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Finding a Needle in a Haystack

This past weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to go to Kicking Horse Ski Resort with a group of Young Adults from First Alliance Church here in Calgary. Overall, the whole weekend was so amazing. Good times, good friends, good fellowship. I got to meet some new people and I got to know others better. Community and snowboarding, both wonderful things that I enjoy.

Now onto an experience that I need to share or would like to. I’m not sure how well you will be able to relate or even identify with the experience I had over this weekend. Not to say that no one has ever found a needle in a haystack, but try to imagine this scenario with me.

It was the last run of the day. If anyone is familiar with Kicking Horse it’s a beautiful gondola ride up to the top, with mountain ranges surrounding and a view of Golden, BC. This day was a beautifully exasperating day, if we can even put those two words together. There were so many great things about this day. The weather to start was just below zero, it might as well have been above zero as some points I'm sure. There had been a decent amount of snow over the past couple of days. The clouds throughout the day had slowly become less and less leaving more of clear sky as the day reached the end. The sun had finally broken through for the last couple hours of lift operation. Now I know the stigma with the last run. The bodies exhausted, the muscles are sore, and the brain is tired. Last runs usually don’t go to well. Well not today because I was stoked and far from tired at all. (Must be the P90X…haha) Adam Kroeker and I decided to take the gondola up and do a run from the top. The ride up was great. The clouds were gone from around us. We could see all the mountains around. I was listening to M83 – We Own the Sky. The hill was looking less populated. It’s going to be a great run down.

Adam and I are at the top, and I remembered that early today the ratchet buckle on the toe was loose. Adam pointed out that they kept tools at the top so we proceeded to walk over to the tools. As I was going to tighten the buckle before we went down, I put my board up on the table and lo and behold the buckle was gone. My heart dropped. Really? Was this really going to happen? Of course! I was beginning to feel like bindings and I don’t go to well together. Last time I went was to Sunshine and the ankle strap fell off while getting into the gondola up the main base from Goat’s Eye. The lifty was kind enough to pick the solo strap and put it in the gondola behind us. This was my board that broke at Sunshine. Now, using Jeff’s board, his buckle broke. Not only did it brake, but I lost it. A white ratchet buckle somewhere on the mountain, this could be fun. I joked with Adam and asked him to keep a look out for the buckle on the way down because who knows where it could’ve have fallen off. So with that I looked around a bit in the snow on the top and on the platform for the buckle with no avail. Then, I got to take the beautiful gondola ride down. Now don’t get me wrong, it was unfortunate that I didn’t get to get my last run in, but if you have any idea what I’m like, things like this don’t bother my at all. I know that my God is bigger than a buckle and He is the director of my paths and my path, was the gondola ride down. I said good-bye to Adam, went over to the lift and knocked on the window and the lifty gave the thumbs up to hop in. I put in my board, proceeded in to the gondola, and away I went. The ride down was just as good as the ride up. Still just as beautiful. However, the ride down gave me some time to contemplate what just happened, to thank God for His guidance in my life, and to relax.

I got down to the bottom, smiled at the lifty, grabbed my board and started to search for others in the group who were at the bottom. My day ended well. I was happy that I had no accidents, the weather was good, I was around wonderful people, and God was with me. So I went to the Day Lodge, found everyone else, and just waited to leave.

Everyone grabbed their bags and headed out to the cars. I had already dropped my board off at the vehicle so I wasn’t in a hurry to leave. I have this tendency to double check rooms after leaving places because I’ve just forgotten so many things and I like to feel secure that nothing was left behind. I’m walking back with Jonathan, just chatting about the day and such thinking nothing of it. We head outside and are walking back in no particular hurry. Then in one moment, my head glances down, and there it is. The white buckle, snugly placed in a vast amount of snow, right below my eyes. Now, while in the gondola, I had this very image of the buckle sitting in the snow. The interesting part was both the images were the same. Some call it Déjà vu, I’ll call that the Spirit. Here it was, the buckle no bigger than an inch that I had asked for, right in front of me. The needle in the haystack.

I doubted God.

I doubted that God could get me this buckle, as I'm sure most of us would. When will we stop doubting God. Why would God do this?

Because He loves us with an everlasting love and because we are His children. We are not mistakes, we are not here by chance, even the hairs on our head are numbered. God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

God is here, God is with us, and He wants to show us his love in even the most smallest of ways. Are you listening to the people around you? Are you watching the world around you? Are you being aware of the work that God is doing in your life and in the people around you? People, let's think. Don't let life pass you by.

Don't miss the buckle on the mountain.

I hope your challenged. God bless.

A can of soup!

So today, was like every other day, well not really. It was my lunch break and I was without my pizza pops! I had an hour break, so I decided to head over to the Extra Foods and grab a box for the next week or so. As I was walking over, I turned down one block to early. Instead of entering from the front, I ended up entering from the back of the Extra Foods downtown Yellowknife. There was a man sitting there and he asked me for a can of soup, homeless or not, he looked like he needed a can of soup. I continued in, thinking that I probably can just exit through the front if I don’t want to walk past him again if I decide not to get the can of soup. Something else happened, after I grabbed my pizza pops and was about to head out, the Word spoke to me. “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” The first part spoke to me with great conviction. I decided that I was going to go grab a can of soup for this gentleman. I went and grabbed a Campbell’s Chunky Classic Chicken Noodle soup. When picking the soup, I thought about price, but then I decided to grab something I would enjoy, the big chunks of chicken on the label caught my attention. The labeled price was 2.89, no biggie. As I was going through the till, I noticed that it was $3 and change and not the 2.89 price..hmmm…So I took my receipt and soup to one of the cashiers to see what they can do for me. I felt like a cheap customer, but I wanted to let them know that the price was wrong, right? Lo and behold, I got the soup for free! So I walked out, handed the guy the soup, he smiled, I left. I basically walked into the store, grabbed the guy a can of soup of the shelves, and walked out and gave it to him. This all happened because I took the turn to early. Simple, what seems like mere coincidence was God working. I walked away thinking about the turn a block to early, the Word speaking, the free soup, and the smile. Everything happening for a reason. Makes my appreciate the way life works out some times, even when we are not expecting it! Just a neat little story, hope you enjoy it!!

To Build a Home

Well, where to begin! The last time I wrote was February 28, and I usually have never gone more than a month without writing. That goes to show how busy it has been the past couple months. I would love to share with you about everything going on in my life but I don’t want to write that much! This entry is mainly just going to be about what I’ve been doing for those family members who I didn’t get a chance to visit and talk with and for everyone else that might be interested. [I’m not that interesting ;)]

I just recently finished my second year of University at Ambrose this past month. It’s still hard for me to believe that I have only a year and a half of schooling and a year internship then I’m done! So I’m pretty much half way there!

This past year of school has been challenging. Just when you think school can’t get any harder…it does! I also know now I was over committed which proved to be a little difficult and disastrous in some areas. I found myself being spread a little thin, and we all know that it is not healthy for me, or the people I am interacting with. I am grateful for all the areas I got to serve in, but I’m realizing that as a human, we can only do some much, while continuing to stay healthy. Our bodies and minds are capable of amazing feats and for that I am thankful! I never really wanted to be that person that was involved in so many areas which wouldn’t allow me to fully participate in the areas that needed it the most. I found this is where neglect came in and neglect can ruin things, even our walk with God. You become so bogged down that you really just do what’s necessary at hand and move along from task to task, and I do not like living like that. Neglect can be a scary thing; it can ruin a person’s life. Let’s be more aware of our relationships and take care of them. Be aware if your neglecting someone and make amends! If your being neglected, speak up, let them know, and if nothing changes, you have your own life to live, so don’t let other people bring you down! When I neglect people, it hurts them, and I can’t live like that. As I try to be more careful with my relationships, I hope you will. I want you to enjoy the life you live! As for myself, next year I will be committing myself to one leadership role and school. I do not want to be neglectful anymore. I'll try, okay? That’s it, that’s all.

Something very cool that God is allowing me to do is be a part of the Central Planning Team Legacy Youth Conference 2011 at our school. You can check out the website at http://www.legacyyouthconference.com/ The website is pretty basic right now, until we figure a few things out. I’ve been involved in LYC for the last couple of years, I’ve been involved in their entertainment team, and as well as ushering. It will be great to take on a leadership role in LYC and be able to continue to serve the High School students.

So where am I now? I am currently sitting in Yellowknife, NWT! I’ll be here for the next four months working at Scotiabank, doing my teller work. I’m still quite amazed that I work at Scotiabank, and I don’t think I’ll ever get over how God put this together! I’m really looking forward to the summer up here; it’s a nice change to Calgary.Well, the snowboarding season is over, but the long boarding season has just begun! I want to encourage you all to get outside, walk somewhere instead of drive. Get a dog or three! Tell someone today that you love em!

What am I listening to now? The Cinematic Orchestra – To Build a Home

Love you all, and thanks for being there for me!

Olympics

The Olympics were awesome. Canada got the most Gold out of any country ever in Olympic history and the most on hosting territory. Canada also beat the USA in the Gold match hockey game both women's and men's hockey. What a great Olympics for Canada! I love Canada!

Healthy Living

So like all my other posts, they are simply expressions of what is going on in my life, hence the title of my blog "What's going on?" Since the start of the school year I've been consistently making choices in my life to live a healthy lifestyle. I think I was always put off by either working out or staying in shape because I always had this impression that people that go to the gym are egotistical and self-centered. Plus I've been blessed with a high enough metabolism where my weight was never an issue. I've come to realize a lot more people go to the gym than I expected and none of them are egotistical. There was one more fear, that my life would be consumed with lifting weights, running, and the desire to be bigger and better. I'm glad to say that I've overcome this very narrow minded view of the gym. I've developed a routine that I've stuck with for the past three weeks or so and I'm actually enjoying everyday life a lot more. I feel good about myself knowing that I've done some good for my body and mind. Also, starting to work out has actually made me be more aware of the food that I put in my body. Not saying that I won't eat junk food, but it's not something that I desire to eat anymore.

Marriage/Cactus

So January is almost done and it’s crazy that we are a month in to twenty ten! [not two thousand and ten] Three more months then I’m done my second year here at Ambrose! The last time I wrote it was at the beginning of Christmas break, oops sorry for the lack of updating! Time just flies by, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it. Makes me enjoy smaller moments a whole lot more though!

So on January 1, 2010 my little sister got married! It’s so hard to believe the same girl I used to pretend to put boogers in her cereal, build forts, play Mario Kart for endless amounts of time, go to the Reddi Mart with what little money we had and spend it all on candy, and the little girl I grew up with is now married! A few of the family from Canada got to drive down and take part in her beautiful wedding. Overall she did a wonderful job planning and getting everything organized. The question I’ve been asked multiple times now that Ryan and Alyssa are married has been when will I get married? I say, NEVER!... Haha...just kidding...but do not worry about me! God is a big God and His plan is perfect and I definitely trust in Him to bring the right person along.

So I was blessed this Christmas break. Turns out that my Grandma took a little piece of my cactus, the one from third grade, and actually grew her own cactus. When she heard about my predicament with the Christmas cactus, she was so generous that she gave me her Christmas cactus which was the one I had since elementary! It was one of the best Christmas gifts ever. I have a little something up my sleeve for my Grandma, but she won’t know until next Christmas!

Well just wanted to give a quick update. I love you all and I hope you are having a great year so far!

BAM!

That’s how I feel right now. Like I’ve hit the brick wall and now I’m lying on the ground trying to recuperate from immense pain! Okay, maybe not that bad, but this last semester has been a doozy. In my entire school career, it’s been one of the most challenging, growing, exhausting, semesters of my life. Between school, practicum, work, and the rest of life’s happenings, I had to force myself to take breaks which have been a first. It was a wonderful learning experience for me in regards to time management, taking days off, and enjoying life in the midst of utter chaos. I don’t assume next semester is going to be any easier, although it possibly could, but I feel more prepared to handle whatever comes my way. I’ve learned the importance and necessity of taking one day off a week no matter what to allow my body to recover from the previous week’s unfolding. This past semester has been a challenge well accepted and well learned from.

These past couple days, my friend Melissa from Australia came for a short visit while on her way to Winnipeg. She got a pretty full experience of Canadian culture while she was in Calgary. I was able to take her tobogganing and snowboarding and she got to meet a lot of great people! For the first time snowboarding she did really well. It was her first time out of Australia so it was great to share a little bit of Canadian culture with her.

Right now, I’m sitting in Yellowknife, enjoying the stress free atmosphere. It’s so refreshing to be up here, away from everything, and best of all, be with my family. This Christmas break has been muchly anticipated and I can tell you will be muchly enjoyed! With my sister’s wedding coming up in January, it’s going to be a wonderful end to a wonderful Christmas break.

Take a break, take a breather, enjoy the season, and remember why we celebrate it.

God bless,

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Containing Christmas Subject Matter

So I know it's a little early for Christmas talk. Well actually I don't think it's ever to early to talk about Christmas! I'm super excited for this winter season!

To begin with, a bought a Christmas cactus. If you aren't sure what it looks like, a quick Google image search will reveal that to you. Now why would I buy a Christmas cactus? It all started in third grade when my teacher gave everyone in our class a plant to take care of. This plant was a Christmas cactus. The one given to me was small in nature, consisting of only three leaves. Over the years I had the chance to watch it grow into a beautifully mature plant that bloomed every November. Upon graduating and leaving to Yellowknife, [consult the first post of this blog for more information about moving to Yellowknife] I left the cactus in care of my brother. Not to long after, it died, and was thrown out. Upon hearing this news I was devastated from the core of my being, okay well maybe not that much, but it hurt. Over the next couple of years I searched for a cactus to call my own. This search came to an end as last week when I was able find a plant to secure that place in my heart, a new Christmas Cactus [whose name has yet to be determined, although there has been some ideas tossed around].

Along with the Christmas cactus, I was also able to purchase a Christmas tree and Christmas lights to decorate our room. It's my first Christmas tree that I've ever owned personally and so far I'm pretty happy with it. It stands 6' tall and is visible from the school. When I'm walking back to residence at night, you can see it glistening in the window.

I'm super excited about this Christmas break because my little sister is getting married! I never imagined she'd get married before I did, but that's life. She's getting married to a wonderful man of God, and their passion for God is also undeniable. I look forward to January 1, 2010 as a start of a new life for my sister, and a life with a new brother for myself.

I also have a season's pass to Canada Olympic Park. It's my first time buying a pass at a hill so I'm looking forward to spending time there. I think it's a great hill. It is 10 minutes away from the school for easy access so who can complain.

After this two weeks I'll be done all my papers, most of my assignments with only finals to look towards. After that, Christmas break, then semester 2 here I come.

God bless.

Neglect

Never in my life do I want to be so concerned with myself and my own problems, that I forget to take notice of the people around me.

So this past month has been relatively busy compared to my previous years of schooling. My involvement in different areas has definitely pushed me to my limits physically, mentally, and spiritually. What I'm noticing is that when I get to my limits, I retract. Almost in a preserving manner which I find interesting. My focus is primarily on myself and how I can I make it through each individual day and the overwhelming pressures I feel. On the other hand, I think by being aware of this, I'm learning to cope. The pressure is slowly subsiding and I'm starting to make my way back to being out in society. I'm learning to say no [a skill I thought I'd already developed] and to manage my time properly. Interesting enough, I had to write a short paper on time management which challenged my actions and gave me a little boost in regards to using my time well. How often do we neglect people for the sake of ourselves and how we feel that day? What happened to putting others before us? Love God, love people. How can you love God or people when all you consider is yourself and your own problems? Take care of yourself, don't get me wrong, but let us give our undivided attention to people that we interact with. Let us stop the wandering eyes that happens so often in our conversations. Let us invest into our relationships as much as we can. I know two essentials in life are community and faith, let us pursue both. Life is a journey, let us walk it together. Relationships come and go, but the ones we have in this moment are the ones that are significant.

What else happened this month?

My brother got married!

Live in the moment, look to the future, learn from the past.

Back to School

So today marks the end of the first week of school! I must say it's been really busy but very enjoyable. My classes this semester are: Practicum and Reflection, New Testament Greek I, Principles of Sociology, Romans, and Theology 1 God and His Word. I'm really looking forward to actively engaging in all my areas of study.

Student Council has been great so far. It's my first time in a leadership role within the school and I'm learning lots. Right now I'm just getting Freshman elections under way here and it's looks like it's going to be a awesome year.

I'm working at Scotiabank again which is great. I'm only able to work Mondays but every little bit helps. I feel blessed to have such a great job.

I just wanted to write a quick little note here. Enjoy what is left of summer!

Back to Calgary

It's hard to believe that my summer in Yellowknife is over. I still wouldn't call it a summer for the lack of hot weather, but it was still a good time. Tomorrow I'll be in a car for 16 some odd hours until I reach Edmonton. I'll be in town for a couple of days before I head back to Calgary where I'll start my second year of study at Ambrose. I'm really looking forward to this upcoming year. The classes I'll be taking hopefully will be good. Another thing I'm looking forward to is my involvement in student council. I really haven't taken any huge leadership roles, but at this moment in my life this is probably one of the biggest roles yet. It's going to be an area of change and growth which are two things I love.

I got an external hard drive the other day. It has the capacity of 1 TB (terabyte). Actually the ironic thing is when you open it up and see how much space you have, they always like to give you less then the displayed amount. So I have 931 gigabytes to work with. What do you do with that much space? I'm not to sure yet. So far I've filled a fraction of the space. My laptop is just about 2 and a half years old, so I'm taking the necessary precautions in case of a computer crash beyond restore.

I also went bridge jumping off of the bridge just outside Yellowknife. When your standing up there, it's a little nerve wrecking, but the fall itself isn't even that long, I'd do it again for sure.

Anyways, time to start packing and do laundry. I leave tomorrow morning!

Bye Yellowknife and to all the amazing people that have made this such a memorable summer. It has been wonderful living here and I can't wait for next year!

I'm Hungry and Thirsty

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?

I had the great opportunity of going down to Apgar Village in Montana with my family. I would classify it as a family reunion except it was missing a rather large chunk of people. Maybe next year. One evening, I grabbed my longboard and headed down a 2 mile pathway which leads to West Glacier. Upon returning my eyes caught sight of a little pathway that jutted from the paved ground. After gliding past the pathway, I came to a complete stop, got of my board and proceeded backwards to check out this trail that tickled my eye. Upon arriving at the pathway, I soon discovered it was a path that led to a lookout. I followed the arrow and proceeded down the path in hopes of finding something majestic. To my delight, there was. I placed my longboard on the ground to function as a bench. Then, what I looked upon was a beautiful island in the midst of a pond, surrounded by mountainous hills. Nature uninterrupted. The pure serenity of the place was overwhelming. As I was sitting there, I took the opportunity to ask God if there was anything he wanted to show me, maybe some wildlife, maybe a beaver or something. Off in the distance, aimlessly walking in the water was a deer. How beautiful. Immediately the Word spoke and echoed in my thoughts, “As a deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, Lord.” And that was it, the deer ran off into the distance, and then I got assaulted by a famished swarm of mosquitoes. So I grabbed my board and dashed down the path for fear of losing all the blood I had in me.

How thirsty is your soul? How hungry are you for the bread of life?

Pure Destiny

What does it look like to trust God with the one your destined to be with? If you believe in destiny at all, which I do. I believe God has someone destined for me and also someone for you. One single person. Out of this entire planet, one single soul matched to yours. Sure there could be multiple people that you could be compatible with, but if you believe in the sanctity of marriage and believe that God has one person for you then there really is only the one God has chosen. One person destined to be apart of your walk for the rest of your life that God has specifically chosen. Someone that exemplifies your qualities, someone that you can connect with in a deep spiritual level.

Where is this person?

Should I go searching and see if the shoe fits? I believe the answer is simply, no! Do not follow the ways of this world, where in order to find someone, we need to search out for the one that is compatible. No more games, stop trying on different shoes! We must walk by the spirit and trust that the God of this universe will bring that person to you, and He will let you know! So there is no need to date different people to find out if God has brought the two of you together! If you aren't sure, let it be, most likely it is not time. Don't be blinded by confusion, at the very sight of confusion, run. Run, and don't look back! A wise man once told me, God is NOT the author of confusion so we know who is. Don't get me wrong, initiative is important and so is communication. Even so, if spirituality is the single most important thing for the two people [which I hope it is if you want to follow Jesus], you have an entire life with that person to get to know them more. God puts two people together to glorify and build his Kingdom to their complete potential and beyond. Wait for God to align your spiritual walks for the Kingdom's sake. After all, what more in life would you want than to have someone that God, the creator of this universe, has destined you to be with.

Sounds like a big decision to be made, who would you rather let choose, yourself or God? If you believe in God, the one who sent Jesus as the world's saviour, and directs us through the power of the Holy Spirit, trust in Him to make it for you.

How do I meet this person? Your paths will come together. Your plans. Your dreams. Your hopes. Let God be the door opener and the closer. Most importantly of all, [but often neglected], pray, pray for that person. Pray that they also would choose to live righteously, with integrity and purity. Choose to walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh.

These posts are my journey, my walk and understanding of God. I don't expect you to agree or understand, but I hope the truth and the Word, will set you free.

May God bless you and keep you, may God's face shine upon you, and be gracious to you. May God turn his face toward you, and give you his complete peace in heart and in life.

I'm So Confused

I don't understand how it's possible for the sun to rise at 3:49 AM and set at 11:25 PM....where is the darkness?

For those of you who don't know where I am at the moment, I am in Yellowknife for the summer!

On to other news, I would love to talk about my job situation. For the past couple of years God has blessed me hugely with job opportunities. I am at a point where I don't worry about work or money because I know God is taking care of me because He has at every corner. He even gave me the last month off to relax, recuperate, get organized, to think, and get closer to Him.

Would you like to hear a story? If not skip to next paragraph.

So on Monday May 4th I had an interview with the YWCA for the role of community support worker. At the time I was given the impression that it was going to be a full-time job, Monday to Friday sorta thing. Looking back I realize that they most likely were just describing the different types of shifts that were available. Anyways, unknown to me it was a casual position until I made a phone call on May 25th to discuss when I would be starting, because it has already been a couple weeks from the interview date and I was unsure if I even had the job or not. Upon finding out that it was casual and I really was working for them, my search for full time employment began. That very day I went to a couple places including Scotiabank to see if I could get full-time employment. Great for me, Scotiabank's hiring sign was no longer in sight, and after a phone call, found out they hired two new people and weren't looking. A few other places I visited were kind enough to let me know that they already hired everyone needed the previous week and didn't require anymore staff. I visited some employment placement centres and they were also kind enough to let me know that there was nothing out there. Doors were shutting everywhere, it was great. (When doors shut, God's at work. Better yet, He never stops!) On June 3rd [also Chelsea and Jackson birthdays], I got an e-mail from Scotiabank, asking me if I would like a job there, as one of their full time person has decided to leave. With that, I have two jobs, a full time and a casual. I will work at the bank during the day and at the YWCA during the weekends, and maybe evenings. It might not seem like a big deal, but I know God's planning my life, and who else would I want to? After all He gives me breaks!

PLUS...the kicker, I don't feel like I'm working. My jobs are amazing. They are perfect for me at this moment in my life. It blows my mind that I get paid to do what I do.

Two friends of mine, Jeff and Ashley are coming up to Yellowknife! I'm pretty excited to have some great friends of mine come up to do some sight seeing, camping, canoeing, and other things. It'll be nice to have them up since I really haven't seen to many people since I've been up here.

As for what I'm reading. I just read a book titled Lost Boy by Greg Laurie. It was his biography about how God changed his life and called him to ministry. His book is written wonderfully allowing many people from different background to relate to him.

As for some music that I'm listening to, Tenth Avenue North. I have not listened to their whole album, but the two songs that I'm loving are Satisfy and By Your Side. Check them both out. Two great worship songs.

And girls...seriously? I let God figure that one out and hopefully He will help me along the way.

Be blessed, enjoy the sun, enjoy your family, have a great summer, tell someone you love them today, or tomorrow, or whenever you stumble upon this.

Another year done...

Wow, my first year of University is done. It has been quite a learning and growing experience. This is first time in years where I actually had to study and work for my marks, not that I never tried. Just Hillsong wasn't so much of a academic school but rather vocational so I was involved in ministry outlets more. It was a challenge when I had to write a 10-page paper for the first time. They really aren't as bad as they might seem. With a lot of research and time commitment, one can pull it off. It gets me wondering how people write books though...

Another great thing that will be happening, that is next year, I will be in Student Council. I got accepted by the student body to be Vice President. I'm looking forward to being actively involved in the school I'm attending. It's the first time I have done Student Council, but I know it's going to be great.


This is a lovely picture of all the people I got to live with on the third floor.

With school done, I moved out of Calgary and am now living in the great north. Yellowknife! Meghan Broddy and I traveled up and arrived this morning after a nice drive and a short flight. We were scheduled to leave tomorrow but we made it to the airport this morning and there was room on the plane so we got to leave a day early. I had 4 bags, all of them got on, and I didn't have to pay any fees! No security checks. The plane itself I think has been around since the 1950s and seated just over 20. Looked like it was made of tin and was incredibly loud at takeoff. They also served us a choice of Oreo cookies or crackers, and drinks in Styrofoam cups. I passed these as it was 7:30 in the morning and I really wasn't hungry for an Oreo. The cockpit was open for all to see. It was rather amusing. One could have walked on the plane with fully loaded guns and no one would have noticed. Safe eh? Anyways, it was 11 degrees here during the day which feels awesome. It's so nice outside.

This Monday at 2 PM I have an interview for a job. Depending on how the interview goes, I might have to do more job hunting or I'll have a great job. I'm looking forward to working and getting into a routine and such.

So I'm doing well and glad to be here and start another journey of my life. It was great to see my Mom, John, Nick, and of course all the dogs from which I received a lot of loving.

I also watched a great movie, it's called Changeling with Angelina Jolie. I thought it was amazing. I cried, well more like teary eyed, but don't tell anyone.

Peace out.

Everything and Nothing

How can we have everything, but still feel like we have nothing.

I can tell you this; you will never be fulfilled in your life.
You will strive for greatness, for wealth, for influence, but it will do nothing for you.
You will finish your education but still feel as if there is more to accomplish.
Your bank account will never be full enough.
Your job will never pay you enough for the amount of work you do.
You will never have enough close friends.
The man or woman you marry will never be good enough.
The house you live in could be a little bit bigger.
Your kids could be a little bit smarter.
Your brother or sister could be a little bit nicer.
Your life could be better.

No one understands you.
No one appreciates you.
No one looks out for you.

You are never loved.

Do you want to live a fulfilled life, to know that you have a life worth living? Do you want to experience a love that never fails? You can drop God from your beliefs like so many others have done in our generation, but your deepest longings and desires will never be filled.

God will give you faith, hope, love. God is the only one that can completely satisfy all your needs, wants, and desires.

God understands you.
God appreciates you.
God looks out for you.

God will always love you.

Oklahoma

This past Wednesday to Sunday I got the opportunity to attend the Nazarene Student Leadership Conference in Oklahoma. Overall the whole trip was amazing. We were always doing something, and there was never a dull moment. We had a Renaissance dinner, a dodge ball tournament, a western dinner, meetings, a speaker, a TOMS shoes event, and went to a store called Pops, which was a gas station that had every pop imaginable. We ate, laughed, and learned. It was a great growing experience and I'm stoked with all the materials/knowledge that I came back with for student council and our school. I met amazing people that I look forward to connecting with throughout the year. There was so much more, but here are a couple pictures.

God

Dear God,

You have invaded my life!
You have taken control over my thoughts and my actions.
You are fighting my battles for me through the power of your Word.
You are my provider in all circumstances.
You amaze me every day.
You will take care of me!

I want to go deeper than I ever have before with you!
I want to keeping learning more about you.
I long for your desires to be my desires.
I long to live a life worthy of your calling.
I desire people to hear about the love you have for them and understand.
I will do anything for you!

You want all of me.
I want all of you.

Cory

USA!

Well, I guess I'll tell you what's going on?

First off, the past month has been amazing. God has been doing a work in my life that has just been blowing my mind. Hopefully as I share you can get the same understanding that I did. I want to talk about feeding your spiritual needs. To me, my spiritual needs outweigh my physical needs, or at least that's what I believed and thought was what I practiced. When I was listening to a sermon, I came to the realization that in order for us to feel healthy we need to have breakfast, and that it is important every day. If you want to have a healthy start, EAT BREAKFAST, right? If we are so keen to make sure our physical body is getting its nutrients, how often enough are we making sure our spiritual needs are getting met. Reading the Word of God is what feeds us spiritually, and if were not getting the Word of God everyday, it's safe to say that were suffering spiritually! I took it on myself to feed my spiritual needs before my physical body and I'm seeing the very work of God in my life like I've never seen before! I'm not even reading huge chunks of scripture, just verses, or chapters that mean something to me in this period of my life at this time. A question I have for you is how starved are you spiritually?

Well, it's Spring Break this week and with that I decided to make a trip down to Minot and visit my family and friends. I arrived safely in Minot last Saturday after an 11 hour drive. Even with being alone, the drive proved less difficult than I thought. I started the journey at 4:45 AM with 3 bottles of water, 3 energy drinks, 2 apples, an orange, two bags of Starburst, two Mars bars, a bag of fruit gummies, and a pack of gum. I didn't get through everything, but I just wanted to make sure that I would make it if I ever got stranded. The crazy thing about the drive is I could compare it to a three hour drive. It really didn't feel all that long and went rather quickly, and I was never exhausted at all.


This week so far has been relaxing and busy. Also, they have so much snow here, it's crazy. A lot of it has melted and they still have a ton! After coming from Calgary where I could see grass, this was so refreshing! I bought some new clothes as well, which is a whole other story (Seriously, I'm so blessed).

Well, I hope you take to heart what I had to share. It can be tough, but believe me, God's Word will change you and you won't regret it! One set of scripture I've been reading every day for the past bit is Romans 12. Just start with a light breakfast. Even if it's just Romans 12:2 everyday, it'll seriously only take a minute.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.