Hi folks,
I just want to inform you'll that I have been invited back to speak at the Devonwood Community Church of the Nazarene in Windsor again. It is both an honour and a little nerve racking (as I have been racking my brain for a subject to speak on for weeks now).
In light of the past eight months: the tragic passing of my father followed by internal strife of my family and divisions in among christians which I have - since - become keely aware of along with an awareness of how often it seems we christians hold "godly" or "christian" expectation over the ungodly non-christians around us. All of this came to a head two weeks ago when it was discovered that my mom had enlarged lymph nodes which may have been cancerous. Fortunately the results turned out to be negative.
Upon reflecting back to the night before the results were in my mom now says: "Derek I had myself dead. I thought 'this was the last summer I would get to enjoy my garden, the grass, all the little things in life'." She tells me that that night she saw the world through renewed eyes, the same as when she first became a Christian and everything was just a little big greener. The little things the people love to turn into BIG things: 'so and so looked at me funny', 'that person said --- i'm not talk to them any more'. 'so and so better changer her ways or I'm writing her out of my life'. Such musings are petty, and the reality of the fact becomes clear and falls into focus when something big actually happens, like say cancer.
The point of all this is that we Christians, while acknowledging that we have been forgiven of our sins, been extended grace by God and have been reconciled to him through Christ.... have we forgot that we ALSO have been given the ministry of forgiveness towards others... that we are called to be a people of grace (that is, to extend grace to others as we have received it), and (not finally) we have been given the ministry of reconcilation!
I hope and pray all goes well, and extend a warm invitation to all who can make it.
Pray for me is my request to you, in all things, but particularly in regard to this sermon.
Derek.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
THE THIEF AND THE GULLIBLE CHRISTIAN!
First of all, if it was my money and my business I would not feel so bad. Jesus says when I am striked on one cheek to turn the other cheek also, and if someone asks for my cloak to give him my tunic also. But how should I react if my friend is the one who is striked or stolen from? What if my negligence caused my friends abuse?
A woman called the store with this story: she spoke to my manager the other day and was told it would be okay to return two bibles she purchased here even though she did not have a receipt. The situation - she claimed - was that the two bibles were purchased for her father and mother in-laws, but her father in-law passed away from cancer and with this news the mother in-law had a heart attack and died. The bibles were like new.
When she came to the store I was working alone on the Saturday afternoon with many customers in the store and a small lineup. I tried to check the history of the bibles but was feeling pressured because of all the customers, besides the price labels on the bibles were ours so they definately came from this store recently. I decided - being a Christian business and all - to take the women at her word and refunded the two bibles: $175.00 was given her in cash.
During this transation I asked if she would like to receive our coupons in the mail. She said yes, gave me her name, phone number and address but claimed she could not remember her postal code - no problem, I hear this often.
I printed up a copy of the receipt and asked her to sign it and put her phone number on it - standard return protocol. She joyfully complied then left. When I handed her the cash my stomach churned with discuss, I knew something wasn't right.
After I had helped the other customers in the store I decided to follow up on the bibles return. I discovered that according to the computer system we now had 3 of the one bible and two of the other when infact we should have had only 2 of the one and 1 of the other.
According to the Computer
First Bible:
Should have = 2 (2 received in March, none sold)
Computer reads = 3 (1 added in today)
Second Bible:
Should have = 1 (1 received in March, none sold)
Computer reads = 2 (1 added in today)
I then went and physically checked the shelves and discovered that physically we only had 1 of the first and none of the second
Actual Count
First Bible:
Should have = 2
On shelf = 1
Second Bible:
Should have = 1
On Shelf = 0
Let me bottom line this for you: We received two bibles back in March neither of them sold. We had just done a storewide inventory count three weeks ago and both bibles were counted as being in the store. That means that some time in the past three weeks two $80 Bibles were stolen off our shelves and then returned for a cash refund of $175.00. The women was a very pleasant middle aged person - such deceipt is revolting.
As soon as I found this out I tried to call her on the number she gave on the receipt; it didn't exist (big surprise). I then compared the number she wrote down with the one she gave me on our mail list, evidently she was thrown off when I asked her to write her number down and in trying to remember what she gave me she got the number wrong: 905-2477 cf. 905-2744. I tried to call the second number with fingers crossed, still didn't exist. I then looked up her last name in the phone book... the name virtually didn't exist, neither did the address
What kind of sick person does it take to steal two bibles, tell a horrible lie about the supposed deaths of your in-laws then con the Christian store into stealing $175.00 during highten store hours! What bothers me even more is that this money was ultimately stolen from my boss during our most financially difficult season of the year, and that this crime was committed under my gullible nose
Sigh~ I really should read No More Christian Nice Guy. Again, turn the other cheek, no problem. What really gets under my skin is that my "Christian Nice Guy" hope for the best and look for the best in all people philosophy resulted in my boss being taken advantage of and his money being stolen
Please pray for this depraved women, God needs to get a hold of her. Pray for me too.
Derek
A woman called the store with this story: she spoke to my manager the other day and was told it would be okay to return two bibles she purchased here even though she did not have a receipt. The situation - she claimed - was that the two bibles were purchased for her father and mother in-laws, but her father in-law passed away from cancer and with this news the mother in-law had a heart attack and died. The bibles were like new.
When she came to the store I was working alone on the Saturday afternoon with many customers in the store and a small lineup. I tried to check the history of the bibles but was feeling pressured because of all the customers, besides the price labels on the bibles were ours so they definately came from this store recently. I decided - being a Christian business and all - to take the women at her word and refunded the two bibles: $175.00 was given her in cash.
During this transation I asked if she would like to receive our coupons in the mail. She said yes, gave me her name, phone number and address but claimed she could not remember her postal code - no problem, I hear this often.
I printed up a copy of the receipt and asked her to sign it and put her phone number on it - standard return protocol. She joyfully complied then left. When I handed her the cash my stomach churned with discuss, I knew something wasn't right.
After I had helped the other customers in the store I decided to follow up on the bibles return. I discovered that according to the computer system we now had 3 of the one bible and two of the other when infact we should have had only 2 of the one and 1 of the other.
According to the Computer
First Bible:
Should have = 2 (2 received in March, none sold)
Computer reads = 3 (1 added in today)
Second Bible:
Should have = 1 (1 received in March, none sold)
Computer reads = 2 (1 added in today)
I then went and physically checked the shelves and discovered that physically we only had 1 of the first and none of the second
Actual Count
First Bible:
Should have = 2
On shelf = 1
Second Bible:
Should have = 1
On Shelf = 0
Let me bottom line this for you: We received two bibles back in March neither of them sold. We had just done a storewide inventory count three weeks ago and both bibles were counted as being in the store. That means that some time in the past three weeks two $80 Bibles were stolen off our shelves and then returned for a cash refund of $175.00. The women was a very pleasant middle aged person - such deceipt is revolting.
As soon as I found this out I tried to call her on the number she gave on the receipt; it didn't exist (big surprise). I then compared the number she wrote down with the one she gave me on our mail list, evidently she was thrown off when I asked her to write her number down and in trying to remember what she gave me she got the number wrong: 905-2477 cf. 905-2744. I tried to call the second number with fingers crossed, still didn't exist. I then looked up her last name in the phone book... the name virtually didn't exist, neither did the address
What kind of sick person does it take to steal two bibles, tell a horrible lie about the supposed deaths of your in-laws then con the Christian store into stealing $175.00 during highten store hours! What bothers me even more is that this money was ultimately stolen from my boss during our most financially difficult season of the year, and that this crime was committed under my gullible nose
Sigh~ I really should read No More Christian Nice Guy. Again, turn the other cheek, no problem. What really gets under my skin is that my "Christian Nice Guy" hope for the best and look for the best in all people philosophy resulted in my boss being taken advantage of and his money being stolen
Please pray for this depraved women, God needs to get a hold of her. Pray for me too.
Derek
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