Anne

DEER!!!!!

2006-11-01T13:01:00.000-05:00

It’s been way to long since I last posted a blog. The reason for this is that nobody seems to read my blog or respond, so I have no reason to suspect that people are actually interested in reading what I have to say. This is not a cry for you to comment, just a simple observation.
Since I last posted, not much has happened. I am still going between North Bay and Ottawa and that seems to be the hardest. Just when I get used to being in one place and getting comfortable it becomes time to leave again. Oh well, that is the price to pay for my education.
I am enjoying the north. Just last week I saw a pack of deer. There were about 6 of them. The best part of it was that I was on the way to the mall. It was neat to see these animals up close. They were all well built and very beautiful. I was very impressed. I have yet to know what North Bay is like on a sunny day. I think the sun purposely does not show itself. It’s either raining, snowing or cloudy. I don’t get it.
I don’t want to get down on North Bay, but there is one thing about this city that drives me nuts. That would be the bus system. The bus drivers are so nice and you can request any stop you want. It’s great. I don’t have complaints about that. I just wonder who came up with the routes and the schedule. It makes no sense whatsoever and confuses me every time I think about it. Oh well. All I need to know is what bus gets me to school and how to get home. Everything else is chance.
I have made new friends. This is not something that comes easily to me and is still a daily struggle. But The Lord is helping me threw. There are a few Christians in my section. Today was the first time we got together between classes to pray. It was so encouraging to sit there and talk about the things that we struggle and then pray for those things. There are so many things that are going threw my mind and I’d be willing to share but don’t know how to produce my thoughts into writing. Some things cannot be explained. Please know that The Lord is taking care of me and that I am growing.

My dear Friend

2006-09-09T00:32:00.000-04:00

Let me tell you about my dear friend. She was a teacher. She liked to sing and play games. She also liked to read and take walks. She loved deserts. She was my good friend. She was 85 years old when she passed away on Sunday. I have so many good memories of her. I drove her to and from church. I played games with her. Well, not really with her, but for her. When she “won”, she could not believe it. Oh, I won, how wonderful. It was great. I could go on and on about the memories I have of her. But, the one thing that I think she taught me was that old people are not boring and they are worth getting to know. I first got to know her at senior’s lunch. Before that, I knew that she was a great woman, but I never took the time to figure out why. Then I came back from School and had time to get involved at church. I started to hang out with these really cool people. They were all allot older then me. But, I have learned so much from them and wish that I could go this year. But, due to my school schedule, I can’t. It makes me sad to think that she will not be around for us. Our family enjoyed the adventures we had with her. So many things happened with her. But I am so happy to know that she is at Home and that I will see her one day in Heaven. She is in her right mind, with her body cured and hair all up and done up really pretty. It’s just selfish to think that I did not want her to die. It’s hard making friends with old people. They tend to die allot sooner then my younger friends. But, I don’t regret the time and investment I made in her. It was well worth it and my life is so much richer because of it. I don't know if you have ever met her. But she was my friend. My dear Edythe Keith.

Back to Grade 7 and 8

2006-09-09T00:02:00.000-04:00

This week, I went back to grade 7 and 8. That’s right. I am in the BED program at Nipissing University and had placement this week in a grade 7/8 geography/history class. It was great. For the longest time, I could not think about what I learned in grade 7 and 8 history or geography. It was sad. I could remember a few lessons of English, music, health, gym, science and computers, but it took me all day to remember lessons in geo/history. Finally, I remembered two projects I did. I made a park brochure, and then worked on a project about Micmac Indians. I remember doing well on them, but I can’t remember anything else. Weird. But, these kids are on a different curriculum. So, they are learning different things. Stuff that I guess I learned, but I don’t remember. So, to teach grade 7 and 8 geography I have to relearn it. Fun times. So far, the kids are great. They call me Ms Foreman. It’s so cute. They ask me for help. I feel so educated and like such and adult. I think its going to be a great year.
The other thing that scared me is the math. I helped out in a math class today. The last time I was in a math class was grade 12. I don’t even remember how to do simple math. But there I was, helping kids do their homework and teaching then something I have a hard time doing. It was interesting. But, I actually understood it. It was the first time in ages that I actually felt confident in math class. I should stick to the younger grades.

Love/Hate relationships

2006-09-08T23:58:00.000-04:00

There are things that one must love, but at the same time hate. This week, I have experienced tow such things.
1. My new laptop.
I love it because it has great programs. It has a DVD player, a double burner and a bunch of other cool stuff. It has a built in wireless card, and its USB friendly (plug anything that has a USB cable and go) its called plug and play. Fun times. Anyways. I have had allot of fun this week using my handy laptop.
And yet, I hate it. Why? Its heavy and I had to lug it around with me everywhere I go. I can’t keep my eyes off it, because someone my take it. I have to take it to every class with me. So every day I carry two bags. One for my books, and the other for my laptop. The other thing I don’t like it that it has this touch pad mouse thing. I’m not used to it. It drives me nuts. I finally broke down and got a real mouse (one that I just plug in a USB port and it works; this was the second try at a mouse, because I could not get the wireless one figured out). My laptop also has a mind of its own. It will randomly close windows and erase work. I think this is due to the fact that I accidentally press buttons that I’m not sure what there use is for. I have been able to correct the stuff that has been done, but fear that one day I won’t. Just follow this rule, save and save often. The good news is that I love it more then I hate it.

2. Wal- Mart
There are so many good things about wall-mart. Especially if you live in a small town. If you want fast service at a store, move to a small city. In North Bay, there is a wal-mart not far from were I live. It’s only a 5 minute walk from my house. So, I spend allot of time there. Usually one has to wait in like to check out, but One day, I walked in, got what I wanted and just walked up to the cash and went out. No lines. It was a thing of beauty. Then, on another day I returned the mouse that I could not figure out. It was so easy. Once again, there was no wait, I had my receipt and my return was resolved in a matter of minutes. It made me happy. I love the wal-mart in North Bay.
My hate comes from the fact that I love the place so much it’s hard to not spend money. So, I have to stay away. Otherwise, I will have no money for rent. So I must stay away for the health of my wallet. Very sad.

Victoria day

2006-05-22T13:09:00.000-04:00

So, today is Victoria Day. Every year I look forward to the fireworks that are put on at General Vanie School. Now, these fireworks are never really all that good, but they are a good time. Since I love fireworks, I really don’t care how good or bad they are as long as I get to see them. For some reason, Victoria Day weekend always ends the same, it rains. Every year on Sunday the question becomes, Will the fireworks be cancelled? Yesterday, it rained during the morning, but was clear the rest of the day. So, I thought, well, the fireworks must be on, it’s not raining. So, after church and some dinner, I go to the fireworks. As I’m driving to the location I see the sign, with a big thing over it saying:
fireworks cancelled due to wet field.
Ahhhhhh!!! Wet field?! Who cancels fireworks because the field is wet? I thought that a wet field would be good. You know, less chance of the field getting on fire due to dryness. Mud in not an issue here. I know that people would not complain to get a bit dirty for some fireworks. Bring a blanket! I don’t get it. Really, I don’t. So, once again my Victoria Day weekend has been ruined by rain, or lack of rain this year. A new phenomenon this year: events cancelled due to wet fields. Get out the blow dryer!! Lets get some fireworks going!

Monday at the movies

2006-05-09T21:30:00.000-04:00

Ok, so on Monday I went to go see the new MI: III movie. And I must say that I liked it. I did not love it, but it was ok. What I don’t get about sequels is that there never seems to be any connection between movies. Lets take the mission impossible series. No connection between one and two and even less between 2 and 3. What ever happened to Mia? You know, the girl that Ethan was with at the end of the 2nd movie. Now, the ending of the second movie is ruined because I now know that they don’t walk into the sunset and live happily ever after since in the 3rd movie Ethan is with a new girl. Sorry if I ruined the movie for you, but I know you’re not surprised to find that out. Next question becomes, how many years has it been? We don’t know. In the 3rd movie, they sort of allude to what Ethan has been up to since the last movie, but not really. It might as well be a movie on its own not at all connected to the other 2. The next thing that sort of bothers me is that Ethan sort of seems to work for a different company in every movie. In the first 2 movies, we don’t really see the agency, but suddenly in the 3rd, it’s an established agency with a whole bunch of departments and heads, he might as well be working for the CIA. The only things that are consistent are the self destructive message, Ethan’s ability to do acrobatics, and the fact that he wears those masks that make him seem like the other person. In the third movie, we actually see a mask in the making. Very cool, but unrealistic. Anyways, I would have stayed away from the movie because of Tom Cruise, but I knew that the movie would be good despite him, and it was. Anyways, it was good. Not great, and not a classic, but great stunts and explosives.

Running

2006-05-03T17:59:00.000-04:00

Ok, so, how many of you have taken the bus? I’m going to take a whiled guess and say that all of you, at one point or another, have taken the bus. I have the pleasure of taking the bus every day. I take it to work and back home again. I must say that the bus ride home is much more exiting because I am going home. But, that is not the point. Have you ever noticed that nobody talks on the bus? It’s the weirdest thing. Here is a place were there are maybe 50 people on the bus (the 118 during rush hour) and nobody says a word. When people do talk, its in hushed tones. Why is so taboo to make noise on the bus? I guess its because nobody wants other people to hear their conversation. Anyways, a few weeks back, I was sitting on the 118 going to work. The bus stopped and picked up a few people at a stop. It started to go when I looked over and saw this young man chasing after the bus. He was running and running. He really wanted to catch the bus. Yet, nobody yelled for the bus driver to stop. We all saw him, and we all laughed, yet we all said nothing. Yes, I know, shame on me for not speaking up. I did not think about it until it was too late. No excuse. But still. So there was this poor guy being laughed at without out knowing it. And, everybody sharing in the moment thinking, wow, I’m glad I’m on the bus not chasing after it. I hope that the next time I see some poor guy running for the bus that I’ll ask the bus driver to stop. I hope to bring you more bus adventures as I still a few more bus trips to take.

For all the fans

2006-04-24T11:30:00.001-04:00

So apparently, I have acquired a few fans. Who knew? These people go to my blog once a week to see if I have updated it. I find this very nice. I love the dedication. The problem is that I see most of these people on a regular basis. So, I have to ask myself: Is what I have to say online that much more interesting then what I tell you in person? And: What in the world am I supposed to blog that is new to what I have already shared with you in the last few days? Only so much can happen to a girl in a few days. Oh well. Thank you to the fans. I will now share with you a few thoughts I have had on this rainy day.

1. Dad has been puttering in the garden all weekend. The front lawn is ready for new grass to grow. And the back is all set up for a nice supper on the deck. The legs to the table were found and the table is up and ready to go. This is exiting news. The only bad part is that the weather has gone from summer weather to spring weather. The past couple of weeks have been full of sun and promise, but no rain. So now, only when the porch is ready for use, the rain comes. Now, don’t get me wrong, we need rain, but after so much of dads work, we must wait for good weather to have a barbeque. I hope I can survive the wait.

2. Along Baseline, there was this house that has been on stilts as a company fixes the foundation and basement of the house. For the longest time, it seems that no progression was being made and that the house would always be in suspension. But the other day when I was going to work and almost missed the house. This was because it was no longer up in the air but was down on the foundation with a few planks in between. So, it seems that work is being done. But, every time I pass the house, I always ask myself: How in the world does that work? Lifting an entire house and fixing the foundation. I don’t get it. If somebody wants to explain it to me in simple terms, I might enjoy the lesson.

3. I am now 23. This means that I have survived another birthday. I also have an entire year to prepare myself for whatever plans my family and friends may have for me next year. But, for now. To all of those who made this year the best birthday I can remember, thank you. Even though, I don’t like the attention, it is always nice to be reminded that people care about you and want to make the day special.

4. Since it was my birthday on Friday, I have had 3 cakes. Yes, 3!! So, needless to say, I won’t be eating cake for a while. Ok… maybe I’ll have some in a week. After all, a girl can’t miss out on having carrot cake at Swiss. Also, people must know that I have a weakness for chocolate. I received so much of it that I now have a stash of it in my room. So, if you are craving chocolate and running low and need some, before you go to the store, call me and I might be ready to part with some for you.

There….. I updated my blog.

The Review is in

2006-03-28T13:02:00.000-05:00

Ok, so you all have to drop everything you are doing and go see “Curious George”. Yesterday I went to go see it. And wow!! By now you already know that I love to soundtrack. So, going in I was a bit afraid that I would hate the movie and that it would translate to me hating the soundtrack. But…. No fear. The movie is so good. It’s funny and well done. I laughed the whole way threw. I must admit that it’s a bit young, but whatever. If you have some free time on your hands and you don’t mind being to only person over 10 without kids in the theatre, you should go see it. But, watching the kid’s love the movie was half the fun. Anyways, I highly recommend it.

Lesson of the day

2006-03-20T19:51:00.000-05:00

Ok, so if you’re going to go to a museum, you might want to call ahead and see if it is open. I will save you the trouble. The war museum is not open until the end of April. The art museum is not open on Mondays and neither is the picture museum (you know, the one next to the Château Laurier). So, lesson of the day….call ahead. Thankfully, there are many other things to do down town, so the day was not wasted.

The Mountain

2006-03-18T15:04:00.000-05:00

I was cleaning my room today and stumbled across some of my journal entries from OAC. I read a few and it was interesting to see the things that I struggled with then are the same struggles I have now. It surprised me. I think it jumped at me because when I was in OAC I thought that maybe when I was 20 or so I would not have to deal with these issues and that I would be past it. But, as it turns out, my struggles are the same, and so are my weaknesses. Yet, the other thing that stands out is that I was carried threw. The Lord helped me then and He helps me now. I sort of came up with an analogy.
Life is like climbing a mountain. You start your way up and you have a hard time climbing, it gets hard and we get tiered. We look up and we see that there is so much more to go, we can’t see the top. We think that the mountain may get easier. But it does not and we get frustrated that we are still tripping over rocks and need to rest. We keep looking up and sometimes our hope diminishes because it feels like we are not getting anywhere. It’s in those times that I think we should see how far we have gone. We need to look back, look down. When we do look back we see that we are no longer at the bottom. We have made progress, even though it does not feel like it. I think that looking at our life and seeing were we have been and were we are can be encouraging. We start to see the Lord has helped us this far and personally, it gives me the strength and encouragement to keep going. Not just keep climbing, but to keep depending on God and getting His direction. We have the hope that one day we will reach the top. For me, my hope is heaven. Do I know when I will get there, no. But, I know that I will one day get there and that the climb will have been worth it, it always is.

Obsession

2006-03-18T15:03:00.000-05:00

Ok, so if you know me, you are aware that once in a while I become obsessed with a particular thing. It starts slowly and then, bam it’s all I can think about. Well, once again, I can’t stop thinking about a particular thing. Well, it’s more like things. Ok, correction, songs. But not just one, several. Actually, it’s a soundtrack.
Have you guys seen Curious George? Well, neither have I. But…… I do have the soundtrack and I must say that I am completely in love with it. It’s soooo good. Now, some may not agree with me, but I don’t care.
The signs that I am now obsessed with this cd: I have listened to it every single day since I bought it, and that was two weeks ago. And, I really would lend it to you, but the thought of parting with it makes me nervous. I brought it to work the other day because I wanted one of the guys to listen to a song, but when he said that he had the soundtrack, I was relieved. I wanted him to listen to it, but did not know what I would do if I had to part with it. I know, sad. It’s only a material possession that can be replaced with a mere $15. But, oh well. It’s safe at home in my cd player ready to be played at any moment.

Update

2006-02-27T00:16:00.000-05:00

My sister noticed that I have not been updating my blog. When she asked me why, I replied that it was because I had nothing to write about. Well, that was not really the truth. I do have things on my mind and things that I have been struggling with. The last couple of months have been really hard for me. I really won’t go into it, but The Lord has really shown me so much and I have grown, so that's always good. But, that does not mean I have enjoyed the process. I have had so much on my mind, but nothing that I feel comfortable sharing with everybody. Just know that I am trusting in God and that one day you might see the results of my struggles in the way I live my life.

Compliments

2005-12-13T18:09:00.000-05:00

For those of you who know me well, you already know this. But, I have a confession to make. I have a hard time receiving compliments. This has been a struggle for the longest time. I don’t really know why. But, when somebody says something good about me I think one of two things:
1. They are lying. They are just saying this to be nice, they don’t really think that.
2. If they only got to know me, they would see that there is nothing good in me and that I am full of horrible things.
Now, I know that this is wrong. But, I can’t help it. It seems that God is testing me in this area more and more. He is having people say: good job, and thank you for doing this. I still don’t know how to react and still have a hard time accepting their word as truth. But, the other night God helped me realize something. I am right, there is nothing good in me. The only good that people see is God’s work in me. So, when people are saying good things about me, they are really saying good things about God. They are giving Him glory for His work in my life. So, every time that I don’t acknowledge a compliment, or think that it must not be true, then I am the one who is taking the glory away from God. By my attitude I am saying, “No, His work is not good enough for praise.” I am glad that I have been able to see it thru that light and hopefully will be able to respond better. I know I will still struggle with this, but my hope is that I’ll be able to give God the glory in everything that I do.
The funny thing about all of this is that if people did not say anything, I would think –what’s wrong with these people, do they not see what I’m doing? – But most of all, when people say negative things about me, it still hurts.

The New House

2005-12-07T19:53:00.000-05:00

As you may remember, my family has moved to a new house. We have been in the new house for about a month. You would think that we would be used to it by now, but nothing could be further from the truth.
The first week we were there, we had to get used to the kitchen. The first night I made dinner was almost too much for me. A meal that usually took me ½ hour took me 45 minutes and I got stressed out. Nothing was the same. I could not find the pots. I did not know where anything went. On top of all that, I was using a new tee pot. Now this might not seem like a big deal, but it is. The old one, I could just plug in, and then it would whistle when done. This one, we have to press a button, I did not know this, so it took 10 minutes for me to figure out that my water was not boiling. Then, it does not whistle, so I can’t know when it’s done. I did not know this either, so I walked to the kettle and stepped in a puddle, it was poured all over the floor, and I thought it was still boiling. Oh well, I learned those tricks, and shared with the family.
Next, it was the oven. We have a self cleaning oven, so there is a latch to close it while cleaning. My dad was convinced that we had to close this latch all the time. So, one night, we put pizza in the oven and put it at 400. My mom, sister and I were talking away, and 20 minutes realized that the pizza was not even cooked. We thought that the oven was broken and did not know what to do. We had planned to cook a turkey the next day, and were all worried that this might not happen. My dad walked in and we figured out that the latch has to be open not closed. This whole episode was after we learned that the oven has to be put on bake and then the temperature, otherwise it would not work. So, it took us at least 2 meals to figure out how the oven worked.
Now, this week, we have had people making a bedroom in the basement for my brother. Yesterday, we were sitting at the dinner table and we figured out that the furnace was not working. We were freezing cold. When my dad walked in, I said “we have a mystery for you to solve”. He called the furnace people and got it all figured out. But, it was a funny experience. Then today, Christine blew a fuse and we did not know how to fix it. So, my dad walked in the door and was met yet once again with “we have a mystery for you to solve”. He found the fuse box and fixed it. Thank goodness for dad, otherwise, we would be sitting in a cold house with a dark bathroom. We are all hopping that there will not be a mystery to solve tomorrow. Hopefully, we have figured out all we need to know to properly function in this house. I still don’t know were everything goes in the kitchen. Oh well.

Tuesday Night

2005-11-30T14:58:00.000-05:00

If any of you missed the Tuesday night meeting this week you missed out on a lot. Let me fill you in.
1. As we were singing the opening hymn, the sky started to fall. Ok, not really but almost. One of the light coverings fell. So, we were there singing and Mike K. and Dale were trying to fix the cover without hurting anyone. We had to continue to sing like nothing was going on.
2. Then a phone rang. It was somebody’s cell phone and was shut off. My dad thought it was the church phone, so he went to answer it. I was sitting behind him and tried to tell him it was a cell phone, but the message had already started. He came back with a “nobody was there” look. I started to laugh because the whole thing was funny. But, it got worst. As he sat down he almost missed his chair and would have fallen to the ground. It took allot to control myself. I almost laughed out loud. It really was all too much for one night.
3. Finally, and most importantly, the message was great and I learned allot.

So, if any of you are thinking that you’re not missing out by coming to the Tuesday night meeting, you’re wrong. There is a lot to miss. The least one being the things that go on that just make me laugh.

All in a day

2005-10-27T00:02:00.000-04:00

Today was full of adventure. Ok, maybe not adventure per say, but events that don’t happen everyday. The first being a bit embarrassing and the second a matter of praise/prayer.
Wednesdays are my early mornings. I have to get to an 8:30 am class. So, today I went as usually. On my way home, I got off the bus at Heron and went thru the post office to get home. Right after the post office parking lot, there is this small slope that I had to go down. Well, as you may have noticed, it rained today. Rain creates mud. As soon as my foot reached the top of that slope my feet got away from me and I slipped all the way down. So, I ended up at the bottom of the slope (no worries, its very small) with mud all over one of my hands, my jacket and my pants. I had to walk home with mud caked on one of my hands. Thankfully, nobody was around to see this fall, but I did have to walk all the way home with mud all over me. What a sight. I even knew that I was going to slip. Right before I got to the slope, I told myself, Oh no, prepare to fall, your going to fall. It actually made me laugh. And yet, after I fell, I was surprised. For some reason I thought that maybe just the thought of slipping would be enough. Oh well. The next event made up for it.
On Wednesdays I have a 5:30 to 8:30 class. I got to class a bit early and had to sit in the hall. One of the girls I know from the class sat down next to me. We started talking. She ended up asking me about what sort of church I go to. By this time another girl I know sat down too and was listing to the conversation. So, for about 15-20 minutes we talked about God, sin and the gospel. It was a great conversation. One of the girls even admitted that she is attracted to people who have faith. So, I got a great opportunity to witness to these two girls. It was great. My prayer is that God will use my words to prick their hearts and that they will ask more questions. I also promised to bring them information about my church so that they can better understand what I believe in. I pray that one day they will come to c&c or to church. I also hope that further opportunities will come up to talk to them and that when they do, I will be ready and willing to share with them the best thing that has ever happened to me, and that is meeting God.

Moving

2005-10-25T00:37:00.000-04:00

You probably all know by now that my family is moving. My parents bought a house that is across the street from the church. The big selling points were the solarium and the nearness to church. We get the house on November the 10. So, that gives us a couple more weeks in this house. We have lived in our present house for 12 years. It’s the house that I have lived in for the longest. I tried to write down all my feelings and thoughts about the move, and thought that Iwouls share them, but it just did not sound right. But, to sum it all up, I am sad to leave this house, it’s full of great memories but I can’t wait for this new house. I have learned that after all, it’s just a house.

French Skipping game

2005-10-13T00:10:00.000-04:00

Do you remember any of the games that you used to play on the playground? You know, like hopscotch and wall ball. Apparently, these games are not played anymore. They have become old fashioned and have been replaced with other games.
Well, this weekend I was reminded of a game I used to play when I was young. It’s a skipping game using an elastic. I don’t know if this is a game that any regular North American child would have played. Pretty much: “Two children stand inside the elastic so they are stretching it relatively taught around their ankles. A third person performs a series of hops and jumps, chanting appropriate rhymes. When finished, the height of the elastic is raised to knees, then thighs, then waist.”
Miriam, Christine and I were trying to decide how to spend our time. I had told them that I had elastic from childhood. They forced me to take it out and we played with it. When we took it out, it brought us all back to the French playground. We tried to duplicate the games that we knew when we were children. We were met with a few problems:

1. We could no remember the how any of the games went , and its not like we can ask any regular child if they remember because all those people live in Europe.

2. We are twice as big now was we were before (less flexibility)

These problems did not stop us. We decided to try and remember some of the jumps and rules. I tried to find rules and instructions on how to play on line, but I could not, so we had to make up our own. This was not hard, and soon enough some of the moves came back to us. If you had come to my house Monday afternoon and come to our basement, you would have seen 3 grown girls trying to jump in and out of this elastic. It must have been a funny sight. But, it was so much fun. I’ll have to introduce the whole thing to all of you. Let’s hear it for playground games!!!

Thanksgiving weekend

2005-10-10T21:34:00.000-04:00

I have just spent the whole weekend with my family. My family would include my two sisters my dad and my brother. You might ask “where was your mother?” Well, she is on a Caribbean cruise with her parents and two sisters. I really hope that she is having a good time.
This weekend my cousin got married. No, we did not go to Chicago, that is my mom’s side. We went to Toronto for Sarah’s wedding; she is my cousin on my dad’s side. Yes, I have cousins on my dad’s side. Four of them, and we hardly see them. The last time I saw Sarah was years ago. I really can’t remember. Anyways, Saturday morning we left Ottawa early in the morning. We made our way to Peterborough to pick up my brother. We then made our way to Miskoka woods were the wedding was to take place. Now, please understand that the last time the 5 of us were in the car all together was when we went on a family trip to France. So, it’s been a long time. We were all a bit worried that things would get bad and that we would kill each other. I’m happy to report that nobody got hurt and that the car ride was pleasurable. My only complaint was that my dad drove so slowly. We were going to be late for the wedding and my dad (bless his heart) went the speed limit the whole way. The limit was 80 (because we took the back highways) and he did not go faster then 85 the whole time. The only reason why we got to the camp on time was Miriam’s ability to go just a bit faster then 80 for a bout 2 hours. We finally got to the camp and had time to go to our room and change. Now, coming from Camp Galilee I have this image of what camp looks like. This camp was huge and lets just say, it was not Galilee. The cabins had toilets and showers. Ya… But, it was very nice and a perfect place for a wedding. We sat threw the ceremony (which was beautiful) and made our way to say hi to Sarah and introduce ourselves to the groom (we had never met him before; we actually had to ask which one he was). We went over to Sarah, and she recognized me and Christine. Matt went over and said “hi my name is Matt”. I think he meant it as a joke, but she was so surprised it was Matt Foreman, she thought that he was Christine’s boyfriend. She did not recognize Matt at all. None of us blamed her because the last time they saw each other, Matt was half the height he is now.
Have you ever felt like you don’t know anybody in the room except for the people you are with? If you have been in that situation, you know well what happens. You end up sticking to the people you know. Well, this was the Foreman family on Saturday. We all just stood there. We knew nobody. We talked to a few people, but not many. The only people we knew were our cousins and they were busy talking to everybody else. For the first time in all of our life time, we used each other as security blankets. We were glued to each others side. We all just spent time together. When one person went to the cabin, we all did. It was sort of funny.
Between the ceremony and the reception, we had time to go for a ride in the country side. I mean, the fist thing anybody wants to do after they have already been in the car for 6 hours that day is go for another ride. None the less, we all got into the car and Matt drove. We got the see the beautiful country side. I must say, oh my !!!!! What a gorgeous country we live in. The colours were just phenomenal.
We came back in time for the reception. We were all at the same table with another couple. They were very nice and we had a good time with them. The food was so good; we all had too much to eat. The speeches were good and made me cry. Christine was a mess, she did not stop crying the whole day. Anyways. My cousin Johny did this rap for his sister. It was so good. It must run in the family, because Christine wrote one for my mom’s birthday a few weeks ago. After the reception, there was a dance. We had indented to stay, but people were not dancing in a nice way, so we left. We stayed long enough to see the couple leave then we went back to the cabin. Only my dad was ready for bed, but the rest of us were not. So, we decided to play a card game. We did not want to wake my dad up, so we ended up playing yuker in the bathroom. I know, it made us all laugh. It was a great time.
The next morning, we all got back into the car and drove to Matt’s church in Peterborough. We made it for the 2nd half of the second service. We then had lunch together, dropped matt off and made our way home. Needless to say, we have spent many hours together. I can’t complain. I have no clue when we will be able to do that again. It might have been our last opportunity, so I’ll saver every minute.

Youth Camp

2005-09-12T02:30:00.000-04:00

It’s been a week since I have been home from camp and I miss it terribly. I watched the final day slide show every day until a couple days ago. But, every time, it made me laugh. So funny! So many memories. For all of you who were not there, shame on you!! You missed such a good time. But, there is good news; youth camp comes back next year!!!! The Lord did such amazing work. Two girls made a profession of faith and I know that many people were convicted about the way they were living their life. It’s so great to see how The Lord works things out. The neat thing about it is that I will see many of these people during the year. So I can hang out with them and actually be their friend because they are not 10, but 16 to 19. So, it’s a bonus. And, I can see how much they have grown and have a chance too encourage them during the year. So, now it’s back to the real world. But, all I can think about is youth camp for next summer. So, if you have been thinking about working at camp or thinking about going to a camp, my suggestion would be youth camp. I might have a bias opinion, but I promise you a good time. That, and you might learn something. If you need convincing, I have 500 Plus pictrures I can show you to prove the fun that was had.

Camp 2005

2005-07-31T02:58:00.000-04:00

I have just come home from camp. I will be taking a rest for 2 weeks and will be missing out on day camp 2 and family camp 1. Before the summer began I did not want to miss out on day camp 2. I really wanted to be there, but I decided to make other plans. As it turned out, I am very happy that I am not staying. I love camp and I’ll miss it, but I am out of energy and fear that my presence would just be because I could be there, not because I should be. I’m not sure that makes cense, but it’s late.
Day camp 1 was so much fun. It was crazy. There were 160 children and 18 counselors. So, I had 11 children to look after for 5 days. But, it was good because with that much madness going on, it’s easier to see what God does. It’s harder to say, look what I did, I kept 11 kids safe. For you who have not experienced day camp at camp Galilee you won’t understand the madness, but that’s ok. All I can say is that God blessed that week. Sitting here and thinking about it seems like it was ages ago, but it’s nice to remember how God’s hand was so evident the whole week.
Boys camp was great. A bunch of boys professed salvation. The senior and junior speakers had a small competition over who saved the most people. I can’t remember who won. Oh well. In all honesty, The Lord did such amazing things during boys camp. It was an incredible privilege to be part of it.
Now, I come to girls camp. Let’s see, a few events that I’ll mention: the mud pit, sock wars, water polo, ugly counselor lunch, and much more. I have pictures to prove the insanity of these events . My knees got so scratched up. Ok, now, for all those people out there who think that I’m not athletic, I scored 2 goals in water polo!! The counselors whon the game against the campers. The score was 3-2. Oh ya!! Who knew that I could score? Other things that I have done that are surprising: I led a wood working elective. Ya!! I know. I can’t remember the last time I had a hammer in my hands. Oh ya, and there were 25 girls in my elective. So please imagine it, if you will. There I was, clueless, telling 25 girls how to put a shelf together. Ya, I know, humorous, but it worked out. I also started a fire (in a fire pit) , and was creative. I had no clue what was going on, it was like I was a new person. I guess what I could learn from all of that is that I sell myself short all the time. I tell myself I can’t do it and I won’t even try. But at camp its different, people ask me to do something and when I do it turns out ok.
For a girl who thought she knew herself, it really shows that I don’t have a clue what I’m capable of. What really helped was that I was sick and had no energy at all when I got up. So, every day I had to ask the Lord for strength. In doing so, He blessed me with the strength to do what I needed to do and the strength to so things I never knew I could. Being week really ended up being a blessing. Not that I want to be physically week for the rest of my life, but tie was a good lesson. I have learned so much being at camp. I have seen God in such a real way, it’s so refreshing.
My cabin was so completely amazing. My biggest problem was at night. Instead of going to sleep, my girls wanted to read their bibles and pray. I seriously had to deny them that opportunity on many nights. I know!! Bad counselor, not allowing her campers to read their bibles at night. But, If I let them, they would never stop. And I’m not exaggerating. The only down part of having such good campers is that people get jealous. I would come and tell the other counselors that all my girls wanted to do was devotions. They would look at me and stare me down. Oh well. It’s not like I picked my cabin. It’s not my fault I get the good campers every year.
The most amazing thing is that at least one of the senior girls professed salvation. She was one of those girls we all thought was going to give us an attitude. She turned out to be the sweetest girl. She was wearing a mask, like most of us do. She found God. That makes me so happy and makes the whole 10 days worth it. In my cabin, I have a few girls that are so hungry for the things of God. Please pray with me for these girls. All of them have all gone home now. For any of you who have gone to camp or been on a spiritual high, you know what can happen. The fire dies and the life does not change. Let’s pray that this does not happen. That these girls will always be hungry for the things of The Lord.
A few have specifically asked one of us councilors to keep in touch with them. One of these girls is my camper. She wants me to right every week. I want to do this for her. She is Christian living in a non Christian home and living in a community that does not have the best Christian churches. She wants me to keep in touch to see how she is doing and to help her keep on track. I desperately want to do this for her. But, I know that I am the worst when it comes to keeping in touch. Please pray that I will keep in touch with the girl or that God will provide for her the support that she needs in her own town. I love these girls desperately and want each of them to have an easy life, but I know that this won’t happen. I can be a positive influence in their life. I have been given the opportunity to do so. My prayer is that I don’t let it go. Many people might think that counseling ends when the camp ends. Let me tell you that this is a lie. It never ends. I am still very close to 4 or 5 previous campers. These girls still trust me with their problems and share with me their life. What a privilege. God has blessed me so much in the past 10 days. He has introduced me to some of the coolest girls you will ever meet. Praise The Lord for His mighty work at camp. Thank you for your prayers.

Giving Hope

2005-06-23T03:59:00.000-04:00

After reading Keith and Darcie’s blog found at http://ottawashomeless.blogspot.com/ called Imprisoned soul, I started to think about the subject and realized that I had much more to say then a short response, so I decided to wright a blog.
When I read about such pain and problems I find it interesting that they are not limited to the streets. People expect the homeless to have problems and pain. What people don’t expect is to find people we know with the same problems. It is the people who we least expect that have some of the greatest burdens, they seem to have everything and we sometimes neglect to see their pain. They cry out and we don’t hear them. Working at camp, I have met such people. Some of these campers would rather share their pain with a stranger then with their own parents. After spending so much time with them, I begin to love them. Because I love them their pain becomes mine. All I want to do is to stop their pain, take it away, or be able to share it with them. And yet, I can’t. I have never experienced what they have and never will. I knew nothing of the cruel world until I met some of these people and all my innocence was taken away. Sometimes I wish I never knew and could sit in a bubble never knowing the pain that people suffer every day. But, I can’t pretend it does not exist, the evidence is in front of me. What can I do? I have never felt so helpless in my life. Knowing that all I can do is pray and tell them about God. I tell myself that praying is not good enough. I think that I could or should have done more. But it is enough. Who else would be able to take away such pain? Who else could understand better that God? Nobody. Yet, when I think about these people, I still feel so much pain. And so, I sit here and ready myself for another camp year. I don’t know whom I will meet, but I prepare myself to be hurt and to cry. Not to be fake, but knowing that I in my own strength can’t help them. All I can do is sit, listen, cry with them and share with them Jesus Christ. I am so thankful that I have a personal relationship with a God, one who is most powerful and can take their pain away. A God that is strong enough to carry all of our burdens. So, the just should be taken out of the just praying for somebody, because it’s the best thing we can do. Anything else would be in vain. I can’t give them better comfort then God, and its up to them to believe or not. Camp is less then two weeks away. Please pray for all the kids that will come to camp. That The Lord would prepare their harts and that if they are not saved that they would find Him. Please also pray for the counsellors; that we would depend on God for strength and be ready when somebody asks us about God. I know The Lord has a great summer planned. I can’t wait to see what He does.

Type is ESFJ

2005-06-23T03:58:00.000-04:00

So Jen after reading your blog on your personality type and reading about Mike’s I took the test to see what it would say of me. After all, I had nothing better to do. I took the test found at http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp and I found out that my Type is ESFJ, otherwise known as Extraverted, Sensing, Feeling, and Judging.
Apparently, I am a provider. I like to make sure that the people around me are well provided for. Ok, this might be true. I give them that much, but the description was so noble. That’s not me. But the whole test and answers reminded me of all the questionnaires I took for my motivational psychology class. Anyways, its fun and gets you to think about who you are.
Parts of the descriptions were true, and others, not so much. If the whole description was true, I would be able to approach others with ease and confidence, and seemingly aware of what everyone’s been doing, be an outstanding hostesses and able to remember people’s names. I’ll be selfish and keep the great hostess part. But, I cannot walk up to most people with confidence. It might seem that way to people, but it’s not true. I can walk up to any stranger and start a conversation because I know that I will never see them again, but when it comes to people I know, I’m full of fear. That and if I don’t already know you, you might have to tell me your name 100 times before I will remember it.
These types of tests sometimes get close to the truth, such as the next part, it describes me very well. “Providers are extremely sensitive to the feelings of others, which makes them perhaps the most sympathetic of all the types, but which also leaves them rather self-conscious, that is, highly sensitive to what others think of them. They are quick to like and dislike—and don’t mind saying so—tending to put on a pedestal whatever or whoever they admire, and to come down hard on those people and issues they don’t care for.” I’m not sure about the most sympathetic type, but the part of being self-conscious, quick to like and dislike—and don’t mind saying so is mostly true. But, I try not to put people on pedestals and try not to put people down either. Either way, I am very opinioned.
“In their choice of careers, Providers may lean toward sales and service occupations. They are visibly—and honestly—concerned with their customer’s welfare, and thus the customer is not simply buying the product, but is buying personally from the Provider. This same characteristic causes them to be good in many people-to-people jobs, as teachers, clergy, coaches, social workers, office receptionists, and so on. Providers seldom become a source of irritation in the workplace; on the contrary, they are unflagging in their devotion to their company, and show such personal loyalty to their immediate superiors that they make invaluable personal secretaries.” Well, there you go, I’m becoming a teacher and I am loyal, but I can’t say that I am seldom an irritation in the workplace. I could find you a few people who might disagree.
ESFJs enjoy being in charge. This I will agree with. I love taking charge. It makes me feel happy. Apparently, ESFJs are easily wounded "wear their hearts on their sleeves," I don’t think that is true of me. I am emotional and have been getting good at hiding my emotions from people. Some ESFJs channel these vibrant emotions into moving dramatic performances on stage and screen. I must say, I do have a flare for the dramatics, but have never really been in a play, and have never been on screen. All this makes me think of how much my personality is changed by my relationship with The Lord. How much does He affect who I am. All those questions that asked me if I care about people, I said yes. But is it because it’s in my nature, or because He gives me the love I need to care for people. I’ll choose option B. It’s interesting to think about how we are. Going threw the descriptions was fun.

Famous ESFJs:
U.S. Presidents:
William McKinley
William J. Clinton
Jack Benny Desi Arnaz ("Ricky Ricardo")
Don Knotts ("Barney Fife")
John Connally (former Governor of Texas)
Terry Bradshaw, NFL quarterback
Sally Struthers (All in the Family)
Mary Tyler MooreDixie Carter (Designing Women)
Steve Spurrier, Heismann trophy winner, Univ. of Fla. football coach
Sally Field
Danny Glover, actor (Lethal Weapon movies, Predator 2
Margaret Butt
Nancy Kerrigan (U.S. olympic figureskater)
Elvis Stojko (Canadian olympic figureskater)

Clean air day

2005-06-09T01:59:00.000-04:00

Who knew? Well, not me. I found out about it on the bus today. Today, I had another good bus experience. And yes, it was with the same bus driver. Now, please don’t get me wrong, I’m not obsessed with this driver, he just happens to be the best out there. And, well, today, he made me laugh. I was having a hard afternoon. For my psychology class, I have to do this portfolio thing, and I was having a hard time of it. I was getting really frustrated. Anyways. It was time for me to go to class. So, I waited for the bus and it came. I got on and the bus and the driver asked, “Do you know what day it is today?” and I was searching my mind trying to figure out the date. I had no clue. Some guys in the back piped up and said “clean air day!!” The bus driver than goes on to tell me that because it’s clean air day, and because I was paying with tickets, I get a free ride. See, the deal was, if you have a pass, and you had a friend, the friend gets a free ride. The whole exchange made me laugh so hard because the guys at the back were just so exited, and the driver was so nice. So, on the way to billings, every person who paid with tickets got a free ride even without a friend. The bus driver would say his little speech and say, that it did not matter if you had a friend with you with a bus pass, because you had friends on the bus. I’m not sure if he made these rules up himself, but he did go out of his way for people to have a free ride. So, it was nice to get a free ride to school. On the way home, I noticed that other bus drivers did not enforce any clean air day rules, and were not enthusiastic about anything. Needless to say, after a frustrating afternoon, I laughed all the way to school. I think the only thing I will actually miss about my spring courses is the bus ride to school.

The bus driver

2005-06-07T02:14:00.000-04:00

Ok, so most of you know that I am taking spring courses. And, well, I don’t really like them. They are ok, but let’s just say that I’ll be happy when they are over and I can start the countdown until camp. But, just because school is not fun or exiting, does not mean that The Lord has stopped blessing me. It seems that every day, he gives me something that lifts my spirits. Today, it was the bus driver. Let me explain.
I was standing, waiting for the bus, as per usual, and it came. I got on, sat and looked at nothing in particular and thinking about how hot it was. No air conditioning in this bus, it was one of those old ones. Anyways, we were riding along when the bus driver saw this girl running to catch up to the bus. She was not running that fast and was far away from the bus stop. Now, most bus drivers would not stop and just go on. But, this bus driver did. He stopped and the girl got on.
Now, this is nothing all that special. But, it made realize what a nice gesture it was for the bus driver to stop. He did not have to. It made me really happy to see that there were people in the world who had good intensions and that they go over and beyond the call of duty. Anyways, this man will never know that his stopping made me happy. I praised the lord for this mans compassion and prayed that The Lord would bless him. I know He will.

Boys

2005-05-27T01:47:00.000-04:00

Please forgive me for not posting anything for so long. I could come up with all these brilliant excuses, but they would all be lies. So I won’t. I will just share what I have been thinking about for the last month or so.
This year has been so amazing. The Lord has revealed Himself to me in so many ways. He has also shown me areas in my life that need improvement. Most of these things I already knew, but threw his grace and Mercy, have become so real for me. I read this book, and part of it was how Jesus Christ would like to have a husband/ bride relationship with his people. We are his bride, and should act like one. Now, this concept is still hard for me to grasp because it involves all those things that would be included in a marriage. Looking to Christ for my physical, emotional, spiritual and material needs. This concept is also hard for me because I have never been in Love. So, I don’t really know what it’s like to want to look to one person for everything and to be satisfied by them. But, what I do know is that when you are in a marriage, it’s supposed to be the two of you, where you see each other every day, and tell each other everything, even the small details of life that nobody else cares about.
But, for a long time, I have been stuck in the friendship phase. You know, the phase where, if I am busy, I won’t call. Or if I have things to do, will not see you more than 2 or 3 times a week. I would go to Christ with my problems, and I would speak with Him and worship Him. I would do this often, mostly every day but, I was failing in one main area. I failed to seek Him out as my source of love and affirmation. For that, I have been looking in other places. I have been looking to people. I wanted people to tell me that I mattered and that I have some redeeming qualities. But, in the end, somebody always disappointed me. And, as a result I got depressed and lonely. So I prayed, “God bring me somebody that I will not be alone. Either a friend or a boyfriend would do. Thank you for your comfort.”
In previous blogs I have explained that it is hard for me to trust, so as a result, I do not have many close friends. And, unfortunately, I have this list in my head of what the perfect guy would be for me. I won’t go into it, because it’s a bit embarrassing. All I will say is that it’s long. Because it’s so long, guys never meet my standards. And so, I am still single because guys keep falling short. I keep wishing for the perfect guy. And then, I hear the sweet voice of the Lord. He asks “What about me!!!!” and I must say, really? But, when I think about it and compare Him to my list, He meets every single one of my prerequisites. Not only that, but He exceeds them. And so, I have found myself the perfect man. One that I must say, I am falling deeper in love with every day. So, I can stop looking. I found Him. And He is more than I could ever dream of. I am complete in him.

Coming to trust

2005-05-02T21:56:00.000-04:00

For a long time now, I have not really been able to trust people with my feelings and the inner workings of my heart. I have been trying to figure out why that is. The other day, I realized why it is so hard for me to trust people. It’s because I am afraid of what you may think of me and that I don’t feel like we are at the same level. What is even more disturbing is that I have this problem with brothers and sisters in the Lord.
In my head, I think that you are a “better” Christian then I am. I fear that if I tell you about some sin, or a struggle or some doubt that I have, that you will look down at me and say bad girl and think less of me. Now, this shows how self absorbed I am. I think that people actually have these thoughts about me and actually think about me in a good way to then think less of me. But, I can’t help this.
I have figured out, that the reason I don’t trust you is because I don’t ever see your sin. Let me explain. The other day, I was talking to a non Christina friend, and he was telling me about some of the disappointments in his life and his failures. As I was sitting there, I could totally relate to what he was saying. I have had all those moments in my life that he has. I saw myself at his level; the only separation was that I was saved. But, for some reason, I don’t feel like I relate to many Christians. I don’t see their disappointments.
I think the reason for that is that for as long as I can remember, I have felt that I’m the only one going threw struggles and dealing with sin and disappointment. I somehow feel as if you are on some high peek that I will never reach. I feel below you, and not as good as you. Now, I know that this perception is wrong. But, I have gotten this perception from growing up in an environment that does not encourage the discussion of problems that we are dealing with in out lives. There is this idea that because we go to a good church and come from Christian families that we are not allowed to sin and that having questions is somehow translated to being a “bad” Christian. But this is the devil talking. It’s not at all what the Lord would want from us.
Recently, I have been thinking that instead of being afraid of being looked down upon, we should feel free ask questions, even if they are stupid. We should feel free to share with each other our struggles, and encourage each other in our walk. And, to tell you the truth, I wish that it could be that for us in our group. I wish that we could be open with each other and create a safe environment to admit to our sin and keep each other accountable.
But, when I think about this another problem arises in me.
The problem is that part of me that would say you first.

Life at the Foreman’s

2005-04-26T23:43:00.000-04:00

On Sunday night, the message at church was about how one person’s obedience can affect generations to come. This made me think of my own family. I am not a first generation Christian and neither are my parents. They both come from families whose parents followed The Lord. To tell you the truth, I have no clue how far back it goes. This made me think of my family and how they affect who I am and what I am going to become.
One such person is my dad. I remember when I was younger, my dad would brush my hair after a bath. But, he would brush my neck and ears more often then my hair. He loved to take us on walks and I would also go door to door with him selling calendars. I remember when I first realized that my dad was not perfect. It crushed me. I was so disappointed. I was really hard for me to accept that he was sinful. Because of this, I was not able to really see the way in which he loved me. But, threw the grace of The lord, I learned that my dad loves me very much. When ever I’m not sure of his love for me, I think about the following list as proofs.
1. He trusts me to make my own decisions and supports me in them
2. He lets me ask him questions about life
3. When I go grocery shopping with him, he lets me put pretty much anything in the cart
4. He buys me grapes, which are my favorite fruit ( but mostly when they are on sale)
5. When I told Him I was having difficulty making friends in Toronto, He sent me 4 books on how I can improve friendships
6. When I almost killed the plant he got me for Christmas, he got me a fake one for my birthday.
I know that some of these things may seem insignificant. But, when I think about them, they are not. He is loving me in the only way he knows how. By sharing what he enjoys with me. This includes books and plants. And, even though, I do not share some of these passions, I take these as what they are, a proof that he loves me.
But, I must say that my dad is the funniest man I know. And I love spending time with him. Now, you might now believe me, but it is true. And, if you read on and read the following story, you might not find it funny at all, but I do. It is so typical of my father. And I love it.
My dad likes to invent new games. Well, new may not be the right word, but games seems about right. Lately he has been into spelling out words. It started with small words such as amen and ok. My dad started with 3 letter words, then 4 and then 5. But now, the whole thing has escalated to a new level. Now, he has come up with a wonderful new game we can all play. The rules are not really clear. But I’ll give you the gist of the game. My dad gets to decide when to play and for how long. He tells us when it begins and when it ends. The point of the game is to speak and spell out every 5 letter word that you come across. If somebody says a 5 letter word and does not spell it, you need to spell it for them. Like I said, the rules are not clear. I find this funny, because it’s another one of my dad’s games. They are not all that fun, and usually, somebody else has already made it up. But, we don’t tell him this. But, unfortunately, lately he has been missing the 2, 3 and 4 letter words and has given up on the whole idea. The family is very relieved.
This is just one example of many instances that crack me up. I know, it sounds boring. But, what I have learned threw my 22 years of living in my family is that every moment, and every conversation is significant. They all add up to why I am the way I am. You don’t know me until you have met my family. But, most importantly, I have realized that it is those small things in life that make it exiting. I could see my life as boring, but instead, I choose to find my parents cool and fun to be with. It’s all about perspective. Now, I could go on how the other people in my family have affected me, but that would take fore ever.
Anne

Transparency:

2005-04-18T15:01:00.000-04:00

As much as I have been thinking about profanity from all the discussions in other people blogs, there have been other things on my mind. And, I need some advice, or maybe perspective from people, so please help me out.
I am trying to figure out the balance between transparency and secrecy.
Confused?
Ok, let me try to explain. As Christians we are all part of the same body and family. When things go on in out life, at what point do we keep it to ourselves, and at what point do we share it with others. If something happens in my life that has affected me, do I tell you, or keep it from you? If I don’t tell you, am I lying? I mean, I’m not going to tell you every single detail about my life. But what do I share? And, what do I keep to myself? The only thing that makes sense to me is that my only responsibility is o tell The Lord, that that I am blameless in front of The Lord.

Songs

2005-04-13T19:16:00.000-04:00

If you read my blog more than once, you may finde a reacurring theme. I sing. Allot. Mostly to myself. Today was no different. As I was cleanning, the words “For its only in Your will that I am free” kept coming up in my minde. I really don’t know the rest of the song. But those particular words were the ones that struck me the most. I can’t remember when it I heard the song for the first time, but I can remember when it sudenly made so much sence to me. It all came together. Its not that I am free without Christ, that if I’m not saved I can do whatever I want. That’s all backwords. It’s about being free in Christ. I really can’t expplain it. But, I know what that is. Ever since, I have been trying to figure out what song those words came from. Finally, on Friday night at c&c we sang the song. Its been almost a year since I’v been trying to figure it out. But those words have kept with me and today, I was singing them. As if The Lord was encouraging me in my walk. Saying, Anne, good job, keep trusting in me and don’t listen to the world, they have no clue what they are saying. It was nice. Such simple words with such deep meaning.

Blowers daughter

2005-04-12T15:15:00.000-04:00

While cleaning today, I had this one song go threw my head over and over again. If you have been around me in the past few months you may have heard me sing it. It’s by Damien Rice and the song is called The Blowers daughter. A few of the lines that stick out are: I can’t take my eyes off of you, and I can’t take my mind off of you. Now, of course, this is a love song from a boy to a girl. And singing it to myself over and over I started to think about why I would sing this song. There is no man in my life. And then, I caught myself. Well, there is. The Lord Jesus Christ. He is in my life. And is that not what I want to be able to say to Him? I can’t take my eyes off of you and I can’t take my mind off of you. He asks us to look at Him. This Sunday in the breaking of bread we were reminded to behold the Lamb of God. And what does behold mean? Come and look, or come see. See this great man/God. Look at what He has done.
And about what we should be thinking about. We are told in Philippians 4:8 “ Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on these things.” Can you think of anything that fits all these things? Well, I can only think of one, and as you may have guessed, The Lord Jesus Christ. So, like the song says, we should be always looking at Jesus and be thinking about Him. Because anything else is really not worthy.

hair

2005-04-11T23:09:00.000-04:00

As you may know, I am a simple girl. I am not the girly girl. But neither am I the tom boy. I don’t like to do my hair or makeup, but I don’t like to play sports. I know, its weird, but what can I say. I like to dress up sometimes, but then I feel like I’m some other girl, and not really the person that I really am. That I’m faking it or putting on some show for the people around me. That’s how I felt this weekend. As you may know, I straitened my hair this weekend. And, I must admit that I looked good. It made me feel good. But then I went out into public. And, all I got were good reviews. And, I thank you for that. But, sometime during Sunday morning I felt myself slipping away. I felt the simple girl leaving me. I started to worry more about my hair and the way I looked than anything else. I started to think about how much it would cost me to get a good strait iron and if I could afford new cloths to go with my hair. Now, don’t get me wrong, these are not bad things, it’s just not me. Tonight I was reminded of the verse in Luke 6:26 that says “Woe to you when all men speak well of you”. So, I might be taking the verse out of context, but people were speaking well of me and speaking well of my hair. And, it’s not anybody’s fault (but my own) that it led to pride. But it just made me think about why looks suddenly become so important. Why does it matter what people look like. Jesus was not an attractive person to look at. And yet, so many people around Him all the time. Why was that? Because of whom He is. So, this leads me to the goal in life. To become more like Christ. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think we should all go out and become ugly, but why not start by encouraging each other in things that really mater. Why only complement each other on our hair and cloths? Instead of saying nice hair, we should be saying things such as “I really appreciated what you just said/did.” Instead of encouraging physical beauty, let’s encourage each other to become more like Christ.

Add me to the mix

2005-04-11T23:05:00.000-04:00

So, here I am and I have started to blog
Now, Jeremy was right, I do stand with the crowd that sais "I don't get it" but thats ok.
Tonight I was at bible study and was thinking about how I could use this as a way to share what The Lord has put on my heart and the things that I think about. I have no clue who would ever read this, but at least I can try to be a good testimony on-line. Well, thats the plan. Who knows what will happen.
Anne