Perspectives with Pastor Sharon Bretz

Life Discipline

Maybe you’ve seen the Dempster’s commercial in which two scenes are played simultaneously. One scene is of a farmer who rises early to prepare his fields to sew seed that will produce grain that in turn makes the very best bread. The other scene is of Sidney Crosby, who also rises early and is at the arena practicing while it’s still dark because he wants to be the very best hockey players.

Many today, despite his injuries, would say that he is, without a doubt, the best hockey player in the world, even better than “the great one”.

Truth is, whether your aim is to make the best loaf of bread or be the best hockey players, neither of these will just happen. Much work is involved in attaining anything that is of any great worth.

Discipline became not just a word to be talked about, but a life style to be lived.

I read that Patrick Chan, one of the world’s premier athletes, denies himself certain pleasures because of his passion to be the best. He takes a life of discipline very seriously. He watches everything he eats, how he sleeps, even the water he drinks.

Why do I refer to all of this? Well, I want to make a point.

In Christian circles, we have a word that means the same as discipline. It’s a word that no one seems to want to talk about anymore. It’s a word that conjures up all kinds of negative thoughts in people’s minds, maybe because it has never been rightly understood, or maybe because some people presented a false understanding of what it really is.

What is that word? Well, it’s “Holiness”. It is really having a passion  for Jesus, desiring to be like Him and Living a life that is pleasing to Him.

It’s not about a list of do’s or don’t’s, that only leads to a life of legalism, which God hates by the way.

So a Christian who wants to live a life that is pleasing to God is going to say “No” to some things because, like athletes, they are willing to discipline their lives to be true witnesses for the Lord, Jesus Christ.

Holiness is not a word that we should take out of the vocabulary if we are born again believers. It is really through living a life of discipline that we announce to the world that we have a passion to be like Jesus and to present Him to the world as the Hope for Humanity.

May I encourage you to pursue a life of Holiness for, “Without holiness no person shall see the Lord”. Heb. 12:14.

Rev. Duncan Perry,

Morrisburg Pentecostal Tabernacle

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Elections supposedly give voters the opportunity to choose the person and/or party that will represent their interests in government.

I must ask the obvious: how can one person realistically represent the interests of each and every constituent? What happens when the elected official must choose between two constituents with opposing interests? Indeed, what happens when the elected official, full of good intentions, can’t actually follow through on election promises because of numerous insurmountable roadblocks?

One of the most common issues for voters, I believe, is whether to vote for a specific person regardless of the party they represent OR vote for the party regardless of the individual candidate. Oftentimes, people find that they respect a person based on past actions, but they completely disagree with that candidate’s party agenda. Or, vice versa.

On October 6th, who do we vote for? Libertarian candidate Darcy Neal Donnelly? Progressive Conservative candidate Jim McDonell? Green Party candidate Justin Reist? Elaine MacDonald, candidate for the New Democratic Party? Or, Mark A. MacDonald, Liberal candidate?

The answer is, “I don’t know.”

You might be a staunch and steady supporter for the PC’s, but do you know why? Do you vote Liberal because that’s what your parents did? Or, do you vote NDP because you want to steer clear of the PC and Liberal parties? Do you vote Libertarian or Green Party because you want to be different or take some sort of stand or make a statement…?

Life is about balance in everything we do. The same goes for voting. Make a list of what’s important. List the pros and cons of each party versus each candidate. Choose the candidate (or party) that most closely answers your needs.

The answer will undoubtedly be different for everyone. What’s important to remember is that no matter who gets elected, some promises will be kept and some probably won’t. No one person and no one party is the perfect answer to all of our problems. We must learn to take the good with the bad. Or, better yet, learn to work together as one team.

Vote. See what happens. Deal with the outcome and move on by making the best of whatever situation arises.

S.Casselman             

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Loyal for Life

My CFL football team, the Edmonton Eskimos, is in the cellar. My hockey team, the Oilers, is doing slightly better, but hardly, standing at three wins, seven losses, and one overtime win (at the time of writing).

Nevertheless, I’m a huge fan of both teams. Always have been. As a kid I’d bike about 20 km to watch the Eskies in their training camp outside of town and go to every game I could. Then when the Oilers came along as a WHA team, I jumped on the that bandwagon as well. I remember watching Gretsky before he was famous; well, at least, before he was in the NHL.

I guess I’ll be an Eskimos and Oilers fan for life, no matter how they do. My loyalty runs deep.

I have another loyalty however that runs far deeper, and is rather more important. It’s to God. 

As far as I’m concerned, he doesn’t ever have a ‘poor season.’ When I compare his wins to his losses, he always comes out ahead. Personally I don’t think there’s anyone else in his league.

Nevertheless, having said that, it seems that he’s getting a lot of bad press lately. He gets blamed for the mess we’re making of the world. He is seen as irrelevant and unnecessary. We’re told it’s silly to believe in him, even dumb and unscientific. The Bible and its standards are seen as out-dated and too restrictive. Even people who once believed or went to church are giving up on him.

It reminds me of a story in the Bible that I preached on recently in John 6. The huge crowd that had been following Jesus slowly began to leave. Some disliked what Jesus said. Others just wanted a free lunch, and when Jesus didn’t come through, they left. When most of the crowd took off, Jesus turned to his few remaining followers and asked if they wanted to leave as well. Their answer? No way. “You have the words of eternal life.” They were loyal to the end. Why? Because in Jesus they found what they could find no place else.

I like that. I can relate. Over the years there have been things about God I don’t get. There are things I don’t even particularly like. 

Yet, I and many others, will remain loyal to the end. The reason is simple. It’s because we found something in Jesus that we can’t find anywhere else.

Like love, I mean, real love. I’m a pretty flawed human being. I’m surprised by the nasty things I say. I’m shocked by my impatience. I blush at some thoughts I entertain. Yet, the amazing thing is despite all this crud in my life, God loves me just the same, unconditionally, like no one else ever could. So how can I help but be loyal?

Besides, since coming to know him by faith in Christ, he’s changed my life. No, he didn’t wave a magic wand and make everything perfect. I wish. 

But what he did was give me a deep sense that all is well. That I belong to him. That the big questions of life are answered; that the big issues of life are resolved. That after this life is over, there’s heaven. Once again, how can I help, but be loyal?

So, in this day when loyalty to God is being challenged, when people are looking elsewhere for the answers to life, my question is: Where else would you go? Who else “has the words of eternal life?” Who else will love us perfectly? Who else has the power to heal our broken lives? Once we personally discover what God can do in our lives, we’ve got no choice but to be loyal for life..

Pastor Clarence Witten

Community Christian 

Reformed Church

Dixon’s Corners

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