I thought my brain's hard drive was about to crash.  And yet, even though I have no idea how the Biblical promise and purpose of suffering fits in with this man's theology, there's something in what he teaches that stirs me to greater passion to pray.  I'm processing... processing...

Check it out, and I'd appreciate your comments if you have any thoughts about it.



© 2010 by Ken Peters

For the Love of Nations

In 2008, a man named Matt Harding set out to visit 42 countries simply to film himself dancing on the spot, often with the local people, in each country. I don't know why Matt did this, except perhaps for the sheer fun of it. He sure seems to be having fun on the video he created! And because it's so fun to watch, it's been viewed over 25 million times on You Tube.

I'm one of the viewers who only recently discovered this video. And I have to admit, I smiled widely throughout the entire four and a half minutes of it -- and have continued to smile during subsequent viewings. It's such a celebration of life and of the world and of the peoples of the world. I don't even mind admitting that I also got a bit choked up as I viewed it on one occasion. It was when Matt was in one of the African communities with joyful children dancing all around him. I've traveled to a few African countries, and lived in Sudan for a year, and know a little about the challenges and the pain that the people of such impoverished places have been through. And to see the smiles and hear the laughter of those children as they danced with Matt is wonderful!

So I have dubbed this posting "For the Love of Nations" rather than using the title Matt gave to his video. Because that's what this video fills me with -- a love for the many beautiful peoples of this planet. God's heart is full of love for every tribe and people group of the earth, and He wants us to have that same love for the nations. You'll see many of those nations whom God's heart yearns for in the video below (as well as a multitude of people in the second video that follows). Enjoy!



Revelation 7:9 says, "After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands." That verse describes the thrilling culmination of God's plans to include people of every culture in His family. God says in Psalm 67:3-4, "Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy!" This speaks of a joy that far exceeds what we see in Matt's video.

The truly amazing video that follows offers an exciting sampling of the joyful scenes described in Revelation and Psalms when that heavenly throng of every nation is cheering and praising Jesus in heaven! Take a peek!



© 2009 by Ken Peters

For the love of fonts!

I'm known as the Document Guy at the office. Or sometimes Captain Document. It's because I'm the only one who seems to care at all about a million itty-bitty picky little details when creating a document for distribution (I wrote a post about how I was actually convicted about this recently).

I'm picky about what grade of paper we use. I pay attention to whether there's a space of four one hundredths of an inch or six one hundredths of an inch between an inserted photo and the text that appears next to it. I generally shun clip art as overly desktoppish. And I may be a bit of a font snob. I tend to find many of the Windows default fonts as too old and stale to use, so I download newer ones for a fresher look. Perhaps that's why I find the following video so amusing.



© 2009 by Ken Peters

We want your soul

The culture of consumerism wants your soul. They want all of our passions to be focused on the glitz and bling of this material world. They want us living for what's now and what's new. But what does it profit us if we have all the fun in the world but neglect our soul (Matthew 16:26)?

Someone decided to approach consumerism from the lighter side and made a mini-musical about it. Why not? It mirrors the background music of our many malls and the flashing lights of our commercial strips. And yet the bags we fill can leave us as empty as the way the following video feels as it concludes...



It's worth a bit of reflection.

© 2009 by Ken Peters

The chase is on! (church bulletin cover)

I went swimming with my 11-year old son the other day. At first, we threw a ball back and forth. That was okay. We splashed each other a bit, but he didn't like that much. Then I began to chase him, and he was immediately excited!

A good chase can cause an adrenaline rush. In a movie, a good chase scene can be worth the ticket price. There's suspense in it. Where will it lead? To what extremes will it go? Well, I believe we're meant to apply that sense of excitement and urgency to our pursuit of God.

Look at Paul's choice of words in 1 Timothy 6:11 -- "But as for you, O man of God, flee these things! Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness and gentleness." In other words, we're being chased and we're chasing something ourselves. Does that excite us or would we prefer a more sedate Christian life? The message of this verse is that we have no choice -- the chase is on! Either we flee or get caught. And if we flee, it's best that we run to Jesus and pursue the life He intends us to live.

Paul's very next words are "Fight the good fight of the faith" (1 Timothy 6:12). This reinforces the fact that we're in an aggressive situation whether we like it or not, and we might as well embrace the excitement of it all! My son Nicholas was excited by the chase I provided for him because he knew the person chasing him is his friend. As a man or woman of God, we can be excited by the chase of faith because we know the One we're pursuing is infinitely greater than the sin we're fleeing from.

This means we're in the most exciting chase-scene imaginable! We're fleeing the temptations of the enemy of our souls and pursuing a God who lives right inside of us so that He can help us to live godly lives and deliver us from temptation. The only suspense about such a chase is provided by the choices we make, because the outcome is clear: Jesus, the One we pursue, catches our pursuer, and we will one day see Jesus' glory (1 Timothy 6:13-16).

Here's a short sample of a foot chase unlike any you've probably ever scene. Let it be indicative of how determined we are to flee from sin as we pursue the One who gives us strength to run!



© 2009 by Ken Peters

Everyday choices

Everyday I face choices -- very practical choices to do with money. And sometimes I feel compelled to stop and ask myself how me-centered my choices have become. How much do my choices regarding money revolve around me? The alternative, of course, is that they ought to revolve around the Lord of my life, Jesus Christ.

But I feel like the commercial culture in which I'm immersed is constantly wooing me, wanting me to fix my mind on the things of this world. Electronics and entertainment -- recreation and recliners -- CDs and Starbucks. These are all good things that are okay to enjoy. But it can all begin to feel so important that I'd greatly resent it if some young rabbi told me to "Go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me." (Matthew 19:21). That's the trouble. When it comes to choosing, all our stuff and our pursuits have the potential to end up feeling far more attractive than Jesus.

St. Augustine once said of Jesus: "He loves You too little who loves anything together with You, which he loves not for your sake."

I also appreciate how John Piper puts it in the following video. Amidst the daily doses of commercialism thrust upon me wherever I turn, I'd do well to routinely set aside 3 minutes or so to watch this video every once in awhile.



© 2009 by Ken Peters

A man who has greatly impacted my life

I just found out today that Dr. Ralph Winter passed away on May 20, 2009. I hadn't even been aware that he'd been struggling with cancer, so it felt like quite a blow to discover the news of his death.

For me, as a Bible college graduate ('86) with a B.A. in Biblical Studies/Missions, Ralph Winter is best remembered as the man who founded the U.S. Center for World Mission, and who (together with Steven Hawthorne) edited what I consider the most valuable Christian mission handbook ever created: Perspectives on the World Christian Movement.

But the best way to describe how significantly Ralph Winter has affected my thinking as a Christian who is passionate about "this gospel of the kingdom" being "proclaimed throughout the whole world" (Matthew 24:14) is to mention one simple term: unreached peoples.

In 1974, Ralph Winter pioneered the use of that term as a new way to measure the progress of the global advancement of the Gospel. To missions-minded Christians today, the term "unreached peoples" is as familiar and important as the idea of global missions itself. It is a reference to the ethnic groups of the world who have not yet heard or received the Gospel, which Matthew 24:14 tells us is a requirement for His return. This change in focus from "mission fields" to "peoples" may be one of the most significant contributions ever made in the great cause of Christian missions. It resulted in us realizing that the Great Commission will not be completed by simply saving more people, but by reaching more people groups -- by reaching all people groups!

So it's with sadness that I realize that a great general of God's kingdom is gone. But I know he is filled with joy as he now sees his King face to face!

And to give you a taste of who Ralph Winter is, I invite you to watch a brief but insightful video that I found helpful...



© 2009 by Ken Peters

Reaching the nations among us

I live in a province that's expecting over 12,000 new Canadians to move here in 2009, and most of them will move to Winnipeg. I know from having visited the areas of the city in which they'll be able to find affordable housing that they're not the kinds of neighbourhoods that established Canadians usually desire to live. They're rough areas with a great deal of gang activity and a considerable amount of crime.

And yet, amidst all the needs of such neighbourhoods are incredible opportunities! Many new Canadians are eager to worship Jesus! Our church presently rents a bus each Sunday to bring many new Canadians from the core area of our city to attend our church, and other new Canadians who now own cars drive from the core area to be at our Sunday services. We love what all these beautiful people of various nationalities bring to our corporate gatherings, and we've made it our aim to become an increasingly inter-cultural church.

But the following video expresses another very exciting approach to showing the love of Jesus to the many people groups who come to Canada from all over the world. I would love to see what's expressed in this video happening right here in Winnipeg! Perhaps my family and I should even be praying about participating in such a strategy. However challenging, I'm sure it would be a rich and rewarding experience. Take a look at this fantastic video!



© 2009 by Ken Peters

A Creed for Postmodern Times

Having dug into Steve Turner's poetry for my previous posting, I couldn't help but to continue reading. And I happened upon a great poem that seems more relevant in the postmodern milieu of 2009 than it might have felt nearly 30 years ago when he actually wrote it.

I'm quite certain that many people in Canada today don't know the original meaning of the "stat holiday" they'll be enjoying this weekend. And among those who do realize that Easter is about celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, many arbitrarily reject the credibility of that historical claim based on their personal feelings and perspectives about God, and with minimal awareness of any supporting arguments for Biblical claims. In essence, people don't want to think about it. As Steve Turner says in the poem I posted yesterday, they're simply happy with chocolate bunnies and chicks. Don't bring up that uncomfortable talk of nails and blood. Don't bother them with historical documentation and logical conclusions.

In other words, "Don't trouble me with facts when I've already made up my mind."

That sort of approach to facts and to truth is not as modern as many critics of postmodernity might suggest, and it's well illustrated by this poem (from 1980) also by Steve Turner...

Creed

We believe in Marxfreudanddarwin.
We believe everything is OK
as long as you don't hurt anyone,
to the best of your definition of hurt,
and to the best of your knowledge.

We believe in sex before during
and after marriage.
We believe in the therapy of sin.
We believe that adultery is fun.
We believe that sodomy's OK
We believe that taboos are taboo.

We believe that everything's getting better
despite evidence to the contrary.
The evidence must be investigated.
You can prove anything with evidence.

We believe that there's something in horoscopes,
UFO's and bent spoons;
Jesus was a good man just like Buddha
Mohammed and ourselves.
He was a good moral teacher although we think
his good morals were bad.

We believe that all religions are basically the same,
at least the one that we read was.
They all believe in love and goodness.
They only differ on matters of
creation sin heaven hell God and salvation.

We believe that after death comes The Nothing
because when you ask the dead what happens
they say Nothing.
If death is not the end, if the dead have lied,
then it's compulsory heaven for all
excepting perhaps Hitler, Stalin and Genghis Khan.

We belive in Masters and Johnson.
What's selected is average.
What's average is normal.
What's normal is good.

We believe in total disarmament.
We believe there are direct links between
warfare and bloodshed.
Americans should beat their guns into tractors
and the Russians would be sure to follow.

We believe that man is essentially good.
It's only his behavior that lets him down.
This is the fault of society.
Society is the fault of conditions.
Conditions are the fault of society.

We believe that each man must find the truth
that is right for him.
Reality will adapt accordingly.
The universe will readjust. History will alter.
We believe that there is no absolute truth
excepting the truth that there is no absolute truth.

We believe in the rejection of creeds.

© 2009 by Ken Peters

We are not alone... (and a video to prove it!)

I love maps. I just put a world map up in my home office. It's made by National Geographic in beautiful antique tones, and is mounted on wood with braces on the back so that it appears to float about an inch from the wall. It truly looks like a work of art.

Every Christian's home should have a world map up on a wall somewhere. They're beautiful, colourful reminders of the many wonderful peoples and cultures that this world consists of and that God wants us to share His love with. God wants us to see beyond ourselves, and a map is a simple way to help us do so. I love what Jesus said in John 4:35 -- "...lift up your eyes and look..." And then He pointed us to vast fields representing the myriads of people who need Him! Combine that with what John said he saw in Revelation 7:9, and the implications are amazing: "After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb..."

God loves the nations, and He's going to reach them! But He wants to use His people to do so. He wants us to go to every nation to share the good news of Jesus so that there will be people from every tribe and language enjoying Him forever in heaven. In fact, this is so important to Jesus that He said that His return would not occur until every single ethnic group heard the Gospel (Matthew 24:14).

That's why I love having maps up in my house. There's one above our kids' computer in the family room and now there's one in my office. They help me to remember that I'm not on this earth by myself or for myself. And they remind me of the many beautiful people I share this world with. People who desperately need the hope and power of Jesus. People who are desperate for food in refugee camps of Darfur and eastern Chad. People who are desperate for peace in Palestine and eastern Congo. People who are desperate for freedom from tyranny in North Korea and Zimbabwe. Maps keep all of this before me, and ought to cause me to both pray and to act on those prayers.

How about you? Go for it! Put up a map in your home. And let God touch your heart regarding the precious people beyond our horizons. And if you need a little something to spark your interest in geography, check out the following video. I know it's fairly dated, which means quite a few countries aren't mentioned, but it's a really enjoyable way to get a feel for how many people we share this world with. Take a look, and enjoy!



© 2009 by Ken Peters

A new lamp

So just a few hours after posting "Living with Eternity in mind", Fiona and I went out to buy a new living room lamp. Our old one had broken, so we found ourselves out and about looking at lamps. Now in view of what I wrote on Friday morning, I have no worries that I'm in grave danger of becoming too focused on a new lamp. I was simply a bit taken aback at the price of lamps and the thought that we were now spending more money on stuff that fills our house. In essence, more money on stuff for me. Don't get me wrong. I'm not racked with guilt for buying a lamp. I'm just distracted by how much money we continually spend on making our living environment functional and attractive, and how challenging that makes it to have resources left over to share with people in need, a priority we don't want to lose.

And then I was reminded of the video below. A very funny video that chastens me for becoming too attached to the stuff in my life, and then sneaks in a plug that new stuff is much better than old! And of course, the main attraction in the video is a lamp. Take a look!



© 2009 by Ken Peters

Has your day ever started like this?

I tend to feel better if I avoid caffeine -- it makes me feel like an electric current is coursing through my veins -- but this commercial is still a personal favourite of mine. ...Though I think it should've been called "Ken" instead of "Glen" in memory of the years I worked in the credit and revenue accounting offices at Reimer Express. There were days when I would have appreciated the guys in this video. Check it out!



© 2008 by Ken Peters

Prayers cause things

I struggle to pray. I struggle to make time to pray, and then when I do pray, I struggle to keep at it amidst the many things pulling at me, crying out to be done. I feel so pragmatic in my mindset that the idea of stopping all activity and bowing at my desk or kneeling by a chair and speaking to an unseen God feels like I'm being unproductive. After all, there's so much to DO! But I think I also struggle to persist in prayer is because of the things I've prayed for so many years which appear to have gone unanswered. I expect we all have prayers like that -- and some of us have even stopped praying them because it's too difficult to keep asking in faith. They've become prayers of unbelief. Well, in the midst of such challenges, I came across a wonderful video clip of John Piper teaching on prayer. The final words of this clip have been echoing in my spirit for over a week now, and I want to share it with you. Take a look, and be encouraged -- prayer matters!



© 2008 by Ken Peters