Saturday, February 25, 2006

more thoughts on worship...

"of all the bells rung from a thousand steeples,
none rings truer than this.
its all God's people singing
Holy holy, hallelujiah
He reigns!"
St. Paul's Cathedral, the Sistine Chapel, Westminster Abbey, Notre Dam... the list goes on. I've been to a lot of cathedrals, as I said to Lisa many a time "You know you've been spoiled when you've seen so many cathedrals you start critiquing the architecture!" At the top is a quote from a sweet Newsboys song that makes me smile everytime I hear it! I beleive so strongly that Michelangelo has nothing on 250 people on a Sunday morning singing these words in adoration to God. Don't get me wrong, I have utmost respect for people who spent their lives worshiping God through paint and architecture that is timeless, I just identify better with this true ring...

Monday, February 20, 2006

Speaking of Houses and Homes...

Ironic that the day after I write about wanting a home God hits me with this...
I went to an amazing seminar on "Homelessness in the Greater Vancouver Region" tonight. Dr. Jim Frankish was the speaker, a psycologist and professor from UBC, what an amazing man. If you ever get the chance to hear him speak ... GO!! I want to share with you some of the quotes and stats we heard, I dont begin to do justice to the volumes of research, time and care this man and many others have spent on the subject but here is a snipet of the wisdom. I dont claim to agree with it all but it causes you to think, none the less....

~"People should not be blamed for failing to act on resources they don't have... help people to become more reliant on the resources they DO have.."
~40-45% of Canadians fall into the bottom 2 levels of literacy.
~ Supportive housing led to a per-person cost reduction of $16,282 in health care costs but a $995 gain in housing costs.
~Since 2002 the population of homeless people counted rose 800 persons.
~ the concept of "harm reduction"... "people will not stop doing the bad things so why not try to reduce the harm with programs like the needle exchange, Naomi Project or wet housing?"
~"you better think about where you are going or you might end up somewhere else" Yogi Beara (spelling?)
~"If we want more evidence based practice we need mor practice based evidence" Larry Green

... food for thought...

Sunday, February 19, 2006

My U2 Phase

In honor of it being almost one year since I set off on my worldwind tour of Europe I am going through a U2 phase. While I was there I would always plug in the classics while we hauled our backpacks to and fro. I think I listened to every album they've made at some point in the 3 months. However one song that seems to stick is "Danielle's song"... Sometimes You Can't Make it on Your Own.
My favorite line in the song is " a house doesn't make a home ". Right now Matt and I posses some kitchen utensils, a set of dishes, Starbucks mugs, a sex-promising oven mitt and a slow cooker (thank you Linda and Rod). We are blessed to have a number of good leads on suites, 6 months in advance... we have all these 'house things' (that I love, dont get me wrong) but Im looking most forward to our home! The laughter, the nights spent reading, the family dinners, the girls or guys nights (minus the seraner wrap) and the loads of Apples to Apples we'll all play.
Thats the great thing about U2, they always make you think. Here's a not so deep thought though, did you know that Bono and Bon Jovi are fighting over who invented the mullet? Who really wants to take credit for that?

Sunday, February 12, 2006

every good and perfect gift...


so my first official experience with a bar/club thinger (i dont even know how you classify it)! we had this great day with these two great people but we were slightly commical in our loserness, showing up at the blarney stone right when it opened. we were the only ones there for a good 20 minutes and the waitress couldn't figure out why we weren't keeping the guiness flowing... we really were quite nerdish but it was a blast.
as i sat there and looked around at all the people (once they arrived) i was struck by how thankful I was that I there with good friends, that i didnt need alchohol to make the experience more fun and i didnt have to wear next to nothing to attract my man. the atmosphere was neat and everything but i was struck by this sense of none of it being 'enough'. all these people running around trying to get more out of life but it was never enough.... the alchohol, the relationships, the socializing just didnt cut it.
im so thankful that God has given me these things that do 'cut it'. that are so satisfying... danielle, brady, noni, sarah, darla.. all these relationships make me so blessed and so full. my amazing fiance who love me just for me, who i love and respect beyond what i ever imagined, God gave me that...
so my conclusion after the sun, the laughter and the joy of yesterday... GOD IS SO GOOD!!

Friday, February 10, 2006

we're building a road


my cousin is amazing...yes sarah julien is my hero...she knows what a bandwagon is ...it is now renamed a vanwagon!

published by sarah...

Worship

I can safely say, on the authority of all that is revealed in the Word of God, that any man or woman on this earth who is bored and turned off by worship is not ready for heaven. ( A.W. Tozer, Whatever Happened to Worship? 13)

Thursday, February 09, 2006

I Have Succumbed

About two months ago I ran into an old teacher at work. We chatted for a minute, giving the exciting highlights of what was new in our lives, but I was soon called away to attend to customers. He told me to check out his blog to get fully caught up on how life was for him. I must admit right right then I resisted an eye-rolling and I bit my tongue to keep from asking him if he had an Ipod too. I had a serious predjudice to bloggers. To be honest I thought it was just 'the thing to do'. Well I read his out of curiousity and soon became hooked. Now thanks to Danielle and Sarah... here I go. However to quote the inspiration "like I have time for this!" Right now actually Im avoiding a nice fat essay that is due tomorrow.... I've lost my mind!So here it is folks, my very first blog.... what I feel is the start of an addiction.