oh men, the constant white noise in every woman's life. (paraphrased from Post Cards from Corinth, the chapter entitled "Daughters of Eve".)
i recently read this from Recovering Biblical Manhood & Womanhood, and it resonated deeply within me.
Jesus, if this is Your will
then YES to being single,
In my deepest heart, i want to marry,
to belong to a great man;
to know that i am linked to his life...
and he to mine...
following Christ and our dreams together...
but You know what i need.
if i never marry, it is YES to You.
~Ann Kiemel Anderson
there have been times where i have despaired, cried, wanted to slow down, or maybe...even stop, and no doubt i will experience similar things in the future, but God is good. the only way i can put mate in front of mission is to change the whole order and put it in front of Master, but i am sorely deceiving myself if i think that would the best scheme of things.
Monday, October 30, 2006
stellar weekend
this weekend has just been one highlight after another after another after another after another...ok you get the point. such a solid weekend. loved it!
highlight #1
it started off with darren's talk at the guelph weekly meeting on friday night. it just blew the crowd away. it was so powerful, inspiring, and challenging. you could FEEL the presence of the Holy Spirit. i cried because it was so moving and never has the vision to go to the world been so clearly casted at guelph. my only prayer is that people will do something with the conviction from that night.
if that was the only thing that had happened this weekend it would have been more than enough, but there's more!
highlight #2
after the weekly meeting ash and i went to pick up ryan at the train station. his train was delayed by about 40 min, but it was providential cuz we had a super conversation about the goodness of God that totally FILLED my heart to the brim and overflowed. plus it was a bonus to see them greet. ;)
highlight #3 guelph's hoe-down
enough said. country music and dancing? that's just icing on top of the cake. mad props to silas and alex wong (no relation) for mad improvements in their dancing skills. alex brought some swing dance moves in and it worked oh so well! and double mad props for taking the initiative and not being wallflowers.
highlight #4 the djembe
saturday morning i got up early and got my own djembe. so i finally "stopped my whining", "had a lovely day", and definitely "loved it".
highlight #5 chopping my chopsticks at king's buffet
lauren called becky and me up spontaneously and invited us out to dinner for some [fake] chinese food with trev, jamie, and suz. kirsten called us when we were on our way and we invited her along too. it was such a GOOD night. all through dinner i kept thinking how blessed i was to have such awesome friends. to top the night off we karate chopped a few pairs of chopsticks which led to the birth of the facebook group "i chopped my chopsticks at china king's buffet". btw kids, all guelph staff and students get 10% off at king's. (just trying to help becky keep her promise to the manager is all. :P) thanks andres for treating us!
highlight #6 showing up early for church
i woke up late this morning and thought i was half an hour late for church. bu hao i know, but i totally forgot about the time change and ended up being half an hour EARLY. yay for grace!
highlight#7 teens choir leading the service
it was so encouraging to be led in worship by the youth of the church. i know i'm not that old, but they were younger. that they are seeking and loving the Lord at such a young age is sooo refreshing. there's just something about mandarin too. definitely renewed vision and spurred me on.
highlight #8 the chinese community and lunch at church
love my aunties and uncles who are so welcoming even though i don't know them that well. love being in the chinese culture. i was glad that it didn't feel foreign or scary. got to pull out my hometown dialect and that felt SO good. i could go a mile a minute in my hometown dialect, but speaking in mandarin is like having a mouthful of marbles. it's definitely loosening up though as i'm getting more comfortable conversing in mando.
highlight#9 sunday afternoon nap
self-explanatory
highlight #10 marie antoinette movie date with the girls
after two hours of productive emailing i went to the movies with the girls to watch sofia coppola's marie antoinette. LOVED it. it was so lavish. :) also brownie points for NOT showing the gruesomeness of the french revolution and the beheading.
highlight #1
it started off with darren's talk at the guelph weekly meeting on friday night. it just blew the crowd away. it was so powerful, inspiring, and challenging. you could FEEL the presence of the Holy Spirit. i cried because it was so moving and never has the vision to go to the world been so clearly casted at guelph. my only prayer is that people will do something with the conviction from that night.
if that was the only thing that had happened this weekend it would have been more than enough, but there's more!
highlight #2
after the weekly meeting ash and i went to pick up ryan at the train station. his train was delayed by about 40 min, but it was providential cuz we had a super conversation about the goodness of God that totally FILLED my heart to the brim and overflowed. plus it was a bonus to see them greet. ;)
highlight #3 guelph's hoe-down
enough said. country music and dancing? that's just icing on top of the cake. mad props to silas and alex wong (no relation) for mad improvements in their dancing skills. alex brought some swing dance moves in and it worked oh so well! and double mad props for taking the initiative and not being wallflowers.
highlight #4 the djembe
saturday morning i got up early and got my own djembe. so i finally "stopped my whining", "had a lovely day", and definitely "loved it".
highlight #5 chopping my chopsticks at king's buffet
lauren called becky and me up spontaneously and invited us out to dinner for some [fake] chinese food with trev, jamie, and suz. kirsten called us when we were on our way and we invited her along too. it was such a GOOD night. all through dinner i kept thinking how blessed i was to have such awesome friends. to top the night off we karate chopped a few pairs of chopsticks which led to the birth of the facebook group "i chopped my chopsticks at china king's buffet". btw kids, all guelph staff and students get 10% off at king's. (just trying to help becky keep her promise to the manager is all. :P) thanks andres for treating us!
highlight #6 showing up early for church
i woke up late this morning and thought i was half an hour late for church. bu hao i know, but i totally forgot about the time change and ended up being half an hour EARLY. yay for grace!
highlight#7 teens choir leading the service
it was so encouraging to be led in worship by the youth of the church. i know i'm not that old, but they were younger. that they are seeking and loving the Lord at such a young age is sooo refreshing. there's just something about mandarin too. definitely renewed vision and spurred me on.
highlight #8 the chinese community and lunch at church
love my aunties and uncles who are so welcoming even though i don't know them that well. love being in the chinese culture. i was glad that it didn't feel foreign or scary. got to pull out my hometown dialect and that felt SO good. i could go a mile a minute in my hometown dialect, but speaking in mandarin is like having a mouthful of marbles. it's definitely loosening up though as i'm getting more comfortable conversing in mando.
highlight#9 sunday afternoon nap
self-explanatory
highlight #10 marie antoinette movie date with the girls
after two hours of productive emailing i went to the movies with the girls to watch sofia coppola's marie antoinette. LOVED it. it was so lavish. :) also brownie points for NOT showing the gruesomeness of the french revolution and the beheading.
staff interview
well i finally had it!!! after one year of waiting i've finally had my staff interview.
it was a bit of a surprise actually. i got the email this past wednesday afternoon from laurie asking if i was available for an interview thursday morning at 8:30am. i was interviewed by her and jeff groenewald. we went to angels' diner, and i had some toast. it wasn't nerve-wracking at all, and it was quite enjoyable. i felt like i was just chatting with new friends. overall i think it went well although i did blank on some questions because i couldn't figure out how to be short-winded. that and the fact that it was early morning.
so i'm aimming to get the application done by tomorrow. then i'll express post it in along with the 3 remaining reference forms. if that happens, i should know if i've been accepted onto staff by December at the latest.
oh yeah i also had a killer schedule on thursday, but fortunately things were moved around. i still revel in the craziness of it all. for posterity: the schedule of thursday october. 26, 2006
6:30- wake-up
7:30-8:20- morning prayer [skipped]
8:30-9:50- staff interview
10:00-11:00- one on one discipleship time with christine [moved]
11:30-1:00- public economics midterm
1:00-???- MRI [definitely moved]
and
1:00- 2:00- one on one with kirsten
2:00-3:00- one on one with ashley [moved]
4:00-5:20- labour economics midterm
7:15-9:00- vaness's and my DG
it was a bit of a surprise actually. i got the email this past wednesday afternoon from laurie asking if i was available for an interview thursday morning at 8:30am. i was interviewed by her and jeff groenewald. we went to angels' diner, and i had some toast. it wasn't nerve-wracking at all, and it was quite enjoyable. i felt like i was just chatting with new friends. overall i think it went well although i did blank on some questions because i couldn't figure out how to be short-winded. that and the fact that it was early morning.
so i'm aimming to get the application done by tomorrow. then i'll express post it in along with the 3 remaining reference forms. if that happens, i should know if i've been accepted onto staff by December at the latest.
oh yeah i also had a killer schedule on thursday, but fortunately things were moved around. i still revel in the craziness of it all. for posterity: the schedule of thursday october. 26, 2006
6:30- wake-up
7:30-8:20- morning prayer [skipped]
8:30-9:50- staff interview
10:00-11:00- one on one discipleship time with christine [moved]
11:30-1:00- public economics midterm
1:00-???- MRI [definitely moved]
and
1:00- 2:00- one on one with kirsten
2:00-3:00- one on one with ashley [moved]
4:00-5:20- labour economics midterm
7:15-9:00- vaness's and my DG
Monday, October 23, 2006
fairy tales are deceiving
that was the line that was on one of the avatars that i use on msn. i'm not trying to bash fairy tales here, but whoa just going back to look at some of the fairy tales with the eyes of a 21 year-old is way different than a kid.
first of all i looked to see when "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" was written, and it was written in the 80's!!! i was really disappointed. aren't all fairy tales suppose to be written a long long time ago. it just doesn't seem right that a fairy tale could be written so "recently". that's my first beef. my second beef is the way fairy tales promote "love" and "beauty", etc.... it's all so...wrong. it makes me wonder if i would actually read my daughter(s) fairy tales, if i have any. those tales could create some serious problems.
now onto the little mermaid. i was watching it last night, and seriously there were some scenes that were scandalous even if it was just a cartoon. yikesers. AND to top that off....prince eric is really AWKWARD. i physically cringed at some of the stuff he said.
first of all i looked to see when "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" was written, and it was written in the 80's!!! i was really disappointed. aren't all fairy tales suppose to be written a long long time ago. it just doesn't seem right that a fairy tale could be written so "recently". that's my first beef. my second beef is the way fairy tales promote "love" and "beauty", etc.... it's all so...wrong. it makes me wonder if i would actually read my daughter(s) fairy tales, if i have any. those tales could create some serious problems.
now onto the little mermaid. i was watching it last night, and seriously there were some scenes that were scandalous even if it was just a cartoon. yikesers. AND to top that off....prince eric is really AWKWARD. i physically cringed at some of the stuff he said.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
oh, how very ro---tic [romantic w/o the man]
yesterday was the hump day of midterms. it's the day when the fever breaks and you start to get better. it's the day when you can breathe a sigh of relief because the worst is over.
i had two midterms yesterday back to back with a one hour break in between. it went really well considering i didn't go to class for international trade in a month, and i haven't read any of the readings for labour economics. it was stressful, and i felt like i was all wound up like a spring. but the stress actually helped since i actually work better under stress. it gets me going. it took so much out of me though. i'm still so dead tired from it. i felt sucked dry. studying and learning really takes a lot of energy. go figure.
but anyways that wasn't the ro---tic part of the day at all. after the labour economics midterm chandley ashley and i went downtown for a mid-semester celebration. the scary thing is it is actually mid-semester. week 6 has just passed. everything blew by at warp speed. digressing yet again... we parked and just walked around downtown. it had such a romantic, fall feel to it. the shops were so quaint, cozy, and closed. everything closed so early yesterday. but there was a used book shop that we went to, and that's where the night took off.
i found a fairy tale book called "The Twelve Dancing Princesses", which i loved as a kid. i always used to check it out of the library. the copy i found yesterday was in pristine condition, and it was only $5! what a steal. so i bought it. ashley also found a story book from her childhood too. then we proceeded to scour downtown for a cool eating place, and we ended up at bollywood bistro for delicious, authentic indian food. the atmosphere there was really....cool. i kept telling her to bring ryan her boyfriend there when he comes to visit. we both had madrasa chicken with naan bread, and it was sooo delicious. a word to the wise though. don't bite on the "bean" that's in the sauce. i did that and it turned out to be a red hot chili pepper. it made me act like a fish that was dying out of water.
then afterwards we proceeded to go to Vanessa's birthday par-tay where we whooped the other team's butt in this movie trivia game thing. we hung out, chilled, had some great food, and neat drinks.
to top the night off on the way home from vanessa's we dropped by blockbuster on a whim to buy the little mermaid on DVD. at first we didn't see it on the shelves, and we thought that maybe it hadn't come out yet or that it was sold out. but then we saw it...two copies at the very bottom of the top-seller shelf encased in a protective box just for us. so we bought it for each other! hehehe :) what a sweet night.
i had two midterms yesterday back to back with a one hour break in between. it went really well considering i didn't go to class for international trade in a month, and i haven't read any of the readings for labour economics. it was stressful, and i felt like i was all wound up like a spring. but the stress actually helped since i actually work better under stress. it gets me going. it took so much out of me though. i'm still so dead tired from it. i felt sucked dry. studying and learning really takes a lot of energy. go figure.
but anyways that wasn't the ro---tic part of the day at all. after the labour economics midterm chandley ashley and i went downtown for a mid-semester celebration. the scary thing is it is actually mid-semester. week 6 has just passed. everything blew by at warp speed. digressing yet again... we parked and just walked around downtown. it had such a romantic, fall feel to it. the shops were so quaint, cozy, and closed. everything closed so early yesterday. but there was a used book shop that we went to, and that's where the night took off.
i found a fairy tale book called "The Twelve Dancing Princesses", which i loved as a kid. i always used to check it out of the library. the copy i found yesterday was in pristine condition, and it was only $5! what a steal. so i bought it. ashley also found a story book from her childhood too. then we proceeded to scour downtown for a cool eating place, and we ended up at bollywood bistro for delicious, authentic indian food. the atmosphere there was really....cool. i kept telling her to bring ryan her boyfriend there when he comes to visit. we both had madrasa chicken with naan bread, and it was sooo delicious. a word to the wise though. don't bite on the "bean" that's in the sauce. i did that and it turned out to be a red hot chili pepper. it made me act like a fish that was dying out of water.
then afterwards we proceeded to go to Vanessa's birthday par-tay where we whooped the other team's butt in this movie trivia game thing. we hung out, chilled, had some great food, and neat drinks.
to top the night off on the way home from vanessa's we dropped by blockbuster on a whim to buy the little mermaid on DVD. at first we didn't see it on the shelves, and we thought that maybe it hadn't come out yet or that it was sold out. but then we saw it...two copies at the very bottom of the top-seller shelf encased in a protective box just for us. so we bought it for each other! hehehe :) what a sweet night.
"Brother You're Like a Six"
Are you a single Christian man who desires to be married? Let me help. I have an idea for a personal ad:
"Single Christian male (SCM) seeks single Christian female (SCF) to love as Christ loved the church, to give himself up for her to make her holy, to love as he loves himself (Eph. 5). SCF must be absolute physical knockout (no one scoring below 9.0, please), must love to talk politics and sports, and must possess a laundry list of pre-decided personal characteristics so completely that SCM is convinced no better option could possibly be available within the next decade."
Oh, you're a single Christian woman? No problem:
"SCF seeks SCM to submit to in everything as to the Lord, to respect, to serve, to follow and to be led by in discipleship and ministry, to trust as spiritual leader of the home, and to serve Christ with for the next several decades or until Jesus comes back. SCM must possess total confidence (but can't be cocky and must trust SCF's opinion in all things); must be devastatingly handsome but have no idea that he is; must be exquisite interpersonal communicator who enjoys nothing more than long, conversations about the relationship; must understand SCF completely; and must otherwise fit description of how SCF thought 'The One' would be since SCF started thinking about it at age 11."
this excerpt was from a boundless.org article by scott croft entitled "Brother You're Like a Six".
i burst out laughing when i got to "must be devastatinglyhandsome but have no idea that he is". it hit the nail right on the head. ha! actually all of it did. it's interesting to see all the standards that we have of our future spouses verbalized...
which is what this article addresses. standards for marriage. the realistic ones and unrealistic ones. along with the Biblical and the unbiblical. solid teaching. provides a lot of food for thought. i'm still mulling on it. solid read. go read it.
"Single Christian male (SCM) seeks single Christian female (SCF) to love as Christ loved the church, to give himself up for her to make her holy, to love as he loves himself (Eph. 5). SCF must be absolute physical knockout (no one scoring below 9.0, please), must love to talk politics and sports, and must possess a laundry list of pre-decided personal characteristics so completely that SCM is convinced no better option could possibly be available within the next decade."
Oh, you're a single Christian woman? No problem:
"SCF seeks SCM to submit to in everything as to the Lord, to respect, to serve, to follow and to be led by in discipleship and ministry, to trust as spiritual leader of the home, and to serve Christ with for the next several decades or until Jesus comes back. SCM must possess total confidence (but can't be cocky and must trust SCF's opinion in all things); must be devastatingly handsome but have no idea that he is; must be exquisite interpersonal communicator who enjoys nothing more than long, conversations about the relationship; must understand SCF completely; and must otherwise fit description of how SCF thought 'The One' would be since SCF started thinking about it at age 11."
this excerpt was from a boundless.org article by scott croft entitled "Brother You're Like a Six".
i burst out laughing when i got to "must be devastatinglyhandsome but have no idea that he is". it hit the nail right on the head. ha! actually all of it did. it's interesting to see all the standards that we have of our future spouses verbalized...
which is what this article addresses. standards for marriage. the realistic ones and unrealistic ones. along with the Biblical and the unbiblical. solid teaching. provides a lot of food for thought. i'm still mulling on it. solid read. go read it.
blogging paranoia
recently i haven't been the avid blogger as i have been in the past. there's a few factors that have contributed to this.
1. the general busyness of life
2. better time management skills??? less procrastinating in the blogosphere
3. blogging paranoia
i would say the third one is the main culprit. recently i've read quite a few disturbing articles about people who've lost their jobs because of their blogging. but really have i written anything that would warrant me losing a job? i don't think i've been heretical or blasphemous....the general gist is that i've been concerned with writing stuff that could come back to haunt me in a few years.
for example what if some dictator takes over the world, and considers my blog to be anti-him or anti- her and then throws me into jail just because i worded a few sentences wrong? extreme, yes i know. but on the other hand if you look at the reign of some authoritarian governments, which shall not be named, anything and everything could and was used to incriminate.
i digress. i've actually considered deleting this blog, and starting another one with a really inconspicuous web address. i never thought i'd say this, but i definitely cannot blog as i use to. there's tons of mental censorship going on. maybe it's for the better...you know showing prudence, wisdom, establishing good boundaries and such...
edit*
or maybe my blogging pattern has just changed. instead of blogging every so often. i do massive multi-entry updates like what i just did. these things have been brewing in my head...i just didn't get around to writing them.
1. the general busyness of life
2. better time management skills??? less procrastinating in the blogosphere
3. blogging paranoia
i would say the third one is the main culprit. recently i've read quite a few disturbing articles about people who've lost their jobs because of their blogging. but really have i written anything that would warrant me losing a job? i don't think i've been heretical or blasphemous....the general gist is that i've been concerned with writing stuff that could come back to haunt me in a few years.
for example what if some dictator takes over the world, and considers my blog to be anti-him or anti- her and then throws me into jail just because i worded a few sentences wrong? extreme, yes i know. but on the other hand if you look at the reign of some authoritarian governments, which shall not be named, anything and everything could and was used to incriminate.
i digress. i've actually considered deleting this blog, and starting another one with a really inconspicuous web address. i never thought i'd say this, but i definitely cannot blog as i use to. there's tons of mental censorship going on. maybe it's for the better...you know showing prudence, wisdom, establishing good boundaries and such...
edit*
or maybe my blogging pattern has just changed. instead of blogging every so often. i do massive multi-entry updates like what i just did. these things have been brewing in my head...i just didn't get around to writing them.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
the bling has blung
welcome to bling bling. a.k.a. the OEX household. ni hao. gototheworld.com
so sayeth the sign greeting all of our guests yesterday at the very first party of the year at the Bling Bling; my birthday party.
there were people from toronto, waterloo, london, and calgary. it was like a mini-project reunion for all 3 summer projects. it was really good to see people that i haven't seen in ages, reminisce, reconnect, and get made fun of....
we got people to introduce themselves and say where they knew me from. then becky got peeps to share their favorite memory of me and or something they like about me. it was really encouraging and touching. a testament to Jesus' work in my life especially margie's memory of me from first year. i was scared to bits of going sharing, and freaked out to even give out flyers for Passion of the Christ. sometimes i still feel like that. as i sat there and listened i hoped that what everyone heard was not the ability and the passion of shelly chen to do things for Jesus, but how He has used me for His purposes. that they would see it was not me, that it was the Lord, the same Lord in their lives who can use them.
it was also enlightening as i found out how people viewed me and i even found out some stuff that i didn't know about...like how ben knows me because i dated his best friend. [sic] there were definitely some funny awkward moments. i don't think i'll ever forget heather macgregs blowing my cover. hahaha on one hand i was cringing. on the other hand i wanted to laugh.
God has brought so many solid friends into my life. quality and quantity. more than i could have asked for.
highlights
* blowing out all 21 candles. yay! but alas no boyfriends. ;)
* getting the ESV Bible that i've been coveting for a year after i saw lydia's
vanessa: "are you going to open your presents?"
me: "sure if you want me to."
shakes vanessa's gift
me: "is it chocolate?"
vanessa: "no"
i stand there as my eyes slowly widen as understanding dawns.......then..
a typical excited shelly scream
* getting the mini scrapbook that i've been coveting since becky and i first went to paper moon, this scrapbooking store.
* seeing so many projectiles
* the birthday cake made with loooooove
thanks becky mitts for all this. you're an awesome housemate and friend.
so sayeth the sign greeting all of our guests yesterday at the very first party of the year at the Bling Bling; my birthday party.
there were people from toronto, waterloo, london, and calgary. it was like a mini-project reunion for all 3 summer projects. it was really good to see people that i haven't seen in ages, reminisce, reconnect, and get made fun of....
we got people to introduce themselves and say where they knew me from. then becky got peeps to share their favorite memory of me and or something they like about me. it was really encouraging and touching. a testament to Jesus' work in my life especially margie's memory of me from first year. i was scared to bits of going sharing, and freaked out to even give out flyers for Passion of the Christ. sometimes i still feel like that. as i sat there and listened i hoped that what everyone heard was not the ability and the passion of shelly chen to do things for Jesus, but how He has used me for His purposes. that they would see it was not me, that it was the Lord, the same Lord in their lives who can use them.
it was also enlightening as i found out how people viewed me and i even found out some stuff that i didn't know about...like how ben knows me because i dated his best friend. [sic] there were definitely some funny awkward moments. i don't think i'll ever forget heather macgregs blowing my cover. hahaha on one hand i was cringing. on the other hand i wanted to laugh.
God has brought so many solid friends into my life. quality and quantity. more than i could have asked for.
highlights
* blowing out all 21 candles. yay! but alas no boyfriends. ;)
* getting the ESV Bible that i've been coveting for a year after i saw lydia's
vanessa: "are you going to open your presents?"
me: "sure if you want me to."
shakes vanessa's gift
me: "is it chocolate?"
vanessa: "no"
i stand there as my eyes slowly widen as understanding dawns.......then..
a typical excited shelly scream
* getting the mini scrapbook that i've been coveting since becky and i first went to paper moon, this scrapbooking store.
* seeing so many projectiles
* the birthday cake made with loooooove
thanks becky mitts for all this. you're an awesome housemate and friend.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
doth mine eyes deceive me?
it SNOWED. just an hour ago. now the sun is all bright and shining.
that's just...DONC. i really dislike using that word, but no other word seems to fit. it SNOWED! on october the 12th! my last year of university and it snows in october?!
i don't seem to mind the cold weather as much i use to though. winter seems to have grown on me. i don't dread it as much. in fact i look forward to busting out the christmas carols in about a month.
"oh the weather outside is frightful..."
that's just...DONC. i really dislike using that word, but no other word seems to fit. it SNOWED! on october the 12th! my last year of university and it snows in october?!
i don't seem to mind the cold weather as much i use to though. winter seems to have grown on me. i don't dread it as much. in fact i look forward to busting out the christmas carols in about a month.
"oh the weather outside is frightful..."
Monday, October 09, 2006
looking back and looking forward
looking back
milestones in my 21st year of life...
~attending a Christian concert (Passion: Toronto)
~going to Panama
~going to Calgary, AB
~directing a project!!!
~seeing the Rockies
~attending a bachelorette party
~going to a friend's wedding (two of 'em)
~leading a DG
~attending a drum circle
~taking grad pictures
~jumping into a freezing lake
looking forward
God-willing...
~ meeting Roger Hershey?!?!?!
~ joining staff and headin' overseas
~ support-raising a salary
~ graduating from university!
....and i can't forsee anything beyond that....
milestones in my 21st year of life...
~attending a Christian concert (Passion: Toronto)
~going to Panama
~going to Calgary, AB
~directing a project!!!
~seeing the Rockies
~attending a bachelorette party
~going to a friend's wedding (two of 'em)
~leading a DG
~attending a drum circle
~taking grad pictures
~jumping into a freezing lake
looking forward
God-willing...
~ meeting Roger Hershey?!?!?!
~ joining staff and headin' overseas
~ support-raising a salary
~ graduating from university!
....and i can't forsee anything beyond that....
satisfied? satisfied!
correction: my 21st birthday wasn't the best birthday in a long time. it was the best birthday ever because it was a testament of God's love and grace in my life... not because i had a huge expensive party at panorama. the years just keep getting better and better.
for once i was content with and thankful for everything and everyone that God has brought into my life instead of being fixated on what i wanted, but did not have, what i should do to get what i did not have, and who forgot my birthday.
i know this is from God because six months back i had blogged about not being able to dredge up contentment. i've tried to muster up contentment before, and it has never worked. it was like pulling teeth. so truly this is the work of God in my life. then the fact that i am able to give credit where it is due is another example of God working in my life because just this thursday i was telling kirsten that i have a hard time giving God the credit for things because of my massive pride.
so thank You, Lord for Your faithfulness.
and thank you to everyone who remembered my birthday. it was sweet and heart-warming to get the calls, the emails, the e-cards, and the facebook notes. AND it's ok if you didn't. :) i'm not guilt-tripping you, and i'm not the center of the universe....not even on october the 7th.
for once i was content with and thankful for everything and everyone that God has brought into my life instead of being fixated on what i wanted, but did not have, what i should do to get what i did not have, and who forgot my birthday.
i know this is from God because six months back i had blogged about not being able to dredge up contentment. i've tried to muster up contentment before, and it has never worked. it was like pulling teeth. so truly this is the work of God in my life. then the fact that i am able to give credit where it is due is another example of God working in my life because just this thursday i was telling kirsten that i have a hard time giving God the credit for things because of my massive pride.
so thank You, Lord for Your faithfulness.
and thank you to everyone who remembered my birthday. it was sweet and heart-warming to get the calls, the emails, the e-cards, and the facebook notes. AND it's ok if you didn't. :) i'm not guilt-tripping you, and i'm not the center of the universe....not even on october the 7th.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
milestone: grad pictures
you see them walking along winegard with their black robes flowing around them. they're laughing and talking to each other. friendships forged through the years. this is it. this is their last year. they're done and they've paid their dues.
ever since first year i've watched the grads go off for their grad pictures wondering what kind of stories they have to tell; wondering what kind of stories i would have to tell; and wondering if i'd have friends to take pictures with.
monday afternoon i rushed to the photographer's in the UC under the grey stairs. at first my heart skipped a beat because it seemed like no one out of my 10 friends had shown up. had they forgotten?! then i saw gowns and hair and was relieved.
monday afternoon heather, rachel, sarah, ashley, katie, jacquie, becky, christine, lauren, trevor the husband, and i were the grads walking along winegard for our grad pics. we were laughing and talking. it was a beautiful day. the sun was shining, and it was warm. we took the worst group picture ever, but it was ok.
never in my dreams could i have asked God for better friends as these in my first year. we have a bond not many grads have. we have a bond forged by Jesus Christ. i was so thankful and privileged to be amongst that small crowd monday afternoon. words couldn't express my gratitude. thank You Lord.
ever since first year i've watched the grads go off for their grad pictures wondering what kind of stories they have to tell; wondering what kind of stories i would have to tell; and wondering if i'd have friends to take pictures with.
monday afternoon i rushed to the photographer's in the UC under the grey stairs. at first my heart skipped a beat because it seemed like no one out of my 10 friends had shown up. had they forgotten?! then i saw gowns and hair and was relieved.
monday afternoon heather, rachel, sarah, ashley, katie, jacquie, becky, christine, lauren, trevor the husband, and i were the grads walking along winegard for our grad pics. we were laughing and talking. it was a beautiful day. the sun was shining, and it was warm. we took the worst group picture ever, but it was ok.
never in my dreams could i have asked God for better friends as these in my first year. we have a bond not many grads have. we have a bond forged by Jesus Christ. i was so thankful and privileged to be amongst that small crowd monday afternoon. words couldn't express my gratitude. thank You Lord.
Monday, October 02, 2006
it's the most wonderful time of the year: summit
summit is my favourite time of the year. i kid you not. there's just something about autumn beauty, great speakers, good fellowship, cheering, faith barriers, and ice cold cabins.
i've been looking forward to summit ever since project because there were a few people that were telling me that they'd "bring it", and i've been eagerly waiting to show them guelph's spirit. we didn't disappoint. i was so proud of guelph friday night when we had our cheer-down with mac.
if you like guelph...
if you like guelph,
clap your hands and SOCK it to mcmaster
stomp your feet and SOCK it to mcmaster
turn around and SOCK it to mcmaster
wind your toy and SOCK it to mcmaster
of course it was great to see the projectiles as well. ;P
but more importantly Summit's a milestone marker of God's faithfulness in my life.
two years ago i went only to see my friends from OEX. i had no idea what summit was about.
a year ago one of my girls was on the bus with me, but i barely remembered her name and her face. duhn still teases me about it to this day.
this year three of my girls were on the bus with me, leading the cheers with me, all of us decked out in red and yellow, with sparkling sequined togas. it was bittersweet to know that i'll be leaving them and the movement at guelph in a few months, but i was also proud and confident that there will be solid leaders left behind. praise God for what He's doing.
the talks given by alex philip were excellent. i loved how he just unpacked those verses like a suitcase especially for the third talk. when he first read ezekiel 1:1-3, i had expected him to continue reading because i couldn't see anything of significance in those three verses. for a full summary go to kirsten's blog. i wish i could listen to them again so i could mull on it.
it was the best summit i've had. everything just came together. i felt really blessed and privileged to be there this weekend. it was such a gift. i'm thankful for every little thing that was part of the weekend...even the ice cold cabins.
highlights
*the sock it to mcmaster cheer
*finding out that roger hershey's the winter conference speaker
*seeing the projectiles again
*jumping into the lake @ night with emily and ashley and 12 other people
*the beauty of the trees
*the praise and worship
i've been looking forward to summit ever since project because there were a few people that were telling me that they'd "bring it", and i've been eagerly waiting to show them guelph's spirit. we didn't disappoint. i was so proud of guelph friday night when we had our cheer-down with mac.
if you like guelph...
if you like guelph,
clap your hands and SOCK it to mcmaster
stomp your feet and SOCK it to mcmaster
turn around and SOCK it to mcmaster
wind your toy and SOCK it to mcmaster
of course it was great to see the projectiles as well. ;P
but more importantly Summit's a milestone marker of God's faithfulness in my life.
two years ago i went only to see my friends from OEX. i had no idea what summit was about.
a year ago one of my girls was on the bus with me, but i barely remembered her name and her face. duhn still teases me about it to this day.
this year three of my girls were on the bus with me, leading the cheers with me, all of us decked out in red and yellow, with sparkling sequined togas. it was bittersweet to know that i'll be leaving them and the movement at guelph in a few months, but i was also proud and confident that there will be solid leaders left behind. praise God for what He's doing.
the talks given by alex philip were excellent. i loved how he just unpacked those verses like a suitcase especially for the third talk. when he first read ezekiel 1:1-3, i had expected him to continue reading because i couldn't see anything of significance in those three verses. for a full summary go to kirsten's blog. i wish i could listen to them again so i could mull on it.
it was the best summit i've had. everything just came together. i felt really blessed and privileged to be there this weekend. it was such a gift. i'm thankful for every little thing that was part of the weekend...even the ice cold cabins.
highlights
*the sock it to mcmaster cheer
*finding out that roger hershey's the winter conference speaker
*seeing the projectiles again
*jumping into the lake @ night with emily and ashley and 12 other people
*the beauty of the trees
*the praise and worship
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