Sooooo Good!

In a recent blog I mused about how many places there are in this world that have captured a piece of my heart. This past weekend I had the opportunity to visit yet another place that just feels like home. Im talking about a place up in the frozen north of our province some of you may not have heard of called Fairview. At times the drive was somewhat treacherous, These idiot snow haulers would lose big chucks of ice off their truck every time they would hit a bump. so at some parts of the highway it was like dodging ice chunks the size of smart cars, ridiculous. not only did we choose to drive north during the winter we chose to do it during the night. Arriving in a small community called Nampa at about 6 am, we then proceeding to nap and then head to fairview for church at 930. This would be my second night in a row getting less than four hours of sleep, needless to say I was exhausted.

Fairview feels like home because of the people. They welcome me like one of their own, even though sometimes with my designer jeans and pointy dress shoes I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb. I have counselled at a camp outside of fairview the last two summers and have become very close friends with lots of the people whom I have met. Fairview is always full of good times and chill people. Time is filled with just relaxing, catching up, and spending time enjoying the company of friends I dont often get to see. I really enjoy the time i get to spend with the Fraser family, Mark and Shannon always make me feel welcome. Its also cool to see the newest Fraser, Lincoln. Sunday night we fed him pop rocks, it wasn't as hilarious as previously imagined but still pretty funny.

Its sad that i had so little time to spend in Fairview, but sometimes that just how it is. I think i did make the most of my time and I know it wont be long before I return.

Theme song for the day

Rolling in the Deep - John Legend (original by Adele)

Im sore, Im tired, and Im sick from the journey but it was totally worth it.

Sooooo Good.

Faith, Hope, Love.

1 Corinthians 13:11-14

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 

It is integral to a healthy Christian walk that we are always growing and always learning. I have recently come to the conclusion that at every point in our walk with God we are always learning about and strengthening one of these three things; Faith, Hope, and Love. In this particular segment of my journey I am learning about hope. I feel like hope is the forgotten middle child of this family. The obvious focal point of this verse is love, and so it should. We also put a great deal of emphasis on faith, because without faith there would be no relationship, no walk with God, no acceptance of forgiveness and so on and so on. It seems like hope is not weighed on the same scale as the other two. I could be gravely mistaken but i feel like hope is not defined or explained as clearly as the other two. Hebrews 11:1 for Faith, 1st Corinthians 13:4 for Love, but what about hope?

I dont mean to seem flippant about it but i think that hope is not defined specifically is because Hope is universal. Love is specific, Faith is specific, Hope is abstract. Sadly not everyone will experience tangible love, not everyone will come into a faith in Jesus Christ, but i guarantee you that hope is something that every human being has had intimiate experience with. Hope is the homeless man in line for a bed at the shelter, hope is a Chilean miner, hope is a present under the tree, hope is a schoolboy crush, hope is clinging to the promises of a friend, a lover, your family, or the Father. It is the one thing the world clings to when all else has failed. 

I think that we as Christians need to learn how to relate our hope to the rest of the world. I think its the one things that everyone truly understands. People everywhere hope in things that will fail, we have hope in the one thing that will never fail. I think as world continues to spiral out of control and there is rampant devastation on a global scale the one thing people can still latch onto is hope.


Thats my 2 cents.


Theme Song for the Day


Whole World in His Hands - Tim Hughes

White Power.

I dont know if i could tell you why I brave the long drive across the mountains to visit Vancouver approximately 2.5 times a year, but then again maybe I can. Memories are a powerful tool, they can transform a simple white rock into a monument, and a small town near the coast into an Ideal getaway location. Memories can give the mundane significance and the turn the ordinary into spectacular. This is what Vancouver is to me. Some look at Vancouver and see the city that brought Canada to its feet during the Olympics, some might see a city which contains the poorest postal code in Canada. For me Vancouver and area is a collection of memories. Instances from my distant and not so disant past which make it one of my favorite places on earth.

They say home is where the heart is. If this is the case than I feel like I have many homes. There are many places on Gods green earth that have captured a piece of my heart. Edmonton, Paris, Hong Kong, Vancouver, and Rome have all impacted me in significant ways. Whether it be the sights, the people, or just the experience of the journey.

Some people many take the trip into places like Abbottsford, White rock, and Vancouver and not see what the big deal is. The big deal for me is that these places contain some of my fondest memories. The guitar trip in grade 12 to the coast and the Island was two of the most ridiculous weeks of my entire life. to this day it is still one of my favorite journeys to the area. Not many experiences in my life so far have topped being in Vancouver for the Olympics, going to a hockey game, and being on the streets when Canada mens hockey won Gold. Absolutely incredible.

In Vancouver resides the greatest pizza place on Earth, Romanos, at which i must grab a slice or three every time i am there. Wings boasts the hottest wing in North America, which was a crazy experience of which i try to sucker people into share with people all the time. White Rock and Cultus lake are two of the most beautiful place in Canada, yeah it may just be a silly white rock or a nice lake but to me it will always remind me of swimming races and jumping off the pier, spending time with family.

This trip i tried my best to take in as much as i could of this amazing area but sadly it was not long enough. I was able to pay homage to the white rock, stuff my face with Romanos, and watch a friend almost lose his cool eating that wing. I am stoked I got to go back again and am convinced a prompt return is likely imminent. So until that time comes i will continue to brave the cold weather and enjoy the company of friends and family in E-town.

Todays theme song has definitely been rocking my spiritual life the last few days. I encourage you to give it a listen. Powerful lyrics and incredible melody.

Skeleton Bones - John Mark Mcmillan

Until next time.

Keep your stick on the ice.