rockin' out with trey

Tuesday, July 18th 2006 was a good day. What made it a good one? Let me tell you. Chris and I headed to downtown Toronto to the Hummingbird Center to see TREY ANASTASIO in concert! He was so great! I loved every minute of it. I do admit that I was kicking myself afterwards for not going down to the front (or as close to it as possible) and simply standing infront of our row Z seats (which was not actually the very back surprisingly). Nonetheless, I enjoyed the show thoroughly from where we were.
It was a great sight to see hundreds of people dancing like there was no tomorrow as Trey, Mike and the Duo played onstage. The sights, the lights, the sounds, the smells, the people... it was all so good.
Chris and I talked about this postshow, but it took both of us a while to actually realize that we were actually seeing Trey live. We were in the same room. Woo! I had to remind myself every so often. I wasn't as awe-struck as I was when I saw U2 in September '05, but it was still pretty damn good.
They did a great cover of 'who are you' by the who. I'd say it was one of my favorite moments of the show along with the acustic guitar and banjo duet with Trey and Mike. But dont get me wrong, the whole show was my favorite moment.
So nothing too deep to say about the whole experience, but I just wanted to fill you all in on how good the show was.

surrounded in Christ

"love, it's about putting others first". it seems pretty straight forward, and everyone knows it, but i really needed to hear that (read that) today (thanks dave). it's a small saying, but profoundly huge. its something that we can easily say, but when it comes down to it we struggle so much with it.
what would the world look like if we were to practice this? how would relationships be strengthed and built up and purified if this is actually how we lived? i would say that the world would be a completely different place.
so how do we, we as christians, live this out in our lives? how do we practically do this? well i was thinking about it today, and we really need to first of all quit focusing on ourselves and focus completely on Christ. read the gospels. we need to read and learn how Christ lived and then copy that. keep reading, keep praying, continue to surround yourself with a community of people that love God. forget about what the world says. dont listen to it anymore. surround yourself in Christ and what he has for your life... for the lives around you.
this is how we change. this is how we stop living for ourselves and start living for God and for others. surround yourself with Christ. whatever that means to you. do it. start living it. i tell myself this everyday. sometimes i fail, but because of God's beautiful grace i get back up. keep pushing further and further in with Jesus. he has such greater plans than we have for ourselves. he knows whats good for us. lets start then, today, to live in Christ. it is when we do this that we will see change in ourselves, how we see ourselves and others. it is when we do this that we can truly (going back to my first point) love others. putting them and God first, before us.

I feel love...

Read these words (or listen to them if you have the CD). Inspiring words from a man that I hold in high respect. Be encouraged, be filled with hope.

I have a brother
When I'm a brother in need
I spend my whole time running
He spends his running after me

When I feel myself going down
I just call and he comes around
But for the first time
I feel love

My father is a rich man
He wears a rich man's cloak
Gave me the keys to his kingdom coming
Gave me a cup of gold

He said I have many mansions
And there are many rooms to see

For the first time

I feel love

~U2 - The First Time (only selected lyrics from the song seen above)

Mzungu Mzungu... take a picture!!

So for those of you (Dave, Pat and Chris) that have requested some pictures from Tanzania, here you go! I will get more up eventually, but this is a picture to start you off. This is of myself and two kids (dont remember their names) at the AIC church that we were working with. This was at a youth event that we held. The kids always wanted their pictures taken with us.

life

death. it's a word that a lot of us are afraid to say. when we use it, it's almost as if we look over our shoulder just to make sure it isn't creeping up on us ourselves. but as christians, as people who have eternal life with our heavenly father, there is no need for such fear. for we have life everlatsing. life full of joy and wonder because jesus came and loved us.
these thoughts come to me because of a death recently. not that i really knew the guy. i had never even talked to him before. but he was in my grade back in high school. its so weird to think that even though i had absolutly no relationship with this person (i even had to look his picture up in the year book to see who he was), i got a bit shooken up. why is this? i cant even tell. but because i started thinking about this today, i started thinking about life. we cant live our lives fearing death. that is simply a waste of time. we need to focus on life today. life that we have been given by our God. we need to celebrate it. love it. live it. it's a beautiful gift, we need to live it to the fullest. live life in honor and glory for God. make your life mean something. what do you want people to say about you when your gone? think about it. then start living it. find meaning and purpose for your life. find jesus. live the way he taught us to. dont life life by yourself. we were given family, friends, a community around us. live for community. live in community. may your life be a blessing to those around you. and allow the lives around you be a blessing to you.

been a while

Wow... it's been much too long before I've written one of these things. So many things have happened since i last wrote. What has happened?
- been to and from Tanzania. What an incredible experience that was. learning about living in community, serving others, have faith and complete trust in God, and learning that being in the sun with not a lot of water for a long period of time makes one very very sick... yuck.
- also, in august i will be heading off to OPC to be an LIT small group leader. really looking forward to that opportunity. a little nervous, but knowing that its going to be a good time of growth. please pray for me as i go to camp to serve.
So many other things have happened this summer. it's been a summer of surprises, change, and unexpected turns. but overall, its been amazing. loving life and having fun.

steps of faith

If you would have asked me last week what I was doing for the summer, my answer would be 'just hanging out in Uxbridge and working'. But as of this past week, my plans have changed dramatically. Although I will be working and in Uxbridge for the majority, added to the list this week has been going to Africa! On May 13th I wil be on a plane leaving for Tanzania. What an amazing challenge God has put before me.
When this opportunity came up, I thought God was crazy. How would it be possible to go to Tanzania in just over a month? Well, He has provided everything that I have needed so far, and I know and trust that He will continue to provide for me as I prepare to go in May.
I stepped out in faith, trusting that God knew what He was doing, and look where I am know. So I have a challenge for those of you that are reading this... step out in faith, put your whole trust in God, and He will use you for increadible purposes. He will blow you away... so be faithful and trust Him. You'll be surprised where you end up. God bless.

make a joyful noise

it's a beautiful day outside. it's warm, it's sunny, it's spring. i'm sitting in my dorm room with the window wide open... and so does the guy living below me. almost everyday i hear him sing and playing songs on his guitar to the lord. today he's really belting it out. it's a beautiful sound. just like the sound of the birds singing along with him.
all of creation is singing praise to the lord of creation.

Think of Excellence

"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."
~Philippians 4:8~

Ephesians 4:25-27, 32

"Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each on of you with his neighbour, for we are members of one another. Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity... Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you."
Ephesians 4:25-27, 32

Another photo in Boliva taken by my prof. I think that it's beautiful.

This is a photograph taken in Bolivia by a professor of mine this semester.

Scientific Explaination of Hell

This is a funny article sent to me via C.D. Clements.

Scientific Explanation of Hell
The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington chemistry mid-term. The answer by one student was so "profound" that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well.
Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)?
Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant.
One student, however, wrote the following: First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving.
I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will never leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving.
As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different Religions that exist in the world today. Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell.
With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.
This gives two possibilities:
1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.
2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.
So which is it?
If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa, (Cheerleader Captain and Class Valedictorian) during my Freshman year that, "it will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you", and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night and again this morning, then number 2 must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over.
The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct...leaving only Heaven, and thereby proving the existence of a divine being which explains why, Teresa kept shouting "Oh my God!!!"
THIS STUDENT RECEIVED THE ONLY "A"

In the Beginning...

So this is my first blogging experience. I once thought it was a silly idea, but I guess it could be a good thing. We'll just have to test it out and see what happens!
So why 'Disciplines of the Spirit'? Well I didn't really know how to choose a title for this thing. But I am inspired by lessons learned at Tyndale. This year and last I have been a student leader at Tyndale University College, and a major focus of this experience has been on the Spiritual Disciplines. Through learning more about them and putting them into practice my life has been transformed. Though the power of the Jesus I have been transformed to be exact. It's been a wonderful journey.