Crossroads

That is where I was a few days ago, not totally sure on the direction I should be heading.  But I know that God has been giving me tangible signs on where He wants to lead me.  I need to pray more about it because I do not think I have done enough of that.  Please pray for me.

Go Jays Go!

Two weeks into the season, the Jays are red hot!  They have never started out the year like this, not even during the '92 and '93 seasons when they won the World Series!

I wouldn't say I am jumping on the bandwagon with the Jays becuase I don't think I ever jumped off! =p  I may have just been near the back of the wagon. ;)  But I still remember those years, 15 years ago! *sigh* This definitely dates me.  (sidenote: last year working at the camp, the other teacher and I were talking about when the Jays won the World Series - and the grade 6 kids we were teaching had no idea what we were talking about - we did some quick math and realized that they were not even born when they won!  Oh, how we felt so old!)  But those days were exciting remember watching the '92 and '93 seasons and both the World Series - so many random things - Devon White's catch at the wall, Kelly Gruber's "triple play," Joe Carter - amazing! Roberto Alomar at 2B, John Olerud's helmet, Dave Winfield's power at DH.  Only 2 weeks into the season and at Cito's helm, the Jays are back! =)

I found this picture in the Mississauga News a couple of weeks ago.  Love it!  And I love how there are 3 different Jays logos through the years! I think I still like the original as it appears on the foam finger =p  Enjoy!

((c) Steve Nease, 2009)

And it will ALWAYS be the Skydome!

Oh Happy Day...

This morning I woke up and just felt so happy and content.  As I was walking the dogs, I looked up into the sky and the joy just kept on flowing.  It was such an awesome feeling!  Oh, how I want to just live every day with this feeling!

Looking back on this past year, I can see so much growth and making smarter decisions to draw closer and closer to God.  It is only by grace that I am where I am right now.  It still boggles my mind when I think about the price that was paid to wash me of my sins and my relationship with God to be reconciled.  I was so incredibly dirty and nasty, yet God choose to place all of it on His son.  For this I am humbled and truly thankful.  I pray that I can awaken each day thanking Him for the perfect life Jesus lived and the shedding of Jesus' blood on the cross.  I so do not deserve it, but God was so gracious.

Curiosity

Based on an incident that happened outside my home today, it made me think how curious we are as human beings.  In addition, language expands this curiosity even further as it adds additional information that other animals do not have.

There was an accident that occurred outside my house this evening.  By the time I had noticed the flashing lights outside, the car that had crashed head-on into the tree had been moved onto a tow truck.  The occupants of the vehicle seemed to be doing okay and the police had already finished their initial investigations.

When looking out my living room window, I wondered in my mind how in the world the driver was able to crash into the tree.  He must have been going at high rates of speed around that bend as there was no percipation and the ground was not compromised at all.  I see my neighbour across the street observing all that was going on.  I wanted to go out and ask him what he had learned from his observations, but I got lazy and decided against it.  However, I waited around to see the damage the tree had done to the car and after everyone had left, I went outside to survey the damage.  It still boggles my mind how the driver got himself into this predicament.

As this was going on, I was thinking about how curious I was about seeing the damage to the car and finding out what actually had happened.  This led me to think about how curious we are as humans.  We always want to know what is going on, about people, places, and events.  For the most part, we want to be in the know.  We do not want to be left out.  We see this obsession with the likes of modern technology, like facebook and twitter.  However, there is this danger to curiosity, our need to know, with the devestating effects of gossip could have.  The stories get skewed, information is added or omitted, events are exaggerated or emphasized; but all in all for the most part, it usually never good.  And seriously, do we really have to know?

Meanwhile

The end of March is almost upon us and so much has happened.  The last couple of weeks have been pretty busy.  I have met up with a bunch of people in the last few weeks, people that I do not normally see.  It has been good, just to get new perspectives and catching up.  My parents have also left for two months and now I am home alone with my brother.  It has been busier for sure and a little frustrating at times dealing with my brother, but I am glad my parents have this opportunity to travel and see the world and visit family halfway across the globe.  It might just be a long two months for me =p

Catchup

You know you have friends that love you when they buy you lunch when you don't ask them to or expect them to.  You know that you love each other when no one complains when you are walking outside in blustery winds out of our own volition.  You know that you are friends when you can share so openly even though you see each other less than once a month.

Today's lunch date with a dear, dear sister was so awesome.  Yes, we decided to walk to bubbletea, and yes, our ears and noses were cold by the time we got there, but it gave us more time to talk with one another.  And no one complained.  Our lives have gone down very similar yet different paths, however, we are able to talk to one another without abandonment.  The chatter keeps going, from family, to church, to weddings, to friends, to school, to work.  We could go on forever if time wasn't an issue ;)

Sometimes I think how different it would be if I had not made the decision to go to teachers' college, or OISE had not accepted us both last minute, AND put us in the same option!  Those chats on the way to class were priceless, the laughs and the seriousness of the conversations.  She gets me on a level that some do not, maybe it is because we are going through that same life stage, for lack of better wording?  But it's so exciting just to talk with each other and fill each other in on the eccentricities of each of our lives, because there are so many!  Love love love her!

TC

Last night I was exposed to Teens' Conference.  It was definitely fun, overwhelming, encouraging, and educating all at the same time.

I unfortunately did not have the opportunity to go to TC when I was in high school since I was not plugged into a church nor could I call myself a Christian at that time.  I always wondered about it every time it came up how it would have been like.  I got a tiny taste of it yesterday when I went for the evening session.  God is SO huge!  These kids were SO on FIRE for God!  It was awesome!

Before I went yesterday I had some discussions with a friend of mine online on the effectiveness of events such as this.  We agree that it definitely exposes non-Christians to the Gospel and it can pump kids up too.  However, what is lacking is the followup after these events.  These events pump kids up and they are on spiritual highs after being totally immersed in fellowship with other believers their age and how the Holy Spirit convicted their hearts.  Now what happens when they get back to their home churches, away from it all?  I find all too often they are left to fend for themselves, there is not enough followup, and that high can not be sustained.  There is a sudden drop and that is definitely not good.

So after last night, I came home, exhausted yet I know God was working in my mind, making me question why I had attended TC that night, what He had taught me about the kids, and how I can help to sustain this fire some of them have so longed for.  I pray that God helps me with this.