Peppernuts

Hmmm, it's raining ice and I am eating peppernuts - wow those are so good, and the dough is even better! Anyway, I've been home now for eight days and it's so nice. I got a camera for Christmas, which I am really excited about since mine broke last February, so I have been photo deprived.

But yeah I'm listening to this song that talks about life and how we try to fill our lives with material things like a car, nice house, fame, money...etc, but yet they don't fulfill us, and in the end it's only God who can complete us. Yeah so definitely something for me to work on that's for sure, sometimes it's hard not to get caught up in the world and what it values, part of being in the world but not of it, I guess. If we're living for Jesus, then we're foreigners, strangers on this earth anyway huh? Now to live that out...here we go! You are entering the mission field now.

Home on the Range!

So I just found out that the words to the song, "Home on the Range" are different from what I imagined in my head...

Oh, give me a home

Where the buffalo roam

Where the deer and the antelope play'

Where seldom is heard

A discouraging word,

And the sky is not cloudy all day.

Yeah I thought the words were:

Home, home on the range,

Where the deer and antelope grange!

Anyway, I used to sing that song while I was jumping on our trampoline in the backyard - ok away from the memories, I'm home! Today was my last exam, which was Anatomy (I found out yesterday while my roommate was studying for business that I am so glad I'm not in business, made me realize how glad I was to be in Anatomy...) So yes, today was definitely a happy day, and I got to play piano again, and eat pizza for my celebration supper, thank you Jesus for giving me the strength to get through all this.

I was reading in Hosea 6 today and yesterday, very cool book. Oh my goodness, I can't believe that God asked Hosea to marry a prostitute, and he did - that is so huge, radical obedience. I want that - radical obedience, that I would for real be willing to do whatever God asked of me, no matter where or what - so easy to write, I know, but I really do want to be able to obey Jesus every second of every day, even if it means piping up in a conversation with someone and telling them about Jesus and His love for them, yeah especially then. So anyway, remember to see the beauty of now, to live in the present and wherever you are, to be all there. Jesus was. Something I definitely to learn more and more everyday - yup, the adventure.

Circles

Guess what I did today? That's right, I walked around and around in circles, each of which took me about 45 minutes. See, the park that I always go walking in while I study takes about 45 minutes for me to go around once, and yes, the perimeter walk of the park does go in a circle. And oh my do I ever laugh at those little chipmunks! They look so funny when they decide to scold me for walking through their territory - as if I would steal all their nuts that they have stored up for winter somewhere! Did you know that after a chipmunk scolds you, they make some very high pitched squeaks? Sure reminds me of the chipmunk language they learned on 'The Emperor's New Groove!'

Anyway yes, today I also read the book of Jude - probably the first time I've read it in the New Living version, and wow did that ever make me think. In Jude 5 it says, "I must remind you - and you know it well - that even though the Lord rescued the whole nation of Israel from Egypt, he later destroyed every one of those who did not remain faithful." So that verse just made me think once again about that whole debate with the 'once saved, always saved' issue. I had never really made the connection before, like yeah, the Lord did rescue the whole entire nation of Israel, but all those who did not remain faithful were destroyed...wow, am I faithful to my Lord?

A caterpillar in my green pepper?!

So yesterday as I was getting ready to come back to the city, I decided to cut my very nice looking green pepper in half so that I could give half to my mom...imagine my shock when all of a sudden a caterpillar falls out and lands on my counter, oh yes, I was quite shocked! This caterpillar had made his home in my green pepper, hmm, can't say I would choose a green pepper for a home, but they sure do taste yummy! Anyway, I made my brother check out that green pepper because me and bugs aren't such great friends anymore.

I have been reading some interesting things in the devotional by Oswald Chambers entitled, "My Utmost for His Highest." Right now I'm on October 19, which is called 'The Unheeded Secret.' It was talking, about how we place so much emphasis on practical work and ministry in the church today, with endless activities and energies, but there is no private life with God. Chambers says that an active Christian worker too often lives to be seen by others, while it is the innermost, personal area that reveals the power of a person's life.

This being rooted and grounded in the Lord which comes from a private life with God is so important because then when hard times come in life, we will not snap, but instead remain firm - even though the private life with God is often seen as impractical. Yeah, so I definitely needed to hear that, because for most of my life I have been involved in many 'good' ministry things that required a lot of energy, not leaving very much time for my private life with God. I guess it goes to show me once again that the things people and world value are entirely different from what God values - the Upside-down Kingdom effect huh? So now the challenge for me is to continually bring Jesus into my life at all times, whether in school, doing homework, when I'm around people or when I'm alone, may my life be all for you Jesus, grounded in You and not in my ministry.

Times at Home

Ok so I have been home in Winkler now for about four days, and I have not done nearly as much studying as I wanted to - but I'm having so much fun! Let's take a moment to recount all of the events I have been apart of shall we? (wow that was one weird sentence!) Anyway, I baked granola and cookies, went to an Alcoholics Anonymous banquet with my friend, danced for the first time in my life with a boy (it was the two-step to this really old-time country twangy band!), went to Holland, MB, for the first time in my life, was my sister's sponsor for her baptism, which meant that I had to stand up in the front of the church and talk. Then I went walking in the bitter cold and got asked by a boy if I needed a ride, and I had to try and explain to him that I was putting myself through the torture of chilliness because the only way I can study for Anatomy is by walking outside!

That's about all that I have done at home so far - oh yeah, and our cat named Moses got sick, we think he ate some poison, and he didn't eat for four days or drink any water, so I had to pretend to be the nurse and I gave him some through an eyedropper, and then I prayed for him, and we also took him to the vet, and now he's getting better! Thank you Jesus!

So yeah today I would recommend to anyone to read Exodus 8:1-15, just made me think about the things in my life that are trials, things that make me uncomfortable, things that I ask God to take away - and then when he does I harden my heart again and forget what life was like with those things in my life, kind of like I get desentized to the Holy Spirit, which I so do not want...please soften my heart more and more Jesus.

Squirrels playing tag!

So today I went walking in my park again to study for Psychology - and wow do I ever enjoy this snow! It makes everything so beautiful and the trees look so pretty with snow on them, especiallly the evergreens...anyway thank you Jesus so much that this snow is dry and not wet, since otherwise my psychology notes sure would have been very soaked!

And as I was walking I saw this really fat squirrel being chased by a smaller one, it looked like they were playing tag because they would run from tree to tree chasing each other - oh so funny! Then there was also this dog who decided that I would be a good person to bark at, and his owner said that he was a very good guard dog and had never before seen someone reading as they walk, which is why he barked at me...so I guess it's not that normal to read and walk at the same time huh?!

Anyway today was my last day of Women's Studies, and we were talking about racism and how it can be stopped in our society - and eventually came to the conclusion that knowledge about other cultures and races prevents it to some extent, especially when people are exposed to other races at a young age. There is no real solution however, because even those groups who know a lot about each other still are racist towards each other. So I was thinking of this as I walked home, and I realized that racism exists because of our human nature, we're not perfect and it's in our nature to want to stay with people most similar to us and to exclude others and keep them in their place since they might seem like a threat to our security and identity.

I think that the answer to racism lies in Ephesians 4:24, which says, "Throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception. Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God's likeness - righteous, holy, and true." So without the new self, racism will just continue, we need to be made completely new in our thoughts and actions - such a huge challenge though.

Another challenge is living according to the 'Inverted Law,' which Pastor Mark from Church of the Rock preached about on Sunday...essentially it is to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. If I actually lived according to this every single moment of my life, wow, the world would sure be different - and I guess it can be, one person at a time. But he was saying how God would allow people in our life who are hard for us to love so that our character might be strengthened - yikes God, thank you for your strength to endure and to love!

Also, today after Women's Studies I kind of felt like I should go and talk to my prof, but I didn't really want to, so I just left. But with each step I kept thinking that I should turn around and go and talk to her. So I eventually did, and wow I am so glad - she asked me what my last name was and she's going to give me an extra credit for always coming to class! So yeah, learning to listen to God's voice, to the promting of the Holy Spirit - sometimes I sure make it more complicated than it needs to be, with faith like a child. Jesus, please teach me more and more to come to you as a child without any pride.

Veggie Burgers!

So Jen bought me a veggie burger yesterday for $2, it was a fundraiser for graduate students - and it was so good. Wow, I never imagined that I would like it so much, it had so much flavor and yup, very yummy!

Yesterday I also had to play my trumpet in the worship band at Campus Crusade's Alive at Five...which was so scary since I had not played in about 2 years! We had our Christmas party afterwards, and went caroling around the neighborhood. Some people had very interesting reactions and shut their doors and turned off their lights when they heard us caroling in front of their house - I had never had that experience before; but some people also totally loved listening to us, so it was worth it.

After our caroling expreience, we made gingerbread houses out of graham wafers instead of actual gingerbread, lots of icing and candy - oh so much fun! Did you know that if you take a Hershey's kiss and make a hole in the bottom of it, then you can stick another Hershey's kiss into it and therefore create your very own chocolate tree?! It is also possible to stick a straight piece of candy-cane into a Hershey's kiss and make one of those signs that says North Pole on it! Yes, I do enjoy decorating things!

I was reading in Exodus 4 today, and Moses is so funny! God tells him to go and talk to Pharoah and gives him these supernatural abilities and signs by which the people will know that he really is from God, and then Moses insists on God getting his brother Aaron to speak for him because he doesn't believe that God can give him the words.

And then God says, "Who makes mouths?" the Lord asked him. "Who makes people so they can speak or not speak, hear or not hear, see or not see? Is it not I, the Lord?" (Exodus 4:11) This verse totally reminded me that God will give me the words to speak when I'm telling others about Him and that I don't need to worry, because after all, He is the one who created me and made my mouth!