historic.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

nytimes article

Opinionator: Allez Canada!

By TIMOTHY EGAN

Published: February 17, 2010

With so much going for it, and now the Winter Olympics too, the Canadian nation nevertheless conducts itself with unbecoming modesty.

*******

i guess it would take a fake-canadian to say it. Allez Canada! oops..sorry eh.

You're Expected | Kyria

You're Expected | Kyria

I liked this article. Comforting to know.

Excerpt:

John Todd was very young when he became an orphan. His aunt offered to take him in and sent a servant to get John. As they set out for her house, the boy's questions unveiled his fears.

"Will I like living with her?"

"You fall into good hands."

"Will she go to bed before we get there?"

"Oh, no! She'll wait up. When we get out of these woods, you'll see her light in the window."

Sure enough, as they neared the house, John saw the lighted window and his aunt standing in the doorway. When he reached the porch, she kissed him and said, "Welcome home!"

John Todd grew up in his aunt's care and became a pastor. Years later, she sent news of her impending death. Here's his reply:

My Dear Aunt,
Years ago, I left a house of death, not knowing where I was going. The ride was long, but the servant encouraged me. Finally I arrived to a new home and your embrace. I was expected; I felt safe.
Now your turn has come. I'm writing to tell you Someone's waiting up, your room's all ready, the light's on, the door's open, and you're expected!

As are you. Jesus is preparing for you a place. A perfect place of perfected people with the perfect Lord. And at the right time he'll come and take you home.

surprise visit to westminster theological seminary

i like smart people. i love people that love Jesus. westminster has a lot of both of them.

And apparently countless have said it before and I will say it too, "Stepping into their bookstore is like a dream come true."

But their library/basement/stacks is no Olin Libe/basement/stacks.... =(

Father's Heart

Vision Church has a pretty good relationship with Father's Heart Ministry Soup Kitchen/Food Pantry. There are a bunch of ways that people can serve:

• cooking
• plating or serving food
• cleaning tables
• distributing grocery bags
• traffic control (of people)
• ministry/prayer team

They're all great ways to serve people and share Christ's love. This morning I went with Vision for the first time and helped out with the prayer team. Basically, it's a lot of walking around, greeting people, talking with them, potentially sharing the Gospel, and praying for/with them if they want it. It wasn't easy but it was good. Very hard to get into any meaningful conversations when they're concerned with having their hunger satisfied first (which I don't blame them for. That's just how it is. It was the same for Jesus, i suspect.) And plus sometimes there just isn't enough time. There's a constant movement of people. They sit down, and after the food is eaten, they're up and out. So it wasn't until after the morning rush (~11am) when I got to talk with someone for more than a minute.

There was this african-american guy, Elliot. A believer in Jehovah... he did mention His Son, Jesus Christ, so.. that's good.. haha. Very nice guy. We talked for awhile and he asked for prayer. Some things he wanted me to be praying for:

• Elliot is turning 50 this year, and he has a 3-month old baby, Elijah. He really does care about his baby boy. But his relationship with Elijah's mother has been going bad. Sometimes she won't let him see Elijah. Elliot has been leaning on God to find patience and compassion as he tries to get on her good side.
• I think it's been 10 years since he quit smoking cigarettes and pot. And he credits God for that kind of strength. And for awhile now (5 yrs?) he's been struggling with cutting down on alcohol. The weird thing is, his new temp job involves distribution for some beer/liquor company. So he's trying to get through this job while waiting for a new one.
  

I can't imagine being in Elliot's shoes, but it was crazy encouraging to see how his hope is so much in God. And I hope writing all this down will help me to better remember & pray for him.

Glory to God alone.

a cross

"...who for the joy set before him endured the cross..." - Hebrews 12:2

"...take up his cross daily and follow me." - Luke 9:23

At present, going to work and studying for actuarial exams are one of the ways that i die everyday. I don't hate the job, but i don't enjoy it either. It doesn't feel as fulfilling to me right now, compared to other forms of a ministry. But God is sovereign, He doesn't make mistakes, and so I endure. But more than just enduring, i really believe that my time at this job will be used by God to further His kingdom in the future and at this very moment, God willing. To Him be the glory.

Being productive today...

Snowed-in today, and I've discovered something amazing: drinking coffee and Cherry CocaCola at the same time (but not mixed together) tastes good.

Dunno how i'll feel later...

hockey night in canada

Many of the country's great novelists have pondered hockey's role in Canadian society, Morley Callaghan calling it, "our own national drama," while Bruce Kidd and John Macfarlane described it as "the dance of life, an affirmation that despite the deathly chill of winter we are alive."
...

"It is something Canadians have seized upon that we like to think is the image the world has of us, as some industrious team...cooperative, strong, resilient, victorious, magnificent and most of all humble victors in hockey.

"It's the image we have of ourselves and what we wish the world would see when they look upon boring old Canada. The only time I have seen Canadians absolutely swagger is when they are winning at hockey."

-from an article by Reuters

KILL! KILL! KILL!

KILL THE COCKROACHES!! (that threaten to distract you from an intimate relationship with God)

Pastor Paris's message at CBS was quite timely. Not too long after dealing with the cockroach infestation in Jovi's kitchen. I hate bugs......so much... Childhood trauma. for serious.

A lesson I learned from Jovi's cockroach ordeal: It's always best to get the exterminator to fumigate the place ASAP. The idea is to get them before they're old enough to lay eggs. Otherwise you have to call the exterminator a second time to kill off the new buggers. Great! I can apply this to my spiritual life too.........

heart, mind, body, and soul.

Prone to wander, I have not allowed Christ Jesus to guard my heart. And now i'm suffering for it.. but as always, even now, "God is good". Well I don't really want to say those 3 words. Not because I don't believe it, but because it would sound like an "empty hallelujah" right now.

In honesty, I am not satisfied with who I am, where I am, and what I'm doing. I have tried living in the fact that his grace is sufficient, but I still have not let go of my own desires. Is this dissatisfaction supposed to make me desire something deeper? Probably yes. I am starting to realize some of the things that I have to let go of, but knowing that His ways (and He himself) are better for me have yet to make the letting-go any less painful and me any less stubborn.

technology

I remember .txt's and .doc's,
then came along the .mp3's.
And as if that wasn't enough,
the Napsters, Morpheus and Kazaas sprung up.
Then of course Apple changed the game,
while we upload on YouTube seeking our 15 minutes of fame.

(written in a dream)

cornell.

My visit to Cornell & CBS this weekend will probably be the last one for a really long time. I might visit for this year's graduation but that's a very different experience.

Cheers!

reading a little C.S. Lewis

Satan doesn't want you dead! He wants you safe...

On being polished

"In the shadow of His hand He hid me; He made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in His quiver." Isaiah 49:2

In the "shadow"--- each of us must go there sometimes. It maybe the shadow of the sickroom, the shadowed house of grief, or the shadowed life where the sunlight has departed.
But fear not! It is the shadow of God's hand. He is leading you, and there are lessons that can be learned only where He leads. But do not assume that He has pushed you aside. You are still "in His quiver." He has not thrown you away as something worthless. He is only keeping you nearby till the moment comes when He can send you quickly and confidently on some mission that will bring Him glory. O shadowed, isolated one, remember how closely the quiver is tied to the warrior. It is always within easy reach of His hand and jealously protected. -F.B. Meyer

Canada

Of the 5 senses, I miss the sounds of Canada the most. The hacking of hockey sticks on a crudely made outdoor ice rink, the newfoundland accent with its whispers of Irish roots, the Celtic-influenced music, the sounds of relief when a person steps inside a Tim Horton's on a winter day.

free time

A couple of things I have been learning during my free time at work:

• reading korean, and
• biblical greek.

One helps me more at getting great food than the other. As to which one, i'll let you decide.

to start things off

"But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God." -Acts 20:24