Remarkable Living . . . A Fire Eater? (by Peter A. Black)

A couple of days ago our friend Donna turned up at our door with a well-presented 50-page, perfect-bound book. May and I were delighted, since we knew that this work was now published and a copy would be coming our way.

Todd, Donna’s son, is the author and he calls me his editor, although I don’t claim to be an editor, per se. However, I was honoured to work with him collaboratively on his manuscript, and to write the foreword.

Todd managed a food processing plant of a major Canadian meat products company. But in July, 2010 he suffered two massive aneurism ruptures in his brain and also a stroke, requiring intricate emergency brain surgeries.

He and his family began a long, long journey of adapting and coming to terms with a new reality. The simplest task can be excruciatingly difficult, for he remains completely paralyzed down one side. Thankfully, his speech is clear, his intellect intact and his humour sharper than a tack.

Remarkable Living in an Unremarkable World is Todd Charter’s personal account of his journey into those medical crises, through to his current stage of recovery and present focus in life.

The idiomatic language, humour and voice are all his, but so are the passion, commitment and expression of faith in Jesus Christ.

A photo in the book shows Todd, intense concentration written all over his face, indicating his extreme difficulty in taking every ponderous step, fulfilling a long-cherished dream of walking the first of his four daughters down the aisle—at least the last part of it—to meet her groom at the altar.

Nothing could hide the sheer joy and delight rising from his heart, as beaming from ear to ear and glowing cheeks, he embraced his firstborn in a Father and Bride dance at the reception.  (One down—three to go!)

Incidentally, Todd’s wife, Ange, is a niece of Cal Bombay, who served for some years in missions related ministries with (the now late) David Mainse, founder of Crossroads (CTS) and 100 Huntley Street media ministry.

Todd Charters’ desire is that people experiencing trying circumstances will receive encouragement and find hope in trusting God and His unfailing love to lead them through their trials, and that their lives will have deep meaning and purpose.

Volumes, the publisher of  Remarkable Living . . .  doesn’t have the book’s page up yet, so my utilitarian shots of the cover will have to do for now.

The front cover pictures Todd as though he were eating fire, but the back cover hints at an explanation of the front. The caption is in capitals:

WHEN LIFE THROWS YOU A CURVE, DO THE FLAMES CONSUME YOU, OR ARE YOU A FIRE EATER?

Good question.

Todd, a Christ-follower, has come to understand that by God’s grace:

“. . . suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us” (Romans 5:3-5 NIV).

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If you or a friend could benefit from a copy of this inexpensive humour-tinged inspirational story,

Todd Charters can be contacted at:

• toddc640@gmail.com 
• Facebook . . . Todd Charters

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Peter A. Black is a retired pastor  -  well, sort of  -  and lives in Southwestern Ontario. He writes a weekly inspirational newspaper column, P-Pep! and is author of Raise Your Gaze ... Mindful Musings of a Grateful Heart, and Parables from the Pond. ~~+~~

Humbling, and Beneficial for the Journey - P. A. Black

At points along life’s journey most, if not all, of us encounter people or situations that cause us to take a close and critical look at ourselves; a personal scrutiny that carries the potential to initiate good things in our lives. It can be humbling and beneficial.


Dr. Heidi Janz is a researcher and professor at the University of Alberta. She earned a Ph.D. in English at that institution and has taught English there. Now, that is truly amazing, since Dr. Janz cannot walk, can hardly move, uses an electric wheelchair, and is dependent on others for assistance in the most basic functions of life. Even eating is difficult.


[Clickart image. This is not Dr. Janz.]
Her speech is severely impaired, and therefore expressing herself requires gruelling effort. In order to understand her, one must concentrate. Someone has to read her teaching material in her behalf, until new students become accustomed to her speech and can tune in.

Painstaking labour goes into her computer operation and typing work when preparing her studies, as she laboriously taps out each character on a specialized keyboard. This highly intelligent woman has cerebral palsy, yet with her indomitable spirit has applied herself to overcoming enormous physical challenges.


A university website profile outlines her specialized research areas: “Disability Studies, the portrayal of illness and disability in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century literature, media representations of persons with disabilities, and creative writing, with a particular emphasis on fiction and drama for young adults.”


There’s more: she is also an author and an acclaimed playwright. Janz is not only all of the above; she is also a Christian believer, who believes that God equipped her with cerebral palsy! Now that may not be the kind of equipping gift we would want to line up for, but there we are – that’s her life and story.


Heidi’s faith is a monumental reality in her life. One time she was near death from an attack in which she was stabbed multiple times. Mercifully, she eventually recovered. She disposed herself mentally in Christian grace to forgive the individual, and the time came when she declared her forgiveness in the presence of the perpetrator. This had a profound effect on him – and also on her. She knew she had been freed, for it didn’t remain a mere mental state of mind for her but a flow of forgiveness from the heart.


It was only recently that I heard about this amazing person, when a brief but interesting documentary segment featured her on the weekday Christian telecast “100 Huntley Street.” I was inspired. And humbled. I was also moved to introspection about the comparative minimal discomforts and challenges I’ve experienced in life, and the excuses I’ve made for lack of effort and too easily giving up.


Today, Dr. Heidi Janz’s story played a part in my Lenten journey towards Good Friday and Easter. It reminded me of Isaac Watts’ hymn, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.” The first two verses:


When I survey the wondrous Cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.


Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast
[Except] in the death of Christ, my God;
All the vain things that charm me most
I sacrifice them to His blood.


• Renewed perspective.
• Adjusted attitude.
• Beneficial for me on my journey.

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Helpful information was obtained from:
A University of Alberta website profiling Dr. Janz;
Also, Karen and Sig’s “The Blessing Blog.”

Peter A. Black writes a weekly inspirational column for The Watford Guide-Advocate. Today's post is adapted from his article published there on March 8, 2012.
He is the author of "Parables from the Pond" (Word Alive Press finalist, 2007)-- a book finding a readership from schoolkids to senior citizens.

Eating Elephants- Grove

It's an old proverb: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

Sometimes elephants come crashing through our front door - uninvited, unexpected, they push their way in and take up all the room. Illness, job loss, relationship problems. Even a good problem like being too busy at work, or buying a new home can turn into fat, rude elephants and take over our lives.

I've been staring an elephant in the eye lately - maybe you have been too. And as I contemplate my elephant, I've been thinking about the best ways to take care of it. Should I push it back out the door, carve it up into manageable pieces, or just throw an area rug over it and hope no one notices? Hmmm

Have you ever noticed that when you first cut into an elephant with your quivering knife and fork that the initial cuts don't seem to make much of an impact on the elephant? They don't seem to be DOING anything! Such tiny bits come off - the elephant doesn't even notice, never misses them. It's so easy to drop our cutlery at this point, call it names like "Useless" and "Mistake".

But what would happen if we kept going? Kept jabbing and dicing. What if we didn't give up? What if we pursued our goal relentlessly? One small step at a time.

How do we hang on to our cutlery when all seems hopeless?

1) Remember you're not alone. God put you on the planet, but He didn't abandon you. He is with you. The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit is a constant presence who teaches and guides each one of us. On top of that, God has supplied you with family, friends, people who love you. If you go to church, you also have a community of like-minded people who will support you. With all those knives and forks, it takes less time to get that elephant eaten.

2) Look your elephant in the eye. Elephants come in different shapes and sizes. Sometimes it's difficult to know just how big the thing really is because we are too upset, frightened, or depressed to give a good, close look. But when we examine our elephant an amazing thing happens - we calm down, stop being afraid, and can come up with a game plan. The elephant starts to shrink.

3) Remember you have choices. Don't let your elephant sit on you! Even in difficult circumstances you always have choices, options, and freedom of thought. Pray, talk to friends, and work to adjust your emotional response to the problem. You always have control over how you react to an elephant. Sometimes the way to change the world is to change the way you think about the world.

Problems come, and sometimes they are big, overwhelming, time consuming problems. Grab your cutlery, recruit your trusted friends and families, and lean hard on God. And don't give up.

Bonnie Grove is the author of Your Best You: Discovering and Developing the Strengths God Gave You (Beacon Hill Press, March 1, 2009). Pre-order your copy today at http://www.amazon.ca/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.tower.com/ or http://www.christianbooks.com/ or anywhere you like to buy books online.