Dear blog:
I feel like I am cheating on you. And I am sorry. But I am not sorry enough to change my mind. I have a new blog. I am laying you to rest.
SO EVERYONE... CLICK HERE:
It's just better.
So friends, if you want to know what I am doing... Follow that blog now, that's where my thoughts will be.
Blessings,
-kAt
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Breaks - They are Important.
The more I read and study the Old Testament the more I realize the fundamental necessity of taking a Sabbath. It is not a nice, polite suggestion given to us, it is an authoritative command from the creator of the universe. I think out of all the Ten Commandments this is nearing the top of the list for most ignored. And I can understand why… I have been guilty of this for the majority of my life. But through discussions I have had over the last few years, and through studying Exodus as of late I have realized that this is far more than a ‘if you do this, you will be okay’… this is a YOU HAVE TO DO THIS.
I’m going to go through a couple of passages in the Bible that talk about a Sabbath… The logical spot to start is where we first see this idea of Sabbath.
So when and where is the first time we a Sabbath?
We see the God of all creation taking a Sabbath break after creating the world. Light stuff right? HAH, get real.
What I love about the first Sabbath, when God took a Sabbath is that it COMPLETELY dismantles one of the main arguments I have heard for people to not take a Sabbath is “I don’t need a Sabbath this week, I am feeling good, I’m not tired, I’m not burn-out, I can just keep on truckin’ along.” Wrong… you can’t!
The reason this text dismantles that argument is that do you really think GOD needed a break? I’m pretty sure He didn’t need to take a Sabbath, He is more than capable to keep on ‘truckin’ along’.
Yet, we see that He took a Sabbath. Why? To model for us that it is pivotal in a life that brings Him glory. To show that we NEED this far more than we will ever understand. He took a Sabbath to bless this day so that as we enjoy the Sabbath we will be rested, rejuvenated, renewed, and restored so that we can function at a higher capacity throughout the week.
Through God’s taking a Sabbath He forever blessed a day of rest for us, His followers/worshipers (Gen. 2:2). God specially blesses the Sabbath day for you and I to enjoy and to rest.
Rhetorical question time…
Do you think it is wrong to kill? Does the Bible teach that it is wrong?
Do you think it is wrong to sleep around? Does the Bible teach this clearly?
Do you think it is wrong to steal? Does the Bible ‘sort of’ cover this subject?
Do you think it is wrong to worship someone/thing other than the Lord?
Where does the Bible stand on creating and worshipping idols? Is it clear teaching?
What are we taught regarding being jealous for other’s possessions? Black and white, right?
Should you treat your parents well?
Is it okay to treat the Lord with mediocre respect, kind of like you do a nice pen… or are we taught to revere Him, respect Him, and treat His name with total respect?
What about lying? Is it appropriate or inappropriate biblically speaking?
… Maybe you get where I am going with this.
Those are the nine of the Ten Commandments paraphrased (see Exodus 20 for the full list). The tenth commandment, I’m guessing you can figure it out based on the previous 564 words on the Sabbath.
The commandment not listed is this
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
Exodus 20:8-11 (NIV)
When you continue on in Exodus we read the following about the Sabbath
“Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who descreates it must be put to death…”
Exodus 31:14
And my final passage I am using about the Sabbath is this…
“Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.”
Exodus 34:21
It becomes obvious, quickly that the Sabbath is not optional. It is entirely mandatory. We have to observe it. Not just when it is convenient, or when we are exhausted. One of my professors always says that the Sabbath isn’t just for when you need it, if you feel like you need a break it is already too late! The Sabbath is designed to prevent us from ever feeling burnt out.
Maybe you’re thinking… “Okay, I get it… I have to take time off, I have to break, it’s important. BUT, the thing is, I have this really important assignment/paper/test due soon…” Well, the third verse I used puts that to rest fairly quickly. For the Israelites (and you agricultural-savvy people, you’ll understand this very well) plowing and harvesting your field was absolutely necessary. No ‘ifs, ands, or buts’ it was their livelihood, it was their existence, it was how they lived, it was the means for EVERYTHING they had to sustain themselves. Far more important than homework, sporting events, anything like that nonsense. It was life itself for them. If they didn’t harvest in time (before the rains came or snow or anything like that) they would have no food to bring income to them and no food for the winter. And if they didn’t plow the fields they wouldn’t have a field prepared well enough for them to every plant any food. It was necessary, get the picture?
With all of that in mind God still told them “Take a break.” God knows everything, He is sovereign and is infinite in His wisdom. And with that all-knowing wisdom told us to take a break. I’m sure we can trust Him enough to take a break.
So the argument that we have something very important to do or we are too busy has been dismantled by Exodus 34:21.
But it isn’t just dismantling arguments, I think if we adopt in our lives a regular Sabbath we gain a lot.
We learn about responsibility and proper planning. If we know that we have that designated time of rest (whether that be Sunday, or Thursday night or whatever it may be) we have to plan around that.
It teaches us responsibility.
It teaches us to plan our time lives with maturity.
It teaches good life skills.
It sets in place a pace of life that is sustainable.
It enables us to engage better throughout the week with the tasks we do have to do. If we work all day long everyday, we will eventually burn out. That is simply NOT sustainable. If we take a period of time every week as a break, I can PROMISE you that you will be much, much better off.
And I don’t promise you on any authority I have, I don’t promise you on my experience. I promise you based on the reality that the word of God says so…
It’s a gift from God, don’t deny that gift… It is good, because the giver is good.
There’s a lot more power there than anything I could ever begin to muster.
Blessings my friends, rest well.
-kAt
I’m going to go through a couple of passages in the Bible that talk about a Sabbath… The logical spot to start is where we first see this idea of Sabbath.
So when and where is the first time we a Sabbath?
We see the God of all creation taking a Sabbath break after creating the world. Light stuff right? HAH, get real.
What I love about the first Sabbath, when God took a Sabbath is that it COMPLETELY dismantles one of the main arguments I have heard for people to not take a Sabbath is “I don’t need a Sabbath this week, I am feeling good, I’m not tired, I’m not burn-out, I can just keep on truckin’ along.” Wrong… you can’t!
The reason this text dismantles that argument is that do you really think GOD needed a break? I’m pretty sure He didn’t need to take a Sabbath, He is more than capable to keep on ‘truckin’ along’.
Yet, we see that He took a Sabbath. Why? To model for us that it is pivotal in a life that brings Him glory. To show that we NEED this far more than we will ever understand. He took a Sabbath to bless this day so that as we enjoy the Sabbath we will be rested, rejuvenated, renewed, and restored so that we can function at a higher capacity throughout the week.
Through God’s taking a Sabbath He forever blessed a day of rest for us, His followers/worshipers (Gen. 2:2). God specially blesses the Sabbath day for you and I to enjoy and to rest.
Rhetorical question time…
Do you think it is wrong to kill? Does the Bible teach that it is wrong?
Do you think it is wrong to sleep around? Does the Bible teach this clearly?
Do you think it is wrong to steal? Does the Bible ‘sort of’ cover this subject?
Do you think it is wrong to worship someone/thing other than the Lord?
Where does the Bible stand on creating and worshipping idols? Is it clear teaching?
What are we taught regarding being jealous for other’s possessions? Black and white, right?
Should you treat your parents well?
Is it okay to treat the Lord with mediocre respect, kind of like you do a nice pen… or are we taught to revere Him, respect Him, and treat His name with total respect?
What about lying? Is it appropriate or inappropriate biblically speaking?
… Maybe you get where I am going with this.
Those are the nine of the Ten Commandments paraphrased (see Exodus 20 for the full list). The tenth commandment, I’m guessing you can figure it out based on the previous 564 words on the Sabbath.
The commandment not listed is this
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
Exodus 20:8-11 (NIV)
When you continue on in Exodus we read the following about the Sabbath
“Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who descreates it must be put to death…”
Exodus 31:14
And my final passage I am using about the Sabbath is this…
“Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.”
Exodus 34:21
It becomes obvious, quickly that the Sabbath is not optional. It is entirely mandatory. We have to observe it. Not just when it is convenient, or when we are exhausted. One of my professors always says that the Sabbath isn’t just for when you need it, if you feel like you need a break it is already too late! The Sabbath is designed to prevent us from ever feeling burnt out.
Maybe you’re thinking… “Okay, I get it… I have to take time off, I have to break, it’s important. BUT, the thing is, I have this really important assignment/paper/test due soon…” Well, the third verse I used puts that to rest fairly quickly. For the Israelites (and you agricultural-savvy people, you’ll understand this very well) plowing and harvesting your field was absolutely necessary. No ‘ifs, ands, or buts’ it was their livelihood, it was their existence, it was how they lived, it was the means for EVERYTHING they had to sustain themselves. Far more important than homework, sporting events, anything like that nonsense. It was life itself for them. If they didn’t harvest in time (before the rains came or snow or anything like that) they would have no food to bring income to them and no food for the winter. And if they didn’t plow the fields they wouldn’t have a field prepared well enough for them to every plant any food. It was necessary, get the picture?
With all of that in mind God still told them “Take a break.” God knows everything, He is sovereign and is infinite in His wisdom. And with that all-knowing wisdom told us to take a break. I’m sure we can trust Him enough to take a break.
So the argument that we have something very important to do or we are too busy has been dismantled by Exodus 34:21.
But it isn’t just dismantling arguments, I think if we adopt in our lives a regular Sabbath we gain a lot.
We learn about responsibility and proper planning. If we know that we have that designated time of rest (whether that be Sunday, or Thursday night or whatever it may be) we have to plan around that.
It teaches us responsibility.
It teaches us to plan our time lives with maturity.
It teaches good life skills.
It sets in place a pace of life that is sustainable.
It enables us to engage better throughout the week with the tasks we do have to do. If we work all day long everyday, we will eventually burn out. That is simply NOT sustainable. If we take a period of time every week as a break, I can PROMISE you that you will be much, much better off.
And I don’t promise you on any authority I have, I don’t promise you on my experience. I promise you based on the reality that the word of God says so…
It’s a gift from God, don’t deny that gift… It is good, because the giver is good.
There’s a lot more power there than anything I could ever begin to muster.
Blessings my friends, rest well.
-kAt
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
How to be trendy in today's world...
Ellen DeGeneres calls this the Trendy Trending Trends. I thought I couldn't steal that title, so I wanted to give it a shout-out in the first sentence. So, task #1 with this blog... completed.
Now on with the meat of the blog entry... It is no secret that culture is always changing, people are always changing, music is always changing, tastes/interests are always changing.
Well, I'm not in high school anymore, in fact the youth group here in Cobourg didn't even know who Hanson was (I mean, seriously? Who doesn't know the classic song, MmmBop?!?!) So, I realized I am getting old and out of touch. So I decided I ought to pay more attention to this next, upcoming generation (that trendy book writers and culture-analysts call the iY generation).
So, here is how to fit in with this upcoming generation. According to this old, out of touch 21 year old...
1. Wear SillyBandz. Elastic bands that when they are not stretched, form a shape (i.e. Dolphin, Guitar, Bird, etc) AND, pay only 6 dollars for the thinnest bands of plastic I have ever seen. Steal of a deal if you ask me.
2. Be scared of clowns. It seems that everyone is terrified of clowns these days. Whenever I ask someone why? They never have a response other than 'I dunno, they're creepy!' They are scared of clowns because everyone is scared of clowns.
3. Whenever you feel 'zany, crazy, or loud' just say "I totally have ADHD." You wouldn't believe the amount of teenagers nowadays with ADHD or ADD... seems like just about anybody that has had a sodapop has ADHD.
4. Say you have a food issue. Trendy ones I heard a lot this summer were: Allergic to certain food items, Lactose Intolerant (the best was when a self-proclaimed Lactose Intolerant individual said she couldn't have the cheese while having 2.8 litres of ranch dressing), but the BE-ALL-END-ALL food thing to say you have it a celiac's disease. Say you can't have gluten... that's the golden-ticket winner.
5. Be the biggest Harry Potter fan. Ever. And second place in your heart as far as movies go... without question, Twilight.
6. If you are a teenage girl... Have a crush on Justin Bieber.
7. If you are a teenage boy... While in public always declare you categorically HATE Justin Bieber, but mimic his hair and clothing style as best as you possibly can.
That is all the advice I have for anyone growing up in today's world on how to be cool.
Goodluck friends.
-kAt
Now on with the meat of the blog entry... It is no secret that culture is always changing, people are always changing, music is always changing, tastes/interests are always changing.
Well, I'm not in high school anymore, in fact the youth group here in Cobourg didn't even know who Hanson was (I mean, seriously? Who doesn't know the classic song, MmmBop?!?!) So, I realized I am getting old and out of touch. So I decided I ought to pay more attention to this next, upcoming generation (that trendy book writers and culture-analysts call the iY generation).
So, here is how to fit in with this upcoming generation. According to this old, out of touch 21 year old...
1. Wear SillyBandz. Elastic bands that when they are not stretched, form a shape (i.e. Dolphin, Guitar, Bird, etc) AND, pay only 6 dollars for the thinnest bands of plastic I have ever seen. Steal of a deal if you ask me.
2. Be scared of clowns. It seems that everyone is terrified of clowns these days. Whenever I ask someone why? They never have a response other than 'I dunno, they're creepy!' They are scared of clowns because everyone is scared of clowns.
3. Whenever you feel 'zany, crazy, or loud' just say "I totally have ADHD." You wouldn't believe the amount of teenagers nowadays with ADHD or ADD... seems like just about anybody that has had a sodapop has ADHD.
4. Say you have a food issue. Trendy ones I heard a lot this summer were: Allergic to certain food items, Lactose Intolerant (the best was when a self-proclaimed Lactose Intolerant individual said she couldn't have the cheese while having 2.8 litres of ranch dressing), but the BE-ALL-END-ALL food thing to say you have it a celiac's disease. Say you can't have gluten... that's the golden-ticket winner.
5. Be the biggest Harry Potter fan. Ever. And second place in your heart as far as movies go... without question, Twilight.
6. If you are a teenage girl... Have a crush on Justin Bieber.
7. If you are a teenage boy... While in public always declare you categorically HATE Justin Bieber, but mimic his hair and clothing style as best as you possibly can.
That is all the advice I have for anyone growing up in today's world on how to be cool.
Goodluck friends.
-kAt
Friday, October 22, 2010
The Tension of Receiving Praise.
Leadership is an amazing thing.
I am fascinated by it, and always have been. I read leadership books and blogs for fun, I think leadership is vitally important (and inevitable-it will happen like it or not!), and I believe that good leadership is one of the most fundamentally important things in our culture.
Throughout the past couple of years I have had the incredible opportunity to be involved in some very cool leadership capacities. Through these experiences I have come to realize that no matter what area of leadership you are involved with there is always an awkward tension present. This tension is surrounding the object of affection.
A fundamental and elementary definition of a leader is that you have people following you. So, it goes without saying that as a leader your followers will look to you for their guidance, direction, help, solutions to problems and a whole plethora of other things… if your leadership is in a ministry capacity your followers will look to you for spiritual direction, for counseling, and far too often rely on you to be the holder of that spoon which feeds them their spiritual food.
Now don’t misunderstand what I am saying. I think a leader should do all of those aforementioned things. I think that is a beautiful picture of leadership (especially when it is done well!). Where things go awry is when the ego becomes engaged.
Leadership in a ministry setting is tricky because when something goes crazy in an individual’s life they run to you (the spiritual advisor/pastor/friend) for the solution. And, if you take leadership seriously you will quickly understand that YOU don’t have any solutions. So what do you do? (Or perhaps I ought to say… what SHOULD you do?) …
…You point them to Jesus for the solution.
Jesus contains all authority. So if an individual truly listens to your advice and runs to Jesus for help, they will find all they were searching for and far more than they were anticipating. When their predicament is fixed, they naturally, humanly think that you helped them since you were the one that gave the advice. The ‘follower’ thinks YOU are amazing because they think YOU helped them. When the reality is that JESUS was and is and will always be the helper. You did nothing; don’t be arrogant enough to believe you did it! Our job is to do nothing more than point them to THE ONE. Get it?
They may tell their friends that YOU did a good job in helping their spiritual life… they may even bring their friends to you for help. It is fantastic that they bring their friends to you, so long as you bring their friend to Jesus, because He is the only one that will help them.
Your victory was not (is not) in helping them, but in your ability to point them to Jesus.
Sometimes, too often, people miss that. I see far too often people thanking Pastors alone for their incredible message, or only the worship leader/band for the incredible worship (which is very kind of them, and I think pastors should be thanked for the hard work they poured into the message/worship/etc)… But, hear this… Far more than anything else, IT IS NOT ABOUT THE INDIVIDUAL UP FRONT! It is about the sender of that individual.
We are not called to work in such a way that brings the attention or praise to ourselves. In everything that we do we are to bring the praise to God. People thank the leader, which is kind of them (and I think appropriate) but at the end of the day we ALL need to thank God for His redemptive work through Jesus. That is what it is all about.
We are not called to receive the praise, we are called to bring the praise to God, there’s tension when that doesn’t happen.
Blessings
-kAt
I am fascinated by it, and always have been. I read leadership books and blogs for fun, I think leadership is vitally important (and inevitable-it will happen like it or not!), and I believe that good leadership is one of the most fundamentally important things in our culture.
Throughout the past couple of years I have had the incredible opportunity to be involved in some very cool leadership capacities. Through these experiences I have come to realize that no matter what area of leadership you are involved with there is always an awkward tension present. This tension is surrounding the object of affection.
A fundamental and elementary definition of a leader is that you have people following you. So, it goes without saying that as a leader your followers will look to you for their guidance, direction, help, solutions to problems and a whole plethora of other things… if your leadership is in a ministry capacity your followers will look to you for spiritual direction, for counseling, and far too often rely on you to be the holder of that spoon which feeds them their spiritual food.
Now don’t misunderstand what I am saying. I think a leader should do all of those aforementioned things. I think that is a beautiful picture of leadership (especially when it is done well!). Where things go awry is when the ego becomes engaged.
Leadership in a ministry setting is tricky because when something goes crazy in an individual’s life they run to you (the spiritual advisor/pastor/friend) for the solution. And, if you take leadership seriously you will quickly understand that YOU don’t have any solutions. So what do you do? (Or perhaps I ought to say… what SHOULD you do?) …
…You point them to Jesus for the solution.
Jesus contains all authority. So if an individual truly listens to your advice and runs to Jesus for help, they will find all they were searching for and far more than they were anticipating. When their predicament is fixed, they naturally, humanly think that you helped them since you were the one that gave the advice. The ‘follower’ thinks YOU are amazing because they think YOU helped them. When the reality is that JESUS was and is and will always be the helper. You did nothing; don’t be arrogant enough to believe you did it! Our job is to do nothing more than point them to THE ONE. Get it?
They may tell their friends that YOU did a good job in helping their spiritual life… they may even bring their friends to you for help. It is fantastic that they bring their friends to you, so long as you bring their friend to Jesus, because He is the only one that will help them.
Your victory was not (is not) in helping them, but in your ability to point them to Jesus.
Sometimes, too often, people miss that. I see far too often people thanking Pastors alone for their incredible message, or only the worship leader/band for the incredible worship (which is very kind of them, and I think pastors should be thanked for the hard work they poured into the message/worship/etc)… But, hear this… Far more than anything else, IT IS NOT ABOUT THE INDIVIDUAL UP FRONT! It is about the sender of that individual.
We are not called to work in such a way that brings the attention or praise to ourselves. In everything that we do we are to bring the praise to God. People thank the leader, which is kind of them (and I think appropriate) but at the end of the day we ALL need to thank God for His redemptive work through Jesus. That is what it is all about.
We are not called to receive the praise, we are called to bring the praise to God, there’s tension when that doesn’t happen.
Blessings
-kAt
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Alberta and Ontario Differences...
I have officially been in Ontario for 1 month, 2 days, 2 hours, and 11 minutes… okay, I approximated on the minutes, but I have been here for 1 month and 2 days!
One of the questions that I have been asked several times is something along the lines of “So, what are the biggest differences between West and Ontario?” (and/or any variation of that question).
So, this is a list of the biggest differences that I have noticed.
1. It would be wrong for me to start this list with ANYTHING BUT the fact that milk is bought in bags in here. This is without question the oddest oddity about Ontario. I was so confused when I first got here where the milk was that I didn’t know what to do! I have come to appreciate milk in bags, in fact, if you were to ask me which ones tastes better… I would have to admit that I think that milk tastes fresher in the bags. But that’s beside the point… It’s weird having milk in bags. Feels fragile.
2. People here actually think that the Toronto Maple Leafs are a good team! Out West it is regular for a person that claims to be a TML fan to be mocked… but here, that’s the majority opinion! Such a large group of people so misled to believe that they ‘actually have a chance this year!’ Although, I have to be fair… It would be ignorant of me to ignore the fact they have looked very sharp the first two games of the year, and if I could quote a friend that is a TML fan, ‘they will be able to cheer longer this year!’ … my response to that is… of course you can cheer longer, probably two games longer this season before they are mathematically eliminated. And if I could quote another friend… The Oilers and Maple Leafs have both started well, but we both know they are going nowhere. Regardless, at the end of the day… GO CANUCKS GO!
3. In my 21 years of life I have never seen a more beautiful autumn than this fall. WOW! Ontario you sure know how to have a beautiful fall! The colors are simply spectacular – breathtaking – to say the least. There are no falls in Calgary like the one I have experienced here… in fact there is no fall really at all in Calgary - it snowed there the second week of September! (But to be fair, I must say that it was also in the mid 20’s there last week).
4. Lakes! I grew up in British Columbia so lakes are a regular sighting for me, but there are NO lakes at all like Ontario has in Alberta. In Calgary, the closest natural lake to drive to is over an hour away… and everyone in South-Central Alberta goes there, so it’s chaotic and busy! The water system here is absolutely incredible! I think to make up for a lack of lakes in Alberta, God gave them the Rocky Mountains (which are magnificent!).
5. Ontario weather = Consistent.
Alberta weather = Don’t like it? Wait five minutes…
Ontario weather is actually consistent with how weather should be this time of year. Weather in Alberta is sporadic and inconsistent (to put it nicely!) Like I said before, it snowed there week 2 of September, and a week and a half later is was 26 degrees C… What is with that! Here it is nice and consistent!
6. I was visiting some family in Brockville and I chose to take the long way home, I drove along the 2 highway for the majority of the way, and I noticed that every small town along the way has a Division St, Ontario St, King St (which is typically the #2 highway). Which is neat, there aren’t the same road names in every small town Alberta.
7. I have noticed that speed limits are typically ten km/h lower here than in Alberta. For example, the major highway in Calgary is called the Deerfoot; the speed limit on that road is 110 km/h… Whereas here, the speed limit on the 401 is 100 km/h. Does that make Ontario people more patient? Or reckless drivers so they have to have a lower speed limit… I’m not sure!
There are many more difference I could mention, these are the main seven that I have noticed so far… but the cool thing is that at the end of the day as many differences that there are, there is one similarity between Alberta, British Columbia, and now Ontario… They truly all do feel like home.
Blessings my friends,
-kAt
One of the questions that I have been asked several times is something along the lines of “So, what are the biggest differences between West and Ontario?” (and/or any variation of that question).
So, this is a list of the biggest differences that I have noticed.
1. It would be wrong for me to start this list with ANYTHING BUT the fact that milk is bought in bags in here. This is without question the oddest oddity about Ontario. I was so confused when I first got here where the milk was that I didn’t know what to do! I have come to appreciate milk in bags, in fact, if you were to ask me which ones tastes better… I would have to admit that I think that milk tastes fresher in the bags. But that’s beside the point… It’s weird having milk in bags. Feels fragile.
2. People here actually think that the Toronto Maple Leafs are a good team! Out West it is regular for a person that claims to be a TML fan to be mocked… but here, that’s the majority opinion! Such a large group of people so misled to believe that they ‘actually have a chance this year!’ Although, I have to be fair… It would be ignorant of me to ignore the fact they have looked very sharp the first two games of the year, and if I could quote a friend that is a TML fan, ‘they will be able to cheer longer this year!’ … my response to that is… of course you can cheer longer, probably two games longer this season before they are mathematically eliminated. And if I could quote another friend… The Oilers and Maple Leafs have both started well, but we both know they are going nowhere. Regardless, at the end of the day… GO CANUCKS GO!
3. In my 21 years of life I have never seen a more beautiful autumn than this fall. WOW! Ontario you sure know how to have a beautiful fall! The colors are simply spectacular – breathtaking – to say the least. There are no falls in Calgary like the one I have experienced here… in fact there is no fall really at all in Calgary - it snowed there the second week of September! (But to be fair, I must say that it was also in the mid 20’s there last week).
4. Lakes! I grew up in British Columbia so lakes are a regular sighting for me, but there are NO lakes at all like Ontario has in Alberta. In Calgary, the closest natural lake to drive to is over an hour away… and everyone in South-Central Alberta goes there, so it’s chaotic and busy! The water system here is absolutely incredible! I think to make up for a lack of lakes in Alberta, God gave them the Rocky Mountains (which are magnificent!).
5. Ontario weather = Consistent.
Alberta weather = Don’t like it? Wait five minutes…
Ontario weather is actually consistent with how weather should be this time of year. Weather in Alberta is sporadic and inconsistent (to put it nicely!) Like I said before, it snowed there week 2 of September, and a week and a half later is was 26 degrees C… What is with that! Here it is nice and consistent!
6. I was visiting some family in Brockville and I chose to take the long way home, I drove along the 2 highway for the majority of the way, and I noticed that every small town along the way has a Division St, Ontario St, King St (which is typically the #2 highway). Which is neat, there aren’t the same road names in every small town Alberta.
7. I have noticed that speed limits are typically ten km/h lower here than in Alberta. For example, the major highway in Calgary is called the Deerfoot; the speed limit on that road is 110 km/h… Whereas here, the speed limit on the 401 is 100 km/h. Does that make Ontario people more patient? Or reckless drivers so they have to have a lower speed limit… I’m not sure!
There are many more difference I could mention, these are the main seven that I have noticed so far… but the cool thing is that at the end of the day as many differences that there are, there is one similarity between Alberta, British Columbia, and now Ontario… They truly all do feel like home.
Blessings my friends,
-kAt
Thursday, September 16, 2010
What it is all about...
It has never been about what you think you have to offer.
It really does not matter how talented you are, how rich you are, how generous you are, or how beautiful you are... what really matters is being able to say 'Here I am, and I am willing to do your will God.' Please do not get me wrong, being very talented (in any area, whether that be sports, academics, creativity, etc...), being generous, and any other physical capability are very good things and God desire us to use those for His kingdom. I believe far too often we buy the lie that those are our offerings and those are our sacrifices to God. That if we give ten percent of our income, or if we play for His glory, or if we use our creativity for Him that is all that is required of us... and that is where we get caught in a tricky lie.
Time and again as you read throughout the Bible we see this idea of physical gifts is not what God requires. Well what does He require? Here are three quick passages that tell us...
>We see in Amos 5 that God did not want sacrifices so much as He wants righteousness. Actions without a sincere heart that desires to worship, follow, serve, and be obedient to God has no significant meaning.
>We see in Isaiah 1 that God has more than enough burnt offerings (well I know that the majority of you are not practicing burnt offerings...so maybe substitute some physical thing that you 'give' to God), He has enough of our measly offerings... What does God want? He wants us to do what is right, to seek justice, to seek His face, to love those around us passionately.
>We see in Hebrews 10 that God does not want someone to say I will give you this... He wants someone that will say 'Here I am, to do your will.'
Do you think you have something to offer God? Or, are you willing to simply say, whatever you require of me, I am here to do your will? Check your motives.
-kAt
It really does not matter how talented you are, how rich you are, how generous you are, or how beautiful you are... what really matters is being able to say 'Here I am, and I am willing to do your will God.' Please do not get me wrong, being very talented (in any area, whether that be sports, academics, creativity, etc...), being generous, and any other physical capability are very good things and God desire us to use those for His kingdom. I believe far too often we buy the lie that those are our offerings and those are our sacrifices to God. That if we give ten percent of our income, or if we play for His glory, or if we use our creativity for Him that is all that is required of us... and that is where we get caught in a tricky lie.
Time and again as you read throughout the Bible we see this idea of physical gifts is not what God requires. Well what does He require? Here are three quick passages that tell us...
>We see in Amos 5 that God did not want sacrifices so much as He wants righteousness. Actions without a sincere heart that desires to worship, follow, serve, and be obedient to God has no significant meaning.
>We see in Isaiah 1 that God has more than enough burnt offerings (well I know that the majority of you are not practicing burnt offerings...so maybe substitute some physical thing that you 'give' to God), He has enough of our measly offerings... What does God want? He wants us to do what is right, to seek justice, to seek His face, to love those around us passionately.
>We see in Hebrews 10 that God does not want someone to say I will give you this... He wants someone that will say 'Here I am, to do your will.'
Do you think you have something to offer God? Or, are you willing to simply say, whatever you require of me, I am here to do your will? Check your motives.
-kAt
Thursday, June 3, 2010
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