Oh yeah

:P

Leon's

Does anyone else hate the Leon's commercials? They're annoying and sound incredibly cheap. And the girl on the new Christmas one is so over the top cute it makes me want to puke. Maybe it's because all their money is tied up in holding accounts for their delayed pament programs. All I know is that Leon's is quickly going the way of Marineland: one more place I will never go specifically because their commercials are so bad and a company that I hope will go bankrupt simply so I don't have to see their commercials any more.

As an aside: are there any companies that you don't like because of their commercials?

Using your Gifts for God

Ok, first of all I need to apologize for not blogging much. I'm the type of person who doesn't say too much unless I have something to talk about. Life has been very busy lately with work, so there just hasn't been too much exciting to talk about. However, I had a bit of a personal revelation this weekend, so read on and you'll find out.

The Parable of the Talents: Matt 25:14-30

14"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15To one he gave five talents^[a] of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.

19"After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.'

21"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

22"The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.'

23"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

24"Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'

26"His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

28" 'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

As some of you may or may not know, I'm working part time right now as an organist for a United Church. I have said before that I would never work in a United Church again, partly because I strongly disagree what their national church advocates (which I've found is not necessarily what the local group professes), but also partly because of some discouragement I've felt in the past working in a United Church.

However, this one is quite different. The pastor there truly loves the Lord, and it has been quite an eye opener for me to work with Him. After service one day we were talking about the new hymn book in the United Church and what we don't like about it when Pastor Kirby said something that rather stunned me. He related about when he was looking for a charge, that he would not accept a call to a church that uses the new hymn book. But after thinking and praying on it, he thought to himself, "If God tells me to go to a church and preach the Word, am I really going to say 'no' because of a hymn book?" This made me realize the arrogance that I've been living in my life.

God has given me a gift of music, and I love to share it with people. But how can I say to God that I won't go where he tells me because that church doesn't believe what I think they should? If God was telling me to go somewhere and use my gifts to His glory, who am I to say "NO"! How arrogant is that? Can I claim to be a Christian, have Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour, but tell Him "No"?

In case you haven't caught my point yet, the answer is a resounding "NO." I have been given a gift by God, and I am called to use it. When the day of judgment comes, I shouldn't stand up and say, "Y'know God, I really didn't want to go into that church because they don't do this and that and they do this and that and they smell funny and wear cheese slices with the choir gowns." I want God to be able to say to me, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!"