Tuesday, June 16, 2009

People Change. How Strange.

It's kind of sad that I've only been done grade 12 for about 13 hours and I already don't know what to do with myself. I decided to read through some of my old blogs. I even deleted a couple because I didn’t really like what I said.
It’s weird how much a person can change over a year. I’ve noticed in myself I’ve slowly becoming more accepting towards people. I’ve noticed I have gained some wisdom, and knowledge. Even my beliefs have changed slightly. I have even noticed myself “slipping” in a few areas. I find myself expressing myself with “colourful” words. I’ve noticed I’m no longer bothered by a few words that leave my mouth, and others. I have also noticed that I am watching my mouth less and less; I say choice words that don’t really belong in public.
I’m not saying this is okay, it just caught my attention.
It definitely caught me tonight as I read my blogs. I have changed a lot, my beliefs, my social life, my thought patterns and the way I see things. Though I have slipped in a few areas I think I’ve improved in many. Change can be a bit scrappy at times, but it can also be a good thing. I think I have gone through some sketchy changes and some positive ones.
I will continue to change in many ways over this summer. I will have new experiences with God, friends, family and creation. Perhaps sometime later this year I will be doing the same thing I did tonight. Reading through all my blogs and seeing how much I’ve changed.

It will be a good summer, and I look forward to coming back from it with stories and reflections from everything I experienced.


Have a great summer and Shine on.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

****er isn't always a bad word.

Alright, I may be crossing the line with the title of this one but... Yeah. Suffer, It's not a bad word in Christianity. I hear so many teachings and "reflections" from people who say things along the lines of "if you have enough faith and believe, you won't suffer."
Suffering has somehow become a bad word in Christianity. Is it suddenly wrong to think God can't use suffering to teach us something? People seem to think that if we suffer there's a chance we can fall away from our faith. Maybe so, but there is also a chance that our faith can become stronger, and we can come out of the whole experience gaining wisdom. I was recently sitting with my mom while she was watching a program on t.v. called "Living Truth". I happen to like the pastor Charles Price. The program went to the usual praise reports, and other letters that have been sent in, this is usually when I go top up my chocolate milk glass. However, as I was heading out of the living room I happen to hear one of the letters.

"Suffering has become almost a bad word in Christianity. This was not the case for me, I believe God taught me a lot through sickness."

This caught my attention, and got me to thinking.
Why have we come to think of suffering as something bad, a punishment or even something evil? Haven't so many of us suffered in some way or another, and gained a stronger faith from it? Why don't we like to think that God can use suffering of some kind to strengthen us?
Any thoughts?

Be real and shine on.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Good Folks.

I was recently talking to someone at school about putting one of the "up and coming" drummers of S.C.A on the worship team for chapel this year so they can gain some experience and I could give them some advice for next year. That way they might be a little more prepared. Thought it would be a good thing for this person to experience. When I talked to the "worship leader" they said he would not be put up on the team. Why? because this person is marked as "sketchy" or a "bad person". This kind of blew my mind, that we would have the slight level of audacity to flat out call someone a bad person. It's weird that usually all we want to focus on is the bad things people do, and we almost completely ignore the good. Then we mark that person off as sketchy or flat out, "a bad person."
What makes a person bad? It seems if someone gets a bad reputation they can't break it. They're just written off. Jiminy jilickers if people started focusing on the negative things I do, I'd be off this praise and worship team so fast it would make my head spin. I have found myself so many times focusing on the bad, rather than the good and all I have gained from it is bitterness, or an unwillingness to forgive that person. Why do we judge someone else as being a bad person when our flaws are just as big as theirs? Why do we ignore our own flaws and make others flaws look like a great sin?
Perhaps instead of writing these people off as "bad" or "sketchy" people, we should show mercy, grace and maybe even acceptance. We gain nothing from ignoring our own flaws and focusing on someone else and their foibles. I've challenged myself to focus on the good in someone, without completely ignoring the bad, and I have learned a lot. I have friends that people write off as "an angry child", I've found a willing servants heart in those people. I know people that have been written off as "party harders", but they are some of the most understanding people I know. I've learned to respect those people, to not be scared to associate myself with them and pray for them. Not write them off, and hope they get a punch to the face that snaps them straight. After looking for the good in people all I can say is... I know some damn good folks.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

DAH!

As school begins to wrap up, and exams only being a week or so away. Summer begins to draw closer and closer, as does my time to leave home for 2 months. Today during lunch discussing fund raising for the summer it finally hit me. This is for real, this is happening now... DAH! Everything has been kicked into high gear. It hit me hard this evening while standing in line for ice-cream with my pops. My dog began to do her unsuccessful howl that makes me smile every time I hear it. I realized I'm going to be leaving my home, my family, my friends behind for 2 months. I am very excited, yet I'm slowly coming undone over it. I am very close to my family so it will be a challenge to leave. This is definitely a "sky dive" out of my comfort zone. This will be a big deal for me, but I'm confident I'll be able to pull it off. I'll be surrounded by good, caring friends. I'll hopefully be easily distracted from my feelings of discomfort. I'm looking forward to this summer, it will be a great learning experience for me. It will be a good time, but until then I just need to keep it together until my exams are done. Easier said than done.

Keep it real and shine on.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Funny The Way It Is.

I have found myself lost in these lyrics since I bought the new Dave Matthews album.

FUNNY THE WAY IT IS

Lying in the park on a beautiful day
The sunshine in the grass
And my children play
Sirens passing fire engine red
Someone's house is burning down
On a day like this

The evening comes and we're hanging out
On a front step and a car goes by
With the windows rolled down
And that war song is playing
Why can't we be friends
Someone is screaming and crying
In the apartment upstairs

Funny the way it is
Make you think about it
Somebodies going hungry
And someone else is eating out
Funny the way it is
Not right or wrong
Somebodies heart is broken
And it becomes your favorite song

The way your mouth feels in your lover's kiss
Like a pretty bird in the breeze
Or water to a fish
The bomb blast brings the building crashing to the floor
Hear the laughter
While the children play war

Funny the way it is
Make you think about it
One kid walks ten miles to school
Another's dropping out
Funny the way it is
Not right or wrong
A soldiers last breath
His babies being born

Standing on a bridge
Watch the water passing underneath
It must have been much harder
When there was no bridge just water
Now the world is small
Compared to how it use to be
With mountains and oceans
And winters and rivers and stars

Funny the way it is
Make you think about it
One kid walks ten miles to school
Another's dropping out
Funny the way it is
Not right or wrong
A soldiers last breath
His babies being born

Funny the way it is
Not right or wrong
Somebodies broken heart
And it becomes your favorite song
Funny the way it is
Make you think about it
One kid walks ten miles to school
Another's dropping out

Standing on a bridge
Watch the water passing underneath
It must have been much harder
When there was no bridge just water
Now the world is small
Compared to how it use to be
With mountains and oceans
And winters and rivers and stars