It's Christmas!

Christmas is the most celebrated holiday in Canada, and I'm sure in many other countries as well, but we all celebrate it differently.

Some families have Christmas dinner, others can't afford it.
Some open gifts on Christmas eve, others Christmas morning.
Some attend church on Christmas eve.

Obviously the list could go on and on and on but I want to talk about the true meaning of Christmas. A Charlie Brown Christmas absolutely nails it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKk9rv2hUfA

Last night our family read Isaiah 53 together, the chapter about Jesus Christ. It reads:

"Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he has borne out griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned - every one - to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors."

Those are the words of God, spoken by the prophet Isaiah hundreds of years before Christ was born.
We have the privilege today of being those who no longer wait for the coming of our Saviour. Jesus has already come so that we might be saved from the powers of sin and death.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." - John 1:1; 12-14

May many come to confess Christ this Christmas season and be saved! Merry Christmas!

Blah, blah, blah...

It's one of those days...just finished writing a final exam and don't feel like studying for the next one right this minute :). So I think I'll blab on for a bit just for fun...

I heard a joke the other day that I thought was funny even though it took me an extra few seconds to understand...it went like this:

"Did you know that the man who wrote the Hokie Pokie died? It took them two weeks to bury him!"

LOL!

As I was praying this morning I asked God a lot of questions about life. There are so many things that I find myself unsure about but I know that He will provide the answers that I need when I need them.

I decided last week that I am going to quit my paper route. After having to be ready at 6am for clinical rotations, which forced me to start my paper route at 3:30am, which I did not enjoy and will never do again, I've decided it's time to be done. Ever since I have had to drive to pick up my papers to deliver each morning it's been a bit of a pain anyway. The pros have finally been outweighed by the cons.

I bought some floating shelves for my bedroom and now that they're mounted, I'm not sure what I should put on them! I figured that I needed more space for something but that something remains a mystery...

A new discovery that I made yesterday is that I can focus on reading my textbooks more if I am walking around at the same time. So now I can place my textbooks on my treadmill and study while exercising! Multitasking is a precious gift from the Lord :).

Today I created a casserole for supper and tried to take it out of the oven without oven mitts...don't even ask why because I don't know. My hands hurt...

I thought I needed maybe only ten more hangers for my closet but I bought thirty just in case (plus they were cheap). Turns out I'll probably need another thirty. Or I need to give away some clothes...

Now I think I should really go and study for my next exam...while watching Pirates of the Caribbean! Yes, I can do both. I'm just making flashcards for now :).

Fighting Sin

Last November our Young Adults group at church did a Bible study series entitled "Fighting Sin." This past week has been a tough one for me and I know that, despite the fact that sin has been waging war on my soul since the day I was born, the spiritual battle has recently caused me some deeper wounds that may take longer to heal than others received earlier in my life. I know that recovery is possible only if I rest in the grace and forgiveness of God and rely on Him to help me to get back up and fight. Reflecting on the "Fighting Sin" series has proven to be a great reminder and wake-up call:

Part 1 - Knowing Who You Are
Romans 8:1-17
Knowing who you are in Jesus is the crucial starting place in the war against sin. This passage in the first 8 verses shows the stark contrast between living life according to the flesh, which leads to death, and living life according to the Spirit, which leads to life. Verses 9-11 remind us who believe that we have no excuse to surrender the fight to sin because we have the power that raised Christ from the dead within us to help us in the battle! The last verses in the passage talk about how we are children of God, adopted into His family, free to call Him "Abba! Father!" Why would we not want to fight for our Father and King who gives us life through His Spirit?

Part 2 - Motivation
Colossians 3:1-17
Everyone has desires. Our desires become our biggest problems when we want them more than God because that is when they become sinful. Thankfully, God's Word is filled with the truth that can motivate us to crave Him more than anything else in this world! This passage reminds us that we need to be making choices that reflect the fact that we are God's representatives on this earth. How? Verse 16 specifically points us to the Word of God as our motivation to help us to live our lives as if we were in the throne room of heaven with Jesus Christ in front of us.

Part 3 - The Fight of Faith
Hebrews 11:23-28
In this passage we see that Moses took God at His Word. In verse 26 we see that Moses knew what his eternal reward was and so he prized it as greater than the treasures of this world. Sin makes us promises like pleasure, satisfaction, good feelings, etc. but all of these are so temporary. We need to fight against the promises of sin with the promises of God. Only trusting that God is who He says He is and trusting that His promises are true will lead us to deny the desires of our flesh.

Part 4 - God Fighting for You
John 15:1-11
None of the sin battle is about us. It is about fighting for God. We cannot fight this battle alone, but we can do it by the Spirit. One of the main ways we fight sin is through regular prayer. Prayer highlights that God is the one winning, not us. This passage reveals to us that we are completely reliant upon Jesus because He is our source of life, our source of joy, and we can only bear fruit through Him. Here we are called to be in His Word, pray, obey His commandments, and abide in His love.

Part 5 - The Ground War
Romans 13:11-14 & Matthew 5:27-30
We should do whatever we can to avoid committing sin. Sin is so serious and so destructive that if there was a part of your body causing you to sin, logically we should cut it off lest we go to hell. Hell is the result of a lifetime of tolerating sin! Christians fight sin no matter what the cost! It's all for the glory of Jesus.

Even as I conclude this post I know that sin is knocking at the door of my heart. There is so much more to be said about the battle against sin and I know that I only maybe scratched the surface of the passages mentioned above. The point is to be reminded of the spiritual battle that we must fight on a daily basis. May the Lord give us the faith that we need to stand strong and an ever-increasing hunger for His Word! 

22

Not the song by Taylor Swift (although downloading it was one of the first things I did this morning...) that many of us would know but, in fact, my age as of today.

I had many highlights this year as I look back on my blog and journals. There have been times of doubting and times of growth. Times of discouragement and times of thankfulness. There is a time for everything after all (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8) I suppose. :)

I've taken some great selfies...I don't post the not-so-great ones lol

Ate some great food...this is from le macaron, my favourite coffee shop.

Witnessed some awesome sunrises...and these are the best out of many! Thanks God!

And just today captured some fat pheasants on my front lawn...no comment :)

I'm excited for what God has in store for me this coming year :)

I don't know about you, but I'm feeling 22!

Poop Pillow

I know what you're thinking: What an attractive post title! I want to read that right now! or That's disgusting! I don't even want to know...

Well whatever you happen to be thinking, I would recommend reading the following story anyways because I am sure it will make you laugh out loud :)

So our family has a dog. Her name is Maggie. I've posted about her before but I might have to change one of the facts about her after I tell you what happened two nights ago...

First, some background info: Maggie typically likes snuggling up with someone during the night and because she is so warm and fuzzy there are usually a few of us who would like to take her for the extra comfort while we sleep. The only downside to having her in your room is that if she decides that she needs to "do her business" in the middle of the night, guess who gets woken up to let her out?

Upstairs there are three bedrooms fairly close together. My two youngest brothers, my sister, and my parents all sleep upstairs. Most of the time Maggie is in one of these three bedrooms for the night, and because they are so close together, my Mom can easily hear Maggie whining and is usually the first responder to her cries, allowing my siblings to get away with pretending they didn't hear anything so they don't have to get up to let the poor beast outside.

Now two nights ago my sister took Maggie for the night and was disturbed at 2:00am by some whining. Laziness settled in and my sister lay in her bed hoping that my Mom would take care of the dog. Little did she know that Mom did not hear Maggie this time.

I will attempt to take this next part of the story from my dog's perspective...

Oh I've gotta go! Come on Hannah get up! I'm at the door whining here! 

Five or so minutes pass...

Ok seriously! I cannot hold this thing in any longer! You are really gonna regret not getting up!

So Maggie then jumps back up on the bed and poops right next to Hannah's head on her pillow.

What a relief! Well I guess I can go back to sleep now...but ooh that is a smelly one! I'm gonna sleep as far away from that as possible. 

At this point my sister wakes up to this stinky little doggy poo right next to her face, totally grossed out, and notices that Maggie is sleeping at her feet. As it is about 2:30am at this point, Hannah deals with the mess and goes back to bed.

That will probably be the last time anyone in this house ignores Maggie's whining. Especially in the middle of the night.

I'm sure no one likes waking up to poop on their pillow. I can only imagine their reaction and giggle to myself. :)

He Knows by Jeremy Camp

All the bitter weary ways, endless striving day by day,

You barely have the strength to pray in the valley low.

And how hard your fight has been, how deep the pain within,

Wounds that no one else has seen, hurts too much to show.

All the doubt you're standing in between, and all the weight that brings you to your knees.

He knows.

He knows.

Every hurt and every sting, He has walked the suffering.

He knows.

He knows.

Let your burdens come undone, lift your eyes up to the One who knows.

He knows.

We may faint and we may sink, feel the pain and near the brink,

But the dark begins to shrink when you find the One who knows.

The chains of doubt that held you in between, one by one are starting to break free.

He knows.

He knows.

Every hurt and every sting, He has walked the suffering.

He knows.

He knows.

Let your burdens come undone, lift your eyes up to the One who knows.

He knows.

Every time that you feel forsaken, every time that you feel alone,

He is near to the broken hearted, every tear,

He knows.

He knows.

Every hurt and every sting, He has walked the suffering.

He knows.

He knows.

Let your burdens come undone, lift your eyes up to the One who knows.

He knows.

He knows.

He knows. 

Brokenness

We live in a fallen world.
I am brought face to face with that reality on a daily basis.
I haven't thought too much about it though...

...in fact most days I find myself getting frustrated by people with bad attitudes. Not seeing them for who they are, what they are, created in the image of God. With body, soul, and spirit. Each a unique individual with their own personal story.

This morning I broke down. I've been so quick to judge other people and I forget that maybe the reason they have a bad attitude is because of their life circumstances. Or more importantly, maybe they don't know Jesus.

I may be the only person who knows Jesus that these people see, and what do they see? I hope and pray that they don't see someone who just writes them off as unimportant or insignificant. I want them to see Jesus, to know Him personally. To know what it feels like to have hope.

"For 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'" - Romans 10:13

When I get to know the stories of people and the tough times they have gone through, it brings me to my knees in prayer because I know that God can provide them with a new peace and joy in Jesus Christ. May He bring them into His loving arms and may they trust in Him.

My heart goes out to my hurting friends tonight.

Stunning Fall Colours

Fall is my favourite season. Just take a little time to marvel at the creation of our God! 

"Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth! Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary." - Psalm 96:1-6

How Sweet

At our church picnic on Sunday I came across this near the waterfall in the park...

Now I don't know what you think when you see this but I think that this guy is super sweet and creative and is going to have one spectacular marriage proposal plan!

Christian or "Christian"?

Why do people call themselves Christians?

The word "Christian" is defined by dictionary.com as "a person who exemplifies in his or her life the teachings of Christ." 

To call oneself a Christian and not follow the example of Christ is ruining His reputation. Christians are supposed to stand out in our society as people who strive to do the right thing for the glory of God.

Unfortunately, I have met many "Christians," whom I would describe as people who claim to be Christians but do not care about following the example of Christ. I would ask them, "What's the point?"

Yes being a true Christian is hard, but Jesus told us it would be when He said, "'Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.'" - Matthew 7:13-14

This means that when we face countless decisions during the day, we need to think about the narrow gate.

For example:

Should I eat another helping of dinner?

Should I buy this new shirt?

Should I swear at the person who made me upset?

Should I try and have a positive attitude despite bad circumstances?

Should I tithe?

Should I speed when I am driving, even if I am running late?

Should I help someone out?

Should I exercise?

Should I get up earlier to read my Bible?

The way that we answer all of the above questions depends on whether or not we are Christians or "Christians." Are we willing to put our selfishness aside and do the hard work of fighting against our sinful desires for the glory of God and our Lord Jesus Christ? 

Let us not stain the reputation of our Saviour by claiming His name while conforming to the pattern of this world! May the people around us see the light of Christ shining through us and label us as Christians.

I know that I fall into the "Christian" category some days, but I am determined to rely on the strength of my God to help me to become conformed to Christ Jesus for His glory.

All That Really Matters by Matt Redman

Let our lives become a song for You
Like a prayer that reaches high
The glory of Your name our greatest chorus
Let our lives become an offering
Ever pleasing to Your heart
The glory of Your name our highest call

All that really matters
All that really counts is found in You
What else would we live for?
You're the Way, the Life, the Truth
All that really matters is You
Jesus it's You

Let our lives become a light for You
Like a city on a hill
We'll glorify Your name forevermore, Lord

All that really matters
All that really counts is found in You
What else would we live for?
You're the Way, the Life, the Truth
All that really matters is You
Yes it's You

King of glory, be the center
King of glory, You'll be the prize
We shall have no other treasure
All that counts is You lifted high

All that really matters
All that really counts is found in You 
What else would we live for?
You're the Way, the Life, the Truth
All that really matters is You

All that matters, all that really matters is You
Jesus it's You

Quoteworthy

"Authentic faith always manifests itself in a zeal for obedience."
- R.C. Sproul

Clydehurst

Having just got back from attending family camp at Clydehurst Christian Ranch last week, I have quite a bit of posting to do and I am going to try and fit it all into one. So here it goes...

In order to avoid distracting from the most important thing, I will put the lesser things here first.

Upon arrival, we had to register in this building.

Then we were directed to this building, which would be our living quarters for the week. It was more spacious than it looks and it even had a full bathroom inside!

No, this guy was not living when I took this picture :) but he sure makes a mean first impression!

On Monday we had our first hike, which ended up here. This makes me think of the movies "Spirit" and "The Sound of Music."

I've got a couple of pictures from a place called the Natural Bridge, which was really neat as the water went underneath a huge stone slab, creating a natural bridge.

On Thursday, my Dad and I tackled Steeple Rock, the five-star hike of the week. We traveled three miles on a steady incline and then proceeded to cross a small boulder field before doing some mountain climbing to reach the peak of Steeple Rock. The first picture is the camp from halfway up the mountain and the second is from the summit.

The final hike brought us to this place called Trinity Falls. The wilderness in Montana is truly amazing. We Saskatchewanians certainly aren't used to so much varied terrain, but it's such a treat when we get to travel.

Now for the most important part, which was the biblical teaching for the week. 

August 4/14

Romans 8:26-30

If you are growing in the Lord, the things in the world become less and less satisfying. (v.26) 

God has a will for you. (v.27)

God's will for you is to be conformed to the image of His Son. (v.28-29)

The Holy Spirit helps us accomplish within the will of God. (v.30)

Everybody dies, and the question is how are you going to live?

Matthew 7:13-14

When you come to a fork in the road of life, rarely is the easiest choice God's will. God loves to give you more than you can handle because He wants you to realize that you need His help and He gets the glory!

Romans 12:1-2

God intends for you to figure out His will. (v.2)

If we are followers/servants of Christ, why wouldn't we want to figure out what He would want us to do?

When God delivers His will, we should embrace it as good, acceptable, and perfect.

August 5/14

Being conformed to the image of Christ:

1. You can be religious and lost. Ex) Paul

2. You can be in close proximity with Jesus and still be conformed to the world. Ex) The 12 disciples

Mark 11

In this passage, Jesus is not the peaceful, turn the other cheek, kind of guy we can sometimes picture Him to be. When He cleanses the temple, He is more like a lion than a lamb.

There are parts of our lives that are conformed to the world and they have to be violently eradicated. Jesus gives spiritual spankings to the ones who are His own because He loves us. God will do what it takes to conform you to the image of His Son. Don't let your life be ruined by the sin you will not let go of.

Lesson #1: Cleanse your temple.

Matthew 24

Jesus calls us to live life looking to eternity. Live in expectancy of the second coming of Christ. Live every day as though it is the last day.

Lesson #2: Look to the skies.

August 6/14

John 13

See how Jesus washed the feet of the disciples. We are called to follow the example of Christ, becoming a servant of all. God will give you dozens of daily opportunities to serve, but you must have your ears open to hear His voice. If you are always concerned with your importance and how others should serve you, something is wrong.

Lesson #3: Saved to serve.

John 15

Jesus commands us to abide in Him and to abide in His love. Abiding in the love of Christ is shown by our obedience to His commandments. 

Lesson #4: Live in love.

August 7/14

John 17

The pattern of prayer that Jesus uses here is praise, people, protection, and purpose. He first praises God, then turns to pray for the people of God, then for God's protection and finally His purpose (faith and unity). Too often prayer is our last resort. We need to spend part of our lives figuring out that we cannot do it alone. Once you get to the point when you realize that you are nothing without Christ, then you pray. 

Lesson #5: Pray, pray, pray.

August 8/14

Acts 27

Sometimes we are knocked off course in our walks of faith by the storms in our lives that come unexpectedly. When you are in the storm, what should you do?

1. Remember to whom you belong and who you worship. (v.23)

2. Recognize that fear is the devil's tool, do not be afraid.

3. Trust the character and the Word of God. Don't be concerned with anything else. (v.25)

4. Set for yourself a doable, practical course of action. (v.26)

5. Make the right, physical, psychological, and emotional decisions. Sometimes you need others to help you.

6. Look for God to meet your needs, and know what your needs are.

7. You need the fellowship of brothers and sisters in Christ, particularly those who have the gift of encouragement. 

I learned a lot this past week and I am grateful for all the reminders because I am so prone to forget what life is about as I chase after meaningless things in this world. By the grace of God I will become more like Christ and live as I should: cleansing my temple, looking to the skies, serving and loving God and others, and praying constantly.

Security

As a woman, the biggest need that I have is for security. When I worry, I typically worry about things like finances, whether or not I am loved by someone, future plans, and safety. As a single hoping to someday be married, I want to marry a man who will offer me security as best he can while depending on the strength of God. But above all, I want a husband who will first point me to Christ and lead me to walk closer with my Heavenly Father. Ultimately I will look to Him to meet my security needs as He has promised.

"His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire." - 2 Peter 1:3-4

The Master Painter

I was grumbling the other day a bit about how I was subbing for a paper route on top of doing my own because I was having to get up half an hour earlier than my usual 5am (that's 4:30am people!). Then one morning I had to put my foot in my mouth because of what I witnessed...

These pictures were taken approximately 5 minutes apart and I realized that if I hadn't been up doing this other paper route I would have missed the beautiful work of the Master Painter our God Almighty! The best part is that these pictures hardly capture the reality. Our God is truly amazing!

I'm a Survivor!

Not as impressive as you might think, but I'm going to tell this short story anyways :).
So I was playing soccer when all of the sudden I got cranked in the face by one of the hardest kickers on our team. I didn't realize what had happened right away but all I knew was that my vision was blurry and my head hurt and I didn't have a substitute. At first I was not sure if I really was ok but I told everyone that I was. I mean...I wasn't totally blind or passing out so I think that means I'm ok :). I played the rest of the game with no peripheral vision in my left eye and I even scored! So all in all, I survived and I am thankful :). 

Out of the Ordinary

This picture was taken a couple of summers ago and the clouds are legit! They really did look like snowballs in the sky (or cotton balls, or popcorn, or whatever your imagination decides). I was thinking wow, isn't God so creative? I feel privileged to know Him personally and sometimes I pretend that He puts really neat clouds or really pretty flowers on the earth just for me :). I know that lots of other people can see and enjoy these things too, but it makes me feel extra special and extra thankful to God in those out of the ordinary moments.

Steinbach Manitoba

I have visited this place every year for the past three years now. Why? Because my amazing sister/friend/roommate from my first year at PRBI lives there. She is a great person overall and I am blessed to have her in my life as she has been a great godly encouragement to me. :)

So to start off, I had to take a selfie because, well, what else does someone do when they have to drive for 6 1/2 hours?

After getting to Ruth's all safe and sound, we began planning out our meals for the weekend because we both love to cook and bake great food (plus, she's Mennonite) :) so borscht was a quick choice for our first supper together, made with real farmer sausage!!

The next day we decided to take a trip to the zoo for the afternoon because animals are awesome! Note the sweet water tunnel we got to travel through...

If my hand were a polar bear's paw...

It's a real live polar bear!!!

I thought that this weather station was kinda funny :)

These camels liked to pose for pictures. The one standing in the background would prance around like a model, pausing for photos every few seconds.

This is what a cat nap really looks like.

Zoos don't really have optimal viewing options for taking photos...but that is a tiger :)

These rules are legit!

This emu was walking towards me as I tried taking a photo of it and I failed to realize that it was not afraid of me until it was about two feet away! That's when I started backing up because these birds are huge!

This is the double-decker bus from London that we got to ride around in for free through the park.

After the zoo, we took a lunch stop at a great restaurant called Kawaii Crepe. This place is amazing, they make these giant crepes and stuff them with delicious things like fruit, peanut butter, nutella, whipped cream, sweetened condensed milk, pizza toppings, salad ingredients, etc. You can either get an entree type or a dessert type crepe and they are all delicious! Plus, an added bonus is the bubble tea :)

After an evening of relaxing while playing Nancy Drew computer games and baking delicious apple-filled raisin bread, we got up the next morning and headed off to the Royal Canadian Mint where they make all of our regular coins plus coins for many other countries as well. I recommend the tour if anyone decides to visit Winnipeg :), it was pretty cool.

One final thing that we did together was bake some maple twists, which were absolutely mouth watering and dangerously addictive. You'll have to ask me for the recipe if you want it because I think it is too risky to post for just anyone to obtain. I mean...just look at the picture! 

As I left for home after almost three days of pure fellowship and absolute blessing from God (I love you Ruth!), I decided that a long afternoon drive called for some added energy. As I have vowed to never drink an actual energy drink, I opted for some bottled Starbucks vanilla frappucino because everyone who knows me well knows that I will only drink coffee if it contains more milk and sugar than coffee. Both were empty when I got home ;) and I got home safely.

I couldn't help but take a picture of the amazing drive-by scenery :).

All in all, I had a great trip and the long drives gave me ample opportunity to almost finish memorizing the book of James! Scripture is truly living and active as I find myself being reminded daily of the goodness and loving grace of our Lord. :) I would gladly challenge others to memorize larger chunks of God's Word as it is refreshing to the soul and it is really cool when the Holy Spirit brings it to mind when you need it. I am so thankful :).

Rainy Days

The title of this post could be deceiving, because I am not referring to one of those days where it's raining and you are really depressed because everything seems to be going wrong, no, it's just raining...

No wait...

that's a lie.

It's absolutely pouring. Like if I ever was tempted to doubt God's promise to Noah, it'd be right now.

I've never experienced rain like this before in my life. I went from my house, where the skies were clear, to my soccer game, where I got out of my car and was instantaneously drenched from head to toe. My rain coat says "Hyper-Dri" on the sleeve and I was hyper-wet. Also, because it is Saskatchewan, it was windy. One guy on the other team came with an umbrella and I almost had to laugh as I watched him struggle to close it after the wind took it away and he no longer had use for it (I also had to laugh because he offered to let me under the umbrella later even though it was obviously too late, but I appreciated it). :)

We didn't play soccer today. Although I wish we had, because I was soaked anyways. After ten minutes I could feel my toes starting to prune, which is not the most pleasant feeling I'll admit. But am I complaining about the rain? No.

My Dad challenged me the last time it was raining to be positive about it because it brings life. We dare complain about something that we need to survive. I mean, we are called to have attitudes of thankfulness at all times. (Colossians 3:16-17) So I am choosing to be thankful for the rain and also praying that it would stop soon ;).

Terrence: One Year Later

For those of you who remember Terrence from my first experience at IKEA last year, he is my bonsai tree, and he has grown quite a lot over the past year. Even has a new pot! Mostly because I managed to help my sister kick him off the table, breaking his old pot...anyways here he is, healthy, and still growing!

Determination

I just finished running about 17 or so km in about 1.5 hours. To say the least I am a bit tired, but I accomplished what I had set out to do. Ask anyone who runs marathons and they will tell you that it takes some serious determination but you just have to keep going until the finish line, no matter what pain you feel. I want to live for Jesus Christ with the same determination with which I run. I want to say with Paul that, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4:7) I also want to live so that one day I will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him. (James 1:12) I praise Him for giving me the strength to carry on. :)

Acceptance

It feels good to be accepted. Who can deny that? I am sure that everyone wants acceptance to some degree. To know that they're ok. But acceptance should never be a goal in life. Especially when we are looking for it from other people. Only God defines us, and only His opinion should matter. But we can easily get caught up in our selfishness and think that we need to please others in order to feel good about ourselves and get the positive attention we think we deserve. Oh how quickly we forget that all the glory belongs to the Lord.

I got an acceptance letter yesterday for the nursing program I've been waiting to get into :) and I praise God for the opportunity that I have been given to further His kingdom as I will seek to share the good news with my classmates-to-be.

It feels good to be accepted, but the feeling that comes from a growing relationship with God is undeniably better. 

Psalm 19

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 

Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. 

There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. 

Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. 

In them he has set a tent for the sun, 

which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, 

like a strong man, runs its course with joy. 

Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, 

and there is nothing hidden from its heat. 

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; 

the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; 

the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; 

the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; 

the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; 

the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. 

More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; 

sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. 

Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. 

Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. 

Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! 

Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. 

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, 

my rock and my redeemer.

Good To Note

I'll never say that dating is not hard work. Like any relationship, things get difficult at some point, but I find that things are more difficult in a dating relationship because you are making the second most important decision in your life, whom you will marry (choosing to follow Christ is the most important one!).

After my second serious relationship ended, I learned that I let more things slip than I should have. My tendency is to overlook things, thinking that I'm being righteous in giving the other person more rope without properly addressing the issues. This doesn't help anybody grow in character or maturity.

It's also hard for me to know when to validate my emotions because I tend to invalidate the negative ones and disregard them as wrong. My emotions tell me lots, and it's good to pay attention, especially to the negative emotions. And especially if those emotions are not a regular thing.

Another thing that I grew to appreciate more is the valuable counsel of the authority figures in my life. I asked for wisdom, and God gave generously, as he promises in His Word (James 1:5). I know the people who love me the most are willing to say the hard things, and I must be willing to humbly listen.

My wonderful mentor sent me the following article to help me evaluate my dating relationships, and it has been super helpful.
http://garrettkell.com/12-topics-to-talk-over-before-you-get-engaged/

I have been super blessed by the Lord, and I feel His peace once again as I look forward to the days ahead and long for the day of Christ's return. :)

A Hairy Puzzle

That's exactly what it was. Literally.

My friend and I got together at her place to do a puzzle. We both enjoy difficult puzzles and decided that a 500 piece one would be doable for the evening. She had already prepared the puzzle appropriately, dumping the contents of the puzzle box out onto a table with a smooth surface, which is ideal for efficient puzzling.

Right before we commenced building the puzzle my friend warned me, "Ok so I got this puzzle from (insert thrift store or something I can't really remember) and this may seem kinda gross but it was full of hair and so I'm sorry if you find some, I tried to pull it all out before you got here..."

I just smiled. Then we discussed a few possible reasons as to why the puzzle was full of hair:

1. It used to be owned by a stressed old woman who sought to do the puzzle to relax but ended up impatiently ripping out her hair in frustration, packing it up with the puzzle and giving it up for someone more suited to give it a try.

2. It was previously owned by a family with a very hairy dog who loved to dance upon puzzle pieces and shed himself as if to mark his territory and lay claim to the puzzle after it was completed.

3. A girl who loved to brush her hair while doing puzzles, in a moment of frantic forgetfulness, accidentally emptied her brush into the puzzle box instead of the garbage can because her mind was too preoccupied with the intense difficulty of the puzzle.

My friend and I successfully completed the puzzle in the allotted time (around 3 hours) while picking out the remaining hair and I am still proud of her for attempting to cleanse the puzzle pieces of the hair before I joined her. That's a true friend right there folks! :) I'm blessed to have her in my life. Thank you, friend!

Settlers of Catan

You have never seen it this epic before!!

I don't ever want to go back to the original board.

Some Talent!

So I give my boyfriend a mango and...

Then he asked for an apple and...

I don't know about anyone else, but I think that my boyfriend has got some serious skills with a blade.  He's probably a ninja!

J-What?

My two little brothers, Landon (13) and Daniel (10) came home for lunch today from school and while they were eating their sandwiches, we had a funny conversation...

Me: Guess what?

L & D: What?

Me: The JW's came to our house today!

Daniel: What's that?

Me: You've never heard of them?

Landon: Wait...I've heard of them, they have a big church just outside the city...

Me: Yeah, I'll give you a hint, they're a religious group.

Daniel:...are they animals?

Landon: No Daniel, they're people. Why were they here?

Me: They left us an invitation for their church service.

Landon: OH! The Jewish Wanderers!

Me: LOL! No, Jehovah's Witnesses!

I have to give the JW's some credit for being bold in inviting people to their church. I sometimes wonder if I've been bold enough in my own life when it comes to sharing my faith. After all, Jesus is not coming back until people from every tribe, tongue, and nation have heard the good news of the gospel. May the Lord strengthen His children to carry out His work diligently here on earth.

Guess that Sickness!

I woke up this morning early as usual and went outside to do my paper route. Normally my stomach gets a little achy because I don't eat until I finish but this time it was a different kind of ache.

I ate breakfast when I got home in hopes that I was merely hungry and that my stomach just wanted some food to cheer it up but as it turns out, the ache didn't cease as usual.

At about 6:45am I discovered that most of my family, save my sister, was not feeling well. Daniel and Landon had both thrown up and my parents had minor stomach aches. Though my stomach was slowly growing more agonizingly painful, I decided that I would press on to carry out my day at work and head home if I threw up.

I'm stubborn.

So at work I lasted about two-thirds through the morning meeting before I ran to the bathroom and...well...you know. :(

But I felt really good after that so I decided to try and tough out the rest of the day. Another half hour later and I was leaning over the garbage can by the front doors. (I apologize sincerely if you were one of the customers to walk past me during that time).

I decided at this point that it was time to clean up and head out. But not before one of my managers commented on the fact that I was "totally green and probably had a little too much fun last night." I corrected him right away because I don't drink and I drove myself home.

After napping for a good three hours, I woke up again with my stomach still aching away. So I tried getting up and I ended up having to make another trip to the bathroom. The problem with this is that I hadn't tried consuming anything (food or drink) and yet my stomach was still trying to get rid of something.

I'm still feeling sick and trying to keep down fluids but I'm betting that I'm suffering from some kind of food poisoning.

But the bottom line is that God is still good and I can still trust Him during this time of feeling terrible. :)

I Know Who I Am by Jeremy Camp

I try so hard but I always fall short
So I've faced the truth of my weakness
There's nothing good that I can bring forth
But I stand in the strength of Your presence

I've wasted time always trying to face things alone

But I wait here now and I lay it all down

I know who I am and I know I'm not able
To stand on my own, I can't live all alone
So I'm taking my hands and I'm reaching them out
And I fall down, for You I fall down

In times of brokenness always You show
The depth of love that You bring me
And I'm kneeling down in Your presence I know
Your source of life I'm receiving

I place myself in Your arms that will always lead me
And I won't let go cause there's nowhere else to go

And I know who I am and I know I'm not able
To stand on my own, I can't live all alone
So I'm taking my hands and I'm reaching them out
And I fall down, for You I fall down

I don't know why the things I want to do I always run from now,
Because I know apart from You there's nothing that I can do where life will become new

And I know who I am and I know I'm not able
To stand on my own, I can't live all alone
So I'm taking my hands and I'm reaching them out
And I know that I'll take everything that's in me
And I fall down, for You I fall down, for You I fall down

Jeremy Camp and Suffering

I just finished reading "I Still Believe," which is a memoir written by my favourite music artist, Jeremy Camp. Right away here I'm going to recommend this book so that I don't forget to by the end of this post :).

Now I knew that he had gone through some tough times in his life before I read his book, but Jeremy Camp's testimony is truly incredible. It reveals the spiritual depth behind his song lyrics, and his ministry through music has had a huge impact on many people around the world.

Suffering has been a theme in his life with the climax being the loss of his first wife, Melissa, to cancer after they were married for just three and a half months. Two weeks after her death, Jeremy heard God's call for him to pick up his guitar and begin his ministry with the musical gifts that he had been blessed with. He responded to the call and is now re-married with three children, doing what God has called him to do. Worship.

There is a lot more to this story as the book is jam-packed with Scripture verses and various other events that happened in Jeremy's life. But there is one thing that stood out to me the most. It was the godly character of Melissa and her story that has left me inspired.

"She loved Jesus, and she loved other people. There wasn't a hint of 'better than others' in her... she had an all-out devotion to God. She was constantly reading her Bible and praying. She never seemed to miss an opportunity to talk with someone about Jesus. She was so focused on her relationship with the Lord and being a shining example for Him... Why is she so happy? She just found out she has cancer. I would be devastated, I was thinking. 'How are you doing?' I asked. Her answer still inspires me: 'If I were to die from this cancer and just one person accepted Jesus because of it, it would all be worth it.'... Melissa was willing to suffer if it meant just one person would gain eternity in heaven!... No matter how badly Melissa suffered, she continued to praise God."

This young woman died at my age. 21. God blessed her greatly because one of the nurses who saw Melissa's faith came to know the Lord before she passed away. Just one person. What an amazing story.

I was thinking about suffering the other day. Philippians 1:21 says, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." What would it look like for me to live as if I truly believed this? I can honestly say that I would count it a privilege to suffer for Christ, in whatever form it may be. We Christians don't face a lot of persecution in Canada, if any, and it makes me sad sometimes because I know that persecution is something that can strengthen our faith in God and challenge us to deepen our relationships with Him.

I'm torn...part of me wants to suffer...and the other part of me rejoices because I am not suffering. But I'm on board with Melissa when I think about just one person. I pray that God would give me that privilege. To see even just one person come to faith, whether I'm suffering or not. Just thinking about it brings joyful tears to my eyes. I often feel the broken heart of God for the lost, and it aches. Lord let Your Kingdom come!

Follow Your Heart by Anthem Lights

Some say follow your own heart and it will never lead you astray.

Some say chase your own dreams, that's all that matters anyway.

Well I've been there, done that, tried that, lived that way like it was all for me...

and I came back, found out truth is, turns out to get me where I'm meant to be...


I've gotta follow Your heart if anything is gonna count in this life.

I've gotta follow Your heart if I'm ever gonna make a mark on eternity.

So let Heaven's heartbeat always move me,

let my only prayer be to follow Your heart.

Help me follow Your heart.


I don't need a second opinion, You just say the word, I'll go.

And I don't need any convincing to walk along the narrow road.

'Cause I'm all in, sold out, can't turn back now, these are more than empty words...

for the things that I want I trust You got, I'll just keep the first thing first...


I've gotta follow Your heart if anything is gonna count in this life.

I've gotta follow Your heart if I'm ever gonna make a mark on eternity.

So let Heaven's heartbeat always move me,

let my only prayer be to follow Your heart.

Help me follow Your heart.


I'll count it all as joy to give this life away.

There's not a cost too high

or price that I won't pay

to follow Your heart,

follow Your heart,

gotta follow Your heart,

help me follow Your heart.


I've gotta follow Your heart if anything is gonna count in this life.

I've gotta follow Your heart if I'm ever gonna make a mark on eternity.

So let Heaven's heartbeat always move me,

let my only prayer be Your heart.

Help me follow Your heart.

Help me follow Your heart.

Help me follow Your heart.

Help me follow Your heart.

Follow Your heart.

What is Love?

I've been thinking a lot about this lately. If I am called to love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength and then love my neighbour as myself, what does that look like?

My thoughts immediately turn to 1 Corinthians 13 which contributes a lot to understanding what love is.

"If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. 

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love."

Love is certainly a powerful thing, especially when defined in this passage. It is something that we need in order to live a life that has meaning. But where does love come from? What is it's origin?

I recently read an article that explained some of this very well. In fact I will quote from it:

"God is love, and love is from God. Therefore, loving others is doing whatever it takes for them to have as much of God as they can."

A recent example from my own life comes to mind. A guy that I know claimed to "love" me but he didn't have a relationship with Christ. Impossible right? Where was this guy getting his "love" from? I still do not know the answer to that but I know that the world that we live in often defines "love" as a feeling. It's that feeling you get when you see a particular person, you think about them all the time, and you would do anything for them. Infatuation is a better word to define this kind of "love" and it will fade because it is not true love. The fact is that true love cannot flourish apart from God.

To quote more from the article I mentioned earlier:

"Anything that looks like love that we do for others - being patient, kind, not boastful or irritable or resentful, giving away our possessions, even martyrdom (1 Corinthians 13:4-5, 3) - that isn't done for God's glory and with a desire that others may taste and see that God is good (Psalm 34:8) is not true, vibrant love. Godless love is a hollow shell, a love that has lost its soul, a flower cut from its root. Godless love is sin (Romans 14:23)."  

- Taken from http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/love-is-not-a-verb

This is a great reminder for me to keep my head on straight when someone claims to love me or when I claim to love someone else. Only God can give me the ability to express true love. As I live my life claiming to be a Christian, a particular song comes to mind...

"And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, yes they'll know we are Christians by our love."