Saturday 14 September 2013

One Week Left!

When Johnny left this morning to begin his second year at Capernwray Harbour, it made me realize how soon I'll be leaving too! With one week left before I fly across the Atlantic Ocean, I thought I'd give an explanation as to what exactly I'll be doing for the next nine months.

September 28th marks the first day of bible school for me at Capernwray Hall, but my Mom and I are leaving on the 22nd and staying in London for the week. The school is actually located in Lancashire in north-west England. Although it is a bible school It's not exactly like university. I'm not going there to earn a degree, I'm taking the year to focus on studying the bible, learning more about my faith and growing in my relationship with God. I'm so excited and a little nervous to travel to another country and to meet new people, but I know that the Lord is going to take care of me and He has given me this opportunity for a good reason.

To give you an idea of what my schedule might look like, here's a summary from a previous student of a day at Capernwray Hall. I copied this from the school's website http://www.capernwray.org.uk/BibleSchool.php?pid=51

Here are some of Erynne's memories of a regular bible school week;
(Not every day is like this, but at least this gives you a flavour of what it’s like)
Up for breakfast, get ready for the day...
Off to lectures! There are four sessions with a tea/coffee break half way through...
Lunch...
Free afternoon - walk the loop (round the park), play a game, get to know other students and staff, work on projects...
Time for tea (dinner/supper depending on where you come from !)...
2 evening lectures...
Supper (hot chocolate and a biscuit)...
A bit of free time before bed...
Lock up!

Saturdays are different – usually a free day. Late start, and often there is a trip organised to a local town or attraction. You will have to pay extra for these trips, but it’s worth it to see and experience more of England!

Fridays and Saturdays there are a number of social activities organised – family nights, film nights, maybe even a British night!

Sundays too are different – there are services morning and evening – but generally a fairly relaxed day.

Saturday 31 August 2013

Spiritual Gifts Test

Last month, I took the spiritual gifts test at http://www.spiritualgiftstest.com/tests along with some of the other youth at my church. In our Sunday morning youth class, one week we talked about spiritual gifts and concluded that everyone has at least one spiritual gift. We even talked about gifts within our church and what we thought our spiritual gifts were. Most of the gifts we came up with were related to what we did in the church, or what we were good at, whether it be music, working with kids, cooking, speaking, writing, and other things like that. 

When I took this test, I thought it would talk about the same things, but it was completely different. If you take the test yourself, it gives statements that you rate on a scale of 0 to 5, then scores you into the following categories: Administration, discernment, evangelism, exhortation, faith, giving, leadership, mercy, pastor, serving, and teaching. Even if you don't take the test, it might be a good idea to read up on what each of the categories are.

My top three gifts were:
1. Serving
2. Faith
3. Administration

I wasn't surprised that serving and administration were in my top three. I enjoy doing small, detailed tasks and helping out wherever help is needed, but I never thought of it as a gift. Having faith as number two was a shock to me though. Looking back at my answers, I realized that anytime there was a statement regarding faith, I didn't even hesitate and gave it five out of five. 

The good thing about this test, is it also gives your score for the other gifts, that way you can see how you fit into those categories as well. I know this is just a test, and the results are not going to be perfect, but I'd really recommend taking this test. Let me know what your top three are!

Friday 9 August 2013

Week 2: Goodness

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control; against such things there is no law. 




What does it mean to be good? Well, I looked up synonyms for goodness, and this is what I found: Moral, generous, kind, friendly, honest, and gracious. Goodness isn't just one idea, I guess it's a combination of good characteristics and other fruit of the spirit too.

All throughout my life, I've been labeled as a good person. In my high school yearbook, I was even voted the "most likely to become a saint". But just like everyone else, I'm not perfect. I've made mistakes in my life, and I don't always do the right thing.

In the theme of goodness, I've been reading Grace for the Good Girl by Emily P. Freeman. (Book review to come!) One chapter focuses on Mary and Martha. Martha was trying to be a good host and became easily worried and stressed when her sister listened to Jesus speak rather than help her. Another chapter focuses on the parable of the lost son. The younger son took his share of his father's land, left home, and lost all he had. When he returned home, his father was overjoyed and began planning a celebration. The older son who had not done anything to displease his father, became angry and jealous of his brother.

When I was reading these stories again, I came to the realization that I could relate to Martha and the older son. When other people are rewarded for their good behavior, I think what about me? I've been doing the right thing this whole time, where's my reward? But goodness should come with humility, and just because you're not praised for doing the right thing, doesn't mean you should stop.

But why is it important to be good? Jesus says in Luke 6:33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. As a Christian, I think it's so important to do good to everyone around you, because by doing good, you'll be showing God's goodness through your actions.

Thursday 1 August 2013

Bathurst Update: Mission Complete

Read week one here!

Day 8: Sunday
The group that was in Campbellton participated in their morning service and in the afternoon, we all attended the service at St. Luke's. After staying at the church for a week for meals and setting up, it was good to see the congregation again and to see the church being used by people other than us. During the service, Kim and Shoolie performed a small skit depicting a conversation between a woman and God. She told God her list of things she needed to be done, and He simply told her to give all those things to Him.

That evening, some of us went to play soccer with Chaleur Generation again (Can you tell we like soccer?) and some of us did some finishing touches on the VBS decorations. Bathurst has fireworks at the end of their summer festival, Hospitality Days. So many people came to watch, the entire bridge and waterfront were filled with people!

Fireworks!

Day 9: Monday
Welcome to day one of VBS! We learned that God's love helps us stand strong! I was so excited to see lots of kids from last year and some new faces too. Since I was a station leader, I was in charge of taking 6 kids around to the different stations throughout the morning. I love being a station leader, because I get to experience VBS with the kids by going to each station with them. These stations include Tournament Games for kingdom related games, Chadder's Royal Theater for a daily video, The King's Kitchen for a tasty snack, Epic Bible Adventure for an awesome bible story and the Imagination Station for fun experiments.



Day 10: Tuesday
VBS day two was just as fun as day one. We learned that friends and family help us stand strong! During the Epic Bible Adventure, the kids learned about how Esther's cousin Mordecai helped her stand strong. The kids encouraged our very own Esther before she had to talk to the King.

Esther Becomes Queen Esther

That evening we went deep sea fishing! While some of us caught more than twenty fish, I managed to get five mackerel and two cod. Kim even caught a jellyfish tentacle (Gross!). Those with strong stomachs helped gut and clean the fish before we took them home. But the best part of catching all those fish is eating them!

Kim's a Natural

We Caught Tons of Fish

Day 11: Wednesday
On day three of VBS, we learned that prayer helps us stand strong! During VBS, Landie, Christian, and Shoolie became Sir Brodie, Sir Gogos-A-Lot and Sir Flight. To make VBS a little more interesting, we decided to make a couple of videos of our knights looking for and slaying a dragon. The first one showed Sir Brodie escaping from the fire breathing dragon during training.

Watch The Dragon Video #1
Watch The Dragon Video #2

Sir Gogos-A-Lot

Filming The Dragon Video

Day 12: Thursday
Our energy levels were running low on the fourth day of VBS but we managed to stay energetic for the kids. We learned that trusting God helps us stand strong! That evening, we had a combined worship service with Chaleur Generation. Since they are a bilingual group, we sang songs like Forever and Revelation Song in both French and English. I can still remember that chanton means sing praise.

Worship With Chaleur Generation

Day 13: Friday
The final day of VBS is always bitter sweet, especially since we have to wait another year before we see the kids again. We learned that God's word helps us stand strong! Our knights finally slayed the dragon at the Fanfare Finale and they got to share how God helped them stand strong. Parents that came early were able to see a little bit of what we've been doing all week. Lunch was also provided, giving us the opportunity to say our final goodbyes and to meet parents and family members.

Zachary Helps Sir Brodie Slay The Dragon

Kingdom Rock!

We had dinner at a seafood restaurant near Pabineau Falls. We would have visited the falls after, but it was raining. A lot. So instead of taking our team picture at the falls, we went to the gazebo by the waterfront.

The Team 2013

Then we headed back to the church for our final debrief. This included worship, some time to share what the trip meant to us, and some time to talk in smaller groups. Even some members of the congregation and VBS volunteers joined us.

Day 14: Saturday
Once we finally packed, cleaned up and got into our vans, it was difficult to say goodbye to Bathurst for another year. After another long car ride, we arrived in Quebec City, but this time to stay for a few days.

Walking Around Quebec

Day 15: Sunday
I really enjoyed the service at St. Andrew's that morning. Since the church is in Old Quebec, there were some other tourists there too. That evening, we teamed up with the youth of St. Andrew's to create a contemporary worship service. We split up into teams where we worked together to present different parts of the service. This included a call to worship, prayer, worship through art and worship through music.

Christian and Esther Present The Call To Worship

Day 16: Monday
After a lengthy drive filled with many needed bathroom breaks and Tim Horton's stops, we finally made it back to Toronto.

Even though the title says mission complete, it's not actually over. I can't wait to see what this mission trip is going to bring to the Bathurst community and to our own community here in Agincourt.

Monday 22 July 2013

Mission Trip Update: We're Halfway There

I can't believe it's already been a week! So many great things have been happening, there will be plenty of stories to share when we come back. But until then, here's a simple description of what we've been doing on the mission trip.

Day 1: Sunday
The commissioning service was great! The congregation is so supportive of what we do in Bathurst, it was good to be able to get them involved and to say goodbye. As we departed, the ride was surprisingly smooth. We took less stops we didn't get lost or stuck in traffic. That night, we stayed at St.Andrew's in Quebec City. The surrounding area is beautiful, filled with old buildings, sloping sidewalks, and tons of people.

Quebec City

Day 2: Monday
On the road again! Being stuck in a car for two days isn't always fun. When we finally arrived at our destination, most of us were reunited with St.Luke's but Alyssa, Torre, Landie, and Kofi got to see it for the first time. We were especially excited to be able to eat a homemade meal instead of fast food! We were also able to meet a lot of the members of the congregation, and introduce ourselves to them.

Torre is reunited with his Grandpa

Day 3: Tuesday
Glen took us for a walking tour around the town. He took us to the waterfront, the gazebo, the tower and showed us a monument placed in memory of the high school basketball team that died in a bus accident. Later on that evening, we joined up with Chaleur Generation, a bilingual youth group to play soccer. It was great to see some growth in their group as well as ours, and to simply help them out by being there for their events.

The Waterfront Gazebo

Day 4: Wednesday
Before we started setting up for VBS, we started some leader training. We learned this year's songs, and came up with ways to become effective leaders. Everyone chose their stations for the next week. This was when I was reminded why we came to Bathurst in the first place, to serve the community and share the gospel with families through VBS.

Learning the Actions For Songs
 Even though the weather wasn't great, we made some time to visit the beach. Some of us went swimming, while others enjoyed the view or played football in the sand.

Swimming in the Ocean

Day 5: Thursday
Those who had VBS stations started to read their scripts, set up, and decorate. To make decorating more fun, we were put into four groups and had a stained glass window making competition, which sounds a lot easier than it really is. That afternoon, our group split up into three in order to start service projects. One group went to Campbellton to start setting up for their weekend VBS. The second group volunteered at the homeless shelter, folding and organized donated clothes. The third group that I was a part of, helped Eleanor, a member of St.Luke's by painting her house and helping in her garden.

The Winning Stained Glass Window

Day 6: Friday
The Campbellton group started VBS and had a great time even though they only had three kids show up. The rest of us helped Sharon, another member of St.Luke's by pulling weeds in her small farm. Her family usually helps her during the summer, but they have moved away from Bathurst in order to find work. Then we spent another evening playing volleyball with Chaleur Generation.

Having Fun in Campbellton

Day 7: Saturday
VBS continued in Campbellton, while everyone else went to the local farmer's market for breakfast. This is the last year before it gets replaced with a larger market where the prices for tables will go up. In the afternoon, we got some well needed rest and watched Sean win another soccer game.

Read week two here!

Tuesday 2 July 2013

Pre-Bathurst Excitement!

All year, I've been eagerly anticipating for the two weeks of July that involve my church's Bathurst Mission Trip. Whenever people ask me what I did in New Brunswick, I find it difficult to come up with a short answer. There were so many amazing experiences and stories, I could go on for a long time. But, I've decided to narrow it all down into five categories. Here are the major ways I saw God working in Bathurst over the past two years:

The Kids of Bathurst
Bathurst is a smaller city with amazing people. Our day camp started very early in the morning, and most of the kids who came had to drive about an hour to get to the church. Last year, I was a crew leader of a group of older girls about 7-12 years old. One of the girls in my group insisted that she was only coming for one day because she didn't like it, and frequently complained to me about the quality of the camp in general. I thought I'd never see her after day one, but lo and behold, she came back every day of the week. On the final day of camp, we had small group time, and this girl asked me for proof that God was real. Before I could even think of an answer for her, the other girls in my group had faithfully given her their own answers. As a camp leader, it's hard to know if the stories you're teaching the kids will be remembered, and sometimes it feels as if they have no idea what you're talking about. Not only did my group understand what we were teaching them, they were teaching one another as well. I was amazed to hear these girls talking about their faith and what they believe to one another and to see God working in their lives.


Music and Worship
After a tiring, but exciting day full of service projects, setting up, cleaning, or running a morning of VBS, we would gather together at the end of the day in our close living quarters, to have a time of worship and share our experiences that day. This was one of my favourite parts of the mission trips, because after all the hard work done during the day, this gave us the chance to praise God for the work we were able to do and to put our focus back onto Him. It was easy to become stressed and tired on the trip, but these debriefs allowed us to reflect on the real reason we were there. In these moments, I was able to push aside all my thoughts or worries of the day or the days to come and keep my focus on God.


Nature, and the Beauty of God's Creation
I was talking to my coworker about Bathurst during my break the other day, and I tried to explain the scenery of New Brunswick. Living in Toronto, I'm used to a crowded, busy atmosphere and being able to take the bus, or walk to get where I need to go. When in Bathurst, we had to drive everywhere since everything is spaced out and far away. When we went to the town square, we could see the ocean and the beautiful sunset in the evenings. We also went to Pabineau Falls  As I sat by the water and just listened to it moving, you could feel God's presence through His creation. Visiting these places was a reminder to me that God created this earth, and that the earth and all it's beauty is His. Watching the water and the stillness of nature in Bathurst brings such a peaceful atmosphere, it's so easy to feel God's presence in the beauty of His creation.

The sunset from the town's gazebo.

Pabineau Falls

The Bathurst Team
Going to Bathurst with a team of great people made the trip an amazing experience. Everyone was excited to travel to a new place. Everyone had their own job, and as a team we all worked great together. Last year, living in a small house with 22 people could have gone terribly wrong. But instead of arguing over space, or complaining about shower times, we were able to survive two weeks without getting sick of each other. I thought I knew everyone in our group pretty well, but after the mission trip, I had learned so many things about them, and the trip had brought us so much closer together, and so much closer to God during this time.

The Team: 2011
The Team: 2012

Sean
If you were to ask anyone from the mission team about Bathurst, they will mention Sean. We met Sean the first year we went to New Brunswick. He's a member of St. Luke's Presbyterian Church and was there on the first day to welcome us. As we began our service projects in the community, he joined us and soon became a part of the group. It was almost as if he had come with us from Toronto. Seeing God work in Sean while we were there made me realize how God can use one person to do great things. It has been a blessing for everyone to see how meeting Sean on the mission trip made a huge difference in his life and in our lives.

Matt gives Sean a Bible before we leave.

Our team leaves for Bathurst on July 14th. I hope you're as excited as I am! Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare for our third mission trip!

Saturday 22 June 2013

Week 1: Patience

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control; against such things there is no law. 

This week's fruit of the spirit is patience! I thought it would be fun to decorate my walls with the fruit of the spirit to remind myself that I should be living patiently, kindly, and joyfully not just for a few weeks, but everyday.

But what exactly is patience? Here's a definition:


I've always thought of myself as a patient person. I've never had trouble waiting in a line, since I'm never really in a rush. Now I realize that I might not be as patient as I thought. Sometimes, I look forward to the future so much, I complain when time doesn't move fast enough. I finished my last exams of high school EVER this week and I kept thinking I can't wait until school's done or I can't wait for summer especially when an entire week of exams felt like it lasted a month. I kept thinking about the summer, and going to England next year, and during this stressful time, I'll admit I was pretty impatient. Getting through school and work was tedious, boring, and difficult to do, but knowing that there are greater things to come helped me get through this year.

Now that summer is here, I'm excited for the mission trip in July and then bible school in September. But I've been having trouble deciding what to do when I come back from bible school next year. Should I go to university? Should I work? In today's busy world, it seems like if you don't have a plan for everything, you'll be walking in a race that everyone else running. I've been praying about my future, asking God to tell me what he wants me to do in my life, but I'm still not sure what that is. It would be great to know what's in store, but I'll just have to wait and trust that God's plans are greater than mine and that He will take care of me every step of the way.

Saturday 8 June 2013

Fruit of the Spirit Challenge!

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control; against such things there is no law. 

I've always been able to recite the fruit of the spirit, since I memorized this verse as a kid. One year at camp, the theme was the fruit of the spirit. Every week, we focused on one or two fruits, and by the end of the summer, we had completed an entire cut out tree. Even though I can name all the fruits, I thought I should take the time to learn about each one separately.

That's why I decided to start the Fruit of the Spirit Challenge. Over the course of nine weeks, I'm going to attempt to live out, find examples and learn about the fruit of the Spirit. Verse 25 says "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." I'm hoping that by focusing on one fruit a week I'll be able to have a better understanding of them, and I hope it will help me live a life that includes each of these fruits.

Week 1: Patience
Week 2: Goodness
Week 3: Peace
Week 4: Love
Week 5: Gentleness
Week 6: Kindness
Week 7: Self Control
Week 8: Faithfulness
Week 9: Joy

I'll be keeping track of each week in my journal, and then write up a post before the new week. If you'd like to join me, I'd love to hear what you experienced and learned each week too!

Monday 27 May 2013

Ch-ch-changes!

I was watching this video from TwinSauce, and thought I'd write up a response.


Before something new is going to happen, I get really excited! I love trying new things. Once I'm actually going through changes, I'm full of regrets and I spend a lot of time thinking about how I shouldn't have made the change. Afterwords, I always look back on it and realize how that change has impacted my life for better and for worse. But mostly for the better! :)


I remember one summer when I was fourteen and my parents made me go to a junior high day camp. I had always gone to a smaller camp with less that forty campers, but this new one had more than one hundred. I was pretty excited to go (because what's more fun than a summer spent at camp?). On the first day, I realized that everyone had built groups of friends with years of history behind them. Then there was me. I had no idea who to talk to, or what to do and it was a confusing day. I wished I had stayed home. Eventually, I got to know everyone, and God helped me make some fantastic friends and memories I'll never forget! I think I would have regretted it more if I hadn't gotten through that first awkward day.

Now, there's only one month left of my final year in high school and I could not be more excited! Next September, I'll be flying across the ocean to attend Capernwray Hall, a bible school in England. This is going to be a HUGE change for me since I've never lived away from home for more than a couple of weeks. I'm looking forward to meeting new people, living without my friends and family, traveling, and taking the time to learn more about God, but in the back of my mind, I keep thinking what if I don't make friends, or what if I don't fit in and even what if God doesn't want me to go? I know it's going to be a fantastic experience for me, even if I have some tough times while I'm there.


When I was watching a documentary in class a while ago, there was one quote that stuck with me. Someone said "The only thing constant in life is change". Only afterwards, did I realize that the quote was wrong. In Hebrews 13:8 it says "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever"Change takes courage. But it's comforting to know that no matter how much I change, or things change, or other people change, God's always going to be the same, and He's always going to be there for me every step of the way.

Thursday 23 May 2013

Verse of The Day

Hebrews 2:18
For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

http://mydailybible.org/dv/esv/2013-05-23.htm

Wednesday 22 May 2013

Thoughts on Worship


Last Sunday, worship was kind of a mess. The pianist wasn't there this week, so the regular hymns during the service were replaced with hymns done by the youth praise team. As usual, we practiced before the service and got everything all set up. Well, everything except for the lyrics for the congregation. I assumed that someone had already done that, and I completely forgot about it until we were about to begin. As we scrambled to sort out several technical difficulties, we started worship without the words and no one was really able to sing along. For most of the time, it seemed like a poorly coordinated concert rather than a worship service.

After the confusion was done and out of the way, I still felt stressed. Ever since I've been in the praise team, I've felt like I need to sound good first to please the congregation, and I can focus on the lyrics and on God later. Wherever I make mistakes, or when there is any confusion, I get lost and distracted from the real reason I'm playing. Last Sunday, I realized that I'm not supposed to be putting on a show for the congregation. I should be giving praise to God with the congregation. Sure, it might take a lot of work, there might be mistakes, but God isn't looking for perfection. He's not going to focus on how well I played or sang.

Worship is such an important part of my life. When I actually focus on the words I'm singing and on God, I can really feel his presence. One of the greatest parts of the mission trip to Bathurst was coming together as a group at the end of the day to share our thoughts and experiences and have a time of worship together. In those moments, I knew that God was there with us. Having worship as a group helped bring us closer to Him.

I've also gotten back into listening to worship songs. I made a playlist of the songs that I really like, and I've been listening to them on my iPod when I walk to and from school. Here are a few of them:
  • Bones - Hillsong United
  • New Again - Life Support
  • Awake My Soul - Chris Tomlin
  • I Am Set Free - All Sons and Daughters
  • The Wonderful Cross - Matthew West

Saturday 18 May 2013

Kindness to Strangers, or a Stranger to Kindness?

Ephesians 4:32

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.


School this week way pretty normal. But, as the weather keeps getting warmer, school is the last place I want to be. Yesterday, I was on my way home when a girl I had never met held the door open for me. For a second, I was shocked! At my school, everyone is either in a rush or they don't realize that there are other people trying to go through the doors too. This was a rare sight. But her kindness didn't stop there. As I said thanks, and walked through the door, she then complimented me on what I was wearing. Me? I asked. I looked behind me to see if she was talking to someone else, but she was in fact talking to me.

I know they say it's better to give than to receive, but when I received an act of kindness from a stranger, I felt so happy. Not because I had a door open for me, or because someone liked what I was wearing, but it felt good to know that there are some really great people in my school. It's so much easier to be kind to the people you know well. But showing kindness to someone you don't know or even don't like, is a real challenge for me.

It made me think of a picture I liked so much, I saved it on my computer:

Do you show kindness to strangers, or are you a stranger to kindness?

Wednesday 15 May 2013

Early Morning Swims and Daily Devotions

After watching The Great Gatsby and eating tons of popcorn and candy last night with Kristen, I had the urge to go for a swim the next morning. Sure enough, I set my alarm for 5 am, and went to sleep as early as I could. The recreational pool that I usually go to is open at 7:30 for an hour and a half. Why would I wake up so early, you may ask? I figured I'd need lots of time to eat before I swam, so I decided to give myself plenty of time to do so. Maybe a little too much time. Being me, I actually ended waking up at around 6 and it took me less than ten minutes to eat. So there I was, at six in the morning with an hour before I'd actually leave. What was I to do?

The night before, I thought about getting back into doing daily devotions. I've always struggled with devotions and reading my Bible on a daily basis. I would make excuses to myself in order to get out of having to do them. One day I would be too busy, another day I would be too tired, or I would be reading another book instead. But today, I had no excuses.

Last week, a girl at my christian fellowship at school brought a monthly devotional book for everyone. I thought I wouldn't end up using it, but when I looked inside, I saw that it wasn't the type of devotional book I was used to. There was a bible verse, reflection and prayer, but what caught my attention was a question at the end of every day.

As I waited for the sun to rise, I opened up the Living Truth devotional book and turned to today's page. Here's another thing about me and devotions; I don't like to do them in order. I read today's page, answered the question, and closed the book feeling unsatisfied. I still had plenty of time though, so I picked it up again and started reading the titles of days I had already missed in the month. I considered giving up and reading another novel instead, but one page actually looked pretty interesting.

Because I knew I was doing a bad job at reading my Bible, I read the devotional titled THE BIBLE. It talked about how the Bible was not just a book, but a library, filled with real people, places, parables, poems, poverty, prophets, and politics. But it's not just another entertaining story, it's God's word! I've been spending more time reading fictional stories than I have reading His word, I feel like I'm missing out.

The next time I wake up too early, or have a few minutes to spare, I'll try and work on my devotional habits and bible reading. I might not read it in order, but I think that will be better than making excuses to not read it at all.

Monday 13 May 2013

A Somewhat Lengthly Introduction

Hello there! My name is Annie. I'm a seventeen year old, christian, high school student from Toronto who loves to read, eat, and swim. Welcome to my blog! Don't worry if you're new here, so am I! I've never done anything like this before, so bear with me as I try this out.

Why have I started this you may ask? Here are a few reasons:

1. Sharing what God has been doing in my life.

There have been times when I've been asked to share my story, or journey with Christ, and I've always found it really difficult to do. I feel like my story is plain, simple, and uninteresting. Yet, I've been blessed with so many wonderful opportunities, I sometimes forget that those should be told. By actually writing my thoughts and experiences down, and documenting them, I might find it easier to communicate my walk with God to everyone else.

2. Being productive on the computer/Tumblr

You wouldn't believe the amount of time I waste, surfing the waves of the internet and getting nothing done. I knew it was becoming a problem, but it wasn't something I wanted to admit. Tumblr has really been taking up most of my time. With it's unending stream of posts, I found myself scrolling through it's content at every chance I could. I followed a couple of christian blogs, but every time I saw one of their posts, I quickly scrolled past. Now that was an ever bigger problem.

What did I do? Instead of staying away from Tumblr all together, I thought it might be better to continue to use it, but in a different way. I decided to delete my account, and start fresh with a new one. Do I regret my decision? Not at all! I thought it was going to be difficult, but it actually feels like a weigh has been lifted off my shoulders. I found so many other christian blogs on Tumblr that seem spiritually encouraging. I'm hoping this new account will help me focus on what's really important.

3. It's kind of been a dream of mine. 

I guess I wouldn't call it a dream. Maybe more like a daydream. There have been so many times this year when I've thought about my future. I've been struggling to come up with a career idea and I've been asking God to show me what he wants me to do with my life. Time after time, my mind has come across the idea of of having my own online journal, (like I said before) to share my journey with God.

My church's youth group has gone to Bathurst, New Brunswick every summer since 2011. During our trip last year, I wrote about my experience in a notebook, and had tons of fun taking pictures on other peoples cameras. On one of the final days of the trip, I had this idea that I could do this in the future. Take pictures, write about it, and then share it with everyone when I returned. I sounded like a ridiculous idea, but I never could get it out of my head.

So there you have it, my blog is finally started! I have no idea what I'll end up doing next, but I'm excited to find out! Please keep me in your prayers! Thanks for reading!