Monday, November 28, 2005
Lisa's CBC Article
Cabbie found dead in Thompson
Last Updated Nov 28 2005 09:00 AM CST
CBC News
An autopsy is being performed Monday on the body of a Thompson taxi driver who was found dead inside her cab early Saturday morning.
Police say the death of Mellissa Ivy Chaboyer, 35, is considered "suspicious."
Don Cameron, a dispatcher and driver for North Star Taxi, the company Chaboyer worked for, says he and the other drivers can't believe their colleague is dead.
"Right now we are really in a state of shock, because this sort of thing is really unheard of," he said. "Nothing like this has really happened up here in this community to anybody."
Cameron says the local cab drivers hope to have a meeting with the mayor early this week to discuss cab safety.
A vigil was held Saturday at the Thompson mall, close to the place where Chaboyer's body was found.
Sunday, November 27, 2005
A Friend has Died...
A Friend has died.
Lisa Chaboyer was a friend of mine who was like a sister to me when I lived in Thompson Manitoba.
She was a cab driver.
On Saturday November 26, 2005 at 1:00 in the morning she picked up a fare who stabbed her to death.
This (these) coward (s) is (are) still on the run, police have not caught anyone yet.
Police say that she put up a fight.
I have seen Lisa fight. She fought like a guy, man could she throw a punch.
I think it had to be someone really strong or more than one person. At any rate this is just semantics right now.
My friend is dead and I do not know if she knew the Lord.
God I pray she did.
I had not seen her in over 15 years, but yet I feel profound guilt at not sharing the Lord with her.
God I wish I did.
I know she had not been on my mind or had I even thought about her for all these years, maybe a couple times when talking with old friends from Thompson.
But I cannot shake a lack of responsibility for sharing Jesus with her.
I pray that God put someone in her path to do that.
Jesus said “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, No One comes to the Father (God) but by me”
His words, not mine. According to Jesus all paths do not necessarily lead to heaven.
“For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son that Whosoever shall believe on Him shall be saved” John 3:16
God I hope she made that decision to be saved. I have faith that God gave her every chance to make that decision.
God does not want any one to perish, but if anyone decides not to accept Jesus, God’s only path, they have decided to go to Hell.
He provided a way to heaven. I pray that Lisa chose God.
If she did not choose God, she had then chose Hell by default.
I wish I had led her to Him.
This just makes me more convinced that there is little time in deciding to live for God.
Our next breath is not certain. We could walk out the door today and be hit by a car, whatever.
Where are we going to spend eternity?
This is serious stuff.
If God asked you why should I let you into my heaven what would you say?
Could you answer Him?
“I have lived a good life. I am a good person”
Jesus said “All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God”
Again, His words not mine.
So if all have sinned, than being good enough is not good enough.
It is something else.
I am convinced it is WHO you KNOW.
In the book of Revelations, Jesus says, “In those last days they shall say, “Did we not cast out demons in your name? Did we not heal the sick” and I will say to them away from me for I never KNEW you”
Do you KNOW Jesus? Do you have a Relationship with Him? Do you accept what He has done for you by dying for you to pay for your sin enough that you will live for Him and give your life to Him, all control and all your will?
God I hope so.
When God asks why should He let me into His heaven, I will have only one answer.
You shouldn’t.
I have not done anything worthy of being let into heaven on my own deeds.
The only reason I should be let into heaven is because of that man right there, the man with the scars on His hands, on His feet, a wound on His side, and scars on His head.
The man who bled and died for me so that I could have eternal life.
I will know Jesus. I will recognize Him. I know His heart and He knows mine. I have a RELATIONSHIP with Him.
It was not what I have done that grants me to access heaven.
It is what HE has done.
I will say “That man bled and died for me. That man PAID for my life with His.”
“That man owns my life. Not me. Ask Him”
Satan will hiss, he is mine. I claim him. Look at what he has done with his life. Look at his failures, look at how he has sinned in his life. How can you let him into heaven?
God will then ask Jesus if I am His, If this is true.
And I KNOW that Jesus will reply:
“This one is mine. I love Him Father so much I died for him. Yes everything Satan has said is true. Apart from me you should not let him into heaven, however, because he has chosen to love me, to believe in me for his salvation by faith and has chosen to lay his life down for Me and make ME Lord, MY blood has ransomed Him from Satan and he is no longer the property of the enemy. He is under MY grace, and under MY mercy, MY blood has covered all his sins, I know him by name, he is my friend and my brother, joint heirs with ME and his name is written in MY book of life. He is mine for I have Redeemed Him and Satan you have no claim on him!”
I know that God will let me into His kingdom not because of what I have done, but because of what Jesus has done. Jesus conquered death by His resurrection.
Jesus is the only one that is not still in His grave. Mohammed is, Buddha is, Joseph Smith is, every atheist, agnostic, and ungodly is, Einstein, Darwin, and Freud still are too.
Jesus is the resurrection and the life by what He has done. He has conquered death. He has the keys to Death and Hades. Satan is defeated.
I believe this by faith. I have made a decision.
If you haven’t please do before it is too late.
If you have, please tell others before it is too late.
It may have been too late for Lisa. I do not know.
It is not too late for you.
Choose wisely.
Blessings -Moose
Lisa Chaboyer was a friend of mine who was like a sister to me when I lived in Thompson Manitoba.
She was a cab driver.
On Saturday November 26, 2005 at 1:00 in the morning she picked up a fare who stabbed her to death.
This (these) coward (s) is (are) still on the run, police have not caught anyone yet.
Police say that she put up a fight.
I have seen Lisa fight. She fought like a guy, man could she throw a punch.
I think it had to be someone really strong or more than one person. At any rate this is just semantics right now.
My friend is dead and I do not know if she knew the Lord.
God I pray she did.
I had not seen her in over 15 years, but yet I feel profound guilt at not sharing the Lord with her.
God I wish I did.
I know she had not been on my mind or had I even thought about her for all these years, maybe a couple times when talking with old friends from Thompson.
But I cannot shake a lack of responsibility for sharing Jesus with her.
I pray that God put someone in her path to do that.
Jesus said “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, No One comes to the Father (God) but by me”
His words, not mine. According to Jesus all paths do not necessarily lead to heaven.
“For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son that Whosoever shall believe on Him shall be saved” John 3:16
God I hope she made that decision to be saved. I have faith that God gave her every chance to make that decision.
God does not want any one to perish, but if anyone decides not to accept Jesus, God’s only path, they have decided to go to Hell.
He provided a way to heaven. I pray that Lisa chose God.
If she did not choose God, she had then chose Hell by default.
I wish I had led her to Him.
This just makes me more convinced that there is little time in deciding to live for God.
Our next breath is not certain. We could walk out the door today and be hit by a car, whatever.
Where are we going to spend eternity?
This is serious stuff.
If God asked you why should I let you into my heaven what would you say?
Could you answer Him?
“I have lived a good life. I am a good person”
Jesus said “All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God”
Again, His words not mine.
So if all have sinned, than being good enough is not good enough.
It is something else.
I am convinced it is WHO you KNOW.
In the book of Revelations, Jesus says, “In those last days they shall say, “Did we not cast out demons in your name? Did we not heal the sick” and I will say to them away from me for I never KNEW you”
Do you KNOW Jesus? Do you have a Relationship with Him? Do you accept what He has done for you by dying for you to pay for your sin enough that you will live for Him and give your life to Him, all control and all your will?
God I hope so.
When God asks why should He let me into His heaven, I will have only one answer.
You shouldn’t.
I have not done anything worthy of being let into heaven on my own deeds.
The only reason I should be let into heaven is because of that man right there, the man with the scars on His hands, on His feet, a wound on His side, and scars on His head.
The man who bled and died for me so that I could have eternal life.
I will know Jesus. I will recognize Him. I know His heart and He knows mine. I have a RELATIONSHIP with Him.
It was not what I have done that grants me to access heaven.
It is what HE has done.
I will say “That man bled and died for me. That man PAID for my life with His.”
“That man owns my life. Not me. Ask Him”
Satan will hiss, he is mine. I claim him. Look at what he has done with his life. Look at his failures, look at how he has sinned in his life. How can you let him into heaven?
God will then ask Jesus if I am His, If this is true.
And I KNOW that Jesus will reply:
“This one is mine. I love Him Father so much I died for him. Yes everything Satan has said is true. Apart from me you should not let him into heaven, however, because he has chosen to love me, to believe in me for his salvation by faith and has chosen to lay his life down for Me and make ME Lord, MY blood has ransomed Him from Satan and he is no longer the property of the enemy. He is under MY grace, and under MY mercy, MY blood has covered all his sins, I know him by name, he is my friend and my brother, joint heirs with ME and his name is written in MY book of life. He is mine for I have Redeemed Him and Satan you have no claim on him!”
I know that God will let me into His kingdom not because of what I have done, but because of what Jesus has done. Jesus conquered death by His resurrection.
Jesus is the only one that is not still in His grave. Mohammed is, Buddha is, Joseph Smith is, every atheist, agnostic, and ungodly is, Einstein, Darwin, and Freud still are too.
Jesus is the resurrection and the life by what He has done. He has conquered death. He has the keys to Death and Hades. Satan is defeated.
I believe this by faith. I have made a decision.
If you haven’t please do before it is too late.
If you have, please tell others before it is too late.
It may have been too late for Lisa. I do not know.
It is not too late for you.
Choose wisely.
Blessings -Moose
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Been a long time...
Been a long time, Been a long time, Been a long lonely, lonely, lonely,- lonely time –Led Zeppelin
Been a while since I blogged. Seems I have been on a dead run all this week.
Been a very interesting week spiritually.
Last Saturday was not my finest hour, I feel I blew it spiritually in a lot of areas.
Seems God gives us just enough rope sometimes to hang ourselves.
He lets us run our own race until we run smack dab into the wall of sin.
Only when our noses are smarting from face planting into the wall of sin that He finally has our attention.
Guess if we are never broken He can never restore us.
Living this cycle of victory-sin-repentance-victory et al gets weary after a while.
Sometimes I just wish God would just fix me up, just for a while and leave me to heal a bit before He calls me to something else.
But I guess that is not what faith is about.
I have done some body building in my life and I know that the first while when you are working out (approx. a month) you feel like a Mack truck ran over you.
You do not see the immediate benefits through the pain.
But if you persevere you do.
Muscles build, energy comes back, a general feeling of well-being and healthiness comes back to you.
But it ain’t fun at first.
Its breaking the old habits, it is getting through the pain to the payoff.
God I sure would love some payoff spiritually. Ok…I have.
Don’t get me wrong. God has taken me places I have never been spiritually and things have fallen off me in areas of my life like I have never seen in my life.
He has been trimming me like a vineyard dresser.
But Oh man that cutting off of the dead stuff hurts.
What I mean is I would like to see other areas of my life spiritually manifested, things I so long for.
A better financial situation, an end to the loneliness and ache of singleness, a generally better attitude about life.
Seems I just work to live, and live to work, to pay bills and try to survive.
Mabey I just need a holiday…I dunno.
Mabey I need some decompression time to refocus on what is important.
Things have happened this week that really have blown me away spiritually.
The pain will pass away. This too shall pass. There will be blessings at the end of this all. I will laugh again, I will love again. I will sing again. I must embrace the pain and let it teach me to trust in God. I must not try to avoid it but walk with it, until God removes it from my heart. I must be obedient and walk with His Spirit and let Him lead me where I am to go. God is faithful, He is trustworthy, and He has His very best for us.
Blessings -Moose
(Jer 29:11 NIV) "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
(Jer 29:12 NIV) "Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you."
(Jer 29:13 NIV) "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
(Jer 29:14 NIV) "I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”
Been a while since I blogged. Seems I have been on a dead run all this week.
Been a very interesting week spiritually.
Last Saturday was not my finest hour, I feel I blew it spiritually in a lot of areas.
Seems God gives us just enough rope sometimes to hang ourselves.
He lets us run our own race until we run smack dab into the wall of sin.
Only when our noses are smarting from face planting into the wall of sin that He finally has our attention.
Guess if we are never broken He can never restore us.
Living this cycle of victory-sin-repentance-victory et al gets weary after a while.
Sometimes I just wish God would just fix me up, just for a while and leave me to heal a bit before He calls me to something else.
But I guess that is not what faith is about.
I have done some body building in my life and I know that the first while when you are working out (approx. a month) you feel like a Mack truck ran over you.
You do not see the immediate benefits through the pain.
But if you persevere you do.
Muscles build, energy comes back, a general feeling of well-being and healthiness comes back to you.
But it ain’t fun at first.
Its breaking the old habits, it is getting through the pain to the payoff.
God I sure would love some payoff spiritually. Ok…I have.
Don’t get me wrong. God has taken me places I have never been spiritually and things have fallen off me in areas of my life like I have never seen in my life.
He has been trimming me like a vineyard dresser.
But Oh man that cutting off of the dead stuff hurts.
What I mean is I would like to see other areas of my life spiritually manifested, things I so long for.
A better financial situation, an end to the loneliness and ache of singleness, a generally better attitude about life.
Seems I just work to live, and live to work, to pay bills and try to survive.
Mabey I just need a holiday…I dunno.
Mabey I need some decompression time to refocus on what is important.
Things have happened this week that really have blown me away spiritually.
- I am angry with my wife for leaving me. Really angry. Really hurt. I did not even know that I was consciously until God pointed it out. Now He is dealing with me on this. He is making me realize I never have fully forgiven her and until I do, it will tear me from the inside out like some bad Aliens movie…I must forgive. I must love her in spite of the pain.
- I have more people around me and in my life who are also going through this. I am not alone. Other men experience similar things. We are walking this out together and I am not alone. I have other men to lean on and who pray for me as I do for them, men who really care about where and what is going on in my life and speak into my life in a very tangible way. For that I am truly blessed. Truly there are great blessings when men dwell together in unity. I am just realizing how deep those blessings are.
- This world and the things that are in it are really not as important as I once thought. I attended a funeral of a colleague who has lost his mother. No amount of money, fame, things, is going to bring her back. We must fix our eyes on what is really important in this life, on what will really last.
- Relationships are the key to Christianity. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. In short, maintain and build relationship with God and then the world. Only through relationships can God’s Kingdom grow.
- Where two or more are gathered, there I am in the midst of them. God said this and as I have gathered with other people this week God has shown Himself true to His word. Monday night at the Junior Youth meeting, Later Monday night at my brother Scott’s place, Wednesday night at Transformations, Thursday night hanging with my brother Joe and getting to know another brother Ryan, in every case God came down and the fellowship was awesome. The Holy Spirit showed up every time and there were exhortations, correction in love, revelation, prophecy, encouragement, repentance or something else God did. What I am saying is that when God showed up, He always did something that when you left the fellowship to head home that gave you hope that yes, you can go on another day and that yes, you met with God through those meetings.
- I cannot do this alone. I NEED God. He is not just a want but a hardcore need. I cannot do this thing called life without Him. When I do, I mess it up and end up in more trouble than when I started. I cannot live this life outside God. It is more painful, more trouble, and way less peace than I want or need. I need the peace and joy of God. I cannot live without Him. I must live in obedience to Him or I cannot live at all.
- I need to spend WAY more time with God than I do. Power and Grace comes from spending time and KNOWING God, not just about Him. Spending time in His Word, building relationship with the Living God is the only way I can become truly living. When I spend time with the world I find I am spending time with death not life. I want to walk in life and peace and joy. This world is promised to pass away. We are not guaranteed our next breath. Through God we literally live and breathe and have our being. I need HIS Grace, God’s Real And Continual Enabling to go through life and become what He wants me to be, not what I think I want to be or think I need to be. I need to be what God needs me to be. Only then can I be truly happy and fulfill my destiny laid down by my Loving, and Sovereign God.
The pain will pass away. This too shall pass. There will be blessings at the end of this all. I will laugh again, I will love again. I will sing again. I must embrace the pain and let it teach me to trust in God. I must not try to avoid it but walk with it, until God removes it from my heart. I must be obedient and walk with His Spirit and let Him lead me where I am to go. God is faithful, He is trustworthy, and He has His very best for us.
Blessings -Moose
(Jer 29:11 NIV) "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
(Jer 29:12 NIV) "Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you."
(Jer 29:13 NIV) "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
(Jer 29:14 NIV) "I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”
Monday, November 21, 2005
Sunday, November 20, 2005
A Song for Where I am At...
A Song for Where I am At...
ARTIST: Kansas
COMPOSER: Kerry Livgren
TITLE: Carry On Wayward Son
Lyrics and Chords
{Refrain}
Carry on my wayward son
There'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry no more
/ Em G D C / Em G D - / 1st / x /
Once I rose above the noise and confusion
Just to get a glimpse beyond this illusion
I was soaring ever higher
But I flew too high
/ Em D C D / / Am G F FG / Am G D - /
Though my eyes could see I still was a blind man
Though my mind could think I still was a mad man
I hear the voices when I'm dreaming
I can hear them say
{Refrain}
Masquerading as a man with a reason
My charade is the event of the season
And if I claim to be a wise man, well
It surely means that I don't know
On a stormy sea of moving emotion
Tossed about I'm like a ship on the ocean
I set a course for winds of fortune
But I hear the voices say
{Refrain}
No!
Carry on, you will always remember
Carry on, nothing equals the splendor
Now your life's no longer empty
Surely heaven waits for you
/ Em D C - / / Am G F - / Am G D - /
{Refrain}
I listened to this song tonite and really felt that this is exactly where I am at...
I love my church but sometimes cannot understand it. The people I mean.
People have told me how blessed they are at how God is shining through me at this time in my life.
I cannot see it. I see my self as a failure, a loser, who is constantly failing to live up to my God.
I know that in my weakness is His strength, but why does it seem I am always so weak?
I cannot seem to be the man that God wants me to be...
I cannot understand how God can show through such a mess as me.
I love people. I love deeply. I love passionately. I love God.
But I constantly fail to serve Him. It is like I am walking against the wind.
I cry out to God with a voiceless cry, like the cry one makes when screaming in their sleep, only to awaken and realize that the reality is worse than the dream.
I am torn apart. My heart is crushed and seems to pour out pain like a crushed grape pours out wine.
People get tired of hearing pain, but it is all that comes from my heart sometimes.
Sometimes there is Joy and Peace, but mostly there is agony.
Except when I am in the Presence of God. God I feel like Saul, needing music to make the pain, the rejection of God go away.
A soul torn apart. Is that really what you want from me God?
Longing, Loneliness, Pain, the hollowness of empty arms. How can this be your will O Lord?
Yeah, I know the answers from the Bible. I am Bible College trained. I know what the Bible says. I respect the Word of God.
But how does it change the way, the way I feel.
Faith is not based on feelings. It is based on truth.
What happens when the truth of agony seems to overrule the truth of God? What is more real?
My pain? God's Truth? What do I do with what I am experiencing?
It is honestly hard to tell in the midst of agony.
Like Peter not recognizing Jesus on the sea of Galilee, Sometimes, I have a hard time recognizing Jesus on the seas of my life.
Save me Jesus! He reaches out His hand, but sometimes it is not enough.
Everything passes away. Or hopes, our dreams, our possessions. What is truly valuable? Think about that.
Every time we are confronted with death, a funeral of a loved on or friend, what are we really here for?
Our work? friends? To have a bigger house? A better car? Or is is something larger than ourselves?
It has to be. Otherwise we live in vain.
Lovers and Marrieds, love passionately. Don't take your mate for granted. Dear God do not worship them, but love them as your most prized on earth.
Make amends. Don't hold grudges. Life is too short.
Love deeply, live passionately, care endlessly.
You may not have another shot at this life. In fact I guarantee you will not.
Time will move faster the older you will get. It will disappear even as you are looking at it.
Please use it wisely.
You only have this one shot at life. Make it count.
Another Kansas song to thing about.
Love you all. -Moose
ARTIST: Kansas
COMPOSER: Kerry Livgren
TITLE: Dust in the Wind
Lyrics and Chords
[Intro riff: / C Cmaj7 Csus2 C / Asus2 Asus4 Am Asus2 /
/ Csus2 C Cmaj7 Csus2 / Am Asus2 Asus4 Am / ]
I close my eyes
Only for a moment, then the moment's gone
All my dreams
Pass before my eyes, a curiosity
Dust in the wind
All they are is dust in the wind
/ C G Am - / G Dm Am - / 1st / 2nd / / /
Same old song
Just a drop of water in an endless sea
All we do
Crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see
Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind, ohh
Now, don't hang on
Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky
It slips away
And all your money won't another minute buy
Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind
Dust in the wind
Everything is dust in the wind
Everything is dust in the wind
ARTIST: Kansas
COMPOSER: Kerry Livgren
TITLE: Carry On Wayward Son
Lyrics and Chords
{Refrain}
Carry on my wayward son
There'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry no more
/ Em G D C / Em G D - / 1st / x /
Once I rose above the noise and confusion
Just to get a glimpse beyond this illusion
I was soaring ever higher
But I flew too high
/ Em D C D / / Am G F FG / Am G D - /
Though my eyes could see I still was a blind man
Though my mind could think I still was a mad man
I hear the voices when I'm dreaming
I can hear them say
{Refrain}
Masquerading as a man with a reason
My charade is the event of the season
And if I claim to be a wise man, well
It surely means that I don't know
On a stormy sea of moving emotion
Tossed about I'm like a ship on the ocean
I set a course for winds of fortune
But I hear the voices say
{Refrain}
No!
Carry on, you will always remember
Carry on, nothing equals the splendor
Now your life's no longer empty
Surely heaven waits for you
/ Em D C - / / Am G F - / Am G D - /
{Refrain}
I listened to this song tonite and really felt that this is exactly where I am at...
I love my church but sometimes cannot understand it. The people I mean.
People have told me how blessed they are at how God is shining through me at this time in my life.
I cannot see it. I see my self as a failure, a loser, who is constantly failing to live up to my God.
I know that in my weakness is His strength, but why does it seem I am always so weak?
I cannot seem to be the man that God wants me to be...
I cannot understand how God can show through such a mess as me.
I love people. I love deeply. I love passionately. I love God.
But I constantly fail to serve Him. It is like I am walking against the wind.
I cry out to God with a voiceless cry, like the cry one makes when screaming in their sleep, only to awaken and realize that the reality is worse than the dream.
I am torn apart. My heart is crushed and seems to pour out pain like a crushed grape pours out wine.
People get tired of hearing pain, but it is all that comes from my heart sometimes.
Sometimes there is Joy and Peace, but mostly there is agony.
Except when I am in the Presence of God. God I feel like Saul, needing music to make the pain, the rejection of God go away.
A soul torn apart. Is that really what you want from me God?
Longing, Loneliness, Pain, the hollowness of empty arms. How can this be your will O Lord?
Yeah, I know the answers from the Bible. I am Bible College trained. I know what the Bible says. I respect the Word of God.
But how does it change the way, the way I feel.
Faith is not based on feelings. It is based on truth.
What happens when the truth of agony seems to overrule the truth of God? What is more real?
My pain? God's Truth? What do I do with what I am experiencing?
It is honestly hard to tell in the midst of agony.
Like Peter not recognizing Jesus on the sea of Galilee, Sometimes, I have a hard time recognizing Jesus on the seas of my life.
Save me Jesus! He reaches out His hand, but sometimes it is not enough.
Everything passes away. Or hopes, our dreams, our possessions. What is truly valuable? Think about that.
Every time we are confronted with death, a funeral of a loved on or friend, what are we really here for?
Our work? friends? To have a bigger house? A better car? Or is is something larger than ourselves?
It has to be. Otherwise we live in vain.
Lovers and Marrieds, love passionately. Don't take your mate for granted. Dear God do not worship them, but love them as your most prized on earth.
Make amends. Don't hold grudges. Life is too short.
Love deeply, live passionately, care endlessly.
You may not have another shot at this life. In fact I guarantee you will not.
Time will move faster the older you will get. It will disappear even as you are looking at it.
Please use it wisely.
You only have this one shot at life. Make it count.
Another Kansas song to thing about.
Love you all. -Moose
ARTIST: Kansas
COMPOSER: Kerry Livgren
TITLE: Dust in the Wind
Lyrics and Chords
[Intro riff: / C Cmaj7 Csus2 C / Asus2 Asus4 Am Asus2 /
/ Csus2 C Cmaj7 Csus2 / Am Asus2 Asus4 Am / ]
I close my eyes
Only for a moment, then the moment's gone
All my dreams
Pass before my eyes, a curiosity
Dust in the wind
All they are is dust in the wind
/ C G Am - / G Dm Am - / 1st / 2nd / / /
Same old song
Just a drop of water in an endless sea
All we do
Crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see
Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind, ohh
Now, don't hang on
Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky
It slips away
And all your money won't another minute buy
Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind
Dust in the wind
Everything is dust in the wind
Everything is dust in the wind
Saturday, November 19, 2005
Had an Interesting Week...
Had an Interesting Week…
Have not blogged much this week.
Dunno why.
That is not to say I did not have an interesting week, just that I have not seemed to find time to bang out a blog last few days.
Hmmm Where to Begin…
Monday night, my friend Scott invited my over for supper, he made this awesome road that was marinated in red wine and tomatoes that you could cut with the edge of your fork. Mmmmm! It was good to have a home cooked meal for a change. I don’t get many of those lately.
Seems I am munching on all the wrong stuff, TV dinners, Scottish Dining (McDonalds), or worse.
It was great to eat a meal that was healthy (
Monday night at Scott’s place we have been going through Chuck Missler’s “The Bible in 24 hours” with another friend of mine I went to Bethany Bible Institute (since renamed Bethany College with Glenn, who just had a baby, well technically he didn’t, his wife did, but…yah get the picture (
Tuesday night I worked later and then met an acquaintance from church Bruce for coffee at the Canadian Coffee Icon Tim Hortons and then came home and watched Oscar with Sylvester Stallone. Man I laughed my butt off (ok…figuratively) If you have not watched this movie, put it on your must view list!
Wednesday night I went to Transformations Bible Study with a bunch of people I am really starting to be wowed about. Transformations is a small group Bible Study developed by a guy named Greg Mitchell and it is a powerful study of the nuts and bolts of Christianity. Seems as we are meeting together more and more the Lord is really doing incredible things in our group’s lives. It is simply amazing to see and hear these people open up and literally shine for God. It is so encouraging to know that others walk rough roads, and that you are not the only one who is. The last week or so we have been going through church family and what it means to be in the family of God, how it is like planting your roots down by a stream whereas being outside a church family is likened to being in a parched desert. This is so true.
A lot of my life I have done the lone wolf thing, being part of, but not really JOINING a church. Sure, I have had membership in one church before, but I did not really place my self under the leadership authority of that church and still did my own thing when the rubber met the road. Here I have joined a church, have placed myself under the authority of the church and am allowing the leadership to lead me. Sure, it can be scary sometimes, you are not in control, sometimes admonishment comes instead of praise, but one thing I have noticed, I am growing in and closer to God. I am being encouraged to press on in spite of the mess my life looks like in the natural. I am being loved by people in my church who have the courage to be vulnerable and share their hearts. I am being prayed for and built up. I have come to realize that whatever small offenses that I can sometimes fall into are no match for honest love and forgiveness, and the price of such small things is trivial in the light of fellowship with God’s people.
Wow…where did that bunny trail come from eh? I start sharing my week and well…that is ok…who I am becoming is much more important than what I did this week (
Thursday…hmm…went to a StarPhoenix Christmas thing with food etc. at the Mendel Art Gallery. We advertise at work quite a bit with this company so every year they put on this event as a kind of thank-you to the Realtors that have advertised with them.
After that, I went to church as I am a Junior Youth Leader. It was great hangin’ with our kids, sharing the story of Joshua and Jericho, playing Israelites and Philistines, and snacking on cookies. Just the hang time with these kids is so cool, seeing them go from these Mexican jumping beans to when they settle down, spiritually hungry kids. It is so cool to see them changing before your eyes, really GETTING it, about what God is about, and seeing them grow in God. God has really given me a love for these little guys and I am so blessed every time we get together to see what God is going to do next! To see God’s kingdom being built in these kids is so awesome. To be able to minister and hang with my buddy Dale is just the icing on the cake, youth leadership in our church is in good hands.
Friday night I went to Concerts of the Heart, a coffee house style worship night for the people of our church to share their hearts through the arts. I was so blessed to be able to go and hear people sing, see people dance, and hear the hearts of people in a way I have never seen them before. Very cool. I got to hear Lighthouseforever sing, who by the way is in my Transformations group (brag brag, what a heart for God!) and really blew me away with her song to God (Unbelievable song Chelsea! Ya did good!), Nin and her sister Carebear worship powerfully in dance (The Holy Spirit showed up guys! Incredible Worship! God is so proud of you guys!) Nin and my brother Christopher are also in my Transformations group (brag brag, you guys are such blessings!), Nin also did a song with 2 other ladies about family in the church, wow, what an incredible song! I was so blown away by how these guys are moving in their giftings, seeing people in my church stepping out in faith on to the water, wow, I and a lot of others in the church are like, standing on side of the race course going GO, GO, GO! It is so awesome and so encouraging to see people walking on the water, ya just want to cheer them on! I also got to spend some awesome time with a few of my brothers in the Lord that have a really special place in my heart the Dales (, Corey, Kevin, Jeremy, and one of my best friends Firestarter. Man it was good to see you bro! Firestarter and CWG are two brothers that have walked a lot of stuff with me and I am truly blessed to have you two brothers in my life.
I realize that though I may not be the most wealthy person financially, or may not drive the most nicest of cars, or live in the best area of the city, I am rich. I am rich in friends who love God passionately and wholeheartedly. I am rich in that I have a pastor whose heart is to see his church fall passionately in love with Jesus and be transformed by God. I am rich because I have a church board that shares this same vision. I may not have a lot of money but I am rich because I am loved. First by God, and then by friends, brothers, and sisters. I would not trade the wealth of the world for the least of any of these. I have a family called the church who loves me in spite of myself, and am blessed with a flesh and blood family who all know Jesus and who stand by and encourage me.
God has made me truly rich in the things that matter. I am so thankful.
El Shaddai, Adonai, Lord Jehovah, Elohym, Yahweh, El Elyon, El Olam, Fairest of Ten Thousand, Lily of the Valley, El Berith, El Roi, Everlasting to Everlasting, Alpha and Omega, Beginning and the End, The Word, The Spring, Mighty Counselor, Prince of Peace, Everlasting Father, Almighty God, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Might Shepherd, The Lion, The Lamb, The King Eternal, the Only Wise God, I Am that I Am.
(Rev 5:1-14 NIV) 1 "Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals." 2 "And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" 3 " But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it." 4 "I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside." 5 "Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals." 6 "Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth." 7 "He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne." 8 "And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints." 9 "And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation." 10 "You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth." 11 "Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders." 12 “In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" 13 "Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" 14 "The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped."
Have not blogged much this week.
Dunno why.
That is not to say I did not have an interesting week, just that I have not seemed to find time to bang out a blog last few days.
Hmmm Where to Begin…
Monday night, my friend Scott invited my over for supper, he made this awesome road that was marinated in red wine and tomatoes that you could cut with the edge of your fork. Mmmmm! It was good to have a home cooked meal for a change. I don’t get many of those lately.
Seems I am munching on all the wrong stuff, TV dinners, Scottish Dining (McDonalds), or worse.
It was great to eat a meal that was healthy (
Monday night at Scott’s place we have been going through Chuck Missler’s “The Bible in 24 hours” with another friend of mine I went to Bethany Bible Institute (since renamed Bethany College with Glenn, who just had a baby, well technically he didn’t, his wife did, but…yah get the picture (
Tuesday night I worked later and then met an acquaintance from church Bruce for coffee at the Canadian Coffee Icon Tim Hortons and then came home and watched Oscar with Sylvester Stallone. Man I laughed my butt off (ok…figuratively) If you have not watched this movie, put it on your must view list!
Wednesday night I went to Transformations Bible Study with a bunch of people I am really starting to be wowed about. Transformations is a small group Bible Study developed by a guy named Greg Mitchell and it is a powerful study of the nuts and bolts of Christianity. Seems as we are meeting together more and more the Lord is really doing incredible things in our group’s lives. It is simply amazing to see and hear these people open up and literally shine for God. It is so encouraging to know that others walk rough roads, and that you are not the only one who is. The last week or so we have been going through church family and what it means to be in the family of God, how it is like planting your roots down by a stream whereas being outside a church family is likened to being in a parched desert. This is so true.
A lot of my life I have done the lone wolf thing, being part of, but not really JOINING a church. Sure, I have had membership in one church before, but I did not really place my self under the leadership authority of that church and still did my own thing when the rubber met the road. Here I have joined a church, have placed myself under the authority of the church and am allowing the leadership to lead me. Sure, it can be scary sometimes, you are not in control, sometimes admonishment comes instead of praise, but one thing I have noticed, I am growing in and closer to God. I am being encouraged to press on in spite of the mess my life looks like in the natural. I am being loved by people in my church who have the courage to be vulnerable and share their hearts. I am being prayed for and built up. I have come to realize that whatever small offenses that I can sometimes fall into are no match for honest love and forgiveness, and the price of such small things is trivial in the light of fellowship with God’s people.
Wow…where did that bunny trail come from eh? I start sharing my week and well…that is ok…who I am becoming is much more important than what I did this week (
Thursday…hmm…went to a StarPhoenix Christmas thing with food etc. at the Mendel Art Gallery. We advertise at work quite a bit with this company so every year they put on this event as a kind of thank-you to the Realtors that have advertised with them.
After that, I went to church as I am a Junior Youth Leader. It was great hangin’ with our kids, sharing the story of Joshua and Jericho, playing Israelites and Philistines, and snacking on cookies. Just the hang time with these kids is so cool, seeing them go from these Mexican jumping beans to when they settle down, spiritually hungry kids. It is so cool to see them changing before your eyes, really GETTING it, about what God is about, and seeing them grow in God. God has really given me a love for these little guys and I am so blessed every time we get together to see what God is going to do next! To see God’s kingdom being built in these kids is so awesome. To be able to minister and hang with my buddy Dale is just the icing on the cake, youth leadership in our church is in good hands.
Friday night I went to Concerts of the Heart, a coffee house style worship night for the people of our church to share their hearts through the arts. I was so blessed to be able to go and hear people sing, see people dance, and hear the hearts of people in a way I have never seen them before. Very cool. I got to hear Lighthouseforever sing, who by the way is in my Transformations group (brag brag, what a heart for God!) and really blew me away with her song to God (Unbelievable song Chelsea! Ya did good!), Nin and her sister Carebear worship powerfully in dance (The Holy Spirit showed up guys! Incredible Worship! God is so proud of you guys!) Nin and my brother Christopher are also in my Transformations group (brag brag, you guys are such blessings!), Nin also did a song with 2 other ladies about family in the church, wow, what an incredible song! I was so blown away by how these guys are moving in their giftings, seeing people in my church stepping out in faith on to the water, wow, I and a lot of others in the church are like, standing on side of the race course going GO, GO, GO! It is so awesome and so encouraging to see people walking on the water, ya just want to cheer them on! I also got to spend some awesome time with a few of my brothers in the Lord that have a really special place in my heart the Dales (, Corey, Kevin, Jeremy, and one of my best friends Firestarter. Man it was good to see you bro! Firestarter and CWG are two brothers that have walked a lot of stuff with me and I am truly blessed to have you two brothers in my life.
I realize that though I may not be the most wealthy person financially, or may not drive the most nicest of cars, or live in the best area of the city, I am rich. I am rich in friends who love God passionately and wholeheartedly. I am rich in that I have a pastor whose heart is to see his church fall passionately in love with Jesus and be transformed by God. I am rich because I have a church board that shares this same vision. I may not have a lot of money but I am rich because I am loved. First by God, and then by friends, brothers, and sisters. I would not trade the wealth of the world for the least of any of these. I have a family called the church who loves me in spite of myself, and am blessed with a flesh and blood family who all know Jesus and who stand by and encourage me.
God has made me truly rich in the things that matter. I am so thankful.
El Shaddai, Adonai, Lord Jehovah, Elohym, Yahweh, El Elyon, El Olam, Fairest of Ten Thousand, Lily of the Valley, El Berith, El Roi, Everlasting to Everlasting, Alpha and Omega, Beginning and the End, The Word, The Spring, Mighty Counselor, Prince of Peace, Everlasting Father, Almighty God, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Might Shepherd, The Lion, The Lamb, The King Eternal, the Only Wise God, I Am that I Am.
(Rev 5:1-14 NIV) 1 "Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals." 2 "And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" 3 " But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it." 4 "I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside." 5 "Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals." 6 "Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth." 7 "He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne." 8 "And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints." 9 "And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation." 10 "You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth." 11 "Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders." 12 “In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" 13 "Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" 14 "The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped."
Monday, November 14, 2005
What a weekend
What a weekend
Had an interesting weekend.
Friday was Remembrance Day.
I got to sleep in and took in the Act of Remembrance on TV.
I am always humbled by how costly my freedom was to redeem.
As I see the veterans walking by, and the tears as they remember fallen friends and allies, I am reminded how costly that freedom was.
Men and Women died so that we could be free.
Just let that sink in for a second.
Or as I did for a few minutes on Friday.
Call me a Patriot, but I am proud to be a Canadian and every chance I get, I thank our vets for what they did for me.
I saw an interesting bumper sticker one day...
If you can read this, thank a teacher, if it is in English, thank a Soldier.
We could of all been speaking German if our Vets did not go to war, German Subs were in the St. Lawrence seaway during the second world war. They were that close.
I am reminded of a poem that is displayed at the Canada Remembers Air Show every year:
It Is the Soldier
by Father Dennis Edward O'Brien United States Marine Corps
It is the Soldier, not the reporter
Who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the Soldier, not the poet,
Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer,
Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the Soldier, not the lawyer,
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the Soldier, who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protestor to burn the flag.
Mabey I do not fit into the typical pacifistic Mennonite Brethern conscientious objector mold here, but then again, my entire church does not quite fit the typical Mennonite Brethern mold.
I do believe that some things are worth fighting for. Freedom is one of them.
I always get choked up when I participate in an act of remembrance. I think of the men and women who died, the families left to mourn, friends left on the battlefield, and the price at which our freedom was bought.
I hope I never forget.
One of my Great Grandfathers (Filby) served in the first world war and was decorated by King George for an act of bravery in India, one of my Grandfathers served in the second world war in the Canadian Military (Shore) in England and married my grandmother who became a war bride, and my other Grandfather (Funkner) served in the German army and saw his best friend sawed in half by machine gun fire when fighting the Russians.
It is interesting that I have a British heritage and a German heritage. I grew up being babysat by my Grandmother, (my first word was G-air-age or Garage used to drive my mom nuts!) but later spent a lot of time with my Grandfather where I learned a little German.
So I grew up as a British German...
My grandmother used to tell me stories how when my great grandfather was fighting on Christmas day, how both armies laid down their weapons and came out of their trenches and exchanged cigarettes and alcohol and sang Christmas carols, the next day they were shooting one another again.
Under any other circumstances but war, they could of very well of been friends he said.
Amazing.
Friday afternoon I spent with a friend working on the Tangosierra.ca website...
Friday nite into Saturday morning :) I spent with my brother Chuck watching a movie and hanging out...and a longtime friend Amanda showed up in Toon Town. What a blessing it was to see her and Julienne.
Saturday I slept in again :)
Got a few things done, and Saturday night I went to House of Worship (their blog is houseofworship.blogspot.com) to soak in God's presence. What an amazing night.
God showed up and I just worshipped full tilt for a couple hours.
Man I needed that so much.
Thanks Jayson and Teegan and the band, God really moved through you guys. Great seeing you out Amanda and Julienne :) You guys followin' me around or something? LOL! You guys are such blessings!
Sunday it was off to church where I got to see some really cool people in my church get baptized, and I got to hang with my crew of Junior Youth and share about the Disciple Simon Peter, I am always blessed hanging out with our Youth in our church.
Oh yah...my buddy Dale turned 40! Man he don't look a day over 50 LOL! Actually ya wouldn't even know he was 40...he's got the heart and energy of a 20 year old. Dale is our youth pastor in our church, my immediate superior for youth, and an awesome friend of mine, with a passion and heart for youth that is incredible.
After church I went over to a Saskatchewan Roughriders party at Jonathan's place. My buddy Scott was there as were a lot of guys from my church. It was a blast. Unfortunately the Riders lost. That's it, that is all...they are outta the game for the rest of the season now...
Watched the Stampeders v.s. Eskimos game...that was an awesome game. Eskimos won. That was pretty cool.
All in all it was a pretty cool weekend, got rest, got relaxation, and had fun and fellowship.
Can't wait to see what is happening this week...
Bless Yas all! -Moose
Oh yah...found another friend who has started blogging now! Check her blog out and encourage her! She is an awesome writer and she has some very cool insights on her blog.
Here is her site: http://www.walking-again.blogspot.com/ I also added her to my Sisters in God menu on the right if you want to check her site out.
Had an interesting weekend.
Friday was Remembrance Day.
I got to sleep in and took in the Act of Remembrance on TV.
I am always humbled by how costly my freedom was to redeem.
As I see the veterans walking by, and the tears as they remember fallen friends and allies, I am reminded how costly that freedom was.
Men and Women died so that we could be free.
Just let that sink in for a second.
Or as I did for a few minutes on Friday.
Call me a Patriot, but I am proud to be a Canadian and every chance I get, I thank our vets for what they did for me.
I saw an interesting bumper sticker one day...
If you can read this, thank a teacher, if it is in English, thank a Soldier.
We could of all been speaking German if our Vets did not go to war, German Subs were in the St. Lawrence seaway during the second world war. They were that close.
I am reminded of a poem that is displayed at the Canada Remembers Air Show every year:
It Is the Soldier
by Father Dennis Edward O'Brien United States Marine Corps
It is the Soldier, not the reporter
Who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the Soldier, not the poet,
Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer,
Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the Soldier, not the lawyer,
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the Soldier, who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protestor to burn the flag.
Mabey I do not fit into the typical pacifistic Mennonite Brethern conscientious objector mold here, but then again, my entire church does not quite fit the typical Mennonite Brethern mold.
I do believe that some things are worth fighting for. Freedom is one of them.
I always get choked up when I participate in an act of remembrance. I think of the men and women who died, the families left to mourn, friends left on the battlefield, and the price at which our freedom was bought.
I hope I never forget.
One of my Great Grandfathers (Filby) served in the first world war and was decorated by King George for an act of bravery in India, one of my Grandfathers served in the second world war in the Canadian Military (Shore) in England and married my grandmother who became a war bride, and my other Grandfather (Funkner) served in the German army and saw his best friend sawed in half by machine gun fire when fighting the Russians.
It is interesting that I have a British heritage and a German heritage. I grew up being babysat by my Grandmother, (my first word was G-air-age or Garage used to drive my mom nuts!) but later spent a lot of time with my Grandfather where I learned a little German.
So I grew up as a British German...
My grandmother used to tell me stories how when my great grandfather was fighting on Christmas day, how both armies laid down their weapons and came out of their trenches and exchanged cigarettes and alcohol and sang Christmas carols, the next day they were shooting one another again.
Under any other circumstances but war, they could of very well of been friends he said.
Amazing.
Friday afternoon I spent with a friend working on the Tangosierra.ca website...
Friday nite into Saturday morning :) I spent with my brother Chuck watching a movie and hanging out...and a longtime friend Amanda showed up in Toon Town. What a blessing it was to see her and Julienne.
Saturday I slept in again :)
Got a few things done, and Saturday night I went to House of Worship (their blog is houseofworship.blogspot.com) to soak in God's presence. What an amazing night.
God showed up and I just worshipped full tilt for a couple hours.
Man I needed that so much.
Thanks Jayson and Teegan and the band, God really moved through you guys. Great seeing you out Amanda and Julienne :) You guys followin' me around or something? LOL! You guys are such blessings!
Sunday it was off to church where I got to see some really cool people in my church get baptized, and I got to hang with my crew of Junior Youth and share about the Disciple Simon Peter, I am always blessed hanging out with our Youth in our church.
Oh yah...my buddy Dale turned 40! Man he don't look a day over 50 LOL! Actually ya wouldn't even know he was 40...he's got the heart and energy of a 20 year old. Dale is our youth pastor in our church, my immediate superior for youth, and an awesome friend of mine, with a passion and heart for youth that is incredible.
After church I went over to a Saskatchewan Roughriders party at Jonathan's place. My buddy Scott was there as were a lot of guys from my church. It was a blast. Unfortunately the Riders lost. That's it, that is all...they are outta the game for the rest of the season now...
Watched the Stampeders v.s. Eskimos game...that was an awesome game. Eskimos won. That was pretty cool.
All in all it was a pretty cool weekend, got rest, got relaxation, and had fun and fellowship.
Can't wait to see what is happening this week...
Bless Yas all! -Moose
Oh yah...found another friend who has started blogging now! Check her blog out and encourage her! She is an awesome writer and she has some very cool insights on her blog.
Here is her site: http://www.walking-again.blogspot.com/ I also added her to my Sisters in God menu on the right if you want to check her site out.
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Ryno Blog Dude
This Aussie dude posted a comment on my blog and man I was blown away by his blog. I just wanted to share these with you all. Check his blog out. Ya know I don't normally do this but these are must reads. I didn't get his permission to link to these, so --->Ryno, if this ain't cool lemme know.<---Your blog is a real blessing man.
Here is his website: http://rynospace.blogspot.com
http://rynospace.blogspot.com/2005/10/blame-or-gain.html
http://rynospace.blogspot.com/2005/09/as-big-as.html
Bless Yas -Moose
Here is his website: http://rynospace.blogspot.com
http://rynospace.blogspot.com/2005/10/blame-or-gain.html
http://rynospace.blogspot.com/2005/09/as-big-as.html
Bless Yas -Moose
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Last Weekend
Last Weekend
Thought I would drop an update on what happened last weekend.
I had asked a lot of you personally and in my blog all to pray.
Thank you for all that did pray for me.
I went up to Wakaw Lake to seek God on His direction in my life and just get alone with Him.
One non-spiritual thing I wanted to do was to Listen to the Saskatchewan Roughriders game on the radio against BC...which they won! What a game...
But I digress...
Actually this is the type of stuff God wanted to speak to my heart about.
Losing focus.
Even though a lot of Roughrider fans would say that watching our team win is a spiritual experienceit was not the reason for my weekend.
I sought God and He met me.
I brought up a loaner guitar and my Bible and set out to find God's will.
I was looking for something profoundly miraculous.
God brought me back to the basics.
I was looking for a solution and miraculous end for my problems.
God brought me the grace to perservere though my problems.
And God bonked me on the head.
With His Bible.
Didn't you know that God was a Bible Thumper didya?
After worshipping Him during the weekend I was drawn to read through the book of Phillipians while I was out there.
This is what I have learned.
(Phil 1:19-24 NIV) 19 "for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance." 20 "I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death." 21 "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." 22 "If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!" 23 "I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;" 24 "but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body."
God has a purpose for my life. I see part of the scope of this, but there is so much more. I do desire to be with God but know in my heart that He is not done with me on this earth.
(Phil 2:5-11 NIV) "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:" 6 "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped," 7 "but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness." 8 "And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!" 9 "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,"
10 "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth," 11 "and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
(Insert WOW here.)
Servanthood, our Saviour, humbling Himself to death on a cross and glorification for endurance and perserverence and Obedience. Yowch. Obedience. Gotta stick in my boots whatever what.
(Phil 3:7-11 NIV) "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ." 8 "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ" 9 "and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith." 10 "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death," 11 "and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead."
Knowing Christ is Key. Faith in Christ is Key. Fellowship of sharing His sufferings is Key. Owch. Did I mention I don't do suffer well?
And the Doozie (as if the ones above were not)
(Phil 4:4-9 NIV) "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" 5 "Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near." 6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." 7 "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." 8 "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." 9 "Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."
Rejoice. So important I am gonna say it again. Rejoice! Be gentle. DO NOT WORRY! Man that is a tough one. Pray and Petition with thanksgiving. And THEN the peace will guard my heart and mind. Not the other way 'round. That alone is a brain rattler. Then the focus verse. Think about the good things of God. Not how I am going to pay my bills, not how I am going to get though another day, but on God. Then just to nail the point home PUT IT INTO PRACTICE. It just ain't thinking about it here. Its doing.
As I think it was Snagglepuss in the old Hanna Barbera cartoons that used to say about Thinking:
"I'll do the Thinnin' Round here!"
I got to let God do the "Thinnin'" in my life.
I gotta be obedient and actually Trust that He has the best for me no matter what. Back to the whole faith issue. Do I actually have the faith to believe He has the best for me? Somedays I think so. Some days I know not.
So what happened this weekend? God admonished me, drew me close, let me weep, and get up off the ground...again. I met with God and He met with me.
It really does not matter that I fall. I will fall. It is the direction I am looking when I get up.
No instant miracles here. No fantastic lights or journey's to the 6th heaven. Just allowing God to get me back to basics in His amazing grace to accomplish all He has set out for me to do.
God's Real And Continual Enablement. Thats GRACE. And that really is amazing.
Blessings -Moose
Thought I would drop an update on what happened last weekend.
I had asked a lot of you personally and in my blog all to pray.
Thank you for all that did pray for me.
I went up to Wakaw Lake to seek God on His direction in my life and just get alone with Him.
One non-spiritual thing I wanted to do was to Listen to the Saskatchewan Roughriders game on the radio against BC...which they won! What a game...
But I digress...
Actually this is the type of stuff God wanted to speak to my heart about.
Losing focus.
Even though a lot of Roughrider fans would say that watching our team win is a spiritual experience
I sought God and He met me.
I brought up a loaner guitar and my Bible and set out to find God's will.
I was looking for something profoundly miraculous.
God brought me back to the basics.
I was looking for a solution and miraculous end for my problems.
God brought me the grace to perservere though my problems.
And God bonked me on the head.
With His Bible.
Didn't you know that God was a Bible Thumper didya?
After worshipping Him during the weekend I was drawn to read through the book of Phillipians while I was out there.
This is what I have learned.
(Phil 1:19-24 NIV) 19 "for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance." 20 "I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death." 21 "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." 22 "If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!" 23 "I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;" 24 "but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body."
God has a purpose for my life. I see part of the scope of this, but there is so much more. I do desire to be with God but know in my heart that He is not done with me on this earth.
(Phil 2:5-11 NIV) "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:" 6 "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped," 7 "but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness." 8 "And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!" 9 "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,"
10 "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth," 11 "and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
(Insert WOW here.)
Servanthood, our Saviour, humbling Himself to death on a cross and glorification for endurance and perserverence and Obedience. Yowch. Obedience. Gotta stick in my boots whatever what.
(Phil 3:7-11 NIV) "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ." 8 "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ" 9 "and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith." 10 "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death," 11 "and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead."
Knowing Christ is Key. Faith in Christ is Key. Fellowship of sharing His sufferings is Key. Owch. Did I mention I don't do suffer well?
And the Doozie (as if the ones above were not)
(Phil 4:4-9 NIV) "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" 5 "Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near." 6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." 7 "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." 8 "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." 9 "Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."
Rejoice. So important I am gonna say it again. Rejoice! Be gentle. DO NOT WORRY! Man that is a tough one. Pray and Petition with thanksgiving. And THEN the peace will guard my heart and mind. Not the other way 'round. That alone is a brain rattler. Then the focus verse. Think about the good things of God. Not how I am going to pay my bills, not how I am going to get though another day, but on God. Then just to nail the point home PUT IT INTO PRACTICE. It just ain't thinking about it here. Its doing.
As I think it was Snagglepuss in the old Hanna Barbera cartoons that used to say about Thinking:
"I'll do the Thinnin' Round here!"
I got to let God do the "Thinnin'" in my life.
I gotta be obedient and actually Trust that He has the best for me no matter what. Back to the whole faith issue. Do I actually have the faith to believe He has the best for me? Somedays I think so. Some days I know not.
So what happened this weekend? God admonished me, drew me close, let me weep, and get up off the ground...again. I met with God and He met with me.
It really does not matter that I fall. I will fall. It is the direction I am looking when I get up.
No instant miracles here. No fantastic lights or journey's to the 6th heaven. Just allowing God to get me back to basics in His amazing grace to accomplish all He has set out for me to do.
God's Real And Continual Enablement. Thats GRACE. And that really is amazing.
Blessings -Moose
House of Worship
For all those Spiritual Soakers out there :)
An awesome time to hook up with God.
House of Worship is a night of worship that was created out of a hunger to know God more and encounter Him with other people who desire His presence with like passion.
This monthly gathering takes place at 7pm on the 2nd Saturday of every month at Victory Church (830 Idywyld Dr. N)
Upcoming gatherings: November 12, 2005, December 10 ,2005, January 14, 2006
Here is their url: http://houseofworship.blogspot.com/
Blessings -Moose
An awesome time to hook up with God.
House of Worship is a night of worship that was created out of a hunger to know God more and encounter Him with other people who desire His presence with like passion.
This monthly gathering takes place at 7pm on the 2nd Saturday of every month at Victory Church (830 Idywyld Dr. N)
Upcoming gatherings: November 12, 2005, December 10 ,2005, January 14, 2006
Here is their url: http://houseofworship.blogspot.com/
Blessings -Moose
Friday, November 04, 2005
Steeping
Steeping
I am feel like I am doing that right now in my life.
What a good picture.
I am the water, God is the teabag. (ok…just for this analogy…)
I am physically and fundamentally being changed by heat (trials) and God’s Essence transforming me from one thing to another.
God is inside of me, changing me, transforming me.
And it ain’t pretty some days.
This weekend I go to steep in God’s presence.
A friend of mine has graciously offered to let me stay up at his cabin for the weekend.
A guitar, a bible, and God.
To be still and know that I am God.
A time for me to listen and respond, and sort out a few things.
Do I have questions? Boy do I ever, but I am trusting He has the answers.
I really want God to change my heart. I love intimacy with God. It is so refreshing.
I just don’t like the pain that happens sometimes.
But, just like a doctor has to cause pain to remove a cancer, God sometimes has to cause pain to heal us.
But when the cancer is gone, oh what relief, joy, peace, and knowledge that you are right where God wants you.
“All things work to the Good for those who love God”
Some of those things that happen are not necessarily good, but in the end, they will be.
I am reminded of the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
The children thought that it would be grand to run and play with Aslan.
One of the children asked Mrs. Beaver if Aslan was safe.
Oh no she replied. Aslan is not safe. He is the King of the whole wood.
…But He is Good.
I will go through the pain to experience that.
I believe that while embracing Jesus, God my Father and the Holy Spirit is not necessarily safe to my flesh…
…it will be good, and it will be healing.
Please pray for me.
Thanks and Blessings,
Moose
I am feel like I am doing that right now in my life.
What a good picture.
I am the water, God is the teabag. (ok…just for this analogy…)
I am physically and fundamentally being changed by heat (trials) and God’s Essence transforming me from one thing to another.
God is inside of me, changing me, transforming me.
And it ain’t pretty some days.
This weekend I go to steep in God’s presence.
A friend of mine has graciously offered to let me stay up at his cabin for the weekend.
A guitar, a bible, and God.
To be still and know that I am God.
A time for me to listen and respond, and sort out a few things.
Do I have questions? Boy do I ever, but I am trusting He has the answers.
I really want God to change my heart. I love intimacy with God. It is so refreshing.
I just don’t like the pain that happens sometimes.
But, just like a doctor has to cause pain to remove a cancer, God sometimes has to cause pain to heal us.
But when the cancer is gone, oh what relief, joy, peace, and knowledge that you are right where God wants you.
“All things work to the Good for those who love God”
Some of those things that happen are not necessarily good, but in the end, they will be.
I am reminded of the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
The children thought that it would be grand to run and play with Aslan.
One of the children asked Mrs. Beaver if Aslan was safe.
Oh no she replied. Aslan is not safe. He is the King of the whole wood.
…But He is Good.
I will go through the pain to experience that.
I believe that while embracing Jesus, God my Father and the Holy Spirit is not necessarily safe to my flesh…
…it will be good, and it will be healing.
Please pray for me.
Thanks and Blessings,
Moose
Steep
Steep
yourself in the presence of the Holy Spirit
Steep
yourself in fellowship with good friends - and new friends
Steep
yourself in some steeped beverages and goodies
It’s Steeped Worship, on this Friday, November 4, 2005
At 7:30 pm for all Young Adults
Hope Fellowship Church
809 32nd St. Saskatoon, SK
yourself in the presence of the Holy Spirit
Steep
yourself in fellowship with good friends - and new friends
Steep
yourself in some steeped beverages and goodies
It’s Steeped Worship, on this Friday, November 4, 2005
At 7:30 pm for all Young Adults
Hope Fellowship Church
809 32nd St. Saskatoon, SK
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Walking as a Christian Separated Man
Walking as a Christian Separated Man.
It is more complicated and harder than I had ever imagined.
I got an email from the person I am still married to.
I hesitate to call her my wife as she has joined herself to another man.
I am presently "married" to a woman but hesitate to say I am in a marriage since a marriage seems to imply that both parties in said marriage are still together.
I unhappily am not.
My party of the first part has chosen to take the last name of her lover as her own and she is presently in an adulterous relationship with him. She has been with this person for the last 7 months.
Which leaves me (to quote my counselor) in a very unfortunate situation.
Turns out she cannot apply for legal aid for at least a year as she has just moved out to Calgary with her lover a couple months or so ago. So divorce is not an option for her. At least not for a year.
She wants me to file for divorce. Yippee! I will get right on that! NOT.
As a Christian I cannot file for a divorce in good conscience. I neither want to be the instigator of the divorce, nor wish to pay for it as it was not my idea for her to run away with another man.
Two camps of thought from friends of mine:
The Biblical law states in the very words of Jesus that I can divorce said wife for adultery. I could do that and this would be all over. I could not live with myself for doing that, but I could divorce her for adultery.
That would be living by the law.
Mercy and Grace (and the Holy Spirit) tell me to leave the door open for said wife to repent and come back. If she does not come back and divorces me, then I have done all I can to stay married. The old college try as it were.
That is living in the path of love and forgiveness. Or is it?
Herein lies the problem. I am not really sure I want her back.
I am not sure if I could forgive her.
If God said so, yes, I guess I would have to be obedient and believe that He has the best for me and would enable me with the forgiveness I would need towards her.
But in my heart It seems so impossible to trust someone who has thrown away 15 years of marriage for an adulterous relationship.
My "wife" may be legally still married to me, but in her heart she has married herself to another. She just has not done this in the sight of a congregation or the legal system.
If my "wife" repented and returned. in the back of my mind I would always be wondering when, not if, she would do this to me again.
So here I live in limbo land. Neither able to go on with my life in a new romatic relationship, nor end the old one.
Would not be so bad but alas, I do not do alone well.
I miss being in the arms of a woman, and the prospect of living like this for the next year (minimum) fills me with despair and agony.
Some people can rejoice in singleness, the freedom and the liberty to do any and all the things they want without being accountable, to do what they please without consulting anyone, to go anywhere without question.
And all these things are good and well.
For them.
However, after sharing your life with someone, you experience what that intimacy felt like and you long to have that back.
As God said about Adam, It is not good for man to be alone.
Being alone with no one for company but an invisible God, a furball of a cat, and a hyperactive dog is a lonely existance at best.
My arms ache to hold someone but I cannot for fear of becoming an legal adulterer myself.
I wonder if Adam and Eve had this problem, or their immediate descendents?
I mean, there was no Justice of the Peace to legally marry them, no state sanctioned legal pastors.
How did they marry / divorce back then? The Priests and Elders married and sanctioned divorce.
I am wondering if marriage and divorce is the soley the domain of the heart, not the legal system.
I believe that Marriages, like baptism are an outward expression, in and to one's Christian community of an inner change to love one person to the exclusion of all others. A very oath before God to carry that out, and the onus of the community the couple is in to see that oath fulfilled by any help possible.
Anyone else uncomfortable with the thought that you have to go get a marriage "licence" to get married? Did anyone get permission from God to (a.) Allow the state to make money off of HIS institution? (b.) license something HE ordained? (c.) Pervert something that HE called holy?
We have just seen the legal institution of marriage now be redefined as marriage hetersexual and homosexual. It will not be long before intergenerational marriages are allowed as are already before the system. What is next? Japan is marrying animals, is beastiality the next rung on the ladder? How about brothers and sisters? Where is it going to end?
If we go to the beginning, to Adam and Eve, I think Marriages and Divorces are church and heart things, not court and legal things. The court and legal things were an afterthought.
I am reminded of the Scottish in the middle ages having secret non-legal marriages in the woods so that the english lords could not know that they were wed and not take their wives to bed to breed the "Scottish out of the Scots." These marriages were totally spiritual and non legal. the Scots revolted against Legal marriage on the basis that it was no longer Godly and led to the rape of their new wives and ultimately the destruction of their marriages.
I wonder if we are getting to the same place in our legal system.
Today the legal system classes common law marriage and legal marriage as the two ways to have a legal relationship in this country.
But has anyone noticed how similar the two classes and the rights they provide are looking?
So what is the difference? Society and the church says one group is married, the other is not.
But what does God say?
With Adam and Eve and their immediate descendents, I cannot see people waiting for their divorce to clear the justice system before they started another marriage, as there was no justice system back then.
A group of elders / priests sanctioned a marriage or divorce in a community based on God's law.
Read the story of Ruth and Boaz. Read how marriage and divorces were dealt with in Leviticus.
If pastors and elders can marry, why cannot they divorce? Has anyone other than me wondered about this?
Proof of a broken relationship, that one person or the other has forsaken the marriage covenant should be all that is needed for a divorce.
Division of assets should be a civil matter.
We wonder at the ability of the old testament Jews who all they had to do is say I divorce you three times and were divorced, legally and spiritually.
But today, it seems that you are still married legally and still bound to be, even if under God that covenant has been broken, until it is legally dealt with. This leaves you not quite married, and not quite divorced.
We have a multitude of people in our society that are married divorcees feeling like the walking dead. Not quite free, but still in bondage.
Who have no closure. The direct result of legal marriage.
The only people who have closure are the people who have lost their spouses to death.
At least they can go on in life.
Which makes me really think.
With legal marriage becoming more twisted and perverse as far as the law, homosexual marriages, marriage contracts with get out of jail free cards written into them...
What is more close to the real marriage God intends?
Is it a legal thing? Or a heart thing? A lot of churches would say both. I disagree.
I am reminded of the Anabaptists.
Until the Anabaptists, you were not legally baptized until you were baptized by the state as an infant.
Didn't matter if you were baptized by a pastor and in your heart you confessed Jesus as Lord and then were baptized as per the Bible.
You had to be legally baptized by the state before you could be officially baptized "by God" emphasis mine.
And in the end all the state was looking to do is keep a census through baptism so that they could keep track of their tax base. The state did not care if baptism was of God or not, as long as the tax roll was continuing to be accounted for.
So people namely pastors, deacons, elders, baptized people in secret with non legal baptisms. Under God.
I wonder if we have reached the same place in legal marriage.
Why do we have legal marriages?
So we can legally apply for benefits? So we can be legally represented as a couple?
So what makes that different than what the homosexuals want? Do we honestly believe they want the stamp of God on their relationships? No. Most of them hate God. They just want to be recognized as a couple in society, under the law, so that they can get the same benefits heterosexuals do. It is all about rights, greed and self-centeredness, not God centeredness.
I am beginning to believe that Canadian legal marriage has nothing to do with God, and what he wants.
We see in our Bibles obey the law of the land, except when to do so contradicts the word of the Lord. Does homosexual legal marriage not contradict the word of the Lord?
What is the "institution" of marriage?
Is it leaving mother and father and cleaving to one another as the Bible states?
Or is it some twisted legal thing?
I would love to hear a sermon from the pulpit on legal marriage and the defense thereof.
Every sermon I have heard on marriage uses the definitions and biblical references of the Bible. I have yet to hear in my humble 15 years of Christianity a sermon on legal marriage. Why?
Just something to think about.
How does this affect me?
It seems to avoid living under the law regarding my attitude towards my married other, I am living under the law regarding my own life and happiness.
On one hand I feel so very ready for another relationship, but on the other hand so not.
When I spend time with the opposite sex, and especially those I find myself attracted to, I feel the agony of my loneliness subside in their presence, but the fear of drawing too close slams into me like a wall and in fumbly awkwardness I short circuit conversations with people I could see myself having a meaningful relationship with.
As an introvert I have just beaten myself further into my shell. Again.
I actually have to fight myself to get out into public to talk to people so I don't become some derange miser type hermit with 78 cats who smells bad and yells at people all the time as the voices only talk to HIM!
Ok., ok, not quite that bad. But you get the picture.
Then there is the whole issue of what if my divorce did go through.
This is going to sound bad but...a divorce would feel like I won the lottery to get on with my life.
Then there are all the new Christan rules...
Before I got saved, I could just find someone interesting at the local pub, get drunk with them, yadda, yadda, and hopefully end up in a long term relationship.
Now there are threats like AIDS so now that type of dating is like playing Russian Roulette. Not even an option.
Now I must find someone who is a Christian, and who hopefully does not have AIDS or some other death disease.
The Bible says that the person I find must be a Christian so that I am not unequally yoked with an unbeliever.
Not quite sure what egg yolkes have to do with any thing but I digress...
So that means that the Christian dating rules are different. And I have no idea what the new rules are.
See, I thought I would be with my wife forever.
Not so said life. Or at least at this point of my life.
So as a Christian it is no sex before marriage, try to figure out if someone is interesting enough to spend the rest of your life with and get to know people enough to take the plunge and express your feelings to them, further vulnerablizing yourself.
That is all I know at this point.
Did I mention I was an introvert?
Guess that is why people say that God puts those type of relationships together.
Right now it seems like it would take a miracle for me to be in another intimate relationship with a woman.
I guess what Miracle Max said from the Princess Bride is true.
"Don't rush me, sonny. You rush a miracle man, you get rotten miracles. You got money?"
Seems God has me in the waiting room of life wanting me to figure something out.
To quote another character from the Princess Bride Inigo Montoya, "I hate wait"
So here I am going to a Marriage Tuneup seminar at my church under the unction of my pastor, and accountability friends, and God.
I don't wanna go! (Sounds like a 6 year old eh?)
But for some twisted reason unbeknownst to me, the Holy Spirit put this on my heart to attend.
And if I want peace I must, in obedience go.
So I am going.
Pray for me.
I still got a LOT to learn.
Blessings. -Moose
It is more complicated and harder than I had ever imagined.
I got an email from the person I am still married to.
I hesitate to call her my wife as she has joined herself to another man.
I am presently "married" to a woman but hesitate to say I am in a marriage since a marriage seems to imply that both parties in said marriage are still together.
I unhappily am not.
My party of the first part has chosen to take the last name of her lover as her own and she is presently in an adulterous relationship with him. She has been with this person for the last 7 months.
Which leaves me (to quote my counselor) in a very unfortunate situation.
Turns out she cannot apply for legal aid for at least a year as she has just moved out to Calgary with her lover a couple months or so ago. So divorce is not an option for her. At least not for a year.
She wants me to file for divorce. Yippee! I will get right on that! NOT.
As a Christian I cannot file for a divorce in good conscience. I neither want to be the instigator of the divorce, nor wish to pay for it as it was not my idea for her to run away with another man.
Two camps of thought from friends of mine:
The Biblical law states in the very words of Jesus that I can divorce said wife for adultery. I could do that and this would be all over. I could not live with myself for doing that, but I could divorce her for adultery.
That would be living by the law.
Mercy and Grace (and the Holy Spirit) tell me to leave the door open for said wife to repent and come back. If she does not come back and divorces me, then I have done all I can to stay married. The old college try as it were.
That is living in the path of love and forgiveness. Or is it?
Herein lies the problem. I am not really sure I want her back.
I am not sure if I could forgive her.
If God said so, yes, I guess I would have to be obedient and believe that He has the best for me and would enable me with the forgiveness I would need towards her.
But in my heart It seems so impossible to trust someone who has thrown away 15 years of marriage for an adulterous relationship.
My "wife" may be legally still married to me, but in her heart she has married herself to another. She just has not done this in the sight of a congregation or the legal system.
If my "wife" repented and returned. in the back of my mind I would always be wondering when, not if, she would do this to me again.
So here I live in limbo land. Neither able to go on with my life in a new romatic relationship, nor end the old one.
Would not be so bad but alas, I do not do alone well.
I miss being in the arms of a woman, and the prospect of living like this for the next year (minimum) fills me with despair and agony.
Some people can rejoice in singleness, the freedom and the liberty to do any and all the things they want without being accountable, to do what they please without consulting anyone, to go anywhere without question.
And all these things are good and well.
For them.
However, after sharing your life with someone, you experience what that intimacy felt like and you long to have that back.
As God said about Adam, It is not good for man to be alone.
Being alone with no one for company but an invisible God, a furball of a cat, and a hyperactive dog is a lonely existance at best.
My arms ache to hold someone but I cannot for fear of becoming an legal adulterer myself.
I wonder if Adam and Eve had this problem, or their immediate descendents?
I mean, there was no Justice of the Peace to legally marry them, no state sanctioned legal pastors.
How did they marry / divorce back then? The Priests and Elders married and sanctioned divorce.
I am wondering if marriage and divorce is the soley the domain of the heart, not the legal system.
I believe that Marriages, like baptism are an outward expression, in and to one's Christian community of an inner change to love one person to the exclusion of all others. A very oath before God to carry that out, and the onus of the community the couple is in to see that oath fulfilled by any help possible.
Anyone else uncomfortable with the thought that you have to go get a marriage "licence" to get married? Did anyone get permission from God to (a.) Allow the state to make money off of HIS institution? (b.) license something HE ordained? (c.) Pervert something that HE called holy?
We have just seen the legal institution of marriage now be redefined as marriage hetersexual and homosexual. It will not be long before intergenerational marriages are allowed as are already before the system. What is next? Japan is marrying animals, is beastiality the next rung on the ladder? How about brothers and sisters? Where is it going to end?
If we go to the beginning, to Adam and Eve, I think Marriages and Divorces are church and heart things, not court and legal things. The court and legal things were an afterthought.
I am reminded of the Scottish in the middle ages having secret non-legal marriages in the woods so that the english lords could not know that they were wed and not take their wives to bed to breed the "Scottish out of the Scots." These marriages were totally spiritual and non legal. the Scots revolted against Legal marriage on the basis that it was no longer Godly and led to the rape of their new wives and ultimately the destruction of their marriages.
I wonder if we are getting to the same place in our legal system.
Today the legal system classes common law marriage and legal marriage as the two ways to have a legal relationship in this country.
But has anyone noticed how similar the two classes and the rights they provide are looking?
So what is the difference? Society and the church says one group is married, the other is not.
But what does God say?
With Adam and Eve and their immediate descendents, I cannot see people waiting for their divorce to clear the justice system before they started another marriage, as there was no justice system back then.
A group of elders / priests sanctioned a marriage or divorce in a community based on God's law.
Read the story of Ruth and Boaz. Read how marriage and divorces were dealt with in Leviticus.
If pastors and elders can marry, why cannot they divorce? Has anyone other than me wondered about this?
Proof of a broken relationship, that one person or the other has forsaken the marriage covenant should be all that is needed for a divorce.
Division of assets should be a civil matter.
We wonder at the ability of the old testament Jews who all they had to do is say I divorce you three times and were divorced, legally and spiritually.
But today, it seems that you are still married legally and still bound to be, even if under God that covenant has been broken, until it is legally dealt with. This leaves you not quite married, and not quite divorced.
We have a multitude of people in our society that are married divorcees feeling like the walking dead. Not quite free, but still in bondage.
Who have no closure. The direct result of legal marriage.
The only people who have closure are the people who have lost their spouses to death.
At least they can go on in life.
Which makes me really think.
With legal marriage becoming more twisted and perverse as far as the law, homosexual marriages, marriage contracts with get out of jail free cards written into them...
What is more close to the real marriage God intends?
Is it a legal thing? Or a heart thing? A lot of churches would say both. I disagree.
I am reminded of the Anabaptists.
Until the Anabaptists, you were not legally baptized until you were baptized by the state as an infant.
Didn't matter if you were baptized by a pastor and in your heart you confessed Jesus as Lord and then were baptized as per the Bible.
You had to be legally baptized by the state before you could be officially baptized "by God" emphasis mine.
And in the end all the state was looking to do is keep a census through baptism so that they could keep track of their tax base. The state did not care if baptism was of God or not, as long as the tax roll was continuing to be accounted for.
So people namely pastors, deacons, elders, baptized people in secret with non legal baptisms. Under God.
I wonder if we have reached the same place in legal marriage.
Why do we have legal marriages?
So we can legally apply for benefits? So we can be legally represented as a couple?
So what makes that different than what the homosexuals want? Do we honestly believe they want the stamp of God on their relationships? No. Most of them hate God. They just want to be recognized as a couple in society, under the law, so that they can get the same benefits heterosexuals do. It is all about rights, greed and self-centeredness, not God centeredness.
I am beginning to believe that Canadian legal marriage has nothing to do with God, and what he wants.
We see in our Bibles obey the law of the land, except when to do so contradicts the word of the Lord. Does homosexual legal marriage not contradict the word of the Lord?
What is the "institution" of marriage?
Is it leaving mother and father and cleaving to one another as the Bible states?
Or is it some twisted legal thing?
I would love to hear a sermon from the pulpit on legal marriage and the defense thereof.
Every sermon I have heard on marriage uses the definitions and biblical references of the Bible. I have yet to hear in my humble 15 years of Christianity a sermon on legal marriage. Why?
Just something to think about.
How does this affect me?
It seems to avoid living under the law regarding my attitude towards my married other, I am living under the law regarding my own life and happiness.
On one hand I feel so very ready for another relationship, but on the other hand so not.
When I spend time with the opposite sex, and especially those I find myself attracted to, I feel the agony of my loneliness subside in their presence, but the fear of drawing too close slams into me like a wall and in fumbly awkwardness I short circuit conversations with people I could see myself having a meaningful relationship with.
As an introvert I have just beaten myself further into my shell. Again.
I actually have to fight myself to get out into public to talk to people so I don't become some derange miser type hermit with 78 cats who smells bad and yells at people all the time as the voices only talk to HIM!
Ok., ok, not quite that bad. But you get the picture.
Then there is the whole issue of what if my divorce did go through.
This is going to sound bad but...a divorce would feel like I won the lottery to get on with my life.
Then there are all the new Christan rules...
Before I got saved, I could just find someone interesting at the local pub, get drunk with them, yadda, yadda, and hopefully end up in a long term relationship.
Now there are threats like AIDS so now that type of dating is like playing Russian Roulette. Not even an option.
Now I must find someone who is a Christian, and who hopefully does not have AIDS or some other death disease.
The Bible says that the person I find must be a Christian so that I am not unequally yoked with an unbeliever.
Not quite sure what egg yolkes have to do with any thing but I digress...
So that means that the Christian dating rules are different. And I have no idea what the new rules are.
See, I thought I would be with my wife forever.
Not so said life. Or at least at this point of my life.
So as a Christian it is no sex before marriage, try to figure out if someone is interesting enough to spend the rest of your life with and get to know people enough to take the plunge and express your feelings to them, further vulnerablizing yourself.
That is all I know at this point.
Did I mention I was an introvert?
Guess that is why people say that God puts those type of relationships together.
Right now it seems like it would take a miracle for me to be in another intimate relationship with a woman.
I guess what Miracle Max said from the Princess Bride is true.
"Don't rush me, sonny. You rush a miracle man, you get rotten miracles. You got money?"
Seems God has me in the waiting room of life wanting me to figure something out.
To quote another character from the Princess Bride Inigo Montoya, "I hate wait"
So here I am going to a Marriage Tuneup seminar at my church under the unction of my pastor, and accountability friends, and God.
I don't wanna go! (Sounds like a 6 year old eh?)
But for some twisted reason unbeknownst to me, the Holy Spirit put this on my heart to attend.
And if I want peace I must, in obedience go.
So I am going.
Pray for me.
I still got a LOT to learn.
Blessings. -Moose
Saturday, October 22, 2005
Pakistan/India Relief Benefit Concert
This is from my friend Hollis, the lead singer from Tangosierra. Their tunes are playing on Rock 102 right now. Please consider this. If you cannot make it, that's cool, but please let your other friends and aquaintances know. This is going for a good solid cause. There are a lot of people are in dire straits right now along the Pakistan-India border, and World Vision is a good solid way to help. As an added incentive the Canadian government is also kicking in a dollar for every dollar that Worldvision raises for this relief effort.
More news should be posted soon on the tangosierra website: http://www.tangosierra.ca/
Thanks for your time, Steve "Moose" Funkner
----- Original Message -----
From: Hollis Brown
To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;
Sent: Saturday, October 22, 2005 1:17 AM
Subject: Urgent newsflash: The Roadhammers and Tango Sierra to do a benefit concert.
People,
This is happening fast, and so I don't have time to sort out who I'm mailing this to, but it looks like The Roadhammers are going to pop into Saskatoon this coming Tuesday, October 25th, for a benefit concert at the Longbranch Salloon and Tango Sierra will be adding their show too as an opener. It's all but confirmed, and it looks like a for sure thing, and it's happening fast, so spread the word that all the proceeds will go to the earthquake relief effort to get those people some tents before the snow flies. I've got a bad cold, and I woke up this morning thankful that I'm not sleeping in a ditch with a wet blanket and the flu and my house broken down. So, yes, please spread the word and if any of you are connected with the Red Cross or World Vision, help me get them involved asap. I'll be up tonight emailing them to get their people into it. The gov't. matches everything donated thru the 26th, so whatever you give will be doubled. Here's something I got from World Vision.
We can do it, Hollis.
Dear Mr. Brown:
The earthquake along the Pakistan-India border has taken a massive toll—estimates state more than 40,000 people dead and millions homeless.
World Vision is there, working around the clock to save the lives of children and their families. Already, our staff is distributing 3,000 tents, 1,000 quilts, 12,000 litres of water, and more to suffering victims.
To strengthen our relief efforts and to help rebuild lives, the Canadian government has committed to match every dollar donated by individuals, but only until October 26. That means your gift will double in value to rush things like clean water, food, shelter, medical supplies and more to help twice as many needy children and families.
Please give generously today—rush emergency supplies and help save lives.
Thank you for your swift action and continuing prayers.
Sincerely,
Dave Toycen
President, World Vision Canada
Click here to donate today. Your gift before October 26 will double in value to rush emergency supplies and help save children’s lives.
As Canada’s largest relief and development agency, World Vision’s passion is to help children and their communities transform their lives by fighting poverty and injustice. Since 1950, we have been providing hope for children in nearly 100 countries. We are motivated by God’s love for all people – regardless of race, religion, or gender.
More news should be posted soon on the tangosierra website: http://www.tangosierra.ca/
Thanks for your time, Steve "Moose" Funkner
----- Original Message -----
From: Hollis Brown
To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;
Sent: Saturday, October 22, 2005 1:17 AM
Subject: Urgent newsflash: The Roadhammers and Tango Sierra to do a benefit concert.
People,
This is happening fast, and so I don't have time to sort out who I'm mailing this to, but it looks like The Roadhammers are going to pop into Saskatoon this coming Tuesday, October 25th, for a benefit concert at the Longbranch Salloon and Tango Sierra will be adding their show too as an opener. It's all but confirmed, and it looks like a for sure thing, and it's happening fast, so spread the word that all the proceeds will go to the earthquake relief effort to get those people some tents before the snow flies. I've got a bad cold, and I woke up this morning thankful that I'm not sleeping in a ditch with a wet blanket and the flu and my house broken down. So, yes, please spread the word and if any of you are connected with the Red Cross or World Vision, help me get them involved asap. I'll be up tonight emailing them to get their people into it. The gov't. matches everything donated thru the 26th, so whatever you give will be doubled. Here's something I got from World Vision.
We can do it, Hollis.
Dear Mr. Brown:
The earthquake along the Pakistan-India border has taken a massive toll—estimates state more than 40,000 people dead and millions homeless.
World Vision is there, working around the clock to save the lives of children and their families. Already, our staff is distributing 3,000 tents, 1,000 quilts, 12,000 litres of water, and more to suffering victims.
To strengthen our relief efforts and to help rebuild lives, the Canadian government has committed to match every dollar donated by individuals, but only until October 26. That means your gift will double in value to rush things like clean water, food, shelter, medical supplies and more to help twice as many needy children and families.
Please give generously today—rush emergency supplies and help save lives.
Thank you for your swift action and continuing prayers.
Sincerely,
Dave Toycen
President, World Vision Canada
Click here to donate today. Your gift before October 26 will double in value to rush emergency supplies and help save children’s lives.
As Canada’s largest relief and development agency, World Vision’s passion is to help children and their communities transform their lives by fighting poverty and injustice. Since 1950, we have been providing hope for children in nearly 100 countries. We are motivated by God’s love for all people – regardless of race, religion, or gender.
Friday, October 14, 2005
Tired
Tired.
Man am I wasted. Seems lately I have been in a spiritual/physical whirlwind.
I could pull a Rip Van Winkle for about 10 years 'cept I am no where near Sleep Hollow :)
Why is it that the more time saving devices we aquire to save more time, we proportionately lost more time as we aquire said devices?
I thought computers were supposed to give us more time for our lives, however, I am chained to one so much I should rent myself out as a glow light.
Seriously just hook me up to the power grid and I could probably contribute.
I am thinking that gamma rays off computer monitors cannot be healthy...Just a theory.
This sedinary lifestyle cannot be good. I can only think that when we were bonking beasts over the head and dragging them home to eat that mankind as a whole was probably in way better physical shape.
Like my buddy Chuck always says "Round IS a shape" (insert grin here)
A few years ago I would of never dreamed of being at a desk job. I was always doing heavy physical labour and I was in great shape.
Seems crazy but I remember having way more energy after work and not experiencing a mind numbing burnt out sensation when I got home at night.
I seem to have less energy now that I don't expend as much energy...wierd.
Seems to fly into the face of the laws of thermodynamics.
I have used LESS energy, therefore I should have more energy at the end of a day,
whereas physical labour should expend MORE energy so I should have less at the end of the day.
Guess that is not how the human body works.
Never professed to be a biologist or medical student, but something just don't seem right there.
Anywhoo...'nuff with the soapbox.
Gotta snooze. Big day tommorrow. Watching the Roughriders (Hopefully) Kick Edmonton's Butt, spending some time with 3 of the most awesome Christian brothers I know, and gonna end the night with home made barb-que burgers and American Sun Tea.
Hey - I know why I don't have any energy! Its those burgers! LOL...but they sure gonna taste goood!
Peace -Moose
Man am I wasted. Seems lately I have been in a spiritual/physical whirlwind.
I could pull a Rip Van Winkle for about 10 years 'cept I am no where near Sleep Hollow :)
Why is it that the more time saving devices we aquire to save more time, we proportionately lost more time as we aquire said devices?
I thought computers were supposed to give us more time for our lives, however, I am chained to one so much I should rent myself out as a glow light.
Seriously just hook me up to the power grid and I could probably contribute.
I am thinking that gamma rays off computer monitors cannot be healthy...Just a theory.
This sedinary lifestyle cannot be good. I can only think that when we were bonking beasts over the head and dragging them home to eat that mankind as a whole was probably in way better physical shape.
Like my buddy Chuck always says "Round IS a shape" (insert grin here)
A few years ago I would of never dreamed of being at a desk job. I was always doing heavy physical labour and I was in great shape.
Seems crazy but I remember having way more energy after work and not experiencing a mind numbing burnt out sensation when I got home at night.
I seem to have less energy now that I don't expend as much energy...wierd.
Seems to fly into the face of the laws of thermodynamics.
I have used LESS energy, therefore I should have more energy at the end of a day,
whereas physical labour should expend MORE energy so I should have less at the end of the day.
Guess that is not how the human body works.
Never professed to be a biologist or medical student, but something just don't seem right there.
Anywhoo...'nuff with the soapbox.
Gotta snooze. Big day tommorrow. Watching the Roughriders (Hopefully) Kick Edmonton's Butt, spending some time with 3 of the most awesome Christian brothers I know, and gonna end the night with home made barb-que burgers and American Sun Tea.
Hey - I know why I don't have any energy! Its those burgers! LOL...but they sure gonna taste goood!
Peace -Moose
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Man Under Construction
Man Under Construction...
Haven't posted for a while been going through a lot of things namely a Transformations course by a man named Greg Mitchell at church,
The Purple book discipleship program:
http://www.everynationstore.com/Detail.bok?no=3
and...Junior Youth is back on and I am a leader, am trying to keep up with my accountability dudes, and trying to live a life, and catch all the Roughrider games besides :) Man it has been a stretching time. But good. It is definitely building a "new and improved" faith into my life.
In other news...spent the long weekend with my family in the town of Carrot River Saskatchewan (where there is no river and there are no carrots) where recently (within the last few years) a crocodile was found:
www.town.carrotriver.sk.ca/teleorhinus.htm
Very interesting to find a crocodile in a place where it snows every year :) A great PALAEONTOLOGICAL (my big word for today) find...
Other interesting discoveries in Carrot River were home cooked meals (which I haven't had recently) Turkey Dinners, and all the fixin's Awesome! Beats the heck outta 2 dollar TV dinners (ok...that is not ALL I eat, Just MOSTLY what I eat LOL!)
All in all life has been good to me so far...considering the circumstances.
Well thats my update, yup, think that is all I wanted to say...except this:
Bilbo continued in a much less than enthusiastic voice, "I…" he started as he went into his pocket, and pulled out an object. What is concealed in his hand, the crowd doesn't know…
He put his hands behind his back and continued muttering to himself, "…I… have things to do… "
The crowd put on expressionless faces, even Frodo…
"…I've put this off for far too long," Bilbo mutters to himself even more as the crowd continued to be speechless at his behavior, waiting for him to say something…
…Finally he spoke, "…I regret to announce, this is the end…!
"…I'm going now, I bid you all a very fond farewell…"
The crowd was even more speechless at Bilbo's latest remark. He looked at his nephew, Frodo one last time, "…goodbye."
And then…
…Bilbo vanished. The crowd gasped at what they saw. Gandalf was more than shocked to see Bilbo vanish before his eyes…
http://www.samizdat.com/fanfics/john/rurouni_kenshin_and_%20the_%20lord_%20of_%20the%20rings_chapter3.html
From Rurouni Kenshin and the Lord of the Rings
Prologue: One ring to rule them all
A Fanfiction by: John the Visionary, Docwho4243@aol.com
http://www.samizdat.com/fanfics/john/rurouni_kenshin_and_%20the_%20lord_%20of_%20the%20rings_prologue.html
Bless Ya -Moose
Haven't posted for a while been going through a lot of things namely a Transformations course by a man named Greg Mitchell at church,
The Purple book discipleship program:
http://www.everynationstore.com/Detail.bok?no=3
and...Junior Youth is back on and I am a leader, am trying to keep up with my accountability dudes, and trying to live a life, and catch all the Roughrider games besides :) Man it has been a stretching time. But good. It is definitely building a "new and improved" faith into my life.
In other news...spent the long weekend with my family in the town of Carrot River Saskatchewan (where there is no river and there are no carrots) where recently (within the last few years) a crocodile was found:
www.town.carrotriver.sk.ca/teleorhinus.htm
Very interesting to find a crocodile in a place where it snows every year :) A great PALAEONTOLOGICAL (my big word for today) find...
Other interesting discoveries in Carrot River were home cooked meals (which I haven't had recently) Turkey Dinners, and all the fixin's Awesome! Beats the heck outta 2 dollar TV dinners (ok...that is not ALL I eat, Just MOSTLY what I eat LOL!)
All in all life has been good to me so far...considering the circumstances.
Well thats my update, yup, think that is all I wanted to say...except this:
Bilbo continued in a much less than enthusiastic voice, "I…" he started as he went into his pocket, and pulled out an object. What is concealed in his hand, the crowd doesn't know…
He put his hands behind his back and continued muttering to himself, "…I… have things to do… "
The crowd put on expressionless faces, even Frodo…
"…I've put this off for far too long," Bilbo mutters to himself even more as the crowd continued to be speechless at his behavior, waiting for him to say something…
…Finally he spoke, "…I regret to announce, this is the end…!
"…I'm going now, I bid you all a very fond farewell…"
The crowd was even more speechless at Bilbo's latest remark. He looked at his nephew, Frodo one last time, "…goodbye."
And then…
…Bilbo vanished. The crowd gasped at what they saw. Gandalf was more than shocked to see Bilbo vanish before his eyes…
http://www.samizdat.com/fanfics/john/rurouni_kenshin_and_%20the_%20lord_%20of_%20the%20rings_chapter3.html
From Rurouni Kenshin and the Lord of the Rings
Prologue: One ring to rule them all
A Fanfiction by: John the Visionary, Docwho4243@aol.com
http://www.samizdat.com/fanfics/john/rurouni_kenshin_and_%20the_%20lord_%20of_%20the%20rings_prologue.html
Bless Ya -Moose
Monday, September 26, 2005
Friday, September 23, 2005
Gettin' Outta the Boat
Gettin' Outta the Boat
Well, I'm doing it...I am getting outta the boat.
Yup I am walking onto the water, heading to Jesus, and Stepping out in faith.
Sounds pretty strong and spiritually convincing right now eh?
Couldn't be further from the truth...
Knees are knockin', teeth are chattering, and I'm hyperventalating...
Ok...not quite that bad, but you get the point.
It is a big step to go from the known to the unknown.
Especially when it defies logic or in Peter's case good ol' fashioned physics.
But that is where God is.
He isn't in the boat, He is on the water.
"IF it is you Lord call me get out of the boat"
Geez what a silly question. Man talk about setting yourself up. Very predictable. You almost are on the sidelines shouting "Don't do it man!" You can see EXACTLY where this is going.
Like in horror movies, why is it that when the young starlet hears a noise she doesn't just stay in the safety of the house? Nope. Away she goes to check it out. Dumb, Dumb, Dumb. You just KNOW that is going to happen. You see it. Apparently she doesn't.
Peter didn't. So Jesus did.
Come on out. Man. Now Peter went and done it..had to put his faith where his mouth was.
And that is Exactly where Jesus wanted him.
Then Peter saw the wind and the waves. And started to dog paddle. The mouth that had put its faith were its mouth was was now gargling sea water.
Jesus Save Me!
I think it was more like gurgle, gurgle gasp, JESUS, gurgle, gasp, gasp, SAVE ME!
IMMEDIATELY Jesus reached out his hand. Good thing, because I suspect Peter wasn't treading water very well.
Just a bunny trail here...Seems unusual but a lot full time commercial fishermen don't know how to swim. Weird huh.
I used to room with a couple Newfie guys years ago, and they confided in me that most of them do not go swimming and most don't know HOW to swim. It is just not done. Blew my mind.
Just like a lot of people from the Midwestern U.S. don't appear go to the lake...I asked a buddy of mine what lakes they go to in the states. He commented "Why would you "go" to the lake? What exactly would you "do" there?" Wild.
Imagine being that close to water your whole life and not thinking you might have to get into it someday.
Anyways...BIG bunny trail there.
Point is...walking on the water, me, Jesus, the whole enchilada.
Part of me is like AWESOME! Walking on the water. The cutting edge of faith, another daring adventure, Hooray!
Another part of me is going "Don't do this to me Jesus, I love my nicely warmed up seat in the boat. Hey I had a good place picked out there. I don't care that it is pitching in the wind like a tilt-a-whirl, It is safe here. Or is it?
Jesus is saying "who told you I wanted you to play it safe?"
So this weekend I am hopping onto the water, getting outta the boat, and secretly hoping it froze up since I looked at it last.
And heading to Jesus...
Wish me luck...better yet, pray for me. I just MIGHT need that.
Blessings,
Moose
Well, I'm doing it...I am getting outta the boat.
Yup I am walking onto the water, heading to Jesus, and Stepping out in faith.
Sounds pretty strong and spiritually convincing right now eh?
Couldn't be further from the truth...
Knees are knockin', teeth are chattering, and I'm hyperventalating...
Ok...not quite that bad, but you get the point.
It is a big step to go from the known to the unknown.
Especially when it defies logic or in Peter's case good ol' fashioned physics.
But that is where God is.
He isn't in the boat, He is on the water.
"IF it is you Lord call me get out of the boat"
Geez what a silly question. Man talk about setting yourself up. Very predictable. You almost are on the sidelines shouting "Don't do it man!" You can see EXACTLY where this is going.
Like in horror movies, why is it that when the young starlet hears a noise she doesn't just stay in the safety of the house? Nope. Away she goes to check it out. Dumb, Dumb, Dumb. You just KNOW that is going to happen. You see it. Apparently she doesn't.
Peter didn't. So Jesus did.
Come on out. Man. Now Peter went and done it..had to put his faith where his mouth was.
And that is Exactly where Jesus wanted him.
Then Peter saw the wind and the waves. And started to dog paddle. The mouth that had put its faith were its mouth was was now gargling sea water.
Jesus Save Me!
I think it was more like gurgle, gurgle gasp, JESUS, gurgle, gasp, gasp, SAVE ME!
IMMEDIATELY Jesus reached out his hand. Good thing, because I suspect Peter wasn't treading water very well.
Just a bunny trail here...Seems unusual but a lot full time commercial fishermen don't know how to swim. Weird huh.
I used to room with a couple Newfie guys years ago, and they confided in me that most of them do not go swimming and most don't know HOW to swim. It is just not done. Blew my mind.
Just like a lot of people from the Midwestern U.S. don't appear go to the lake...I asked a buddy of mine what lakes they go to in the states. He commented "Why would you "go" to the lake? What exactly would you "do" there?" Wild.
Imagine being that close to water your whole life and not thinking you might have to get into it someday.
Anyways...BIG bunny trail there.
Point is...walking on the water, me, Jesus, the whole enchilada.
Part of me is like AWESOME! Walking on the water. The cutting edge of faith, another daring adventure, Hooray!
Another part of me is going "Don't do this to me Jesus, I love my nicely warmed up seat in the boat. Hey I had a good place picked out there. I don't care that it is pitching in the wind like a tilt-a-whirl, It is safe here. Or is it?
Jesus is saying "who told you I wanted you to play it safe?"
So this weekend I am hopping onto the water, getting outta the boat, and secretly hoping it froze up since I looked at it last.
And heading to Jesus...
Wish me luck...better yet, pray for me. I just MIGHT need that.
Blessings,
Moose
Monday, September 19, 2005
In Other News...
In Other News...
The Riders Won yesterday against the Eskimos! Man I thought for sure their goose (geese / gooses) were cooked...right down to the wire it was, like a David and Goliath faceoff...right down to the last punt.
See what happened here:
Roughriders v.s. Eskimos Game
After church in the morning, got to spend some time with a couple really cool Christian guys I know (was good hangin with ya Dale and Don)and cheer on the green and white...was a cool way to spend an afternoon, then spent the rest of the afternoon with a couple guys from my church (good hangin with ya Kevin and Tim)watching WWE on pay per view...all in all it was a good day. Nothing too spiritually challenging or such, ('cept the prayers that went up for the Riders to win :) Just hangin with Christian brothers at sporting events...very cool.
The Riders Won yesterday against the Eskimos! Man I thought for sure their goose (geese / gooses) were cooked...right down to the wire it was, like a David and Goliath faceoff...right down to the last punt.
See what happened here:
Roughriders v.s. Eskimos Game
After church in the morning, got to spend some time with a couple really cool Christian guys I know (was good hangin with ya Dale and Don)and cheer on the green and white...was a cool way to spend an afternoon, then spent the rest of the afternoon with a couple guys from my church (good hangin with ya Kevin and Tim)watching WWE on pay per view...all in all it was a good day. Nothing too spiritually challenging or such, ('cept the prayers that went up for the Riders to win :) Just hangin with Christian brothers at sporting events...very cool.
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