I'm Back!!!

Where to begin? Its been awhile since my last blog; I keep meaning to blog, but never get around to it, and as a result have forgotten a lot of what I wanted to share. So what follows promises to be a compilation of random thoughts and ideas from the past month or so.

#1: Skiriffic! Never in my life have I played as much bass as I did in that week. But as time consuming as all of the practices were, it was a lot of fun. I say this every year about Skiriffic, but this was the most talented band I have yet had the pleasure of being a part of. It was also the quickest I have ever seen a band gel. The very first song we ever practiced as a band came together and didn't sound half bad. The only explanation is that God had a hand in it, as a band is simply not supposed to sound good after only playing together for a week. As for Skiriffic itself, everything seemed to go really well, apart from a few guitar dropping incidents. The speaker seemed to really connect with the teens, although I don't know how many decisions were made that night. By the end of the week, I was ready to return to school so that I could recover from the break.

#2: My practicum at The Mustard Seed has continues as usual. Today we held the second memorial service there that I have been too. Today's memorial service was for a man who died in the intox at The Seed. It was somewhat of an interesting service. The man's sisters and other family members were in attendance, which would have been encouraging to the street people in attendance, simply seeing that this man had a family and was not alone. For many of them, death is a reality, as their various addictions have led to poor health; I believe that it is their hope that when they do pass away, their family will be present there, much as this man's family was present. It was also beneficial for the family, as they got to talk to and speak to those who counted the deceased as a friend, thus learning details about his life that they may not otherwise have heard. All in all, my practicum has been a very beneficial experience for me, so much so that I am returning to The Seed for my second year practicum.

#3: I believe that God may finally be revealing at least a little bit of what the future holds in store for me, which was my hope for coming to Bible school this year. This revelation occurred in quite an unexpected manner: through a spiritual gifts assessment for one of my classes. According to this test, my most dominant spiritual gifts are that of a pastor and missionary, respectively. When I saw this, I thought, maybe there is something to this. Those were the two jobs that I had always said I would never have, and had always secretly hoped that I would never be called to those vocations. However, after seeing the results of this assessment, I thought that maybe there was something to it. The idea of being a pastor or missionary does not seem quite as fearful as it once did. At this point I know nothing for certain, merely that God is leading me in that general direction, wherever that may take me. So as it stands, I have plans of completely my 4-year Bachelor of Ministry degree, hopefully receiving a greater clarification of my calling in the process.

#4: The last thing that I would like to share is simply the thing that has impacted me the most while attending AUC-NUC, and that is simply the professors at the school. I think I speak for all the guys on my floor when I say that you would be hard-pressed to find a more quality group of men than those who teach us. They display genuine care for their students; I don't know of any other schools where the teachers are on a first name basis with their students, or who are more easily approachable. How many people have ever had professors come and hang out with the students outside of school? Maybe the better question would be how many students actually want their professors to hang out with them? The answer to both questions is the students of AUC-NUC. Many of us guys look to our professors as shining examples of what it means to be godly men, and see that as something to strive for in life. While not every class will be interesting, at our school there are more important things than academics, as is stressed by the faculty. It is all about growing in faith as a community of believers. So there is my little plug for my school...come join me here next fall!

#5: One more thing! I would just like to say that I am very disappointed with my Oilers as of late. There is no way Ryan Smyth should have been traded for a couple prospects and a draft pick. You simply cannnot put a price on the heart he plays with. So I am still a loyal fan, but a very bitter and disappointed fan; this is not made easier by all the Canucks and Flames fans around me. But still...GO OILERS GO!!!