FLASHBACK - ZABETH & PAUL BAYNE

This is a flashback to well over a decade ago when I officiated the wedding ceremony for Zabeth and Paul. Today they have four vibrant, growing, intelligent and lovely children. They could never have imagined as they knelt before me (their choice), that within a few years they would experience yet endure the gravest assault upon their family, their hearts and their reputations. In 2007, accused (but unproven) of hurting their youngest of three children then, all three children were removed from them. For four years they maintained their innocence and fought passionately through hearings and court cases. Then as a crowning insult, their newborn fourth child was removed shortly after birth in 2011. With the help of the late Doug Christie (barrister extraordinaire) and Ray Ferris (former MCFD supervisor turned critic) and through their own faith and determination and the moral support of hundreds of advocates, they received their children back in 2011, and in the five years since then, their thriving family provides the continuing evidence of a wrong diagnosis, incorrect assumptions of guilt, the risk of unfettered power among blasé bureaucrats, social workers and litigators; as well as the evidence of the diligent, honest, upright and loving parents and people that Paul and Zabeth are. They are a continuing inspiration to many troubled people. I will never forget them, Zabeth in particular with whom I maintained an almost daily contact through the years of their ordeal. Thank you God, for setting them free.

ROB FORD IS A MAN OF FAITH

Rob Ford is a man of faith. He believes in himself absolutely. He unreservedly believes that he is meant to be Mayor and that he is unimpeachable by virtue of being Rob Ford, and that his agenda and solutions for Toronto are indispensable. So committed is he to this faith that a compromise, a leave of absence to seek help is deemed by him to be a surrender. Not his occasional drug taking or dishonesty but his unqualified faith is dehumanizing him and corrupting him.

For all our sakes we wish to bestow power upon the wise. Sadly, all of us, including the wise, share a potential for corruptibility. Bestow power on a person and you create a true test of character. History and experience inform us that power attracts the corruptible. Invariably, power in human hands will be liable to abuse. We can never assume that power and wisdom are synonymous. These are truths we are relearning as we watch Rob Ford's world unravel. I hope he receives help willingly and survives as a father and husband but not as a Mayor.

INVITATION TO PRAY / Part 159 / For Love and For Justice / Zabeth and Paul Bayne/

Whatever works right?

The Bayne family believe that prayer works. Some might suggest that it hasn’t worked so far. That’s merely a matter of perspective. In any case, they are going to pray again and they have invited other people to join them.

It’s a thing that Christians do – pray together. It’s a united front, a combined intercessory effort.

In this case it has an interesting twist. They are not inviting people to meet at a particular location. They are merely asking people to allocate some time to prayer during a two day period. You simply become involved wherever you are.

They have asked that from Friday April 16th at 8 AM until Sunday evening April 18th at 8 PM, people pray. They know that some people will robustly commit to this so according to a formula in the Bible they invite people to fast and to pray.

To harmonize this prayer focus they have listed a series of requests to put to God and here they are.
1. Pray for God's Will to be done and His Sovereignty and His Purposes to be made clear in their family.
2. Pray for wisdom, understanding and patience as they wait upon God and His timelines to be fulfilled.
3. Pray that God’s Love and Tenderness will be made evident in their children's daily lives.

As you know, you can ask anything else you desire, and on their Facebook 'A CALL TO PRAYER' page you can add those requests for others to read. (at Facebook just ask for A Call to Prayer.) Once there you are asked to RSVP to indicate your involvement in the special two day prayer effort.

The Baynes cite a couple of Bible verses to explain their position of faith.

Proverbs 16:33
“We may cast lots (dice) but the Lord determines how they fall.” The Baynes believe that every decision, every step has been ordained and allowed by God's Sovereign Will.

1 John 5: 14 - 15
“14 And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. 15 And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.”

The picture was taken some time after the children were taken into care. "Pray that the Lord keeps hope in their hearts as we wait for His intervention in our lives."

“God bless everyone of you that has supported and prayed with us these many months.” The Baynes

Zabeth and Paul Bayne – Part 29 – The Bayne Campaign for Justice

HELP THEM TO HOPE

I have told you before that Paul and Zabeth are people with a personal faith in God and are committed Christians. Faith plays a role in coping with heartache as great as theirs has been and still is. In fact they would say that without a belief that Someone beyond this realm is looking after their life and their interests, they would despair. Almost everyone in an elected or hired position of authority that might influence this case and to whom they have appealed, has declined, or not answered, or found a conflict of commitments or protocol. But they truly believe that God has introduced into their lives some people who are vitally interested in helping them and who can speak for them to present a reasonable claim for the return of their children. Further, they believe that this agony has extended this long for purposes not yet revealed but that far exceed the expectations of the Ministry of Children and Family Development.

They say that they must purposely entrust their children to God’s care each day and they are comforted in knowing that so many people are praying for them and their children. If not for this comfort they would be overcome with worry not only for the children’s present emotional and physical well being but for the ultimate outcome of this hard passage in their lives. They admit to losing hope or composure at times when they have to say goodbye yet again or they pass a room where the children might be.

They have told me. “We have made each visit with our children one that contains Bible story time, prayer before snacks, prayer before we part, encouraging them to talk to Jesus when they are afraid, lonely, wanting to come home, etc. Time is so short and we do see evidence of the foster homes set of ethics and values. What we had wanted for our children in training as well as in preserving their innocence and growth feels so threatened, but again we have given our children to the Lord to care for and He does watch over them. We will continue to do all we can to foster their love for Jesus and their trust in Him to bring them home.”
While you sip your coffee today, please go to the petition page to sign for them, and send this link to your friends.
Please Don't Hesitate to Sign this Petition. Click the Link below..

"Bayne Campaign for Justice Petition"
Join the growing number of people who are signing a petition to have the children returned to Paul and Zabeth. It's free and takes less than a minute of your time. Please sign your full name, even though the anonymous option is offered. The name counts.
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Baynekids?e