I think the consensus is that year 2010 will be a year that we'll look back and say, "yeah - I was part of that". I really don't think we realize it yet, but this year will probably go down in history as one of the greatest years for many, many people. If the world ended tonight, it would be pretty incredible. The year of 2010 really marked some rather historical events for everyone, myself especially. Good, bad, and ugly, this year had it all. And I'm not even going to try to list everything out because that would take hours and I'd still miss a lot of things.
I've been alive for about 20 years; and even though most of my memories are after the new millennium hit, when I look back at things in another 20 years, I can guarantee that 2010 will be a standout year. I can only speak for myself, but there was so much growth this year, that if I tried to plot it onto a chart, the rate would have increased so dramatically that it's just look like a straight vertical line going upwards.
As this is my last post for such a legendary year, I think I'm just going to spend most of my night evaluating how my first semester and winter break has gone. I'll try not to play StarCraft, but I don't guarantee anything.
Since I got home, almost two weeks ago, I'd be lying if I said everything is as I thought it'd be. There's always going to be some insecure (not sure if that's the right word) moments because I don't really know what the reception is going to be like. My family will never change, so nothing really surprised or will surprise me there, but I think outside of that, there's something I'm always unsure about. When I kind of think about it, after leaving home, the image of "home" gets so fuzzy that everything seems fabricated into the perfect place. It's almost expected that the moment I get home, that things pick up where they were before I left. But the laws of this universe don't work that way; unless it's a black hole. It's almost expected that there was some rift in the time and space continuum where I was gone for this time, but when I get back, everything picks up from before I left. Unfortunately, life isn't like that and everything continues even though I'm not there anymore. So basically, everything is still happening, but I'm just not there anymore. And when I get back, I try to pull everything into place, but it just doesn't work that way. I guess this was my only real concern over the last two weeks. When you lose contact with people for an extended time, it's probably a bit weird when you get reconnected. I think everyone knows what I'm talking about. To kind of sum it all up, there's always that fear of being left out. Your best friends aren't really your best friends anymore; they have done lots of things without you so they carry their own swagger while I'm here struggling to keep up. I shouldn't say that your friends aren't friends because friends are always going to be friends, but probably just the chemistry is a bit crooked. I'm not saying this is how I really feel, but the potential is there.
And since I've been back, Christmas has happened, Boxing Day has happened, and a new calender year will be happening in under an hour. I can proudly sit here and tell everyone that I didn't spend much during this Christmas season (relative to past Christmases). I would say I spent about the amount that I would have on a pair of jeans if I had bought one. On Christmas Eve, I went out and bought myself StarCraft II because I was teased by the game the night before. Unfortunately, my laptop can barely run the game so it is really laggy and it makes for a frustrating gaming experience. So I know I'm going to suck mightily at this game, at least until I get a decent computer that can run it without lag. With that, this is basically how I spent my last week: playing StarCraft II. I suck at it, but whatever. I can hold onto the fact that I was one of the better players in old SC (=
So anyways, 2011 is going to start soon, and I'm semi-excited. 2010 is going to be really hard to follow up. There were the Olympics, World Cup, summer camp, moving to Calgary, English versus Chinese hockey, Taylor Hall, etc. Along with all these wonderful things, we can't forget the disasters as well. I had a discussion a while back about why these things happen, and I can only really conclude one thing from it: Jesus is coming back. It's really unfortunate that they happen, but it opens an incredible pathway for us as Christians to evangelize. I learned a lot of things during my first semester, but one concept really stands out. We were made to help accomplish God's mission. Everything happens so God's mission can be finished.
If 2010 was that epic, of course we can follow through and write an even better year in 2011. So what are we waiting for?
EDIT: oh noes! the y2k bug is back! No I didn't write this in Feb of 2009. If I can't fix it, I'm changing my template!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Well...
... You knew I was going to blog about it. Of course you did. I am home! And... there's not much else to say. Okay, I lied, there is a bit. The snow is great. I thought Calgary was awful at shoveling snow, but I think Edmonton could possibly be worse. But to be fair, Edmonton just finished having a snowstorm, so we'll give it a few more days.
It feels like I've never left. But at the same time, this whole "home is where the heart is" is starting to apply. I can probably start to admit that Calgary is starting to feel like home. As lots of people may or may not know, I get attached easily, and that doesn't always bode well. But it's good. I definitely have two places I can call home.
The only thing is that it hasn't really settled on me that I'm going to be home for three weeks. Last time I came back, it was just for a weekend to see Sarah get baptized. Now, I get to pretty much do what I normally did at home before this Calgary thing started: nothing.
Anyways, I watched Inception tonight. It was pretty good. The whole concept was original and really great and mind-boggling. Yeah, yeah, I hadn't watched it yet. But I can say that I did now.
I don't really have a lot of plans for this winter break, mainly because I no longer have a car. Both my parents will be working most days, so it means I'm stuck at home unless someone wants to take me out - which I doubt, because who would want to do that? So, umm, if anyone wants to do anything.. let me know. Haha!
I want a car! Geez.
It feels like I've never left. But at the same time, this whole "home is where the heart is" is starting to apply. I can probably start to admit that Calgary is starting to feel like home. As lots of people may or may not know, I get attached easily, and that doesn't always bode well. But it's good. I definitely have two places I can call home.
The only thing is that it hasn't really settled on me that I'm going to be home for three weeks. Last time I came back, it was just for a weekend to see Sarah get baptized. Now, I get to pretty much do what I normally did at home before this Calgary thing started: nothing.
Anyways, I watched Inception tonight. It was pretty good. The whole concept was original and really great and mind-boggling. Yeah, yeah, I hadn't watched it yet. But I can say that I did now.
I don't really have a lot of plans for this winter break, mainly because I no longer have a car. Both my parents will be working most days, so it means I'm stuck at home unless someone wants to take me out - which I doubt, because who would want to do that? So, umm, if anyone wants to do anything.. let me know. Haha!
I want a car! Geez.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
This Time
Four months ago, I was packing up to leave the city I grew up in to start a new life. Today, I am packing some of my stuff to go back to Edmonton. It feels pretty strange. I'm not sure how it's going to be like or how the reception of me going back is going to be like. I've gotten used to Calgary and I would think that life has generally been going uphill since I settled in.
I guess I'll just recap a bit on what my semester has been like. The first couple days after moving here were probably the hardest days I've ever had to live. You can go through all these ups and downs and merry-go-rounds in your life, but nothing quite feels like moving out. I think that even if you're so glad you're moving out, that liberating feeling is pretty amazing. It didn't take too long for me to settle into my life here, though, all thanks to some pretty cool kids and parents that are trying to make things easier for me. Things took a while for me to get going though, as I'd been out of school for a year and being in a completely new environment knowing nobody. But all in all, it was pretty sweet.
Academically, things have been decent I have to admit. I've never been or ever will be an A student, but I do believe I can be in the upper echelon of my classes. I've really learned my strengths and weaknesses in terms of school this term. I now know what I need to get better at, and what I'm already alright at. It's a lot more helpful when I'm doing something that I am so much more comfortable in doing. In terms of results, I don't think my marks will be where I had hoped, but they're decent. I only took four classes, and I'd have to say that two are in the A area, while the other two are probably closer to the B- or C. I needed to maintain a 2.0 GPA, and I think I should be fine there. I've been surprised a couple times with some of the marks I've gotten on my papers, but it's just given me some confidence in knowing that I can do well in school.
I'm going to say, flat out, that the best part of moving to Calgary so far has been the church I attend. Because it's a tiny community, you're going to stick out like a sore thumb like I did when you're new. Especially if you're someone like me, and appear to carry some "ability" in doing things, people are going to notice you. The people have been great to me, and hopefully they like who I am. There are still lots of things about me they don't really know, but I'm sure there will be a chance that I get to show those aspects of me eventually. It goes to show that it doesn't really matter where you are, but if there is a healthy church with healthy people that love God, the feelings of joy are going to remain; because after all, it is the same God we worship.
So it feels a bit strange packing again, but this time to be going home for three weeks. There is some anxiety and some nervous excitement because of the uncertainty of the circumstances that surround me. Hopefully I haven't really changed that much and I'm still a bearable person. One thing I'm really going to miss is that I have to leave Taylor here in Calgary, so it gets no love for three weeks. On the other hand, I get to play with my Eclipse again. But I've gotten so attached to my Taylor, it's going to be sad. Yes. This is what a dork does - get attached to my baby.
I'm coming home guys!
And for those keeping track, I'm giving it a little more time; I need confirmation before I do anything else. It's risky business! (How's that for vagueness Ps. Jenn? =D)
I guess I'll just recap a bit on what my semester has been like. The first couple days after moving here were probably the hardest days I've ever had to live. You can go through all these ups and downs and merry-go-rounds in your life, but nothing quite feels like moving out. I think that even if you're so glad you're moving out, that liberating feeling is pretty amazing. It didn't take too long for me to settle into my life here, though, all thanks to some pretty cool kids and parents that are trying to make things easier for me. Things took a while for me to get going though, as I'd been out of school for a year and being in a completely new environment knowing nobody. But all in all, it was pretty sweet.
Academically, things have been decent I have to admit. I've never been or ever will be an A student, but I do believe I can be in the upper echelon of my classes. I've really learned my strengths and weaknesses in terms of school this term. I now know what I need to get better at, and what I'm already alright at. It's a lot more helpful when I'm doing something that I am so much more comfortable in doing. In terms of results, I don't think my marks will be where I had hoped, but they're decent. I only took four classes, and I'd have to say that two are in the A area, while the other two are probably closer to the B- or C. I needed to maintain a 2.0 GPA, and I think I should be fine there. I've been surprised a couple times with some of the marks I've gotten on my papers, but it's just given me some confidence in knowing that I can do well in school.
I'm going to say, flat out, that the best part of moving to Calgary so far has been the church I attend. Because it's a tiny community, you're going to stick out like a sore thumb like I did when you're new. Especially if you're someone like me, and appear to carry some "ability" in doing things, people are going to notice you. The people have been great to me, and hopefully they like who I am. There are still lots of things about me they don't really know, but I'm sure there will be a chance that I get to show those aspects of me eventually. It goes to show that it doesn't really matter where you are, but if there is a healthy church with healthy people that love God, the feelings of joy are going to remain; because after all, it is the same God we worship.
So it feels a bit strange packing again, but this time to be going home for three weeks. There is some anxiety and some nervous excitement because of the uncertainty of the circumstances that surround me. Hopefully I haven't really changed that much and I'm still a bearable person. One thing I'm really going to miss is that I have to leave Taylor here in Calgary, so it gets no love for three weeks. On the other hand, I get to play with my Eclipse again. But I've gotten so attached to my Taylor, it's going to be sad. Yes. This is what a dork does - get attached to my baby.
I'm coming home guys!
And for those keeping track, I'm giving it a little more time; I need confirmation before I do anything else. It's risky business! (How's that for vagueness Ps. Jenn? =D)
Thursday, December 16, 2010
A Couple Things
It is Thursday Morning, just before 9:00. I tried to wake up a bit early so I could really get my studying down for my 1:00 exam, but I guess that didn't turn out all too well. I just thought I'd say a couple things before I study and then go to school.
Today is my Old Testament final, and I have some opinions about it. Everything is cumulative, so it means I have to pretty much know the entire Old Testament. Is that even appropriate, especially for a first year course, to have to know the entire OT for one exam? It's the biggest final in terms of worth at 40%; but I guess I have it lucky since there are people who have 60% finals and stuff. But as for the exam, I'm not quite ready. I don't think I really will be considering the amount of information I need to retain. But it's okay, I will just be happy to get these next couple of days done with so I can be free.
And it looks like I don't get to go back to Edmonton until Sunday afternoon, all thanks to the snowstorm that hit there. I guess it's just a minor inconvenience, but that's fine. I should be happy that I get an extra week and a couple days of winter break, which if you ask me is pretty cool.
Yesterday, I read something really cool and creepy on one of the blogs that I follow. It's about Facebook, and I thought it's worth sharing, so I hope you don't mind Teresa but I'm gonna link up your page! Go to http://chan-teresa.blogspot.com/ to read about what's so cool and creepy about Facebook.
Anyways, that's about all. For most of you, you can stop reading here. For a select few that will know what I'm talking about, I've decided to put an end to this; because, quite frankly, I am done having fun. So, I have come up with my own way to end it; and it starts today.
-------------------------------------------------
To You,
Just stop. Seriously. You have absolutely no idea what you're doing. You don't know how many times I've come so close to intervening with your little "game". If I'm not such a big softy, I probably would have ended this long ago. But because you chose to go about things the way you did, I'm going to decide to do exactly what you did. Except if a long enough time passes and you're still as clueless as you've proven to be, I'm taking this right to you because that's the way I prefer to do it. You could not have left a worst first impression on me, and the only thing I can associate you to is this entire situation that has played out. Grow up. I'm pretty sure you read my blog because you've obviously taken from it, so if even after you read this and continue going on about what you've been doing, it's not gonna get any prettier. I'm trying to save both of us some embarrassment, so you might as well just stop, because this is not the way to go about things in life. Yeah, this is harsh. And I don't get easily annoyed. You can ask just about anyone who's actually taken the time to know me genuinely that it takes quite a bit to annoy me. I've been pushing the line so many times, but you keep crossing it. So I've decided it's time that you should stop, before you damage yourself even more. And yes, this time I AM talking about you.
Nathan.
Today is my Old Testament final, and I have some opinions about it. Everything is cumulative, so it means I have to pretty much know the entire Old Testament. Is that even appropriate, especially for a first year course, to have to know the entire OT for one exam? It's the biggest final in terms of worth at 40%; but I guess I have it lucky since there are people who have 60% finals and stuff. But as for the exam, I'm not quite ready. I don't think I really will be considering the amount of information I need to retain. But it's okay, I will just be happy to get these next couple of days done with so I can be free.
And it looks like I don't get to go back to Edmonton until Sunday afternoon, all thanks to the snowstorm that hit there. I guess it's just a minor inconvenience, but that's fine. I should be happy that I get an extra week and a couple days of winter break, which if you ask me is pretty cool.
Yesterday, I read something really cool and creepy on one of the blogs that I follow. It's about Facebook, and I thought it's worth sharing, so I hope you don't mind Teresa but I'm gonna link up your page! Go to http://chan-teresa.blogspot.com/ to read about what's so cool and creepy about Facebook.
Anyways, that's about all. For most of you, you can stop reading here. For a select few that will know what I'm talking about, I've decided to put an end to this; because, quite frankly, I am done having fun. So, I have come up with my own way to end it; and it starts today.
-------------------------------------------------
To You,
Just stop. Seriously. You have absolutely no idea what you're doing. You don't know how many times I've come so close to intervening with your little "game". If I'm not such a big softy, I probably would have ended this long ago. But because you chose to go about things the way you did, I'm going to decide to do exactly what you did. Except if a long enough time passes and you're still as clueless as you've proven to be, I'm taking this right to you because that's the way I prefer to do it. You could not have left a worst first impression on me, and the only thing I can associate you to is this entire situation that has played out. Grow up. I'm pretty sure you read my blog because you've obviously taken from it, so if even after you read this and continue going on about what you've been doing, it's not gonna get any prettier. I'm trying to save both of us some embarrassment, so you might as well just stop, because this is not the way to go about things in life. Yeah, this is harsh. And I don't get easily annoyed. You can ask just about anyone who's actually taken the time to know me genuinely that it takes quite a bit to annoy me. I've been pushing the line so many times, but you keep crossing it. So I've decided it's time that you should stop, before you damage yourself even more. And yes, this time I AM talking about you.
Nathan.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Anticipation
This has absolutely nothing to do with anything, but this post is my 200th one since I signed up for Blogspot a couple years ago. Quite the accomplishment, I must say. I originally started this blog to keep track of myself during my post-high school days, and look where I am now.
Okay, so anyways, this last week, I think most students at any post-secondary school is now done classes, and it feels good. This semester has gone by really quickly, unlike back in the crummy days at the UofA. I think one thing I've really come to respect is how quickly time goes by. It's funny because we only get busier and busier in life, but time really doesn't change. It's not like the next second will go by faster than the last. But I guess that if you're the pilot, time's gonna fly (ehyo!). Academically, I've learned a ton; personally, I think I've learned even more. I wouldn't say that I'm any different from the Nathan that everyone knew six months ago, but I've definitely been given the chance to really ground my faith into some solid information. Before, I just believed, and that was pretty much it. Now, I at least have an idea of what and why I do.
Tomorrow is Sunday, and as usual, it looks to be pretty packed. There's church for probably half the day, and I'm going to try to keep myself from being distracted as I attempt to study. I've got exams on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday - just four of them. After that, I'm homebound until the second weekend of January. Whoever came up with this idea of three weeks off for Christmas was a genius!
Studying hasn't been going as well as I had hoped and planned because of a distraction which I will not say, because it is a bit embarrassing. But don't worry, it's nothing overly hazardous to anyone or anything. On top of that, I haven't been home a whole lot. I got the day today at home, but other than that, not too much time have I not needed to go anywhere. I will definitely need to get on this soon!
I also love the amount of attention Linus Omark's goal from last night have drawn in the hockey world. Whenever you're in any competition, where is the line that you're not supposed to cross so you don't try to disrespect or mock your competitors? I don't think Omark crossed it. He said it himself, it's his game, so let the man do what he does. If there was any disrespect at all, he would have rubbed it in the Lightning players' faces after he scored - but he didn't. In case you haven't watched it, I will have a video below! Do you think he was showboating or being cocky? I don't think so.
Okay, well, I thought blogging tonight would've been genius because I'd have a lot to say. But apparently, I don't. So have a good weekend everyone!
Omark's shootout goal.
Okay, so anyways, this last week, I think most students at any post-secondary school is now done classes, and it feels good. This semester has gone by really quickly, unlike back in the crummy days at the UofA. I think one thing I've really come to respect is how quickly time goes by. It's funny because we only get busier and busier in life, but time really doesn't change. It's not like the next second will go by faster than the last. But I guess that if you're the pilot, time's gonna fly (ehyo!). Academically, I've learned a ton; personally, I think I've learned even more. I wouldn't say that I'm any different from the Nathan that everyone knew six months ago, but I've definitely been given the chance to really ground my faith into some solid information. Before, I just believed, and that was pretty much it. Now, I at least have an idea of what and why I do.
Tomorrow is Sunday, and as usual, it looks to be pretty packed. There's church for probably half the day, and I'm going to try to keep myself from being distracted as I attempt to study. I've got exams on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday - just four of them. After that, I'm homebound until the second weekend of January. Whoever came up with this idea of three weeks off for Christmas was a genius!
Studying hasn't been going as well as I had hoped and planned because of a distraction which I will not say, because it is a bit embarrassing. But don't worry, it's nothing overly hazardous to anyone or anything. On top of that, I haven't been home a whole lot. I got the day today at home, but other than that, not too much time have I not needed to go anywhere. I will definitely need to get on this soon!
I also love the amount of attention Linus Omark's goal from last night have drawn in the hockey world. Whenever you're in any competition, where is the line that you're not supposed to cross so you don't try to disrespect or mock your competitors? I don't think Omark crossed it. He said it himself, it's his game, so let the man do what he does. If there was any disrespect at all, he would have rubbed it in the Lightning players' faces after he scored - but he didn't. In case you haven't watched it, I will have a video below! Do you think he was showboating or being cocky? I don't think so.
Okay, well, I thought blogging tonight would've been genius because I'd have a lot to say. But apparently, I don't. So have a good weekend everyone!
Omark's shootout goal.
Monday, December 6, 2010
In the Fray
December is alive and well! Not quite a week yet and all sorts of things are happening. Sometimes it's desirable, sometimes it's just annoying. But either way, it makes life more interesting.
The first few days of December were some pretty intense moments. In school, our missions class had to get ready for presentations that week. So everyone wanted to come up with creative ways and do well. Our group just happened to be the very last group to present, meaning we got to see everyone else go before we went. Luckily, I think it worked to our advantage because we got to see all the little tricks and things we could do to make it work in our favor. In the end, I felt that we did an awesome job presenting the history of Sri Lanka and its people who have migrated to Canada. Unfortunately, this is one of the courses that I do better in, so if I do well, it only adds to a decent mark that I already have. But what the heck, everything is cumulative and wherever I can do well, I will take. In regards to everything else, I have one paper left that I am currently working on. After that, all that is left are the finals that I need to write. I am excited to go home for this break!
Anyways, my weekends always seem to be pretty interesting. I always go into the weekend expecting to really rest up, but on Sunday night I find myself more tired than anything. I wonder why? .. and in case you're trying to answer that, it is rhetorical with a hint of sarcasm. This past weekend, I took Saturday to reorganize all of my things so when I plan out my study schedule, everything will be in place. Sunday, I wasn't even at home. Church is, well, church. After service, I took some time out to school a group of kids in playing keep-away in soccer in the gym. However, due to my failure of a physical fitness level, I dangled for about thirty seconds before I needed a five minute break. After that, we had choir practice and that was pure gong show material from my part. The more and more I sing, the further away my range falls from my "tenor" notes. My voice in general is not very strong. There are those musicians that could sing to a crowd for three straight hours and still have plenty of voice left. And I am not one of them. Not even remotely close. And as expected, I got dragged along to a mall and supper again. I'll say that it was okay this time since my finals haven't began yet.
I said, before, that the malls in Calgary suck. But I think Chinook Center is worth checking out! It's definitely right up there in terms of the architecture. I would put that in the ranks of what Kingsway looks like now - but with better stores. The only difference would be that Kingsway is far busier, even on a Sunday night.
And then I got home. Due to confidentiality, that is all I can say.
So today begins the first full week of December, and I am really excited to be finishing classes this week. Hopefully studying goes well and I can do well on my finals to set the tone for an even more awesomer Christmas holidays.
The first few days of December were some pretty intense moments. In school, our missions class had to get ready for presentations that week. So everyone wanted to come up with creative ways and do well. Our group just happened to be the very last group to present, meaning we got to see everyone else go before we went. Luckily, I think it worked to our advantage because we got to see all the little tricks and things we could do to make it work in our favor. In the end, I felt that we did an awesome job presenting the history of Sri Lanka and its people who have migrated to Canada. Unfortunately, this is one of the courses that I do better in, so if I do well, it only adds to a decent mark that I already have. But what the heck, everything is cumulative and wherever I can do well, I will take. In regards to everything else, I have one paper left that I am currently working on. After that, all that is left are the finals that I need to write. I am excited to go home for this break!
Anyways, my weekends always seem to be pretty interesting. I always go into the weekend expecting to really rest up, but on Sunday night I find myself more tired than anything. I wonder why? .. and in case you're trying to answer that, it is rhetorical with a hint of sarcasm. This past weekend, I took Saturday to reorganize all of my things so when I plan out my study schedule, everything will be in place. Sunday, I wasn't even at home. Church is, well, church. After service, I took some time out to school a group of kids in playing keep-away in soccer in the gym. However, due to my failure of a physical fitness level, I dangled for about thirty seconds before I needed a five minute break. After that, we had choir practice and that was pure gong show material from my part. The more and more I sing, the further away my range falls from my "tenor" notes. My voice in general is not very strong. There are those musicians that could sing to a crowd for three straight hours and still have plenty of voice left. And I am not one of them. Not even remotely close. And as expected, I got dragged along to a mall and supper again. I'll say that it was okay this time since my finals haven't began yet.
I said, before, that the malls in Calgary suck. But I think Chinook Center is worth checking out! It's definitely right up there in terms of the architecture. I would put that in the ranks of what Kingsway looks like now - but with better stores. The only difference would be that Kingsway is far busier, even on a Sunday night.
And then I got home. Due to confidentiality, that is all I can say.
So today begins the first full week of December, and I am really excited to be finishing classes this week. Hopefully studying goes well and I can do well on my finals to set the tone for an even more awesomer Christmas holidays.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Twofer
I can't believe I'm still jacked up about the Oilers' win from two hours ago. But it's the first back-to-back win since the first two games of the year, so I'll take it.
Everybody loves twofers right? Buy one get one free, that's two for the price of one. Anytime you can get a two for one, it's a pretty sweet deal. I already announced to the world (facebook, but that's beside the point) about getting an A on my paper this morning, so I didn't want to be all "gloat-y" about finishing the day seeing that I got 100% on another paper. In one day, I got back two papers that were above 90%. I thought that getting a 100% on my second paper was too good to be true; because, honestly, I didn't think it was a 100% paper when I handed it in. But surely, when things seem too good to be true, chances are that it is. I got on the bus and took my second paper out to see how in the world I managed to pull off a 100%, and right away, on the first page, I see some pencil marks from my prof pointing out some mistakes that I made. A 100% paper should be flawless. And I saw that she pointed out a couple things that I said that weren't exactly true either, so how did I manage a 20/20? The only logical explanation I could come up with was that all she wanted was to see that we put the effort into discussing the two books we were supposed to analyze, but it just doesn't feel right that I got 100% when I really shouldn't have. I know this is the first 100% I've gotten on pretty much anything that's important, but it just feels weird. I think I'd much rather see a 65% or something like that knowing that that is the grade I earned. Although I really shouldn't complain because I can use all the marks I can get, as I am not the brightest student. It also makes me think that anyone else in the class that put the same effort I did into the paper will have gotten full marks - which totally defeats the special feeling of being one of the few to get 100%. I even considered going back to my prof to get her to explain to me why I got 100% and for her to give me the marks I really deserve. But at the end of the day, I will take this one. If it happens again, I think I'll really talk to the prof, unless I feel I deserved it.
One thing that my parents taught me is that everything you get feels better knowing that you've earned it. It's been that case my whole life. I think the only thing I got that I didn't earn was my Gameboy Color. Boy, that thing changed my life.. and not in a good way.
So starting the day with an A, and ending it with a 100%, I've got to say that it's a pretty decent start to December. I've got to say that, even with the super high suicide rates, December has got to be the second coolest month in the Gregorian calender. Yep, I just used the word Gregorian. I love that everyone is collectively jazzed up about Christmas. It's the same every year, but the feeling never gets old! I also like that it's not overly cold because of the Chinook.
Well, not a whole lot has happened since the last time I blogged. I've had to be at school a little bit longer on a couple occasions this week because of a group presentation on Friday. Honestly, I'm not really looking forward to it, because I don't really like these things. I don't mind so much public talking, but I just don't really like to present stuff. And I think I can get an "amen" from a lot of people, because I think we're all just ready to hibernate at home. The tiredness is really starting to kick in, and the will to get up every morning is just kinda fading away. And then we get slapped in the face with all the finals we have to write.
So, since a few people have asked, my last exam is on Friday the 17th. I will either be home the next day, or on Sunday evening. I'm really hoping to get back on the 18th (Saturday) because I really want to go to worship and see e'erbody.
And since this post is all about twofers, I will give a couple of links to my "works". The first one, is my youtube channel. I posted a video of myself playing guitar a while back, and got some decent feedback, so I tried a few more songs over the course of time. I apologize for singing, because I can only guitar for so many songs before it gets boring. I know my voice is weak, so please don't laugh at me too hard. There's a nice little Christmas song in there to get you in the mood too! Again, sorry for being off pitch! Also, the second link will be to my "new" blog. I signed up for Tumblr a while ago trying to see what's so great about it, but it never turned out to be anything. And I've also been thinking for a while whether I should start a blog just to write about the things I'm learning at school in more depth. So, for anyone that would be interested in reading the things I'm learning, you can go there once in a while to see what I've written. I am gonna strictly keep this blog to my general "life".. not too much of that in depth stuff. There's nothing on that blog yet, but when I have things on my mind, it will take off!
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/NEACnate
Tumblr: http://nathansun.tumblr.com/
Happy December, peeps!
Everybody loves twofers right? Buy one get one free, that's two for the price of one. Anytime you can get a two for one, it's a pretty sweet deal. I already announced to the world (facebook, but that's beside the point) about getting an A on my paper this morning, so I didn't want to be all "gloat-y" about finishing the day seeing that I got 100% on another paper. In one day, I got back two papers that were above 90%. I thought that getting a 100% on my second paper was too good to be true; because, honestly, I didn't think it was a 100% paper when I handed it in. But surely, when things seem too good to be true, chances are that it is. I got on the bus and took my second paper out to see how in the world I managed to pull off a 100%, and right away, on the first page, I see some pencil marks from my prof pointing out some mistakes that I made. A 100% paper should be flawless. And I saw that she pointed out a couple things that I said that weren't exactly true either, so how did I manage a 20/20? The only logical explanation I could come up with was that all she wanted was to see that we put the effort into discussing the two books we were supposed to analyze, but it just doesn't feel right that I got 100% when I really shouldn't have. I know this is the first 100% I've gotten on pretty much anything that's important, but it just feels weird. I think I'd much rather see a 65% or something like that knowing that that is the grade I earned. Although I really shouldn't complain because I can use all the marks I can get, as I am not the brightest student. It also makes me think that anyone else in the class that put the same effort I did into the paper will have gotten full marks - which totally defeats the special feeling of being one of the few to get 100%. I even considered going back to my prof to get her to explain to me why I got 100% and for her to give me the marks I really deserve. But at the end of the day, I will take this one. If it happens again, I think I'll really talk to the prof, unless I feel I deserved it.
One thing that my parents taught me is that everything you get feels better knowing that you've earned it. It's been that case my whole life. I think the only thing I got that I didn't earn was my Gameboy Color. Boy, that thing changed my life.. and not in a good way.
So starting the day with an A, and ending it with a 100%, I've got to say that it's a pretty decent start to December. I've got to say that, even with the super high suicide rates, December has got to be the second coolest month in the Gregorian calender. Yep, I just used the word Gregorian. I love that everyone is collectively jazzed up about Christmas. It's the same every year, but the feeling never gets old! I also like that it's not overly cold because of the Chinook.
Well, not a whole lot has happened since the last time I blogged. I've had to be at school a little bit longer on a couple occasions this week because of a group presentation on Friday. Honestly, I'm not really looking forward to it, because I don't really like these things. I don't mind so much public talking, but I just don't really like to present stuff. And I think I can get an "amen" from a lot of people, because I think we're all just ready to hibernate at home. The tiredness is really starting to kick in, and the will to get up every morning is just kinda fading away. And then we get slapped in the face with all the finals we have to write.
So, since a few people have asked, my last exam is on Friday the 17th. I will either be home the next day, or on Sunday evening. I'm really hoping to get back on the 18th (Saturday) because I really want to go to worship and see e'erbody.
And since this post is all about twofers, I will give a couple of links to my "works". The first one, is my youtube channel. I posted a video of myself playing guitar a while back, and got some decent feedback, so I tried a few more songs over the course of time. I apologize for singing, because I can only guitar for so many songs before it gets boring. I know my voice is weak, so please don't laugh at me too hard. There's a nice little Christmas song in there to get you in the mood too! Again, sorry for being off pitch! Also, the second link will be to my "new" blog. I signed up for Tumblr a while ago trying to see what's so great about it, but it never turned out to be anything. And I've also been thinking for a while whether I should start a blog just to write about the things I'm learning at school in more depth. So, for anyone that would be interested in reading the things I'm learning, you can go there once in a while to see what I've written. I am gonna strictly keep this blog to my general "life".. not too much of that in depth stuff. There's nothing on that blog yet, but when I have things on my mind, it will take off!
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/NEACnate
Tumblr: http://nathansun.tumblr.com/
Happy December, peeps!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
That Time Again
What to say? This weekend, I really got to rest and it has never felt better. I finished Friday, and I had nothing to worry about for the weekend. My work for this term isn't over yet, but the really big things aside from the finals are done. Dirt off my shoulders? I think so. So, I thought it'd be a good idea to reward and feel good about myself this weekend - just a little bit.
A few weeks ago, I was asked to join the Christmas choir at CCBC. I wasn't so fond of the idea at first, and I didn't even know if I'd still be here for that celebration. I turned down the offer with the reason that I wasn't sure if I would still be here, and that I wanted my Sunday afternoons to be at home doing nothing. But it was insisted that I should just join the practices anyway, in case I am here. I think the chances of me being gone are higher, but I thought, meh, whatever. So today, I went to the practice. It isn't exactly a full blown choir per se, but it's got a good amount of people. I said that I'm not a tenor, but the only choices were bass and tenor. And people know I complain about songs being too low, so I just chose to sing the tenor parts. After all, it's only the standard SATB parts, no such thing as baritone. So after trying to keep up for the first couple runs, I started to catch on. And because I am a baritone and not a tenor, some parts are too high for me. For the music people, I'll explain my range for you. I am comfortable up to an F; I wouldn't be able to hold that note or keep my range within that vicinity for an entire song, but if the melody gets up there for a few measures here and there, it's within my normal range. Most of the time, I am fine with the odd G or sometimes G#. And if I'm really ambitious, I'll try for the A. So the very ending of the second song we're singing, the tenor is to up to that G# and is to hold it for TWELVE beats (3 measures). I wanted to die. Another guy that's a bit older than me that was beside me, the whole time we're just laughing our face out because of some of the high parts. We just had pho like fifteen minutes before practice, so the food hasn't even settled in and we're singing consistently in the range of D to G. It was pretty cool to be going through puberty again. But practice was a lot of fun. I haven't done any of this group singing stuff since Splash Kingdom, and it was fun. I'm just so glad that I'm really getting to know some people here at the church; they're pretty awesome - a lot like NEAC, but maybe a bit less... secular? I'm not sure if that's the right word.
With school, I cannot believe I have a week and a half left - a total of six class days. After that, I'll have one full week of four exams and then I'll be comin' home man! I should really put an effort into doing well in my exams so I can go home without any worries or regrets. Man, that first semester went by so quickly. It is definitely a change from the UofA. The first semester just dragged on and on there; and don't even get me started on the second semester. All I have left is a group presentation, a short assignment, and a short paper on Christian spirituality. I think that handing the theology term paper had me at the tip of the mountain. So I've hit the plateau and waiting for the finals to get here. Now I've just got to take care of a few more things and it'll be all down hill from then on.
One thing I learned about myself is that I think I might be too honest. When it really comes down to it, I think I'm a really straight forward person. I'm gonna tell things like it is, and not shy away from trying to beat around the bush. I would like to think that I'm a pretty open person in the sense that I'll take criticism, I'll listen to things and look at them from every side that I can. For instance, my blog! Anyone that's been following me on here have probably read some of the thoughts that I have towards certain situations, and sometimes I get pretty blunt. What I am implying is that I hope that I don't have as many readers as I think I might have. There's nothing more to it than that. I obviously talk about people I come into regular contact with, so I just hope they don't take me the wrong way. That's what sh.... nah.
Well, November only has a couple days left! Enjoy it while it lasts because December is gonna be legen...
A few weeks ago, I was asked to join the Christmas choir at CCBC. I wasn't so fond of the idea at first, and I didn't even know if I'd still be here for that celebration. I turned down the offer with the reason that I wasn't sure if I would still be here, and that I wanted my Sunday afternoons to be at home doing nothing. But it was insisted that I should just join the practices anyway, in case I am here. I think the chances of me being gone are higher, but I thought, meh, whatever. So today, I went to the practice. It isn't exactly a full blown choir per se, but it's got a good amount of people. I said that I'm not a tenor, but the only choices were bass and tenor. And people know I complain about songs being too low, so I just chose to sing the tenor parts. After all, it's only the standard SATB parts, no such thing as baritone. So after trying to keep up for the first couple runs, I started to catch on. And because I am a baritone and not a tenor, some parts are too high for me. For the music people, I'll explain my range for you. I am comfortable up to an F; I wouldn't be able to hold that note or keep my range within that vicinity for an entire song, but if the melody gets up there for a few measures here and there, it's within my normal range. Most of the time, I am fine with the odd G or sometimes G#. And if I'm really ambitious, I'll try for the A. So the very ending of the second song we're singing, the tenor is to up to that G# and is to hold it for TWELVE beats (3 measures). I wanted to die. Another guy that's a bit older than me that was beside me, the whole time we're just laughing our face out because of some of the high parts. We just had pho like fifteen minutes before practice, so the food hasn't even settled in and we're singing consistently in the range of D to G. It was pretty cool to be going through puberty again. But practice was a lot of fun. I haven't done any of this group singing stuff since Splash Kingdom, and it was fun. I'm just so glad that I'm really getting to know some people here at the church; they're pretty awesome - a lot like NEAC, but maybe a bit less... secular? I'm not sure if that's the right word.
With school, I cannot believe I have a week and a half left - a total of six class days. After that, I'll have one full week of four exams and then I'll be comin' home man! I should really put an effort into doing well in my exams so I can go home without any worries or regrets. Man, that first semester went by so quickly. It is definitely a change from the UofA. The first semester just dragged on and on there; and don't even get me started on the second semester. All I have left is a group presentation, a short assignment, and a short paper on Christian spirituality. I think that handing the theology term paper had me at the tip of the mountain. So I've hit the plateau and waiting for the finals to get here. Now I've just got to take care of a few more things and it'll be all down hill from then on.
One thing I learned about myself is that I think I might be too honest. When it really comes down to it, I think I'm a really straight forward person. I'm gonna tell things like it is, and not shy away from trying to beat around the bush. I would like to think that I'm a pretty open person in the sense that I'll take criticism, I'll listen to things and look at them from every side that I can. For instance, my blog! Anyone that's been following me on here have probably read some of the thoughts that I have towards certain situations, and sometimes I get pretty blunt. What I am implying is that I hope that I don't have as many readers as I think I might have. There's nothing more to it than that. I obviously talk about people I come into regular contact with, so I just hope they don't take me the wrong way. That's what sh.... nah.
Well, November only has a couple days left! Enjoy it while it lasts because December is gonna be legen...
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Hungover
I guess I'll try to break the "400 years of silence" in the blogging world. Not saying that it's been completely dead, but what happened after that huge explosion from the 1040 event? I like how at least one of you admits to being seriously tested after a spiritual high like the event from Jaeson Ma, but I guess it's just part of life.
Anyways. I finished a bit early in what I planned to do during my break today, so I thought I'd blogggg. A month later, I finally get my theology midterm mark. And guess what? I passed. I was a couple percent below class average, but I passed. Remember how I said before that if I passed, God probably REALLY wants me to do well? I think that by judging on the amount of mercy marks I got, it's true. Haha. Because if I remember, there was no possible way that I could've passed - unless I'm really good at guessing. So, with all things considered, my theology mark isn't very high right now, but it could be a lot worse! I hope that the work I put into my term paper will at least boost it a little bit because it's worth the most in this course.
Over the last week, all I've really done was work on my term paper. There were a couple aside things I had to take care of, but the focus was on this bad boy. I finished the basis of my paper on Monday night, and took yesterday off to let it marinade a little bit. It's so strange because when I woke up on Monday, I had absolutely no idea what day it was. I thought it was Tuesday, meaning I had to go to school, but when I turned on my computer, it said Monday. Today, I had to think twice to realize it was Wednesday too. This early morning thing is really starting to take its toll. I like my sleep - what can I say? But nonetheless, a little more editing, and my paper will be ready to hand in tomorrow! So excited!
And what's with all this Christmas buzz? Left and right, I'm seeing status', emails, all that kind of stuff about Christmas, but I don't feel it. I think that I've been so sheltered that I have absolutely no idea about what is going on in the secular world anymore. If I'm not on the bus, I'm at school; if I'm not at school, I'm at home; if I'm not at home, I'm at church. I don't get to go to the mall or any of that anymore. By the way, the malls in Calgary suck! I already see Londonderry as being an amateur-ish mall, but I don't think any of the malls here can even compare to Londonderry. I haven't been to every single one, but the ones I have been to are pretty weak. But I guess the good thing is that I won't be shopping because I'm already poor. So if I shop more, it'll be bad.
One more thing to add. My eating habits are strange. I barely get anything outside my three meals a day anymore. Before I moved, I ate all the time. Junk, healthy, after breakfast, afternoon, before lunch, after supper, before I sleep, that type of deal. Now, I'm seriously feeling the effects of being hungry. It's so weird that sometimes I can get past that hungry state and just not feel hungry anymore. But when I do finally put something in my stomach, I get the hungry feeling again. So I think it's that I go from starving to hungry, not hungry to full or starving to full. It's the strangest thing ever! Who knew you could go from being starved and not feel hungry to feeling hungry after you eat?
The countdown to Christmas begins! One month 'til Christmas Eve! ... Okay, now I'm excited.
Anyways. I finished a bit early in what I planned to do during my break today, so I thought I'd blogggg. A month later, I finally get my theology midterm mark. And guess what? I passed. I was a couple percent below class average, but I passed. Remember how I said before that if I passed, God probably REALLY wants me to do well? I think that by judging on the amount of mercy marks I got, it's true. Haha. Because if I remember, there was no possible way that I could've passed - unless I'm really good at guessing. So, with all things considered, my theology mark isn't very high right now, but it could be a lot worse! I hope that the work I put into my term paper will at least boost it a little bit because it's worth the most in this course.
Over the last week, all I've really done was work on my term paper. There were a couple aside things I had to take care of, but the focus was on this bad boy. I finished the basis of my paper on Monday night, and took yesterday off to let it marinade a little bit. It's so strange because when I woke up on Monday, I had absolutely no idea what day it was. I thought it was Tuesday, meaning I had to go to school, but when I turned on my computer, it said Monday. Today, I had to think twice to realize it was Wednesday too. This early morning thing is really starting to take its toll. I like my sleep - what can I say? But nonetheless, a little more editing, and my paper will be ready to hand in tomorrow! So excited!
And what's with all this Christmas buzz? Left and right, I'm seeing status', emails, all that kind of stuff about Christmas, but I don't feel it. I think that I've been so sheltered that I have absolutely no idea about what is going on in the secular world anymore. If I'm not on the bus, I'm at school; if I'm not at school, I'm at home; if I'm not at home, I'm at church. I don't get to go to the mall or any of that anymore. By the way, the malls in Calgary suck! I already see Londonderry as being an amateur-ish mall, but I don't think any of the malls here can even compare to Londonderry. I haven't been to every single one, but the ones I have been to are pretty weak. But I guess the good thing is that I won't be shopping because I'm already poor. So if I shop more, it'll be bad.
One more thing to add. My eating habits are strange. I barely get anything outside my three meals a day anymore. Before I moved, I ate all the time. Junk, healthy, after breakfast, afternoon, before lunch, after supper, before I sleep, that type of deal. Now, I'm seriously feeling the effects of being hungry. It's so weird that sometimes I can get past that hungry state and just not feel hungry anymore. But when I do finally put something in my stomach, I get the hungry feeling again. So I think it's that I go from starving to hungry, not hungry to full or starving to full. It's the strangest thing ever! Who knew you could go from being starved and not feel hungry to feeling hungry after you eat?
The countdown to Christmas begins! One month 'til Christmas Eve! ... Okay, now I'm excited.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Surprised by Joy
Since I "did" a book review on C.S. Lewis' book, his concept of being surprised by joy has been with me ever since. The way I relate things to "glimpses of heaven" is the same idea as Lewis' definition of "joy". And as I take an unprecedented break from reading for my term paper, I am a bit fascinated about the things I'm learning. The break really is a bit unwarranted right now because I decided to take FAR too long before I started doing the biggest paper of my first term at Bible school.
So, uhh, my paper is on the doctrine of sin. I'm so glad that I picked this topic because living life is all about our battles with sin. Of course, the battle has already been won by God through Jesus dying on the cross; but it is in each of our lives to live out that victory that was granted to us. The word that has been floating in my mind throughout this whole process is "fascination". I'm almost being blown away by what I'm discovering.
It should be a well known fact by now, that I am awful at reading. If I had my own Wikipedia page, that fact that I suck at reading would be under the "character traits" section of my page. C.S. Lewis said he often found his type of joy when he's reading through all his literature and mythologies; and I am finding a very similar experience as I'm reading Thomas Oden's "The Word of Life". The book is basically about Jesus and his role on this earth. So most of what I'm reading is what sin has to do with Jesus. I don't want to bore anyone with a ten page essay on all the theological stuff about what I'm reading (other than my prof), so I won't get into the tiny little details.
I think a lot of us "Christians" have a good grasp at this whole doctrine of sin. What is sin? Where did it come from? Why is it significant? How do we escape it? All that kind of stuff we have a good idea on; or at least I hope so. There were a couple of pretty cool questions that I came across while reading Oden. One of them is: if man had never fallen, would the incarnation of Jesus still be necessary? I think this question is pretty debated; I haven't looked into it, but I would imagine that it is. Another cool point is raised in Jesus' baptism. Getting baptized is a sign of being sanctified from sin. Jesus was born as a man without sin, so why did he get baptized? There is a more definitive answer to this question than the first one, but I still thought it was pretty cool that it was talked about.
Anyway, I think that's been the highlight of the last couple of days for me, other than the fact that it's so incredibly cold outside. I think I made a mistake to say that it was okay that I'd sacrifice travel distance to school in order to have a smooth transition. I'm not someone that lives with regrets, but this is getting pretty close to it. Of course, the transition has been pretty ideal. I'm comfortable, I'm living with people that I knew prior to moving here. Everything outside of school has been pretty decent. But the reason I am here is because of school, and I have to say that things aren't the best. I'm not complaining by saying it's bad, but it could be better. Like I said, I knew what I was getting myself into when I chose familiarity over being thrown right into the wolves; but I'm a bit second guessing my choice right now - which is also a thing that I don't really do. However, at the end of the day, I'm beyond content with what God's given me. So I'm going to choose to see it that way; and I always will.
Going to get back to work now. I'm actually a bit surprised that with these doctrinal stuff being so fascinating, that there isn't an entire horde of people who actively do this whole "Bible college" thing. It feels so great to be learning something that I love, and it's definitely been a change for me compared to my time in high school and the UofA.
Maybe if the Oilers can win one, things will be even more joyful! Haha, who am I kidding...
So, uhh, my paper is on the doctrine of sin. I'm so glad that I picked this topic because living life is all about our battles with sin. Of course, the battle has already been won by God through Jesus dying on the cross; but it is in each of our lives to live out that victory that was granted to us. The word that has been floating in my mind throughout this whole process is "fascination". I'm almost being blown away by what I'm discovering.
It should be a well known fact by now, that I am awful at reading. If I had my own Wikipedia page, that fact that I suck at reading would be under the "character traits" section of my page. C.S. Lewis said he often found his type of joy when he's reading through all his literature and mythologies; and I am finding a very similar experience as I'm reading Thomas Oden's "The Word of Life". The book is basically about Jesus and his role on this earth. So most of what I'm reading is what sin has to do with Jesus. I don't want to bore anyone with a ten page essay on all the theological stuff about what I'm reading (other than my prof), so I won't get into the tiny little details.
I think a lot of us "Christians" have a good grasp at this whole doctrine of sin. What is sin? Where did it come from? Why is it significant? How do we escape it? All that kind of stuff we have a good idea on; or at least I hope so. There were a couple of pretty cool questions that I came across while reading Oden. One of them is: if man had never fallen, would the incarnation of Jesus still be necessary? I think this question is pretty debated; I haven't looked into it, but I would imagine that it is. Another cool point is raised in Jesus' baptism. Getting baptized is a sign of being sanctified from sin. Jesus was born as a man without sin, so why did he get baptized? There is a more definitive answer to this question than the first one, but I still thought it was pretty cool that it was talked about.
Anyway, I think that's been the highlight of the last couple of days for me, other than the fact that it's so incredibly cold outside. I think I made a mistake to say that it was okay that I'd sacrifice travel distance to school in order to have a smooth transition. I'm not someone that lives with regrets, but this is getting pretty close to it. Of course, the transition has been pretty ideal. I'm comfortable, I'm living with people that I knew prior to moving here. Everything outside of school has been pretty decent. But the reason I am here is because of school, and I have to say that things aren't the best. I'm not complaining by saying it's bad, but it could be better. Like I said, I knew what I was getting myself into when I chose familiarity over being thrown right into the wolves; but I'm a bit second guessing my choice right now - which is also a thing that I don't really do. However, at the end of the day, I'm beyond content with what God's given me. So I'm going to choose to see it that way; and I always will.
Going to get back to work now. I'm actually a bit surprised that with these doctrinal stuff being so fascinating, that there isn't an entire horde of people who actively do this whole "Bible college" thing. It feels so great to be learning something that I love, and it's definitely been a change for me compared to my time in high school and the UofA.
Maybe if the Oilers can win one, things will be even more joyful! Haha, who am I kidding...
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
The Same Ugly
I guess this means my "hiatus" is over. But I haven't started working yet since it's only 10:00am, and the sky left us a present last night. This is the first time that the snow has executed an invasion plan and actually worked (stayed, unmelted). These days always catch me by surprised. It's perfectly fine one day, and then all of a sudden the next morning I wake up and everything seems so bright because the snow is reflecting all the light and kind of rubbing it in by saying "haha! suckers! we're here now!" Yeah... Well, the stuff is the same down here as it is, I guess, everywhere else; it's the same type of ugly. But I guess I should've expected it because I looked at the weather forecast yesterday and there was a snowstorm warning for the Southern Alberta region. It's all good though, it's about time the snow arrived anyway.
On the other hand, it means Christmas just peaked its head around the corner and it's got me pretty excited. Christmas this year is going to mean going home! It's going to mean that I get to see and hopefully hang out with a lot of people back home and hopefully share some good times in between semesters. Presents have lost their appeal to me, so I don't care much for Christmas presents anymore. The best present I could get is to hang out with friends and family anyway; it beats having a new pair of jeans any day... Actually that's a close one. But the point is made.
That's about all I have to say. Now I've just got to catch up on my morning news and then seriously get down to business with doing my papers. Speaking of which, the two papers I've already finished, one turned out decent and the other was full of BS. I'll just say that my Theology course is incredibly hard. I hope to goodness that I can at least get a passing mark in this course, because it's not looking so great. But I'll cross that bridge when I get there. Hopefully everyone is hanging in there!
And it's also so cool to see so many people begin to get on fire for Christ. As another believer, it just makes me happy to see that God works in so many ways to touch people. He can turn pure apathy into full-blown, live out loud type of believers. It's great to see. I had to pull out the God card, because what would a blog post be without it? Haha.
On the other hand, it means Christmas just peaked its head around the corner and it's got me pretty excited. Christmas this year is going to mean going home! It's going to mean that I get to see and hopefully hang out with a lot of people back home and hopefully share some good times in between semesters. Presents have lost their appeal to me, so I don't care much for Christmas presents anymore. The best present I could get is to hang out with friends and family anyway; it beats having a new pair of jeans any day... Actually that's a close one. But the point is made.
That's about all I have to say. Now I've just got to catch up on my morning news and then seriously get down to business with doing my papers. Speaking of which, the two papers I've already finished, one turned out decent and the other was full of BS. I'll just say that my Theology course is incredibly hard. I hope to goodness that I can at least get a passing mark in this course, because it's not looking so great. But I'll cross that bridge when I get there. Hopefully everyone is hanging in there!
And it's also so cool to see so many people begin to get on fire for Christ. As another believer, it just makes me happy to see that God works in so many ways to touch people. He can turn pure apathy into full-blown, live out loud type of believers. It's great to see. I had to pull out the God card, because what would a blog post be without it? Haha.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Back Up Plan
Alright, here's the dealio. I'm not going to be doing anything productive for the rest of the day so I might as well do something that doesn't involve just wasting time. Speaking of which, what exactly is wasting time anyway? I don't know; if you think you have an answer, let me know! I realize I'm blogging two consecutive days, bumping up my blog total to four in ten days, which puts me on a torrid streak, but the post I wrote up yesterday wasn't really anything of stuff I really wanted to blog about anyway. So I'll consider this as my third blog for the month. Maybe I'll delete the post yesterday too, because it really doesn't do anything other than take up space. So by the time you're reading this, I'll probably have deleted it; but don't worry, you won't gain anything out of reading it anyway.
Way back when, I said I wanted to talk about being called into ministry. I finally decided to do that; except I think I'm going to try to broaden it up to make it more relatable to everyone, but use my experience of being called as an example. I just wrote part of a paper that dealt with this, so hopefully it's still fresh in my mind. Kind of. I think that for anyone that can come to appreciate blogging, they are probably well enough into their life that they are looking to see where their little life is taking them.
The question is, and always will be, how do you know that God really wants you to do that? God is invisible, you can't see or hear him, how do you know? I'm probably going to refer to my journal a couple times to tell of how I found out. Yeah, that's right. I have a journal too, except it's way more private. No, it's not a diary; it's a journal. Uhh, anyways... If I try to bring ministry into the picture, I think the biggest thing you have to concern yourself about, when you decide if you're really being called into ministry, is that it can't be a back-up plan. What it means is simple: plan A didn't work, so I'll go to plan B. A lot of people who grew up as Christians will usually have a good enough knowledge or foundation of being a theologian, so it's not too entirely hard to carry on with it. A theologian is anyone that thinks about God, that was brought forth by faith and the church. Just because there are people that are in Bible college doesn't mean that they are more "advanced" in faith; it just means they have that passion to know more about it. With me, I think it raised a few eyebrows when I told my family that I want to go to Bible college. Because of my inability to explain to my dad that going into the UofA music program was a mistake, he had to make sure I'm not doing it because music isn't working out. I started my journal in my first year of university. Until today, I have never read through all the things I wrote. I always start a new page when I start writing for the next entry. Multiple times, in my reflection, I have stated that music is just not what God has planned for me - and even though I didn't know what it was, I was sure that God wanted me to do something else. So I just kept waiting. I don't think it's a coincidence that I wrote something to that extent five or six times, in almost the exact wording. I guess that this is how I found out that music was wrong, and Bible college is right. So to bring this back into perspective, do you know if what you're doing right now is what God wants? Does what you're doing right now feel right? If not, why not?
Well, how do I know if what I'm doing is what God's plan is for me? I think it should be noted that even if God is telling you to do something, you have every "right" to not do it. Case in point: Jonah. Being called into ministry is a big deal. God doesn't just want anyone doing it. Again, I'm not saying that it means all pastors, etc. are better than everyone else. I'm still trying to find a good explanation to that, so I'll leave it as is. Well, then what's the difference between God wanting you to be an accountant versus a pastor? First of all, I think that God has given everyone gifts; and he wants us to use those gifts to glorify his name. So if you're good at all that number crunching, God could use you as a witness as an accountant. Would you agree with me that when you find out that someone who holds a high position is a Christian, it just makes you feel all tingly inside? Exactly. Most people won't get to those high positions, but it's about how you treat your relationships in the work place that will affect the way you're seen as a person.
The first, and most "in your face" (to me anyway), way of revelation is hearing it from people. If someone says something to you as a result of something you've done, you might want to take note. Criticism is always taken with a grain of salt, but when things start to get repetitive, you know there is something there. Time and time again, people said that I am good at leading worship. I refused to believe it for the longest time because I just hate listening to myself sing - I think I have an awful voice. But for some reason, it kept coming back. What do people compliment you on?
I'll put prayer as second, because it relates better to me. I kind of wonder, especially with all the busy lives, do you put aside a set time everyday to talk to God? For me, it was always before I went to bed. There can be a lot of arguments against this idea of being filled, but I think it's vital to have a set time because it allows for you and God to recognize that there is a time where you can really get intimate compared to the rest of the day. What does God reveal to you in your prayer? When I was so hateful on studying music, I kept asking God what he wants me to do. Time and time again, he responded by putting a thought of Bible college into my brain. I've even wrote in my journal about the thoughts of Bible college, but I just thought that I was crazy. Again, prayer is a two way conversation, so sometimes it's worth it just to listen to God.
Finally, the general revelation of God is in and through his Word. 2 Timothy says, "All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness." That means that everything in the Bible has a direct relation with God: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1) When you do your devotions (hopefully you do them), there are always going to be passages that stick out to your more than any other verse. When I read Psalm 46:10, during my times of anger, it immediately popped out of the page because it's so simple in that it says "... Be still, and know that I am God; ..." This verse has been with me ever since; and I know that a lot of people also like what it says in Jeremiah too, "For I know the plans I have for you, ... plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Do you have any verses that pop out of your head when you think of the Bible?
These three things is how I've come to know that God wants me to go into ministry. I'm still not sure as to what exactly God wants me to do in ministry, but I know it's still early and there is time for me to specialize in one part of it. This is getting ridiculously long, so I'm going to try to wrap it up soon. If you've read everything up to here, ask me for a cookie! So that's what it was like for me to find out.What if you're doing something that isn't exactly what God wants from you? What if you went into ministry as a back up plan? Well, I don't really know. I can guess all I want, but it just puts some people in a really bad place. It's been said many times before that if we live in God's light, he's going to give us everything we need to succeed; although that isn't an excuse to not try. If you ask me, I think it's one of those things where you meet someone, and you can just tell after a while. I know there is at least a couple people that we all know that we think, "he/she is just made to do this." I don't know if there's anyone you know that when you look at them, it kind of makes you think, "based on where he's from and who he is, is this really where he's supposed to be?" Let's just hope it's a clash of styles and they didn't use the "easy way out" for when option A failed or didn't work out; although being a pastor is everything but easy, as those who saw it as option B will or have found out.
I don't know. I'm not sure if you're going to get anything out of this, or if it wasn't what you expected. But I hope that what you're doing and where you're going isn't a back up plan or an easy way out. If you would like to share your side of the story, I'm always open! Really, I like listening to people's stories; that's why I'm doing this.
I'm probably going to take a bit of a hiatus from blogging. By hiatus, I probably mean around a week or two at the most... I really have no life, but I desperately need to finish, what is now, six assignments in two weeks. There might have even been some I've forgotten about.
Way back when, I said I wanted to talk about being called into ministry. I finally decided to do that; except I think I'm going to try to broaden it up to make it more relatable to everyone, but use my experience of being called as an example. I just wrote part of a paper that dealt with this, so hopefully it's still fresh in my mind. Kind of. I think that for anyone that can come to appreciate blogging, they are probably well enough into their life that they are looking to see where their little life is taking them.
The question is, and always will be, how do you know that God really wants you to do that? God is invisible, you can't see or hear him, how do you know? I'm probably going to refer to my journal a couple times to tell of how I found out. Yeah, that's right. I have a journal too, except it's way more private. No, it's not a diary; it's a journal. Uhh, anyways... If I try to bring ministry into the picture, I think the biggest thing you have to concern yourself about, when you decide if you're really being called into ministry, is that it can't be a back-up plan. What it means is simple: plan A didn't work, so I'll go to plan B. A lot of people who grew up as Christians will usually have a good enough knowledge or foundation of being a theologian, so it's not too entirely hard to carry on with it. A theologian is anyone that thinks about God, that was brought forth by faith and the church. Just because there are people that are in Bible college doesn't mean that they are more "advanced" in faith; it just means they have that passion to know more about it. With me, I think it raised a few eyebrows when I told my family that I want to go to Bible college. Because of my inability to explain to my dad that going into the UofA music program was a mistake, he had to make sure I'm not doing it because music isn't working out. I started my journal in my first year of university. Until today, I have never read through all the things I wrote. I always start a new page when I start writing for the next entry. Multiple times, in my reflection, I have stated that music is just not what God has planned for me - and even though I didn't know what it was, I was sure that God wanted me to do something else. So I just kept waiting. I don't think it's a coincidence that I wrote something to that extent five or six times, in almost the exact wording. I guess that this is how I found out that music was wrong, and Bible college is right. So to bring this back into perspective, do you know if what you're doing right now is what God wants? Does what you're doing right now feel right? If not, why not?
Well, how do I know if what I'm doing is what God's plan is for me? I think it should be noted that even if God is telling you to do something, you have every "right" to not do it. Case in point: Jonah. Being called into ministry is a big deal. God doesn't just want anyone doing it. Again, I'm not saying that it means all pastors, etc. are better than everyone else. I'm still trying to find a good explanation to that, so I'll leave it as is. Well, then what's the difference between God wanting you to be an accountant versus a pastor? First of all, I think that God has given everyone gifts; and he wants us to use those gifts to glorify his name. So if you're good at all that number crunching, God could use you as a witness as an accountant. Would you agree with me that when you find out that someone who holds a high position is a Christian, it just makes you feel all tingly inside? Exactly. Most people won't get to those high positions, but it's about how you treat your relationships in the work place that will affect the way you're seen as a person.
The first, and most "in your face" (to me anyway), way of revelation is hearing it from people. If someone says something to you as a result of something you've done, you might want to take note. Criticism is always taken with a grain of salt, but when things start to get repetitive, you know there is something there. Time and time again, people said that I am good at leading worship. I refused to believe it for the longest time because I just hate listening to myself sing - I think I have an awful voice. But for some reason, it kept coming back. What do people compliment you on?
I'll put prayer as second, because it relates better to me. I kind of wonder, especially with all the busy lives, do you put aside a set time everyday to talk to God? For me, it was always before I went to bed. There can be a lot of arguments against this idea of being filled, but I think it's vital to have a set time because it allows for you and God to recognize that there is a time where you can really get intimate compared to the rest of the day. What does God reveal to you in your prayer? When I was so hateful on studying music, I kept asking God what he wants me to do. Time and time again, he responded by putting a thought of Bible college into my brain. I've even wrote in my journal about the thoughts of Bible college, but I just thought that I was crazy. Again, prayer is a two way conversation, so sometimes it's worth it just to listen to God.
Finally, the general revelation of God is in and through his Word. 2 Timothy says, "All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness." That means that everything in the Bible has a direct relation with God: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1) When you do your devotions (hopefully you do them), there are always going to be passages that stick out to your more than any other verse. When I read Psalm 46:10, during my times of anger, it immediately popped out of the page because it's so simple in that it says "... Be still, and know that I am God; ..." This verse has been with me ever since; and I know that a lot of people also like what it says in Jeremiah too, "For I know the plans I have for you, ... plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Do you have any verses that pop out of your head when you think of the Bible?
These three things is how I've come to know that God wants me to go into ministry. I'm still not sure as to what exactly God wants me to do in ministry, but I know it's still early and there is time for me to specialize in one part of it. This is getting ridiculously long, so I'm going to try to wrap it up soon. If you've read everything up to here, ask me for a cookie! So that's what it was like for me to find out.What if you're doing something that isn't exactly what God wants from you? What if you went into ministry as a back up plan? Well, I don't really know. I can guess all I want, but it just puts some people in a really bad place. It's been said many times before that if we live in God's light, he's going to give us everything we need to succeed; although that isn't an excuse to not try. If you ask me, I think it's one of those things where you meet someone, and you can just tell after a while. I know there is at least a couple people that we all know that we think, "he/she is just made to do this." I don't know if there's anyone you know that when you look at them, it kind of makes you think, "based on where he's from and who he is, is this really where he's supposed to be?" Let's just hope it's a clash of styles and they didn't use the "easy way out" for when option A failed or didn't work out; although being a pastor is everything but easy, as those who saw it as option B will or have found out.
I don't know. I'm not sure if you're going to get anything out of this, or if it wasn't what you expected. But I hope that what you're doing and where you're going isn't a back up plan or an easy way out. If you would like to share your side of the story, I'm always open! Really, I like listening to people's stories; that's why I'm doing this.
I'm probably going to take a bit of a hiatus from blogging. By hiatus, I probably mean around a week or two at the most... I really have no life, but I desperately need to finish, what is now, six assignments in two weeks. There might have even been some I've forgotten about.
Friday, November 5, 2010
The Little Things
This post has the potential to contain some harsh and borderline inappropriate words.
Guys are normally "big picture" type of people. There are always exceptions where some guys do care enough for the details; however, there is no chance that a guy can match a girl at details - they're just on another level. I know I've done it before, and I know you have too. What have we done? When there is something, often a message, that you're trying to deliver to someone but don't want to be a dick about it, you often try to drop a hint subtly and hope they notice. I've thrown these out tons of times, and when I get a dirty look, I know I did my job. Okay, there is the cocky side of me. Yeah, I know you've done it before. When I do it, it's never a personal attack. I do it most of the time as a joke, or for funzies. I will never deliberately attack another person's character because I respect who they are. If there is something I feel that I need to express about that person, I will - most of the time - tell it to them in a semi-polite manner. If it is just something that I personally can`t cope with, I`ll often leave it alone because I know that it's just my problem that I can't agree with their whatever. But if I feel that it needs to be addressed because it goes beyond affecting me, then of course, I'm going to let them know.
However, recently I've noticed a few of these little minor detailed attacks. Instead of just trying to subtly drop it when I'm around so that I might catch it, they take it a step further and attack the areas that I influence. Some of you avid followers of my blog may remember reading me talking about how it seems everyone knows me and what I'm capable of. Not everyone has a natural ability to lead, and oddly enough I have a bit of that. So it means that I'm going to be able to influence the way some people act. And also, I've mentioned before that when you invite someone to live in your household, they can very potentially change the dynamics of your home; and I always feel like I've been doing that, even if it's not for the good. Unfortunately, they're too much of a wuss to tell me that I need to lay off a bit, so they attack my areas of influence. Or maybe they're just trying to be nice and let me be me, but trying to take indirect shots by eliminating the things I accomplish - so to speak. Basically what this mean is, they're disapproving the person that I am by controlling those that have taken something from my character. I know that I'm beating around the bush a lot, but let me try to draw a comparison for you. Let's say you have a kid. You teach your kid to act and behave a certain way. But one day, someone comes along, sees your kid act or behave a certain way, and then say to your kid that he/she is dumb and shouldn't be doing that. By calling out your kid, that person pretty much insults you and the way you are too because of what you taught your kid. Are you offended yet?
Anyways, what I was writing about may have made absolutely no sense to you; but to me, it's a big deal because my character is being attacked. I would like to think that anyone who knows me knows that I would never intentionally do something that would potentially harm someone or something. Yeah, I'm not the smartest so sometimes my decisions aren't the best; but it doesn't mean that there's a cruel intention behind it. If you have a better way of doing something, be my guest; just don't take shots at me by trying to "correct" something that resulted from who I am. If you really, really want to know the exact details to this, just talk to me. I wouldn't mind a chance to kind of vent a little bit either.
And at the end of the day (just in case you're like "oh, nathan"), I know I need to get used to these things and can't take "feedback" so seriously. I know that if I'm going to do what I think God wants me to do, I have to be able to handle these things. I'm writing about them because I care and I'm always looking to improve who I am. In my Christian Spirituality class, we talked briefly about how we can know that we are living in God's will. And I think what I talked about ties pretty well into all of this because how do you know if you're doing the right thing? A really abbreviated answer that we got was that if you're living by faith in God, genuine faith, then you're living in his will. When Jesus said multiple times "follow me", he doesn't say where to; and I think that it is just brilliant because it sprouts your curiosity and the only way you'll find out where you're going is if you follow. So, it's a lot alike in that same sense that if you're chasing after God's heart with your faith, then you'll be fine.
So, how does five papers in three weeks sound? I like writing papers that ask for my view or opinion. I, however, don't like writing papers that require me to do 20 hours of research just to maybe get an A. My plan is to get the easy ones out of the way as fast as I can, so I can focus on the biggies. There is quite the possibility of me getting owned this month. But because we're there..
... Hello weekend! Don't forget to set your clocks back an hour!
Guys are normally "big picture" type of people. There are always exceptions where some guys do care enough for the details; however, there is no chance that a guy can match a girl at details - they're just on another level. I know I've done it before, and I know you have too. What have we done? When there is something, often a message, that you're trying to deliver to someone but don't want to be a dick about it, you often try to drop a hint subtly and hope they notice. I've thrown these out tons of times, and when I get a dirty look, I know I did my job. Okay, there is the cocky side of me. Yeah, I know you've done it before. When I do it, it's never a personal attack. I do it most of the time as a joke, or for funzies. I will never deliberately attack another person's character because I respect who they are. If there is something I feel that I need to express about that person, I will - most of the time - tell it to them in a semi-polite manner. If it is just something that I personally can`t cope with, I`ll often leave it alone because I know that it's just my problem that I can't agree with their whatever. But if I feel that it needs to be addressed because it goes beyond affecting me, then of course, I'm going to let them know.
However, recently I've noticed a few of these little minor detailed attacks. Instead of just trying to subtly drop it when I'm around so that I might catch it, they take it a step further and attack the areas that I influence. Some of you avid followers of my blog may remember reading me talking about how it seems everyone knows me and what I'm capable of. Not everyone has a natural ability to lead, and oddly enough I have a bit of that. So it means that I'm going to be able to influence the way some people act. And also, I've mentioned before that when you invite someone to live in your household, they can very potentially change the dynamics of your home; and I always feel like I've been doing that, even if it's not for the good. Unfortunately, they're too much of a wuss to tell me that I need to lay off a bit, so they attack my areas of influence. Or maybe they're just trying to be nice and let me be me, but trying to take indirect shots by eliminating the things I accomplish - so to speak. Basically what this mean is, they're disapproving the person that I am by controlling those that have taken something from my character. I know that I'm beating around the bush a lot, but let me try to draw a comparison for you. Let's say you have a kid. You teach your kid to act and behave a certain way. But one day, someone comes along, sees your kid act or behave a certain way, and then say to your kid that he/she is dumb and shouldn't be doing that. By calling out your kid, that person pretty much insults you and the way you are too because of what you taught your kid. Are you offended yet?
Anyways, what I was writing about may have made absolutely no sense to you; but to me, it's a big deal because my character is being attacked. I would like to think that anyone who knows me knows that I would never intentionally do something that would potentially harm someone or something. Yeah, I'm not the smartest so sometimes my decisions aren't the best; but it doesn't mean that there's a cruel intention behind it. If you have a better way of doing something, be my guest; just don't take shots at me by trying to "correct" something that resulted from who I am. If you really, really want to know the exact details to this, just talk to me. I wouldn't mind a chance to kind of vent a little bit either.
And at the end of the day (just in case you're like "oh, nathan"), I know I need to get used to these things and can't take "feedback" so seriously. I know that if I'm going to do what I think God wants me to do, I have to be able to handle these things. I'm writing about them because I care and I'm always looking to improve who I am. In my Christian Spirituality class, we talked briefly about how we can know that we are living in God's will. And I think what I talked about ties pretty well into all of this because how do you know if you're doing the right thing? A really abbreviated answer that we got was that if you're living by faith in God, genuine faith, then you're living in his will. When Jesus said multiple times "follow me", he doesn't say where to; and I think that it is just brilliant because it sprouts your curiosity and the only way you'll find out where you're going is if you follow. So, it's a lot alike in that same sense that if you're chasing after God's heart with your faith, then you'll be fine.
So, how does five papers in three weeks sound? I like writing papers that ask for my view or opinion. I, however, don't like writing papers that require me to do 20 hours of research just to maybe get an A. My plan is to get the easy ones out of the way as fast as I can, so I can focus on the biggies. There is quite the possibility of me getting owned this month. But because we're there..
... Hello weekend! Don't forget to set your clocks back an hour!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Half Of One
After hitting ten posts in October, and it being the first time I hit the double digits in the year of o'ten, I was pretty proud of myself. Actually, I had to restrain myself from blogging every single day, because it seemed that I had something to say everyday. And now that November has began, I will give a quick update on my edumacation... and of course, other things.
The first two months of school has passed by incredibly quickly. September rolled and I got left in the dust. October came around, and I kind of caught up until the last week-ish. Having school just four days a week make my weeks feel so much shorter because I really don't do a whole lot on Mondays unless I have a test or something due that week. So, like this week, I don't have anything huge, so I'm not really doing anything. On Tuesdays, my week will start and before I know it, it's Friday.
Last week, I had two midterms, one quiz, and one paper compacted into two days. I devised a freakin' genius plan that would help me be able to do all of that. But it failed. Miserably. One: I barely studied. Two: I forgot I had a geography quiz. Three: I only did my paper to the extend that I was satisfied. Four: I hoped that I'd do well on at least one of the 3 tests, but did well on none. I think I got 69% on my geography quiz, because with these things, you either know it or you don't. So guessing can only take you so far. Thankfully I had 100% on first two geography tests, so the 69% doesn't sting so bad. Thankfully, the entire Theology class thought the midterm was hard. To take from a classmates words, "I thought I studied, but when I looked at the test, I didn't know anything." Thankfully, my Old Testament midterm was more heavily weighted towards the geography side. With the geography side worth half of the test, I'm quite confident I got all of that; for the rest of the exam, I knew probably around half of that too; so, if all went well, I might still have eeked out a 75%.
So in a bit of a chaotic fashion, I had two papers, two midterms, one quiz that needed to be done in the span of three class days. Thankfully there was a weekend after my first paper was due. Anyways, like I've said many times, I am really thankful for anyone that still takes the time to think about me. I might have mentioned it on my blog - if not, it was in my email update - that it's hard for a student like me to get to know a whole lot of people because I live so far away and I'm not from the greater Calgary area. But in October, I've got to get introduced to some more people and I'm glad that I had people I can actually approach to talk to now. I know I'm really slow at this, but I know I'm going to be able to get there, even if it takes all year. November is going to be a ridiculously hectic month. Right now, I'm kind of entering the eye of the storm. I get a really easy week this week, with a short assignment due on Wednesday, but nothing else that really needs to be done. But starting next week, there is quite the possibility that I get destroyed by the amount that I'm going to need to do. I managed to make it through the first wave of things okay, but this second wave is about twice as difficult. I'm kind of intimidated by my theology term paper because of what the requirements are. It's an 8-10 page essay that requires 15 scholarly sources. It's pretty much a really dry paper because it's just all about me demonstrating that I know my stuff. I didn't do great in my first year English papers, but I improved drastically as the year went on, so hopefully the trend continues.
In church, I continue to do Sunday school, lead worship once a week, and do Bible study once a month for the youth group. People, apparently, keep hearing incredible things about me that I don't even know where it came from. I don't know why, but the more I attend this church, the more I don't feel right. I may have just thrown a grenade out by saying that, but I'm being honest. I don't know what it is. Is it an alliance versus baptist thing? Is it because it's a tiny church? Is it because of the people? I'm trying to figure it out. Normally, I love to go to church; I would look for excuses to be at church. Right now, and it's definitely not a good thing, but I'm almost trying to avoid it? I'm not trying to avoid church in general, but the one that I am attending. Again, another grenade may have been tossed, but I'll take my chances. I've been running all sorts of situations through my head, trying to simulate several instances where someone might have been in the same situation that I'm in, so I can find out why I might be feeling this way. I have my opinions, but this is a scenario that played out in my head. It's not directed at a certain church, but it's a thought that I got when I saw something.
It's fifteen minutes before the start of service, and the church parking lot is empty. There are a couple cars parked on the side of the road that belonged to the people who are serving on the day, but nothing more. The pastor pulls in, and the family goes into the church. It's now five minutes passed the service start time, and the pastor is in his office as he takes a peak at the watch and says to himself "let's give it a few more minutes". Finally, towards fifteen minutes passed the start time, the worship leader steps on to the stage and starts his welcoming. There are about five or six people sitting in the congregation, and they're sitting close to the back. As worship progresses, people finally start to pile in and things seem to be rolling again. At that service, there is a new visitor that has just moved into the city and is looking for a new church to settle down with. After service, the visitor stands around and waits for a bit, but no one even approaches to say hi. The visitor finally gets fed up and leaves without being greeted to even once.
What kind of impressions do you get? When you're a visitor, or a new church member, what do you feel about something like that?
I had other things to blog about, but this is long enough. Have a happy Movember! Make it legendary.
The first two months of school has passed by incredibly quickly. September rolled and I got left in the dust. October came around, and I kind of caught up until the last week-ish. Having school just four days a week make my weeks feel so much shorter because I really don't do a whole lot on Mondays unless I have a test or something due that week. So, like this week, I don't have anything huge, so I'm not really doing anything. On Tuesdays, my week will start and before I know it, it's Friday.
Last week, I had two midterms, one quiz, and one paper compacted into two days. I devised a freakin' genius plan that would help me be able to do all of that. But it failed. Miserably. One: I barely studied. Two: I forgot I had a geography quiz. Three: I only did my paper to the extend that I was satisfied. Four: I hoped that I'd do well on at least one of the 3 tests, but did well on none. I think I got 69% on my geography quiz, because with these things, you either know it or you don't. So guessing can only take you so far. Thankfully I had 100% on first two geography tests, so the 69% doesn't sting so bad. Thankfully, the entire Theology class thought the midterm was hard. To take from a classmates words, "I thought I studied, but when I looked at the test, I didn't know anything." Thankfully, my Old Testament midterm was more heavily weighted towards the geography side. With the geography side worth half of the test, I'm quite confident I got all of that; for the rest of the exam, I knew probably around half of that too; so, if all went well, I might still have eeked out a 75%.
So in a bit of a chaotic fashion, I had two papers, two midterms, one quiz that needed to be done in the span of three class days. Thankfully there was a weekend after my first paper was due. Anyways, like I've said many times, I am really thankful for anyone that still takes the time to think about me. I might have mentioned it on my blog - if not, it was in my email update - that it's hard for a student like me to get to know a whole lot of people because I live so far away and I'm not from the greater Calgary area. But in October, I've got to get introduced to some more people and I'm glad that I had people I can actually approach to talk to now. I know I'm really slow at this, but I know I'm going to be able to get there, even if it takes all year. November is going to be a ridiculously hectic month. Right now, I'm kind of entering the eye of the storm. I get a really easy week this week, with a short assignment due on Wednesday, but nothing else that really needs to be done. But starting next week, there is quite the possibility that I get destroyed by the amount that I'm going to need to do. I managed to make it through the first wave of things okay, but this second wave is about twice as difficult. I'm kind of intimidated by my theology term paper because of what the requirements are. It's an 8-10 page essay that requires 15 scholarly sources. It's pretty much a really dry paper because it's just all about me demonstrating that I know my stuff. I didn't do great in my first year English papers, but I improved drastically as the year went on, so hopefully the trend continues.
In church, I continue to do Sunday school, lead worship once a week, and do Bible study once a month for the youth group. People, apparently, keep hearing incredible things about me that I don't even know where it came from. I don't know why, but the more I attend this church, the more I don't feel right. I may have just thrown a grenade out by saying that, but I'm being honest. I don't know what it is. Is it an alliance versus baptist thing? Is it because it's a tiny church? Is it because of the people? I'm trying to figure it out. Normally, I love to go to church; I would look for excuses to be at church. Right now, and it's definitely not a good thing, but I'm almost trying to avoid it? I'm not trying to avoid church in general, but the one that I am attending. Again, another grenade may have been tossed, but I'll take my chances. I've been running all sorts of situations through my head, trying to simulate several instances where someone might have been in the same situation that I'm in, so I can find out why I might be feeling this way. I have my opinions, but this is a scenario that played out in my head. It's not directed at a certain church, but it's a thought that I got when I saw something.
It's fifteen minutes before the start of service, and the church parking lot is empty. There are a couple cars parked on the side of the road that belonged to the people who are serving on the day, but nothing more. The pastor pulls in, and the family goes into the church. It's now five minutes passed the service start time, and the pastor is in his office as he takes a peak at the watch and says to himself "let's give it a few more minutes". Finally, towards fifteen minutes passed the start time, the worship leader steps on to the stage and starts his welcoming. There are about five or six people sitting in the congregation, and they're sitting close to the back. As worship progresses, people finally start to pile in and things seem to be rolling again. At that service, there is a new visitor that has just moved into the city and is looking for a new church to settle down with. After service, the visitor stands around and waits for a bit, but no one even approaches to say hi. The visitor finally gets fed up and leaves without being greeted to even once.
What kind of impressions do you get? When you're a visitor, or a new church member, what do you feel about something like that?
I had other things to blog about, but this is long enough. Have a happy Movember! Make it legendary.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Sketchy
October is drawing to an end in a couple of days. What have I learned so far? I learned that I am terrified of the cold, but fortunately discovered a route to get home from school that cuts down the time to just over an hour. I learned that if you suck at school, you're going to suck at school even if you study something you like. I learned that living with a family that isn't my own can be quite the challenge. I've learned that I am always hungry. Wait, I already knew that.
Anyways, really sketchy for me to be talking about this right now especially given my current state of life. And it's to no surprised that it's probably sprouted from my current situation. But I am developing some views on how families should be run - being very vague here. That probably includes parenting, how you manage a household, how you are to your spouse, etc. I am not one to say that I am someone who is "all-knowing" about any of this, but maybe it's because I am maturing in this aspect. L-O-L did I just say that I'm maturing? Even though I've never really thought about it, it's always been in the back of my mind once in a while where I think about how I'd be like if I get to be a dad. I know that that is thinking WAY ahead of myself because I haven't even done step one yet. But there's always the possibility of it happening, and I am always curious of how I'd do.
In the perfect world, if I can manage to be a fraction of what my parents are, I am probably pretty satisfied. I think that my parents are the perfect model parents for just about any new couples. However, I can't discount the fact that I also think there are some incredible parents that I know. The very first question I have for parents is this: how different are you in front of your kid(s) than your peers? You're not going to be the same person in the two situations; if you are, I feel for you. But the question is more of how big of a difference in character is there? I know that parents always want the best for their kids, so they're going to try to "feed" them the best that they have. This means that you probably do your best to hide your imperfections in front of your kids so they don't feed off of your flaws. Although this isn't a bad thing, how far are you willing to go? When does the whole quote of "do as I say, not as I do" come in? Everyone is a hypocrite to some extend in their own way, but where is the line that you have to draw?
I've been learning about different types of spiritualities this semester, and we touched on one that's called "classical spirituality". It's hard to have one solid definition of this term, but it's easily understandable. It is basically "see no evil, speak no evil, and hear no evil" to its most literal-ness. You won't sit or have a bar stool because it's a "bar" stool; in bars they do bad things, so you can't have any of that. Basically, anything that has even the slightest hint of potential evil is something you have to stay away from. It's a little extreme, I know, but I have witnessed it - maybe not to its full potential, but the general idea. The parents would almost completely indoctrinate the kids into nothing but God and Jesus, and the whole 9 yards. Yes, everything. Indoctrinate is a strong word, and I mean every bit of what the word is. From the posters and decorations on your dining room wall, to the music you listen to, to the TV shows you watch, to the vocabulary that you're allowed to have, to the clothes that you wear, to the activities that you do, it all has to be free from evil. Again, this is why it's so sketchy to be talking about. Because even if I'm in a completely different situation (living alone, or on res, or something else), the subject itself is already sketchy. Is this how you would treat your kids?
If you knew people like this, what would your opinion be? Now, if you take my character and who I am into play, how does that work? Like I said, there isn't really anything that is flat out wrong about living a classically spirited life, but my question is this: will you ever peak outside of your box to realize that there is a world that you live in? The whole idea of it seems kind of surreal. As a bit of a third party looking in, it almost seems as if the attitude is that they're too good for this place. Of course, this is getting rather specific to the particular people, but it seems that way. Try to picture if there is a king or queen that asked for some food. But when they see that there is a piece of meat that is a little under cooked, they won't even look at it. They have to have everything done one way, and one way only, and don't even realize that the only way you get to the imperfections of this world is by diving into it and not kind of picking at it with your thumb and index while you squint one eye and sitting on the edge of your seat ready to run away if something happened.
I don't know. I'm not even sure how I went from parenting to this. I think I'm more ranting than anything right now. I guess I've just been caught up in what some of the results would be depending on the way you teach your kids. Believe me, there are some horribly undisciplined kids or kids not disciplined properly, and they can be very close to over disciplined kids too. I know. I see it pretty frequently. But with the way the society is now, parents probably can't even look at their kids funny without their kids wanting to sue them. Again, insert me into the picture. Given the environment and circumstances, this is why I think I'm such a bad influence right now. I have knives, I do magic, I play guitar, I watch hockey, I watch videos on youtube, I listen to music with swears, I am a fan of Michael Jackson's Thriller video.. Oh noes, I'm trouble! In the end though, I think that this is going to be my job: dealing with so many different stories and views and all that fun stuff by taking both the classical and the "post-modern" era and bringing it all together.
I guess I just don't really like where this world is going and what it's trying to teach people. Like this one. If you tell your kids that Halloween is bad because it's the "devil's day", then why do you tell your kids that Santa is going to jump down the chimney and give you presents on Christmas?
/endrant.
Anyways, really sketchy for me to be talking about this right now especially given my current state of life. And it's to no surprised that it's probably sprouted from my current situation. But I am developing some views on how families should be run - being very vague here. That probably includes parenting, how you manage a household, how you are to your spouse, etc. I am not one to say that I am someone who is "all-knowing" about any of this, but maybe it's because I am maturing in this aspect. L-O-L did I just say that I'm maturing? Even though I've never really thought about it, it's always been in the back of my mind once in a while where I think about how I'd be like if I get to be a dad. I know that that is thinking WAY ahead of myself because I haven't even done step one yet. But there's always the possibility of it happening, and I am always curious of how I'd do.
In the perfect world, if I can manage to be a fraction of what my parents are, I am probably pretty satisfied. I think that my parents are the perfect model parents for just about any new couples. However, I can't discount the fact that I also think there are some incredible parents that I know. The very first question I have for parents is this: how different are you in front of your kid(s) than your peers? You're not going to be the same person in the two situations; if you are, I feel for you. But the question is more of how big of a difference in character is there? I know that parents always want the best for their kids, so they're going to try to "feed" them the best that they have. This means that you probably do your best to hide your imperfections in front of your kids so they don't feed off of your flaws. Although this isn't a bad thing, how far are you willing to go? When does the whole quote of "do as I say, not as I do" come in? Everyone is a hypocrite to some extend in their own way, but where is the line that you have to draw?
I've been learning about different types of spiritualities this semester, and we touched on one that's called "classical spirituality". It's hard to have one solid definition of this term, but it's easily understandable. It is basically "see no evil, speak no evil, and hear no evil" to its most literal-ness. You won't sit or have a bar stool because it's a "bar" stool; in bars they do bad things, so you can't have any of that. Basically, anything that has even the slightest hint of potential evil is something you have to stay away from. It's a little extreme, I know, but I have witnessed it - maybe not to its full potential, but the general idea. The parents would almost completely indoctrinate the kids into nothing but God and Jesus, and the whole 9 yards. Yes, everything. Indoctrinate is a strong word, and I mean every bit of what the word is. From the posters and decorations on your dining room wall, to the music you listen to, to the TV shows you watch, to the vocabulary that you're allowed to have, to the clothes that you wear, to the activities that you do, it all has to be free from evil. Again, this is why it's so sketchy to be talking about. Because even if I'm in a completely different situation (living alone, or on res, or something else), the subject itself is already sketchy. Is this how you would treat your kids?
If you knew people like this, what would your opinion be? Now, if you take my character and who I am into play, how does that work? Like I said, there isn't really anything that is flat out wrong about living a classically spirited life, but my question is this: will you ever peak outside of your box to realize that there is a world that you live in? The whole idea of it seems kind of surreal. As a bit of a third party looking in, it almost seems as if the attitude is that they're too good for this place. Of course, this is getting rather specific to the particular people, but it seems that way. Try to picture if there is a king or queen that asked for some food. But when they see that there is a piece of meat that is a little under cooked, they won't even look at it. They have to have everything done one way, and one way only, and don't even realize that the only way you get to the imperfections of this world is by diving into it and not kind of picking at it with your thumb and index while you squint one eye and sitting on the edge of your seat ready to run away if something happened.
I don't know. I'm not even sure how I went from parenting to this. I think I'm more ranting than anything right now. I guess I've just been caught up in what some of the results would be depending on the way you teach your kids. Believe me, there are some horribly undisciplined kids or kids not disciplined properly, and they can be very close to over disciplined kids too. I know. I see it pretty frequently. But with the way the society is now, parents probably can't even look at their kids funny without their kids wanting to sue them. Again, insert me into the picture. Given the environment and circumstances, this is why I think I'm such a bad influence right now. I have knives, I do magic, I play guitar, I watch hockey, I watch videos on youtube, I listen to music with swears, I am a fan of Michael Jackson's Thriller video.. Oh noes, I'm trouble! In the end though, I think that this is going to be my job: dealing with so many different stories and views and all that fun stuff by taking both the classical and the "post-modern" era and bringing it all together.
I guess I just don't really like where this world is going and what it's trying to teach people. Like this one. If you tell your kids that Halloween is bad because it's the "devil's day", then why do you tell your kids that Santa is going to jump down the chimney and give you presents on Christmas?
/endrant.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Mercy Marks, Maybe?
I was told that my theology prof is a hard marker. He even told us himself that for some reason people did miserably on his final exams. So his way of making us do better is by splitting it into two and giving one as a midterm. If you ask me, it actually makes it harder because by splitting it, you now can make the first one as hard as your final, then there's the final itself that is probably the same difficulty.
I kind of got into the room and shuffled my way closer to the back because I didn't like being watched when writing an exam. The second I got my test, it dawned on me that I haven't written any midterm or final since April of 2009. And then I panic'd. I tried to make sure my name was nice and legible. I made sure to use a blue pen (but really, I should've brought a pencil) so it's easier to read than black ink. I tried to remember any test strategies that I have ever been taught. One of them was to make sure you skim the test first to make sure everything is fine. So I read the first question on the multiple choice, and I had a good idea of what the answer was. So I flipped over to the fill in the blanks part, took a skim, and knew right away that I am going to fail this test. Then I got to the short answer part. Seeing that the short answers are half of the tests worth in marks, and seeing the kinds of questions that it was asking, I kind of wanted to put my hand up and ask to be excused because I am feeling sick. After wiggling my way through the 15 multiple choice questions, I knew that I had probably 75% of those right for sure. If my fail-logic and guesses were good to me, maybe I'll get a few more. Then I got to the fill in the blanks and I wanted to die right there. I think that of the 10ish blanks, I filled in only 1 or 2 with confidence. For the rest of them, I just found a BS answer and slapped it in. There were still a few blanks, but I had absolutely zero idea of what the answers would be. So I flipped to the last section.
My, oh my. I kind of wished that I was writing the wrong midterm or went into the wrong room or something. But I looked up and thought, nope - these are my classmates. Other than maybe one question, I put down your typical church answers, hoping for some mercy marks maybe. When I did what I could for the ones that I could, I looked at the clock and only 20 or 25 minutes have passed. And usually, if there was a question that I didn't know right away, I'd leave it blank and come back later to think it through. So I went back to check to make sure I got the multiple choices that I wanted, I proceeded to write a bunch of irrelevance to fill up the rest of my test. I knew that I wouldn't be able to suddenly have a magical appearing light bulb moment and have the answers in my head, so sitting in class fiddling with my pen would be nothing more than what it is: wasting time. So after about 40-45 minutes, I decided that I would just GTFO. I handed in the test and hung my head when I walked out. When I walked up to the front of the room though, I saw a few people that had blanks on the same questions that I came up empty on. So is it that the test really was that hard? Or were they just waiting for the perfect worded answer and get bonus marks?
Whatever it is, I don't feel good about my chances of passing this test. If I manage a 40-50%, that is probably what I will be content with. I'm really only expecting a mark in the 30s. If I suddenly miraculously get a grade over 50, then it means that God really wants me to do well to the point that he will intervene.
So anyways, school has never been my thing, I've been a B student with a couple of As at the very best. But nonetheless, this was quite the face smacking experience telling me that I really need to step up my game. But it's definitely too late for the midterm I'm going to write in a couple hours because I haven't studied a whole lot for that one either.
Mercy?
I kind of got into the room and shuffled my way closer to the back because I didn't like being watched when writing an exam. The second I got my test, it dawned on me that I haven't written any midterm or final since April of 2009. And then I panic'd. I tried to make sure my name was nice and legible. I made sure to use a blue pen (but really, I should've brought a pencil) so it's easier to read than black ink. I tried to remember any test strategies that I have ever been taught. One of them was to make sure you skim the test first to make sure everything is fine. So I read the first question on the multiple choice, and I had a good idea of what the answer was. So I flipped over to the fill in the blanks part, took a skim, and knew right away that I am going to fail this test. Then I got to the short answer part. Seeing that the short answers are half of the tests worth in marks, and seeing the kinds of questions that it was asking, I kind of wanted to put my hand up and ask to be excused because I am feeling sick. After wiggling my way through the 15 multiple choice questions, I knew that I had probably 75% of those right for sure. If my fail-logic and guesses were good to me, maybe I'll get a few more. Then I got to the fill in the blanks and I wanted to die right there. I think that of the 10ish blanks, I filled in only 1 or 2 with confidence. For the rest of them, I just found a BS answer and slapped it in. There were still a few blanks, but I had absolutely zero idea of what the answers would be. So I flipped to the last section.
My, oh my. I kind of wished that I was writing the wrong midterm or went into the wrong room or something. But I looked up and thought, nope - these are my classmates. Other than maybe one question, I put down your typical church answers, hoping for some mercy marks maybe. When I did what I could for the ones that I could, I looked at the clock and only 20 or 25 minutes have passed. And usually, if there was a question that I didn't know right away, I'd leave it blank and come back later to think it through. So I went back to check to make sure I got the multiple choices that I wanted, I proceeded to write a bunch of irrelevance to fill up the rest of my test. I knew that I wouldn't be able to suddenly have a magical appearing light bulb moment and have the answers in my head, so sitting in class fiddling with my pen would be nothing more than what it is: wasting time. So after about 40-45 minutes, I decided that I would just GTFO. I handed in the test and hung my head when I walked out. When I walked up to the front of the room though, I saw a few people that had blanks on the same questions that I came up empty on. So is it that the test really was that hard? Or were they just waiting for the perfect worded answer and get bonus marks?
Whatever it is, I don't feel good about my chances of passing this test. If I manage a 40-50%, that is probably what I will be content with. I'm really only expecting a mark in the 30s. If I suddenly miraculously get a grade over 50, then it means that God really wants me to do well to the point that he will intervene.
So anyways, school has never been my thing, I've been a B student with a couple of As at the very best. But nonetheless, this was quite the face smacking experience telling me that I really need to step up my game. But it's definitely too late for the midterm I'm going to write in a couple hours because I haven't studied a whole lot for that one either.
Mercy?
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Keep On
I had to literally find something to do in order to stop myself from doing my paper. So what did I decide to do? I took a shower and decided to blog! Hah! After all, I need to keep up with my pace of a post every three days. I was slow to start studying and do my paper, so I'm going to pay for it on Tuesday and Wednesday. But I feel that I needed to stop because my brain is all fried and mashed up. So I think if I kept on working on my paper, everything I write wouldn't be flowing very good. I'm very picky about how I write, so if there is something that's out of place, I get annoyed. And with the state that I am in now, that is more than likely to happen.
Although, I have to say that I've really enjoyed engaging and writing this paper that has to do with how heaven is related to earth. A lot of times, the profs only want to make sure that you understand the things and don't want you to give a brand new "never-before-thought-of" ideology. It's pretty hard to write from my brain and not from my heart. But I guess wanting to write from my heart is not entirely a bad thing because it lets me know that I'm doing theology for theology, and not religious studies. I've been warned before that I shouldn't treat my studies as studies, but rather a passion. After all, faith is what springs theology, so it's important that I'm not doing this like I used to do grade school or first year at the UofA. I know the profs probably feel the same because they're only supposed to tell you the truths and not let their colors out by going into preach mode. Nevertheless, I'm loving these assignments because it lets me get out what I feel have been bottled up inside of me for the last few years but never got to share them.
It always feels like people generally don't really have that interest to talk about a lot of things that do with God. Or I should say that people want to talk about God, they just don't have the right people to talk to. So they don't.
Anyways, I can't really remember what else I wanted to blog about. There was something, I just don't remember.
Oh yeah, many people have asked me if I get home sick or do I miss Edmonton. I'd be lying if I said I don't. I'm not, and never will be, one of those people from Edmonton that move to Vancouver and never look back. Whenever something exciting is happening up there, I do feel disappointed that I don't get to be part of it. A lot of times, it's not because I want to be part of that event, it's the people that I want to do it with. Lifelong relationships are called lifelong relationships for a reason, and nothing will ever change them. I've mentioned many times before that it sucks that I don't get to go through this Bible college thing with my family and friends. But at the same time, I've also said many times that I'm not going to be bitter and depressed about it; it's just not my thing. I think I've lived long enough to be able to know that nothing good ever comes out of being down in the dumps. All you do is look for more reasons to be depressed, and nothing more. I've been there and don't want to go back. So that's why I'm always going to choose to live life the way that I do.
Anyways, I'm curious. If you have an opinion, and you don't mind sharing with me, what is your view on how heaven relates to earth? Is earth the same as heaven since God is omnipresent and God is everything and everything is God. Or is heaven a completely different state of universe as earth because God is perfect, the world is not, and God can't comprehend sin, so he doesn't intervene? Or is it a bit of a hybrid?
Tell me what you think!
EDIT: I have more to add.
It seems that kids are the same no matter where I go. Case in point: the leg grabbing.
Although, I have to say that I've really enjoyed engaging and writing this paper that has to do with how heaven is related to earth. A lot of times, the profs only want to make sure that you understand the things and don't want you to give a brand new "never-before-thought-of" ideology. It's pretty hard to write from my brain and not from my heart. But I guess wanting to write from my heart is not entirely a bad thing because it lets me know that I'm doing theology for theology, and not religious studies. I've been warned before that I shouldn't treat my studies as studies, but rather a passion. After all, faith is what springs theology, so it's important that I'm not doing this like I used to do grade school or first year at the UofA. I know the profs probably feel the same because they're only supposed to tell you the truths and not let their colors out by going into preach mode. Nevertheless, I'm loving these assignments because it lets me get out what I feel have been bottled up inside of me for the last few years but never got to share them.
It always feels like people generally don't really have that interest to talk about a lot of things that do with God. Or I should say that people want to talk about God, they just don't have the right people to talk to. So they don't.
Anyways, I can't really remember what else I wanted to blog about. There was something, I just don't remember.
Oh yeah, many people have asked me if I get home sick or do I miss Edmonton. I'd be lying if I said I don't. I'm not, and never will be, one of those people from Edmonton that move to Vancouver and never look back. Whenever something exciting is happening up there, I do feel disappointed that I don't get to be part of it. A lot of times, it's not because I want to be part of that event, it's the people that I want to do it with. Lifelong relationships are called lifelong relationships for a reason, and nothing will ever change them. I've mentioned many times before that it sucks that I don't get to go through this Bible college thing with my family and friends. But at the same time, I've also said many times that I'm not going to be bitter and depressed about it; it's just not my thing. I think I've lived long enough to be able to know that nothing good ever comes out of being down in the dumps. All you do is look for more reasons to be depressed, and nothing more. I've been there and don't want to go back. So that's why I'm always going to choose to live life the way that I do.
Anyways, I'm curious. If you have an opinion, and you don't mind sharing with me, what is your view on how heaven relates to earth? Is earth the same as heaven since God is omnipresent and God is everything and everything is God. Or is heaven a completely different state of universe as earth because God is perfect, the world is not, and God can't comprehend sin, so he doesn't intervene? Or is it a bit of a hybrid?
Tell me what you think!
EDIT: I have more to add.
It seems that kids are the same no matter where I go. Case in point: the leg grabbing.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
When I'm Calm, I Feel Good
Today, I figured out why I've been a bit "angsty" lately. It's because I haven't had a good worship in a while. I normally take time out once every week or two to play guitar and sing a bunch of songs to clear my mind and just praise God. But I haven't done that more than once or twice since moving here. Why? I think I just haven't been able to do it without much distraction.
I think whoever came up with this "Spiritual Emphasis Day" at AUC was the smartest person to ever attend the school. Take two days off to put emphasis on your spirituality? I think so. What it really is, is just a tiny two day conference. One of the breakout sessions I went to today was a worship one. Even though there were only a handful people that showed up for the one I went to, it was really nice for me to forget about everything and sing some songs. There's a lot of times where I want to go to church and just worship. But I haven't been able to do that because I have to teach Sunday School every week. And once a month I do worship. As fun as leading worship is, I sometimes just want to be one of the members in the congregation and soak everything in. I had two communions this month. I don't know why I just said that, but I did. Anyhow, I have two midterms and a paper due next Tuesday and Wednesday. Finding that out yesterday made me a little uptight.
After coming out of that worship session thing, it felt so good. It felt good right up until I walked out the door of the gym and remembered that I have stuff to do. But that hour of where I just stood there and sang was really refreshing. Uptight people should be introduced to it. It makes you feel good. And when you feel good, you sing, because of the joy it brings. I didn't know a lot of the songs they sang, but just the fact that I got a chance to push everything aside was pretty sweet.
I had wondered why I felt like I had so much tension in me lately, but it's only because I haven't had a chance to worship. So it's all good now. I even feel a bit better about having to study for two midterms and writing a book analysis paper on a book that I haven't even finished half of. I am eating candy at 9:47pm, which probably isn't a very good idea, but I'm doing it anyway.
Uhh, anyway, I think that's about all I can say. What can you get out of this? I don't know, it's your call. Maybe, for the times when you feel like a dink, just take a chance to worship - it does wonders. Worship, and really mean it.
That is all.
I think whoever came up with this "Spiritual Emphasis Day" at AUC was the smartest person to ever attend the school. Take two days off to put emphasis on your spirituality? I think so. What it really is, is just a tiny two day conference. One of the breakout sessions I went to today was a worship one. Even though there were only a handful people that showed up for the one I went to, it was really nice for me to forget about everything and sing some songs. There's a lot of times where I want to go to church and just worship. But I haven't been able to do that because I have to teach Sunday School every week. And once a month I do worship. As fun as leading worship is, I sometimes just want to be one of the members in the congregation and soak everything in. I had two communions this month. I don't know why I just said that, but I did. Anyhow, I have two midterms and a paper due next Tuesday and Wednesday. Finding that out yesterday made me a little uptight.
After coming out of that worship session thing, it felt so good. It felt good right up until I walked out the door of the gym and remembered that I have stuff to do. But that hour of where I just stood there and sang was really refreshing. Uptight people should be introduced to it. It makes you feel good. And when you feel good, you sing, because of the joy it brings. I didn't know a lot of the songs they sang, but just the fact that I got a chance to push everything aside was pretty sweet.
I had wondered why I felt like I had so much tension in me lately, but it's only because I haven't had a chance to worship. So it's all good now. I even feel a bit better about having to study for two midterms and writing a book analysis paper on a book that I haven't even finished half of. I am eating candy at 9:47pm, which probably isn't a very good idea, but I'm doing it anyway.
Uhh, anyway, I think that's about all I can say. What can you get out of this? I don't know, it's your call. Maybe, for the times when you feel like a dink, just take a chance to worship - it does wonders. Worship, and really mean it.
That is all.
Friday, October 15, 2010
So Genius
I'm averaging a post every three days; I must have no life.
Today, it was the first really cold day where it hovered around freezing for most of the day. I am terrified of the cold. When I was going home, I thought it'd be smart if I bought a hot drink to keep myself warm for the ride home. I thought I was so genius for buying a hot drink. Little did I know that the ride from the point that I got the drink to when I get home is an hour long. So this whole time I'm sitting in the bus sipping away, I suddenly remembered that I have the world's smallest bladder. At about the halfway point, I started to need to go. Curses to the liquids that go right through me! Trust me, I've tested myself before; I can drink a cup of something, and within an hour, it's out of my body. When I got to the exchange point to switch buses, and depending on which one I get on, there are different amounts that I would have to walk to get home. Since it's a Friday, and everyone wants to get home fast, I just got on the first one that I saw - the one that required a longer walk, but shorter ride. When I got off the bus, I tried to walk as fast as I could to get home, because a) it was windy, and b) I really needed to go. The first rule for staying warm in the winter is to make sure you don't need to pee. A little bit of a science lesson: water has a really high heat capacity, so it can hold heat really well. Since pee is mostly water, it holds the heat inside your body making you feel colder. With the combination of the wind and the need to excrete, it was probably the worst 6 or 7 minute walk I ever took. Man, I thought I was so genius. But it's now safe to say that I got home without a malfunction in the junction.
Now that I wasted a few minutes of your time by making you read about urination, I will wrap it up. There were a few topics that I really wanted to talk about relating to the Christian life; but there's been so much information that's been shoved into my brain, I'm having a lot of trouble retaining all of it. After I review a bit, I will get to them.
I've also met two people at Ambrose that are from Dubai. Little is needed to know that there is a huge difference between +50 degrees and -50 degrees. Enough said; I kind of feel bad for them.
Today, it was the first really cold day where it hovered around freezing for most of the day. I am terrified of the cold. When I was going home, I thought it'd be smart if I bought a hot drink to keep myself warm for the ride home. I thought I was so genius for buying a hot drink. Little did I know that the ride from the point that I got the drink to when I get home is an hour long. So this whole time I'm sitting in the bus sipping away, I suddenly remembered that I have the world's smallest bladder. At about the halfway point, I started to need to go. Curses to the liquids that go right through me! Trust me, I've tested myself before; I can drink a cup of something, and within an hour, it's out of my body. When I got to the exchange point to switch buses, and depending on which one I get on, there are different amounts that I would have to walk to get home. Since it's a Friday, and everyone wants to get home fast, I just got on the first one that I saw - the one that required a longer walk, but shorter ride. When I got off the bus, I tried to walk as fast as I could to get home, because a) it was windy, and b) I really needed to go. The first rule for staying warm in the winter is to make sure you don't need to pee. A little bit of a science lesson: water has a really high heat capacity, so it can hold heat really well. Since pee is mostly water, it holds the heat inside your body making you feel colder. With the combination of the wind and the need to excrete, it was probably the worst 6 or 7 minute walk I ever took. Man, I thought I was so genius. But it's now safe to say that I got home without a malfunction in the junction.
Now that I wasted a few minutes of your time by making you read about urination, I will wrap it up. There were a few topics that I really wanted to talk about relating to the Christian life; but there's been so much information that's been shoved into my brain, I'm having a lot of trouble retaining all of it. After I review a bit, I will get to them.
I've also met two people at Ambrose that are from Dubai. Little is needed to know that there is a huge difference between +50 degrees and -50 degrees. Enough said; I kind of feel bad for them.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Before I Wake Up
Hmm, I wonder why I am blogging so insanely frequently recently. Oh well, it's better that I practice what I preach right? I think the difference of this entry will actually have some substance to it in regards to my situation.
When I moved down to Calgary, I had a bunch of boxes that carried all the stuff that I needed. I would say that I had about 4 or 5 boxes of things, and another box of just my shoes. Since having "settled in", all my stuff is still kind of just laying there. In an episode of Chuck a couple weeks ago, there was the conflict between Chuck and Sarah about why Sarah doesn't hang any of her clothes in the closet because she's never really had a "home", so she's never learned to settle in. I'm kind of that same way right now, to a lesser extent; obviously because I'm not a spy. But all my stuff is still kind of in their boxes and I haven't moved much more than my clothes out of them. Why? I don't know. Maybe because I don't really have a place I want to put them, or maybe I'm just too lazy. It's kind of like at a hotel where you try to take as little out as possible so you don't have to repack later. I'm guessing that it's because with just a month in, I haven't really been able to call Calgary home yet. I've tried, and I'm still trying; so it will probably come with time.
Well, with this Thanksgiving weekend, I came back up to Edmonton. And as of right now, I'm sitting in the spot where I always have had my laptop. To be honest, it feels really good. I can't think of a much better feeling than being in a place I know and see people I know. I'm going to be heading back to Calgary in a few hours, and it seems like it's all a dream. It almost seems as if all that Bible school stuff was a dream and this is where my life is. It felt so good to come back this weekend, and as I mentioned before, it's so nice to get to say hi to some of my siblings in Christ. Then it kind of hit me that, once again, I have to leave them behind and go back to doing what I'm doing. Although this Calgary experience has been pretty cool so far, the only thing I kind of wish is that I'd be able to go through this experience with everyone with me physically. I know that people are praying for me and all that kind of stuff, but since we're still on earth, there is always going to be that human desire for physicality - something of substance. So even knowing that people have my back, it's tough to not be able to just have that comfort level I get when I'm with the people that I've known all my life. So, yes, it kind of sucks that I'm not able to share, physically, with people about my experience. I think that's been the biggest difference so far. In the past, when we go to church and all that stuff, we're all able to share with each other about our week, our lives, etc., with complete comfortability, "letting our walls come down". I haven't been able to reach that comfort level right now. And I know it's early, but I hope that this will be able to be created over time. These are the results of lifelong relationships that have been created, and I am so glad that I have them. Some people move from place to place every couple of years, and they never really have a feeling of home. Maybe they're okay with it, but I guess it's mostly because they've never had it. You know what they say when you never know what you got 'til it's gone.
Almost time to wake up and get back to my school work! Should be an interesting couple of months for me. Next time: touchy subject of being called into ministry. (=
Happy Thanksgivin'!
When I moved down to Calgary, I had a bunch of boxes that carried all the stuff that I needed. I would say that I had about 4 or 5 boxes of things, and another box of just my shoes. Since having "settled in", all my stuff is still kind of just laying there. In an episode of Chuck a couple weeks ago, there was the conflict between Chuck and Sarah about why Sarah doesn't hang any of her clothes in the closet because she's never really had a "home", so she's never learned to settle in. I'm kind of that same way right now, to a lesser extent; obviously because I'm not a spy. But all my stuff is still kind of in their boxes and I haven't moved much more than my clothes out of them. Why? I don't know. Maybe because I don't really have a place I want to put them, or maybe I'm just too lazy. It's kind of like at a hotel where you try to take as little out as possible so you don't have to repack later. I'm guessing that it's because with just a month in, I haven't really been able to call Calgary home yet. I've tried, and I'm still trying; so it will probably come with time.
Well, with this Thanksgiving weekend, I came back up to Edmonton. And as of right now, I'm sitting in the spot where I always have had my laptop. To be honest, it feels really good. I can't think of a much better feeling than being in a place I know and see people I know. I'm going to be heading back to Calgary in a few hours, and it seems like it's all a dream. It almost seems as if all that Bible school stuff was a dream and this is where my life is. It felt so good to come back this weekend, and as I mentioned before, it's so nice to get to say hi to some of my siblings in Christ. Then it kind of hit me that, once again, I have to leave them behind and go back to doing what I'm doing. Although this Calgary experience has been pretty cool so far, the only thing I kind of wish is that I'd be able to go through this experience with everyone with me physically. I know that people are praying for me and all that kind of stuff, but since we're still on earth, there is always going to be that human desire for physicality - something of substance. So even knowing that people have my back, it's tough to not be able to just have that comfort level I get when I'm with the people that I've known all my life. So, yes, it kind of sucks that I'm not able to share, physically, with people about my experience. I think that's been the biggest difference so far. In the past, when we go to church and all that stuff, we're all able to share with each other about our week, our lives, etc., with complete comfortability, "letting our walls come down". I haven't been able to reach that comfort level right now. And I know it's early, but I hope that this will be able to be created over time. These are the results of lifelong relationships that have been created, and I am so glad that I have them. Some people move from place to place every couple of years, and they never really have a feeling of home. Maybe they're okay with it, but I guess it's mostly because they've never had it. You know what they say when you never know what you got 'til it's gone.
Almost time to wake up and get back to my school work! Should be an interesting couple of months for me. Next time: touchy subject of being called into ministry. (=
Happy Thanksgivin'!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Gracias
Does anyone else think it's pretty fitting that Thanksgiving is on 10.10.10? I know that a ton of people were trying to get married tomorrow because it's so special to say that you got married on October 10, 2010; in all honesty, I think it's just an excuse for the husband to not have to try hard to remember their wedding date.
This year, I am grateful for many things. First and foremost, the one that is obvious, would have to be starting Bible school. Whether I fail miserably or pass with flying colors, it's pretty sweet to say that I made it. Then, I'm thankful for being able to come back to Edmonton for this long weekend. It's so comforting and refreshing to see the people and places that I know. It's pretty cool how in just two visits to the church that some people went out of their way just to say hi to me when they saw. I think I also might have shafted a few people by not really replying to their hi because I was in another conversion or whatever.
I am grateful for hockey being back, and how exciting it is to watch the Oilers. I am grateful for the different experience of being an Oilers fan now that I live in Calgary. I am grateful for being grateful.
My back hasn't been good since the California trip, so now I am very thankful for the parts of my body that work - which is pretty much all of it. I'm thankful for good health; although for some reason, I have a slight cough at this second because some of that white chocolate mocha is stuck in my throat. I am thankful for the water that I will drink right now that may help me get rid of this cough.
As you can see, I am thankful for my entire life. Living a life of gratitude makes someone super cool to be around because they never take anything for granted. They're always able to be humble and put the world before themselves because we reside in this world.
Live high, and always be grateful.
This year, I am grateful for many things. First and foremost, the one that is obvious, would have to be starting Bible school. Whether I fail miserably or pass with flying colors, it's pretty sweet to say that I made it. Then, I'm thankful for being able to come back to Edmonton for this long weekend. It's so comforting and refreshing to see the people and places that I know. It's pretty cool how in just two visits to the church that some people went out of their way just to say hi to me when they saw. I think I also might have shafted a few people by not really replying to their hi because I was in another conversion or whatever.
I am grateful for hockey being back, and how exciting it is to watch the Oilers. I am grateful for the different experience of being an Oilers fan now that I live in Calgary. I am grateful for being grateful.
My back hasn't been good since the California trip, so now I am very thankful for the parts of my body that work - which is pretty much all of it. I'm thankful for good health; although for some reason, I have a slight cough at this second because some of that white chocolate mocha is stuck in my throat. I am thankful for the water that I will drink right now that may help me get rid of this cough.
As you can see, I am thankful for my entire life. Living a life of gratitude makes someone super cool to be around because they never take anything for granted. They're always able to be humble and put the world before themselves because we reside in this world.
Live high, and always be grateful.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Edmonton Oilers 2010-2011
You know I have to do this every year. If I don't, it goes against my nerdy nature. Feel free to ignore this blog post and scroll down to read about the power of a hurricane in my previous post.
I remember sitting in my seat, when I was still in Edmonton, and Steve Tambellini picked Taylor Hall. I think I was the only person in my family that let out a "YES!" It was Seguin vs. Hall for the longest time, and I wanted Hall. I believe that Seguin will be a better player than Hall in a few years, but Hall's dedication to hockey is unmatched by anyone.
As much as I am hoping for the Oilers to make the playoffs this year, it probably won't happen. I said probably. So I'm guessing that we'll finish in the bottom 10 in the league and end up with another top 10 pick next June.
So, instead of going through the entire team, I think I'm just going to take a wild guess at the lucky 13 players (top 9 forwards, top 4 defensemen) who should lead the Oilers in points. I should also say that this assumes the player plays a full 82 games; so that means Hemsky probably won't get to the number; but if he played all 82, that's what I'm expecting to see.
Name [Goals-Assists-Points]
Forwards
1. Hemsky [25-60-85]
2. Penner [30-30-60]
3. Horcoff [20-35-55]
4. Gagner [18-35-53]
5. Eberle [17-30-47]
6. Hall [19-25-44]
7. Brule [16-26-42]
8. Paajarvi [11-29-40]
9. Cogliano [14-25-39]
Defense
1. Whitney [11-32-43]
2. Gilbert [7-29-36]
3. Foster [10-25-35]
4. Vandermeer [3-20-23]
Hemsky has already broken out, so don't go asking when he's going to get to that elite status; he's just never had linemates to play with. I think Eberle will be the best rookie in the first chunk of the season because he already has the experience. And then, depending on how things go, he'll get passed by either Hall or MPS, making the gap in points really close. With his ability to exceed every single expectation, Eberle will then keep pace with whoever has exploded - because that's just what he's done his whole career. I honestly don't know if Cogliano will play more than half the season here. If our third line remains Brule, Paajarvi, and Cogliano, that line is going to struggle constantly. Then maybe Penner gets moved down to, bumping Hall up to play with Gagner and Hemsky, and MPS to play with Horcoff and Eberle.
On defense, I think Whitney should be leading in points, leaving Gilbert to battle Foster for second. Foster might edge out Gilbert because of his amazing shot on the powerplay.
Well, that's about it for my predictions. I think the Oilers will finish no higher than 11th in the Western Conference.
I remember sitting in my seat, when I was still in Edmonton, and Steve Tambellini picked Taylor Hall. I think I was the only person in my family that let out a "YES!" It was Seguin vs. Hall for the longest time, and I wanted Hall. I believe that Seguin will be a better player than Hall in a few years, but Hall's dedication to hockey is unmatched by anyone.
As much as I am hoping for the Oilers to make the playoffs this year, it probably won't happen. I said probably. So I'm guessing that we'll finish in the bottom 10 in the league and end up with another top 10 pick next June.
So, instead of going through the entire team, I think I'm just going to take a wild guess at the lucky 13 players (top 9 forwards, top 4 defensemen) who should lead the Oilers in points. I should also say that this assumes the player plays a full 82 games; so that means Hemsky probably won't get to the number; but if he played all 82, that's what I'm expecting to see.
Name [Goals-Assists-Points]
Forwards
1. Hemsky [25-60-85]
2. Penner [30-30-60]
3. Horcoff [20-35-55]
4. Gagner [18-35-53]
5. Eberle [17-30-47]
6. Hall [19-25-44]
7. Brule [16-26-42]
8. Paajarvi [11-29-40]
9. Cogliano [14-25-39]
Defense
1. Whitney [11-32-43]
2. Gilbert [7-29-36]
3. Foster [10-25-35]
4. Vandermeer [3-20-23]
Hemsky has already broken out, so don't go asking when he's going to get to that elite status; he's just never had linemates to play with. I think Eberle will be the best rookie in the first chunk of the season because he already has the experience. And then, depending on how things go, he'll get passed by either Hall or MPS, making the gap in points really close. With his ability to exceed every single expectation, Eberle will then keep pace with whoever has exploded - because that's just what he's done his whole career. I honestly don't know if Cogliano will play more than half the season here. If our third line remains Brule, Paajarvi, and Cogliano, that line is going to struggle constantly. Then maybe Penner gets moved down to, bumping Hall up to play with Gagner and Hemsky, and MPS to play with Horcoff and Eberle.
On defense, I think Whitney should be leading in points, leaving Gilbert to battle Foster for second. Foster might edge out Gilbert because of his amazing shot on the powerplay.
Well, that's about it for my predictions. I think the Oilers will finish no higher than 11th in the Western Conference.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
*Insert Evil Smiley Face*
The power of influence is a powerful thing. Wait, what? Yeah, that's what I meant to say. I love calling people out; maybe I should do it more often. Today, I read two blog updates that had no idea what they were talking about, and just went on listing off a bunch of things. Hilarious. It's been a crazy blog-athon over the last 24 hours. Beyond the personal blogs that I follow, the sports world has been blogging a crazy amount too. I just want to give a shout out to Roy Halladay for pitching a no hitter in his first ever playoff game. Good for you Doc, leaving Toronto was the best decision you've made.
Darn it. Now I forgot if I had anything else to say other than that.
Oh yes! Do you know anyone that has a really combustible laugh? The type that, when something funny is said, just suddenly explodes and scares the bijeebees out of you. Not only that, but there are little semi-spurts of lava that flow out too. Yeah, that's right; I'm talking about snorting. I can completely understand that some people don't have the biggest nasal cavity, so when they suck big time air through their nose, the pathway kind of closes and opens really fast due to the vibration, and causing that person to snort.
Well, everybody's favorite professor, Tim Moore, was at it again this morning. He thinks in pictures but the pictures in his mind don't translate to the hands. In class, we were discussing about how guys think in compartments and a girl's brain is like spaghetti in that it's all connected and intertwined. I won't get into any detail because why that was said is a completely different topic. So when he goes to try to explain what he's saying, he proceeds to the board to try to draw the head of a guy and girl with a side view. Out came probably two of the worst drawings of a guy and girl's head that anyone could ever imagine. The entire class starts laughing.
And in this sentence, you can insert what I wrote about the laughing. I don't want to be mean, but every time she does, a girl laughs exactly the way that I described two paragraphs ago. While everybody doesn't seem to mind, my laughter turns from the drawings to the girl. She is just having a masterful time using those laughing glands (which probably don't exist), and snorting with authority with every breath that she took. A month has passed and I still don't know who it is that does that, but I notice it every time and I can't help it. So while I'm still laughing, bothat with her and at the drawings, I'm starting to get scared by the snorting. It was so intense that it was almost contagious. It made me feel like snorting! So by now, I'm so scared that I'm gonna let one big snort out as well, so I do my best to contain my laughter; but it don't work so well. When I laugh, I laugh out loud.
To whoever the fearless girl is, if you ever in your life come across this blog post (which I doubt, but who knows), I am so terribly sorry. Please don't come at me with a knife or something. I'm not making fun of you, I'm just pointing you out because of your awesome uniqueness; and special people deserve to be known. I know I'm mean, which is probably why you have about a hundred billion more friends than I do.
Anyway, that's the random story of the day. Also, for anyone that hasn't, check out Jason Mraz's new EP entitled Life Is Good. It really makes life feel good when you listen to it.
Darn it. Now I forgot if I had anything else to say other than that.
Oh yes! Do you know anyone that has a really combustible laugh? The type that, when something funny is said, just suddenly explodes and scares the bijeebees out of you. Not only that, but there are little semi-spurts of lava that flow out too. Yeah, that's right; I'm talking about snorting. I can completely understand that some people don't have the biggest nasal cavity, so when they suck big time air through their nose, the pathway kind of closes and opens really fast due to the vibration, and causing that person to snort.
Well, everybody's favorite professor, Tim Moore, was at it again this morning. He thinks in pictures but the pictures in his mind don't translate to the hands. In class, we were discussing about how guys think in compartments and a girl's brain is like spaghetti in that it's all connected and intertwined. I won't get into any detail because why that was said is a completely different topic. So when he goes to try to explain what he's saying, he proceeds to the board to try to draw the head of a guy and girl with a side view. Out came probably two of the worst drawings of a guy and girl's head that anyone could ever imagine. The entire class starts laughing.
And in this sentence, you can insert what I wrote about the laughing. I don't want to be mean, but every time she does, a girl laughs exactly the way that I described two paragraphs ago. While everybody doesn't seem to mind, my laughter turns from the drawings to the girl. She is just having a masterful time using those laughing glands (which probably don't exist), and snorting with authority with every breath that she took. A month has passed and I still don't know who it is that does that, but I notice it every time and I can't help it. So while I'm still laughing, both
To whoever the fearless girl is, if you ever in your life come across this blog post (which I doubt, but who knows), I am so terribly sorry. Please don't come at me with a knife or something. I'm not making fun of you, I'm just pointing you out because of your awesome uniqueness; and special people deserve to be known. I know I'm mean, which is probably why you have about a hundred billion more friends than I do.
Anyway, that's the random story of the day. Also, for anyone that hasn't, check out Jason Mraz's new EP entitled Life Is Good. It really makes life feel good when you listen to it.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Fresh Air
First and foremost, what's with the lack of blogging recently? Yeah, that's right. I'm calling out everyone that I follow. Who do I follow? Just look to the right in the "where.else" column and you'll find out.
I have no idea why I am blogging, no idea what this entry is or will be about. Probably just going to be me blabbering about a bunch of random stuff. Hey cool, blabbering is a word!
School is picking up, as expected, and I think we'll get to see how badly I get owned by not keeping up. I've learned a lot about, pretty much, everything since starting. Mostly, I've learned a lot about myself as well as a lot about why Calgary is better than Edmonton. It's the strangest thing when my radio is on in the morning, and I hear the hosts raving about how the Calgary sports teams are so awesome. Yeah, sure the Stamps are fantastic this year, but the hockey season hasn't even began and they're drinking some Calgary 'lames kool-aid already. This is why, I am making it a mission that I will be buying Oilers t-shirts and wearing them in school whenever the Oilers play. So far, I have got my hands on - not literally, yet - on an Eberle shirt. I'm just waiting on a Hall and Paajarvi. Then we'll see how people respond to that. Of course I won't be wearing them in the streets when I'm by myself, or at least cover myself up because I don't want to get beat up; but, when I get the chance, I will expose my, uhh.. loyalties.
People say that you are what you eat; I'm going to take this a step further and say that I am what I study. Last night, or probably this morning, I had a dream about being a hockey player. I have no idea why, don't ask. So, as dreams would have it, something always goes wrong. I wake up into my dream and we're preparing for the final game held at the West Edmonton Mall rink. Our team was the big time underdogs against the big and heavy favorites. I forgot to bring my stick, skates, everything. For some reason, I was putting on a lot of snow clothes as if I was getting ready to go skiing. Then just as I'm about to go onto the ice after being freaked out at how big the opposing players were, I woke up. I am not going to lie, I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get to find out what happened. I have no idea how that has to do with being what I study, but maybe because it's hockey related, and that seems to be what my a big chunk of this entry is about.
Some people know that I follow hockey rather closely. And I get called a nerd a lot, most commonly by one called Jennifer Fung. I don't mind so much, because I find it funny that she'll go out of her way to let me know about it by sticking the word "nerd" somewhere that did not blend in to the rest of what she says. But I digress. I was thinking about how much time I've put into reading and learning about this game, and how if I never got into it, where would I be today. I sometimes try to make it less obvious that I'm a freak for the game by acting dumb and pretending like I don't know something happened. However, I primarily consider myself a soccer player first and foremost, then a floor hockey player. I've always been pretty good with my hands, so I've never had trouble picking up sports that required the hands (at least the basics of it). I've been better at soccer than hockey all my life, until I thought about it recently.
I play soccer a ton more than I play hockey, but to my recent memory, I remember being way better at making a difference when playing hockey than I do playing soccer. Maybe because when it comes to soccer, people are generally more competent - maybe not. But I remember after our May day hockey destroying of the Cantonese congregation in that game, my dad said that I can control the game way better in hockey than soccer. That caught my attention a bit, because I never thought it would be possible. So, after thinking about it, I realized that maybe it's because I am so emerged with the sports, a lot of the stuff in my brain translates to my hands. So, is it fair to say that if I followed soccer as close as I did hockey, that I'd be pretty darn good too? Probably not. I still prefer playing soccer to hockey, but I love the hockey game once in a while. Great, now I want to clobber the Chinese again. Haha.
Does anyone else find it dumb how a prof would go out of their way to slap something onto their course syllabus that has absolutely nothing to do with the course to try to get you to do something? I am bothered by the fact that my evangelism and missions professor made it a requirement to go to ministry chapels once a month. I am not saying that going to chapel is a bad thing, but it's really not necessary for the course. If it was my theology class, I would understand. But now, I have to go out of my way once a month to stay late at school just to pass a class. It's probably not the fact that I have to stay that bothers me, it's the fact that I have to find a way home afterwards, when it's dark, that aggravates me. Oh well, I'll suck it up.
I get to go home this next weekend for Thanksgiving and see my sister get baptized. I remember when I got baptized. It was fun. All the presents and attention that I got.. uhh, I mean, declaring my faith was so refreshing. It was after I got baptized that my life really started to change. So to anyone that says they're not ready to be baptized, you never will be. Just do it, and you won't regret it.
How's that for random?
I have no idea why I am blogging, no idea what this entry is or will be about. Probably just going to be me blabbering about a bunch of random stuff. Hey cool, blabbering is a word!
School is picking up, as expected, and I think we'll get to see how badly I get owned by not keeping up. I've learned a lot about, pretty much, everything since starting. Mostly, I've learned a lot about myself as well as a lot about why Calgary is better than Edmonton. It's the strangest thing when my radio is on in the morning, and I hear the hosts raving about how the Calgary sports teams are so awesome. Yeah, sure the Stamps are fantastic this year, but the hockey season hasn't even began and they're drinking some Calgary 'lames kool-aid already. This is why, I am making it a mission that I will be buying Oilers t-shirts and wearing them in school whenever the Oilers play. So far, I have got my hands on - not literally, yet - on an Eberle shirt. I'm just waiting on a Hall and Paajarvi. Then we'll see how people respond to that. Of course I won't be wearing them in the streets when I'm by myself, or at least cover myself up because I don't want to get beat up; but, when I get the chance, I will expose my, uhh.. loyalties.
People say that you are what you eat; I'm going to take this a step further and say that I am what I study. Last night, or probably this morning, I had a dream about being a hockey player. I have no idea why, don't ask. So, as dreams would have it, something always goes wrong. I wake up into my dream and we're preparing for the final game held at the West Edmonton Mall rink. Our team was the big time underdogs against the big and heavy favorites. I forgot to bring my stick, skates, everything. For some reason, I was putting on a lot of snow clothes as if I was getting ready to go skiing. Then just as I'm about to go onto the ice after being freaked out at how big the opposing players were, I woke up. I am not going to lie, I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get to find out what happened. I have no idea how that has to do with being what I study, but maybe because it's hockey related, and that seems to be what my a big chunk of this entry is about.
Some people know that I follow hockey rather closely. And I get called a nerd a lot, most commonly by one called Jennifer Fung. I don't mind so much, because I find it funny that she'll go out of her way to let me know about it by sticking the word "nerd" somewhere that did not blend in to the rest of what she says. But I digress. I was thinking about how much time I've put into reading and learning about this game, and how if I never got into it, where would I be today. I sometimes try to make it less obvious that I'm a freak for the game by acting dumb and pretending like I don't know something happened. However, I primarily consider myself a soccer player first and foremost, then a floor hockey player. I've always been pretty good with my hands, so I've never had trouble picking up sports that required the hands (at least the basics of it). I've been better at soccer than hockey all my life, until I thought about it recently.
I play soccer a ton more than I play hockey, but to my recent memory, I remember being way better at making a difference when playing hockey than I do playing soccer. Maybe because when it comes to soccer, people are generally more competent - maybe not. But I remember after our May day hockey destroying of the Cantonese congregation in that game, my dad said that I can control the game way better in hockey than soccer. That caught my attention a bit, because I never thought it would be possible. So, after thinking about it, I realized that maybe it's because I am so emerged with the sports, a lot of the stuff in my brain translates to my hands. So, is it fair to say that if I followed soccer as close as I did hockey, that I'd be pretty darn good too? Probably not. I still prefer playing soccer to hockey, but I love the hockey game once in a while. Great, now I want to clobber the Chinese again. Haha.
Does anyone else find it dumb how a prof would go out of their way to slap something onto their course syllabus that has absolutely nothing to do with the course to try to get you to do something? I am bothered by the fact that my evangelism and missions professor made it a requirement to go to ministry chapels once a month. I am not saying that going to chapel is a bad thing, but it's really not necessary for the course. If it was my theology class, I would understand. But now, I have to go out of my way once a month to stay late at school just to pass a class. It's probably not the fact that I have to stay that bothers me, it's the fact that I have to find a way home afterwards, when it's dark, that aggravates me. Oh well, I'll suck it up.
I get to go home this next weekend for Thanksgiving and see my sister get baptized. I remember when I got baptized. It was fun. All the presents and attention that I got.. uhh, I mean, declaring my faith was so refreshing. It was after I got baptized that my life really started to change. So to anyone that says they're not ready to be baptized, you never will be. Just do it, and you won't regret it.
How's that for random?
Thursday, September 30, 2010
He Sees It All
They say that hindsight is always 20/20; I believe this to be true. September is now over and I wanted to get one more blog post in to make this month a blogging mania for me. One down, many more to go.
Some say that the past influences the future. The only way by predicting the future is by acting upon it. However, some twisted people wonder if the future even exists. Then there are those that are totally out of their minds and say that the future influences the past (I first came upon this idea from reading Artemis Fowl). I'm not gonna bother and try my hand at explaining any of those, but looking back at September, it was definitely new.
To kind of recap, I moved to a new city and started school. I knew that there were going to have to be some things that I left behind, both my belongings and characteristics. School hasn't been alright; not the most ideal, but it will do for now. I have a lot to be thankful for, and that's how I try to look at things. I thought that it would be tremendously liberating for me to choose the transition that I did. But, without getting into much detail, it seems as if I've actually lost some freedom. I'm very limited to what I can do and it almost seems as if I'm being surveyed all the time.
I remember before I left, that my dad said, the minute I start this path, all eyes are going to be looking at me, for good and for bad. People were going to start looking up to me, or even down - depending on what I do to make it that way. In some occasions I've become the topic of conversation during supper time, even if it's just how to say my name. Oh, don't worry, I'm not just talking about being to "popular" when I talk about being surveyed. To kind of make it frank, I have a lot of venting I need to do, but there isn't anyone here that I'm comfortable to do it to yet. So, a lot of times, it just ends up between me and God, or stuck in my mind.
And now to the awesome. Again, I'm so grateful that I've survived a month of school. Everything that I have is a blessing, and I hope that everyone knows how thankful I am for any sort of prayers.
How long can someone go, in their lifetime, without requiring an external source of energy to keep them awake for the day? No, I'm not necessarily saying that I need coffee, because I don't. But I'm getting rather tired during the day - even on seven or eight hours of sleep. It's strange. I could start out the day fine, but by maybe lunch time, I'm dead tired. Let's hope that I never need to resort to c*ff**.
I never thought that I would be worth visiting, but I guess there are a couple people crazy enough to want to see me. I'm thankful for who you are that came to see me today, even if it's just the medium of where you were going to end up. Hopefully, I met your expectations of seeing me because I'm a really boring person.
Another 80 dollars for a bus pass, another month - here I come! I'm so gonna get owned on all my assignments/exams.
Some say that the past influences the future. The only way by predicting the future is by acting upon it. However, some twisted people wonder if the future even exists. Then there are those that are totally out of their minds and say that the future influences the past (I first came upon this idea from reading Artemis Fowl). I'm not gonna bother and try my hand at explaining any of those, but looking back at September, it was definitely new.
To kind of recap, I moved to a new city and started school. I knew that there were going to have to be some things that I left behind, both my belongings and characteristics. School hasn't been alright; not the most ideal, but it will do for now. I have a lot to be thankful for, and that's how I try to look at things. I thought that it would be tremendously liberating for me to choose the transition that I did. But, without getting into much detail, it seems as if I've actually lost some freedom. I'm very limited to what I can do and it almost seems as if I'm being surveyed all the time.
I remember before I left, that my dad said, the minute I start this path, all eyes are going to be looking at me, for good and for bad. People were going to start looking up to me, or even down - depending on what I do to make it that way. In some occasions I've become the topic of conversation during supper time, even if it's just how to say my name. Oh, don't worry, I'm not just talking about being to "popular" when I talk about being surveyed. To kind of make it frank, I have a lot of venting I need to do, but there isn't anyone here that I'm comfortable to do it to yet. So, a lot of times, it just ends up between me and God, or stuck in my mind.
And now to the awesome. Again, I'm so grateful that I've survived a month of school. Everything that I have is a blessing, and I hope that everyone knows how thankful I am for any sort of prayers.
How long can someone go, in their lifetime, without requiring an external source of energy to keep them awake for the day? No, I'm not necessarily saying that I need coffee, because I don't. But I'm getting rather tired during the day - even on seven or eight hours of sleep. It's strange. I could start out the day fine, but by maybe lunch time, I'm dead tired. Let's hope that I never need to resort to c*ff**.
I never thought that I would be worth visiting, but I guess there are a couple people crazy enough to want to see me. I'm thankful for who you are that came to see me today, even if it's just the medium of where you were going to end up. Hopefully, I met your expectations of seeing me because I'm a really boring person.
Another 80 dollars for a bus pass, another month - here I come! I'm so gonna get owned on all my assignments/exams.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Psst!
Ever since coming to Calgary, there was one thing I noticed that happened a lot. There are certain people that really love to whisper into each other's ears. And because I'm new, I get stared at a lot; I don't like it. It often goes like this: I walk into the room, and someone stares at me for about a minute, then turns over to their friend and whispers something into their ear. Okay, there - I obviously know you're talking about me. I find it rather annoying. I understand that I'm new; and I know that it's a pretty small church, but you don't have to be so secretive of talking about me. But whatever, it's just how people like to communicate. For everyone that whispers, though, there's another that seems to already know who I am. I keep getting surprised at how I introduce myself to people and they already know of me. With the way it plays out, it's almost as if I'm like some big hot shot that they've been waiting for to arrive. Obviously I am not.
Anyways, as expected, things with school are starting to pile up. I'm falling behind in my reading, etc. I'm very curious to see how long it will take before I become a regular reader. I knew, going in, that I wouldn't be able to go from never reading to reading all day in a matter of days; but I'm just interested to see how long it will take now. It's hard to keep focused and the distractions just make it more fun. It's also different how intelligent and knowledgeable that everyone is at school. I wouldn't consider myself amazing at this whole theology stuff, but I'm lucky enough to be able to grasp them quite naturally; but the way some of these people think, it impresses me more and more.
Everyday, God continues to show up in my life; and, therefore, he deserves his own paragraph of acknowledgement.
Today, I led worship for the first time since moving here. It's the first time I did it as a member of a different church; and it's also the first time I did a Sunday worship by myself. I can say that I had never been so nervous before leading. It felt so strange because I'm usually pretty calm about doing worship, but I guess the whole new environment and the unknown just makes it different. The only other time I can recall being this nervous was before I led at YIC. But even then, I had my entire team behind me. It was a new experience, indeed. Also with a tiny congregation, it's hard to get a good grasp on whether or not people are really worshiping. However, strangely familiar scenes started taking place after worship; and you can probably tell where I'm going with this. More or less everyone that I crossed paths with complimented me in some way on my playing. I knew they like my guitar playing, I just hope that my voice didn't make their ears bleed.
Psalm 46:10 - Be still, and know that I am God...
I forgot what else I wanted to blog about, there was a lot.
Anyways, as expected, things with school are starting to pile up. I'm falling behind in my reading, etc. I'm very curious to see how long it will take before I become a regular reader. I knew, going in, that I wouldn't be able to go from never reading to reading all day in a matter of days; but I'm just interested to see how long it will take now. It's hard to keep focused and the distractions just make it more fun. It's also different how intelligent and knowledgeable that everyone is at school. I wouldn't consider myself amazing at this whole theology stuff, but I'm lucky enough to be able to grasp them quite naturally; but the way some of these people think, it impresses me more and more.
Everyday, God continues to show up in my life; and, therefore, he deserves his own paragraph of acknowledgement.
Today, I led worship for the first time since moving here. It's the first time I did it as a member of a different church; and it's also the first time I did a Sunday worship by myself. I can say that I had never been so nervous before leading. It felt so strange because I'm usually pretty calm about doing worship, but I guess the whole new environment and the unknown just makes it different. The only other time I can recall being this nervous was before I led at YIC. But even then, I had my entire team behind me. It was a new experience, indeed. Also with a tiny congregation, it's hard to get a good grasp on whether or not people are really worshiping. However, strangely familiar scenes started taking place after worship; and you can probably tell where I'm going with this. More or less everyone that I crossed paths with complimented me in some way on my playing. I knew they like my guitar playing, I just hope that my voice didn't make their ears bleed.
Psalm 46:10 - Be still, and know that I am God...
I forgot what else I wanted to blog about, there was a lot.
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