Larger Than Life

I was going through a bit of my music and reading the lyrics. I usually try to buy my music because of the value of the lyrics first and then the way it sounds. I know that sounds really backwards, but it works. I hear something I like and immediately find the lyrics. If the lyrics aren't worth the money to buy the cd, than I won't buy the cd. I do have a few "embarrassing" cds that I bought before my brain hatched. :)
The first group I was ever exposed to in a real live concert was Down Here. They played at our church. :) I really enjoy their first cd for the music, but mostly for how clear and firm their lyrics are. I love it when artists make very clear what they are trying to say. I get so frustrated with the "choose your own interpretation" style of writing music. That kind of writing can be so misleading. It's like...what are you trying to say? Are you talking about your relationship with God or your girlfriend? Or the ones that are even more spaced out. It's kind of like trying to interpret a Picasso painting. What was he thinking when he painted this? Was he thinking? or was he just splashing a bunch of paint around? or was he just a wee bit out of his head? This song by Down Here is very nice and clear.

Larger Than Life

Walk this life beneath the stars/ contemplate just who we are/ against the backdrop of knowing God/ Seasons pass they come and go/ but one thing keeps its worth in gold/ a timeless bond, sharing dreams we hold// It's larger than life, it's larger than we/ it's bigger than you. it's bigger than me/ it's larger than life// there's something here that tells me so/ I was not made to walk alone/ it sharpens me to know we stand as one/ will our lives reflect the Maker/ of the sky we're living under/ it changes all to know You're really there/ when the space between us falls apart/ You're the bridge that spans our hearts// You're larger than life, You're larger than we/ Who's bigger than You/ You're bigger than me/ You're larger than life//
by Down Here

God made each of us with a need for Him and that need can only be filled by Him. When we let Him fill that need, we are bound to Him for eternity. The mystery of God and His being is bigger than anyone can truly understand. He reveals Himself to us through His word, and if we let Him, through our lives. Isn't it an awesome thought that God made us so that we can reflect Him? God is so much bigger than my tiny little self and yet he knows and cares about what I do with my life. He wants me to reflect Him and the only way I can do that is if He works in me. I can't do anything without His help. He is allowing each living person on earth to draw breath. If He was gone all of a sudden, than everything would stop. He sustains the world by His power. The only reason the ant on the sidewalk is still moving is because God is sustaining life. He sustains us and yet He gives us our free will. Do you get what I mean by God being larger than life? The things of God are to big for us to grasp with our minds. And yet He still cares about little ol' me and you. Wow! That's exciting!

Beautiful Day!

Hey! Today was a great day. Started out the morning with some great praise and worship at worship team practice and it only got better from there. We had a missionary couple in our church this weekend and they shared this morning. His name is Alex Jean Paul with the French accent. He was born in Haiti and he is now a missionary to Haiti. They are setting up VBS there in Haiti in 27 churches. My Dad will be going out there to help train some pastors since he is fluent in French. It was so great to hear how the gospel is being spread over there. It is unbelievable how poor those people are! In some ways I envy them their hunger, both physically and spiritually. I take God's blessings so forgranted. Here's a song that makes me think every time I hear it.

I Stand Amazed

I bring You my heart/ I bring You my praise/ I bring You my broked dreams I've lost along the way/ I lift up my voice/ I lift up my hands/ I lift up the moments in my life that I don't understand/ And I lay it at the cross/ Where I'm surrounded by Your grace/ And I marvel at the wonder of Your LOVE// chorus: I stand amazed/ I stand in awe/ i stand forgiven in the midst of it all/ Before You I bow/ before You I fall/ Blessed Redeemer, Sweet Savior of all/ I stand amazed// I offer You thanks/ I offer my life/ I offer a sacrifice of praise when I'm scattered by the night/ For You are my shelter/ You are my King/ You are the risen Son of God/ the Lord of everything/ Now I'm standing at the cross/ Where I"m surrounded by Your grace/ And I marvel at the wonder of Your LOVE//I stand amazed/ I stand in awe/ I stand forgiven in the mids of it all/ Before You I bow/ Before You I fall/ Blessed Redeemer, Sweet Savior of all/ I stand amazed!
by GlassByrd

If God loves us enough that He would die for us, then why can't we do something for Him? He gave us our life. Why aren't we offering it back to Him like Hannah did with Samuel? I've heard it said that if we saw all the evil around us that we would die of terror. why is it that we don't die of bliss when we see a glimpse of God's splendor every day? We should be excited (excited is not a big enough word) about God, but instead we are scared of what others think of us! One of the best quotes I heard last summer was: "anything we go through here on earth is but a moment in time when you think about eternity". Somebody said this to me when I was complaining about sore muscles and being tired. I think of it now with the thought "we only have one life! And it is so short compared to eternity! God has given us this time and He wants us to use it to do His work wherever we are. I'll stop my rant for now, but be aware that the whole issue of complacency has been on my heart for a long time. It's not likely that I will give up the subject too soon.:) g'night.

I miss the lake! 

Wow! It's been a long time!

Hey everyone! I know it's been a really long time since I last posted. Sorry about that. Where to start?! Life has been really crazy busy! I started my new job at the Credit Union 3 weeks ago. It is going really well and I love the work since I get to be with people all the time and get to talk to all sorts of people. It's fun! I really hope my attitude reflects Jesus. Last weekend, the topic of Christian complacency came up again. I feel really frustrated with myself and how I keep on falling into the same old trap of feeling too comfortable in my life. Sherry asked us some good questions on the way home from Fisher Bay. We want to start doing some ministry stuff with our college and career group. Last night a bunch of us girls baked cookies and brought them to some people in our church that needed special thought. It was a start anyway. We don't do stuff like that nearly often enough. It felt so good to work last weekend and know that we were making a bit of a difference for the coming summer. Last time I was in the college and career we talked about the will of God for our lives and came to the conclusion that it really is the same for all of our lives, to live our lives for him, loving him and loving people. Whether I work as a missionary or at the Bank I can show God's love to people. It is so easy to become complacent here in Winkler. "Everyone" is a "Christian". I really have to work in order to become excited about doing ministry work or even just saying something in defense of my faith or about what I believe. I don't get a lot of challenges or anything, but if anything questionable comes up in a conversation or people start gossiping, I really have to think whether to say something or not. I really want to be passionate about my faith and Love for God, but some mornings it's hard to motivate myself to get up the half hour earlier just so I can do my devotions. If I can't even read God's Word willingly, how am I supposed to do His will? I've been reading about David in first Samuel lately. He was called a man after God's own heart. He was still sinful, but he had God's will first in his mind. Instead of killing Saul, he thought about the fact that Saul was the anointed king and that he shouldn't be the one to kill Saul. God had put Saul in the position of king and God should be the one to take the position away. I probably would have rationalized that God was "using" me to do his "will". How would it have been God's will to kill Saul, when it is God's will that we love God and love people? David must have thought of that. Because David didn't take things into his own hands, he was blessed by God and ended up becoming the next king. Well...Those are some of my thoughts lately. I know I never finished my story, but I will write it out by hand and finish it on paper before I post the rest of it.
I hope you all have a great weekend! ttfn.

I Got The JOB!!!

Wow! Today was a great day! This is how it went...I got up around 9:00 and felt great. I had a great sleep and felt well rested and happy. I did my Bible reading with my family in the book of Judges and in the book of Acts. (good stuff). Then Heather and I went up to MCC around 11:00. We bought a couch! It is yellow and green and Jerry is going to bring it to the church tomorrow at lunch so if you want to see it you'll have to go to the church. After dawdling around uptown for a bit longer Heather and I came home and had lunch here (grilled cheese for her and cold pizza for me). Then we ate some of our rolo ice cream. :) We went a picked up the groceries from co-op for her mom and dad and put them away and then came back here for awhile. We had some fun looking at home decorating books and stuff. Around 3:00 I went to the Credit Union for a Job interview. It lasted for about a half hour and boy were there a lot of questions! They had three people interviewing me (including Auntie Anna, Heather's Aunt). I was pretty nervous, but the interview seemed to go well. Afterwards I went to quiz practice and did some jumping for sour skittles. (good times) I came back here for supper and fooled around on the computer for awhile. Around 7:00 or so I called Warren to see if I could borrow "Napoleon Dynamite". He said yes, of course and said that he and Liane would meet me at Pembina in a little while to give it to me. (They were going for a walk) Just before I left to meet them, I got a call from Auntie Anna. The conversation went kinda like this..."If we were to offer you the job, how flexible do you think you could be with your other job? We would like you to make this job the priority." I assured her that I thought everything would work out. I said that I would talk to my current boss and discuss how all the hours would work. Anna told me to give her a call back after I had talked to my boss. I said that I would.
I went to pick up Napoleon Dynamite and right away told Warren and Liane that I had a job offer from the Credit Union etc. I came home and watched Napoleon Dynamite and then I thought about what Auntie Anna said about the Credit Union being my job priority. It made a lot of sense to me since I can't exactly move up in my current job at the library and there would be quite a bit of room to move up at the Credit Union. I quickly called Auntie Anna at home and told her that "whether or not my other job is able to be flexible" that I would accept the job at the Credit Union because of the fact that there would be room to grow at the Credit Union etc. She said great and that she would write up a formal job offer and give me a call in the next few days. She was very encouraging in saying that she was happy for me and that this was a great opportunity for me etc. Wow!! What an answer to prayer. I've been wanting this job for a few months now and this is the second time I've applied. I start training May 9th. YESS!! Thanx to everyone who was praying for me during the interview and afterward! I really thank God for this job and I know that He wants to use me there. Pray for me that I will be willing to be used by Him.

Jeremiah 29:11 "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."
Hebrews 13:15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise-the fruit of lips that confess his name.
Hebrews 13:20-21 May the God of peace, who through the blood of the covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

life goes on and so does the story

Hey everyone! It has been a long time since I last posted. The last week or so has been really busy, but also a lot of fun. Last week I worked a lot of hours since I was filling in for someone who was away on holidays. Wednesday Heather and I went out for lunch at dj's and had some fun at the mall. (rolo;) On Friday Liane and Warren got engaged and on Saturday a few of us went to Bruce's and played games and had a fire. Sunday we had some praise and worship time and then went for a walk. Sunday evening Ellie, Tim and I went to Curt and Jacqui's wedding. Afterwards Ellie took me out for ice cream and we spent a lot of time talking about all the problems of the world and how they should be solved. :) good times. Yesterday I went to Christa Wilton's place and had some fun petting all the lambs (31 lambs so far) and then we went for a drive with one of the ponies (Prince). So...that's a bit of a outline of my whole week. This weekend our church is going to Camp Arnes for a family retreat. We are going to have a blast! can't wait! I guess I should get on with the story now. I ended with..."What is your name?" He answered,..."Davy O'Keith", he replied, "and what's your's?" I hesitated before answering, "I don't know. I seem to have lost my name and need a new one. Can you give me a name?" He looked puzzled for a moment and then answered. "I'll call you Wesley because you remind me of 'Wesley the Wanderer' from the old tales." "Thank-you" I said. "Wesley sounds like a good name. Can you tell me where I am and why this castle seems to have been forgotten and abandoned?" Davy replied, "I will if you tell me truly, Why are you here?" "I have no answer for you because I do not know myself." I replied. "I was hoping that maybe you could help me find out. I only know that I am supposed to find out about this castle." Davy straightened his shoulders importantly and said, "Then I will help you. I will tell you all about this castle and why it is abandoned and I will even show you all the secrets of it. Come on! The library is just down the passageway and it has all the history of the place holed up in a huge closet. I'll show you!" He took off running down the passageway and I quickly trotted after him. He took me past a few large doors and finally came to one that he pulled and tugged on before finally turning to me and saying, "Help me won't you?!" I grabbed the handle and pulled with all my might and finally the door creaked open reluctantly. Davy was already inside and pulling open the doors of a large case. Dust puffed up all around the case and a musty smell of old books wafted through the air. Davy sneezed three times before pulling out a massive volume that appeared to be about half the size of the small boy. I quickly joined him and helped him carry the tome to the huge desk that lay nearby. He opened the cover and began to retell the history of the castle and the village that populated the countryside to the west of the castle which I had not yet seen. The story went something like this...That's where I'll stop for today. Please give me some ideas for the history of the castle and village. Thanx for the ideas for names. Even though I came up with a completely different name for the boy. Thanx Ash for the name for myself. I've gotta get to bed now. I have a job interview for the Credit Union tomorrow. Pray for me! G'night all. ttfn

Rainy Day

What a beautiful day! I love rainy days! I just got back from a nice run and the front of me is soaked through from running against the drizzle. :) This has been a really busy weekend. Friday I worked all day and right after work I went to the Fisher Bay Bible Camp Banquet (what a mouthful). Saturday I worked all day and had the option of going to the Michael Card Concert or staying home. I opted to stay home because I was tired. Sunday we had the Pembina Valley Promotional Worship Night. I was at the church from 1:45 in the afternoon till 9:00 at night with a short break for supper. It was great to see friends from camp and awesome praising God in song all day long! Today is a lazy day, though I'm thinking that I should go for a bike ride later on since it isn't windy. On with the story. Thanx again to anonymous for the ideas. I left off with...there came a creak and a scrape like the closing of a heavy door...I jumped, startled. I had thought that the castle was abandoned, but there must be someone or something still here. I debated what to do, and after considering the power of the water in the vial, I decided that it was safe enough to explore the cause of the sound. I followed the passage from which the sound had come, and I came to a huge door. It appeared to be heavy and made of solid, hard wood. I grasped the handle and pulled as hard as I could and surprisingly the door swung open with more ease than I had thought it would. It made the same rough scrape and squeak as I had heard before. I peered inside. It was a large room, and was what appeared to be a bedroom. The furniture was still there but the fabrics had long ago been devoured by moths. A glint of light caught my eye and I saw a mirror at the far end of the room that was reflecting a little light from the high window. I slowly walked towards it and stopped in front of it. My appearance made my eyes crinkle with laughter. I see that I am actually a young man of approximately 15 years of age. (this explains the sturdy black boots. Of course no ladies of that time would wear them) I have longish black hair and my shirt is torn and my arms are scratched and bloody from the field of death. I look very ill kempt and tired. The fact that I am a boy strikes me as funny and I begin to laugh. Then suddenly from the corner of my eye I see a movement in the mirror, My face turns sober and I whip around to look at what had caused the movement. Behind me was a little boy with short curly red hair. He was about 6 years old and his eyes sparkled with what looked like mischievousness, and it would have been, if it had not been for the circumstances. He looked at me warily. I slowly knelt down to his height and beckoned him closer. He slowly stepped forward, and I spoke aloud for the first time. "What is your name?" He answered, "...that's where I'll stop for now. I will keep anonymous' ideas in mind for next time. Please give me some ideas for the little boy's name. Have an awesome day! ttfn

God's love, good friends, and GREAT times. 

Another Continuation

Hey, I'm back to continue the story. First I'll give you a bit of a sum up of the weekend. Saturday was a beautiful day. It was really warm and windy. I went in to work from 10-2 and then later in the afternoon, I went for a bike ride and then a run. Sunday was just as nice and not nearly as windy. We had college and career and spent a great time in prayer then went to Warky's. My first reese peanutbutter cup twister was amazing! I was only able to eat half of it and gave Tim the rest. After Ice cream we went to Morden park to go for a "walk". I would call it more of a frolic than a walk. We had great times playing on the jungle gyms and having a snowball fight. anywhoos...on with the story. Thanx to Ashleigh and Anonymous for the ideas. I ended with...Suddenly behind me there was a great rush of wind...it raised havoc with the leaves and the field behind me rustled with discontentment. The wind smelled sweet and fresh and reminded me with a rush of pleasure of the starry fountain. I was strengthened and looked around me with new regard. I began to look for a different way to get to the castle. I walked along the moat to the right and to the left searching for some way across. I saw nothing that could be of help, but as I walked back to where the drawbridge should be lowered, and was still a ways from the crossing point, I saw a bright flash. It came from the direction of the field. I saw something bright and clear. In a small clearing in the field just to my left there was a large stone set up. On it's level top were carvings and in the center of the carvings was a vial. Again I thought of the fountain. I stepped gingerly into the field again and moved toward the stone. I finally came to the stone and found that it was as wide as I am tall and nearly as high. I tried to jump and launch myself onto the top of it so that I could more easily see the carvings and the vial. It proved useless and I only bruised my knees on it. I walked around the stone and saw a smaller stone on the other side of it placed there almost as in thoughtfulness of those lacking in height. I climbed atop and the wondrous carvings made me catch my breath. They were in the likeness of the starry fountain. In the center was the vial and it's clear brightness as the sun shone through it reminded me of the many colored light of the bubble stars. I slowly reached out my hand and took hold of the vial. As soon as I took up the vial, the field of death disappeared and I was back at the fountain. I filled the vial in the fountain and took my rest under the trees of the fruit grove. I was still puzzled as to how to get into the castle but I knew that the water had to do with it somehow. After an hour of rest I got up refreshed and started my journey anew. I walked across the flowery meadow and towards where the field of death should be. It disappeared with every step I took into it! In my wake more flowers followed in every shape and color and the loveliest of fragrances. I was soon at the edge of the moat and could find no way to cross. I realized that it was the light of the sun through the water that had made the field bloom. I quickly uncapped the vial and poured a small drop of water into the moat. The sunlight followed the drop straight into the moat and as the drop hit the stagnant waters of the moat, it seemed to spread and soon enveloped all the water of the moat in a sparkling magnificence. Before my eyes the crocodiles changed to brightly colored fish that bubbled and gurgled contentedly. I quickly slid down the hill into the moat and drank deeply from the refreshing water. I waded through the moat and enjoyed the soothing feel of cool water on scrapes and cuts from the field of death. I climbed up the other side of the moat and made my way to the doors of the castle. I grasped the large golden handles of the doors and pull with all my strength. They slowly creaked open and I peered into the darkness inside. I tiptoed through the entrance, leaving the doors open for light. The castle seems abandoned, for there is no light anywhere and there were thick layers of dust on all the heavy wood furniture. Directly ahead of me is a great staircase of stone. I slowly walk towards it and once I reach it I slowly make my way upwards grasping the sturdy smooth railing in one hand and my vial of precious water in the other. As I continue upwards the darkness thickens and as I reach the next floor I can only see by the dim light that I am in a great hall. Down a passage to the right there came a creak and a scrape like the closing of a heavy door....That is where I'll stop for now. I need some more ideas. I hope I satisfied Ashleigh's desire for a secret passage by the sudden appearance back at the fountain and I don't think that I shall put any dragons in this story. Please leave some more comments. This post has taken me almost an hour to complete. I'm not sure if that is a statement on my typing speed or just my thinking speed. Hope you all enjoy the story. ttfn

story continued.

To start off I'd like to say that since no one else has cast a vote for the chipmunk's name I would like to declare Warren the winner and the chipmunk is now named MISTER chipmunk. :) Thank you again to anonymous for making it possible for me to continue my story. I am currently sitting here drinking a starbuck's frappucino and eating a mars bar. YUM! I haven't had a chocolate bar since...a really long time ago because I can't remember the event. Well...on with the story. I ended with...what appeared to be a great castle...I start to feel excited. I've never seen a castle close up before. I start to run. I run through a meadow filled with buttercups and soon reach a field filled with thorns, briars, and rot-weed. I look behind me at the beautiful meadow and fruit grove and then ahead at the death and desolation through which I have to travel in order to reach the castle. I look around me to see if there could be some other way but there isn't. I hesitantly place a foot on the field as though I might suddenly be cursed if I dared to touch it. I take another step and soon I am walking through the field, cringing at the sting of thorns that cuts through my clothes. I am glad that I have sturdy black boots. Eventually I arrive at the other edge of the field scratched and sweaty. I stare at the huge moat ahead of me and at the drawbridge that is drawn up on the other side. I slowly tiptoe to the edge of the moat and look down. It is filled with slimy sludge that could never pass for water and in it were hundreds of crocodiles. A stench rose from the moat and I could feel the bile rise in my throat. I quickly step back and sink to my knees in despair. I have to get to the castle but there seems to be no way to do so. Suddenly behind me there was a great rush of wind...

That's where I'll stop for today. What do you think the wind should come from? Please give me some more ideas. I'll keep the other ideas for inside the castle in mind. ttfn

This is what I have on my desktop right now. I drew this sometime last year and I think he is really cute. Does anyone have any good ideas for a name for him? 

most awesomest dayest "Everest almost"

Hey! Today was an awesome day! It was beautiful outside, and WET! I spent the morning driving around town with my Dad. This afternoon I played some piano and then...and then...and then we went...HIKING!! WOOHOO! why am i so excited? I haven't been hiking in a really really long time. Warren went hiking up at Riding Mountain with some friends this weekend and I was pretty jealous. So we ended up going hiking today. He took us (Tim, Ash, Liane and I) to the Morden beach trails and we had a blast. Before we left Ash asked me if she should wear her ski pants and I told her that she wouldn't need them unless she was planning on falling down every 2 minutes. Of course when we got there and started hiking (without Ashleigh's ski pants) she did fall down basically every 2 minutes. It was hilariously fun skidding down icy, slushy, muddy trails! Ashleigh just couldn't seem to stay on her feet and she almost brought me down with her a few times not to mention the others. Warren wanted us to see a "cool" spot before we headed back to the car. It seemed to take us a really long time to get to the "cool" spot because we kept on getting sidetracked. Like one time the other girls wanted to climb a boulder and Warren decided to try to jump up on top of it to join them. He takes a running start and jumps...only to bash his leg against the rock (just like I told him he probably would) :), but obviously he wasn't too injured because...the hike continued. Finally after a few slipping, sliding, and falling incidents with Ash, we made it to the "cool" spot. And it was cool. basically it was a great view of the river and hills. Of course I had to open my big mouth and point out a trail leading higher, which Warren said offered an even more impressive view. So up we went. Tim and Ash decided to come up the hard way. Tim got up all right but it took Ash some time before she could get up the mud cliff (Everest almost). Meanwhile we were having a jolly good time making the echoes on the otherside work their vocal chords and watching Tim "break dance" and generally make a fool of himself. (as we all were doing) Ash finally gets up(Everest almost) and we stand up there for a while longer enjoying the echoes and the view. Soon we decided to head back down and somehow on the way down Ash slipped again. We were still right at the top of the mud cliff (Everest almost) and Warren made the comment, "Ash, we aren't going to carry you home" and just as Ash is trying to get up she tumbles backwards off the mud cliff (Everest almost) and bounces and rolls to the bottom of the hill which I have named (Everest Almost). We were all a little stunned and then it struck us as funny and we cracked up. We laughed so hard we were bent over. Ash landed at the bottom in a puddle and thankfully she hadn't broken any bones and wasn't seriously hurt. She was very wet and muddy. Finally we got back down and slipped and slid our way down the trail to the lake. We decided to take a shortcut by walking on the lake instead of the trails. The top layer of the lake was slush and water and soon my feet were completely soaked. Eventually we made it back to the car. On the way home my face felt like it was frozen in a smile. My face and stomach hurt from laughing so hard and so often. I can't wait to go hiking again! :) We all had supper at our house and went to worship team practice afterwards. I just got home about an hour ago since I stayed after both worship team practices to play some piano. I feel very tired now and since I am getting up at 7:00 to go running with Dad tomorrow I'd better get to bed. G'night all!

continuing the story

Hey! Thanx to anonymous for the comment. I was hoping for a few more ideas but I'll have to work with this for now. Now where was I? oh yes...
...but in each and every bubble I saw... a beautiful star. At first the stars appeared as they would in a clear night sky, but as I continued to gaze at them I saw that they were not just a clear point of light but a many faceted jewel with as many colors as are in a single ray of light. "This water is too precious to drink." I said to myself. "I will come back later with a vial and take some with me." So I rose from my knees and continued down a path that seemed to appear before my feet as I walked. I walked for what seemed like a long time. I passed through a small grove of fruit trees. I did not know what kind of fruit they were for it was not the season of fruit-bearing. As I came out of the grove I saw in the distance what appeared to be a great castle...

And that is where I'll stop for today. Please give me some more ideas so that I can continue the story.
This afternoon I am going hiking with the College and Career group. It should be fun. I've been wanting to go hiking for quite a while now. This morning my Dad took me driving for a while and I picked up some paper so I can photocopy a bunch of sheet music that Candice lent to me. There are some really great songs in there! Hope you all have an excellent day. ttfn

Joy of literature

Yesterday was a good day. Nat and Candice were out from the city and we had a good visit. We played some Cheat in the evening (which I enjoyed immensely since of course I love cheating) :). After playing cards for a while, we decided to rent some movies. Ladder 49 wasn't really all that great, but Flight of the Phoenix was pretty good. We stayed up until 1:00 am. Good Times. I missed Josh though. It wasn't quite a complete "family gathering". anywhoos... just for kicks...I've decided to try and write a bit of a story. I want to make it a joint effort and would appreciate comments from anyone who reads my blog regularly. I'll start it off, but would appreciate any ideas that anyone would have. My goal is to have the story finished by the end of April and have it completely published in one entry on my blog. This is mostly motivation for me to write on here more often. Could be fun, but it also could fail miserably. Here goes...

One night as I was walking along in my dreams I came upon a wonderful fountain. It was in the shape of a many pointed star and the water appeared to be cool and clean. I suddenly realized how thirsty I was and drew near to the fountain to take a drink. As soon as I knelt beside the basin of the fountain to take a drink, I realized that it was not only water but in each and every bubble I saw...

That's where I'll stop for now. Please give me some ideas so that I can continue the story. Goodnight all and Happy Easter!

Hey Guys! It's beautiful outside! It's starting to feel like spring. I can't wait till the ice melts and the trees start budding! Have an awesome day! 

ice cream and lazy days

Hey! Well today has been what you would call a lazy day. I spent a lot of time doing...not much...and having a great time doing so. :) It started off this morning when I slept in till ten. Then I decided to do some reading. My breakfast consisted of a bowl of ice cream with chocolate sauce. When my mom came home I had a hamburger for lunch and did my bible reading. Today my reading was in Deuteronomy and the book of John. Often I get bored in Deuteronomy but today I noticed some really good stuff. God is constantly commanding the Israelites not to get sidetracked by other people and by worshiping other gods. But of course Israel had to find out for themselves just what the consequences would be if they didn't obey. I think everyone is like that. We all learn to some degree that if we do something bad than we will most like be either disciplined for it or pay some kind of price for our actions. Even though we know this we still like to test it. It's almost like being warned against something piques our interest as to why we shouldn't. I love the book of John. The book has a feel of intimacy with Christ that none of the other gospels quite has. I am very glad that I memorized it two years ago. I should really remind myself to review though. Anyways...after I finished devotions I decided to go up town and pick up some parcels from Sears and also go to Time Out and try to find some new running shoes. I hate shopping for shoes! I never know quite what I like. (By the way Warren, the ones I tried on were really nice, but I hate white shoes.) :) I probably am far too picky. Oh well. Then I took Heather to Tim Hortons. I went for the cappucino and she went because I wanted to. Can you believe that she had never been in our Tim Hortons yet?! After some great food and fellowship I came home and decided to look on Nike.com to see if they had anything I would like in the way of shoes. Of course they did, but it's not smart to buy shoes that I have never tried on. not to mention that it was in American dollars and I'd have to pay for shipping. Pricey!! Made some pancakes for supper then played a bit more on the computer and finally watched a movie. Now I am sitting here with a bowl of half eaten and half melted ice cream with chocolate sauce to end off the day. Hope you all had a great day! ta ta for now!

Quiz Meet

Hey. Ya, I know, it's been a long time. Oh well.
This past weekend our quiz team went to Moose Jaw for a Quiz Meet. It was a fun weekend! Roger and Mary brought us out there and they brought their kids along to make it kinda like a family holiday. We listened to Ella Enchanted (a book on cd) a lot of the way there. (I got it from the library of course.) Our first quiz when we got to the church was brutal. I was the only one from our team that got a question right, but I also errored out. We were in the B division for this meet and the difference in the quizzing from A to B took us off guard. The jumping was really slow and no one knew a lot of their material. After that first quiz though things got better. The next three quizzes we won and I quizzed out in each of them. For our last quiz we were late and therefore lost our twenty points and missed the first question. I still got 3 questions right but our team lost anyway. Oh well. After we were done our quizzes we went out to Tim Hortons for coffee. Then we decided to go see if the Moose Jaw tunnels were open. We ended up buying tickets for a tour that evening. We went to the 7:30 tour and we were the only ones booked for that tour. the kids found it a little scary but it was a lot of fun. Since we didn't go swimming with the rest of the quizzers, we didn't find out till later that there was an accident at the pool. A Callie Snider had a seizure while she was under water. They had to call in the paramedics and she was rushed to the hospital. She did not recover consciousness till the next morning. It was a stressful time for her teammates and coaches and for all the quizzers who had been at the pool and saw what happened. Last I heard, she was doing well and breathing on her own. It was great that all of us quizzers could all pray for her. The trip back was uneventful and entertaining the kids was fun. I forgot to tell you about our billets. The family we stayed with was a doctor's family and they were quite well off. Christa and I got a double bed in a beautifully decorated room with a huge mirror on my side of the bed so that I could see how awful I look when I wake up. (ugh!) :) The bathroom was right across the hall from us. Also they treated us like royalty and served us eggs and bacon for breakfast with fruit and yogurt and muffins and coffee and... etc. It was incredible! Normally we have to sleep on the floor and get a bowl of cereal for breakfast which is usually good enough. I am happy to be home though. I slept in till 11:00 this morning. crazy!! it's amazing how tired you get from sitting all weekend! anywhoos... I gotta go eat supper. ttfn

nothing in particular...everything in general

Hey people! Life is good. Last night I went to a Pillar concert in Winnipeg at the Church of the Rock. It was a lot of fun. The sound was not the greatest but it was high energy anyway. I learned that when people jump on your feet in the mosh pit it doesn't hurt all that bad because they aren't on them for too long. I also learned that the best way to not get jostled too badly is to jump along with everyone. FUN FUn Fun fun. etc. I think I'm a little rattled after all that fun. :) When we got to the church there was a long line up right out the doors for many many feet. I didn't bother to bring a jacket because I figured that I would just be in the van and then in the church right away. Things don't always go as planned. I was freezing by the time I got in the church. We met Nat and Candice and Josh and Jenna outside the church. Jenna really is shorter than me. Amazing!! After the concert we all went back to Nat and Candice's for pop and munchies. We sat around and talked for awhile. We left around 10:45 and got home around 12:45. I was super tired when we got home but I still couldn't sleep right away. I hate it when that happens! I went to work this morning for 9:30. I have a prayer request for a lady I work with. Nicole came in this morning as planned but as she came in the door she told me that she probably would have to leave in the middle of the day because she was feeling sick. Later on she had to leave. She suffers with pretty severe diabetes and weight problems and depression and stress and all sorts of stuff. She is going on sick leave for a month and really needs to get some rest and relaxation. You can pray that she gets that. Also she is not a christian so pray that God will somehow work through me and all sorts of circumstances in her life. I feel that she would be doing better if she had God to depend on for her depression and illness. She was crying when she left work and that was hard to see because I couldn't really offer much comfort. Well... I've gotta get to bed. Early morning again tomorrow. g'night.

Thank God For Friends

Wow! I just got back from work. Has anyone been outside tonight? It's beautiful!! The air smells fresh and sweet. I don't usually describe the smell of air like that, but tonight it's true. Anywhoos (as Warren would say)..I did a bit of thinking on the way home about friends and what a blessing they are. Just recently I've started thinking about things from more than one perspective. Friends are a blessing 'cause they support you and also friends are a blessing 'cause you can support them. When friends are going through a rough time I always try to be supportive and helpful, but I've never thought that I was benefiting as well. I've discovered that by supporting friends, I grow closer to God and to my friends as well. My relationship with God gets stronger because I am constantly lifting my friends up before Him and my relationship with my friends get stronger because I am constantly thinking about their needs and what I can do for them instead of thinking about what I can gain out of the friendship. Awesome!! God works in mysterious ways.
Speaking of friends... I hope to make a new one tomorrow. Josh is coming out and is bringing his girlfriend. I can't wait to meet her and I hope that we hit it off right away. You guys can all pray that they will be safe as they travel tonight and that they arrive safely at Nat and Candice's. They should get there sometime in the very early hours of the morning. gotta go now
Toodles!!
Oh!.. here's another riddle:
Thirty white horses on a red hill
First they champ
Then they stamp
And then they stand still
What are they?
(From JRR Tolkien)

Quiz-o-rama!

This weekend was a quiz meet in Saskatoon Saskatchewan. It was at a huge church called Circle Drive Alliance. That is one huge church.. It is in the shape of a pentagon and has so many rooms it could be a convention center. The guys stayed at a place right across froma huge manse that they said looked like the white house. On the way home we said that they stayed across from the White House and we quizzed in the Pentagon. Snazzy!! The drive to and from Saskatoon takes about 9 hours so we had a lot of time to do nothing in the van. Actually it wasn't all that bad. We were all really tired and so we had a lot of fun joking around and sleeping and listening to music and studying and all sorts of stuff. Our team didn't do all that great for the quizzing part of the weekend but we had fun anyway. I was billeted with Sharlyn Dueck. We stayed at her friend's house. Her name is Elisha Ruck and Kyla Dyck was also staying there. Sharlyn and I shared a Hide-a-bed. The second night we came into the house and Kyla took off her shoes and her feet stank so bad that she had to immediately wash her feet. It smelled worse than all three of my brothers put together after they had played hockey for 5 hours. It was so funny!! We couldn't stop laughing at poor Kyla. We got to bed at around 1:30 that night. Last night after we got back from the quiz meet I decided to go to College and Career. Ellie and her family moved here from Germany and we had a bit of a party for Ellie. We played games and talked and stuff. I was really tired by the time I got to bed but I didn't sleep well last night. Oh well. Maybe I'll catch up tonight.

Here's a riddle for ya all:
What has roots as nobody sees
Is taller than trees
Up, up it goes
And yet never grows?

Have fun! ttfn
PS: Here's a hint. We don't have them here where we live

Good Life

Hey all! I thought I'd update you on the things going on in my life lately. Right now life seems to be really good. I have so many things to be excited about! Monday Heather, Liane and I went out on the town for a fun day. We went shopping at Walmart with Heather's big stuffed monkey. It was a lot of fun! We stuffed him in the cart and took him inside. We got a few strange looks! After we were done shopping and running around town we took Liane home. She invited us in and we stayed for supper as well. (You've got a really cool couch Liane!). It was lot of fun just spending the day together! Next weekend Ellie is coming from Germany. I can't wait! It will be so good to see her again. Then the next weekend Josh and his girlfriend are coming out from Ontario for the weekend for a Pillar concert. That should be fun as well. Yesterday I went over to Candice's parents and her mom loaded me down with a bunch of stuff for when I move out. She was just getting rid of it anyway so she thought I might want it. Now I am more excited than ever about moving out in fall. I also ended up changing my room around yesterday. It's always nice to have a change but it is such a hassle to move my bedroom furniture! I needed room for the coffee table my parents bought me. I hope it comes in soon! Thinking about all this makes me realize how blessed I am. I thank God for all I have but I think I take them forgranted way too much.
Lyric of the Day: Good Life by Audio Adrenaline

I've watched my dreams all fade away/ and blister in the sun/everything I've ever had is unraveled and undone/ I've set upon a worthless stack/ of my ambitious plans/ and the people that I've loved the most/ have turned their backs and ran// Chorus: This is the good life/I've lost everything/I could ever want/ and ever dream of/ this is the good life/ I've found everything/ I could ever need/ here in your arms//Loneliness has left me searching for someone to love/poverty has change my view/of what true riches are/Sorrow's opened up my eyes/to see what real joy is/pain has been the catalyst/to my heart's happiness//(chorus)//What good would it be/ if you had everything/ but the thing you didn't have/ was the only thing you need//(chorus)//

I think that every once in a while I need an eye-opener to help me realize how blessed I am. The Tsunami made me think about how I would react if I suddenly had everything taken away from me including my family. I hope that I would be able to trust God in the midst of it. Is Christ really the center of my life? I don't think He truly is. I need to change that.
ttfn

No Time

Hey all! I know I haven't posted in a really long time. Sorry 'bout that. My excuse is that I haven't had much time on the computer. I will soon have internet access on my own computer so I should have more time to write then. Since I last posted I started my job at the library and everything is going well enough. I'm still struggling a bit with not finding a different job. Yeah, it's nice that I don't have to be trained, but I was hoping for something different including more hours. I guess God has other plans though. It's really great that I am not nearly so bored as I was before. I actually have a bit of a schedule! This past weekend we had a Quiz Meet at our church, which was really fun. By the end of Saturday I was exhausted, but it was a good kind of tired. It's really fun to have a bunch of kids get together and spend the whole day reeling off scripture. Sunday evening was College and Career. We spent a lot of the time laughing. :) Of course we got through our lesson though. It was supposed to blizzard last night but it only actually started snowing here about an hour ago. Last night was Ladies fellowship at the church so I stopped by there after work. They were having a PJ party and watching a movie. I didn't have supper before I went to work and I forgot about Ladies Fellowship till I was at work so I didn't end up eating till 10:30. Boy was I hungry!! Well... I've gotta go get some memorizing done before Quiz practice this afternoon. I'll leave you with a bit of Matthew.

If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. Matthew 16:24-27