Read Acts 4:34 – 5:11 and Mark 10:17-22 to start.

Before I get started this morning, I would like to tell a story about something that didn’t actually happen. The other day I’m driving home from work in my new car, and I kinda sorta completely rolled through the stop sign at the corner of Pembroke Road the rte 17. Not a good idea, especially when the RCMP have been out in force lately. Yeah, there was a cop car going by and he flashed the red and blue lights and pulled me over. Not great. He left me waiting for minute or two, and it’s not like he was running my plate because I have a temporary permit on the vehicle, so I figure this is just letting me stew for a bit. He came sauntering up to my window, and he asked “I suppose you know why I pulled you over today?” I don’t want a ticket for rolling the sign, so I answered, “Because I don’t have a plate? See, I just got bought this car, I have the temporary permit on the front there, and I have insurance docs and the bill of sale right here.” He replied with “No, it’s because you didn’t stop at the stop sign right there.” “Oh, well, I did slow down, isn’t that basically the same thing? What’s the difference?” The officer scowled at me, then took out his baton and started poking me with it, right in the chest up against the collarbone a couple of times, and then he said “Do you want me to slow down, or do you want me to stop? Or is that the same thing?”

Now, before you get concerned, I’m going to remind you that this didn’t actually happen. I don’t think there are too many RCMP constables who would do something like that, and I’m not going to sass an officer that pulled me over. This story was to illustrate a point, that there is a difference between doing something fully and doing something part way, a big difference.