Fling out the banner!

For the first time in a while, God has been filling my head with things to say and things to do... fancy that! I have this book called "Beautiful Poems on Jesus" it's a really old book and uses a lot of old language, but I'm totally in love with it, and most of the time find it hard to even put it down (which, if you know me.. would be suprised) Anyways, I came across this poem, and God really showed me that it was something that needed to be shared with my session, so I thought I should blog it aswell, because you know... blogging is good.

The Banner Of The Cross by Bishop Doane
Fling out the banner! Let it float.
Skyward ans seaward, high and wide;
The sun that lights its shining folds
The cross on which the Savior died.

Fling out the banner! Angels bend,
In anxious silence, o'er the sign;
And vainly seek to comprehend
The wonder of the love divine.

Fling out the banner! Heathen lands
Shall see from far the glorious sight,
And nations, crowding to be born,
Baptize their spirits in its light.

Fling out the banner! Sin-sick souls,
That sink and perish in the strife
Shall touch in faith its radiant hem,
And spring immortal into life.

Fling out the banner! Let it float.
Skyward and Seaward, high and wide
Our glory only in the cross;
Our only hope, the Crucified

Fling out the banner! Wide and high,
Seaward and Skyward, let it shine;
Nor skill, nor might, nor merit ours;
We conquer only in that sign.

It really reminded me that there is no way we can truly be conquerors unless we are paired up with the almighty, because there is absolutely no way that we could do all this in our own strength. We are under the banner of Christ, and we conquer only in that sign.

moi.

Too Bright To See, Too Loud To Hear

Good God, if your song leaves our lips
If your work leaves our hands
Then we will be wonders and vagabonds
They will stare and say how empty we are
How the freedom we had turned us up as dead men
Let us be cold, make us weak
Let us, because we all have ears
Let us, because we all have eyes
How they knew that this would happen
We're so run down
Good God! Can you still get us home...
How can we still get home
I'm not dreaming
We're forgetting our forgiveness

Rest & Relaxation

My break is coming to an end here in Nanaimo, and I will be heading back to Vancouver on Tuesday morning!.... This has been an interesting two weeks. Being home for such a long time has been both good and bad. I started swearing more, which is so weird, and I don't like it at all... I guess I just started talking like everyone around me. I feel dissconnected from my sessionmates, and I can't wait to have that back. I had mixed emotions coming here, and I'm leaving with them aswell. Home is weird now. Not the same as it used to be. I don't have things here, I don't have a bed, I don't have a room, I don't have anything. Vancouver is my home. Vancouver is where my heart is, and I think that's why I feel so discontent here.
Of course the temptation of quitting war college has been there, that was inevitable. But of course, I'm not listening to those lies that life will be easier if I just stay here, If i just quit everything.

I need prayer for perseverance, motivation, and a hunger and thirst for the presence of God, and his word.

I seem to think this situation is pretty dior.

it's.... CHRISTMAS!

I love these people...

even though you can't see all of us... we're awesome.

Carlye hates it when...

people use their ear/eye medication in public..

EW!

Best Kettle Shift Ever

Nothing for the rest of the kettle season can beat my last kettle shift, and I really would like to see something that could, because I think it would be amazing.
ANYWAYS....
The night started out relatively normal, I forgot my bells so standing there became boring really really fast. All of the sudden, I hear a band.. and I look down the street and a Salvation Army band is standing down the street with a kettle... my first reaction was (what the junk? they're stealing my thunder!) So, being the curious person I am, I pick up my kettle and head down to the band to see whats going on... Once I get there I realized its the CTV tv station and the Harbourlight mens choir is singing on the news. I saw all the guys and they all told me that they were worried about me standing there all alone. I dont mind it (but's its good to know someone actually cares). I hung out with them for a little bit because there was no way I was going to make any money at my kettle if there was a band 10 metres away from me... I eventually wandered back to my kettle and about 4 of the band members came out to my kettle and played for me for about 15 minutes! it was awesome! THEN Darrin and a couple other people came out to my kettle and talked to me for a while and Darrin bought me a coffee (hot coffee = awesome on a kettle shift) My night ended with about 20 guys singing christmas carols around my kettle. Completely hilarious and I loved every second of it.

Foreign Silence

Sally and I were in New West the other day for a band concert we were volunteering at, and we were waiting at the bus stop to go home, and we looked at the streets, and they were empty, and everything was quiet. We started getting really weirded out, because a quiet street has become something totally foreign to us. Then a guy walked down the street and we started getting really uncomfortable because there was no one around, and Sally mentioned that she was scared. It was funny to think about, how we're scared of an empty street in New West more than we're scared about walking down Hastings.

something to think about...

(p.s - the guy turned out to be a 15 year old who was probably scared of us...)

Nanaimo

I had a really interesting day yesterday, seeing people in treatment that I really doubted (HALLELUJAH!) Had a kettle shift at HMV which went by really fast. I was listening to the comedy of Mitch Hedberg, and it was really funny when I would laugh at it and people would walk by thinking I was laughing at them...So kettling every day has finally kicked off, and it's not that bad...yet. Right now I'm just content with whats going on, but ask me again in a month and you'll get my real opinion.
Lately I've started to feel homesick, and that doesn't really happen very easy for me, but it's just starting to set in. I miss my brothers, and my mom and my dad...I just miss Nanaimo, which is weird to think about because before I left I couldn't wait to get out of that place. and I was thinking about it, and I think I really just miss being comfortable, being at home and being comfortable with where I am, (not that I'm not here, just more so at home...) Im excited to be home for 2 weeks at christmas, that will either help me... or really make me miss home more... We'll see what happens. Im just counting down the days until I get to have a break from this place and finally hug my mom, and go to terminal park mcdonalds, and go to woodgrove mall and eat poutine from pirate chips and go to my CORPS! I'm just so excited to go home!

20 days!

He Is The Redeemer!

Hallelujah!

Today I was waiting in the harbourlight line for my lunch and a guy wearing a Santa hat walked (key word, I'll explain later) past me. I knew I recognized him, but I couldn't place where I knew him from. I suddenly remembered who he was and I couldn't breathe. I had met him previously while we were doing an open air in pigeon park and he was drunk out of his mind in a wheelchair. He sang with us the whole time, and I remember him asking us to sing amazing grace over and over again, and here he was in front of me, completely sober and WALKING around... I was completely flabbergasted and I couldn't believe my eyes. PRAISE THE LORD! Answered prayer is so sweet. After I saw him I went back to my house and opened up my prayer journal and found about 2 or 3 pages of prayers for this guy. Right now I'm just overcome with happiness that he's found sobriety. He didn't remember who I was when I talked to him today, but he thanked me for whatever it was that I did. Give glory to God!

Praise The Lord!

I Am A Soldier In The Army Of My God.

The Lord Jesus Christ is my Commanding Officer.
The Holy Bible is my code of conduct.

Faith, love, prayer and the Word are my weapons of warfare.
I have been taught by the Holy Spirit.
Trained by experience,
tried by adversity,
and tested by fire.

I am a volunteer in this army,
and I am enlisted for eternity.
I will either retire in this Army in the end or die in this Army;
but I will not get out, sell out, be talked out,
I am faithful, capable and dependable.

If my God needs me,
I am there.
If he needs me in Sunday school to teach children,
work with the youth, help adults
or just sit and learn,
He can use me
because I am there!

I am a soldier.
I am not a baby.
I do not need to be pampered,
petted, primped up, pumped up,
picked up, or pepped up.

I am a soldier. No one has to call me,
remind me,
write me, visit me,
entice me, lure me.

I am a soldier
I am not a wimp.
I am in place, saluting my King,
obeying his orders, praising his name,
and building his kingdom!

I am a soldier.
No one has to send me flowers,
gifts, food,
cards, candy,
or give me handouts.
I do not need to be cuddled, cradled
cared for, or catered to.
I am committed!

I cannot have my feelings hurt bad enough to turn me around.
I cannot be discouraged enough to turn me aside.
I cannot lose enough to cause me to quit.

When Jesus called me into this Army,
I had nothing.
If I end up with nothing,
I will still come out even.

I will win.
My God will supply all my needs.
I am more than a conqueror.
I will always triumph.
I can do all things through Christ.

I am a Soldier.
Devils cannot defeat me.
People cannot disillusion me.
Weather cannot weary me.
Sickness cannot stop me.
Battles cannot beat me.
Money cannot buy me.
Governments cannot silence me.
and Hell cannot handle me!

I am a soldier.
Even death cannot destroy me.
For when my commander calls me from this battlefield,
He will promote me to a captain
and then bring me back to rule this world with him.

I am a soldier,
marching Heaven bound.
Here I stand.

Will you stand with me?

DTES {Art}

Have You Heard The Bells Yet?

This Saturday was the official "kick off" for kettles in downtown Vancouver. A bunch of us got all "hockey-ed" up and set up our kettles at the gates outside of GM place, because a Canucks game was happening that night (WE WON). I remember just when we started, there was a homeless man standing there waiting to panhandle when the game was out. It was really funny because Hannah and I knew that he was trying to tell us to leave in the nicest way possible. There were a lot of people who didn't seem into the Christmas spirit at all, or people who were yelling at us because the band was playing Christmas carols. But I kept ringing those bells. There were 2 amazing parts of the night that are still sticking with me today. The first was a little boy, and in his hand he had his first allowance he had ever recieved. His father told him what happens to the money that goes into the kettles, and the little 7 year old boy decided to throw his 5 dollar bill into the kettle. Also, the homeless man who was trying to get us to leave in the first place came up to the kettle and said "Here's everything I collected tonight, and I realized it belongs to you guys..." it was SO BEAUTIFUL!

PRAISE THE LORD!

Drive Away

So it hit me tonight when i was saying goodbye to Michelle, Molly and Deanna...that I'm ACTUALLY moving. I'm not going to be living in Nanaimo anymore. I'm leaving the house I've been living in for 15 years. It's just scary to me, it's all new and undiscovered and I'm scared crap-less of it. Don't get me wrong, I'm super stoked to move in with girls that i already love a lot, but it's still a new place...the last time i had to deal with a new place to live, i was 4...so it wasn't that traumatizing.


it's just all so new...

48 hours of safety

Yeap, 2 more days until I make the big move to Vancouver. Getting all my stuff packed and put into bags and boxes, moving my life to another city completely opposite of where I live now.. I'm excited and scared at the same time, I'm scared it will be too much for me. I'm scared i wont be able to handle it. Im moving out of my comfort zone, im moving away from the place I call home, to the place I am GOING to call home. It's going to be an interesting move for me, and I really hope im going to be able to take it, and really get something out of it, you know? I'm prepared to see God's kingdom in a different light, and I'm super excited to see what the Lord has planned for me, but I'm still super scared at the same time... you know?


-Carlye

remember carlye....

LOOK TO THE LORD AND HIS STRENGTH

SEEK HIS FACE ALWAYS

PROVERBS 105:4

remember carlye....

TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART

AND LEAN NOT ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING

IN ALL YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM

AND HE WILL MAKE YOUR PATHS STRAIGHT

PROVERBS 3:5+6

September the 6th

The end of the summer keeps getting closer and closer, and in some ways..I just want the fall to start. and in some ways...I want this summer to last forever. As it stands now, I make the move to Vancouver in 16 days. SIXTEEN. It's just getting closer and closer and I dont even know what to make of it. I'm scared, I'm nervous..and I dont know what else to do to prepare. I don't feel ready to take all of it in, i feel like im going to crash and burn. I need to fully rely on God, but it's really hard and I'm not letting myself. Im just so full of mixed emotions as to what this year is going to be, and I know it's different for everyone and I know theres no way I can predict whats going to happen, but I'm scared of letting go of all control and letting God lead the way, and I know that sounds stupid and selfish, but that's just what I feel right now...

Please pray for me.

Money makes me nervous...

The title explains it all, War College is coming up soon and im getting more and more nervous every day. Not just because im moving into the poorest postal code in Canada, but because i dont know if i have the money to pay the tuition. Here is my cry for help, could you PLEASE pray for me and my family, specifically my mom. She's having severe back problems and has been unable to work for a number of months now. If you could pray for some healing, strength, faith and comfort withing my family that would be amazing. Also ive been just nervous about moving out in general, like...i know that im going to be around people who love me, but it's still not home, and it's still making a new place home....something ive never done on my own before...so if i could also get prayer for strength and reassurance that im where im supposed to be and that im doing what im supposed to do. I really have to lean on God this time, and it's something that really isn't easy for me.

Thankyou to whoever happens to read my blog...
(probably not many)

Love Carlye