New Brunswick Election

My young cousin Ben Hicks seems obsessed

            with politics and public policy.

Perhaps someday he will be Prime Minister of Canada.

On Facebook, Ben has been keeping us updated

            about political events

                        in the Canadian province

                                    of New Brunswick.

New Brunswick held a provincial election on Monday.

Premier Shawn Graham’s Liberal government

            was soundly defeated by the Progressive Conservatives,

                        led by David Alward.

Graham had recently tried to sell

            NB Power (the province’s public utility)

                        to Hydro-Quebec.

                                    Many saw this as the gaffe

                                                that brought about his downfall.

The election campaign lasted just 32 days!

Like other Canadian provinces,

            New Brunswick has just one legislative body,

                        the Legislative Assembly, with 55 seats.

The new assembly will be composed

            of 42 Progressive Conservatives

                        and 13 Liberals.

Other New Brunswick parties

            (the New Democratic Party,

                        the Green Party, and the People’s Alliance)

                                    were unsuccessful in

                                                getting their candidates elected.

New Brunswick is a relatively poor province

            with daunting economic challenges.

The new premier will need all the help he can get

            in the days ahead.

Read more about the election HERE.

Soup Kitchen Jesus

We fed Jesus at the soup kitchen last night.

He was a pregnant young woman

            with a toddler in her arms.

He was a smiling old man with long white hair

            and trembling hands.

I was there with some friends from our church:

            Janet, Debbie, Louise, 

                        Joy, Tanner, Delanie,

                                    Steve, Rick, and Rich.

Ten of us served baked ziti and salad

            (and 5 gallons of milk)

                        to about 100 people

                                    at the Frederick Soup Kitchen

                                                on All Saints Street.

Most of them were polite and said thank you.

The building used to be a railway station,

            and Abe Lincoln gave a speech there once.

We baked and prepared, then served,

            and finally washed the dishes

                        and mopped the floor.

I had forgotten how much fun it was.

            I came home bone tired.

Jesus said, “…whatever you did

            for one of the least of these brothers of mine,

                        you did for me.”

                                    (Matthew 25:40)

Moose Season

Moose season begins today

in New Brunswick, Canada.

Three days of “harvesting.”

The humble moose (alces alces)

            has become something of a celebrity

in the world of marketing.

This summer the stores in Bar Harbor, Maine

            were full of moose tee-shirts, caps,

                        posters and such like.

(Not to mention candy “moose droppings”

and “moose pee.” Seriously.)

The moose is, of course, well-known as an icon

            throughout Canada and the northern USA.

What I didn’t know is that northern Europe and Asia

boast large populations of moose as well.

Sweden’s moose population may be 400,000,

and hunters there kill 150,000 animals a year,

more than the total killed annually

in all of North America.

Moose are called “European elk” in Eurasia,

            not to be confused with

the North American wapiti (cervus canadensis).

The largest moose subspecies is found in Alaska and Yukon.

These bulls average 7 feet high at the shoulder

            with a 6-foot antler span

                        and a weight of 1400 pounds.

Read more HERE.

The Psalms - God Speaking to Me

God is speaking to me
            as I read the Psalms this summer and fall.

I’m involved in a project –

            writing hymns based on individual psalms.

Many mornings I’m spending an hour and a half

            writing one hymn based on one psalm.

I’ve never focused so intensely for so long

            on one passage of scripture.

And I think God is working in me –

            softening my hard heart.

Here’s how it often works:

            Last Friday I was studying Psalm 24.

I copied the psalm from Bible Gateway

            and pasted it on my MS Word page.

                        There are ten verses in this psalm.

First you look for colourful words or phrases –

            The earth is the LORD’s (v.1)

            Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? (v.3)

            Lift up your heads, O you gates;

                        be lifted up, you ancient doors,

                        that the King of glory may come in. (v.7)

Each of these phrases launched a new stanza of the new hymn.

Look at words or synonyms that are repeated –  

            earth – world

            everything – all

            seas – waters

            blessing – vindication

            strong – mighty – Almighty

In this psalm verses 7-8 are repeated

            almost verbatim in verses 9-10:

 ⁷ Lift up your heads, O you gates;
       be lifted up, you ancient doors,
       that the King of glory may come in.

 ⁸ Who is this King of glory?
       The LORD strong and mighty,
       the LORD mighty in battle.

 ⁹ Lift up your heads, O you gates;
       lift them up, you ancient doors,
       that the King of glory may come in.

 ¹⁰ Who is he, this King of glory?
       The LORD Almighty—
       he is the King of glory. 

The psalmist is clearly focused on the poetic concept

            of Jerusalem’s gates opening to Lord

                        as He returns from battle.

This is a strong image

            encouraging God’s people to worship the Lord –

                        to love Him, to offer Him their lives.

I read the phrases again and again,

            trying to think of similar words and ideas

                        to fit the structure of the hymn form.

Sometimes the meanings of the phrases

            lead me to other related ideas or poetic images.

In the first stanza, the idea of swimming Earth’s oceans,

            climbing Earth’s mountains,

                        and experiencing the warmth of the sun

                                    as you reach the summit of a mountain:

1. All the earth belongs to Jesus,

All the world is His domain

Every person, every planet

Universal is His reign.

Swim the mighty, raging ocean

Climb the mountain, feel the sun

God’s creative Word was spoken

He declared, and it was done.

Stanza 4 is my personal response to the psalm.

            Tears were streaming down my face

                        as the words came quickly:

4. Now we come, with hearts wide open

Now we come to all fall down

Put aside your lofty notions

Put away your boastful crown

Only One deserves our worship

Only One deserves our praise

Come to offer full devotion,

Love and serve Him all our days!

The image of the elders casting their crowns

            before the Lamb (Revelation 4:9-11)

                        came to mind,

and I took the image of the crown

            as whatever human glory we have attained.

All our glory must be put aside

            as we come into the presence

                        of the Lamb of God.

God broke me as I wrote this hymn.

            Here it is in its entirety.

(Written music is available free on request.)

All the Earth Belongs to Jesus (Psalm 24)

words: Gary Hicks (9.17.2010),

copyright 2010, Gary L. Hicks

tune: “Holy Manna” by William Moore

(“Brethren, We Have Met to Worship”)

All the earth belongs to Jesus,

All the world is His domain

Every person, every planet

Universal is His reign.

Swim the mighty, raging ocean

Climb the mountain, feel the sun

God’s creative Word was spoken

He declared, and it was done.

Who may climb the hill of Zion?

Who may reach God’s holy place?

There to stand in fearful Presence,

Feel the tender touch of grace?

All whose hearts and hands are holy

All whose lips speak truth and love

Such are welcomed by the Father

To His pleasant courts above.

Lift your heads, O gates of Zion

Lift them up, you ancient doors

Open to the King of glory

Open up to Christ the Lord.

Who, this King so strong and mighty

Who, this robed and shining one?

He is mighty to deliver –

God Almighty, God the Son.

Now we come, with hearts wide open

Now we come to all fall down

Put aside your lofty notions

Put away your boastful crown

Only One deserves our worship

Only One deserves our praise

Come to offer full devotion,

Love and serve Him all our days!

Fredericton's "Culture Corner"

If you’re ever in Fredericton, NB,

     you may want to explore its “culture corner.”

          (I’m calling it the “culture corner”,

               but I don’t think there’s an official name.)

There beside the bank of the Saint John River,

     near the southeast end of Queen Street,

     you’ll find at least four great stops:

Christ Church Cathedral (above), the cathedral church

of the Anglican Diocese of Fredericton.

Opened in 1853, it’s a Gothic Revival building

(no revivals there lately, I’m guessing)

modeled after St. Mary’s Church

in Snettisham, Norfolk, UK.

New Brunswick Legislative Building (below), 
     opened in 1882,

a fine Victorian structure now under renovation.

Beaverbrook Art Gallery, established by New Brunswick’s own

Max Aitken, who became Lord Beaverbrook,

a British press lord.

I really like this place, with lots of paintings

by Canadian Cornelius Krieghoff,

and Salvador Dali’s Santiago el Grande (below).

If you like art galleries,

this may require several hours.

The Playhouse, another gift from Beaverbrook in 1964.

This 700-seat venue is home to Theatre New Brunswick

and a myriad of other entertainments.

Don’t miss the “culture corner”

if you’ve got an hour or two to experience

New Brunswick’s City of Stately Elms. 

Fredericton Memories

City of Stately Elms, it was called.

            Fredericton is a beautiful city.

The capital of New Brunswick,

            home of UNB and St. Thomas U.

            home of Willie O’Ree and Danny Grant.

As a boy, I lived at 233 Aberdeen Street

            in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.

Twenty kids lived on our block.

We played hide-and-seek, street hockey,

            backyard softball

                        and pick-up games of touch football.

We played marbles and yoyos and pea-shooters,

            go fish, old maid and crazy eights.

We rode bikes and hiked along the railroad tracks.

Seems like we skated all winter long,

            at Wilmot Park and the Lady Beaverbrook Arena.

I played crokinole with my father on winter evenings.

            He let me drive the 1962 Pontiac Laurentian

                        in the driveway.

We walked to school –

            York Street Elementary,

            Connaught Street Elementary,

            Smythe Street Elementary.

(Never heard or knew of sexual predators.)

            Saturdays I walked seven blocks

                        to the library on Queen Street.

I visited and watched TV in the homes of my friends.

We went to Inkster’s,

            the tiny convenience store on Argyle Street,

                        buying Lik-M-Ade, gum, pop and ice cream.

Explored the small city

            as if we were Radisson and Groseilliers –

                        “coureurs des bois”.

Those were halcyon days. J

This I Believe

(A birthday card for my wife,

in the style of the National Public Radio series)

I believe in Connie, my fairest, dearest friend.

At first, my belief was more like hope.

I saw her grace and beauty,

            and I hoped to experience more of her.

I hoped she wouldn’t mind my advances.

That was a long time ago.

            Today, I believe in Connie

                        because of the content of her character.

She is a person of principle.

When there is trouble,

            she will usually have the right words.

When a principle needs to be maintained,

            she will maintain it.

When someone needs help, she will help if she can.

She honors her father and her mother.

When our daughters need affirmation,

            she affirms and encourages.

When our grandsons need hug and snuggles,

            she drops everything to make that happen.

I believe in Connie because she usually believes in me.

She often believes in me

            when I’ve stopped believing in myself.

She prays for me. She longs for me.

She cooks and cleans for me.

She believes that I’m quite bright and fairly honest,

            but she’ll take me to task

                        when I need to be confronted or challenged.

She is patient with me.

            I’ve been trying her patience since 1975.

I believe in taking out the garbage

            and filling her gas tank twice a week.

I believe in picking up after myself (believe it or not).

I believe in long thoughtful conversations

            over a meal or at bedtime.

I believe in holding hands and lying together.

I believe in love.

            Deep, deep love, deeper than the depths of the sea.

And I believe that I will live with Connie

            as long as we share life and breath.

Happy Birthday!

Love,

Gary xoxo

Campobello Island and FDR

Last month we visited Campbello Island

            for the first time.

Curiously, we went to Lubec, Maine

            to access the only bridge to this Canadian island.

It’s one of several islands in the Bay of Fundy

            which are part of the Canadian province

                        of New Brunswick.

Campobello is roughly nine miles long

            and three miles wide.

It has 1000 year-round residents.

The summer home of Franklin D. Roosevelt

            for over 40 years,

                        this beautiful place was a cool retreat

                                    in the late 1800s

                        for wealthy families from New York,

                                    Boston and Montreal.

Large resort hotels were built here.

FDR’s parents bought a cottage here in the early 1880s.

            As a child and young man,

                        Roosevelt sailed and canoed

                                    around the coastline

                                                and played golf here.

In 1909 the Roosevelt family acquired

            what is now called the “Roosevelt Cottage”,

                        a fascinating 34-room wooden structure

                                    that housed FDR’s growing family       

                                                and a number of servants as well.

Beautifully maintained,

            it is open to the public at no charge.

The Roosevelt Campobello International Park

                        was opened in 1964, operated jointly

                                    by the Canadian

                                                and United States governments.

It preserves 1,134 hectares of land,

            including bog-land,

                        several beaches and points,

                                    a picnic area,

                                                walking trails and park drives.

The adjacent Herring Cove Provincial Park

            boasts an outstanding beach,

                        golf course and small golf club restaurant.

We really enjoyed Herring Cove Beach,

            with few people there on August 2, 2010.

Before we left, we drove up to the northern tip,

            to East Quoddy Light.

We watched several whales surfacing,

            to the delight of those gathered

                        at this beautiful scenic location.

We hope to go back soon!

My Father's Blessing

Last Sunday afternoon

            I received my father’s blessing.

I had called Mom and Dad on the phone.

We were talking about Mom’s recent diagnosis

            of Alzheimer’s disease.

It was a touching conversation,

            and both my parents were fully engaged.

They spoke of approaching each day

            with the expectation of happiness,

                        based on God’s goodness.

And on the simple delight of a shared day

            after 60 years of life together.

I told them that I wished I could be with them,

            to be more supportive in these challenging days.

Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere,

            Dad said, “I’m so proud of you.”

What was that again?

I said nothing

            and began to weep as Mom continued talking.

I’ve waited all my life to hear that!

            Dad has told me “I love you,”

                        but this is my first time to hear

                             “I’m proud…”

                                      Wow!

From childhood I’ve waited.

He was the master carpenter, skilled with his hands.

            I could never measure up.

I remember his expressions

            of frustration and disappointment.

Those words and expressions have lingered

            like weights all these years.

Four years ago I brought them

            a book of 50 old hymn texts

                        for which I had written new tunes.

He seemed to pay no attention to it at all.

            I was crushed by his indifference.

                        I was angry.

                                    He didn’t understand, I think.

But now I have the “I’m proud…”

            I had given up ever expecting

                        to hear that from him.

Something has been released within me,

            something powerful…

Dare I say it?

            I wonder if some demon

                        has been exorcised from my life.

In their book The Blessing,

            John Trent and Gary Smalley offer a look

                        at the life-changing gift

                                    which the Bible calls “the blessing.”

            The unconditional love and approval

                        that come with a parent’s blessing

                                    can be important elements

                                                in our emotional well-being.

I’ve got it now!

            And no one can take that away from me!