#28: What is your love language?
What are they again?
words of affirmation/encouragement
quality time
gifts
acts of service
physical touch
I actually had no idea what my love language was until this year. Whenever we talked about this in church, or wherever, I always just kind of guessed. It switched between a few of them.
What I discovered is that you'll find out pretty quickly what your love language is if you don't receive it.
My love language is words of affirmation/encouragement. I don't necessarily need people to tell me they love me (because honestly, that actually makes me feel a bit uncomfortable), but I need to hear that I'm doing a good job. I need to hear that I'm doing something right. I need to hear that someone's proud of me. That's when I feel the most loved.
I think people often mistake my love language for acts of service. I'm always so surprised and very appreciative if someone does something for me, but that's not my love language. (In fact, most of the time, I like to do things myself anyway because I'm one of those people that likes things done a certain way.) Actually, I think acts of service is probably #4.
My #2 is definitely quality time. I think that surprises people sometimes because I'm very introverted. But I can definitely tell that quality time is up in the rankings of love languages for me. For example, I haven't hung out with my best friend since her wedding two months ago and I'm going absolutely crazy.
If you know me at all, you know that my very last love language is physical touch. It's funny because I used to love hugging people and stuff like that, but now it just makes me uncomfortable. (It probably has something to do with trust/intimacy issues that I have, but I can't believe I just said that, yet I'm gonna keep it on the post anyway because I want to be open and honest. Change of subject now...)
As for gifts, I like giving them and I like receiving them, but it's not really a huge thing for me. Like I would be fine if I didn't get any gifts for Christmas or my birthday, I'd rather spend time with the person.
That's that.
Until next time,
au revoir mes amies
Monday, December 30, 2013
Friday, December 27, 2013
#27: Hair
#27: What is your favorite part of your body and why?
This is such a random question.
I think I'd have to say my hair.
Yeah, it's kinda frizzy. And it's curly, so it's sometimes hard to manage.
I don't even remember what my natural color is. Somewhere between brown and blonde and orange.
Why do I like my hair?
Because it's the only part of my body that I can easily change if I don't like it?
Don't like the color? Dye it!
Don't like the length? Cut it!
Don't like the way it's styled? Restyle it!
(I just realized how weird of a word "style" is.)
It's the only part of me that I can cut off and donate to charity. That sounds a bit weird. I like that I can grow it out, chop it off, and donate it to Wigs for Kids. I'm gonna keep doing that.
Oh, and Merry Christmas everyone!
Or Happy Holidays!
Or Happy Winter Solstice!
Or Seasons Greetings!
Or Happy Belated Hanukkah!
Pick one that applies to you.
This is such a random question.
I think I'd have to say my hair.
Yeah, it's kinda frizzy. And it's curly, so it's sometimes hard to manage.
I don't even remember what my natural color is. Somewhere between brown and blonde and orange.
Why do I like my hair?
Because it's the only part of my body that I can easily change if I don't like it?
Don't like the color? Dye it!
Don't like the length? Cut it!
Don't like the way it's styled? Restyle it!
(I just realized how weird of a word "style" is.)
It's the only part of me that I can cut off and donate to charity. That sounds a bit weird. I like that I can grow it out, chop it off, and donate it to Wigs for Kids. I'm gonna keep doing that.
Oh, and Merry Christmas everyone!
Or Happy Holidays!
Or Happy Winter Solstice!
Or Seasons Greetings!
Or Happy Belated Hanukkah!
Pick one that applies to you.
Friday, December 20, 2013
#26: Soul Mates & Singleness
#26: What popular notion do you think the world has most wrong?
This is a good question. At first, I had no idea what to say. I spent some time googling what other bloggers have said and nothing really resonated with me. Some people wrote about politics, religion, and other stuff like that. I can't tell you how many blogs I came across that used this question to rant about homosexuality, but it was quite a few. (I actually lost count after about 15.) But then it came to me. I have no idea why this didn't come to me earlier, it certainly seems like an answer I'd have right off the bat.
My answer: SOUL MATES
I think the notion of soul mates is absolutely ridiculous. I, maybe, believed in soul mates for about 5 minutes. When I was 15. And stupid. Maybe "stupid" is too strong of a word. Naive.
I don't believe in soul mates for these reasons...
1) I don't like the idea of the person I'm going to marry being picked out for me already. This seems selfish, but personally, I'd like to have a say.
2) It's kind of cruel when you think about. So, basically, what the world is telling me is that God plopped me and some guy somewhere on this earth, and we're supposed to find each other? This notion causes way too many 'what if' questions in my head. What if I got plopped in Canada while my so-called soul mate got plopped in China? What if I never make it to China? What if my so-called soul mate thinks he's gay? What if my so-called soul mate has already gotten hit by a bus!? (Mine probably has, if he exists.)
3) The belief in soul mates kind of implies that one of your major life goals is to find said person. I can't speak for other people, but finding a marriage partner is not a top priority for me. And honestly, I don't think it should be for anyone. (Some people must be just going crazy right now after reading that.) Finding salvation should be higher than that. Living life in the present instead of dreaming about the future should be higher than that. Your goal in life shouldn't be to go out searching for that perfect person, nor should it be to sit around and wait for that person to come to you. Yes, go out and live. But don't do it for those reasons.
4) That inevitable "maybe he's the one" attitude. I'm pretty sure every girl has experienced this at some point in her life. Every single guy you meet that talks to you or is even remotely nice to you, there's always a little voice in the back of your head that says "maybe he's the one and we'll fall in love and live happily ever after". (I love fairytales, but I also really hate them.)
5) The belief in soul mates implies that there is somebody out there for everybody. I hate to break it to ya, but sometimes people stay single. And do you know what? That's okay!!! Bold, in italics, underlined and exclaimed! Another popular notion that I think the world (especially the Christian world) has all wrong is that marriage is something that everyone's destined to. Have you ever been to a church service when the pastor is giving a sermon series or stand-alone sermon on marriage? They seem to always wiggle this statement into their opening words: "And for the singles in the congregation, you can apply this stuff when you do eventually get married." When, not if. Eventually too. Because it's so tedious that you're not married yet. *Sarcasm Alert* (Confession: I purposely don't go to church for a few weekends when there's a message series on marriage happening. Does that make me a bad Christian?) Sorry for the mini-rant.
6) The belief in soul mates implies that there is a chance you could marry the wrong person. I'm not married, so I don't really know anything. (And I often don't hear marriage sermons because I purposely don't go, so I apparently really don't know anything.) But I could foresee this being a problem: You get married. Everything's great. But then maybe you change, or your spouse changes, or the novelty of marriage begins to wear off. And you begin to think: "Maybe I didn't marry my soul mate." Or you meet someone else that you're more compatible with and you think: "Maybe this person is my soul mate, not the person I'm married to."
I like what one of my church friends said once: the person becomes your soul mate after you marry them.
So that is my answer to said question in a nutshell. There isn't some guy out there waiting to find me, nor is there some guy out there waiting to be found by me. Some people are called to singleness. Stop treating that calling like it's taboo. Like it's a bad thing.
Marriage is not the only place love is found in.
Before I go off on another rant...
au revoir
If interested, here are some additional blog posts to read by other bloggers on the topic of singleness and stuff of that sort...
Surviving Church as a Single by Jon Acuff
Singles & the Church: Why It Sucks to Be Unintentionally Overlooked by Kate Hurley
Single & Not Waiting by Rachel Selinger
My Husband is Not My Soul Mate by Hannah @ theartinmylife
This is a good question. At first, I had no idea what to say. I spent some time googling what other bloggers have said and nothing really resonated with me. Some people wrote about politics, religion, and other stuff like that. I can't tell you how many blogs I came across that used this question to rant about homosexuality, but it was quite a few. (I actually lost count after about 15.) But then it came to me. I have no idea why this didn't come to me earlier, it certainly seems like an answer I'd have right off the bat.
My answer: SOUL MATES
I think the notion of soul mates is absolutely ridiculous. I, maybe, believed in soul mates for about 5 minutes. When I was 15. And stupid. Maybe "stupid" is too strong of a word. Naive.
I don't believe in soul mates for these reasons...
1) I don't like the idea of the person I'm going to marry being picked out for me already. This seems selfish, but personally, I'd like to have a say.
2) It's kind of cruel when you think about. So, basically, what the world is telling me is that God plopped me and some guy somewhere on this earth, and we're supposed to find each other? This notion causes way too many 'what if' questions in my head. What if I got plopped in Canada while my so-called soul mate got plopped in China? What if I never make it to China? What if my so-called soul mate thinks he's gay? What if my so-called soul mate has already gotten hit by a bus!? (Mine probably has, if he exists.)
3) The belief in soul mates kind of implies that one of your major life goals is to find said person. I can't speak for other people, but finding a marriage partner is not a top priority for me. And honestly, I don't think it should be for anyone. (Some people must be just going crazy right now after reading that.) Finding salvation should be higher than that. Living life in the present instead of dreaming about the future should be higher than that. Your goal in life shouldn't be to go out searching for that perfect person, nor should it be to sit around and wait for that person to come to you. Yes, go out and live. But don't do it for those reasons.
4) That inevitable "maybe he's the one" attitude. I'm pretty sure every girl has experienced this at some point in her life. Every single guy you meet that talks to you or is even remotely nice to you, there's always a little voice in the back of your head that says "maybe he's the one and we'll fall in love and live happily ever after". (I love fairytales, but I also really hate them.)
5) The belief in soul mates implies that there is somebody out there for everybody. I hate to break it to ya, but sometimes people stay single. And do you know what? That's okay!!! Bold, in italics, underlined and exclaimed! Another popular notion that I think the world (especially the Christian world) has all wrong is that marriage is something that everyone's destined to. Have you ever been to a church service when the pastor is giving a sermon series or stand-alone sermon on marriage? They seem to always wiggle this statement into their opening words: "And for the singles in the congregation, you can apply this stuff when you do eventually get married." When, not if. Eventually too. Because it's so tedious that you're not married yet. *Sarcasm Alert* (Confession: I purposely don't go to church for a few weekends when there's a message series on marriage happening. Does that make me a bad Christian?) Sorry for the mini-rant.
6) The belief in soul mates implies that there is a chance you could marry the wrong person. I'm not married, so I don't really know anything. (And I often don't hear marriage sermons because I purposely don't go, so I apparently really don't know anything.) But I could foresee this being a problem: You get married. Everything's great. But then maybe you change, or your spouse changes, or the novelty of marriage begins to wear off. And you begin to think: "Maybe I didn't marry my soul mate." Or you meet someone else that you're more compatible with and you think: "Maybe this person is my soul mate, not the person I'm married to."
I like what one of my church friends said once: the person becomes your soul mate after you marry them.
So that is my answer to said question in a nutshell. There isn't some guy out there waiting to find me, nor is there some guy out there waiting to be found by me. Some people are called to singleness. Stop treating that calling like it's taboo. Like it's a bad thing.
Marriage is not the only place love is found in.
Before I go off on another rant...
au revoir
If interested, here are some additional blog posts to read by other bloggers on the topic of singleness and stuff of that sort...
Surviving Church as a Single by Jon Acuff
Singles & the Church: Why It Sucks to Be Unintentionally Overlooked by Kate Hurley
Single & Not Waiting by Rachel Selinger
My Husband is Not My Soul Mate by Hannah @ theartinmylife
Monday, December 9, 2013
Study Anagrams
Here's a little bit of what goes on inside my head when I'm studying.
I love anagrams. (Is that they're called?) Man, do they help me remember stuff!
Thought I'd share some fun ones from my today's studying with you.
Anagram (what I need to remember)
TO REMEMBER...
...what influences food choices
Phil Has Ten Small Army Ants (preference, habit, traditions, social interactions, availability, associations)
Evan Values Black Nation (emotions, values, body image, nutrition)
...food consumption trends
David - (dichotomous dining)
Quits - (quilt cuisine)
Smoking - (speed and feed)
So - (speed scratch cooking)
Fast - (five-a-day)
...types of eating styles
Natalie - (night eater)
Comes - (compulsive eater)
Late - (liquid drinker)
To - (traditional overeater)
Esther + - (environmental eater)
Greg's - (gastronomic overeater)
Social - (snacker)
Calm - (convalescent overeater)
Down! - (chronic dieter)
And my personal favourite!
...chemicals found in water
Colin Falls Continually Next to Legolas Of Mirkwood (calcium, fluoride, chlorine, nitrates, lead, organic chemicals, microorganisms)
P.S. this is an insanely useless post!
Until next time,
au revoir
I love anagrams. (Is that they're called?) Man, do they help me remember stuff!
Thought I'd share some fun ones from my today's studying with you.
Anagram (what I need to remember)
TO REMEMBER...
...what influences food choices
Phil Has Ten Small Army Ants (preference, habit, traditions, social interactions, availability, associations)
Evan Values Black Nation (emotions, values, body image, nutrition)
...food consumption trends
David - (dichotomous dining)
Quits - (quilt cuisine)
Smoking - (speed and feed)
So - (speed scratch cooking)
Fast - (five-a-day)
...types of eating styles
Natalie - (night eater)
Comes - (compulsive eater)
Late - (liquid drinker)
To - (traditional overeater)
Esther + - (environmental eater)
Greg's - (gastronomic overeater)
Social - (snacker)
Calm - (convalescent overeater)
Down! - (chronic dieter)
And my personal favourite!
...chemicals found in water
Colin Falls Continually Next to Legolas Of Mirkwood (calcium, fluoride, chlorine, nitrates, lead, organic chemicals, microorganisms)
P.S. this is an insanely useless post!
Until next time,
au revoir
Saturday, December 7, 2013
#25: Historical Wing Night
#25: If you could have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be and what would you eat?
I love this question. But it's hard to answer. There's so many great people to choose from.
I can't choose.
There's Jesus. But the thing is, I will get to have dinner with him one day, I believe.
There's my favourite Beatle: John Lennon. I'd love to talk to him about his music, and his life, and his mind, and his relationship with McCartney. He was such a funny and interesting man.
There's Jonah. Who doesn't wanna have a conversation with this dude!? He was a whale/fish for 3 days! And I suspect we won't be eating seafood, that's for sure.
There's Abraham Lincoln. Because, yeah? He's a cool dude.
There's Ronald Reagan. Because he was interesting.
There's Tolkien. Duh, do you guys know me at all? I'd love to talk to him about his writing, and Jesus, and his relationship with C.S. Lewis. Heck, I'd just like to sit at a table with these two and listen to their intellectual conversation. I don't even need to be in the conversation. I probably wouldn't be smart enough anyway.
There you have it. People I'd love to have dinner with. I'm sure there's many more that I can't think of.
Oh, and what would we eat?
Wings.
Just wings.
Lots of wings.
"Historical Wing Night"
I really want wings now.
I love this question. But it's hard to answer. There's so many great people to choose from.
I can't choose.
There's Jesus. But the thing is, I will get to have dinner with him one day, I believe.
There's my favourite Beatle: John Lennon. I'd love to talk to him about his music, and his life, and his mind, and his relationship with McCartney. He was such a funny and interesting man.
There's Jonah. Who doesn't wanna have a conversation with this dude!? He was a whale/fish for 3 days! And I suspect we won't be eating seafood, that's for sure.
There's Abraham Lincoln. Because, yeah? He's a cool dude.
There's Ronald Reagan. Because he was interesting.
There's Tolkien. Duh, do you guys know me at all? I'd love to talk to him about his writing, and Jesus, and his relationship with C.S. Lewis. Heck, I'd just like to sit at a table with these two and listen to their intellectual conversation. I don't even need to be in the conversation. I probably wouldn't be smart enough anyway.
There you have it. People I'd love to have dinner with. I'm sure there's many more that I can't think of.
Oh, and what would we eat?
Wings.
Just wings.
Lots of wings.
"Historical Wing Night"
I really want wings now.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
#24: Taste Some Fiction
#24: Describe the 3 best books you've ever read and what you like about them.
Yes, I know. I changed the question. Sue me. I didn't really know how to answer the previous question, so I decided not to. And in light of the fact that I'm currently reading like 5 books at the same time, and I will probably be reading LOTS over the Christmas break, I decided to share with you the best books I've ever read.
1. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Ignore the "Motion Picture Trilogy" at the bottom of the picture. It's hard to find a nice-looking cover picture for this book, so this is the movie poster. Janessa can't talk about books and not mention this beauty. (Did I really just refer to myself in the 3rd person!? It's been a weird week.) In my opinion, along with many others who share this opinion, this is the greatest story ever written. It is the ultimate good vs. evil tale. It has everything: love, war, passion, wisdom, endurance, humor, imagination, etc.. Everything everyone loves about a good story. Tolkien nailed it. I also must add that I have great respect for Tolkien, as both an author and a human being. He was a very wise individual. Also, yes, I am aware that this is actually three books, but it was really meant to be just one.
2. Adam by Ted Dekker
I am a huge fan of Ted Dekker, he is such a good writer. If you haven't read any of his books, you are doing life wrong. (I'm kidding. Okay, maybe not.) But I must warn you: it's probably a good idea to read his books, especially Adam, in broad daylight. Meaning, do not read it before you go to bed. His books are thrillers. He writes with such honesty and such realism that it is actually scary. His books are so life-like. Adam is no exception. In a nutshell, it's a story about a serial killer and the man who is trying to track him down. Here is a review: "We have to keep telling ourselves that this is fiction. At the same time, we can't help thinking that not only could it happen, but that it will happen if we're not careful." (the authors of The Dark Sacrament)
3. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
It's been a couple years since I've read this one. I used to read it at least once a year. It is a brilliant book. And I believe it should be among the books that every single person should read in their lifetime. Confession though, I really disliked the movie version. It didn't follow the book accurately enough for me. Anne Hathaway, in my opinion, didn't do a very good job portraying the essence of Ella's character (boy do I sound like a geek). I also don't think it captured the 'reverse fairy-tale' vibe that Levine implied in the book. And don't even get me started on the 'prince'. Anyway, don't watch the movie if you want an accurate perspective of the book. (I apologize to anyone reading this that happened to like the movie.) It's your typical fairy-tale, with some trolls and things added, along with a dash of feminism. I love it.
So there you have it. Those are probably my top three favourite books I've ever read. Although, it is extremely hard to pick them out. These are also the three books that I've loved the longest probably. I'm thinking of doing this book thing more often (kind of like what I do with music). It might encourage me to completely read through one book, instead of reading five books at once.
Until next time,
au revoir
Yes, I know. I changed the question. Sue me. I didn't really know how to answer the previous question, so I decided not to. And in light of the fact that I'm currently reading like 5 books at the same time, and I will probably be reading LOTS over the Christmas break, I decided to share with you the best books I've ever read.
1. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Ignore the "Motion Picture Trilogy" at the bottom of the picture. It's hard to find a nice-looking cover picture for this book, so this is the movie poster. Janessa can't talk about books and not mention this beauty. (Did I really just refer to myself in the 3rd person!? It's been a weird week.) In my opinion, along with many others who share this opinion, this is the greatest story ever written. It is the ultimate good vs. evil tale. It has everything: love, war, passion, wisdom, endurance, humor, imagination, etc.. Everything everyone loves about a good story. Tolkien nailed it. I also must add that I have great respect for Tolkien, as both an author and a human being. He was a very wise individual. Also, yes, I am aware that this is actually three books, but it was really meant to be just one. 
2. Adam by Ted Dekker
I am a huge fan of Ted Dekker, he is such a good writer. If you haven't read any of his books, you are doing life wrong. (I'm kidding. Okay, maybe not.) But I must warn you: it's probably a good idea to read his books, especially Adam, in broad daylight. Meaning, do not read it before you go to bed. His books are thrillers. He writes with such honesty and such realism that it is actually scary. His books are so life-like. Adam is no exception. In a nutshell, it's a story about a serial killer and the man who is trying to track him down. Here is a review: "We have to keep telling ourselves that this is fiction. At the same time, we can't help thinking that not only could it happen, but that it will happen if we're not careful." (the authors of The Dark Sacrament)
3. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
It's been a couple years since I've read this one. I used to read it at least once a year. It is a brilliant book. And I believe it should be among the books that every single person should read in their lifetime. Confession though, I really disliked the movie version. It didn't follow the book accurately enough for me. Anne Hathaway, in my opinion, didn't do a very good job portraying the essence of Ella's character (boy do I sound like a geek). I also don't think it captured the 'reverse fairy-tale' vibe that Levine implied in the book. And don't even get me started on the 'prince'. Anyway, don't watch the movie if you want an accurate perspective of the book. (I apologize to anyone reading this that happened to like the movie.) It's your typical fairy-tale, with some trolls and things added, along with a dash of feminism. I love it.
So there you have it. Those are probably my top three favourite books I've ever read. Although, it is extremely hard to pick them out. These are also the three books that I've loved the longest probably. I'm thinking of doing this book thing more often (kind of like what I do with music). It might encourage me to completely read through one book, instead of reading five books at once.
Until next time,
au revoir
Thursday, November 28, 2013
50 Things I'm Thankful For
In the spirit of American thanksgiving...
1. Jesus Christ, my Saviour and Lord
2. My fellow brothers and sisters in Christ - even if they are frustrating at times
3. Fantastic friends and family
4. The funds to be able to go to school
5. A house to live in and food to eat every day
6. Coffee - because, yeah
7. Intelligence - even if it is not utilized at all times
8. Laughter
9. Music
10. My cats 'cause they are so darn cute (Izzie, Lennon, Ringo, Harrison, Max, and Chase) - I may be a crazy cat lady...
11. Thai food - because, yum!
12. The Beatles - even if they are only 50% alive, they are still 100% awesome
13. STARBUCKS
14. Books
15. Health, for the most part
16. Airplanes - because they take you back to homes far away
17. Jimmy Fallon - for providing a study break every night where I can spend the entire time laughing
18. Adam Young - for being awesome
19. Wealth - though being a poor university student, I am still rich in the things that matter
20. Challenging lessons
21. Freedom
22. Lactose-free milk - so I can still drink milk w/o feeling sick!
23. Funny neighbours - who clearly like Dr. Who b/c it says BAD WOLF on their car...
24. Lord of the Rings memes - for being, like, the only reason I still go on Pinterest
25. Sitcoms
26. Puzzles
27. Twitter - which is way better than FB, I've officially "jumped on the bandwagon"
28. Cookies
29. Roommates who bake things :)
30. Extremely goofy roommates!
31. Memories
32. Weddings - even if they seem to be coming by the truckload nowadays...
33. Professors that hand out candy in class
34. French people - because they are hilarious
35. OneNote
36. Pen pals - even if I forget to write them back or vice versa
37. Summer - so I don't have to wear shoes
38. Weekends
39. Blogs, bloggers, and blogging
40. Pie
41. The fact that Jackson Avery is still on Grey's Anatomy and they haven't killed him off yet because that show kills off so many characters...
42. French toast bagels @ Timmy Horton's - I'm hooked
43. Having a super smart lab partner this term - which made lab a lot easier
44. Laptops - because handwriting my Anatomy notes this term would've been the death of me
45. JT deciding to return to the music business
46. Boston Pizza - and the fact that they deliver
47. YouTube
48. Chocolate kisses & Mini Reese's Cups - for being my motivation to read my Psych textbook
49. Drano - b/c clogged sinks are super annoying...
50. Disney movies
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
1. Jesus Christ, my Saviour and Lord
2. My fellow brothers and sisters in Christ - even if they are frustrating at times
3. Fantastic friends and family
4. The funds to be able to go to school
5. A house to live in and food to eat every day
6. Coffee - because, yeah
7. Intelligence - even if it is not utilized at all times
8. Laughter
9. Music
10. My cats 'cause they are so darn cute (Izzie, Lennon, Ringo, Harrison, Max, and Chase) - I may be a crazy cat lady...
11. Thai food - because, yum!
12. The Beatles - even if they are only 50% alive, they are still 100% awesome
13. STARBUCKS
14. Books
15. Health, for the most part
16. Airplanes - because they take you back to homes far away
17. Jimmy Fallon - for providing a study break every night where I can spend the entire time laughing
18. Adam Young - for being awesome
19. Wealth - though being a poor university student, I am still rich in the things that matter
20. Challenging lessons
21. Freedom
22. Lactose-free milk - so I can still drink milk w/o feeling sick!
23. Funny neighbours - who clearly like Dr. Who b/c it says BAD WOLF on their car...
24. Lord of the Rings memes - for being, like, the only reason I still go on Pinterest
25. Sitcoms
26. Puzzles
27. Twitter - which is way better than FB, I've officially "jumped on the bandwagon"
28. Cookies
29. Roommates who bake things :)
30. Extremely goofy roommates!
31. Memories
32. Weddings - even if they seem to be coming by the truckload nowadays...
33. Professors that hand out candy in class
34. French people - because they are hilarious
35. OneNote
36. Pen pals - even if I forget to write them back or vice versa
37. Summer - so I don't have to wear shoes
38. Weekends
39. Blogs, bloggers, and blogging
40. Pie
41. The fact that Jackson Avery is still on Grey's Anatomy and they haven't killed him off yet because that show kills off so many characters...
42. French toast bagels @ Timmy Horton's - I'm hooked
43. Having a super smart lab partner this term - which made lab a lot easier
44. Laptops - because handwriting my Anatomy notes this term would've been the death of me
45. JT deciding to return to the music business
46. Boston Pizza - and the fact that they deliver
47. YouTube
48. Chocolate kisses & Mini Reese's Cups - for being my motivation to read my Psych textbook
49. Drano - b/c clogged sinks are super annoying...
50. Disney movies
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Thursday, November 21, 2013
#23: Hobbies
#23: What are your top 5 hobbies and why do you love them?
These are in no particular order.
1) Listening to music
Is this considered a hobby? I literally can't go anywhere without having my headphones in. (Which probably isn't a good thing, very anti-social). Even when I'm just walking to the store, which is 5 minutes away, I listen to music.
2) Reading
I love to read. Sometimes you wouldn't be able to tell because it seems to be something I do less and less, but really... I love reading. And I usually read like 5 books at a time. I have a serious problem of starting books and then starting another one a week later. And then soon I have 5 books on my "currently reading" list on Goodreads. What!?
In fact, for curiosity's sake, here are the books I'm currently reading:
The Sweet Far Thing - Libba Bray
The Two Towers - Tolkien
Inches from America - Andrew Unger (fun fact: he was my high school English teacher)
The Scarlet Letter - Hawthorne
3) Following TV shows
This seems incredibly dumb, I know. But this is actually one of my favourite things to do. I love getting all excited for the next episode and the anticipation of waiting a week to see what happens next is insane. I tend to lean towards medical dramas and fantasy stuff. Don't know why?
4) Cooking
I've always kind of liked cooking. I started to like it less when I started doing it as a job, but it's still probably in my top 5 hobbies. I like cooking for other people. I don't really like cooking for myself.
5) Writing
I have a blog, this seems like a fairly obvious one, no?
I guess I didn't really describe why, but hey, whatever... haha. It's late.
These are in no particular order.
1) Listening to music
Is this considered a hobby? I literally can't go anywhere without having my headphones in. (Which probably isn't a good thing, very anti-social). Even when I'm just walking to the store, which is 5 minutes away, I listen to music.
2) Reading
I love to read. Sometimes you wouldn't be able to tell because it seems to be something I do less and less, but really... I love reading. And I usually read like 5 books at a time. I have a serious problem of starting books and then starting another one a week later. And then soon I have 5 books on my "currently reading" list on Goodreads. What!?
In fact, for curiosity's sake, here are the books I'm currently reading:
The Sweet Far Thing - Libba Bray
The Two Towers - Tolkien
Inches from America - Andrew Unger (fun fact: he was my high school English teacher)
The Scarlet Letter - Hawthorne
3) Following TV shows
This seems incredibly dumb, I know. But this is actually one of my favourite things to do. I love getting all excited for the next episode and the anticipation of waiting a week to see what happens next is insane. I tend to lean towards medical dramas and fantasy stuff. Don't know why?
4) Cooking
I've always kind of liked cooking. I started to like it less when I started doing it as a job, but it's still probably in my top 5 hobbies. I like cooking for other people. I don't really like cooking for myself.
5) Writing
I have a blog, this seems like a fairly obvious one, no?
I guess I didn't really describe why, but hey, whatever... haha. It's late.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
The Danger Zone Called Lukewarm
And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: "The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."
Revelation 3:14-22
I've been pondering this passage for a couple months now, actually. I was originally going to write a blog post about this at the beginning of September, but I guess I got distracted.
I purchased this book while I was at Capernwray called "Rose Book of Bible Maps, Charts, and Timelines". It was extremely useful as a student in bible school. I probably flipped through it a thousand times in that one year. One chart in this book was a chart organizing the information given on the seven churches in the book of Revelation. It outlined the strengths and weaknesses of each church, the instruction given to each church by God and the promise God gave them if said instruction was followed. I stumbled across this chart again in my packing when I moved to my new resident at the end of August, and I noticed something interesting. Every church has a strength listed, except for one: Laodicea.
Under the "Strengths" column for Laodicea, it said none.
Ephesus had forsaken their first love (Jesus), but at least they worked hard, rejected evil, and had endurance. Pergamum was a worldly church, but at least they refused to deny Christ. Thyatira tolerated immorality and some faulty doctrine, but at least they served in deeds, love, and faith. Sardis was spiritually dead, but at least a few people among them managed to keep their faith. Laodicea was lukewarm, complacent, and indifferent, but at least... oh wait, God could not find any strength among them.
The words "lukewarm", "complacent", and "indifferent" can all be defined as having a lack of passion. The problem that Laodicea had was that they lacked passion. You cannot be lukewarm and be passionate.
Christ cannot be of lukewarm importance. As C.S. Lewis said, "Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite
importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”
God's instruction to the church of Laodicea: be zealous and repent.
Passion is one of my favourite things. I love hearing a sermon where the preacher goes on rabbit trails about all the things they've learned through preparing it, shows that they are passionate about what they are speaking about. I went to high school with this guy who loved anything and everything to do with weather. When you'd talk to him about everyday life, most of his answers consisted of one sentence or even just one word, but when you asked him about weather, you probably wouldn't be able to get another word in for the next hour of the conversation because he'd be talking about weather. That's passion. I have a friend who only buys clothing and coffee that are fair trade, and she could talk your ear off about the sex trafficking issues surrounding us in the world. That's passion. I have a friend whose grades in university probably go down every hunting season because she's out in the woods hunting instead of studying. That's passion. My best friend's husband can talk pretty much endlessly about tractors. That's passion.
I guess I wanted to write about this passage, this church, because it hits close to home. I love passion so much, but I'm afraid I've drifted into the danger zone called lukewarm when it comes to being a Christian. I haven't had passion for that in a while, I'd almost venture to say a year or so. I can blame it on the move, or the stress university brings, or the loneliness I experienced at Cedarwood, or the abandonment I feel from people who were once my closest friends, but the truth is: I have no excuse.
I heard this quote from Francis Chan: "Lukewarm people are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act. They assume such action is for 'extreme' Christians, not average ones. Lukewarm people call 'radical' what Jesus expected of all His followers." And it hit me. This is me. I'm moved by radical stories of faith, but I haven't actually stood up and done something radical with my own faith in a long time.
Radical doesn't mean extreme. Being a Christian in this crazy atheistic world is radical. Following Jesus is radical. Passion is radical. Passion isn't something that's given to you. Passion isn't something you earn. Passion isn't something you achieve. Passion is something you choose. God's instruction to the church of Laodicea was to "be zealous". It's not "pray for zealousness" or "strive for zealousness". It's just "be zealous". It's a decision you have to make.
So what happens if you're a lukewarm Christian? God seems to make it pretty clear that He doesn't like lukewarm. So what can a person do about it? Repent.
The solution to any sin-related problem? Repentance.
And I remind you, repentance is not simply asking for forgiveness. Repentance requires fleeing. (See The Pursuit of True Happiness for more about fleeing.)
God's promise to Laodicea and all who struggle with being lukewarm: communion.
Repent, be zealous, and live in communion with Him.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
#22: Plot Twist
#22: Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?
Honestly, I hate this question. And I'm not going to answer it.
Why do I hate this question so much? Because I don't have a 5 year plan. Or a 10 year plan. Or a 15 year plan. And I find it utterly ridiculous when people do. You can't predict the future. And having it all planned out isn't going to help it along. Future plans are like cardboard boxes. If it rains, they'll just get destroyed.
Does this make me irresponsible? No. I don't feel the need to plan out my life because it's no fun that way. Life throws you some curveballs... and you gotta be prepared to just run with it. This is really cliché, but life is gonna throw you some lemons, and you gotta be prepared to make some lemonade. You can't just sit there and cry because you wanted to make orange juice instead. Life didn't throw you oranges, it threw you lemons. You gotta continue on with what was handed to you.
I love the expression: "Wanna hear God laugh? Just tell him your plans."
I believe that God does get a good chuckle from the things you and I plan. Five years ago, I didn't have a clue that I was gonna go to Capernwray in Quebec. I certainly didn't have a clue that I was gonna work on kitchen staff at Cedarwood. (Or be a counselor, that's an even bigger stretch.)
People are always telling you to "never say never", right? Because, apparently, as soon as you say you're never gonna do something, it's pretty likely that you'll end up doing it.
Well, after I quit working at Smitty's I said I'd never work in a kitchen again. Bam. Cedarwood.
I go around telling people that I'm never gonna marry someone with a Mennonite last name. Do you know what? I'm probably going to, just because it seems like that's how it works.
God probably laughs every time I make that comment. "Look see here... Janessa's gonna marry a Reimer. Or a Penner. Or a Plett. Or whatever other extremely Mennonite last name you can think of."
And honestly, I'm okay with that.
I saw this great thing on Pinterest (the ultimate study-procrastination website) last week. It said...
Honestly, I hate this question. And I'm not going to answer it.
Why do I hate this question so much? Because I don't have a 5 year plan. Or a 10 year plan. Or a 15 year plan. And I find it utterly ridiculous when people do. You can't predict the future. And having it all planned out isn't going to help it along. Future plans are like cardboard boxes. If it rains, they'll just get destroyed.
Does this make me irresponsible? No. I don't feel the need to plan out my life because it's no fun that way. Life throws you some curveballs... and you gotta be prepared to just run with it. This is really cliché, but life is gonna throw you some lemons, and you gotta be prepared to make some lemonade. You can't just sit there and cry because you wanted to make orange juice instead. Life didn't throw you oranges, it threw you lemons. You gotta continue on with what was handed to you.
I love the expression: "Wanna hear God laugh? Just tell him your plans."
I believe that God does get a good chuckle from the things you and I plan. Five years ago, I didn't have a clue that I was gonna go to Capernwray in Quebec. I certainly didn't have a clue that I was gonna work on kitchen staff at Cedarwood. (Or be a counselor, that's an even bigger stretch.)
People are always telling you to "never say never", right? Because, apparently, as soon as you say you're never gonna do something, it's pretty likely that you'll end up doing it.
Well, after I quit working at Smitty's I said I'd never work in a kitchen again. Bam. Cedarwood.
I go around telling people that I'm never gonna marry someone with a Mennonite last name. Do you know what? I'm probably going to, just because it seems like that's how it works.
God probably laughs every time I make that comment. "Look see here... Janessa's gonna marry a Reimer. Or a Penner. Or a Plett. Or whatever other extremely Mennonite last name you can think of."
And honestly, I'm okay with that.
I saw this great thing on Pinterest (the ultimate study-procrastination website) last week. It said...
WHEN SOMETHING GOES WRONG IN YOUR LIFE
JUST YELL "PLOT TWIST!"
AND MOVE ON.
Good advice, good advice.
It's 2 o'clock in the morning, I'm sorry if this made absolutely no sense at all!
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Taste Some Jams #2
Fall is here. (Actually, it's beginning to feel a bit more like winter, but who cares?) With fall always comes a wonderful assortment of new music. Some of the new music is super fantastic and you can't wait to share it with everybody. And, of course, a majority of the music makes you wanna cry because it's so horrible, so you learn to appreciate the wonderful music that's already existed for a while. I'd like to share with you some songs that have constantly been on replay in my ears lately. Here's the latest edition of Taste Some Jams...
Everyone knows I have a soft spot for Justin Timberlake. Earlier this year, he "brought sexy back" again, putting out a new album called "The 20/20 Experience". Well, at the end of September, he released a Part 2 of The 20/20 Experience. It is fantastic! JT is just flat-out good at everything he does. The particular song from Part 2 that I've been really enjoying lately is Drink You Away. It's a tune that I often find stuck in my head all day long. It's a great song, and very relatable (minus the whole alcohol theme throughout the entire song). Basically the song tells the story of a person who just can't get someone out of their head. That person is stuck in their head, just like this song is gonna be the moment you listen to it.
If you haven't heard of Daughter, go to YouTube or iTunes right now and check them out. Why? Because they are amazing! [Seriously, go! I'll wait here...] The main singer, Elena, has such a beautifully haunting voice. The song I'm going to mention here is Human. It's so beautiful and so wonderfully written. It's written in a way that everyone could really interpret the lyrics to put against their lives. I'm not sure yet how I would interpret the lyrics to this song, it'll take a bit more thinking on my part. But I do really encourage you to listen to this song and the band because they are awesome.
I believe almost everyone has heard of Sara Bareilles. I've always loved her, from the beginning of her career. Every album she's put out has been fantastic. Earlier this year, she put out her latest album called "The Blessed Unrest". Every single song from this album is incredible, but the song I wish to share with you is Islands. Honestly, I have to admit that I didn't like this song that much when I first heard it. But it has grown on me immensely. I almost wrote an entire post just about this song and what it means to me, then I decided against it for various reasons. I think this song talks about the fragility of relationships in so many ways. It tells the story of a girl who has been hurt and is hanging on for dear life to the end of her rope. That's just such a beautiful image for what humanity is. Aren't we all, in one way or another, just hanging on for dear life hoping we don't fall? This song actually reminds me of how much I need Christ. Because Christ is the rope I'm hanging onto. The main hook of this song goes like this: "The water will only rise / when you realize / you must become an island (3x) / and see for yourself / the horizon is all we have". The horizon is all we have. The hope planted somewhere in the future is all we have. Christ is all we have. Maybe it's a bit of a stretch, I don't know.
Imagine Dragons is a band that I've noticed as become increasingly popular in the last couple months. It makes perfect sense to me, considering that they are incredible. And have very deep lyrics. I was originally only going to share Monster with you guys, but I'm going to mention Demons as well because I find they go very hand in hand. Monster was just recently released as part of a movie soundtrack I believe, whereas Demons was on their "Night Visions" album. Has anyone heard of the song Monster by Skillet? (Another incredible song by another incredible band.) The concept of that song is very similar to these two ID songs. I won't even talk about it much, I'll just give you lyrics and let you muse over them. "I wanna hide the truth / I wanna shelter you / But with the beast inside / There's nowhere we can hide / No matter what we breed / We still are made of greed / This is my kingdom come (2x) / When you feel my heat / Look into my eyes / It's where my demons hide (2x) / Don't get too close" [Demons] "If I told you what I was / would you turn your back on me? // I'm only a man with a candle to guide me / I'm taking a stand to escape what's inside me / A monster, a monster / I've turned into a monster / A monster, a monster / And it keeps getting stronger" [Monster] Incredible. Check it out!
I first heard this next song on a movie. I don't remember which one it was, but I heard the song, looked it up, and totally fell in love with it. The artist is Hugo, I don't know much about him (except that he's British and signed to Jay-Z's record label in New York). The song is a folk cover of Jay-Z's 99 Problems. I don't like rap terribly much, so the original version of this song doesn't do much for me, but Hugo's rendition of it is awesome! So listen to it. Now! That's really all I have to say about that one.
The last song comes from one of my favourite people in the entire world... Hugh Laurie. Yes, you are correct, that is the guy that plays House. That's why he's one of my favourite people. And yes, he does also make music. He plays piano blues. And he's incredible. The song I'm sharing: Kiss of Fire. It's half Spanish half English, I believe. And it's beautiful. Another song you're bound to have stuck in your head all day if you listen to it. This is a song that I'd love to sing sometime. It's a duet between a male and female and it just seems like it would be a super fun song to sing.
There you have it. Everything from pop to folk to indie to blues!
It's nice to know that there's some good music out there, eh? No naked girls swinging on balls or licking sledgehammers or twerking... what a relief!
Everyone knows I have a soft spot for Justin Timberlake. Earlier this year, he "brought sexy back" again, putting out a new album called "The 20/20 Experience". Well, at the end of September, he released a Part 2 of The 20/20 Experience. It is fantastic! JT is just flat-out good at everything he does. The particular song from Part 2 that I've been really enjoying lately is Drink You Away. It's a tune that I often find stuck in my head all day long. It's a great song, and very relatable (minus the whole alcohol theme throughout the entire song). Basically the song tells the story of a person who just can't get someone out of their head. That person is stuck in their head, just like this song is gonna be the moment you listen to it. 
I believe almost everyone has heard of Sara Bareilles. I've always loved her, from the beginning of her career. Every album she's put out has been fantastic. Earlier this year, she put out her latest album called "The Blessed Unrest". Every single song from this album is incredible, but the song I wish to share with you is Islands. Honestly, I have to admit that I didn't like this song that much when I first heard it. But it has grown on me immensely. I almost wrote an entire post just about this song and what it means to me, then I decided against it for various reasons. I think this song talks about the fragility of relationships in so many ways. It tells the story of a girl who has been hurt and is hanging on for dear life to the end of her rope. That's just such a beautiful image for what humanity is. Aren't we all, in one way or another, just hanging on for dear life hoping we don't fall? This song actually reminds me of how much I need Christ. Because Christ is the rope I'm hanging onto. The main hook of this song goes like this: "The water will only rise / when you realize / you must become an island (3x) / and see for yourself / the horizon is all we have". The horizon is all we have. The hope planted somewhere in the future is all we have. Christ is all we have. Maybe it's a bit of a stretch, I don't know. 
Imagine Dragons is a band that I've noticed as become increasingly popular in the last couple months. It makes perfect sense to me, considering that they are incredible. And have very deep lyrics. I was originally only going to share Monster with you guys, but I'm going to mention Demons as well because I find they go very hand in hand. Monster was just recently released as part of a movie soundtrack I believe, whereas Demons was on their "Night Visions" album. Has anyone heard of the song Monster by Skillet? (Another incredible song by another incredible band.) The concept of that song is very similar to these two ID songs. I won't even talk about it much, I'll just give you lyrics and let you muse over them. "I wanna hide the truth / I wanna shelter you / But with the beast inside / There's nowhere we can hide / No matter what we breed / We still are made of greed / This is my kingdom come (2x) / When you feel my heat / Look into my eyes / It's where my demons hide (2x) / Don't get too close" [Demons] "If I told you what I was / would you turn your back on me? // I'm only a man with a candle to guide me / I'm taking a stand to escape what's inside me / A monster, a monster / I've turned into a monster / A monster, a monster / And it keeps getting stronger" [Monster] Incredible. Check it out! 
I first heard this next song on a movie. I don't remember which one it was, but I heard the song, looked it up, and totally fell in love with it. The artist is Hugo, I don't know much about him (except that he's British and signed to Jay-Z's record label in New York). The song is a folk cover of Jay-Z's 99 Problems. I don't like rap terribly much, so the original version of this song doesn't do much for me, but Hugo's rendition of it is awesome! So listen to it. Now! That's really all I have to say about that one. 
The last song comes from one of my favourite people in the entire world... Hugh Laurie. Yes, you are correct, that is the guy that plays House. That's why he's one of my favourite people. And yes, he does also make music. He plays piano blues. And he's incredible. The song I'm sharing: Kiss of Fire. It's half Spanish half English, I believe. And it's beautiful. Another song you're bound to have stuck in your head all day if you listen to it. This is a song that I'd love to sing sometime. It's a duet between a male and female and it just seems like it would be a super fun song to sing.There you have it. Everything from pop to folk to indie to blues!
It's nice to know that there's some good music out there, eh? No naked girls swinging on balls or licking sledgehammers or twerking... what a relief!
Monday, October 21, 2013
#21: Superpower
#21: If you could have any superpower, what would it be and what would you do with it first?
I thought for a long time about this. I always thought that my answer would be invisibility because I think it would be cool to be invisible. But I realized today that, as a first-year university student, I feel I already have that power. Haha. Just a random face among 40,000 other students...
Teleportation. That's the superpower I'd want. The main reason: travelling is expensive! I love travelling. I haven't gotten around nearly as much as some others have, but I've gotten around a little bit. (Enough that when I talk to people, they often have to ask where I am. Are you in Steinbach? Are in Quebec? What, you live in Lac du Bonnet!?!? That kinda thing.) I am only 20, there's still plenty of time! But, the point is, travelling is expensive. I wanted to go to Ottawa in April to visit a friend, but it's looking like I probably won't make it there (because university is very expensive too). So, I'd like to have the superpower of teleportation.
What would I do with it first? Visit my friends in Germany! I miss them like nutso and it's so expensive to get there! Travelling anywhere in Canada is at least probable, whereas Germany, you need lots of money and lots of time. You can't just take one week off to go to Europe, you would never be able to fit everything into a week. Gotta be at least two. Or like two months. I'll make it out there someday!! (And when I do, I'll bring back an excessive amount of German chocolate... nom nom nom...)
Possessing the superpower of teleportation. That would be awesome!
I thought for a long time about this. I always thought that my answer would be invisibility because I think it would be cool to be invisible. But I realized today that, as a first-year university student, I feel I already have that power. Haha. Just a random face among 40,000 other students...
Teleportation. That's the superpower I'd want. The main reason: travelling is expensive! I love travelling. I haven't gotten around nearly as much as some others have, but I've gotten around a little bit. (Enough that when I talk to people, they often have to ask where I am. Are you in Steinbach? Are in Quebec? What, you live in Lac du Bonnet!?!? That kinda thing.) I am only 20, there's still plenty of time! But, the point is, travelling is expensive. I wanted to go to Ottawa in April to visit a friend, but it's looking like I probably won't make it there (because university is very expensive too). So, I'd like to have the superpower of teleportation.
What would I do with it first? Visit my friends in Germany! I miss them like nutso and it's so expensive to get there! Travelling anywhere in Canada is at least probable, whereas Germany, you need lots of money and lots of time. You can't just take one week off to go to Europe, you would never be able to fit everything into a week. Gotta be at least two. Or like two months. I'll make it out there someday!! (And when I do, I'll bring back an excessive amount of German chocolate... nom nom nom...)
Possessing the superpower of teleportation. That would be awesome!
Sunday, October 6, 2013
#20: Childhood Crazy
#20: Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood.
I know what you’re thinking: “What??? She’s still doing the 30 things series!” I am well aware that it’s been at least a month since I posted question 19. What even is considered a significant memory from your childhood? I’m not entirely sure, so I’m just gonna give you the first three memories that pop into my head!
1) I remember when I got my first woodtick. Eww, gross! We hadn’t moved yet. I think I was probably, like, 3 or 4 years old. I remember that I was watching Saturday morning cartoons in our basement. And I remember that I was wearing my Little Mermaid night gown. (I was kind of obsessed with the Little Mermaid, I think I even had a backpack too.) Anyway, I was watching cartoons in my night gown and I felt something crawling on me. So I looked, and there it was. A gross little brown bugger with legs. I screamed and ran upstairs to my mom. And that’s the extent of my memory regarding that experience.
P.S. I should really be working on my Bloom’s taxonomy essay…
What time period is considered “childhood” anyway? Psht.
2) When I was in elementary school, I lived a double life. (I don’t mean, like, one good and one bad. I mean, like, one real and one make-believe.) I pretended that I was this really popular girl when I was at home. I had quite an elaborate imagination back then, I wonder what happened. Anyway, I played this girl, and all her friends, and even her teacher. I played pretend-school. Now, I’m sure that lots of kids did that, but I was weird. I taught myself French, ELA, science (all about animals) and math. I even had a cooking class… (which is actually where I learned how to cook for the most part). I wrote myself tests and I took them. I was crazy. But hey, you’re not interesting if you’re not a little bit crazy somehow, right? (Maybe this is why I apparently have a decently high IQ…)
3) In grade 3, our teacher gave us a spelling assignment every week. We had to choose words that we didn’t know how to spell and then use them in a sentence and draw a picture of what the word meant and stuff like that. I remember that one of my friends (who is actually still my friend, I hung out with her on Friday…) decided it would be hilarious if she picked really simple words. I remember she picked the word ‘the’ one time and our teacher totally yelled at her. Anyway, because I was a really weird kid, possibly borderline special, I went through the dictionary and picked really hard words. I was kinda clever though, because I remember I’d pick words that were above my reading level, but not words that were so hard that my teacher wouldn’t let me use them. She was always so surprised by my word choices. This is when I learned the word “ambidextrous”. (I had a similar assignment in grade 6, except the teacher always picked half the words. And I remember one time she picked the word “ambidextrous” and she was very surprised to find out that I knew what it meant and how to spell it already.)
There. Now you know why I’m a little crazy. ‘Cause I was one weird child!
I know what you’re thinking: “What??? She’s still doing the 30 things series!” I am well aware that it’s been at least a month since I posted question 19. What even is considered a significant memory from your childhood? I’m not entirely sure, so I’m just gonna give you the first three memories that pop into my head!
1) I remember when I got my first woodtick. Eww, gross! We hadn’t moved yet. I think I was probably, like, 3 or 4 years old. I remember that I was watching Saturday morning cartoons in our basement. And I remember that I was wearing my Little Mermaid night gown. (I was kind of obsessed with the Little Mermaid, I think I even had a backpack too.) Anyway, I was watching cartoons in my night gown and I felt something crawling on me. So I looked, and there it was. A gross little brown bugger with legs. I screamed and ran upstairs to my mom. And that’s the extent of my memory regarding that experience.
P.S. I should really be working on my Bloom’s taxonomy essay…
What time period is considered “childhood” anyway? Psht.
2) When I was in elementary school, I lived a double life. (I don’t mean, like, one good and one bad. I mean, like, one real and one make-believe.) I pretended that I was this really popular girl when I was at home. I had quite an elaborate imagination back then, I wonder what happened. Anyway, I played this girl, and all her friends, and even her teacher. I played pretend-school. Now, I’m sure that lots of kids did that, but I was weird. I taught myself French, ELA, science (all about animals) and math. I even had a cooking class… (which is actually where I learned how to cook for the most part). I wrote myself tests and I took them. I was crazy. But hey, you’re not interesting if you’re not a little bit crazy somehow, right? (Maybe this is why I apparently have a decently high IQ…)
3) In grade 3, our teacher gave us a spelling assignment every week. We had to choose words that we didn’t know how to spell and then use them in a sentence and draw a picture of what the word meant and stuff like that. I remember that one of my friends (who is actually still my friend, I hung out with her on Friday…) decided it would be hilarious if she picked really simple words. I remember she picked the word ‘the’ one time and our teacher totally yelled at her. Anyway, because I was a really weird kid, possibly borderline special, I went through the dictionary and picked really hard words. I was kinda clever though, because I remember I’d pick words that were above my reading level, but not words that were so hard that my teacher wouldn’t let me use them. She was always so surprised by my word choices. This is when I learned the word “ambidextrous”. (I had a similar assignment in grade 6, except the teacher always picked half the words. And I remember one time she picked the word “ambidextrous” and she was very surprised to find out that I knew what it meant and how to spell it already.)
There. Now you know why I’m a little crazy. ‘Cause I was one weird child!
Thursday, September 26, 2013
20 on 20
20 Wonderful Things in my 20th Year of Life
1) I started university!
2) I moved... again! To civilization. No more Menno-ville or bush life, for now.
3) I got a Starbucks card... finally!
4) I figured out the city transit system... for the most part
5) My best friend got engaged, and I can't wait to stand up beside her in 4 1/2 weeks as she marries the man of her dreams.
6) I got to go visit Quebec again!
7) I chopped off a foot of my hair and donated it to Wigs for Kids in Toronto.
8) JT decided to bring sexy back again. Back to music. And it was awesome!
9) Seven of my friends got married.
10) The Hobbit - Part 1
11) I finally read the Great Gatsby
12) Dr. Jackson Avery didn't die in Grey's Anatomy! (Whew. I was scared...)
13) I started writing again
14) Arrested Development returned!
15) Babel with Mumford & Sons
16) Aaron Pritchett @ The Niverville Fair
17) I met tons of new people, and made a few good, close friends
18) I finally had a job that I looked forward to going to during the summer
19) Went to a Jets game with one of my favourite people!
20) I got to reunite with some of my favourite people at a wedding in March!
1) I started university!
2) I moved... again! To civilization. No more Menno-ville or bush life, for now.
3) I got a Starbucks card... finally!
4) I figured out the city transit system... for the most part
5) My best friend got engaged, and I can't wait to stand up beside her in 4 1/2 weeks as she marries the man of her dreams.
6) I got to go visit Quebec again!
7) I chopped off a foot of my hair and donated it to Wigs for Kids in Toronto.
8) JT decided to bring sexy back again. Back to music. And it was awesome!
9) Seven of my friends got married.
10) The Hobbit - Part 1
11) I finally read the Great Gatsby
12) Dr. Jackson Avery didn't die in Grey's Anatomy! (Whew. I was scared...)
13) I started writing again
14) Arrested Development returned!
15) Babel with Mumford & Sons
16) Aaron Pritchett @ The Niverville Fair
17) I met tons of new people, and made a few good, close friends
18) I finally had a job that I looked forward to going to during the summer
19) Went to a Jets game with one of my favourite people!
20) I got to reunite with some of my favourite people at a wedding in March!
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
The Privilege of Being a Loser
Disclaimer: I did not write this. It was the work on Tenth Avenue North. I just wished to share it with all of you. Emphasis is mine.
Have you ever stopped to wonder why forgiveness is so hard? Seriously. It's such a pleasant ideal in theory, but in practice it's quite possibly the hardest thing to do on the planet. Why does it seem so down right impossible? Why does it feel like losing?
Well, I guess that's because it is. To forgive someone you do have to lose. Whenever there's injury, someone has to live with the pain, and to forgive means you accept it, and the offender goes free. Even though you're not at fault, if you're going to turn the other cheek, you have to absorb the pain so that you don't turn around and inflict the one who hurt you.
I suppose you could liken it to falling on a grenade. If you have a grenade thrown at you, you can do one of three things. You can run, but then who knows who'll end up as collateral damage. You can throw it back, which I must admit is quite alluring, but that can't stop the fire from spreading, it just redirects it. There is one other thing you can do though. You can fall on it. Absorb it. Take the explosion and die the death. Let everyone around you live.
And you know, whenever we forgive there's always a death involved. Isn't there? That's why Jesus had to die for us. To let us be counted right, justice had to be paid. The bomb had to go off. But instead of throwing it back and giving us what we deserve, He wrapped His arms around us and took the hit Himself.
"He was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed." Isaiah 53:5
You see, the reason grace isn't popular or easy is because it's not cheap. To give grace costs us our right to be resentful. It robs us of our privilege to be bitter. It requires death. But friend, if Christ said to forgive the very men who drove nails through His wrists, and the same power that flung Him from the grave lives in us, then surely, surely He can give us the power to lose, so that our aggressor's weapons are rendered useless. Rob your enemy of their ability to offend you, by gladly taking the full brunt of their attack. It is then, and only then, that hostility is defeated and love conquers death.
Remember who you are. Remember how you have been forgiven. You're only going to feel like you have the right to be bitter if you think you're better than them. "Oh no," we say, "I would never..." Never? Really? Remember what it cost Christ to redeem you, and may that knowledge drip down so deep in your heart that it becomes your joy to accept the cost of forgiving others.
Yeah, I know it feels like losing, but it's what forgiven people do. As the old saying goes, "Hurt people, hurt people." Well, "Forgiven people, forgive people."
"To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because Christ has forgiven the inexcusable in us." - C.S. Lewis
Have you ever stopped to wonder why forgiveness is so hard? Seriously. It's such a pleasant ideal in theory, but in practice it's quite possibly the hardest thing to do on the planet. Why does it seem so down right impossible? Why does it feel like losing?
Well, I guess that's because it is. To forgive someone you do have to lose. Whenever there's injury, someone has to live with the pain, and to forgive means you accept it, and the offender goes free. Even though you're not at fault, if you're going to turn the other cheek, you have to absorb the pain so that you don't turn around and inflict the one who hurt you.
I suppose you could liken it to falling on a grenade. If you have a grenade thrown at you, you can do one of three things. You can run, but then who knows who'll end up as collateral damage. You can throw it back, which I must admit is quite alluring, but that can't stop the fire from spreading, it just redirects it. There is one other thing you can do though. You can fall on it. Absorb it. Take the explosion and die the death. Let everyone around you live.
And you know, whenever we forgive there's always a death involved. Isn't there? That's why Jesus had to die for us. To let us be counted right, justice had to be paid. The bomb had to go off. But instead of throwing it back and giving us what we deserve, He wrapped His arms around us and took the hit Himself.
"He was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed." Isaiah 53:5
You see, the reason grace isn't popular or easy is because it's not cheap. To give grace costs us our right to be resentful. It robs us of our privilege to be bitter. It requires death. But friend, if Christ said to forgive the very men who drove nails through His wrists, and the same power that flung Him from the grave lives in us, then surely, surely He can give us the power to lose, so that our aggressor's weapons are rendered useless. Rob your enemy of their ability to offend you, by gladly taking the full brunt of their attack. It is then, and only then, that hostility is defeated and love conquers death.
Remember who you are. Remember how you have been forgiven. You're only going to feel like you have the right to be bitter if you think you're better than them. "Oh no," we say, "I would never..." Never? Really? Remember what it cost Christ to redeem you, and may that knowledge drip down so deep in your heart that it becomes your joy to accept the cost of forgiving others.
Yeah, I know it feels like losing, but it's what forgiven people do. As the old saying goes, "Hurt people, hurt people." Well, "Forgiven people, forgive people."
"To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because Christ has forgiven the inexcusable in us." - C.S. Lewis
Friday, August 30, 2013
Forgiveness: The Final Chapter
This isn’t the potential thought-provoking post that I had intended to post next, but this is part of a musing I’ve had recently and this is what you’re going to get. I feel like I need to share this. This is part of the learning process, part of the forgiveness process that I mentioned a few posts ago. I don’t want to feel ashamed of the struggles I’ve had because of this, but I also don’t want to be judged.
Three years ago, I got dumped. I honestly don’t know how else to say it. I tried to make it sound more elegant, but it really can’t be done. Now, I’m going to stop some thought processes right in their tracks because I know how some people think. “Wow, three years ago? That’s a while.” “She’s still moaning about him?” “Shouldn’t she be over that by now?” Yes, to all three answers. (Okay, maybe only a partial yes to the second one because moaning isn’t even close to the right word in describing what I’m feeling.) But I don’t want to feel ashamed that that’s my answer. In fact, I don’t need to feel ashamed that that’s my answer. I’m pretty sure that there are people out there who have been holding grudges for way longer than that and aren’t even close to confessing them yet, and I know that there are people out there who still struggle with things that happened to them a long time ago.
As I mentioned in my previous post pertaining to this subject, both of us got hurt in the process. I am not a victim; that’s something I learned in that first year. I did things that I’m not proud of, and said things that I wish I could take back. That’s part of the hurt, that’s part of the struggle. But the main hurt that I experienced because of all this was from simply not understanding. I didn’t understand how someone could change that way. I didn’t understand how someone could just leave. I didn’t understand how a person could just wake up one morning and decide not to love another person anymore. But I think I’ve realized now that it was never about any of those things.
It was about growing up. It was about living in a passionate way. It was about following your dreams. I blamed him for a long time for changing, for not being the person I thought he was, when, really, he was the one that was constant. When he talked about his future, it was wedding bells, marriage, kids, family camping trips and being a dad. That was his dream, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s quite wonderful actually. I was like that too once. But then, things changed. I changed. I was the one that changed. When I think about my future, I don’t think about being a wife, or being a mother, or having a family. I think about living in different places, pursuing things I love, and making a difference in the world. I think about simply just living. That’s my dream, and there’s nothing wrong with it. People have different dreams. It’d be a stupid and chaotic world if everyone had the same dream. And I just didn’t fit into his dream, just like he didn’t fit into mine. I understand that now.
I actually have this new-found respect for what he did. He didn’t settle. He didn’t put his own dreams on hold to cater to mine. He was zealous. I respect that. And I forgive him. After so long, after having pseudo-forgiven him so many times, I can actually say with confidence that I forgive him now. Even if everything I’ve just said is dead wrong, even if the reasoning is completely different on his part, I still forgive him.
Just like loving someone is a choice you have to make, being hurt is too. I choose not to be hurt anymore.
One of my absolute favourite people in the entire world said this…
“When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.”
Yes, that was John Lennon. And yes, I’m obsessed. But it’s still true.
That’s all for this post. It’s totally okay if no one followed my train of thought or if anyone could even make sense of what I was saying, because that wasn’t in the intent of this blabbering. This was mostly for my benefit. Simply just writing my thoughts out doesn’t get it out of my head like it does for some people. In order for it to completely get it out of my head, I need to to let someone else in. That’s where you guys come in.
Thank you for reading my thoughts, my ramblings, my musings, my rants, and my down-right weirdness. Until next time!
Three years ago, I got dumped. I honestly don’t know how else to say it. I tried to make it sound more elegant, but it really can’t be done. Now, I’m going to stop some thought processes right in their tracks because I know how some people think. “Wow, three years ago? That’s a while.” “She’s still moaning about him?” “Shouldn’t she be over that by now?” Yes, to all three answers. (Okay, maybe only a partial yes to the second one because moaning isn’t even close to the right word in describing what I’m feeling.) But I don’t want to feel ashamed that that’s my answer. In fact, I don’t need to feel ashamed that that’s my answer. I’m pretty sure that there are people out there who have been holding grudges for way longer than that and aren’t even close to confessing them yet, and I know that there are people out there who still struggle with things that happened to them a long time ago.
As I mentioned in my previous post pertaining to this subject, both of us got hurt in the process. I am not a victim; that’s something I learned in that first year. I did things that I’m not proud of, and said things that I wish I could take back. That’s part of the hurt, that’s part of the struggle. But the main hurt that I experienced because of all this was from simply not understanding. I didn’t understand how someone could change that way. I didn’t understand how someone could just leave. I didn’t understand how a person could just wake up one morning and decide not to love another person anymore. But I think I’ve realized now that it was never about any of those things.
It was about growing up. It was about living in a passionate way. It was about following your dreams. I blamed him for a long time for changing, for not being the person I thought he was, when, really, he was the one that was constant. When he talked about his future, it was wedding bells, marriage, kids, family camping trips and being a dad. That was his dream, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s quite wonderful actually. I was like that too once. But then, things changed. I changed. I was the one that changed. When I think about my future, I don’t think about being a wife, or being a mother, or having a family. I think about living in different places, pursuing things I love, and making a difference in the world. I think about simply just living. That’s my dream, and there’s nothing wrong with it. People have different dreams. It’d be a stupid and chaotic world if everyone had the same dream. And I just didn’t fit into his dream, just like he didn’t fit into mine. I understand that now.
I actually have this new-found respect for what he did. He didn’t settle. He didn’t put his own dreams on hold to cater to mine. He was zealous. I respect that. And I forgive him. After so long, after having pseudo-forgiven him so many times, I can actually say with confidence that I forgive him now. Even if everything I’ve just said is dead wrong, even if the reasoning is completely different on his part, I still forgive him.
Just like loving someone is a choice you have to make, being hurt is too. I choose not to be hurt anymore.
One of my absolute favourite people in the entire world said this…
“When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.”
Yes, that was John Lennon. And yes, I’m obsessed. But it’s still true.
That’s all for this post. It’s totally okay if no one followed my train of thought or if anyone could even make sense of what I was saying, because that wasn’t in the intent of this blabbering. This was mostly for my benefit. Simply just writing my thoughts out doesn’t get it out of my head like it does for some people. In order for it to completely get it out of my head, I need to to let someone else in. That’s where you guys come in.
Thank you for reading my thoughts, my ramblings, my musings, my rants, and my down-right weirdness. Until next time!
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
C’est La Vie
I thought it was time for an update on life. This should be fun.
Wow, the summer is nearly over! I start university in a week, I’m moving in two days, I only have two more four-hour shifts left at my summer job, and half of my bed frame and desk are stained. (Oh yeah, I’m building a bed frame and desk for myself. Well, my dad is, but I’m staining it.) Everything seems to be going as planned!
Except for one minor setback. Yesterday I fractured a bone in my foot. Ha. I know, right? One tiny little bone. Lots of pain. Because of this, yesterday was a totally wasted day. I didn’t get any packing done, I only got a little bit of staining done, and I spent the entire evening in the hospital (only for them to tensor it, tell me to ice it and rest). It was kinda cool, because I got to have an x-ray and I’ve never had one of those before. And I’ve never worn a tensor before either.
This has kinda screwed up my week. It’s my right foot, so it hurts a bit to drive. I have a standing and running around job, and it hurts a bit to walk. And I’m moving… and it hurts to walk. Oh well. C’est la vie, as my francophone friends would say.
I’m excited though. I’m still going to move on Thursday. I’m still gonna at least try to go to work on Friday and Saturday. And my dad has taken over the staining, I think. (I feel bad though because he already has so much to do.) Someone might have to help me move, someone might have to drive the van with all my stuff to Winnipeg, and my mattress might have to spend a couple more nights just on the floor of my room. But that’s okay.
I’m resting today. I spent a good chunk of my morning watching The Vampire Diaries with my little brother. I’m doing some laundry and I’ll probably do some light packing today. I’ll probably get my little brother to help me with the more painful stuff, like getting the boxes into the van. He’s actually been of great help. I’m surprised.
Yes, this was an incredibly boring post. I promise the next one will be a little more action-packed! And by action-packed, I actually mean thought-provoking. Just you wait.
Wow, the summer is nearly over! I start university in a week, I’m moving in two days, I only have two more four-hour shifts left at my summer job, and half of my bed frame and desk are stained. (Oh yeah, I’m building a bed frame and desk for myself. Well, my dad is, but I’m staining it.) Everything seems to be going as planned!
Except for one minor setback. Yesterday I fractured a bone in my foot. Ha. I know, right? One tiny little bone. Lots of pain. Because of this, yesterday was a totally wasted day. I didn’t get any packing done, I only got a little bit of staining done, and I spent the entire evening in the hospital (only for them to tensor it, tell me to ice it and rest). It was kinda cool, because I got to have an x-ray and I’ve never had one of those before. And I’ve never worn a tensor before either.
This has kinda screwed up my week. It’s my right foot, so it hurts a bit to drive. I have a standing and running around job, and it hurts a bit to walk. And I’m moving… and it hurts to walk. Oh well. C’est la vie, as my francophone friends would say.
I’m excited though. I’m still going to move on Thursday. I’m still gonna at least try to go to work on Friday and Saturday. And my dad has taken over the staining, I think. (I feel bad though because he already has so much to do.) Someone might have to help me move, someone might have to drive the van with all my stuff to Winnipeg, and my mattress might have to spend a couple more nights just on the floor of my room. But that’s okay.
I’m resting today. I spent a good chunk of my morning watching The Vampire Diaries with my little brother. I’m doing some laundry and I’ll probably do some light packing today. I’ll probably get my little brother to help me with the more painful stuff, like getting the boxes into the van. He’s actually been of great help. I’m surprised.
Yes, this was an incredibly boring post. I promise the next one will be a little more action-packed! And by action-packed, I actually mean thought-provoking. Just you wait.
Monday, August 26, 2013
#19: If I Could Live Anywhere...
#19: If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?
I have two answers for this question, actually. Surprising, I know. So many people probably thought they knew this one.
My first answer is… Amsterdam. I am IN LOVE with this place. It’s a beautiful city. There’s lots to do. It has such a rich culture. I am in love with it, and I’ve only spent a total of three days out of my entire life there… and half of one of those days was in the airport. But still. I fell in love with it the moment I walked its streets. Now, I know what you’re thinking (I say that a lot, don’t I?)… when people think Amsterdam, they think of two things: pot and prostitutes. But this city is so much more than that! Let’s just say that those are the only two things about Amsterdam that I don’t like.
Here’s some pictures:
I swear this city’s main form of transportation is bikes. They have special lanes for bikes and everything. (I mean, we do too I guess, but it’s very different!) This is a picture of a parkade for BIKES!
I have two answers for this question, actually. Surprising, I know. So many people probably thought they knew this one.
My first answer is… Amsterdam. I am IN LOVE with this place. It’s a beautiful city. There’s lots to do. It has such a rich culture. I am in love with it, and I’ve only spent a total of three days out of my entire life there… and half of one of those days was in the airport. But still. I fell in love with it the moment I walked its streets. Now, I know what you’re thinking (I say that a lot, don’t I?)… when people think Amsterdam, they think of two things: pot and prostitutes. But this city is so much more than that! Let’s just say that those are the only two things about Amsterdam that I don’t like.
Here’s some pictures:
I swear this city’s main form of transportation is bikes. They have special lanes for bikes and everything. (I mean, we do too I guess, but it’s very different!) This is a picture of a parkade for BIKES!
Canals everywhere! When we were there, we took a canal cruise and it was beautiful. It was such a sunny day and the canals go all over the city!
I love this picture. First, because my friend Joel was being annoying which makes it funny; second, because I’m sitting in a giant Dutch shoe! Dutch culture is so rich and I love it. I’m sitting in a frickin’ giant Dutch shoe. Man, I wanna go back.
There’s ducks everywhere! There’s also tulips EVERYWHERE but unfortunately I don’t have a good picture of all the tulips.
There’s a playground/park right in the middle of the city with a huge landmark that reads “I Am Amsterdam”. Unfortunately, I don’t have a good photo of the whole thing, so you’ll have to settle for the one with Cooper on the D.
I had to show this picture because it’s frickin’ hilarious. We went to a Ben & Jerry’s down one of the pedestrian streets (yes, they have those!) and had these amazing waffles with ice cream.
So that’s my first answer.
My second answer is far less interesting and there’s no photos to show because I’ve never actually been there. But it is… the East Coast. Pretty vague, but I’ll explain. You know those movies where someone’s running away from something and they end up in a cute little fishing town on East Coast. (Maybe I’m only thinking of Safe Haven, but I swear there’s other movies like that, right?) Anyway, I always thought it’d be cool to live in one of those cute little fishing towns. And there’s just something about the East Coast that appeals to me, especially the Canadian East Coast. It’s a part of our country that no one ever really talks about, nobody from this side of Quebec has really ever been to, and everyone kind of forgets about. I love it. I wanna live there someday… even if it’s just for a little bit.
So there you have it. Notice how neither of these places are in Manitoba? Haha, how on earth did I get stuck here!? (I’m kidding… okay, only a little bit.)
Monday, August 12, 2013
Against the Wind
When I was a kid, I used to ride my bike up and down the country road I lived on quite a bit. Growing up in Southeast Manitoba, there really wasn’t much else to do. I don’t really remember when I stopped doing this. I don’t really know why either, but at some point in almost everyone’s lives, being active becomes a chore for us. But back then, riding my bike up and down the road was just my typical after-school or Saturday activity.
I remember when I went on these rides, I absolutely loved the beginning stretch to the nearest mile road. I was riding with the wind, and everything was easy. But I dreaded turning around and going back home, because that’s the hardest part. Time to ride against the wind. The wind speed always seemed to be significantly higher than it was earlier, and I always got way too tired to bike the whole mile back. Around the 1/2 mile point, I’d start to walk my bike because walking was a lot easier than biking against the wind.
Sometimes I’d be riding my bike against the wind on the beginning stretch. I’d so be looking forward to turning around and getting to ride home with ease. But, when this happened, it seemed like the moment I turned back around to bike home, the wind direction would change again, forcing me to ride against the wind. Again. At this point, I would most likely slop myself down onto the gravel in the most dramatic way possible and proceed to entertain myself for a while by crushing the ants on the road with my fingers. Or possibly eating them. I was kind of a weird kid.
Do you ever feel like life is that way sometimes? Going with the flow is so easy. Nobody likes being different. Everyone feels uncomfortable with being different. We even feel uncomfortable with around different. (Although, lately with the current trend being “hipster”, we feel a little less uncomfortable with different. But then again, it’s not really that altogether different because it’s trendy. Does anyone else find that to be incredibly ironic?) But we still feel uncomfortable being around people that are really different.
There used to be a quote when I was around middle school age that went something like this: “A true friend walks in when everyone else walks out.” I was always really encouraged by this quote because in grades 9-11, it felt like there were a lot more people walking out of my life than walking in. But that’s not the point. The point is the person walking in in this situation was doing something the world would deem as “unpopular”, or “weird”, or “different”. Going against the grain is hard. Doing the unpopular thing is difficult. Being the one who chooses to speak for the ones who are too afraid to speak up isn’t easy. Riding a bike against the wind is tiring.
There’s a small hill in the road just south of my parent’s driveway. At the end of these biking expeditions I went on as a kid, I’d ride my bike up the hill and then ride back down, determined to turn into the driveway without using the brakes. Bad idea, I know. I think I wiped out almost every time. That’s the only time I liked riding my bike against the wind. It felt so good with the wind blowing in my face, causing my hair to blow back like a supermodel’s in front of a fan. It made the wiping out at the end of the driveway a little more bearable. The hill made going against the wind easy.
I believe that’s how it is with being a Christian. The more people I’m exposed to, the more I realize how much being a Christian is going against the grain. Being a church-going, sold-out-for-Jesus Christian isn’t as popular as I thought it was growing up. We’re hated, we’re criticized, and we’re mocked for what we believe in. Many people don’t even understand how we can believe what we do. Last week, I overheard a conversation at my job. Three of my co-workers started talking about “religious” people. One of them mentioned that she’d read through the Old Testament and just couldn’t understand why Christians could believe in a god so evil. But that’s the danger of picking the Bible apart. It needs to be confronted as a whole, not as two different parts. (Even though, I’m pretty sure that happens more than I’d like to think in Christian circles.) To my shame, I didn’t even interject anything into the conversation at all. I just went along with my work and ignored it almost completely. Talk about a slap in God’s face, huh? He handed me a great opportunity for ministry (and quite an obvious one too) and I just nonchalantly handed it back to Him saying I didn’t want it. Not something I’m proud of. Need to work on that.
Just like the hill made going against the wind easy, God makes going against the wind of society easier. Notice how I said easier instead of easy. It’s still not easy. If it was easy, I would’ve taken that opportunity mentioned above and ran with it! It’s still hard. Having God on your side doesn’t mean you’re not gonna get mocked or criticized, but it makes it a little more bearable because through it, you can be sure that the light of Jesus is shining through. Then you end up not caring as much of what other people think. God is very creative. He can use anything to speak to people. That’s something I’ve learned recently. (But that’s for another time.)
I just have to admit, these thoughts are messy (and as usual, I don’t think they’ll even make complete sense to anyone other than me). I still care way too much about what other people think of me, but I’m learning. This is what God’s been teaching me this week. And I’ve still got a lot to learn and a long way to go, but that’s okay.
Because when everyone else walks out, God walks in.
P.S. Actually, here’s a little secret: He was never out to begin with.
I remember when I went on these rides, I absolutely loved the beginning stretch to the nearest mile road. I was riding with the wind, and everything was easy. But I dreaded turning around and going back home, because that’s the hardest part. Time to ride against the wind. The wind speed always seemed to be significantly higher than it was earlier, and I always got way too tired to bike the whole mile back. Around the 1/2 mile point, I’d start to walk my bike because walking was a lot easier than biking against the wind.
Sometimes I’d be riding my bike against the wind on the beginning stretch. I’d so be looking forward to turning around and getting to ride home with ease. But, when this happened, it seemed like the moment I turned back around to bike home, the wind direction would change again, forcing me to ride against the wind. Again. At this point, I would most likely slop myself down onto the gravel in the most dramatic way possible and proceed to entertain myself for a while by crushing the ants on the road with my fingers. Or possibly eating them. I was kind of a weird kid.
Do you ever feel like life is that way sometimes? Going with the flow is so easy. Nobody likes being different. Everyone feels uncomfortable with being different. We even feel uncomfortable with around different. (Although, lately with the current trend being “hipster”, we feel a little less uncomfortable with different. But then again, it’s not really that altogether different because it’s trendy. Does anyone else find that to be incredibly ironic?) But we still feel uncomfortable being around people that are really different.
There used to be a quote when I was around middle school age that went something like this: “A true friend walks in when everyone else walks out.” I was always really encouraged by this quote because in grades 9-11, it felt like there were a lot more people walking out of my life than walking in. But that’s not the point. The point is the person walking in in this situation was doing something the world would deem as “unpopular”, or “weird”, or “different”. Going against the grain is hard. Doing the unpopular thing is difficult. Being the one who chooses to speak for the ones who are too afraid to speak up isn’t easy. Riding a bike against the wind is tiring.
There’s a small hill in the road just south of my parent’s driveway. At the end of these biking expeditions I went on as a kid, I’d ride my bike up the hill and then ride back down, determined to turn into the driveway without using the brakes. Bad idea, I know. I think I wiped out almost every time. That’s the only time I liked riding my bike against the wind. It felt so good with the wind blowing in my face, causing my hair to blow back like a supermodel’s in front of a fan. It made the wiping out at the end of the driveway a little more bearable. The hill made going against the wind easy.
I believe that’s how it is with being a Christian. The more people I’m exposed to, the more I realize how much being a Christian is going against the grain. Being a church-going, sold-out-for-Jesus Christian isn’t as popular as I thought it was growing up. We’re hated, we’re criticized, and we’re mocked for what we believe in. Many people don’t even understand how we can believe what we do. Last week, I overheard a conversation at my job. Three of my co-workers started talking about “religious” people. One of them mentioned that she’d read through the Old Testament and just couldn’t understand why Christians could believe in a god so evil. But that’s the danger of picking the Bible apart. It needs to be confronted as a whole, not as two different parts. (Even though, I’m pretty sure that happens more than I’d like to think in Christian circles.) To my shame, I didn’t even interject anything into the conversation at all. I just went along with my work and ignored it almost completely. Talk about a slap in God’s face, huh? He handed me a great opportunity for ministry (and quite an obvious one too) and I just nonchalantly handed it back to Him saying I didn’t want it. Not something I’m proud of. Need to work on that.
Just like the hill made going against the wind easy, God makes going against the wind of society easier. Notice how I said easier instead of easy. It’s still not easy. If it was easy, I would’ve taken that opportunity mentioned above and ran with it! It’s still hard. Having God on your side doesn’t mean you’re not gonna get mocked or criticized, but it makes it a little more bearable because through it, you can be sure that the light of Jesus is shining through. Then you end up not caring as much of what other people think. God is very creative. He can use anything to speak to people. That’s something I’ve learned recently. (But that’s for another time.)
I just have to admit, these thoughts are messy (and as usual, I don’t think they’ll even make complete sense to anyone other than me). I still care way too much about what other people think of me, but I’m learning. This is what God’s been teaching me this week. And I’ve still got a lot to learn and a long way to go, but that’s okay.
Because when everyone else walks out, God walks in.
P.S. Actually, here’s a little secret: He was never out to begin with.
Saturday, August 10, 2013
#18: Forgiveness is Hard
#18: What has been the most difficult thing you have had to forgive?
Honestly, there’s no easy way to write this post. I haven’t been procrastinating because I can’t think of or decide on the most difficult thing I’ve had to forgive. I’ve been procrastinating because I know precisely what it is, and I’m not totally done the process of forgiveness.
Many people would say the process started about 3 years ago, but that’s not where I’m going to begin. It really only started when I was at Capernwray. The reason people would say it started 3 years ago is because that’s when it happened. I got hurt. Someone hurt me. Someone that I was really close to. In fact, I don’t think they’ll ever fully understand how they hurt me, but they did. Actually, I shouldn’t be pinning it all on them; we equally hurt each other, I believe. But that’s not the point. There’s no reason to divulge what the situation was, or who the situation involved, because that’s not the point either. The point is: we both screwed up, and we both ended up getting hurt somehow.
The reason I believe this process only started when I was at Capernwray was because that’s when it finally hit me how incredibly stupid I was being and how stubborn I was. Have you ever heard the quote “Unforgiveness is like you drinking the poison and expecting the other person to die”? That’s how I was being stupid. I was the one that drank the poison.
Anyway, at Capernwray, in March, we had a week of classes about love and relationships. One of those days, the people giving the lectures taught us all about forgiveness. Man, I had never heard forgiveness explained so clearly in my life! We as Christians are experts at forgiving people intellectually (as in, in our heads). And that’s what I did. I forgave with my mind, but I put up a barbed wire fence around my heart so that no one could get in to see that I had actually not forgiven. (And honestly, I think that that’s where a lot of my insecurities, fears, and trust issues arise from, but that’s a whole other dog-and-pony show.) I, for one, along with other Christians, suck at actually forgiving people in our hearts. And it makes sense. Forgiveness is hard.
When you think about it, it actually takes trust in that person in order to forgive them. You’re trusting that they won’t hurt you again, even if you know that they probably will.
Unforgiveness also puts us in a rather dangerous place. If that person’s asked for forgiveness from God, God has granted his forgiveness, but if we are still too stubborn to forgive them, that essentially means that we think our standards are higher than God’s. Do you seriously think your standards are higher than God’s? It also says in Matthew 6:14, 15: “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Chew on that for a couple minutes. Dangerous ground to be on.
Notice how I transitioned from talking about my unforgiveness to giving a lesson on unforgiveness? Let’s swing back. I’ve learned that in order to forgive someone, you need to give up two things: 1) the hope that the other person will understand the hurt and pain they put you through, and 2) the hope that the other person will one day pay for what they did.
I’m not gonna lie to you. I still hold onto those hopes sometimes. Instead of hoping in these two stupid things, I really need to put my hope in Jesus. I know that. I’ve been a Christian for a long time, and my hope is not in Jesus nearly as much as it should be. I haven’t arrived. I haven’t reached perfection. I’m terribly flawed. But at least I know I’m learning.
I’m gonna leave you with something that Paul said in my favourite book of the Bible:
“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus made me his own. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14)
Honestly, there’s no easy way to write this post. I haven’t been procrastinating because I can’t think of or decide on the most difficult thing I’ve had to forgive. I’ve been procrastinating because I know precisely what it is, and I’m not totally done the process of forgiveness.
Many people would say the process started about 3 years ago, but that’s not where I’m going to begin. It really only started when I was at Capernwray. The reason people would say it started 3 years ago is because that’s when it happened. I got hurt. Someone hurt me. Someone that I was really close to. In fact, I don’t think they’ll ever fully understand how they hurt me, but they did. Actually, I shouldn’t be pinning it all on them; we equally hurt each other, I believe. But that’s not the point. There’s no reason to divulge what the situation was, or who the situation involved, because that’s not the point either. The point is: we both screwed up, and we both ended up getting hurt somehow.
The reason I believe this process only started when I was at Capernwray was because that’s when it finally hit me how incredibly stupid I was being and how stubborn I was. Have you ever heard the quote “Unforgiveness is like you drinking the poison and expecting the other person to die”? That’s how I was being stupid. I was the one that drank the poison.
Anyway, at Capernwray, in March, we had a week of classes about love and relationships. One of those days, the people giving the lectures taught us all about forgiveness. Man, I had never heard forgiveness explained so clearly in my life! We as Christians are experts at forgiving people intellectually (as in, in our heads). And that’s what I did. I forgave with my mind, but I put up a barbed wire fence around my heart so that no one could get in to see that I had actually not forgiven. (And honestly, I think that that’s where a lot of my insecurities, fears, and trust issues arise from, but that’s a whole other dog-and-pony show.) I, for one, along with other Christians, suck at actually forgiving people in our hearts. And it makes sense. Forgiveness is hard.
When you think about it, it actually takes trust in that person in order to forgive them. You’re trusting that they won’t hurt you again, even if you know that they probably will.
Unforgiveness also puts us in a rather dangerous place. If that person’s asked for forgiveness from God, God has granted his forgiveness, but if we are still too stubborn to forgive them, that essentially means that we think our standards are higher than God’s. Do you seriously think your standards are higher than God’s? It also says in Matthew 6:14, 15: “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Chew on that for a couple minutes. Dangerous ground to be on.
Notice how I transitioned from talking about my unforgiveness to giving a lesson on unforgiveness? Let’s swing back. I’ve learned that in order to forgive someone, you need to give up two things: 1) the hope that the other person will understand the hurt and pain they put you through, and 2) the hope that the other person will one day pay for what they did.
I’m not gonna lie to you. I still hold onto those hopes sometimes. Instead of hoping in these two stupid things, I really need to put my hope in Jesus. I know that. I’ve been a Christian for a long time, and my hope is not in Jesus nearly as much as it should be. I haven’t arrived. I haven’t reached perfection. I’m terribly flawed. But at least I know I’m learning.
I’m gonna leave you with something that Paul said in my favourite book of the Bible:
“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus made me his own. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14)
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Crowns
I don’t even know how to begin this post or even where to start in my train of thought, so please bear with me.
One of the stupid things about growing up in a Christian community and hearing about God all the time is that you never really learn anything new about God or being a Christian. The other stupid thing is that you constantly forget everything you already learned about God or being a Christian. And it turns out that almost 100% of the lessons God gives you are lessons that He’s given you over and over and over again.
I was, once again, reminded this week of a lesson God impressed upon me almost two years ago. It was the lesson behind We Fall Down & All In-Betweens. We Fall Down still is one of my favourite worship songs, ever. I honestly don’t even really know where this train of thought is going, because it’s kind of late and my mind is pretty jumbled right now due to a decent amount of coffee and copious amounts of unnecessary stress.
In that post two years ago, I shared an insight that I had about the lyrics of that song. I shared about what I thought it meant to “lay our crowns at the feet of Jesus”. This past Sunday, this song was included among the songs we sang for worship at the church service and I was struck by those lyrics again. And it got me thinking… what crowns have I laid down at the feet of Jesus? What crowns am I afraid to lay down?
As I mentioned before, a crown is a symbol of royalty. Of superiority. A symbol of pride. And that’s exactly what I need to lay down at the feet of Jesus; my pride. I am an incredibly proud person. It bothers me sometimes. Actually, to be truthful, it doesn’t bother me at all… and that’s what bothers me. (If that makes any sense at all.) Pride is toxic, it can permeate everything you do. I’m actually concerned that my pride is starting to shine brighter than Jesus in me. I am the very person I hate. I seem to be quite passionate about not judging other people or other Christians and witnessing using love as opposed to doctrine. But the truth is, I’m the worst judge of people. I judge people who judge people. How messed up is that? I’m so eager to point out the speck in somebody else’s eye, but I don’t even deal with the plank in my own. I’ve always known it’s there, but I’ve always refused to acknowledge it.
I’m too proud to forgive (which you’ll find out in a later post I’m sure, once I get the courage up to actually share with you about that). And that’s dangerous. I’m too proud to own up to the mistakes I’ve made.
Please don’t even take this post as a sudden burst of humility. I’m the farthest thing from humble. I’m not even close to where I should to be in terms of being humble. Humility is honestly something I wish I had, but I don’t. I’m a proud person. This isn’t humility, this is a confession.
Now I challenge you: take a look at your life. Acknowledge the crowns you’ve refused to let go of, the crowns that you are grasping tighter than you’re grasping Christ, and the crowns you just simply are too scared to lay down at the feet of Jesus. Pride is only one of the many crowns that I need to lay down. What are yours?
One of the stupid things about growing up in a Christian community and hearing about God all the time is that you never really learn anything new about God or being a Christian. The other stupid thing is that you constantly forget everything you already learned about God or being a Christian. And it turns out that almost 100% of the lessons God gives you are lessons that He’s given you over and over and over again.
I was, once again, reminded this week of a lesson God impressed upon me almost two years ago. It was the lesson behind We Fall Down & All In-Betweens. We Fall Down still is one of my favourite worship songs, ever. I honestly don’t even really know where this train of thought is going, because it’s kind of late and my mind is pretty jumbled right now due to a decent amount of coffee and copious amounts of unnecessary stress.
In that post two years ago, I shared an insight that I had about the lyrics of that song. I shared about what I thought it meant to “lay our crowns at the feet of Jesus”. This past Sunday, this song was included among the songs we sang for worship at the church service and I was struck by those lyrics again. And it got me thinking… what crowns have I laid down at the feet of Jesus? What crowns am I afraid to lay down?
As I mentioned before, a crown is a symbol of royalty. Of superiority. A symbol of pride. And that’s exactly what I need to lay down at the feet of Jesus; my pride. I am an incredibly proud person. It bothers me sometimes. Actually, to be truthful, it doesn’t bother me at all… and that’s what bothers me. (If that makes any sense at all.) Pride is toxic, it can permeate everything you do. I’m actually concerned that my pride is starting to shine brighter than Jesus in me. I am the very person I hate. I seem to be quite passionate about not judging other people or other Christians and witnessing using love as opposed to doctrine. But the truth is, I’m the worst judge of people. I judge people who judge people. How messed up is that? I’m so eager to point out the speck in somebody else’s eye, but I don’t even deal with the plank in my own. I’ve always known it’s there, but I’ve always refused to acknowledge it.
I’m too proud to forgive (which you’ll find out in a later post I’m sure, once I get the courage up to actually share with you about that). And that’s dangerous. I’m too proud to own up to the mistakes I’ve made.
Please don’t even take this post as a sudden burst of humility. I’m the farthest thing from humble. I’m not even close to where I should to be in terms of being humble. Humility is honestly something I wish I had, but I don’t. I’m a proud person. This isn’t humility, this is a confession.
Now I challenge you: take a look at your life. Acknowledge the crowns you’ve refused to let go of, the crowns that you are grasping tighter than you’re grasping Christ, and the crowns you just simply are too scared to lay down at the feet of Jesus. Pride is only one of the many crowns that I need to lay down. What are yours?
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Taste Some Jams
So I follow this YouTuber. His name is Mitchell Davis. He has a segment on his channel called "Taste Some Jams". Basically, it's where he shows us some music that he's been listening to and really enjoying lately. I kinda thought it would be fun to do a "Taste Some Jams" things every once and a while because I really enjoy all kinds of music and thought that I'd share some music I've been enjoying a lot lately. (For the record, Mitchell Davis is incredibly hipster and half the music he posts I've never heard of in my life. You've probably heard of most of the stuff I'm gonna post.)
Album: +
Artist: Ed Sheeran
Genre: Singer/Songwriter
Don't mean to sound hipster or anything, but I discovered this dude before his duet with Taylor Swift that seemed to launch his fame. This is among my favourite albums probably ever. He has the voice of the angel and plus, he's a ginger and that adds some bonus points with me. I love that all his songs have a story behind them, a real meaning, which is a breath of fresh air from the total crap that's been famous lately. My favourite song on the album would probably have to be "Drunk". I know, I know... but it's totally catchy! Love this guy!
Album: The 20/20 Experience
Artist: Justin Timberlake
Genre: R&B/Hip-Hop
I have a special soft spot for JT. I don't normally like this kind of music, but I absolutely love JT. He makes extremely catchy music, he's a really good actor as well, and he's really pretty. I like that his music has lots of orchestral stuff added to it, which makes it different than other popular music. Honestly, when I found out that JT was making another album after about seven years of focusing on his acting and other stuff, I screamed. Like, literally. SCREAMED. I was beyond excited. The vote for my favourite song on the album is tied between two: "Mirrors" and "Spaceship Coupe". Both songs are incredibly catchy and even though Mirrors is played on the radio a lot, I could never get tired of it.
Album: Enjoy Yourself
Artist: Billy Currington
Genre: Country
This particular album is about three years old already, but it's an album that is constantly on repeat in my car. The reason I love Billy Currington so much (especially this album) is because his music life motto is "just relax and enjoy yourself". Caution: this album will make you wanna lounge in the sun, drink a couple ice cold beers, and fish. (Even if you don't like fishing... or beer.) My favourite song on this album is "Bad Day of Fishin'". Incredibly catchy song.
Album: One Cell in the Sea
Artist: A Fine Frenzy
Genre: Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative
This album is from 2008, but it's my favourite from A Fine Frenzy. She's got such a unique voice, I love it so much. Some would define her music as pretty weird, but it's weirdly awesome. My favourite song off the album is "The Minnow & the Trout". It's essentially a love song between two people that are really different, but their love for each other make them not-so-different. If you're into singer/songwriters who write interesting songs, you won't be disappointed with A Fine Frenzy. P.S. "Whisper" is really good as well! So pretty.
Album: My Head is an Animal
Artist: Of Monsters and Men
Genre: Alternative, Rock
Apparently OMaM are more popular than I thought because I'm encountering more and more people that know about them. Their music is really catchy (notice a theme here, I like catchy music). Both the male voice and female voice are quite unique and both very pretty. My favourite song on the album is "Love Love Love", with "King and the Lionheart" as a close second. I love the song "Love Love Love" because I can very much relate to the lyrics, which is an important thing when it comes to music, for me. Catchy melody and relatable lyrics.
Album: Pioneer
Artist: The Band Perry
Genre: Country
The Band Perry is definitely in my top 5 favourite country artists. I was totally in love with their self-titled debut album, and once again, I'm totally in love with their second. Their lyrics are relatable and their music is awesome. The Perry family is good at what they do! My favourite song on this album is "Don't Let Me Be Lonely". I simply love this song because the lyrics speak to me in a way that not a lot of other songs do. When you're young, you can fly. But we trip on clouds 'cause we get too high. Then we grow up and it's gone. The lyrics are relatable to the stage of life I'm in right now.
So there it is. The first edition of "Taste Some Jams". Check some of this music out.
Album: +
Artist: Ed SheeranGenre: Singer/Songwriter
Don't mean to sound hipster or anything, but I discovered this dude before his duet with Taylor Swift that seemed to launch his fame. This is among my favourite albums probably ever. He has the voice of the angel and plus, he's a ginger and that adds some bonus points with me. I love that all his songs have a story behind them, a real meaning, which is a breath of fresh air from the total crap that's been famous lately. My favourite song on the album would probably have to be "Drunk". I know, I know... but it's totally catchy! Love this guy!
Album: The 20/20 Experience
Artist: Justin Timberlake Genre: R&B/Hip-Hop
I have a special soft spot for JT. I don't normally like this kind of music, but I absolutely love JT. He makes extremely catchy music, he's a really good actor as well, and he's really pretty. I like that his music has lots of orchestral stuff added to it, which makes it different than other popular music. Honestly, when I found out that JT was making another album after about seven years of focusing on his acting and other stuff, I screamed. Like, literally. SCREAMED. I was beyond excited. The vote for my favourite song on the album is tied between two: "Mirrors" and "Spaceship Coupe". Both songs are incredibly catchy and even though Mirrors is played on the radio a lot, I could never get tired of it.
Album: Enjoy YourselfArtist: Billy Currington
Genre: Country
This particular album is about three years old already, but it's an album that is constantly on repeat in my car. The reason I love Billy Currington so much (especially this album) is because his music life motto is "just relax and enjoy yourself". Caution: this album will make you wanna lounge in the sun, drink a couple ice cold beers, and fish. (Even if you don't like fishing... or beer.) My favourite song on this album is "Bad Day of Fishin'". Incredibly catchy song.
Album: One Cell in the Sea
Artist: A Fine FrenzyGenre: Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative
This album is from 2008, but it's my favourite from A Fine Frenzy. She's got such a unique voice, I love it so much. Some would define her music as pretty weird, but it's weirdly awesome. My favourite song off the album is "The Minnow & the Trout". It's essentially a love song between two people that are really different, but their love for each other make them not-so-different. If you're into singer/songwriters who write interesting songs, you won't be disappointed with A Fine Frenzy. P.S. "Whisper" is really good as well! So pretty.
Album: My Head is an Animal
Artist: Of Monsters and Men
Genre: Alternative, RockApparently OMaM are more popular than I thought because I'm encountering more and more people that know about them. Their music is really catchy (notice a theme here, I like catchy music). Both the male voice and female voice are quite unique and both very pretty. My favourite song on the album is "Love Love Love", with "King and the Lionheart" as a close second. I love the song "Love Love Love" because I can very much relate to the lyrics, which is an important thing when it comes to music, for me. Catchy melody and relatable lyrics.
Album: Pioneer
Artist: The Band Perry
Genre: CountryThe Band Perry is definitely in my top 5 favourite country artists. I was totally in love with their self-titled debut album, and once again, I'm totally in love with their second. Their lyrics are relatable and their music is awesome. The Perry family is good at what they do! My favourite song on this album is "Don't Let Me Be Lonely". I simply love this song because the lyrics speak to me in a way that not a lot of other songs do. When you're young, you can fly. But we trip on clouds 'cause we get too high. Then we grow up and it's gone. The lyrics are relatable to the stage of life I'm in right now.
So there it is. The first edition of "Taste Some Jams". Check some of this music out.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
"Oh, You're a Christian?"
I follow this blog called "Stuff Christians Like". The writer's name is Jon Acuff. His postings are a good mixture of funny things and serious things. This is what he posted today. And I just had to share it. Made me think.
A few months ago, I had a conversation with a woman on a plane.
Thirty minutes into our talk, I mentioned something about faith.
Taken aback, she said, “Oh, you’re a Christian?”
I said, “Yes, why?”
Her response surprised me.
She said, “You don’t seem judgmental enough to be a Christian.”
My hope is that our generation will be the one that rewires that.
My hope is that our generation will be the one that encourages people who don’t know Jesus to say,
“Oh, you’re a Christian?”
“That makes sense. You seemed really gracious.”
“You seemed like you understood how much you’ve been forgiven.”
“You seemed like you know what it means to be given a second and a third and a thousandth chance.”
Someday on a plane, I hope that’s what I hear about our faith.
What do you think?
#17: I Wish I Was Great At...
#17: What is the thing you most wish you were great at?
There definitely are many things I wish I were great at. In fact, I can't even narrow it down to one. So here's a few...
1) I wish I was great at communicating with people. I have a stutter. I get nervous. And I hate confrontation. (Even with people I feel comfortable around... it's a problem.)
2) I wish I didn't have stage fright. Because if I didn't have stage fright, I would love to act in plays. It's a weird kind of dream, that I don't share with many people. I've almost convinced myself to take a minor in Theatre in university. (Like that's ever going to happen...)
3) I wish I was great at painting. I can paint a room, I can paint a fence, and I can stain furniture... but I can't artistically paint something. Believe me, I've tried. I can't even do abstract art. That's how much I suck. The best I can do is a Jackson Pollock type painting... but who can't do that??
There it is... things I wish I was great at.
There definitely are many things I wish I were great at. In fact, I can't even narrow it down to one. So here's a few...
1) I wish I was great at communicating with people. I have a stutter. I get nervous. And I hate confrontation. (Even with people I feel comfortable around... it's a problem.)
2) I wish I didn't have stage fright. Because if I didn't have stage fright, I would love to act in plays. It's a weird kind of dream, that I don't share with many people. I've almost convinced myself to take a minor in Theatre in university. (Like that's ever going to happen...)
3) I wish I was great at painting. I can paint a room, I can paint a fence, and I can stain furniture... but I can't artistically paint something. Believe me, I've tried. I can't even do abstract art. That's how much I suck. The best I can do is a Jackson Pollock type painting... but who can't do that??
There it is... things I wish I was great at.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
#16: Greatest Accomplishments
#16: What are your 5 greatest accomplishments?
Golly, what have I accomplished in my life at all? Well, let's see... Honestly, as I'm typing this right now, I don't even have 5 in mind yet.
1) Graduating from high school
- Yes! I think this is an accomplishment. I know some people that haven't been able to accomplish this, therefore this is an accomplishment for me. I even managed to graduate with a laureate, a merit, and an honours in biology. (Which surprised me a little.)
2) Getting good grades throughout my life
- Now, I'm not gonna lie, I'm definitely not a straight-A student. But I always got a few A's, a lot of B's, and a few unfortunate D's. I think those are pretty good grades. (Let's see what university does to this track record...)
3) Saving up enough money to go on a school trip to Europe
- This was quite something. It wasn't that I actually saved it up, but I made monthly payments, which is still really hard to do when you only work part time and you're in high school. It was the best trip ever, made lots of close friends, and it was the funnest week and a half of my life.
4) Being a camp counselor
- Whew! Is this ever an accomplishment! Last summer I was a camp counselor at Cedarwood and it was, hands down, the best summer I've had in my life. It was challenging and incredibly stretching. I got to share Jesus with teens who didn't really know much about Him at all. It brought me out of my comfort zone more than I've ever been. I also got to do worship sometimes in the evenings, which also brought me out of my comfort zone a lot, but I very much enjoyed doing it.
5) Getting baptized
- Okay... this actually hasn't happened yet, but it will be happening in 3 days! I've wanted to get baptized since I was in grade 7. But being an immature Christian, I didn't really understand what baptism was or why a person gets baptized. Until after Capernwray actually, I thought that you had to have all your crap together in order to get baptized. But I realized that if I waited for myself to have all my crap together before getting baptized, I would never get baptized.
So there. I came up with that all on the spot! That's an accomplishment in and of itself!
Golly, what have I accomplished in my life at all? Well, let's see... Honestly, as I'm typing this right now, I don't even have 5 in mind yet.
1) Graduating from high school
- Yes! I think this is an accomplishment. I know some people that haven't been able to accomplish this, therefore this is an accomplishment for me. I even managed to graduate with a laureate, a merit, and an honours in biology. (Which surprised me a little.)
2) Getting good grades throughout my life
- Now, I'm not gonna lie, I'm definitely not a straight-A student. But I always got a few A's, a lot of B's, and a few unfortunate D's. I think those are pretty good grades. (Let's see what university does to this track record...)
3) Saving up enough money to go on a school trip to Europe
- This was quite something. It wasn't that I actually saved it up, but I made monthly payments, which is still really hard to do when you only work part time and you're in high school. It was the best trip ever, made lots of close friends, and it was the funnest week and a half of my life.
4) Being a camp counselor
- Whew! Is this ever an accomplishment! Last summer I was a camp counselor at Cedarwood and it was, hands down, the best summer I've had in my life. It was challenging and incredibly stretching. I got to share Jesus with teens who didn't really know much about Him at all. It brought me out of my comfort zone more than I've ever been. I also got to do worship sometimes in the evenings, which also brought me out of my comfort zone a lot, but I very much enjoyed doing it.
5) Getting baptized
- Okay... this actually hasn't happened yet, but it will be happening in 3 days! I've wanted to get baptized since I was in grade 7. But being an immature Christian, I didn't really understand what baptism was or why a person gets baptized. Until after Capernwray actually, I thought that you had to have all your crap together in order to get baptized. But I realized that if I waited for myself to have all my crap together before getting baptized, I would never get baptized.
So there. I came up with that all on the spot! That's an accomplishment in and of itself!
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
#15: If I Were An Animal
#15: If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
I really, truly despise this question. Mainly because I think it's stupid. Like why would I want to be an animal? Am I allowed to say 'human' or is that Christian-ly incorrect because we don't believe that humans are animals? I've thought about this question a bit in the last few days, trying to think of any animal that I would feel comfortable putting down here, but I just couldn't. So I'll share a story little totally-related blurb...
One of my co-workers at Smitty's asked this question to our boss once. His response was this (and I'm not lying): "I'd be a cow in India. 'Cause I'd be the safest son of a censored in town." A little bit racist (or religion-ist?), but still a little funny. You have to chuckle just a bit.
And that's that.
I really, truly despise this question. Mainly because I think it's stupid. Like why would I want to be an animal? Am I allowed to say 'human' or is that Christian-ly incorrect because we don't believe that humans are animals? I've thought about this question a bit in the last few days, trying to think of any animal that I would feel comfortable putting down here, but I just couldn't. So I'll share a story little totally-related blurb...
One of my co-workers at Smitty's asked this question to our boss once. His response was this (and I'm not lying): "I'd be a cow in India. 'Cause I'd be the safest son of a censored in town." A little bit racist (or religion-ist?), but still a little funny. You have to chuckle just a bit.
And that's that.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
What's New
Life has changed, once again. I feel like this happened a lot. I don't really mind it all that much, change is good. I finally get to attend my home church regularly again, which hasn't happened in about two years. I'm getting baptized actually. Finally, right?
I'm once again living in my parent's basement. (Although, it's only temporary. I'm moving to Winnipeg in less than three months time.) I got a job. I work at a place called Lilac Resort. It's like a waterpark/campground type thing. Anyway, I work in the concession stand. I take people's orders and make milkshakes and stuff like that. It's actually quite different than what I'm used to in a job. I'm still trying to get the hang of it and honestly, I don't think I'm doing a very good job at it. But thankfully, it's only a job for the summer.
I haven't been doing much in my spare time lately. Yesterday I went to Winnipeg to go shopping and see a movie. I'm not like other girls. When I go shopping, I don't come home with clothes most of the time. I come home with books, and sometimes movies. My favourite store to shop at is Chapters, so that tells you a little bit more about me. The movie I saw was Mud. It wasn't a great movie. It was good, but it's not anything that I would tell my friends and family about. But I now have enough Scene points for a free movie, so that's awesome.
Here's some movies I'm looking forward to seeing this year: The Great Gatsby (no, I haven't seen it yet. I wanted to read the book first, that's just who I am.), Man of Steel, Monster University, Despicable Me 2, Catching Fire (if I ever get another to actually reading the books and seeing the first movie), and, of course, The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug! Honestly, the one I'm probably looking forward to the most is the second part of the Hobbit. It's just who I am. I love Tolkien. And Peter Jackson. They are both brilliant.
I'm in the process of reading the Fellowship of the Ring again. (I wanted to re-read the series.) I also just started the Great Gatsby today. I bought it yesterday when I went to the city. It's pretty good so far. I'm not a huge fan of what they call "classics", but everyone apparently needs to read them in their lifetime. So I am. (I'm a fantasy fiction and thriller mystery kind of girl.)
This was a really useless and meaningless post, kind of. But I just felt like I needed to write something today. Probably out of boredom.
I'm once again living in my parent's basement. (Although, it's only temporary. I'm moving to Winnipeg in less than three months time.) I got a job. I work at a place called Lilac Resort. It's like a waterpark/campground type thing. Anyway, I work in the concession stand. I take people's orders and make milkshakes and stuff like that. It's actually quite different than what I'm used to in a job. I'm still trying to get the hang of it and honestly, I don't think I'm doing a very good job at it. But thankfully, it's only a job for the summer.
I haven't been doing much in my spare time lately. Yesterday I went to Winnipeg to go shopping and see a movie. I'm not like other girls. When I go shopping, I don't come home with clothes most of the time. I come home with books, and sometimes movies. My favourite store to shop at is Chapters, so that tells you a little bit more about me. The movie I saw was Mud. It wasn't a great movie. It was good, but it's not anything that I would tell my friends and family about. But I now have enough Scene points for a free movie, so that's awesome.
Here's some movies I'm looking forward to seeing this year: The Great Gatsby (no, I haven't seen it yet. I wanted to read the book first, that's just who I am.), Man of Steel, Monster University, Despicable Me 2, Catching Fire (if I ever get another to actually reading the books and seeing the first movie), and, of course, The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug! Honestly, the one I'm probably looking forward to the most is the second part of the Hobbit. It's just who I am. I love Tolkien. And Peter Jackson. They are both brilliant.
I'm in the process of reading the Fellowship of the Ring again. (I wanted to re-read the series.) I also just started the Great Gatsby today. I bought it yesterday when I went to the city. It's pretty good so far. I'm not a huge fan of what they call "classics", but everyone apparently needs to read them in their lifetime. So I am. (I'm a fantasy fiction and thriller mystery kind of girl.)
This was a really useless and meaningless post, kind of. But I just felt like I needed to write something today. Probably out of boredom.
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