hey peeps..just saw this article this am on msn news...
interesting..
http://healthandfitness.sympatico.msn.ca/News/ContentPosting.aspx?newsitemid=29717022&feedname=CP-HEALTH&show=True&number=3&showbyline=False&subtitle=&detect=&abc=abc
this is where we're headed peeps.. :)
anybody excited yet?!?
Friday, July 21, 2006
Monday, July 17, 2006
dang..
so read this in my morning quotemeal...shoot the dog, man..sheesh..
lemme be more like a flower or what?!?!
Forgiveness is the fragrance that a flower leaves upon the heel
that crushes it.
-- Author Unknown
lemme be more like a flower or what?!?!
Forgiveness is the fragrance that a flower leaves upon the heel
that crushes it.
-- Author Unknown
good old crazy john..
Mark 1 (The Message)
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson
John the Baptizer
1-3The good news of Jesus Christ—the Message!—begins here, following to the letter the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Watch closely: I'm sending my preacher ahead of you; He'll make the road smooth for you. Thunder in the desert! Prepare for God's arrival! Make the road smooth and straight!
4-6John the Baptizer appeared in the wild, preaching a baptism of life-change that leads to forgiveness of sins. People thronged to him from Judea and Jerusalem and, as they confessed their sins, were baptized by him in the Jordan River into a changed life. John wore a camel-hair habit, tied at the waist with a leather belt. He ate locusts and wild field honey.
7-8As he preached he said, "The real action comes next: The star in this drama, to whom I'm a mere stagehand, will change your life. I'm baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. His baptism—a holy baptism by the Holy Spirit—will change you from the inside out."
9-11At this time, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. The moment he came out of the water, he saw the sky split open and God's Spirit, looking like a dove, come down on him. Along with the Spirit, a voice: "You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life."
so ya..this is what i read this am.. and i stopped at it..didn't read past.. wondering how this fits in with where we are going/what we are doing..
the only things i sensed, which i think were good for me was, this:
Thunder in the desert! Prepare for God's arrival! Make the road smooth and straight!
i dunno..for me, it says a few things.. where we have been, in the desert, for some of us, and perhaps in more ways than we know we are going to another desert, a desolate land where there are many thirsting, maybe there the thunder of lord will sound.. here, as we go forth, and there as we prepare the way of the lord.
the "make the road smooth and straight" part - as we follow after him, he will lead us. as we obey, as we listen, as we pray, as we follow..
and who john was... John wore a camel-hair habit, tied at the waist with a leather belt. He ate locusts and wild field honey. DANG - he was strange.. he was so different - people loved it. people will love that we are different for a reason.. be who HE has called you to be.. here in estevan, there in burnaby.. dont conform..
i'm excited. for the preparation ahead..for the thunder..for the road.. where you at?
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson
John the Baptizer
1-3The good news of Jesus Christ—the Message!—begins here, following to the letter the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Watch closely: I'm sending my preacher ahead of you; He'll make the road smooth for you. Thunder in the desert! Prepare for God's arrival! Make the road smooth and straight!
4-6John the Baptizer appeared in the wild, preaching a baptism of life-change that leads to forgiveness of sins. People thronged to him from Judea and Jerusalem and, as they confessed their sins, were baptized by him in the Jordan River into a changed life. John wore a camel-hair habit, tied at the waist with a leather belt. He ate locusts and wild field honey.
7-8As he preached he said, "The real action comes next: The star in this drama, to whom I'm a mere stagehand, will change your life. I'm baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. His baptism—a holy baptism by the Holy Spirit—will change you from the inside out."
9-11At this time, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. The moment he came out of the water, he saw the sky split open and God's Spirit, looking like a dove, come down on him. Along with the Spirit, a voice: "You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life."
so ya..this is what i read this am.. and i stopped at it..didn't read past.. wondering how this fits in with where we are going/what we are doing..
the only things i sensed, which i think were good for me was, this:
Thunder in the desert! Prepare for God's arrival! Make the road smooth and straight!
i dunno..for me, it says a few things.. where we have been, in the desert, for some of us, and perhaps in more ways than we know we are going to another desert, a desolate land where there are many thirsting, maybe there the thunder of lord will sound.. here, as we go forth, and there as we prepare the way of the lord.
the "make the road smooth and straight" part - as we follow after him, he will lead us. as we obey, as we listen, as we pray, as we follow..
and who john was... John wore a camel-hair habit, tied at the waist with a leather belt. He ate locusts and wild field honey. DANG - he was strange.. he was so different - people loved it. people will love that we are different for a reason.. be who HE has called you to be.. here in estevan, there in burnaby.. dont conform..
i'm excited. for the preparation ahead..for the thunder..for the road.. where you at?
Sunday, July 16, 2006
my heart
hey everyone...
wanted to share something that god spoke into my heart tonight at church. darlene and i are attending centre street church in calgary while we're here; it's her family's home church...and also one of canada's biggest and most influential ones. it's a blessing to observe for a time the tremendous gift that their church offers this community...and incredible to sense the work god is doing.
anyway...tonight one of their pastors spoke on the story of jesus healing lazarus. he spoke with a narrative approach...which more or less means he tried to tell a story, and then make/give insight. it was good...and maybe we'll talk about it sometime. but what was cool is that his whole talk centred around the mystery...the uncontainable, uncontrollable, unpredictable nature of jesus...and how He kept/keeps His disciples guessing. at the end the talk, the pastor gave a few moments for silent reflection...challenging us to view some words on the screen, to listen for the holy spirit...to encounter the mystery of christ.
and you know what? i've been pressing for the past couple months to really hear Him; we soooo desperately need to know His voice for what we're doing. so it makes sense that the pastor's challenge would ring true with my heart.
so up come the words on the screen.
and the first page said this...and it echoed in my heart...
...the LORD himself goes before you and will be with you;
he will never leave you nor forsake you.
Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged... [Deut. 31:8]
you guys need to know something. there are some days that i fight fear about what we're dreaming of...but that's not my vice. what i fight daily is my inherent analytical, critical nature that often screens everything negatively. my time in toronto, while filled with unmistakable growth and encounter with jesus, was marked with incredible times of discouragement. and so what i fight most often is not a fear of the future...but discouragement over the past and present realities of my faith, the church, the world, etc.
and that why this verse hit my heart...because god was giving his assurance to his people that they were not to fear the promised land, and they were not be discouraged when obstacles/difficulty/darkness came. and that's what i need...i need his reminder...i need his nearness. he goes before us into burnaby...even now. he promises his immediacy as we try to settle in that city. he will not abandon us there. he will NOT abandon his dream for our nation; it's his spirit that's fanning it into flame in our hearts.
so...let me know what you think...what you hear. be encouraged.
wanted to share something that god spoke into my heart tonight at church. darlene and i are attending centre street church in calgary while we're here; it's her family's home church...and also one of canada's biggest and most influential ones. it's a blessing to observe for a time the tremendous gift that their church offers this community...and incredible to sense the work god is doing.
anyway...tonight one of their pastors spoke on the story of jesus healing lazarus. he spoke with a narrative approach...which more or less means he tried to tell a story, and then make/give insight. it was good...and maybe we'll talk about it sometime. but what was cool is that his whole talk centred around the mystery...the uncontainable, uncontrollable, unpredictable nature of jesus...and how He kept/keeps His disciples guessing. at the end the talk, the pastor gave a few moments for silent reflection...challenging us to view some words on the screen, to listen for the holy spirit...to encounter the mystery of christ.
and you know what? i've been pressing for the past couple months to really hear Him; we soooo desperately need to know His voice for what we're doing. so it makes sense that the pastor's challenge would ring true with my heart.
so up come the words on the screen.
and the first page said this...and it echoed in my heart...
...the LORD himself goes before you and will be with you;
he will never leave you nor forsake you.
Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged... [Deut. 31:8]
you guys need to know something. there are some days that i fight fear about what we're dreaming of...but that's not my vice. what i fight daily is my inherent analytical, critical nature that often screens everything negatively. my time in toronto, while filled with unmistakable growth and encounter with jesus, was marked with incredible times of discouragement. and so what i fight most often is not a fear of the future...but discouragement over the past and present realities of my faith, the church, the world, etc.
and that why this verse hit my heart...because god was giving his assurance to his people that they were not to fear the promised land, and they were not be discouraged when obstacles/difficulty/darkness came. and that's what i need...i need his reminder...i need his nearness. he goes before us into burnaby...even now. he promises his immediacy as we try to settle in that city. he will not abandon us there. he will NOT abandon his dream for our nation; it's his spirit that's fanning it into flame in our hearts.
so...let me know what you think...what you hear. be encouraged.
Saturday, July 15, 2006
i'm in
hey everybody...just got back from camp, and am signin in...
we had a great week. am more and more aware that the hinge of our 'plant' lies in the work of God in our hearts. so this is what i'm pushin for...
blessings to each of ya. look forward to our times together.
we had a great week. am more and more aware that the hinge of our 'plant' lies in the work of God in our hearts. so this is what i'm pushin for...
blessings to each of ya. look forward to our times together.
Friday, July 14, 2006
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
wow that was hard work...
Holy moley... that took so much effort just to get registered... i'm not sure i can handle this blogging stuff... just joking (kinda!)i will write more i promise... right now i need to get some work done though.
Prepare for War
i emailed this to pj after yesterday morning at prayer... and well i guess i can share it with everyone else to.... so here you go:
as we were praying
this morning i was asking God to prepare us all for what's to come in
Burnaby and i was reminded how it says Prepare the warriors in Joel... so i
went there and began to read... i was struck by something just before that
verse...
"Now what have you against me, O Tyre and Sidon and all you regions of
Philistia? Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are
paying me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what
you have done. For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest
treasures to your temples. You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to
the Greeks, that you mihgt send them far away from their homeland.
See, I am going to rouse them out of the places to which you sold them,
and I will return on your own heads what you have done. I will sell your
sons and daughters to the people of Judah and they will sell them to the
Sabeans, a nation far away." The LORD has spoken.
Then of course it goes onto "proclaim this among the nations; prepare for
war! rouse the warriors!.. etc.." and so i'm not sure if i'm taking this
out of context which is likely, and i could be not understanding some stuff
which is again, likely... but i felt God say something to me about this:
I know we have an enemy - we may not have entire nations against us, but we
have an enemy that wants to kill, steal, and destroy- a lot like this is
talking about. This enemy has taken treasures from us, and taken worth
away to things that we once counted priceless, he has led us astray as a
people to believe in lies. I feel the call of God is to draw together as an
army against our enemy - to draw from the diverse places that we have been
scattered among - those places we have been sold to - whether that be an all
consuming job, a broken family, a past full of abuse, pornography,
addiction... We are to draw together from those places and use what we
already have as weapons against the enemy... "beat your plowshares into
swords, your pruning hooks into spears".
I believe that we are called to Burnaby as these people... people who have
an enemy, people who have been stolen from, people who's hearts have been
scattered... but also people who have been called by God to draw together
and prepare for war! I also believe that we are called not only to be these
people but to find these scattered hearts - the ones who are in the middle
of the enemy's field.... lost in an unknown land - but one that has become
so familiar - and we are to draw them back into the heart of Jesus - our
hope - they are to become part of His army.
as we were praying
this morning i was asking God to prepare us all for what's to come in
Burnaby and i was reminded how it says Prepare the warriors in Joel... so i
went there and began to read... i was struck by something just before that
verse...
"Now what have you against me, O Tyre and Sidon and all you regions of
Philistia? Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are
paying me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what
you have done. For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest
treasures to your temples. You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to
the Greeks, that you mihgt send them far away from their homeland.
See, I am going to rouse them out of the places to which you sold them,
and I will return on your own heads what you have done. I will sell your
sons and daughters to the people of Judah and they will sell them to the
Sabeans, a nation far away." The LORD has spoken.
Then of course it goes onto "proclaim this among the nations; prepare for
war! rouse the warriors!.. etc.." and so i'm not sure if i'm taking this
out of context which is likely, and i could be not understanding some stuff
which is again, likely... but i felt God say something to me about this:
I know we have an enemy - we may not have entire nations against us, but we
have an enemy that wants to kill, steal, and destroy- a lot like this is
talking about. This enemy has taken treasures from us, and taken worth
away to things that we once counted priceless, he has led us astray as a
people to believe in lies. I feel the call of God is to draw together as an
army against our enemy - to draw from the diverse places that we have been
scattered among - those places we have been sold to - whether that be an all
consuming job, a broken family, a past full of abuse, pornography,
addiction... We are to draw together from those places and use what we
already have as weapons against the enemy... "beat your plowshares into
swords, your pruning hooks into spears".
I believe that we are called to Burnaby as these people... people who have
an enemy, people who have been stolen from, people who's hearts have been
scattered... but also people who have been called by God to draw together
and prepare for war! I also believe that we are called not only to be these
people but to find these scattered hearts - the ones who are in the middle
of the enemy's field.... lost in an unknown land - but one that has become
so familiar - and we are to draw them back into the heart of Jesus - our
hope - they are to become part of His army.
prayer and fasting..
howdy peeps...
dunno if you are all aware of the prayer and fasting going on specifically for our church plant, tues and fridays 7am and noon.
i went to my first one yesterday noon - it was incredible.
i didn't knwo where i should start so decided to pray the part on the prayer guide "team prayer list"..
so i prayed every sentence over every person, including caleb, rosie and hayley.. i only got thru to number 4 in the hour!! but it was good.. and i got some specific things to pray out of them for us... so will post them below, in the order that i went thru the notes:
1. "passionate in relationship with god"
:: scott - dependance on Holy Spirit guidance - to NOT try and figure out stuff before taking the risk.
:: darlene - continual filling of the Holy Spirit and dependance on His guidance - that in this new season of "mommyness"
:: caleb - infilling of the Holy Spirit - that he would receive and walk in power at a young age. (i was a MESS after this one!!)
:: megan - victory over the temptation to recluse and to think that you have nothing to say in all this.
:: zaira - victory over temptation to settle - in life, relationships, calling, ministry, etc.
:: trace - disciplined and JOY in worship, prayer and bible study...sigh..ya. :)
:: caleb - victory over the temptation to think he's not "good enough".
:: rosie - victory over the temptation to compare her beauty with others. (again a mess..sigh)
:: pj - willing submission and participation with jesus as He develops character - that as one of the key leaders, his willingness will trailblaze for the rest of us.
:: pj & trace - grace, flexibility, wisdom and strength for difficult situations and demanding schedules - being the only ones who have lived communally and knowing all it entails, to help the rest of the team adjust, process, fight fair, etc.. that we would be most like jesus in some of the foreseeable toughest times..
(this one is pretty much for us all big time!! there were just a few specifics on some of them)
:: scott & darlene - as a couple, grace, flexibility, wisdom and strength for difficult situations and demanding schedules - that they would be able to process together all this without it overwhelming them - but being on the same page, the "same team" amidst it all.
:: meryl - grace, flexibility, wisdom and strength, etc... - that because it WILL be difficult and different, its ok. that jesus will give you all you need to be who you are.
:: megan & meryl - comfort when facing culture shock, fear discouragement.
:: brian - god's joy in serving - that it would not just be a task, but an outpouring of what is in your heart.
:: erin - grace and wisdom, comfort for culture shock (the bigness of it all) lonliness and fear.
:: zaira - god's comfort over fear and discouragement.
3. "strong family relationships"
:: jtca - that the lord would help us to adjust to a new way of life..again. :) to continue to strengthen our individual inner family relationships (jtca) and not them slip, or not intentionally build them. that our kids would grow and become so much great in relationship with Jesus - that this experience would go into their DNA for them to become better people for it. help us to balance home life and ministry and homelife communally and our little family. help us to know and have clear boundaries within our family and within our community family relationships.
:: sdh - that their marriage / they would allow others "in", in a sense (as lived as the twosome for a long time, and used to just each other basically - which is not bad, just real. =] ) to speak into their marriage/lives, be mentors to the younger, ask for input/help when needed. help now the newness of the need to balance homelife and ministry. that hayley would grow with such a realization of His love thru this experience, that she would know she is surrounded by much love. help them to build clear boundaries with other relationships.
:: bm - that their marriage would become even stronger with this experience, and depend upon each other more - easy to go to others in community than to each other, to fill what the other person was intended to fill. that they would make time for themselves. that their boundaries would be established in the relationships around them.
:: erin - content with being single, integrity and strong healthy relationships with others. not afraid to make new relationships outside of community - but to risk. :) know and make clear boundaries in relationships.
:: megan - content with being single - that the holy spirit would help her discern relationships made beyond community. to know and make clear boundaries in relationships. would look to You to fill her needs rather than others.
:: zaira - content with being single and trust the lord with her mate. to seek and run with god with nothing holding back. to know and make clear boundaries in relationships.
so ya..that's what i got thru yesterday noon hour.
i love you guys tremendously. and pray for you much.
trace
Saturday, July 08, 2006
A nutshell about to break
I keep looking back to the blog page, see if anyone has any visions, or revelations that God gave to them about Burnaby, but it's been empty since May. So, I'll tell you what's on my heart about Burnaby...My desire is to understand and know the fact that Burnaby is REAL. When first encountered with the dream of Burnaby, my first reaction was, "no, that's not for me, that's for someone with talent". And here I am. Faced with a city too big for me to imagine, too big for me to comprehend. This city was a dream I have always wanted to grasp, but never was able to go near or understand, not until the plan of God was in motion. Once in a GC service around 4 years ago, I was sitting in His presence, and my heart was aching for missions, My heart has always wanted something different from my culture. My prayer that day was, "God, my heart cries to go to the different cultures, and to be a missionary, to go where there are different people, to be in their world". As I said those words, I looked down at a Canadian flag sticker that was on my Bible, and His words were. "I've called you to Canada". After hearing that, my heart was stone to the words spoken to me, and I choose to forget about what he said because what He said wasn't what I wanted to hear. It wasn't until around March or April when I was talking to Kim about me going to Burnaby, God opened that memory, and I knew, I just knew. I desired to go to the different countries, and what God was saying to me at the GC service is that I am going to different countries, but within my country, I am called to Canada so I can connect to people who are desperate to see a light. That is such a scary thought, but I'm so desperate for Jesus, that I don't care anymore. I don't care to see my fears and shrink, I want to go with all my heart. There are moment's in which I forget that I'm going to Burnaby and I'm oblivious to the fact that this is real and I feel as if I'm in a dream waiting to wake up. There are moments where my heart is heavy, and I want to scream because I'm so desperate to go, to be a light to the world of darkness, in those moments, I have no fear and i want to run, run hard. There are moments where I feel I won't make it, that I can't do it, that the lies in my brain keep saying that I have no talent and that I'm going to fail, that this is meant for another person who actually make a difference. Sigh...I pray that I don't become a lazy bum, or a procrastinator, in which I let other people do the work for me, because I tend to run away from responsibility, and have others do my work. I pray that I when I live in a community that I will look to the ways of my family and learn to walk with them, not away from them. I pray that I will be able to connect to people in Burnaby, the immigrants, the people born in Canada, and the people who are different from me. God is stretching, and molding me. He has been preparing me for such a time as this. He knows, and He will strengthen myself, and the group going. God is amazing, and I can't cease to be continually amazed by his strength His power and His ways. I love Him.
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