Jadon's Random Ramblings

What is Wrong with the Occupy Wall Street and elsewhere Demonstrations?

2011-11-03T21:39:00.002-06:00

Lots of people have been talking about the Occupy movement, and it just didn't quite sit well with me. I understand where they are coming from. Something needs to change. But, I felt that they were directing their protests at the symptoms, rather than the root of the problem. Adizes makes a very good argument here about what he believes the root of the problem is. Personally, I feel that the root is greed, selfishness and most of all sin, but I also really like what he is saying.

What he says will not really be adored by Business or Economics Schools, but I believe he is correct... and that is coming from a person who just completed his MBA! Personally I just can't buy in to the notion of profits being the end-goal while neglecting the heart and caring about the people who make, supply and purchase the products! People are more important than profits!

The HEART and LOVE are more important than anything else! When you die what will you want to be remembered for? And what will be most important to you as you near death? Trying to make more profits, or connecting with people and giving them, and yourself meaning?

Okay, enough of me talking, read it for yourself!

What is Wrong with “Occupy Wall Street and elsewhere” Demonstrations?

True justice

2011-11-03T10:29:00.007-06:00

I am reading a book called "Bent Hope" by Tim Huff. He works with homeless youth in Toronto and the book tells many of the stories of the youth that he has worked with. The book breaks a person's heart, while at the same time gives hope for the young boys, girls, men and women that live on the streets around the World. Reading the book is an odd experience, it is both easy to read (he writes each story in a simple and poetic way), yet at the same time is very hard to read (each story brings me to tears in one way or another). I would recommend that everyone read this book. It challenges the way that person thinks about the hurting in the World. We all have our story and things that shape who we are and where we are, and in reality we are not that different from each other in many ways, whether we grew up in prosperity or on the street. I see the homeless in a new light, and in many of the stories I am humbled at the generosity, love and humility that the young men and women show to others. Through most of the stories I am humbled to see how much more they demonstrate how I want to live than how I am living in reality!

I have had a heart for the hurting and homeless within Canada and the World for years. While pursuing my Undergraduate at the University of Regina I helped every week with a children's ministry within the core of Regina, just playing basketball with the older kids and then just sitting with the younger kids and playing with their toys. I then led week-long missions teams into inner-city Calgary while working at Bethany College, and then while pursuing my MBA I was assigned the task of organizing opportunities for my fellow students to volunteer with the homeless in Edmonton.

Though God has spoken to me repeatedly over the years telling me that I need to love the homeless and hurting, I always seem to lose track of His voice and forget that He has put that passion in my heart. Everywhere I go God directs my path to help in this way, and then I move to a new location and forget about that passion until He puts another opportunity in my path again!

God has really been speaking to me lately about how all Christians are called to seek Biblical Social Justice in every area of their lives. That could mean something as simple as ensuring that people at work are treated fairly and with respect. But, that also means not turning a blind eye to the calling that God has for all Christians to serve and help the homeless, widow and orphan in this World. I have been reminded of this over and over again this summer and fall. I can not turn a blind eye to the starving and dying in this World, whether they are in my backyard, or across the Ocean. I must feel Christ's compassion for the hurting in this World, and that compassion must not freeze me, but must lead me to action to bring justice, restoration and reconciliation where ever I see this injustice.

People are homeless for many different reasons, and through what I have been reading, watching and listening to, as well as what God has been revealing to me through prayer and reading the Bible, I have come to realize more and more that I am called to love people where they are at, no matter what they are going through or have went through. I am called to truly love the orphans, widows and homeless of this World, even if that hurts!

Yes, I am called to share my resources, but most of all I am called to share my life, time, and love with people. This must come to the point of sacrifice and pain in order to bring true Biblical Social Justice!

I do not know where this will lead me or what it will look like, but I do not want to forget this call, but want God's call to lead me, whether that is to my next door neighbour, the homeless person I walk by on my way to work or church, or clear across the World to help end human trafficking in Asia or love the rescued child soldier in the DR Congo!

I have heard His call...

I have been changed...

And I will not be the same!

Tim Huff wrote a revised version of Matthew 25:35-36,40 in his book, and I think it says more than anything else I have said:

For when I was hungry-you understood that the sustenance of food is just a start, and that the ache for the nutrition of education, work, play and a sense of home-you gave me something to eat.

For when I was thirsty-thirsting for joy and the opportunity to feel good about who I am and who God made me-you gave me something to drink.

I was a stranger-a stranger to innocence, tenderness and mercy-you invited me in.

I needed clothes-to be clothed in safety and peace and rest-and you clothed me.

I was sick-sick of running and living in depression, sick of never belonging or fitting in-and you looked after me.

I was in prison-the horrific prison of addiction and all the terrors that brought me to that place-and you came to visit me.

... I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these...you did for me"

"Justice as a gift, not as a punishment. Justice as life-giving, not as a consequence. Justice 'enlivened by grace,' not born of fear. And most of all, justice for the desperate, abused, hurting, addicts, homeless and scared, long before they are forced to run for their lives.

Justice that has nothing to do with judges or juries. The kind of justice that opens hearts wide enough to know for sure that this story is not about (violence) at all."

An Open Letter to the Canadian Government

2011-10-05T20:19:00.005-06:00

I have had multiple conversations with friends and family about politics the last few years. I have noticed that people have moved one of three directions. They either blindly vote the way that they have always voted and wholeheartedly vote that way, they are disenchanted with the regular political parties and have started voting for new parties, or they have completely given up on paying attention to politics altogether.

I think we need to move away from all of these directions and do something different. I think we need to analyse what is important and tell our politicians what they need to stand up for in order to not only get our vote, but our support as well. And this must be independent of the political party we have always voted for. If we don't tell politicians what is important to us then they will not know what we want them to do, and will take us for granted.

So, I am writing this letter to Prime Minister Harper, and my local MP, and then will send an amended version to leaders of the other political parties in Canada. I encourage each of you to do the same:

Good evening Prime Minister Harper,

I have always voted Reform Party/Conservative, because I felt that they best aligned with my moral or ethical views. However, my support has been declining with some of the government decisions that have been made recently. I am starting to become more open to other options that are available. Right now, the best that you will get out of me is a vote, and that may soon disappear if I do not see changes soon! If I see changes, that vote could transition to financial, physical and time support.

I feel that the Christian vote is being taken for granted by the Conservative Party. I will be vocal to Christians when talking about politics; I will urge them to become informed about issues and make voting decisions accordingly.

Before I get too far into this letter, I know that there are many issues that you need to balance, and I have defended your party on many fronts. An example is how you focus so much on the economy. Some people see that to mean that you care more about the economy than the people. I have reminded them how important the economy is in order to then in turn support the people. This also extends to the military. We cannot forget about the military.

Okay, now my thoughts:

I have been very disillusioned with the way that MP Trost has been left high and dry! An MP should be able to be true to who they are and the ethics and morals that they stand by. They should not be shut down and muzzled, as he has been. That is partly why people voted for MP Trost, because they agree with what he is saying.

I want a government which is brave and willing to make statements and decisions that may not be popular, but are the best decisions for this country in the long-term. So many decisions in politics in North America appear to be made with a short-term view in mind, so that one can be elected for the next term. I think many long-term decisions may cost more in the short-term, but in the long-term they will be more beneficial, both for creating change and for the benefit of the country financially. An example of this is how the homeless and criminals are being handled. I think we need to focus more on rehabilitation than incarceration, and more on creating a home and a new life than giving a house. There is a difference. An example of this is the methadone program. This is horrible! Methadone kills these people and just replaces their one addiction with a new one! This program just puts money into the doctors' pockets who supply the methadone to the patients until they finally die! There are other programs out there that may cost more initially, but long-term, can break the addiction, and then the government will not need to pay for the drugs but will have a person who can be a positive addition to society. These other programs may cost more short-term, but less long-term, and will bring healing!

I am looking for a government that truly cares about the people of this nation, from conception until death. People are the greatest asset we have and we need to truly support them. I am looking for a government that takes a stance on abortion and the life of the not yet born. I am looking for a government that will support people until death. This means that people who are struggling with unemployment or disabilities will be helped to change their lives and become productive members of society. This doesn't mean creating programs and giving them money, but investing in them and helping them develop life skills in order to be involved in society. This may be a large investment in the short-term, but then results in changed lives and less of a drain in the long-term. This includes the homeless, as I stated before. Programs are okay, but we need to invest and help them actually succeed and change their lives. This also includes caring for the elderly in our society. Many are forgotten, and do not end their lives well. They have contributed greatly in building our society for years, and now that they don't bring money or resources in, they are pushed aside. This is not right!

This long-sighted view that I am looking for includes the environment. We need to take steps for the environment for future generations. The environment may not fall apart during our lifetime, but we NEED to care about it and for it for the sake of future generations.

I am looking for a government that is not selfish, but is selfless.

I am also looking for a government that takes a stance globally! It is amazing how a little money can go a long way in this world, such as building wells to help end the famine and poverty in Africa. A little money can build many wells and help millions of people! Two other examples are what is happening in the Congo and in human trafficking. The kidnapping and use of children in the Congo as child soldiers needs to end. There is a call for a true and fair election in the Congo and Canada needs to be involved with this to ensure that the election happens fairly. I have seen Western countries do this before, but mostly only when it benefits them financially, such as with Iraq and their oil.

Human trafficking concerns me as deeply as the issues in the Congo. There may not be a benefit to Canada financially to step in, but it is the right thing to do. There are children in Thailand as young as a year old who are being prostituted and many of the "johns" are from the western world, including Canada! This is disgusting and countries such as Thailand need to be pressured to make this end. This issues includes boys and girls being bought in these countries and shipped over to the western world, including Canada, and used as prostitutes here! This is on our own soil and MUST BE STOPPED!!!

I am looking for a government that is not selfish, but is selfless, willing to work with members of other parties in parliament. I have seen time again, one party will come up with an idea and the other party will shoot it down, and then times change and another party takes power and ends up with the same idea they shot down before, and the party who originally thought of it shuts it down because it isn't their bill. This needs to change!

If you and your party address these issues with honesty and integrity I will support you, and the more you align with my views, the more support you will receive from me. I will not continue to support you blindly! These issues are very important to me and must not be ignored!

Sincerely,

Jadon Frank

I heard a podcast by Mike Huckabee that talked about this same subject! He is a pastor in Arkansas and then got involved in politics and ran for the leadership of the Republican Party. His take on how to vote is VERY refreshing. He doesn't tell people to vote for a particular party, but to vote according to one's convictions, and let the politicians know what these convictions are. Listen to the podcast at: http://www.catalystspace.com/content/podcast/catalyst_podcast_episode_55/

The challenge to pray

2011-09-27T16:26:00.004-06:00

I love how God works and tells you what you need to hear, when you need to hear it, repeatedly! That has been happening for me a lot lately!

We have been talking about prayer in church this last month, and I've also been trying to focus more on prayer in my life this last while. Trying to start and end my day in prayer and reading God's word. There are so many anxieties and stressed in life and I have been reminded that God is control of all of them!

I continually remind myself of this fact as I have transitioned from being a student to working life, and by transition I mean I am still looking for work! I have found that by starting and ending my day in prayer about all of my worries helps relieve my anxiety and reminds me that God is in control and will work everything out for His good! Praying continually throughout the day helps me let go of my worries and allows God to take them and work them out.

Whether it is worrying about a job, or about a relative or friend who is sick, or anything else that comes to mind, God is in control and there is nothing I can do but trust Him as He works out those details. I should just keep walking forward and yearning to be more like Him and grow closer to Him, and to follow His will for my life and He will work out these details that I can't control.

I came across this thought from Stuart Weir and wanted to share it with you today:

"As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. 1 Samuel 12:23

Most of us would agree that prayer is important so why is our prayer life not what it should be? If we truly understand the privilege that bringing our concerns to God is, then prayer would be a delight. In reality, prayer often seems to be a chore. In the busyness of life, taking time out to pray – when we could be working – is a challenge.

Don Carson says that “one of the basic demonstrations that we know God is prayer – spiritual, persistent, biblically minded prayer”. If we want to take the task of representing Christ in sport seriously, we cannot do it without praying.

Helmfried Riecker suggests reasons why we don’t pray
I don’t think I need to;
I am too tired.
God does not answer
It achieves nothing.
I can decide for myself without any help.
I cannot pray; I am too sinful.
I can’t pray about such trivial things when there are so many problems in the world.
God knows what I need, so why waste time praying.

St. Francis de Sales (1567 - 1622) former Bishop of Geneva was once asked how much one should pray. He replied that you should pray a half hour each day, unless you’re busy. If you’re busy, you should pray an hour.

Sometimes we feel too “spiritually dry” or far from God to pray. Ironically it is on those days, more than any other that we need to pray!

Keep a prayer journal where you note who you prayed for and what you prayed for. It can be a great encouragement to look back and see how God has been at work and also a challenge to keep investing in and praying for people and not giving up on them."

I have started this prayer journal idea and have also taken up the idea of actually praying for people! We often say "I'll pray for you," and then either say a quick prayer in our minds later, or plan to pray and then in the busyness of the day we forget. I have decided to not just say it but to actually stop what I am doing and audibly pray for people right then and there (of course asking them if it is okay), or else send them an email with the words of the prayer that I have prayed! I think this can be so powerful. It doesn't need to take long or be extravagant, but actually audibly pray for each other! And God will do the work!

A Story of Redemption, Restoration and Grace

2011-05-06T00:49:00.008-06:00

Philippians 2:1-4 (New Living Translation)

"1 Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? 2 Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.

3 Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too."

I had an incredible experience on Wednesday night, and I want to share it because it encouraged me so much. I pray that it encourages you as much as it encouraged me. There is so much I want to say, but it is so hard to put it all into words! I'll do my best to explain everything.

I just finished my MBA in Edmonton, and not knowing where I am going for work, and planning to go to Quebec to learn french through the Explore program (Government pays room and board and tuition, as long as you are a student!), so figured I would move back to the farm until I find a job... no rent while at home! haha

I'll go back to the beginning:

I had a really hard time growing up in small town Saskatchewan, and was picked on a lot. I felt all alone, but had my family and my faith in God. I did my best to love my classmates, and prayed for them every night before I went to bed. It is a tradition during high school grad to give gifts to everyone in the class. I felt that God was calling me to give each of my classmates a gift of more value, so I gave each of them the New Testament in The Message translation. I wrote a little personal note in the cover of each, just saying that I was praying for them and knew that God has a plan for their lives. Growing up I was your typical Christian geek in many ways. I had never tasted alcohol, nor smoked a cigarette, and only went to a couple of parties (hockey parties or grad parties). I was very conservative in my approach and tried to argue topics such as evolution, abortion and homosexuality. A few years out of high school I started to look back and cringed at how I acted. I knew that my heart was in the right place, but my approach was off and I wondered if I should have done things differently.

Well, I have come to realize several times over the last ten years that God uses us and works through our feeble attempts to love people. I don't think my approach was the best way, but God used me in several people's live through those years and since! It seriously amazed me every time I see how God used me!

Last night was one of those nights. I heard that one of my high school classmates had moved back to town after his wedding in late 2009 and that God had gotten a hold of his life and transformed him. I hadn't seen him since a year or two out of high school and I felt that it was important to re-connect with him and meet his wife. I have felt the last couple of years that it is important to connect with old teammates, classmates and friends when I come back home. Unfortunately, I haven't done a very good job of that due to living fairly far away and only ever being back to the farm for short periods at a time. But, I found Todd's company email and got a hold of him.

Todd and his wife invited me over for barbecue steak and I had a really awesome visit with the two of them. It was so awesome to share our stories of how God has been working in our lives since high school and just a real time of fellowship and encouragement. I shared my feelings from growing up, and how I kind of regretted the way that I did some of the things that I did. I barely had the words out of my mouth and Ashley said that I was completely wrong and shared with me how much Todd has talked about me over the years and how much of an impact God had had on Todd's life through my life in school! Todd told me about how he kept The Message that I gave him by his bed for years after high school grad, and when life kind of crashed he started reading it and then met Ashley and the two of them journeyed together to finding God, and he had mentioned my name to Ashley many times. He mentioned my name so often that when they met my brother and his wife her ears perked up and she wondered if he was my brother!

It was so cool to hear their story of how they pushed each other to find God and to see how they are pursuing Him now!

One thing that stood out to me in our conversation was how Todd talked about how about a year out of high school we saw each other at a senior mens hockey game and I approached him and asked how he was doing. He expected me to resent him for how he treated me in school and instead I cared about how he was doing and didn't seem to even acknowledge what had happened before. He said this rattled him for quite a while! He asked me how I could possibly not resent him. I told him that I prayed for my classmates every night and I knew that it wasn't a personal thing, I was just the person that everyone picked on growing up. I knew that they didn't have a relationship with Jesus, so didn't know any better. How could I resent someone when I prayed for them very night!?

We had some amazing conversations about the struggles of being a Christian in a small town, Ashley is from Edmonton, and I reiterated several times that I am glad that I stayed in Eatonia for high school, and didn't take off to a Christian high school in another town. I admitted that it was very difficult to live in Eatonia, but I do not regret it at all! When I see how God used me as part of the process to change lives of some of my classmates and teammates, such as Todd, it makes it all worth it!

Ashley wrote a blog after, and I think it sums up a lot of what happened over the night. We often don't know how God uses us and how much the simple act of re-connecting can mean for someone. I never realized how important it would be for me to talk to Todd and show him that he was forgiven and that I didn't harbor any ill feelings. I was so encouraged during the evening. Really wish that it didn't have to end. Such a great couple and wish that I lived closer so that we could spend more time just talking about life together! Amazing how quickly we got past the introductions and got deep in our conversation... I think I saw about a minute of the Bruins-Flyers game that we were "watching!" haha:

Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me;

all day long an attacker oppresses me;

my enemies trample on me all day long;

for many attack me proudly.

When I am afraid,

I put my trust in you.

In God whose word I praise,

in God I trust ; I shall not be afraid.

What can flesh do to me?

~Psalm 56: 1-4

My 2nd feature in my "28 DAYS OF OTHERS" I had the pleasure of meeting just last night. Some may find it strange that I have chosen a person I've known less than 24 hours but the decision for me was without question the obvious choice. JADON FRANK grew up with Todd in Eatonia and over the past five years of being with Todd I've heard his name plenty of times. As most of you know, and without going into every detail Todd and I did our Faith walk together a few years ago. Along our spiritual journey we found struggles and barriers, pain and guilt in our past and a comforting light and strength in our future. One of the people that remained on Todd's heart was Jadon. His influence on Todd had been so impacting on his life in a positive way and yet Todd's reflection on how he was to Jadon left him feeling broken, embarrassed and ashamed. We prayed about it over the years but I understood last night that when Todd announced Jadon was coming for supper that it was finally time to heal. When I met Jadon it was wasn't like shaking the hand of a stranger. I meet people all the time through my work but this time was different. Having Jadon here was like having an old friend from the past that we could laugh, tell stories and be 100% real with. Jadon just finished his MBA and along with his intelligence his character proves strong, forgiving, driven, and compassionate.

To Jadon: In the hours that you were here you taught me so much about life and only strengthened my relationship with God. Your perspective is unique and your testimony should be told time and time again. You're truly a man after God's own heart and we are so thankful you were put in our lives. We wish you all our blessings in Quebec and can't wait to have you back again,

Ashley

Seriously, reading that had such an impact on me. Brought a tear to my eye and really moved me. It was such a spirit filled evening!

The biggest things that I am trying to say in this is that God works through us and uses us even when we don't feel like He is! God is so powerful and changes people, and it is such an honor that He uses our efforts, even when they sometimes feel like they are not done well!

It is also amazing how much just talking to a person can mean so much! I had no idea that my talking to Todd at the hockey game would mean so much, or that Todd had been harboring feelings of guilt and brokenness for all of these years. I am encouraged just to re-connect with people and trust that God will use that time how He wants, whether that means just showing that I do care about them, or going deeper and encouraging each other in our faith walk!

And I feel so blessed to have re-connected with Todd and met Ashley. It was such an encouraging time and I am just in awe of how it felt like we were old friends, even though I had only just met Ashley and hadn't talked to Todd in almost a decade! The fellowship of brothers and sisters in Christ! It is an incredible thing!

The Glory of God is...

2011-03-30T11:36:00.004-06:00

"The glory of God is man fully alive!" - Irenaeus

Jesus said, "I have come that you might have life, and have it to the full."

So, having a full life fulfills what Jesus wanted for us! He wants us to have a full life. If we are created in the image of God, then being fully alive is being more fully like God!

This is really cool. That the glory of God in us would be us fully alive! Not people settling for circumstances- "I'm here, just because this is how things worked out." NO, we are to do the one thing that God created us and asked us to do. To live this day fully loving Him, loving people, giving of our lives, giving our stuff away, and coming alive today.

It is not about doing stuff, or doing great things, but coming alive in Him today and being fully alive!

This is what it means to glorify God!

Songs that I have on repeat

2010-08-22T22:33:00.006-06:00

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"

2010-08-22T22:10:00.011-06:00

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...

2010-08-22T13:16:00.003-06:00

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

2010-08-21T17:36:00.007-06:00

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

2010-08-11T22:49:00.018-06:00

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

2010-08-11T21:44:00.010-06:00

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...

2010-08-07T15:35:00.002-06:00

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"

2010-08-06T23:29:00.002-06:00

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

2010-08-04T21:38:00.004-06:00

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

2010-08-01T10:06:00.002-06:00

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.

Everything you ever wanted to know about DAN HAMHUIS.... ALMOST 128 FACTS, INFO, TIDBITS...

2010-07-20T17:48:00.002-06:00

I saw this on the Vancouver Canucks website today... I must admit I haven't read all of it yet, but I find it pretty interesting to read, his Christian faith is very interwoven into who he is and into these 128 facts:

Born on born December 13, 1982.
His name is pronounced Ham-hyoose.
From Smithers, B.C. population 6,000.
Son of Marty, a Coca-Cola Salesman, and Ida.
He has an Uncle, Herm Hamhuis who is a businessman in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. He listens to Dan's games online.
Has two sisters, Cindy 23, a ski insructor and Erin, 26.
He started playing hockey at the age of four, and his father coached him for 8 years of minor hockey.
Hamhuis couldn't play street hockey outside his house because their was no pavement on the road. So he played in his basement until age 9, in 1991 when they paved the road.
Hamhuis attended Bulkley Valley Christian School in Smithers, a school with a enrolment of about 100 and the same one where his parents, Marty and Ida, had been educated.
He is a devout Christian, and practices his faith openly. His family attends Smithers Christian Reform Church.
Growing up, he played Minor Hockey in Smithers, and made it a goal to play Junior A for the Prince Spruce Kings.
At 14, he suffered a broken leg the night before the big tournament where WHL scouts were, but battled back and returned the next season.
He was never slected in the WHL Bantam draft. Hamhuis says he never noticed: "It came and went, nobody said anything. Nobody knew anything about it. I didn't care...I didn't even know what the [WHL] bantam draft was -- I just played the game."
In Bantam, he played Single "A." But when his team went to a bantam AAA tournament in Prince George, the WHL's Cougars noticed him hastily added him to their protected list in January, 1998.
As a Bantam player, he put up 131 points in 59 games.
Hamhuis went to the September 1998 Cougars' WHL camp for the experience the next season and then attended the BCHL Prince George Spruce Kings camp as insurance. He impressed the Cougars so much though, that he did the impossible...he moved from Single "A" Bantam to Major Junior as a defenceman in one season as a 15 year old.

JUNIOR HOCKEY
Hamhuis wore number 5 in Junior, and rumour is that it will be retired in Prince George soon.
As a Christian, he says he "publicly professed my faith when I was 15, the summer before I left to play junior hockey."
When he moved to Prince George to play Junior Hockey his parents requested a Christian family for him to billet with. He said of being a Christian athlete: "The guys I play with in Prince George are really supportive of that. Everyone's kind of interested in it, too. It's fun to explain it to them. It's fun for them, too." His parents said dropping him off to his billet family's home in Prince George was a difficult night for them.
His first year, despite moving to a new town and a new school, he adapted well, cracking the lineup for 56 games in the 1998-99 season, scoring 1 goal. In the playoffs against Seattle, the Cougars suffered key injuries to D-men Garry Toor and Jeff Zorn. Hamhuis logged plent of minutes as a 16-year old in the top 4 and really shined.
He was named the Prince George Cougars Rookie of the Year and All-Scholastic Player for his strong performance in school his rookie season.
Sometimes, his faith was challenged off the ice. He said "My faith was challenged, and I found out the importance of what Christian family and friends can mean in staying close to the Lord," says Hamhuis. "Trying to fit in with (teammates) was one of the hardest things to do; you want to be cool so you want to go to parties and have fun. But then I realized they would respect me more for standing up in what I believe, and I was right."
Hamhuis spent the offseason after his rookie year at home in Smithers, and found out many of the townsfolk followed his progress closely the last year. The shy teen was even included as a celebrity in a golf event at the Smithers Golf and Country Club.
He spent much of the offseason in the gym, doing plyometrics and working on leg strength in particular.
He later signed with Vancouver-based agent Ross Gurney of R.W.G. Sport Management Ltd who has made a niche representing high-profile prospects from B.C. such as Canuck draft pick Taylor Ellington, Kyle Beach, and Zach Hamill.
The following season, in 1999–2000, he improved to 10 goals and 33 points in 70 games. He had told the local paper that 10 goals was his personal goal for the season during training camp. He also helped Prince George advance to the Conference Finals of the 2000 playoffs, scoring two goals and five points in a junior career-high of 13 post-season games.
As a Junior, he fought Jordin Tootoo, who would end up being a teammate in Nashville.
He ended up living with his aunt and Uncle while playing for the Cougars.
His parents and younger sisters drove 4 hours to almost every game in Prince George.
In 2000, he again won the team's All-Scholastic honour for good grades. While in school in Prince George, he met his future wife, Sarah Griffen.
In the Summer of 2000, Hamhuis was back in Prince George, finishing up some high school classes when he heard on the radio that he was invited to tryout for Canada's National World Junior Team that Summer. He "nearly hit the ditch driving to school when I heard it on the radio." "I'm just shocked," said Hamhuis, who wasn't even eligible to be drafted until the next summer. "I'd been told there was a chance, but not to get my hopes up. It caught me by surprise, but I'm really excited and right away I started thinking about all the things I have to do to be ready. It took awhile before it sunk in that I made the WHL, but this is a whole new step. If I show up in shape and do well, who knows what will happen."
In 2001, Hamhuis had a good offensive year with 13 goals and 59 points over 62 games.
In December 2000, he was invited to World Junior tryouts. He was late getting their, along with another player, Jay Bouwmeester, as their plane had icing problems. He roomed with Luke Sellars at the camp. There were 11 othe d-men vying for 7 spots. The day after arriving, Hamhuis took part in a morning skate and then dressed in a scrimmage. He didn't record a point and was minus-1. He said "It's tough playing on the larger ice surface, with no red line and the quick forwards. Everyone is so fast, you can't take a split-second off. It wasn't very physical because a lot of guys had trouble getting used to the big ice surface."
After some exhibition games and 4 days of tryouts, Hamhuis heard the phone ring before the crack of dawn Monday morning in his hotel room. Knowing the Team Canada tradition that early morning phone calls generally come from a coach delivering bad news, Hamhuis froze for an instant. Luckily, the call was for his room-mate. It turns out, Hamhuis had made the team and was heading for Russia. That same day, Hamhuis, who had never travelled overseas set off for Sweden with the team for an exhibition game.
Marty Hamhuis, Dan's father, was in Toronto for the Team Canada camp and watched all the action with Dan's agent, Ross Gurney. Marty returned to Smithers once the team left for Europe. "Dan just went out there and played his game -- he didn't do anything outstanding," said Marty, who called himself "Dan's greatest supporter but also his No. 1 critic.""The forwards all know what they're doing, so he wasn't going to catch anyone with their heads down and get them with a hip check. He had a couple of guys lined up for it, then he realized (on the Olympic-sized ice surface) that the boards were still 15 feet away. Everyone said this was the least amount of hitting for a prep camp. It was pond hockey. I was sitting up in the stands and saw all the wrong things he did out there, but I wasn't watching the mistakes others were making. I had him coming home with me on the plane on Friday," Marty laughed.
His mother said, "I'm actually relieved now. It was so tense for a few days when the cuts were happening, and there were a few nights where I didn't sleep."
Tyler Bouck, a former Canuck who was with the Dallas Stars then, called the Hamhuis family to congratulate them as he was a former Cougar Captain.
Hamhuis making the team was big news in Smithers. "I went to go out and do my job (Tuesday) and I had a hard time doing it because everyone in Smithers wanted to stop and talk to me for 15 minutes," said his dad.
Hamhuis started his international hockey career off in style, picking up two assists in Team Canada's 6-4 exhibition win over Sweden in Stockholm. Both came 17 seconds apart...one off a goal by Jamie Lundmark and one by former Canuck Brandon Reid.
He found Europe a little different. He said "It's really different here in Sweden. It's tough when you go into a grocery store and you're not sure if you're buying a juice or an alcoholic beverage, because you can't read the label. I had to check out all the Coke labels for my dad (Marty, who worked for Coca-Cola in Smithers)." About Russia he said: "The culture is different and the food is different. We haven't had a chance to see many of the historic sites around here, but we're supposed to go Saturday to see Red Square and The Kremlin."
In a tough game against the home team Russians at Luzhniki Minor Sports Arena in Moscow, Hamhuis had a tough assignment: stop Russian superstar Ilya Kovalchuk. Canada lost 3-1 but Hamhuis got rave reviews for his play. "I had to play against him all night on the right side, and it was fun for the challenge. I think it turned out well for us," said Hamhuis, who thought Kovalchuk's pre-goal celebration on the game's final goal, with 100 feet of open ice and an empty net staring at him, was "classless." "In a game like that one, he didn't need to do that. We didn't like it very much, and we'll remember that."
Before the game, fans from Prince George sent him a signed good luck telegram: "I unrolled the whole thing and read it, every name. It was crazy - I was amazed. I was only halfway through the first roll and I was in awe of all the people who signed their name on it. It makes you play a little harder with all the people back home who care so much about this."
When Canada played Russia for a second time, they won 5-2, but it was a dirty game. Hamhuis left the game at 10:07 of the third period when he was hit from behind into the boards by Andrei Taratukhin, leaving him with a bruised left shoulder. Taratukhin received a major penalty and game misconduct. X-rays on Hamhuis were negative and he would not return for the next game...which Canada lost without him. Hamhuis called it a dirty hit. "I didn't see it coming. It was a tough position, just a few feet away from the boards when I was hit," said Hamhuis, who leveled Russia's Stanislav Tchistov with a patented open-ice hit earlier in the game. I didn't see it coming, and I didn't have my head down, so I guess you could call that dirty."
Hamhuis also battled food poisoning during the tournament.
Hamhuis helped Canada win the Bronze that year, and was on the ice for Raffi Torres Bronze winning goal. "We were so happy we won, and it was a great feeling to hear the national anthem played," said Hamhuis. He took a week off after the tournament, went home to Smithers and had a belated Chistmas dinner with his family, went hiking and rested his mind from hockey.
When he came home with his medal, the town greeted him with a message of congratulations at the local A&W restaurant. "It's kind of weird to see your name up like that," he said.
Hamhuis won the awad for the Cougars' Most Dedicated Player for his community involvement and was named to the WHL West First All-Star Team. Playing in his NHL draft-eligible season, he also participated in the 2001 CHL Top Prospects Game where he was Captain of "Team Orr." He also played for the West all- stars against the QMJHL's Dilio Division in Kamloops.
Hamhuis volunteered for Child Find BC and other local organizations, and was Prince George's nominee for WHL 2001 Humanitarian of the Year. He also spoke at local Elementary schools about setting goals.

NHL DRAFT
In 2001, Hamhuis was ranked second to Jason Spezza by NHL Central Scouting among North American prospects for the draft. "He delivers checks that people on the receiving end would certainly think came from a larger man," said one NHL scout. Canadian Hockey Association director of scouting Barry Trapp compared Hamhuis to Ottawa defenceman Wade Redden.
Hamhuis' family flew from Smithers to Vancouver in a plane so small, he joked, that the seats were window and aisle seats at the same time. He brought his parents, sisters, girlfriend and 2 uncles with him to Florida for the draft.
The teams most interested in Hamhuis were Vancouver, Nashville and Chicago. He was interviewed by all teams and found the attention overwhelming. The speculation was over who would be the first d-man taken, him or Mike Komisarek?
He said: "Coming from Smithers, I had no idea. We don't hear from anybody that goes through all this stuff. Just to experience it firsthand without any preknowledge, it's really exciting. A lot of fun....I'm not much of a guy for the spotlight," said the soft-spoken Hamhuis, who, with the other prospects, has been paraded around the continent for the past month. Just to be where I am now, I never expected this at all."
The Montreal Canadiens took Komisarek with the 7th pick, and Hamhuis was the 2nd d-man drafted at 12th overall by the Nashville Predators.
After being drafted, Hamhuis attended Nashville training camp as a rookie, but on September 19th 2001 was cut and sent back to Junior.

CHL'S BEST
Hamhis had a terrific Junior season in 2001-02, averaging about 40 minutes a game for the Cougars with 50 assists and 10 goals in 59 games. He had five assists in seven playoff games.
In 2002, he returned for a 2nd straight World Junior Championship. Other returnees on that team were Jay Bouwmeester, Brad Boyes, Mike Cammalleri, jay Harrison, Steve Ott, Mark Popovic and Jarret Stoll. They ended up earning Silver after losing to Russia in the Czech Republic.
At his first home game since coming back from the World Juniors, January 20th 2002 against the Red Deer Rebels, Cougars Assistant General Manager, Dallas Thompson presented Dan with an exclusive Stuart Antonenko Relief Carving in front of 6000 fans congratulating Dan with a standing ovation. Prince George Mayor Colin Kinsley, was on hand to congratulate Dan on behalf of the City with a print of the three local bridges done by local artists.
On May 22nd 2002, Hamhuis was chosen over fellow nominees Erik Reitz of the Barrie Colts and Danny Groulx of the Victoriaville Tigres as the Canadian Hockey League's defenceman of the year .
Hamhuis was the Western Hockey League's player of the year for 2002 and was also a nominee for the 2002 Nike/Bauer CHL player of the year which went to Pierre-Marc Bouchard of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Hamhuis was also a First Team CHL All-Star and WHL Western Conference First Team All-Star.
He finished his Junior Career as the Cougars' all-time assist leader (123). He also served as their team Captain.

TURNING PRO
The Summer of 2002, Hamhuis worked out in Vancouver, and got to work out with one of his favorite NHL Players, Trevor Linden. He said at the time: "Being a B.C. guy, I was always a big fan of the Canucks, and still am."
Hamhuis went to Nasvhille from July 8-14 2002 where he attended their prospects camp at the Centennial Sportsplex. Hamhuis signed his first pro contract with the Predators on Juy 7th 2002. Hamhuis lasted for the entirety of training camp, but on October 3rd 2002, just before the season started, he was assigned to Milwaukee of the AHL.
While playing in the AHL at the age of 20, he had a spiritual awakening. He says " I was part of a group of older teenage guys, and we all succumbed to a lot of the pressures and temptations of being on our own and away from our parents for the first time. For me, I knew what was right, but it was so easy to do what was wrong. By God's grace, I managed to make it through those years with Christ still being a part of my life, but not the most significant part. When I was 20 years old, I went through a deeper spiritual transition."
At the time, when he was with the AHL's Admirals, he would attend a team Chapel led by a team Chaplain. He says "He taught us about being bold and stepping out in our faith. It was a real eye-opener for me and my faith in Christ, which developed into a deeper, personal relationship that year. It was difficult being away from my family and friends, but I knew God was there. I felt His presence during a time when it would have been easy to feel more alone than ever."
In November of 2002, Hamhuis was suspended 3 games for an elbow to the head of Utah Forward Barrett Heisten who suffered a concussion.
Hamhuis scored six goals and 27 points over 68 games in his first pro season with the Admirals (2002-03).
Over the course of the next year, the Predators lost Andy Delmore, Karlis Skrastins, Cale Hulse and Bill Houlder on their defense. This made room for Hamhuis to make the team. In their 2003 season preview, Sports Ilustrated called him "...a can't-miss player on the blueline."

GOING TO THE NHL
Hamhuis made it to the NHL for the 2003-04 season, and tallied seven goals and 26 points over 82 games with Predators in 2003–04.
He played his first NHL game Oct 9th, 2003 against the Anaheim Ducks.
Hamhuis scored his first NHL goal on October 16th 2003, beating the Blues' Chris Osgood. It was the winner in a 4-1 Preds win.
A month later, he had his first career fight against Brenden Morrow.
Hamhuis went to the NHL YoungStars game at the Xcel Energy Center in Minnesota in February 2004. His defence partner for the Western team was Christian Ehrhoff of the San Jose Sharks. The West won 7-3.
At the end of his rookie year he was tied for fourth in point-scoring and second in average ice time among the NHL's rookie defencemen, including a five-point (1g-4a) night on March 4th versus Pittsburgh.

LOCKOUT SEASON
During the Summer of 2004, Dan returned to Prince George in the offseason and visited with the Jenkins family, the billet family of one of his ex-teammates, Jonathan Filewich. Hamhuis and Filewich would Skidoo all the time as teenagers on the family's vast property. Hamhuis asked them if he and his fiancee, Sarah Griffen could get married on their back hayfield that Summer. They allowed them to have a beautiful wedding. In the Summer of 2009, Hamhuis and Sarah brought their baby Anna and stayed overnight with the Jenkins family.
Heading into training camp after his wedding, he said that being married would help his game: "It will make things better. It's so nice to come home after practice and have someone there for you."
As Dan prepared for his 2nd season, the NHL lockout came. Dan headed to Milwaukee for his 2nd AHL season for 2004-05.
Hamhuis had a monster AHL season, scoring 13 goals and 51 points in 76 games and was named to the AHL Second All-Star Team. "Coaches dream about having players like Dan on their team," noted Admirals Head Coach Claude Noel. "His game is complete. Some players are good offensively, some are good defensively, but Dan excels at both areas. He can play anywhere on the ice."
In February, Hamhuis went to the 2005 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire.
His AHL coach, Claude Noel, is now the head coach of the Canucks affiliate, the Manitoba Moose.
Hamhuis was 2nd in scoring among AHL d-men in 2005.
With the NHL set to resume in 2005–06, the Predators re-signed Hamhuis to a one-year contract on August 16, 2005.

BREAKOUT YEAR
In 2005-06, Hamhuis was back in the league as the lockout ended. He went on to record a career-high seven goals, 31 assists and 38 points in 82 games. He led Nashville in average ice time (22:33) in 2005-06 and was one of two Predators to skate in all 82 games.
With the Predators out of the playoffs in 5 games, Hamhuis got the call from Team Canada, and went to the World Hockey Championships in Riga, Latvia from May 5th to May 21st. Canada finished fourth, but Hamhuis managed 5 points in 9 games. He lead all Canadian d-men in scoring.
In 2006–07, Hamhuis held out the early part of training camp as his agent hammered out a new deal with Nashville. He would earn $1.5 million that season, $1.75 million in 2007-08, $2.25 million in 2008-09 and $2.5 million in 2009-10.
He had six goals and 20 points in 81 games for Nashville in 06-07. He also has his 2nd career fight against Brent Seabrook of the Blackhawks.
With the Predators going out in 5 games to the San Jose Sharks, Team Canada's general manager Steve Yzerman picked Hamhuis and his teammate Shea Weber to play for Canada at the World Championships in Russia.
In May 2007, the Canadian team won a Gold Medal with Hamhuis playing on the point.
Hamhuis was also named, at age 24, the Predators' player representative to the NHLPA. At an August 2007 NHLPA meeting, he joked that he first thought his main job as player rep was to hand out the NHLPA hats at the beginning of the season.
In the Summer of 2007, there was talk of the Predators moving from Nashville. One potential new owner wanted to the city to buy unbought tickets so they could average 14,000 fans per game. The city refused. Hamhuis joined with teammate Chris Mason to show his support by buying private suites themselves.
In the 2007-08 NHL season, Hamhuis had 27 points in 80 games.
At then end of the season, he was named to his 3rd consecutive World Championship, as Nashville was bounced in the 1st round again. This time, the tournament was in Quebec City, and Canada won silver, losing to Russia in overtime. He and Mike Green were the final 2 players added.
In July 2008, Hamhuis' wife Sarah gave birth to their first child, a girl named Anna.
In 2008-09, Hamhuis played 82 games and had 26 points. He also had his 3rd career NHL fight against Sean Avery.
His consistent 2-way play got him invited to a fourth straight World Championship, this time in Switzerland. Canada lost again to the Russians, earning a Silver, while Hamhuis had 4 points in 9 games. They lost the gold medal game 2-1.

BUSY OFFSEASON
In the Summer of 2009, he was one of 46 NHL players named to the Canadian Olympic Orientation camp, which ran August 24-27 at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary. At the camp, Hamhuis was so excited that he was the first one on the ice for every evening session, several minutes before other players.
In the Summer of 2009, Hamhuis was part of the 30 man NHLPA Executive Committee that made the decision to fire Executive Director Paul Kelly. In a players' conference call in October, 22-year-old Sydney Crosby firmly told interim executive director Ian Penny to hang up the phone because union members wanted to have a players-only discussion. Penny finally had to relent and get off the line. Later that night, players voted 23-4 to establish a committee consisting of respected veterans Chris Chelios, Rob Blake, Nicklas Lidstrom and Mark Recchi to investigate all the internal shenanigans of the past few months that led to Kelly's ouster. The four players who voted against the committee were Hamhuis , Washington's Brooks Laich, Philadelphia Flyers player rep Scott Hartnell and Carolina's Joe Corvo.
The vote was a stinging rebuke for Penny who, in the days before the conference call, had circulated a letter from Hamhuis that supported Penny, advisory board member Ron Pink and Hargrove and urged the union to focus on finding a new executive director. "There had been concern from some members of the (executive board) that Ron, Buzz and Ian have overstepped their bounds in their roles, that they won't be able to get along with the next executive director and that they had something to do with an orchestrated attempt to get Paul out," wrote Hamhuis. "I believe these men have acted in the best interest of the NHLPA and warrant our full trust. We are in a difficult time right now at the NHLPA and the easiest thing to do is to blame someone else. Now is the time to be looking forward not back."
Hamhuis' letter prompted a strong rebuttal from another player rep, Shawn Horcoff of the Edmonton Oilers. Horcoff argued that Penny's contract "violated" the union's constitution because it was done "without being advised of Kelly's objections and concerns and without Kelly even in the room, which is in violation of our constitution."

LAST SEASON IN NASHVILLE
In the 2009-10 season, there was speculation that Hamhuis could have been named to the 2010 Olympic team. He was not named, however.
Hamhuis gave his name/funds to be the presenting sponsor of the Ronald McDonald House "Extraordinary Evening" fundraiser, which brought in more than $50,000.
He and his wife Sarah organized a potluck dinner where she and the rest of the wives provided dinner for the families at Ronald McDonald House.
In 2009-10, he had his 4th NHL fight against Alex Burrows of the Canucks.
In November 2009, Hamhuis initiated the Preds' participation in the "Movember" movement - grew a moustache for a month to raise money and awareness for Prostate & Testicular Cancer.
In a game on January 12th 2010 in Vancouver, Alex Burrows was called for diving after he got tied up with Hamhuis in the cornerboards. He was called for interference on a Canucks power play when it looked like he was only getting into position to screen goalie Dan Ellis. After the game, Burrows alleged that referee Stephane Auger was out to get him. "It was personal," fumed Burrows. "It started in warm-up. Before the anthem, the ref came over and said I made him look bad in Nashville on the Smithson hit and he was going to get me back tonight. He got me on a diving call that I didn't think was diving and an interference call. I had no idea how he could call that. It changed the game." Burrows actually has scored 5 goals in 9 games up to that point. He instinctively parked himself behind Hamhuis at the far post and easily tapped the offering past Ellis for his first goal. He then got behind Hamhuis again to deflect an Alex Edler power-play point shot past Ellis to make it 2-2. He nearly deflected a point shot to make it three hat-tricks this season, but ended up having to defend himself against Auger.
Before the trade deadline, the Predators shipped a second-round 2010 draft pick to Edmonton for veteran UFA defenceman Denis Grebeshkov, 26, fueling speculation that Hamhuis was available. "It's hard to ignore everything that's going on because it [trade speculation] is out there a lot," Hamhuis told The Tennessean newspaper.
The Canucks were interested, but Ottawa, Philadelphia, Boston and New Jersey were also kicking the tires on Hamhuis. The Predators reportedly asked for Cody Hodgson in return. The deal was not struck and Hamhuis finished the season in Nashville.
Hamhuis wife Sarah gave birth to their second baby girl just before the end of the 2009-10 season.

COMING TO VANCOUVER
As it became apparent that Hamhuis would not be re-signed by the Predators following the 2009–10 season, his negotiating rights were traded to the Philadelphia Flyers along with a 2011 conditional draft pick for Ryan Parent on June 19, 2010.
After failing to agree to a contract with Philadelphia, his rights were traded once again to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 2011 third-round pick on June 25th 2010.
Several days prior to his free agency, the Canucks traded for defenceman Keith Ballard from the Florida Panthers, which initially led Hamhuis to believe the Canucks would be no longer interested in him. However, on July 1, the Canucks were one of 10 teams to offer him a contract and he signed with the club despite more lucrative deals of up to $5 million salaries and terms of seven years.
On July 1, 2010, Hamhuis became an unrestricted free agent and signed a six-year, $27 million contract with the Vancouver Canucks.
Hamhuis says he uses Christianity to focus on hockey. He says "To keep myself in the right mind-set, I read a devotion or Christian literature and pray every night before bed. This keeps me focused and energized to live in a way that pleases God."|
Hamhuis would visit patients at Nashville's Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital throughout the season, and would go reverse trick-or-treating dressed up as Winnie the Pooh in 2008 and 2009. Check him out in costume here: http://www.vanderbil...e_bat_baby.jpg.
He is only the fourth person from Smithers to play in the NHL, along with brothers Jimmy Watson and Joe Watson, and Alan Kerr, a former New York Islander.
This past offseason, Hamhuis was back in B.C. helping organize his sister-in-law's wedding when an email arrived asking if any NHLPA hockey players would like to go to Haiti. The father of two young girls initially hesitated, because of the potential dangers involved. But his wife convinced him the trip would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience to help people in need. "It's not your everyday trip," said Hamhuis. "This is living in the dirt with a tarp pulled over your head. It takes you out of your comfort zone. But this is a beautiful country too, with the scenery and stuff. But the people are obviously not in the same economic state."
He went to Haiti with Haitian-Canadian NHLer Georges Laraque. They went as part of a charity project to rebuild Grace Children's Hospital in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince. Fans can make a donation directly toward the "Hockey for Haiti" effort through www.worldvision.ca/hockey.
He trains every Summer with Vancouver-based personal trainer Peter Twist.
His nickname is "Hammer."
Enjoys camping, hiking and biking in the offseason.
In April 2010, he was named the Nashville Predators' nominee for the NHL's King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which recognizes a player with "leadership qualities on and off the ice and who has made a significant humanitarian contribution in his community." The designation came after a vote by the players themselves.
In Nashville, he and his wife would often drop by St. Luke's Community House or the Ronald McDonald House to do maintenance work or just chat with patients/residents.
He donated $20,000 in 2009 to the Teammates for Kids Foundation which was routed back to benefit the Nashville Rescue Mission. He and his wife routinely volunteered their time at the Rescue Mission as well.
Hamhuis is an active member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, speaking to local chapters throughout the season. Brian Pothier is also a member. So is wrestler Kurt Angle.
While in Nashville, Hamhuis personally purchased 25 gift cards at $100 each during the holidays to give to families in need. He also participated in a photo shoot with U.S. Marines to promote a Toys for Tots toy drive.
He also promoted the in-arena recycling program by participating in the PSA which airs every game. PSA encourages fans to recycle cans and plastic.
Participates in Prince George Cougar's charity events, where fans can win tickets to fly to a Predators game and meet him.
Despite his son making millions, his dad is still the local bottling/vending rep for Coca Cola in Smithers.
In Prince George, they used to play a montage of his best hip checks called "The Hammy Hippy Shake" playing the Georgia Satellites' version of the song "Hippy Hippy Shake."
He is a former teammate of current Canuck Darcy Hordichuk.

Restlessness

2010-06-11T09:49:00.001-06:00

I was listening to music while doing the dishes last night, and a track came on by Mattie Montgomery, called "Restless." I would recommend a listen.
It speaks of our destiny as Christians, what our destiny should really look like.
Check him out (and the song) at http://www.myspace.com/mattiemontgomery or download his cd for free at comeandlive.com
I am really enjoying listening to him, he is actually the vocalist of a screamo band called For Today, but during his concerts he often breaks into preaching, prophesying, praying, etc. This CD is so good, I can't get enough of it. I listen to the songs over and over again.

"We are called to a higher calling, God's vision to struggle for the sake of Christ and for the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven... All creation has come together for this single moment...to see what will come of your time here on earth, to see if you will align yourself with Destiny and God, with your inheritance of holiness. Because if you do, you will unleash a tide of hope that will sweep across our generation... that will change everything forever... a new restlessness... as the end of injustice..."

Okay, coffee break is over, back to work,
Enjoy, and have a good weekend!

My Olympics experience - Athletes In Action Olympic Project

2010-05-11T19:19:00.004-06:00

I wrote this a while ago... right after the 2010 Vancouver Olympics ended, but got busy with homework and forgot to finish editing it and posting it!

So, here is my experience, pretend you are getting it at the end of February:

Well, it has been about a week since I got back from Vancouver, so I thought I would update you who about my trip to Vancouver for the Athletes In Action Olympic Project. It was a really amazing experience to say the least. I had no idea what to expect going into it, and I definitely got a different experience than basically anyone else who went to Vancouver for the Olympics. So much I could say, but I will just give you an outline of what we did and a few highlights.

A highlight of the trip was traveling to Vancouver and back with the Athletes In Action (AIA) crew from Edmonton. It was awesome to get to know them through the car pool. We had some really awesome talks and it was amazing how quickly the trips flew by (especially on the way back). We had some really neat chats and it was awesome to hear the life stories of these really neat men and women!

Our project started off on Saturday, February 13 at Power To Change headquarters in Langley, for a weekend of training and the yearly AIA staff conference. It was a really neat weekend of mingling between AIA staff and students from across the country. We had some really cool training and encouraging from Doug Pollock. He wrote the book "God Space," and it was so neat to be reminded that evangelism does not need to be us running around handing out tracts to people and sharing the 4 spiritual laws with people! We were given a whole pile of materials to give to people, but we were told to just be natural and just love people in conversation and let Christ shine. There is so much freedom in this! He used some sports analogies; sometimes we need to use the driver (for people who are opposed to God or have never really thought about it before) or just try to get a first down, while other times we use the putter (leading someone to Christ) and get a touchdown. We need to be sensitive to the spirit and sense where people are at in their walks. Just live with people and love them and show them that Christians are not a bunch of crazies who just want to sell them the gospel, but that we love them and want to wonder with them and help them get closer to God. It is so easy to go to either extreme, always want to use the putter or just be friends and never share the gospel. We need to find the balance.

The only disappointments I had with the weekend was that there were so many people I wanted to sit down and visit with (people who I went to Thailand with, etc who I hadn't talked to in like 3 years), but we were so busy that I basically just got to say hi and then a quick update and then back to a session. But, was a sweet weekend anyway.
So, after the awesome weekend we went out into the Vancouver community! We broke into hubs of about 6-8 people and went into the Greater Vancouver area to serve in different capacities. My group was working alongside a church in Burnaby/Surrey. We did a couple of community outreaches in the church (with the Olympics on an overhead and playing games with kids, or serving food to the homeless), and then doing some mini-Olympics in two different schools. I had some really neat chats with a few people. In particular, it was neat one night sitting down and chatting about life with an older retired gentleman who was bringing his grandchildren to the church for activities. He is from a really rough past, but it was neat to just talk to him, and then on Friday I saw him when he dropped off his grandchildren at the school we were serving at! He asked when the next thing at the church was, so hopefully he can connect with someone there.

The school outreaches were really encouraging as well, we could not share about Jesus or anything but just tried to love the kids and share some good messages about teamwork, etc. We told them who we were and that we were working with the local church, so they should check out the street hockey tournament on Saturday. These kids were from really sad backgrounds, a lot of broken homes and teachers were telling us how they needed to make sure that some of them had lunch every day. I led a group around and it was so neat to see how much it meant to just look these kids in the eyes and smile at them and just love them! The kids always wanted to stand in the front of the line next to me! I felt really blessed at the end of the day as a kid who I had met earlier in the week (didn't think I had spent much time with him) ran across the gym yelling, "Jadon, are you coming back next year?!" Showed me how much of an impact we can make in lives in such small ways! I had not seen him all day and had barely talked to him earlier in the week, but he felt a connection with me!

We also spent a day and a half down town, just experiencing the Olympics and talking to people. It was neat how much it means to people for a stranger to smile and say hi and chat with them! Shocked a lot of people at first, but it was really neat to just hear people's stories, share what we were doing in Vancouver and just encourage people! Just letting Christ shine through in our actions and going where the conversation went, and where people felt comfortable going.

One last story, we wore jackets that had icravechange.com written on the back collar (Erwin McManus made a small version of his book "Soul Cravings" that we were supposed to base the "More Than Gold" Project on). Well, we were on Granville Island and I was just chatting with a family whose daughter was playing the fiddle (another cool story in itself, amazing 14 year old fiddle player!) and this guy ran up to me in a hurry. He said, "What is icravechange.com? I only have a minute because I need to go drive a delegate soon!" So, I quickly told him we were with AIA and what we were doing and brought out the "Soul Cravings" book and tried to explain the main concepts to him as he looked at it. He said he had to leave but seemed really interested, so I let him have the book. He was shocked that I would let him have it. It was a crazy conversation, like literally a minute long. I was left kind of dumbstruck! "Did that just happen!" I just kind of stumbled trying to explain everything as quickly as I could and not really sure what to say!
So, we didn't get to go to any events, but it was a really neat experience just to be in the environment and serve people! The atmosphere downtown was incredible, and the weather was amazing the whole week! How can anyone be disappointed in the quality of the event with such a gorgeous setting, an awesome transit system and such an amazing atmosphere everywhere! (I heard people talking about how much better the downtown atmosphere was than Turin, and look at the fans at curling!)

Peace my friends!
And thank you for your support!

PS. Enjoy the picture that I had taken in the Canadian Mint Pavilion! haha They had a booth set up there.

Reflections from NTC- God's love, and sacrifice and freedom!

2010-05-11T19:17:00.001-06:00

It is amazing how God continues to blow me away over and over again! It shouldn’t be a surprise at all, but God continually works in people’s lives in ways beyond my expectations! There is so much I could say, so many amazing stories of God working in students lives this past week, so I could write a novel, but I will try to just write an over view and a few thoughts here!
I attended Athletes In Action (AIA) National Training Camp (NTC) in 2004 (at TWU) and again in 2005 (at the U of A), and I felt called to intern this year. I wasn’t really sure why, but I just felt like it was something that I had to do. AIA used to hold two NTC’s each year, one in Western Canada and one in Eastern Canada. In 2006 I was planning to intern at the Western one and it got cancelled due to there not being enough participants signed up, so I was not able to attend. This year I was trying to get my little brother to come with me, so I signed up hoping that that if I attended so would Nathan. Nathan couldn’t come due to work, but I still felt like I needed to go. I was not disappointed at all!
I find it hard to explain exactly what NTC is, as it impacts the lives of people in so many different ways. I will do my best to try to explain it for a background. NTC is a week long conference to help create an environment where athletes can learn how to integrate their faith into their sport (and their whole lives). It is a safe environment for athletes to learn different truths and principles that they can then use in their sport. Many of the principles are good to help with focus and motivation in sport, but also to learn how to worship God through sport and through all aspects of life. It is always amazing to see athletes wrestle through the principles and see them experience freedom in their lives as the week progresses. NTC ends with a 24 hour sports marathon, called the SPECIAL, that brings all of the learning from the week together and the athletes seem to always meet God in really personal and profound ways.
It was an amazing week, starting with a few days of meetings with the AIA campus staff before the students arrived in Ottawa. It was amazing to get to know the staff better and hear stories of how God is moving in the many campuses across Canada!
Then the students arrived and it was awesome to watch them bond quickly and allow God to work in their lives! There were literally student athletes from all across Canada, from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick (Mount Allison) to BC (TWU), and everywhere in between! So many universities were represented and it was so amazing to see how God is working in the lives of student athletes across the country! The Holy Spirit is working in the lives of so many athletes across Canada and is building up leaders to further His kingdom. I feel like the Holy Spirit is really moving among key student athletes across Canada and I am so excited to see how the Lord is going to work through these athletes as they go back to their campuses! There were more athletes at NTC than in several years, and many very elite athletes, I really feel like this is the beginning of a movement amongst the University athletic community. I feel like God is building up a group of leaders across Canada who will have an amazing impact on their teams, athletic programs, campuses and Canada as a whole! There is much potential in these athletes and I look forward to seeing how God uses them in the future!
A common theme that I saw was the theme of God’s love for these athletes. That God loves each of them not due to their performance but because He loves them! Christ died on the cross for our sins and we are the most valuable things on this earth! Nothing we do can decrease or increase our value in His eyes. I saw the freedom that this experience gave each of the athletes! They do not have to perform to earn God’s love, and no matter their past God loves them just the same!
The other theme that really struck home to me was seeing athletes giving their whole lives to God, including their sport! This was huge because so much of an athlete’s identity is their sport! I loved seeing athletes using their bodies as living sacrifices for God (Romans 12:1 was very prominent), and using the SPECIAL as a way of worshipping God. It was awesome watching athletes really experiencing the Holy Spirit through sport and just committing and giving up their whole lives to Christ, sport and all!
When I woke up this morning I turned on my iPod and a song by “The United Pursuit Band” came on titled “Even Now.” It really spoke to me especially with the commitments that were made this past week. It speaks of giving one’s heart to God. Giving up our hearts to God is all of us, our lives, our sports, our relationships, our finances, our security, all of us! I saw athletes experience God’s love in ways that they hadn’t before, and laying down their whole life to God. It was beautiful to see! Here is a snippet of the lyrics that really hit home:

It doesn't always work like I've planned it
I've seen a lot of good things, a lot of things been out of my hands
Even when I don't understand it
We have all got choices to make
And this one is mine…

Even now here's my heart God
I'm in love

Runnin' out of reasons to doubt You
Can't live another day here without You

Even now here's my heart God
I'm in love

Your love is sweeter than honey
Your love is stronger than death
Your love lifts me off my burdens
And teaches me to dance

TSN personalities and me...

2009-12-18T18:42:00.000-07:00

Okay, I want to write this down before I forget the details... was a pretty "interesting" experience.
So, every year Athletes In Action holds a Grey Cup Breakfast on Grey Cup Saturday. This year the Grey Cup was in Calgary, and since it is in Edmonton next year a whole crew of us from the U of A AIA went down to Calgary on the Friday night (this way we know what is expected of us for next year!). It was the Friday night where there was that crazy weather (a bunch of multi-car pile ups between Red Deer and Calgary). I will get to the story soon here, just gotta lay down the background and foundation.
We were at the Hyatt in Calgary at 5:30 am in the morning, and most of us were assigned around the Telus and Hyatt to direct people where to go for the breakfast. Well, Colin and I got directed quite far away from where the breakfast was being held and were told by the head honcho to stand at the top of the escalators and he would be back in a few minutes to show Colin what was expected of him. Across the room was a room with walls that were all glass, and two sets of glass sliding doors. It looked like TSN had made that area their headquarters. Sure enough a few minutes later Rodd Smith, Dave Hodges and a high strung young lady walked up to the glass doors and tried to get in, but the doors were locked. Colin and I just observed from across the room and tried to remember the Dave and Rodd’s names!
The next thing we knew this lady was walking towards us in a very determined, purposeful manner! (Please note that it was probably about 6:45 am at this point and because of the snow storm I only got to bed at midnight and had to wake up 4.5 hours later… getting driven in a friend’s RCMP Uncle’s new 4x4 from Red Deer to Calgary Friday night was sweet, but that is another story and still made a long night!)
This lady was about halfway towards us and Colin and I both stiffened up because we knew we were in for a rude awakening! She blurted out, “how do we get in there… let us in there… we need to be in there and on the air in 15 minutes!” I tried to explain to her that we were just volunteers, but could only stammer out, “We… don’t… know… how… volunteers” between her aggressive demands. She demanded, “someone hired you, so let us in.” I tried to explain that we were just volunteers for the Grey Cup breakfast, but, could only say “Volunteers… Grey Cup… Breakfast” between more of her rants before she said, “I DON’T CARE what you are here for!!! SOMEONE hired you, so let us in!”
Colin and I were both getting very frustrated, but I once again tried to calmly say, “we are volunteers for the… Grey Cup Breakfast… the person who is in charge… will be back in a few minutes.” But, she kept cutting us off and then stormed off! It was incredible!
She stormed back to Rodd and Dave and a few minutes later a security guard came along and she told him off before he let them in through a side door.
The rest of the day was awesome though. Darren Dutchyshen came along about 10 minutes later so I called him over and showed him the back door in, and he was nice. Then Dave Hodges came out and chatted with me for a few minutes and asked me to let another guy in through the side door. So, I got to help TSN a bit in the end and talk to Darren and Dave!
Oh, and I have SO MUCH respect for Henry Burris (I know Rider fans may jump on this, but it is true), and “Pinball” Clemons. Seriously, such AMAZING men, and such good examples. All the CFL players came by with security guards surrounding them, the Als and Riders specifically, well Hank came strolling in by himself and stopped to shake my hand and ask me how I was doing. This was 7:30 am in the morning, and he genuinely cared to hear how I was! Solid guy! And “Pinball,” after the breakfast he stood and signed autographs for a probably a solid 1.5-2 hours, and I observed him as he signed, and each person was treated so special, like they were his best friends for years, gave every young kid a huge, and meaningful hug. Gave every person so much respect and love!
So, was a good and memorable morning!
Crazy TSN lady and all!

The Advent Conspiracy

2009-12-06T22:04:00.001-07:00

Will Smith's Secret to Success | Guideposts

2009-06-22T16:54:00.001-06:00

Will Smith's Secret to Success | Guideposts

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Intoxicating

2009-03-06T15:09:00.002-07:00

I talked in the fall about how I want to be obsessed with God. That I wanted him to consume my mind and be in love with him more than anything in this World. Well, I came across this song by "The David Crowder Band" the other day called "Intoxicating." I have heard lots of David Crowder and am a huge fan, but never heard this song before! Wow, this song hit home in so many ways for what I want to feel like towards God! So awesome! Especially the last lines of the song,

"If I'm out of my mind it's You, You
'Cause I'm crazy in love with You, You
Inebriated by You, You
'Cause I'm head over heels with You, You"

I want to be intoxicated with God, obsessed with God, so in love with God that He consumes my mind, and that no matter what I am doing that he is in the back of my mind... Just as when I love someone I don't care what people think of my actions to show my love, I want this to be even moreso with Christ, I want to do what He wants from me, no matter if some may think I am crazy!
I want to be able to truly sing this song! I want this to be my prayer!

So, here is the whole song:

"Intoxicating" by The David Crowder Band

Intoxicating You are to me
Illuminating You are to see
Truly breathtaking You are to breathe
Sending my head spinning You are, You see

And I've lost my mind, I'm sure to find
Need to apologize for my
Lack of inhibition, for my belligerent condition
But with You this near I'm dizzy

Inebriating You are to me
Completely captivating You are yo see
Sending my world spinning You are, You see

And now I find a blurry line
Here between You and I
Raise the cup, drink 'til I'm full
Sing 'til I can't, 'til my voice is gone
And my head is spinning

CHORUS:
La, la dee da
La dee da, dee da
Dee da da da
Hey la, la dee da
La dee da, dee da
Dee da da da

Illuminating You are to see
Truly breathtaking You are to breathe
Sending my head spinning You are, You see

And now I find a blurry line
Here between you and I
Raise the cup, drink 'til I'm full
Sing 'til I can't, 'til my voice is gone
And my head is spinning dizzy

If I'm out of my mind it's You, You
'Cause I'm crazy in love with You, You
Inebriated by You, You
'Cause I'm head over heels with You, You

Uncle Stan Paulson- the loss of a Hero

2009-02-10T20:42:00.006-07:00

My Uncle Stan Paulson passed away after a two year fight with ALS (Lou Gehrigs Disease) on Wednesday. As soon as I heard of his passing, thoughts flooded my mind about how much he impacted my life and the lives of everyone around him through his 74 years on this earth. As these thoughts entered my mind I knew I had to get them out and onto paper, and that I wanted to share the story of my Uncle Stan, from my perspective of course, as soon as I could!
I began to think of this incredible man of God, who I am sure would have made it to healthily into his 90’s if not for the terrible disease gradually destroying the muscles in his body!
This past weekend I went to Grande Prairie for the funeral and I was reminded again about the amazing man that this world has lost!
So, here is how I remember my Uncle Stan! I find it hard to narrow down all of these thoughts that are swirling around my head and make it into a cohesive writing, but I will do my best.
In the fall my Uncle Stan was starting to feel the effects of ALS more and more and he started to chat with a man who was dying of cancer, George, at church every Sunday. They would reflect on life and would compare notes and guess who would get to heaven first. Well George made it there in November, and now Uncle Stan is there as well.
After the church in Sexsmith had a healing prayer meeting for my Uncle Stan one evening, my Uncle was talking to his son, Duane's Father-in-law about the prayer service and had the following insight: "David, do you remember how we used to order from the Simpson's and Eaton's catalogues back in the day, and if they didn't have what we ordered they would give you something better in it's place. I think that is what happens with requests to God. If he doesn't give us what we ask for He gives us an upgrade, something much better than our request! If God does not answer our request, and I am not healed, then He will give me an upgrade, something much better!"
Right until the end Stan was making an impact on lives. I heard stories at the family get together about the last few days of Uncle Stan's life. He had an impact on people right until the end. Nurses were drawn to serve Uncle in ways that are not normal. The story that shows this more than anything else is how one particular nurse served him for only two days, the Monday and Tuesday before he passed away. The nurse came to talk to Uncle before she left her last shift and asked if she could kiss him in the forehead. She said that he had impacted her life in ways that she had not been impacted in before. The way that he was not bitter, but showed love to those around him. The way that they could see peace in his life. Uncle Stan could not really talk at all the last few weeks of his life, but a few days before his passing he was still making an incredible impact on lives of those around him! That is totally God, and shows you a glimpse of how God worked in Uncle's life!
Uncle Stan was like a grandpa to me, he was more than your normal uncle, especially since he was an Uncle through my Dad's sister, Hilda, who passed away in 1993! And the crazy thing about this is that the way that he treated my brothers and I was not an exception. He treated all of his nephews and nieces, and I know also other people who he got to know, in this same way as if they were special, and like they were his favourite! All the nephews and nieces, and even great nephews and nieces had memories of things that he did for us that showed Christ’s love for us. We all thought that we were his favourite nephew or niece!
My Uncle was such a servant! And he inspires me to this day. I want to be half the servant of God that he was! When he retired from working for the school division he started coming out to our farm to help with seeding and harvest and he would work harder than any of us. And Uncle Stan would not just come for a few weeks, he would come right when seeding or harvest started and would not leave until it was over! And when there was ever a break due to weather, or anything else he wouldn’t just sit back and read a book, no, he would get out some paint and start painting the sheds bins, etc. He was always finding ways to serve us and fix up our farm! And I know that between seeding and harvest he would be helping his children, or his other relatives! And every winter he would go on a trip doing missions for a few months in countries like Ethiopia, Korea, Columbia or China! He would help fix up schools, or help fill a teaching role for a semester, or I am sure whatever else needed doing! He had such an impact on the people who he met in these countries that several of them even came to Grande Prairie to go to College and stayed in his house! One of these young men from Ethiopia, Anyo, even flew from Toronto for the funeral and was an usher with my brother and I!
Uncle had the whole funeral planned out, and it was just the way he would have liked it to be, about family, friends, fellowship and fun! And most of all about Christ's love!
I remember every time he came to our farm for seeding he would bring pictures of his expeditions over the winter for us to see how God was working in other parts of the world, and he would always bring coins, and ties and other types of trinkets for all of his nieces and nephews and their children.
Or I think of the letters that he would send me in the mail that were written on birch bark.
Uncle Stan would always be looking for ways to help us, like if he knew we needed a car or that we were interested in something he would get us magazines about it.
Or I think of my cars that I have owned, how am I ever going to buy another car again without him to assist me? He would let me drive his car at such a young age. The first car I ever owned was his old car, and he let me pay for it in installments, so that it wouldn’t hurt my budget heading off to University!
Even the newest car I got. I was in Thailand on a missions trip and Uncle Stan had heard that my old car was starting to fall apart, so he emailed me to come up through Grande Prairie to buy his car. But, in the meantime he had found a car which would probably better suit me, more in my price range. So, he recommended me to buy that car and did all the paperwork for me. I am so glad I had that 4 days with him, while we figured out all the paper work to get it into Saskatchewan! It was hard to see the first stages of ALS at that point.
I have so many memories of Uncle, from him taking us moose hunting, or of us putting coins on the railroad tracks behind his house and seeing how they had been squished by the train!
The last few weeks before Stan's passing he was heard saying several times, "I am ready to go home, I want to go home." One of the requests he had was that his children (Twyla, Sharlene and Duane), and grandchildren (Brady, Brian and Hannah) would live their lives for Christ, so that after he sees Christ, his wife, and parents and the rest of his family already in heaven, that he will wait to greet his family to heaven. He said that the most important reminder for us is to love our family first and then to love others. The most important thing in life is love! And that love flows from Christ!
The World has lost an amazing man this past week, a man of God, and the world was a better place with Stan Paulson in it and is not as good of a place without Him. As my younger brother stated, when Uncle Stan arrived in Heaven, I know that God said, "Welcome home Stan, you have done well, my good and faithful servant!"
Uncle Stan was not given the temporary healing that we wanted for him on this earth, but instead was given the greatest gift of Ultimate healing in Heaven!
I miss him, and I know I always will while I am on Earth, but I know I will see him soon, and I will always be inspired to be like my Uncle Stan. I know that if I come even close to being the man he was that I will make an amazing impact on this world!

Two of my heroes in the faith and men who have had a Huge impact on my life, Uncle Miles and Uncle Stan. This was taken at our 2008 family reunion, and the last time I saw Stan.

Give Me Your Eyes

2008-12-22T00:00:00.005-07:00

It has been a while since I have blogged... and this could be interesting... I am tired, but I want to get my thoughts out so that I don't keep putting it off and forget what is on my heart right now!

I have had lots to say, but have been so busy that I haven't had the time to sit down and get it onto paper... hopefully I will get some time to reflect over the next couple of weeks! It has been a pretty great last four months, I have grown quite a bit, and look forward to see what God has in store for my future. I will take some time over the Christmas to explore my options for come the end of April, when my contract ends. I have some really encouraging ideas! Now to see where God wants me.

Anyway, I got a Christmas card from a really good friend who I went to the University of Regina with, a friend from Nova Scotia, who now plays basketball for Windsor University. As long as I have known Emily we have shared music with each other. When she moved to Regina I started to get to know her and I showed her some of my music that inspired me, some worship music, etc. After that she would make me mix CDs of her favourite worship songs, etc. And when she moved to Windsor I made her a mix of some of my favourite goodbye songs (I know, cheesy, but it was fun). Well, with her Christmas card to me she included a CD of worship songs. This Christmas season I have been pondering a lot about how I can make a difference for Christ in this world. There is so much materialism, and even amongst family and friends and the Christian community. I find Christmas to be so shallow and commercialised sometimes. So, I was thinking of how to make it different and I started talking to my family about doing something else instead of presents this year. We are exploring ideas, I think we are going to give to World Vision or something instead of gifts this year.

But, when I was listening to the CD from Emily I heard the song "Give Me Your Eyes" by Brandon Heath. I can't stop listening to this song! Such an amazing message. Exactly what my heart is saying and what my prayer is for this season. I see so much pain and different feelings as I walk around malls at Christmas time. It is a joyous time for many people, but at the same time it is a very hard time for so many people. Christmas time can be the loneliest and most painful time for so many people. I want eyes like Christ for the people who are hurting. I don't want to just walk by people and ignore them and rush to where I am going to. I want to see people for who they really are, and help them. I want to see them through Christ's eyes and have Christ's heart for them. I don't want to be able to walk by and ignore the pain... but, see who the people really are and help them.

That is my prayer for this Christmas season, and for the rest of my life!

Anyway, here are the lyrics (and the link to the video clip):

Looked down from a broken sky
Traced out by the city lights
My world from a mile high
Best seat in the house tonight
Touched down on the cold black tile
Hold on for the sudden stop
Breath in the familiar shock
Of confusion and chaos
Are those people going somewhere?
Why have I never cared?

Chorus
Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the once forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see
yeah .. yeah .. yeah .. yeah

Step out on a busy street
See a girl and our eyes meet
Does her best to smile at me
To hide whats underneath
There’s a man just to her right
Black suit and a bright red tie
To ashamed to tell his wife
He’s out of work
He’s buying time
Are those people going somewhere?
Why have I never cared?

I’ve been there a million times
A couple of million eyes
Just moving past me by
I swear I never thought that I was wrong
Well I want a second glance
So give me a second chance
To see the way you see the people all alone

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the once forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see
yeah .. yeah .. yeah .. yeah

Working out my Faith and more on this obsession

2008-10-18T11:38:00.002-06:00

I heard someone recently talk about working out, how people get obsessed with working out and they love it and it becomes a passion and obsession and they take it to excess. I know that at first the working out was a struggle for even these people. The first little while it feels like there are no results, just pain and soreness, but then results start showing up from being disciplined and one starts to love the workout high or runners high, or just the feeling of getting the adrenaline going, being physically active and seeing one’s body get stronger and look better!

This can be compared with our spiritual disciplines. I have heard people the last couple of years start to shy away from disciplines, it almost seems like the “in” thing to just follow the spirit and throw out the disciplines. But, as the old term goes “don’t throw the baby out with the bath water!” (I couldn’t resist using that phrase!) I am all for the spirit leading us, but we still need spiritual disciplines in our lives. It is the same as this physically training, at first it is difficult, but as we train and push through the hard times God rewards us… and eventually we will break through the proverbial wall and feel Christ’s presence in a new and incredible way!

We don’t need to be afraid of disciplines, they don’t remove the spirit from our lives, but they help us. They give us another avenue to hear Christ’s voice. I pray that as we train and keep moving forward as Christ’s disciples that we will fall more and more in love with Him each day. That we will become obsessed with Him and want to know Him more and more deeply every day. That the obsession that people have for working out, for music, for drama, for their significant other, that those obsessions will be dwarfed next to our obsession with our Creator!

As was shared with me recently (I find it amazing that a thought will be in my head and then I will hear several people in the same day share something that reinforces my thoughts and prayers!), “Prayer is not the purpose of the Christian life, neither are any of the vital disciplines that Jesus modeled for us. The disciplines, however, set into motion a mysterious transformation as we deepen our intimacy with God. Transformation then is set into motion by our heart’s desire to follow Jesus and in humility submit ourselves to the practice of the disciplines in community. We allow others to help us keep our commitments to God. A discipline will join a new order of life, a life of discipline and accountability, to be transformed into the image of Christ. There is a new way of saying this that I have found very helpful. We should train to be godly, instead of trying to be godly” (p.19-20, Bill Hull, Jesus Christ Disciplemaker).

I pray that I will fall in love with Christ and that the disciplines that can be used to draw closer to him will become a passion rather than a chore. That I will never be satisfied with doing my "15 minutes a day", but will constantly be wanting more of Him, in anyway that I can get to know Him!

My Obsession!

2008-10-17T10:08:00.001-06:00

While reading this I think you should listen to “You are Mine” by Mute Math, or “Obsession” by David Crowder Band or Delirious?. I have been listening to these two songs a lot lately. On Friday for coffee break I turned out the lights in my office and just sat back and listened to the lyrics and worshiped God.

So, I have seen people change a lot when they fall for that "special" guy or girl; suddenly they like different types of music, or bands, or even suddenly have a passion for music, sports, etc for the first time! Wouldn't that be incredible if we fell in love with Christ in this same way! We would love what He loves and do what He does! Think about that, the way that a "liking," "crush," or even "love" for a person on this earth and how that changes who we are. Please don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that there is really anything wrong with this change, these relationships should change both people involved in a positive way, closer to Christ and be mutually helping the person grow. We should look for relationships and build into people and be built into for change in both parties, and more so in the close, tight relationships, and then more so again in a marriage relationship.

But, I digress! Think about how these relationships change us and how much a relationship with our creator can change us! I was listening to a Vineyard song called "Beautiful" and I want to sing this love song to Christ above all else in this World. I want to fall in love with Him in such a tight and intimate way! I want Him to love me (as He does more than I can ever comprehend) and cause me to love Him so deeply that I am obsessed with Him and want to be like Him and want to do what He loves and be where He is, and have His heart! I want to be obsessed with Him and like what He likes and be passionate about what He is passionate about. I want to become like Him!

We become the person who we emulate. This could mean something small, like being Wayne Gretzky or Alexander Ovechkin whenever playing street hockey. We try to reenact their moves, or have their style or dress like them. Or we try to sing like our favorite singer. We start to have the same sense of humour, or have the same mannerisms, or little quirks of our friends, the people we look up to, or our significant others. The people we study or spend a lot of time with we start to become! We see this so often with couples, they start to become the same person in many ways. Suddenly the guy doesn't mind chick flicks, or the girl starts to cheer hard for the Canucks... or even little things like they both start to do that little biting of their lip when they find something humorous, or say that little inside joke. When people look at the couples they start to see each person in the other.

I want to emulate Christ! I want to have His interests become so much a part of me that I do not even know that I am doing them! I want to become so much more like Him that when people see me they see Him. I want to have His little quirks and passions!

I want the desire of a lover for Christ! You know that obsession where the significant other is on your mind at all times!? When you go to bed the last thought is of that person you care for, and the first thought when you wake up is of that special person. I want my last thought as I go to bed to be that of Christ and the first thought as I wake up to be Him! I want the little pauses in my day to be filled with Him and how much I love Him and how He loves me! I want to desire to know Him more, to have a desire to talk to Him and to hear from Him!

I hear of newly married (or even long time married) couples where one leaves on business or a short vacation with the guys or girls. Everyone jokes about how the one left behind now has freedom and is "Batching it" and must be loving being single again. But, the honest response is always that they miss their partner almost as soon as they leave! And this missing isn't because the guy now has to make the meal! It is because he feels that part of him is missing, he does not feel complete without his partner. This same thing is said about the person who is away; they want to share their experiences with their significant other. She sees things that her husband would be fired up to see or he sees things that he knows that his wife and he could enjoy together. They do not feel the enjoyment apart that they would together. I want this to be the same as my love for Christ! I want to share my moments with Him! I want to learn from Him and to include Him in every aspect of my life! I pray that my experiences will feel hollow without His involvement in them!

I yearn to be OBSESSED!

My Calling in music!

2008-10-16T18:21:00.001-06:00

OK, so here is some of what I really want to share!

As I was driving back to Hepburn from visiting my brothers for Thanksgiving I was listening to some amazing music that got me thinking!

As I was listening to music I thought about how much God loves us! There is a song by Jacob and Lily, called "Child of the King," that shows how valuable and loved we are. The song talks about just being in Christ’s presence and how we are Christ’s treasure! We are children of the King and are so precious to Him. We are His prized possession! I want to be in Christ and just abide in Him!

The next song that I heard spoke of how Chris has redeemed us (“Embracing Accusations” by Shane and Shane). Each of us is so lost, and there is no way that we can possibly ever live the lives that we have been called to, we can not earn our way to Heaven. But, the amazing thing is that it does not end there! It does not end with our failure, because He has redeemed us. No matter how many times we fail or fall into the same pit over and over again, he is there to accept and save us! We can’t do it on our own, but only through Christ! He has defeated death and sin and has redeemed us!

The next song spoke of how we are to have the same heart as Christ (“Tears of the Saints” by Leeland). I yearn to have the same heart as Christ! That I will be so moved by the pain that I see in the World! Christ is crying for the lost and hurting in this World! I pray that Christ will move in my heart, and that I will never be the same! I am loved and redeemed by Him, and I pray that I will have His eyes and Heart!

OK, I have to leave for hockey practice now… I will get to the brunt of my thoughts soon! This is crazy… I haven’t even gotten to my real thoughts yet! I keep thinking of more that I want to say, and it makes it longer and longer!

More than "just" content to drive these lonely highways with my random thoughts and God

2008-10-15T17:13:00.002-06:00

Well, I drove home for thanksgiving this weekend (well, not really home... it was a weird Thanksgiving. I went to Eston to visit my brother, and we stayed at my Aunt's house for the weekend, and she wasn't even there! She was in Regina for the weekend. We had grilled cheese sandwiches on Sunday, and popcorn chicken on Monday!) and for once I really enjoyed the drive by myself. I didn't start to crazy, but instead had some time to just think and listen to music, and most importantly I was able to take some time to listen to what God had to say to me. It has been quite a while since I have felt God's presence or felt Him impress something on my heart that I felt like writing down and sharing. After my drive back to Hepburn I quickly ran to my computer to get some of my thoughts out! It has been really neat to feel Christ encouraging me and speaking to me in this way... As I was going to sleep on Monday I had to get up and write up some more, and then first thing in the morning I had some more to say. I am not saying that it is that profound, but it is really encouraging to me! It will take a few blogs maybe, so that you don't get too confused by all of my thoughts!

To start off with, some non-inspirational insights. There are some really poor drivers out there! I get a kick/feeling of fear from drivers... from those who drive waay too slow (like 20 km below the limit)... to drivers who don't signal (I want to turn left, but am not am waiting for the next car, and then they signal at the last second and turn! I could have went, but now have to wait for the next light)... or people driving waaaay too fast and being impatient/getting cut off. It was crazy, I almost got in like three head on collisions because people tried passing when they shouldn't have! And finally, people following waay too close on the highway. I think that many people do not know how to drive on the highway. If I can't see the following cars headlights then what will happen if a deer jumps out and I hit the brakes? We are not driving in a city at 50 km/hr, but 100 km/hr!

This is getting long already, so I will process my thoughts a bit more before sharing them! I need to figure out the right way to break my thoughts up into more concise thoughts.

But, one thought I have had for a while is the way that many of us tend to pray! I have heard many people when making a request or just praying in general say the word “just,” as in “Lord, just do this for us”, or “I just pray that this event will run smoothly,” or “I pray that you will just heal this person of their sickness if it is your will.”

God is a God of more than “just!” He is beyond “just” and “if!” I am watching how I pray, I want to pray in anticipation and faith! I know that God will go beyond “just” and can and will blow my socks off! I want to see Him go WAY beyond just and do the miracles that He wants to in my life! I am watching how I pray, I pray that even in the little things that God will go beyond “just” as He yearns to do and does continually!

What an adventure to go beyond “Just!”

The Unknown God

2008-10-07T10:59:00.001-06:00

I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. Acts 17:23

I recently read of an interview from a few years ago with the Portuguese player Luis Vidigal about his team-mate, Figo. What is so special about Figo, was asked, of someone who had the opportunity to study him at close quarters.

Vidigal replied, "Figo has something special in his feet. He thinks and acts very fast. He is extremely difficult to stop. He is really blessed, without a doubt. Although he doesn't recognize that that blessing comes from the Lord".

Many sportspeople fall into that category – they are blessed by God with a body that works well. In many cases they have a special talent that sets them apart from others. But often they do not recognize God as the source of the talent.

Writing to the Romans, Paul says that there is no excuse for not recognizing that their talent is from God: "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse". Romans 1:20

As we represent Christ in the world of sport (or whatever we do in life) it is our task to help our team-mates, fellow committee members etc to see and recognize the God who is present with them, albeit unknown to them.

As we play with them and seek to share something of our experience of God, we need to pray for them, that they will be open to see and experience the God who loves them.

My way or the high way

2008-09-25T12:17:00.000-06:00

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? James 4:1

We live in a culture that seems to say, if I want it, I will take it by force. There have been more wars in the 20th century than in any century before it. We may be technologically advanced but not in character. The world is full of tyrants and dictators who rule for their own gain, not the good of their people.

And it is not just in governments that you find tyrants. Many of us have played under coaches who were bullies, who always had to be right, who humiliated players who dared to disagree with them. Some of us may have experienced similar types of leadership in the church.

The Christian should have no part of this. In the following verses the key words that James uses are "humble, submit, purify". We are to choose God’s way not the world’s. We are to take our example from Jesus who "being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!" (Phil 2:6-8).

As we represent Christ in the world of sport, let us aim to do so in a spirit of humility – not pushing for our own position but acting in the interests of others.

Expectations

2008-09-16T10:20:00.000-06:00

Jesus answered, "If I want him[John] to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me." John 21:22

Shortly after the Beijing Olympics I was told of a conversation that a colleague had on the telephone with South African swimming legend Penny Heyns. They were talking about the pressure of the Olympics and how other people’s expectations and the fear of letting them down can add to the pressure.

Stuart described the conversation in the following way.

Then Penny said: “As Christians we need to remember that we perform for an audience of one and not be weighed down by other people's expectations. I know that is not easy”. So simple yet so profound.

As we walk off the field, step out of the pool, can we honestly say we have given it our all and sought to give glory to God? If so, we have been successful. In sport – as in all walks of life – it is easy to be caught up in what other people think of us.

In the verse at the top Jesus reminds Peter that his energy should be concentrated on following Jesus, not on what happens to John. The challenge to concentrate on what Jesus wants us to do, regardless of what others may think or what others may do, is a timely reminder to many of us.

An Update of sorts

2008-06-05T22:12:00.003-06:00

OK,
OK,I know I owe many people emails... and I will reply... soon! my weeks are shot without internet access (I live for the weekends), but the last few weekends I have not had much time on any sort of internet... but soon!
This is an email that I am planning to send out soon (once I have enough time on the internet to type in all of the email addresses and press send!). So, some who read this may get this in email form in the next couple of weeks. But, for now here is an update for those who notice and read this blog type thing!
So, my contract with Bethany College as the Interim Athletic Director ended at the conclusion of April. But, I have continued to live out in Hepburn, in the same house that I have lived in for the year. Let me say that it was an incredible year at Bethany, and I grew a lot. It is a great College and I will be keeping my eyes on the happenings for years to come. It will be kept close to my heart for sure. Great student body, great faculty and staff and it was so neat to be a part of it for a year. God is working on that campus.
I knew it was a nine month contract, which I knew would be a very short time, but wow did it ever fly by! Seemed like it just started and then suddenly all the students are gone!
So, I have been continuing to look for work in Athletics for the last few months. I really love college and university athletics, and pray that I will find the right fit for me. I have found that I really love getting to know this age group and trying to come alongside them and helping them integrate their faith into sport. I am still trying to explore different options and discern what that will look like for my future! Whether I should just work towards being part of an University Athletic Department, or if I should be joining Athletes In Action as full time staff. I want to be where God wants me.
But, as I look for the right job I figured I should be making some money, so I have started working construction with Henry Janzen Steel Buildings. I am still not sure what job I will have there, but I will hopefully be put on a crew soon and start learning! It feels like all I do is work, eat and sleep each weekday, as I start at 6:30 am and am not done the day until after 5:00pm (which is why I have fallen behind on my correspondence!), but I should make lots of money and it is pretty close to where I live. This past week I did some framing, which I really enjoyed... it was neat to learn stuff, after just cleaning the yard for the last couple of weeks.
I kind of wish that I had moved into Saskatoon for the summer (I feel kind of alone out here sometimes), but I did not want to move and then two weeks later get a job where I have to move again. So, I will be out in Hepburn till mid-August likely... and then see where God takes me on this journey.
Well, I said I would keep this short... Hmmm, I think that might be it,
Hope you are all doing well... I will update you when I figure out the next step in this adventure of mine called life! It has been good seeing some of you in Saskatoon this past month, always encourages me to see friends, longtime and new!
Peace,
Jadon
PS. OK, two quick stories:
I have realized that I have entered a new phase in my life- Now people ask me if I am married! That seems to be the first question that is asked to me when I meet someone new at work, church, etc. I almost break into laughter everytime... it seems like an overnight change!
Also, I was cleaning garbage at the yard where I work, just cleaning up all the stuff that got blown into the trees, etc. Well, I stopped for coffee and saw this thing crawling on my arm, a wood tick! Man, do I ever hate ticks! I was paranoid the rest of the day! But, the song by Brad Paisley kept going through my head, "I want to check you for ticks!" haha

Compete as a Christian or don’t compete at all

2008-05-07T20:33:00.002-06:00

This was something I read by Stuart Wier, I thought it was worth passing on:

Scott Reavily in his MPhil thesis on competition, came to the conclusion that for the Christian: "the case against competition is more compelling than the case for it". If he is right, then Christians had better get out of sport.

If he is right Christians need not only to stop playing sport but also to stop doing business or entering politics as they will be obliged to allow their opponents to win every time! It is our view that Christians can and must stay in sport and face the tensions head on.

I believe, however, that the challenge for the Christian competitor is to bring a higher quality of competition into sport. That is the crux of the issue we are addressing. Christians are to take God’s world of sport and regain it for his glory. The world of sport, in Calvin’s phrase should become a "theatre of God’s glory". Christians are to be fully engaged in competitive sport, using their God-given talents to the full, giving 100% commitment to the contest. At the same time that commitment is to be given in a spirit of loving one’s neighbour as oneself.

There have been many examples of treating one’s opponent with love in the history of sport. For example, Eugenio Monte removing the bolt from his own bob and giving it to the UK team whose bolt had broken in the 1964 Winter Olympics – ultimately sacrificing his own gold medal chance; or tennis player Nduka Odizor lending an opponent a pair of his grass court shoes before playing him in a tournament.

I suggest that the Christian is to compete with three attitudes:

that competitive sport, like everything else for the Christian should be an act of worship;

that we are to love our neighbour (ie our team mate, opponent and the officials) as ourselves; and

that as Christ’s representatives we must play Christianly.

What better arena is there in which to exhibit the love of Christ than sport, as players love team mates as themselves, as they care for each other and make sacrifices for each other?

Accepting defeat as not the end of the world, and being content to have given 100% for God, may be a radical concept. It is also how Christians need to express their Christian faith amidst the challenges of professional sport.

Embracing Accusation

2008-05-06T14:57:00.003-06:00

I feel like such a failure sometimes. I feel like I keep failing Christ, sometimes it really gets me down. There is a passage in Galatians 3 that states that if we do not follow the instructions in the Bible then we are damned, we are cursed! But, the passage does not end there, Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law by being a curse for us! I thought this was such a good reminded when I read this. There are so many times when I wonder where the heck my life is going. I feel like I am wandering aimlessly, and am not being of any use to anyone, let alone God, I fail and fall so often!

Then I went to the Shane & Shane concert and bought one of their CDs, I have been listening to one song in particular, "Embracing Accusation." This is such an amazing song. It starts with the devil preaching over the singer, saying that we are cursed and are hopeless. But, this is the beginning of the gospel! We are hopeless, we are cursed, we can not save ourselves, we are failures. But, that is not the end (as the end of the song is Christ singing the rest of the gospel message, louder and more powerful than the devil's accusation), Christ has saved us! This is such a powerful song... send shivers down my back each time!

When we feel useless and hopeless, these accusations from the devil that we can not gain our salvation, think about how this is the beginning of the glorious message from Christ! That it is Christ who saves us, there is nothing that we can do, it is all Christ!

Christ wants to use us as broken people, He wants to redeem us and use us for His glory!

The devil preaches the beginning of the gospel over us, that we are failures. But, he leaves out the refrain of the gospel, that JESUS SAVES!!!!

Our Value Part IV- We are Christ's Ambassadors

2008-05-03T16:56:00.002-06:00

Well, I figured I could start this last installment with a bit of an update. So, as I stated earlier in these blogs... I am unemployed right now, and just trying to get my house in order again.
I will probably just work construction for the summer (while continuing to apply for jobs and seek direction for the fall), and get involved in a church in Saskatoon. I am excited to pick a church and get involved! I miss having that kind of community. It was an awesome year here though, I definitely grew a ton and learned a lot about myself, in some ways that I had not expected to! It was really cool to have the community here... but, now it is gone and I do not know where I fit. Feels really strange, to go from having so many people around and having that community and basically my whole life was wrapped up in this little college. And now it is gone and I need to kind of figure out my life again, figure out where I belong. Very strange feeling. I hope that I can find a community of sorts this summer... or else it could be a long, lonely summer... maybe I should have found a place to live in Saskatoon!

Well, I had a good evening last night. I went to the Starfield concert... I really enjoyed Shane & Shane. They were incredible! I wish that they would have been the headliners, I didn't want their set to end. I bought a few of their CDs, and DVDs came with the CDs, so my music DVD collection is starting to really grow, which I enjoy. I really enjoyed the worship experience. It was nice to see so many people at the concert who I knew as well. A few of us went out for something to eat after, which was nice. I have had some really cool times the last while just listening to music and reading my Bible... so needed. I will have more insights in the next while from what God has been speaking to me about in what I have been reading.

But, the last of this series of mine... haha. I must say that many of my thoughts were inspired from what I learned at Athletes In Action's National Training Camp a few years ago... really changed my life in many ways!

We are Christ’s ambassadors! (2 Chor. 5:20- We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.)

The definition of ambassador is:

1: an official envoy; especially : a diplomatic agent of the highest rank accredited to a foreign government or sovereign as the resident representative of his or her own government or sovereign or appointed for a special and often temporary diplomatic assignment

2 a: an authorized representative or messenger b: an unofficial representative

This is an honour, we are the personal ambassador of Christ (His representatives!)

You can have confidence to go into any room, with any group of people and not feel small. It is their privilege to have you in their lives, because you were sent by the King of this Universe!

He will send us prepared if we are His ambassadors! (2 Chor. 3:5-6- Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 6He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.)

We are already able to deliver, He has made us competent!

We often feel inadequate, but Christ has made us adequate as His ambassadors to do what He has called us to do!

So, I would like to finish off this set of blogs to affirm our value in Christ.

Here are a few things that highlight who/what we are in Christ (I remembered this list from Athletes In Action National Training Camp a few years ago and keep it as a reminder for me daily.):

1) I am Alive with Christ – no longer dead!

2) I am Set Free from Sin – no longer a slave

3) I am a Child of God – no longer an enemy

4) I am Privileged – no longer a stranger

5) I am a Citizen of God’s Household and an Heir – no longer separate from Christ

6) I am an Ambassador of Christ

7) I am a new Creation

8) I am Worth the Blood of His Son

9) I am Not Worthy… But am Not Worthless… I am Loved!

10) In Christ I am an MVP… Most Valued Person (couldn't resist a sports one!)

The theme at our Youth Retreat here at Bethany this year was "Unboxed and Dreaming big," sometimes we view ourselves as so unworthy, and not worth as much as we are in Christ. We are Christ’s ambassadors! He has given us these dreams, and will equip us for them!

If anyone actually reads this I would love to get responses of what your dreams are! He has given us each big dreams, and we often think they are impossible, but nothing is impossible in Him and He has given you your dreams for a reason. I think verbalizing it is an important step! Some of us have verbalized our dream, but we need to remember the commitments we made to Christ!

Share your dreams with someone and encourage others to share their dreams with you. And then affirm those dreams in each other. Christ values us so much and His plans for out lives are so much grander than we could ever comprehend!

Lets affirm each other in our abilities and dreams…

Our Value Part III- A bit of a frustrated rant

2008-05-02T16:43:00.002-06:00

Well, I mentioned that I had an unexpected visit last night. My brother, Byron, pulled in at about 11:30 pm last night. We talked till about 1:30am, and I got to sleep at about 2:30 am... let me tell you that waking up to have breakfast with him before he continued his journey was difficult, 7:30am felt like 5:00am! I am not used to late nights anymore. But, it was really nice to see him again... I hadn't seen him since Christmas, December 27th to be exact! He went to the Philippines to do missions, and just got back on the 16th of April. I am definitely praying for him, for wisdom, strength and direction. I wish I would of taken a picture to commemorate the visit!
Anyway, part three of my four part series! haha

I mentioned my singleness earlier. It has been interesting seeing how people have treated me as a single man in my mid 20s, especially as I have moved around from place to place the last few years. It has been kind of frustrating, because every time I move to a new place, like when I went to Bible College, then to Regina, then to work at camp, then to Trinity Western and finally here, every time I moved people would say, “Jadon, I am so excited for you. I have this feeling that you are going to find the woman of your dreams in Regina or Langley, etc.” In the Christian culture I find that people are led to believe that they are not as valuable if they are single! This is such a lie! You even look in churches. There is a Young Adults group until 23 years old, and then young marrieds, and then singles who are above 30 years old… what about those of us who are still single at 25… we do not fit and everyone is trying to find someone for us, or feels bad for us!

There is nothing wrong with being single! God has a plan for each one of us, and we are so valuable, whether single or not! I wonder if I would have went to Regina if I had met a woman at FGBI, or to Trinity if I had met someone in Regina or here now! I hate this concept of, “You’ll be OK, Jadon, you will find someone and then will be complete.” We are given the impression that we are complete when we find that special someone. I am more than OK if I am single, my value is found in Christ! Don’t get me wrong, I pray that God will bring the right woman into my life, but that cannot be where my value is found! I want to encourage you all, no matter where you are at relationally, not to put your value in relationships, but in Christ.

You are absolutely complete in Christ and have the power to walk in His truth by faith!

2 Chor 5:17 says “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

Nothing can increase or deplete our value!

Our Value Part II- We are so Valuable in Christ

2008-05-01T23:04:00.002-06:00

OK, so I had an interesting... quite productive day... back in November I had my car recalled. I guess the cruise control could start my car on fire. Well, they didn't have the part, so they just uninstalled it. And finally today I figured I had a free work day to get that fixed (since I do not have a job now!). So, I have cruise control now! I love it!
Then I went into the city and dropped my guitar off to get serviced. When I bought it there was a package where I could get it serviced once this year. So, I am guitarless for the next week. Then I went and got my oil in my car changed, and then went across the street and got my cell phone looked at. The screen on the outside stopped working. So, they are sending it off to get looked at and gave me a loaner. I definitely like my phone a lot better than this loaned one! At least I had the presence of mind to get my contacts transferred before they took it from me! Funny is, I had been texting my brother for a while before that, and I handed my phone to the young gal, and I guess while she was looking at it he had texted me the following message, "I love you!" haha, so she had been smiling at me lots the whole time and kind of shifted a bit then. When I looked at it to turn off all my alarms I checked the messages and saw that one from him... I explained it to her and she laughed and said, "Close loving family eh!"
Then I went to Parables bookstore and bought several CDs (some that I had wanted for a while... the new Kevin Max CD "Blood" and some cheap ones that brought back memories Paul Wright and Bleach) and two tickets to the Shane and Shane concert (I want to see them more than the headliners, Starfield).
And now my other brother, Byron is going to stay over night tonight on his round about way to visit friends.
I should probably go back to the house and see if he is there yet, but here is the next part of my talk about value:

A question that I think needs to be asked is Where is our value found?

Let me get a little vulnerable with you guys.

I grew up in an amazing, loving Christian family. But, looking back, I can see that my value was not based on Christ, and I still struggle with this.

One example is how I would often base it on things like trying to get the best marks. If I didn’t get 100% on a math exam I would be so mad at myself.

Or if I struck out in baseball or missed a breakaway in hockey or a serve in volleyball I would rip myself apart. My play would just plummet and my belief in my own value would be awful. My basis for doing stuff was often to prove others wrong and to show them that I was good at something!

Or, as many of you know, I have been single for 25 years. There have been times where I wondered if there was something wrong with me. Like if I am not good looking enough, or muscular enough, or if my personality just bugs people! I think I put my value in people liking me and I was often not myself. I would try to be the jokester, the storyteller and try to be friends with everyone, but as I moved around I noticed that I haven’t had very many strong friendships that endured. It bothers me that I do not have many people who I have kept in contact with.

But, a few years ago I went to AIA National Training Camp and they spoke about the value we have in Christ. It hit me so hard! This concept is something that I knew, but hadn’t hit my heart until this point and it has freed me up in so many ways… I definitely still struggle with my value and with confidence in who I am, but I am constantly reminded of where my value truly lies.

I want to encourage you all that you are invaluable! There is nothing on this earth that is as valuable as you! Think about that, there is no amount of money, or gold, or silver or diamonds that can be used to purchase you or determine your value! You were bought at the highest price possible, with Christ’s blood! Let that sink in. Nothing that you do can make you more valuable, because you are the most valuable thing on this earth! And nothing you do can make you decrease in value, because Christ has paid for you, and in His eyes nothing can decrease His love for you, you are still His beloved and nothing can take away your value. He paid for you with His blood! That is the ultimate price.

To put this into context. Think of the most famous musician in the World, for instance Bono from U2. He is no more valuable than a person like me who is plucking away at the guitar and am happy if I can tune it properly! Or the greatest athlete who, in the championship game of his or her respective sport almost single handedly wins the championship. Or even a person who does all the right things in church and in the community, the person who looks like the perfect Christian. He or she has not gained in value by their performance.

Or from the other perspective, say you have an audition with a dance or music team, and you just bomb it, or you have an opportunity to win the big game for your team and blow it, or you finally get the nerve to talk to that hansom guy or beautiful woman and you get shut down hardcore! Or even the sins that we have committed, no matter how bad they are, Christ has paid for them. Your value has not been decreased, because it cannot be decreased! You are still the most valuable thing on this earth.

Our Value Part I- The Prodigal Son

2008-04-30T23:05:00.001-06:00

Well, as of today, I am unemployed, my contract with Bethany College ended as the month ended, so I started thinking about what God has taught me this year... it is hard for me to really pin point exactly how I have grown and matured. I think I have just been stretched in many ways this year. Many of the ways were ways that I had not expected to be stretched in. I think I grew and better learned where my passions, strengths and weaknesses are. Just like our muscles need to be stretched and broken to grow stronger, there were times this year where I was broken and at the time it felt awful, but looking back I can see that I am stronger now, and am more of a man of God than I would be otherwise.

But, I think one thing that was reinforced to me and that if I could share one thing with the students at Bethany it was the following, that even when I messed up or just didn't do as good of a job as I thought I should have done that my value in Christ had not depleted. This is something I had to come back to several times this year, when I felt like a failure, lonely, rejected, or like I had just not accomplished something to the quality that I had hoped. The next couple blogs that I will be doing are based on what Christ taught me this year... I spoke in chapel and I think I would like to share what I said on my blog the next couple times.

I have been thinking about the truths that God has spoken into and about our lives a lot lately. I think we should praise God for these truths that are found in the Bible! I want to talk about one of these truths that has really been on my heart a lot the last while.

I find it amazing how God confirms things in our lives, a passage that has been going through my mind since I started thinking about speaking in chapel was the story of the Prodigal son. Then the Sunday before I spoke I went to a church in Saskatoon (West Portal) and saw our drama ministry team (Players) do a really neat depiction of the parable and then Bethany College's President, Rick Schellenberg, mentioned the same parable on the Monday before I spoke. It seems like God has really been trying to speak to me through this lately. Rick speaks often using this parable, it never loses its power.

When I was asked to speak in chapel back in January I started to think about what to say, and God kept saying the same thing to me. It seems so elementary on so many levels. I am sure many of you have heard the basics of what I am going to say on several occasions. But, I feel like it is something that we all need to be reminded of.

For background on the story of the prodigal son read Luke 15:11-32. The son requests his half of his fathers inheritance and turns his back on his family. After the son had squandered all of his money and was left desolate he came back to his father, to beg to become one of his father's servants. The father ran to his son and raised him to a place of honour, back to where he was before he turned his back on his father! Just think about how the father took the son back as if nothing happened and raised him back to where he was before he left. This is what God does with us. Keep that in mind as I share.

I want to key in on a few verses, 20 and 31.

20So he got up and went to his father.
"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

31" 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.

These verses show that God pursues us- there is no one in this world like God; He will accept us and run to us, no matter what we have done!

God Kisses you with the kiss of love- How do we let God do this? I think in my own life when I think of letting God kiss me I tend to feel dirty and won't let Him. I can imagine this is quite similar to how the son must have felt. The son had been working with pigs, they wouldn't even let him eat the pigs slop, I am sure they wouldn't have let him wash up either. God Loves us no matter what, through our filthiness and all!

God Gives to you- We don’t earn it. He just gives to us because we are His children. His love sets us free.

Loving your neighbour in the heat of the battle

2008-04-29T11:26:00.000-06:00

Love your neighbour as yourself. Matthew 22:39

In writing up his interview with Jason Robinson, (England rugby player and Christian) a sports journalist, Paul Kimmage, imagined the team talk before the game: “Put your bodies on the line. Put your mind on the line! There’s nothing else after this. When that whistle is gone at the end, there is nothing else! They’re arrogant. They think they’re going to win. We’ll take them down.” The writer then imagines Jason thinking “What about ‘Love thy neighbour as thyself’? What about ‘Do unto others as you would have others do unto you’?”

The irony is that Kimmage in his light-hearted, tongue in cheek, article has expressed the dilemma exactly. The Christian player must put his body on the line and be as competitive as the rest of the team but, at the same time, love his neighbour. That is the essence of being a Christian in the cauldron of competitive sport.

If Christian sportspeople see opponents, not as the enemy but as neighbours, and moreover a neighbour whom Jesus tells them to love as themselves, it certainly affects the attitude to the opponent. It is about treating the opponent in the way that we want to be treated: with respect. It is about wanting a fair game, a good contest. It is about wanting the opponent to push us to perform at our best. People often think that being loving and being competitive is an “either or” but, in this setting, love means being competitive!

With that understanding perhaps the way to love one’s neighbour is to give them the hardest tackle one’s body can produce – fairly and within the rules. By doing that one is forcing them to be the best player they can be. Similarly I need the opponent to nail me when I get the ball and to play the most brilliant tactical game they can so that I have to take my gifts and use them to the best of my ability against them. That is to love my opponent in the heat of the competition. It is wanting the best for your opponent, in order to get the best out of yourself. It is playing hard but not seeking an unfair advantage.

Donuts

2008-04-28T21:22:00.001-06:00

This story made me think:

There was a certain Professor of Religion named Dr. Christianson, a studious man who taught at a small college in the western United States .

Dr. Christianson taught the required survey course in Christianity at this particular institution. Every student was required to take this course his freshman year, regardless of his or her major.

Although Dr. Christianson tried hard to communicate the essence of the gospel in his class, he found that most of his students looked upon the course as nothing but required drudgery.

Despite his best efforts, most students refused to take Christianity seriously.

This year, Dr. Christianson had a special student named Steve. Steve was only a freshman, but was studying with the intent of going on to seminary for the ministry. Steve was popular, he was well liked, and he was an imposing physical specimen. He was now the starting center on the school football team, and was the best student in the professor's class.

One day, Dr. Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him. 'How many push-ups can you do?'

Steve said, 'I do about 200 every night.' '200?

That's pretty good, Steve, ' Dr. Christianson said.
'Do you think you could do 300?'

Steve replied, 'I don't know.... I've never done 300 at a time.'

'Do you think you could?' again asked Dr. Christianson.

'Well, I can try,' said Steve.

'Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I have a class project in mind and I need you to do about 300 push-ups in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it,' said the professor.

Steve said, 'Well... I think I can...yeah, I can do it.'
Dr. Christianson said, 'Good! I need you to do this on Friday. Let me explain what I have in mind.'

Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room. When class started, the professor pulled out a big box of donuts. No, these weren't the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend with a party in Dr. Christianson's class.

Dr. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, 'Cynthia, do you want to have one of these donuts?'

Cynthia said, 'Yes.'

Dr. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, 'Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?'

'Sure!' Steve jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat in his desk. Dr. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia's desk.

Dr. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, 'Joe, do you want a donut?'

Joe said, 'Yes.'

Dr. Christianson asked, 'Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a donut?'

Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut. And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten push-ups for every person before they got their donut.

Walking down the second aisle, Dr. Christianson came to Scott. Scott was on the basketball team, and in as good condition as Steve. He was very popular and never lacking for female companionship.

When the professor asked, 'Scott do you want a donut?'

Scott's reply was, 'Well, can I do my own push-ups?'

Dr. Christianson said, 'No, Steve has to do them.'

Then Scott said, 'Well, I don't want one then.'

Dr. Christianson shrugged and then turned to Steve and asked, 'Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Scott can have a donut he doesn't want?'

With perfect obedience Steve started to do ten push-ups.

Sc ott said, 'HEY! I said I didn't want one!'

Dr. Christianson said, 'Look!, this is my classroom, my class, my desks, and these are my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don't want it.' And he put a donut on Scott's desk.

Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his
brow.

Dr. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were beginning to get a little angry.

Dr. Christianson asked Jenny, 'Jenny, do you want a donut?'

Sternly, Jenny said, 'No.'

Then Dr. Christianson asked Steve, 'Steve, would you do ten more push-ups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn't want?'

Steve did ten....Jenny got a donut.

By now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room. The students were beginning to say, 'No!' and there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks.

Steve also had to really put forth a lot of extra effort to get these push-ups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved.

Dr. Christianson asked Robert, who was the most vocal unbeliever in the class, to watch Steve do each push up to make sure he did the full ten push-ups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's work for all of those uneaten donuts. He sent Robert over to where Steve was so Robert could count the set and watch Steve closely.

Dr. Christianson started down the fourth row. During his class, however, some students from other classes had wandered in and sat down on the steps along the radiators that ran down the sides of the room. When the professor realized this, he did a quick count and saw that now there were 34 students in the room. He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it.

Dr. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set.

Steve asked Dr. Christianson, 'Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?'

Dr. Christianson thought for a moment, 'Well, they're your pushups. You are in charge now. You can do them any way that you want.' And Dr. Christianson went on.

A few moments later, Jason, a recent transfer student, came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled in one voice, 'NO! Don't come in! Stay out!' Jason didn't know what was going on.

Steve picked up his head and said, 'No, let him come.'

Professor Christianson said, 'You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten push-ups for him?'

Steve said, 'Yes, let him come in. Give him a donut.'

Dr. Christianson said, 'Okay, Steve, I'll let you get Jason's out of the way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?'

Jason, new to the room, hardly knew what was going on. 'Yes,' he said, 'give me a donut.' 'Steve, will you do ten push-ups so that Jason can have a
donut?'

Steve did ten push-ups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was hande d a donut and sat down.

Dr. Christianson finished the fourth row, and then started on those visitors seated by the heaters. Steve's arms were now shaking with each push-up in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. By this time sweat was profusely dropping off of his face, there was no sound except his heavy breathing; there was not a dry eye in the room.

The very last two students in the room were two young women, both cheerleaders, and very popular.

Dr. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked, 'Linda, do you want a donut?'

Linda said, very sadly, 'No, thank you.'

Professor Christianson quietly asked, 'Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn't want?'

Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow push-ups for Linda.

Then Dr. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. 'Susan, do you want a donut?'

Susan, with tears flowing down her face, began to cry. 'Dr. Christianson,why can't I help him?'

Dr. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, 'No, Steve has to do it alone; I have given him this task and he is in charge of seeing that everyone has an opportunity for a donut whether they want it or not. When I decided to have a party this last day of class, I looked at my grade book.
Steve here is the only student with a perfect grade. Everyone else has failed a test, skipped class, or offered me inferior work. Steve told me that in football practice, when a player messes up he must do push-ups. I told Steve that none of you could come to my party unless he paid the price by doing your push ups. He and I made a deal for your sakes.'

'Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Susan can have a donut?'

As Steve very slowly finished his last push-up, with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 push-ups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.

Dr. Christianson turned to the room and said, 'And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross, plead to the Father, 'Into thy hands I commend my spirit.' With the understanding that He had done everything that was required of Him, He yielded up His life. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten.'

Two students helped Steve up off the floor and to a seat, physically exhausted, but wearing a thin smile.

'Well done, good and faithful servant,' said the professor, adding, 'Not all sermons are preached in words.'

Turning to his class, the professor said, 'My wish is that you might understand and fully comprehend all the riches of grace and mercy that have been given to you through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He spared not His only Begotten Son, but gave Him up for us all, for the whole Church, now and forever. Whether or not we choose to accept His gift to us, the price has been paid.'

'Wouldn't you be foolish and ungrateful to leave it lying on the desk?'

All good things come to an end... starting my reflections

2008-04-22T23:39:00.001-06:00

It has been a while since I have done a real blog, and I do have a few thoughts.
Life has been busy the last month or so, so I have really neglected writing in my journal and blogging my thoughts the last while. I do not know if I had much wisdom anyway! And I am feeling pretty tired today... so, not sure how much I will say.
But, today saw the last few students from Bethany off and I really do feel like my year is done and that this stage of my life is over. Wow, did this year ever go fast! I know that I grew and learned a ton this year in my role as Athletic Director. I am still not sure where God is taking me next... hopefully I will get some direction on a few of my options in the next couple of days!
I will say more on my reflections of my year in the next couple of days, and tell the story of the weekend... we went from beautiful short weather to a snow storm in like 24 hours! Saskatchewan in April... I should have taken pictures!
But, today I want to just talk about a frustration I have with myself and I want to grow in.
The two ministry teams (our musical group "Point of Impact" are doing a tour of Ontario, and a few Manitoba stops and our drama group "Players" are doing a tour of Manitoba and some Saskatchewan and Alberta) left Bethany this morning at 5:30am. I did not say goodbye to these students on Sunday when everyone else left because I figured I had another day to say goodbye. Well, Monday night I was busy until later in the evening, so I decided that I would wake up at 5:00 am to see them off at 5:30 am. When my alarm went off at 5:00 am I kind of questioned myself. My thinking is kind of strange sometimes, and I wondered if I would be the only non-ministry team staff member there and if the students would think I am the creepy staff member who got up early to see them off!
But, I decided I would go, and I was so encouraged to say goodbye to all of them. It brought some real closure to my year in many ways... some great men and women who I have grown to appreciate so much. I came as they were praying before hitting the road, and I could see on their faces that they were happy and surprised to see me. It made my whole year seem worthwhile to see that I had a positive impact even a little bit on their lives!
And to think that I almost didn't go to see them off!
But, my weird mind kept being silly and when they thanked me for coming out I said that I was up to go to the bathroom already anyway! This was partly true because when I woke up I did go to the bathroom before walking to the school, but why did I have to downplay my coming to see them off?
I have enjoyed supporting the teams all year when they did their Sunday deputations, why couldn't I just make them feel special by admitting that I had woken up early to see them off?
Why do we downplay stuff like this? Maybe other people don't do that, but I do anyway... and it drives me nuts! Why can't I just support people and try to bring joy into people's lives without making excuses or downplaying it? What could it have hurt to just say, "Yeah, I appreciate you guys and got up early to show that I care about you!"
I need to work on this area of my life I guess... just love people and not care if they misunderstand where I am coming from! I just want to encourage and love people, and pray that they see my heart and don't second guess my motives!
OK, I will write more in the coming week... as I reflect on my year, figure out where my future is leading me (at least for the summer) and talk about a few verses that have been brewing in my mind for the last month or so!

Matthais replaces Judas

2008-04-01T16:53:00.002-06:00

I know that Easter was last weekend, but this past weekend was still Orthodox Easter I believe. Anyway, I came across this song by Showbread featuring Reese Roper. It is such a passionate song that I can't help but be moved. And then I saw these video clips from "The Passion of the Christ" and it made it all the more moving.

Age and West Virginia!

2008-02-25T14:29:00.003-07:00

I have a few funny stories from this past weekend.
We had a basketball tournament here this weekend! I was pretty stressed out before it started. I was afraid that I was forgetting something. But, once it started it seemed to go quite well. It was a fun weekend. The last game went right down to the wire! Bethany beat Millar by 3 points in the men's final! Our hockey team, that I coach, also had games, both Friday and Saturday nights! So, it was a hectic weekend.
But, I had a couple old friends come, who were playing for a rival team. It was fun to visit with them. The one is attending the school, and the other is teaching high school history. The teacher was a ringer because they were short players. We had some funny chats about relationships. You will have to ask me in person about that story, not sure if it should be shared on the Internet! It isn't a bad story, just funny. These two mid 20's friends of mine, saying how old they feel, and how the teacher can't date any of the high school girls there or freshmen because they are too young and it would be illegal, because he signed a contract, but it would be OK for his friend because he is still a college student. OK I guess I told the story already, and you likely had to be there to hear the way he said it!
Then I came to work today and there was a message on my phone from a guy claiming I owed him money for a basketball game that he officiated February 6th. I looked at my calendar and realized it was a Wednesday, two days after our big youth retreat! This didn't make any sense at all.
I listened to the message again and noticed his phone number had a really strange area code. So, I was about to look up where it was from through a reverse number thing, when he called again! He was really mad and demanding his money. Nothing made sense and I tried to explain to him that he was mistaken. I asked who had played and that I didn't recall there being a game that day. He just kept getting mad at me and told me that we were playing "Teal" or something like that and that Aaron had said we would pay them within a week, and kept telling me all the officials names. I asked him if maybe it was a high school game and finally asked who Aaron was. he told me Aaron is my head coach, blond crew cut! I told him we didn't have a coach by that name, and described our coach. He then demanded to talk to him! I asked him where this game had been played (our coaches have other jobs, coaching is just part time). He said, "At your gym!!" I said, what town. We are located in Saskatchewan. He kept interrupting me and said "Bethany College in West Virginia!!!!!" I kept trying to tell him we are in Canada. Finally I got through his hollering at me.
What a Monday experience!!! Made me laugh anyway!

Lyrics to Crown

2008-02-18T22:31:00.004-07:00

Here are the lyrics to the song "Crown" by Collective Soul. I mentioned this song in my last blog and figured I could provide the lyrics. They talk about being lost and of going their own way. Who is (or wears) the crown in our lives? That is a really good question. Such Biblical lyrics of being lost like the prodigal son. We wander on our own for a bit and God is waiting for us to come back home and to make Him the centre of our lives again and put the crown of our lives back where it belongs, on his head... I will let you read the lyrics for yourself:

Who's gonna be my savior
now that I've learned to believe
Who's gonna be the answer
To all of my questioning
Well I hope I'm not lost
But I think that hope is now distracting
And the words that secure a thought
Are now faint whisperings

Who's gonna wear my crown
I don't know I just might alone
Who's gonna wear my crown
I don't know I've just got to go my way

Who's gonna be my partner
Now that I stand here alone
Who's gonna be the shepherd
To lead this poor boy back home
Well I hope I'm not lost
But I think that hope is now distracting
And the words that secure a thought
Are now faint whisperings

Church, parents, my car and Collective Soul

2008-02-17T14:34:00.001-07:00

My travels home this week were quite interesting. The weather the last week was awful, so cold! But, on Friday it was suddenly beautiful. Well, I decided to travel home on Saturday for the weekend. It was so nice out, but basically from Saskatoon to Kindersley the roads were awful! It was strange, +2 out and clear skies, yet the roads were covered in snow, slippery, and icey. It was crazy, it was some of the worst road conditions I have ever been in. But, I made it home safely. Now will see what I do for the next few days. I think I will go visit my friend in Eston at some point, then head back to Hepburn tomorrow, so I have Tuesday off to just relax and do some cleaning, etc.
It was weird going to a different church today... so used to coming home to go to the church in Eatonia, but went to Kindersley today! It feels strange to not have our church in Eatonia anymore.

Last Thursday I went to a Collective Soul concert in Saskatoon. The team at Bethany that I coach had a hockey game on the Friday night, which I had bought tickets for the concert that night. I felt really bad about that, didn't think it would be a good excuse to miss a game for. Well, I was driving to church a few Sundays before and decided to sell my tickets, then I turned on the radio (which I never do), and they were advertising that Collective Soul was doing a second show on the Thursday! I was so pumped.
Anyway, back to the show. It was unbelievable on so many different levels... awful venue, but awesome concert and a sweet experience with a good ol' friend of mine. Because I sold my tickets I had to go to the concert alone. Well, when I got there I got my ticket and stood in line. Then two people stood behind me in the line who I knew from Hepburn. Then later on one of my camp friends came in, followed by his sister who is my age! So, I had some people to sit with... it is awkward trying to save 4 seats at a concert though! I hadn't seen them in several years, so it was nice to reconnect with them.
The set up was quite awful. There was a low stage, then a dance floor and then a raised floor (about two steps up) where tables were. When Collective Soul was playing if I was sitting I could just see their heads. Then I stood up by a pillar and I could see their shoulders. I would have liked to have watched them play their instruments, but it was a good environment and awesome music. It didn't seem long enough to me though, I wish CS could have played twice as many songs. There were so many songs I would have liked to have heard!
Some funny stories. When I sat down at the table I got a text from one of my best friends growing up. He was at the concert. So, I found him and chatted with him for about an hour, then went to my seat for a few minutes, then found him again and we chatted throughout the opening band, then again after the show. It was so good to chat with him. It had been such a long time since I saw him last, we had such awesome chats... so good to see him again! I will have to make a point to visit with him more.
Actually, when I was talking to him the first time, one of the girls he went to high school with came up and starting chatting. Her friend started talking to me and kept following me around the rest of the night. It was kind of strange, even gave me a big hug at the end of the night! I left the dance floor because some of these girls started grinding... AWKWARD!
So, I was then standing up by the tables and there were two girls standing behind me who kept flirting with me. They started yelling to the band, "Take your shirt off!" I thought it would be funny, so I started taking my shirt off! I thought it was hilarious because I knew they meant the band... I think they thought it was funny?!? Don't worry I didn't actually take it off!
Fun concert anyway!

My parents came for some appointments in Saskatoon this past week, so they decided to stay with me. We had a pretty good time I think. I even watched the CS Atlanta Symphony Orchestra DVD with them Thursday night! haha I love that DVD! I have been trying to learn guitar so I had a few chord charts that a friend gave me for a few Collective Soul songs. The lyrics were on the chord charts, so I showed them to my parents, so they could follow along... they were for softer songs like, "Satellite" and "How Do You Love."
I played the song "Crown"for them and showed them the lyrics. This song has such incredible meaning if you know some of their background and see the emotion as the lead singer, Ed Roland, sings. And then after seeing his brother, Dean, give him a hug. Their father passed away a few years before this concert, and the song was dedicated to him. He was a pastor and I know had a huge influence on his children. Listening to the song I can just imagine how their father prayed for them and tried to demonstrate to them how to live. In the song it is so evident that they both know how they should be living their lives for Christ, but love the lifestyle that they have and can't quite let go. It is like one of my old high school classmates said to me before high school grad, "I will turn out OK Jadon, keep praying for me." They know what they believe and how they should be living, and I can totally see their lives coming back to God... they just can't quite do it yet. My friend is on fire for God now, and I can see them doing the same eventually. It is so evident in the lyrics and passion of the song! I had a good chat with my parents about this after.

One more story, I lent my car to a student last weekend, Nate. Well I gave him my keys and then started playing some card games in the school. Then 20 minutes later he ran into the school saying he had gotten my car stuck and then locked the keys into the car! Good thing I have a key pad on my car, so I could just type it in and get it unstuck. I just rocked it and got it out. I had forgotten that I had my house keys on my car keys, so at about midnight I couldn't get into my house. So, instead I hopped on Nate's bed and slept until he came in for the night! I could hear him asking people if they had seen me and then, "I bet he is in my bed!" I jumped up when he opened the door!

My Jesus (Todd Agnew)

2008-02-11T13:48:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking quite a bit lately about who Jesus is, what He would do if He was on earth right now and how that should be affecting me and how that should affect the way that I behave, act and live. I heard this song quite a few years ago. I kind of forgot about it until today. It is such a powerful song! I have had it on repeat all afternoon... I want to be like my Jesus!
Listen to the song by clicking on the song title:

My Jesus (Todd Agnew)

Which Jesus do you follow?
Which Jesus do you serve?
If Ephesians says to imitate Christ,
Then why do you look so much like the world?
Cause my Jesus bled and died
He spent His time with thieves and liars
He loved the poor and accosted the arrogant
So which one do you want to be?
Blessed are the poor in spirit
Or do we pray to be bless me with the wealth of this land
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness
Or do we ache for another taste of this world of shifting sands
Cause my Jesus bled and died for my sins
He spent His time with thieves and sluts and liars
He loved the poor and accosted the rich
So which one do you want to be?
Who is this that You follow
This picture of the American dream
If Jesus was here would you walk right by on the other side
Or fall down and worship at His holy feet
Pretty blue eyes and curly brown hair and a clear complexion
Is how you see Him as He dies for Your sins
But the Word says He was battered and scarred
Or did you miss that part
Sometimes I doubt we’d recognize Him
Cause my Jesus bled and died
He spent His time with thieves and the least of these
He loved the poor and accosted the comfortable
So which one do you want to be?
Cause my Jesus would never be accepted in my church
The blood and dirt on His feet might stain the carpet
But He reaches for the hurting and despises the proud
I think He’d prefer Beale St. to the stained glass crowd
And I know that He can hear me if I cry out loud
I want to be like my Jesus
Not a posterchild for American prosperity, but like my Jesus
You see I’m tired of living for success and popularity
I want to be like my Jesus but I’m not sure what that means to be like You Jesus
Cause You said to live like You, love like You but then You died for me
Can I be like You Jesus?
I want to be like My Jesus

Henry Bekkering

2008-02-08T16:09:00.000-07:00

I keep hearing about this guy from Taber, Alberta. He has incredible hops!
I met him when I was in Thailand for the World University Games. He was playing for team Canada and we ended up on the same bus transporter thing as him and had a cool conversation about sportsmanship and stuff.
Watch his dunks!
This video just reached 1,000,000 hits the other day!

The Human Body

2008-02-04T18:15:00.000-07:00

I thought this was good, by Stuart Wier!

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own’ (1 Corinthians 6:19).

It would be impossible to play sport if you did not have a body! The human body is important. It is part of God’s creation. The human body has been further dignified by the incarnation, when God became man and took flesh and blood. The theory of dualism – that the spirit is good and the body bad - finds no support in the Bible.

Understanding this should have a profound influence on how we view our bodies and on how we use them. A fit, trained body can and should bring glory to God. Equally we cannot deny that there have been many abuses of the body in the name of sport. Drugs, doping, playing through serious injury have left many retired athletes physically wrecked. Others have seen their career ended by a reckless tackle by an opponent.

Paul drew a parallel between the athlete and the Christian in 1 Corinthians. “I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize” 1 Corinthians 9:24–27. The 100 metres gold medal at the Olympics is decided in less than 10 seconds. But how many hours of “beating their bodies” will the medallists have spent in the previous 4 years, how much iron pumped, how many reps completed in the gym?

As sportspeople we must thank God for our body. We are obliged to work hard to get it in shape. We must also remember that it is the temple of the Holy Spirit and keep that in focus and our sport in perspective.

"Unboxed and Dreaming Big"

2008-02-01T12:54:00.000-07:00

As I have thought about the Youth Advance theme this year, “Unboxed,” and been involved with the process of planning YA I have thought about how amazing God’s plans are for us and how our dreams are nothing compared to His dreams for us. That He has this plan for our lives that is so beyond the box that we put Him and ourselves in. I kind of envision it as getting this huge gift (where it is given in parts) and opening a bit of it at a time… and wondering what in the World it is… as we open parts and start putting it together we get confused, or excited. We will not see the whole gift until His timing. But, it is still exciting! Or one could compare it to a puzzle or kinder surprise, where no picture is given, just directions for each step.

A verse that comes to mind is Jeremiah 29:11-12

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

I think about how amazing God’s plans are. I remember going to attend the University of Regina and not having a clue what I wanted to take. I decided to go into pharmacy, not because it really appealed to me, but because I didn’t know what to go into. I knew that it wasn’t really where God wanted me, but I trusted that God would show me where He wanted me.

I remember in my second year I took two Kinesiology classes for electives, and loved them. It was incredible, I prayed the morning of that first class that God would give me a divine appointment. And He did not disappoint. Every class I sat in I would meet a varsity athlete and really connect and speak into their lives! I have always had a passion for sport and for those that don’t know Christ, and to just love them. I was really involved with Athletes In Action at the UofR and I would mention that to these athletes and a few weeks later I would see them at a meeting, as several other people had also invited them out!

God has continued to put me places where I can grow and change, and see a little bit of what His plan for my life is. From FGBI, to the UofR, to Trinity Western, and even some of the summer jobs that I have had, and now Bethany.

I do not know where even the next destination is for me at this point, and that scares me, but I do know that God’s plan, dream and vision for my life is bigger than I could ever imagine. He is putting a dream in my heart and will show me how it will be used for His kingdom, whether that is through AIA or just working in a sport setting and loving people!

My dream scares me to share in some ways. I feel so inadequate for my dream, but, that is why it is such an awesome dream! I could never do it without God beside me, without His strength and guidance! I need to rely on Him!

I love University Athletics. I have this passion for these young athletes. They are idolized by so many people, and it is such a messy scene in so many ways! Guys are being pursued by women and women are being pursued by men… often sexually. I dream to come alongside them and love them as people. They have such a hard tough shell where they act like they have it all together and don’t need God, but deep down I think they are seeking and feel so lost. Everyone looks up to them, so if they start seeking they feel like they are weak!

I want to come alongside these young men and women and just love them as people, as God’s sons and daughters! This is a very hard task, but I have had the opportunity in the past, and God keeps setting up divine appointments for me in so many ways over the years! It has been so cool and encouraging to see Him use a measly vessel like me to love these people! It has been amazing to see their tough shells break as they see how much God loves them and His love shining through me in a pure way. In a way that they have never seen before! Where I am talking to them as a person who cares, not a fan who worships them!

Adventures in church hockey

2008-01-27T17:14:00.000-07:00

Well, this past weekend we had an adventure in church hockey!
So, I figured I would chronicle it... it made for a very eventful Saturday evening!
The team that we were playing against is always quite chippy (or one could say dirty). There ended up being quite a few penalties in the third period, which I was thankful for because it keeps some control in the game.
There was one guy in particular on the other team who was playing particularly dirty. If there was ever a scrum he was in there to "break it up" as in to give our guys a shove and was always complaining to the ref and at our players.
Well, with 5:19 left in the 3rd period this player had an altercation with a player from Bethany.
I asked our player how it happened and he said that the two of them were jostling in front of the net. This opposing player (lets call him Brett) claimed that our player (lets call him D) speared him in the groin. I asked D about this and he said that if he did, it was an accident. He said that they were jostling and then Brett went nuts and attacked him.
These kinds of things happen in the game, but what concerns me is what happened after. Brett received a penalty and D did not, which says something. Brett was crying blue murder and then looked at me and said, "If you don't take number 3 off the ice, he will come off bloody." The ref then ejected him from the game. The refs didn't hear what he said, but, his own players said to send him to the showers.
Then when Bethany was leaving the ice after the game, Brett was standing by the gate that Bethany comes off the ice at. There was a commotion as I was the last one off the ice and he was arguing with some of our players and spectators. He said that he was waiting to finish what he started with that little something or other or something to that effect...
I told the players and spectators to go inside and asked Brett how old he was. He said that that has nothing to do with it. He is a big guy, like 250 lbs minimum and the guy he was jostling with is like 5' 7". I then told Brett that these are young 18 year olds and he is much older, so he should move on and be mature. He then threatened to give me a black eye. Or as he put it, "A black eye to match the one you already have!" (I got hit with a stick in the eye with a stick a few weeks ago in a game of shinny... well, actually right under the eye, but my eye turned really black!)
He also threatened to fight one of the fans. This fan was not a younger college age fan, but was an adult who has a 21 year old son. I think the spectator was trying to tell Brett to stop beaking at our players and to move on. Brett said, "why don't you leave and mind your own business!" But when he was told to leave he said, "I am allowed to be here, it is public property!"
Brett was yelling at our players and complaining to the ref all game. This I can take, but I do not think there is any need to threaten my players, me or the spectators. D was afraid that Brett would be waiting for him outside the arena.
Anyway, it was quite the gong show to say the least! I wondered if I had said the wrong thing, but everyone told me I handled it very well. I guess he said that we were bunch of Grade 11s... well these Grade 11s beat you 9-3!
Good old church hockey eh!

Crazy!

2008-01-24T09:59:00.000-07:00

I don't know if this is relevant to anyone... but, I was given a box of Turtles for Christmas, and usually I am very careful to check what kinds of nuts are in them, because I am very allergic to Brazil and Hazel nuts. Well, the person who gave me this box of chocolates knows about my allergies, so I never thought about it. So, the last week I have been eating a few a night. I noticed that they tasted different and my mouth tingled a tiny, tiny bit. I never thought anything of it, because I am slightly allergic to almost all nuts.
Well, last night I noticed that the box said "Hazel nuts" on it! So, I am very thankful that I did not go into anaphylactic shock! I guess I have started to grow out of my allergies... although I am not going to test it anymore, and gave the box of turtles to my brother. I am not going to try Brazil nuts anyway, because I think they might be quite a bit worse!

I am starting to look for jobs now... am going to apply for one in Ontario this weekend (although I would feel like a trader if I took it... Argos!) and one for a job in Africa! So, will see where God leads me... it will be hard to leave Bethany at the end of April, I do know that... it will get harder all the time!

God is good and He has led me where He has wanted me in the past. It is always so neat to look back after going somewhere and seeing how I was meant to be there for that time in my life, either for growth or to get the right contacts for future involvements or even just for the divine appointments that I was able to have while in that season and place. God has such an amazing plan for me! It is just hard right now, the transition phases are the worst... I look forward to settling down eventually!

A lesson from Padraig Harrington

2008-01-23T18:20:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about the whole concept of "Audience of One" and then I was reminded of this story of Padraig Harrington... thought I could pass it on to you...

Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." Galatians 4:6

One of my abiding memories of the sports year 2007 was Padraig Harrington’s Open Championship win. For those of you who are not familiar with the circumstances, Harrington was in command of the golf tournament, certain to win, when he reached the final hole. He then hit his ball into water with successive shots and seemed to have blown his chances. In the end he finished joint first and won the play-off.

As Harrington walked of the final hole in despair, thinking he had blown his chance to win, his young son came running over to him, Harrington picked him up and hugged him. Afterwards he said that the encounter had helped him get life in perspective: “My son didn’t care if I won or lost. I was still his daddy and he wanted to hug me”.

Harrington was winning his first major before a global TV audience of millions but in that moment he was focused on an audience of one – his young son who loved him unconditionally. What a picture of God who loves us when we win or when we lose, when we place with grace and when we don’t.

As we play our sport, we need to keep reminding ourselves that our identity is not in our success or our performance but in who we are as people, made in the image of the God, who loves us just as we are.

My Christmas Adventures

2008-01-03T17:25:00.000-07:00

Christmas was quite the adventure this year! Some good and some bad, but lots of stories anyway… I figured I could share a few of the stories anyway!

I had a good time at home with my family before I left for my friend’s stag on the 27th. Was good just to relax with family and catch up on some reading and emailing… and snowboarding. I find it trying to be at home sometimes… I start to make my home in a new place, and my heart is there. Even though I have only live in Hepburn for 5 months, it still is starting to feel like home. So, it may be hard to leave in April!

So, I MCed my friend’s wedding, so that was a new experience, but I really enjoyed it, and I have been told that I did a good job to! I was going to get a T-shirt made that said “always an usher” on the front and then “never a groom” on the back, but I guess now I will have to get “and MC” on the side now! It was such an awesome wedding, one of those weddings that just seems right! They are both awesome, Godly people! It was so cool to see Erin go down the aisle to a song with the words, “If you love me, you must first love Jesus in me.” Those might not be the exact words, but you get the gist!

So, I just relaxed in Regina and caught up with people until New Years. I usually would try to sleep in and then do stuff with my good friend, Mike Johnston in the afternoons and evenings. And did some more reading. I bought a stand for my guitar and a capo. Now my bro, Nathan, won’t have to worry about stepping on my guitar because of me leaving it out! Now, just to learn how to play it!

I saw my friends who play pro hockey in the Czech Republic, awesome, godly women! So cool to hear the stories of how God is using them there! And my good friend VT, haven’t seen him since my convocation in June, but was able to visit with him 3 times in 2 days! Such a blessing! Even went to an authentic Vietnamese restaurant on Sunday.

And a few cool stories. I went to church on Sunday morning and it seemed like a lot of my friends were not around anymore, some have moved away or went home for the break or something. Well, I talked to a few friends who had just graduated from nursing and asked them what they were going to do for work. Well, there was one young lady who I know but have rarely talked to. I saw her standing there and I started asking her about her plans. She told me that she has her nursing practicum left, and is going to India January 5th. I told her that Bethany College 3rd year students are going there for missions January 5th. She got really excited and ran around the pews to be closer. She said that she got a visa from a Bethany student. I guess the government had sent my friend, Janell’s visa to Amanda… I don’t know how they mess that up! Anyway, Amanda looked Janell up on facebook and they were able to exchange stories and pray together. Small world! Who would think that Janell’s Visa and Passport would go to a person who I know, and that I would say more to Amanda than I ever have before! haha

Then, on New Years Eve my brother, Nathan, called my cell phone to tell me his car had started on fire an exploded! I guess he smelled smoke as he drove to the Wal-Mart in Kindersley but thought it was just a bon fire or something. He went into Wal-Mart and 5 minutes later there was a red alert for a white Mustang! There was a flame under the hood and everyone told him not to go near it. Everyone was running to their cars and driving away like it was a terrorist attack or something! He phoned the fire department, but by the time they got there it was a huge fire and his car is totaled! He was able to get his stuff out from inside, just not the trunk.

I even got to see the Saskatoon Blades defeat that Regina Pats 2-1 and was able to have a chat with a few Christian guys on the Blades!

There were many other adventures… but those are the ones I can talk about! Haha!

Snowboarding in Saskatchewan- that is not a mountain!

2007-12-23T14:12:00.000-07:00

Well this is a simple instalment for my blog.
I went snowboarding at Table Mountain yesterday with my youngest brother, Nathan.
I must say that after snowboarding at Mount Baker in Washington State when I lived in Langley last winter that Table Mountain does not quite do it for me anymore. Nathan and I got bored very fast! Basically every run is the same, except for a novice run that we could go up onto the side and go out of bounds with a bit.
I also must say that it is a lot more fun when I can snowboard with a group of friends, it was nice to have Nathan, but when on a hill such as Table Mountain, the visiting with friends is almost more important than the boarding. I am stubborn though, and after driving 2.5 hours I wasn’t about to turn around and go home after only an hour, like Nathan suggested!
And then I got frost bite on my big toe again! It was a cold day, and we stopped to warm up after an hour and then lunch after two hours, but my feet felt pretty good the rest of the day. So, I was shocked when they were still sore this morning! I guess I need to be careful after my experience of having that toe turn blue and losing the toe nail a few years ago! It was on my foot that was strapped in to the bindings… maybe I should switch feet part way through the day, or not make my bindings so tight! haha
But, it was nice to see some results in my snowboarding ability! It was nice that my brain finally kicked in and I didn’t have to think when boarding. My body just knew how to recover when taking a jump or hitting a rut and losing control a bit. That felt pretty neat, it is so psychological when taking jumps and stuff!
So, I want to buy new snowboard boots and I think it is important for me to get goggles and a snowboard helmet as well. Sunglasses kept getting fogged up and they just don’t do the job. And I can’t convince myself to take risks and take jumps properly, which is probably my wisdom kicking in, so I think I really do need to buy a helmet! Then watch out! haha
Then we were driving through Unity and I was like, “why don‘t we visit the Riesses?!” So, Nathan texted our friend Sheldon and he had just gotten home from Calgary for the holidays! It was really nice to see him and his parents again. It had been about 2 years since I had visited with Ken and Anne. They are such an amazing couple and I always feel so encouraged growing up and visiting with them. Even the first time that I stayed at their house I felt so comfortable and almost enjoyed visiting with them more than my friends who I was visiting! Ken always tried to give us relational advice!
Ended up being a good day if only I hadn’t got the frost bite on my toe!
Does frost bite in toes create bad dreams? I had an awful night last night! haha

Music... such a blessing!

2007-12-20T21:43:00.000-07:00

Well, I made it safely to my parent's farm outside of Eatonia today, what a intense, treacherous drive... so foggy! There were times when I could see like 20 feet in front of me... but, at the same time it was a really good trip, has some good music and some really good time just talking with God... I needed that time, helped refresh me! I had some things that I needed to vent about, and other things that I just needed to give to Him and trust Him and others where I can just praise God for how good He has been to me!

But, to the point of this blog...

I know I often write in this blog about sports, there is so much that one can learn and apply from sport, but today I was thinking about music. As I drove back to Eatonia to visit my parents over the Christmas break I was listening to some really great music. Some of it was Christmas music, but not your regular Christmas songs, I love so many of the traditional songs, such as "Oh Holy Night," but some of these newer ones really spoke to my heart today!

An example is "A Christmas Song For All Year Round" by Aaron Sprinkle:

"I wonder if this Christmas
They'll begin to understand
That Jesus that they celebrate
Is much more than a man

The way the world is I can't see
how people can deny
The only way to save us
Was for Jesus Christ to die

And I know that if St. Nicolas was here he would agree
That Jesus gave the greatest gift of all to you and me
They led him to the slaughter on a hill called Calvary
And mankind was forgiven when they nailed him to a tree

But most of all the children
They're the ones I hope will learn
That Jesus is our savior>
And he's going to return

And Christmas isn't just a day
And all days aren't the same
Perhaps they'll think about the word
And see that it spells his name

And I know that if St. Nicolas was here he would agree
That Jesus gave the greatest gift of all to you and me
They led him to the slaughter on a hill called Calvary
And mankind was forgiven
We were all forgiven when they nailed him to a tree

So merry Christmas"

This song is a good reminder of the real meaning behind Christmas. If we look past all the hype and presents we must look to the gift that was Christ. This gift was Christ coming from heaven and being made flesh, so that He could then die on the cross to pay for our sins, so that we could be forgiven! This is often forgotten, but it is good to remember that during the Christmas season.

I was listening to this song on the drive to my parent's house today, I would recommend you listen to it. It doesn't have as much meaning when reading it as it does when listening... I think that is what makes music so special... one can hear a person's heart in the song and it has so much more meaning!

Music is such a gift from God, it is amazing how music and lyrics can really speak to one's soul in such an amazing way! I find that I will be feeling emotions, good or bad, and I can't figure out quite how to express them properly. But, music can express the exact emotions that I am feeling in such a meaningful way! It is amazing to just worship God in the car and just talk to Him about what is on my heart, whether I am excited about something, nervous about the next step, mad at the World, hurting... Whatever the case may be, God can take it, and it amazes me how music can help get that emotion out!

I am so thankful for the spiritual element in music and how it can speak to our souls in such amazing and meaningful ways! God wants us to tell Him what is on our hearts, whether joy, or hurt, and music helps us express that!

God definitely has a sense of humour!

2007-12-17T15:40:00.000-07:00

A good story that I got from a friend today.
My friend and coworker, Rosemary, flew to Fort Lauderdale a few weeks ago with her husband for a conference. Well today in prayer meeting she asked that we pray for her luggage. Her luggage never made it from Winnipeg to Florida, and she has been talking to the airline to figure out where her $2,800 worth of clothes etc would be. They keep telling her that it will come tomorrow.
Well, just after we were done praying her husband phoned. It was in Iowa! A lady who had been missing her luggage for a year had a suitcase delivered by hand to her house today. It had been hand delivered from a Carnival cruise!
The Iowa lady said that it didn’t look like hers, but wondered if it was her stuff inside. What the Iowa lady found was Rosy’s stuff, including her Bible sitting on top! The receipt from Parable’s Christian Store was still in the Bible so the Iowa lady phoned them and they in turn phoned Rosy’s husband! How does the luggage end up in Iowa or on a Carnival Cruise is my question!
And another funny thing, the woman from Iowa, her husband helped run the conference that Rosy went to in Florida!God answers prayers… in funny ways sometimes… thought that was a funny story you would all appreciate!

Time for Reflection

2007-12-16T15:56:00.000-07:00

I don’t know if anyone ever actually reads my blogs, but I figured I could get a bit more personal on this newest installment. The students all left on Wednesday, so Hepburn has become way too quiet for me liking. This means I will get a ton of work done, but with my brother gone for the weekend it leaves me feeling like I am in the middle of no where all alone. As many of you know, when I have a ton of free time on my hands and time to think my mind starts to spin like one wouldn’t believe. I start to think WAY too much, and can get myself in trouble as I get contemplative and sentimental, etc.

Anyway, I figured that a good way to focus my time would be to do some reading, and reflect on what God has taught me, and also be silent and listen to what He has been trying to say to me all semester!

As I look back on the semester God has been good to me, He keeps reminding me of that. This past semester has been a really interesting one. I have learned a ton, that is for sure, in ways that I was definitely not looking for and did not expect in coming here to the small town of Hepburn to work at Bethany College! I came here thinking in many ways like it was just a simple stepping stone to where God wants me to be in the future, I was looking past this year a lot. I quickly realized that God had other things in mind for me. There are amazing students, faculty and staff here who have built into my life in so many ways. I have really learned how geared I am toward other people. If all I did was my work and then went home and did my own thing, without interacting with the students I would feel so incomplete. But, on the other extreme, this has made me quite unbalanced. I feel like I have been trying to do so many things for other people, working all day and then coaching hockey late in the evening, and trying to hangout a bit with my brother each night before he goes to bed, etc, etc! I want to get re-focused and make some time for myself where I can just sit back and listen for what God is trying to teach me, and to talk to Him. I do not do this close to enough. I have been trying to stay in shape by going to the gym at least three times a week, and this has really fallen by the wayside. And even one of my big focuses has fallen down, visiting with the guys in the dorms! I was in the dorm the other day and a guy made a comment that he was surprised to see me in there! I don’t know how best to find this balance in the busy life at Bethany, but I pray that God will help show me where my focuses need to be and how to combine some of them… anyway, here is what God has spoken to me about lately:

Luke 11:5-13

5-6Then he said, "Imagine what would happen if you went to a friend in the middle of the night and said, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread. An old friend traveling through just showed up, and I don't have a thing on hand.'

7"The friend answers from his bed, 'Don't bother me. The door's locked; my children are all down for the night; I can't get up to give you anything.'

8"But let me tell you, even if he won't get up because he's a friend, if you stand your ground, knocking and waking all the neighbors, he'll finally get up and get you whatever you need.

9"Here's what I'm saying:

Ask and you'll get;
Seek and you'll find;
Knock and the door will open.

10-13"Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This is not a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we're in. If your little boy asks for a serving of fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? If your little girl asks for an egg, do you trick her with a spider? As bad as you are, you wouldn't think of such a thing—you're at least decent to your own children. And don't you think the Father who conceived you in love will give the Holy Spirit when you ask him?"

A practical example of this is using basketball… I am not a three point shooter at all, but I told myself that I would keep attempting them today until I made one… usually I can make like one out of five or six, but today I could not hit one if my life depended on it, but I kept pushing at it and finally I made one! That felt so good! I decided to keep shooting until I missed (risky for me, because I am stubborn and like to end on a good note). Well, I made the next four. It just clicked! As soon as I released the ball I knew the ball was in the net. This is a good analogy, because sometimes no matter how hard we try life just doesn’t seem to work the way we want it to, but finally it clicks and just feels right. We need to be persistent in following God’s will for our lives and praying consistently and persistently. He knows what is best for us, and sometimes that is a no, or a wait. These answers are hard, but they make us stronger, and when we finally get a yes it feels so good and right, just like when I finally made a 3-pointer. If I had made the first one then it wouldn’t have felt even close to as good as when I finally made one after so many attempts!

God will grant us our prayers, we must be diligent in our prayers. He has our best in mind though. I am so thankful that some of my prayers were answered with a no, instead of a yes right away. There are others where I still don’t know what the answer is, perhaps it is just, wait. I find that one to be the hardest one of all. I think it is one that I have been learning the last couple of years, but in particular this year. I feel in so many ways like my life is in a hiatus. I am in an interim athletic director role until April and then have no idea where I will be after that. Right now I try not to think about that. God has it in control, but at the same time it is kind of scary. I have moved a lot the last few years, from Eatonia, to Eston, to Regina, to Langley and finally Hepburn. Each place has helped me grow on this journey and I have learned something new and different!

God has His timing, and I know it is right… sometimes it is “wait.” I am not very good at waiting, I want to figure out a solution all of the time.

But, when God finally gives a yes to each of my continuous prayers I know it will be sooo right! He knows what the perfect job is for me, and where I will be of the best service for His kingdom… that could be in Saskatoon, Regina, Alberta, or maybe even a province I have never lived in like Ontario! I want to be open to His guiding! There are always factors that enter in to decisions, but God has continuously put a peace in my heart when he says "Yes" or "Go."

That is all for now…
Jadon "The Rambler" Frank

Marion Jones

2007-12-03T09:26:00.000-07:00

I received this from a British man who writes alot on Sport as ministry and worship, Stuart Weir. I thought it was worth posting.

“If anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules.” 2 Timothy 2:5

I was saddened by the recent press reports on Marion Jones. In the 2000 Olympics Marion won gold in the 100 metres, 200 metres, 4 X 400 metres relay and bronze in the 4 X 100 metres relay and the long jump. Five medals in one Olympics. Now she has handed all the medals back after admitting to using steroids.

Marion was blessed with an immense talent. To be world class from 100-400 metres as well as long jump is awesome. Somewhere along the line she decided to step outside the rules. She made a big mistake and has paid a terrible price.

At one level she deserves no sympathy. She broke the rules. She knew what she was doing. She lied about it. Her actions deprived someone else of the chance of a medal. She is guilty and deserves her punishment. But then there are the words of Jesus ringing in my ears. "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone” John 8:7. There but for the grace of God, go I.

Marion made a serious error and she will regret it for the rest of her life. As Christians let us pray for her rather than add to her condemnation.

God works in and around us... even where we think there is no way!

2007-11-30T14:10:00.000-07:00

I got an email the other day from a friend who I hadn’t talked to in years. I was open with her about my faith and sent her updates every once in a while about what was going on in my life, prayer requests and all. I had no idea where she was in her spiritual walk, but I just kept being real with her.
Well, I hadn’t communicated with her, except for my Christmas, and moving updates, etc. Then a year since I had last heard from her I got an email thanking me for my friendship and asking for prayer! I found this so encouraging, I had no idea if I had had any impact on her life, but apparently I had!
Keep being a light and being real with those around you, you do not know what kind of impact you might be having!
God is so amazing… this happened later that same day again! Someone who I had been praying for for a long time and hadn’t heard from in about a year sent me a message encouraging me to keep following Christ and that the words that I shared with them have helped and encouraged them a lot this last while.
I was having a really rough day when I got these emails… God has His timing and knows when we need encouragement!
Then the other day we were having a chapel at school where everyone was supposed to take time to encourage someone who is on their hearts. This is always a neat experience, it is so surprising who makes a point to encourage me. People that I think I have not connected with at all, or who I think I have just not been able to gel with at all end up walking up to me and thanking me, praying for me and encouraging me. I find this so interesting! People who I think I have not had an effect on at all end up thanking me for who I am and what I have done in their lives!God works in people, even when we don’t know it!

Pollution from the heart

2007-11-29T15:21:00.000-07:00

I was reading my Bible the other day, I have decided to focus more on the Gospels, just to read the words and life of Jesus from the different perspectives is a pretty cool experience.
Well, I came across the following verses from Mark 7 and they really spoke to me:

The Source of Your Pollution

1-4 The Pharisees, along with some religion scholars who had come from Jerusalem, gathered around him. They noticed that some of his disciples weren't being careful with ritual washings before meals. The Pharisees—Jews in general, in fact—would never eat a meal without going through the motions of a ritual hand-washing, with an especially vigorous scrubbing if they had just come from the market (to say nothing of the scourings they'd give jugs and pots and pans).
5The Pharisees and religion scholars asked, "Why do your disciples flout the rules, showing up at meals without washing their hands?"
6-8Jesus answered, "Isaiah was right about frauds like you, hit the bull's-eye in fact:
These people make a big show of saying the right thing,
but their heart isn't in it.
They act like they are worshiping me,
but they don't mean it.
They just use me as a cover
for teaching whatever suits their fancy,
Ditching God's command
and taking up the latest fads."
9-13He went on, "Well, good for you. You get rid of God's command so you won't be inconvenienced in following the religious fashions! Moses said, 'Respect your father and mother,' and, 'Anyone denouncing father or mother should be killed.' But you weasel out of that by saying that it's perfectly acceptable to say to father or mother, 'Gift! What I owed you I've given as a gift to God,' thus relieving yourselves of obligation to father or mother. You scratch out God's Word and scrawl a whim in its place. You do a lot of things like this."
14-15Jesus called the crowd together again and said, "Listen now, all of you— take this to heart. It's not what you swallow that pollutes your life; it's what you vomit—that's the real pollution."
17When he was back home after being with the crowd, his disciples said, "We don't get it. Put it in plain language."
18-19Jesus said, "Are you being willfully stupid? Don't you see that what you swallow can't contaminate you? It doesn't enter your heart but your stomach, works its way through the intestines, and is finally flushed." (That took care of dietary quibbling; Jesus was saying that all foods are fit to eat.)
20-23He went on: "It's what comes out of a person that pollutes: obscenities, lusts, thefts, murders, adulteries, greed, depravity, deceptive dealings, carousing, mean looks, slander, arrogance, foolishness—all these are vomit from the heart. There is the source of your pollution."

There is so much packed into this chapter on so many levels, that now writing about it I don’t know where to start and stop. I think we often act very religious with how we act, we feel that is we dress the right way, say the right things, or are at the right places at the right times then we are religious and better than others. But, God cares about what is coming from our hearts, not from our vocal chords, or what others can see us do.
God cares about our hearts of worship to him, not what we look like.
I yearn to be more like Christ and to keep my heart pure in worship, not to care about doing things the way that is socially acceptable to those around me. I pray that God will keep me pure, so that I do not vomit filth, but instead have the aroma of Christ all over me!I don’t know if this made any sense to you, but it is what God has been telling me lately.

Testimonies are a gift from God!

2007-11-21T09:56:00.000-07:00

This morning I was reading my Bible and thinking about life. I started thinking about heaven and the afterlife. Just wondering, what if I am wrong, then what would happen after this life is over! Life seems so surreal so much of the time… it almost feels like a dream. And the fact that I am so busy that I never even take time to relax and think doesn’t help it not feel like a dream! Days fly by so fast… that is another posting though, so I will get back to the topic at hand.
I started to wonder if my faith and choices were just because of my upbringing, kind of scary. But, then it dawned on me, as it does whenever someone asks me that question, I just need to look at my life and the lives of those around me to solidify my faith again! When doubts enter my mind I just need to think about my testimony. And look back on what God has done.
So, I was so encouraged, to keep the faith we just need to share with each other what God has done in our lives. I look back at the changes that have happened in so many of my friends from high school and it is incredible. One cannot argue a person's testimony! A person cannot argue what God has done in my friends’ lives. One does not change in the ways that they have without the supernatural being involved!
I think we need to share our testimonies with each other more often, they are so encouraging!
I think that is so incredible, simple, yet incredible!
God is so good to us,

Jadon OUT

PS. I don’t think of death all the time… just was thinking about where the backbone of my faith was situated!

Definition of Worship

2007-11-19T18:20:00.000-07:00

A definition of worship as an activity that we practice on a Sunday morning between 10.30 and 11.30, mainly through singing ‘worship’ songs, is inadequate. Of course, corporate public worship is an important part of our spiritual lives. However, the biblical view of worship is a seven-days-a-week lifestyle activity, rather than requiring but one hour on a Sunday morning. This point is made clearly in Romans 12:1: ‘Therefore I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.’
We are to worship God and represent Christ all the time in all things. That is, everything in life is to be an act of worship to God. It is a million miles from the religion of ‘keep Sunday holy and do what you like the rest of the week’. The Christian is to please God in everything, by doing it as if for God. That includes sport.
This thought is well encapsulated in the scene from the film Chariots of Fire, when Eric Liddell’s thoughts as he runs are, ‘God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast and when I run, I feel his pleasure.’ More and more Christians have come to see sport, played with the right attitude, as something that can bring pleasure to God.
Those twenty words from Chariots of Fire are very familiar but how many people know how the quotation continues? The full quotation is, ‘I believe God made me for a purpose —for China—but when I run I feel his pleasure and to give it up would be to hold him in contempt. To win is to honour him.’ In the second sentence, the idea is that not to use the talent he has been given would be to dishonour God.Thus the full picture of sport is as part of God’s creation, spoiled by sin, redeemed by Christ so that we can worship God in sport as in everything else.

What is Worship

2007-11-19T18:11:00.000-07:00

I wrote this in mid-September, and sent it to quite a few people, but figured I could post it, since it is still close to my heart... I want to be held accountable on this!

September 7th, 2007

God spoke to me today and then again this evening. I feel that I am supposed to share it with you while it is still fresh in my mind.
It isn't that profound or anything, but I would really appreciate prayer in this as well. I apologize for its length, or even for some of you, possibly its feeling of irrelevance, but this is on my heart.
I have found that I keep focusing on logistics and I have gotten really frustrated with work. It is amazing how I have maybe worked a total of 6 weeks at this job and I already lost focus. There have been several really big programmatic things that have arisen and I have found that I became really focused on trying to do the right thing and to please everyone around me as much as possible. I was doing it all on my own strength and kept running into walls.
It is funny, because as I was doing all of this I was talking to everyone about how sport can be used to glorify and worship God, but at the same time I wasn't doing that. I found that everything was head knowledge but I wasn't applying it. Well, today we had a meeting to discuss a few of the topics in a faculty meeting and God just worked in my heart. Throughout my life I have seen how so many people think of sport as a secondary activity, and sluff off the idea of it having any real significance beside being a fun activity to get exercise. That music, drama and the arts are a worthy form of worship. I am not saying that anyone was saying this specifically, but it was something that got in my head and woke me up. I know how sport is such a universal language and how amazing it can be to use it to worship God and I kept saying this to people for the last two months, but getting frustrated finally woke me up!
In chapel today we had a sharing time and one of our athletes said that Romans 12:1-2 had really spoken to him about how worship is not just music. This stirred my heart again and kind of sat there until this evening. I want to offer my body and life as a sacrifice to God in worship, every part of me!
I saw the gym open tonight, and decided to just dribble the ball around the gym. It was such an amazing time of worship and just talking to God and listening to His voice, no music, just me, the ball and God! It felt so, so good to just release all my thoughts to Him and give Him control again!
He really spoke to me about my heart and focus. There is nothing wrong with me wanting to do the right thing or trying to get the logistics right, but there were some foundational, simple things that I was missing, and that is to take the real time to worship Him and use the opportunities that He has given me!
All these things that I worry and work at must be worked at, but I need to still have my eyes focused on Him!
Even in my preparation to do a session with the athletes on the Audience of One Principle, I was focusing on every audience but this One important Audience of CHRIST!
I have such awesome opportunities here, and I have neglected them so much! I want to take the time to pray with each coach this week and with each athletic team, and just cast the vision that I think God has for this Bible College through our prayer time together!
I also have the privilege of being an athletic director in a league with four other Bible Colleges, why don't we take this privilege to pray together!
Anyway, that is my sermon today, I am never short winded. I would just like your prayer in this and I pray that maybe it might have encouraged a few of you as well! I want to do the right things and help the students on this campus worship Christ with every area of their lives, including through sport! I want to be a living example of that. I pray that Christ will give me confidence with students, coaches, staff etc, to share what He has put on my heart!
Thank you,
Jadon

2007-11-16T15:36:00.000-07:00

Bracketology Faith by Ben Humphries from the Magazine "Relevant"

Thought it was a really good read, so wanted to share it with you all.

I cannot remember a world without bracketology. The word first emerged in college basketball circles some years ago to describe the annual, addictive process of selecting the 65 teams for the season-ending, championship tournament. Everything before that time in my life exists as darkness and chaos.

In the early days, I used to read this word as tongue-in-cheek, a cute exaggeration of one of life's trivialities. But bracketology is no longer a flippant matter.

The word is everywhere. Once solely the possession of ESPN, other networks have seized upon it, because we viewers cannot grasp the magnitude of March without it. If ESPN analyst Joe Lunardi has a business card, the title under his name would be "Bracketologist," and it would not be a joke. A new book has even hit the shelves entitled The Enlightened Bracketologist which utilizes tournament-style brackets to determine what we really love and hate in various categories ranging from “fruit” to “inventions” to “Tell me again why they're famous.” (In case you were curious, peach edged apple for the Fruit Championship, sliced bread won easily over paper in the Invention competition, and favorite Nicole Ritchie beat out cinderella Jeffrey Dahmer for the Tell Me Again Why They're Famous title.)

This book describes the science known as "Bracketology" in its introduction:

What is enlightenment? Better question: What is bracketology?

Bracketology is a way of seeing the world so that we can become more enlightened—about what we like, favor, prefer, abhor or abjure. (Bracketology can even help us determine if we prefer the word “abhor” to “abjure.”) It is a system that helps us make clearer and cleaner decisions about what is good, better, best in our world.

Bracketology—the practice of parsing people, places and things into discrete, one-on-one matchups to determine which of the two is superior or preferable—works because it is simple. What could be simpler than breaking down a choice into either/or, black or white, this one or that one?

The book is incorrect about the simplicity of Bracketology concerning field selection for basketball's NCAA tournament. Bracketology has become standard linguistic fare these days, because choosing the 65-team field has become a science. A group of people, known dauntingly as “The Committee,” compiles mounds of evidence about every team and uses these heaps to whittle the 300+ college basketball teams down to 65. The statistics are mind-boggling—conference record, RPI rating (which, like the NFL's quarterback rating, no one understands), strength of schedule, balance of the conference schedule, record against tournament teams, conference tournament performance, "good" wins, "bad" losses, total team height, average shoe size, grade point average, number of pizzas eaten during the year … the list goes on. The Committee supposedly uses all of these statistics to determine the best 65 teams. Then, onward we march.

ESPN analyst Jay Bilas, a Spartan commentator amidst mere Persians (by 300's historical interpretation at least), commented during one segment of ESPN's daily 25-hour coverage that he just wished the chairman of The Committee had defended the selections, not with bracketological stats, but with the simple statement that they thought these were the best 65 teams in the country. Bilas's point: with all of this "bracketology" science, one tends to miss the forest for the trees.

As usual, Bilas's point was as solid as a Greg Oden blocked shot. Statistical arguments about the worthiness of teams are futile. With such an array of data available, anyone can make a case for any team. Except, of course, for the Clemson Tigers.

Bilas's comment convicted me of the "bracketology faith" to which I often subscribe. I spend so much time trying to understand theological RPI ratings, attempting to figure out God by looking at a variety of details. How does God want me to feel about the death penalty? Is the Calvinistic worldview more correct than the Armenian one or can a dizzying combination of the two exist? Should I volunteer at the church nursery or spend that time in Sunday school?

Now, do not get me wrong, I believe these are valid and important questions. After all, the average margin of victory does provide information about a basketball team just as coming to grips with certain questions helps to better understand God's character. However, a tendency exists in my life to lean legalistic, often times placing too much emphasis and too much stress on these questions at the expense of something greater. This is why the book of Galatians and its statement that “a man is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Christ Jesus” (2:16 NASB) is so easy for me to read yet so hard for me to live.

God is not a science. He is not bracketology (though I bet He understands the RPI rating). When I focus solely on logical and empirical evidence, when I use Him to try to make the right 65 decisions, when I refuse to pull my eyes away from one tertiary detail, I miss the majesty and beauty of the Almighty Sovereign.

God is big.

Jesus died on a cross for me and rose from the dead so that I do not have to die.

The Holy Spirit lives in me.

To cop a phrase from University of North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams, Team Trinity is pretty doggone good.

Theology has great utility; divine questions deserve much attention; the search for God's desires demands real sacrifice. But these things will never satisfy. The person of Jesus Christ is the living water for which I thirst, not any logic or any ministry or any political opinion or any works of the law. These will never be enough.

Here's to resting in the reality of the living God, to being still and knowing God, to adhering to Bilas's encouragement to say that God is best and refusing to stress over the static reasons why I know this to be true.

Angels And Airwaves - The Adventure - Final

2007-11-16T15:30:00.000-07:00

I was talking to a friend today and he asked me how I am serving God. He then continued that in everything that he and I do, we can and should be serving God! I thought this was a good way to look at it!
I can find God in everything, and He can speak to me in amazing and powerful wasy in everything, even in obscure music. Which leads me to this song. I don't know what Angels and Airwaves were thinking with this song, maybe just a love song. But, on so many different levels it inspires me! It talks about being renewed and I take this as being renewed in Christ each and everyday. Life is hard and I often wonder how I can continue on, but with Him carrying me I know that I can do it!
He has made me new through dying for me!
I especially like the lyric near the end:

"I cannot live
I can't breath
Unless you do this with me [6x]"

That lyric inspires me so much, as those are my sentiments each and everyday, and I ask Christ to make this my prayer each and everyday, that He will be working, and molding and using me! More of Him and less of me.

"The Adventure Final" by Angels and Airwaves

I wanna have the same last dream again
The one where I wake up and I'm alive
Just as the four walls close me within
My eyes are opened up with pure sunlight

I'm the first to know
My dearest friends
Even if your hope has burned with time
Anything that's dead shall be regrown
And your viscious pain, your warning sign
You will be fine

Hello, here I am
And here we go
Life's waiting to begin

Any type of love it will be shown
Like every single tree reach for the sky
If your gonna fall I'll let you know
That I will pick you up like you for I

I thought this thing life can't replace
Where everyone was working for this goal
Where all the children left without a trace
Only to come back as pure as gold
To recite this all

Hello, here I am
And here we go
Life's waiting to begin tonight [3x]

I cannot live
I can't breath
Unless you do this with me [6x]

Hello, here I am (You do this with me)
And here we go (Do this with me)
Life's waiting to begin [2x]
Life's waiting to begin

Ugly Words

2007-11-16T15:26:00.000-07:00

OK,
I have neglected to write blogs for quite sometime... so, I figured once a year would be OK! haha. I will try to write here half often now... I will start with a few things I have worked on over the last year!
I seem to have conversations with people about gross words and brought a few examples out, well I figured that I should make a master list of what I can think of, feel free to add to it as you see fit, I did not add all that I could think of... some are a bit too innapropriate:
crevice
gyrate
lubrication
lubriderm
firm
lobes
viscious
loin
nuzzle
protrude
swollen
salivatory gland
legume
naples
suckle
cess pool
penetrate
chortle
hork
yokefellow
mucated
bogie
exfoliant
cuss
moist
supple
shweaty
urge
custard
gurd
chotch
prong
swab
lush
lollygagging
scum
scrum

Plumb song

2006-10-25T23:39:00.000-06:00

I thought that this song was kind of neat by the group Plumb:
Jekyll And Hyde Lyrics

You remind me of a cigarette
You burn up slowly and go out
like that
You make it harder for me to breathe
You
make my head hurt
You make my skin stink
So why
don't you, leave me alone
Say you were wrong.

Cause I don't wanna hide
Neither tears are said to
dry
I want more than just to try and love you
Jekyll
and Hyde

Well it's not easy for me to be
Somebody different, somebody else but me
But Joe the
actor, the extraordinaire
You make it seem like I'm
the crazy one here
So why don't you, leave me alone
Say you were wrong.

Well I am willing to forgive
Are u willing to take ownership?
Cause I'm so
willing to forgive
We're only given one chance to
live

Cause I don't wanna hide
Neither tears
are said to dry
I want more than just to try and love
you
Jekyll and Hyde

2006-02-15T22:18:00.000-07:00

This is me and Victor at the URSU Christmas party... having our non-alcoholic womens drinks... Monkey's Lunch I think it was called

figuring this out.

2005-03-09T19:09:00.000-07:00

I figured I should do one of these. But I don't really have time to work on it. Once I get some homework caught up I will have some wise things to say!
Jadon