It wasn’t the first time the country was united behind a single game and it won’t be the last.  Ask any hockey historian and they will all tell you that the biggest game of them all happened in 1972 when a team of Canadian NHL all stars took on a team from what was back then, the USSR.

In the final moments of that final game Paul Henderson scored the goal that defined a moment, a nation and the rest of Paul’s life.  The game was played almost 40 years ago, and Paul has talked about that goal almost every day since.  I had the opportunity to meet Paul once and when someone asked him about it he said simply “that’s the one thing everyone always wants to talk about.”

Recently, during an interview with the CBC Paul revealed that his is currently battling cancer. He spoke about the role faith plays in his life and in his current situation.  In the interview with CBC he said, “I have no angst in my body, no fear whatsoever.” You can watch the interview here.  I hope Paul knows that once again, all of Canada is behind him.  Earlier Paul talked to us about the role faith has played in his life in good times and bad:

It’s pretty incredible that he can have that kind of hope in the face of illness. It can seem like an unusual response, but some would argue, it is a perfectly natural one.  In his book Soul Cravings, Erwin McManus writes, “aimlessness can sometimes lead to apathy and lack of purpose. But you were not made for these things; you were made for hope.”  It’s quite a bold statement, to say that we are made, designed, for hope.  So often when health fails or finances fall into ruin hope is not our first response.  But McManus claims that it can be.

Watch what he has to say about hope, destiny and the source of both:

(If you can’t see the video click here to watch it)

>> Watch part 2 of this video here

Do you have hope in your situation? If you were facing a health crisis tomorrow would you be able to say that you had no fear? If you are looking for hope and need someone to talk to, we have email mentors available 24/7.  You can use this form to contact a mentor, you don’t have to go it alone. Paul Henderson has a fight ahead of him, and as he said in the interview he intends to fight this cancer with everything he’s got.  I hope he knows that once again, the whole nation is behind him.

Upcoming online chats: Join us for daily online chats! One of our features will be “If death is not the end” on February 28 at 12:15 pm EST. Please join us to discuss the important topic of life & death!

Tim Tebow will be featured in a 30 second advertisement during Superbowl XLIV. In the ad (which no one in the public has seen yet) Tebow will speak about how his mother, Pam, was advised to have an abortion when she was pregnant with Tim, due to medical complications. Pam decided to continue to term, and Tim was born. Today, Tim is a Heisman Trophy-winning American football quarterback  for the Florida Gators. The theme of the ad will be “Celebrate family, celebrate life” and will not specifically mention abortion.

This ad has some pro-choice organizations upset. There has been pressure on CBS, the television network showing the Superbowl and which approved the commercial, to not run it. The National Organization of Women called the ad “extraordinarily offensive and demeaning.”

But columnist Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post, herself a pro-choice advocate, responds that “if there is any demeaning here, it’s coming from NOW, via the suggestion that these aren’t real questions, and that we as a Super Bowl audience are too stupid or too disinterested to handle them on game day.” She notes that “If the pro-choice stance is so precarious that a story about someone who chose to carry a risky pregnancy to term undermines it, then CBS is not the problem.” (Source: Washington Post)

Regardless of your stance on the pro-life/pro-choice issue, what do you think about this ad controversy? Do you think the controversy is justified? Should CBS run the ad, and why? Let us know what you think.

If you are struggling with issues regarding abortion (past or present), unwanted pregnancy, or know someone who is, please contact us if you would like to talk. There are mentors who are familiar with your struggles who will talk with you via email, privately & confidentially.

Related reading: Abortion changes you – One of our mentors who went through an abortion shares advice based on her experiences

One name that you may have forgotten, or never heard about, is Rolf Benirschke. He was placekicker for the San Diego Chargers from 1978-1987, and remains the team’s all-time leader in points scored with 766 … all scored using his foot.

His story is made more amazing because he played most of his professional career with no large intestines. After contracting ulcerative colitis, he needed surgery to remove them and spent several weeks in intensive care before eventually returning to play in the NFL … but not without having to play with two ostomy devices.

His story is inspiring for football players, or players of any sport, who are facing physical challenges. It is one of hope and triumph … but not only for his ability to excel despite his physical challenges. Continue to read Rolf’s story for the rest of the tale in our article “NFL Hero – What it Means to be Great“

Related reading:
- Anthony Munoz: Another NFL hall of famer tells his own story.
- When the World isn’t as it Should Be – How do we respond when our world is messed up?

Wallpaper catches the eye as we enter a room. Its color and design grab our attention and we take note. Yet as we become familiar with the room the wallpaper quickly fades from our awareness and we begin to hardly see it at all.

The same thing can happen with the shock of the devastation in Haiti. We know it’s there and its happening. Yet the images are so numerous that eventually an inoculation can happen that moves the crisis to that wallpaper status.

Today stop and think about what and who might be in danger of becoming simply “wallpaper” in your life.

Look first at those near you. Is there a need that you have the privilege and the opportunity to meet?

Look beyond … can you help Haiti’s hurting as they look to survive and go on to build much needed infrastructures of medical aid, housing and hope for a future?

Looking to the needs of others will give us a new measure of joy.

Discover afresh the truth that you are more blessed when you give than when you receive. Share with us how you have met the need of another this week, whether near or far, big or small.

Did you find joy in doing so?

Visit Global Aid Network, Power to Change’s humanitarian relief partner, to see videos about their work in Haiti, and also to contribute to the effort to help people there.

“Perhaps this catastrophe is also a new birth for Haiti.”

Random radio searching while driving today brought this remarkable perspective from a Haitian who has survived the major catastrophic earthquake in his country.

It’s an interesting thought. There is always pain before a new birth. Yet a new birth holds so much promise and potential.

It’s hard to imagine how life changed in an instant for many Haitians. What many of them knew as regular life is now gone. Familiar faces and empty hearts echo the depth of their loss. Home is no longer a place they can return to. We can only imagine the deep void that is left in the hearts and minds of those hurting.

Yet in the midst of it all comes this voice of new birth … this voice of hope.  Perhaps a re-born nation could be stronger; perhaps a new unity among the survivors will generate new possibilities. This voice of hope, randomly caught from the airwaves brings hope also to those of us here, those of us outside the area of devastation.

The aid of the world will bring new hope and new opportunities. Coupled with the hope and help of the Haitian people themselves there is hope for Haiti’s tomorrow.

First, food and shelter to bring immediate relief. Then re-building comes.

Won’t you be a part of the immediate hope for the people of Haiti as well as the hope for the future?

Contribute to Power to Change’s relief efforts in Haiti through our ministry partner Global Aid Network (GAiN). You can also view videos of GAiN’s efforts in Haiti and read their press release.

I was making my morning latte when the telephone rang and my husband answered.  I heard the following his-half of the conversation:  “Hello”  “What?? (snicker, snicker)” “Okay” and he hung up.  I was instantly curious.

Apparently it was our daughter … from the downstairs bathroom!  She found herself in that ever-so-awkward, yet familiar predicament. The toilet paper roll was empty.  She had tried yelling for more but the hissing of my cappuccino machine drowned out her cries for help.  So, typically innovative, she used her ever-present cell phone … and called.

Really… a cell phone, even in the bathroom?

I have benefited from my daughter’s cell.  I can get a hold of her at anytime because we have an understanding that she ALWAYS answers my calls (thank you call-display).  She lets me know her change in plans … which happens often in a teenager’s world.  I love the safety aspect. She can call from any situation where she feels uncomfortable and we will come immediately to pick her up.  Yup – I am a fan of the cell phone.  Are you surprised?

I’ve read so many articles crying the woes of the ‘need-to-be-in-touch’ generation.  I am mystified that teens find it socially appropriate to be visiting and texting at the same time. I’ve had groups of teenagers in my home and I get such a kick out of watching each one intermittently pull out their cell, read and respond to a text and flip it closed while hardly breaking from the conversation.   The best was observing a group of teens watch a movie together. They text each other – even though they were only a sofa away!

Okay, so it is a bit much.  But I am willing to embrace a bit of cultural diversity in order to create relationship.  Over the years we have come to some clear agreements with our cell-packing teens.

1. My calls are ALWAYS answered.  I get priority calling as they keep me in the loop with their schedule.  Sometimes I call just to say I love ‘em and to throw them off …
2. No texting at the table or during family discussions.
3. The phone is not to be used after 11 pm on week-days / midnight on weekends.  This is to support self-moderation.  We came up with this rule together… literally bartering to a negotiated agreement.  This needs to be age appropriate.
4. When texting around me, I have the right to ask who they are communicating with.  This is one way that they respect me, but really… I’m just nosey.  They get it.
5. I will never read their text messages. This is me respecting them.  Although tempted to read their texts to ‘check up’ on them, my hubby and I agreed that this would be inappropriate parenting. Trust needs to be earned BOTH ways.
6. They pay their phone bills.  This one has caused a bit of consternation, but we found ‘pay as you go’ the best way to learn cell phone moderation.  A friend of mine was as horrified as her daughter was, when they received her first month’s phone bill … over $300!
7. There are agreed upon consequences if these guidelines are broken.

As a parent, I am responsible to understand the culture that my children are living in.  My role as a parent is constantly changing as my children grow.  We pick our battles, we come up with negotiated guidelines and we don’t nag.  Building trust and respect both ways allows them to make mistakes and we offer support whenever we can.

And, when they call asking for toilet paper … we laugh all the way to the supply closet.   I’m glad she called.

More for Parenting Teens
Think your teen needs counseling?
Talking to your teens about sex
Ten ways to talk to your teens about money

The shooting began at about 1330 (1930 GMT) on Thursday at a personnel and medical centre at Fort Hood – the largest US military base in the world, home to about 40,000 troops.

The commander of the base, Lt Gen Robert Cone, told NBC News that, according to eyewitnesses, Mr Hasan had shouted the Arabic phrase “Allahu Akbar!” [God is great] before opening fire.

He was shot four times during the attack and is currently being treated in hospital under armed guard.

Reports suggested that he had been increasingly unhappy in the military and that his work at his previous post – Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC – had been the subject of concern.

The New York Times said the FBI had been investigating internet postings by a man called Nidal Hasan that appeared to back suicide bombings – but said it was not clear whether it was the suspect.

How can we respond to such acts of terrible violence? Recently, Gary, a young man with a family living in Canada, faced an attack of his own: A package bomb left on the back steps of his home. Not knowing what the package was, he picked it up, and it exploded in his hands. Read Gary’s story of his survival, and how he was able to respond to an act of senseless violence.

If you are grieving or dealing with disappointment or despair, please contact us today to talk about it, we’re always here to listen.

Image credit: Daniel Greene, used with permission, Creative Commons 2.0 License.

It’s easy to think that charity is something someone else should do,

Wealth and opportunity are incredibly subjective. Those of us who eat three times a day without thinking about it, who lock the door behind us and get in our cars, who sleep in clean, safe places are better off that literally billions of people. We are rich, we just can’t see it.

Scott Harrison, founder of Charity: Water, describes his experience this way:

I traded my spacious midtown loft for a 150-square-foot cabin with bunk beds, roommates and cockroaches. Fancy restaurants were replaced by a mess hall feeding 400+ Army style. A prince in New York, now I was living in close community with 350 others. I felt like a pauper.

But once off the ship, I realized how good I really had it. In new surroundings, I was utterly astonished at the poverty that came into focus through my camera lens. Often through tears, I documented life and human suffering I’d thought unimaginable. In West Africa, I was a prince again. A king, in fact. A man with a bed and clean running water and food in my stomach.

Groups like Charity: Water, which builds wells, or DonorsChoose.org which helps fund classrooms in the US take donations in any amount. You don’t have to have $500 to donate, you can give $5 or a single dollar and dollar by dollar,  it adds up.

Back in August American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert challenges his fans to donate to DonorsChoose instead of giving him gifts. I don’t know what he expected, but in just 30 days, almost 2000 donors raised over $200,000. Most of the fans participating were young, were students or young adults still paying back student loans.

They funded band programs and dance programs, they bought paint and glue and scissors. They bought even bought pencils. (Yes, there are schools in the US where the students lack pencils.) It all adds up. If you ever need a pick-me-up, read the thank you letters the teachers have posted on the site.

Together, everyone’s little bit can do much. It can change the world. Who’s world will your $5 change? It just might be your own.

We ate salmon skewers (frozen salmon), grilled baby bok choy, and a cream cheese and cherry pie filling puffed pastry (two out of the three ingredients for this have been with us for awhile).

All this to say, my sister-in-law told me that I was not the first to feel the need to clean out the pantry. Apparently the financial crisis has sparked an interest in what is being called Eating Down The Fridge.

So I decided this was worth looking into and was, at the same time, sure to satisfy my need to clear clutter, cook creatively and pursue a more balanced lifestyle. Googling the topic brought up many blogs and forums that were taking groups through this exercise and allowing them to share recipes, menus and experiences. A Mighty Appetite, a blog on washingtonpost.com, was where I started and found my way to eG Forums where I got some great ideas to eat down my own fridge. And freezer. And cupboards.

Fat Guy from eG Forums says,

If you spend $100 a week on groceries, this experiment will put $100 back in your pocket quicker than you can say stimulus. If you’re home 50 weeks of the year and you perform this experiment once per quarter, you’ll reduce your grocery bill by 8%.

That sounded good to me so I started by taking inventory of a random selection of what our kitchen held:

• unsweetened coconut flakes
• canned bamboo shoots
• dried chickpeas
• 3 packages of vanilla pudding
• toasted carob powder
• 1 can of chunky light tuna
• 1 bag of frozen peas
• dijon mustard
• 1 package of star anise
• 1 bag large marshmallows

This is about 1/10th of what was filling our kitchen. Kind of sad. So I tried the experiment for a week, building in some rules of my own to be sure we didn’t end up with scurvy.

The Rules

1. We could buy meat and veggies as long as the majority of the meal is made of current kitchen items.
2. We could buy ingredients for recipes as long as no more than 2 new ones are needs to complete the recipe.
3. We could buy staple perishables that we regularly use up including: coffee cream, soy milk, bran cereal and coffee beans.

Over the next seven days, with the help of the internet, I created recipes for the first time, ate food I had been avoiding, and learned that we never have “nothing in the house to eat”. I spent a total of $12.43 CAD on groceries and estimate that I saved $40-$50. I was amazed to see how much variety I still had in my diet, far beyond what most of the world can afford. Saving money was a perk (probably more enjoyed by my thrifty husband) but learning to think outside the box and gain an appreciation for what I already have was truly satisfying.

I feel challenged to think about how I can up the impact next time we try this. Maybe we’ll trying growing some of our own food to cut down on purchasing them permanently, or donate the money we save to the Food Bank. Has anyone else made lifestyle changes to save money or positively affect society?

Related reading: From Making Money to Giving it Away – Bobby received news that his adopted daughter had been killed in a car accident. Bobby finally broke. “I was a wreck,” he says.

By now it is probably clear to most consumers that eating out is not the healthiest choice.

Many even make specific promises about their food choices by providing nutritional information guides and even list macronutrient details right on their menus. Such details have been welcomed by millions of consumers who are watching their waist line. Unfortunately, even if you adhere to ordering from these “healthy” menu offerings, you may still find yourself struggling to lose weight.

There may be a legitimate reason for this struggle; it’s been discovered that many of these so-called healthy menus are providing misleading information. A recent Scripps Television Station investigation revealed very disheartening results. The investigation uncovered huge discrepancies.

Both restaurant chains and fast food establishments were tested in the investigation. While some food menu items matched their published nutrition details or came close, others had variances such as twice as many calories or eight times as many fat grams. Yikes! That means while you might have counted that meal you ate out last night as only 500 calories, in reality it might have been a whopping 1,000 calories!

So, if you rely on self-published macronutrients from restaurants, you may be severely sabotaging your diet. Does this mean you must cook every meal you consume, seven days per week? No! This investigation’s evidence is just a reminder that YOU must always take full responsibility for understanding what is going in your mouth.

Rather than relying on caloric and fat information provided by restaurants, just stick with these tips when dining out:

• Start your meal with a salad that ONLY consists of veggies. Have your salad dressing on the side and try to use only 3 to 4 spoonfuls of it on your salad.
• Order your meals steamed, grilled or broiled.
• Avoid items that are fried or sautéed.
• When your server brings your meal to you, ask that half of it already be placed in a to-go bag. Then save that portion for another day.
• Ask that side veggies be steamed with no added butter or sauces.
• Choose beverages without sugar or sugar substitutes. Try water with lemon slices, unsweetened tea or caffeine free coffee.
• Skip the bread bowl.
• Don’t order appetizers in addition to an entrée.
• Share a meal with a friend.
• For sandwiches, ask for whole wheat bread.

Further reading:
Starving for Life and Loveliness – The true story of how a passing remark started a journey to anorexia and eventually back to a fully renewed life
Fasting: Is it Healthy? – Explores the role of fasting in healthy eating, as well as its historical significance