Close Proximity

Drawing Project: Power Lines

2007-12-05T14:09:00.000-08:00

This is my drawing project. Last one of the semester. YAH! I've posted it so my Mom can see it. Hello Mom. I havn't taken a picture of it when it's actually on the wall without green tape. I'll get on that soon, after I get my portfolio back. Sweet!

3 x 7 = 21

2007-03-14T19:06:00.000-07:00

Things to do on your Birthday:

1. Eat cake in a coffee shop with friends randomly on Campus at 10:30am (Thanks Jacqueline)!
2. Eat a corn-soy porridgey substance because there is an Aids Awareness meal being put on too! And have everyone at this meal wish you happy birthday! (thanks friends!)
3. Open up my present of crazy earings that I've waited to open for 2 weeks from my mom. Thanks Mom!
4. Recieve quite a few birthday e-cards and a few 100 facebook birthday comments.
5. Get greeted by a friendly acquantance with, "Happy Birthday! I saw it on Facebook." Thanks Sarah!
6. Go to class, all the while secretly saying happily to yourself, "It's my birthday!"
7. Eat minty green chocolate cake with my own icingish face on it that my roommate Laura made and Katie decorated for dinner. mmm... cake for dinner!
8. Study for your psychology test friday? no, who does that?
9. Recieve a card and presents in the mail from Courtney! Thanks Courtney!
10. Talk to your friends and family because they are all sooo lovely!!!

Love lots Beautiful Friends,

Robyn

PS. Pictures to come perhaps? :)

The Magic of Montreal

2007-02-24T17:54:00.000-08:00

Hey Friends,

Rumour has it that I trecked across Canada to Montreal during my reading break from Saturday Feb 17-Wed Feb 21 and it's all true! I can now speak in a certified french accent! I don't really know any more french than I started out with but I am that much closer to really understanding how the french mind works;)

Me and my friends (Susie, Christine, Nicole and Vespa) went to Montreal to visit Tim and see the IVCF internship that Tim is doing at the moment. It was a fantastic time of frolicking in snow, going to Loblaws, and eating smoked meat sandwhiches.

I got to check out the IVCF internship, visit friends (including Dan from RMP) and check out Concordia's masters program in art therapy that i might do after UVic. We'll see...

It's funny how when you travel you eat about ten times more than usual... Food we experienced:

Saturday (First Day): We ate soup and fresh baked montreal bagels, supposedly the best in the world. The "Friendly House" where the interns stay have IVCF university students over for dinner every saturday night and it was awesome meeting super lovely people. I even met Jen, Gillian's sister and Lynne, Gillian's cousin. Apparently half her family is in Montreal and I got to meet them!

Sunday (Second Day): We got to go to church and the pastor spoke on Naaman's healing found in 2 Kings 5:1-14 (really good... maybe i'll talk about this later). We ate Turkey Dinner: Tim decided to make us turkey dinner and we all chipped in. Even went to Loblaws (a crazy big grocery store) where we through bags of chocolate chips around and they spontaneously combusted. You never think this would happen, but somehow it did. I cut onions and cried a lot, but then I opted for washing dishes. The dinner turned out delicious.

Monday (Third Day): We went to Concordia and visited the IVCF office Tim hangs out at during the week. Read and prayed through Acts 1-2 and I drank an extremely sweet white hot chocolate (just in case you care:). For lunch we ate Smoked Meat Sandwhiches: We waited in line outside in -20 weather to experience Swartz's sandwhiches which are buns stuffed full of extraneous pieces of smoked roastbeast. I felt like I ate a whole cow in one sitting! We also had greasy fries and really humongous pickles.

Monday night we went to Toastmasters which is what the Interns do weekly to practice their public speaking and leadership skills. Tim was in charge of hosting the dinner table questions and asked certain people to come up and answer his questions for one minute. He had people stranded on a desert island and asked them what kind of tool, book, person, etc. they'd bring. He asked me what art supply i'd bring. I brought glue! I'm totally not good at this pressure thing. Though I did want to kick Tim after perhaps to relieve the pressure. Ah well... it all worked out:) (do not worry--tim was not injured in the process).

Oh and did I mention that Tim made brownies! Becuase he did and I prayed that he would. Yes, God knows how I love brownies:) And Dan came over too and chatted with us all. I must confess I was pretty horrible and unorganized about the whole thing, but Dan's a sport and totally trecked in the snow to visit.

Tuesday (Fourth Day): We sat in on an IVCF montreal staff meeting and each staff member shared why and how they got to be staff with Intervarsity. It was really awesome to hear. Us students also shared about our experiences with IVCF and it was really cool. We also ate a lot of the chocolates that Susie brought with her on the plane. The box was about as tall as someone's leg.

Tuesday afternoon I talked to the art therapist lady at Concordia and learned more about the program. I learned how only 14 students are accepted and that each student is encouraged to have a counsellor or therapist before and during the program. It was really interesting to hear that because while talking about the IVCF internship a main focus had been dealing with the junk and struggles of your own life and working through those before helping others also work through those. That's a cool thought that we can and need to work through our struggles so we can better help others do so. There's a point to them!

Tuesday night we ate chinese dinner with the montreal crew who are also going with us to China in May. So exciting!

Wednesday (Fifth Day): We had internal struggle sharing times and prayer which was extremely teary but lovely. Oh good times of sharing and dealing with stuff. Me and Christine went to the dollar store, which we thought would be superb with everything in french, but it's the same as here in BC so that was a bit disapointing, but that's okay. Then for lunch we ate Poutine: a french dish of greasy fries layered with mozza cheese and gushing with gravy or in our case a sort of red sauce with italian sausage. It was about the size of a large bowling ball.

We traveled to the airport and had to wait an hour for another plane as the first didn't have the intercom working. But the second plane was even nicer so that was lovely! Yah for watching 2 movies in a row: Driving Lessons and Flushed Away.

Well now that I've had random fun all of reading break I don't want to go back to school monday. I also had a lovely time thursday with my two Amanda friends and today had a wedding shower for my friend, Jenny, because apparently everyone is getting married on the face of the planet.

Well perhaps I'll post soon about internal struggles but until then ta ta!

People are random...

2007-01-30T22:37:00.000-08:00

especially me! i have eaten a few too many oreos and am going to write this in the burst of energy it gives me before i go to bed. so here are a few random facts for you to munch on...

1. I am going to Montreal Feb 17-21 with wonderful IVCFers: Susie, Nicole, and Christine, to see our friend Tim who is doing an internship with IVCF right now and also to see Concordia which is a school i might go to after i'm done at UVic to take a 2 yr masters in Art Therapy. Who knows.

2. My house is superbly cold. Ah! The heat is broken and I'm internally weeping because if I cried on the outside my tears would turn to ice.

3. Perhaps I shall be off to China May 1 to June 6 with IVCF on a global partnership. Ask me more questions later.

4. My personality type according to the Myers Briggs Test is INFP. To check out your own take this short 5-10 min questionnaire about your preferences (it's about 70 questions). Then type in your four letters into a search machine and read your profile. It's uber fun and you should all tell me your personality types too! I love this stuff. Here's the questionnaire: http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp

ps. holey gloves are good for typing in cold weather.
pps. i spent 44. 52 on art supplies today.

Intimacy: Experiencing the Love of Christ

2007-01-21T21:08:00.000-08:00

For myself it's so easy to seek love and attention from others. It comes naturally. Far more easily than seeking love from Jesus. Actually seeking love from Jesus hurts because he has to pry my heart open to take out all the junk I've fixed within it and then he has to stitch up the holes so he can fill up my battered heart with his love, which is like a healing balm for my soul. Who knew experiencing the love of Christ was so dangerous, yet if we never experience his love our hearts will remain tiny, insecure, and wholey. Not holy. He has come to refine us with fire, to turn us, who are marred clay into gold.

My desire is for love, deep thirst quenching love, yet this world only offers the shallow kind, the kind that will make you thirsty in a second, a salt water that shrivels you and never quenches your thirst. It's like a cruel joke that the devil is playing on us. He says, "Look at this wonderful spring of living water, it's clean. Look at all those people who are drinking from it. Aren't they having fun? Don't they look fulfilled? I mean, sure God says he's got something better, and maybe he does, but come on, his pool is up the mountain side and will take too much work to get to. He asks a bit much when you could just settle down here, don't you think? Here, have a drink. It won't kill you."

But God says, "Come up the mountain side. The spring air will revive your soul. I'll walk with you and carry you if you'll only say Yes to me. This water the lyer is talking about is polluted, it warps the mind, the soul. The people who drink from it have glazed eyes and hearts and can't determine right from wrong. They've gone blind but they're addicted. To what you ask? To pleasing people, to looking for love in all the wrong places. The fish are floating on the surface from the green muck of jealousy and comparison and lies. Can't you see? The water I offer will actually strengthen you, give you a clean heart and mind. Just say yes and I'll take you there."

God not only seeks to heal our wounds, but to give us new hearts entirely.

Ezekiel 36:25-28 says, "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so you will obey my laws and do whatever I command. And you will live in Israel, the land I gave your ancestors long ago. You will be my people, and I will be your God."

In Christ we are...

Clean
Free from worshiping idols (pleasing people in my case)
Given a new heart
Given new and right desires
Given a new Spirit
Given a new, obedient heart
A home
A new identity
A relationship with God

In Galations 1:10 Paul says, "Obviously I'm not trying to be a people pleaser! No, I am trying to please God. If I were still trying to please people, I would not be Christ's servant."

And in 2 Corinthians 5:21 ~ "He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live to please themselves. Instead, they will live to please Christ, who died and was raised from the dead."

We are called not to please others or ourselves, but Christ.

"And what union can there be between God's temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God... Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete purity because we fear God." 2 Cor. 6:16 & 7:1

In church today the woman who was preaching said, We can't have a little bit of ourselves and a little bit of Jesus, we have to have none of us and all Jesus. All Jesus. It's so extreme, but what other way is there to live? I hope and pray God works this out in my soul that I'd give up everything in him. I'm not there at all yet, but pray that he'd guide me towards all him and none of me.

Weakness: The Land of Uncertainty

2007-01-11T18:30:00.000-08:00

These past few days, ever since a retreat with my dear friends of IVCF, God has got me thinking about weakness. In my own life I feel like I have many weaknesses and I'm sure you can all think of one or two that drive you up the wall with frustration or despair. But it's not just that they are there, my problem is that I'm so concerned that others will think less of me if I share that I feel the need to hide my weakness.

For me I struggle with sharing deeply from within myself the things I know God wants me to say to others. I think I'm mainly afraid of their opinion of me, that I'm random, no good, crazy, or offensive. Will they like me? I think, If I ask them to take away their masks? To have deep fellowship with others means to lay our souls on the table, filled with holes, wounds, and blood. It's kind of like open heart surgery. The doctors need to get in there to fix the problem, but they have to cut you open first.

I think God desires all of us to lay ourselves on the surgery bed and say, "Okay, God, I'm here and I know this is going to be painful, but I've got to let others know so they can be healed too." Vulnerability, honesty, and authenticity is where true fellowship is found. When we lay our pride down and offer ourselves to God in humility with others watching we share our weakness and uphold each other. None of us are perfect and I think it would be helpful if people would actually give each other proof that they aren't. I am not perfect. I sin, care way too much what others think of me and desparately want to be liked. But my satisfaction, wholeness, and healing, only come from one place: Jesus.

In Jesus I can find peace. I think God wants us to open and willingly share our hearts with others because He wants to heal our wounds. He desires to create communities of reconciliation, love, and wholeness. So if you're feeling risky pray for God to give you the opportunity to share your heart today, or to listen to another and share together. We need to know that there is no heirarchy in the kingdom of God.

Peace,
Robyn

"So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time. Whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone, especially to our Christian brothers and sisters." Galations 6:9-10

Surrender: Learning to Move

2007-01-04T21:12:00.000-08:00

Comrades, Friends, lend me your ears,

I've just started school yesturday (the harshness of life), but have just come back from an amazing time at home visiting friends and family and connecting with C4Cers at the Winter Conference in Calgary.

Winter Con was pretty sweet, but I didn't truly remember all I had learned until I talked with some of my friends who went to Urbana. Wow! It was so exciting to hear their stories of God calling them to more, not settling for any less than giving glory and honour to the King!

I've been having some internal struggles these past few days in relation to this and the area of surrender. Dictionary.com states surrender as "to give oneself up, as into the power of another; submit or yield". Christ continually talks about dying to oneself, picking up your cross and following him. Does this even register with half of us? What does it mean to surrender to death, place ourself on the alter, do whatever God wants whenever, totally relinquished to His will and purpose. It is a serious consideration to give up everything into the hands of the Living God.

Yet God calls us to this countless times...

A Story of Surrender:

In Exodus 14 God calls the Israelites to rest beside the sea so that the Egyptians will think they are trapped and race after them. They do so, but when all this occurs the "people began to panic, and they cried out to the LORD for help...But Moses told the people, "Don't be afriad. Just stand where you are and watch the LORD rescue you. The Egyptians that you see today will never be seen again. The LORD himself will fight for you. You won't have to lift a finger in your defense." (verses 10b & 13-14).

"Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving! Use your shepherd's staff--hold it out over the water, and a path will open up before you through the sea. Then all the people of Israel will walk through on dry ground. Yet I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they will follow the Israelites into the sea. Then I will recieve great glory at the expense of Pharaoh and his armies, chariots, and charioteers. When I am finished with Pharaoh and his army, all Egypt will know that I am the LORD!" (verses 14-18 NLT Italics added)

Even in our fear God is planning something great. He's got things working for his glory and as he calls us into obedience, asking us to rest beside oceans, he calls us to greater obedience, calling us to walk through oceans. Without God we can do nothing, we are trapped between one furocious army and one deep ocean. But God calls us from our resting place and says, "Get Moving! For I am with you!"

For me, death means staying where I am when God has called be to move. It seems like traveling through an ocean might just cause lack of oxygen, but God plans big things if we will trust him. Our surrender brings his glory as he fights for us and rescues us.

What is God calling you out of?
What is He calling you toward?

"When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the LORD had displayed against the Egyptians, they feared the LORD and put their faith in him and his servant Moses."

~Exodus 14:31

What will your response be?
What will He do because of it?

Learning to Move,
Robyn

swimming: learning to drown

2006-12-24T23:27:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

I'm glad Jesus came. At our Christmas eve service tonight the pastor asked us what it would mean to us if Jesus hadn't come. Always winter and never Christmas, just like the white witch in Narnia. How dreadful! I'm so glad God decided to relate to us in our form. Wow! Is that even possible to understand, how the God of the universe stepped into our world by becoming a little baby. A helpless one, and to a young woman who wasn't even married yet. The way God works is so strange, so different, so genuine, that it makes me believe that he works.

This week visiting my parents, sister and seeing friends God has been the one initiating some thinking. I've been learning, errr... God's been teaching me about how I don't give him control. On the one hand I really want to make decisions and do my own thing and be in control, but on the other I'm helpless and just wish someone would just tell me straight up what to do. Yet Jesus doesn't control me like a control freak, yelling or making sure I do everything He says. He allows me to choose, which is actually hard for me to do. For some reason I either trust my own wishy washy thoughts and decisions or just wish some bossy person would tell me what to do, no matter what it is, just so I can say, hey i'm doing something. But Jesus is patient with me and while i'm fighting over the throne of my life between myself and other people, he's patiently waiting for me to give it all up to him. He has such a soft voice though, so i have to listen carefully. I'm not used to doing that, usually with my parents I automatically tune them out even when I'm not trying. It's easy to do this with Jesus too, so I've got to learn to listen and do what he says even when he gives me just a little nudge.

In church today our pastor shared a good comparison of us and Jesus to a lifeguard and someone who is drowning. When someone is drowning the lifeguard will swim up to the person and stay within a close distance to them, but he can't grab them and bring them to safety until they've stopped flailing their arms. If the lifeguard grabs them before they've stopped trying to save themselves, both might drown. So the lifeguard waits until the drownee has exhausted himself/herself and then rescues him. Like the lifeguard Jesus waits for us to come to the end of ourselves, exhaust our own resources before he can rescue us. The trick is giving up and trusting him to save us.

well have a really fantastic and merry Christmas!

Love lots,
Robyn

Exciting Developments

2006-12-18T21:58:00.001-08:00

Whoopee~ Corey and Peggy Just had a baby!!! This is very exciting. She's a girl. And her name is... da da da dah! Meaghan Grace Pei Guang Porter.

Corey and Peggy were staff on the Calgary Project I went on. They were in my food group with their little guy, Caleb, who's now a big brother. They grow so fast. I remember when wiggling our fingers at him would make him laugh.

Also, I met up with some stellar people today while I was working at a little kiosk in the mall (that I'm working at for 10 days while I'm off from school). I saw Grace and Jill who know my friend katie and I've had the privelege of learning "Settlers of Catan" with them. That's when the obsession began. I'm glad to say I'm moving onto other things. Anyway Jill went on the North Africa Project last summer with C4C and they're both going to Winter Conference in Calgary. Woot! On the #3 bus. Yes~ Then I saw Steve too! He apparently works down the mall hall from me. So strange and wonderful! Today was full of goodness.

Then I ate spicy shrimp sushi from T&T because it's so cheap! It tasted wonderful, except it was a bit spicy. Note to self: Do not eat wads of ginger after eating a mouthful of spicy sushi. Fire Brigade!!!

So I'm home from school for Christmas. Still have to shop for presents, but I'm feeling like a rebel and not wanting to at all considering I have to work there. Tomorrow I have a day off to go visit my grandma (who's sick in the hospital-she's getting better but still needs prayers), go to the dentist for cleaning, and make a gingerbread house at my friends house!

I've seen 3 movies in the past 8 days I've been home. One on friday because our house was so cold due to no electricity. Did you know that newer houses' electricity does not go off due to windstorms because their power lines are under the ground. sneaky, hmm??

I've seen "The Holiday" which was a cute chick flick; "Eragon" based off the book about a boy and his dragon; and "Pursuit of Happyness" with Will Smith and his real son, which I didn't love all that much, though it's a true story.

Anyway that's the most movies I've ever seen in that short a timespan. Seriously!

I best be off to bed to rest my head and teeth.

Adios friends,
Robyn

ps. See some of you lovely people at Calgary WC! woot!
Also is anyone going to Bodyworks at Science world and know how much it costs? I want to go.

Exciting Developments

2006-12-18T21:58:00.000-08:00

UGLY THINGS!

2006-12-07T20:21:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends

Are you searching for ideas for your friend's upcoming birthday? Want to throw them a surprise parte?

Why not throw them an Ugly Things Party?

Doesn't it make perfect sense for friends to get together to celebrate those nasty leggings, hats, and robes that never get worn and that look like the cat threw up on them?

Host an Ugly Things Party and invite all your ugly friends... ahem... i mean they can still come if they aren't ugly... it's what they wear... really!

0kay, so I can now never officially host an ugly things party, but I can go to them... (please delete everything i just said from your memory).

Here's me and my friends who hosted an Ugly Things Party, a great way to get together with friends and eat ugly things, even pineapple buns, which weren't ugly, but needed something just a little extra. Pea soup was our main dish. I'm sure you understand why.

Thanks to my housemates for their amazing clothes. I am sporting some hot red eye shadow (it's from china!). Couldn't have done it without you guys. Thanks Team!!

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

2006-11-27T14:48:00.000-08:00

Ah! A house of snow. Here is my home flowing over with brightness. It snowed a whole foot here in Victoria, which is seriously a big deal considering last year it snowed an inch and then melted in a few hours. The city has gotten really quiet with hardly any cars on the roads. School was even cancelled today due to the snow. It's great!
Last night Karissa (on the left) hooked up with a stellar snowman, made by Laura (right). They are very splendid housemates. We watched Footloose yesturday because it was karissa's birthday and that's a bday tradition of hers. Icicles. hmmm... that spelling looks wrong. Big icy chunks of niceness. Yah winter! I've got to buy some rubber boots. ah, being a poor uni student.
May you all have loads of snow and days off. Cheers:)

CRAZY MADNESS

2006-11-19T23:35:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

Okay, so this is the third blog i've posted in the last 30min. but it's only because i was so proud to say that i have not posted for 12 days. whoa!

It's probably because I was away at home and watching Lord of the Rings during reading break. (which is a short break from school which has absolutely nothing to do with reading, books, or school, and far more to do with sleeping in, having parties where you eat chocolate cake, and petting cats--well, mine, hobbes).

It was a lovely break. My parents hosted a friends parte last saturday and we had a jolly good time talking about upcoming weddings. Oh I shall be a bridesmaid July 28 for my friend's wedding. i'm very excited for her and for getting all dressed up. Me and 2 other girls will be wearing green! yah! me favourite colour.

Well I best be off to bed. cheers.

Household Heroes-H-CORE!

2006-11-19T23:09:00.000-08:00

This is a special thanks to those who cleaned our kitchen, Karissa, Laura, Corey & Reuben!!!

You are stellar beyond measure.

Thanks for cleaning our stacks of dishes and swiffering our floor.

Deffinately heroes in my books!

apples

2006-11-19T22:57:00.000-08:00

Saturday night we had an apple parte at our house. uber fun! lots of people came over to eat apple pie, strudle, crumble. you name it!

(I live in a house with 6 girls so we often have parties because who does homework?)

Me and my friend, Robin, made candy apples! It was so exciting! I havn't eaten one yet, but they are covered in this hard red corn syrup stuff and we put candy around the outside. yum, right?

If I can get a pic I'll put it up. If only I had a camera. I'm pretty sure I'd just use it to post things on my blog, so perhaps I don't exactly need one.

Some people even dressed up like apples. My roommate Catherine put felt leaves in her hair and put on a green sweater (whoa, i almost said apple) and looked verrry cute! And another person, Martin (he's a swedish exchange student) wore a shirt that presumably had apple trees on them. creative indeed. people in victoria are pretty crafty. well, Martin's from sweden, so really this is saying swedish people are creative. though my roomie, Karissa thought up the idea of the apple party in the first place for her birthday. ah so, there you go!

apples are green and red and yellow actually. that's why this post are those colours (besides yellow ~ maybe i'm colour biast). and well, christmas is almost here. Two more weeks of school! hip hip hooray!!!

Trusting Jesus

2006-11-07T17:37:00.000-08:00

I think I'm a bit too influenced by friends, as they keep saying, "i'm old" on all their blogs, which i must admit, they are (jokes, jokes), but i suppose i'm getting older too, because i bought prunes recently and am thoroughly enjoying them. you may disagree with my tastebuds, but let us not judge:)

I will be 21 in march, which i'm very excited for as it is a perfect number. 7 is my favourite and 3 is the trinity, so together, how could that not work out?

This past week Jesus has been calling me to trust him more, especially with things out of my control, aka finances. Matthew 6:25-36 (at the bottom) sheds some light on how God cares for and provides for us no matter our worrying. grrr... why doesn't this fill all i do and say?

I've read "If you want to walk on water, you've got to get out of the boat." Yes, that is what Jesus is calling me to, to call out to him and step out of my boat of security and comfort into the unkown with Him. This is what I desire but there are things keeping me from fully jumping overboard.

1) I'll get wet
2) I might drown
3) Can Jesus really hold me up

AKA DOUBT!

aaak! i surrender Jesus, I can't control my life and don't want too. how good could i be at that really? no, it's you, who desires to care for me and do amazing things in my life. help me to give up my lifeboat and cling to you. help me to trust you. enlarge yourself in my eyes and heart that i know you are the great Lion: strong, pure, love, and powerful.

This winter I am hoping to catch a plane to Toronto and visiting my sister and going to winter conference with the Campus 4 Christ. I need to trust Jesus with finances as I can't get there on my own. Really, I desire to place myself in situations where no other option is to trust him. That's a good, scary place to be.

check out my sister's blog at http:terraleavens.blogspot.com

it talks about faith barriers and has rad stories from students who've come to faith in Jesus recently and other stories. it's awesome! plus it's pretty:) and that's important too...

cheers to you as you learn to trust Jesus more.

Ephesians 3:14-21

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Do Not Worry Matthew 6:25-34

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Me & the Jetsons

2006-10-19T18:40:00.000-07:00

Roses from my mother

2006-10-19T18:17:00.000-07:00

Here's a pic from my mommy....

Lime in the Coconut

2006-10-19T18:14:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited for my next art project. I have to take music and make art with it or from it or whatever I want. I'm going to use the Muppets song "Lime in the Coconut". I downloaded it and it's scruptious!

Today I bought humongous white paper, black and green ink, and a coconut and 2 limes. my mom says I've got to smash the coconut with a nail and get all the coconut milk out and then smash it apart. I'm very excited. Art making is so exciting!

I wish I could take pics to put up. grrr... no digital camera though. Perhaps I'll be able to put the song up here.

I'm going to listen to the song and go wild creating. Perhaps I'll have a pic of the final project.

Plants & Things

2006-10-17T23:58:00.000-07:00

I've accumulated a bamboo plant and it's all twisty on the top. Pretty much the most successful gardner I've been is with this plant. It sits in a pile of rocks in a glass vase with water and the roots grow around the rocks. It's lovely really, leafy at the top, and creates a beautiful shadow on my purple wall (which someday I'll paint green).

I love the idea of growth, newness and life. It's invigorating walking about in nature, with trees looming and moss squishing, at least here on the west coast.

I must say though I'm not much of a caretaker of nature, more likely I'd let any garden go wild or forget things that are needed to keep it in check. I believe in a way that God is an amazing detailed grower of us, he cleans us up when our leaves fall on the ground, he plants and grows us, waters us, prunes us, cares for us. It must be a very tender relationship to take care of something that is as fragile as a plant. Depending on the type I suppose. It's very strange how resilient they can be too.

In biblestudy tonight we were reading John 15 where Jesus talks about the Vine and the branches. Have you ever been to a vineyard? It's gorgeous. Watch a movie, google it, seriously. I love the rows and rows of green, climbing limbs and yet they don't seem all that elaborate. No growth looks simple and yet how easy it is to stop it and kill a plant. I'm rather good at this, I either parch it until it withers or overflow it with water after it's parched, so it drowns. It's amazing how God knows us soo well. He knows exactly what we need. He is a master at what he does.

I can trust his pruning shears. Because plants are pruned so they can put their juices into making fruit, not big leaves. Who wants big leaves? Not too useful unless you're a palm tree. But if you're supposed to produce grapes or pineapples, great bunches of leaves aren't really your purpose, now are they?

There's so much more that could be said. I just love how in the Message version of John 15 it uses two words that have stuck with me... being in Christ and Him being in us, is organic and intamite.

...yes... that's what we were made for... union with the living God. Mystical, and true.

Post it Notes

2006-09-17T22:33:00.000-07:00

Dear People who tend to read things like blogs. I've been reading yours, or more likely, people i know, which i presume you must be and I've fallen in love with blogs. Perhaps that is a strong usage of the word love in general, as love should be given to things that actually deserve it or is it grace to give silly blogs love?

Larry boy loves his lips. And I love post-it-notes. Seriously. Give them to me for my birthday and I will love you. I also love stickers.

Next tangent... i just thought i'd create an update about myself so all of you can read it, my inner workings and inner struggles as i like to put them. i won't get too personal though i have called this 'close proximity', but i am also hoping that that title eludes to my walk with Jesus too.

I really desire him to be the first one in my life after school, and every other worry on the earth.

Take a look at Matthew 6:14-34

"So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enought for today." (vrs 34 NLT)

Here's another bit of verses that really struck me tonight. I was able to go to a small gathering of christians at the college & career get together that Trinity Christian Centre in Victoria hosts. It was such a good time of worship, prayer, and calling out to God. I've been thinking about how much of my life I give over to God and how ready I am to follow after him and obey him.

God brought these beautiful words from Hosea 14

Healing for the Repentant (New Living Translation)

1Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for your sins have brought you down. 2Bring your petitions, and return to the LORD. Say to him, "Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us, so that we may offer you the sacrifice of praise. 3Assyria cannot save us, nor can our strength in battle. Never again will we call the idols we have made `our gods.' No, in you alone do the orphans find mercy."
4The LORD says, "Then I will heal you of your idolatry and faithlessness, and my love will know no bounds, for my anger will be gone forever! 5I will be to Israel like a refreshing dew from heaven. It will blossom like the lily; it will send roots deep into the soil like the cedars in Lebanon. 6Its branches will spread out like those of beautiful olive trees, as fragrant as the cedar forests of Lebanon. 7My people will return again to the safety of their land. They will flourish like grain and blossom like grapevines. They will be as fragrant as the wines of Lebanon.
8"O Israel,[a] stay away from idols! I am the one who looks after you and cares for you. I am like a tree that is always green, giving my fruit to you all through the year."
9Let those who are wise understand these things. Let those who are discerning listen carefully. The paths of the LORD are true and right, and righteous people live by walking in them. But sinners stumble and fall along the way.

Peace