The Absolute Truth on Christmas????

It seems that every post I write begins with.....It's been a while.....lol, life gets busy and my blogging falls behind. I have some time now and I can finally find a moment to write. I am finished my first term of college and am now officially on Christmas Vacation. Right now I am sitting in my cozy house and it is a snow storm outside. This morning was supposed to be the Kids Christmas Play that we have been working on for several months but due to the weather conditions church was cancelled. Church hasn't been cancelled for 10 years!

The last few months have brought lots of craziness. I had my wisdom teeth out, which was a huge ordeal, talk about pain! Just recently my Dad slipped and fell on some black ice and smashed his elbow. He had to have surgery, it was so bad that they had to completely replace the elbow. So my poor Dad is recovering and my wonderful mother is trying to take care of him....just in time for the holidays.

I am back working at Reitman's for the holidays, not my first pick, but I get a great discount and I can use the money. Business at the Seaway mall seems to have picked up a bit with the arrival of all the new stores. Unfortunately I seem to have noticed a common spirit among many shoppers this Christmas season: the spirit of selfishness. Perhaps it is due to phrases such as Happy Holidays, Seasons Greetings and Merry X-Mas. Do people even know what they are celebrating, why they are celebrating? I was informed at work the other day that the proper phrase to use to customers is Seasons Greetings or Happy Holidays, sorry but no can do......Thank you for shopping at Reitman's and MERRY CHRISTMAS to you. What do people think Christmas is anyways.....let's break it down. CHRISTmas.....oh wow, it's not obvious at all. Could Christ really be the reason for the season? I suppose that with the enforcement of "there's no such thing as absolute truth" or "make sure you are politically correct" Christmas is just a time to give and get gifts, nothing more. It makes me sad. I was at the Great Canadian Superstore the other day and there were two women were having an argument in the parking lot, probably over a parking spot......2 grown women, it's ridiculous really. Where's the love, where's the joy? It makes me sad because people miss the point. Christmas is a celebration of Jesus. Christmas is a celebration of the freedom that can be found in Christ. Christmas is a celebration of the life that we can have. It makes me sad because when you take Jesus out of Christmas there is really nothing to celebrate. Perhaps that is part of the reason I see the emptiness in people's eyes this season; they have nothing to celebrate and deep down it's what they really need.

The 252 Basics Sunday school program that I wrote about earlier has been going awesome. This month we have been talking about peace. A few of the girls and I decorated the room, we went all out for Christmas. For the past 2 months the kids have been collecting items for "Christmas Cheer", which is a project to collect items (toys, scarfs, hats, mitts, food, etc) for needy families in our community. It has been amazing to see the kids get involved. That gives me joy. For the Christmas Eve service at my church this year one of my good friends from school is coming to spend Christmas Eve with my family and I. That gives me joy. Watching my little brother buy someone special a gift he saved for and probably can't afford just because he is driven by love.....that gives me joy. I am surrounded by these little things that fill me with joy. I wish that more people would open their hearts to some of the joy that surrounds their lives. I was at the grocery store the other day getting some milk and there was an old man standing at the door way. Beside the friendly looking gentlemen was one of those Salvation Army containers where you can drop your change. Usually I would walk past anyone like that, especially if they were ringing a bell but on this particular day the man tugged my heart and I decided to find some change for his basket. As I dropped it in the basket the man looked at me and said "God Bless You", as I walked to my car all I could think was "He already has". That man and that simple phrase blessed me and I left with a bit more joy. It's the spirit of Christmas and I absolutely refuse to be swallowed up by anything else.

Won't you do the same?

Merry CHRISTmas,
The Kindred Spirit

The Fairy Tale Thoughts On My Mind Tonight...

It's been a while. It's been quite a while. Life happens, it moves and sometimes it gets busy. I find that with all of my school work and work at the church it is hard to keep up with everything including blogging. The past 2 weeks have been mid-terms so basically my life was school, study, bed.....keep on repeating that. Tomorrow I have a psychology test, which I really should be studying for....I have already studied but I need to study more. It feels like from now until Christmas break it is just non-stop tests and assignments....guess I am venting, I should stop, but isn't that part of the need to blog. I have a lot on my mind tonight.....most of which is not anything to do with psychology. I have been in school for almost 2 full months now, I like the program for the most part and I know I am in the right place, sometimes I wish that I could fast forward time so I have the knowledge and skills without having to do the whole school thing. I am not a huge school person. It helps though that I am studying something that has a greater purpose in my life. I have met some pretty cool people as well.

About 3 weeks ago I had a day surgery on my back....that was kinda tough for about a week. I have a pretty cool scar on my back though. This Friday I have to have my wisdom teeth taken out. I am pretty nervous. I have to be put to sleep for about an hour. Did I mention how nervous I am.....I am having major anxiety. It doesn't help that I have to miss a couple days of school including an exam. I am really big on not missing class so this just messes with my mind. Pray for me please.

A couple of weeks ago I went to a Jeremy Camp concert and a band named Mainstay was there as well. It was amazing. It was such an encouragement to me. One thing that was so cool for me was to see that there are christian guys out there who are actually passionate about their faith. I feel like I am surrounded with people who just don't care. I meet so many Christians who say one thing and do another. I sometimes wonder if there are any genuine people out there. I wonder if there are specifically genuine guys. Not the ones who are drunk on Saturday night and at church on Sunday morning. Sometimes when I think about it, it gets me down. Maybe it's because I seem to live in an area where there are not a lot of people my age, maybe that has something to do with it.

Do you ever wonder where you will be in 5 or 10 years? I do. I think about it a lot. Will I have a job that I love? Will I be in Wainfleet for the rest of my life? If not, where will I be? Will I ever meet the man of my dreams, is he out there? Will I make a new life somewhere? I am one of the those people who is really close to my family, so there is this part of me that wants to have adventures and new things and wants to dream that maybe there is a life that I will have someday that will be different from now and there is this other part of me that can't imagine being away from my family, that can't imagine being away from my church and the places that I know and have come to love. What happens to those desires? I wonder if I will someday need to force myself to do something new because if I stay then I will be playing it safe and I will miss out. I don't know. I try and take it one day at a time and trust that God will lead. It's my humaness that seems to get in the way. I think about the what ifs, I get lost in my dreams and all of the things that I hope for. What will happen if I dare to open up the deepest places in my soul to Jesus? I know I'm in the right place right now. That is so clear for me. Still I think about the future. I hope and wish and dream and pray. I want to have a life full of purpose and live it passionately. I wanna be in the best place. However, sometimes the best place involves change. What will this mean? I don't know.

Perhaps it's the twenty-somethings that have unleashed these new thoughts and feelings in me. Suddenly my future is not some distant thing, it's here, it's now. I need to move my feet but I need the Lord to show me where to walk. Suddenly I almost feel different, older, maybe, wiser, maybe, a new zest for adventure.....um.....maybe......a new take on faith.....maybe......the desire to treat boys nicely.....lol.....yes......the need, not want....need for a new pair of black heels to go with my jeans....YES!!!! What is it like to not live with your parents? I mean I lived away from my family for a year but I was only 18....just a youngster....lol! Right now I think I would miss them.....a lot. What will happen, how will I change....I don't know. Will people come into my life that will make me and think....I don't know? It just seems to be the time of my life where I am thinking about all these new things as a reality instead of something far off in the distance. When you are a little girl you dream that life is like the fairy tale....one day prince charming will come and sweep you away, one day someone will look at you with those eyes and that heart and you'll just melt.....so is it wrong for me to keep holding out for a piece of that fairy tale? I don't know? I think that everyone's life needs just a little fairy tale of some sort. So I guess I'll keep trusting God and praying that he will lead me as I take these steps in my twenties. It really is fantastic, even with all of the I don't knows and uncertainties I still love it. So tonight I choose to keep hoping for a piece of the fairy tale to come one day.....maybe my prince charming is out there, maybe he'll steal my heart, maybe I'll move somewhere, maybe I won't.....maybe I'll do really well on that psych test....so I probably should continue studying and stop rambling on with these fanciful thoughts. However, every once and a while it's nice to just sit and write all of the thoughts in my head and heart that seem so stupid and unrealistic but meaningful in this moment. So here are my thoughts tonight, written out, just cause tonight I needed to release.

Anyways back to reality.....any thoughts on the psychology of sensation and perception....lol?

Sweet Dreams for all you dreamers,
The Kindred Spirit

Monday Morning.....it's COMING!!!!

I think Monday is one of the hardest days of the week. It's the first day after the weekend. Monday mornings are definitely the days when you just want to keep hitting that alarm when it goes off in the morning. You have a whole week with lots to accomplish, stresses, worries, deadlines....and who knows what else could happen? You spend Sunday night dreading that monday morning. But who knows.....maybe Monday will bring something wonderful, maybe some monday I will wake up and not be tired? I will have to keep hoping for that wonderful monday. My friend Diana gave me a new personalized starbucks travel mug for my birthday.....that is one thing that may make my monday morning a little better....some tea in the new mug! It's those little things that make the difference some days. Sunday mornings are one of the most high-energy mornings ever....our new sunday school program is crazy fun, a lot of work but it is amazing. However, I do leave the church sweating buckets, ready for a nap and in need of another weekend! Perhaps that is why monday mornings seem so brutal.

Today I went to Starbucks and got my usual green tea frap....however I tried it light.....bad choice. First of all I didn't get any whipped cream and it tasted different. Different in a bad way. There is a reason most people don't get light. Light usually means that things don't taste as good. So next time I'm just getting the regular frap.....might as well pay for something delicious then pay for something light and be wishing you would have bought the regular one the whole time.

After church, before the Starbucks run, a bunch of people went to Swiss Chalet for lunch. Swiss Chalet is my favourite restaurant right? Yes. But, NOT TODAY! My potpie was burnt and half the size it's supposed to be and the waitress was the rudest waitress ever! I had to force myself to tip her because I knew it was the right thing to do....but everything inside of me screamed DON'T TIP HER! You'll be relieved to know I didn't give into those urges, but I gave her the evil eye and not impressed tone of voice. However maybe she was having a bad day and maybe she wished she could have been at church instead of working....lol......that's right, gotta think positive......try and believe the best about people.....it occasionaly helps take the edge off of the bitterness over the poor service.

I bought the new Thousand Foot Krutch cd off of itunes....haven't listened carefully to the whole thing but so far I am pretty impressed. It is called The Flame In All Of Us....check it out!

Tomorrow I have to go to the doctor's office to get my TB shot, which is a requirement for my program. I really hope it doesn't hurt. I suggested to my mom that maybe she should come with me to the doctor's just in case I am in so much pain that I can't drive home. She thinks I'll be fine. I hope she's right. Unfortunately I have to go back to the dotor's office on Wednesday as well....the TB shot is like a 2 step process.....which means I have to miss a class. I am one of those people who freaks over having to miss a class. I think to myself that I will get behind and never catch up....etc etc etc. I was the girl in highschool who never bought out of class during the buy-ins just because I could use that time to catch up on homework and have a class with very few people. Call me a dork.....I call it dedication and maybe perhaps a tad bit of analness.

I saw the movie Sydney White on Friday night.....and no that wasn't meant to rhyme. I love chick flicks. I give this movie 5 stars. 1 star for good humour. 1 star for good acting. 1 star for a good storyline. 1 star for playing the Jesse McCartney song 'Beautiful Soul', and 1 star for the lead actor being very cute. I recommend this movie if you love chick flicks.....a great date movie!

I have my first exam of the term this week. I hope I do well. These exams are all worth a chunk of my mark which puts a little more pressure on. Study Study Study!

The new season of Grey's Anatomy starts this Thursday. I was not impressed with last season. I felt like it started to become so dark. So I will watch this weeks episode to see if this season seems better.....if not.....I will have to find a new show!

Bible Study also resumes this week. We are studying the book "The Lies Women Believe".....it is sooo good! It seems kind of humourous that I have to rush home from bible study to catch Grey's.....any other Grey's fans out there?

Well I guess I should start preparing for Monday morning. I hope this Sunday evening finds you all well. I hope even more that Monday morning finds you well. Maybe you can join with me in praying as you wake up tomorrow morning and start a new week, "Lord, I just can't do this day without you....come with me every step, every road, every hall, every classroom, it just doesn't make sense without you".

Blessings,
Darc

Welcome to the Twenty-Somethings...

Wow....looking at those pics below from my tropical vacation.....it seems like forever ago! Well I have started school....thus the reason for the lack of blogging! It's interesting....the world of college I mean. I must say I feel like the only christian in the whole place! I like learning about things that I am intersted in though. Everything is group work, which sometimes is frustrating but a constant thing I need to surrender to the Lord. I have met some cool people. Friday is my birthday.....I am quite excited. Tomorrow is my last day of being a teenager. I don't exactly know what to feel. I will never be a teenager again. Never be classified as a teen. Will I feel like I am too old to buy those teen magazines....lol....not that I do that often. I am no longer in those teen statistics. Some people struggle with the 20th birthday. I am excited.....it's like a new chapter. The chapter of adolesence.....I will be in my twenty's! Just saying it sounds crazy. There is potential to graduate, get a new job, get married, have children, move out of my parent's house.....lol....not all in that order.....but these are all potential things for the 20 somethings. Scary? Yes, it is. There is potential for joy and disappointment. Lord, I give you these 20 somethings! I think I am ready, I mean I am not sure how ready you can be, but I feel ready to be 20. So any advice for the 20's.....how were/are your 20's....I would be fascinated to hear from you!

I should head to bed....back to school in the morning....lol,
The Kindred Spirit

I Wish...

There's nothing like a beach wedding to leave you with more dreams for the future...

This time last week I was in Myrtle Beach enjoying the sound and feel of the ocean. One of our friends, Katie Hamilton, was getting married. The wedding was beautiful, she was a gorgeous bride. I love weddings. I have never been to a beach wedding before. We took a few extra days and vacationed. The whole time I felt like I was living a dream. Laying by the pool, swimming in the ocean, not doing any work, late night cruises, shopping....it was wonderful. The only other thing that would have made it perfect would have been the man of my dreams holding my hand as I walked the beach.....lol.....maybe one day. Here are a few pics from the trip....




These are just a few teasers....let me know if you want to see more. So the trip was great except for our van breaking down on the way there and so it took us 22 hours to get there! Then on the way home our van wasn't fixed on time, so it took us 23 hours to get home and yes we drove straight through! My poor Dad had to stop a few times to catch a few winks of sleep....he did such a great job though. We were all pretty tired when we got home. I find it a bit difficult to get back into the swing of things after such a relaxing vacation. But life can't be all play, there has to be some work too....so this week it's back to school for me. I am a bit nervous and excited and everything in between! Plus 2:52 Basics (our new Sunday school program) starts next Sunday. The fall is bringing some craziness but I don't mind, it does make life interesting! I continue to pray that the Lord would just continue to weave his blessing and guidance into everything! Anyways I better head to bed, I will write more later.

Sweet Dreams,
The Kindred Spirit

Farewell Reitman's, So Long 50% Discount...

Today was a bitter-sweet day. It was my last official shift at Reitman's. For the past year retail has been my 'pay my way for school' job. I have enjoyed working there, being in the mall, buying clothes with a sweet discount. However, I have learned that the way of sales is just not for me. I hate selling, I hate the pressure of forcing people to consider spending more money that they probably could be putting to better use! In my heart of hearts I am just not a sales girl, although many of you would probably beg to differ....sorry for those of you who I upsold! Today was a great last day, it was busy, I worked with a great team and I think that provided good closure. So for those of you who occasionaly make special trips to visit me at the store I would like to inform you that I am now just another shopper just like you. For those of you who avoid Reitman's while I am working so I don't try and upsale you, the coast is now clear, you can shop again! I will still be available if any of you need a fashion consultant. In other news I learned that my dear friend and sister BJ, most of you will know her as my YouthBuilder teammate is also a fellow blogger, I linked her site on my favourite links. As she would say "y'all better check it out"! This evening Diana and I made our third trip to starbucks this week. We figure since I am going to be in Myrtle Beach for a wedding for 5 days we better get as many trips as possible in. Tonight we scored the really comfy couches, so we took advantage of the comfort and wonderful atmoshpere and talked the night away. That has become one of my favourite things to do. Go to Starbucks with some close friends and just talk. Diana and I often play the question game. We take turns asking each other questions about everything, one topic leads to another and we find ourselves in the most fascinating discussion ever. I highly recomend it. We also made a random trip to Gateway Niagara just because we felt like a late night cruise. To make things even more random we bought matching sweaters from 'The Great Canadian Superstore', who knew they sold clothing! For the record we only bought matching sweaters because we both loved the same sweater and the other colours it came in were just not very appealing! Oh it is wonderful to have friends who you can feel so free to be yourself with and have a blast! Well it's getting late and I should head to bed, tomorrow morning will probably come too soon. I am glad to have a place to write, there is something about writing your thoughts out that is like a release. Whether it is my deepest thoughts to my thoughts like today, I love it. Thanks for reading! (oh and for the record the picture shown is actually of my Reitman's store at the seaway mall =) )

Sweet Dreams,
Darc

I Want To Be Your Last First Kiss...

Recently I have become an Anberlin fan.
Their newest CD entitled Cities is awesome.
I have been thinking and loving the words to one of their songs in particular called Inevitable.
These are the lyrics...







Inevitable by Anberlin

Do you remember when we were just kids,
and cardboard boxes took us miles from what we would miss?
School yard conversations taken to heart,
and laughter took the place of everything we knew we were not.

I want to break every clock.
the hands of time could never move again.
We could stay in this moment for the rest of our lives.
Is it over now hey, hey is it over now?
I want to be your last first kiss
that you'll ever have.
I want to be your last first kiss.

Amazing how life turns out, the way that it does.
We end up hurting the worst, the only ones we really love.

I want to break every clock.
the hands of time could never move again.
We could stay in this moment for the rest of our lives.
Is it over now hey, hey is it over now?
I want to be your last first kiss
that you'll ever have.
I want to be your last first kiss.

Is it over now hey, hey is it over now?
Is it over now hey, hey it's not over now.
I want to be your last first kiss
that you'll ever have.
I want to be your last first love
that you'll ever have.
Lying here beside me, palms and eyes open wide,
I want to be your last first kiss
for all time


That one line gets me every time, I want to be your last first kiss. For a moment, stop and think about some of the simple things that are so beautiful that people take for granted and miss the beauty in. Like a kiss. I hear so many young people talking about "going all the way" before they're married or I watch people make public displays of themselves in public with another person and I think they have missed the beauty of the kiss. I hope I never forget the beauty in the simple things. I hope that there is someone worth that last first kiss.

Yours Truly,
The Kindred Spirit, the romantic

Despite All, I Am Seen By God....

I suppose you think that I am slacking on my writing. I am. I'm sorry for those who actually take the time to read the random thoughts of my life. This summer has been the craziest summer and I feel like it is almost a blur. This past weekend I was at a young adults conference in PA called 'The Call'. I have to say I had great expectations of this conference. I guess I hoped to leave feeling encouraged and inspired in my faith. I left feeling discouraged and somewhat confused. I have taken the past few days to mull over in my mind just what didn't sit right with me about it all. I guess I should explain a few things to begin with. There were some great parts of the weekend. I really enjoyed meeting with other brothers and sisters in Christ from around the BIC and it was great being able to spend time meeting new people and being blessed by them. Over the past few weeks I have been struggling with some issues. Deeper than the average 20 year old. Issues with how the world works, with justice, with God's sovereignty. To most of my questions there really are no solid answers. Many people have theories and personal convictions but those things all fall in their exegesis and I am left to hear what they say and figure out my own. Somewhere in my mind I went into this weekend desiring for God to just remind me that even though I am struggling with these things it's ok. There is much emphasis in the Christian faith put on the "feelings" of the faith. People come out of an amazing retreat, or concert or conference with an emotional high and for the next week or two or maybe even a month are excited and passionate for God and after that time they feel discouraged because the feeling is gone and therefore the Lord is too. I am an emotional person. I feel things deeply. However, I want my faith to be more. I want to be able to love God and trust him without the feelings. I have prayed this in the past. Clearly the Lord is honoring that prayer. I went into a weekend full of the "emotional" emphasis. I looked around me and saw the Lord working in people's lives and from what I saw He seemed to be speaking to many people. I didn't feel that emotional high. I wasn't experiencing "The Call". So for the weekend I made myself believe that God must be angry with me for struggling and therefore he must not be speaking to me. It's rather silly now that I think about it. I came home, sat on my bed with my mom and cried because from the depths of my heart I felt so unloved and overlooked because I wasn't experiencing God the way I was led to believe I should be. Now after a few days of process and wise counsel I have come to a few new conclusions. First of all I serve a God who is huge and able to meet with people in different ways. I would never want to say that because I struggled with some of the stuff happening that God wasn't working. I believe that God was at work in many hearts in many different ways. I am now reminded that God is just as real to me without all of those feelings. Feelings come and go like the wind, I want something deeper. Something that leaves a mark on my very soul, something whose roots go down deep. I am sure that someday I will go to another event and maybe I will "feel" God in another way. I am also reminded that when we are walking with the Lord and seeking him, we are already in his will and he doesn't always need to get our attention in a big way because he already has it. I don't think I really agree with the idea of "The Call" either. It makes it sound like there is one call, if they are talking about following Jesus then I agree but if they are talking about life then I disagree. I think life is a journey, we grow and change and make mistakes and fall and get back up again. As we change often the things we are called to or our circumstances change as well. Life would be boring if there was only one call. I guess the weekend has taught me more than I thought it did. I was reminded of what my faith shouldn't be rooted in, my feelings. I was reminded of my heart for the people living their everyday lives to know Jesus. I was left energized to continue my work in children's ministry. I met some wonderful new friends and now would really like to learn Spanish so I can speak with my Latin friends. I got to see my friend Freddie Colloca and his band lead worship, which was awesome. I suppose that is the wonderful thing about process, you are able to look at something for what it's worth, take the good and leave the bad. Anyways I would like to encourage you if you are reading this today that you are so deeply loved by God, no matter how you experience him. He sees you and does not overlook you. In Zephania it talks about how the Lord sings over you.....I love singing, even though I make a joyful noise, and it gives me great joy, I imagine it gives the Lord great joy was well. I also want to encourage you in whatever you are doing. You don't have to be a missionary overseas to be doing the Lord' most important work, maybe you are a teacher paying special attention to the kid everyone picks on, maybe you work with youth who are dirt poor, maybe you are an eye doctor or a janitor or maybe you are a writer or a singer or an actor or maybe you're a mom or dad and you love God and want to serve him....those are all jobs that when from the Lord are a most high calling. The Lord sees you wherever you are and he thinks you are wonderful. Remember that today.

Blessings,
The Kindred Spirit

Beware of Hair Straighteners on the Floor...

Well to say the least, this has been a busy week. So much to do, can you believe it is already August! I am heading back to Chesley Lake for a few days on Saturday....that is hopefully, if my work schedule permits it. I am looking forward to that. I will probably have to make both trips, there and back, alone, just me and my rav. The 4 hour drive hopefully will only take me 4 hours if I don't get lost and if traffic is good. I better load some sweet tunes onto the ipod! An interesting and not so lovely thing happened to me yesterday. I know that you will probably laugh at me when I share this. I burned my foot yesterday morning. Then proceeded to soak it in cold water, put Rollies salve on it and call my mom so see what steps I should do next to ease the throbbing of my baby toe. She said I should put frozen vegetables on it for most of the day. So I headed to the freezer in search of the frozen veggies. My close friend yesterday was a bag of frozen yellow corn, may I add it wasn't so frozen by the end of the day. You may ask what is funny about this and may cause laughter. Perhaps you should ask me how I burned my foot? Well before I went in the shower yesterday morning I turned on my hair straightener to heat it up and I laid it on the floor so it wouldn't burn my sheets if I put it on my bed. At that point there were several things lying on my floor since I was rounding up items for the laundry, I forgot about the straightener and stepped on it. Somehow I managed to get my foot right between the hot plates. One of the guys I work with mentioned that it was pretty impressive that I managed to strategically place my foot between the two hot metal plates, I wasn't so ammused. Anyways so I brought my frozen corn to the office with me to help ease the pain. Fortunately it was just a little burn so by evening I was feeling much better. I suppose it was a lot of fuss for a little burn but it did hurt for a while. That will teach me to lay the straightener on the floor where someone, most likely being me, can step on it! In other news it has been very very very hot lately. Almost unbearable to be outdoors. I do love the outdoors but in this heat you break a sweat standing still! Which reminds me that I need to remember my fan to bring to the lake. I am one of those people who sleeps with a fan on every night in every season. There is something about the noise, it is soothing. Tomorrow is my good friend Vicki's birthday, she will be 24. So a couple of the girls are getting dressed up and taking her to dinner, it should be a great night. It's wonderful to have friends that you love, I feel so blessed and I know I am. Well I think that's all for tonight, I hope you are all doing well braving this heat!

Sleep Cool,
The Kindred Spirit

Picture of the Week...

This picture just makes me laugh. Joy and I were playing ping-pong at Chesley Lake. She's looking for the ball and I have it....too funny!

Enjoy the sun,
Darc

Oh One Day To Be Married....

Well....I am back from a tiny vacation and some time off from blogging. I know you all missed me so much....and I missed you all as well. The last few weeks have been insanely busy and I don't think things look like they are going to slow down any time soon. I was up at Chesley Lake for a few days a couple of weeks ago and am hoping to get up for another few days come this long weekend....if my work schedule permits it. Then I come home and it's off to Pensylvania for a weekend College and University conference for young adults interested in ministry and missions....me being the latter.....however I once heard a statement that I have adopted...."the mission field is the space between your two feet". Anyways on Saturday my family and I headed to Stratford for my cousin's wedding. We all traveled in one vehicle....something we have not done in a while...usually I drive so the 3 of us kids are not squished in the back. It was a bit of an adventure but a lot of fun as well. The wedding was beautiful, Steph is the first of the cousin's to be married....she married Greg.....I think they make a beautiful couple. I know they will be very happy together. Weddings make me so happy....it is a day that usually feels like a dream come true. At least I imagine it to be that way. Sometimes I worry that I will never find the right guy.....or that he will find me....since I am quite shy when it comes to those things, although many don't know it. I know I have to trust the Lord with my heart and that he will bring him along in his timing.....I still manage to worry a great deal over the whole thing. I suppose it is a lot of girls dream to meet the man of her dreams, get married and have a family. Those are all dreams of mine but I think somewhat more down to earth as I get older and observe what seems to work and doesn't work in a relationship. I am glad up unto this point that I have never been in a relationship. There are too many girls who think that there whole life will be fixed when she falls in love. That her man will make everything perfect and make her feel wonderful all the time. I think that this way of thinking is too much for any human being and only sets people up for relationships that fail and lack depth. I dream of being in a relationship where I can't wait to see the person just because I want to talk to him and hear what he thinks about things. I love to hear about couples who just love being together and have fun learning more about the other. I work with a girl who I think has a great marriage. She has such a deep respect for her husband, I see it in the way she talks about him. She loves to hang out with him. She gives me lots of great advice. She often tells me how much you have to work at your marriage to make it great......she really seems to live out what she says. I love to listen to the stories she tells me of all of the fun her and her husband have. It makes me look forward to one day doing life day by day with your best friend. Learning to love them completely.....to be able to see all of who they are and love them unconditionally. It's like practising loving someone everyday the way that God loves us. Whoever he is....I just keep praying for him, praying that God will weave the stories of our lives together and it will be beautiful. I pray that he would come to know and love Jesus more and more everyday. Hmmm......see.....this is what weddings do to me! Anyways so there is my rant for the evening.....I better head to bed, tomorrow I need to head to the office again.....lots to be done for the new Sunday School program we are starting in the fall called 252 Basics.....lots of recruiting to be done. If any of you out there feel the desire to serve and be blessed through this program and the kids....I would absoloutely LOVE to hear from you!

Many Blessings,
The Kindred Spirit

Wednesday night thoughts...

Today was a bit cooler. It was nice. I love the warm weather but it is nice to have a day where it isn't sweltering. I worked at the mall today, it was a good day. Tonight we had our second sunday school meeting to get ready for the new program starting in september. I am really excited about the program. We just keep praying that God will place a passion for serving on people's hearts. I trust that He will give us the people that we need. Yesterday was very hot. While I was working at the mall I was making small talk to a woman while she was checking out at the cash register. I was comenting on how hot the day was, the women's reply made me think for the rest of the afternoon. She said "yah, it's like hell out there". Hmmm....it's like hell out there. I wanted to say I don't think you know what hell is like. It reminds me of that saying that earth is the only hell some will know and the only heaven others will know. I guess for that woman's sake and for anyone's sake I guess I should hope it is like hell out there and that she won't ever have to experience what hell is like. Some of the people that come into the store say very interesting things. Tomorrow morning Josh and I are up and at it again....we are babysitting Ron and Renee's 3 beautiful girls. They have so much energy and passion....I love it!!!! I will need to remind myself of this when my alarm goes off in the morning. I guess that's all for tonight.

Sleep well my friends,
The Kindred Spirit

A Blah of a day...

Today is a blah day. You know those days where the sun is shining but you just don't feel like its sunny. You feel like the clouds should be out or it should be raining. Today I feel sad. In yesterday's blog I said that I thought that I would sleep great last night....I was wrong to say the least. I had a horrible sleep last night and there wasn't much sleeping. For some reason I couldn't sleep because I was afraid and my heart was racing. That kind of thing doesn't happen to me very often. Usually before I go to sleep I think about all of the events of the day and of the next day and go over every detail that I can remember. Things bother me at night because I analyze it all in my mind. Last night I kept having memories of scary things and I just couldn't find a thought of peace to lull me to sleep. This morning Josh and I were up early to babysit. This afternoon I am working at the office. So perhaps today is a blah day because I feel tired. Nothing ever seems right when I am too tired. Things bug me, my temper is quicker and I just can't be content. I am on call to work at the mall tonight but I kind of hope I don't have to go in but I really should want to because I need the money! Usually I get called in when I don't want to be and I don't get called in when I want to be....funny how that works. I guess I will find out later. Today is also hot....actually I think hot doesn't even describe the weather.....extremely hot and humid would be a better description. We have a new air conditioner upstairs in our house....I am so thankful for that. Anyways I hope your day is less blah than mine!

Blessings,
Darc

The sweet smell of clean clothes....

I was inspired when I visited my mom's blog today and I too felt the need for a change. So I changed my blog too.....I like to change stuff like that....I will use this one until it becomes boring to me! Anyways today was a good day. I expected it to be sunny but it was rather cloudy. I taught kids church this morning and then went out for lunch to Swiss Chalet...the ultimate after church restaurant....and that was followed by a lovely excursion to Starbucks. By the way I think I am becoming addicted to Starbucks. I just can't get enough of those green tea frap's. I also watched Pride and Prejudice again....love it....could watch it a million times! I love Sunday nights....mom is making pizza and I think Dad is creating a blog. Aren't we just becoming quite the blogging family! My youngest brother Josh got Facebook yesterday and he is already hooked.....it is so funny. The only 2 that aren't on facebook are my Dad and Greg....but I think it is only a matter of time.

Yesterday my Mom and I spent the day down in the Markham-Stouffville area with my Nana. It was a great day. I love talking to my mom about everything. She is a great listener. We got pictures taken in one of those mall photo-booths....they are great...I will post them later. The Markville mall is huge. It was quite a shock to see that many people shopping...it is a long way from my small town. On the way home we sang our hearts out to some good ol'e country....gotta luv Martina....have you ever heard a woman sing like she can? When we got home at around 10 the new front load washer had arrived. For those of you who didn't know, the washer has been down in my house for about 2 weeks now. I thought that the new washer would arrive sooner than it did so I decided that I could wait to do laundry and didn't need to go to the laundrymat.....stupid.....I did 3 loads of laundry last night out of nothing but pure desperation to be reminded of what clean clothes smell like. So I was up quite late, or should I say early washing clothes. I felt it this morning. I didn't take a Sunday nap today either. I think I will sleep well tonight. Perhaps I can get in another load of laundry before I go to bed.....the front load washers have a window in the front, you can watch your clothes being cleaned. Of course I would never do that because I have better things to do with my time........most of the time! I would also really love to finish the book I have been reading tonight.....SexGod....the name may be a little sketchy to some of you but I tell you....read it and it will change your life! On the note of Rob Bell, I watched his newest Nooma video yesterday called "store". It is about anger. It was great, it made me think. Rob Bell usually makes me think though. I have really been trying to control my mouth lately. One of the family traits that runs in the line of women in my family is a quick tongue. We Timbers women are good with our mouths. I don't want to use that trait to hurt people. It is really good for me to practice building people up with my words and not putting them down. Although I have to take it one step at a time. I feel things deeply and in turn react to them deeply....sometimes that is a wonderful thing and sometimes it works against me. So that is one of the areas I am trying to grow in. Anyways if you have a chance to see "Store" I definitely recommend it!

I better head downstairs and see how Dad's blog is coming along. Hope this evening finds you well,
The Kindred Spirit

Picture of the Week...

One of my friends from work went camping and took this shot. I love it. It is absoloutely breathtaking. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!


Yours Truly,
Darc

Love

I have been reading a lot lately. Guess my reading has to do a lot with my desire to know God more and understand him. One of my favourites that I have not been able to put down is Sex God by Rob Bell. He is an amazing communicator. This excerpt made me think a lot about the way I love people and about love....this is what Rob writes.......
"Love is handing your heart to someone and taking the risk that they will hand it back because they don't want it. That's why it's such a crushing ache on the inside. We gave away a part of ourselves and it wasn't wanted.
Love is a giving away of power. When we love, we give the other person the power in the relationship. They can do what they choose. They can so what they like with our love. They can reject it, they can accept it, they can step toward us in gratitude and appreciation.
Love is a giving away. When we love, we put ourselves out there, we expose ourselves to be vulnerable. Love is giving up control. It's surrendering the desire to control the other person. The two - love and controlling power over the other person - are mutually exclusive. If we are serious about loving someone, we have to surrender all of the desires within us to manipulate the relationship."

Too often I try to have control in my relationships. Come to think of it, I think a lot of us are guilty of that. There is something about having control that gives us this sense of power. Love is giving up control. Hmmm....that's a powerful statement, a statement which I think has the power to transform our relationships. I guess we see the ultimate example in Jesus. Jesus loved and never demanded control.

I think I have a lot to learn about love!

Learning to love more,
The Kindred Spirit

Picture of the Week...

I am going to start a new weekly posting entitled picture of the week. Here is my first picture of the week...

This picture makes me smile. I hope it will make you smile too!

Yours Truly,
The Kindred Spirit

Faith like a Child...

Tonight we had a campfire with some friends from church. A little celebration of the end of school I guess you could say. I had to work until 9 but I joined them afterwards. It was so good to be together. I love being together with other believers who are friends. I love it when there are so many kids around, it brings such life. I sat with 2 of the younger girls for a while and just listened to them talk about what is going on in their worlds.

Do you ever just sit and listen to a child talk? It is really fascinating. To see the world how they see it. To love like they love. To hug like they hug. To laugh like they laugh. To cry when they hurt. That is part of the reason I love working with children. You always know how they feel. They ask the simple questions. They trust. You can be stern when you need to and they will still love you. We can learn so much from kids. It makes me think about having a childlike faith. Coming to Jesus as a child. I know I make it too complex. I have this desire to understand everything when I know I can't. I need to have faith more like a child. I need to laugh more and hug more and trust more. Trust. I have issues with trust. I want to know everything, that makes it hard to just trust. Today my prayer is that I could just trust. That prayer could take a while! I wonder how trust happens? I trust a chair when I sit on it, that it will hold me up. I trust the car everytime I drive it. I trust my parents.....most of the time...lol! Why do I have trouble trusting God?

Today I listened to a sermon by a guy named Greg Boyd...one thing he said caught my attention. He said that some of us have the kind of me and my personal Jesus religion...it goes like this "I asked Jesus into my heart so he's always there. I take Him out when I need him. I take Him out when I want to get blessed. I take Him out when I need to get free from condemnation. I take him out when I need my finances to be helped. I put Him away when I'm sinning or when I'm just doing my ordinary kind of life, but he's always there like a genie in the bottle to be taken out and talked to when I need Him." This caught me off guard. Is this me? Do I have a me and my personal Jesus religion or faith? No! I don't want that! Perhaps that is what I think though. How deep is my faith really? I want it to be more. I desperately want it to be more. I have become more aware of my shallowness. It's great to be a christian when there are lots of christians around and when there is a worship band or when people are excited and there is hype and I get excited and hyped up. There is nothing wrong with that, don't get me wrong. But I see now that I am shallow. If my faith and relationship with Jesus is based solely off of those experiences I really have no depth at all. I don't know Jesus at all. I know that it feels good to worship and I know that it feels good to be around people who share the same vision and faith. I know that part of me feels safe there. Those things are great and many times I have felt the holy spirit at work in those situations but they are feelings and when things happen that I don't understand those feelings don't do anything for me, I need more.

So I have decided to embark on a new journey. One to know Jesus without the hype. Everyday, big and small, in the shallow end and the deep end. I am tired of having to start over every time something happens that shakes me up, my faith must be more. I don't want a personal Jesus religion, it's not good enough for me. I believe God wants more. Writing this out keeps me somewhat accountable. I need to start at the beginning. I need to re-evaluate and rebuild the foundation.

All throught my childhood and on into the teenage year when I come downstairs in the morning I find my mom doing devotions and praying. We always prayed together for important things happening at school. Whenever something scary happened that needed the Lord's help I always went to Mom because I knew her and God were close, her prayers worked. I always said that one day when I am a mom I want to pray for my kids just like my mom. At this point in my life I am realizing that one day if I am going to have the depth of my mother I need to follow in her footsteps and seek after God. I want to love God and know Him like my mom. So if you would just say a prayer for me as I walk into this new journey. Pray that it would change me and bring some depth to my shallow world.

Yours Truly,
Darcie

Josh's Graduation....Class of 2007!!!!

This past Friday was my brother Josh's grade 8 graduation. I can't believe that he has graduated elementary school and is already going into high school. He is my baby brother and he is growing up. My other brother greg is heading into grade 10 and will be getting his license this summer....hopefully! It is crazy when your little brothers start growing up. Change is usually good but can be scary too. This past week I have been thinking a lot about change. Sometimes when you take the risk and step out into the unknown I suppose you discover many blessings. If my parents would have not moved to this unknown place called Wainfleet, we would have missed out on so many blessings. The blessings of being part of a wonderful church, growing up in a beautiful community and getting to have so many wonderful relationships. I don't know what the future will hold but I pray that I will be able to trust Jesus with any change he places in my path.
I also have been thinking a lot about death lately. Since the events of the past couple of weeks I have been a bit fearful. I am glad that I have the hope of heaven someday but I hope that I will be able to live long on earth. There are so many things I want to experience: getting married, having kids, raising them, travelling and meeting new people. I pray that I will get to experience these things. Tragedy can often really shake a person, even a bystander. I hope that the Lord will continue to work all these things out in my heart and mind.
Today was a good day. Church was this morning and I enjoyed a wonderful nap this afternoon. Mom and I tried this new make-up for your eyes this morning. I have very sensitive eyes and now they are swollen. I guess I won't be using that stuff anymore, mom really likes it though! This evening my dearest friend Diana and I went to Starbucks in St. Kitts....I enjoyed a green tea frap.....oh i love them so much! After that I went for a swim, it was a perfect evening for a swim. My family had Swiss Chalet take-out and now are enjoying watching Shrek 2...I love Sunday nights. It is so great to enjoy nights like this together as a family, I love them more and more everyday. Anyways I hope that you enjoyed your Sunday wherever you are.

Blessings,
The Kindred Spirit

My Favourite Things....

I always like it when Oprah does her favourite things show. I also always wish that I could be in the audience when she does those shows. I could go home with some of Oprah's favourite things. What are your favourite things? Here is a list of ten of my favourite things (that I can remember at this very moment)....

#1 - Lying on my bed on a warm's summer day with my windows open, the blinds halfway down and my ceiling fan and my
other fan blowing and feeling the breeze and the sun all at the same time.

#2 - Having someone play with my hair or tickle my back.

#3 - Green grapes, strawberries and chocolate chips all in the same bowl....yummmy!

#4 - A night with the girls to watch either Pride and Prejudice or Anne of Green Gables.

#5 - A Senators game with the whole family watching in the living room.

#6 - Lunches out with mom.

#7 - Earl Grey Vanilla tea with milk.

#8 - Dinner out with my family at Swiss Chalet.

#9 - I love getting notes.....especially from mom.

#10 - Hottubing with my little brother Josh.

ok and one more....I love summers at Chesley Lake Camp! It's nice to think about your favourite things....try it!

Yours Truly,
The Kindred Spirit

Thanks God for a Great Dad....

Today is a new day. The sun is shining and it is beautiful. Thank you Lord for a new day with new opportunities and new ways to be thankful. Today I am especially thankful for my Dad. He is a wonderful Dad. He spends lots of time with us kids. He always has time to make me laugh. He is great to talk with. I love how he is so wise and smart, I always like to ask him questions about life. One time Greg and I were wrestling Dad and we were determined to get him down on the ground. It was a hard fight but took him out....sweet victory....I am glad he wasn't hurt....lol! I love going to the car races with him at Chesley Lake. I like it when we play tennis and talk macs, and when he tries to explain how a car works to me. I also like it when he grabs my chin and say giblit gravy. I couldn't ask for a better Dad and someday I hope my future husband is like him. Happy Father's Day Dad, I am so proud to be your little girl.

Yours Truly,
Darcie

Cry Out To Jesus....

Today the words of this song are on my heart. I will share them with you....

Cry Out To Jesus - Third Day

To everyone who's lost someone they love
long before it was their time.
You feel like the days you had were not enough
when you said goodbye.

And to all of the people with burdens and pains
keepin' you back from your life.
You believe that there's nothing
and there is no one who can make it right.

There is hope for the helpless, rest for the weary,
and love for the broken hearts.
There is grace and forgiveness, mercy and healing
He'll meet you wherever you are.

Cry out to Jesus. Cry out to Jesus.

For the marriage that's struggling just to hang on
They lost all of their faith in love.
and they've done all they can to make it right again
still it's not enough.

For the ones who can't break the addictions and chains
you try to give up but you come back again.
Just remember that you're not alone
in your shame and your suffering.

There is hope for the helpless, rest for the weary,
and love for the broken hearts.
There is grace and forgiveness, mercy and healing
He'll meet you wherever you are.

Cry out to Jesus.

When you're lonely and it feels like the whole world is falling on you
you just reach out, you just cry out to Jesus

Cry to Jesus.

To the widow who suffers from being alone,
wipin' the tears from her eyes.
For the children around the world without a home,
say a prayer tonight.

There is hope for the helpless, rest for the weary,
and love for the broken hearts.
There is grace and forgiveness, mercy and healing
that meets you wherever you are.
There is hope for the helpless, rest for the weary,
and love for the broken hearts.
There is grace and forgiveness, mercy and healing
that meets you wherever you are.

Cry out to Jesus. Cry out to Jesus.

Cry out to Jesus. Cry out to Jesus.



I am glad that today is a new day and in it I can find hope and joy in Jesus.

Yours Truly,
Darcie

Help God, Please Help....

Yesterday was a horrible day. Right beside our house a young woman from our community was killed. She is the mom of 2 boys. In our community everyone pretty much knows everyone. Some of the family goes to our church. It was aweful and I am glad that yesterday is over. The mom was riding her bike with one of her little boys in the back buggy and she was hit. The little boy is alright, I am thankful for that. It is hard to know what to do in this situation, you just want to help but you don't know how. So I will pray for them, because that is all I can do right now. I find it easy to ask God why this had to happen but that doesn't help. I found myself praying all day yesterday help God, please help. This world sometimes really sucks. Something like this makes you think about your life. How are your relationships with your family, with your friends, who do you live for in this world? Did you tell that person that you love them today? A day like yesterday makes me want to take my family, lock them in the house and say you can never leave because it is safer here and I need to know you are ok because I need you. Pray for the family, pray that somehow God would comfort them. Pray that in your own life you would cherish each moment and the people in it.

Heavy hearted today,
The Kindred Spirit

It was a sad loss last night....

It was a tough loss last night for the Sens. I am quite disappointed. I really felt bad for Chris Phillips, I hope he doesn't get down on that goal, he has been so strong this year. Mike Fisher played his heart out, he is a force to be reckoned with and he alone deserved that cup. I guess that is it for the hockey season, sad really. It has been great though, I will look forward to next season. Now it is summer time, time to enjoy the outdoors! I went for a drive 2 nights ago, out by the lake. I love it by the water. I really connect with God when I am by water. I look out and think that it is so big and beautiful and my God created it. You can just stand and listen to the sounds and breathe in the air. I was there right as the sun was setting, an experience everyone should have more than once. I hope that this summer will hold many beach days.

I was at Costco shopping this morning for the church picnic, which is this Sunday. I am excited but very nervous because it is my first year running the whole thing. There will be lots for the whole family: face painting, beading, nail pound, candy guess, log saw, a jousting pit, cotton candy, hair braiding, a basketball shoot, a graffitti wall and so much more. I hope people enjoy the time of fellowship. Friday night is Ignite, a night for young adults with worship and a speaker and food. I am looking forward to it. Oh the fun never stops....wink wink!

We had our last Refuge this past Sunday night. It was fun. We started off with a water balloon toss and the kids soaked me. I was wet for the entire night. It probably would have been a good idea to do the water balloon toss at the end except we thought it was going to rain so we wanted to get the game in before it rained. Good thing because it poured afterward. However, I was still drenched all night.....it is wonderful to work with youth! Here are a few pics from the night....




What a pleasure for me it has been to get to know and love these fantastic youth....I hope the Lord continues to bless and grow them!

Anyways I hope that you are enjoying this beautiful day. I thought it looked cold so I put on jeans and a sweater....turns out I need capris and a t-shirt!
Be Blessed, Darc

A little taste of Heaven....

On Saturday night I went to the Hillsong United concert in Toronto. It was simply amazing. I think it must be the closest taste of heaven I have ever experienced. 12000 people worshipping God. His holy spirit was present and working in the lives and hearts of people. 100 people accepted Christ. For some of the songs I just stood there with tears in my eyes because I was so overwhelmed by the very presence of the God that I serve. The energy in that place was incredible. We jumped, we shouted, we laughed and cried, we sang our hearts out until we had no voice left to sing. Nothing more than a desire for God to fill us up with more of himself until we overflow....I want that, I want that more than I ever have before. I was struck with a thought about my brother Ben while I was there. For those of you who don't know, my older brother Ben died 3 years ago. He was severly handicapped all of his life and a pure joy. I miss him. It helps to know that his body is no longer broken and he doesn't want to come home because he is with Jesus. Sometime I will blog more about him. However, back to my thought about Ben. I was thinking about how what I was experiencing must not compare to heaven and how Ben must love it there. He must jump and sing and see everything (Ben was blind while here on earth) and love being in the presence of God. It helps to know he is better off where he is, helps the hurt ya know?
Here are a few pics from the concert.....or worship night....perhaps both.....




Starfield was also there, they were good. Our youth got there a little late so we didn't get very good seats for Starfield but a few of us managed to sneak past security into the sweet seats at the front section for the Hillsong concert, so I enjoyed wonderful seats for Hillsong! It pays to be creative....lol! The Sens won on Saturday night as well....I didn't see the game but Mike scored....yah!
My dearest friend BJ is coming to visit me this week. She will be here for a few days. She is going home to Georgia soon and I will miss her very much. We lived together for a year because we were on the same ministry team, it is always wonderful to be in her presence.
Tonight was the last Refuge at Sherkston. It was great to be together. I have enjoyed getting to know and build relationships with those kids. I hope I will be able to stay in touch with many of them. Anyways it is another busy week. I better head to bed.
I will leave you with a thought from one of my favourite movies 'Anne of Green Gables'...."Tomorrow is always fresh with no mistakes in it yet".
Yours Truly,
The Kindred Spirit

The Answer to the Question....

I recently heard a new song that I love. The words make me think about life. It is called 'The Answer to the Question' by Tree63. These are the lyrics....

"I'm growing tired of a mouth shut tight
When all I want to do is
Tell the whole world bout the Man
Sitting at the right hand of the One in heaven
How could I sing, about anything but Him?

He is the answer to the question
He is the cure for the infection
He is all He says He is
He is the ultimate reflection
Of holiness and true perfection
He is all He says He is

How can I not cry watching as the world dies
Without a prayer?
They run to their own gods, roughshod
Blind to the living God of earth and heaven
How could they sing about everything but Him? (Yeah Yeah)

He is the answer to the question
He is the cure for the infection
He is all He says He is (Yeah Yeah)
He is the ultimate reflection
Of holiness and true perfection
He is all He says He is (All these things)
He is yeah

Yeah

Come on

I'm growing tired of a mouth shut tight
When all I want to do is
Tell the whole world bout the Man
Sitting at the right hand of the One in heaven
How could I sing, about anything but Him? (Hmmm)

He is the answer to the question
He is the cure for the infection
He is all He says He is (Yeah Yeah)
He is the ultimate reflection
Of holiness and true perfection
He is all He says He is
He is yeah

He is
Always sitting (standing?)
He is the answer to the question
He is the answer to the question
He is all He says He is"

I think these words breathe truth into life. I serve a God who is the Answer to the question. He is all he says he is. Sometimes I forget the urgency of this broken world and how much it is crying out for Jesus. He is the answer to their question. So many of us are blind to him, I pray that I will never become that way. Lord, give me eyes to see you not only in the big things but in the simple things.
Be Blessed today,
Darcie

I am now a class G driver....

It's amazing how fear plays such a huge role in life, at least in my life. Fear holds us back from accomplishing things. It makes us worry to no end. It gets into our heads and just does not want to leave. Today was my final driver's test. Fear has been in my head for a long long time waiting for this day. I am so glad it is over. And yes I passed....praise the Lord. Thanks to all those who prayed for me. Today I realized again how much the Lord cares about the little things that seem so big in our lives. My driver's test is small compared to the AIDS crisis and compared to people struggling with a disease or a loss but today it was overwhelming and I knew that even though it was a small thing the Lord was with me and He was my helper. It is a reminder for us in our everyday lives that Jesus knows what's going on and he walks with us. Tonight I had the wonderful opportunity to have dinner with my friend Carmen. She is a missionary in London, England. I was there last April doing short term missions. I had the chance to spend a lot of time with her. It was great to hear about how the Lord is at work through her. She works very closely with the religion of Islam and ministering to muslims. I would really love to go back to England. I think about it often. Another day I will share more about my experience there. Perhaps someday the Lord will provide an opportunity for me to go back. This Saturday night I am going to Toronto for the Hillsong and Starfield concert, I am very excited. Some more good news is my mom started to blog. You can check out her blog at lilchatsfrommybrownrocker.blogspot.com. I am so blessed to have her as my mom.
The Sens just lost game #2. I am quite disappointed. Fisher has been playing his heart out though, very impressive. The Sens head to Ottawa now though so hopefully that will spark some new life into them. I think Don Cherry agrees with me as well! Anyways i think tonight I will sleep better than I did last night. I feel quite happy right now. Thank you Lord.
That's all for tonight, hope you are all enjoying this beautiful weather,
The Kindred Spirit

Pitch N' Praise 2007....good times....

This past weekend was Pitch N' Praise. An annual student conference where 2000 kids meet together, pitch a tent and praise God. It was probably the best Pitch I have ever been to. There were some great bands there like Tree 63, Jonezetta, Underdown (from the UK), Glenn Kaiser, Manafest and a few others. The theme this year was Storyline....so there were lots of different speakers sharing their stories. There was a story lounge for the students where they could blog, paint, record, etc. their stories. I thought this was an amazing theme because it relates to every single person. We all have a story to share. My favourite DJ, DJ Kubiks was there again. I especially enjoyed the club....also known as the Liquidiser....a great place to bust-a-move! It is amazing and overwhelming to meet with so many other people who share your faith. The last session together we stacked our chairs and just worshiped, what a moment! I was sad to go home but I left with a new energy in my faith. It was great to see so many people again. To top off the weekend the Senators have advanced to the Stanley Cup finals....awesome. Below are some pics from the weekend. Sorry for the lack of blogging for those who read.....this week has been really busy!




So it was pretty much an amazing weekend. I will write more soon.
Yours truly,
The Kindred Spirit

Tomorrow will be a Beautiful Day...

It is late or should I say early. I am not asleep yet. I seem to have a lot on my mind. Tomorrow is Pitch N' Praise, I have not packed yet, I will do that tomorrow. I worked tonight, it was slow, not a bad night though.
Sometimes I wonder how the world can be getting better and worse all at the same time. I recently just finished a course called Bible Survey 101. It was basically a course that took me through the whole bible. I really struggled through some of the course, especially certain parts of the Old Testament. I wrestled a lot with the idea that God can both be loving and just. I suppose I have always heard the word "just" and thought mean and harsh, and I never wanted that to be the relationship between God and me. Recently I have come to love and appreciate the fact that I serve a just God. I have been reminded in the last while that I live in a world that is so sinful and I am surrounded by evil. I wonder how people can hurt one another so much. I wonder how people's hearts can be so hard. It breaks my heart. I see and hear about people who do such evil things to one another and I find myself praying that God would be just and that they would be found in their sin. This is the part of the world that makes me look out my window on a beautiful day and no longer think the day is beautiful. I see the day only for the pain in it, the hurts and cries of the innocent, and for a brief second I question God.

Where are you?

He is there. Then I remember. God is good. Even when things are awful and life hurts, God is good. When there is pain, and anger and questions that don't ever seem to have an answer, God is good and He is there. When I don't feel like praising Him, I do it anyways because He is good. I remember that He loves me. I remember that He died for me. I remember that He cries for me. I remember that He holds me. I remember that when life doesn't make sense, it doesn't matter because God is in control and He is good. Then for a moment I think about the good things, things that give us passion and push us to find the most out of this life. I think about all the times people blame God for something that happened and they never take the time to look and see how He was at work. These are the things that make me look out my window on a beautiful day and say "Thank You Lord for Life.....oh the possibilities in this day". In that moment I don't question God, I just thank Him and revel in the fact that I serve a God who is not only just but who sees me in all my weakness and humanity and still chooses to have a relationship with me.

I suppose somedays the beautiful day really is beautiful and somedays I just see no beauty. Today there was no beauty. Today I felt my heart whisper prayers for justice because today I felt like sin was prevailing. I hope tomorrow I will find some beauty. Evil cannot triumph over every beautiful day. So right now I am choosing that tomorrow, in my own life, evil will lose and good will prevail because God is good. Tomorrow will be a beautiful day, even if it rains.

Tomorrow I am going camping with my friends and we will enjoy God's beautiful creation and we will meet lots of new people and I will be reminded of how beautiful the day truly is! I will look out my window and say "Thank You Lord for Life.....oh the possibilities in this day"! I pray that you would do the same.

Yours Truly,
The Kindred Spirit

The New Blogger is back again!!!!

I haven't written in a while. I suppose I lost the first wind of being a blogger, but I'm back now....with pictures!
I have recently been learning how to drive standard. My dearest friend Diana has been teaching me on her honda civic. I think I have got 2nd, 3rd and 4th gear down but I am having a hard time with 1st! I happen to stall it quite a lot in first. I really like driving standard though because I actually feel like I am driving!
I have been going out to a college and university group called Epic...I really enjoy the worship and the fellowship. Some of us went bowling on Saturday night....me being the competitive one that I am rocked both games....another sweet victory (not that I am bragging or anything).


It was a great time together.

I luv my mamma....
I finished the Mother's Day video and it was shown in church on Sunday, I couldn't be upstairs because I was leading kids church. As one of my leaders said to me, it was "organized chaos". The craft was a bit rushed but I think it was good....we made mommy mobiles. I am so thankful for my Mom. I would be blessed if I can become half the woman she is.

The pic above is an older one but I love it!

Update on the Mashinter Family Hockey Pool....
Mom is still leading....I am so excited that Ottawa and Buffalo get to play one another in the semi-finals. It was a hard choosing who to cheer for but I have finally decided that I am cheering for Ottawa. They have been playing great....Alfy, Fisher and Spez have been strong. LET'S GO SENS!!!! They had a beautiful win tonight....way to go....3-0 in the series! I still don't think that there is any hope of me making a comeback in the pool but I will be very happy if the Sens make the finals.


Thank You Lord for Beautiful Weather...
The weather has been beautiful lately....I have been trying to walk everyday if I can. I went for a long bike ride the other night and the country was beautiful. Sometimes the beauty of God's creation is overwhelming and on that night it was to me. Those are the nights I love those back country roads. Pitch N' Praise is coming up this weekend and I am hoping that the weather will be nice for that weekend.

I think that's it for tonight.
Be Blessed, Darc