Awake My Soul

I've been listening to this song on repeat all day...

God Is Not A White Man

Abbotsford.

I've been slowly adjusting to life here in Abbotsford, but I think it's coming to a point where I'm actually feeling like this is the place to be. When I'm not here, I find myself missing our apartment, our cat, our friends, our tiny japanese grocery store down the street... Our friend Darcy sang a song last night at his house show, it is currently untitled but he sang a line that really stuck with me. He sang "Home isn't home until you go away..." and I understood that. Home isn't home until you're somewhere else and you have that longing to be where you are comfortable and safe. The Island will always be my home, and I find myself missing it terribly the last couple weeks coming on to summer. I will miss the river, I'll miss hikes and beaches in walking distance. I will miss the bathtub races in Nanaimo and protection island... But I am intentionally in Abbotsford to build community with my friends and within CBC. Abbotsford is my home these days, and I'm okay with that...

This summer I am going to....

*Begin/Finish our wedding scrapbook

*Read 3 whole books (this is big for me, seriously.)

*Grow a herb garden

*Go for long bike rides

*Spend some serious time in natural bodies of water

*Attempt to get a tan for the 3829752385th time

*Start taking photos again

*Possibly sell pre-made scrapbooking pages on Etsy.com

*Finish photo wall in our apartment

...I'll add more later as I gain more ambition...

Thinking..

Sometimes I find it hard to gather my thoughts. It's almost like I'm trying to collect them in a colander and they keep sifting out the bottom. But sometimes it does happen. Sometimes I can make sense with the multiple situations, possibilities, stresses and thoughts floating around in my head. I enjoy those times when I can sit and actually think about one thing for more that a millisecond. When I can sit on my couch and enjoy a nice cup of tea with a book and not get distracted by anything that moves or makes noise around me...

It's interesting being taught to think again....

Thoughts..

I've never really felt comfortable sharing my writing with anyone... which makes me wonder why i started a blog in the first place. I've recently decided to get over this fear.

It would take me days to summon up the courage to read an essay I'd written in front of my class, or it would take tears to share a story I'd written in elementary school... I was told today that in one of my classes that we were going to have to make copies of all of our assignments and hand them out to the other students so they could critique them. My first reaction was fear. I didn't want people to read anything I've read at all.. But then some weird switch happened in my brain. All of a sudden it was like I took it as a challenge. I took it as a challenge to make myself a better writer so I would and could be confident about the things that I was handing out to the rest of the class, and my papers in the other classes...

Writing? bring it on...

I'm Alive

YARRRR

Instead Of A Show - John Foreman

New Creation - Leeland

Standing at the gate of love
Waiting for the life of the Son
To follow me 'til I am undone

Oh, you pulled me out of the mud
Up from the miry clay
You washed all my sins away
I've been redeemed

I am a new creation
I have been born again

I'm here in the world
But my home is in a heavenly place
Far above the stars out in space
I'm not afraid

Death where is your sting
Hell will never conquer me
A love pure and holy
Has set me free

And I am a new creation
I have been born again

I am a new creation
I have been born again

For behold! The old has passed away!
There's a hole inside of me
And I'll never run away from you!
Anymore, anymore

I am a new creation
I have been born again

I am a new creation
I have been born again

The old has passed away and the new has come!

I am a new creation
I have been born again!

Via Dolorosa - Way of Suffering

Start Freedom

November 4th, 2009

Franklin - Paramore

you remind me of a time when we were so alive...

do you remember that?

Hey Ocean! - Fish

$2 Halloween costume, awesome!

I'll Fight - REmix!

While guys and girls snort, swallow, sniff, shoot and smoke tons of drugs like they do now, I’LL FIGHT
While young punks swarm, curb stomp and bully others like they do now, I’LL FIGHT
While kids, teens and young adults cut and self-injure as they do now, I’LL FIGHT

While cliques are more concerned with their appearance and making money more than caring for others, as they do now, I’LL FIGHT
While adults physically, emotionally, verbally & sexually abuse youth, as they do now, I’LL FIGHT

While sex is freely given away to boyfriends & girlfriends,
While teens check out porn & young adults are engaged in sexual promiscuity,
While getting hammered, partying and clubbing is a generation’s choice and source of fun, while there remains one young dark soul without the light of God,

I’LL FIGHT… I’LL FIGHT to the very end!

Psalm 142

I cry aloud to the LORD;
I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy.

I pour out my complaint before him;
before him I tell my trouble.

When my spirit grows faint within me,
it is you who know my way.
In the path where I walk
men have hidden a snare for me.

Look to my right and see;
no one is concerned for me.
I have no refuge;
no one cares for my life.

I cry to you, O LORD;
I say, "You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living."

Listen to my cry,
for I am in desperate need;
rescue me from those who pursue me,
for they are too strong for me.

Set me free from my prison,
that I may praise your name.
Then the righteous will gather about me
because of your goodness to me.

DeviantArt

Saskatchewan

So i'm ACTUALLY here! I'm in Saskatchewan! I've been here for a week now and things are just starting to pick up. Starting to hand out resumes and get used to my surroundings! I spent last weekend at Beaver Creek camp for their Youth Councils weekend and I was seriously blown away... Mark Hall (our new TYS) was the main speaker for the weekend, and he told it like it is. He delivered a straight forward message that really showed it's impact when almost all of the 39 kids that attended were at the mercy seat on the last day asking for forgiveness and leaving past sin behind them. The whole weekend was called "FREE"... no, it DID cost money to go, but the whole weekend was based on Human Trafficking and modern day slavery... We did an amazing freedom walk where the kids went through a series of stations about trafficking and slavery. I really think that they got something out of it, because during the hour walk, my group hardly said one word. I'm pretty sure this is one of the most powerful Youth Councils I've been to in a long time. The Lord moved in AMAZING ways, and I think God has a huge plan for the youth in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Everywhere I look I see potential for great leadership and discipleship. I can't wait to see what God has in store for me here.