Hey, all!
I have a few minutes here, before I have to get my day started, and I thought that I should sit down and letcha all know what's been going on in my end of the world.
On the 21st, I was at the third wedding of the summer - My BROTHER!! My 'little' brother got married to a wonderful girl, the wedding was awesome, the weather was great, and we all had a lot of fun. It's funny to go to their house now, and there are several pairs of shoes in the entry way, and they're all TOO SMALL for me.
Also with the third wedding marked the time for me to "MOVE OUT" of my brother's house... (see above paragraph...) Although I've been looking for some time, the search got put on hold due to the wedding. But last week, I started to panic.
I kept praying that God would find me the RIGHT place, in the RIGHT area, at the RIGHT time. And so, on Friday, my parents went looking, and fell in love with the FIRST appartment they saw.
And so did I.
And there are lots of really cool stories that go along with that, like how the appartment has been vacant for a month, and how I had keys in my pocket 24 hours after we looked at the place, and...
but I don't have time to write all that down right now.
Let's leave it at this: I'm moving this weekend!!
Thank God for small (BIG!) miracles!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Good Grief....
Yes, I know.
I fell off the face of the earth.
It's just that I work in front of a computer for a lot of my day, and then when I come home, the LAST thing that I want to do is sit in front of a computer again.
So I don't.
And you suffer.
Sorry.
SO.... The last month and a half has been really busy -- I've been at two wonderful weddings, very different, yet each very wonderful. I've begun the summer program at church, and I've bought a lot of shoes. (oh wait. that was only in the last two days....)
I don't really know what else to say. So much has gone on, and yet nothing has happened that's been out of the ordinary. It's been really hot lately, which is lovely. I like it, until I have to sleep. And then.... I don't like it so much.
That's about all I have to say....
enjoy the heat :)
r
I fell off the face of the earth.
It's just that I work in front of a computer for a lot of my day, and then when I come home, the LAST thing that I want to do is sit in front of a computer again.
So I don't.
And you suffer.
Sorry.
SO.... The last month and a half has been really busy -- I've been at two wonderful weddings, very different, yet each very wonderful. I've begun the summer program at church, and I've bought a lot of shoes. (oh wait. that was only in the last two days....)
I don't really know what else to say. So much has gone on, and yet nothing has happened that's been out of the ordinary. It's been really hot lately, which is lovely. I like it, until I have to sleep. And then.... I don't like it so much.
That's about all I have to say....
enjoy the heat :)
r
Friday, June 01, 2007
surprised by ...
I have lilacs on my desk today -- they're really a marvellous thing. Growing up, we had lilacs at the end of our driveway, and they kind of remind me of exams, and tests, and being in school when I'd rather be outside.
But today, I was outside (albeit for a brief period of time). I dropped off an application for a major scholarship at the University today. The fact that I dropped it off at all is a God thing -- you see, I printed off the application in March. But forgot about it until last Friday. But, with the help of the people around me, I managed to get all the reference letters and short answer questions done, my transcripts printed, and the whole thing in by the deadline... (which was today.)
Now that I've said all that, I will now share with you the reason I entitled this post the way that I did...
This past weekend, I attended YC, which (for those of you who don't know) is a massive youth conference designed for junior high/high school kids. They bring in a bunch of big names, and pump everyone up with smoke machines and over-priced hotdogs. I got tickets this year for one reason, and one reason only.
David Crowder was coming.
So, against my better judgement, I acquired tickets, and Robbyn and I planned to go.
I'm extremely skeptical of all things "mass market", specifically on the worship front. Often when cds or books or products are marketed for Christians, they scream "YOU AREN'T LIVING FOR GOD UNLESS YOU'RE [listening to this cd, reading this book, wearing this t-shirt]. I find that "worship" cds are some of the worst things for this (pretty much second only to "Testa-mints" (spreading the WORD through good breath?) and cheap bible verse spinning tops. ).
I don't like to see worship as a commodity: you can't SELL worship.
You can sell a song, you can even sell best-seller songs, or #1 hit songs. But the WORSHIP -- that's more than a song. That's the heart attitude behind your life. That's the way we live.
Sure, you can worship through songs, but to sell music as THE WAY TO WORSHIP is not right.
Often, I find that conferences like these (although they may not intend to do this), often end up SELLING worship.
BUT, that is not the point of this post. That is only the background.
I went to YC.
David Crowder was great. He's a funny Texan with an amazing view of God, and of worship. The band was great.
The following band was not, semi-proving my own point in my own head. I was annoyed by the "mass market" approach to the concert, and we actually left half way through.
But we went back on Saturday to see United, who ended up suprising me by their honesty.
The biggest suprise for me, though, was Sunday morning. A band called Leeland played -- a young 18 yr old and a bunch of his church friends. But although I began skeptical, I ended up standing there and crying.
He knew what it was about. He GOT it -- worship is about God, and praising the one who redeemed us. He's 18, and he's got it. Everything he said, everything he did, everything that he sung -- it all pointed to God, and encouraged the 16000 people at YC to praise God.
I was surprised and blessed and challenged by a young guy, who chases hard after God, and worships him with all his heart.
May we all come to that point on our journey, where we seek hard after God, and find him. May we all learn to worship better and better, offering our lives as living sacrifices.
May we fix our eyes on God, the author and finisher of our faith.
But today, I was outside (albeit for a brief period of time). I dropped off an application for a major scholarship at the University today. The fact that I dropped it off at all is a God thing -- you see, I printed off the application in March. But forgot about it until last Friday. But, with the help of the people around me, I managed to get all the reference letters and short answer questions done, my transcripts printed, and the whole thing in by the deadline... (which was today.)
Now that I've said all that, I will now share with you the reason I entitled this post the way that I did...
This past weekend, I attended YC, which (for those of you who don't know) is a massive youth conference designed for junior high/high school kids. They bring in a bunch of big names, and pump everyone up with smoke machines and over-priced hotdogs. I got tickets this year for one reason, and one reason only.
David Crowder was coming.
So, against my better judgement, I acquired tickets, and Robbyn and I planned to go.
I'm extremely skeptical of all things "mass market", specifically on the worship front. Often when cds or books or products are marketed for Christians, they scream "YOU AREN'T LIVING FOR GOD UNLESS YOU'RE [listening to this cd, reading this book, wearing this t-shirt]. I find that "worship" cds are some of the worst things for this (pretty much second only to "Testa-mints" (spreading the WORD through good breath?) and cheap bible verse spinning tops. ).
I don't like to see worship as a commodity: you can't SELL worship.
You can sell a song, you can even sell best-seller songs, or #1 hit songs. But the WORSHIP -- that's more than a song. That's the heart attitude behind your life. That's the way we live.
Sure, you can worship through songs, but to sell music as THE WAY TO WORSHIP is not right.
Often, I find that conferences like these (although they may not intend to do this), often end up SELLING worship.
BUT, that is not the point of this post. That is only the background.
I went to YC.
David Crowder was great. He's a funny Texan with an amazing view of God, and of worship. The band was great.
The following band was not, semi-proving my own point in my own head. I was annoyed by the "mass market" approach to the concert, and we actually left half way through.
But we went back on Saturday to see United, who ended up suprising me by their honesty.
The biggest suprise for me, though, was Sunday morning. A band called Leeland played -- a young 18 yr old and a bunch of his church friends. But although I began skeptical, I ended up standing there and crying.
He knew what it was about. He GOT it -- worship is about God, and praising the one who redeemed us. He's 18, and he's got it. Everything he said, everything he did, everything that he sung -- it all pointed to God, and encouraged the 16000 people at YC to praise God.
I was surprised and blessed and challenged by a young guy, who chases hard after God, and worships him with all his heart.
May we all come to that point on our journey, where we seek hard after God, and find him. May we all learn to worship better and better, offering our lives as living sacrifices.
May we fix our eyes on God, the author and finisher of our faith.
Monday, May 14, 2007
the "i hate living in the city" rant
Some of you may not know this, but I hate living in city. I hate being surrounded by concrete and cars, I dislike the constant sound of the buses stopping at the bus stop, and I don't like the way it smells. The most frustrating thing about the city, though, is that I can't see the sky.
I can't see the sunsets, I can't see the clouds, and I can't see the stars.
All this to say that today, I 'had' to go out to an acreage where we're hosting our Sunday School picnic for all the volunteer teachers & helpers. So Tonya and I walked around their house, (which is on the lake), and played with their dog (who is very friendly) and took a walk around the trail that circles their property (which took us 45 minutes).
I got to see the white fluffy clouds and feel the warm sun. I got spiderwebs all over me from walking between trees. I smelled the wonderful smells of spring: of dirt, of water and of grass. I heard the birds and got my feet all wet and dirty. I even got my first mosquito bite.
And it was glorious. Truly, God made a marvelous world to live in. We were about 15 minutes from the church, but isolated in the middle of nowhere, watching the ducks swim on the slough and the dog splash into the water causing them all to fly away. I looked at all the different trees, all of which will bear fruit in season, and was reminded that God holds all things in the palm of his hand. All winter those trees sat, and sat, and sat. But now, they're sprouting leaves, changing color, and getting ready to do what they were made to do.
I was blessed today, by an unsuspecting couple, who let me wander around their back-forty for an hour, and see afresh all the ways that God is faithful.
And I came to the conclusion (once again) that God didn't create me to live in the city.
I need to see the sky.
I can't see the sunsets, I can't see the clouds, and I can't see the stars.
All this to say that today, I 'had' to go out to an acreage where we're hosting our Sunday School picnic for all the volunteer teachers & helpers. So Tonya and I walked around their house, (which is on the lake), and played with their dog (who is very friendly) and took a walk around the trail that circles their property (which took us 45 minutes).
I got to see the white fluffy clouds and feel the warm sun. I got spiderwebs all over me from walking between trees. I smelled the wonderful smells of spring: of dirt, of water and of grass. I heard the birds and got my feet all wet and dirty. I even got my first mosquito bite.
And it was glorious. Truly, God made a marvelous world to live in. We were about 15 minutes from the church, but isolated in the middle of nowhere, watching the ducks swim on the slough and the dog splash into the water causing them all to fly away. I looked at all the different trees, all of which will bear fruit in season, and was reminded that God holds all things in the palm of his hand. All winter those trees sat, and sat, and sat. But now, they're sprouting leaves, changing color, and getting ready to do what they were made to do.
I was blessed today, by an unsuspecting couple, who let me wander around their back-forty for an hour, and see afresh all the ways that God is faithful.
And I came to the conclusion (once again) that God didn't create me to live in the city.
I need to see the sky.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
a long absence...
So, where have I been?, you might wonder.
And that would be a very valid question. Because, (as it turns out), I haven't logged into blogger for almost 3 weeks....
So, here's what has been going on:
1. I finished exams.
2. I vegetated for a while.
3. I got a job.
YeeHAW. Everything worked out for me to get a job at church, as the Preschool Summer Intern. So I'm now planning summer curriculum, and coordinating all sorts of fun preschool stuff.
I am very glad. But I am also very busy. And I spend a lot of time in front of a computer right now. So sitting here writing more stuff is at the bottom of the list of things to do.
But I thought you should know that God gave me an AWESOME job, where I know all the people I work with, and where I can still lead worship (like I am this weekend), go on holidays, and attend all my friends' weddings. So, a big thank you to everyone who prayed. And... I'll catch you later :)
r
And that would be a very valid question. Because, (as it turns out), I haven't logged into blogger for almost 3 weeks....
So, here's what has been going on:
1. I finished exams.
2. I vegetated for a while.
3. I got a job.
YeeHAW. Everything worked out for me to get a job at church, as the Preschool Summer Intern. So I'm now planning summer curriculum, and coordinating all sorts of fun preschool stuff.
I am very glad. But I am also very busy. And I spend a lot of time in front of a computer right now. So sitting here writing more stuff is at the bottom of the list of things to do.
But I thought you should know that God gave me an AWESOME job, where I know all the people I work with, and where I can still lead worship (like I am this weekend), go on holidays, and attend all my friends' weddings. So, a big thank you to everyone who prayed. And... I'll catch you later :)
r
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