out of place

I've been feeling a bit out of place the last week and a half. I've been realizing that I'm not as steady of a person as I had originally thought. I'm like the person in Ephesians 4: "tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes." I have really been feeling tossed by the wind. Well, there hasn't been a particular instance that I can think of, I guess I'm just starting to realize that I can be easily swayed by people's opinion.

thoughts

I MISS PROJECT!! Well, I don't miss the crazy business of project. I miss being in Montreal with mes projectiles. I miss sitting up in room 401 on those hot summer nights when the breeze would be flowing in through the windows and Rachelle would be sitting on the window sill... then there would be clap of thunder and the clouds would release a huge downpour.

I miss the metro, too. do i ever miss the metro! Lydia totally reminded me of that.

And I woke up today and thought to myself, 'So why is it that you're not joining staff right after school?' And I'm not entirely sure I know or have an answer.

missions

I'm writing a paper on missionaries in Africa during colonial times. I found this awesome quotation. It's so amazing how the missionaries REALLY screwed up with their racism, but God fixed their mess (well, wounds clearly remain, but He did at least show them that the missionaries had been going about things improperly, and to not pass judgement on Him). This was South Africa's Albert Luthuli in 1952:

How far is it not tragically true that these churches have become distorted symbols? How far is it not tragically true that they stand for and ethic which the whites have brought, preached and refused to practice? How far do these churches represent something alien from the spirit of Christ, a sort of patronizing social service? Do no many Christian ministers talk down to us instead of coming down among us as Christ did and does? White paternalistic Christianity – as though whites invented Christian faith – enstranges (sic) my people from Christ (p41, Power, Poverty & Prayer, by Ogbu u. Kalu).

God is good!

joy (II)

I can hardly contain myself. I've just had a really great weekend! Talking with my housemate Angela late last night was so great. I'm really going to miss those girls when they graduate. We were talking about her going on STINT in the fall and how that's going to be, and talking about being excited how God is going to raise up the men to go with her. I'm just really excited!!

I really don't know what to say or how to articulate what's going on inside of me. Like, I just love life so much and I love God so much andddddd I wish that there really was a word that everyone understood that could explain this... I know the word is 'joy' but I really don't believe everyone knows what 'joy' truly means by experiencing it. When Jesus said, "I came that you might have life and have it to the full" he wasn't lying! I just really wish people knew what they were saying no to when they ignore a relationship with God.

Julia showed me Melissa's blog (she's doing STINT in Tanzania right now) and so I've been reading it and realized that I really believe God wants me to go there in the fall of 2008. It's so crazy. I'm really excited and scared and nervous and yeah. I'm especially excited to raise the money!! It will be such a testament to the goodness and provision of God. Raising like $30 000? Wow!

Best. Friday. Ever.

I don't know what really made tonight as the best friday ever, but it was. I didn't hate my french tutorial, my one-on-one with caitlyn went really well, DG was cool, I GOT TO NAP & eat & get to FnotR on time... and it was good. And I got to hang out with my friends and talk to someone I've been meaning to talk with for awhile, and then we went to DQ and i SAW SOMEONE GET A-FREAKING-RRESTED. Good times.

Actually, the arrest-ation process was awkward. I mean let's be serious, who really enjoys sitting in DQ, enjoying your pepsi with friends and then some drunk come in and be all obnoxious for THIRTY MINUTES and the staff don't call the police until the drunk PULLS A KNIFE on the other drunk. He put the knife away after putting it to the guy's face, but it was still pretty tense and awkward. We stayed there the whole time cause we were frankly a bit scared to even move! BUT THEN the cops storm into the place in all their HOT STRONG UNIFORM WEARING GLORY and tackle drunkie to the floor and cuff him and take him away. it was amazing and yeah... i like uniformed males.

AND THEN, because it was a pub-crawl and pretty sketch out in the hub we called walk home and i got walked home by two pretty neat people. And edward and i got talking about development and he gave me some pretty neat and well-timed (thank you God!) advice. "Tears don't solve the issues." Essentially.

AND THEN? my friend (who actually is a gift from God... I prayed that I would make some friends in my department - haha i sound like a loner - and I'm fairly good friends with this one girl) wrote about me in a facebook note about how I was a part of some of her most happy days in the last little while. How sweet is that? (everybody awwwwww). Life is good. I should go to bed.


Annnnnd for some You Tube fun.... check out the (very sketchy and lots of profanity) NWA lyrics here, and watch this dad real-time edit the song so its appropriate for children. Funny!!