g'day all!
wow, JessL, great stuff you talked about. I must say, that career fair was super boring, but the best part? skipping out of it and walking around downtown a bit (shhh!) and just seeing all the people. wow. that was harsh. there was this one guy and he was sitting on the corner of the street and asking for change. honestly, i had about $3.00 in change, but wasn't sure how good giving him money would do. so i gave him my yogurt. and then i saw him a few mins later eating it and he grabbed his stuff and hurried off. it felt good to give him something, but at the same time, i had a good clothes on, some stuff in my back pack, a hardy waterbottle, comfy shoes... and i gave this guy YOGURT? i mean, like, it's like this King walking around with gold falling out of his pockets, he's tripping on his thick, long, gorgeous robe, jewels and glittering on every finger and on his crown, and he passes a commoner a handkerchief. nice, thanks dude, i'll be sure to wipe my face extra gently with this baby. i wanna do so much more! and like, my WHOOOOLLLEEE life i've wanted to get out of Canada and into Africa, Asia, South and Central America, etc, to do the Lord's work. and maybe that's where He'll take me. but so much of my heart is right here too. right where the Natives are oppressed and the druggies are shooting up right next door. i mean, we KNOW the language of our nation and the culture and the people. we may not be immersed in the everyday struggles of the "real world", but it seems to make so much more sense to like, stay here and defend the cause of the poor and the needy, speaking up for those who can't speak for themselves.

man, on another note, do you ever get it where it's like everything inside of you is running in different directions at once and you feel like if you open a window you'll lose an arm or something? holy moly rolly polly, the Lord's totally just been showing me recently what it means to have an "undivided heart". like, my heart and passions are focussed, yet soooo divided right now! i have so many idols and high places and blah. grrr! go away! it was cool cuz after I was at Robyn's (lol, SHARI'S) house tonight I went up to the barn and was thinking about some crap and I parked so that I had to run across my ring (like 200 feet). on the way back from the barn to the car i somehow got a prickle in my shoe but still tried to ignore it and run anyway. God was totally like "it's hard to run your best when you've got something lodged in your way, hey?" and i was just sorta stubborn and like "yah, but whatever, i don't really notice it", and He was like "suit yourself, but that thing will get infected if you don't take it out, and you'll really start to lag in the race. get rid of those thorns." kwap. i hate thorns... i hate that sometimes they don't go away. II Corinthains 12. i feel for ya, Paul. Hmm, what a faithful God He is though! We've been praying for good weather for the Esperanza car wash and it looks like Jesus is gonna do juuuuuust that! Blessed at the pure in heart... for they will SEE THE LORD! Father, grant me a pure heart, let me not lift up my soul to another. be blessed!!!
PS. one little boy once wrote to Mother Theresa, completely enthralled by her selfless works and devotion to helping others. He asked how he could change his world and do those same things as her, serving those who couldn't help themselves. He asked where he should go to make the most impact. She wrote back with a simple reply. it said: "Find your own Calcutta." Calcutta... Vancouver... Maple Ridge... Pitt Meadows... could even be chapels at Haney or Fuel. where ever it is, the Psalms say that the Lord is close to the brokenhearted, the downcast, and the weary. let us find that Calcutta and faithfully flood it with prayer and miracles and commitment. i feel that i've been way too slack on my faithfulness recently to some things i have responsibility in. let us make the most of TODAY by surrounding it with so much prayer and finding courage from the Almighty to do those things we cannot do on our own but He pleads us to do. yes Lord! stop thinking my friends... get on the move!
PPS. that last PS was really long. :)
janners

hey guys! I've been thinking recently, and all of the sudden the idea of Lent came to mind. LENT! I was like "fruit, what's lent?" So I asked Mrs. Campbell and looked it up on the internet and here's what i found!
it's pretty much 40 days (not including sundays) of mouring and sacrifice before easter. in some churches it's 40 days of fasting certain foods. it starts on Ash Wednesday and ends the Saturday before Easter. It's supposed to be a time of confession and recomittment. I've never done Lent before, but I think that it could be totally profound and a deeply intimate experience with Jesus. And I know that i'll have to constantly be checking myself... making sure i'm not just going on a power trip--like just proving to myself and others that i can go without something for 6 weeks. and to use my desire for that certain something as an "alarm clock" to remind me to go and pray RIGHT then, or something like that. hm... something to think about for sure. For anyone who's interested it starts Wednesday, Feb. 25th and goes until Saturday, April 10th. And you can fast anything: PlayStation, Slurpees, meat... something that you find it hard to "live without" from day to day. but i also think it's a seriously personal thing. but i've got over a week to pray about it, so we'll see how it goes! If anyone else is interested and wants to do some sorta accountability thing, here i am :) ciao!

Woe to those who fear not God! Whose ferocious love rests in another, whose prideful hand shoves down the opressed...woe to those who have taken idols! Whose worship bounces off bronze bellies and praises flutter to the earth... woe to those all void of passion! Whose hearts don't leap nor weep. Emotionless, devotionless, atrociousness. Woe am I, for i've seen the Lord! My unholy face drawn into His...my reeking soul has beheld pure glory. Oh, that He may bless me indeed! Cover me in blood that I may be clean.

The praise of my tongue is the least You are due! To walk hand in hand with Your love... My whole being cries out for a spirit of worship to reign. These iron shackles trip me up, pull me down. I've tried to run, but i'm crawling on the ground. Yesterday they caught me in Tomorrow's empty promises. A silver key You hold in your hand...

Can we rise above the squalour when the prince has the chains done up tight? We reformed to his ways, dead in life. Stretching out hands up, we slip. Muddy feet, faces, arms and clothes. How can we be relieved, transformed unto the Almighty? Weak and arrogant in the prince of lies! We serve the one we detest. Dances with the devil! Too weak to lead, too tired to let go, he drags us through the motions. We let him spin us, dip us, twirl us into the confusion of our sin. Oh, let the King take me over! Take my hand, so bony, grubby.. His so firm, yet soft. Let us dance to His glory, in His life, though His death and resurrection, above all fear, beyond all hate. hate of you. of me. of nothing and everything. Let me dance, sweet Jesus, with YOU!

Happy Valentine's Day, guys! Yah know, I love Valentine's day :) I mean, red, white, and pink go really well together. And the ribbon-wrapped flowers and the little hearts everywhere. And the seasonal V-day candy and chocolate. and how the writing on cards and in shopping malls and on wrappers is all loopy calligraphy. Man, do men hate this time of year? Because it sure makes me feel girly! But I'm pretty materialistic on Feb. 14th because I'm unaware of the story behind the holiday, if there is one. Me and Jesus are going on a Valentine's date today. well, we sorta started it and then I got distracted (i swear I have ADHD.. j/k) but we'll try that again in a few minutes :) But yah guys, like, fall in love with Jesus again on this day. It's kinda wierd because so much of V-day seems like fluff and puppy love and cutesy smoochy lovey dovey gah gah emotions, which is NOT what i want my relationship with Jesus to be. like, it should be so much more... oh i dunno, grounded :) not that it's wrong to be giddy. pickles, be giddy and giggly in your love for Christ! but let's let this day be a reminder of how it's so soooooo much more than nuts and fluff... yah. :)
head over heels,
Janelle
XO XO XO (lol, sorry, couldn't resist!)

hey guys! This is gonna be short. I heard an awesome joke today. here goes:
How much did the pirate pay to get his ears pierced?
A buck an ear! (a buckaneer)
That, my friends, is probably one of the funniest things i've heard all day :) feel free to spread it around
~J Ro

Whoa-ho, it's been a looooong time since i've last blogged! so sorry about that! I've thinking about knowing the Lord. I mean like REALLY knowing him. really really. There's this verse, Jeremiah 22:16. it goes: "'He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know Me?' declares the Lord."
Can someone know the Lord and never have come in contact with His Son? Is it possible for people who don't proclaim that Jesus is the Messiah, yet love everyone and serve wholeheartedly to enter the Kingdom of Heaven? 1 Corinthians 13 pretty much says that Love is what endures forever. But then of course it's Romans that states that we must confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead and we will be saved. but you can do that without knowing Christ, no?
I could read every single biography and autobiography, newsclipping, magazine article, and website on Vincent Van Gogh and know everything about his life: when he was born, who his girlfriend was, all his interesting habits, but not really KNOW him. i'd know all about him, no doubt, but he personally would still be a mystery.
I could examine every piece of Van Gogh's artwork, studying each line and analyzing every curve, until I was able to recognize his paintings from across the room and pull apart the meaning underneath each one. I'd know his masterpieces and his style, but the artist would still be unknown to me.
I could attend seminars, listen to speakers, join a Van Gogh fan club, and put aside certain times where i'd simply meditate on understanding his condition. but i STILL wouldn't truly KNOW him!
i think real knowledge, true intimacy comes from experience. I can't know any of my friends unless i hang out with them and discover what makes them tick, their pet peeves, their favorite jokes, their deep thoughts, their dreams and hopes, their fears and their frustrations. in the same way, i don't feel as though I truly KNOW the Lord. I certainly know of him, what He's done and famous for, the way He acted in certain situations, but ... it still just feels like i'm doing a lifetime project on someone reputable. and that totally devalues our God. takes away from the relationship. hmm...
I was at the Model United nations thing these past 4 days and it was really fun! imust say, one of my more memorable moments was this talk Lindsay and I had for over an hour late at night in bed. i dunno, it just totally got me thinking about true Christianity and what it means. We watched some dancers from teh Maxwell School of Ba'Hai for a couple hours earlier that day as part of the opening ceremonies for the MUN, and they were amazing! totally cool! but just the whole theology is sooo interesting. and i was talking to these students that go there and he let us see his school binder and ... man, i dunno. the whole weekend was just soaked in pluralism and multiculturalism. sooo interesting and sooo thought-provoking.
sorry that this has been kind of vague... i'm doing quite well emotionally, but like spiritually, i'm just kinda floating. like so much is in my head and so many thoughts and questions, my pursuit of truth seems to have been hindered by my desire for comfortability... erm... i guess it's just easier sometimes to take my brain out and keep it in a jar, not having to think about anything save history, french and what i'll do with my free blocks. but yah... i don't know, through all of everything, the Lord is sooo good! so good... hmm... like no matter how many questions i have, there's always the transcending peace :) awesome! ciao for now,
Janners