Go Ahead... Pick my Nursing Home

This year I had the privilege of attending the graduation of one of my granddaughters.

The Leduc Composite High School event was held at the Jubilee Auditorium in

Edmonton.

She is the second of our granddaughters to attend Leduc Comp. and both

have graduated. Unfortunately I was unable to attend the first one.

It was quite a gala affair with the high school band in attendance, who incidentally did a

marvelous job of not only the fill music ahead of the event but also anything

that came afte r w a r d s ,excellent!!

As I am the one saddled with the task of processing the grad pictures for all the

grads in the area, Leduc, Wetaskiwin, Christ the King, Buck Lakeand Pigeon Lake

Regional High School, I sometimes become a bit depressed at the thought that all

these what appear to be nothing more than kids, will soon be running the country and maybe even working at the very nursing home I may soon be residing in. Some of them don’t even look

old enough to be out of grade school.

As the evening progressed, my mind was soon changed. These are bright and

outgoing young adults with new ideas and I must say they seem

to have a greater sense of who they are and the direction theyare headed in than I had at that

young age. When I was a young man, I was unable to express myself in public. These young

men and women are confidently able to step up to the podium and

speak their minds in an intelligent manner. They are also able to sing and play instruments.

They are composers, speakers, singers and mathematicians. They are compassionate not only

about the world around them but of the new ideas that they bring to the table. They are not afraid to speak their minds on any subject. They do not back away from confrontation and believe in a fair exchange of ideas with others. I believe we will be in good hands.

I was also impressed by the inclusion of prayer, not to some indefinable higher power,

but to God. Not only the student body gave thanks but the teachers aswell.

In this day and age, it is not something we have come to expect.

They gave thanks for their parents, their teachers and administrators

and the fact that they live in one of the most fantastic countries in the

world where they have the opportunity to go to school and have the

kind of educations that many in this world will never have. They are truly

a blessed and privileged generation.

After the ceremonies were over and I witnessed the large crowd of

grads throwing their mortar boards high in the air in celebration,

I felt a rather large lump form in my throat. I was proud of my granddaughter

and her circle of friends. I’m sure that at least this small part of the world will be in

better condition than what they found it in.

Kudos to the teachers and to the various schools in the area. I am sure that the feelings

that I experienced during this particular ceremony was repeated many, many times all

over the counties and cities of Leduc and Wetaskiwin. I am sure large, unmanageable lumps

formed in many throats as mothers, fathers, brothers sisters, uncles and aunts watched in pride

as these young men and women all through this area graduated into the next phase of their

young lives to take their places among us as responsible citizens.

Congratulations from all of us here at the Flyer. We are proud of all of you!!

I don’t feel so bad about that nursing home thing now.

Do We Have Value?

Do We Have Value?

Every time I meet someone on the street, they ask me the same question, how come you don’t write anymore, have you retired? The answer is no, I haven’t retired, I have just pulled back somewhat. I do plan to retire soon but the economy has forced Dian and I to stick around for a little while longer. Having said that I also need to say that one of the main reason’s I have cut back on my editorials is the fact that I really hate being beat-up over them. I’m a real shoot-from-the-hip kind of guy and I believe things should be a certain way and I’m not afraid to tell anyone. As my grandchildren will attest, “grandpa knows it all and has plenty of time to tell everyone about it”. Having said that, I have come to discover a few hard and fast facts. Truth is truth and nothing about that will ever change. Unlike lies, the truth can’t be twisted, bent or stretched in any way. No matter what you do or say, truth will always be truth.

We can tell ourselves that we can lie a little, I mean who hasn’t told a little white lie here and there. We can try to tell ourselves that whatever our spouse doesn’t know won’t hurt them. We can convince ourselves that stealing from a large corporation isn’t really stealing at all, after all we are just taking back what is rightfully ours, I mean they have certainly taken enough from us over the years. We can tell ourselves that abortion is okay, after all babies that small really aren’t persons so it isn’t murder. We can tell ourselves that homosexuality is normal, and what’s wrong with being normal? Therefore why not teach our children that it’s okay to experiment with their sexuality? We can have many out-of-wedlock relationships, I mean really, who does it hurt?

We live our lives to the fullest and enjoy everything that God has put on this earth and never worry about the consequences of our actions. We find it more convenient to live outside of the perceived restrictions God’s truths have place on us. I mean it’s really hard to enjoy life to the max with all the those rules.

The problem is, our bodies and our spirits are designed for a specific purpose and if we live outside of that purpose, there are consequences. If we drink to much and become alcoholics, our body suffers. If we smoke, our lungs suffer, if we over eat, we become obese and our muscles and organs suffer. We are beautifully made but if we do things we are not designed for, we suffer. But we have free will to do whatever we want to do, but the unchanged truth still remains, we can’t live in this manner without consequence. It all comes down to value. Do you value yourself? Do others value you? Do you actually have any value at all?

Existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre wrote, “The existentialist finds it extremely embarrassing that God does not exist, for there disappears with Him all possibility of finding values in an intelligible heaven.. Everything is indeed permitted if God does not exist, and man is in consequence forlorn, for he cannot find anything to depend on within or without himself.”

As stated in the book by Max Lucado entitled; No Wonder They Call Him Savior, Lucado writes. If man has no destiny, the next logical step is that man has no value. If man has no future, he isn’t worth much. He is worth, in fact about as much as a tree or a rock. There is no reason to be here, therefore, there is no value. Our system goes haywire. We feel useless and worthless. We create false value systems. We say that you are valuable if you are pretty or can slam dunk a basketball or snag a pop fly. Perhaps if you have a PHD behind your name or drive an expensive foreign car. Value is now measured by two criteria, appearance and performance. Self worth is measured by accomplishment.

The fact of the matter is, If there is no God then what is the point of our existence, we would be like animals living only to die with no other purpose than to eat, sleep, reproduce and defecate. A bleak existence to be sure.

So why don’t I write more frequently? Truth is, no one wants to be told that the things they are doing are wrong or outside of God’s purpose, especially by me. They want to believe that their particular version of the truth is the real truth. They feel justified in the way they live their lives. No one can tell them how to live, after all we live in a society where if it feels good. We have been told that this is all there is, why live for anything other than today.

When we live in the truth we have worth not only because we exist but because we have been created in the image of the creator and He values us.

I will be trying to write more in future editions. but I find that I am more critical than I should be. I should try to love more and criticize less. We should not have to beat truth down anyone’s throat, after all it doesn’t change a thing. Trying to live by example would be the right way to teach and to instruct but Christ did that and they crucified Him for it. Truth is I’m not anywhere near that good, so what would they do to me?

Ted Okkerse

I’m all choked up.. Uh, Ha!

I have heard several comments during these two weeks about the 2010 Olympics. Comments such as “What a colossal waste of money”, “Why didn’t they use the money to help the homeless?”, “Why couldn’t the money have been used for infrastructure?”
I suppose these are all legitimate questions, but would the money really be better spent on such projects or are the Olympics really worth the money.  The Olympic experience is in itself one of the most amazing events for getting the country, if not the world, to pull together in a way almost no other event could.
I am not a sports fan in any way, shape or form, but even I get caught up in the hype and excitement of the games. I even got emotional during the opening ceremonies. I found myself getting all choked up when I saw all those great Canadians making their way into B.C. Place. Anne Murray, Donald Sutherland, Wayne Gretzky, Rick Hansen, Nancy Greene-Raine, Terry Fox’s mom, Betty Fox,  Michaelle Jean, and our Prime Minister, Stephen Harper. Why I even got all teary eyed when K.D. Lang sang her number, she was fabulous.
What does patriotism cost? What is it worth? Actually many governments have tried to buy it but it can’t be bought because it’s priceless, it can’t be forced it can only be fostered. But when you have it, the country thrives because it’s people are proud to be citizens.
What does it mean to be a Canadian? Is it the beer we drink? Is it hockey, or the fact that we say Eh and some of us wear toques? No! It’s none of those things. It’s the fact that we are a unique blend of cultures, a tolerant mix that have over time become known as a standout country on the world stage. Always ready to help, always ready to stand on guard not only for our own country but also for the rights of other countries. Being Canadian is an experience that other countries can only dream of. In the words of American gold medalist Shani Davis during an interview after his speed skating win, he found it astounding that Canadians are so patriotic, even more so than Americans. We are not usually chest thumpers or flag wavers, but our patriotism runs deep and like our culture and our nature, it is understated, but don't ever think that our pride in our country isn’t deep and ingrained. True Patriot Love is not just part of a song, it’s defines who we are and how we live.
As for the Olympics, it makes me even more proud to be a part of such a great country. Yes it costs a lot of money to host such an event, but the benefits are huge. The infrastructure that was put in place will last for generations to come.
As it was in Edmonton when this city hosted the Commonwealth Games in 1978. The Kinsmen Aquatic Center was added to the Kinsmen Field House to host those games. Commonwealth Stadium also built for the Commonwealth Games, has been home to the Edmonton Eskimos for over three decades. So it was in Calgary.  Because of the winter Olympics that were held there, they now have a world class winter playground just on the outskirts of the city.
So it will be in Vancouver.
Do you believe? I do. Anything that can make someone like me actually sit down and watch 10 ends of curling which to me runs a close second to a hot game of Pick-up-Sticks as the most boring game on the planet, is just fine with me.
   I may be a hoser, but I love the place. Go Canada!!    

Thanks for the Fleas

Lately I have been getting a bit despondent about not only the direction of my personal life, but also my business life.

Although I’m normally a very optimistic person, of late I am becoming more and more critical of others and also more negative. I have even come to the point where I have actually begun to question God. Not the fact that He exists, but the things, at least in our estimation, He allows to occur.  I see all kinds of suffering around me. I see young single moms with little or no support, I see people living on the streets and in below standard housing. I see those who can barely afford the bare necessities of life and can’t even afford to clothe themselves properly and there are those who have so much, it would take a lifetime simply to count it. More and more we see lower income folks unable to afford even the very basics of life.

It makes one wonder why and leads us to question why God would allow these things to happen to His creation.

It’s impossible for us to understand what God is up to. The truth be known, we don’t even understand what we ourselves are up to. We are motivated by self and nothing else. Our own gratification is the only thing that concerns us. If we don’t have what we consider enough of whatever we consider important to us, we are unhappy. Basically our life motivations are pretty well the same as those of a child. If we have what we want, we are happy, if not we are sad. If someone else has to suffer to make us happy, so be it.

No human knows what God is up to but we do know that His ways are not our ways and His motives are not our motives. What we are made aware of through His teachings is the fact that He is wholly motivated by love. His ways are to keep us out of harm and for our own good, but He has given us free will and that constantly gets in the way. Most of us understand that we grow the most as individuals in the tough times. True enough the tough times are far from pleasant, but the easy times offer nothing in the way of emotional growth and spiritual learning. Although tough times are hard to swallow, if we pay attention there is always a lesson to be learned.

Dian and the kids and I went to listen to Pastor Mark Hughs from the Church of the Rock in Winnipeg at the Jubilee Auditorium on Saturday and his sermon touched a cord in me. He spoke on this very thing and as an illustration he used an excerpt from the book, The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. In her book,  Ten Boom tells about an incident that taught her the principle of giving thanks in all things.

It was during World War II. Corrie and her sister, Betsy, had been harboring Jewish people in their home, so they were arrested and imprisoned at Ravensbruck Prison Camp. The barrack they were in was extremely crowded and infested with fleas. One morning they read in their tattered Bible from 1 Thessalonians  (Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus). Betsy said, "Corrie, we've got to give thanks for this barracks and even for these fleas." Corrie replied, "No way am I going to thank God for fleas." But Betsy was persuasive, and they did thank God not only for the horrible conditions they had to endure,  but even for the fleas. During the months that followed, they discovered that their barrack was left relatively free of sexual molestation by the Germans and they were even left alone enough to be able to do Bible study, talk openly, and even pray in the barracks. It was their only place of refuge. Several months later they learned that the reason the guards never entered their barracks was because of those blasted fleas. The other barracks were not infested with fleas and they were not as fortunate.

My point is that although we don’t have a clue what God is up to and why He is putting us through trying times, He has His reasons and it will come to our good. So remember to thank Him, not only for the good stuff, but also for the fleas.