TGIF

This:

I ordered 4 books this week

The God Delusion Arrived today

I am reading it because I think it is important as someone entering ministry to be aware of other thought and not bury my head in the sand.

That:

I’ve had a good and yet bad day today.  Work was fine, but then when I got home everything that could go wrong seemed to….so I am too tired for too serious a blog tonight….perhaps next week when I finish the God Delusion

I love this video

It’s pretty graphic so if you are sensitive to that don’t watch.

 I have always loved this video, for me it captures what Christ is all about.  It uses my favorite verse in the Bible. 

You’ll notice that it does not show the people in the video changing their ways and I think it is brilliant that it does that because that is what the verse means.  While we were STILL sinners Christ died for us!  That’s amazing.

Sunday Survey

These are supposedly 40 questions no one would EVER think to ask.

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you said to yourself? I need a haircut

2. When is the next time you will make out with someone? Uh I guess it better be within the next year

3. What’s a word that rhymes with “LUCK”? Puck

4. What’s your favorite planet? Mars

5. Who’s the 2nd person on your missed calls list?  Linda

6. What is your favorite ring tone on your phone? I don’t have a cell

7. What shirt are you wearing right now? Turtleneck green sweater

8. What do you “label” yourself as? absentminded

9. Name the brand of shoes you’re currently wearing? Not wearing any

10. Bright or dark room? Not really either

11. What do you think about the person who last took this survey? Stacey is cool

12. If you’re alone in a room with two beds, which one do you sleep on? the closest one

13. What were you doing at midnight last night? watching a movie

14. What did your last text message you received on your mobile say? N/A

15. What just so happens to be the best song in the world? Son of God Starfield or Buckleys version of hallelujah

16. What’s a word or phrase that you say a lot? Holy friggin cow

17. Who told you he/she loved you last? I believe it was someone who does not really love me

18. Last furry thing you touched? my teddy bear

19. How many drugs have you done in the past 3 days? none

20. How many rolls of film do you need to get developed?none

21. Favorite age you have been so far? 19

22. Hats or beanies? hats

23. Your worst enemy? Satan

24. What is your current desktop picture? Sens logo

25. What is the last thing you said to someone? See you tomorrow

26. Do you love someone? so much it breaks my heart sometimes, like when they show pics of her in church and I am reminded of how much I miss her….I also love my family who is still with me

27.Whats the last song you listened to ? I don’t remember the title but it was a Frank Sinatra song performed on trumpet by Chris Botti

28. If the last person you spoke to on the phone was getting shot at what would you say? Linda put down the phone and duck (or call 911)

29. Do you do the games in the ads on myspace? nope

30. What are your favorite Pjs?HEHEHE

31. What do you do when you pass graveyards? Nothing

32. Have you ever seen a shooting star? Yes

33. How old do you think you’ll live to be? 63

34. Song lyrics stuck in your head? Lalalalalalalalalalalalalala sung to the tune of hallelujah

35. List five things you want to do in your lifetime: (in no particular order):

1. become a minister

2. master guitar hero
3. accomplish world peace
4. lose 65lbs

 5. uhhh go to france?

36. What do you put on your hamburgers? I don’t eat meat

37. Do you eat raw hot dogs? I don’t eat meat

38. Do you like sushi? I don’t eat meat (including fish)

39. How much salad dressing do you put on your salad? usually none, I put some in a cup and dip my fork so I have dressing on every bite and don’t use as much

40. What is the last thing you pulled out of your pocket? Paper

Too tired to blog

This:

It’s Saturday, I was too tired to blog yesterday

I am going to Chris Botti tomorrow night with my dad

My Grandpa’s entire floor is under quarantine because of some very contagious flu virus

I am watching the Green Mile for about the 30th time it is a good movie.

That:

I’m a bandwagon jumper.  I usually hear about some new toy, or some new movement and I jump on the wagon…take blogging or facebook for example.  I’ve been thinking though we ought to research for ourselves what it is we get involved with.  For example I was recently at a youth retreat and the speaker was all about the fair trade movement.  Now this is a man who I have known a little bit, and I don’t think he would lead me astray, but whose to say he has a ton of information himself….perhaps he just jumped on a bandwagon.

So fair trade…is it really fair?  I understand the premise of it.  You buy fair trade products and the companies that sell them promise to offer a fair price for the product to its producers, it also promises stability for the producer and gender equality etc.

I’ve heard pros and cons to the fair trade movement.  Some say that it is just another marketing ploy aimed at making the consumer feel good and charging a higher price while doing it.  I’ve heard that in order to qualify for fair trade, farmers/producers have to pay an expensive fee which is often an impossible hardship for them. 

I’ve heard that starbucks coffee is fair trade, yet I’ve also heard that they don’t actually brew it as their regular blend, you must request it (this is not official information, but hearsay from discussions I have had on the subject).  This can be confusing for the consumer who sees that a company is offering something fair trade, because unless a little research is done, you just assume that you are getting the right thing.

 What about companies like Tim Hortons, who admit that the coffee they sell is not fair trade?  Do I boycott them because they have not succumbed to pressure to sell fair trade?  Perhaps I still buy their coffee because even though they are not a fair trade company, they detail a plan that works directly with coffee farmers, but does not fall under the fair trade umbrella?

I’m not arguing for or against fair trade here, I don’t have enough information for myself to do that.  I am simply saying that issues are not always cut and dry, and while we jump on the different bandwagons that come along…we need to try to know something about what we are getting involved in. 

I am still researching fair trade, and I will try to be responsible as I do because the one thing I do know is that it is not just about me and my choices, but learning how my choices affect others.  The other thing I do know, is that although I might not fully understand how fair trade works, it doesn’t take much for me to research my favorite coffee shop or store to see what they are doing in the fight against poverty and oppression, whether it be under the fair trade umbrella or not.

Thursdays trouble

Choir was so frustrating for me tonight, right now I have about a 30 person choir, and for tonight’s practice I received word from 3 people saying they would not be out at practice….yet there were only about 17 people out.  It’s not that 17 is hard to work with, but it does affect how I am going to plan out my practice if I know I am going to be missing several people in a section…..so irritating…just call to say that you won’t be there it is easy.

What is also irritating is that we use the sound system for the Easter cantata we are preparing, but I do not have a key for it…so I rely on others to have it working for me…when they are not there, I can not use it…so tonight it was like we took 10 steps backwards because all we could do was go over notes, and not get used to doing it with the accompaniment.

It was just not the best practice.

I saw this movie tonight.  I had not actually heard of it before my friend mentioned that maybe we might go.  I think that was a good thing because had I seen a lot of previews for it I might not have liked it, because I find that if a movie is too hyped up I get disappointed. 

I really liked it, it had me jumping the entire time, and it’s not like it was scary or anything.  Things just popped up when you weren’t expecting it. 

My cadet friends are totally cool…

Tuesday’s Top Ten

Top Ten things that irritate me

10.  The cold

9.  Not having any groceries

8.  Telemarketers

7.  Pimples

6.  People who try to squeeze into spots that don’t really have enough room on the bus

5.  Not being able to beat video game levels

4.  Noisy upstairs neighbors

3.  Losing socks in the laundry

2.  Mornings

1. People who toot their own horns constantly

Monday Madness

So it was our first ever Louis Riel day here in manitoba, I’m not quite sure what significance it is supposed to have other than the fact that Manitoba decided that a February holiday was needed and we needed a name for it so after a while it was decided it would be called Louis Riel day…so I guess we’ll see over the next few years how it develops.

 It’s nice to have a day off, especially after a weekend where you don’t have time to relax. 

My aunt and uncle came home from Hawaii on Friday night, so we were at their house for a while looking at their pictures, then I finally came home and slept in my own bed after 2 weeks. 

Then on Saturday I had to get up early enough to head to the store to buy all the supplies for Fear Factor night at youth group.  It was a good night, what amazed me was the fact that there were no prizes awarded, yet all the kids still volunteered to eat gross things, I was shocked as well that we had like 6 volunteers to drink a concoction made up of all the gross things we had set up on the table for the previous round….kids really like the challenge I guess. 

Then Sunday there was church, we had some lady from the free press there, which made me kind of feel like we were on parade. 

Tonight I was supposed to be at a meeting at the church for the worship committee, but I told Julie that I would not be going.  It’s a holiday and the church has me so busy right now that I needed to take a rest.  So I did, and that is how this week is shaping up.

Sunday Survey

Ok this one is not really a survey but I wanted to do it anyways

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME (first pet, current car):
Babe Nothing

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME (fave ice cream flavor, favorite type of shoe):
Chocolate Doc’s

3. YOUR NATIVE AMERICAN NAME (favorite color, favorite animal):
Red Dog

4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME (middle name, city where you were born):
Joy Winnipeg

5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 of your first name):
Wynja

6. SUPERHERO NAME (2nd favorite color, favorite drink):
Blue Coke

7. NASCAR NAME (the first names of your grandfathers):
Gordon David

8. STRIPPER NAME ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent,
favorite candy):
Strawberry sours

10. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME (your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter):
Price Paris

11. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower):
Fall rose
12. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right
now):
pear jeans

13. HIPPIE NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree):
pasta weeping willow

Fridays Rock

This:

It’s -17 tonight, but it feels like -29

It’s been very cold all week

My Aunt and Uncle are home now from Hawaii they brought me a key-chain with my name in Hawaiian and a very cool bag.

I get to sleep in my own bed tonight

Being home I am reminded of how noisy my upstairs neighbors are

That:

 Anney asked a pretty interesting question on her blog last week, so I figure I will answer it here.  Here is the question she asked (visit her blog off my blog role for more interesting reads)

Just wondering…
What do you think?

Which, to you, is “reality?”
           a) how you perceive yourself, how you think you present yourself
           b) how others perceive you
           c) a mix of the two

I think for me the answer to the question is C) a mix of the two.  It must be somewhere in the middle. 

For the most part I am pretty self aware, but I think that sometimes I sell myself short, not in giving myself credit, but accepting that God can use me in his plan despite all the weaknesses I think I have.

I think I can go to the other extreme as well, though not as often, but sometimes I am sure I think I am better than I am…or doing better than I am.  I am usually very quickly knocked off any kind of pedestal that I might put myself on.

 While other people in my life in general, tend to give me more credit than I deserve. 

So somewhere in the middle of my reality of myself and others reality must be the truth. 

I think it is most important for me to keep things in balance and perhaps try to live out the reality that I want, and the reality I want to live is that I would be a person of love, a person who has modeled their life after that of Jesus Christ.  The Christ of the Bible, not necessarily the Christ of religion.

I don’t know what do you think?