I Finally Gave In -- I Bought a Day Planner!

Life = Busy.

Summer = Busier than expected.

Going away for a weekend = Technically only one weekend available.

Praise Team = Time consuming, but a blast.

Work = Crazy.

School = An extra "thing" to do.

Friends = Always a blessing and relaxing, too!

God = Sustains through it all. He is GOOD.



Today I finally bought a day planner. I was trying to hold out, but I was concerned I would forget something important for work because my responsibilities grow by the day. I was also concerned I would mess up a commitment to spend time with a friend, and that would be even worse.

You know, it's so easy to get busy with being busy and I find letting time go with God happens. But I've been challenged to really try hard to seek God out. He never has to try to seek me out -- He is closer to me than my thoughts are to me. I'm the one that walks away, yet if I turn around I only have to take one step and He and I are connected again. Even if I decide to take 100 steps from Him, all I have to do is take one step back and He is there. How gracious of Him. How loving of Him. He truly is GOOD.

Then He blesses me with so much. If I take the time to seek Him out, He'll show me how He is working in my busy life. He'll show me why I'm doing what I'm doing, why I'm working with the people I am, why I'm spending time with the people I am, how He is providing for me. I just have to be willing. He will teach if I am willing to be taught. How important.


Work is going well. This is my third week of work. I have been blessed with more responsibility at the Red Cross than my previous summer there, which is nice. Last week I traveled across Elgin County and did SEVERAL Water Safety presentations at elementary schools. I think I did about 72 presentations in 4 days. So kids, if you want to know about Water Safety, come to me!

Tips:
-Wear a PFD: Personal Flotation Device (a.k.a. Lifejacket)
-Have an adult, lifeguard, or buddy with you at all times when in or near water.

There's so much more, but I'll stop there.

I'm going to be responsible for the Safety Services programs at the Branch this summer for various reasons -- should be interesting and boring, I'm sure. There's always something going on and there are many programs I help out with -- overall, a great experience!


I'm a member of the Praise Team at my church for the summer and that's been a great opportunity to sing in a group again, have some awesome fellowship with close friends, and most of all -- to worship. Although it is a significant time commitment, it's a highlight of my week.

My online course, Law in Society, is going okay. I'm behind in reading, which isn't ideal. I do what I have to, but that's about it. It's just hard to keep up with it, yet, a nice break from home life. Weird, I know.

Tonight, as I have scheduled everything into my day planner, I was trying to figure out what weekends I have available. I was talking to my housemate Tricia because we want to hang out, but I realized I technically only have one weekend free until September. Wow. (Amanda, if you happen to read this, the weekend I have free is your birthday). But, there are some things I could get out of, but only on two more weekends. 1 + 2 = 3! ha ha!

Friends. I haven't had the time to spend with friends this summer as I had originally hoped/planned. Usually that would literally depress me, but I'm okay with it. The friends I do see or talk to here or there are a great encouragement -- thanks! And those friends I haven't talked to (in what feels like FOREVER) I love and miss you all. I continue to thank my God for you.

God. Thank you, Father, for providing for me. Thank You for sustaining me. Thank You for making all things beautiful in Your time. Thank You for Your grace.

Happy 20th Birthday, Becca!

I'm in beautiful Haliburton for Miss Becca's birthday! It's gorgeous here, despite the rain.

People from Haliburton are loopy... you should see what they've named their streets as! But we still love them, despite their loopiness!

More to come later...

How Sad Are We?

Well, I am sitting in the library on campus in May with Nathan right beside me. How sad are we? We didn't know what to do, so we decided to come and check our email, see if any of our friends had written any new blogs (thanks for giving us something to look at, Alex), and talk to each other on MSN even though we're sitting directly beside each other. Oh Guelph. It's so different here. Nate is currently very interested in looking up his DE courses for this summer; his excitement sometimes scares me ;) He just grabbed my arm and said, "I can't wait for this course!" and he had a big smile on his face. A warning to Lauren: he has four essays to write for his Religion course and he just said, "That's where Lauren comes in." ha ha, thanks for coming to Guelph to hang out with me, Nate!

I spent last night in Waterloo with the girls --Heather, Jill, and Mychal-Ann. Thanks for such a hilarious night, ladies. You girls are fantastic!

***Must edit in: I also had a great conversation with Katie and Alex. They were in the Soo playing pool. Katie did super well, even while talking to me on the cell phone! Way to go!***

Well, I better be going... off to babysitting I go...

Our Greatest Fear

“Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us. It is not just in some; it is in everyone. And, as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

-Nelson Mandela, 1994 Inaugural Speech

My best friend and I went out tonight and we saw the movie Akeelah and the Bee. I enjoyed the movie very much because I am a sucker for inspirational films that encourage individuals to believe that anything is possible. There is something special about watching someone overcome obstacles and challenges presented before them with courage and with love. L-O-V-E.

The quote above struck a cord with me. I do believe it to be truthful, at least, in regards to how I have felt. For me, it has always been easier to claim inadequacy, than to claim the gifts God has given me. I have said to myself one too many times, "Who am I to believe in me, as it only makes me arrogant". What I have come to realize is my own arrogance for thinking that way. I have been fearful of what others may think of me if they see confidence in me. I believe I am also fearful of claiming my “light” because if I do and I fail or it does not turn out the way I envisioned, I will be less, when in fact I will be more for having had that experience. I realize if I do slip into the darkness or complacency, I am not doing as I am called to do – to serve my Lord and to serve others. By slipping or accepting defeat before even trying, I am automatically missing out on beautiful blessings. God has taught me so many times that He is faithful and trustworthy. He has taught me that although I may fall, there is a reason and He will pick me up again and I will learn something from that experience. I have learned that if I try, it could encourage others to try. Who am I to try to pick and chose my battles and experiences? God is in control, and He will make the situation what it ought to be. I am a child of God and I have to be aware of my light to truly live and be effective for Him. YOU are a child of God and YOU need to be aware of YOUR light to truly live and be effective for Him.

"'You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.'"

-Matthew 5:14-16

Ode to Friends

As I reflect on each blessing God has given to me, I have found myself overwhelmed at each gift of a friend He has placed in my life. I cannot even begin to articulate how blessed I am or how blessed I feel. My prayer as a little girl each day was to have friends because as a child, living in Toronto from the age of five to eleven, I felt very much alone. I was the girl the other kids laughed at. I was the girl who walked around the school yard by herself at recess. I was sad and I was lonely.

As a pre-teen, I found friends. I learned what it was like to be in the popular crowd. It was fun to be included, but it came with pressures, and I slowly realized I did not have a place in that crowd. But what a blessing that time was. I learned so many valuable lessons and I am thankful for the people that were in my life at that time.

Just before I reached the age of thirteen, I really struggled with life. Putting it lightly, I was depressed and hurting myself. But the Lord put amazing friends – true friends – in my life. I have never been the same.

I value my friends because I know what it is like to have no one. I value my friends because each one is amazing. I value my friends because I know they are real. I value my friends because they trust me and allow me to love them. I value my friends because God has shown me what a joy, gift, and blessing each one is.

My best friend’s dad told me this weekend that it is rare to have as many close friends as I do. I am still close with my friends from high school and church, while living away from home and developing new close friendships with people from university. There have certainly been difficult times, but I would not trade those times for anything.

To my Aylmer friends: Thank you for your love over the years. Thank you for fantastic memories and the new special moments we still create together. Thank you for sharing with me. Thank you for welcoming me home. Thank you for being open and sharing with me the areas of your lives that have changed. Thank you for accepting and embracing the parts of me that have changed. We have always been a special group.

To my Guelph friends (including my very dear Haliburton friend): Thank you for the past (almost) two years. Thank you for your love and support. Thank you for challenging me. Thank you for being real with me. Thank you for listening and for walking along-side of me as I figure out where God is taking me. Thank you for sharing with me and for your trust. Thank you for your constant encouragement.

To my “random” friends: Thank you. You have taught me so much and you are such a blessing. I am thankful for you and I love you.

All of my friends are amazing. Thank you. Above all thank You, Lord, for being the best friend anyone could ever have.

Happy Easter!

Today was Easter Sunday. What a beautiful day to praise God for giving us His ONLY Son!!!! Today was also special because I took part in Believer's Baptism in Lake Erie early this morning. I wrote out a bit of a testimony for my Baptism, although I just used it as a guide and didn't say all of this stuff and there is so much more to this life of mine. But for those of you who are interested, here it is:


When I was confirmed about six years ago, I had the opportunity to publicly declare my belief in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. But the first time I began to understand the concept of having a personal relationship with God was when I was 8 years old at a Billy Graham Crusade in Toronto and I asked Jesus into my heart. Thankfully I have always been aware of God. Although I did not always realize, I was truly blessed to have been raised by Godly parents who shared with me the love, grace, and forgiveness that is offered to me by God through Jesus Christ, and the importance of following the Holy Spirit’s direction in my daily life.

As a teenager, God blessed with me amazing friends to help me grow as a person, pick me up when I fell, and challenge me in my walk. I made a lot of mistakes, but looking back on those experiences I have learned three things: the power of God’s grace, the blessings He is continually granting to me, and how to use the experiences I have faced to encourage and help others. All three things continue to give me an overwhelming joy.

When I moved to Guelph two years ago to start University, my life really started to change. I knew that I had to make the decision to seek out a church, which was a scary thing to do because my church had always been chosen for me. I knew I had to get involved in a campus ministry to make solid friends. I also knew I had to seek God out daily in order to survive the world of residence and found so much strength in just trusting He would provide for me. God was faithful and always met me where I was – and He continues to. He has blessed me with incredible friends who constantly challenge me and encourage me. He has blessed me with leadership opportunities within a campus ministry called Campus for Christ. And He has blessed me with a church where I feel at home in.

Although I have been stretched in new ways, over this semester, I noticed I became complacent in my daily walk with God. I became very good at hearing His voice and tucking it away, instead of truly listening to Him and following. A few weeks ago, I really encountered God through some amazing worship and prayer time and He revealed a lot to me and I chose to accept it. By doing so, He brought me to a place where I knew I should seriously consider baptism.

Acts 2 verse 38 says: Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

And Romans 6 verses 1- 5 says: “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.”

That’s exactly what we are celebrating this morning – the gift of new life through Jesus. So, that brings me to right now – the choice to dive in. As Steven Curtis Chapman sings in his song entitled “Dive”:

The long awaited rains
Have fallen hard upon the thirsty ground
And carved their way to where
The wild and rushing river can be found
And like the rains
I have been carried here to where the river flows
My heart is racing and my knees are weak
As I walk to the edge
I know there is no turning back
Once my feet have left the ledge
And in the rush I hear a voice
That’s telling me it’s time to take the leap of faith
So here I go

I’m diving in
I’m going deep in over my head
I want to be caught in the rush,
Lost in the flow,
In over my head I want to go
The river’s deep,
The river’s wide
The river’s water is alive
So sink or swim I’m diving in

There is a supernatural power
In this mighty river’s flow
It can bring the dead to life
And it can fill an empty soul
And give a heart the only thing
Worth living and worth dying for
But we will never know the awesome power
Of the grace of God
Until we let ourselves get swept away
Into this holy flood
So if you’ll take my hand
We’ll close our eyes and count to three
And take the leap of faith
Come on let’s go

I've Fallen into the Trap

I've officially fallen into the trap of blogging.