p. 1

b t e iel a tl f d s oul find wisdom to win the war within november ­ december 2009 newsstand price cdn $4.95

[close]

p. 2

you made a promise let us help you keep it seminary education that embraces family take classes in five day modular and distance learning format call 1-800-667-5199 or visit www.briercrest.ca for more information march 26-27 2010 · main speaker dr ray ortlund serve is an annual conference at briercrest college and seminary that serves the church by providing ministers and lay workers with opportunities for intellectual and spiritual formation a ministry equipping and personal enrichment conference visit www.briercrest.ca/serve for more details

[close]

p. 3

contents november ­ december 2009 newsstand price cdn $4.95 november ­ december 2009 on the cover 14 battlefield soul gaining wisdom to win the war within publisher brian koldyk managing editor doug koop pulse editor robert white ba lefield tt soul find wisdom to win the war with in features 14 deadly sins and vital virtues every choice a man makes in life has an impact for good or bad 17 advertising account executives william leighton william@christianweek.org darrell friesen darrell@christianweek.org jim hicks jhicks@christianweek.org unless otherwise indicated neither christianweek nor promise keepers canada guarantee warrant or endorse any product program or service advertised walk the line johnny cash knew he might screw up 18 faith in a war zone christian soldiers find hope on the battlefields of afghanistan 21 remember valour 22 a pastor s plea seven things your pastor wants you to know 25 historic profile sir sanford fleming editorial advisory board kirk giles promise keepers canada jeff stearns promise keepers canada phil wagler kingsfield zurich mc sandra reimer reimer reason communications doug koop christianweek distributed by promise keepers canada 1295 north service road po box 40599 burlington on l7p 4w1 905 331-1830 subscriptions@promisekeepers.ca postmaster please send address changes to po box 40599 burlington on l7p 4w1 issn 1916-8403 columns 5 pk podium caught between two worlds 6 sex q&a forego fantasy for foreplay 24 money matters higher education is a vital gift for children 27 out of my depth what is the sound of one hand clapping 30 what women want chivalry on life support departments 8-11 pulse curious events interesting people good ideas 12 cover photo istockphoto reviews power love facebook and forgetfulness editorial and advertising office 204-424 logan avenue winnipeg mb r3a 0r4 phone 204 982-2060 800 263-6695 admin@christianweek.org dkoop@christianweek.org design indigo ink studios www.indigoinkstudios.com 28 power play tools toys technology seven is a christian magazine for canadian men that exists to help men lead more fulfilling lives and leave enduring legacies the name reflects the seven promises that form the basis of the promise keepers organization which works with churches to minister to men across canada one ­ a promise keeper is committed to honouring jesus christ through worship prayer and obedience to god s word in the power of the holy spirit two ­ a promise keeper is committed to pursuing vital relationships with a few other men understanding that he needs brothers to help him keep his promises three ­ a promise keeper is committed to practising spiritual moral ethical and sexual purity four ­ a promise keeper is committed to building strong marriages and families through love protection and biblical values five ­ a promise keeper is committed to supporting the mission of the church by honouring and praying for his pastor and by actively giving his time and resources six ­ a promise keeper is committed to reaching beyond any racial and denominational barriers to demonstrate the power of biblical unity seven ­ a promise keeper is committed to influencing his world being obedient to the great commandment see mark 12:30-31 and the great commission see matt 28:19-20 seven ­ issue nine november­december 2009 page 3

[close]

p. 4

[close]

p. 5

pk podium caught between two worlds the rewards of wise choices are eternal by kirk giles several months ago i was flying between cities for a variety of promise keepers related activities on one flight i was in my seat waiting for everyone to board the plane a very attractive young lady came walking down the aisle and i hoped beyond hope that she would not sit in the seat next to me normally i try to avoid talking to people on an airplane it is kind of a personal space for me to zone out from the world i accomplish this by plugging my headphones into the seat and watching a movie or listening to some music unfortunately on this flight there was no tv or music to be found to make matters worse this woman opened up her magazine and started to read to me about men who cheat on their spouses and speak about it in rather glowing terms there i was caught between two worlds i was facing the reality of temptation staring me in the face on the other hand i also knew who i am in christ and the beautiful godly woman he has blessed me with as my wife i am convinced that men who follow jesus are often caught between two worlds we are faced with a variety of temptations every day we face temptations around the world s definition of what is important and temptations to live in despair because of the current state of affairs in the world in contrast jesus calls us to something different something that lasts beyond this world and a life of peace and joy we feel the tug of war in 1 corinthians 10:13 we read but remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience and god is faithful he will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can t stand up against it when you are tempted he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it nlt what a promise as you and i feel caught between two worlds we can always remember the faithfulness of god especially his promise that he never allows temptation to go beyond what we can handle and that there is always a way of escape in my situation the way of escape was to start talking about my wife and my role in ministering to men across canada the conversation quickly changed away from where she wanted it to go and moved towards how god can change a man s life to every man who is reading this and who feels caught between two worlds i want to encourage you stay faithful to jesus you are not alone in the battle and you are not alone in choosing his ways the consequences of poor decisions can be disastrous but the rewards of wise choices are eternal one day you will hear the words well done good and faithful servant kirk giles is president of promise keepers canada he and shannon have been married for 15 years they are the parents of four children ages 6­13 seven ­ issue nine november­december 2009 page 5

[close]

p. 6

sex q&a forego fantasy for foreplay by doug weiss is foreplay wrong absolutely not foreplay is what makes sex fun if you have played any sport in your masculine life you know about the warm up phase your coach would have you stretch pull twist to get you ready to play sex is more than a sport and foreplay is more than just groping at your spouse remember the rest of her body is foreplay too go for her hair back and feet before you move on remember sex is also three-dimensional have your spiritual foreplay intact make sure you have been sharing your heart and not just managing communication with your wife make sure appreciations for the many things she does as well are on your lips and are flowing also consider that the woman you want to engage with is a global thinker so make sure you have kept your word or assignments honey do s yes a random act of kindness laundry dishes is also foreplay so foreplay of all types is really good is it okay to masturbate if you only fantasize about your wife i mean what s the big deal if i only fantasize about her here is the problem with masturbating to your wife firstly there are three types of masturbation basically men who are b type masturbators don t use fantasy nor do they disconnect during masturbation this group represents 15 per cent of masturbators the man asking this question is not a b masturbator an a masturbator never masturbates so i know it s not an a masturbator asking the question that leaves us with the c masturbator a c masturbator disconnects from their body and goes into a fantasy and or a lust state in this fantasy world all the people in it are objects not souls these people objects in the other world are always willing never complain and you don t have to negotiate for sex and can treat them anyway you want here s the problem when you scan your wife and make her a fantasy object you deprive her of her soul she does all your favorite sexual behaviours whether in reality she does them or not object sex is a really bad idea your brain has created two women who look alike but are extremely different there is no reason to bring your wife or any other person into this object fantasy world of yours jesus is not in your fantasy world he is in the real world men will often use this excuse to masturbate if your wife is available ask her to be sexual if she s not available you won t die i travel all around the country and world i am very healthy and have a strong sex drive and i haven t masturbated in more than 18 years when you do get to be with your wife it s always worth the wait so the long and short of it is no way my wife has gained quite a bit of weight since our marriage and i can t deny the fact that it affects me it is difficult to talk about because she is very sensitive about it do you have any advice most guys who struggle with their wife gaining weight are doing sex wrong if you are still masturbating to young women with hard bodies your attachment to this is the problem not your wife s weight secondly if during sex your eyes are closed or worse you re thinking of other women you would also be the problem not your wife now try this for the next six months and hopefully the rest of your life when making love to your wife keep your eyes open even while you re having an orgasm keep looking into her eyes even after your orgasm you will train your brain to connect to her spirit and soul not just her body during sex your issues with her body will largely reduce if you have concerns about her health start going with her for walks also go grocery shopping with her and cut down on buying the sweets tell her you re struggling and you don t want it around for a while if she gets too unhealthy a loving doctor will be easier for her to hear than a loving husband do most christian women experience orgasm yes most christian women experience orgasm all secular research on religious women has maintained that religious married women have the greatest level of sexual satisfaction so most of you guys are really great lovers keep up the good work however i think we should talk about orgasm frequency for women women are very very different when it comes to orgasms and this can change dramatically over the years you will be married some women honestly want one or multiple orgasms when they have sex some women are content with an orgasm once a week to once every few months women are much more complex than men when it comes to orgasms you could be a great lover and she still won t necessarily desire frequent orgasms don t hang your sexual self-esteem on your wife s orgasms she might have huge control issues dealing with stress sexual abuse abortions or honestly just doesn t need or want orgasms as often as you do believe her when she tells you what her desires are and be responsive to her when she does want to go for it be happy with the wife of your youth and remember that things change douglas weiss ph.d is a licensed psychologist and executive director of heart to heart counseling center in colorado springs co he has appeared on oprah dr phil and many other national media appearances contact him by email at heart2heart@xc.org or visit his website at www.drdougweiss.com seven ­ issue nine november­december 2009 page 6

[close]

p. 7

[close]

p. 8

pulse curiousities personalities ideas information by robert white pulse editor racetrack chaplain ministers to lost city no verse in the bible says gambling is a sin is shawn kennedy s stock answer to the question that comes up when he tells people he s the chaplain at toronto s woodbine racetrack but can you do better things with your money absolutely as a former trainer and amateur jockey who grew up in the horseracing industry his father was a gentleman horseman kennedy understands the tier system that leads to the track s biggest problem which isn t gambling it s loneliness kennedy describes woodbine located in northwest toronto as a lost city the country s premier racetrack employees 1,800 people and stables 2,500 horses many of which are treated better than the human employees this industry is geared to the horse says kennedy the horse comes first the horse always has the right of way after looking after an expensive horse you don t feel like much after a while it isn t a glamorous environment walking through the barns there s the sweet smell of success but it ain t what you d expect says kennedy who started ministry at winnipeg s assiniboia downs in the 1990s while still a full-time youth pastor hired as a youth pastor in kansas in 2000 four years later he heard the call of the racetrack again the racetrack chaplaincy of canada was looking for a chaplain at woodbine to complement the one at mohawk so both of ontario s key thoroughbred and harness tracks would be covered from his office in a converted garage kennedy oversees the ministry s chapel and counselling services computer and language courses resource library and clothing depot a big part of this ministry is just trying to do normal human things for people he says much like a hospital or prison chaplain kennedy spends most of his time building relationships i walk the barn area just to bump into people and see how they re doing some i need to check up on to see if they re still there and relatively sober referring to his rehabilitative counselling duties with the loneliness often comes drug and alcohol seven ­ issue nine november­december 2009 page 8

[close]

p. 9

abuse and kennedy is brought in to help those who want to get back to work at the track his industry background kennedy still gets to the track at 5:30 a.m to gallop exercise horses until 8 a.m and his devotion to the ministry give him credibility among the multi-millionaire owners as well as jockeys and stable aides horse people are `show-me people says kennedy they want to know you re going to stick around and not leave on the next boat that comes along they ve seen people come and go here but in the last two years the ministry has really taken off niv to be updated released in 2011 the committee on bible translation the group of scholars who developed the new international version translation will update it for the first time since 1984 with revisions to be finished late next year the updated version will be published in 2011 the 400th anniversary of the king james version we want to reach english speakers across the globe with a bible that s accurate accessible and speaks to its readers in a language they can understand says keith danby global president and ceo of biblica the last time scholars tried to change the language of the niv they came up with the today s new international version the new testament portion was released in 2002 with the full bible following in 2005 the gender-inclusive translation was criticized by james dobson jerry falwell j.i packer and the southern baptist conference among others william merrell then vice president for the southern baptist convention relations said the tniv was threatened by intrusion of hypersensitivity and political correctness you cannot apply the changing cultural mores to determine what the word of god says committee on bible translation chair douglas moo says the 2011 niv will keep and enhance the original values of the niv for readers as a committee our response to this challenge has always been to follow the example of the original bible writers who wrote in forms of hebrew aramaic and greek that reflected the language spoken by the everyday working people our aim is and has always been to translate the bible into what you might call `koine or `common english says moo once the translation is finished zondervan will make print and digital versions of the updated niv for more information check www.nivbible2011.com father and son share artistic spirit gallery duties a father and son created an art gallery in a tourist village near waterloo ontario in order to exhibit art from a christian perspective derrick mueller who resigned as the president of emmanuel bible college after a sabbatical opened the gallery with his son caleb located in st jacob s mill shed and studio the gallery also houses caleb s graphic arts business god made us creative people says caleb an a student who eventually trained at the emily carr institute of art he began sketching and drawing early and would often spend more time on the cover of his school projects than on the content art became something i enjoyed doing it became an expression outlet and i got good at it says caleb my dad and mom certainly encouraged me the entire time growing up they bought me my first design programs corel draw 8 and publisher for derrick thisway gallery is a return to his artistic roots in his first career as a photographer derrick spent loads of time experimenting with emulsions while developing photos but three years as a portrait photographer where he took between 15,000 and 20,000 photos a year jaded him i d win an award with a wedding picture and couldn t get the bride to buy it recalls derrick who got to the point he says where he lost the artform and didn t want to see another picture but i began to find a way to do art differently he adds which eventually included writing comedic acting and now abstract painting seven ­ issue nine november­december 2009 page 9

[close]

p. 10

pulse sleep in separate beds be healthier couples should think about sleeping apart for the good of their health and relationship says sleep specialist neil stanley he told the british science festival how bed-sharing causes arguments over snoring and blankethogging and robs precious sleep one study found on average couples suffered 50 per cent more sleep disturbances if they shared a bed stanley who doesn t sleep with his wife says historically we were never meant to share our beds the modern tradition of the marital bed only began with the industrial revolution when people moving to overcrowded towns and cities found themselves short of living space before the victorian era it was common for married couples to sleep apart in ancient rome the marital bed was a place for sex but not for sleeping stanley who set up one of britain s leading sleep laboratories says people today should consider doing the same it s about what makes you happy if you ve been sleeping together and you both sleep perfectly well then don t change but don t be afraid to do something different we all know what it s like to have a cuddle and then say `i m going to sleep now and move to the opposite side of the bed he says poor sleep is linked to depression heart disease strokes lung disorders traffic and industrial accidents and divorce yet sleep was largely ignored as an important aspect of health robert meadows a university of surrey sociologist compared how well couples slept when they shared a bed versus sleeping separately based on 40 couples he found that when couples share a bed and one of them moved in his or her sleep there s a 50 per cent chance their slumbering partner would be disturbed despite this couples aren t keen about sleeping apart only eight per cent of those in their 40s and 50s sleep in separate rooms www.news.bbc.co.uk kids do better when dads get involved a new american study shows children do better when their dads get involved with their lives a three-year study by california s office of child abuse prevention looked at the family life of 60 low and middle-income families results published in the august issue of the journal of marriage and family found when moms and dads took part in a 16week parenting course together their children were much less likely to show signs of depression anxiety and hyperactivity istockphoto the idea of abstract painting came to derrick during a trip to new york state on a visit to an art studio in a building where his daughter-in-law s uncle had an antique shop what i realized was art s not whether a person likes it or not it s an expression of who we are being on sabbatical with my wife at school and the kids working i started experimented with canvases just like the guy in new york says derrick for me abstract painting became an act of worship i respond to the way god s created me by painting the muellers heart for the gallery is to start with their works and then open it to other artists derrick has already discovered the joy of having people talk about his paintings and he wants eventually to pass that feeling on to others for an artist it means everything just to know one person appreciated your work says derrick for more information check www.thiswaygallery.com the vast majority of family services from parenting classes to home visits are really aimed at mothers while fathers are almost completely overlooked says kyle pruett a clinical professor of psychiatry at the yale school of medicine and a co-author of the study the best way to create a healthy environment for children is to engage dads and moms together the study supporting family involvement found men s involvement rose as they were given the proper tools to be more effective fathers it also found the relationship between husbands and wives who took the course together became healthier and more stable www.todaysfamilynews.ca seven ­ issue nine november­december 2009 page 10

[close]

p. 11

sex in middlesex county blocked spam filters blocked so many e-mails from the county of middlesex it had to buy a new domain name before the name change county officials say 15 to 20 per cent of their e-mail with the suffix @county.middelsex.on.ca was spammed blocked or returned as undeliverable the problem came to light when provincial officials told county cao bill rayburn they weren t getting his e-mails then when large batches of e-mail were sent back as undeliverable it became clear others e-mail filters which block unsolicited messages including those from addresses selling sex aids and adult internet sites were also stopping legitimate county mail middlesex county which lies halfway between toronto and windsor along highway 401 isn t the only ontario community with sex it its name but neither middlesex centre part of the county nor the town of essex near windsor had the same problems as the county essex hasn t had any complaints says cao wayne miller and middlesex centre cao/clerk cathy saunders says some mail came as undeliverable because of the sex in the address but the community doesn t think the problem is major enough to think about a name change the county changed its e-mail addresses to @mdlsx.ca rayburn expects less than one per cent of outgoing e-mail will be sent back with the new address but says even `sx is going to get caught by some spam filters www.canoe.ca church leaders say the campaign wasn t meant to offend believers but as a way to grab people s attention there s so much noise out there that if you don t do something that s a little bit more on the edge people just ignore it says youth pastor adam dorband lead pastor jeremy schossau says the strategy seems to be working the campaign web site satanhatesmetro.com got more than 7,000 hits in its first two days of going live once on the site visitors learn the devil appears to despise the congregation for helping people connect with god and changing lives something the site says most churches have failed to do we think one of the biggest barriers to getting to know god has been the church itself the site states it s predictable and cold at best church leaders say the purpose of their church isn t to scold people for all the ways they ve messed up but to offer a place where believers and nonbelievers alike can look into christianity without all the finger-pointing in short we re doing all we can to be the same kind of church described in the new testament leaders say www.ministrytodaymag.com label the digital video as safe sexual or xxx-rated the database keeps growing through input from users and police forces around the world there isn t an automated process that can guarantee a child or spouse isn t using porn says yarro nothing can replace good old-fashioned supervision but at least our program can speed-up that process and allow parents to stay one-step ahead of a super tech-savvy child from a www.surfrecon.com release father son best cricket spitters from the would you try this file a father and son are the best cricket spitters in wisconsin brian johnsrud spat a thawed cricket 6.8 metres at the central wisconsin state fair minutes later his son jared shot his cricket 3.1 metres to win the 9-to-11 age division brian says the key is to pick the biggest cricket and put it upside down on your tongue he also says you have to take the deep breath before putting the cricket in your mouth so you don t swallow the critter the event drew enough interest that organizers say they ll make it an annual affair www.marshfieldnewsherald.com new software finds hidden porn the latest version of surfrecon s software lets parents and spouses find hidden porn images on home computers through a video review feature they can take apart a video by scene change or individual frames to quickly find porn content possibly hidden or obscured in what appears to be a clean file the feature lets them view .flv video files with a blur safety tool porn websites are flocking to digital video and .flv files in particular says surfrecon president matthew yarro if a computer had nothing but porn videos on it and no sexually-explicit images someone checking the computer might think it was clean when it wasn t the new feature quickly scans a computer for digital videos and accurately categorizes the files surfrecon uses the world s largest database of known-pornoimage-and-video signatures to spot and church partners with satan a detroit-area church has come up with a unique marketing partner satan the non-denominational metro south church in trenton michigan put up thousands of signs around the area using the devil as its poster boy created as notes from lucifer himself the posters jokingly say the church makes me sick sucks or is killing me seven ­ issue nine november­december 2009 page 11

[close]

p. 12

unleashed unleashed 1 biblical manhood 2 sexual purity 3 husbanding 4 fathering one on one leadership coaching from experienced and wise men of god peer mentoring with other men on the same journey as you are a smaller more focused event ­ limited to approximately 50 participants with small groups of up to only 8 ­ participants build meaningful relationships with each other and with the promise keepers canada leaders in depth training to energize your faith and help you discover the freedom and courage to live dangerously for god participants focus on four key areas that define a man what is discipleship training do you have a desire to grow deeper in your faith do you want to learn more about the key areas of a man s life go to www.promisekeepers.ca or phone toll-free 1-888-901-9700 for information on a module taking place near you

[close]

p. 13

reviews connect power and love the power of a man using your influence as a man of character by rick johnson north american men are confused about what it means to be a man says rick johnson the power of a man is his best effort to bring clarity to the struggle that most of us men face trying to discover and understand our own masculinity johnson believes that good men are the key to curing every problem society struggles with he takes a hard look at the downside of misguided masculinity and points to a better way the book s best chapters highlight key characteristics of positive manhood and itemize typical areas where so many fail he lauds mentors and promotes a code of honour a set of principles for men to uphold i am optimistic that there is a new kind of masculinity taking hold in this country men want to lead more rewarding lives and are recognizing that living for others is the path to true satisfaction gross and his friend jason harper have compiled a collection of stories from their own ministries to declare that nothing can separate us from the love of god jesus loves people who are bitter and betrayed he loves the disconnected the broken and the forgotten he loves skeptics gluttons crooks and outcasts he loves porn stars jesus even loves religious people go figure incredible distraction and procrastination device facebook or other social media are not going away how can we adapt to this new environment in healthy lifegiving ways humility and authenticity are the key characteristics needed to draw living water from this deep well the author provides some practical tips to encourage best facebook practices forgotten god reversing our tragic neglect of the holy spirit by francis chan with danae yankowski not that many years ago a book called the forgotten father chided the church for emphasizing god the son to the neglect of god the father and of being preoccupied with charismatic expressions of christian faith now comes forgotten god a pastor and bible teacher s lament on the stunning absence of the holy spirit in contemporary christianity if i were satan and my ultimate goal was to thwart god s kingdom and purposes one of my main strategies would be to get churchgoers to ignore the holy spirit writes chan forgotten god offers a basic theology of the holy spirit and discusses a variety of ways the spirit does operates in our day and age it ends with a call for supernatural church a plea for believers to live spiritempowered lives rather than merely accumulating bible knowledge the church of facebook how the hyperconnected are redefining community by jesse rice facebook is one of the new facts of life a well where people thirsty for community come to drink it s a social networking phenomenon potentially linking some 200 million users around the world and it keeps growing the desire to connect is at the heart of human interaction and facebook provides a ready forum but it also changes the way we engage our friends and build community for better and for worse it can be both a mind-bogglingly efficient connecting tool and an jesus loves you this i know no matter who you are or what you ve done by craig gross and jason harper craig gross freaked everyone out by blending the seedy and the sacred when he launched xxxchurch.com but people by nature are both seedy and sacred even though we are created in god s image we incline towards trouble the plain message of jesus loves you this i know is exactly what the title states seven ­ issue nine november­december 2009 page 13

[close]

p. 14

features battlefield soul by john allen gaining wisdom to win the war within harry was brooding over a cup of coffee thinking about his reputation and himself the middle-aged man found much to encourage him he was getting a reasonable amount of exercise and was in decent shape his relationships with others were pretty good he had earned the respect of his neighbours and colleagues he and his wife seemed solid together and the kids were turning out well by all appearances he was a stand-up guy clearly he was doing a lot of things right seven ­ issue nine november­december 2009 page 14 istockphoto

[close]

p. 15

but not all was well with his soul he was seized by a sense of discontent a sad emptiness at the centre of his very being a corrupt laziness governs me he thought to himself much of his activity seemed unimportant as though done to impress others while his deeper ambitions his real life calling were put on hold i retreat into a private world that looks industrious but it s mostly a form escape he admitted i shirk responsibilities elsewhere although he wasn t aware of it at the time harry had just recognized a capital sin at work in his life sloth or acedia is one of the seven deadly sins identified by early christian teachers as the source of other sins root causes of unwholesome thoughts and bad behaviour curiously harry s laziness took the form of activity he kept himself busy to avoid the hard work of dealing with some deeper areas of his life the tendency made him passive he was easy to get along with for sure but he began to realize he wasn t effectively addressing things that mattered more harry was nice but his life was stalling there were plenty of ways he could be using his time to help other people but he found it much easier to attend to his own preferences first so he was apt to retreat to some comfortable place and busy himself with some comfortable project it was safer yet somewhere down deep he knew he could be a better man life was happening and he was just drifting with the flow the trouble with harry and as he peered deeper into the battleground of his soul harry spotted still more signs of trouble he d thought his lust issues would disappear after marriage they hadn t to his credit he wasn t out chasing skirts or hunkering down with porn but he could still undress a woman with his eyes and wallow in unwholesome sexual fantasies harry s wife was his only bed partner but you d never know that if you could read his mind that old demon lust was not going away it might retreat for a season but it always came back he hated being unfaithful in this way but he was close to losing hope of ever being able to claim victory he felt as though a barrier was rising between him and his wife and blamed himself for building it higher harry shuddered in private shame and then a whole squadron of the sins hidden within him surged into his consciousness like soldiers onto a battlefield lust and laziness weren t his only problem areas not by a long shot he was aware that he also struggled with envy there were lots of things belonging to others that he wanted for himself and felt that he deserved some of his classmates from college had gone much further in their careers then he had and most of them had much larger pensions thinking about these kinds of things made him resentful it made him grumpy he knew it made him a pain to be around collateral damage harry probed these painful areas and began to realize that every choice he made in his life seemed to have some impact for good or bad he d done some things right and was enjoying the benefits but he d made plenty of wrong decisions too and the consequences of those were also part of his life as his coffee cooled untouched before him he was struck by the fact that he wasn t just letting himself down when he succumbed to sin as in any other war the battle isn t confined to the battlefield others get hurt as well collateral damage is part of the deal some of us don t think about these things very much but in comfortable middle age harry could reflect in this vein with better perspective than younger people and he was well aware that he was not unique his struggles were common to man sin is no respecter of persons whether young or old black or white rich or poor foolish or wise every one of us fails to do the right thing at times each of us has some flaw in our character or excuse in our circumstances that inclines us to do bad things knowing what is the right or wrong thing to do is one thing but actually making the best choice and following through with it in action is another while any of us may strive sincerely to be virtuous it s still a struggle to make good choices and behave well this inner battle is as old as adam and has been the experience of some of the most valiant crusaders against sin who ever lived the apostle paul for example seven ­ issue nine november­december 2009 page 15

[close]