Being that the summer is now almost officially over, I thought it'd be fun to share some fun things I have learned this summer...
1. I like tangos... especially those performed by Yo-Yo Ma. I love the emotions that come from it & I have even learned to love the accordion too.
2. I'm actually starting to really like the business-world. I must admit that going into it last summer, it was more for a challenge than it was because I enjoyed it, but alas, God is good, and now I like this more useful portion of my degree programme.
3. Cooking with salt is important. For the last year, I've pretty much avoided salt altogether because "they" say it's "bad for you." However, I've discovered that it does truly make a world of difference especially in cooking pasta.
4. Measuring using a micrometer works remarkably better when cane is placed concave-side up... I have wondered for three YEARS why my reeds are always too thin when I get to a certain stage of the reed-making process -- turns out I'd been measuring incorrectly all along!
5. I have a difficult time parting with clothes... even those that I haven't worn for over three years now. I have had a growing "give to Goodwill" pile for a year now, but haven't been able to give it away just yet. Erin (my roomie) made me throw out some dried flowers from times ago today so perhaps I can keep the ball rolling and purge the pile this week.
6. I have conquered my disdain for reading. Ever since I hit high school I have avoided pleasure reading at all costs. Next stop, conquering my disdain for movies...
That is all for now... Time to log some zzzs for the big day of work tomorrow (it will likely be absolutely crazy). Cheers!
Friday, August 31, 2007
Too Marvelous for Words
It starts out a little slow, but watch it all the way through and you'll likely be speechless or moved to tears like me :P
Thursday, August 30, 2007
The Most Powerful Force in the Universe
So last night in my readings, it was pointed out to me that God's love is the most powerful force on Earth. When we don't sense it, life pretty much sucks; life experiences just cannot add up to the amazingness that is trusting God's love. A big part of knowing someone has that love, is their delight in sharing it... When you really touch it, it is not something you can just try and contain... God thought about containing it before he created humans with the ability to share a relationship with... Think about it: if God couldn't keep His love to himself, how do people really think that they can pull it off? This is something I've really been trying to understand as of late, due to getting outside of the C4C & house church bubbles more and more, discovering that not all so called Christ-followers share in this untameable spirit to share His love.
The earliest believers were so transformed by what they experienced that even when they were beaten, they maintained their love relationship with the Lord, and continued to share it, even with those who were beating them; Acts 4:20 - "We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." This uncontainability is in the nature of God's love. If once you've truly experienced God's love means that you simply cannot keep it to yourself, then one assumes that there must be a real lack of experiencing God's love in so many Christians. I don't really believe it is necessarily their fault; it is an area of severe lacking in the Western Church... the problem is beyond the scope of a few individuals not "getting it."
1 John 4:10 states: "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." Love starts with God's love. Once we experience it as God defines it, we should not be able to keep from sharing it with others as it has been shared with us.
... and experiencing this love doesn't come from "spiritual knowledge"...
1 Cor. 8:1 tells us that Paul placed love on a higher plane than spiritual knowledge, noting that knowledge can easily puff us up whereas love will build up others. I think this concept is really expressed through me; someone who has relatively little spiritual knowledge in comparison to many others, but who does seem to "get" a lot more of this whole loving God & letting Him exude from you, more than others... I know this may sound like I'm tooting my own horn or something, but it is truly not meant that way: I see so many people who are so knowledgeable and yet lack in what the Bible is telling me is the Big Kahuna of the message of Jesus...bare with me as I try and talk this out without coming off too condescending...
In a sense, I do wonder if this is why so many people are so very intrigued by me & my journey with the Father... I think Christians and non-Christians alike see this in me and are so curious... it is why I seem to have great conversations with so many people... I am so grateful that God has given me the "tools" for listening and engaging people in conversations. It is purely all Him and not me too, which is exciting for me (and you too I suppose :P)! I don't think I could arrange the "random" encounters and crossing of paths with in even a stone's throw of what He can. And thank goodness too; can you imagine the stresses in planning those things?!?! :P
Anyhow, back to the love thing... Here are four big things that have great potential to change big time when people stop putting x,y, and z in the way of what Jesus can accomplish and actually seek to experience His love on a deeper level:
1. You will no longer find yourself desiring for others to conform to what you think is right... in essence it is because you know that they're on their own journey, just like you! Doing this allows others to have the same freedom that God gives you. This is one that I personally struggle with from time-to-time... it is the Holy Spirit's job to convict, not ours... gah... so easier to write than practise all the time!
2. Instead of getting angry with people who sin, you will become more and more touched by the depth of the bondage that holds them captive. Booyeah. This is one where I wish I could staple it to my forehead so that when I'm hanging out showing "compassion to sinners" it doesn't come off as any weird form of flirting, or the like. God has really given me a compassionate heart for the lost -- I think it probably stems from the environment that I've grown up in as a Christian so my heart goes out to the Christians that really have to work on this one. :P.
3. Instead of saying what you think people want to hear, you'll look for ways to be gently honest with them... "Human love seeks people's comfort at the expense of truth. God's love seeks people's comfort in the midst of truth." If anything I personally probably suffer from being too honest and so have to work on the "gently" part. Thankfully, the Lord is "gently" reminding me of all sorts of things, so as long as I keep on trying to emulate that, I should be moving forward in this part of the journey. w00t
4. You'll start looking to God as the resource for your needs and not burdening the people around you. I know God often uses other believers to extend his gifts, etc., but we all need to recognize that you don't get to choose the vessel [person] He uses... I was hands down guilty of this even less than a year ago. The "spiritual advisor" expectations that are placed on relationships really do destroy them though because we're looking to others in ways God wants us to look to Him. When we give up our expectations of people, we'll find God using some of the most unlikely people to lend us a hand. I've seen so many cases of Christian leadership burnout in the past two years that it's not even funny... something is up and it's not what God intended.
In closing, Jesus tells us to love Him... His greatest commandment... and not just to love Him, but specifically to love Him in the same way He first loved us -- until we really get that love, the loving Him part is going to be kind of wishy-washy and missing its full potential. Once we fully know that He loves us [and I know we will never 100%... I'm just asking for more], we can't help ourselves not to love Him, in the same way that He first loved us... and this loving Him is exuded from within.
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. -- 1 John 4:10
-----------------
Ahaha. I do know that I sound like a hippy with all this "God's love can change everything wrong in the world" view of the world. I wonder if God is letting me go on and on with these tangents to give me something to laugh about later (or you to laugh about now!)? :P Good times :) 'tis fun to be an optimist for once though :)
And PS, I am more sick than yesterday with this blessed head cold. Thankfully, my next commitment isn't until Saturday morning, so I have time to bum around and get better. Hopefully I will not have to consider taking cold medication (my anti-drugs-as-much-as-possible is another story for another time if you've never heard it) any time soon. If I haven't seen any drastic improvement by Monday though, it might be time to bite the bullet as I really have to practise prior to auditions on a quasi-regular basis before they actually occur...
The earliest believers were so transformed by what they experienced that even when they were beaten, they maintained their love relationship with the Lord, and continued to share it, even with those who were beating them; Acts 4:20 - "We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." This uncontainability is in the nature of God's love. If once you've truly experienced God's love means that you simply cannot keep it to yourself, then one assumes that there must be a real lack of experiencing God's love in so many Christians. I don't really believe it is necessarily their fault; it is an area of severe lacking in the Western Church... the problem is beyond the scope of a few individuals not "getting it."
1 John 4:10 states: "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." Love starts with God's love. Once we experience it as God defines it, we should not be able to keep from sharing it with others as it has been shared with us.
... and experiencing this love doesn't come from "spiritual knowledge"...
1 Cor. 8:1 tells us that Paul placed love on a higher plane than spiritual knowledge, noting that knowledge can easily puff us up whereas love will build up others. I think this concept is really expressed through me; someone who has relatively little spiritual knowledge in comparison to many others, but who does seem to "get" a lot more of this whole loving God & letting Him exude from you, more than others... I know this may sound like I'm tooting my own horn or something, but it is truly not meant that way: I see so many people who are so knowledgeable and yet lack in what the Bible is telling me is the Big Kahuna of the message of Jesus...bare with me as I try and talk this out without coming off too condescending...
In a sense, I do wonder if this is why so many people are so very intrigued by me & my journey with the Father... I think Christians and non-Christians alike see this in me and are so curious... it is why I seem to have great conversations with so many people... I am so grateful that God has given me the "tools" for listening and engaging people in conversations. It is purely all Him and not me too, which is exciting for me (and you too I suppose :P)! I don't think I could arrange the "random" encounters and crossing of paths with in even a stone's throw of what He can. And thank goodness too; can you imagine the stresses in planning those things?!?! :P
Anyhow, back to the love thing... Here are four big things that have great potential to change big time when people stop putting x,y, and z in the way of what Jesus can accomplish and actually seek to experience His love on a deeper level:
1. You will no longer find yourself desiring for others to conform to what you think is right... in essence it is because you know that they're on their own journey, just like you! Doing this allows others to have the same freedom that God gives you. This is one that I personally struggle with from time-to-time... it is the Holy Spirit's job to convict, not ours... gah... so easier to write than practise all the time!
2. Instead of getting angry with people who sin, you will become more and more touched by the depth of the bondage that holds them captive. Booyeah. This is one where I wish I could staple it to my forehead so that when I'm hanging out showing "compassion to sinners" it doesn't come off as any weird form of flirting, or the like. God has really given me a compassionate heart for the lost -- I think it probably stems from the environment that I've grown up in as a Christian so my heart goes out to the Christians that really have to work on this one. :P.
3. Instead of saying what you think people want to hear, you'll look for ways to be gently honest with them... "Human love seeks people's comfort at the expense of truth. God's love seeks people's comfort in the midst of truth." If anything I personally probably suffer from being too honest and so have to work on the "gently" part. Thankfully, the Lord is "gently" reminding me of all sorts of things, so as long as I keep on trying to emulate that, I should be moving forward in this part of the journey. w00t
4. You'll start looking to God as the resource for your needs and not burdening the people around you. I know God often uses other believers to extend his gifts, etc., but we all need to recognize that you don't get to choose the vessel [person] He uses... I was hands down guilty of this even less than a year ago. The "spiritual advisor" expectations that are placed on relationships really do destroy them though because we're looking to others in ways God wants us to look to Him. When we give up our expectations of people, we'll find God using some of the most unlikely people to lend us a hand. I've seen so many cases of Christian leadership burnout in the past two years that it's not even funny... something is up and it's not what God intended.
In closing, Jesus tells us to love Him... His greatest commandment... and not just to love Him, but specifically to love Him in the same way He first loved us -- until we really get that love, the loving Him part is going to be kind of wishy-washy and missing its full potential. Once we fully know that He loves us [and I know we will never 100%... I'm just asking for more], we can't help ourselves not to love Him, in the same way that He first loved us... and this loving Him is exuded from within.
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. -- 1 John 4:10
-----------------
Ahaha. I do know that I sound like a hippy with all this "God's love can change everything wrong in the world" view of the world. I wonder if God is letting me go on and on with these tangents to give me something to laugh about later (or you to laugh about now!)? :P Good times :) 'tis fun to be an optimist for once though :)
And PS, I am more sick than yesterday with this blessed head cold. Thankfully, my next commitment isn't until Saturday morning, so I have time to bum around and get better. Hopefully I will not have to consider taking cold medication (my anti-drugs-as-much-as-possible is another story for another time if you've never heard it) any time soon. If I haven't seen any drastic improvement by Monday though, it might be time to bite the bullet as I really have to practise prior to auditions on a quasi-regular basis before they actually occur...
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Yucky Yuck Yuck
So today marks the day when I officially declare that the inevitable pre-performance sickness has begun. Over the last two years, I have got some sort of illness just in time for an audition/performance/recital probably about 75% of the time. This round I have been blessed with a head cold. If you're wondering what it's like to play with a head cold, imagine the hard-to-keep-your-eyes-open feeling of fullness, combined with blowing literally as hard as you can for two or three 45-minute sets. Not so much fun. To top it all off, I burnt the roof of my mouth on my lunch today so the tonguing situation was a little uncomfortable too. In all fairness though, I'm actually quite thankful that I am getting a lot of experience playing when I'm not feeling 100%. This is something I'd have to get used to doing in the "real world" of orchestral playing, real fast, so yay for being prepared.
Tomorrow I'm getting together with some of the ladies of the church. I say ladies, and not girls, because all of them are married and are a wee bit older than me (but still younger than 34! :P). I think this invitation is related to me distancing myself from young adult group, i.e. they're trying to get me plugged into the next age group of people. I'm not really sure that I'm ready to move in to bible studying with only married people-- it's already hard enough to remain a content single! The ladies that I do know that are in this group are excellent people though, with a real heart for Jesus and they are seemingly more committed to one-anothering on a fairly regular basis. We'll see how it goes.
Well I would love to write some more, but I really think it'd be best to spend some more time reading and maximizing my sleep. 'Til next time...
Tomorrow I'm getting together with some of the ladies of the church. I say ladies, and not girls, because all of them are married and are a wee bit older than me (but still younger than 34! :P). I think this invitation is related to me distancing myself from young adult group, i.e. they're trying to get me plugged into the next age group of people. I'm not really sure that I'm ready to move in to bible studying with only married people-- it's already hard enough to remain a content single! The ladies that I do know that are in this group are excellent people though, with a real heart for Jesus and they are seemingly more committed to one-anothering on a fairly regular basis. We'll see how it goes.
Well I would love to write some more, but I really think it'd be best to spend some more time reading and maximizing my sleep. 'Til next time...
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
I Love My School!
So I went into the music faculty today after my shift up the hill and had a few good visits with some of the admin people. Turns out that the Board of Governors is really feeling pressured to amend their 10-year contingency master plan to include a recital hall. YES! YES! YES! There are already a few potential million-dollar donors ready to put for the dough when asked by the right people. In short, it's looking more & more likely that we will have a recital hall built within the next 10 years. If all the cards play out in the most ideal manner, it could be as soon as two years. Yahoo!
I also spent some time visiting my professor to arrange for a lesson time this coming year and wound up leaving with a fantastic job opportunity. It looks like I will be writing for the committee that is creating a proposal to the Government for the faculty to be approved for doctoral studies. They're hoping to add a Doctoral of Musical Arts programme for all three instrument fields as well, which is a nice improvement from the last time I heard about this proposal kicking around for strings, voice, and piano only (no woodwinds, brass, nor percussion). Theoretically this could be approved in time for me to stay or come back and do my doctorate so that is a cool bonus. I am a little bit worried that this might take up too much of my time, but there's only one way to find out, and even if I only do it for a few months, it's still amazing experience to have worked on a proposal.
I also learned from Jim that I will be having 8 fellow bassoonists this coming year. This is good news as eight allows for a lighter playing load for the upper years, including myself, because we won't have to double in any ensembles (doesn't mean some of us won't anyways). Typically there would be two in the symphonic band, two or three in wind ensemble, and three or four in orchestra. I have committed to learning to play the contrabassoon this year so I wouldn't be surprised if that meant that I had to play that in Wind Ensemble and bassoon in Orchestra. That's four more hours per week if it works out that way so let's pray that someone else will play contra in Wind Ensemble so I can stick just with the Orchestra rehearsals.
After meeting with Jim, I went to meet Sophie who is now the co-chair of the Performance Department. I am very thankful that Jim decided to give over some of his work to her otherwise I know that the quality of the bassoons' lives would suffer... if he kept up with what he had originally intended to do, he'd be working the equivalent of three or four full-time faculty members. Between making Sophie co-chair and giving the chamber orchestra directorship to Len, now he's probably only sitting at around 2.5 :)
He also asked, "So how's your love life?" Now to 90% of you this would seem totally out of line, but he is quite more than a teacher to me, perhaps mentor would be a better term, and we do talk about these things (for instance, he is ecstatic that he is about to become a grandfather for the second time to yet another mocha-baby :)). If it is any consolation to those of you who think this question is totally inappropriate, he did follow it with something like, "And you know I can't really ask you that so you don't really have to answer that." :P Haha he's great! Anyhoo, for those of you who also desire to know my answer to that question, I said something fairly non-chalante that I'm still talking to that engineering boy & then told him my fun pick-up stories from Deb's wedding on Saturday... In all fairness, this was a pretty bad answer in that I haven't talked to the eng guy in quite a while and the relationship side of things didn't really leave off on a promising note. I suppose it is easier to tell people that there might be something on the horizon with someone than to just say that there's nothing... I don't appreciate the pity looks when/if I say that there's no one that I'm interested in at the moment... which is more of the honest truth than the original answer I gave... I'm actually more content with being single these days than I think I ever have been! It is definitely a work of the Lord too because I should be feeling the loneliness factor now that something like over twelve of my friends (I've long since lost track) have either got engaged or married in recent months (Ryan & Ashley, Ben & Jen, Mike & Tandy, Murph & Nicole, Sarah & Chuck, Tim & Vanessa, Patrick & Cheryl [insert list of names escaping me now here]). Last night at Mike & Tandy's party, a lot of them were talking about wedding plans and honeymoon ideas and I definitely could have been feeling upset that I was not part of it, but instead I had a very fun attitude about it and couldn't keep myself from laughing out loud at the absurdity of it all; my how times change so quickly!
Anyhow, I signed up for my audition time for the orchestra and chamber music (still have NO idea what type of group I want to be in) auditions when I was at the faculty today. They will be SEVEN days from now (Wed., Sept. 5th for all you fellow wind players)! Guess this means I really ought to go and spend some time practising and get off this devilish Internet. God-willing this sore throat I seem to be developing will not hamper my preparation efforts too much.
'Til next time...
I also spent some time visiting my professor to arrange for a lesson time this coming year and wound up leaving with a fantastic job opportunity. It looks like I will be writing for the committee that is creating a proposal to the Government for the faculty to be approved for doctoral studies. They're hoping to add a Doctoral of Musical Arts programme for all three instrument fields as well, which is a nice improvement from the last time I heard about this proposal kicking around for strings, voice, and piano only (no woodwinds, brass, nor percussion). Theoretically this could be approved in time for me to stay or come back and do my doctorate so that is a cool bonus. I am a little bit worried that this might take up too much of my time, but there's only one way to find out, and even if I only do it for a few months, it's still amazing experience to have worked on a proposal.
I also learned from Jim that I will be having 8 fellow bassoonists this coming year. This is good news as eight allows for a lighter playing load for the upper years, including myself, because we won't have to double in any ensembles (doesn't mean some of us won't anyways). Typically there would be two in the symphonic band, two or three in wind ensemble, and three or four in orchestra. I have committed to learning to play the contrabassoon this year so I wouldn't be surprised if that meant that I had to play that in Wind Ensemble and bassoon in Orchestra. That's four more hours per week if it works out that way so let's pray that someone else will play contra in Wind Ensemble so I can stick just with the Orchestra rehearsals.
After meeting with Jim, I went to meet Sophie who is now the co-chair of the Performance Department. I am very thankful that Jim decided to give over some of his work to her otherwise I know that the quality of the bassoons' lives would suffer... if he kept up with what he had originally intended to do, he'd be working the equivalent of three or four full-time faculty members. Between making Sophie co-chair and giving the chamber orchestra directorship to Len, now he's probably only sitting at around 2.5 :)
He also asked, "So how's your love life?" Now to 90% of you this would seem totally out of line, but he is quite more than a teacher to me, perhaps mentor would be a better term, and we do talk about these things (for instance, he is ecstatic that he is about to become a grandfather for the second time to yet another mocha-baby :)). If it is any consolation to those of you who think this question is totally inappropriate, he did follow it with something like, "And you know I can't really ask you that so you don't really have to answer that." :P Haha he's great! Anyhoo, for those of you who also desire to know my answer to that question, I said something fairly non-chalante that I'm still talking to that engineering boy & then told him my fun pick-up stories from Deb's wedding on Saturday... In all fairness, this was a pretty bad answer in that I haven't talked to the eng guy in quite a while and the relationship side of things didn't really leave off on a promising note. I suppose it is easier to tell people that there might be something on the horizon with someone than to just say that there's nothing... I don't appreciate the pity looks when/if I say that there's no one that I'm interested in at the moment... which is more of the honest truth than the original answer I gave... I'm actually more content with being single these days than I think I ever have been! It is definitely a work of the Lord too because I should be feeling the loneliness factor now that something like over twelve of my friends (I've long since lost track) have either got engaged or married in recent months (Ryan & Ashley, Ben & Jen, Mike & Tandy, Murph & Nicole, Sarah & Chuck, Tim & Vanessa, Patrick & Cheryl [insert list of names escaping me now here]). Last night at Mike & Tandy's party, a lot of them were talking about wedding plans and honeymoon ideas and I definitely could have been feeling upset that I was not part of it, but instead I had a very fun attitude about it and couldn't keep myself from laughing out loud at the absurdity of it all; my how times change so quickly!
Anyhow, I signed up for my audition time for the orchestra and chamber music (still have NO idea what type of group I want to be in) auditions when I was at the faculty today. They will be SEVEN days from now (Wed., Sept. 5th for all you fellow wind players)! Guess this means I really ought to go and spend some time practising and get off this devilish Internet. God-willing this sore throat I seem to be developing will not hamper my preparation efforts too much.
'Til next time...
Monday, August 27, 2007
Fruity person + fruity salad recipe!
Haha bad title, but it fits!
Ok so this video post of a friend from school was simply too precious to pass up on sharing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj3iNxZ8Dww. Miss South Carolina attempts to answer a question from the audience... Wow. The poor girl will have this moment define her in Hollywood for soooooooo long. :S
Free food event #4 of the weekend went well tonight :). I tried a new recipe for a fruit salad dip from the Looneyspoons cookbook and it turned out to be a big hit!
2 cups sour cream (a small container)
2 table spoons honey
1 table spoon frozen orange juice concentrate
orange rinds (I skipped this because I have no oranges in the house)
Combine all ingredients and chill for at least one hour.
I really do have to figure out how one can go to a potluck of sorts and not wind up eating too much though. Even with a single trip to the table & not trying a good 50% of what was available, I still feel like I ate way too much. Silly tiny stomache.
Well it looks like I will be working from 8:30-1:30 up the hill, 1:30-4:00 at the music office, and 4:30-7:30 up the hill again tomorrow, so alas, off to bed I go.
Ok so this video post of a friend from school was simply too precious to pass up on sharing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj3iNxZ8Dww. Miss South Carolina attempts to answer a question from the audience... Wow. The poor girl will have this moment define her in Hollywood for soooooooo long. :S
Free food event #4 of the weekend went well tonight :). I tried a new recipe for a fruit salad dip from the Looneyspoons cookbook and it turned out to be a big hit!
2 cups sour cream (a small container)
2 table spoons honey
1 table spoon frozen orange juice concentrate
orange rinds (I skipped this because I have no oranges in the house)
Combine all ingredients and chill for at least one hour.
I really do have to figure out how one can go to a potluck of sorts and not wind up eating too much though. Even with a single trip to the table & not trying a good 50% of what was available, I still feel like I ate way too much. Silly tiny stomache.
Well it looks like I will be working from 8:30-1:30 up the hill, 1:30-4:00 at the music office, and 4:30-7:30 up the hill again tomorrow, so alas, off to bed I go.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
A friend of a friend of a friend of a friend
So with the wonders that are the blogging world & Internet, you too could read what's happening in the life of a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend when you have some extra time that you have to spend in front of the computer. I got to Rachel's web-site because she is a friend of Wendi, who is a friend of Joia, who is the older sister of my friend Andrew (Congo Andrew not Sobee's Andrew) & I was sitting in the music office for an extended period of time the other day. Anyhow, I really enjoyed this post so I thought I'd share in the fruits that come of Internet creeping: http://rachelandhans.blogspot.com/2007/08/all-i-ever-need-to-know-in-life-i.html . From what I gather, Rachel just finished her pediatric rotation in her training to become a certified dentist. Her post chronicles fun stories of her encounters with wee ones at the dentist office.
In other exciting news, I did end up going to church today & had an ok time of it. I woke up at 7:52 sans my alarm going off (I didn't set it either, but if I did, it would have gone of at 8). I figured it was enough of a "sign" (along with the subsiding of yesterday's uneasiness) to go to church. Today two missionaries, originally from the church, shared their stories of working for YWAM (Youth With A Mission) for the last 18 months during the sermon time. I got a chance to speak a little bit to the guy at the cornroast this evening (I would have talked to the wife but I had a reallllly hard time understanding her... not sure exactly what her accent was either) and enjoyed sharing stories about what God is doing amongst the young people here & in Western Europe, what the spiritual climate was like in Scotland, and how I feel about my role in the great commission. I could probably talk about these topics for hours but there were so many people listening in on our conversation, and giving facial expressions I couldn't read very well, that I really stopped myself short in my answers. This is fairly unusual for me but seems to be becoming more and more common amongst this crowd of people. I am not sure if this is a good thing or not... seems to be a theme of the weekend :P I'm sure with more thought I will get a better idea of how to figure it out.
Anyhow, I seem to have accumulated quite the mess of random stuff in my bedroom over the last few days so I'm going to go attend to that & call 'er a night. See y'all tomorrow at Mike & Tandy's perhaps!
In other exciting news, I did end up going to church today & had an ok time of it. I woke up at 7:52 sans my alarm going off (I didn't set it either, but if I did, it would have gone of at 8). I figured it was enough of a "sign" (along with the subsiding of yesterday's uneasiness) to go to church. Today two missionaries, originally from the church, shared their stories of working for YWAM (Youth With A Mission) for the last 18 months during the sermon time. I got a chance to speak a little bit to the guy at the cornroast this evening (I would have talked to the wife but I had a reallllly hard time understanding her... not sure exactly what her accent was either) and enjoyed sharing stories about what God is doing amongst the young people here & in Western Europe, what the spiritual climate was like in Scotland, and how I feel about my role in the great commission. I could probably talk about these topics for hours but there were so many people listening in on our conversation, and giving facial expressions I couldn't read very well, that I really stopped myself short in my answers. This is fairly unusual for me but seems to be becoming more and more common amongst this crowd of people. I am not sure if this is a good thing or not... seems to be a theme of the weekend :P I'm sure with more thought I will get a better idea of how to figure it out.
Anyhow, I seem to have accumulated quite the mess of random stuff in my bedroom over the last few days so I'm going to go attend to that & call 'er a night. See y'all tomorrow at Mike & Tandy's perhaps!
New records
Before I go any further, I really ought to disclose that I was working as a server at a wedding tonight for some extra cash. It was work really, not going bar hopping... promise... I will probably end up deleting this post tomorrow after I come to my non-exhausted senses (I was there for 10 hours & just got home around 2:30am) but alas here is some fun news for now.
So tonight I set two new records:
1) Oldest age of a guy asking me out... was somewhere in the 20s, now 34! 3-4! Gah! I wasn't even dressed even remotely provocatively (Kate & Mandy can attest!) but apparently that doesn't matter for me. rah-rah-rah. :( In all fairness I did engage in a conversation with a *sober* him about scuba diving & growing up in Eastern Ontario (he was from the O-dot) for quite a while before the party really got started. He was still sober enough though that things could have gone on a little more gentlemanly... Thank goodness for my gfs interrupting our conversations a few times or else he may have cornered me even more... gah. boys...
2) Number of men overtly expressing interest in a 12-hour period... probably was one or two before this evening, now is four. Let's just say that I have new male "friends" that are a) a Zamboni driver (for real!), b) a 10+year Loblaws veteran employee, c) a full-time bartender who will hit on any girls aged 15-50!, and d) some mystery man who thinks white shoes go with formal wear. Two of these guys were fairly if not 100% sober which I guess makes me feel better? or is it worse? I don't really even know... The other two were pretty plastered soooo again, is this supposed to make me feel better or worse? Time to start developing ways to turn guys totally off within 30 seconds or less.
Alright well it is almost 3am now and I suppose I'm still thinking about whether or not to "go to church" tomorrow morning or not. I was hoping I'd have this figured out by now, but alas, I shall be deciding tomorrow at approximately 8am. w00t.
So tonight I set two new records:
1) Oldest age of a guy asking me out... was somewhere in the 20s, now 34! 3-4! Gah! I wasn't even dressed even remotely provocatively (Kate & Mandy can attest!) but apparently that doesn't matter for me. rah-rah-rah. :( In all fairness I did engage in a conversation with a *sober* him about scuba diving & growing up in Eastern Ontario (he was from the O-dot) for quite a while before the party really got started. He was still sober enough though that things could have gone on a little more gentlemanly... Thank goodness for my gfs interrupting our conversations a few times or else he may have cornered me even more... gah. boys...
2) Number of men overtly expressing interest in a 12-hour period... probably was one or two before this evening, now is four. Let's just say that I have new male "friends" that are a) a Zamboni driver (for real!), b) a 10+year Loblaws veteran employee, c) a full-time bartender who will hit on any girls aged 15-50!, and d) some mystery man who thinks white shoes go with formal wear. Two of these guys were fairly if not 100% sober which I guess makes me feel better? or is it worse? I don't really even know... The other two were pretty plastered soooo again, is this supposed to make me feel better or worse? Time to start developing ways to turn guys totally off within 30 seconds or less.
Alright well it is almost 3am now and I suppose I'm still thinking about whether or not to "go to church" tomorrow morning or not. I was hoping I'd have this figured out by now, but alas, I shall be deciding tomorrow at approximately 8am. w00t.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
How to Fight a Good Fight with Honour
A friend of mine sent me this link. Although filmed in the UK, the person who plays Dingleberry looks an aweful lot like Dave King from IVCF.
http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-fight-a-duel-3
http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-fight-a-duel-3
Friday, August 24, 2007
Bill Gates Buys God & Fun Tech Support
Microsoft Corporation today announced its intent to purchase, copyright, and upgrade God. The new product would be named, predictably enough, "Microsoft God," and would be available to consumers sometime in late 2008.
"Too many people feel separated from God in today's world," said Dave McCavaugh, director of Microsoft's new Religions division. "Microsoft wants to make divinity more accessible, this product with its easy, intuitive user interface will make God not only easier to find, but easier to communicate with."
The new Microsoft Religions line will be expanded to include a multitude of add on products to Microsoft God, including:
Microsoft Crusades. This conversion product will bring all worshipper accounts and prayer files over from previous versions of God, or from competing products like Buddha or Allah.
Microsoft God for the World Wide Web: This product ties Microsoft God with Microsoft Internet Information Server, providing access to the sacred over the World Wide Web using a standard Web browser interface. It introduces several new Web technologies, including Dynamic Salvation and Active Prayer Pages (APP). Donations for the poor can be transmitted via a Secure Alms Server.
Microsoft Prayers: Using a Windows-based WYSIWYG interface, this product will allow worshippers to construct effective prayers in a minimum of time. A Secure Prayer Channel technology allows guaranteed delivery of the prayer to Microsoft God servers, and Prayer Wizards enable users to construct new types of prayers with a minimum learning curve.
Microsoft Savior: This product will allow worshippers to transfer their sins to its internal Vice Database. After one establishes a personal relationship with it, the product will erase these files from the user's system and establish a clear line of secure communications to the user's Microsoft God server. Additionally, Microsoft is expected to announce a line of special products for the new Religions line, to facilitate niche marketing of Microsoft God. These products will include denomination interfaces based on the standard religious subdivisions, allowing worshippers to interact with the God product in accordance with their customs. First to be introduced will be Microsoft God for Protestantism, Microsoft God for Catholicism, Microsoft God for Judaism (incompatible with Microsoft Savior), etc.Religious liberals are advised to pass on this product. Apple is planning to release a competing product, Claris Gaia, which will be based on a more relational mode of interaction, have multi-tasking capabilities and will expect the user to customize the interface based on their own unique spiritual style.
--------------------------------------------------------
The author of the original version of this is: Steve Mendes ~ Small World Software (NY, NY); steve@smallworld.com
--------------------------------------------------------
Dear Tech Support:
Recently I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed that the new program began making unexpected changes to the accounting software, severely limiting access to wardrobe, flower and jewelry applications that operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0. No mention of this phenomenon was included in the product brochure.
In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalls many other valuable programs such as DinnerDancing 7.5, CruiseShip 2.3, and OperaNight 6.1 and installs new, undesirable programs such as PokerNight 1.3, SaturdayFootball 5.0, Golf 2.4 and ClutterEverywhere 4.5. Conversation 8.0 no longer runs, and invariably crashes the system. Under no circumstances will it run DiaperChanging 14.1or HouseCleaning 2.6. I've tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix Husband 1.0, but this all purpose utility is of only limited effectiveness. Can you help, please!!
Sincerely, XXX
Dear XXX:This is a very common problem women complain about, but it is mostly due to a primary misconception. Many people upgrade from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 with no idea that Boyfriend 5.0 is merely an ENTERTAINMENT package. However, Husband 1.0 is an OPERATING SYSTEM and was designed by its creator to run as few applications as possible.
Further, you cannot purge Husband 1.0 and return to Boyfriend 5.0, because Husband 1.0 is not designed to do this. Hidden operating files within your system would cause Boyfriend 5.0 to emulate Husband 1.0, so nothing is gained.
It is impossible to uninstall, delete, or purge the program files from the system, once installed. Any new program files can only be installed once per year, as Husband 1.0 has severely limited memory. Error messages are common, and a normal part of Husband 1.0.
In desperation to play some of their "old time" favorite applications, or to get new applications to work, some women have tried to install Boyfriend 6.0, or Husband 2.0. However, these women end up with more problems than encountered with Husband 1.0.
Look in your manual under "Warnings: Divorce/Child Support." You will notice that this program runs very poorly, and comes bundled with HeartBreak 1.3. I recommend you keep Husband 1.0, and just learn the quirks of this strange and illogical system.
Having Husband 1.0 installed myself, I might also suggest you read the entire section regarding General Partnership Faults [GPFs]. This is a wonderful feature of Husband 1.0, secretly installed by the parent company as an integral part of the operating system.
Husband 1.0 must assume ALL responsibility for ALL faults and problems, regardless of root cause. To activate this great feature enter the command "C:\ I THOUGHT YOU LOVED ME".
Sometimes Tears 6.2 must be run simultaneously while entering the command. Husband 1.0 should then run the applications Apologize 12.3 and Flowers/Chocolates 7.8.
TECH TIP!Avoid excessive use of this feature. Overuse can create additional and more serious GPFs, and ultimately YOU may have to give a C:\ I APOLOGIZE command before the system will return to normal operations. Overuse can also cause Husband 1.0 to default to GrumpySilence 2.5, or worse yet, to Beer 6.0.
Beer 6.0 is a very bad program that causes Husband 1.0 to create FatBelly files and SnoringLoudly wave files that are very hard to delete. Save yourself some trouble by following this tech tip!
Just remember! The system will run smoothly, and take the blame for all GPFs, but because of this fine feature it can only intermittently run all the applications Boyfriend 5.0 ran. Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly.Consider buying additional software to improve performance. I personally recommend HotFood 3.0, Lingerie 5.3 and Patience 10.1. Used in conjunction, these utilities can really help keep Husband 1.0 running smoothly.
After several years of use, Husband 1.0 will become familiar and you will find many valuable embedded features such as FixBrokenThings 2.1, Snuggling 4.2 and BestFriend 7.6.
A final word of caution! Do NOT, under any circumstances, install MotherInLaw 1.0. This is not a supported application, and will cause selective shutdown of the operating system. Husband 1.0 will run only Fishing 9.4 and Hunting 5.2 until MotherInLaw 1.0 is uninstalled.
I hope these notes have helped. Thank you for choosing to install Husband 1.0 and we here at Tech Support wish you the best of luck in coming years. We trust you will learn to fully enjoy this product!
Tech Support
Found at http://bertc.com/boyfriend.htm
BTW... I do not endorse any of these ideas beyond there capabilities to make some of you laugh... Haha to all of you (14 people I think I'm at now) getting married this year! :P j/k... you can tease me later...
"Too many people feel separated from God in today's world," said Dave McCavaugh, director of Microsoft's new Religions division. "Microsoft wants to make divinity more accessible, this product with its easy, intuitive user interface will make God not only easier to find, but easier to communicate with."
The new Microsoft Religions line will be expanded to include a multitude of add on products to Microsoft God, including:
Microsoft Crusades. This conversion product will bring all worshipper accounts and prayer files over from previous versions of God, or from competing products like Buddha or Allah.
Microsoft God for the World Wide Web: This product ties Microsoft God with Microsoft Internet Information Server, providing access to the sacred over the World Wide Web using a standard Web browser interface. It introduces several new Web technologies, including Dynamic Salvation and Active Prayer Pages (APP). Donations for the poor can be transmitted via a Secure Alms Server.
Microsoft Prayers: Using a Windows-based WYSIWYG interface, this product will allow worshippers to construct effective prayers in a minimum of time. A Secure Prayer Channel technology allows guaranteed delivery of the prayer to Microsoft God servers, and Prayer Wizards enable users to construct new types of prayers with a minimum learning curve.
Microsoft Savior: This product will allow worshippers to transfer their sins to its internal Vice Database. After one establishes a personal relationship with it, the product will erase these files from the user's system and establish a clear line of secure communications to the user's Microsoft God server. Additionally, Microsoft is expected to announce a line of special products for the new Religions line, to facilitate niche marketing of Microsoft God. These products will include denomination interfaces based on the standard religious subdivisions, allowing worshippers to interact with the God product in accordance with their customs. First to be introduced will be Microsoft God for Protestantism, Microsoft God for Catholicism, Microsoft God for Judaism (incompatible with Microsoft Savior), etc.Religious liberals are advised to pass on this product. Apple is planning to release a competing product, Claris Gaia, which will be based on a more relational mode of interaction, have multi-tasking capabilities and will expect the user to customize the interface based on their own unique spiritual style.
--------------------------------------------------------
The author of the original version of this is: Steve Mendes ~ Small World Software (NY, NY); steve@smallworld.com
--------------------------------------------------------
Dear Tech Support:
Recently I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed that the new program began making unexpected changes to the accounting software, severely limiting access to wardrobe, flower and jewelry applications that operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0. No mention of this phenomenon was included in the product brochure.
In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalls many other valuable programs such as DinnerDancing 7.5, CruiseShip 2.3, and OperaNight 6.1 and installs new, undesirable programs such as PokerNight 1.3, SaturdayFootball 5.0, Golf 2.4 and ClutterEverywhere 4.5. Conversation 8.0 no longer runs, and invariably crashes the system. Under no circumstances will it run DiaperChanging 14.1or HouseCleaning 2.6. I've tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix Husband 1.0, but this all purpose utility is of only limited effectiveness. Can you help, please!!
Sincerely, XXX
Dear XXX:This is a very common problem women complain about, but it is mostly due to a primary misconception. Many people upgrade from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 with no idea that Boyfriend 5.0 is merely an ENTERTAINMENT package. However, Husband 1.0 is an OPERATING SYSTEM and was designed by its creator to run as few applications as possible.
Further, you cannot purge Husband 1.0 and return to Boyfriend 5.0, because Husband 1.0 is not designed to do this. Hidden operating files within your system would cause Boyfriend 5.0 to emulate Husband 1.0, so nothing is gained.
It is impossible to uninstall, delete, or purge the program files from the system, once installed. Any new program files can only be installed once per year, as Husband 1.0 has severely limited memory. Error messages are common, and a normal part of Husband 1.0.
In desperation to play some of their "old time" favorite applications, or to get new applications to work, some women have tried to install Boyfriend 6.0, or Husband 2.0. However, these women end up with more problems than encountered with Husband 1.0.
Look in your manual under "Warnings: Divorce/Child Support." You will notice that this program runs very poorly, and comes bundled with HeartBreak 1.3. I recommend you keep Husband 1.0, and just learn the quirks of this strange and illogical system.
Having Husband 1.0 installed myself, I might also suggest you read the entire section regarding General Partnership Faults [GPFs]. This is a wonderful feature of Husband 1.0, secretly installed by the parent company as an integral part of the operating system.
Husband 1.0 must assume ALL responsibility for ALL faults and problems, regardless of root cause. To activate this great feature enter the command "C:\ I THOUGHT YOU LOVED ME".
Sometimes Tears 6.2 must be run simultaneously while entering the command. Husband 1.0 should then run the applications Apologize 12.3 and Flowers/Chocolates 7.8.
TECH TIP!Avoid excessive use of this feature. Overuse can create additional and more serious GPFs, and ultimately YOU may have to give a C:\ I APOLOGIZE command before the system will return to normal operations. Overuse can also cause Husband 1.0 to default to GrumpySilence 2.5, or worse yet, to Beer 6.0.
Beer 6.0 is a very bad program that causes Husband 1.0 to create FatBelly files and SnoringLoudly wave files that are very hard to delete. Save yourself some trouble by following this tech tip!
Just remember! The system will run smoothly, and take the blame for all GPFs, but because of this fine feature it can only intermittently run all the applications Boyfriend 5.0 ran. Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly.Consider buying additional software to improve performance. I personally recommend HotFood 3.0, Lingerie 5.3 and Patience 10.1. Used in conjunction, these utilities can really help keep Husband 1.0 running smoothly.
After several years of use, Husband 1.0 will become familiar and you will find many valuable embedded features such as FixBrokenThings 2.1, Snuggling 4.2 and BestFriend 7.6.
A final word of caution! Do NOT, under any circumstances, install MotherInLaw 1.0. This is not a supported application, and will cause selective shutdown of the operating system. Husband 1.0 will run only Fishing 9.4 and Hunting 5.2 until MotherInLaw 1.0 is uninstalled.
I hope these notes have helped. Thank you for choosing to install Husband 1.0 and we here at Tech Support wish you the best of luck in coming years. We trust you will learn to fully enjoy this product!
Tech Support
Found at http://bertc.com/boyfriend.htm
BTW... I do not endorse any of these ideas beyond there capabilities to make some of you laugh... Haha to all of you (14 people I think I'm at now) getting married this year! :P j/k... you can tease me later...
The Wonderful World of Web-sites
So I think today I will go through a few web-sites that I've been meaning to share over the past few days. I'd be interested to know your thoughts on them! 
As a manga/anime cartoon character
- http://www.theschoolofchrist.com/ This web-site, while I haven't made it through all of the articles (this would take months!) seems to represent fairly well with where I'm at right now in my walk with the Lord. I read the founder's story about how the web-site & his views came to be and everything seems right on to me so far. I have been finding it very difficult to define where I am when describing why I don't "go to church." I've taken to describing myself as part of the house fellowship movement, but I don't think that works so well anymore as people aren't getting the full idea of what the particular group I gather with is all about... it is not a smaller version of the big thing (probably the number one problem with some house fellowships); it does not have members that have left "left the church" solely because of bitterness, rebellion, or isolation from other church members (probably the most common conclusion Christians jump to about house fellowshippers... and it is true in some cases... just not here); it is literally all about Jesus... all about growing closer to Him.
- http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2007/08/22/saskatoon-lawsuit.html Note to self: You can file a complaint to the AFM (American Federation of Musicians... all professional North American musicians belong to this union) that your conductor takes erratic tempi for the strings, but slower tempi for the woodwinds. However, the conductor can in turn sue you... even if you are in Saskatoon...
- http://members.shaw.ca/anabw/grease.htm For those of you who have sound capabilities at your office jobs... this video uses very poor video editing skills to produce a very fantastically-funny video :) . Babies sing the hit tunes to Grease with a few word modifications. Hope you laugh as much as I did!
- http://www-old.cs.st-andrews.ac.uk/~morph/Transformer/ So this web-site is good if you have a bit more time on your hands... You can transform your face to see what you'd look like as...
Afro-Caribbean
As a manga/anime cartoon character
Painted by Painted by Modigiliani.
Painted by Mucha... a fantastic turn-of-the-century Czech painter.
And finally... as an apewoman.
Haha good times. Perhaps I shall have to try this without glasses someday when I have a lot more free time on my hands... this was just a quick one.
Ok, off to bigger and better things now! Tata!
P.S. I have NO idea why the formatting has gone all wacko on me... I will try and figure that out sometime when I'm with someone with more coding experience...
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Late Night Calling
So tonight the Lord kept me busy with people until 1am, so this shall be a short sporadic post.
I've come across two interesting web-sites in the last few days. One is courtesy of a cousin of mine and is kind of house-church-ish: http://www.newmonasticism.org/index.html . I haven't had enough time to sift through the material yet to decide if it is a crock or not but I did get a chance to listen to Shane Claiborne speak via youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPANKUHabx4 . He made some very good points that I agree with, but again, I would like to investigate this group a little bit more before I go advocating their materials to others.
Another fun web-site is http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/galleries/dogdaysaug15/index.html ... check out dog #45! The easiest way to get to it, is to have the photos come up in groups of four and then Starsky is the one on the bottom right (she's sitting on the tram-bop-o-line).
Ok, a more exciting post will follow tomorrow... in the mean-time, I'll leave http://www-old.cs.st-andrews.ac.uk/~morph/Transformer/ as a teaser for tomorrow's more fun post :)
I've come across two interesting web-sites in the last few days. One is courtesy of a cousin of mine and is kind of house-church-ish: http://www.newmonasticism.org/index.html . I haven't had enough time to sift through the material yet to decide if it is a crock or not but I did get a chance to listen to Shane Claiborne speak via youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPANKUHabx4 . He made some very good points that I agree with, but again, I would like to investigate this group a little bit more before I go advocating their materials to others.
Another fun web-site is http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/galleries/dogdaysaug15/index.html ... check out dog #45! The easiest way to get to it, is to have the photos come up in groups of four and then Starsky is the one on the bottom right (she's sitting on the tram-bop-o-line).
Ok, a more exciting post will follow tomorrow... in the mean-time, I'll leave http://www-old.cs.st-andrews.ac.uk/~morph/Transformer/ as a teaser for tomorrow's more fun post :)
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Enjoying the Lord in Seemingly Boring Events
Well today was about as action-packed of a summer day as I think my commitments can allow for. I got a chance to meet up with Kolten and give him his and Dave Cameron's letters from Summerit. I do really enjoy encouraging people so this was a fun time. Kolten encouraged me to consider donating blood... this seems like something that a lot of people are doing these days. I shall have to give it some more thought, but I am thinking I will likely try this sometime in the near future. Any stories or advice on this?
After meeting with Kolten I worked in the music office for an hour and answered a few phone calls but mostly surfed the net to discover what my Visa Reward Points could now be redeemed for. I was also able to have a good chat with one of the guys in the office about OT (Old Testament) vs. NT laws & regulations. This helped my good start to the day ... two excellent conversations on topics I enjoy with guys who probably enjoyed them just the same.
So the small blessings in life continued on with my work at the clothing/variety store I work at every once in a blue moon. Rather than having to do an excessive amount of cleaning, which we usually do during the summer because it is so slow, I was absolutely blessed that I got to count, recount, tag, and fold 100 bandannas. This may not sound like a blessing to many of you but if you've ever spent 4.5 hours with a bottle of Windex or vinegar & water, for several days a week, in a small 15'x30' store, you might see it as a blessing too. In a sense the mindless work is great because you get to pray and/or day dream the whole time =). If I had a "normal" job that required more thoughtful effort, I likely would not have had as many spiritual successes this summer. The mindless work has been good. Who would have thought I'd say that a few months ago?!?!
The PM of my day included some cooking of pasta (I think this was possibly the first dinner/lunch I've made in almost four or five days...) and a trip to a work friend's place to watch Big Brother 8. While not the most stimulating of television choices, the conversations that arise from such gatherings make it worth almost anyone's while to put up with the house antics.
So all around, good times today... Nothing too exciting, but another day of enjoying the Lord when I could just have been moping about how much life sucks :P
Talk to y'all tomorrow.
After meeting with Kolten I worked in the music office for an hour and answered a few phone calls but mostly surfed the net to discover what my Visa Reward Points could now be redeemed for. I was also able to have a good chat with one of the guys in the office about OT (Old Testament) vs. NT laws & regulations. This helped my good start to the day ... two excellent conversations on topics I enjoy with guys who probably enjoyed them just the same.
So the small blessings in life continued on with my work at the clothing/variety store I work at every once in a blue moon. Rather than having to do an excessive amount of cleaning, which we usually do during the summer because it is so slow, I was absolutely blessed that I got to count, recount, tag, and fold 100 bandannas. This may not sound like a blessing to many of you but if you've ever spent 4.5 hours with a bottle of Windex or vinegar & water, for several days a week, in a small 15'x30' store, you might see it as a blessing too. In a sense the mindless work is great because you get to pray and/or day dream the whole time =). If I had a "normal" job that required more thoughtful effort, I likely would not have had as many spiritual successes this summer. The mindless work has been good. Who would have thought I'd say that a few months ago?!?!
The PM of my day included some cooking of pasta (I think this was possibly the first dinner/lunch I've made in almost four or five days...) and a trip to a work friend's place to watch Big Brother 8. While not the most stimulating of television choices, the conversations that arise from such gatherings make it worth almost anyone's while to put up with the house antics.
So all around, good times today... Nothing too exciting, but another day of enjoying the Lord when I could just have been moping about how much life sucks :P
Talk to y'all tomorrow.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Textbook Adventures
So today I was able to start the process of getting the Summerit notes of encouragement out to the recent grads. It was fun that every single one of them responded to my initial e-mail (telling them what we had done & asking for their mailing addresses) saying how they were already strongly encouraged to know that we were praying for them. If ever I question the power of encouragement, please remind myself of this experience.
After mailing the first batch out, I got the pleasure to spend sometime perusing the Bookstore for my textbooks. Just for kicks, let's see if you're as surprised with the prices of these books as I am: I will show you a book, you guess the price, then I will reveal the price after you've scrolled down (this was probably one of my favourite random games we played at C4C this past year... what can I say? I'm a dork!).
Principles Of Corporate Finance Authors: Lawrence J. Gitman, San Diego State University & Sean M. Hennessey, University of Prince Edward Island.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Price: $113.95
Intermediate Accounting Vol. 1 8th Ed. Author: Kieso
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Price: $81.95
Hard Facts Dangerous Half Truths + Total Nonsense Author: Pfeffer
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Price: $37.95... but I snagged one of the only copies at the Used Book Store for $20.
Unfortunately the textbook companies have put new editions out for the first two textbooks so I will have to purchase them at full price unless I can find a better deal online. Even though it does seem somewhat absurd to pay $113+ for one book I will very likely only use for four months of my life, the total amount I will be spending on textbooks this year is considerably less than previous years and than the average student.
Anyhoo with all this contemplation about spending the big bucks, I am going to turn off my computer now so as to save a few cents in electricity and go and do something free... like reading by candlelight ;)
P.S. Here is a very amusing web-site that ought to keep a lot of you entertained for at least five minutes: http://www.thebricktestament.com/ This web-site goes through all of the more well-known Bible stories with illustrations provided by Lego Men & Women. Good times in the cyber world.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Summerit 2007
So this Friday evening and Saturday, eight Campus for Christ-ers (+ Mandy's brother visiting from Alberta) descended upon Port Franks for a weekend of relaxation and all around good times. I do believe that these things were both accomplished quite well!
I was really encouraged this weekend especially by spending some time with Melissa who just got back from a year long STINT (Short Term InterNational Trip?) with Campus Crusade in Tanzania. Hearing her stories of how God triumphed over different issues in her visit was exciting (for one, it was 45 degrees Celsius down there with a 98% humidity... and she still survived!).
We also got the chance to write notes of encouragement to many of the recent grads (see picture below). This summer with Summer C4C we've been studying 1st and 2nd Timothy and it was really impressed upon me how *amazing* it must have been for Timothy to have words of encouragement in starting his ministry in a new city. So at Summerit this weekend we took the time to write notes of encouragement and thanks to recent grads. We managed to cover 11 people , all of whom will receive at least two notes. Surprisingly this took way longer than I expected and I know that we missed a lot of people being the double cohort grad year and all. Hopefully the Lord knew what He was doing when He inspired and brought to mind certain people to receive these letters. :P
This was the view from the picnic table where I did my devotions yesterday morning. I stayed there for almost two hours. The breeze was glorious. The warm sun was fantastic and the fellowship with the Lord was sweet. I will try to do my best to summarize what I learned this weekend, but it is one of those things that is oh so difficult to put into words. In so many situations in my recent history, I have been trying to foster an environment that encourages people to grow closer to the Lord. While this is a good intention, taking much of that responsibility upon ourselves denies what the Lord is really seeking to do -- for us to decrease and for Him to increase. Related to this lesson was also the revelation that God's actions are so spread out, in reference to Earthly timing, perhaps so that we don't take any credit ourselves for having been a part of the change. For instance, in the desire to have a family member come to know the Lord intimately; if this happened now, perhaps I would take credit for it... by the Lord moving as slowly as He seemingly does sometimes though, when it does happen, I will be more likely to have 100% confidence that it is by His efforts that my family will be saved and not my own.
On a lighter note, this is a picture of BH (Ben Harrison) giving me the "You think you're so clever" thumbs up after I became so puzzled as to how you could possibly rent sand castles. This was probably my ultimate blonde moment of the weekend. =)
Friday, August 17, 2007
Empty empty empty
So the music office is as empty as I think it has ever been while I'm working--only Dr. Doerksen is here. Deb, Diane, Heather, Michelle, Shelly, and Sasha are all on holidays which means if you're planning on trying to get anything done in the faculty, call ahead because it is very likely that no one is here to help you out. John, Odilla, & Janis all take Friday afternoons off in the summer in exchange for shorter lunch hours through out the week. That leaves Carol & Gayle who are both around the corner & down the hall from the main office. It's really strange having no one to distract from their real work--this is probably what I do best when I'm working here. I suppose I'll have some more time to think about Summerit this weekend.
Sad note of the week is that Richard Bradshaw died suddenly of a heart attack. You can read about him here: http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070816/bradshaw_dead_070816/20070817?hub=Entertainment. In a nutshell though, Richard Bradshaw was the man who spearheaded, against all odds, to get a professional opera house built in Canada. The first and only one was completed last year in downtown Toronto and is called the Four Seasons Centre. He fought for government funding, and encouraged financial supporters from people like Margaret Atwood who has little relation to the opera realm. Unlike Don Quixote, he achieved his impossible dream, even after the project had been dead in the water for many years. He is an inspiration to many musicians fighting for adequate overdue performance spaces...
The day camp finished today and I have to say I'm fairly relieved that it is over--running around with seven kids under 14 proved to be more taxing than I remember. I'm glad I was able to get some more time in with the other leaders and I feel better about physically being in the building (no more almost-tears walking in like there were the first day!).
Listening to other big people at the day camp share their experiences with the young adults has been really reaffirming. It has surprised me though, the degree to which many of them will repeatedly continue to reach out given the minimal growth they themselves get from the whole process. I know these limits are different for many people and aren't wrong per se. I'm just surprised that mine are so different from some of the others. So it has got me thinking: are my expectations for people's desires to improve themselves too high? Are people lacking in an in depth relationship with God... in depth to the point where they aren't striving to please God but are behaving certain ways to reflect their amazing appreciation for the Father? If this is true, how does one counsel others to recognize the supreme importance of a close relationship with Jesus? To what degree do outsiders (like me) play a role in fostering this relationship?
I will probably come back and write more when I get bored again. I'm off to read a bit more of the "He Loves Me" book online & try and come up with a little bit of a better idea what we'll be doing for our Bible study times at Summerit tonight & tomorrow...
Sad note of the week is that Richard Bradshaw died suddenly of a heart attack. You can read about him here: http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070816/bradshaw_dead_070816/20070817?hub=Entertainment. In a nutshell though, Richard Bradshaw was the man who spearheaded, against all odds, to get a professional opera house built in Canada. The first and only one was completed last year in downtown Toronto and is called the Four Seasons Centre. He fought for government funding, and encouraged financial supporters from people like Margaret Atwood who has little relation to the opera realm. Unlike Don Quixote, he achieved his impossible dream, even after the project had been dead in the water for many years. He is an inspiration to many musicians fighting for adequate overdue performance spaces...
The day camp finished today and I have to say I'm fairly relieved that it is over--running around with seven kids under 14 proved to be more taxing than I remember. I'm glad I was able to get some more time in with the other leaders and I feel better about physically being in the building (no more almost-tears walking in like there were the first day!).
Listening to other big people at the day camp share their experiences with the young adults has been really reaffirming. It has surprised me though, the degree to which many of them will repeatedly continue to reach out given the minimal growth they themselves get from the whole process. I know these limits are different for many people and aren't wrong per se. I'm just surprised that mine are so different from some of the others. So it has got me thinking: are my expectations for people's desires to improve themselves too high? Are people lacking in an in depth relationship with God... in depth to the point where they aren't striving to please God but are behaving certain ways to reflect their amazing appreciation for the Father? If this is true, how does one counsel others to recognize the supreme importance of a close relationship with Jesus? To what degree do outsiders (like me) play a role in fostering this relationship?
I will probably come back and write more when I get bored again. I'm off to read a bit more of the "He Loves Me" book online & try and come up with a little bit of a better idea what we'll be doing for our Bible study times at Summerit tonight & tomorrow...
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Quickie
So it's already 11, and I have to get up early again tomorrow for the last day of day camp, so tonight will be another short post. Sorry for not having more tidbits of fun for all of you who read this during slow times at work :P
Tonight was fun. Brent & Jessica had Ruth & I over for some chili and Dutch blitz. Jessica ended up winning, with Brent finishing a close second, myself a very distant third, and then Ruth. I am pretty sure I've never played this game before except if you count the version I played one night in Woodstock (I think... it was with some of the Brethren kids there) where the cards were 4'x3' and you had to run into the middle of a gymnasium to lay down your cards. I had a really good time & smiled so much my face hurts. Always a good feeling :)
Speaking of hurting, my quads hurt so much--between squatting for all the kids' worship songs and squatting to get them to stop hitting each other/ stop colouring the hymnals / stop trying to tie Barry's shoes together, etc., I seem to have done a number on my legs. I can't remember the last time they hurt this much. I think it's more amusing than sad that I can run and run and run to get fit but still be not fit enough to not be sore after running around with 12 year-olds. Good times. God help me for when/if I ever have kids...
Tomorrow I'll be heading out for the C4C summer retreat so your prayers for that would be appreciated. I feel like it's not organized enough and yet at the same time like we've done too much -- guess that means God has some fun surprises in store :)
OK time for sleepies. Talk to y'all later & good night.
Tonight was fun. Brent & Jessica had Ruth & I over for some chili and Dutch blitz. Jessica ended up winning, with Brent finishing a close second, myself a very distant third, and then Ruth. I am pretty sure I've never played this game before except if you count the version I played one night in Woodstock (I think... it was with some of the Brethren kids there) where the cards were 4'x3' and you had to run into the middle of a gymnasium to lay down your cards. I had a really good time & smiled so much my face hurts. Always a good feeling :)
Speaking of hurting, my quads hurt so much--between squatting for all the kids' worship songs and squatting to get them to stop hitting each other/ stop colouring the hymnals / stop trying to tie Barry's shoes together, etc., I seem to have done a number on my legs. I can't remember the last time they hurt this much. I think it's more amusing than sad that I can run and run and run to get fit but still be not fit enough to not be sore after running around with 12 year-olds. Good times. God help me for when/if I ever have kids...
Tomorrow I'll be heading out for the C4C summer retreat so your prayers for that would be appreciated. I feel like it's not organized enough and yet at the same time like we've done too much -- guess that means God has some fun surprises in store :)
OK time for sleepies. Talk to y'all later & good night.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Bush & Zombies
Some of the best video-editing I've seen in a long time. A fun way to spend 3 minutes of your life.
http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2007/bush-v-zombies-p1.php?fb=1&page=top10-top10-monthly-2005-DEC
http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2007/bush-v-zombies-p1.php?fb=1&page=top10-top10-monthly-2005-DEC
A whole lot of nothing
So I really have nothing much to share again today.
Kolten got Facebook. I guess that's pretty exciting.
Only 2 more days of crazy kids at the church and then no more. This Sunday it looks like we're going to have an area house-church supporters picnic potluck deal down the street. I am looking forward to that but have no idea what to bring; my cooking skills seem to have dissipated quite a bit in the last few weeks. I think I'm at 2/10 of new recipes being a success, at least in my opinion, which is of a pretty low judging standard as I try to survive on what ever is in the kitchen for as long as possible (even if it means not eating vegetables for a week... Erin can attest!).
I'm no longer as enthusiastic about klove as I was a few days ago. The music selection isn't too vast I'm finding. I suppose it will be a good once-in-a-while station. In the mean time until I find a better station, I'm Facebook stalking people's ilike applications -- some of you have very random tastes in music!
Tata for now!
Kolten got Facebook. I guess that's pretty exciting.
Only 2 more days of crazy kids at the church and then no more. This Sunday it looks like we're going to have an area house-church supporters picnic potluck deal down the street. I am looking forward to that but have no idea what to bring; my cooking skills seem to have dissipated quite a bit in the last few weeks. I think I'm at 2/10 of new recipes being a success, at least in my opinion, which is of a pretty low judging standard as I try to survive on what ever is in the kitchen for as long as possible (even if it means not eating vegetables for a week... Erin can attest!).
I'm no longer as enthusiastic about klove as I was a few days ago. The music selection isn't too vast I'm finding. I suppose it will be a good once-in-a-while station. In the mean time until I find a better station, I'm Facebook stalking people's ilike applications -- some of you have very random tastes in music!
Tata for now!
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Tuesdayday
So a lot of bits and pieces of news today. Nothing that's going to get too long of a story
- I didn't start the reed-making journey today as planned. I had to do laundry instead and I was so tuckered out from the day camp this morning that I had to take a nap this afternoon during prime reed-attack time :P
- Day camp... it went ok. Today the "Snake Lady" came to visit and the kids got to hold snakes and spiders and things of the like. I petted a cockroach and a millipied and didn't die. I almost started crying walking there though (I took the wrong 13 and ended up having to walk for a bit). I really think I will not be going back to this "church" for "church" anymore.
- Talking to four people at the same time on MSN is rather difficult. Sorry to anyone who tried to get any news out of me tonight. You should have just called and interrupted my Internet camp-out :P
- Luke is such a good book. I think I probably say this about every book I read but it is true; I am enjoying Luke very much.
- This Sunday we might be having a potluck picnic of sorts for some of the house church supporters in the London area to meet and get to know one another. It will be sooo welcome after yet another week of drama with rvcc.
Ok. Nighty night time. Today's challenge is to get more rest than I did last night so I'm not as tired tomorrow as I was today.
Fun story of the day... apparently this is *news* aka something new ...http://www.ministrytodaymag.com/blog/2007/08/why-young-churchgoers-ditch-church.html
- I didn't start the reed-making journey today as planned. I had to do laundry instead and I was so tuckered out from the day camp this morning that I had to take a nap this afternoon during prime reed-attack time :P
- Day camp... it went ok. Today the "Snake Lady" came to visit and the kids got to hold snakes and spiders and things of the like. I petted a cockroach and a millipied and didn't die. I almost started crying walking there though (I took the wrong 13 and ended up having to walk for a bit). I really think I will not be going back to this "church" for "church" anymore.
- Talking to four people at the same time on MSN is rather difficult. Sorry to anyone who tried to get any news out of me tonight. You should have just called and interrupted my Internet camp-out :P
- Luke is such a good book. I think I probably say this about every book I read but it is true; I am enjoying Luke very much.
- This Sunday we might be having a potluck picnic of sorts for some of the house church supporters in the London area to meet and get to know one another. It will be sooo welcome after yet another week of drama with rvcc.
Ok. Nighty night time. Today's challenge is to get more rest than I did last night so I'm not as tired tomorrow as I was today.
Fun story of the day... apparently this is *news* aka something new ...http://www.ministrytodaymag.com/blog/2007/08/why-young-churchgoers-ditch-church.html
Monday, August 13, 2007
The Power of Music (...and music students)
So the latest news in my quest to deal with the frustration of not having a proper recital hall is in two parts. The first would be the anonymous support from anonymous faculty for raising a stink. It's amazing how fast news travels in the music building. Getting stopped in the hallways for thumbs up or THANK YOU conversations is fun and definitely was not expected from when I first started this whole process.
The second news bit would be receiving support from what is now 110 members in just over 48 hours. From alumni (famous and not), to former faculty, to current undergrads (from here AND other schools), to graduate students (again those here, and those that would never come here for the lack of performance facilities), to supportive members of the community (and a big community that is... some from very far away), to family members and significant others who hear us complaining about it all the time. There have been a few really great ideas for what should be put into the performing hall which is a fun extension and keeps the mildly angry topic light-hearted. One of my favourite posts in this realm is by one of the school's organists who writes, "Let me be the first to point out that the new performance hall, when it is built, needs a pipe organ. All the major performance halls now are being built with organs, and a hall without an organ is TOTALLY USELESS. An orchestra without an organist can't play such works as The Planets, Saint-Saens' Third Symphony, Barber's Toccata Festiva, Bax's Second Symphony, Brian's "Gothic" Symphony, the Berio Sinfonia, several Strauss tone poems, Vaughan Williams' "Sinfonia Antarctica", and the vast majority of the choral-orchestral repertoire.And don't make it some dinky little three-manual either - I want a five-manual organ with at least one big solo reed, at least two full-length 32' pedal stops, a Zimbelstern, and a Vogelgesang.Anything less than this is an INSULT to the UWO music department!!!!" Good times. Us music geeks, we got game :P
In other news, God answered prayers for something to do this week while I'm out of work so tomorrow at 7:38 I will catch the bus to go up to help out with a VBS camp at the traditional church I went to for a while this year. I'm slightly apprehensive about this as this will be the first time I've gone back since getting shouted out by some of the youth (some of whom I imagine are working at this too). I'm also kind of frustrated with how some parents put so much responsibility for their child's spiritual upbringing into the hands of other people instead of themselves. The fact that this is only a short stint should help though as I'm not encouraging the practise by parents on a regular basis, right? gah. I wish I felt more at peace about this than I do right now...
Ok off to do some nightly reading. Luke has been amazing for the second (maybe even third?) time through this summer.
Tomorrow I shall start the looooooooooong second stage of the reed making process. I think I will chronicle this online with pictures as I don't think any of my non-bassoon playing friends know even remotely how this works. Seeing as I always get questions about it, I am guessing that it intrigues a lot of you, even slightly, that I own (and use on a regular basis!) more tools than the average man. Hopefully I won't cut myself or make a crap batch. That would be bad.
Fun News
Here's the story of the day: http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=bizarre&id=5563034
When I read it without the picture I thought it was pretty strange... but then I saw the picture, and I became more gullible I suppose.
When I read it without the picture I thought it was pretty strange... but then I saw the picture, and I became more gullible I suppose.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Living Less-Loved
Haha so this post is waaaaaaaay more deeper than the last 27 combined. Enjoy and absorb :P :)
So today was a fantabulous day gathering with the house fellowship. It developed into one of those days where I'm just beaming with excitement for what the Lord has done, is doing, and will do! Hallelujah! There is such joy that comes from freely experiencing the love of Jesus... if only more people knew.
I am kind of at a stage now where I am trying to understand why soooooooo many believers are not fully experiencing His awesomeness. It's one thing to explain His awesomeness to someone who doesn't believe in the Christian God, but it's a whoooooooole nother can of worms when trying to share it with someone who knows God, but not uber-uber-personally. One of the most important traits any person can have in this world, but especially Christians, is to have a teachable spirit. I URGE and PRAY for you that the next time you're challenged by something theologically (like you might be in a few short moments), that you consider what God is trying to teach you and not jump to defending your position. I'm definitely guilty of this too so feel free to point it out to me next time- I am getting better, but you pointing it out is for my own good and means I will get better faster anyways. Nevertheless, I digress from Christ's awesomeness...
For those of you that know of my huge and ever-growing passion for the lost (aka those that don't know Jesus), I think my passion for found-that-don't-realize-what-they've-found is growing even faster. It's one of those pit-in-the-stomach feelings when I come across Christians who're plain and simple, missing out on 90% of what God has to offer (that is a fake statistic by the way... but you get the idea ;)). Of all the things that God pointed out during my time with the traditional church I was attending quasi-regularly this spring and summer, I think this was probably the biggest observation that sticks out, at least for now.
I'm sure most of you are familiar with the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32... if you don't have a Bible, check it out at www.biblegateway.com). But have you ever thought about it from the perspective of the son that stayed home the whole time and was mighty ticked off when his father started throwing is prodigal brother a party? How many Christians look at their Heavenly Father in this way, in that they just don't get what they've had all along, even though the people walking into it for the first time in ages (if ever) realize the Father's awesomeness right away? I know the numbers sadly add up to few who fully realize the value of a minute-to-minute, deep, intensely awesome (I seem to be using that word a lot...) relationship with the Lord, no fake statistics either. As Wayne Jacobsen suggests, perhaps the Prodigal Son parable would be better named as "Parable of the Incredible Father." ... [And I know that this is a lot of text that follows, but I wouldn't have taken the time if I didn't feel strongly that this would be extremely beneficial for some of you to read]...
Anyone hearing Jesus' story for the first time would be shocked at this father's actions. His arrogant son dishonours (:P... insert Canadian spelling here) him by asking for his inheritance while the father is still alive, and who by all indications is nowhere near death's door. What kind of son claims his father's inheritance while he's still alive? How dare he even ask!
As rude as the son's request might be, we can at least understand it. We all know what it is to want to get our hands on dad's money, even if most of us are too civil to pursue it. But it's this father who defies comprehension.
What does the father do in response to this outrageous request? He gives it to him.
This is even more shocking than the son asking. He divides the inheritance between his two sons and lets him go. How many fathers would do that, especially when they knew the younger son was up to no good?
What kind of father is this?
The son squanders his inheritance on his own pleasure, instead of investing if for the future. But the father does not go and nag him. He finally loses it all and ends up destitute. But the father does not try to rescue him.
Where is the father? He is back on the farm, waiting. He doesn't chase after his son to tell him that he's foolish nor does he rush off to buy him dinner when famine hits. He waits.
What kind of father is this?
Is he indifferent to his son's plight? Any parent who has ever watched their son or daughter make bad choices, knows that waiting is far more difficult than prodding or nagging. But wait he does, for a marvelous thing to happen-to let the son come to his senses.
We soon find out, however, just how expectant that waiting was. Years later when he returns the father spots him while he is still a long ways off. The only way that would have happened was if the father had been constantly looking. He probably never walked by the road without looking down it, hoping against hope that today would be the day his boy would come home. I can see him with one eye on his work, the other focused down the road, looking for the familiar gait of his beloved son. One day he spots him, even though he would have been emaciated with hunger and hunched over in humiliation. "That's him! That's my boy!"
What does he do now? Does he stand on the porch with arms crossed waiting for his son to walk all the way to the house humiliated, then fall down in the dirt and grovel for his next meal? That's what I might have done [ME TOO]. I would even have practiced my I-hope-you-learned-your-lesson speech. Not this father.
Without hesitation the father jumps off the porch and runs down the road. This is all the more amazing when you remember how this father would have been dressed. He wouldn't have been wearing pants or jogging shorts, but long, cumbersome robes. In that time it was dishonourable for an older man to run, exposing his legs in the process. But this father again demonstrates his love by sacrificing his own dignity in deference to his son. He hiked up his robes and went barreling down the road as fast as he could run.
What kind of father is this?
... skipping a lot here ...
Though it may appear that what the son wanted drove this story, a closer look shows just otherwise. What the Father wanted is the key here, and he wanted it so desperately he would spare nothing to have it. What do you think that was?
Was it to be with his sons or to have them labour in his fields? No, the story started there and he could easily have kept the younger one there by refusing his request and giving him no opportunity to make such a wreak of his life. That wasn't enough for this father. He wanted something more.
What he didn't have was a loving relationship with either of his sons. The younger son only saw him as a conduit to his own pleasures; the elder as a taskmaster to serve in the fields. They were both in the house, but neither was at home in his love. Could that be why the father let the younger son go? Rather than force him to stay and deepen his hostility, he let him go to run to the end of his own self-sufficiency and find out who his father really was [My testimony in a nutshell!].
...skipping....
In this incredible story, when do you think the father loved his son the most?
Every time I share this story I ask people that question. Almost always the first answers select the moment where the father meets the son on the road. After a bit more thought, however, some suggest it might be when the father gives him his inheritance and lets him go. Only then does it become clear: there is no point in the story where the father loved his son more than at any other point. He loved him completely through the whole process. It is the only constant in the story. The events in this story cannot be accounted for by the varying love of the father-only the varying perception of it by the son. Though he was not less-loved at any point in the story, through most of it he lives as if he was [Been there! Done that!].
When he took the money from his father and stormed off the farm grateful to be out from under his clutches and free to pursue his own way, he lived less-loved.
When he spent this money in a foreign land, wasting it on his own pleasures and thinking he'd finally fooled his father, he lived less-loved.
Even when he started for home practicing his plea of repentance, willing only to be a slave to a father who had sought a son, he lived less-loved.
But finally, when he's home in the robe, the sandals, and the ring, sitting at his father's table sinking his teeth into the filet mignon, it finally sinks in. He is loved. But he always was! It's just that now he can stop living as if he wasn't.
Most of our lives are spent living less-loved.
When we worry that God will ask us for some horrible sacrifice, we live less-loved.
When we indulge ourselves in sin, we live less-loved.
When we give into anxiety in the crush of our circumstances, we live less-loved.
When we try to earn God's favour by our own efforts, we live less-loved.
Even when we get caught up in religious obligations to make ourselves acceptable to him, we live less-loved.
That is the story of the older brother. At the end of the story he is so angry at his father for receiving his wayward brother home, he refuses to come to the house and join the celebration. ***********He had stayed with his father, never having run off to pursue his own aims, but still missed out on the relationship his father wanted with him.********** Though a son, he saw himself only as a slave and every request of his father as an onerous chore.
The first on represents those who run from God by indulging their own selfish pursuits; the older son represents those who work hard to impress God with their commitment. Fearful of the consequences of not doing so, they slave away for him [can you name like 10 of these people?! Not hard...]. But they never come to the depth of relationship the Father wants with them. The Pharisees in Jesus' day were like that as are many people today who are caught up in a host of religious activities, but miss out on what it really means to live in the Father's love.
In the long run it doesn't matter whether rebellion or religion keep you from a vibrant relationship with the Father, the result is still the same. He is cheated out of the relationship he wants with you, and you never come to know how he feels about you.
Jesus ends the story at an interesting point. The younger son is in the house enjoying his new-found relationship with his father. The older son is still outside weighing his options. Will he come to know just how much he is loved and join the celebration, or will he remain convinced of his father's unfairness and remain outside angry and alone?
The choice is his--and it is yours! Everything about your life hinges on the answer to one simple question.
Do you know how loved you really are?
Isn't it time you found out?
Wow, eh? Ephesians 3:17-19 fits in nicely here: And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. For the love of God (truly!), ask God to show you where you live less-loved. What does it make you do-run to your own way like the younger brother or work even harder like the older one? God wants you to know that there is nothing you can do to make him love you any more today, and nothing you can do that will make him love you any less. He just loves you. Ask him to teach you how true that is so you can live. in. freedom.
Praise God! Hallelujah! Amen!
So today was a fantabulous day gathering with the house fellowship. It developed into one of those days where I'm just beaming with excitement for what the Lord has done, is doing, and will do! Hallelujah! There is such joy that comes from freely experiencing the love of Jesus... if only more people knew.
I am kind of at a stage now where I am trying to understand why soooooooo many believers are not fully experiencing His awesomeness. It's one thing to explain His awesomeness to someone who doesn't believe in the Christian God, but it's a whoooooooole nother can of worms when trying to share it with someone who knows God, but not uber-uber-personally. One of the most important traits any person can have in this world, but especially Christians, is to have a teachable spirit. I URGE and PRAY for you that the next time you're challenged by something theologically (like you might be in a few short moments), that you consider what God is trying to teach you and not jump to defending your position. I'm definitely guilty of this too so feel free to point it out to me next time- I am getting better, but you pointing it out is for my own good and means I will get better faster anyways. Nevertheless, I digress from Christ's awesomeness...
For those of you that know of my huge and ever-growing passion for the lost (aka those that don't know Jesus), I think my passion for found-that-don't-realize-what-they've-found is growing even faster. It's one of those pit-in-the-stomach feelings when I come across Christians who're plain and simple, missing out on 90% of what God has to offer (that is a fake statistic by the way... but you get the idea ;)). Of all the things that God pointed out during my time with the traditional church I was attending quasi-regularly this spring and summer, I think this was probably the biggest observation that sticks out, at least for now.
I'm sure most of you are familiar with the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32... if you don't have a Bible, check it out at www.biblegateway.com). But have you ever thought about it from the perspective of the son that stayed home the whole time and was mighty ticked off when his father started throwing is prodigal brother a party? How many Christians look at their Heavenly Father in this way, in that they just don't get what they've had all along, even though the people walking into it for the first time in ages (if ever) realize the Father's awesomeness right away? I know the numbers sadly add up to few who fully realize the value of a minute-to-minute, deep, intensely awesome (I seem to be using that word a lot...) relationship with the Lord, no fake statistics either. As Wayne Jacobsen suggests, perhaps the Prodigal Son parable would be better named as "Parable of the Incredible Father." ... [And I know that this is a lot of text that follows, but I wouldn't have taken the time if I didn't feel strongly that this would be extremely beneficial for some of you to read]...
Anyone hearing Jesus' story for the first time would be shocked at this father's actions. His arrogant son dishonours (:P... insert Canadian spelling here) him by asking for his inheritance while the father is still alive, and who by all indications is nowhere near death's door. What kind of son claims his father's inheritance while he's still alive? How dare he even ask!
As rude as the son's request might be, we can at least understand it. We all know what it is to want to get our hands on dad's money, even if most of us are too civil to pursue it. But it's this father who defies comprehension.
What does the father do in response to this outrageous request? He gives it to him.
This is even more shocking than the son asking. He divides the inheritance between his two sons and lets him go. How many fathers would do that, especially when they knew the younger son was up to no good?
What kind of father is this?
The son squanders his inheritance on his own pleasure, instead of investing if for the future. But the father does not go and nag him. He finally loses it all and ends up destitute. But the father does not try to rescue him.
Where is the father? He is back on the farm, waiting. He doesn't chase after his son to tell him that he's foolish nor does he rush off to buy him dinner when famine hits. He waits.
What kind of father is this?
Is he indifferent to his son's plight? Any parent who has ever watched their son or daughter make bad choices, knows that waiting is far more difficult than prodding or nagging. But wait he does, for a marvelous thing to happen-to let the son come to his senses.
We soon find out, however, just how expectant that waiting was. Years later when he returns the father spots him while he is still a long ways off. The only way that would have happened was if the father had been constantly looking. He probably never walked by the road without looking down it, hoping against hope that today would be the day his boy would come home. I can see him with one eye on his work, the other focused down the road, looking for the familiar gait of his beloved son. One day he spots him, even though he would have been emaciated with hunger and hunched over in humiliation. "That's him! That's my boy!"
What does he do now? Does he stand on the porch with arms crossed waiting for his son to walk all the way to the house humiliated, then fall down in the dirt and grovel for his next meal? That's what I might have done [ME TOO]. I would even have practiced my I-hope-you-learned-your-lesson speech. Not this father.
Without hesitation the father jumps off the porch and runs down the road. This is all the more amazing when you remember how this father would have been dressed. He wouldn't have been wearing pants or jogging shorts, but long, cumbersome robes. In that time it was dishonourable for an older man to run, exposing his legs in the process. But this father again demonstrates his love by sacrificing his own dignity in deference to his son. He hiked up his robes and went barreling down the road as fast as he could run.
What kind of father is this?
... skipping a lot here ...
Though it may appear that what the son wanted drove this story, a closer look shows just otherwise. What the Father wanted is the key here, and he wanted it so desperately he would spare nothing to have it. What do you think that was?
Was it to be with his sons or to have them labour in his fields? No, the story started there and he could easily have kept the younger one there by refusing his request and giving him no opportunity to make such a wreak of his life. That wasn't enough for this father. He wanted something more.
What he didn't have was a loving relationship with either of his sons. The younger son only saw him as a conduit to his own pleasures; the elder as a taskmaster to serve in the fields. They were both in the house, but neither was at home in his love. Could that be why the father let the younger son go? Rather than force him to stay and deepen his hostility, he let him go to run to the end of his own self-sufficiency and find out who his father really was [My testimony in a nutshell!].
...skipping....
In this incredible story, when do you think the father loved his son the most?
Every time I share this story I ask people that question. Almost always the first answers select the moment where the father meets the son on the road. After a bit more thought, however, some suggest it might be when the father gives him his inheritance and lets him go. Only then does it become clear: there is no point in the story where the father loved his son more than at any other point. He loved him completely through the whole process. It is the only constant in the story. The events in this story cannot be accounted for by the varying love of the father-only the varying perception of it by the son. Though he was not less-loved at any point in the story, through most of it he lives as if he was [Been there! Done that!].
When he took the money from his father and stormed off the farm grateful to be out from under his clutches and free to pursue his own way, he lived less-loved.
When he spent this money in a foreign land, wasting it on his own pleasures and thinking he'd finally fooled his father, he lived less-loved.
Even when he started for home practicing his plea of repentance, willing only to be a slave to a father who had sought a son, he lived less-loved.
But finally, when he's home in the robe, the sandals, and the ring, sitting at his father's table sinking his teeth into the filet mignon, it finally sinks in. He is loved. But he always was! It's just that now he can stop living as if he wasn't.
Most of our lives are spent living less-loved.
When we worry that God will ask us for some horrible sacrifice, we live less-loved.
When we indulge ourselves in sin, we live less-loved.
When we give into anxiety in the crush of our circumstances, we live less-loved.
When we try to earn God's favour by our own efforts, we live less-loved.
Even when we get caught up in religious obligations to make ourselves acceptable to him, we live less-loved.
That is the story of the older brother. At the end of the story he is so angry at his father for receiving his wayward brother home, he refuses to come to the house and join the celebration. ***********He had stayed with his father, never having run off to pursue his own aims, but still missed out on the relationship his father wanted with him.********** Though a son, he saw himself only as a slave and every request of his father as an onerous chore.
The first on represents those who run from God by indulging their own selfish pursuits; the older son represents those who work hard to impress God with their commitment. Fearful of the consequences of not doing so, they slave away for him [can you name like 10 of these people?! Not hard...]. But they never come to the depth of relationship the Father wants with them. The Pharisees in Jesus' day were like that as are many people today who are caught up in a host of religious activities, but miss out on what it really means to live in the Father's love.
In the long run it doesn't matter whether rebellion or religion keep you from a vibrant relationship with the Father, the result is still the same. He is cheated out of the relationship he wants with you, and you never come to know how he feels about you.
Jesus ends the story at an interesting point. The younger son is in the house enjoying his new-found relationship with his father. The older son is still outside weighing his options. Will he come to know just how much he is loved and join the celebration, or will he remain convinced of his father's unfairness and remain outside angry and alone?
The choice is his--and it is yours! Everything about your life hinges on the answer to one simple question.
Do you know how loved you really are?
Isn't it time you found out?
Wow, eh? Ephesians 3:17-19 fits in nicely here: And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. For the love of God (truly!), ask God to show you where you live less-loved. What does it make you do-run to your own way like the younger brother or work even harder like the older one? God wants you to know that there is nothing you can do to make him love you any more today, and nothing you can do that will make him love you any less. He just loves you. Ask him to teach you how true that is so you can live. in. freedom.
Praise God! Hallelujah! Amen!
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Random Sites
Ask your friends for random sites, and you shall receive!
Cats that look like Hitler (aka Kitlers): http://www.catsthatlooklikehitler.com/cgi-bin/seigmiaow.pl (there's also an anti-Kitler site for those that this would appeal to)
Otters holding hands: http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2007/otters-hold-hands-p1.php
UWO: Where The Leaders of Tomorrow Are Today: http://overheardatwestern.blogspot.com/
A Good Lutheran's Guide to the Orchestra: http://www.harrogate.co.uk/harrogate-band/humour40.htm
Take the "Ring Tone" Test: http://cellphones.about.com/od/ringtonesmelodies/qt/ringtone_test.htm
Ok... time for something else now.
Cats that look like Hitler (aka Kitlers): http://www.catsthatlooklikehitler.com/cgi-bin/seigmiaow.pl (there's also an anti-Kitler site for those that this would appeal to)
Otters holding hands: http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2007/otters-hold-hands-p1.php
UWO: Where The Leaders of Tomorrow Are Today: http://overheardatwestern.blogspot.com/
A Good Lutheran's Guide to the Orchestra: http://www.harrogate.co.uk/harrogate-band/humour40.htm
Take the "Ring Tone" Test: http://cellphones.about.com/od/ringtonesmelodies/qt/ringtone_test.htm
Ok... time for something else now.
Bordom to a Whole New Level
So tonight I've driven myself a little mad for a lack of activity. I've had a headache, from spending too much time in the sun today, since about 6:00 which has limited what I wanted to do. Today will be a no-practise day :( ... which is too bad, but it is pretty warm in here soooo I suppose this headache is a blessing in disguise that way. I tried to do some extra reading but alas that also did not work because I could not concentrate due to the headache. It's a good thing I have to hit the sack early tonight, because I am running out of suitable activities reallllllllly fast. I tried watching the *new* tv, but alas that did not work so much either; the French channel had people speaking too fast (and it was coverage of an African country's elections... of which I know little vocab or can understand their accents very well), National Geographic was covering chimps or apes or something, which at this point is of no interest to me, and the other channels had just the usual bad Saturday-night programming. I tried resuming the oh-so-addicting habit of http://www.scrabulous.com/, but after losing two games by over a hundred points and tying the last one, I don't think that's probably a wise way to spend my time either (I will destroy my rating). So I guess this leaves other computer activities... so I'm catching up with some old friends on MSN and meandering through Facebook groups. Oh joy. Too bad I'm presenting myself as a crazy-person to my old friends because the headache is intensifying to the point where it is difficult to form meaningful sentences (probably evident by this posting as well). Note to self: You MUST drink more than 1/2 litre of water when outdoors for four hours -- especially after exercising. The thing is I went for a run this morning for 40minutes and it seemed waaaaaaaaay hotter than normal, then went uptown to pickup my bassoon case (about an hour on the bus, sans air conditioning), then waited for the next bus (1/2 hour), then took that bus back downtown (another hour), then walked to the train station & bus station to get travel arrangements sorted out for tomorrow, then walked to the bank, caught a bus to the grocery store, got on yet another non-air conditioned bus. Total time outside or on a non-air conditioned bus = approximately 5-6 hours. That is waaaaaaay to long when you're not feeling well in the first place. I know most of you would just pop a tylenol or whatever and feel better in 1/2 hour but praise God I'm the lucky one He's teaching to rely on Him and not medication. You'd be surprised how often God uses the mild illnesses and ailments to try and teach us something only to find that instead we pop pills to shut Him up. Good times. Sorry God.
OK I'm off to find something better to do. I think I'm just talking in circles about nothing exciting anyhow.
P.S. http://www.klove.com/ is a great radio station... I think I said this yesterday, but I'm not tired of it yet!
P.P.S. Anyone in prayer-warrior mode can pray for a girl who was on Andrew's trip to Uganda. She's come down with malaria and can't fly home to Alaska as soon as she had hoped. Pray that she would learn whatever lesson the Lord has in mind for her in this quickly :O)
OK I'm off to find something better to do. I think I'm just talking in circles about nothing exciting anyhow.
P.S. http://www.klove.com/ is a great radio station... I think I said this yesterday, but I'm not tired of it yet!
P.P.S. Anyone in prayer-warrior mode can pray for a girl who was on Andrew's trip to Uganda. She's come down with malaria and can't fly home to Alaska as soon as she had hoped. Pray that she would learn whatever lesson the Lord has in mind for her in this quickly :O)
Friday, August 10, 2007
Coolness amidst the heat?
So I accomplished everything I set out to do today except for going for a run. That makes five days in a row without any major form of exercise. I really noticed it today when I was practising; not as great of a breath capacity for those silly can't-breathe-anywhere excerpts. Today's excuse for not running was that I didn't feel like getting more hot. I'm noticing that if I I've been really hot for a few hours leading up to my run time, I will talk myself out of it. It should go down to 16 degrees tonight so perhaps I will run first thing tomorrow morning before I can come up with any excuse.
I was working in the music office today so Deb could take some time to help with her daughter's upcoming wedding. It's always nice when you can sense why God's put you in a position he has. Today my job involved talking extensively (>1hr) with a family of an incoming violin student who was denied residence and is having a very difficult time finding a place to live. She also wasn't sure she wanted to stay in music anymore and was really concerned that course load would be overwhelming. I was able to answer a lot of questions for her and her parents and I think they left feeling a little bit better about the whole situation. I think I might have even found a place for her to live this evening (the apartment below me has an opening and the two that are there already are music students). I really do like spreading Jesus-love with people who're in need of it. Who doesn't?
During the first few hours of my shift, it was really slow, so naturally I turned to Facebook for entertainment. I've been praying for a few days to see if it was the right move and decided to move ahead and make a group for "Western Needs A Performance Hall" encouraging alumni and students to take similar action to raise awareness of the issue to the people up the hill and those in the community with the moola to make it happen. In less than 10hours, we've had 39 people join, including a looooooooot of people I don't know (i.e. they're probably alumni). I talked to a few staff today about it and they were also fairly excited and reaffirmed that there are likely no repercussions that could fall on me down the line. Good times with being a mover and a shaker. Like Lorne says, I'm *intense.* Good thing intensity pays off in some areas :)
So I am reading this FANTABULOUS book right now that EVERYONE should read. If I could say something that could get you to read this book, insert it here: ___________________________________. Honestly it will aide your life in ways you might never thought possible. It has brought me great joy and great peace and I *highly* recommend it. Get the point yet :P?!! It is available online in PDF file (I've posted it on the right hand side there) but if you would prefer the paperback copy, just let me know.
OK so the last goody for the day, Mike & I agree that he shouldn't be the only one commenting on this here blog. So leave a comment!! I like to know who is reading and know that you don't think I'm completely bonkers for typhoon of "news" I'm dealing out here on a daily basis.
Good night & God bless.
P.S. I found a great online Christian radio station called Klove.com... not sure what the K is for, but I've been enjoying their musical selection. I know a lot of you are always on the look out for these web-sites so here you go!
P.P.S. Also got the address of another more relational / not so much of a traditional church-goer 's blog. She is Welland, which I understand is not too far away! Take a visit to http://somebelieversinwelland.blogspot.com/2007/07/about-us.html to see for yourself.
I was working in the music office today so Deb could take some time to help with her daughter's upcoming wedding. It's always nice when you can sense why God's put you in a position he has. Today my job involved talking extensively (>1hr) with a family of an incoming violin student who was denied residence and is having a very difficult time finding a place to live. She also wasn't sure she wanted to stay in music anymore and was really concerned that course load would be overwhelming. I was able to answer a lot of questions for her and her parents and I think they left feeling a little bit better about the whole situation. I think I might have even found a place for her to live this evening (the apartment below me has an opening and the two that are there already are music students). I really do like spreading Jesus-love with people who're in need of it. Who doesn't?
During the first few hours of my shift, it was really slow, so naturally I turned to Facebook for entertainment. I've been praying for a few days to see if it was the right move and decided to move ahead and make a group for "Western Needs A Performance Hall" encouraging alumni and students to take similar action to raise awareness of the issue to the people up the hill and those in the community with the moola to make it happen. In less than 10hours, we've had 39 people join, including a looooooooot of people I don't know (i.e. they're probably alumni). I talked to a few staff today about it and they were also fairly excited and reaffirmed that there are likely no repercussions that could fall on me down the line. Good times with being a mover and a shaker. Like Lorne says, I'm *intense.* Good thing intensity pays off in some areas :)
So I am reading this FANTABULOUS book right now that EVERYONE should read. If I could say something that could get you to read this book, insert it here: ___________________________________. Honestly it will aide your life in ways you might never thought possible. It has brought me great joy and great peace and I *highly* recommend it. Get the point yet :P?!! It is available online in PDF file (I've posted it on the right hand side there) but if you would prefer the paperback copy, just let me know.
OK so the last goody for the day, Mike & I agree that he shouldn't be the only one commenting on this here blog. So leave a comment!! I like to know who is reading and know that you don't think I'm completely bonkers for typhoon of "news" I'm dealing out here on a daily basis.
Good night & God bless.
P.S. I found a great online Christian radio station called Klove.com... not sure what the K is for, but I've been enjoying their musical selection. I know a lot of you are always on the look out for these web-sites so here you go!
P.P.S. Also got the address of another more relational / not so much of a traditional church-goer 's blog. She is Welland, which I understand is not too far away! Take a visit to http://somebelieversinwelland.blogspot.com/2007/07/about-us.html to see for yourself.
What *do* music students do for fun?
Well some of us pick up geeky hobbies or expand our music world into areas only seen by ultra-geeks: learning everything possible about the music of any small random country few people have ever heard of, memorizing scores of Mahler, becoming a world-expert in a dead composer's life, or for some friends of mine at school, join the elite group of amateur barbershoppers.
That's right. This school has its very own, critically acclaimed, barbershop quartet. If you've never heard one before, or even if you have, check out The Gin & Tonics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUPISMBtNeI . This is them performing at the International competition in Denver. So they weren't the best at the competition but they did SUPER awesome for the amount of time they've been singing together. The winners' video should help give you a little perspective as to how awesome the quartets can sound: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4iRT_9n6vo . PS, this is probably one of my most despised songs on the planet, however, this performance still gave me goosebumps.
OK, enough procrastinating... practise time and then cleaning and then a better daily post ;)
That's right. This school has its very own, critically acclaimed, barbershop quartet. If you've never heard one before, or even if you have, check out The Gin & Tonics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUPISMBtNeI . This is them performing at the International competition in Denver. So they weren't the best at the competition but they did SUPER awesome for the amount of time they've been singing together. The winners' video should help give you a little perspective as to how awesome the quartets can sound: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4iRT_9n6vo . PS, this is probably one of my most despised songs on the planet, however, this performance still gave me goosebumps.
OK, enough procrastinating... practise time and then cleaning and then a better daily post ;)
Thursday, August 9, 2007
A potpourri of good times
So I write tonight seated amidst a lot of junk, aka mess. Tomorrow's project MUST be unpacking from this past week home. I've started but gave up to answer urgent e-mails and tend to other things (for instance, I get CTS!!! I've never watched a Christian television station before without the intent to make fun of it :$ ) like fiddling around with birthday presents...
I was able to set up my Sansa today. For those who don't know, a Sansa is a Microsoft version of the Ipod, except it is better. It stores videos, pictures, music, AND you can listen to FM radio with it -- all for a *fraction* of the MeMeMePod...oops I meant Ipod...guess Apple's marketing to exploit people's love for themselves is getting to me. :P I can hear the tree-huggers now...(those who cling to the Apple tree of life) so I'll move on to Paul Anka.
So ever since I heard the cleverness of the Paul Anka's Rock Swings album (you can listen to it online if you google it), I've had a little thing for Paul Anka's hits :). If you're not familiar with the album, he takes songs like Eye of the Tiger, Smells Like Teen Spirit, Tears in Heaven, etc. and has them rearranged to fit in with the big band genre... with *the* tightest band EVER. It was also featured on Gilmore Girls a few times (hence their dog's name "Paul Anka") which further encouraged me to like it (i.e. I'm not the only Paul-Anka-cool-kat out there). Anyhoo, I've played this CD a bit too much (anything amounting to more than twice is probably too much) for my roomy Erin, so for my birthday she bought me Paul Anka: Live at Caesars Palace, Las Vagas!!!!! How appropriate for a 21st birthday. Truly she is the best roomie a girl could have :P :) It even has Put Your Head on My Shoulder... possibly one of the schmultiest songs out there :) Oh Paul Anka, how you rock & I hope you're in heaven one day... but not anytime soon... that's right, I pray for celebrities... and you should too :P
I sent my bassoon case in for repair today. For the low-low cost of $25 it will get spiffed up: all the random white markings on it will be taken off (we think it's floor wax, but no one at the faculty is sure), and a new handle, one that allows liftage, will be put on (I broke it in Waterloo by trying to fix it/make it work better than it was...). I love when people ask what instrument is in the case, to which I say, "a bassoon," and they say, "a what?" and then I repeat, "a bassoon," and then they go, "ooooooooooooh," with a confused look on their face, to which I respond "it's ok if you haven't heard of it before... probably 70% of people have no idea what it is," to which they usually laugh nervously. Good times. Happens on an almost daily occurrence. Today at least five times. One day I will come up with a better response... options include: it's a cello, it's a bomb, it's my pet rock's home, it's Paul Anka... that would be a SWEET name for my bassoon...hmmmmmmmm :)
I was able to set up my Sansa today. For those who don't know, a Sansa is a Microsoft version of the Ipod, except it is better. It stores videos, pictures, music, AND you can listen to FM radio with it -- all for a *fraction* of the MeMeMePod...oops I meant Ipod...guess Apple's marketing to exploit people's love for themselves is getting to me. :P I can hear the tree-huggers now...(those who cling to the Apple tree of life) so I'll move on to Paul Anka.So ever since I heard the cleverness of the Paul Anka's Rock Swings album (you can listen to it online if you google it), I've had a little thing for Paul Anka's hits :). If you're not familiar with the album, he takes songs like Eye of the Tiger, Smells Like Teen Spirit, Tears in Heaven, etc. and has them rearranged to fit in with the big band genre... with *the* tightest band EVER. It was also featured on Gilmore Girls a few times (hence their dog's name "Paul Anka") which further encouraged me to like it (i.e. I'm not the only Paul-Anka-cool-kat out there). Anyhoo, I've played this CD a bit too much (anything amounting to more than twice is probably too much) for my roomy Erin, so for my birthday she bought me Paul Anka: Live at Caesars Palace, Las Vagas!!!!! How appropriate for a 21st birthday. Truly she is the best roomie a girl could have :P :) It even has Put Your Head on My Shoulder... possibly one of the schmultiest songs out there :) Oh Paul Anka, how you rock & I hope you're in heaven one day... but not anytime soon... that's right, I pray for celebrities... and you should too :P
I sent my bassoon case in for repair today. For the low-low cost of $25 it will get spiffed up: all the random white markings on it will be taken off (we think it's floor wax, but no one at the faculty is sure), and a new handle, one that allows liftage, will be put on (I broke it in Waterloo by trying to fix it/make it work better than it was...). I love when people ask what instrument is in the case, to which I say, "a bassoon," and they say, "a what?" and then I repeat, "a bassoon," and then they go, "ooooooooooooh," with a confused look on their face, to which I respond "it's ok if you haven't heard of it before... probably 70% of people have no idea what it is," to which they usually laugh nervously. Good times. Happens on an almost daily occurrence. Today at least five times. One day I will come up with a better response... options include: it's a cello, it's a bomb, it's my pet rock's home, it's Paul Anka... that would be a SWEET name for my bassoon...hmmmmmmmm :)
Other exciting events of today: paying the 1st installment of tuition... yay... successfully preparing a broccoli/chicken dish for dinner, meeting up with another relationally-minded Christian gal (the one with the Jesus is Lord tattoo Declan!).
Well I'm pretty sure it's official that I've spent too much time on today's blog entry so I'm off to do some reading before bed. If anyone has any ideas for something to do on Saturday, my day is all open.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
A Productive Day
So nothing too extraordinary in today's events... I went to work at the music facult for 11:30am today only to discover, silly me, today was a special day and I wasn't supposed to start until 12:20... Ah well, it all worked out in the end; I managed to use the extra time to finish answering 98% of all the e-mails. I got some time to share with two of the staff members about the little victory won with the BoG regarding a recital hall. That was exciting. They're very happy and somewhat relieved that there's still some interest in the music faculty up the hill.
I worked at the variety/clothing store for the next few hours. Again, nothing too extraordinary there. Earned a bit of money, decreased my debt.
My most fun reading of the day was reading the latest update for Andrew's ("Congo Andrew" as some of you know him... aka Joia's brother) current missions trip, to be completed on Saturday I think. He's on a team, largely comprimised of a gaggle of young teen girls, with Teen Missions to Uganda to wash orphan's feet, provide many of them with their first shoes ever, & share Jesus' love in the process. Here's the latest update written on Sunday by another one of the team's leaders, Camille. To God be the glory, great things He hath done!
Greetings from Uganda (as the team travels to Debrief). At exactly 3:00 a.m. the announcement came over the loudspeaker in the terminal at Entebbe International Airport that those who were traveling on Kenya Airways flight 417 to Nairobi should proceed to the check-in counters. The Uganda team had begun their journey to the airport the afternoon before, around 4 p.m. from Jinja. A trip that normally might take 3 ½ hours took 5 hours. As we sat in traffic which was jammed up all around Kampala, we were grateful that we were not rushing to make a flight that evening. God had been directing us all along with this team, and He didn’t fail us once. Because our flight was at 5:00 a.m. we knew that check-in would be at 3:00 a.m. so going early and sleeping a little at the airport was the best thing to do. As the busy airport gradually calmed down when flights left, our team ate supper and settled down for evening devotions. It was my turn to share (Camille) as each of the other team members and leaders had shared. I was eager to share how the Lord has been faithful throughout my life, but I had come down with malaria that afternoon, and felt weak and feverish. However, the Lord strengthened me and we had a good time sharing. After that we got comfortable on our blankets and sleeping bags surrounding our luggage on the floor and most slept. The last week of ministry with the Forest Newland Rescue Unit went well. We were unable to fit a few orphans with shoes, but gave them other gifts. The facilitator, Prossy, understood our disappointment at not being able to give each one the best shoes for them, and encouraged the team by saying that the fact that we were washing the orphans’ feet was a great thing. She said it would be a challenge for anyone to wash the dirty feet of others, especially orphan children. Even if we had no shoes to give, the act of washing the orphans’ feet showed the love of God to them. The team enjoyed playing games and doing presentations with the orphans even though they were rained-out one afternoon and had to stay inside the church. The facilitator, David, (Prossy’s husband) had to leave after the team had been there two days in order to travel to Kampala for chemotherapy treatment. The doctors are hoping to kill all the cancer in his liver. It is a very difficult time for this family. Their second child will be born on Aug. 9th by C. section. They are optimistic and give God the glory for keeping David alive up to now. Altogether we washed more than 500 orphans’ feet at the five rescue units, and put shoes on most of those. To some we gave flip-flops, and we purchased 40 pairs of shoes to supplement what we had brought from the states. We also gave handkerchiefs, skin jelly, toothpaste, pens and sweets. Money was given by a church in Minnesota to help the orphans, and that is how we were able to purchase the 40 pairs of shoes. We planned to purchase clothing for them but were unable to locate where to purchase wholesale clothing, so some money remains and the clothing will be purchased as soon as possible to distribute to the children. Close to 100 orphans prayed to receive Christ while we were with them, and we praise God! Please pray for these new Christians to grow and sink their roots down deep in Christ. The team was very grateful for good health the last three days of their time here in Uganda! We had been baffled since the first team members came down with stomach flu, which eventually touched every team member and leader except one, after which came head and chest colds. We had carried new tents with us to Uganda, and they were small so we gave each person their own tent, one reason being to prevent germs being spread so easily. But it made absolutely no difference. After about two weeks we began to see it as spiritual warfare and began praying for the Lord to deliver us from the evil one and to surround us with His chariots of fire to keep us from attack. From that point on we saw healing and health restored. Trouble with luggage and tickets began in Orlando when we were leaving Boot Camp to begin our journey to Uganda. The Lord had everything under control even though we had a few times of uncertainty and had to trust Him when we could not see the answer. Each time of uncertainty brought the team to prayer, and the Lord answered. One answer took four weeks of trusting. Two bags were missing and had been reportedly seen in London, England, and Lusaka (Zambia). I sent a FAX to London, and as the days were approaching for the team to leave for Debrief, I received a call from the baggage people at Entebbe Airport saying that Lusaka Airport had called them because they had two bags that should have been sent to Uganda. They were the bags we had been waiting for. I asked them to please request that they rush the bags to Uganda so I could get them when I took the team to fly to Debrief. (Remember how long it took us to get to the airport . . .) They said they would try. A flight came in from Lusaka at 7:30 p.m. the evening the team was arriving at the airport, and the bags were on the flight. I praised God for being so kind and showing His grace to us. As I hugged each team member and leader when they were leaving for Debrief, I was really touched by how much the Lord has done in each of their lives since the time they arrived at Boot Camp six weeks ago. I believe that the prayer partners at home who have been faithfully praying for each one have played a tremendous part in the positive changes in lives. Spiritual growth and maturity does not come by “working” for the Lord, but by yielding everything to Him and choosing to draw close to Him in strengthening the relationship. Stubbornness and rebellion do not go away on their own, but are defeated by a changed heart. Hurt and bitterness could not be comforted or healed by the team and leaders alone. God, who is love, gently revealed that love for each hurting person, and hardness gradually dissolved into softness and trust in God again. The team that started out at Boot Camp and traveled to Uganda was not unified. They were a group of individuals and a few cliques. Now, as they go to Debrief I can honestly say they are humbled and unified as only God could accomplish it. Andrew and Rebecca were fantastic leaders and gave 100% to the team 24/7. I am very proud of them and praise God for their ministry on the team. To God be the glory – Great things He has done! Camille for the Uganda Team
I worked at the variety/clothing store for the next few hours. Again, nothing too extraordinary there. Earned a bit of money, decreased my debt.
My most fun reading of the day was reading the latest update for Andrew's ("Congo Andrew" as some of you know him... aka Joia's brother) current missions trip, to be completed on Saturday I think. He's on a team, largely comprimised of a gaggle of young teen girls, with Teen Missions to Uganda to wash orphan's feet, provide many of them with their first shoes ever, & share Jesus' love in the process. Here's the latest update written on Sunday by another one of the team's leaders, Camille. To God be the glory, great things He hath done!
Greetings from Uganda (as the team travels to Debrief). At exactly 3:00 a.m. the announcement came over the loudspeaker in the terminal at Entebbe International Airport that those who were traveling on Kenya Airways flight 417 to Nairobi should proceed to the check-in counters. The Uganda team had begun their journey to the airport the afternoon before, around 4 p.m. from Jinja. A trip that normally might take 3 ½ hours took 5 hours. As we sat in traffic which was jammed up all around Kampala, we were grateful that we were not rushing to make a flight that evening. God had been directing us all along with this team, and He didn’t fail us once. Because our flight was at 5:00 a.m. we knew that check-in would be at 3:00 a.m. so going early and sleeping a little at the airport was the best thing to do. As the busy airport gradually calmed down when flights left, our team ate supper and settled down for evening devotions. It was my turn to share (Camille) as each of the other team members and leaders had shared. I was eager to share how the Lord has been faithful throughout my life, but I had come down with malaria that afternoon, and felt weak and feverish. However, the Lord strengthened me and we had a good time sharing. After that we got comfortable on our blankets and sleeping bags surrounding our luggage on the floor and most slept. The last week of ministry with the Forest Newland Rescue Unit went well. We were unable to fit a few orphans with shoes, but gave them other gifts. The facilitator, Prossy, understood our disappointment at not being able to give each one the best shoes for them, and encouraged the team by saying that the fact that we were washing the orphans’ feet was a great thing. She said it would be a challenge for anyone to wash the dirty feet of others, especially orphan children. Even if we had no shoes to give, the act of washing the orphans’ feet showed the love of God to them. The team enjoyed playing games and doing presentations with the orphans even though they were rained-out one afternoon and had to stay inside the church. The facilitator, David, (Prossy’s husband) had to leave after the team had been there two days in order to travel to Kampala for chemotherapy treatment. The doctors are hoping to kill all the cancer in his liver. It is a very difficult time for this family. Their second child will be born on Aug. 9th by C. section. They are optimistic and give God the glory for keeping David alive up to now. Altogether we washed more than 500 orphans’ feet at the five rescue units, and put shoes on most of those. To some we gave flip-flops, and we purchased 40 pairs of shoes to supplement what we had brought from the states. We also gave handkerchiefs, skin jelly, toothpaste, pens and sweets. Money was given by a church in Minnesota to help the orphans, and that is how we were able to purchase the 40 pairs of shoes. We planned to purchase clothing for them but were unable to locate where to purchase wholesale clothing, so some money remains and the clothing will be purchased as soon as possible to distribute to the children. Close to 100 orphans prayed to receive Christ while we were with them, and we praise God! Please pray for these new Christians to grow and sink their roots down deep in Christ. The team was very grateful for good health the last three days of their time here in Uganda! We had been baffled since the first team members came down with stomach flu, which eventually touched every team member and leader except one, after which came head and chest colds. We had carried new tents with us to Uganda, and they were small so we gave each person their own tent, one reason being to prevent germs being spread so easily. But it made absolutely no difference. After about two weeks we began to see it as spiritual warfare and began praying for the Lord to deliver us from the evil one and to surround us with His chariots of fire to keep us from attack. From that point on we saw healing and health restored. Trouble with luggage and tickets began in Orlando when we were leaving Boot Camp to begin our journey to Uganda. The Lord had everything under control even though we had a few times of uncertainty and had to trust Him when we could not see the answer. Each time of uncertainty brought the team to prayer, and the Lord answered. One answer took four weeks of trusting. Two bags were missing and had been reportedly seen in London, England, and Lusaka (Zambia). I sent a FAX to London, and as the days were approaching for the team to leave for Debrief, I received a call from the baggage people at Entebbe Airport saying that Lusaka Airport had called them because they had two bags that should have been sent to Uganda. They were the bags we had been waiting for. I asked them to please request that they rush the bags to Uganda so I could get them when I took the team to fly to Debrief. (Remember how long it took us to get to the airport . . .) They said they would try. A flight came in from Lusaka at 7:30 p.m. the evening the team was arriving at the airport, and the bags were on the flight. I praised God for being so kind and showing His grace to us. As I hugged each team member and leader when they were leaving for Debrief, I was really touched by how much the Lord has done in each of their lives since the time they arrived at Boot Camp six weeks ago. I believe that the prayer partners at home who have been faithfully praying for each one have played a tremendous part in the positive changes in lives. Spiritual growth and maturity does not come by “working” for the Lord, but by yielding everything to Him and choosing to draw close to Him in strengthening the relationship. Stubbornness and rebellion do not go away on their own, but are defeated by a changed heart. Hurt and bitterness could not be comforted or healed by the team and leaders alone. God, who is love, gently revealed that love for each hurting person, and hardness gradually dissolved into softness and trust in God again. The team that started out at Boot Camp and traveled to Uganda was not unified. They were a group of individuals and a few cliques. Now, as they go to Debrief I can honestly say they are humbled and unified as only God could accomplish it. Andrew and Rebecca were fantastic leaders and gave 100% to the team 24/7. I am very proud of them and praise God for their ministry on the team. To God be the glory – Great things He has done! Camille for the Uganda Team
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)