hot or not.

I was talking with one of my friends last week; she commented and said, "North America is the most spiritually dead continent in the world." This to me is crazy. In Canada, "Our true North strong and free." Strong with what? Free? Then why are we so hidden and dead with our faith. This is absurd. We live in a country where we are so easily set up to preach God's Word and show love to so many people, yet we stay where we are comfortable. What is that?! It is pretty disgusting.

I say this, and often fall into it myself. I feel I should talk to a person, but do not in fear of rejection or of being ridiculed.

Philippians 1:29 - "For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him."

It is easy to be granted to believe in Him... but to be granted to suffer for Him?

Why does that sound so bad to us? Why do we fear this so much? Why do we worry about other people over what God teaches us? Essentially are we could ask ourselves, what do we love more, God's will or the world's opinion?

Matthew 5:10 says, "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Why not be persecuted?

To often, - and I am also very guilty of this - we forget how small we are, and how short our time is here one earth.

Someone told me something very significant once and said, "If you have committed your life to Christ, hasn't your eternity already started?" I think that this is very true. We are a "new creation, the old life has gone and the new life has come" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

We need to be radical.

We need to be on fire.

Revelations 3:15-18 says, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see."

Not being 'hot' for God, yet calling ourselves a Christian is repulsive to God. We are things like wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. How are we not ashamed of this? And if we are ashamed - which we should be, - what are we going to do about it?

DANCE Party with Tessa!

So....

Once upon a time....

Just kidding I'm not going to start my story like that. A couple of nights ago my 2 friends Peter, Katelyn, and I went to Subway to visit our other friend Tessa at Subway where she was working. We hung out for a while when the song 'Hot n' Cold' by Katie Perry came on. Tessa and I got up and started dancing... without any planning at a

ll, Tessa and I started doing the same dance moves.

Tessa, we are awesome.

and because of this wonderful dance party,

we are reenacting it and filming it.... some day.

my fish is alive and well.

yes this may possibly for the most part most probably be a blog war with brittanyvos.blogspot.com

King Lemuel is happy.

King Lemuel is healthy.

King Lemuel is well.

NOT dying

in spirit of how well my fish is doing, I wrote an acrostic poem

K iller happy

I ncredibly healthy

N ever been better

G rrrrrrrreater than Tony the tiger

L oving life

E mily's Fish

M agnificent (over all)

U nlike Nacho is alive.

E mphasizing how amazing this fish is doing over all

L onger life than other fish of his kind.... cough cough... (Nacho)

In the spirit of writing about our fish. I also got a picture of both fish.

King Lemuel

Nacho

sad. but true.

:) love yah Brit.

Double Road Kill.

So... I was driving home from work tonight when I noticed that the car in front of me was a pizza pizza delivery driver who had left his pizza bag and pizza on the back of his car. I looked at the pizza bag and could tell that it was not going to stay on the car's trunk for much longer. I flashed my high beams at him in hopes that he would get annoyed and look through his rearview mirror and notice the pizza sitting there.

However, not going to lie... at the same time as hoping he would see the pizza, I definitely wanted to see that pizza bag fall.

Driving through Waterdown the pizza lasted on the back of the car... we continued out of town, and as we were passing Joe Sam's park, the pizza fell. I quickly pulled over and excitedly picked up the pizza thinking this could be a huge win. I threw the pizza in the truck, however, for my consciences sake I still wanted to try and give the pizza back. I sped up and caught up to the pizza driver, once again flashing my high beams and frantically waving in hopes that he would pull over to see what all the commotion was about.... He didn't. I got home and excitedly told my family the crazy story of getting free pizza off the road. However... still for my conscience sake called the pizza pizza store and was put on hold for 15 min. I decided that it was not worth it and they would not be able to use this pizza again anyways... so why not eat it :)

Kathleen and I did.

Eating Pizza again.

Me with the Pizza Bag

I can honestly say that I wish the story ended here... however... it doesn't it gets crazier. SO... my friend Tessa and I had a skype date at 10:30. And from all the excitement of the pizza and coming home and telling the story etc... I made my self 5 minutes late.

Once again I wish that was the end of the story.. however....its not.

So I started looking for my phone so I could text Tessa and tell her I would be a little bit late. However... I could not find my phone. I looked everywhere... In the truck on the drive way in the kitchen... everywhere I had been since I got home from work. I called it and my mom and sister helped me listen... still nothing. I was trying to think back to when I last saw it... and I remembered.... after work, as I was walking to the truck, I was texting my friend Anna, and simply threw my phone and my visor on my lap when I got in.

UNFORTUNATELY

I forgot I put it there... got consumed in following the pizza guy and when I jumped out to grab the pizza, my phone and visor dropped out.

After realizing this, my mom and I quickly drove out to where I picked up the pizza to look for the phone. I was driving slowly down the road, calling it with my dad's phone as my mom looked. Within the first 3 minutes we found.....

MY VISOR!!!!! woot woot right?! haha

But... no phone.

no phone parts.

nothing.

gone.

Kinda sucked. 2nd phone this summer. however my mom and I made it into a joke... Pizza ended up costing me more than I ever thought it would.

Sweet Kill in getting pizza.

Bad Kill in losing my phone.

Double Kill.

im gonna let it shine.

sometimes I look at my life and there seems to be a hole. I forget about the fire and joy that I once had and rather look at all the negative things that are going on.

like... how I work at Tim Hortons everyday, am asked to be a supervisor, am a

supervisor, and rather than it being a benefit, I get ripped off by babysitting and

not getting paid for it. Or how I never see my family, because we all have opposite

schedules, or how I am feel lonely so often.

however, looking back at these times of depression, loneliness, self pity, and annoyance, I am reminded of what God has done for me. God has given me an awesome opportunity at Tim Hortons. The owners there love me and I get along with them really well. Sure the money is not that great for the amount of work that I do, but I do get 32 hours a week on top of what I am already working for my dad. This summer has been difficult in seeing my family because of our opposite schedules, however the times that we do see each other are special and times that I treasure. And the times that I am alone give me huge opportunities to build on my relationship and engage in the indescribable, incredible, everlasting, infinite love that God has for me.

Contentment. Something the enemy seems to consistently try to take away. The children's song that is so simple but beautiful is this little light of mine.

This little light of mine.

I'm gonna let it shine.

This little light of mine.

I'm gonna let it shine.

Let it shine, Let it shine, Let it shine.

Don't let satan blow it out...

Hide it under a bushel, No...

But let it shine till Jesus comes...

I'm gonna let it shine.

life in this world is frustrating, unfulfilling, annoying, and painful. However, knowing that following Christ is a choice - a pretty good one at that. Knowing myself that I strive for a better relationship with God and to live for His glory, verses like 1 Corinthians 9:23-25 are a continual encouragement to press on. Paul writes, "I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever."

And then Jesus' words in Matthew 16: 24-26 are such a challenge to really choose Him. Not be lukewarm but rather on fire for him, having that little light BURN. "Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?"

Deny himself.

Take up his cross.

Follow Him.

Thats some powerful stuff. Give it all. Everything I know, and am comfortable with, 'deny' to follow Him. But then there is a promise, whoever wants to save his life, will lose it; but whoever loses his life for me, will find it.

If my life that I am living is one of discontentment and loss, why not lose it. Sure, the life I have is predictable, I know what will happen, I am comfortable, however, comfort isn't part of the promise.

"whoever, loses his life for me will find it."

losing it. and finding it.

losing what I know, to find the promised beautiful unknown.

And because of this beautiful unknown, I can say, 'It is well, it is well with my soul.'

As I Marvel

"Here we see that God your moving"

As I was thinking on how to start this post, I heard this line from a song I was listening to.

God is so good.

Overall in this past year, there have been many times that this has been hard to say. Many times when I simply say I know God is good, but where is He.

Struggles continue to come, however,

"Into marvellous light I am running."

Things that I have been praying about,

Places I have messed up.

Mistakes I have made.

Things that have hurt me.

Uncertainties of life.

Are all coming clear.

"My dead heart now is beating,

my deepest stains now clean,

your breathe fills up my lungs,

now I'm free.

Sin has lost its power

Death has lost its steam.

From the grave you've risen,

Now I'm free."

Praise God From whom all blessings flow.

There is nothing more to say except what a marvellous, love, merciful, and gracious God.

-Amen

equally skilled.

The song 'Equally Skilled' by Jon Foreman is such a beautiful crafted song. I love how in the beginning of the song its so depressing as he points out how easy it is for us sinful people to do evil to others and selfishly within our world. However, how masterfully and mightily our merciful God turns that around.

How miserable I am

I feel like a fruit-picker who arrived here

After the harvest

There's nothing here at all

Nothing at all here that could placate my hunger

The godly people are all gone

There's not one honest soul left alive

Here on the planet

We're all murderers and thieves

Setting traps here for even our brothers

And both of our hands are equally skilled

At doing evil, equally skilled

At bribing the judges, equally skilled

At perverting justice

Both of our hands

Both of our hands

The day of justice comes

And is even now swiftly arriving

Don't trust anyone at all

Not your best friend or even your wife

For the son hates the father

The daughter despises even her mother

Look, your enemies arrive

Right in the room of your very household

And both of their hands are equally skilled

At doing evil, equally skilled

At bribing the judges, equally skilled

At perverting justice

Both of their hands

Both of their hands

No, don't gloat over me

Though I fall, though I fall

I will rise again

Though I sit here in darkness

The Lord, the Lord alone

He will be my light

I will be patient as the Lord

Punishes me for the wrongs I've done

Against Him

After that, He'll take my case

Bringing me to light and the justice

For all I have suffered

And both of His hands

Are equally skilled

At ruining evil, equally skilled

At judging the judges, equally skilled

Administering justice

Both of His hands

Both of His hands

Are equally skilled

At showing me mercy, equally skilled

At loving the loveless, equally skilled

Administering justice

Both of His hands

Both of His hands