Youth

Tonight was the Fall kick-off for the youth group at our church, and my first night as a leader. We're taking a step toward more focused Bible study and spiritual growth, rather than just fun hang out nights. I'm really excited by what I saw tonight. We had about 12 kids show up, and the time spent together just felt so right. The music was happily accepted and sung with "umpf". The prayer requests were thoughtful and heartfelt, the conversations were deep and positive, and the singing continued on into the time around the bonfire. These "kids" are so precious to me, and the more I realize how precious the are to God, the more I care for them and am concerned about their walk with Him.

When I was a young teen in youth group I vividly remember my youth pastor telling us she did the "yo-yo" relationship with Jesus for YEARS, and encouraged us to NOT do the same. Well, guess what? I did just what she told me not to. I had a "school Holly" and a "home/church Holly". I knew the right things to say at the appropriate places or around the right people. I did things I knew were wrong, but justified them by thinking that someday when I'm "grown up" and settled down, then I'd have time to fully commit to my relationship with Jesus, and maybe I'd stop messing up so much.  How confused was I?  However, because of my own experiences, it makes me well aware that the youth I'm working with have these same challenges and more thanks to cell phones, social media, overexposure to sex, and the widely accepted grey areas in our society surrounding all kinds of moral issues. In today's world, right is not right. wrong is not wrong, there are variations and degrees of black, white and grey. I understand that there are some situations that call for compromise and may not be so cut and dry; but on the whole, there are absolutes that our society does not recognize. As if being an adolescent isn't hard enough.

So my prayer for these young people is that they would seek God and find Him. That they would search out His will for their lives, and live in it, and thrive. I pray that they stand up against the grey areas of society and fight for what is right, and against what is wrong. I pray they have hearts softened toward the poor, widowed and orphaned, and they would be consumed with love and compassion, and make a positive difference in the life of others.

Let them LIVE

http://www.guardianangel.in/ga/227-P-Popup-Unborn-baby-grabs-surgeon--.html

My heart is broken for the unborn. Over these past 2 years my heart and mind has been drawn to the plight of pre-born babies. I have been made aware, through much reading and researching, about the apalling state of Canada's laws that do nothing to protect these babies. There is this myth that babies in the womb are only aborted in the first trimester in Canada. According to the law they are not humans until they have left the mother's body, therefore, there is nothing stopping an abortionist from stealing that baby's life away. Who are we to determine when a human being is valuable enough to be spared from death? Who are we to dare to call an abortion a "right". I have the right to vote, the right to work, to get married, travel, have children...but I do not have, and will never give myself permission to, make the choice to determine when a baby's life is valuable and whether or not I want to end it. Pro-abortionists would call me an "anti-choicer". They couldn't be more correct. If the choice is the death of a child, I am so anti-choice. I would dare to go so far as to say that I would give up all of the "women's rights" that have been hard-fought for if it meant not one more baby had to die in its mother's womb by abortion. I speak strongly because I feel strongly, and I am more confident about this issue than any other. Life begins at conception and abortion ends that life.

I struggle with sharing my pro-life views sometimes, not because I am ashamed, but because I have been so blessed to have a relatively easy life and I admit that I do not understand some of the really hard stuff that some people go through. Teen pregnancy, sexual or physical abuse, abandonment by family, spouse or partner etc. I can't imagine the hardships that women around the world have to face, and an unplanned pregnancy must be one of the scariest things of all, but I stand by my desire for women to always choose life, no matter what the circumstance. I have compassion for the people caught up in abortion in one way or another, and I want to start praying more often for them, that their eyes will be opened.

My blood boils at Enemy who has deceived millions of men and women into believing they have this choice over life or death. Just as we have no choice about when we will enter or leave this earth, we should have no option of taking the life of the pre-born.  Over 3 million abortions have been reported since 1974 in Canada. Lord, help us.

2 Corinthians 4:1-9
Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. ² Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. ³ And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. ⁴ The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. ⁵ For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. ⁶ For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. ⁷ But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ⁸ We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

Why teaching is hard

When I say "hard" I don't refer to the fact that a room full of energetic children can be hard to handle. I also don't mean that it is hard to teach certain skills or facts to students of various learning levels and abilities--those things are challenges--but not hard per se.

I find teaching hard because I don't think I'm supposed to do it. Last year I had a teaching contract that I never thought I would have because I thought I would be home nursing, loving and raising my baby. OK, so that didn't happen, and I'm over it. But then there is this year. Now, I'm a substitute teacher. I am very happy to be subbing (rather than contract teaching) this year as I have never been fond of a set schedule, and I love the freedom it offers. The reason it is hard is because I truly do not feel like teaching (in a school setting anyway) is what I am meant to do, and I can tell by the way my heart is not in it.

I really do care about my students, and I like working in a public setting and the interaction with people of all ages that goes along with it, but even on the best day at school, I still don't have that "right" feeling I think should go along with it. Maybe I am way too focused on feelings instead of logic, but hey, I'm a woman. If I follow my feelings, I feel like I'm meant to be a mom, I feel like I really enjoy photography and would really like to run a photography business, I feel like church work is very important to me and I'd rather volunteer time with the youth group than get paid to teach them in a public school (slightly backwards?), and lastly, I feel so good when I have time at home to be with my husband, cook meals and keep things tidy. Most of these feelings are hard to share with people of the working world because I fear that I appear lazy. I'm not lazy, I just don't know if I'm meant to be a "career woman", and I'm fortunate to have the financial and moral support of my husband so I have the choice whether or not to work

I have had this internal "debate" for some time now, and there is something about writing it out that seems to help, even if it isn't resolved.

The Happy Traveler

I really enjoy traveling. I love a good road trip, a long plane ride, a quick camping trip. I don't aspire to "see the world", but I enjoy seeing new sights and seeing parts of this amazing planet God created.
Since getting married and moving across the country in 2009 I have been so fortunate and blessed to have traveled a lot--several times a year.

Some of the places I've been in that time include Nova Scotia (my home province), Ontario (Devin's home province), Saskatchewan (where we currently live), Alberta, British Columbia and Prince Edward Island and Montana.

 Some of the cities include:
-Yarmouth, Halifax, Lunenburg and Mahone Bay, NS
- Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal and Vankleek Hill, ON
- Charlottetown, Cavendish and Summerside, PEI
- Gravelbourg, Assiniboia, Moose Jaw, Regina, Saskatoon (etc.) Saskatchewan
- Banff, Calgary and Cypress Hills, Alberta
- Victoria, Sooke, Ucluelet and Tofino, British Columbia
- Billings Montana (and a few other small towns)

The reason I write these places down in a list is because:
A) My memory is terrible and I just may forget 
B) It excites me to look back and remember these great adventures

This past Spring/Summer I have been a very "happy traveler". In May, Devin and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary by going to Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, Alberta and stayed at Elkwater Lake Lodge. It was cozy, scenic and fun, and it snowed on us, but we didn't mind.

 

At the end of June, 2 days after school was out, we headed to British Columbia for our summer vacation. We went to Vancouver Island and saw Victoria, Sooke, Ucluelet and Tofino. The weather was cool and very "coastal", we hiked a lot of trails and walked a lot of beaches, it was a wonderful time. Our favourite part of the whole trip was our little cottage in Sooke with a little private beach and a campfire, it was perfect.

 

 

In July, Mom and Dad came to visit and we toured Moose Jaw and did the underground tunnels and watched a baseball game, and we went to a Roughriders game in Regina. We celebrated Mom's birthday and Mom and Dad's 35th wedding anniversary.

 

 

 

 

In mid August Devin and I went to Palliser Regional Park, which is on Lake Deifenbaker. It was a beautiful time even though we had to cut our trip short by 1 night, and the second night there it thundered all night long. The water was warm and beautiful for swimming, and we sat by the lake or the campfire and read our books a lot.

 

 

And finally, at the end August my friend Sonya came to visit me from Nova Scotia and we took a road trip to Banff. We camped for 3 nights and the weather was perfect. I took Sonya to all of the "hot spots" like the gondola, the hot springs and Johnston Canyon. We had a lot of fun.

 



 

 

 

................What a summer!