Kangaroo Court

Kangaroo Court is a mock court. It is a sham legal system where justice is determined in advance or by the loudest voice. People go on trial before the Kangaroo Court and are handed down a verdict with no chance for appeal or proper defense.

A friend of mine had the chance to be a part of a Kangaroo Court and I will never forget the impact it had on my life...

Every evening at Summer Camp they would hold a Kangaroo Court with the entire camp as the jury. It was a fun way to pass out punishment to kids that misbehaved that day and keep the camp running smoothly.

The counsellors would put a camper on trial for offences, such as: their bunk was left a mess, they didn’t slop their plate, they snuck out of the cabin at night, or even the unthinkable, they were caught red handed pulling a prank!

Like at every Summer Camp, there was a group of the ‘cool bad boys’ who just thought they were too cool for everything and were always up to mischief. If something went missing in their cabin, everyone knew it was one of those boys that took it, but could never prove anything. They pulled pranks and snuck out at night but never got caught. The whole camp was fed up with these boys and wanted to put them on trail at Kangaroo Court, but couldn’t nail them on anything specific.

It was the second to last day of camp and it seemed the boys were getting on everyone’s nerves. That afternoon, a bunch of the girl cabin leaders were all stretched out in the sun, tanning during free time. These boys got great big buckets of ice cold water and decided to absolutely soak the girls. There was pandemonium in the camp! The boys were caught in the act!!

A normal punishment handed out to guilty campers at Kangaroo Court was dish duty or cleaning the toilets or even standing up and having to sing a song all by yourself. But this seemed to be a special occasion. The staff thought of a punishment so severe and embarrassing. They really wanted to teach these boys a lesson.

The punishment was that if found guilty, the boys would be bound hand and foot and carried to the barn where the horses and pigs were kept. They would be tied up behind the tractor and pulled through the pigs’ mud back and forth. Then they would be thrown into the long feeding trough where the pigs eat, and be dragged through the gross slop head first.

It was up to the Kangaroo Court to determine if they were guilty or not and if it warranted such a harsh punishment.

That night at Kangaroo Court the whole camp laughed and cheered when the boys were brought on trial. The judge read aloud the crime they were accused of and the suggested punishment. The camp could hardly contain themselves. They bellowed with laughter and anticipation. They started to chant “Guilty, Guilty, Guilty!”

The mob swept up the boys, binding their hands and feet and carried them off to the barn, with the camp laughing and cheering the entire way. The campers all gathered around the outside of the pigs’ pen, standing on the fence rails to get a better view, all the while chanting “Guilty, Guilty, Guilty!”

The boys were terrified at this point, not feeling so cool anymore, with tears streaming down their face. The camp director saw this all unfolding and knew he had to put a stop to it. He walked over to the tractor driver, whispered something into his ear, and started to untie the boys. The campers got even louder as they saw this happen. He told the boys to tie up his wrists and his ankles, and a hush fell over the crowd. He carried on with the penalty as the boys watched with tears in their eyes. He was pulled behind the tractor through the mud and not a sound peeped from the crowd. He was then picked up and carried over to the pig trough and was pulled head first through the slop. The mob was silenced as they watched in bewilderment.

When it was all over he was untied and stood up before all of the campers and staff. He was drenched in mud and slop from head to toe. He told them all how at one time HE was found guilty, rightly deserving of a harsh punishment for the way that he acted. But someone stepped in and took HIS place... Jesus.

Jesus was nailed to HIS cross.

Those were supposed to be HIS nails.

That was supposed to be HIS punishment.

But Jesus took HIS judgment.

The camp director went on to tell the camp that not only did Jesus do this for him, but for each and every one of them!

It was raw. It was real. Everyone had just witness the selfless love of Christ being acted out right before their very eyes.

The bible teaches that every one of us has been handed down the verdict of guilty by God, the Good Judge.  We are all sinners. We have all made mistakes. We are guilty of not measuring up to God’s awesome standard of perfection. And our punishment is spiritual death. Eternal separation from God. But instead of us having to walk out that sentence, Jesus took our guilt, took our shame, and nailed it to the cross. He died in our place, so we wouldn’t have to.

Jesus really did take your punishment upon himself and now you are free... today how will you live differently because of it?

The Beach

Picture a beautiful beach. Some people are sun tanning, some are playing beach volleyball, some are building sandcastles, some are having picnics, some are starting a bonfire, and some are playing along the shoreline.

It’s a picture perfect day. The sun is out and everyone is living life to the full.

The lifeguard is on duty and keeping a watchful eye on the ocean.

All of a sudden the lifeguard sees something. He notices that not far in the distance, a young man is struggling. Every time he comes up for air he swallows another huge gulp of the salty sea water. He looks like he is trying to swim to shore, but it is clear that he is not going to make it on his own, no matter how hard he tries. This man is clearly on the verge of drowning!

Instinctively, the lifeguard jumps into the water and swims out to him. He wraps his powerful arms around him and brings him to the beach safely.

Initially the man is pretty shaken up, but he dries off and starts to enjoy life with everyone else on the beach.

Not too long after hanging out on the beach, he decides to go back out into the water. Perhaps he has become a better swimmer by playing beach volleyball and spending time in the sun??? Yet, he was just saved. Why would he want to go back out into the same water that almost took his very life?

Before he knows, water is filling his lungs once again, and he cannot seem to keep his head above the waves. He starts to thrash about when he feel the arms of the lifeguard once again hold him fast and bring him back to safety.

Let me fill you in on what`s really going on here in case you aren’t following the analogy. Jesus is the lifeguard, the beach is the church, and I am the person who is drowning. I am floundering about in the seas of life, trying to keep my head above the water. Worry, doubt, peer pressure, sin, temptation, bitterness, and purposelessness, are overtaking me and I begin to thrash about, but it seems to be of no use. I cannot rescue myself. I’m drowning, and I`m in desperate need of a savior.

Jesus saw my need.

Jesus came into my desperate situation.

Jesus rescued me.

The great rescue.

The Bible tells us that we are ALL in need of a savior. Not just me.

Jesus is looking to rescue you today!

There seems to be three different ways that people respond to this great rescue.

First off, once we are saved, instead of living a life of gratitude to our savior, and joining the very cause by which we have been saved, we end up leaving the beach and going back to the very waves that will inevitably take our lives for good. It is almost like we don`t even care that the lifeguard was willing to trade his life for ours so that we could be saved.

The second way people respond is almost a polar opposite reaction, but it ends up being just as senseless. We get all dried off from being rescued, and plant ourselves strong on the beach. Real strong.  We immerse ourselves in beach culture. We become all-stars at beach volleyball.  Or, we pick out a spot on the beach that will be comfortable to us so we can tan all day with our new beach friends. Or, we join a committee to decide who’s going to be bringing the ingredients to make the picnic bigger and better for tomorrow. Or, we start to study the sand to find what degree of moisture to sand ratio makes for the best sandcastles.

We get so comfortable with being beach bums for life, that we forget, not too long ago we didn`t even know there was a beach, and that there was a way for us to get there...the lifeguard. We fall more deeply in love with the beach then we do our savior. We get so focused on what the beach has to offer and what big event is coming up next on the beach that we fail to remember the tide is continually knocking at our door.

The ocean still exists. 

And maybe, just maybe, there is someone else out there that may need help.

The life guard sits on his perch with his gaze set, not on the beach, but the ocean. His full time job is to save lives. If we understand that the lifeguard rescued us, and there is no way we could have gotten to the beach if it wasn’t for him, and we know there are others out there drowning like we were, wouldn’t it make sense that we would want to help save others?

Let us take our focus off the beach and start to put our focus on the water. Let us join the lifeguard in his cause, in his mission, in his purpose.

Which brings us to the third way we can respond to the great rescue.

Let us rise up. It is time to strap on a lifeguard flotation device, put your red short shorts on and become a lifeguard assistant. Join the Chief Lifeguard in his mission. Let his selfless act inspire you to make a difference. Let his love compel you. Once we are rescued, it doesn`t make sense for us to just stay on the beach singing our songs around a bonfire or getting our tan on. We need to follow in the lifeguard`s footsteps, in his relentless pursuit of the lost and drowning.

Let`s not stand idly by, let`s not swim away from our savior, let us join the cause of Christ and have an eternal impact on the world around us.

There is an ocean of people out there and they are in desperate need of a savior. 

How will you respond?

Ernest and His Boat

This week I heard a story about a boy and his boat and it reminded me of two of the most simplest truths that we will ever learn.

Early in the 1920’s there was a boy named Ernest who built a boat. He went out and found a piece of wood for the hull and bits of plastic to make a sail. He worked on it for months until he was finally finished. He worked so hard to make it just right. It was his boat, a masterpiece!

Ernest brought his boat down to the river to see if it would float. He launched it from the shore and watched in amazement as his boat bobbed and bounced in the current. He tugged it along with a string as he ran down the shoreline. He was so very proud.

The current grew stronger and the wind started to blow. The string slipped out of his grip, and the boat started to drift away. Panic struck Ernest as he tried desperately to retrieve his boat, but it was no use. A devastated little boy walked home sobbing because his boat was gone.

Weeks later Ernest went to the city with his brothers. As they walked along the sidewalks, they passed store front windows. And to his amazement, there in the front window of a pawn shop, was his boat! He ran in and picked up his boat. His tool marks were on it, even his name was etched into the hull. It was unmistakably his boat!

The store owner came over and told him if he wanted the boat, it would cost him 10 dollars. Ernest pleaded with him and showed the owner how in fact the boat was already his because he made it. As far as the owner was concerned, the cost of the boat was 10 dollars.

Ernest ran home and started to find work so he could make the money to buy his boat back. It wasn’t easy, but finally after weeks of working, he had saved up 10 whole dollars. He rushed back to the pawn shop and gave the owner the money. Ernest picked up his boat and stared at it, as he held it in the air, and said, “You’re doublely mine. First you’re mine because I made you, and secondly you’re mine because I bought you back!”

In this story, I’m not the boy, I’m the boat.

Not only am I created by the God of the universe, but He reached his hand into my world and saved me. He saw the written warrant against me, the price tag that was on my life, and He chose to cover me with unmerited favour. Jesus took my place on the cross, he took my penalty as his own, just to buy me back!

First God CREATED us and then God REDEEMED us! 

We are DOUBLELY his!

Isaiah 43:1-4 tells us,
“I am the God who made you in the first place,
   the One who got you started:
"Don't be afraid, I've redeemed you. 
   I've called your name. You're mine.
When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you. 
   When you're in rough waters, you will not go down.
When you're between a rock and a hard place, 
   it won't be a dead end—
Because I am God, your personal God, 
   The Holy of Israel, your Savior.
I paid a huge price for you: 
   all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in!
That's how much you mean to me! 
   That's how much I love you!
I'd sell off the whole world to get you back, 
   trade all of creation just for you.”

Often times we forget these simple facts. It seems we get confused and think that our works or actions had something to do with it. It was all God, right from the start. It’s only by grace that we’ve been saved.

Ephesians 2:8 tells us “Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish! We don't play the major role. If we did, we'd probably go around bragging that we'd done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving.”

Be encouraged today to live your life in response to what Jesus first did for you. You are living on “borrowed” time. Everyday live a life worthy of the grace that you’ve received. Be honoured that God both created you and redeemed you. After all, we are doublely His!

It's the end of the world as we know it?

There is alot of talk about the world coming to an end tomorrow, and it’s been getting me thinking. If the "rapture" happens tomorrow, there are a few things I would miss:

-Meeting Paxton’s brother and sister
-Growing old together with Ashlee
-Watching a Canucks vs Bruins final

We all might miss out on different things, but one thing that we all need to be painfully aware of is this.

Are you ready for the world to end? 

Do you know where you'll end up?

Please here me when I say this, No I don’t think it’s the end of the world tomorrow, but if it is, I’m ready for it. 

Jesus this is my prayer, may I live everyday like it is my last. Help me keep your priorities, my priorities. I don't want to get distracted by trivial things around me. My gaze is set, my heart is strong, my citizenship is not of this world, and my feet are firmly planted in your truth. This world has nothing to offer me compared to the surpassing greatness of know Christ Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior. This is not a secret to be kept. Give me strength, courage, and passion to share it with my world around me. 

Eyes On The Prize

I am a hockey fan. I love the game. The energy, the intensity, the passion.

The playoffs just bring it all to a whole new level of perfection.

I’m not one of these band wagon jumpers or only a fan during the playoffs...

I bleed blue and green!

The Vancouver Canucks are my team. WE ARE ALL CANUCKS.

Can you imagine what a hockey game would look like if there weren’t any nets? All the other rules and regulations would stay the same, but just no nets. The defence would still try tirelessly to clear the zone and the forwards would still continue the cycle game in the corner. Big open ice hits would be thrown and the players would be stick-handling the puck all over the ice. The goalie would still be in his crease, but with nothing to guard.

With no nets, the game would transform from a battle between two teams trying to score on one another, to a glorified figure skating exhibition without judges.

Without nets, the game of hockey becomes pointless.

All the stick-handling in the world will get you nowhere. Puck possession doesn’t win games, scoring goals does.

When you take away the objective of the game it loses all of its purpose.

The same thing goes for our lives. We need purpose. We need to know what we are playing for, what we are living for. Or else we are just skating around wasting time, waiting for the final horn to sound on our lives.

1 Corinthians 9:24-26

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.  All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.

It would be silly to see a race happen that didn’t have a finish line. Where are the runners running to? And for how long? If everyone is running around aimlessly, who wins? What’s the point?

Can you picture what a boxing match would look like if the fighters keep throwing punches but not a single one of them land? They are literally just beating up the air. Who wins? What’s the purpose?

I want to live with purpose. I want to make my punches count.

God calls us to live with purpose, to live with a goal and with the prize in perspective. Our prize is eternity. It’s life forever with Jesus in Heaven.

Today be encouraged to live your life with eternity in perspective. Let’s not get caught up in the stick-handling of life, focusing on the things that don’t fulfill our purpose: pursuing fame, chasing down wealth, and living for our own selfish desires. Let’s live in such a way as to be worthy of the calling we’ve received, let’s live our lives with our eyes on the prize.

Purple Christian

I can’t remember where I got it, but I knew it was mine. It was my favourite of all my Hot Wheels, a white Lamborghini. Now, what made my Lambo so special was that it was a color changer! When you put it in water it changed from white to purple. I still don’t know how it did it, but to an 8 year old, it was very impressive! 

As the car dried, it would fade to pink, and then completely back to white, as if it had never been a different color. I would sit and play with my Hot Wheels just waiting for the newly purpled Lamborghini to transform back to white just so I could get it wet again and watch the mystery unfold.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

We may have started out being a white Lamborghini before we knew Jesus, but once we met him, our lives were changed. We’ve been made a new color... Purple.

The funny thing is, that so many Christians walk around and they don’t look very purple.

Some claim to know Christ, and even have a story about when they met Jesus and were saved, but by their actions it’s obvious they are a faded pink, almost completely reset.

I want to be a Purple Christian.

My life has been transformed by the God of the universe. A Holy God, saw my need for a Savior, and sent His one and only son Jesus to do something about it. My old white has gone, and my new purple has come...why would I ever go back?

Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world...”

God has called us to be different. Not to blend in. To take a stand.

No I don’t think we need to get on a soap box and wear a sandwich board sign that says “Repent! The End Is Near!” as we ring a giant bell.

But it seems that time and time again, Christians end up looking so much like the world around them, that you wouldn’t even be able to tell that they’re in love with a Savoir, and that their life has been transformed.

In a world full of white Lamborghinis maybe it’s time we take a look at ourselves to determine what color we really are.

LOVESTRONG

“One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard: that you, O God, are STRONG, and that you, O God, are LOVING.”  Psalms 62:11-12

Build these two things into the very fabric of who you are, the foundation of your faith, your relationship with God.

He is STRONG. 
He is LOVING.

If you keep these two things in perspective, you will never lose heart, you will never fade away.

Let’s break it down.

He is All Powerful and His purposes are Supreme. Nothing is outside the realm of possibility for Him. The Bible is littered with these truths.

“No plan of His can be thwarted!” Job 42:2

“He lifts His voice, the earth melts.” Psalm 46:6

“If it were His intention and He withdrew His spirit and breath, all mankind would perish together.” Job.34:14-15

He created the universe at a single word.

He flooded the earth to stand for holiness.

The plagues in Egypt were just a flex of His strength.

He can destroy a city, send fire from heaven, and control all weather in just one single act.

Nations are brought to their knees before him.

Entire armies are halted at his might.

No storm could slow him down.

No cross was too heavy to bear.

And No grave could hold him!

This is my God.

He is Strong and Mighty to Save.

Now if he was just STRONG and not LOVING...we would be afraid of Him. Living with our heads down, in fear of what might happen next.

If he was just LOVING and not STRONG... He would be nice to be around, nice to know, but He would simply be incapable of doing anything about our lives.

What is so magnificent about God, He is the perfect combination of them both. My God is both STRONG and LOVING!

“He does not treat us as our sins deserve.” Psalms 103:8-12

“This is love, not that we love God, but that he first loved us, and sent His son as an atoning sacrifice for us.” 1 John 4:9-10

“Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.” Romans 8:35-39

The mix of God being LOVING and STRONG, work together so beautiful. If these are the only two things you know about God, you’re set. He loves you enough to want a relationship with you, despite all the mistakes you’ve made and the sin you’ve committed. And He’s strong enough to deal with the sin in your life, setting you free to live for him!

“God demonstrates His own love for us in this...while we were still sinners Christ died.” Romans 5:8

Blind Man's Bluff

A man staggers towards a massive cliff. There’s no one else around, as you watch him stumble closer towards the edge. As you look closer you notice he’s blind. He has no idea the free fall that awaits him if he continues on the same route. Sudden and imminent death awaits him.

What is the most loving thing you could do for this man?

Offer him some food or fresh water? A warm blanket or jacket? Maybe an invitation to an upcoming worship night?

Or is the most loving thing you can do for that man...

TACKLE HIM!

It seems insane to make sure he is well fed as he falls to his death or comfortable in his new clothes as he goes over the edge.

If we truly want to show love to him, our first priority should be life or death.

God give us eyes to see people the way you do!

If only God could somehow tell us how he sees people.

“The god of this age (Satan) has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” – 2 Corinthians 4:4

Unbelievers are stone-blind to the truth of Jesus Christ. They do not recognise that living a life without Jesus is a route leading to death.

God has called us who believe to do something about it.

If you know Christ and he’s removed your blinders, then it is time to shed some light in the friends around you that don’t know Jesus and are still lost in darkness. Pray today that we could start to see people the way God does, and respond accordingly.

“You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—SHINE!” – Matthew 5:14

Black and White

I yelled at an old man. Not only did I yell at him, I pushed him over first, and then I yelled at him.

Not one of my proudest moments.

For as long as I can remember I’ve loved to compete. I grew up as the youngest in a family of 3 boys. My dad, brothers, and I, would often play a “rip-snortin” game of backgammon, cribbage, road hockey, basketball, or badminton. We all took it dead serious and the competition level was always 100%. Losing was not an option, win at all cost.

It’s crazy what sports can do to you. Competitiveness can consume you. Everything I’ve ever learnt about integrity goes out the window as soon as the ref blows the starting whistle, or you click your sticks together three times as you say, “N” “H” “L”.

A few years back I was playing soccer with Youth Church in the BC Christian Soccer League. Our team was undefeated in regular season play and we were heading into the playoffs. We were playing a team that had seniors, women, and children on their squad. This was a ‘must win’ game and it should have been a walk in the park.

Halfway through the game, we found ourselves down by a goal, and the intensity started to pick up. The ball hit my leg and went out of bounds, and I argued with the ref that I never touched the ball. Clearly I knew the ball hit me, but I pleaded my case admittedly. I justified in my mind that lying was ok, if it meant we had a better chance at winning. Besides it’s just a game, does God really care about a game? What happens on the field stays on the field, right? I can become a totally different person when I am on the field and justify it by making excuse after excuse.

And then it happened.

One of the lowest points in my life.

A tall, older gentlemen, most likely retired, was my check all game. Every time I touched the ball, he would tug on my shirt, and kick me in the shins. It was a battle all game. I got to my breaking point. When he came in for the next hard tackle, I dropped my shoulder and shoved him to the ground. I stood over him like a warrior over his conquered enemy, and yelled, “GET UP OLD MAN!!”

It wasn’t until after the game that I was able to process what had just happened.

What was I thinking?

Who was I out there?

Did all that really just happen?

I am a pastor, a Christian. I should know better.

How can I claim to love Jesus one moment, and then go act like an idiot out there the next?

It’s like I cared more about the score of the match, then I did about my convictions and my beliefs. Unlike the colors of the soccer ball, I was playing in the grey areas when I knew full well black from white. Yet, I was willing to justify it for the end result.

Mark 8:36 says, “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?”

Will my trophy impress Jesus, when my means of getting it disappointed him?

On my final day of judgement when Jesus asks me to give an account of my life, will I have time to run back to my fridge and take the magnet off of the score sheet to go show Him?

“Jesus, look! My team won the championship! Yes, I compromised my integrity to get it, but still... we won!”

Too bad soccer skills aren’t on the list of things that will get you into heaven.

We can lie, cheat, and steal, and gain everything we ever wanted on earth, but if we have to forfeit our integrity, our morals, our very soul, it’s just not worth it. It gets us nowhere. We are not bringing any of our earthly accomplishments with us to heaven.

I want people to know that I’m in love with Jesus by the way I act, whether I’m playing soccer or not.

I want to follow after Christ and be a man of integrity.

“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?  Is anything worth more than your soul?”  – Jesus

Cowboys and Indians

When I was a boy I would play Cowboys and Indians with my brother. I had a bow and arrow set and my brother a cowboy hat and a pistol. We were boys, so yes we kept score. I’m not sure why but it seemed to me that the cowboys always ended up winning. Maybe it had something to do with my brother being older, or maybe he cheated; nevertheless, I don’t remember doing too many victory war cries at the end of battle. I would argue that I wanted to be cowboys the next time so I could have a turn winning.

Were we just "boys being boys"? Why did I always feel cheated? What is it about our human nature where we feel like we always need to win, or at least even things out?

Luke 15 tells the story of the prodigal son. A son asks his father for his share of the inheritance, only to go and squander it. The son has nothing left and humbly goes back to his fathers house. When he returns, the father, overwhelmed with joy, embraces him and throws a party in his honor. The older brother, who remained faithful to the father, is angry with the way the father lavishes grace and forgiveness on his newly returned brother. He feels as though he's been cheated. He stayed loyal to the father. Where's the party in his honor? Isn't this kind of grace given in vain? What if the prodigal didn't learned his lesson, and runs off again? It appears that the father is giving allowance for sin, or at least sending the message to the prodigal that disobedience, abandonment, and selfishness is ok.

God’s heartbeat is revealed in the father.

We’re not playing Cowboys and Indians anymore!

It doesn’t matter who is winning.

It doesn’t matter who has sinned less.

We are all forgiven the same. Forgiven means forgiven.

“This son of mine was dead, now he’s alive again!”

Often times in our own lives we worry about giving grace too freely.

We think it might be confused with permission to sin.

...Jesus had no such concerns.

When Jesus offers grace, He forgives completely, keeping no record or wrong.

Micah 7:18-19

“Where is the god who can compare with you— 
   wiping the slate clean of guilt,
Turning a blind eye, a deaf ear, 
   to the past sins of your purged and precious people?
You don't nurse your anger and don't stay angry long, 
   for mercy is your specialty. That's what you love most.
And compassion is on its way to us. 
   You'll stamp out our wrongdoing.
You'll sink our sins 
   to the bottom of the ocean.”