dimanche 31 août 2003
In retrospect
I realize my rant on not getting along with my relatives was really immature. Now I regret not spending more time with them and possibly telling them of my faith. All I can do now is pray that God will bring friendlier Christians into their lives back in E-town. Argh, I feel like an idiot for not taking more chances to talk to them. But thanks to Sharon for leaving me a comment with tips on how to make visits better next time.
I'm just in a cruddy mood right now. I learned another lesson this morning. Maybe the Word can explain it:
Do not put your trust in princes,
in mortal men, who cannot save.
When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.
- Psalm 146:3-4
Do not trust a neighbor;
put no confidence in a friend.
Even with her who lies in your embrace
be careful of your words....
But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD ,
I wait for God my Savior;
my God will hear me.
- Micah 7:5, 7
At least it's a good lesson to learn. And to top my mood today: news that the government will be eliminating smiling and frowning on passport pictures. Gosh, there goes my horror of a picture. Or maybe it'll fit into their standards! Anyways, I start school in three days. Tuesday is orientation day and I get to take pictures for the yearbook of the new students. Hmm, I guess summer really is over. Happy Labour Day tomorrow!
Libellés : Bible, Christian life, news
samedi 30 août 2003
Family Fun
Not really. My relatives from Edmonton are here right now, and seriously, alphabetizing my links is a lot more fun than hanging out with my cousins. I've tried making an attempt to hang out with them but it didn't quite work, so I'm in my room right now listening to Relient K. It's really hard to find something in common when my cousin (the one closest to my age) is the complete opposite of me in every way. Saying 'hi' is the farthest it ever goes. It's difficult because I'm sure she thinks that me being a Christian is probably the most bizarre thing of all. Okay, enough lamenting, it's not going to help any.
Vibe Awards are on PrimeTV tonight! For local listings in Canada, go here. Have fun watching, I know I will :)
Libellés : everyday life, media
vendredi 29 août 2003
I need to come up with better titles :)
Here is this week's Friday Five:
1. Are you going to school this year?
Yes. And it'll be back to school time for me every September for the next few years.
2. If yes, where are you going (high school, college, etc.)? If no, when did you graduate?
I go to a Bible college. I hope to graduate this year :)
3. What are/were your favourite school subjects?
English. And Bible courses of course. And hopefully the youth courses I'll be taking will be great too.
4. What are/were your least favourite school subjects?
Calculus and physics. I did alright in them in the end, but for physics I had to work a million times as hard just to do well. I used to think I hated Social Studies until I found out that I had quite a knack for it, everything that is except for history. I suck at remembering every single battle in those war timelines.
5. Have you ever had a favourite teacher? Why was he/she a favourite?
Not a single teacher, but throughout the years, I've loved having:
- Mrs. H. - she lives in Australia and I used to write her letters all the time
- Ms. G. - she helped me to learn the French language and love it while doing so, as well as music
- Mrs. L. - I ended up having her for two years, which was really neat
- Mrs. S. - the first Christian teacher I remember having; she was such an encouragement and had a cheery attitude all the time!
- Mr. K. - he was a challenging but fair teacher, I later found out that he attended my church!
- Ms. Y. - she taught me so much through Social that even when I fell asleep starting to study for the final the day before and didn't wake up until the next day, I still aced the exam
- Mrs. K. - I don't know if she was a Christian, but she allowed me to express my faith in everything we did in English class)
- Mr. B. and Mr. C. - my physics teachers - they helped answer my questions every morning before class and they pushed me farther than I ever knew I could go in understanding such a complex course! I also had great conversations with them about school and life and other stuff; anyone who was a student of theirs was indeed blessed!
- Mrs. G. - another Christian teacher who really modelled God's grace and His truth to her students, she offered help but knew when to allow a student to think on their own, and she never had any favourites, we were all her favourites!
Give it up for inspiring teachers who teach more than just the subjects they're supposed to :)
Other news: I got a guitar! Now I need to learn how to play it. Might be a while. Expect wailing here soon.
Libellés : Friday Five
jeudi 28 août 2003
The latest happenings
Hooray, I got Monday and Tuesday off this week from work because everyone at church was on the staff retreat. It was great just hanging out at home and taking a breather from this whole summer. Tuesday night, I got to clean my room and rearrange some furniture in it. Now my room is more spacious and I have more room for my books :) Wednesday morning I ended up working for a bit but came home early to hang out with my best friend. We headed to Walmart and to McDonald's, mmm, and I spent the afternoon helping her create a scrapbook for her 3 week vacation. She gave me permission to be as creative as I wanted to be... much to her detriment. Due to my inane ability to be random (which my coworkers still tease me about mercilessly), I guess I turned her scrapbook into a collection of strange musings and statements. I almost feel bad for her since her coworkers think that she's the crazy one and not me. Then I went to a launch party for the second season of a local theatre company, which was lots of fun. I had cheesecake with blueberries and caramel and got to listen to some readings from the plays that are being performed this year.
Today, I had a small group leader's retreat at the college chaplain's house. It was great reconnecting with people again and I learned tons today. I was the only missions leader to show up today so I had a blast talking about Montréal with the missions prof. We were challenged by our speaker, who helped us realize how important authenticity was in leading small groups. We also did some team building games and had an excellent lunch and dinner. It was just like camp! I took a lot away from today that I also hope to use in leading my life group at church. Overall, I can't wait till school starts and everything gets kicking into full gear. I can't wait to get back to college and to hanging out with the youth group at church. And I'm still anticipating the arrival of the yearbooks from last year! But before that, I still need a day where I can just spend time with God and not have to worry about my many obligations of having to be everywhere doing everything. I can only hope. Well I am off to put my camp pictures (and other ones) into a new photo album I bought yesterday. And another reason why I love Thursdays: 3 new Boundless articles - go check them out.
mercredi 27 août 2003
Why Lord?
I looked at the blood on my own hands. I gazed up at the giant, certain that in one moment, deliberate or unguarded, he could hurl us into the abyss. Something grabbed hold of my insides and made me stop and wonder.
"Why do you do what you do?" I cried up to him, holding out my hands, with nails and hammer, covered with blood.
He looked down into my eyes, and in the next instant he was looking straight into them - that quickly he had shrunk again to my size. "You are why I do what I do."
***
A vast fabric stretched across the sky. Bending back my head, I saw on the fabric countless lumps and knots, like thick, rough yarn with frayed strings.
Suddenly, Marcus beside me, I was yanked up into the sky and pulled through a hole in the center of the fabric. Now I was on the other side, the top side. I looked down and saw a beautiful work of art, like needlepoint or cross-stitching, a magnificent tapestry more exquisite than any I'd ever seen. The yarn and threads had been perfectly knitted together in elaborate design by the hands of a master craftsman. I saw in the center of the tapestry the Woodsman on a tree. I saw how a senseless murder, history's worst act of betrayal, was the centerpiece of a glorious design. Surrounding it I saw other tragedies, other absurd and incomprehensible events that now had clear meaning and purpose.
- Randy Alcorn "Edge of Eternity"
Libellés : books
mardi 26 août 2003
Hokey pokey
In response to something from a long time ago:
Wed 29/1/2003 - 01:30:26 AMWell, I found a sticker that was made from this ingenious musing...
From: timmy otoole'
what if the hokey pokey really IS what it's all about?
Hmm, could be a scary thought!
Libellés : random
lundi 25 août 2003
CD liner notes...
- which include the Scripture verses that inspired each song rock!
- with the musician(s)' testimony about what having God means in their life rock!
- with a prayer for a listener to accept Jesus into their life rock!
- which continue the designed theme of the cover and CD rock!
- with quirks and artwork that are completely original to the artist rock!
Boy, imagine what fun the judges for these categories must have!
Best Recording Package (Grammies)
Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package (Grammies)
Best Album Notes (Grammies)
Album Design of the Year (Junos)
Recorded Music Packaging of the Year (Doves)
Can you tell I've been listening to a lot of music lately?
Libellés : media
I love my church!
Church was great yesterday, Pastor Tim gave an excellent sermon yesterday on thinking about whatever is worthy of praise. It's been so long since I've sat and participated in a worship service without having to do tech. One downfall for me though is that I'm always distracted by it no matter what. Gary told me that I would never sit through a service the same again without noticing glitches or mistakes or what should be happening, etc. It's so true! I remember cringing constantly yesterday when the camera control (remote and live) was jerky and unplanned, esp. during the special music. Oh well, I should learn not to be so critical!
Hmm, something neat I found while randomly surfing the web; someone wrote this about my church: "I will be attending [church name here]... it is well spoken of and I look forward to being home there." How cool is that?! I'm glad September's almost here; extended worship comes back! I have to admit, those are my favourite nights at church, when we have a night of nothing but worship, straight from the heart...
Let the earth rejoice
Singing with one voice
Let the people cry
Holy holy Lord
Every creature sing
Praises to the King
All creation cry
Holy is the Lord
- Sonicflood "Cry Holy"
And Sunday afternoons after church is always fun! My best friend and I went to the Olive Garden (one of my favourite restaurants) for lunch and then to a car show! I learned quite a lot from her dad's car expertise, even if I wasn't paying as much attention as I should have :)
samedi 23 août 2003
Church hypocrisy
I wrote about this last month but it's still been on my mind since then. It's something that I've really felt laid on my heart to explore more about because it is frequent in any place where Christians gather, whether that be church, a ministry, a Christian school, etc. Of course I don't have the answers, but it is something I hope to study more about this year.
I always wonder, what seems to magnify the faults of Christians? Is it the fact that they are Christian or are in a Christian-based setting that this somehow promotes such behaviour, or is it just that they are ordinary faults which are intensified due to their religious affiliation? I think it's a combination of both.
Seeing as how I've never been in a Christian bubble until last year, I can definitely notice the differences between the two worlds. Being in an environment where nearly everyone is (assumed to be) a Christian, there is the pressure that Christians maintain a good public image in front of others. However, when you're in ordinary surroundings with Christians and non-Christians alike, you're still faced with this pressure, but it goes deeper in that you must back up your image with the right actions. This ensures that your walk matches your talk. Sadly though, this is not stressed enough as a requirement for some Christian gatherings, where people accept you at face value if you can just talk the talk. Perhaps this makes getting away with wrong behaviour easier since learning the skills to hide them is not that hard if it goes unchecked.
Also, because a person claims to adhere to Christianity, this gives people a perceived image of what their lifestyle should be like. For example, when a person says that they are a teacher, others have the impression that they have the education necessary to back up what they teach, that they have the demeanor necessary to lead others into learning and that they have the credentials to give them this authoritative role. Same with a Christian, when we say that we believe in Christ, we also believe what Christ taught regarding how we should live. By bringing about this image onto ourselves, we are giving others permission to examine our life and see if it matches up to what we say we believe. So if a Christian is found to be cheating, then clearly it is a big deal because this goes contrary to our beliefs and what we stated about ourselves, which would intensify any ordinary fault committed by a Christian.
Both of these reasons combined have helped me to see why church hypocrisy is such a dilemma in society. The fact that Christians are letting it slide while at the same time, trying to show others why our lives are different from theirs, is deteriorating our reputation and ultimately, what people think about Jesus. We reflect Him, we bear His image in this life and yet we so easily tarnish it. I, for one, am guilty of this every time I proclaim my Christ and then do something contrary to what the Scriptures say. What this has taught me though, is that I have higher standards to live by than everyone else and to realize that I cannot do it alone without God.
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
-Roman 3:23
This verse definitely speaks the truth about why there is hypocrisy in the church. As Gordon Hilsman has bluntly put it, "If you're going to get any help from religion, you have to realize that it's one-half people, and that's what screws it up". [Dale and Sandy Larsen, 7 Myths about Christianity (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1998), 94.] I wholeheartedly agree. The religion side of things, that is the man-made part of Christianity is not perfect. But the author and perfecter of our faith, Jesus Christ, is undoubtedly perfect and He is the only one we can trust in... not Christianity but Christ. What a challenge He has left us in this life though; to grow more and more like Him everyday so that we can:
"...let [our] light shine before men, that they may see [our] good deeds and praise [our] Father in heaven."
- Matthew 5:16
This little blurb is only a glimpse into what I think regarding this whole topic. I'm sure there are many other Christians out there who have analyzed this issue more thoroughly and expressed it more eloquently than I have and I hope to be able to read some of their work one day :)
Libellés : Christian life, church
vendredi 22 août 2003
C'est Vendredi!
Meaning the Friday Five once again. However, I don't think some of these questions are that relevant, so instead I will be doing the Friday Seven, from Gman's blog, in place of that.
1. What in your study or pursuit of theology concept do you struggle with most?
There are so many, and we went through tons in theology class. This book helped us with a few of those. However, the one that is the hardest to understand is definitely the concept of grace, something so freely given yet which came at such a dear price.
Also the meaning of evil and suffering, a subject not to be taken lightly but is never ultimately answered... but perhaps we won't ever know in this life. I like what Job said: "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.... Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.... Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes." - Job 42:2, 3b, 6
2. What is your spiritual gift?
The gift of helps/serving. Don't know of any others; spiritual gifts are hard because they are usually acknowledged by those in your church body.
3. What do you use to train your volunteers?
Since I'm currently studying youth ministry, I'll just say what's been used to train me. I had a few leadership training sessions with the youth pastor, Wayne, and I'm fairly certain he used YS resources. Oh yeah, I had "The Core" training as well. And I've been reading youth min. books, and I'm certain I'll have to read Doug Fields this year.
4. What is one mistake you made that you wished you knew before in youth ministry?
That I can't do everything, that I won't have time to do it all and that people won't always support what I'm trying to do. Um, something I learned later on, that you will not get along with everyone that you work with, but you have to love them because they love kids. This was a tough one for me to understand!
5. What mode seems to be the best in communicating an event to your students and their parents? (Advertising: Is it website, email; IMing; phone; fliers; announcements at church; your video ..and so on ....)
When I used to do communications, it was PPT presentations that ran before the youth service started; visuals attract kids :) The website had stuff on it, but then it crashed and not a lot of kids knew about it. Emails worked, but I don't think they were sent regularly enough. We have a PhoneTree but it can be a hassle because families with more than 1 kid in Student Ministries usually end up with quite a few messages. We have calendars for jr high and sr high and that has always worked! And personally, I do up newsletters for my own kids for their fridge.
6. If there is one game you have for your bag of tricks to use for filler time, what game would that be? (Is there a purpose or object lesson from it?)
You know, this was something I learned at college: the Smartie Ritual. I've only done it once or twice I think, but it's lots of fun and the girls enjoy it (plus you get candy!). The only purpose of it is to get to know each other better and to have fun doing so.
7. What is your favourite thing to do?
Lots! I love volunteering in my church video department. I love being with the grade 10 youth group and just having a blast with them all. I love reading great books that teach me more about God. I love attending church and worshipping Him with fellow friends and congregants. I love belting out praise songs to Him. I love God and I love life!
Libellés : Friday Five, youth ministry
jeudi 21 août 2003
I am stunned!
Wow! I like seeing who comes to my site and how they got here since it's fairly new, but I certainly didn't expect this! I found out that a guy named Matt wrote the nicest thing about my blog on his! Thanks again, I really appreciate you linking to my site and your wonderful compliment about it :)
So, more really good news! I got my copy of the Vibe Awards yesterday!! Thanks Peter! I didn't think I would get a copy of it, and I was a little sad because I thought it would be good to add to my portfolio, but it came through and it was a joy to see what the evening looked like after they cleaned it up in post-production (even if there were a few bloopers!).
Well today was my third last day of work. It kind of came suddenly for some reason, but I cleaned out my desk a bit today and took some things home to prepare myself for it. Hopefully, when I start school again, I'll still have time to stop by and help out a bit. Please pray that our golf tournament will be a great time had by all and that God will work miracles through it. I'm still debating whether to go to school or to the tourney that day, ahh!
This is a great article that I was reading at work today, about how tech companies are figuring out what the societal trends are by studying what kids are into. There was also a mention of blogging in there too.
I had breakfast with my best friend yesterday, and we talked about our "vacations" (her 3 weeks across North America, my 1 week at camp). I missed her so much and was thrilled that she came back earlier than her parents did. Besides, she had to go back to work today, so I don't think she had a choice! Anyways, it'll be good to actually go to church this weekend because I won't be doing tech and I'll get to sit in the sanctuary for the service, and Lissa won't have to get any more sermon CDs from me for missing all these services.
A big congratulations to Starfield for getting a nomination at the Western Canadian Music Awards! I hope they win for "Outstanding Christian Recording" because they deserve it! I guess everyone figured that out when they won 5 Vibes and got a Juno nod! If you go here, then you can hear one of their songs and see what I'm talking about.
It's been so long since I have met You here
Since I have heard You speak and let You near
And like a wayward son I've come with nothing left to hide
Here in this moment I have come to offer up my life
- Starfield "Alive in This Moment"
Last camp update - ... gone
Alright, I'll try to keep this one short :)
- Alex woke us up at 8:30 to tell us to pack up and clean our cabin
- amazingly, even though it was an utter mess, we were able to finish before heading to breakfast
- during group session, the guys and the girls split up to do the "Circle of Encouragement"
- it was such a great time, seeing each of the girls being reaffirmed for their uniqueness in Christ
- after having quiet time, we headed off to our last meal at camp
- a group of counselors from next week's camp offered to do dish duty so my cabin didn't have to, thanks!
- cleanup time! Everyone divided into groups that cleaned up different parts of the camp
- I was so proud of my girls, even though some of them ended up with less than favourable jobs, they still willingly did them and did so to the best of their abilities, way to go!!
- final activity: either climbing, canoeing or archery
- the grade 10 guys, Nickkie, Mandy and I stayed behind to play cards again - it's a valid activity!
- this time it got dangerous... knives replaced the spoons! (no liability cases!)
- played until we had to leave, the camp gave us snacks for the trip home which was so nice
- got a cabin picture with Mich and the girls
- once again, surrounded by all the grade 10 boys, I warned them not to play fart tennis
- stopped at 7-11 to get slurpees, I got an Archie comic book which I gave to Dave
- looked at pictures on the digi and heard the guys watching the video they recorded @ camp
- great ride home, we took a shortcut and we ended up back at the church an hour early
- hung out with the campers and waited for my dad to pick me up
- he came early, wish I could have hung out with everyone else for a lot longer... there's always September though and the launch of youth group as well as a sr high retreat in October!
- GO B.O.O.F.! We will always Be Outrageously Outstanding Females!!!
*Sigh* that's camp in a nutshell, a very large nutshell :) I loved that I had a chance to get to know so many kids better (although I mostly stuck to the grade 10s). I can't wait till it's September and I'm leading my life group again and there are youth activities galore. I love each of these kids and I am blessed to be a part of their lives as they make it through high school! I told some kids that I want to go to each of their high school graduations, and God-willing, I will try my best to!!
Libellés : camp
mercredi 20 août 2003
2nd last camp update - they're going, going...
Apologies if my page was messed up today or anytime before that. I was at my best friend's house and it didn't load properly on her computer, so I'm wondering if it's doing that to everyone else too... it's always worked on mine :)
Last Wednesday, the adventures... I'll try to condense it a bit more for readability:
- slept in till 9:15... breakfast started at 8:30, it was the first time we ever slept in
- Julie still had to sing "I'm a Little Teapot" as a condition to get Stu back
- my mosquito bite from the hike swelled up and my arm was almost immobile
- after quiet time, we headed to our first activity
- Ash showed me and some others how to make "Gimp" bracelets
- headed back to the dining hall and played cards with Dal and Chris
- after lunch, a group of grade 10 guys and I started playing card games, beginning the endless rounds of various games that lasted until we had to leave camp
- group game time, which forced all the campers into the leech-infested waters where one of the girls chipped her toenail off, and the leaders all got hit with water balloons
- activity #2: the Mystery Event --> once again I got all the grade 10s (yay!)
- had a blast seeing these kids identify what they each brought to the team and seeing them work out problem solving situations - ie. fitting all of us (15 or so) onto a tiny rug the size of a kitchen tile, rearranging ourselves on a bench in mirror image without getting off
- this is where I fell backwards and hit my head on the bench right behind me - it still hurts!
- other situations: building a "foot" tower, moving from the lodge to the roundabout using small pieces of carpet while everyone was linking arms and another bench challenge where we had to arrange ourselves by birthday without talking to each other
- my girls declared war on the guys for Stu's kidnapping and stole their clothes while they were in the lake
- supper was delicious and it was also awards night - the kids got great prizes
- there was a late night voyage on the lake in the canoes, so while we were waiting for our turns, the guys and I started playing cards
- canoe ride: me with a whole bunch of other guys... thus beginning fart tennis
- one of the guys let one out and apparently, how you play is someone starts by calling out "service", then everyone has two minutes to "return" the "service" and if not, the person who served wins that round
- this continued during the whole trip and I was completely surrounded by the top winners
- after the trip, we got into intense games of "Slap", "Spoons", "31" and etc. which lasted till about 1am
- got back to my cabin only to discover that it had been completely water-ballooned in some of the bunks
- thankfully mine wasn't soaked nor was Mich's but poor Mandy, Julie, Nickkie and Carol's sleeping bags were soaked through to their mattresses!
- the guy leaders talked amongst themselves and decided that the perpetrators would have to decide what to do to make up for their water balloon idea since a bunch of girls now could not sleep
- the guys decided to give up their sleeping bags and pillows and carried dry mattresses to our cabin as reparations for what they did
- meanwhile, one of our kerosene lamps was smoking up like crazy and making the smoke detector go off
- Mich was trying to light the fire to last the night and it just made the detector go off more
- finally, we took the lamp outside, but while we were pulling in one of the mattresses, we knocked the other lamp over and a bunch of kerosene spilled onto the floor near Julie's bunk
- we had quite the frightful night, with worries that our cabin would go on fire in the middle of the night, so we did what we could only do: pray :)
I guess that's it! Sorry it turned out so long, but there's nothing I would take out. Camp is just that great.
Libellés : camp
mardi 19 août 2003
Flashback to now
My best friend called me today from an airport in Toronto! She'll be back in town in about 5 hours, I can't wait! Then she'll get to tell me all about her cross-country adventure. I got a call today at work from someone from the government. Turns out my internship ends 6 days later than I thought it would. I thought that last Friday was my last day of work and that this week was just my volunteer time, but nope, I get paid for it! That's kind of nice, it means I'll get extra money for school.
Speaking of which, I guess Bible college can be pretty expensive! If I get into the program I want at a different college, then my two years there will be the cost of a little less than 1 year where I am right now. Oh well, it's where God wants me and I will get to graduate this year! I also sent off an "Official Request for Transcripts" form today. You know, looking back now, I am so thankful I took all the hard courses in high school. I almost thought it was a waste because I was only heading to Bible college, but now that God has changed my plans, I am incredibly thrilled that He prepared me for it. I guess having classes like Calculus and Physics under your belt can make you look good :) I still can't believe school starts in 15 days though! I need to take a nap.
We've been running without a direction
We're afraid to get there late
What we need is strength just to kneel down and wait
Be still...
- Newsboys "Be Still"
Wait, had to post this link. This is a must-read article... aww! If only more couples out there did this, there would be a lot less pain and heartache.
And... CONGRATULATIONS to Mike and Rachelle who got engaged last Friday!!! They are such a godly couple who are so on fire for Him! They are a great blessing to everyone around them and I wish them all of God's blessings and joys as they embark on a new life together with Jesus at the centre :)
Camp entry #3 - it just keeps getting better
Alright... so although I said that this would be the best entry, tomorrow's will be as well :) Here goes:
- we all woke up at 6:30am, courtesy of me, and showered (finally!)
- were the first ones at breakfast and the only group to be there for grace so Carol got to say it
- group session and quiet time again, I had the cabin to myself
- headed to the Bluff for lunch, we had the choice of either biking, hiking or horseback riding there
- I chose the easiest of them all with the least equipment needed as did my cabin
- started off okay, lots of mosquitoes and bugs, and tons of horse poop to avoid
- had a really good talk with Mandy along the way about high school
- Carol and Julie then began to sing "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall"
- Dan was filming them... if you watch the tape, you'll hear me scream "Milk! Milk!"
- finally got there after an hour and a half --> gorgeous view of the river as well as some wind!
- boys will be boys, a bunch of them slid down the steepest cliff ever and jumped into the river
- they got in trouble because the lifeguards weren't there and they were ticked at them
- my cabin went horseback riding back while I went hiking again and hung out with Mel & Bri
- our tour guide asked if we wanted to go on a nice trip along the river
- naively, we all thought it was on the way back to the camp
- took us on a hike through mad grasshoppers
- finally got to the river! Such an awesome view... if only we knew how long it would take to get back
- an hour and a half later, we got back to where we first started before our trek to the river
- turns out our tour guide took us on a circle going the other way to the river - we were making a full 360 degree circle back to our starting location... this meant there was still the trek back to the camp
- walk, walk, walk, walk, walk - this went on for a while
- got into an interesting conversation about cults (which is good because I'm taking a cults class!)
- we got back to the camp... 2 hours after all the bikers and horseback riders got back!
- slept like a log all during free time and was barely awake during supper
- had a great talk with one of my cabin girls during the worship service
- as everyone was heading back, the plot arose as to how to get Stu
- Stu is the "straw of heart, soul and libido" - everyone in the cabin was so devoted to this inanimate object!
- of course, I saw how this would make camp more fun so I agreed to the plot (I'm not a traitor!)
- unfortunately, as our cabin was being made a crime scene, the cover was blown but our cabin had red tape everywhere and an outline on our porch of Stu
- ransom note: "sing during breakfast and lunchtime or we'll have 'Stew' for dinner"
- played late night "Mission Impossible"... almost went blind from the flashlight & Rob's spotlight
- didn't get to bed till 2 in the morning after counting up the winner - it was grade 10s against grade 11s AND 12s... guess who won?! My favourite group, of course :)
Wow! And that was just a day! There's always tomorrow....
Libellés : camp
lundi 18 août 2003
Shakespeare in the Park
"Do you bite your thumb at me, Sir?"
"I do bite my thumb, Sir."
"Do you bite your thumb at us, Sir?"
"Is the law of our side if I say ay?"
"No."
"No, Sir, I do not bite my thumb at you, Sir, but I bite my thumb, Sir."
That was an excellent play that I saw tonight. It was all of Shakespeare's greatest fight scenes all put together into one night. Great fun :) They even had the St. Crispin's Day speech (English 20 all over again!) and little kids with pool noodles. And a little boy who was sitting beside me cried out "BUM!" every time an actor fell and he could see their behind, so cute!
Well work was work so I hung out with one of the admin. assists from church for a bit; she was also the one who I attended the play with. Rissa, our really cool communications person, gave me the low-down of dilemmas with in-laws (sounds like a movie huh?). Hmm let's see, my best friend called me on my cell from Québec today, needless to say there was a lot of static and interference! Oh and after the play I went to visit my friend Kim who got a job at a funky bookstore downtown. I also found out that this Christian arts group my friend Dan is involved with, is holding an Open Mic on Thursday night on the roof of this bookstore! I also got my timetable from college today. I'm pretty happy although my schedule looks almost exactly like it did fall semester last year. Anyways, my legs are so tired now so I better get to bed!
Libellés : work
Camp update #2
Sigh, hard to believe that I was at camp a week ago! Anyways, I promised a day-to-day synopsis so here it is:
- woke up at 7:00am because of the beautiful sun... btw my cabin was also on the lakefront :)
- all my girls woke up and we chatted for a bit, had the washroom all to ourselves which was nice
- had breakfast, I wanted potatoes but there were blueberry pancakes instead which looked purple
- 1st group session and quiet time after that, all the bugs chased me so I went back to the cabin where I first heard about Stu (more to come about the famous Stu)
- went canoeing for the first time (and believe me, it is not like rafting!) - Marcy and I shared a canoe
- could not figure out how to steer, we kept going around in circles until we finally came up w/ some tricks
- we were terrified of the leeches in the water so we did everything we could to not tip the canoe but...
- played Keepaway with a football in our canoes which led to...
- Carol and Nickkie tipped over in their canoe while playing the game, unfortunately Carol lost her glasses in the lake (there's always contacts!)
- 2nd activity: the girls in my cabin went horseback riding so I went to archery w/ the grade 10 guys
- went fine until our youth pastor suggested that the guys shoot horse poop off the styrofoam deer
- the camp director then suggested that whoever could would get $1 from the tuck shop
- imagine about 10 guys trying to shoot poop off the deer with bows and arrows
- Bri and Dan decided to create a "thrill ride" using the shed and a lasso, Dave took pictures :)
- tuck shop was open - the winning guys got "horse poop" money
- awesome worship service
- had fear factor involving stuff like: the Bog, Horse Poop, the "Drink" (baking soda, sauerkraut, flour, etc.), Condiment Twister and Cornsyrup Marbles
- I was in charge of the Condiment Twister station - we smelled like hot dogs afterwards! The idea is that red=ketchup, yellow=mustard, blue=mayo and green=relish... what a mess! And then we added sardines when it got too boring
- guess who had to clean up?! Yep, one of the drains in a shower stall was clogged with pieces of relish and the whole deck was hosed down but still covered in mustard and ketchup!
- did the circle of encouragement in our cabin, shared our most embarrassing moments & our role models
I wish I remembered more! Oh well, tomorrow will be the best camp entry! Stay tuned....
Libellés : camp
dimanche 17 août 2003
Technical directing
Remember how on a post from earlier this month, I wrote that God could be calling me towards technical directing a team at church? Well, I didn't think it would be answered because only the evening teams need a TD, and I'm busy in the evenings with my life group. Anyways, a complete twist this morning as I came in for my shift. My own TD on my morning team quit! That was something I never would have even guessed could happen, Dan was so committed! But I guess it makes sense because he's going to take new media studies in the fall and he'll be super busy. So I guess I'm the new technical director for my team now :) Oh, and this morning's services went by smoothly again, thanks God!
Well I have work tomorrow and it's getting late. I've been working on the 100 things about me for the last few weeks now, and I finally finished it tonight, so I'll add it on my sidebar. It's not that interesting though, the fun part was more of the trying to get it together phase. And yes, I know that it will make the page incredibly long but I have that annoying problem where my pages end where the sidebar does, and I needed something to fill it :) So expect another camp update tomorrow, good night!
Quote of the month: (until I find something better)
"Community Impact needs a data entry person who knows Microsoft Outlook very well. As well a person who can help with filing. Must have a working knowledge of the alphabet. If not, training is available."
- Opportunities to Serve leaflet from the church bulletin this weekend
Hehehe! The pastor doing the offeratory preps this weekend, Greg, was saying that his 6 year-old daughter could do it if it was strictly based on the knowledge of the alphabet. Wouldn't that be fantastic?!
Libellés : church, video production
First day of camp
Since it was a week ago that I left for camp, I will write about it now (besides, I don't think I'll be getting the pictures till September). So here was last Sunday in point-form:
- slept in a bit and didn't get up till noon
- got to the church at about 2:30pm (when all the leaders had to be there)
- was in charge of registration (anyone see a trend here?)
- prayer time before we all left
- rode in the truck with Mike
- 3 hour road trip with a quick stop in between
- chaos getting all the kids into their cabins and giving them t-shirts
- pizza dinner *mmm*
- loved my cabin! I had Nickkie, Marcy, Julie, Carol and Mandy :)
- late night Capture the Flag - Bri and I had a killer strategy!
- sleep... with an uncomfortable pillow
Hmm that's all that I remember from Sunday! But don't worry, the next few days will be a lot more detailed!
Libellés : camp
samedi 16 août 2003
Marriage
Hmm I think Josh may be onto something smart here with his list of requirements for a spouse, which I will adapt for myself:
1. Christian
2. Male
3. Breathing
4. And I have to love him
I think that so many people get wrapped up in creating lists with multiple requirements that are seemingly excessive and redundant for who their future spouse is. I mean, does it really matter if your husband/wife has pearly white teeth and the perfect tan, etc. etc. etc.? I think that God has chosen our spouses for us already in that He knows who will complement us the best as we and our spouse serve Him together in marriage as the one unit which He has created for His glory. It's such a simple idea; to trust in Him and believe that He will provide for us, rather than taking it on ourselves to search vainly (and yes, I think it can be a vain attempt in trying to find someone that will fit our lists, rather than the Father's perfect and divine will) for the one. Why not leave all this to Him?
"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
- Matthew 6:33-34
Libellés : Christian life
New look
Changing the look of this blog and listening to '20 the Countdown Magazine', so expect weird stuff if you visit right now :)
Blog closed down for maintenance...
Libellés : blogging
vendredi 15 août 2003
It's Friday!
Time for the Friday Five again:
1. How much time do you spend online each day?
To be honest, too much. But I try to go on every other day at home since I'm on it during the day for work. So minus work-related time, about 2-3 hours every other day. And on weekends, maybe a bit more. But once school starts, it'll go up even more. So uh, again, I am online too much.
2. What is your browser homepage set to?
If I give it away, then you'll know what church I go to :) But it's the special site that's set up with a live feed camera of the construction site of our new church building. My homepage used to be my church's website and it'll probably go back to that after the construction is done.
3. Do you use any instant messaging programs? If so, which one(s)?
The first one I ever used was Yahoo Pager... the predecessor to Yahoo Messenger about 4 years ago. Then 3 years ago, I started using ICQ. And I think around the same time, I also used MSN, but no one really used it. Now everyone does, which is kind of nice since it comes with XP. But as for Messenger and ICQ, they're on my other computer so I never use them anymore.
4. Where was your first webpage located?
Oh my, I don't remember. I don't know, Geocities? Angelfire? GurlPages? AA? I used to make tons for school back then but I don't recall which was the first one. But this blog would have to be the first one where I've kept up maintaining the site for over a few months minus the AA one which has since gone defunct.
5. How long have you had your current website?
I started this one in June this year because I didn't have anything to do while I was out of school and working. But I plan on keeping this one for a few years, provided hosting is still free in the future :) But out of them all, I'd have to say this one is my favourite.
Hmm a shout... thanks to Matt for my first comment :) Well I didn't have work today so I hung out at church and ran errands with Paul for some cables and talked about tech stuff with Gary. I also made plans today to go to Shakespeare in the Park next week to see some of Shakespeare's greatest fight scenes; I'm really excited! And tomorrow I get to go to the zoo! So it'll be a little while before I post a loooong entry about camp but one of the kids from camp, Dave, is burning me a CD full of pictures he took so I think I'll post stuff when I get it.
Anyways, I really want to go to the Harvest Moon Festival but my best friend refuses to go to outdoor concerts. So... I'm in a bind because I've been wanting to go for years. Maybe it's time to try my new persuasion skills on her. She does come back in 4 days. Wish me luck :D
Libellés : Friday Five
What I'm striving for...
I don't mind if you've got something nice to say about me
And I enjoy an accolade like the rest
You could take my picture and hang it in a gallery
Of all who's who and so-n-so's that used to be the best
At such 'n' such ... it wouldn't matter much
I won't lie, it feels alright to see your name in lights
We all need an 'Atta boy' or 'Atta girl'
But in the end I'd like to hang my hat on more besides
The temporary trappings of this world
I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love? Did I point to You enough
To make a mark on things?
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace who blessed your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy
I don't have to look too far or too long awhile
To make a lengthy list of all that I enjoy
It's an accumulating trinket and a treasure pile
Where moth and rust, thieves and such will soon enough destroy
Not well traveled, not well read, not well-to-do or well bred
Just want to hear instead, "Well done good and faithful one"...
- Nichole Nordeman "Legacy"
Libellés : songs
jeudi 14 août 2003
I LOVE CAMP!!!!!
Just got back but missing camp majorly. Sigh, relishing in sr high camp memories already and how awesome it was being a camp counselor. I'm even planning things in my head for next year's camp. The whole grade 10 gang from church ROCKS (grade 9s, 11s and 12s are cool too but no match for this group)!!!
Anyways, much to come about:
- the kidnapping of Stu
- my graceful fall onto a bench
- the 4 hour hike
- water balloon war
- leeches... 'nuff said
- mosquitoes galore
- the kerosene fears and fires of cabin 8
- Slap, Knives/Spoons/Spatulas, Cheat, 31
- fart tennis
- Mission Impossible
- circle of encouragement
- Condiment Twister
... and more! Stay tuned!
Libellés : camp
samedi 9 août 2003
Be back soon
Just wanted to leave a note - kind of like an out-of-office reply - that I'll be gone for the next few days and probably won't be posting anytime soon since I'll be in the mountains without any amenities!
***
On a side note, one of the admin. assistants from my church told me a funny story yesterday. She got to go to Creation Fest in Washington (I'm so jealous!) and she actually ran into tons of people from our church there... cool hey? And they were all saying, "Man, you know it's bad when you run into lots of people from your church (in Canada!!) at a Christian music festival where there's 13,000 people here and it's in the States." Then she goes, "You know it's bad when you run into a church staff member at such an event!" Hehe, that tickled my funny bone for the whole weekend :)
Anyways, I'll be sure to write stuff about camp when I get back and think of a new design for this blog while I'm away. God's blessings on you guys, my many readers - totaling uhh... 2! Or maybe the population is even less! Even so, all the best :D
Libellés : work
Ugh
I don't like how my blog looks anymore. I need to change it. Any thoughts?
Libellés : blogging
A myriad of thoughts
I found a restaurant I really want to go to! And after looking through their menu, I have decided on "The Stompin' Tom", maybe a "Wild 'shroom Soup" if I'm really hungry, and a "Crème Brule that's lightly caramelized and topped with fresh berries" for dessert. Actually, if I ever had this much food, I wouldn't be able to walk out of the restaurant!
I found an awesome post (that's from another post) about the gay bishop issue from Richard's blog. Kind of stems into the whole homosexual marriage thing that's happening in Canada right now.
One of my pastors said something that's really made me think about what's happening to Canada. He said that it's almost as if God is lifting His hand from our country now. We've wanted Him out of our lives and our nation for so long now that He is complying with our wishes. I wouldn't be surprised though, what with the whole SARS thing, the Mad Cow crisis, the approval of homosexual marriages, the West Nile virus, and more. If Canada keeps going down the hole like this, then I will have no choice but to move to the States. Of course, no place on earth will ever be free from rebellion against God, but at least the US seems to hold more closely to God and His reign over their country.
Oh well, there's always Canadian food at least....
I was also surfing through the huge collection of blogs that I read, and trying to figure out which ones to delete from my favourites (the ones that haven't been updated in ages or don't work anymore) when I stumbled across a blog from someone at my college. What are the odds of that? I found it off a link from a link of a blog I read all the time. Anyways, you know it's sad when you find out about a friend of yours from high school times that you used to hang out with in youth group and what's going on in her life from a blog that's linked to another blog.
Okaaay... enough links. I have to go buy some mosquito repellent for camp, help our senior high intern, Alexis, with camp stuff if she needs it and do PowerPoint for the church service tonight. Oh and finish packing :)
It's not too late!
Forgot about the Friday Five yesterday!
1. What's the last place you travelled to, outside your own home state(province)/country?
Aww, waves of nostalgia all over again. I would have been on my missions trip tomorrow heading to Seattle just last year :) So that's outside my province and country! Seattle rocks! I'd love to go back again soon.
2. What's the most bizarre/unusual thing that's ever happened to you while travelling?
Seeing as how I've only travelled to four places my whole life, that's not a lot to pick from! And my stories aren't that great either. Uh, on the way to Seattle, the tarp on one of the vans kept ripping and Rob lost his sandal in it. And when I was flying to LA, my cousin swore she saw the mom from "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" at LAX. Eh, not that bizarre.
3. If you could take off to anywhere, money and time being no object, where would you go?
Europe. The Swiss Alps, Ireland, Germany, etc. And also to Alaska. Or maybe Cameroon to visit my friends in the future, although it would be too hot for me. But I think I would want to backpack through Europe with my best friend.
4. Do you prefer travelling by plane, train or car?I've never travelled by train. I have now! I absolutely love flying! If I had enough money, I would fly to so many places. I like travelling by car as well, especially cause you can spend the whole trip talking to your friends. But flying beats them all out!
5. What's the next place on your list to visit?
Montréal. I have the opportunity of leading a group at college to go there on a missions trip during spring reading week. And I have another chance to be a leader for the grade 10s at my church who are going there next year in the summer. And after that, my best friend and I are thinking of going on a cruise or a trip to Europe when we have saved up enough for it. I can only hope that we do that soon, otherwise, we'll get too busy for it!
Libellés : Friday Five
vendredi 8 août 2003
So many chances!
God is opening so many doors for me in all these different ministry areas! Praise God! I am so thrilled because I've been offered two chances today (two!) to be involved in tech stuff. One of them is to be involved in a film shoot for a motivational movie for teens, something my friend Justin has been working on. Another is to help out at a theatre for a stage production that's coming up next month! I can't believe it; God is basically handing me all these chances to learn and to serve :) And on top of that, I've been asked to possibly come on board and learn how to use the new editor. How incredible is that? And how faithful is God in providing for me?! I love this!!!
Libellés : video production
jeudi 7 août 2003
Get packin'
I'm just getting all my stuff together so I'll be ready for camp on Sunday! Hard to believe that it's almost the second week of August. Where did the summer go? And when I come back from camp, August will be half over and school will start fairly soon.
Anyways, please check this film out if you get a chance. It's from a book that I read in high school called "I Kissed Dating Goodbye".
Right now, I'm in the middle of reading "Anxiety of the Uninitiated", "Pulling a Ruth, Part 1" and "Part 2".
(In)famous quote: "I called it Bike and Hike because they're biking and hiking." Am I a brilliant child or what?
Libellés : camp
mercredi 6 août 2003
Take that!
You are 38% geek!
Normal: Tell our geek we need him to work this weekend.
You [to Geek]: We need more than that, Scotty. You'll have to stay until you can squeeze more outta them engines!
Geek [to You]: I'm givin' her all she's got, Captain, but we need more dilithium crystals!
You [to Normal]: He wants to know if he gets overtime.
Take the Polygeek Quiz at Thudfactor.com
Huh, I'm not as bad a geek as I thought!
Libellés : quizzes
Running into the arms of grace...
Hospital waits suck. I'm just glad I brought my Bible along to read and that I could pray to God during those wee hours into the morning. Praise God that everything is alright though! The Great Physician never fails, never forsakes, never leaves, but is always loving, always healing and always there. Thank you Jesus. Please continue revealing Your love and holiness to the lost.
***
Found a poll about editing systems and which is the best of them all. I wonder though... which systems are the most commonly used? If you want, leave a comment, I'm somewhat curious now!!
Good reads: Technologies for Worship magazine and Videomaker magazine. In fact, Videomaker mag helped me pass a multimedia test I had in high school :)
Libellés : Christian life, video production
Starfield Concert
My allergies are keeping me up, so allow me to post a picture from my very first SF concert:
It was definitely a new experience for me being in a church that was so different from my own, and for my life group girls as well! My church youth group is pretty skater-ish, so imagine how they felt when the youth group here was pretty preppy! Anyways, long story short, excellent concert and I hope they come to my church someday so I can help with the tech :)
Libellés : youth ministry
Happy belated Civic holiday!
I had a great long weekend! I got to clean out my room a bit and relax before going back to work. Church was stellar :) It was a service on "whatever is lovely" and I got to technical direct it. I made a lot of mistakes on Saturday night but Sunday night went by like clockwork. Then afterwards, I went out to dinner with some techies and it was great fun. I really think I might possibly be called towards technical directing a team from now on, but I don't know how that will work since I also lead youth on Sundays, and that would not work. Something to pray about!
I stopped by the college today and found out that the yearbook is completely finished and will be ready to pickup in a few weeks and that I get to have one of the first copies :D I can't wait; the fruit of my labour will finally be ready to see! Umm next week will be busy for me, I have to start packing for camp. I guess I have a lot of things on my plate but hopefully at the very end of August, I'll be able to relax and spend more time with God and rest in Him.
I also have another dilemma: I have to help out at a golf tournament but this means skipping school. Normally, I might consider it, but it's during the first week of classes and that's when we get our syllabi and when I figure out if I want to drop a class or not, so I would hate to miss anything then! Although I technically can't drop anything since I need World Civ and English in order to graduate, so.... I also need to get my transcripts ready for the program I'm applying for. I guess I have a lot on my mind right now!
Answered prayer: Last night there was a huge thunderstorm! Thanks for answering prayers God :) Keep praying for rain, the fires aren't out yet!
Libellés : video production, work
lundi 4 août 2003
God rocks...
That's all there is to it. Praise God that the fire didn't spread today, that no one was harmed, and that it was over soon. Praise God that the evening service at church went through without a glitch. Praise God for He is!
Hmm, a prayer request: Pray that there will be rain so that the forest fires can die down and that there would be enough moisture to prevent any more from happening. And pray for all the people that have had to be evacuated so far, that they would be able to return to their homes. Please let it rain!
Libellés : church
dimanche 3 août 2003
"The Passion"
So the news about this new movie has been out for a while now. It's the one that Mel Gibson is producing that chronicles the last days of Jesus Christ on earth. Seems there's a lot of controversy brewing about it. My friend was telling me how the movie was being labeled as too violent. Too violent... of all the things. Yes it was violent, our Lord went through excruciating (the source of this word) pain and suffering so that we could be cleansed by the blood that He shed on the cross. The Gospel accounts go into explicit details about this. I think the movie will visually show us the cost of what Jesus went through, the price He paid so that we would be able to have access to God. It's about time we got out of our complacent bubbles and really see what happened so that we don't take His death for granted. I know I need to, for sure.
Libellés : media
vendredi 1 août 2003
Friends are such blessings!
Well had another chiro appt today. Needless to say, I am all out of whack. Then headed to work even though I had the day off (no I am not a workaholic). I just wanted to wish Kate goodbye and ended up being able to sit in on a video shoot :)
Then my best friend stopped by my work to surprise me before she left for a 3 week vacation!! It was so nice of her to, and it was perfect timing because she came just as the tape ran out of film! I'm going to miss her tons as she and her family travel across the States and head for the East Coast... speaking of which, they should be in the Dakotas by now. I'm sure they're thankful they don't have to go through Saskatchewan and Manitoba!
My friend Anna and I hung out today which was a super blast. I haven't seen her in over a year so it was definitely due time for a visit with her. We went to Starbucks and even though I have tales of this corporation, I settled for a Tazo Citrus, which sadly enough is going off of their menu soon (Why?! Why?! The one thing I finally like from SB!). Then we headed to a Christian bookstore... surprise, surprise... and bought a book that I was going to give Lissa when she came back but found out that she already got it, so I bought it for myself. I felt a little indulgent there but it's such a good book! And best of all, Anna got me a copy of Starfield's self-titled album! I was so thrilled! Everyone knows I've been trying to get a copy of it ever since I first heard of them and their CD release however it has been completely sold out and impossible to attain. But Anna did it, thanks so much again, you are incredible!
In fact, this is my mood right now:
The whole world's in on the action
So turn that frown around
It's the rhythm of the ages
everybody's gettin' down
God put the boogie in ya
gave you what you got to move it
so quit yakkin' 'bout your groove
I want to see you prove it
- Starfield "Make Some Room on the Floor"
First of the Friday Five
This is something that should be fun to do every Friday:
1. What time do you wake up on weekday mornings?
For work, 8am. For school, 8:30am. No 8:15am courses this year!!! Hooray! For holidays and such, whenever I feel like it :)
2. Do you sleep in on the weekends? How late?
Define late. Just kidding. I always sleep in on Saturdays (think past 11am and noon), unless I'm filming a wedding or uh... that's it. As for Sundays, I have to get up at 6am if my tech team is on at church. And if I'm going to the 11am service, I have to get up between 9am-10am. And if it's the school year and I'm going to the evening services, I sleep in. Phew, how's that for a Sunday?!
3. Aside from waking up, what is the first thing you do in the morning?
Thank God for another new day... when I remember to. Usually I am too groggy to do that. Besides hit the snooze button a million times? I'd have to say, shower. It's the only way I'll be alive for the rest of the day.
4. How long does it take to get ready for your day?
Heh. I tried to set records for myself back in high school and the best I ever got was 20 minutes. Now it has slipped back to 45 minutes. And trust me, it's not because I wear makeup (I don't) or whatever, I'm just slow in the mornings. That's understandable right? Too bad I'm always late....
5. When possible, what is your favourite place to go for breakfast?
McDonald's. Yes, I love their Egg McMuffin and nothing comes close to it. Although, the only time I ever go to McD's for breakfast is if I'm leaving for a trip... whether it be to the mountains or a missions trip or anything away from home. It just sets the mood right for my adventure :)
Libellés : Friday Five
