Janette's Room to Muse

2007-01-18T22:37:00.000-05:00

O dear blogger, will I abandon you? I have yet to decide fully but I'm teetering towards total abandonment. Why would I have you when I constantly ignore you?

Contending in Context

2006-12-17T12:17:00.000-05:00

"to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints" (Jude 3)

I just listened to this sermon and really appreciated it. It's long and heavy so be prepared.
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/MediaPlayer/1833/Audio/

In the last few weeks on campus, I feel like I have contended for all the 9 truths that he talks about that are central to our Christian faith but are being ripped into by the postmodern culture. Is it worth it - to hold tightly to these things? Yes! Am I archaic for doing so? No! Otherwise the good news of Jesus Christ having saved me from my sin is not true. For example, take the authority of the Bible out of the Gospel and you have nothing left. I pray that I have done that in a contextualized way - that is the difficult part. "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings." (1 Cor.9:22-23)

2 for 1

2006-12-13T20:47:00.000-05:00

Two posts in one night? Yup, it's a 2 for 1 deal, get it while it's hot.

I listened to a sermon on the drive home from Waterloo last night which I half enjoyed and half wrestled with. I enjoyed his perspective on the Gospel - the high view of all that God is for us and does for us. He quoted a conversation he had with a woman he was sharing with - she told him that she was scared of all that they had talked about. When asked why, she replied that legalism, or working to become acceptable to God, allowed her to maintain control - like God could only ask so much of her, she was owed something from him and he could only go so far. But grace on the other hand, being acceptable to God because of what he has done for you, was in essence losing control. In grace, God could ask anything of her. Control was no longer hers, anything was fair game. I appreciate this because it is SO TRUE. That is profound. It also flies in the face of what people often view grace as - a license to do as they wish. But a true, deep understanding of grace gives God the go ahead with anything and everything.

What I wrestled with in the sermon was what I think boils down to the "sin of assumption" (to use a "Rod-ism" for those who would know what I'm talking about). He assumes that people are actively sharing the Gospel with others but they are just doing it in a way that is less effective. He says that simply sharing the Gospel "does not work". I will assume his best so I think he was trying to say that we can't just preach it and leave - there needs to be an incarnation of the Gospel in our lives, deeper and broader explanation of all the implications, etc. But at the same time I think it could tend towards stripping the Gospel of it's inerrant power. Sharing the Gospel is powerful, even if you fumble through it. And I think "requiring" people to contextualize and intellectualize the Gospel before they begin sharing it takes evangelism out of the realm of the normal person and leaves it only in the hands of the "experts" which I strongly disagree with.

All this said, of course there needs to be growth in learning how to share the Gospel in a way that is effective, meets people's needs without compromising, and growth in asking penetrating questions. But the question is where do we start? Do we start with learning how to share the Gospel and then growing from there or do we wait until we have it all together and have answered all possible issues and then begin to share. The latter is scary.

Hmm, the English grammar today is stinksville, but you get the idea!

Christmas

2006-12-13T20:44:00.000-05:00

I love Christmas. I'm not your typical "Christmas-lover" with the over the top decorations and "giddy with glee" type excitement. But I enjoy the excuse for extra time with favourite people, giving gifts, and feeling like it's completely okay to just chill at home for days. I even enjoy the malls because of the flurry of activity - but if anything would ruin the Christmas spirit its the mall parking lots.

Love It

2006-11-30T22:19:00.000-05:00

I love my job. I watched students lug massive amounts of stuff across campus to our weekly meeting room. Others dressed up like "cotton candy" all for a laugh. Others got up in front of their peers to sing, dance, or....rap. All this (and much much more on a daily basis) for the sake of Christ's name being known on campus. I am so thankful for getting to live and work alongside great, great people.

Becoming "Torontonian"

2006-11-27T17:31:00.000-05:00

So on Saturday, after starting out with a very "Charlie Brown" artifical Christmas tree, my roommate and I decided to put that one back in its box and go and buy a REAL Christmas tree. Not owning a car, that would mean carrying it home on the subway! The TTC culture still holds true when two girls laughing hysterically and carrying a stinking tree get onto the subway - you still are stoic, look straight ahead, don't move, don't smile, and certainly don't talk. How can you not laugh at that?!? Come on people! I wish I had more than just the "mental picture". But I did feel very Torontonian - everything by public transit.

Caved Again

2006-11-17T19:05:00.000-05:00

How can you say 'no' when someone signs you up for facebook? I wrote a blog like this about a year ago when I caved and got a blog and now this. I feel like I'm a techie! (ya right, that will never happen)

10 years

2006-11-14T19:29:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I learned that the girls in my 1st year Discipleship Group were born in 1988. I was 10. Make it stop!

Life On Hold

2006-11-04T08:58:00.000-05:00

Saturday morning at 8:45am? Why am I blogging? Because I'm frustrated. Woke up determined to go my church's prayer meeting and community service thing this morning. Shoes are on and I'm holding my keys but then the voice of wisdom (her name is Stephanie, my roommate) looks at me and how crooked I am standing and tells me I really shouldn't go if my back is still so bad. Where is the sanity? I'm 27 not 80! I'm frustrated. I was doing so much better yesterday and then why do I wake up like this again this morning?

Relationships over the internet?

2006-11-01T15:39:00.000-05:00

Last night I heard a comment from a student, "I felt like I've known her all my life." They had never actually 'met' except through facebook. Call me old-fashioned, or just call me old, but what ever happened to face-to-face communication? How can you really know a person when you don't see their facial expression, their instant response to what you say. How can you know a person when you don't know what their voice sounds like? How can you allow a person to truly know you when you can edit and spell-check all your responses?

About a year ago, I broke down and got a blog. It's not so I can keep in touch with my friends and so they can know what's going on in my life, because I don't often write what I'm actually thinking about (ie. this is not my journal people!). I just enjoy having an avenue to spew some opinions and thoughts really, regardless of who is "listening". If you read my blog, that doesn't mean you 'know' me.

I'm not against communication over email, blogs, facebook, msn, etc. but does that really constitute knowing someone? What happened to actually hanging out together? Going for coffee? Actually physically being with someone is the best way to get to know them. Thanks to all of you who I can do that with, even for some who those times are few and far between because of distance and craziness.

AND yes, it is 3:30pm on a Wednesday and I'm writing on my blog. I'm at home, unable to move except from the floor to the couch because of my back again. Bored and stir crazy in my apartment but so limited in what I can actually do.

2006-10-29T23:05:00.000-05:00

The span between life as we intended it and life as it is received is vast. Our true purpose is worked out in that gap. True joy is experienced when we live there, and not in our failed expectations. God is good to me all the time. Jesus Christ is our greatest treasure and nothing other than Him can fulfill our deepest longings.

Some highlights from reading this week

2006-10-29T15:15:00.000-05:00

- "Every small triumph of my faith is designed for your refreshment and vice versa" John Piper in a sermon entitled "Resting and Wrestling for the Cause of Christ

- "Howsoever exceeding great and precious God's promises are, their realization, the possibility and condition of that realization, are based on prayer....these promises never brought hope to bloom or fruit to a prayerless heart....Prayer and promises are interdependent. The promise inspires and energizes prayer, but prayer locates the promise, and gives it realization and location." E.M. Bounds from The Possibilities of Prayer

2006-10-22T21:20:00.000-04:00

I'm deeply saddened by the stories I hear on a regular basis of women who are seriously struggling now because of things that have happened in their past. Families are a source of great strength but (more?) often of deep hurt. In the last few weeks I've heard stories or fathers who are unavailable or have never told children they are loved. Families who either communicated through silence or yelling, but nothing in between. Drug and alcohol abuse and its repercussions. Conditional love. Abuse. And these women God has placed in my life are broken. How do you help? Why is it not different in Christian families? I thank God for my family, who although far from perfect, have shown great depths in love in a myriad of ways. And although I am screwed up, it's not their fault! I also pray that if one day God blesses me with a family, He will give me grace to live out His love to those I imagine I will love the most.

Hilarious

2006-10-17T18:23:00.000-04:00

During a break during our staff meeting on Friday, we listened to this and just about died laughing (btw, I have the funnest staff team ever!). Check it out and listen to the very end, the remix is the best part.
http://shipoffools.com/Signs/blunders/hello_pastor.html

Goodbye to my home of 27 years

2006-10-15T21:37:00.000-04:00

This weekend was monumental. We packed up and left the place my family has lived since I was 8 months old. We moved from the house at the back of the property about 6 years ago to this house at the front (which used to be my grandparent's while we were at the back). That move wasn't as big, nor as difficult as this one has been - actually leaving the area altogether. It's hard to imagine not driving down 11th Street anymore, not opening my window to the sound of crickets and the smell of the grape harvest. Not lying on the trampoline or hammock and watching the stars, or having one of our infamous gasoline fueled bonfires that light up the block. Had my last game of frisbee, last swing on the swings, last twirl-till-you-get-dizzy on my brother's back. Suburbia - yuck.

Addicted to Lost

2006-10-10T23:14:00.000-04:00

I was a skeptic about the show Lost, even after watching the first 2 episodes but it's official, I'm addicted. J.J. Abrams is brilliant. Props to Kolten for sending me the 2nd season already so I don't miss a beat once I finish season 1 (which shouldn't be too long at this pace). Normally I'm tired at this time of day but I'm in no danger of falling asleep anytime soon.

TV on DVD is better than regular TV anytime and often better than a movie.

Thankful

2006-10-03T21:21:00.000-04:00

On the International Day of Prayer today, our Toronto staff team made a list of specific things God has done among us, all reasons to praise Him. It took 5 pages. Need I see more? I have been moved to tears (a couple of those times were during Summit) when I see what God is accomplishing in the lives of our beloved students and on our campuses. If I have never seen the need, power and joy of prayer, may it be so now.

The Last 2 Weeks

2006-09-19T22:25:00.000-04:00

How do you really summarize the last 2 weeks? Summed up it would be answers to prayer - from lives changed to room bookings last minute, solid people getting involved in new campus movements, strength to make it through a busy day - you name it, God's done it. He is awesome.

I'm tired but satisfied and not feeling out of control (last year I felt totally out of control).

I'm so glad to be living with 2 amazing roommates and no longer by myself. While at times challenging to my task-oriented self, living with people is just so much healthier.

I have a great staff team and I'm so thankful for them. And as always, I'm loving Toronto. Got to take in a great film at the film festival last week. Only in the city people, you should come.

The Waiter Who Made My Night

2006-09-06T18:31:00.000-04:00

So apparently I look 18 years old! I was asked for ID last night when I ordered a drink at a restaurant! HA! So great!! That hasn't happened for like 6 years!! Actually laughed at the guy when he asked me and when he saw the date on my driver's license, he looked a little sheepish! And had a good time with good people at a great restaurant (props to Spring Rolls) - happy birthday Lydia! The fact that people came from London and Ottawa to celebrate your birthday says a lot about the kind of person you are.

Grace Fanning Desire Into Flame

2006-09-03T22:31:00.000-04:00

The struggle lately has been, "why don't I desire God the way I want to?" My heart has felt dry and more than a little distant. Knowing of the need to change, I have been praying that God would increase my desire for Him. Tonight, at my church (praise God for Grace Toronto btw - I love it.), Dan (again another noteworthy "praise God") was talking about the fact that true Christianity is not measured by what we do but by what we desire. Actual, permanent, radical life-change only happens when change occurs at the level of desire, not merely the level of behaviour or thought. God should be our desire above all else. That is when we are truly obeying the command to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength".

So I asked him, "how do you fan into flame desire that you know has faded or is waning?" He said that first we must admit that our desire for God is not where we would want it to be. That's fairly self-evident to me at this point. Undeniable. And then we must continually seek to see His grace more clearly. That Almighty and Holy God would actually delight at my feeble, half-hearted attempt at obediance, submission, love, and delight in Him - that is beautiful grace. My desire for God will grow if every day I preach the gospel to myself. When I see the suffering of Christ and the love that kept him there, my desire will naturally grow.

I made the mistake of striving for an increased desire instead of earnestly praying that I would see God's grace more clearly. A bit of an "ah-ha" moment for me tonight. I am moved once again by how great our God is and how amazing it is that He would love me.

BTW - check out previous sermons (and this one soon to come) at www.gracetoronto.ca/resources

Troubles on the Trail

2006-08-30T21:16:00.000-04:00

About 30 seconds from my new apartment is the Beltline trail which I only discovered after moving there - and what a discovery its been! Crushed gravel, tree lined - doesn't feel like you're in a city at all. Tonight, I decided to take my newly tuned bike out for a ride. About as far away from home as I can get, my chain fell off. Now, I've fixed a few chains in my day and I wouldn't consider myself to be too stupid. I would also say that I'm fairly handy, or at least not totally useless. Well, I worked on that chain for about 20 minutes before giving up - I don't know what the problem is. The worst part is...

NO ONE STOPPED TO HELP ME. At least 20 people passed me by during that time and not one stopped and offered their help. What a sad commentary on humanity.

And to top it all off, I rode through dog crap at some point and now it's all stuck in the grooves of my tires. Sick. Clean up after your animals people!

2006-08-24T21:22:00.000-04:00

Spirit-filled living and computers - can they exist together? Please tell me how you do it you techies. Arg.

Today has been an exercise in frustration with more than just computers. I realize that the times I cry easiest are when I am frustrated and when I am touched by someone else's saddness (most often in movies, and sometimes even commercials!). Today I cried on the subway because of frustration. Hurray for new days and fresh beginnings.

A Great Vacation with the girls - Mayne Island, BC

2006-08-19T20:17:00.000-04:00

The most restful week ever. Thanks ladies for a great time!

On top of the world - Whistler, BC

2006-08-19T20:11:00.000-04:00

Love these two pictures. They just scream, "Come join us, we're so cool."

Don't Judge

2006-08-19T20:10:00.000-04:00

So what if my last blog was July 11, a mere 39 days ago? Really, does it matter? Well, probably because no one will read this anymore, having tired of going to a blog that still has pictures of skunks at the top. Do I blame you? Nope. Regardless, here are my worthy excuses in no particular order:
1. I was on vacation, meeting supporters and at conference/training in BC for 3 weeks with little or no internet access.
2. Immediately after returning I moved and am still without internet access. Props to my neighbour "bigal" for not making his wireless secure.
3. It's a little overwhelming to update on all that has happened since July 11 and therefore I have been hesitant to even begin.
From now on, I will be better. Although talking to Darren, he also made this empty promise and the lashback he has received has been staggering. So maybe I'll just say thanks to the faithful ones who actually still come to my blog. I will welcome myself back to the blogging world.

Skunks and the Hunt for an Apartment

2006-07-11T18:18:00.000-04:00

You may ask what do these 2 things have to do with one another? That's what I thought until late last week. Steve and Robyn and I were out looking around the neighbourhood at potential places to live when we came across this house, plastered with "House for Rent" signs. Amazing location but the house was a little run down. There were weeds everywhere and it was definitely vacant. But we had already come up with deals we could make with the landlord - 4 months free rent to clean up the place, etc. So as Steve sat in the car and called the number on the sign, Robyn and I decided to investigate. We were pushing through bushes and overgrown weeds to get along the sidewalk along the side of the house. I was ahead of Robyn. All the sudden, I looked into the window well (you know the cut outs for basement windows) and saw 5 baby skunks crawling all over each other in that little thing!! I turned around, began pushing Robyn, and yelled, "GO! GO! GO!" We ran in the car, shut the door, and rocking back and forth, I told them what I had seen. Steve says, "no problem. You can be co-tenants." Yoinks. There are some pretty awful places out there. Beware. I'm going to look at a place tomorrow morning. Hoping to be rodent free.

Georgia on my mind

2006-07-04T23:15:00.000-04:00

Drove 16 hours through the sticks to spend a very short 3 days with my aunt, uncle, and cousins in Georgia! Check out this gi-normous peach that is on the side of the highway about 2 hours from Toccoa Falls (where my family lives).

Highlights

watching my uncle do DDR (Dance dance revolution) in the most redneck bowling alley I have ever seen - they decided we needed a true southern US experience. Afterwards they swung us by the hang out of small town USA - a Walmart parking lot. Btw - I have to say that again I am reminded that Canada and the US - very different!
floating down a river on a tube for an afternoon. Sometimes the current took me, sometimes my very chivalrous 16 year old cousin towed me. It was extremely relaxing.
catching up with my family - they are very restful, understanding, wonderful people who I really wished lived closer.
tallying the number of times Kirsten says "like" - I think it was around 25 times in 1 1/2 hours. Me - only 20. We're trying to break the habit of sounding like (that would be the correct usage of the word) teenie boppers. And we're super competitive so this works well. I'm winning.
shopping at the outlets. Yup, i, janette doerksen, am saying that i enjoyed shopping! I scored and love the deals - capris for $10! Good times.

A great vacation.

I'm back!

2006-06-26T15:59:00.000-04:00

Back to the blogging world and out of the "no email, no internet access" fog that was actually a reprieve. I can't believe my last blog was so wierd and stayed up there for so long. I had every intention of blogging again before I left but got too busy. The trip to Asia was great! More about that later. For now, a few pictures...

From top to bottom:
- The 4 boys - good times.
- 42 people at debrief - a classic shot.
- Caught on tape from behind the bushes.
- I like this one.

2006-04-24T22:40:00.000-04:00

I have this funny/sad picture in my mind - that I am a little like Gollum from Lord of the Rings (hopefully not that creepy looking - ugh, I had to close my eyes through parts!). Strange, I know, but keep reading. :) The ring is something small and as just a ring (which I realize it's not really just that in the storyline but all analogies break down somewhere...) and yet Gollum strokes it, coddles it, talks to it, etc. I just realized this morning that I am similar. There are things in my life that are very small, fairly incidental, and morally neutral. In and of themselves there is nothing wrong with them, perhaps they could even be considered a good thing. But I am one of an obsessive nature (not a shocker to some of you) and all the sudden this small, insignificant thing becomes huge in my life. I stroke it, coddle it, obsess over it, to the point where it becomes an idol. What a picture of my natural self - that I could so badly twist something like that and it ends up as something that has caused my perspectives to shift and become skewed, taking on a life of its own. How great is the grace that saves someone like me.

A serious, spiritual muse

2006-04-18T22:21:00.000-04:00

Lately I have been very acutely aware of how blessed I am by God. Not just blessed as we generally think of the word (material) although that is also the case, but blessed in many, many ways. Most incredible is feeling blessed in my relationship with the Lord - experiencing His "Fatherly-ness" on an almost daily basis - feeling protected, close, aware of His presence. I have seen God time and time again meet every need of mine in the past and present, and it has given me an increasing faith in what John Piper would call "future grace". Nothing has made this more clear to me than the "ever-faith-stretching" support raising. In a very tangible way, I have seen my Father provide time and time again in something that is SO easy for me to worry about and not trust Him with. That tangible provision has opened my eyes to the innumerable ways that He provides in every other avenue of life, in those areas that are little more fuzzy or more difficult to put my finger on. Would my eyes have been opened without that ongoing experiencing? And, how much more they need to be opened yet! I still am so blind to all that God is and does. Our God is amazing isn't he?

As I'm moving, I'm thinking of all that I've learned in the last year and a half here. Living alone has been a challenge at times but it has allowed me the opportunity to more closely rely on God for friendship and so experience deeper intimacy with Him. I find myself praying more often - perhaps because there was less noise, no one else to talk to (as if He should be the last resort?!?), fewer distractions, etc. Being put in places of loneliness for a season are good - they confront me with the fact that human relationships will never fill all my deepest longings. I get fooled too often. I need "lesson one" again and again.

I'm going to bed. I'm tired of packing, boxes, and cleaning. Who's idea was this crazy moving thing anyways?!?

A look inside my fridge

2006-04-14T19:37:00.000-04:00

In light of the far-too-quickly-approaching move, I have refused to go to the grocery store and instead, am attempting to eat myself "out of house and home" so to speak. It's been 3 weeks and I have hardly made a dent. It makes me wonder, where does the expression, "I have nothing in the house to eat" come from?!? It's a complete lie. Mind you, I've had some pretty interesting combinations - 2 left over chicken fingers with tuna and carrots. All good on their own....but together?

Am I hording food just in case we go to war? Or maybe for another Y2K non-incident? (Y2K - so funny) I wonder what someone from India or parts of Africa would say when they opened my fridge or cupboards. Or for that matter, one of the many homeless people on our streets here. It kind of makes me sick. We really have no idea how good we have it. Try it one day - see how long you can go without groceries, except maybe a carton of milk to finish off the 3 half boxes of cereal you've had for months.

Tribute to the TY Fam

2006-04-10T22:59:00.002-04:00

There is something about being a family together overseas that no matter how many years it's been, things never seem to change - these people plus a few others who weren't at our little reunion this weekend, will always be my "TY fam", some of my favourite people in the world. They definitely make the short list.

When you live together, work together, socialize together, go to school and church together, and are each other's entire lives pretty much, you get to know one another pretty well - the good, the bad, and the ugly (ie. the "bad china days")

So here's to you guys - G-Dog and Peng, Almisnator, Rebeccs, Stitchy, Trails, Bu Hao, Wix, Glo-Bug, and Cher-woa. For those who couldn't be there on Sunday, we missed you!!

2006-04-06T17:53:00.000-04:00

My chiropractor is a miracle-worker! Yay for health!

A great weekend, despite the back!

2006-04-04T19:00:00.000-04:00

Saturday night was our Toronto wide formal with students from all 3 universities! All done in a Narnia theme - I'm so glad there are some very creative people in life! They did an amazing job!
After that, I drove to Niagara Falls to a brand new 5 star resort. My dad had done some work there and got us some free passes ($400/night value!)!! The place was incredible - it was an indoor waterpark - 3 hot tubs, a wave pool, about 10 water slides that were so amazing! We had a blast!

Not again!!

2006-03-31T14:20:00.000-05:00

So much for all my weekend plans! It had been almost an entire year since I've thrown my back out but here I am again, lying on the floor in agony. Blasted heavy "Real Life Kit" boxes!! Anyone want to come over and keep me company - saving me from a weekend of lying on the floor, stretches, and Robaxacet?

Spring is here, I can't sit still!

2006-03-26T20:11:00.000-05:00

I may have ADHD. I couldn't sit still all weekend, nothing held my attention for longer than an hour. Went for a run this morning and a long bike ride this afternoon - what a great day outside! Being outside with the sun in your face will always change my mood. But in the middle, I was trying to read but just couldn't get into it. I looked up from my book and saw how dirty my apartment windows were and figured, I'm going to fix that! So, I got my windex and papertowels out. On the first side of the window, I slid the screen out, sat on the window sill, hanging out the window and cleaned the outside. But when I went to do the other side, I found out that the window doesn't open. Now half my window is spotless and the other side, is still filthy and looks even worse next to the clean! It looks ridiculous and is going to drive me nuts for the last month of living here! I laugh when I think of all the people in the buildings surrounding mine watching me hang out my window trying to reach far enough to clean it - what a sight! For those of you who were with me in Asia, it reminds me of the ladies standing on the 10th floor window sill. Actually, that's where I got the idea. At least I didn't stand, my legs were still hanging on the inside. Very safe. Ok, so I might be a little bit of a clean freak.
On another note, by recommendation of a friend, bought the Curious George soundtrack which is all Jack Johnston and now I can't get enough - it's been on repeat all day.

One song, so many memories

2006-03-21T20:26:00.000-05:00

Okay, so this post will show my age....
I was in a little cafe at U of T in deep conversation with a girl and over the speaker, "Night Swimming" by REM starts playing. It's been about 10 years since I heard that song and it brought me back. I stopped mid-sentence and told the girl I needed a minute. I tried to start again I think 3 times but couldn't focus on the conversation!
So the memories that belong to that song....
Driving with my sister and probably a car full of friends and teammates in the "gummi-mobile" (a rust brown '87 oldsmobile - our car in high school) to and from practices and games, listening to one of the many mix tapes that my sister and I had made. Ah, high school - good times! One very random song brings a flood of memories so clearly.

Props to Kelley

2006-03-19T21:08:00.000-05:00

I stole this from one of my good friend's blogs - thanks Kelley and hope you don't mind! :)

Four jobs you have had in your life:
1. a snobby retail sales girl at Esprit
2. secretary at a electrical construction company
3. the beer babe at a golf course :)
4. health care aide at seniors home
and many, many other menial part time jobs that I'd rather forget

Four movies you would watch over and over:
1. Meet the Parents (especially the airplane scene)
2. Hitch
3. Legally Blonde
4. Lord of the Rings

Four TV shows you love to watch:
1. Amazing Race (not the family edition)
2. Cosby Show
3. March Madness - I know, technically not a TV show, but it's on TV!
4. Sunday afternoon football (hmm, notice a theme?)

Four places you have been on vacation:
1. Grand Canyon and Rocky Mountain National Park
2. Phi Phi Island, Thailand
3. Florida (a few times)
4. BC (many times)

Four websites I visit daily (or often):
1. good friends' blogs who keep it interesting - you know who you are!
2. google
3. internet banking
4. ??? I don't spend a lot of time online i guess.

Four of your favorite foods:
1. steak
2. pad thai
3. pineapple
4. home made chocolate chip cookies

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. me too to "the cabin" Vancouver island... because then we'd be on vacation and it would be July!!
2. Georgia with family
3. Thailand again
4. anywhere hot and sunny

One of my favourite places in the world

2006-03-16T17:48:00.000-05:00

I was only there for four days and it was a year ago but I was thinking about this today. Aren't these pictures incredible! Mount Robson on the BC - Alberta border. What a great trip!

Partial victories

2006-03-15T18:02:00.000-05:00

I spoke last night at an outreach in a residence at York. We had a massage therapist come in and do a little workshop and then I talked about how I dealt with stress, one of my points being the need to have peace that extends beyond our circumstances. It was cool to be able to share with a small group how my relationship with Christ impacts such a day-to-day, common experience. I think the best part was that people stayed for about an hour after just chatting. I heard around the room the girls in my Bible study having great spiritual conversations with people who had come! I was so proud of my girls!

I just finished reading a revolutionary book called "Questioning Evangelism" by Randy Newman. Highly recommended. He talks a lot about "partial victories" - situations where we settle (?) for sharing one aspect of the gospel or helping a person see the fault in their logic. For whatever reason, we don't / can't share the entire gospel but may be part of moving them one step closer to even having a hook to hang the gospel on, so to speak.

I think last night was a partial victory in terms of what I said. I had 10 minutes to talk about different ways to deal with stress (both spiritual and non-spiritual ways). I didn't share the full truth. Was it out of fear? Maybe. I hope not. But had I spent more time, talked more in depth, would people have stayed to have the conversations they had in a one-on-one situation where their personal questions were better addressed? I'll never know. Does a conversation that tweaks someone's interest leaving them wanting to know more serve them better than one that goes just a little too long, leaving them itching to find a way out?

Now all of you who are concerned with my theology and thinking I'm going to skirt the issues in evangelism and never challenge someone to accept Christ, relax. I just wonder if I've been trained to sort of steam roll ahead and make sure I get to share the whole gospel, regardless of their questions or the paradigms by which they process. I'm still working out how this looks on a daily basis....

Happy Birthday Ryan!

2006-03-09T19:57:00.000-05:00

Ryan Peter was born on March 8th at 4:30pm!! He is absolutely the cutest little thing, at least since my first nephew was born for sure! His older brother, Bennett was having a blast, asking every 3 minutes or so if it was his turn again to hold him. What a great day! I love being an aunt! Bring it on Rob & Lynette - jokes, jokes. :)

Let's take a vote

2006-03-07T19:37:00.000-05:00

The March blahs are rearing their ugly head in my life. How about yours? Let's take a vote - do you have them? If so, what do you do to combat them?

In my vast medical library, I have yet to find this to be a recognized medical condition and yet it's just completely a true condition of the human race. Weather? The perverbial "they" say Christmas to far gone and the next holiday to far in the future? In campus ministry, looking forward to the future while somehow managing to stay mentally and emotionally engaged. What is it about this month?

Someone give me insight!!

2006-03-05T20:32:00.000-05:00

My 4 year old nephew, Bennett, came to visit me this weekend! It was totally fun! It took us 2 hours to get from Burlington, where I picked him up, to my place because we took every form of transportation possible, but he loved it! He was actually shaking and squealing when the train pulled in and blew its whistle!

This morning (Sunday) he woke me up at 7am saying, "Auntie J, it's seven zero zero and that means I'm allowed to get up now." In my groggy state, I told him to go play but then I heard about it when it was seven zero four, seven zero seven, and at seven one one I finally gave in. He's just learning to read numbers. Anyways, we had a great time together. I love being an aunt! Another niece or nephew to spoil in about 2 weeks time!

A Sad Day

2006-02-28T16:49:00.000-05:00

Went to St.Catharines today to attend my great aunt's funeral. She has always been one of those really cool aunts, despite her 91 years. She was about 4'8'' with a personality larger than life. She never married and so we kind of adopted her as a grandmother in a way. I'm sad that she is gone.

All day I have missed my grandfather more than ever before. He passed away 3 years ago while I was in Asia and I missed his funeral. It upsets me still that I feel like I missed out on saying goodbye - like I was robbed of something that I'll never get back. I don't think I've yet grieved him properly. But I miss him a lot. My aunts gravesite is close to my grandfather's and the funeral services were at the same church. It seemed too similar.

Today I am grieving my aunt and my grandfather.

Another time a more uplifting post.

Ode to a task oriented girl

2006-02-25T17:18:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking lately at my own tendancies to focus on the task. I love people but often (here's a look into my callous heart) they slow me down! I know, I'm harsh. I'm not very Christ-like in this way. God has a relational heart and He often sacrifices efficiency for intimacy. Examples are all over the Bible of Him choosing to go the slow route - like through Moses or the disciples.
Imagine the scenario played out between a parent and a child. You need to bake cookies and you have 2 choices. Either kick the kids out of the kitchen because they'll make a mess and come out an hour later with the most delictable cookies baked to perfection. OR invite the kids into the process. This involves flour all over the kitchen, too much brown sugar and too little vanilla, and it takes a half hour longer. But in the process you have built relationship and a memory. The value of the cookies doesn't lie in their perfection because that will quickly disappear but their value is in the shared experience.
Shared experiences build intimacy and relationships are not just built with face-to-face time (eg.going out for coffee so we can talk) but through side-by-side time through significant moments and experiences.
I am challenged as I think of God's relational heart to invite friends, families, those I disciple into experiences with me and instead of valuing efficiency, placing a higher value on intimacy. I need to slow down anyways....

Growing up

2006-02-25T17:10:00.000-05:00

My mom gave me some of her recipes last weekend when I was in St.Catharines. So it's time to grow up and start cooking for myself. There is a beef stroganoff sitting in my slow cooker as we speak. Good for left overs all week!
It's a leaf, I've turned it over....

2006-02-12T16:58:00.000-05:00

So I finally relented and after being an anonomous blog-stalker for too long, I have my own. We'll see how this goes... not sure I'll have too much to say. Stay tuned...