vendredi 30 avril 2004
Plain Jane
One down, five to go. Ugh, that sounds depressing. I must say, Jane Eyre wasn't as terrible as I thought it would be. I would pick Charlotte over Emily (the Brontë sisters) any day. If you've read Wuthering Heights, then you can see why. From a book that is about demonic love to one that is about selfless (although warped in a sense) love, it's not that difficult to choose.
'Humility, Jane,' said he, 'is the groundwork of Christian virtues: you say right that you are not fit for the work. Who is fit for it? Or who, that ever was called, believed himself worthy of the summons? I, for instance, am but dust and ashes. With St. Paul, I acknowledge myself the chiefest of sinners; but I do not suffer this sense of my personal vileness to daunt me. I know my Leader: that He is just as well as mighty; and while He has chosen a feeble instrument to perform a great task, He will, from the boundless stores of His providence, supply the inadequacy of the means to the end. Think like me, Jane - trust like me. It is the Rock of Ages I ask you to lean on: do not doubt but it will bear the weight of your human weakness.' - Brontë: 356
My friends and I are looking forward to this upcoming album. Hard to believe that tomorrow it will be May and I will be indoors reading. Sunny days are slipping away...
Libellés : books
mercredi 28 avril 2004
Momentary break
I need to make a trip to HMV soon.
There's a DVD I've been wanting for months.
Can I use any more acronyms?
Huh, that kind of looks like a poem.
Anyways, back to reading.
Jane Eyre anyone?
Libellés : books
Unending pages
I am just finishing up my last written assignment from last semester. After that, I have six novels left to read and I can be officially done (before my spring course that is). Well, that being said, I would love to post more this week but I won't be able to as often since I have to read so much. I'll still write here and there, just not daily. Don't worry, I shall be back - I'm just temporarily in the reigns of homework and book slavery.
Have a blessed week! :)
Libellés : college
lundi 26 avril 2004
I wish I may, I wish I might...
Yeah, I'm listening to sappy music lately.
I did something today that would probably not be a big deal to most people, but it was very last-minute and spontaneous of me. I dropped a spring class I was already in for another one. Whoa, living on the wild side here ;) Nah, I'm just so thankful that the registrar at my college is the nicest woman in the world. She understands my bouts of insanity. Actually, I was taking a class that drove me nuts. It was a course for nonlinear thinkers, and I was already confused fifteen minutes into it. Great prof, it just never appealed to me in the first place and I was only taking it out of necessity. Then I found out another course fit the requirements I needed. So I have this week off to finish my literature books and next week, I'll be taking a class that will be relevant and linear-thinking. Praise the Lord! I don't think I've seen myself act in such a flurry though. What a fun afternoon.
I wish life were an adventure. I wish life made sense.
I wish I were more decisive. I wish I had more options.
I wish I could do what I wanted. I wish I knew what I wanted.
I wish I were ambitious. I wish I were easily satisfied.
I wish days were longer. I wish the clock moved faster.
I wish movies were cheaper. I wish movies were better.
(Just some fun sayings from an old clothing catalogue I found).
A long journey
Well, graduation has come and gone. There are people I probably won't see again and others who will remain in town. One of my beloved friends, who was a youth intern when I used to be in youth group will likely be moving to another province. Another friend will be moving to the States to pastor a church. It's strange that I won't see them in the hallways at school again or run into them in the student lounge. I'm sad but excited for these people and the ministry opportunities that lie ahead of them. Perhaps I'll run into them again in the future somehow.
I'm still busy even though school is over. I'm going to finish two assignments tonight (almost halfway through!) and get ready for my spring class this year. I hope it won't be as strenuous as last year, although if I don't find a job soon, I guess I don't have an excuse for why my papers aren't done yet. I'm extremely anxious about this summer because I have no clue what's going on, but I also have a deep-rooted sense of peace knowing that God will provide for me in His way.
Since it's pretty much likely that I'm returning to my college next year, I'm probably going to end up switching majors. I really can't see myself as a youth pastor. As much as I love being with youth, I don't think that's what God is calling me to do. I'm contemplating about this new program that will be offered in the fall and will probably go into it. Apparently, I'm the perfect candidate for it ;) but again, I'll have to wait on God. What a year though; I have to say, He has brought me through quite a bit! Even looking back at some old posts, I can't believe that I've gone through all that, with the grace of God..
"...And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." - Matthew 28:20b
Libellés : college
samedi 24 avril 2004
Tidbits
I like lists:
1. All of a sudden, I'm not so sure I want to leave my college and go pursue media studies. Why did I ever think I'd want to do that? Waiting during the selection process is a stinking nightmare!
2. Jill Paquette and Jaylene Johnson are performing at Christian Publications tomorrow morning. This is a cool picture - I recognize those colours ;)
3. I just love this wonderful post by Carly. When she becomes a professional writer, I can always say I used to read her material :)
4. Speaking of great posts, I really like this one by Theophilus. It expresses a lot of the frustration I was feeling in the early months of blogging, but now I'm so busy that I don't have time to read dissenting views from mine.
5. And this is another great post by Kelly McCord. When my friends and I were working on our missionary project, we noticed how fuddy-duddy (read: big honking glasses and refrigerator box dresses) a lot of them appeared on their personal websites. Then we realized that some non-Christians probably thought we looked like that too.
6. How did I get on that topic? Anyways, I have two assignments left and my spring class starts next week. Unfortunately, I don't know what time they start at in the mornings.
7. Someone commented to me tonight at the banquet that God has grown me incredibly throughout all of the turmoil I've faced this year. That was such a wonderful compliment - I hope it's true :)
8. This post by Jonathan is awesome. I remember when I used to think, "I will try to finish my homework in five more songs, then I'll watch TV." Half an hour later, I was still slaving over homework.
9. We are now approaching wedding season. Warning: wedding season ahead, will not die down until after summer. Even then, be ready to hear about engagements.
jeudi 22 avril 2004
You've got Gmail!
Sweet! I have a Gmail account now! Not that I don't already have enough email addresses already which are all completely full. The nice thing is that I get a free gig of storage here though. And I really hope that I don't get spam in this one. I've already gotten spam in my personal one from the name of a theatre girl who used to go to my college two years ago (what are the odds?) as well as some celebrity and biblical people who have asked if I needed medication in the email I use for this blog. So here's a tip - do not post your email address to your blog. It used to be completely spam-free until I put it up here *doh!*
Anyways, it's hard to believe that school will be over in two days. I have two finals tomorrow, one of which I could miss completely and still get an A in the class, but I won't do that. The other of which I need to study for but haven't bothered looking at the material yet. I also have two assignments I need to hand in tomorrow, which I haven't begun. I am a horrible student!! On top of that I have a party tomorrow night and a banquet on Friday night. I am not deserving of any of these. I did not put in as much work as I should have this semester. And I feel terrible for that. Just remind me that taking 6 classes while dealing with family stuff and extracurricular activities and church involvement is the dumbest thing ever to do. I wouldn't mind a little prayer for tonight, it'll be yet another all-nighter. Thank you, I certainly hope your week isn't as hectic and insane :)
* Make sure you read this very enlightening article to round out your night.. er morning.
mercredi 21 avril 2004
The new life You've given me...
I love poetry with brilliant rhymes,
And songs that draw me in
With clever opening lines
I love rainy Sunday afternoons
Being kissed by sun,
And dreaming under the moon
The way the ocean feels at high tide,
The gentle stillness of midnight, Oh I-
I love the way You are so good to me,
I love the way You're so inspiring,
I don't know why You love me like You do,
But I love You.
I love all the signs of city life,
And marvel at the way
The world just hurries by
I love breathing in the mountain air,
Climbing to the top,
And finding that You're there
Catching glimpses of Your mysteries,
I find Your fingerprints on everything
What I mean
I hear Your music everywhere,
So gentle, yet so strong,
Your melody floats on the air,
And every time I hear You there,
I've got to sing along
- Ginny Owens "I Love the Way"
Libellés : songs
Early to bed means no homework done
I'm currently working on my annotated bibliography *cough* or I will begin to. All I need to do is find ten websites, of which I think I've found a few already. It's incredible that all of my assignments now incorporate the internet, computers, and/or other forms of technology. I guess it's something to be said for a 'millennialist generation.' It's hard to remember when I haven't had to use a computer, except for in the very early years of elementary school. But even before junior high, we still had these old-school disks (I'm sure you remember them too, when they used to be truly floppy). Good old Oregon Trail and Bank Street. It's too bad that I can't access any of the data saved on them anymore - I used to write tons of stories everyday. Anyways, that's that for nostalgia.
The Starfield CD comes out in less than a month (May 18th)! If you go to Sparrow Records, you can hear short audio samples of all their songs. There will be six brand new songs (Prelude - not really a song but new nonetheless, Love Break Me, Revolution, Outstretched Hands, Ordinary Life, and All For You) and six old songs that are redone (Filled With Your Glory, Alive In This Moment, Tumbling After, Over My Head, Can I Stay Here Forever, and Cry In My Heart). Here's an article from a few months ago that has more information on the group (via Mac). The following are things that you don't really care about unless you're a fan: Switchfoot also goes by SF and has brothers named Tim and Jon (confusing no?); as well, some CD covers look pretty similar to each other, not that it means much. And I need to stop randomly surfing and finish my assignments. Thank goodness for 100 hours of shuffled music.
Libellés : media
mardi 20 avril 2004
Not just the only one
I wish my friends had blogs. I feel like such a lone ranger on the web sometimes, especially when I try to explain to people the concept of a blog. They give me that funny glazed look and probably think in their heads, "A blog? I don't get it, why would you do that?" For some reason, it still hasn't caught on to them yet. I've tried the word diary but that sounds so girly. I've mentioned journal before but they don't see why anyone would publish personal details. And although personal website works with some people, they dismiss the technology altogether and think of the cheesy ones that stemmed from 1997. I remember having tons of those old ones, but with blog hosts like Blogger, Live Journal or Xanga, decent-looking sites can be made. How do I get friends to jump on the bandwagon? I know all of them would have such great things to post. Not that I'm dismissing all the great friends I've made online, it would just be nice to match faces to names :)
Libellés : blogging
lundi 19 avril 2004
Game 7
Hurrah! I have finished two finals, with two more left on Thursday. I still have a lot of assignments to get to but I'll worry about that after the hockey game. I know it's selfish but I'm praying that the Flames win tonight. Anyone want to pray for them as well? :)
Update: 5.7 seconds will send a chill down my back every time I hear of it. But the Flames won in overtime!!!
dimanche 18 avril 2004
Midnight musings
1. With music videos like this, who has time to study? Students are so productive. (via Sam; if that link doesn't work, try this)
2. The term, "touch base," is the most annoying phrase in the English language. Here's some others.
3. Bobby Lee is hilarious. It's too bad that the show makes him a woman too often.
4. It's strange how when I'm watching television, I can spot an American accent in a ton of commercials.
5. "I think that the film Clueless was very deep. I think it was deep in the way that it was very light. I think lightness has to come from a very deep place if it's true lightness." - Alicia Silverstone, Actress
6. Romanizing a language is hard. I shouldn't be trying to learn two other languages at once either.
7. Speaking of college applications, this one doesn't look too difficult.
8. Sites are becoming blog-like, with comments and RSS/XML feeds. Check out their Starfield interview.
9. I can think of certain people at church who would love this celebrity blog.
10. I need to go to sleep, I'm TDing tomorrow morning and not all of my homework is complete.
samedi 17 avril 2004
Perspectified
For the last four months, I have had the wonderful blessing of being able to take part in a course called Perspectives on the World Christian Movement. Not only has it been a challenging course, it has changed my life direction. I used to have the mentality that missions was something that other people were gifted at, not me. I saw it as one of those lucrative callings that only certain special Christians would have. Although I participated in short-term missions, I didn't see missions as something I would ever participate in for more than a week or so. How wrong I was! This class has helped me to truly understand the Great Commission and the biblical mandate that just as Jesus was sent, so are we also. We spent the first month or so pouring through the Bible and using it as the basis for making disciples of all nations. Then, on that biblical foundation, we moved into more aspects of what it means to be a World Christian. (Don't worry, I didn't say "worldly" Christian - you can't be a worldly Christian if you wish to be a World Christian).
It's been a lot of work so far: fifteen weekly quizzes, five personal responses, almost 700 pages of reading, an integrated project, a midterm and a final; but it has been worth all that time and effort. In just four months, my mentality has changed completely. I went from a selfish model of being afraid of going into the world and choosing to remain in my comfortable lifestyle to one that is heartbroken over the unreached and desirous that all would bow at the name of Jesus.
Here is a snippet of the introduction from the last lesson:
"Now that you have perspective on the world Christian movement you can no longer be an onlooker. Step into the movement. God gives you a place and a role. When God calls anyone, He does not call people to go away from Him to distant places. God always calls His servants closer to Himself. He may call you to be closer to Him as He works among the poor of Cairo, or the Hindus of Delhi, or the Muslims of Jakarta. He may call you to be with Him as He renews His churches in America to risky faith and blazing hope. You may not know where you will go, or what He wants you to do years from now, but you do know the One who has promised to fill the earth with glory. You have embraced the purpose upon which He has set His own passion. You are free to follow Him with the same single-hearted hope."
I remember hearing in class, "You should not ask if it is God's will that you go. You should pray and ask if it is God's will that you stay!" If that's the case, I know I can't remain comfortable in my life or complacent in my faith. In any case, God's going to use my life somehow. I'll be waiting to see where He takes me.
"Your heart I seek to find
With Your hands You fashioned mine
Let me be used to carry out the truth
To the ends of the earth
'Til everyone's heard
My mended heart will share Your words
I will tell the world that You are God"
- Zoegirl "Beautiful Name"
Recently...
I drove on black ice for the first time tonight. I was incredibly fearful but it was probably the most prayer-filled drive I've had! As for the all-nighter, I wimped out and finally fell asleep. Thankfully though, one of my professors was absolutely gracious and said it was alright if I handed in my final exam on Monday (I know, I know, this doesn't happen in the real world), and for the rest of the assignments, I will either drop them off at the college tomorrow or Monday. It'll just be so nice to be finished everything! I also got away with only having four final exams out of the six classes I'm taking. One this weekend (it's a take-home), one on Monday, and two on Thursday. When I'm finished with those, I'll be stuck in another spring class (after I vowed last year that I would never do it again). There is this one course that I would like to take on discipleship but I don't need it for my program requirements and I won't be able to afford it. Sadly enough, I've already used up all my personal electives.
So far for my summer... well, I'm still undecided about that. I know God will provide for me and that He will put me in the right ministry opportunity but it's just the matter of waiting and seeing if any doors will open. After my disappointment with not getting the internship I was hoping for, anything will look good this late in April.
<mini-rant>
I am waiting right now to hear from SAIT soon. I don't like that they delay their decisions this late in the year. It doesn't leave a lot of room for preparation and I think that making the deadline for applications earlier would not hurt at all. I applied almost half a year ago and to still be waiting to get through the first process frustrates me to no end. I'd rather that they cut off applications in January (as opposed to end of February, which is the same deadline for May applicants) and begin the selection process in February, letting people know at the latest by March or even April if they've made it or not. But to drag the second process until the end of May is not fair for people who need to make plans and know their immediate future as soon as possible. At this point, I am losing so much motivation for the program that I'll gladly continue at my college instead. I know that the program is "oversubscribed" but why the entire application process could take up to seven months makes no sense. I was accepted into university a week later (another oversubscribed program) and into bible college (hmm, not so much) two weeks later. True, it's competitive but if they let me know that I made it onto the selection process back in December, they should have at least let me send in all my information already. Maybe I just have a low tolerance for patience. It's something God's been working on in me for a while but this thing is stretching me too far. You know, a lot of my friends have complained about this institution; I hate that I have to join in on it.
</mini-rant>
jeudi 15 avril 2004
All-nighters
I dread the sound of that word. But tomorrow's the last day of classes before the semester ends and next week is finals week. I pulled an all-nighter with one of my friends last night. It's a miracle I was able to make it to school and home safely. I actually went to chapel today too! Anyways, I finally had a long nap after twenty-five hours of no sleep, and now I'm back at it to pull another one tonight.
To do list for this evening/morning:
- Two One quizzes and reading
- One personal response
- One annotated bibliography
- Two One literature reviews
- One final exam
I will have no life for the next ten hours. And there you have it, a glimpse into the (lack of) life of a college student.
Libellés : homework
Christian blogging
Due to Michelle's graduate work on Christian blogging and her results from surveys she had 135 people fill out, other bloggers have written about the effects of "Holy Huddle Blogging." It's interesting to see how a large majority of Christian bloggers do not purposely seek out relationships with non-Christian bloggers.* I know that this is an issue which some Christians are criticizing, because we are to be salt and light to the world. My two cents is that this "holy huddle" is not something to be condemned (though certainly not encouraged as a clique), but rather a spiritual network of bloggers, through which we encourage one another in fellowship, strengthen community internationally and seek to build up accountability. This in itself is an example of the incarnational ministry that should serve as a witness to other bloggers. While Christians should not cut themselves off from the world, it is only natural that people with similar interests will inevitably congregate together. Even though I do have more relationships with Christians online than I do with non-Christians, it does not mean that I am limiting myself to strictly Christian reading. I still read plenty of non-Christian blogs; however, I do not link to them because I am not necessarily advocating them. This does not imply though, that I am shut off from the rest of the world. It is unfortunate that I have not reached out to non-Christians more, and I do appreciate that all of this blogology (really, it should be a science) has researched this matter more thoroughly.
*The terms Christian blog[ger] and non-Christian blog[ger] seem to have a few feathers ruffled, but I personally think that this is used more so in demographic information as a means of identifying blogs and their writers. What else would I call myself but a Christian blogger?
I'm currently reading Tim Bednar's paper on "We Know More Than Our Pastors: Why Bloggers Are the Vanguard of the Participatory Church". I participated in the survey a few months ago so I'm curious to see what the conclusions drawn from it will be. By the way, the "Nelly" that is quoted on page 39, is actually myself. I have a confusing name, I suppose :)
Libellés : blogging
mardi 13 avril 2004
Je ne comprends pas
I've had a love of the French language ever since I was little. It was mostly because of my dad and his side of the family, who all speak French to some degree. Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to cultivate this love and learn the language fully, since my dad did not see a need to speak French any longer. I guess being in a Western province renders it useless. I finally had the chance to take it in grade four and had the most wonderful teacher ever. I wrote letters to her for a few years up until I was in high school. After that, my elementary school lost the funding for French classes and they were no longer offered. In junior high, I faced the same situation. We did not have French at all and I think we were the only school in the city that did not teach it. I begged my parents to let me take private French lessons, which I thrived in and loved. I stopped because it was getting expensive and I no longer had the time to take both French school and regular school. After the lessons, I realized that I once put aside an application to go to a French immersion junior high school. I regret that to this day, because I could now be fluent if I hadn't have disregarded the application in haste. I was however, blessed to be able to go to a French immersion high school. Of course I couldn't take part in it, but I made a lot of friends in French immersion who enjoyed complaining to me about FLA (French Language Arts) all the time.
In high school, I was a pre-International Baccalaureate student. This meant that everyone in the program needed to learn a second language, either French or Spanish. That sounds great right? Well the catch was that you had to be at the intermediate IB level (requiring a minimum of six years in French instruction) to get into the French stream but you could be a complete beginner to get into the Spanish stream. Already deemed inadequate to get into French, that meant I was forced to go into Spanish, a language I've never desired to learn. To make the story short, I dropped out of IB altogether and was able to go into French at last. I took two years of it, but in the middle of my third year, I left halfway through. At the time, my skills in French were limited to written French. I could conjugate main verbs, understand some rules of grammar, and generally interpret what was in print. I just lacked the ability to comprehend spoken French. My third year, my teacher gave us marks on oral comprehension due to how well we understood French radio. If you've ever heard French radio, you'll know that they speak tremendously fast and that there is a lot of French slang used. That didn't exactly help me in the class because I had 95% on all of the written tests and 30% on the radio tests. I did better in physics than I did in French, so I finally dropped it to save my average. I'm glad I did but I hate that even to this day, I'm not fluent in French at all. Add to this the fact that I was supposed to go to Montréal twice this year and that both times the trips were cancelled. If I don't get into the film program, I will go to France next year for my missions work. Now that will be a trip that will not get cancelled, God-willing, if I stay at my college.
Libellés : French
lundi 12 avril 2004
Enough to count for two posts
Thanks to Michelle and Coqui for this. You know, sometimes the easiest post to write is filling out a questionnaire. Yes, I'm a copier ;) I'll also be busy tomorrow so here's a long one.
Spell your name with bands/singers:
Newsboys (seen in concert)
Eisley
East West
LaRue (seen in concert)
Yo-Yo Ma
Have you ever had a song written about you? Nope.
What song makes you cry? "All I Have to Do is Dream" by the Everly Brothers.
What song makes you happy? Almost anything.
What do you like to listen to before bed? Right now, these Pure Cinema Classics CDs I got from the library.
What colour pants are you wearing right now? Green.
What song are you listening to now? "The Heart Asks Pleasure First/The Promise" from The Piano.
What taste is in your mouth? Nothing, haven't eaten in a while.
What's the weather like? It was supposed to be 22 degrees Celsius today but right now it's dark and colder.
How are you? Alright, just feeling a bit frantic because I'm behind on all my schoolwork yet I'm filling one of these out :)
Do you get motion sickness? No.
Do you have a bad habit? Cracking my knuckles.
Do you get along with your parents? Not as often as I'd like. They're stubborn, I'm equally stubborn. It makes for a lot of opinionated arguments.
Do you like to drive? Yes, but not when there are passengers in my car.
Favourite TV show? It's The District but I haven't seen it for a while.
Favourite conditioner? I don't have a favourite. I just use whatever my mom gets from the salon.
Favourite video game? Haven't played video games since I was in grade six. But if I'm beyond bored, I'll hook up my NES and pull out the good old Super Mario Brothers game.
Favourite book? The Bible. Other than that, almost anything. For fiction, I've really enjoyed Francine Rivers. For non-fiction, I've loved a ton of my college textbooks.
Favourite magazine? I read Group Magazine for a while but I especially like Videomaker Magazine and Technologies for Worship Magazine.
Favourite drink? Milk, iced tea, orange juice, ginger ale, tea, punch, water, milkshakes, etc.
Favourite thing to do on the weekend? Sleep, go to church, watch movies, hang out with friends.
Favourite band/group/singer? Starfield.
Have you broken the law? I've been forced to jaywalk by my lawbreaking friends a few times.
Have you run away from home? I thought about it once and started packing but that lasted fifteen minutes when I realized I wouldn't be able to fit everything into my backpack.
Have you ever gone skinny dipping? I'd be the last person in the world to do this.
Have you ever made a prank phone call? No, it wasn't something that was ever big with me and my friends.
Have you ever tipped over a Porta-Potty? On comedy sketches, that would be fun to do. But I've never been on a comedy sketch; therefore, no.
Have you ever used your parents' credit cards? Once.
Have you ever skipped school? I had perfect attendance in junior high school. In high school, I only skipped legitimately (excused absences I guess). Now, I skip if it's an extremely useless lecture that will not be relevant for any marks in the course.
Have you ever fallen asleep in the shower/bath? Nope. Do people other than narcoleptics do this?
Have you ever been in a school play? I was supposed to be in one, but it was cancelled. I'm glad because my teacher assigned me the role of the pretty girl's ugly cousin.
Have you ever let a friend cry on your shoulder? Yes.
Children? Nope.
Have you ever been in love? Nope.
Have you ever had a hard time getting over someone? I'm sure it's part of human nature to.
Have you ever been hurt? Of course.
Your greatest regret? Not being more disciplined when I was younger.
Do you have a job? No, but I'm looking! If anyone knows of anything...
In your MP3 player right now: I don't have an MP3 Player but I already answered this question as to what song I'm listening to.
If you were a crayon, what colour would you be? Sky blue.
What makes you happy? Fellowship. GOOD movies.
Who makes you the happiest? Jesus Christ.
What's the next CD you're gonna get? I'm currently on the "list" to get the Starfield CD next month.
Whom do you consider good friends? Lissa, whom I've known since I was four. Gozo and Mel, whom I've known since grade eleven. At school, I would say Kat and Tam. Honestly, a lot of my good friends are staff at my church. I've always found it easier to be friends with adults than kids my own age.
What do you like to do? Read, watch movies, hang out with friends, take pictures, hike, bowl (ten-pin only), go to concerts, volunteer, film or edit, worship, write, think, sleep.
When was the last time you cried? I don't remember. I cry at the strangest things so I can never expect it. I'm not a huge crier though.
When was the last time you got a real letter? I think last summer.
When was the last time you got e-mail? Sometime today.
What was the last thing you purchased? I took my mom grocery shopping.
What was the last TV program you watched? I was watching part of the hockey game before I dozed off.
What was the last movie you saw at the theatre? Jersey Girl, unfortunately. But I'll count the one before that, The Passion of the Christ. I like renting movies better.
Libellés : questionnaires
dimanche 11 avril 2004
Civic pride
On this Easter Sunday, I will be rejoicing in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I will also be cheering on the Flames tonight in game 3.
GO FLAMES GO!
This girl is a Calgarian at heart, who's not afraid to show it!
"He is not here; he has risen, just as he said." - Matthew 28:6
samedi 10 avril 2004
Within this decade
I went to see my school perform tonight and it made me swell up with pride. It's amazing to see the culmination of all their hard work these last few months. If I do end up leaving my college, I'm going to miss all those people who have touched my life somehow.
I was up late watching MuchMoreMusic last night and they played a song that I loved from a few years back. It was funny because I didn't realize it was from six years ago, which got me thinking about artists I actually used to like. Anyways, here's the list:
Favourite music artists from:
- 9 years ago (1995) - Des'ree, Boyz II Men, Sheryl Crow, TLC
- 7 years ago (1997) - Our Lady Peace, Savage Garden, Amanda Marshall, Jewel, Alanis Morissette
- 5 years ago (1999) - Silverchair, The Corrs, Matthew Good Band, Matchbox 20, dc Talk
- 3 years ago (2001) - Starfield, Jake, Lifehouse, Audio Adrenaline
- 1 year ago (2003) - Starfield, Switchfoot, mercyme, Libera
- Today (2004) - Starfield, Leahy, Jars of Clay, any artist on RadioU
Least favourite music artists from:
- 9 years ago (1995) - Mariah Carey, Backstreet Boys
- 7 years ago (1997) - Leanne Rimes, Usher, Shania Twain
- 5 years ago (1999) - Britney Spears, Christian Aguilera, 98 Degrees
- 3 years ago (2001) - Creed, O-Town, Nelly
- 1 year ago (2003) - Avril Lavigne, Justin Timberlake
- Today (2004) - Sarah Kelly, others that I can't think of right now
Some of these may not be chronologically correct. I have also purposely omitted artists that may potentially embarrass me to death. It's not a complete list either - I have a bad memory.
vendredi 9 avril 2004
Good Friday
jeudi 8 avril 2004
"The oldest continual human activity in our history"
I was able to experience a Christian Seder Haggadah today at school and it truly brought everyone into community as we reflected on the day before Christ was crucified. We feasted in celebration and entered the traditional Passover meal setting for an hour. It gave me a new perspective on our spiritual heritage and I loved how symbolism was attached to everything in the Seder. It's so nice to look back at tradition and learn from those before us, rather than detaching ourselves from it. And it meant even more because we were remembering Jesus at His Last Supper and we had the hope of Easter to come.
It's been a long day. On my way home, I almost got cut off by some guy trying to pass me on a steep, curving ramp! Obviously he was in a hurry and didn't mind the fact that he could have rammed into my driver's side. It's hard to be a Christian and a driver at the same time. If I had a Jesus fish on my car, oh I would be a terrible witness to the world. But how do you remain unprovoked when your life is at risk all the time?
Today was a fun day though, I saw Jill Paquette at my church just as I was heading off, which is funny since I just wrote about her and her 5 Vibe nominations. Yeah... well I'm in Canada so celebrity sightings are always that much more exciting. Especially when it's of people that are also very well known in the States (making it doubly awesome).
mercredi 7 avril 2004
To study or not to study? That is the question...
I'm supposed to write the infamously dreaded Bible test tonight (almost 140 questions-worth!), the one that all graduates of my Bible college have to take before they can really be done school. The only problem is that I haven't had any Bible or theology courses at all this year, meaning that I will, without a doubt, bomb the test. I'm thinking of cramming everything that I learned last year into a half hour so I could at least do decently on it, but then again, it's supposed to be an honest reflection of what I've learned. Yeah, but the overachiever side of me wants to do well, even if it will be a mark that won't count for anything. I can't stand settling for mediocrity, even if I'm forced to it.
But writing a Bible test to forty of the greatest in soundtrack scores from motion pictures... that makes everything sweeter.
Update: Well I have at least ten wrong for sure, I've checked with the Bible ;) My weakest points were geography and history. My easiest was probably theology, that was the funnest part of the test. And the questions where you have to pick which book of the Bible you'd find a certain thing in. But overall, it made me think how I can take the Bible for granted. Lord, help me never to do that, but to meditate on Your Word day and night....
Libellés : college
Stuck without plans
I didn't get the internship for this summer that I had my heart set on. I'm disappointed but honestly, not too surprised. And it's too late to apply for any other programs for this summer at this point because the deadlines were all at the beginning of this year. I also want to back out of the youth missions trip (for reasons I won't disclose), but I know I'll be letting everyone down if I do that. Sigh, I've never had a free summer before, but I absolutely need to be doing something, anything! I'll be scouring for any opportunities I can now - travelling or learning, preferably working and getting paid for it so I can pay my huge debt off. I'm sure God will provide, just like He did last summer. But in any case, I'd like to know as soon as possible so I'm not hanging dry after my spring course is finished.
"When you go down that road
There's no turning back
And when you go down that road
It's plain to see that
From out of this bleeding world
There's nowhere else I'd rather go
Than down that road..."
- Leahy "Down That Road"
Huh, this looks like it could be fun: Rate My Professors. Or if you're younger: Rate My Teachers.
mardi 6 avril 2004
This year's Vibes
Even though this year's Vibe Awards will be held in Toronto instead (no, I'm not bitter, much), I'm still participating by voting. I did send off one of those applications to be a fan judge but I haven't heard back so I don't think that's happening. It's pretty neat to see a lot of new Canadian artists on the nominees list and some old familiar ones as well. If I can influence you at all in your voting (you just need to be a Canadian resident and 12+ years old to vote), then sweet. If not, here's a commentary anyways (lucky you):
Artist of the Year - It's a tough call between downhere and Jill Paquette, who are both lost to the States now. Either one will be a deserving winner so it can't go wrong there.
Female Soloist of the Year - Carolyn Arends won last year, so Jill Paquette's probably going to get it this year, which would be awesome because she's the youngest nominee here I think.
Group of the Year - Since Starfield's album comes out after the Vibes this year, they won't be getting their 5 wins like last year, but they are up for this category alone. And because I'm so incredibly biased, they should win this one.
Male Soloist of the Year - Poor Riley didn't get one last year, so I think he should win the Vibe for this one. Matt Brouwer's pretty good too, but Riley's been around for so long. I just want to see what interesting outfit he'll put together for this year's ceremony.
New Artist of the Year - Who doesn't love FM Static? They've really built up a name for themselves, even though they're part of Thousand Foot Krutch. Talk about a 'phenomenon' that's big in Canada and especially in the States on RadioU and ZJAM, for example.
Rock/Alternative Album of the Year - Oh if it were possible, they'd all win :) The funny thing is Relient K is nominated because the lead singer is from Ontario. So I wouldn't be surprised if they won, but all the other contenders (downhere, Drench, FM Static and Ten Shekel Shirt) are equally as good.
Seasonal Album of the Year - I'm going to put a plug here for RECC. I hope they win this because it's a recent church plant, and it would be spectacular if they won. The others are a bit more traditional, so I think RECC will stick out.
Contemporary/Pop Album of the Year - It'll either be The Kry since they've been around for a while but more likely Jill Paquette. She could pull another 'Starfield' by winning Vibes for all the ones she's nominated for, in which case it's the exact number as them, 5.
Hard Music Album of the Year - Well Stereotrap was mightily impressive at last year's New Artist Showcase and now that their album is out, I've no doubt all their fans will be voting for them. It could still go to Thousand Foot Krutch though.
Song of the Year - It's going to be between "Crazy Mary" (FM Static) or "Come To Me" (Jill Paquette). Again, it could be Jill's year to win the big five, but "Crazy Mary" is such an addicting song. It'll be a close one for sure.
Ones I don't have an opinion on because I haven't heard of any of these artists; thus, I probably voted for them if I liked their name or province or something:
- Children's Album of the Year
- Jazz/Blues Album of the Year
- Folk Album of the Year - I sure wish Leahy was up for this one!
- Francophone Album of the Year
- Rap/Hip-Hop/Dance Album of the Year - I've only heard of Knights of the Realm.
- Inspirational Album of the Year
- Country/Bluegrass Album of the Year - High Valley sounds good even if they are country/bluegrassish.
- Southern Gospel/Traditional Album of the Year
- Choral Album of the Year - There's a 3/5 chance the Mennonites will get this one.
- Instrumental Album of the Year
- Urban/Soul Album of the Year
- Worship Album of the Year - I've only heard of Corey Doak. Good thing for the others that Starfield's not up this year :)
Hey, it's beginning to look like the Dove Awards, what with these categories and all. But it's still distinctly Canadian with the Francophone category, and how nominations and winners are always broken down into provinces. Sorry for the lack of links for the artists. I've blogged far too much today already. Good night and vote if you can because it's definitely the People's Choice Awards.
lundi 5 avril 2004
Waste of breath
FYI: John Shelby Spong is the Episcopal Bishop from Newark, New Jersey who wrote this about Jesus - that our Lord and Saviour is (in Spong's own mind and creation), "...narrow-minded, vindictive, and even hypocritical...." It makes me wonder why his books are usually placed in the Christianity section in bookshelves.
Other things that boil my blood:
Spong condemns Moses for being a murderer; Joseph for being arrogant and spoiled; Abraham and Isaac for passing their wives off as their sisters; Jesus for being ignorant; Paul for his superiority and being part of the patriarchal system; and God for His needs and prejudices. I guess nobody is right in his eyes, not even God. But then again, he considers God as the "ground of being" and states that the God of the Bible is one He "cannot respect, much less worship."
Does anyone know how exactly he became the Right Reverend, Episcopal Bishop Emeritus? I know nothing about the Episcopal church although I've heard from friends that it is the American version of the Anglican denomination. Drop a comment if you know more about this than I do, which for now isn't enough.
I am not targeting this denomination or bashing it at all (I don't even know anything about it). The fact of the matter is, Spong is a bishop in the Episcopal church, plain and simple. And I just want to know more about either the denomination or why he is a bishop in it at all.
This is interesting...
"...Belief in the middle level began to die in the 17th and 18th centuries with the growing acceptance of a Platonic dualism and of a science based on materialistic naturalism. The result was the secularization of science and the mystification of religion....Science was based on the certitudes of sense experience, experimentation and proof. Religion was left with faith in visions, dreams and inner feelings. Science sought order in natural laws. Religion was brought in to deal with miracles and exceptions to the natural order, but these decreased as scientific knowledge expanded.
It should be apparent why many missionaries trained in the West had no answers to the problems of the middle level - they often did not even see it. When tribal people spoke of fear of evil spirits, they denied the existence of the spirits rather than claim the power of Christ over them. The result, Lesslie Newbigin has argued, is that Western Christian missions have been one of the greatest secularizing forces in history...."
- Excerpt of "The Flaw of the Excluded Middle" by Paul G. Hiebert, from Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: A Reader 2002:414-421, first appearing in Missiology 10:35-47 January 1982 and originally from Anthropological Reflections on Missiological Issues, 1994, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.
Libellés : missions
Whoo-hoo!
Cool, Jill Paquette won in the Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year category yesterday at the Juno Awards.
Jesus flicks
Hey, on a lighter note today, I played the CSI board game! Apparently, Lissa and I are matched in skill and thinking because we kept getting ties and picking the correct suspect each time, which is probably nice since there's no loser in the game :) I also just watched the annual showing of The Ten Commandments on TV with my family. It's definitely a great bridge that they're into movies like this. The first DVD we ever bought was even Ben-Hur, so all that's left are The Jesus Film and The Passion of the Christ.
I'm actually skipping part of class tomorrow night to watch a documentary on Jesus and Paul on ABC. It's called Jesus and Paul - The Word and the Witness and I'm looking forward to what Peter Jennings will be presenting. I'm pretty disappointed that the panel of experts contains a lot of people from the Jesus Seminar and that Spong will be consulted (don't even get me started on him, it's not worth my breath), but there are other credible scholars I would like to hear from.
And for the ultimate geekiness, I am now a card-carrying club member of the National Film Board of Canada. Alright, so I'm just carrying a username, but it's still pretty cool. You know what rocks? I can get invitations to film premieres and master classes, all for the grand price of free! I wish I had heard about this earlier but better late than never. I won't miss a single documentary now!
On an unrelated note, I found a new blog to read (or rather it found me)! I already have so much to read from, but this is a great one from a guy who is living as salt and light for Christ. So, go check it out, it's Faith Gambler: Sharing the Journey in Faith and Struggles.
Tomorrow is missions catch-up day. I'm behind four chapters, four quizzes, two personal responses, a project, and a final exam. Oh goodness, it will be a full day.
dimanche 4 avril 2004
A long confession
It's strange to think that my future rests, well ultimately in God's hands, but also in the hands of whoever the selection committee for my program is. I won't even know which institution I'll be at and it's only a few months away. I registered for fall classes, but I can't conclusively say to anybody that I'll be in their classes at this point. I'm not quite sure what to prepare for, but it is definitely a season of uncertainty in my life. Never having gone through this before, I've been in a melancholic mood for the last while, and each day increases in nostalgia. Horrible feeling, really. It feels as though life is going to throw something even more unexpected at me, and that I won't be able to handle it.
I suppose the reason I feel this way is because stability is something I've always valued. Sure, spontaneity has its perks and I do thrive off of it for little things, like making weekly plans, but in general I enjoy knowing that things will be constant. Routine actually bores me, but it's the structure which upholds it that I'm more inclined towards. I mean, I've lived in the same house since I was four, been in the same city my whole life, and had no reason to switch schools, meaning I actually went to one school each for elementary, junior high, and high school. All of these things led me to savor that familiarity, and now I am on the verge of losing it.
This year has been the most challenging and it's truly because of God that I've made it through intact. Not only am I about to switch colleges (perhaps, maybe not), my family structure has changed majorly. With my mom's cancer and subsequent surgery, I've turned into a worse person than before, and I hate who I have become. I have lost all motivation to do anything, and all of my relationships have suffered immensely. One of my favourite things to do is to make new friends, but this year I've put up a barrier instead and probably projected to others the image that I'm shut-off and cold. Which I do feel I am.
So today I went through some old yearbooks and pictures, and remembered how much simpler life was. Yeah, I'm pretty young so it wasn't exactly as though I was contemplating the good old days or anything, but things I used to panic over are so inconsequential now. I was such a geek, still am I guess, and the majority of what I fretted over was just silly matters like homework or whatever - I don't even recall what I was stressing over. I was probably living in my own utopia, blissfully unaware of what a fallen world it really is.
But now it's like I've been smacked in the face by reality a couple of times, and I'm only starting to nurse the wounds. All that I've known is changing, and I can't keep up with the pace. I blame it on my stubbornness to resist adapting to such circumstances, but when you're overwhelmed, it's sometimes easier to let yourself be numb than evaluate what's happening. I know God is in the midst of all this, but it's such a struggle to feel His presence. I've been zoning out and neglecting my responsibilities more than ever. I do have joy and peace that can only come from Jesus, but there's so much crud on top that I'm having trouble recognizing it.
I seriously hope it's not depression that I'm going through, and that this temporary phase will come to pass. What disturbs me is that I predicted the situations that I'm facing right now. I was in an utter euphoria a few years ago, and as much as I hated the thought of it, I knew there would be a time shortly thereafter when I would be going through agony and despair. Unfortunately, I was right, since I knew I couldn't escape that clause about having troubles in this world for too long. Yep, the Ecclesiastes thing, I'm in that time of weeping, mourning, tearing down, and heavy searching.
However, as bad as things are right now, God is doing a new thing. If He's going to bring me through all the pain and turmoil I've been enduring, He will have something beautiful on the other side. I have faith in this, and no matter how many times I get discouraged this week and following, at the end of the day I have my Jesus and that is all that matters.
Do you remember that song, "All I Have to Do is Dream" by the Everly Brothers? It is one of my favourite songs of all time, because I used to hear it every New Year's Eve at my god-family's annual parties. I think it was the first song I ever heard in my life, outside of lullabies and kid's stuff. And even though it has to do with romantic love, I heard it tonight for the first time in years and God used it to strengthen me. Pretty weird, but it reminded me of the dreams He has given me and not to give up on them. (I know, totally and completely out of context with the song, but if it's giving me hope..!)
"Dream, dream dream dream, dream, dream dream dream...."
samedi 3 avril 2004
Getting to the end
It is done!! Well, 90% finished. The church planting project that I have been working on with my friends for the last seven weeks has been written up! It took about 80 hours to work on this I think, maybe 90, but we don't have to spend another Friday on it again! Oh I love them and all but the sweet satisfaction of knowing that our biggest paper is complete is indescribable. It ended up being 30 pages in total and all that's left is just editing it and fine-tuning it to be the perfection it is (that I badly want it to be).
So... the previous post about how someone from my church could be reading this blog. That doesn't concern me too much because I've been real in everything I've written. If you go back to my archives, you can see that I sounded so immature at times but that's alright, I've grown up (hopefully). I want to be authentic in everything that I do, and if that is conveyed through my blog, great! I've no qualms about that :)
Anyways, I was mostly in shock when I found this whole thing out because... well think of it this way. Imagine two people on this planet earth who you think will never talk to each other, much less meet each other. Now imagine that these two people actually have this strange and close connection that you never would have thought of. Alright, that was vague but I'm sure you'd be at a loss for words too.
Libellés : college
jeudi 1 avril 2004
Uh oh...
I just realized that due to a certain connection that someone who reads this blog has, there could be a person from my church who knows me who has read everything I've posted.
Hmm, not sure if that's good or bad. But it's kind of scary to think that they could be reading these thoughts.
