Songs that I have on repeat

I think almost everyone who has talked to me his past month has heard me rant and rave about Mumford and Sons, in particular "Sigh No More." This song destroys me every time I listen to it! I keep going back to the 1:51 point of the song over and over again. Speaks truth about what true love looks like!

Love that will not betray you, dismay or enslave you,
It will set you free
Be more like the man you were made to be.
There is a design,
An alignment to cry,
At my heart you see,
The beauty of love as it was made to be

This my prayer! This is the love that God offers and designed, and the love that I want to show to people. I want to be the man that God created me to be, and to give freedom to people by loving them with godly love!

B.o.B- Airplanes (Feat. Hayley Williams of Paramore)
Interesting that I have mentioned so much rap lately. I don't usually listen to rap, but this is a really good collaboration and I am a fan of Hayley Williams (Paramore). And who hasn't wished upon an airplane as a child thinking it was a shooting star? An interesting piece of information for you, Hayley and B.o.B. have never met in person! They recorded and filmed each of their parts at different times and in different locations!

"Get Low"

I saw this movie on Sunday, and it was awesome! I highly recommend that you watch it. Is a story about a man who wants to invite everyone to his funeral, while he is still alive. He wants to hear what they have to say about him. It is a story about love, death, guilt, loneliness, and forgiveness. A really good movie, with some amazing acting. I just sat in the theatre in silence while the credits ended. A beautiful movie, my explanation could not do it justice.

"For years, townsfolk have been terrified of the backwoods recluse known as Felix Bush. People say he's done all manner of unspeakable things -- that he's killed in cold blood; that he's in league with the Devil; that he has strange powers -- and they avoid him like the plague. Then, one day, Felix rides to town with a shotgun and a wad of cash, saying he wants to buy a funeral."



And an awesome song at the end of the movie, "Lay My Burden Down" by Alison Krauss. I have never seen so many people just stay sitting in silence at the end of a movie before. The song is perfect and just mesmerizes a person:

More thoughts on money...

I went to church today and the pastor spoke about the love of money. I found his message to be very relevant to what I have been thinking about lately (see my blog about Oprah). I want to just give a little bit of a summary to gather my thoughts on the subject a bit more.

Ecclesiastes 5:10-20 (The Message)
10 The one who loves money is never satisfied with money,
Nor the one who loves wealth with big profits. More smoke.

11 The more loot you get, the more looters show up.
And what fun is that—to be robbed in broad daylight?

12 Hard and honest work earns a good night's sleep,
Whether supper is beans or steak.
But a rich man's belly gives him insomnia.

13-17 Here's a piece of bad luck I've seen happen:
A man hoards far more wealth than is good for him
And then loses it all in a bad business deal.
He fathered a child but hasn't a cent left to give him.
He arrived naked from the womb of his mother;
He'll leave in the same condition—with nothing.
This is bad luck, for sure—naked he came, naked he went.
So what was the point of working for a salary of smoke?
All for a miserable life spent in the dark?
Make the Most of What God Gives

18-20 After looking at the way things are on this earth, here's what I've decided is the best way to live: Take care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you have for as long as God gives you life. And that's about it. That's the human lot. Yes, we should make the most of what God gives, both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it, accepting what's given and delighting in the work. It's God's gift! God deals out joy in the present, the now. It's useless to brood over how long we might live.

Money is a good servant but a bad master.
The more we get, the more we need to take care of.
We get tied down by what we own and accumulate.
The more we have, the more we want.
The more we have, the more we spend.
The more we have, the more we hoard.
The more we have, the more we leave behind.

It is all about the approach we have towards money.
God gives work and wealth to us as a gift from God!
Be happy and content with this gift!
And "Take care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you have for as long as God gives you life."

This video is so inspirational, think about the effect that we could have on this world if we decided to not live in so much excess, but instead gave even a little bit of our excess!



What could this look like for you?
We often look at missionaries, or other people who fund raise their pay check and think, "that is very noble of you to make that sacrifice to serve." Why don't we think of how we can make a sacrifice so that our friends and families can serve? Or simply to sacrifice a little bit of our time and money to serve the needy in our society. I think the video tells the story better than I can.

My Predictions for the 2010-2011 NHL season

As I write this I realize that for a guy that loves sport I don't write about them very much at all!!!

So, here are my predictions for this coming NHL season, I have my predictions according to the placing that I feel each team will finish the season:

Eastern Conference

1. Washington Capitals - they have so much offense and two good, young netminders, but need to find some consistency on the blueline at both ends of the rink, I am also not sold on Ovie as a captain. (point range: 106-112)

2. New Jersey Devils - Martin Brodeur in net. Parise, Elias, Zajac and Arnott up front. Volchenkov, Tallinder and White patrolling the blue line. To boot, they'll likely end up having Ilya Kovalchuk, in my mind. How good? As Rick Jeanneret would say, "Scary good." (point range: 103-108)

3. Boston Bruins - Added Nathan Horton to shore up the offense, good defense and two more than capable netminders in net and recently drafted Tyler Seguin as well. These guys will also be great, however, not as good as New Jersey or Washington, but definitely something to write home about. (point range: 100-105)

4. Philadelphia Flyers - Bolstered an even better defense. Lost some scoring up front with Gagne gone. One of Briere or Carter will needed to be shipped out of there soon as Briere showed how great he was at center last playoffs. But goaltending will get you nowhere if you are in Philadelphia. (point range: 95-100)

5. Pittsburgh Penguins - Lost Sergei Gonchar but ended up with two defenseman every bit as good as Sergei with Martin and Michalek. Only question is, how long can Malkin/Crosby produce without some decent wingers? (point range: 95-100)

6. Ottawa Senators - Added Sergei Gonchar. Powerplay, improved. Offensive ability, improved. Heart and soul? Meh. They are a pretty good team with little defensive depth and a goaltending controversy to sort out this season. (point range: 95-100)

7. Tampa Bay Lightning - Stamkos is one year better, Dan Ellis certainly adds some goalie insurance as a successful tandem is waiting for October to arrive. Kubina adds to some defensive depth and Lecavalier couldn't get any worse, could he? (point range: 92-97)

8. Buffalo Sabres - Ryan Miller. He became a stonewall last season and I think he's not a one-hit wonder. Nothing really changed for Buffalo this offseason lost Lydman and Tallinder, gained Niedermayer (see: Rob), Morrisonn (see: Shaone) and Leopold. They remind me a lot of the 2007-08 Canucks, in the sense that if injuries hit, it will be bad. (point range: 90-97)

9. Atlanta Thrashers - Added grit and goaltending two important factors and I think they could surprise people if you add in an intanglible. Coaching. Craig Ramsay is an excellent coach and well-respected in the league. I think he'll get the most out of all his players, but they'll need a dominant offensive force to step up if they go anywhere. (point range: 85-92)

10. Montreal Canadiens - Ah, Le Canadiens. You may assume my low ranking is in part to goaltending. Non, Non. I think Price will do well, but playoff heroes like Cammalerri, Hal Gill, and Andrei Markov will step it down next year. As a result, fans will publicly humiliate Price even though, he'll play acceptable. (point range: 85-90)

11. Carolina Hurricanes - Where they would be if they had any depth, I'm not sure. What I am sure of, though, is that they lost one of their key components, Ray Whitney and that'll hurt a guy like Eric Staal or Erik Cole. Lots of guys will need to step it up if they want a taste of the playoffs. (point range: 80-87)

12. Toronto Maple Leafs - Named Phaneuf as captain (I just can't bring myself to think that this will have good results, since if they are legitimate they will need to bring in veterans and I can not see Phaneuf being a leader when he has other leaders in the same dressing room), acquired Versteeg and Armstrong, OK, Burke's trying to build a team for the playoffs. Problem is, they'll need either tons of unexpected offense or goaltending heroics on a nightly basis if they go anywhere. But don't take my word for it. If the Giguere-Allaire magic reappears, there goaltending heroics may just be enough. A bubble team in every sense of the word. (point range: 80-85)

13. New York Rangers - Thank god for Lundqvist. I think Gaborik will return to himself and get injured after a stellar 09-10 season. But I don't think they are a great team and won't be again until Sather is fired or quits. Have fun with that, Rags fans. (point range: 77-82)

14. New York Islanders - Are intterchangeable with NY Rangers, Tavares will get better, Okposo will get better, hell, maybe Dipietro even suits up for 20-30 games, Who knows? Don't let their ranking fool you, though. They are definitely a team on the rise within the next few years. (point range: 77-82)

15. Florida Panthers - Yay for Vokoun! Seriously, though. They lost Horton, so there goes their most prominent offensive weapon. They got McCabe-Wideman as a good first pair, but I think Vokoun will be gone for prospects or picks or both come March as Tallon will be doing some rebuilding a la Chicago, which should make one of my friends start salivating very shortly here. (point range: 65-75)

Western Conference

1. Vancouver Canucks - Offense was retained. Defense was taking us nowhere. Enter Keith Ballard and Dan Hamhuis. 3rd line was a scoring line. Hello, Manny Malhotra. We upgraded everything that needed upgrading last season. Even got some grit in Torres and more depth in Schaeffer. Have so much depth that Hodgson was sent down, Morrison was not signed and O'Brien, Hordichuk, etc were shipped off. Even got Newell Brown and Roland Melandson to show for it. Haven't seen a better team in Vancouver ever. Cap problems could cause problems in the future, but Gillis is being creative... if nothing else the players moving between Vancouver and Winnipeg on a daily basis should be entertaining!

Oh, and look at the other teams in the Northwest, what was once the strongest division in hockey is now one of the weakest (Point range 105-112 points)

2. Detroit Red Wings - I think they still have a lot left in the tank, injuries hurt them a lot last season, but still had 102 points! Now, they have a competent goaltender who can play in both the regular season and playoffs well. They regained Jiri Hudler and got Ruslan Salei recently. Great depth everywhere. (Point range: 105-110 points)

3. San Jose Sharks - Forwards could be tuckered out by April from all the extra effort they'll be putting in all season. I expect Thornton and Heatley to become great again, otherwise San Jose fans will be singing the Blues once again. Have two competent goalies to tandem in net. The organization feels they have a four year window, that window may be starting to close, but they will still be a strong team (Point range: 100-107 points)

4. Los Angeles Kings - I can't say enough good things about this young squad. If last playoffs was any indication, be afraid. Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson manning the points, Smyth, Kopitar, Brown up front. Added great net presence in Alex Ponikoravsky (is that how it is spelled?). Great depth in net with Ersberg, Quick and Bernier. Great defensive team looks exactly built like Dean Lombardi's last team. Question is, can they get it done in the playoffs? I think there will still be some growing pains for one more year(Point range: 95-105 points)

5. Chicago Blackhawks - Money talks. So does Dustin Byfuglien. I remember him chirping Lu within minutes of elimination. I hate the Blackhawks. They lost lots of depth this season, which shouldn't phase them a lot until the playoffs. Fatigue could become a factor as the top 2 lines and top 4 defenseman will be seeing a lot of ice. Marty Turco: don't be fooled, he is still a superb goalie despite having a horrid Stars defense in front of him. (Point range: 100-105 points)

6. Phoenix Coyotes - Ok, they had a great run last year. Wait, what? I thought Phoenix was just a fluke...Oh no. They are a good team that can pull through with help of Dave Tippett and Ilya Bryzgalov. They also added Ray Whitney. Trust me, this team is for real. (Point range: 95-100 points)

7. St. Louis Blues - Depending on how good one Jaroslav Halak plays this year, the Blues could be 6th or they could be 12th. They've got a great young team built on the blueline and some legitimate scoring threats as well. These young players have been quietly maturing the past couple of years and I see some good things happening this year, even have some good size and grit among the youngsters. If Halak goes Playoffs, they are in. If not, they are out. (Point range: 88-97 points)

8. Anaheim Ducks - What a great top 6. What a quality goalie. *Turns attention to defense* Hmmm, that could be a problem. They have some good grit and size, but the lack of depth could quickly become the Achilles Heal with an injury or two to any position. They are a great team and I expect Hiller to step up next year or they could be playing golf in April once again. The only thing in the way of playoffs is a suspect defensive corps. (Point range: 90-97 points)

9. Colorado Avalanche - Same as last year, Anderson starts off hot, cools down in February and March and becomes hot to start the playoffs again (if they can make it, on the bubble in my opinion, could be quite a few sophomore type slumps). The only difference? The team in front of him is 1 year older. They have a great top line with the maturation of Matt Duchene. Expect to hear scored by Milan Hejduk assisted by Matt Duchene a lot. (Point range: 92-97 points)

10. Nashville Predators - Lost Hamhuis, Arnott. But this is the Preds, they'll find a way to replace them. But it still won't be enough, as their defense may be superlative (even with a real lack of depth, they were going to start with Parent in the top 4!) and goaltending is good, their only offensive threat worth noting is Patric Hornqvist. I think scoring will be a definite problem in Tennessee this winter. (Point range: 90-95 points)

11. Calgary Flames - Ever hear the expression "So crazy it just might work?" if there was ever an appropriate time to use it, it would be now. Bringing back Jokinen and Tanguay seem to be ludicrous at the time, but if Jokinen and Iginla were to be the shooters and Tanguay was to regain his playmaking abilities, Calgary could just pull this one out. In the long run, I don't see it working though. The Flames will continue to hover around mediocrity until the Sutter regime ends and someone comes in to attempt to clean up the carnage (Point range: 83-88 points)

12. Edmonton Oilers - They are a better team than people give them credit for. Coming off a season where they lost over 350 man games, one of them being a great netminder in Khabibulin and any team was sure to fail. The young players being older, the bad seeds gone, and replacing Moreau, Pouliot, Comrie, Putolny and Nilsson with Hall, Eberle, Paajarvi, Fraser, and Hemsky (missed most of the season), yeah I would say that in itself will make the team much better! Depth on defense is a real concern, one injury and they will have Strudwick or Vandermeer in the top 4, gross! Need to get something for Souray, anything! I think they'll do better this season, but Taylor Hall will have not be the reason. (Point range: 77-84 points)

13. Columbus Blue Jackets - Name one elite player from Columbus within 5 seconds. Rick Nash, right? Well, that's all they got in CBJ. He hasn't ever hit 80 points in his career. Elite scorer, yes. Dangles, yes. Great center....no. Steve Mason will need to channel his inner Hasek or otherwise this franchise could be in big trouble... could happen... (Point range: 75-82 points)

14. Minnesota Wild - They could surprise or fail miserably. Since they didn't do that great last season, I'll go with fail miserably. They have great depth at center, OK on the defense aspect and have Niklas Backstrom in net. They have potential. However I'm not sure they'll find it this season, but they could definitely surprise people this season, if only because they will not be trapping the whole game... every game! (Point range: 72-80 points)

15. Dallas Stars - They are a great team from the top, but depth means everything in the new NHL. They have zero depth. Their goalie is Kari Lehtonen, yes the same Lehtonen who seems to get injured quite a bit. Good luck, Dallas, you'll need it. (Point range: 65-75 points)

And my prediction for the Stanley Cup playoffs:
Western Final: Vancouver Canucks (over Detroit)

Eastern Final: Boston Bruins (over Washington)

Stanley Cup winner: Vancouver Canucks (If they do not at minimum make it to the Stanley Cup Finals this year AV should be fired, he has been out coached the past two years, and has nil excuses with the cast that Gillis has assembled!)

Hart Trophy Winner: Ovechkin (along with the Art Ross... he has much to prove this year, wants to show people that he can be a winner)

Vezina Trophy Winner: Luongo (he is no longer the captain and has a full time coach this year)

Norris Trophy Winner: Doughty (ever aspect of his game is incredible! Love this guy!)

Calder Trophy Winner: Paajarvi (I think he is more developed than some of the other rookies and is in a really good situation with so much attention on Eberle and Hall... people will take notice soon)

The sudden suffocation of memories

Death... funerals... memories...

I was in the University of Alberta Hospital to meet with their registrars office about the admissions systems that they use (looking at the potential of a CRM system for the MBA program), but I won't bore you with those details.
As I left my meeting I tried to find a short cut and as I entered the cafeteria area I felt feelings hitting me deep inside of me and I had to get out of the Hospital as quickly as I could. I remembered the elevator and the white pipes and the smell and everything about it and it brought back horrible memories.

... I have not been to many funerals in my life, I had a cousin pass away in a car accident when I was 6 and then my aunt when I was 10, and that was it until I was around 20 or 21. For a while there I wondered how I had escaped the pain of a funeral and how much longer I could go in life with out that experience. I have felt that separation and pain a few time since then, but with that pain there are a lot of memories that flood a person's brain...

It is funny. No that isn't the right word. More like... interesting! Yeah, it is interesting that I have walked by the University of Alberta Hospital every day for the last 11.5 months to and from university, but these feelings never hit me until today. I had thought about entering those doors, as I heard that they would create a shortcut, but I never entered them until today. I even tried to find that short cut on two occasions only to find the wrong door, and then giving up and taking my normal route home today. Not today. Today I found my short cut, and I didn't want to be in this short cut anymore.

You see, the last time I was in that lobby, that cafeteria, was the last time that I saw my Auntie Hilda. I was barely 10 years old then, and I just thought it was an opportunity to go to where the Oilers played hockey! And I thought I could finally see Fantasy Land at West Edmonton Mall!
My Auntie was strong, nothing could take her down! The thought of her Aplastic anemia killing her never even entered my mind! I visited with her in the Hospital, but I KNEW she would get better.
And she did defeat that aplastic anemia, and I was so excited! I couldn't wait to go visit her and my Uncle Stan in Peace River! That place was magical, and we hadn't been able to go there in two years! But she never left that Hospital, she developed a staph infection and suddenly she was gone. I couldn't believe it, she was a rock, she couldn't be gone. I still can't believe it in many ways!

Those were the feelings that flooded my brain in the University Hospital, the thoughts that I had been here before, and not for a good reason. Then I realized that it was when I last saw Auntie... I could almost feel it, I could taste it and smell it and all those memories came back in a flood. Memories of everyone being hushed and sad... and memories of KNOWING she had to get better... but, she didn't get better...

I think that is also why I hate roller coasters, especially those ones at West Edmonton Mall. We spent a lot of time in the Hospital with Auntie when she was sick, but I was convinced that she would beat it, so my little brothers and I wanted to see the magical West Edmonton Mall. So, her son, and one of my favourite big cousin's, Duane, took us to go on the rides at West Edmonton Mall. It was awesome, but even back then it felt hollow because Auntie wasn't there with us!

As I walked back to work other memories started to flood my mind. I remembered Auntie chasing squirrels in her back yard with a broom, and then the next day giving us a little square of carpet that she said was the squirrel pelt (I still have that piece of material). Or memories of her finding the perfect sized photo album for me to organize my hockey card collection, and then helping me think of ways to sort them, but team, position, etc. Memories of going hunting for moose with her and Uncle Stan (another hero who passed away early 2009, I wrote a blog about him shortly after his funeral), and getting stuck, and needing to winch out, learning how to shoot a gun, and getting stuck again. Memories of watching "the Hobbit." Memories of playing with Duane's toys. And memories of Auntie taking Duane's toys away from us because, "Duane will get married someday and I want his kids to be able to play with these toys." (We probably would have wrecked them, but we loved Duane's toys and looked forward to them every year!). Memories of going for walks and climbing up the hill in the backyard to see if the train had driven over our coins during the night. Memories of Auntie making great meals for us. Memories of Auntie worrying about us. Memories of laying on their water bed, and playing with Uncle's bear skins! Memories of walking down the hill to church. Memories of climbing up that hill on the way back from playing in the play ground. Memories of going for chinese food after church. Memories of "12 foot" Davis! I remember Auntie Hilda even coming to help for harvest one fall! I thought this was amazing, my Aunt out there in the grain truck hauling grain late into the night with her younger brother (my Dad)! My Auntie Hilda was amazing, like super woman to me! Most of all I remember Auntie loving us, and Auntie's faith in God.


Then I thought of that first time that I felt the pain and sorrow of death. I remember coming home from our first ever Frank family reunion when I was 6. We had just come in the door and the phone rang. For some reason I knew that someone had died, I don't know why, but I knew it. God has blessed me with this type of premonition or gift of prophecy or something. I always seem to have a dream or something, almost like God is telling me to be prepared for the news before it happens. This has happened on several occasions, even when my dog passed away when I was 12, I knew before my parents told me. Anyway, my parents told me that my cousin Jim had died in a car accident while driving home from the reunion! I didn't know what to feel, I didn't believe it. Jim was such a cool cousin. I remember him at that family reunion, he was so full of life and had become such a man since I had last seen him! I respected him and wanted to be like him. He was living for God and I wanted to live like God like he was. I remember my cousin Joell's wedding when I was 4 or so years old. I don't remember the wedding, all that I remember is the hot tub and the water slide at the Motel. And I remember Jim. I remember that I loved that water slide. But, I would only go down it if Jim or my cousin Duane would go down with me. I would not let anyone else take me down! Not even my Dad! Jim and Duane would always lift me at the right time so that I wouldn't get my head under the water at the bottom of the slide! With everyone else I would get water in my eyes and nose. I mus have driven everyone nuts because I would just sit in that hot tub and people would offer to take me down the slide, but I would only go with Jim or Duane. I will always remember Jim, he was in his mid teens then, but he would take his little toddler cousin down the water slide over and over again.

Memories can flood your mind... sometimes they hurt... sometimes they make you smile... and I am so thankful for memories... and that I can remember my cousin, my Aunt, my Uncle Stan, my Uncle Emelius, Bill Hayes, my friend Katie-Lynn, etc... and the care and love they showed. I can't wait to see them soon!

Wisdom from Oprah

I was reading an article about a Harvard case study that involved Oprah. You know I am really an MBA student when I am reading about Harvard case studies during my summer! haha
The article talked about the process of creating the case and how after years of working with the Harpo group (found out that Harpo is Oprah backwards haha) Oprah actually came in to speak to the Harvard MBA class.
It was an interesting article, but what really struck me were some of her comments about our desires for money and how this desire can only drive a person for so long:

"If you only desire to make money, you can do that. Obviously, everybody in here is going to make money. Everybody in here is going to have a level of financial success that most people in the world will not know. But what I will tell you—and I know this for sure too—that the money only lasts for a while in terms of making you feel great about yourself. In the beginning, the money is to get nice things. And once you've gotten those nice things, I think some of the most unhappy people I know are the people who've acquired all the things and now they feel like, 'What else is there?' What else is there? What else is there? And that feeling of 'what else is there' is the calling—is the calling trying to say to you [that] there is more than this. There is more than this."

I find so much truth in this statement! I find that so many people are driven by the desire for more money and more things. This is especially true with business people. I found it very interesting a year ago at orientation for the MBA program, we had to introduce ourselves in front of the class, and many students said that they were planning to major in Finance because they wanted to make lots of money. There is nothing wrong with wanting to make money, but this will never satisfy a person. More things will never satisfy. We can always desire to make more money, or to have a bigger house, or a better car. It never ends, there is always more to own or possess. There is always a desire for more.

What else is there? What is your calling?

Oprah went on to say:
"There is the voice that everybody hears that is your parents' voice, your professor's [voice], it's the world's voice saying to you, "you should do this, you should be this, you ought to, you got to." And then there is the still small voice—for some people it's not so small—inside of every human being that calls you to something that is greater than yourself."

What are you called to do? How can you make an impact on this world that goes beyond making more money and owning a bigger house? What impact can you make that can be left behind? When we die we can't bring our money with us, we can't bring our car, we can't bring our house or our boat. In reality, very few of us will even be remembered 4 generations from now! Can you even name your great, great grandparents, let alone know if they had lots of money or a nice house? I think I know one of my great grandparents names! We can accumulate money for future generations, but that legacy will only last so long, whereas the legacy of time, relationship, and faith can be passed on for generations. People are not remembered for the stuff they accumulated or how much money they made, but for the impact they had on this earth, and the people in it, positive or negative.

I do not know what Oprah believes as far as faith, religion, or the after life, but there is a lot of truth in what she shared with the Harvard MBA class. We can't take our possessions with us when we die, but we can make an impact while on earth. Making a difference while on earth is much more valuable and satisfying than continuing to reach for more finances and possessions that never fully satisfy.

I believe that Christ died for my sins and is preparing a place for me in heaven, I have put my faith in Him and this should and has changed my desires and goals while on earth. Money is a necessity in life, but money is not what drives me. Accumulating possessions and money is only temporary, I want to have an impact for eternity. It is much more valuable to spend hours having an impact on people through friendships and serving than spending more time in the office to bring home money and possessions that will rust and fade.

Matthew 6:19-21: "Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be."

I encourage you to think about these questions:

What else is there? What do you desire? What really satisfies?

What are you called to? How can you make a real impact on this world, now and after you die? How can your hours be best spent? Eating supper with your family or friends, or more hours alone in the office?

Music that I've been listening to lately...

I should be working on a group project and an end of the term-paper, but instead I decided to share some music that I have been listening to lately!!!!

I will share more later, but I will start with William Fitzsimmons, I really enjoy this guys mellow style!

But, what really makes me respect him is how he can take a song that I absolutely loathed and made it into a song that I actually enjoy listening to!

Seriously, that song was the bane of my existence for several years... would get in my head and never leave!!!!

I have really been enjoying Shad a lot lately, and I just wanted to share a behind the scenes clip, helps a person appreciate him even more when you see the humour that he has:

And the full version:

Caedmon's Call "Table for Two"

Hmmm, this blog might make me a bit vulnerable! haha
I was listening to my iPod while cleaning the basement suite tonight (moving to a new place at the end of the month and a few people are coming to view it tomorrow morn), and the Caedmon's Call song " Table for Two" came on. Almost everyone has been at that place where they wonder and just "hate being alone." The song reminded me of conversations that I have had over the years with quite a few friends and family members. The conversation about relationships and wondering if that special guy or girl will ever come along, why it always seems that "every girl that likes me I don't like, and every girl I like doesn't like me!" I think that is a direct quote that someone said to me today! I have had so many people express those kinds of comments to me lately, and being a single guy in my late 20s I can't help but wonder myself about the plan that God has for my life and wondering when or if that special woman will come along.

I love these lyrics in particular:

"And You knew this day
long before You made me out of dirt

And You know the plans that You have for me
And You can't plan the end and not plan the means "

I know that God has a plan for my life! I have seen His amazing plan for my life as I look back and see all the places I have been and how I have grown in each place and that I probably wouldn't have been able to make all of these moves if I had met a special someone along the way. God had and continues to have a plan for my life. I know that He has me in the palm of His hand into the future and I will look back and smile at the perfect timing and plan that He had for me!

I just wanted to share this song as an encouragement and reminder to people that God has a plan for your life, beyond what we could imagine for our own life. He is in control.

"Danny and I spent another late night over pancakes,
Talkin' 'bout soccer
And how every man's just the same
We made speculation
On the who's and the when's of our futures
And how everyone's lonely
But still we just couldn't complain

And how we just hate being alone
Could I have missed my only chance
And now I'm just wasting my time
By looking around
But you know I know better
I'm not gonna worry 'bout nothing
Cause if the birds and the flowers survive
Then I'll make it okay
I'm given a chance and a rock
see which one breaks a window
See which one keeps me up all night and into the day

Because I'm so scared of being alone
That I forget what house I live in
But it's not my job to wait by the phone
For her to call

Well this day's been crazy
But everything's happened on schedule
from the rain and the cold
To the drink that I spilled on my shirt
'Cause You knew how You'd save me
before I fell dead in the garden
And You knew this day
long before You made me out of dirt

And You know the plans that You have for me
And You can't plan the end and not plan the means
And so I suppose I just need some peace
Just to get me to sleep."

I couldn't find an official video for the song, but I thought this was kind of a cute re-enactment!

Comeandlive.com

I love this record label, and the music and ministry that they share!

Give.Love.Share.Revive. from Come&Live! on Vimeo.

"Come&Live! is a 501(c)3 non-profit community dedicated to proclaiming the good news of Jesus.
By joining hands with artists {musicianaries}, we provide them with guidance, direction and accountability to model a life of genuine faith. Our focus is in promoting the only true enduring treasure - loving others and living like JESUS. We choose to share music and profit as a humble example of radical generosity. We live simply to give generously, encouraging others to do the same. Our prayer is that God would use us to Give. Love. Share. and Revive."

Sharing the Heart of Come&Live! from Come&Live! on Vimeo.

I was watching a few of their videos today and wanted to share them!

Aaron Gillespie (former Underoath drummer and current singer for "The Almost") shares a bit of his testimony and gives a really good challenge to how I want to worship God! Just because God is! And for our lives to be an outpouring of that!

I Am Living: Aaron Gillespie from Come&Live! on Vimeo.

Falling Whistles- be a whistle blower for change

One of my friends pointed me to this website a few weeks ago, and I very briefly looked at it.
Then on Saturday it came up again in conversation and I spent some time reading about this issue and it broke my heart. I think the website does a much better job of explaining the devastation that is happening in the Congo right now, so I will let you look at the opening video, and then also look at the "story" portion to get an idea of what is going on there, kids who aren't old enough to carry guns are forced to lead armies into battle with a whistle as their weapon!!
http://www.fallingwhistles.com
Please check out the website and be a whistle blower for change.