To the honourable MP Iqra Khalid and all other members of parliament;
I bring you greetings at a terrible moment in Canadian history.
MP Iqra Khalid, Motion M-103 has to be the sneakiest way of bringing Sharia Law into Canada that I’ve seen yet! A writer for the Vancouver Sun wrote about Sharia and Canadian Muslims on January 30th, 2017. They researched world views related to Sharia as well, and you really should read what this author had to say: http://vancouversun.com/news/staff-blogs/sharia-set-off-alarms-in-canada-check-the-facts
Perhaps hearing from a Canadian Muslim woman would help put things in better perspective. Remember she fled Iran as you’ll see in this news article. Her experiences and knowledge of her own faith abroad should be taken seriously as people from those nations come to our shores: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/life-under-sharia-in-canada/article743980/
Another recent article discussing Sharia in Canada shares concerns Canadian muslims had with a woman in Pakistan who was sentenced to death for blasphemy. She had turned from the muslim faith to embrace Christianity. http://www.canadianlawsite.ca/sharia-law-canada.htm
The first article above mentions that many of the Muslims in our country come from Pakistan and that Pakistani Muslims often hold a fairly harsh view of the Islamic way of life as it intersects with those outside the faith.
M-103 will create many more stories just like the one here: http://www.international.gc.ca/media/aff/news-communiques/2010/362.aspx?lang=eng
Speaking out against anything to do with Islam will be punishable and that is exactly what those who are hardline Muslim want. If any of you reading this email (this went to every single MP) have read anything related to the Koran, you will have learned about the Grand Caliphate. Setting up a country to punish its citizens for speaking out against Islam is a major push in that direction and not a good one at that.
Canada prides itself on being a polite, free-speaking nation. We consider ourselves to be able to hold opposing views in a respectful manner across much of the country. Telling Canadians that they can no longer be Canadian because of one religion in its ranks is in itself, not a Canadian thing to do! If the Federal Government wishes to create a climate of true tolerance and acceptance of all races, creeds, religions, genders, etc, then let the Federal Government begin by squashing Motion 103. Christians under Sharia law are infidels, alongside the Jews. The Koran says to kill the infidels and all who speak out against the holy prophet. Now it may be that the Federal Government would not go so far as to place those who have somehow “blasphemed” Islam on death row, but this is just the thin edge of the wedge.
Canada embraces all nationalities, all religions, all walks of life, all creeds.
M-103 however, does not and seeks special protections for just one religion, one walk of life, one creed, and it is a creed that can’t even be agreed on within Islam’s own ranks around the world. Canadians need to be reaffirmed that their freedom to disagree peacefully will not be threatened. Canadians need to know that the Liberal government protects ALL of Canada and not just one or two groups within the country. Islam should not be singled out for protection. Singling out one particular religion will actually breed discontent and hatred toward that religion because of its special treatment. This is not how Canada does things. Yes there may be pockets of discontent here and there, but Muslims who come to Canada should be encouraged to integrate into the communities they move to, learn what it means to be Canadian, and share in the privileges we have that make us so great as a whole. Italians celebrate their heritage. Ukrainians celebrate their heritage. Jews celebrate their heritage. No laws have been put in place to protect them from the rest of Canada, neither should a law be put into place that lifts a foreign way of life above the Canadian way of life on Canadian soil.
I call on every single member of parliament to re-think this broad curtailing of free speech in Canada. Consider the testimonies of Muslim women who fled to Canada to escape laws such as M-103! Think of the woman on death row in Pakistan for merely having a different belief than those she was once part of. Here in Canada, women like her have the freedom currently to espouse whatever belief they wish, to speak of whatever belief they wish and discuss such beliefs with those of opposing beliefs without fear of being prosecuted. All this will change if M-103 is passed on the 16th of February! Think of your own beliefs, of your own persuasions, of the conversations you’ve had with others who believe differently than you. Did you want to take them to court for thinking differently than you? No? Then stop this motion from going any further and grant the same freedom you have, to the rest of Canada’s Muslims and those who respectfully disagree with them. Muslim and Jew, Catholic and atheist should all be able to sit together without fear of saying something that will land them in court.
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If you wish to send this letter to your own MP, here are the steps to follow:
Step 1: Visit https://easy.arpacanada.ca/ and click start.
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Step 3: Choose federal or provincial
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I generally stay silent on things related to politics. I watch, I pray, I wait and see to observe how things go. My watching and observing are not obsessive and could be considered by some to be almost negligent, but I do pay attention.
What bothers me is when I see people who profess to have a strong faith in Christ, using ideologies and arguments that uphold things God is clearly against in the Scriptures because the thing they are promoting for or against has more bearing on how they feel about something than on how God feels about it. Our feelings don’t trump God’s Word. Never has in the past and never will in the future. Holding how we feel the world should work above what God presents as His world view, is one sure-fire way to put self firmly on the throne! If God is against a given thing, thought, ideology, principle, etc in His Word, then we as His followers should also be against that same thing in our everyday living. If God is for a given thing, thought, ideology, principle etc in His Word, we as His children should also be for that thing in our everyday living. But it appears nothing has brought out the dichotomy of professing Christians versus conservative or liberal world views than the past 8 months and this past month in particular.
Some even hide behind the “laws of the land” to justify their perspectives and viewpoints as if “the laws of the land” are also higher than God’s laws. Such arguments are often predicated on technicalities. While satan and secular public courts work on technicalities to get stuff through or tossed out, God doesn’t work that way. He looks on the heart. He tests the motives. As a person who sometimes struggles with the principle of the law versus the spirit of the law, I notice when this angle gets used to creatively skirt how God would handle something. People forget that God is a God of justice, a God of wrath, and a God of judgement equally as much as He is a God of love. God’s concept of acceptance in the Scriptures is not an “anything goes and I’ll love you anyway” teaching. It is an “I love you as you are at the moment you come to Me, but I love you too much to leave you in that state and will work to engrave My Image on your heart and life and make you a new person with new desires and a new world view”.
To bring God’s holiness into the picture, particularly where politics is involved, is to be either pushed over by every wind that blows and bend over so badly that no influence is left outside of the lukewarm bad taste God hates, or to be labelled a legalist with no love for humanity because God calls us to live lives set apart to Him and not look, act, speak or think like the world around us. The modern “civilized” human condition has become drastically sharpened into focus over the US election results and it’s honestly amazing how many of God’s people can’t stand the outcome or see how God might use this outcome for the betterment of both the US and Israel.
People getting hung up on women’s right to murder, (God says murder is a sin by the way, it’s in the 10 commandments) getting out of joint over changes to how the US treats God’s chosen people (he who blesses Israel will be blessed, he who curses her will be cursed), jumping up and down over alternative lifestyles (God says this is a result of turning one’s back against God in the New Testament letters), and the list could go on, have either not bothered to pay attention to those parts of Scripture, or don’t feel God’s Word should have any say in their views of society around them. This is really sad, and I’m sure God is currently looking at much of the North American church and shaking His had in sad dismay. When we value worldly values more than we value God’s values, we are in danger. . . Putting God’s values above the world’s values will put us ad odds with those around us. It just will. There’s no getting around it. Read Isaiah 59 for context, the whole chapter.
There is a new cause creating rebels if those who espouse God’s ways will see themselves as rebels. That cause is the narrow way. That cause is upstanding citizenship in the Kingdom of Christ. That cause is daring to live as an ambassador from the country of heaven, doing things as heaven does. Living as a Christ-follower going forward is only going to get more and more polarizing between those who truly love and live for Christ, and those who bear the name, but refuse to rock the boat, muddy the waters, or stir the pot in order to make a difference in lives around them. God calls His people to be set apart, to do things differently, to have a different world view, to put His ways above human ways and to see humanity through God’s eyes rather than through human eyes. How many Christians are willing to go against the grain and do things God’s way? God’s way is harsh at times, gentle at other times, unpopular, uncool, against the grain of today’s so-called tolerant society, showing tough love in some cases and gentle love in others, never giving in to obvious or willful sin and never excusing or condoning it in others, but pointing to it as the reason Christ died on the Cross, so that we might have grace to live holy lives in an unholy world.
Don’t like what some leader is doing? Pray! Feel it’s important enough to say something about it? Be sure you checked out what God says on the matter first! Be a proponent of what God says on the matter AFTER you’ve made good and sure you KNOW what He says! Don’t go spouting nice-sounding platitudes that don’t stand up when placed against the Word of God. It may not be popular, but it’s the right thing to do.
Congratulations to the women who marched on Saturday! Anyone who cares about unity, and we all know President Trump is one of them, should be very proud of you! Blacks marched with whites who marched alongside Hispanics, muslims, and other ethnic women. This kind of multi-ethnic unity was being harshly broken up under Obama’s reign and it was great to see it return.
There’s just one problem. Multiple rumours have it that if a woman was known to be pro-life, she was turned away or bullied for daring to be part of this march. Groups publicly known for standing up for the unborn were turned away in spite of those groups being made up largely of women. What happened here?!
Perhaps we could get a show of hands to find out just how many women believe they arrived via alien seeding in adoption programs and orphanages rather than via a mother’s birth canal. Every single one of you who marched the other day, were conceived in your mother’s womb and fortunately for you, carried to full term and given the chance at the life you now lead.
You claim to continue the fight for women’s rights, a very feminist perspective that you are proud to carry the torch for. Did you not have those rights in the womb? The most basic right, the right to life, was that not granted to you by your own mother? Are you thankful she chose to honour your right to live and make a difference in this world?
Why are you against giving this right to unborn women who would otherwise march beside you one day? Why is it wrong for you to stand up for the rights of unborn women who may one day carry the feminist torch in your stead after you’ve passed from the scene?
Many feminists champion women’s rights in countries where women are treated worse than dogs. Feminists decry honour killings in countries where men are encouraged to beat their wives if they step out of line. In many of those countries, if a woman is found to be carrying an unborn female child, she is strongly urged to abort and if she does not, both she and her unborn daughter could be killed together. Are you aware that these cultural atrocities travel with these people to our shores? Are you aware that easy access to abortion clinics means that these cultures can get rid of unborn women just like you in a much easier and supposedly safer manner? Are you seriously ok with this???
Women just like you are not being given the light of day to make the difference you hope to see in the world! They are being cut off before they even breathe the air you breathe! How can you call yourself a true feminist if you do not ascribe the same rights you cherish, to your unborn compatriots?! A few days ago, you linked arms with others who managed to make it safely through their mother’s birth canal. But I guarantee you there are many women who you will never get to link arms with, because you championed their demise rather than their right to live as you do now.
If you call yourself a true feminist, then fight for your unborn sisters! Fight for their right to live and grow and find their place in your fight for women’s rights. It doesn’t matter which side of the birth canal a woman sits, she has the same rights you do. Whether she is yet to pass through that canal, or have already passed through it, she deserves the same respect, the same right to life, and the same chance at a healthy, long, productive life contributing positively to society as we know it. Those women coming up after you may just be the voices necessary to change society for the better, but not if you continue to champion the death of those women who have not yet been born.
Face it. If your mother had chosen death, you would not have been here to link arms and show solidarity with women no matter what their race, religion, status or age. You owe it to your mother for granting you the rights you champion today, and you owe it to your unborn compatriots to do the same. If you deserve to live, so do your unborn sisters. If women’s lives matter, don’t forget those who have yet to pass through the birth canal. They are women too.
Top 10 pages for 2016 were
- “So you want to be an author! 22-Day E-Course Based on Practical Thoughts on Becoming an Author”
- “Become a Songdove Books Affiliate with PayHip!”
- “Home page / Archives”
- “Take the 5 Week Course: The Poor Man’s Budget in Person or Online”
- “Giveaways”
- “Become a Songdove Books Affiliate with Gumroad!”
- “About Me”
- “Songdove Books $15 e-Courses for the Aspiring Author”
- “Songdove Books OWN Affiliate Program!”
- “Mom’s Little Black Book: Godly Advice for the High School Graduate”
This list of 1op 10 most visited pages for 2016 surprised me a little, but clearly people are looking for affiliate programs they can join. I am grateful for those who chose to join my affiliate program and look forward to doing business with these people in the future.
Most Viewed blog posts from 2016 were
- “Genesis 17: God Will You Bless My Efforts on Your Behalf?”
- “Proverbs 13:23 Much food. . . is destroyed for want of judgement!”
- “April Fools – In God’s eyes who would the fools be?”
- “Waste not want not!”
- “Christian Rock Ruined the Atheist!”
- “1 Samuel 7 – Prepare Your Hearts and Serve Him ONLY!”
- “Moral Battle Lines in the Court of Public Opinion”
- “1 Samuel 12: 24 Consider what God has done for you”
- “Your Focus Determines Your Security”
- “Of Expiry Dates and Saving Money!”
As you can see, the topics this year were nothing short of controversial! I began writing enough budgeting content to finally start a separate blog just for that purpose. http://marilynndawson.net That site is geared exclusively to household budgeting concepts as I’ve experienced them, and also became home to our foraging adventure that began back in July. I look forward to adding to that this coming year! Saving money isn’t always about what you do at a store, sometimes it happens by what you DON’T need to visit the store for.
It was an interesting year to say the least. Now on to what God has in store for 2017. Coming?
The last time anyone heard from me on this author blog, was in July! That’s a long time to go without saying hi, hey? Now here I am with the latest Songdove Books Christmas Promo! Summer this year was crazy, as was the Fall. Things are settling down now, which means I can once again focus more on bringing books to those who haven’t heard about them yet. Several new affiliates came on board during this season to help get the word out and I appreciate that so much! I apologize for taking so long to approve the applications!
This Christmas season, save yourself over 30% on select books if ordered directly from me, the author! Everyone’s talking about either journaling, or colouring this year, so why not use those avenues to further promote your own faith growth in 2017? Better yet, buy this book bundle as a gift for others in your household or circle of influence to give them an enjoyable way to get a grasp on their finances, deepen their prayer life, discover more about the season of Advent, and MORE!
Not interested in these particular books? Get 20% off any book in the blog bookstore! Use code: 2016save20 at checkout. Coupon good through December 31st 2016.
Songdove Bookstore Affiliates, please check your dashboard for the new Christmas promotional ad.
Jeremiah 5:12 They have belied the LORD, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine:
This is a common refrain these days, that God does not bring trouble on the world, let alone His own people. One of my own family members accused me one day, saying, “What?! Are you saying God brought this on that person!?” as if to tell me in no uncertain terms that God is not the bringer of calamity in any way. The director for a rescue/recovery ministry in Canada spoke at my church one year, stating that God’s Word in Job where Job says,
Job 1:21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
is wrong, false, and not to be taken as gospel because after all, it’s in the book of Job and Job was a very messed up man being counselled by equally messed up friends.
Both this family member, and this ministry director along with others I’ve come across since those encounters, are forgetting large swaths of the Bible where God clearly states that He will take, will give, and bring troubles on the world and even His Children.
Thirteen times in the Old Testament, the KJV records God saying He will bring evil on those who have disobeyed and turned their backs on Him. The concept of God taking things away is also riddled through the Scriptures.
More recently, people around me are getting more vocal about whether or not God allows or brings calamity on people such as natural disasters, ill-health of some variety, accidents, lost jobs, etc. The greater community of these voices appears to be among the Word-faithers and the modern concept of prophecy as taught in today’s Schools of Prophecy whereby if you are prophesying according to the whole counsel of God, you are seen as a renegade, a heretic, and a false prophet. The modern prophet is supposed to ONLY say what is positive, uplifting, etc. They are NOT to say anything negative at any time for any reason. But that’s a bunny trail to the current discussion.
Of those near me who can see these troublesome teachings and understandings for what they are, some are noticing that the arguments used to support their positions are largely selfish in nature, short-sighted, and emotion-based. Some do try to use Scriptures to back themselves up, but they are refusing to acknowledge what appear to be contradicting Scriptures that tell another side of the coin.
I’ve begun going through the Scriptures to look at some of these arguments. The first being that God will never be the bringer of evil. According to the KJV version of Scripture, the word “evil” appears almost 700 times in Scripture, and at least 93 of them are in reference to what God will bring on people and nations. As for the term “will bring”, that phrase appears in the KJV 122 times, with 61 of those referring to God taking action in a disciplinary or punishment sense and another 42 times referring to God bringing healing, restoration, etc. Interesting that there are more references to God supposedly bringing evil on His people than bringing restoration and healing. These numbers fly in the face of those who claim God never does these things.
Verses in the New Testament (because many of these terms were OT only) would ask us to remember that trials and tribulations come for our growth and that when we let them run their course, we gain things like character-development, refinement for God’s Kingdom, and other benefits. The Apostle Paul’s series of shorter books in the middle of the New Testament refer to these concepts, among others of his writings. We are told as Christians to expect chastening from the Lord as well, and that those who are not chastened are not sons and daughters.
Scripture is full of uncomfortable examples of the discussion here so far. But one reason I believe it is so uncomfortable, is the human tendency to see things and interpret them at face value rather than go deeper into what might actually be meant by the words used. The problem is that English is dumbed down in comparison to the ancient languages in which our Scriptures were written. The word “love” for example, has five different words in the Greek! Even our own dictionaries give entire lists of meanings for single words, yet we tend to only ever acknowledge one or two of those meanings in any course of conversation or communication. Even when we read Scripture, the idea that a given word might have a different meaning than the one we’ve assigned to it in our mind, rare comes to the forefront of our thinking. Consequently, we’ve given colloquial or popularly interpreted meanings to words such as hate and evil that give context to God’s Word in ways God did not intend. The word “Hate” for example, has a tense of meaning different than what we give it today. So does the word “evil” I’ve come to discover.
My upcoming book on this subject will delve into these definition problems that shape how we’ve both read and discarded the 13 references to God bringing evil on those who disobey and turn their backs on Him. The book will delve into the scenarios where these and other statements are made, looking at what brought God to each of those scenarios. Do we serve a mean God? Do we serve an angry God? Or do we serve a God of love and grace?! Needless to say, a side of God’s character that gets conveniently and forcefully overlooked, will be brought out in this book. God is good, all the time! All the time, God is good! But as some are known to say, good does not equal safe. Stay tuned, when you get out of this boat, the waves WILL be choppy!
Sometimes, I like listening to the radio to get a bead on what society is thinking, feeling, and longing for. Occasionally, listening to Christian radio ends up affording the same opportunity for discovery. This morning, I was listening to Praise106.5FM again, streaming it over my ‘net connection, when Dan Bremnes’ song, “Where the Light Is” came on. Work was quite slow so I took time to listen to the opening lyrics as far as the chorus. What I heard seems to encapsulate so many “Christians” these days.
In Western culture for sure, there is an unhealthy pride in one’s Godly lineage, Godly heritage, Godly education, and whether or not one has attended Bible College, Christian university, Seminary, etc. This pride is particularly evident when those who have the pedigree meet someone whose pedigree is quite a bit less, and the “lesser person” is the one doing the teaching, preaching, ministering, etc. Offense is very quickly and easily taken as a result by the person with the “higher” pedigree.
The problem doesn’t stop at one’s spiritual pedigree however, in fact, that pedigree can prove to be a person’s largest source of security! This is expressed beautifully in Dan’s song and it made me pause to reflect a moment.
So many people in life take solace in experience, age, training, and situation. While these things may make one a better person and prepare them for certain aspects of life down the road, all that was previously prepared for can change in a moment. A person can find themselves in situations they’ve never experienced before, scenarios that age and training had not prepared them for.
In the context of the Christian life, this is a dangerous position to put ones’ self in. We can’t base our security in where we’ve been, what we’ve learned, our lineage or what we’ve done or trained for. The only security we can place our hope and trust in, is in that of the person of Jesus Christ. It doesn’t matter what letters follow our names from the most prestigious Christian institutions. It doesn’t matter which church we grew up in or where we put roots down. It doesn’t matter how large the financial cushion is in the bank either. Those things may be nice, but they are not permanent. The only permanence is found in the person of Jesus Christ.
The fact people such as Dan Bremnes and others, write songs about watching everything they thought was secure come tumbling down is evidence that this issue of where we place our security remains an issue in the larger Christian community to this day. We are so quick to look at life horizontally instead of vertically to the One Who granted the blessings clearly taken for granted by so many.
Various Scriptures urge us not to put too much stock in what we see around us, what we ostensibly provide for ourselves, or the apparent permanence of our situation. All that can change in a moment. See the story of the rich grain farmer. See the story of Job.
We need to learn to say along with the Apostle Paul:
Philippians 4:11-13 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. (12) I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. (13) I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Contentment comes from appreciation. Gratitude toward God for all He has provided goes a long way toward learning to be content. Contentment however, is not to be confused with security. It is simply an attitude and place of the heart allowing changes to come and go, yet still be thankful and appreciative of where God has you at this time and place.
Most things in life are seasonal. They come and go. Security in earthly things will likewise come and go, whether those things are carnal or spiritual, street-level or behind church walls. Let us learn to look up for our place of security, not out to what we have surrounded ourselves with.
I was listening to Praise106.5 the other day at work, when Newsboys “Guilty” came on. Work was quite slow so I took time to really listen to the lyrics. Let’s take a quick look at them:
Guilty
When did it become breaking a rule, To say Your name out loud in school
When Your name is the only one that sets us free, When did it become incorrect
To speak the truth about life and death, When Your life gave us all eternityEven if it gets me convicted, I’ll be on my knees with my hands lifted
If serving You is against the law of man, If living out my faith in You was banned
Then I’ll stand right before the jury, If saying ‘I believe’ is out of line
If I’m judged ‘cause I’m gonna give my life, To show the world the love that fills me
Then I want to be guiltyI’ll rise up and honor You, I’ll testify to the good You do, ‘Cause your grace and Your mercy have overtaken me
Guilty by association, Guilty of being a voice proclaiming, Your ways, Your truth, Your life
I’ll pay the price to be Your light, I want to be guiltySimply Complex Songs / KOMusic (SESAC) (admin. by Music Services, Inc.); My Friend Cabo Music (SESAC) / Songs From The Fourth Wall (BMI). All rights reserved.
Lyrics such as this are so timely in a world where sin is being rammed down the population’s throat faster than anyone can say the longest name in history! We are fast returning to the days of Nineveh, of Sodom and Gomorrah, and of Noah. God wiped out whole civilizations back then because even the children grew up thinking wrong was right because they had been taught that from the womb.
Today we have parents letting little children become opposite genders rather than helping them explore gender uniqueness and teaching them to appreciate the gender God gave them. If this carries on, then what happens to little girls who think they are horses and unicorns? Will they be turned into horses and unicorns thanks to genetic science? Will they honestly be happy that way? Psychologists are starting to realize through no input from Godly voices, that allowing this kind of thing to happen is a new form of child abuse and it is going unchecked because of “choice” and “identification” and “kids know how to raise themselves”.
Standing up for what is right is becoming a felony. Combine the so-called civilized world’s fascination and forcible indoctrination of “choice” with the east’s genocidal treatment of Christians, and we live in challenging times to say the least.
Ever since Gideon discovered their Bibles no longer welcome in various hotel chain hotel rooms, I am also reminded of “Rocky Raccoon” as sung by U2 and the Beetles before them. The last few lines mention how the Bible was no doubt useful in his revival.
God’s Word has power. Power to change lives. Power to save lives. Power to protect lives. Power to guide lives, and the Power to see us from birth to death and on into eternity.
The question for us, is will we live by that power, or live by the bullying false power currently being wielded over the world in ever-increasing force? Will we bow to the pressures of the world to confirm, give in, or be somehow dragged through the court of public opinion? Or will we ignore the court of public opinion and trust God to be our protection and provision as we stand up for what is right in the public square?
Morality has become the new battle ground in modern society. Which side of the line do you stand on?
Earlier in 2016 when I released my companion book to “Mom’s Little Black Book: Godly Advice for the High School Graduate” (available on Amazon at this paid link), “Mom’s Little Black Book of Skincare & Make-up” had this to say on pg 29:
“Researching cosmetic ingredients is occasionally an exercise in shock and awe. Companies in Canada since 2006 must give a list of ingredients for their make-up product lines. “
I was encouraged by this discovery, because back in the late 90’s this was not the case. When considering a major event to teach women about healthy skincare and make-up as a potential way to get word out that a woman can not merely LOOK healthy, but actually BE healthy, I ran across the Government of Canada’s Cosmetic Hot List:
This is a list of ingredients that are supposedly either prohibited, or only allowed in quantities below a certain threshold. I began asking a few companies around Kelowna for their ingredient lists and was surprised that every single product for which a list was provided, had ingredients on the official hotlist! This was such a rude surprise that I put my event idea on hold!
You can imagine my dismay then, when the following quotes showed up in a recent article on CTV News!
“What is important for Canadian consumers to be aware of is that cosmetics are not tested prior to being put on the market,” Environment and Sustainable Development Commissioner Julie Gelfand told CTV’s Power Play on Tuesday.”
“Health Canada, she said, does not even ensure that the labels on the products match what’s inside.”
“The commissioner looked at 50 cosmetic products that were found to contain prohibited substances between April 2013 and July 2015. “
“Exposure to dangerous chemicals can lead to everything from minor allergic reactions to reproductive, developmental and cognitive disorders — depending on the level and duration of exposure.”“According to the report, chemicals considered endocrine disruptors are the most dangerous because they can cause a variety of neurological and immune disorders even at low doses.”
“If you have an allergic reaction or any kind of reaction to your mascara, your lipstick (or) your foundation, it’s really important for you to call Health Canada because (the agency) has a product safety program for cosmetics and depends on hearing about safety incidents,” she said.”
“Manufacturers and retailers are not legally required to inform Health Canada of any health-related incidents involving their products.”
Those who have read my little book will know that I address allergies and skin conditions in several pages crossing two chapters leading up to page 29. To have my concerns spelled out like this at a federal government level is a bit of a rude surprise to say the least!
My challenge then, to all cosmetic companies out there who firmly believe they are helping women be and look their best, is this:
Take your public and private ingredient lists and compare them to the Cosmetic Hot List. If you have any ingredients, whether or not you disclose those to the public, that actually sit in the prohibited list, what can you do to replace those? If you have ingredients that are only allowed under a certain threshold, do their quantities actually sit below the threshold or are they at or above it? For those ingredients that are at, or above it, what can you do to lower those ingredient quantities, or replace them?
For any company whose public AND private ingredient lists are nowhere to be found on the Cosmetic hotlist, I WANT to hear from you! You are the kind of company I want to feature in an event that would help women learn how to BE their best, not merely look it.
I wonder how many cosmetic companies are willing to take up this challenge.
Regular readers of my blog will know that a steady daily devotional time doesn’t always happen. I went for quite a while judging myself over this until I realized that my daily intake of God’s Word was still happening, just not all in one shot or in the way many people assume. My prayer time as well, although not concentrated in one time slot, was still happening because I believe in including God in all aspects of my daily life, so the conversation can be ongoing most days. I can go for months at a time with a daily time slot set aside, then life changes. After life changes, I have to deliberately set about making time again, or it doesn’t happen.
This morning I had ample time and was going to carry on in 1 Samuel 13, when a verse near the end of Chapter 12 jumped out at me instead.
1 Samuel 12 sees the prophet Samuel preside over the coronation of Saul as the first King of Israel. God is not pleased at the people’s demands and directs Samuel to remind them of not merely how good God is, but how terrible He is too when His ways are deliberately spurned. There are times even in our lives when we consider going our own way, and God tells us to stand still and see what He is about to do as He told the Israelites through Samuel in verse 16. God is a jealous God and won’t hand over His people to anyone willingly, giving those people reason for pause to hopefully get them to see the error of their ways and choose instead to return to His way. Israel however, was steadfast in their resolution to have an earthly ruler like all the other nations around them. Samuel continues with his reminder speech, and then we come to verse 24.
1 Samuel 12:24 Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.
Because of all that God has done for us, we should choose to and actively serve Him a) in truth, and b) with all our hearts! This verse isn’t saying to serve God for what He CAN do for us, what He WILL do for us, or to get God to answer our prayers in our favour in our preferred manner. No. Here we are admonished to serve God truthfully and whole-heartedly because of what He’s ALREADY done for us.
This is in line with the verse:
1 John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.
If 1 Corinthians 13 is considered, “The Love Chapter”, then 1 John 4 should be considered “The 2nd Love Chapter”. The former relating to how we should love each other and the latter primarily dealing with the love between us and God, wrapping up with love for our brother. But notice in this particular verse, who loved who first? Who is responding to who?
Our love for God is in direct response to His love for us! God loved us FIRST! Because of that love, He sent Christ to die for us.
John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
How are we to respond to that love? The answer is the Jewish Shema:
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
This is later echoed by Christ in the New Testament:
Mark 12:29-31 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
Once again there is that tie-in between loving God, and loving others. We serve God by serving others. This is why Christ said:
Matthew 25:34-40 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Now it must be noted that it is thoroughly possible to serve God in a spirit of selfishness, for personal gain, for notoriety, and other reasons completely divorced from who God is or what He’s already done. We run into this in the same parable references above. It is thoroughly possible to see one’s self as being a do-gooder, a “goody-two-shoes” as the saying used to go, but do it for all the wrong reasons. Christ has harsh words for those earlier in the book of Matthew:
Matthew 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Matthew 7 goes on to describe the manner in which we show God we love Him – via our obedience to His commands. Serving others is not enough to show God our love for Him. It is a big part of it, but it is not the defining part. Obedience to God’s commands given in Scripture show God our hearts. When we WANT to please God, we WILL obey Him! That want-to comes from having a deep-seated revelation of just how much God loves us both as individuals and as communities of believers. When we finally grasp a) God’s love and b) what that love drove God to do on our behalf, obedience becomes a desire, a longing as I’ve written about before. We can’t serve God in truth if we are not living on obedience. Living in disobedience is living in selfishness, living in a me-first orbit around ourselves, and as a result, living in sin. Self and pride are at the root of all sin. We can serve God sure, we can be completely humanitarian in our outlook on life and be the most giving people you’ll ever meet. But if we are not living in obedience to God’s Word or living in a way that shows our gratitude for all God has done for us, we may as well not even bear the name Christian and go work for the United Way!
The truth of God’s Word needs to be reflected in who we are, what we do, why we do it, and who we do it for.
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Christ wraps up this discussion very well:
John 15:3-14 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. 9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. 11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
The answer to Samuel’s plea with the children of Israel, is the same answer for us today. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us! Jesus Christ is the Truth, the Way and the Life. When we serve God in truth, we are serving God from our position IN Christ! Christ did what no one else would or even could ever do for mankind! He took our place on the Cross, He paid our punishment for sin, He rose again to grant us eternal life with Him forever! Indeed, consider what great things He has done for you!
