George, Ewan, Jenny, and Me

So today I just happend to be shmoozing with the stars, and touched George Clooney's hand and got his autograph. No bigs... :)

It all started when Jenny and I got together for the afternoon downtown to walk around aimlessly. We said a few days ago, jokingly, that we could go around the downtown core and go on scavenger hunt for famous people, well did we ever hint the jackpot of all scavenger hunts! First, we had a nice time together: good drinks in an empty cafe, awesome brownies at the st. lawrence market, perusing through mec, and then a wander to Roy Thompson Hall. We didn't plan on going to the red carpet event... for we didn't know it was happening. There was a big crowd, and we were intrigued. We walked up to the crowd, and all very pretty silent. What was going on? We eventually asked a nice man there who everyone was waiting for. And to our delight, Ewan McGregor and George Clooney would be gracing out presence in about an hour or two. Well Jenny and I thought, 'let's stay and see who we can see'. About 45 minutes later Ewan came by and then 1/2 hour after that the one and only George. It was wonderful. Jenny and I ran all around to get the best shots and maybe an autograph. We got awesome shots. We got so close. We got autographs. And our hand met George's.

What a wonderful day.


P.S. You can read about jenny's account of the day at elementarymydearwatson.wordpress.com

funny adventures at adventure camp

Here are some funny moments brought to you from my days liaisoning for the LITs at Adventure camp.

The first funny moment occurred yesterday as I ate dinner with the discovery kids (the youngest age group at camp). I sat next to a little boy, Elliot (some of you may know him), and as we waited to be served dinner, Elliot decided that he would turn into a giant whale that was going to eat me (with his arms acting as the whales mouth). All was fine. Ha ha, I'm getting eaten by a whale, a moment for a particular bible story to be shared, but he didn't care about Jonah... Anyways, I learned as I was being eaten by Elliot the whale, that whales have SHARP teeth! Yes..... Elliot bit my arm. omg. And the proceeded to begin pinching me as well... I never knew whales had sharp teeth and pinchy little nails. Ouch!

Funny story number two comes to us as I lifeguarded free swim time at AC. I was guarding the iceburg (a big blow up climbing device in the water) from a paddle-type boat. This one boy (maybe 7 years old) climbs to the top after having a difficult time getting there, and once at the very top he announced loudly and in a panic that he needs to pee right then and there. Okay... you would think that the easiest solution would be to slide down the iceburg and just pee in the lake... not so. I tried to get the kid to do slide down and either pee in the lake or run to the washroom, but he wasn't having any of it, apparently he wanted to majically apprear in a washroom... well we eventually got him to slide down and get onto the dock. But because his counselor (LIT actually) had to wait for the othe boys to get out too before he could take this boy to the washroom, the counselor suggested, along with my support, to just jump back in and pee in the lake. Well this kid thought that peeing in the lake was a dreadful sin. These are the words that came out of his mouth. "If we love God, then why would I ever pee in the lake?!" heehee. So cute and funny. He'll be quite the environmentalist when he grows up if he thinks its a sin to pee in the lake. The LIT that was with him tried to explain that God probably doesn't care, but this kid was not going to have any of it. He then said "so what you want me to do is pee my pants in the lake?". At this point I encouraged the LIT to hurry up and run this kid to the washroom. It looked like this little boy didn't have too much strength left to hold it in as we have a theological discussion about peeing in the lake. But this is what the LIT said to the boy, "I'm sure God doesn't like it when we pee in lakes, but He loves us anyways". hmmm.. What a line.

Adventure camp is a funny place to be. I'm looking forward to more humorous moments over the next week!

sick and tired, but still moving forward

(this is my awesome small group! such a great bunch)

As I lay on my bed, trying to get over this cold, I think about where I have just come from and where I am going. I've just come out of a great, yet challenging session at LIT. The session began with me not feeling like I had the drive or passion to give my all for the program. It took a lot of surrender for me to fully allow myself to be used at camp and in the LITs lives, but I got over it. And once I did, the relationships that I was able to develop with some of my LITs was awesome. I'm so excited to see what God will do in their lives if they are simply willing to offer their lives over to Him. Though these were really good relationships and that there were really fruitful conversations that took place, it was very very draining. I really felt like I actually gave all that was within me to these LITs. While I was in the moment, I questioned God if my efforts were worth it or if there was even any point, but I kept on going, and in the end, I think that it was all worth it.

So I ended a session at LIT feeling drained, yet encouraged, but now I enter a new session and a new role. Once again, I find my self seeking for a passion to drive me forward as I continue to serve here at camp, specifically as I now enter a new position which is completely different than what I have done at camp previously. It does not help that I am sick entering into this new session, but I also am finding that I don't have the energy or desire to put the effort into developing new relationships with a new staff and new LITs. I know that this will pass, but it is just easier to hang out with those you have an existing relationship with.

At any rate, I continue on because I know that the ministry of LIT is vitally important to these teens lives. It is not by my own strength that I continue on, because really I have none left, but it is by the Lord's strength that I am able to continue on and serve. It's sort of freeing to know that you have nothing left, but that God will still be able to do great things through this weak little body if I surrender it to him. So as I prepare and rest for my role to begin in a few days, I will wait here patiently, be still, and know that He is God.

grace and a monologue

Even though this is the fifth time that I have been working with the LIT program at camp, there are some things that never grow old. Sitting through teachings of creation and the fall year after year, some might think that this would not be so interesting anymore. But each time it is new once again. Specifically the FICS (faithfully improvising the Christian story) session on the Fall.

This is a session that hurts to sit through, but each time I do, God speaks in a new way. It is hard to even begin to think of the pain that you and I have inflicted upon one another, all of creation, and God himself. One of the great tools that FICS uses to demonstrate this, but to also show God's incredible grace, is the music video by Johnny Cash, Hurt. It is a picture of the pain and suffering that he has caused throughout his life, but there are quick images of Christ being nailed to the cross interspersed with the images of his life. Even though he has caused all this pain, and has not always put Christ at the centre, Christ was still crucified for all of us. Following this video up with the song How Deep the Fathers Love For Us, creates for a genuinely powerful, yet humbling experience.

In other reflections from recent times at camp, I have just recently (about an hour ago) just finished presenting a four page monologue from memory. I've never done anything like it before. It is a monologue presented from an angels point of view. Done on the FICS day of Jesus and the cross. The angel spoke of what God has done through Christ for us as humans. It was quite intimidating to learn and to memorize, but it was well worth it. I spent every moment of my hours off in the last week to memorize it. And as I did, God has done a good work in me as I have made these words real in my own life. It was not just a preformance, but it was a transformational experience. It was well worth the time spend memorizing. But I m now overjoyed to have my life back again and have my hours off not be spent memorizing!

here we are again

Camp is the best. We are here now!

As I write this, I am sitting on my bed at camp, all bundled up, yet still freezing. I wish July at camp would be a warmer time, but nonetheless, it remains to be the best place to be.

We are in LIT precamp right now, and it's pretty chillaxed. It seems as if it's going to be a good team of staff to serve with this summer. On saturday night all the sites at OPC had a commissioning service together. It was a great night to get focused and in the right mind set to start serving at camp. Seek first the kingdom of God. That was a major point of this service. And that is what we have got to do specifically when working at camp or in any ministry if we really want to make it through in one piece. But really, it is a necessity throughout all of life. I think that sometimes we can forget about this in out day to day life, or at least this is not the focus for us when we're back in the city living normal life. But when we're at camp specifically, to seek the kingdom of God first and to put our complete trust in him, seems to be significantly needed, wanted, and really is the only way we will be able to love and serve those in our care.

But why does it seem like seeking the kingdom of God first is easier when you're in fulltime, intensive, and draining ministry? Why is this not more of a focus when you're at home, writing papers, going to a desk job, etc? it should be. Maybe you're just ahead of me on this one, but this is a situation I am finding myself in. When I'm in a really intentional ministry situation, it seems so easy and natural to seek first the kingdom and to have the Lord as your central focus, but when I'm just at home living everyday life, it seems to be more of a push to do this. Or at least more of a push to see the need in seeking first the kingdom. It's just easier at home to live and serve on my own strength (which will most definitely fail eventually!)

These are just a few thoughts floating through my mind these past few days. It's not that I don't seek the kingdom at home, more the opposite, but my thought is that it is much more defined and specific at camp. It would be quite difficult or even impossible to keep up the strength, love, endurance, and grace needed to serve in a camp context and at the pace that it goes at, throughout the whole year(s), but camp is such a special place where God works in amazing ways in the lives of these campers and LITs. It is a privilege to serve and love these LITs, and I am really excited to see what God is going to do in their lives this summer, and how he is going to continue to transform them for the rest of their lives. Our LITs don't arrive at camp until Thursday, but I'm really excited to meet them and start this program!

I'll continue to write updates and post photos from camp as I take them.

Peace.

Ramblings from a bored little soul

So I'm incredibly bored today... It's a rainy Sunday afternoon. I have a lot of things that I could do: write my final paper of the spring, wash the dishes, go for a misery walk in the rain. But I rather not do any of those. So I will ramble here instead.

Here are somethings that I have been thinking of recently...

- In the past few weeks, there have been a number of people ask me where I see myself working in a few years from now and what is my vision for my future. Every time they ask me I get this stunned look on my face and try to answer them with an answer they want to hear. They want to hear that I have it all together and that I have a solidified plan for the fall and the future. But in reality, I have no clue. There are a bunch of things that would be fun to do and I have an overall general idea of the kind of things I would like to do with my life, but when people ask me... I don't have a very good answer to give them. Some may think that is not good and that I am unprepared. I would like to think of it as a lesson in trusting the Lord. Ya I should get on a few things for the fall specifically, but right now, I am content with being open to the endless options that are in front of me. I am content in not knowing, but knowing that the Lord already knows. People can think what they want of me, but what I know is that the Lord is in control, and that is all I could ever ask for.

- In other news, Chris and I are heading to camp in 6 days! Yay! This year I get to be a small group leader 1st session and be part of the Faithfully Improvising the Christian Story (FICS) teaching team for the 2nd session. The FICS role is a new one for me. I'm really excited to teach the bible and theology to a bunch of teenagers, but a little nervous at the same time. Should be a good growth opportunity for me. Chris says that growth opportunities are the best. Both Chris and I will try to find some time to blog about our camp experiences throughout the summer.. so stay tuned in.

- The other day I was riding my bike in the trails of TO and I came too close to comfort to riding over a poor little chipmunk. Thankfully his little legs moved fast enough to miss my tire by a centimeter, but still... it was a bit traumatizing. I wouldn't ever want to hurt a cute little thing and have it explode under my tire. Yuck.

These ramblings are getting silly now... I still want to procrastinate, but I might try to finish this paper off (or at least start it). If you have actually read these ramblings, bless your heart. Peace out.

Check it out

I am currently in the final stages of wrapping up my internship with Youth Unlimited. Part of my role as an intern was to coach a youth, Katy, to help her organize and run a coffee house fundraiser event. I really appreciated my time with Katy (who was also in my small group at LIT last summer!). It was great to see her grow in her strengths, abilities and in the Lord as we journeyed together this year.

I recently wrote a article for the LAUNCH blog site taking about my journey with Katy. You can go to http://321launch.wordpress.com to read it!

the trinity and the crc

So this evening Chris and I went to church for an night of learning and discussion on the Trinity. It ended up being a fantastic evening. You never know what an evening discussion at the Christian Reformed Church will look like, but tonight the Spirit was obviously active and moving in our hearts (or at least mine). It was really refreshing. Understanding God as a community within Himself.
Tim used this image (above) to help us understand the relationship of the Trinity and to get the conversation rolling. I've studied this piece of art in classes I've been in, and each time I study it, I gain a deeper appreciation for it and the Trinity Himself. And that is what we attempted to do this evening as a church. Without going into too much detail, through this image and through other discussions we had, we were drawn to a closer understanding of God's community and fellowship within Himself and how we are invited to that fellowship table as the Body of Christ.

I don't normally come out of the CRC feeling as encouraged as I have tonight. But to be able to try to grasp this concept with the people I did this evening, was a privilege. We were challenged and inspired. Longing to be people continually transformed in the image of God. Joining with Him in complete joy. And through our growing understanding of the unity and community of God, hopefully, our relationships with others, spouses, the church, and others, will dramatically be transformed to look like (if I can be so bold to say) the relationship and fellowship found in the Trinity.

Reflections

Okay... so these might not have anything to do with what I'm about to write, but I thought they was so ridiculous that it needed to be shared. Also, for more laughs go to failblog.org. There are funnier ones, but I dare not post them... or dare I? hmmm. only time will tell.

Anyways...

School is out and the sun is in! Life therefore = good. I need to enjoy this month while it lasts though, because at the end of May and into June I will be taking 3 classes! Yikes! Who wants to sit in class in the spring time? well... someone who wants to only have one evening class in the fall semester and then no more school ever! Exciting times these are. Times of expectancy... that God is going to do some hip things in the near future with our lives. And times of anxiousness... that I have absolutely no idea what those hip things are yet. Could it be community living, a full time ministry job, a car... who the heck knows. Well the big man upstairs hopefully knows.

I'm in a time of learning what it means to wait, to trust, to hope. The concept and idea keeps coming up... I think I wrote a paper about that recently... or an exam... I guess studying helps in the growing process. Ah yes! Promise theology in the Old Testament. It is characterized by the people of God waiting, hoping, and trusting in the Lord. I'll be honest. I'm not so good about doing these three things. But I'm trying my best. God's people where called to live in the expectant future hope. So the exile sent many away from their homes and known lives, but even in a time of stress and uncertainty, they were certain of God's good grace and love. Here's a cool couple of verses that these people prayed... and I think that I could even pray too.

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, 'The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.'
The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;
it is good to wait patiently for the salvation of the Lord.

Lamentations 3:22-26

Maybe I'm not a Jew in exile back in the day, but I am a girl who is unsure about what tomorrow holds, but my God sure does. And that's something that I (and you) can cling to. The Lord is enough for me... I don't need anything else. Not even the answers of tomorrow. And because he is enough, I can be patient and begin to learn how to walk in hope, trust, and to wait patiently for what God is going to do next.

hmm... well the above has been a mixture of my reflections on life and Old Testament theology. As exams and papers have recently been a big part of my life, I feel that the line between the two is fuzzy. But I now have a much needed break to clear up that line... and to use to simply enjoy this waiting game. (and enjoy the sun while I'm at it!) But this waiting game doesn't have to be an inactive thing. It can be a very active one I think. Actively participating in the kingdom and waiting on the Lord I think can go hand in hand.

Taking a stand for peace and justice

So I recently came across new initiative put forward by the founders of Invisible Children. Over the years I have appreciated the work that these three guys have done in order to raise awareness about child soldiers in Uganda and ultimately to seek freedom for these kids.
Their new project is called The Rescue of Joseph Kony's Child Soldiers. They have released a half hour video essentially describing what they have been up to the past six years, how history has been unfolding up until this time, and how they are trying to get the LRA to go for peace instead of destroying young children's lives. It is a movie that is both hopeful and heartbreaking, but will leave you with the sense that you've got to get involved as well.

On April 25, 09, they'll be releasing a new video describing the next steps that need to be taken in order to see freedom for these kids. I won't say much more about their most recent project, but if you have half hour to spare, go to their site, watch, be convicted, be heartbroken, be inspired to make a stand for these kids who have lost their childhood, and in a sense, their humanity. Watch it at therescue.invisiblechildren.com.

It might be something to consider.

shame and the gospel?

So I've been reading through the New Testament, and I've just finished off the letters to the Thessalonians. The Thessalonians are not books I read very often, and so some statements in the text can come as a surprise. Like this passage... 2 Thessalonians 3:14. This is a passage found in a chapter focused on warning against idleness. The church in Thessalonica had a few individuals who were not too interested in following the teaching and guidance that Paul had provided... so this is what he had to say about these individuals.

And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good. Take special note of those who do not obey our instruction in this letter. Do not associate with them, in order that they may feel ashamed. Yet do not regard them as enemies, but warn them as fellow believers.

2 Thessalonians 3:13-15

So that they'll feel ashamed?! What the heck. This is not the Christianity I know and love. I thought that the gospel of Christ was one of love and grace. I know that Christ was pretty ticked with everyone who was trashing the temple, but isn't this a bit harsh? Typically on a Sunday morning, you don't hear the pastor say to the congregation "so what we need to do in order to see people come to Christ and to know true love and grace is to ignore them all and hope that they will feel a deep sense of shame. That's how we build the kingdom of God!" uhhh... not so much.

At a time when postmodern culture is infiltrating the church, people don't want to hear a message that is so harsh and definite like this one. An emerging church doesn't want to offend anyone, and so blurs the real picture. I think that the church needs a good kick in the pants every so often, seeing as it can be a bit fuzzy around the edges, but even so... a passage like this is tough to swallow. I'm just trying to figure this one out.

I know that there are passages in scripture that I struggle with, but can understand them in light of the culture and society the letter was being written in. But this verse can't really be put in that same category. Shame doesn't really sound like something our loving God desires for us. I know we need to be humbled before the Lord and know that He is all powerful, but to say that shame and abandonment are ordained by God... I have a hard time buying that. I appreciate how Paul at the end of this passage qualifies that these are people who are to be warned as fellow believers, but this doesn't really fit into the way I relate with my surrounding community. To say that I would not associate with a fellow believer because they strayed away a bit doesn't really seem like the way to bring them back.

Just a few thoughts on a tricky passage... Any other thoughts or input on such a passage would be helpful. Maybe try to figure this one out together! :)

back from the dead...

... well it feels like it.

I haven't blogged in a very long time... since nov. 07 to be exact... almost a year and a half! Well I am back. I've been thinking of re-joining the blogging world for a while now.

Procrastinating from writing my OT paper has re-birthed this blog, and has given it a new look :) Though writing about the Genesis creation account in comparison with other ancient near eastern creation accounts is interesting... I would rather do something else... I guess procrastinating is a good thing sometimes.

There are a few things I want to chat about... on conferences attended, cd's bought, and books read... but first, I must write my paper.

See you soon.. i promise!

Paul Potts

This man is absolutely wonderful! Beautiful voice. Who would have thought?!

At the Porn Show...

Once again, for the third time, I, along with Chris and Pat, went to see The New Pornographers live! It was simply wonderful.

Out of all of my times seeing them preform, this was, by far, my most favorite time. Here are my reasonings:

1. Neko Case. She had not previously been touring with The New Pornographers when we saw them before in Toronto. She added a whole new level to the show. Her voice is stunning. Though Chris gets annoyed at me for playing her solo albums on repeat, he also agreed that she was great.

2. Other members who don't always tour with them were there. Like this Dan guy. He only sang on select songs. When he did, in one hand was always a bottle of beer and looked a bit more wasted each time he returned to the stage... He added a bit of humorous entertainment to the night.

3. The opening act. Normally opening acts are nothing to rave about, but this girl, Emma Pollock, opened for them. I've never heard her before, but I thought that she was really good. You can hear some of her songs at her website.

4. Another aspect I enjoyed (or thought that was almost sort of strange) was that this time round, the crowd was an older one. The last two shows were made up of young high school kids... but this time it was quite the surprise to see that we were some of the younger people there. Weird.

But overall, it was a wonderfully fantastic show.

wait... be patient...

Maybe sometimes you just have to be patient. Wait for everything to just work itself out with time, experience, failures, triumphs, joys, and frustrations. What ever will be will be right? But with time added to that I guess. You can't force anything down the throats of those who don't want anything to do with what you're all about. When selfishness is met with newness and excitement... watch out! You as an outsider have no say in the situation at all. No matter how experienced in mind or deed you are on that very same issue, that person will not listen. Not until they get hurt. Not until they have had their fun and realize that the path they have chosen is not a glorious one. It is not holy... it is not righteous... it is not what they thought it would be.

If only we could stop people from going down a path that we know is not good. It is because of peoples pride and selfishness that they don't listen to us. It is so frustrating. And in the end, they aren't just hurting themselves, but they are hurting others around them. They are hurting the ones that they had originally intended to protect. So we, the originally intended, need to be patient in times like these. We need to show unending amounts of grace, love, support, and patience. No matter how hard it is, no matter how much we want to take the situation by the neck, no matter how much it hurts us on the other side, we have to extend the Lord's grace and patience. People will come around. With a lot of prayer and love and grace, healing can already begin in a situation that doesn't even know it needs healing yet.

adventures at opc

So I'm back from camp. What a four weeks it has been. Much has happened, much was learned. There were frustrations, there were joys. It's a little difficult to figure out where to start... so here are a few highlights of my time at camp.

Most memorable moment of our 4 day canoe trip to Lake Tomagami and Lake Obabaka:
- one of the LITs is a wonderful opera singer. and at one point we were paddling through a more narrow part of the river, so calm and peaceful, and this LIT began to sing opera as we paddled along. it was absolutely beautiful.

Most powerful moment in a FICS (faithfully improvising the Christian story) session:
- the combination of the song 'How Deep the Father's love for us' following Johnny Cash's video of 'Hurt' was an incredibly powerful . This was presented on Act 2: the fall. The Cash video is a powerful example of how broken and in need of Christ we all are. Feelings and knowledge of hope, forgiveness, and grace flooded the room.

Many other fun and exciting things happened during my time at camp. It was a wonderful time. Even though it was difficult at times, I wouldn't have traded this time for anything.

Peace.

camp tomorrow...

It's Saturday night. And I leave for camp tomorrow morning. I'm pretty excited. Can't wait to see old friends and make new ones. It's going to be a good break from working at the golf course. I was getting tired of doing meaningless work. Now I get to do the things I love! Working with youth... training them up to be leaders by empowering and challenging them.

It's going to be a hip happening good time.

So that's it. The Nyssa Dhillon update of July/August '07...

The end.

ugly fire in a beautiful community... let's help them out

Though this is already posted on Lewis' blog, I thought I would let people know as well. Last week the Simple Way community, a beautiful group of people in Philadelphia, were faced with a terrible seven-alarm fire of a neighbouring warehouse that destroyed surrounding homes, the Simple Way's community center, and more. If you want to learn more about the fire and what happened, click here.

It broke my heart when I watched this video. You see and hear of lots of devastating fires, but this one really hit me. These wonderful people have set up an intentional community and are doing great things for those around them and for the greater Kingdom, and now most of it is destroyed. But there is hope. They have big dreams and it's exciting to see how this community is going to being growing. If you want to donate and help these guys out in some way you can do so through Tony Campolo's site. They need to rebuild their homes and lives now, so if we can partner with and support them, let's do it!

Trinity and Community

In continuing in on a discussion and journey of figuring out community, tonight we will look at the Trinity in relation to the community, unity, and diversity of humanity. Tonight in Systematic Theology class we are talking about the doctrine of the Trinity. In our discussion time we moved onto discuss the Trinity in relation to community, so here are some points that we discussed.

Points to ponder:

- both unity and diversity are healthy and necessary when it comes to community. although many fight about their differences, and bring a great divide between each other, if handled rightly and lovingly, diversity is a beautiful thing. we see this through the Trinity. the three in one. all have their unique roles within the God-head, but all are in perfect unity with one another. our differences bring us together. our diversity creates a beautiful community.

- we as humans need to live in and act as a community for so many reasons. life would be boring and dull if we were all the same, or if we just hung out with people that are like us. men, women, young, old, black, white, business minds, and artists need to be in community with one another. when we are with those unlike ourselves, we are put into a place where we are not necessarily comfortable. but this is a good thing. it challenges us to live life in ways that are out of our comfort zone. it stretches us to do new things that we might have not understood before or were scared of. diversity is a good thing. it is a Godly thing.

- just as the Trinity is one, we too need to become one. we need to learn to understand and practice unity of the body.

- look at the Acts church. everyone shared everything. its not a what's mine is yours, whats yours is mine mentality, but it is a 'it's all God's and we get to share in that' mentality. it's not a greedy way of life, but is an others focused way of life. putting the Lord and others before ourselves at all times.

- if we look at the Trinity, God gave up his Son. there is a sacrifice that was made. we too need to make sacrifices in our lives for the sake of community.

What I realized through this class discussion time:

- people are scared to even talk about community and unity. they don't want to touch the issue because they don't want to face what they don't want to do.

- they are so fixed on living as individuals, and don't even want to discuss possible ways out of this way of life. they don't want to live in the way that God originally intended it to be.

- someone even said that they don't feel comfortable talking about the issue of community and unity because that means that some serious change needs to take place. they don't want to face it.

Right now I’m enjoying my Saturday evening by listening to some good music. Included in a long list of music I have been listening to this evening is U2. I probably haven’t listened to these guys in months. I used to list them first in my top favourite bands… and they still are my favourite… no one comes close. But I’ve been distracted these past few months with new music, new bands, new artists. These others are good, but they are truly no comparison to U2 in my opinion. When people have asked me in recent days about what kind of music I listen to, I don’t list U2 as my number one. I do mention them, but only after I have already mentioned the new and more relevant artists… trying to stay with the times. I don’t think that I am selling out by listening to these new bands (as some would say listening to U2 is selling out), but I’m not staying true to my ‘roots’. I’m missing out on something indescribable. Some might think I’m crazy, but when I listen to certain songs of theirs, it is as if I’m experiencing God… maybe I am. I forgot about my love for them by not listening to them, by not experiencing their music.

As I listen to where the streets have no name, I have made the connection between this and my relationship with God. When I am not actively experiencing the Lord through His Holy Spirit and when I am not actively pursuing Him, I begin to forget. I begin to forget about how incredible He is and His unfailing love and grace. When I am not fully focused on Him I begin to loose sight. I get distracted by the other exciting things happening around me. Not that these other things are bad in any way, but if I am not careful, they can become a distraction in the way of me seeing the Lord. When I am not fully focused on the Lord, I get disillusioned into thinking that He is not as great as He actually is. I begin to forget about His unfailing love and the incredible grace that He has poured out on us.

This forgetfulness can be reversed though. Through spending time with Him… through experiencing His presence we can be brought back to a place where we can be in true active communion with Him once again. We can continually be mindful of His presence and power. Just like how I was reminded of the greatness of U2 through experiencing their music once again, I have been reminded of God’s greatness and love through spending time with Him. Through experiencing His presence, I am excited about serving Him and living for Him once again. It might be a stretch to connect my love for U2 with my relationship with God, but these are simply my thoughts of the evening.