blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed.

I have another story to share from my experience at Missionsfest which took place late last month. I visited an Aboriginal ministries booth to tell them how much I enjoyed their uplifting TV show. (It's called Tribal Trails and I recommend it.) I began talking to one of the elders in charge of the ministry and he began to open up his Bible and minister to me in a very fatherly sort of way. He asked if he could sit down and I didn't object. He had brought along a special reclining chair and explained to me that he has a broken hip and showed a picture of his x-ray to me that was on his cell phone. I said to him, "I can see that you're in pain and having a bit of trouble walking. Why did you feel the need to show me your x-ray?" He replied, "Even Christians don't believe that something is real unless they can see it. My broken hip isn't an obvious enough injury for them not to question." "Really? What makes you think that?" "Oh, you'll see."

As he read to me from scripture about the power of God's Word and it's being a two-edged sword with which we can distinguish between good and evil, person after person approached him. "You certainly seem to be relaxed. I wish I could recline like that on the job." "How can you minister to someone from the Bible in such a position?" I saw this kind servant of God hit with comment after comment about how he shouldn't be reclining as he was at a Christian gathering. In a half hour period, at least 6 people approached and subtly reprimanded him. All of these doubting Thomases had to be shown the x-ray before they believed this man had the right to sit in his special chair just as the apostle Thomas had to place his hand in Christ's side before acknowledging his Resurrection.

Another thought that occurred to me was whether or not some of the people who approached the booth were racist and wanted to straighten out a "lazy Indian". A great deal of ethnic superiority still exists even within Christian circles. Someone even said that the booth was "sure needed in that community" as if Aboriginals are so much more godless than other races. The truth is that First Nations people are often raised to have reverence for a Creator God and easily understand the concept of God the Father.

I would like to conclude by stating that this experience has acted as a reminder to me. Christians should put the best construction on and have faith in the actions of fellow believers unless we have witnessed a pattern of questionable behavior in that person's life. Let's give one another the benefit of the doubt before we stand in a position of judgement. Please!

Flu Shots: Worth it or Useless?

As an individual with a compromised immune system, I am eligible for a free flu shot each November. And in spite of this, every year I end up getting a mild case of the flu regardless. *sniffle sniffle* I'm actually sick right now. I have often asked myself, what's the point? What are they giving me? A placebo?

http://www.drjoetoday.com/is-the-flu-shot-actually-useful/
I'd say this doctor probably has it right. Some strains of vaccine work and others simply don't. The other thing that should be taken into account is that the immunity people gain from vaccines pales in comparison to the immunity that's gained as a result of actually having the flu. Therefore, it's my own personal opinion that if the active strains of flu out there in a given year aren't potentially lethal, there's no need to get a flu shot. Catch the flu and have better immunity against that type of flu for the rest of your life. My Grandpa is nearly 90 and until a few years ago, he never had a flu shot. His body has built up an incredible natural immunity over the years and as a result of that he's almost never sick.
http://www.naturalnews.com/020912.html
Who knows? Flu vaccines may just be a giant cash grab for pharmaceutical companies. It wouldn't surprise me...

I have also learned that flu vaccines contain a mercury compound called Thimerosal. Many have decided to have oral spray vaccines as a result. All I'm going to say is that the amount of mercury in a flu vaccine is equivalent to eating three cans of Albacore tuna.

My conclusion: Is there danger in flu vaccines? NO? But are they affective? Not always. Not if the epidemiologists have the global flu forecast wrong.

Autistic Kids

A couple of days ago, my landlady had a former student of her's over so that she could help him with his English homework.

The first thing I noticed about him was his ability to use technology. He had an android tablet and programed it to remotely control my landlady's computer. It took him little to no time to gain access. Good thing he's a trustworthy kid, otherwise he could have wiped her system clean.

The second thing I noticed is that despite being very bright, he stammered when he spoke and while being quite verbal was a little socially awkward. I then concluded that he was similar to my younger cousin and probably had a form of autism. After asking my landlady, my suspicions were indeed correct.

After I told him that I also knew some stuff about computers, the exuberant teen told me about how he could hack into any mainframe including the one at school. He proudly told me how he had been suspended countless times for his cyber attacks on school property but didn't care at all. "Hacking is such a rush! There's nothing like it in school that's as tough to do so when I'm finished my boring schoolwork, I hack into things." If only the technological prowess of autistic people could be harnessed somehow. My cousin was doing calculus when he was 8 years old and writing all sorts of advanced computer code by the time he was in his teens. Unfortunately, many high-functioning autistic people are simply put on disability and live existences that are far below their potential. They should be getting PhDs in Computer Science, Physics and Mathematics but nobody seems to be signing up as educational aids to help them along.

So if you have a background in education and are reading this, I would encourage you to come alongside an autistic child as my landlady has. They are bright, energetic kids and simply need a little help usually with languages. Despite their disability, they have been blessed with a great deal of ability and it would be truly shameful for it to be left untapped. I urge you to help unlock the potential in these bright autistic kids. I sincerely believe that if helped a little they can change the world.