Author: Dennis A. Gray

A Bright Light shines no more.

/ Dennis A. Gray / 1 Comment

I’ll tell you up front, this is the same post as I placed on my Java and Jesus blog two days ago. I Just felt I needed to post it here as well. The subject seems appropriate for this venue. For me it’s a pretty black and white issue….
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I had fully intended to write the next episode of ‘Exploring the Kingdom Gospel” this week, but then something unexpected happened. Late Wednesday night a man walked out of a local bar, got into his truck and drove off. Because he was drunk, instead of taking the on-ramp to Hwy 6 south, he took the off ramp and wound up driving south in the North-bound lanes. A few minutes later he drove head on into a car, killing the driver. That driver was a wonderful young woman named Anna Graham.

I first met Anna about a year ago. Her uncle asked me to work on a production of “Death of a Salesman” that he was directing for Guelph Little Theatre. It was one of the best experiences of my life, and Anna was no small part of it. Anna, along with Anthony “Pooch” Brown, was designing the lighting for the production. You didn’t have to watch her work for long to know that this woman not only knew what she was doing, she enjoyed it immensely and had a real gift for creativity. You also didn’t have to watch for long to see just how proud her uncle, my friend Lloyd, was of her.

And now she’s gone!

As you scan the status lines of her friends on Facebook you can see the range of emotions. One person “is sad“, another “is numb“, one more is “trying to come to terms.” The most vocal of the lot is “Really mad….and hurt…and not understanding why this life has to be so f**kin unfair!!!” (the asterisks are mine). I know how he feels. I felt the same way when James died a year ago (I wrote about it here.). But somehow, I don’t feel the same pain about Anna, not the same way.

I know part of the reason is the simple fact Anna and I weren’t as close as James and I were. It’s no reflection on Anna; we worked together on ‘Salesman’ and then went our separate ways, her to her circle and me to mine. Most of the pain I feel is for her uncle Lloyd. Him I do consider a friend, and as both actor/director and human being, have a great deal of respect and admiration for the man. I can only imagine what he is going through. He’s never far from my thoughts.

But the biggest difference in this case is there was some good to be found in Jame’s death. He had been sick for a long time. In many ways his passing was a relief. His suffering is over and the spiritual part of me can at least begin to wrap my head around the idea that God decided it was for the best.

But in Anna’s case this logic does not apply. The hard cold fact is Anna died because someone couldn’t find anything better to do with a Wednesday night than get drunk watching naked women dance on stage. And even that might not matter except he then compounded things by making the selfish decision to drive himself home, and no one, not the bartender, not the servers, not his friends, nor the big burly guy at the door took the necessary steps to stop him. Anna is gone because human beings made selfish and wrong choices! Plain and simple!

Do I sound like I’m ranting? Of course I am. I’m angry! Because the simple fact is THIS IS WHY WE NEED GOD!!

Every day on the news and in other media I hear people trying to tell me how outmoded a concept God is. How human beings don’t need some invisible being in the sky, they are quite capable of conducting their own affairs. Morality is a flexible concept and changes from day to day, what’s good for you is bad for me, etc. etc. etc. Religion is no longer required because we can run our own affairs quite nicely thank you.

But the fact is, human beings, generally speaking, as a species, are no where near smart enough, wise enough, deep enough or insightful enough to be their own moral compass. When push comes to shove each of us, left to our own devices, will make a decision based not on the common good, or the welfare of others, but on our selfish wants and desires. The only hope for us is to have a moral guide that comes from outside of ourselves. A culture of accountability which holds us personally responsible for our actions on a level above and beyond the human trappings of law and order. This is the role religion fulfills.

And before you get started on the evils of organized religion, let me say it’s not the institution of religion I’m talking about. Rather it is the ground level, day-to-day belief that God is watching, and that someday we will have to face Him one-on-one and He will say, “Explain it to me again why you were a complete and total moron” – or words to that effect. For thousands of years the love for and fear of God has kept human beings from acting out of selfish motives and inspired us to think twice before we act, even if the only reason is the slim possibility that if we don’t behave we might find ourselves spending eternity roasting on a spit over a lava-fed barbecue. Though personally I have always suspected the lake of fire in Revelation is a metaphor for something far worse.

I know – I’m preaching. I’m taking advantage of Anna’s death to get on my soapbox and call down fire and brimstone. Well, I make no apologies for it. I’m not trying to be comforting, I’m trying to stop this kind of thing from happening the only way I know how.

I know full well that if it were not for the work of God in my life, I could well be that same moron getting drunk watching naked women dance. Or possibly something much worse. This is why Jesus came to earth as a child and sacrificed himself as a man – to save us from ourselves. To give us an option other than hopelessly trying to be our own moral compass. He is God’s response to our insistance on doing things our own way.

The hard cold fact is that this world is the way it is because human beings, collectively and individually, have said “Sorry God, we don’t need you any more. We are totally capable of making our own decisions. We are the captains of our own fates. Thanks for all your help in the past – we’ll take it from here.” And like it or not – this fractured, faulty, unfair world we live in is the result. I don’t like it either, but that’s the way it is.

The good news is this; when we said that, God responded by saying, “Fine. Have it your way. But when it all falls apart, when the unfairness of it all gets to you and you just can’t take it any more – please, please, PLEASE! Come crying back to Me and I promise – I WILL HELP YOU GET THROUGH IT!”

Good-bye Anna.

Shalom everyone.

The Chinese Gov’t Doesn’t Like Me!!!

/ Dennis A. Gray / 1 Comment

Well, It would seem that folks surfing the Internet in the People’s Republic of China are not allowed to read the musings of yours truly.


But then that’s hardly surprising when you think about it. I mean, it’s not like they would want the Christians in China being encouraged, or exchange ideas about what the Bible is really saying, or learn something of church history. No we can’t have that now can we? If you want to know if your favorite URL is blocked in China check out The Great Firewall of China. Just enter the URL in the space provided and see if their test location can access your site from inside China.

Sarcasm aside, it actually serves to remind us that we are extremely privileged in this country. For all of our complaining about inept government, inconvenient bureaucracies, lengthy commutes and the lineup at Tim Hortons, the fact remains that we are the most fortunate people in the world.

We live in a country where we are free to vote for the worst candidate, make the wrong career choice, and over indulge our every desire. We can be complete and total idiots and the only consequence will be those of our own making. There’s no one telling us where to live, what to do for a living, or what to think. We can worship who we want; Jesus or Buddha or Mohammed or no one at all. And it’s all because of the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice to secure these freedoms for us.

So I add my voice to the hundreds of others and ask you, when you see the poppy displays at Tim Hortons, or the veterans in the mall with the poppies and pins, please give generously, shake a hand, and say, “Thank You!”

Goodbye Old Friend

/ Dennis A. Gray / Leave a comment

I’ve been stalling on writing this one for a while now. I’ve even considered not writing it at all. But the need to write about it is not subsiding in the least. So here goes…

Two weeks ago Roberta and I had to put our cat, Remington, to sleep. You never fully realize just how much these small furry creatures infiltrate every corner of your life until they are no longer there. It’s been two weeks and I still wake up every morning wondering why Rem isn’t sitting on the landing outside our bedroom waiting for me to get up and feed him. It only takes a second to remember why. The heart sinks, and I wonder how long before I stop forgetting he isn’t there.

I’ve had three cats in my life and Remington is by far the most human of the lot. I know, we all tend to anthropomorphize to one degree or another, but Remington was scary sometimes.

From the beginning this Siamese/Russian Blue/Manx cross just did not behave like other cats I’ve had. He loved to play fetch, chasing a small nut and bolt wrapped inside a plastic baggy till my arm wore out. He had this almost human need to be around people, never aloof like other cats. Wherever we were – he was.

His penchant for conversation was enough to make you wonder about reincarnation. The most bizarre example of this was after his evening meal. He would wander over to the patio door and then look out into the back yard expounding to the neighbourhood about Lord knows what for about five minutes. I’m not talking a few meows here – I’m talkin’ full blown sentences made up of meows, mews, grunts, purrs, and other all too human sounding syllables complete with syntax, inflection and identifiable punctuation marks!

For over 15 years, from when he was just a kitten of seven weeks, my wife and I have been blessed with his companionship. He warmed our laps and our hearts, filling the quiet moments with the sound of laughter and contentment – ours.

Thank you Remington. You are greatly missed.

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What I Did on My Summer Vacation

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I was doing a 100 km tour on my bicycle over the Labour Day weekend when it occurred to me that I had not been on my blogs for nearly three months. In part it was because I really felt the need to take a break from it all, but the other half of it was the fact the the weather was just too nice to spend cooped up in my basement office staring at a computer screen. But now summer is over and it would seem the time has come to take a sledge hammer to my writer’s block and get back in the zone.

It wasn’t really all that eventful a summer. Mostly the days were spent (when I was not at work) enjoying a park, spending time with my wife Roberta, or just cycling all around town exploring areas of the city I haven’t seen is a while. The trips we planned to take didn’t happen, the parties we thought about holding never materialized, and yet there’s no disappointment because all in all – life is good.

 

 

There was one event however, that will stand out in my memory about the summer of 2007. A few weeks ago my friend Brian took Roberta and I up in the single engine airplane owned by the his flying club. I will admit there was a little apprehension as we made our way out to the runway. I’d been flying in a small plane many years ago and I don’t know if it was the weather that day, or the skill of the pilot I was with but it wasn’t the best experience of my life. I was determined however to give it another shot.

It was a terrific experience. I’m not afraid of heights, but I do have some issues when I’m not sure of my footing. Unsecured ladders, for example, can be a problem for me; but once my senses got accustomed to the idea of being suspended 1000ft above the ground with no visible means of support it was great fun. We took a bunch of pictures (my online album of them can be found HERE ) and I find that it was one of the most enjoyable photographic experiences I’ve had. I can’t wait for my next opportunity.

Among the many pictures we took was one of the Guelph water treatment plant (see pic). Brian’s comment at the time was, “Why does everybody always take a picture of the water treatment plant?” I’ve been giving the question some thought.

It’s because we didn’t know it was there! Well, we knew it was there – intellectually. Most of us realize that Guelph has a water treatment plant and a significant number may even know where it is, but I’m willing to suggest that the vast majority of Guelphites have never actually seen it and so we lack that personal point of contact that gives it a true sense of it being real. And I think it’s that way with a lot of things; it’s all a matter of perspective.

That was most exhilarating aspect of our time in the air, getting a different perspective on the city in which I have spent my entire life. The Church of Our Lady, my own little townhouse, the incredible amount of tree cover that Guelph has for a city that large, not to mention the incredible amount of treeless new subdivisions going up around its edges. Roberta and I both found that the change of perspective gave us a new appreciation for the places we took for granted as an everyday part of our lives.

So I’d like to publicly thank Brian for the experience and the new perspective. I can see where aerial photography could easily become an obsession if it is given the chance. The question now is, how do I feed that obsession without making a pest of myself. Though I did find this article on the web about aerial photography using a kite and an RC control. Now I’ll have to pester my brother Alex.

Later…..