if you haven't seen this video on how to create momentum in leadership... you should probably watch this!
go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW8amMCVAJQ
you will not be disappointed!
GIVING TUESDAY 2019
6 years ago
Friday, February 19, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
sista got hitched!
i just got home from 9 glorious days in columbus, ohio. GOOD TIMES! the reason i was there was my little sister got married. i guess she's not so little anymore since she's married and therefore has to grow up. i'm sure she's loving it though. the wedding was one of the most beautiful things i've ever seen. the sweetest part was that i left feeling encouraged in my faith and like i want to pursue christ with an intensity that i haven't yet before. there are so many things i could say, but i'll just leave it at that and post a few pics. i sure wish i'd taken more!!
Monday, January 25, 2010
i'll never look at bread the same again
today i embarked on a new adventure. well really, it's an old adventure in a new suit. it's that delightful thing those of us consumed with study, paying awfully high amounts of cash to people who don't know how to teach (unless they're education profs, and then they have it down to a science... supplemented with journalling)... and i do believe that tangent proves just that point i'm trying to get at... if i could stop getting distracted... the cat just walked by so i took a few minutes to pet her and now, 45 minutes later, i'm back to the sentence. what is it with students in refining the fine art of delaying the inevitable until the absolute last possible moment, whereby it becomes an emergency that all else in life must stop for?? so i baked some bread today. and i made a bunch of other healthy food for the week... i'm kind of on a whole foods kick, but i'm not going all out into the whole foods world. i've spent wayyy too many years being an all or nothing person, in too many areas of my life - some of which has turned positive results, most of which has served to further confuddle my brain, which is an conundrum unto itself. so i figured that if i went all or nothing on the thinking of being all or nothing that would just negate itself and i'd end up a square one with a whole bunch of wasted time and energy. speaking of time and energy, i baked some bread today. and mmmm, it was gooood. here's a picture of the delightful loaves themselves. the smell in the house was INCREDIBLE. so ya, i procrastinate. but the bread was good!
check out the golden loaves for yourself:
check out the golden loaves for yourself:
Friday, January 22, 2010
i love fantasy movies. in so many ways it's a chance to escape the realities of daily life and enter into someone else's world for a bit. i'm learning more and more about myself that, although i like to call myself a realist, sometimes i'm an escapist too and it's not always a good thing.
there's some sin in my life - okay, understatement - i'm messed up and struggle - and lately my struggle with sin, some particularly nasty sin at that, has got me looking to relocate. somehow the thought of being in a different space or circumstance has me imaging that things would be different.
in elementary school we used to do these exercises in math using the abbreviation LCD. we'd reduce numbers down to see just how low they could be taken without losing the relative ratio between the two. do you remember what that stands for? LCD is the Lowest Common Denominator.
no matter where my physical body goes, the reality is that I am the lowest common denominator in it all. stripped down to the most basic level of my being, my sin will not change with my circumstances. ya it might look different, but it's still ME and that i cannot escape. and i wasn't made to, because if relocation allowed me to escape, why would i need jesus? i cannot escape myself, because life is about learning to deal with sin and make the choice to say 'yes' to jesus in those times when i really just want to run away from it all.
fantasy movies are fun, they show you what the story teller wants you to see about the characters and the story. but those characters, on some layer, are just like the rest of us. the difference is we get to see a pointed snapshot into their lives.
i love rhyming, so this is what i will end with:
if the LCD is me then i need JC!!
there's some sin in my life - okay, understatement - i'm messed up and struggle - and lately my struggle with sin, some particularly nasty sin at that, has got me looking to relocate. somehow the thought of being in a different space or circumstance has me imaging that things would be different.
in elementary school we used to do these exercises in math using the abbreviation LCD. we'd reduce numbers down to see just how low they could be taken without losing the relative ratio between the two. do you remember what that stands for? LCD is the Lowest Common Denominator.
no matter where my physical body goes, the reality is that I am the lowest common denominator in it all. stripped down to the most basic level of my being, my sin will not change with my circumstances. ya it might look different, but it's still ME and that i cannot escape. and i wasn't made to, because if relocation allowed me to escape, why would i need jesus? i cannot escape myself, because life is about learning to deal with sin and make the choice to say 'yes' to jesus in those times when i really just want to run away from it all.
fantasy movies are fun, they show you what the story teller wants you to see about the characters and the story. but those characters, on some layer, are just like the rest of us. the difference is we get to see a pointed snapshot into their lives.
i love rhyming, so this is what i will end with:
if the LCD is me then i need JC!!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
hockey nation
i love hockey. i love canada. and i LOVE canadian hockey. this year the world junior championships were held in my very own city and i had the chance to watch over 12 games! wootwoot! it was sweet to see so many international players, teams and coaches competing in one place. it was also incredible the way the city of regina worked together to volunteer and to attend the games - even though team canada played all their games in saskatoon. it's hard to sum up what canadian hockey is all about. it's kind of more of a feeling, a lifestyle, something that permeates the canadian psychie. it's a given.
i found this commercial. it gave me goosebumps. it made me giggle. when it comes to hockey, i'm like a kid in a candy shop. i LOVE the game. if you're wondering what all the madness is about... check out the link below. it will explain a lot.
can't wait for vancouver!!
GO CANADA GO! :)
i found this commercial. it gave me goosebumps. it made me giggle. when it comes to hockey, i'm like a kid in a candy shop. i LOVE the game. if you're wondering what all the madness is about... check out the link below. it will explain a lot.
can't wait for vancouver!!
GO CANADA GO! :)
Friday, October 16, 2009
back to euro!
my life is raaaandom - and i love it!
a new adventure looms on the horizon... the very near horizon, that is! in less than 2 weeks i'm hopping on a jet plane, with my gal pal arielle schade, bound for prague, czech republic! what on earth, you say?!.... yep, true story.
this time, instead of playing with the czechs, i'll be suiting up for team Turkey at the european cup. last year we beat this team quite handily (i won't remind you of the painful, imbalanced score but you can go through the archives to check it out if you're really curious!) but let's just say it was decently lopsided - a gross understatement. last year the turks flew in some foreigners from canada, sweden and finland, so this year arielle and i thought we'd do some marketing of ourselves to see if turkey would be interested in us being the imports that would join their squad for the tourney. having seen both of us play last year, they were interested and within a weeks time had all the details ironed out between hockey canada and the turkish ice hockey federation. so my player card officially belongs to the turkish ice hockey federation for this season. that's almost comical to think about!
october 27th we depart for two weeks of life on the other side of the atlantic, yet again. i'm looking SO forward to being back in prague - a city i love dearly - seeing people who have become like family in my time overseas and friends i'll never forget! we'll have 4 days with the turkish team and the rest of our time will be up to us to fill... which i'm sure we'll have no problem doing. even if i sit in the old square for a whole day and just people watch, sip a mug of czech beer (definitely staropramen!!) and contemplate life, i will be utterly satisfied!
god is so good - and his timing is AWESOME. and i feel SO blessed to have this incredible opportunity!
a new adventure looms on the horizon... the very near horizon, that is! in less than 2 weeks i'm hopping on a jet plane, with my gal pal arielle schade, bound for prague, czech republic! what on earth, you say?!.... yep, true story.
this time, instead of playing with the czechs, i'll be suiting up for team Turkey at the european cup. last year we beat this team quite handily (i won't remind you of the painful, imbalanced score but you can go through the archives to check it out if you're really curious!) but let's just say it was decently lopsided - a gross understatement. last year the turks flew in some foreigners from canada, sweden and finland, so this year arielle and i thought we'd do some marketing of ourselves to see if turkey would be interested in us being the imports that would join their squad for the tourney. having seen both of us play last year, they were interested and within a weeks time had all the details ironed out between hockey canada and the turkish ice hockey federation. so my player card officially belongs to the turkish ice hockey federation for this season. that's almost comical to think about!
october 27th we depart for two weeks of life on the other side of the atlantic, yet again. i'm looking SO forward to being back in prague - a city i love dearly - seeing people who have become like family in my time overseas and friends i'll never forget! we'll have 4 days with the turkish team and the rest of our time will be up to us to fill... which i'm sure we'll have no problem doing. even if i sit in the old square for a whole day and just people watch, sip a mug of czech beer (definitely staropramen!!) and contemplate life, i will be utterly satisfied!
god is so good - and his timing is AWESOME. and i feel SO blessed to have this incredible opportunity!
oak trees and the "eff" train
i'm reading a book right now titled "I really want to change... so help me God", by James McDonald. i admit, the title is cheesy and sounds like a self-help book. on a strong recommendation from my sister, i decided to give it a shot and it's been an awesome journey the past few weeks! the book is anti-self and pro-Jesus. i can work with that!
the current chapter is entitled, "I'm dead to that" and i want to share an illustration on man and sin that i think is so accurate, a great picture, and helps give some perspective to overcoming sin. i think one of the hardest things about personal change is the time it takes... we are one impatient culture and we want things now. i really might as well just substitute "I" for "we" in that cause i'm talking about myself.
the subheading on this one: don't trust feelings (good already, right?!)
__________
When Christ stepped out of that tomb on that first Easter morning, the power of sin was broken. Sin can no longer take control of you if you are in Christ. It can't tell you what to do. It can't boss you around. Its power is broken.
"I don't feel like it's broken," you say. Don't trust your feelings! It's the same as when you came to Christ; at first maybe you didn't feel as though anything great had happened, but you believed the Word of God and acted upon it. As you look back, you know you haven't been the same since that moment. In the same way, if you, by faith, accept the truth that the power of sin is broken in you, you might not feel different, but over time you will be different.
"Well, why do I still feel so alive to the power of sin?" you ask. Picture a very tall oak tree in the centre of a park. The whole park is full of oak trees. And the tallest one - the strongest one - in the centre has a big, tall trunk extending up into the sky. It's a beautiful oak tree. But planted at the base of the oak tree is a strong, thick vine. It's been there for many years; in fact, the vine has grown up and wrapped its way around the trunk of that oak tree and out along the branches. Now, after many years, the entire tree is covered by that vine.
Now imagine for a moment that your life represents the oak tree, and the vine represents sin. When you came to Christ, it's as though God Almighty took an ax to the base of that vine and cut that thing off. And let me tell you something: The vine is dead! You say, "It doesn't feel dead. It is still all over me!" Right. And if you will begin to cooperate with God and do what you are about to learn, that old vine can be cast off in your life and you will begin to experience the victory that is rightfully yours.
__________
that's James McDonald and i would definitely recommend his book to all looking to break free from the power of sin... ok, so everyone should read it!
it makes me think of another great thing i learned last year (the eff train)... it even has alliteration, which brings me joy in and of itself:
fact, faith, feeling
the idea being to keep it in that order!
cool stuff... tough, but so glad it's not up to me on my own!!
the current chapter is entitled, "I'm dead to that" and i want to share an illustration on man and sin that i think is so accurate, a great picture, and helps give some perspective to overcoming sin. i think one of the hardest things about personal change is the time it takes... we are one impatient culture and we want things now. i really might as well just substitute "I" for "we" in that cause i'm talking about myself.
the subheading on this one: don't trust feelings (good already, right?!)
__________
When Christ stepped out of that tomb on that first Easter morning, the power of sin was broken. Sin can no longer take control of you if you are in Christ. It can't tell you what to do. It can't boss you around. Its power is broken.
"I don't feel like it's broken," you say. Don't trust your feelings! It's the same as when you came to Christ; at first maybe you didn't feel as though anything great had happened, but you believed the Word of God and acted upon it. As you look back, you know you haven't been the same since that moment. In the same way, if you, by faith, accept the truth that the power of sin is broken in you, you might not feel different, but over time you will be different.
"Well, why do I still feel so alive to the power of sin?" you ask. Picture a very tall oak tree in the centre of a park. The whole park is full of oak trees. And the tallest one - the strongest one - in the centre has a big, tall trunk extending up into the sky. It's a beautiful oak tree. But planted at the base of the oak tree is a strong, thick vine. It's been there for many years; in fact, the vine has grown up and wrapped its way around the trunk of that oak tree and out along the branches. Now, after many years, the entire tree is covered by that vine.
Now imagine for a moment that your life represents the oak tree, and the vine represents sin. When you came to Christ, it's as though God Almighty took an ax to the base of that vine and cut that thing off. And let me tell you something: The vine is dead! You say, "It doesn't feel dead. It is still all over me!" Right. And if you will begin to cooperate with God and do what you are about to learn, that old vine can be cast off in your life and you will begin to experience the victory that is rightfully yours.
__________
that's James McDonald and i would definitely recommend his book to all looking to break free from the power of sin... ok, so everyone should read it!
it makes me think of another great thing i learned last year (the eff train)... it even has alliteration, which brings me joy in and of itself:
fact, faith, feeling
the idea being to keep it in that order!
cool stuff... tough, but so glad it's not up to me on my own!!
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