yikes

this is my 75th attempt to kickstart this blog again....

It's just something that gets ignored.

maybe it's time for a change.

put to shame....

I was reading Amy's blog today, and Jay had been commenting that she had stopped blogging regularly.

And that got me to thinking about my dreadful blogging habits...

Let's remedy this....

It's fall, and it's cold, but it's also really beautiful. Last week, there was an emergency on the LRT, and I ended up walking across the river to the University from the Legistlature. It was SO beautiful -- I could have stopped on the middle of the bridge, and watched the mist rise off the river for hours! All the trees are turning colors, and the brilliant yellows and reds look best in the morning.
It was a really neat God-send ... I'd been thinking for a long time that I needed to spend some time outside. And then I had a chance. (or rather, I was forced...)

A day before that, I fell down the stairs at the University. It was a rather humbling experience, because I fell pretty hard and a lot of people saw it. It was painful and left me with lots of bruises on my legs (that are only NOW starting to disappear...)

And now, it's Thanksgiving, and I'm just enjoying the colors of fall. (while I wear my winter coat, of course....)

Problems with the LRT

Ah, the LRT.

What a wonderful, reliable transportation system.

The best part of the LRT is this: every time we go over the river, I look out at the beautiful trees in the river valley and think, "I should go walking down there one day."



But I always plan to go tomorrow. And tomorrow turns into tomorrow turns into... (you get the picture.)



Today, however, we got to Government Centre, and we had to wait. Waiting ON the LRT turned into getting OFF the LRT and waiting on the platform. Then the train disappeared.



Then another one appeared.



And I thought, "Good! We can get going!"



Unfortunately, it only deposited its passengers on the platform before disappearing.



Then a wonderful announcement came over the PA: "There's been an emergency at University Station. It is now closed. No trains will be travelling to University Station."



Oh, good.

So I walked.



BUT, I walked over the river, and smelled the fall leaves, and felt the crisp air.

And in that way, it was actually glorious.

I'm thankful for small moments like that (despite the LRT's shortcomings).

so here we are again...

It's funny how life just continues.

Summer ends, and school begins, and the same things happen. The evil-leaf-thiefs come out to vacuum up the remains of summer, and it gets cold.

There's frost, and steam rising from my coffee cup at the LRT station. I lead worship, and go to class, buy textbooks, and write papers.

And yet, everything's different.

I'm in a different 'spot' than I was last year. God's given me different responsibilities, and new places to be effective.

As I look back on the last year, I see God's hand in my life, changing me, moulding me and making me more like the image of his son.

And that, I hope, will never change.

the tune of neglect (or) the definition of REDEEM

this summer has absolutely FLOWN by.

It's been (mostly) fantastic, busy, and full of weddings (2 more since the last time I blogged. I got a photo-radar ticket coming home from one, which just made it all the more "fun" .... )

As I was sitting here this morning, I realized that I've let my blog fall into neglect. And then, as I was reflecting on that, I realized that neglect has been the tune of my summer.

I haven't been on blogger in almost a month. I almost forgot to pay my registration confirmation at the UofA. I moved, and there are still boxes littering my kitchen and living room. I haven't hung out with friends in FOREVER. I haven't even finished a book this summer! And I've only been camping once.

Recently, God gave me a prayer for one of my relationships which seems to be in the middle of neglect and total annihilation:

Lord God, have mercy and redeem this relationship.

And then I started to think really hard about what 'redeeming' really means.

Yes, it means all the wonderful things that Christians attatch to it; all those complicated definitions about being bought and paid for. But what would it look like if God redeemed a relationship? The two didn't seem to match up.

In the process of pondering these things, I dug out my paper-back dictionary (out of a box). And at the very bottom of the definition, came this:

redeem - to convert into something of value

Which is really profound, if you think about it. This definition applies to everything. From redeeming a coupon at Save-On-Foods to what the Holy Spirit is doing in my heart, and what Jesus did on the cross.

He's changing me into something of value.

And it's a continuing work.

And it added something tangible to my prayer. I can practically ask God to transform this relationship into something of value.

I pray that redemption would be the tune, not only of this friendship, but also as the summer ends, and school begins.

I'm tired of the tune of neglect.