Black Friday

http://www.vibe.com/article/survive-black-friday

Yesterday was Black Friday. It was amazing to me to see all the people pushing and shoving and fighting in order to get the the stuff that's on sale. And even where people were polite and orderly, the number of hours that they were out there looking for deals was amazing.

Now, I have to say that I have had my days when I've spent time with my own sister on a shopping day. The purpose though wasn't so much to see how much stuff we could get, but to have something to do while we spent all that time with non-stop gabbing.

What truly amazed me about the spending spree yesterday was what people were spending all that money on. Electronics, toys, phones, jewellery, clothes, appliances, pretty much anything and everything that is not a necessity.

Then I think about my daughter and what she has told me when I've asked her in the not too distant past what she has wanted for her birthday or for Christmas. "I don't want anything mom. I don't need anything. I have so much stuff and there are so many people in the world that don't even have enough to eat.". It kind of makes me ashamed to want any of those things that I went to look at when I was out at the store yesterday.

So here we are in North America, spending hundreds of dollars on things we don't really need, and others, some half a world away, and other just on the other side of the city perhaps, don't have enough dollars to spend on food to eat. Kind of makes you think, doesn't it?

Isn't it amazing that our children teach us when we are supposed to be their teachers? 
Photo credit

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Pay It Forward - A Little Goes a Long Way

Pay It Forward is one of my favourite movies. I love the idea that we can do something for someone will affect their life and then they in turn will do something that will positively affect someone else's and so on, until the world is affected.

The Social Studies teacher had an assignment for each student in his class.  They each had to find something to do that would change the world. Trevor's idea was to find something big to do for three people, who would in turn do something big for three people, and so on. He found this hard to do, because not all the people he did something big to help was appreciated, accepted or paid forward. He almost gave up. Convinced he was right however, he carried on, and simply in the attempt, there was success.

What I love about this movie is it takes our minds off of ourselves and puts our thoughts on others. We can't be stewing in our own juices and thinking about our own woes if we are looking at the needs of others around us. I think that because the movie is a movie it has to go for the big dramatic flair and that's why they had Trevor wanting to do "something really big, something they can't do for themselves" as they thing he chose to do to pay forward.

However, I think the concept of paying it forward can be done every day. It may be a big thing like giving someone your car, or bringing a homeless person into your home, but it might be something smaller like anonymously paying for someone's lunch, giving someone tickets to a movie, or a small thing like holding a door open for somebody, carrying someone's groceries for them. The point is that you are doing something for someone else solely for their benefit, without looking for anything in return.

I see my husband do this quite often. I have seen him pay for lunches of people we don't know without them knowing it, bake pies and give them away to neighbours and near strangers, give money away, and many other examples. I don't tell you this so that you'll say "oh, what a wonderful person". I don't want you to say that. Because what we have done is between God and ourselves.

 I know that some people would consider things like this that we have done as irresponsible with our belongings and resources. I consider that our belongings and resources are not our, but God's and should be used for Him. Truthfully, we have been blessed with more than we have ever given away. He knows our needs and He meets them.

Consider blessing someone by Paying It Forward and bringing a smile to their face today. You never know when you will be blessed back.

Letting God Drive - Guest Post by Leanne Svendsen

Today's post was written by Leanne. She wrote it for an essay for a college course, but it ties in so beautifully with the theme of this blog that I requested that she allow me to use it for my blog. 

            What are the biggest milestones in a young person’s life to becoming mature and independent? A thirteenth birthday? Sweet sixteen? Perhaps becoming an adult legally or being allowed to drink. Although there are many small stepping-stones to becoming more autonomous and mature, I believe that receiving a driver’s license is one of the main steps because of the freedom and trust it relies on. For many young drivers, receiving the ‘Novice Driver’s License’ represents the start of their control over their life. For me, receiving my ‘N’ showed me that I am wholly dependent on God and that He is in control despite my circumstances. It began the week of January 15, 2013 with a trip to the University of British Columbia.

            My mom has suffered with constant migraines since 2011. The doctors have tried many pills and scans but have not been able to find anything. So, on January 15, 2013, they sent her to Dr. Spacey, a neurologist at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Since my mom has had her headaches, she has avoided driving because the lights and pain would cause her to close her eyes. I had my Learner’s license at that time and was allowed to drive with an adult. My mother allowed me to skip school that Tuesday so that I could chauffer her to her destination while I practiced for my upcoming driver’s test.

            My mother’s appointment at UBC was quick and painful. She had thirty injections of Botox in her scalp in less than five minutes (Union Health). The surrounding areas would swell to the size of a quarter before reducing. My mom said the pain seemed as bad as childbirth. We asked God to make the Botox work.

            The next day, my mom had a particularly bad migraine that caused her to stay home from work again. I could not yet drive by myself so my brother had to drop me off and pick me up from school. I went home around noon because I was feeling ill and that day and the next I had a high fever of around 103 degrees Fahrenheit. When I become ill, I will often have a week-long fever ranging from 102-103°F and sometimes spiking to 104°F. By Thursday I was becoming concerned because I was to take my driver’s test the next day at 9:00 and not only was I sick, but I had no one to drive me to the testing centre because my mom’s headache incapacitated her and my dad was at work. I did not want to skip the test because it would take almost three months to rebook it and there was a twenty-five dollar fee for cancelling the test without a forty-eight hours’ notice. I had no control over the situation. I could only pray and trust that God was in control.

            As the morning of my driving test arrived, I realized that God had done a miracle. Not only had my fever disappeared, but I felt well enough to drive and one of the ladies from our church had offered to take me to my test! God was clearly in control of the situation. How could I fail my test now?

            As I arrived at the testing centre, my confidence started deteriorating. Getting my ‘N’ was a big deal for me and I didn’t want to blow my God-given chance. I remember walking into the testing center and up to the counter. I was asked for several pieces of ID and I swiftly handed them over. My tester walked out of the office, calm and cool. It seemed to me that she had my very life in her hands. We got into the car and I followed her instructions through the streets of Maple Ridge. I was thrilled whenever I noticed a school sign or playground zone, but fear swelled in my heart as I would hear or see her write down notes into my grading book. She watched my hands, eyes, and head movements and carefully evaluated all that I did. Soon the half-hour passed and we drove back to the testing center. Relief, fear, and tension flooded my mind. Was it worth all the trouble?  Did I pass?  Trusting in God eliminated some of the fear. I would pass if He wanted me to. Even with that comforting thought, I burned to know. I listened intently as the words poured out of her mouth like syrup: “I can choose to either fail you or let you pass and learn,” she said. My heart stopped. I was so close to receiving the status of ‘Novice Driver’, but it depended solely on her mercy and God’s intervention. “I have decided to pass you.” My heart cried in relief and praise to God! Breath, sweet, merciful breath filled my lungs as I listened to her. She told me that although I had committed very few errors while driving, I consistently ignored the shoulder-check on a right hand turn. Thankfully, she understood that my mistake was out of a lack of knowledge rather than a poor habit.  I could pass as long as I remembered to shoulder-check hence-forth.

            My elation was great! God had not only removed my high fever, but he had allowed me to pass in a situation where I could have easily been failed. He took my circumstances and flipped them on their head, presenting His supremacy over all things. But I had yet one more lesson to learn from becoming a Novice Driver. This had to do with my mom and God’s timing.

            As I returned home, my fever returned. I was sick for the entire next week, only becoming well again during exams. That week, I took care of my mom. Her migraines were so severe she could not even get out of bed and my company allowed me to take care of the dogs and bring her lunch. After receiving Botox, mom’s headaches worsened and she went on medical leave. Botox has a side effect of setting off a migraine, but since she had one all the time, it just made her headaches worse. Yet even in this, God showed us His control. My Novice License allowed me to drive on my own. I could go to school, practices, church events, and visit my friends without needing to bother either my busy dad or sick mom. God took care of my parents by taking care of me. I got my license within a fortnight of my mom going on medical leave. God was watching out for us.

The independence that I experienced as a result of receiving my ‘N’ was not a symbol of my independence or autonomy. Rather, the ‘achieving’ of my driver’s licence was the confirmation of God’s power, sovereignty, and control in my life. It showed me that I am indeed dependant on the One who made me. Whenever I take the driver’s wheel by myself, I am witnessing that God alone controls the driver’s wheel in my life. If I try on my own, I will fail, but if I allow God to lead me, He will steer me to safety as He looks at the road ahead. 

Christmas is Coming! Headaches Begone!

Maple Ridge Alliance Church

20399 Dewdney Trunk Road, Maple Ridge, BC

I love Christmas. What sets the Christmas season off for me is the Christmas production our church puts on every year at the beginning of December. It's called Hometown Christmas. Our entire sanctuary is transformed into this small town called Hometown, where for the past 15 years or so we have followed the lives of various different townspeople during the Christmas season. Many of the productions took place in the 1800's and lately some of them have taken place in more recent time periods. We usually have 9 performances. This year there will be seven. Performance dates and times this years are:

Sunday, Dec 8 - 3:30 and 7:30

Monday, Dec 9 7:30

Thursday, Dec 12 - 7:30

Friday, Dec 13 - 7:30

Saturday, Dec 14 - 7:30

Sunday, Dec 15 - 3:30 and 7:30

Tickets are complementary and can be picked up from the church office.You can contact the church:

Email: info@mralliance.ca

Phone: 604-465-5717 

I have participated in this event for several years now. The migraines I have been having on a daily basis (24/7) have been with me for the past two Christmas productions (at least). Light and sound make them worse. So I bet you ask yourself how on earth I can stand to be there for those events. And in the SOUND BOOTH! Yes, I work in the sound booth.

Well, you see, that's the blessing part of my story. Because no matter how bad my headaches have been, and despite the fact that no one recognizes me anymore because I always have a baseball cap and major sunglasses on ALL the time, plus I wear earplug when I'm at church on Sundays, God has always given me a reprieve from the headaches so that I can do my job on performance nights and for the week before during dress rehearsals.

That doesn't mean that the headaches are gone, because they never really are, but they are manageable, and He somehow allows me to be able to focus on what I love to do. It never seems to matter how bad the headaches have been during the weeks leading up to the performances, or how bad they are during the day of the performances. God works His miracles and allows me to be part of this special time of year.

If you live in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, I invite you to come and be part of our Christmas celebration this year and receive a blessing this Christmas Season!

This is a photo of the stage portion of our set. This is only two-thirds of the full set.

What is the Purpose of My Life?

I've been sitting at home for the past 10 months not able to work because of constant  migraine headaches. I've been to the doctors and specialists to try to get a handle on it and figure out what to do about it. We've tried different medications, but nothing so far has worked.

I've prayed about it and asked God for healing. I've asked the elders at our church to pray for me for healing. They have anointed me with oil and prayed over me more than once. Still, nothing has changed. At one point, I started to realize that God was not going to grant healing in an immediate and miraculous way as He has done for others. As the new school year was approaching, I just knew that I was not going to be well enough to go back to work.

So now it's November, and here I still am. Still sitting here (actually, lying here most of the time). I have been wondering what the purpose of this is. I haven't been able to do very much and hardly ever leave the house. However, not everything has been negative. In fact I have experienced a lot of positive things.

My family has been wonderful. Each of my family members have pitched in and helped to take over all the tasks that I normally have done. Especially my husband and my daughter. Not only do they do the chores, but they are often checking to see if I need anything so that I don't have to get up. My daughter has taken it upon herself to be my chauffeur because driving aggravates my headaches. My friends have been wonderful as well, coming by and lending a helping hand with some of the things that need doing around the house or even just coming by to share a cup of coffee with me to cheer me up.

This, I realized last Sunday, is the purpose of the experiences that I am going through right now. I have been writing a book review blog since July and enjoying that quite a bit, but I have always thought I could never write a blog about anything else because I have nothing to say that anyone could possibly be interested in reading. But as I was listening to the sermon in church last Sunday, several topics flooded my mind and what I could say about them in a blog related to my current experiences of the last couple of years. I think God was telling me that I need to start using these experiences to start encouraging others.

And so....I am now going to venture into the world of a personal blog. I invite you to join with me on this adventure. Please feel free to add comments and dialogue with me. I hope that God is able to encourage you through this blog and that you will be blessed.