Courage

Courage, also known as fortitude, is the ability to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty or intimidation. It can be divided into "physical courage" — in face of physical pain, hardship, and threat of death — and "moral courage" — in the face of shame, scandal, and discouragement.

Encourage, To inspire with hope, courage, or confidence; hearten.

6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.

Deuteronomy 31:6

Stand up and claim your identity.

I finished reading "for one more day" by Mitch Albom. I liked this book a lot better than "five people you meet in heaven", although not nearly as much as "Tuesdays with Morrie." Highly recommended.

This post is for Alana, so I may be a bit more edgumicated.

This is the flag of Nevis.














From Wikipedia:

Nevis is an island in the Caribbean near the top of the Lesser Antilles archipelago, about 220 miles (350 km) southeast of Puerto Rico and 50 miles (80 km) west of Antigua. The 36 square-mile (93 km²) island is part of the Leeward Islands and is located at latitude 17.15°N and longitude 62.58°W. The capital of Nevis is Charlestown. Nevis is federated with Saint Kitts in the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. The two islands are separated by a 2-mile (3.22 km) wide channel.

Nevis is conical in shape, with a volcanic peak at the centre. The island is fringed by long strands of golden sand beaches and has a coastline intermittently protected by coral reefs. The colour of the sand is a result of the mixture of coral, foraminifera and volcanic sand. The most famous beach is the 4-mile (6.44 km) long Pinney's Beach on the west coast. In the lush interior, rivers and ponds fill up seasonally, and the gently sloping coastal plain (0.6 miles/1 km wide) also has natural fresh water springs, especially along the west coast. The island was named Oualie ("Land of Beautiful Waters") by the Caribs and Dulcina ("Sweet Island") by the early British settlers.^[3] The name Nevis is derived from Spanish, Nuestra Señora de las Nieves ("Our Lady of the Snows"), a name given the island in 1493 by Christopher Columbus who thought the clouds over Nevis Peak made the island resemble a snow-capped mountain.

The majority of the approximately 12,000 inhabitants of Nevis are of African descent. English is the official language and the literacy rate, 98 percent, is one of the highest in the Western Hemisphere. The Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) Conference paper presented at The St. Kitts and Nevis Country Conference, University of the West Indies, Barbados, May 2000 and the Cambridge General Certificate of Education Examination (GCE) results of students in Nevis are consistently among the highest in the English-speaking Caribbean.^[4][5]

I feel so smart.

Tossed and turned in my bed all night and gave up the notion of sleep at 5 am. I was planning on doing devotions at 5 am anyways, althought not quite like this. I suspect today is going to be a rough day.

If I can make it to the gym at 6 am, I would've pulled off a Geoff Low.

It's been almost one month into the new year and I've read the following so far:

• The Wealthy Barber (Dave Chilton)
• The Automatic Millionaire (David Bach)
• The Unquenchable Worshipper (Matt Redman)
• Rich Dad, Poor Dad (Robert Kiyosaki)

I've got "For Mone more day" and "Mere Christianity" in my queue. I'm hoping to get my hands on Blink when I get the chance. At this rate, it'll last me only a week. I need more books.

If Only

I got this from one of the daily emails by Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). In short, the ministy is about reaching and challenging those who shape the ideas of a culture with the credibility and the beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ through apologetics. Ravi Zacharias I had first heard about from Lee Strobel's "The Case For Faith". The man is phemonenal. The entry below is from one of his associate writers Jill Carattini. Absolutely thought provoking.

Hindsight is 20/20. We know the truth of the expression from experience. "If only I would have taken a different street, I wouldn't be stuck in traffic." "If only I would have quit while I was ahead, I wouldn't be stuck in this situation." Such thoughts are unending: If I would have paid closer attention, if I would have pushed a little harder, if I would have stopped pushing... if only I knew then what I know now, things would have turned out differently.

Quite probably in many cases that is true. If we knew beforehand what we know after the fact, things could have very well turned out differently. Yet equally wrapped up somewhere within this "if only" mindset is the thought that things would not only have turned out differently but that they would also have turned out better. Knowing this would take much more than 20/20 vision. Standing on the other side of knowing gives us a different perspective, to be sure. But to assume that because of that perspective we now see perfectly is a perilous oversight.

The Israelites often cried out to God in the belief that they were seeing perfectly. The shackles that bound them to Egypt and misery were broken off before their eyes. God moved them from slavery to freedom via the floor of the Red Sea, putting before his people a sign momentous enough to make an impression upon each day ahead of them. Yet walking through the adversities of the desert, they cried out as if never having seen the hand that was leading them. "If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?" (Numbers 14:2-3).

It seems the view from hindsight can be as misleading as it is insightful. The Israelite's mistreatment at the hands of the Egyptians was overlooked in their perception of the other side of the Red Sea. Moreover, their deliverance at the hands of God in hindsight was seen as unremarkable and unrelated to their need for Him in the present.


The cry of "if only" is all too often a cry of distrust. The seemingly harmless expression insists that we know best, that we know what is better, that we know what we need. Like the Israelites in their forgetful wailing we are often certain that we not only know what will make our situations better, but what will finally make us happy. We always seem to know just the thing our lives are missing. "If only we had meat to eat" the Israelites insisted, "we would be satisfied." But they were not, and we are no more successful. In reality, what we need is often a far cry from what we think we need. Can you not look back to a prayer and thank God that He didn't answer it? It is a thought we do well to take with us into all our crying out to God.

G.K. Chesterton speaks in a poem of the posture we often forget when the cry to change the past or achieve the perfect future emerges from our lips. He writes,

Thank God the stars are set beyond my power,
If I must travail in a night of wrath,
Thank God my tears will never vex a moth,
Nor any curse of mine cut down a flower.

Instead, the Christian is given the freedom of thankfulness that the one listening to her prayers sits with wisdom far greater than her own. For even Job who cried, "If only I had never come into being, or had been carried straight from the womb to the grave" found in the end that he had spoken out of turn. But we can thank God that his thoughts are beyond our own, that He knows the longings we express and the ones we do not know to express. We can thank God for the promise that all things work together for good--our trials, our mistakes, our past, our future.

God is at work even in the moments when we would cry
"if only." And his own "if only's" are far more sobering. As Christ approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace" (Luke 19:41). He who parted the Red Sea is with you. Rest assured, He knows your need and so reveals Himself that you might also.

Jill Carattini is senior associate writer at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

Co-leading Worship

Today I co-led for the first time. I've been itching to do this for months now. It's interesting, when you're in the congregation you can tell what's going on with the team and whether or not they're playing or worshipping. You can also tell when the congregation is really feeling God's presence. Coming from KCCF, I was accustomed to worship that was on fire, people who sang their hearts out for God, people who had passion expressed outwardly. Back in the home church, its different. I wonder if its the chinese culture (whereby people express their love of God by being as stoic and expressionless as possible) of people not really feeling God.

When you stand up there, you can see who is really into the worship and who is disinterested. I firmly believe it's possible to have this church standing up and enthusiastically praising God. Worship on its own its meant to be an intimate expression of our joy in God, which its hard because the church setting isn't what I'd necessarily call intimidate. Perhaps the solution is to become the change which I want to see. A new step in my walk. Full of frustrations, joy, hardships, encouragement alike. Bring it on. =D

Confirmed

I'm set to be speaking the weekend February 3rd at a conference I used to be part of.

Check it out under the speaker section:

http://www.queenscirque.com/

Also, there's a picture of when I got my head shaved for Cuts for Cancer in 4th year.

http://clubs.myams.org/helpinghand/cuts/waystohelp.html

Man, I miss Queen's sometimes.

Thanks for everyone who came out to Dave & My Birthday Shindig. It's great to see all of you outside of a church setting (which is rare for me). I know I don't say it nearly enough, but each and everyone of you mean a lot to me. =D

Pictures to come soon.

I've finished off "The Unquenchable Worshipper" by Matt Redman and "The Wealthy Barber" by David Chilton. Thanks again Geoff for lending me "The Unquenchable Worshipper"! I found it refreshing and changed my perspective on worship. "The Wealthy Barber" was good, but towards the end I started to lose interest. To much people talking back and forth and not to the point enough.

The next books are "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki and "For One More Day" by Mitch Albom.

Also, I'm confirmed to speak in Kingston on February 3rd! I'm excited!!! Now I've got to get my presentation ready.

On a seperate note, Dave and my birthday celebrations are coming up! Yay 24! (I think...someone please tell me 24 is a good age)

Calvin & Hobbes

This is one of my favourite cartoons. You know, I think Calvin had it all figured out.

Little Things Make My Weekend

It was one of those days where nothing incredibly special or noteworthy happened, but still a good weekend.

• I went to MEC and got a replacement strap for my carry-on bag. MEC is fantastic.
• I had my first Burrito Boyz chicken burrito under Julian's recommendation. Do you know they have a halibut Burrito??!?!
• Did a strong leg workout and tried skipping for the first time since grade school.
  
• Read the book that Geoff gave me for Christmas, "Automatic Millionaire" by David Bach. A fantastic book! I tore through it in one day and even bought a copy that I'll give to my friend.
• Got to enjoy the fantastic weather. Heat Island effect or Global Warming, whatever is causing it.
• Skipped Rope for the first time in years. I suck at it.
• Watched 4 episodes of 24 Season 6. Season Premiere!!!! Soo Good!
  

As a side note; while I was waiting for my burritoes, two blond girls walk in and start talking about the David Beckham soccer deal.

Blond Girl 1: I can't believe David Beckham has got like what? A $250 million dollar deal for five years. How much is that per year?
Blond Girl 2: I think that like, around $38 million or so.
Blond Girl 1: Actually, I think more like $75 million.
Me: [Thinking]....Umm....Oh my....

Now, I've never been one to believe the whole blonde stereotype...but...that makes me think twice.

Back to my original point. I'm a simple creature. Little things make me happy.

Investment Tips of the Day

I'm currently reading David Chilton's "The Wealthy Barber". I've been meaning to get a better handling on this whole financing game because I know its really, really important to start early. The only thing I've learned from the book so far is how crazy compound interest really accumulates. That is...if you know where to invest to get a 12% return. How the heck am I going to find that??

On a seperate note I've been trying to save up to get a bike for a while. It occured to me yesterday that my bike could really be a cost savings investment on top of a something I can ride around in. How so? I'm glad you asked! Suppose I spend $1000-$1500 on the bike and that It costs me roughly $20 a week to use the TTC. That's roughly $1000 in TTC expenses annually!!! If I am able to bike the work for 3 months of the year instead of taking the TTC, I can save approximately $250. Which means, my bike would pay itself back in 4-6 years assuming I remain in bikable distance to my workplace during that time. Yay financial nerdiness!

Really, I just want to get the bike. The cost savings part is gravy. =D

Pool Nostalgia

I've been craving a good length swim for many months now. The problem with condominium pools are that once you push off, you're pretty much done your length. It's like the Saturday Night Live skit with Jim Carrey as the Lifegaurd of a jacuzzi, where they have the guy come in for lap swimming. I found the clip on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpsL1r5jMBY

So today, I finally came across one close to my place and it's a 50 meter pool! Douglas Snow, I don't know who you were, but thank you for the Aquatic Center! Walking into the change room, seeing old-school lockers, showers and the pool deck reminds me of the PEC back at Queen's. I even saw one of those multi-coloured clocks that reminded me of swimming lessons and lifeguarding. Bronze Cross anyone?

Forgotten in all this nostalgia is that my body wasn't used to the swimming and tired out after a couple of laps. I even tried doing a kicking only with a flutterboard, which was murder. So now I have a new place to go after work to do exercise. Yeah!

Also, I wound up talking to Kaori on MSN last night. I managed to get around to sharing my testimony with her. I really hope it helps. Long Distance Evangelizing! Elaine, if you're reading this, Kaori's wife-carrying movie was very well documented and very interesting. Glad I went with Johnny and Nikki.

Rant Post

Not exactly how I wanted to start blogging in the new year. Normally, I don't post about things I read in the news, but I found this rather disturbing. I believe Canada is becoming the West's version of the Netherlands. Somehow that's not surprising. What's next, polygamy?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070103/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_parents

Delayed New Years Post

One of the cool things about blogging is that you can look back and remember exactly what mood you were in when you wrote that entry. It's cool to pause for a moment and see how God has transformed you. Last year, it was about fundamentals and the little things, which I definitely still needed work on.

A few things God's revealed to me in 2006:

• I love playing worship and engaging in apologetics
• I definitely enjoy cooking for others along with the money it saves rather than eating out
  
• I can be as blunt as a pair of children's scissors
• I am way too serious and contemplative for my own good
• I feel nothing is impossible when I wholly seek God's face.
  
• I care way too much about my real or percieved weaknesses
  
• For the first time, I see my walk with God as a relationship rather than a lifestyle.
• God has blessed me with great friends that I don't hang out with nearly enough or tell them how much I value their friendship.
  
• God is good. He is really really good.
• The list could go on....

A few things I feel God is calling me for in 2007:

• Leading english worship
  
• Missions?
• Observing the Sabbath rest on Sundays
  
• Stronger friendships
• Overcome the past
  
• Being less "busy"
  
• Adventures
• Fond Memories

God's blessed me with an assortment of tools, now its a matter of putting it all together. It's going to be special.

God has really instilled in me a burden and desire for his Truth. It started when one of my friend's was told that the story of Jesus was in fact, made up and she believed it. Usually, I'm never quick to anger, but that's something that set me off.

This past year, I've developed a passion for apologetics. The general stereotype that I've heard about is that most of us were brought up Christian and we follow the "religion" because it's what we were conditioned to think growing up. What's interesting is that from a scientific, historical and philosphical perspective, there's more evidence supporting God and Christ than against. (I may sound completely biased at this point, but I would definitely encourage those to look into it for themselves.) Sometimes, I forget God calls us to preach the gospel and makes disciples, and that apologetics is supplemental to our faith, not the core of it.

At my friend's wedding, a few of us were having coffee at Tim Horton's after the wedding ceremony. The wedding itself had a very strong Christian theme to it (scriptures, worship songs, having the pastor speak about marriage) and for some of my non-Christian friends that were there, it was like they were in a church service. Naturally, something like that would lead to some sort of discussion which I felt God was calling me to listen rather than speak. An exerpt from it was below:

Girl 1: I felt like I was in a church service and not a wedding ceremony. You know, if you believe in religion and it makes you a better person, that's great. For me, all that matters is that you live a good moral life.

Girl 2: Yeah! Like, I think I'm a good person and I don't follow religion.

Sunday's sermon mentioned that it's not how much you know, but how much you care that counts. We're living testimonies of the work Christ has done in our lives. There should be an aura that radiates about us. But what good is that aura if it lukewarm or if its unseen? How can I show them the peace and hope I have in Christ if I'm never physically present to share it? What good is it if we only have part of the truth in our lives? 2007, I want to show the world God's Truth, which calls for my full submittal. For if they can't see it in my own life, then how can the know that there's something better out there? How can I expect them to believe?