My Hair Is Really Long

Well... not really... but longer then usual. I like it.

Yesterday was a marvellous day. I didn't really do much all day long. Went to Starbucks... TWICE!! That alone can make any day a good day. First one was just to get my afternoon coffee. One thing I really like doing is listening to sermons and drinking a coffee. Mainly listening to Bethel teachings while drinking my coffee. You can download one a week at Bethel's website. There is a TON of awesome stuff on there, so you should check it out.

Sadly I was not able to listen to the message, because I got held up at Wal-Mart. What's wrong with that place? Well... everything, but we won't go into the list. There was a very sad situation out front of the Hell-Mart today. Mainly a large family all getting pulled out of their Suburban Truck and put into the back of the police cars. I guess the family had a big steal-a-thon and got caught. It made me feel very sad for them. What must have driven them to have to steal that much stuff? If it's a whole family it can't just be stupid child hijinks to get a high... sad.

So it took me a loooooong time to get the pictures that my mom dropped off. But I got them.

Then in the evening I went off to The Flood which was nice. I really wanted to hang out with some people after, namely Tyler, Kristy-anne and her brother Nate, but I had to leave early. Alas. It has been a while since I have seen all them, but that will happen a while later I guess. My birthday extravaganza is fast approaching so all reading this within travelling distance must come out to the fling which will likely be not this saturday, but the next. I think it's the 18th. As always, this one will be great fun.

Hmmmm.... what else can I talk about? I was on Whyte last night and there was a shocking amount of beggars on the street. It was so sad. I have noticed one thing though... well... I didn't notice it, I just paid attention to what they say. In Edmonton you can buy this newspaper from street people who cannot hold a job. Most of them are mentally ill or have some sort of circumstance that they literally cannot have a job. Government assistance isn't that great (it literally keeps you below the poverty level by quite a bit) for these people and imagine the shame that they have in never being able to earn something for themselves? So people got together and publish this newspaper called "Our Voice". It is written by street people and quite frankly is one of the best newspapers out there. The vendors buy a copy for 50 cents and sell them on street corners for whatever the passer-by will pay. It's a good way to help them suppliment their income or just be able to feel like they are earning something through their own effort to give them some dignity at least.

All that to say that I always buy those papers, even if I have five of them, and if I remember to bring change with me... which I have been forgetting lately. One time I was reading the paper and there was this little article written by a guy who was a beggar. He was saying how he already felt shame enough in begging, because really... who is going to hire a guy like that... and all he asked for was to be treated as a human. He said it was hard to feel human when nobody at all recognizes your presence or ignores your voice. He said how nice it was when people actually took the 1.3 seconds it takes to say, "No I don't have any change for you." He said that was almost as good, if not better, then getting money because he got dignity.

So now whenever people ask me for change I remember that they actually are human and I tell them the truth, that I don't have change. And I always honestly apologize for that... I just forget to bring some out with me and I feel bad about it. I feel bad that we have to go to 3rd world countries to minister to the poor when we have tons of them right in our own city. I feel had that we have to go to 3rd world countries to minister to the child prostitutes and sex slaves when we have them in our own city. And yes, Edmonton really does have them. I often wonder if we just transplanted a destitute person from Sudan to the streets of Edmonton what would happen? But if we transplated a Edmontonian to Sudan what would happen. Why is it when the heart of a Edmontonian get's hardened passing a destitute person in Edmonton, but melts when passing one in Sudan?

Yes, there are about a billion differences such as social programs, assistance and all that stuff. I do realize that. But if you do a word study on "poor" in the Bible you will realize that we actually do have a significant responsability. And we have to remember that these people are in bondage. How much more injustice is that? They have the opprotunity to live well and simply cannot make that choice or that decision. They are in total darkness and don't have to be. Now that is injustice.

And in saying all that I firmly believe that everyone needs to spend time in 3rd world countries. I have and I need to go back. So should all of you.

Those are just things I think about. Something else I think about is how the poorest person in Edmonton is a freaking millionare comparitively to the poorest person in Mozambique. That puts a twist on things. Steve Fix from our church pointed out something interesting in that we have worthless money. Pennies. We throw them away, give them away, don't really care about them. But it's money. Imagine someone from Mozambique thinking that way.

I don't know if I am making any sense. Just kind of rambling on and on. Thinking through my fingers....