Meanwhile, in Canada

[RZehr]

And everyone’s grumbling.

[Robert]

[Robert]

You might turn your volume down a little before playing.

[Robert]

There is one big convoy heading east, but several other smaller ones going to converge in Ottawa. 20 hours to Ottawa.

[Sudsy]

And everyone’s grumbling.

Hopefully no Christian truckers are involved. 1 Thess 5:18

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

[temporal1]

[Robert]

Our own Appleman posted on the Freedom Convoy facebook page. I have not been on facebook for a year. I went on just to follow the truckers. This is what I found posted by AM. I thought it was good enough to share here.

I apologize. This is going to be a longer post but I need to get it off my chest.
Last night my oldest daughter reminded me of something I apparently said to her around 15 years ago. I certainly did not remember saying this but it does very well represent my beliefs to this day. And it is something I feel quite strongly about. Tamara had just obtained her license and she was ranting to be about how much she hated the fact that buggies were on the road. She saw them as a dangerous threat to her driving safety as well as their own and she just did not understand why in this modern day and age they were allowed to be on the road. And apparently this is what I told her.
“I do not totally understand why the old order Mennonites still drive horse and buggies. I certainly would not want to drive one myself. I too see them as being a dangerous mode of transportation. However I am very thankful that I live in a county where even though they are a very small minority they are allowed to do what they believe is best for themselves. “
I think you see where I am going with this. As I have stated in an earlier post. I am double vaccinated. I got the booster 3 weeks ago. I am totally convinced that for me and the vast majority of Canadians it was the right thing to do. But from the beginning while if we were to have a private conversation, you might find me strongly encouraging you to get vaccinated, I simply cannot support mandating it. Too me that is going too far. I am a 7th generation Canadian and have always been quite pleased to be part of a country that represents so much good. A place where for the last 200 years and more people have been able to come and live their life in freedom and according to their conscience. We are a very diverse nation and we have always been proud of that. Until recently that is. The last number of years I have seen alarming signs of our freedoms being eroded. Please understand I am not a libertarian. I can appreciate giving up some freedoms particularly when their is well established evidence for it. Take seatbelts for example. I think the evidence is overwhelming strong that they save lives when used properly. And so some might say. How is the vaccine any different? There is one very large difference. The vaccine is something that is put into our bodies and that is where I think we should draw the line. Personally I think the evidence of it’s goodness is so good that we should be able to convince most people to take it willingly. And guess what? We have.
It really bothers me that we have come to a place in this country where it is perfectly alright to be intolerant of those we disagree with. Our prime minister just insinuated that perhaps Canada is not big enough for those that disagree with him. I thought he was the leader of the “liberal” party. I thought one of the backbones of liberalism was inclusiveness and a willingness to be tolerant of others even those who may be very different than themselves. Well to my liberal friends of which I have many. May I suggest you take a close look in the mirror. Are you truly being tolerant. As tolerant of others as you hope people are of you? It is something we all should ask ourselves everyday.
I have been watching the trucker convoy with interest. And I see the lewd remarks made against our prime minister. And it makes me cringe. But then I hear the PM get up and claim even now that this is just a small fringe group and their ideas are “ unacceptable.”. And I see these people smiles and tears of joy. Not hundreds of people but hundreds of thousands of people from all races and religions lining up along our highways across our land in sub zero weather. Literally weeping because suddenly they are discovering that they are not alone after all. Suddenly feeling like it might be safe for them to believe what they believe even if they are a minority.
I simply hope their fear will not be dashed to bits by a small minority that may want to resort to violence.
I was especially intrigued with the fact that 25 Hutterite colonies took the time to get together and make a meal for the convoy. You might ask as some have why a peace loving group like this would get involved. As a Mennonite who shares some of their same common beliefs I think understand. You see it is almost in our DNA. Our ancestors were hunted down, burned at the stake, drowned, imprisoned, not because they were violent evil people but rather because they dared to believe something different than what the powers that be thought they should believe. And they were invited to a New World that promised freedom of conscience.
I have seen that slipping away slowly over the last few decades. So slowly it is hardly noticeable. But what is happening this week is giving me just a tiny sliver of hope they are yet millions of people that value that freedom
However I will say this yet. As I said in the beginning I happen to believe that being vaccinated is a smart thing to do. But I do know there are beliefs that I have that some would find to be strange, maybe even dangerous. Some of those beliefs I hold so strongly that I would be willing to die for them. No I will not fight. But I will be willing to go to prison for the rest of my life rather then give up ideas that I understand to be truth. I hope you do not feel threatened by that. Because I certainly will not get in your way of having your own belief system even though it may be very different then mine. I will even sit down over coffee and let you try and convince me I am wrong particularly if you give me the same courtesy. After all it really is just that simple. “Do to others as you would have them do to you.“
That is my commitment to you. May God bless each of you and may peace reign. I am praying that there will be peace in Ottawa. And no I do not hate the PM. Rather my prayer is that he may see the light and go on to truly being the man and leader he was called to be.

[Sudsy]

Meanwhile in our southern most tip of Canada, urban exodus is having a big impact as people are moving out of the big cities into smaller towns like ours here. More than 64,000 people left Toronto for other parts of Ontario from mid-2020 to mid-2021 according to Statistics Canada population.

The price of my townhouse has nearly doubled in the past few years yet people are pouring into our area at a huge number. I notice where folks who, may not have even known their neighbours in any personal way in a big city, learning to adapt to a much more friendly environment. For some they are a bit suspicious to begin with but then join in to participate in our close neighbourhood sharing. And it is not just the retired 'baby boomers' coming to our smaller towns (which technically are still small cities) but younger families too. Not having to drive anymore in bumper to bumper traffic often must be quite a treat in itself even though many are able to work from home.

Our street, last summer, began a yearly get-together where we all meet at someone's place and have a pot luck and gab session. I noticed after our first one how we are waving to each other and often stop and visit as many are involved in walking their dog and/or husbands. Shoveling snow off each other's driveway is quite common. My next door neighbour moved in from a big city with 2 children and their neighbour has them attending the Pentecostal church regularly already. Perhaps some day a new house church will be formed as we do have both church going and non-church going people on our street.

Anyway here is an article on how Covid is also affecting this exodus -

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/canada- ... es-2707616

We are seeing rapid home building and they are selling as fast as they are liveable. In my 75 years I have never seen such a move into southern most Ontario. And the weather here is truly amazing. One small snow fall of a couple inches so far this year. Can't seem to call it 'cm' at my age. Don't even own a snow blower, yet.

[temporal1]

Our own Appleman posted on the Freedom Convoy facebook page. I have not been on facebook for a year. I went on just to follow the truckers. This is what I found posted by AM. I thought it was good enough to share here.

I apologize. This is going to be a longer post but I need to get it off my chest.

Last night my oldest daughter reminded me of something I apparently said to her around 15 years ago.
I certainly did not remember saying this but it does very well represent my beliefs to this day. And it is something I feel quite strongly about. Tamara had just obtained her license and she was ranting to be about how much she hated the fact that buggies were on the road. She saw them as a dangerous threat to her driving safety as well as their own and she just did not understand why in this modern day and age they were allowed to be on the road. And apparently this is what I told her.

“I do not totally understand why the old order Mennonites still drive horse and buggies. I certainly would not want to drive one myself. I too see them as being a dangerous mode of transportation. However I am very thankful that I live in a county where even though they are a very small minority they are allowed to do what they believe is best for themselves. “

I think you see where I am going with this.
As I have stated in an earlier post. I am double vaccinated. I got the booster 3 weeks ago. I am totally convinced that for me and the vast majority of Canadians it was the right thing to do. But from the beginning while if we were to have a private conversation, you might find me strongly encouraging you to get vaccinated, I simply cannot support mandating it.
Too me that is going too far.

I am a 7th generation Canadian and have always been quite pleased to be part of a country that represents so much good.
A place where for the last 200 years and more people have been able to come and live their life in freedom and according to their conscience.

We are a very diverse nation and we have always been proud of that. Until recently that is.
The last number of years I have seen alarming signs of our freedoms being eroded.

Please understand I am not a libertarian.
I can appreciate giving up some freedoms particularly when their is well established evidence for it.
Take seatbelts for example. I think the evidence is overwhelming strong that they save lives when used properly. And so some might say. How is the vaccine any different? There is one very large difference. The vaccine is something that is put into our bodies and that is where I think we should draw the line. Personally I think the evidence of it’s goodness is so good that we should be able to convince most people to take it willingly. And guess what? We have.

It really bothers me that we have come to a place in this country where it is perfectly alright to be intolerant of those we disagree with. Our prime minister just insinuated that perhaps Canada is not big enough for those that disagree with him. I thought he was the leader of the “liberal” party. I thought one of the backbones of liberalism was inclusiveness and a willingness to be tolerant of others even those who may be very different than themselves.

Well to my liberal friends of which I have many. May I suggest you take a close look in the mirror. Are you truly being tolerant. As tolerant of others as you hope people are of you? It is something we all should ask ourselves everyday.

I have been watching the trucker convoy with interest. And I see the lewd remarks made against our prime minister. And it makes me cringe.

But then I hear the PM get up and claim even now that this is just a small fringe group and their ideas are “ unacceptable.”.
And I see these people smiles and tears of joy. Not hundreds of people but hundreds of thousands of people from all races and religions lining up along our highways across our land in sub zero weather. Literally weeping because suddenly they are discovering that they are not alone after all. Suddenly feeling like it might be safe for them to believe what they believe even if they are a minority.

I simply hope their fear will not be dashed to bits by a small minority that may want to resort to violence.

I was especially intrigued with the fact that 25 Hutterite colonies took the time to get together and make a meal for the convoy.
You might ask as some have why a peace loving group like this would get involved. As a Mennonite who shares some of their same common beliefs I think understand. You see it is almost in our DNA. Our ancestors were hunted down, burned at the stake, drowned, imprisoned, not because they were violent evil people but rather because they dared to believe something different than what the powers that be thought they should believe. And they were invited to a New World that promised freedom of conscience.

I have seen that slipping away slowly over the last few decades. So slowly it is hardly noticeable. But what is happening this week is giving me just a tiny sliver of hope they are yet millions of people that value that freedom

However I will say this yet. As I said in the beginning I happen to believe that being vaccinated is a smart thing to do.
But I do know there are beliefs that I have that some would find to be strange, maybe even dangerous. Some of those beliefs I hold so strongly that I would be willing to die for them. No I will not fight. But I will be willing to go to prison for the rest of my life rather then give up ideas that I understand to be truth.

I hope you do not feel threatened by that.
Because I certainly will not get in your way of having your own belief system even though it may be very different then mine. I will even sit down over coffee and let you try and convince me I am wrong particularly if you give me the same courtesy. After all it really is just that simple. “Do to others as you would have them do to you.“

That is my commitment to you. May God bless each of you and may peace reign.
I am praying that there will be peace in Ottawa.

And no I do not hate the PM.
Rather my prayer is that he may see the light and go on to truly being the man and leader he was called to be.

Diamond.


Children listen to their fathers. Powerful role.
(i believe) one of the greatest failures in the secular culture (that leads to so many males in prison) - is failure to convey what great importance men have to their wives, children, church, community. “life goes on” without their presence, but not very well.

(i thought i noticed some CMs, possibly Hutterite, in one video above.) And, various references to Jesus, not the dominant message, but, no one should be ashamed of claiming Christianity. there are failures, sometimes offensive.

Jesus assures, there will be many voices, He demands to be Judge. Romans 14:4

[Robert]

Great interview on Tucker Carlson.