Winter in Calgary

Well, winter has finally arrived in Calgary. We finally have snow and the temperature has remained below zero degrees for a few days now. It's towards the end of February now, but it has finally happened.

As many people are aware, although some many not be, I have been working on the process of applying for entrance to the Salvation Army's College for Officer Training. CFOT is located in Winnipeg, Manitoba and is the main centre for the training of Officers in Canada and Bermuda. Just a bit of background for my non-Army friends: Officers are the ordained clergy of the Salvation Army and serve as pastors, administrators, chaplains, etc. They are the principle leaders of the Salvation Army. Before a person is ordained and commissioned as an officer they normally (depending on experience and education) undergo two years of residential training at the Training College. During that time they are a Cadet. Before they can beginning training they are known as candidates. Candidates must complete several levels of testing, interviews, and applications to determine their suitability for service as an Officer.

Anyhow, I have been working on the process of applying. I have completed the preliminary papers and most of the health tests. But lately I've been very restless and I'm beginning to wonder if I'm ready to go to CFOT yet. I am working my second job since returning home and already I have the urge to look at other jobs. I've lived in Calgary longer than any other place I've called home, although I have only been back in the city for a few months and I can't help but dream about going somewhere else now (nothing against Calgary or my friends here). I just can't help but think that I'm not ready to commit to something like training college yet.

Of course then I think, if I'm not going to do that, what am I going to do? I certainly don't want to work in a warehouse for another year...it's a struggle some nights to finish out the night...it just isn't my thing. Should I save up and travel some more? Do a mission trip? Look at a working visa somewhere? A course somewhere like SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology) to acquire some new skills? I had started planning a backpacking trip to the UK a few years ago...maybe look at something like that again?

Don't worry, I'm not abandoning my application for training college...just re-thinking my timing...maybe I need to wait a bit longer...learn a few more things, mature a bit more, gain some experience...

Lots of maybes. Lots of questions.

Rambling born out of boredom!!

Well, I finally got this picture off my camera. I had made a Toblerone Cheesecake for my small group a few weeks ago. I got the recipe from Myrtle, one of my Australian friends. It was a big hit with the group...very easy to make too!!

So mostly I'm blogging because it's 3am, I'm bored and wanted something to do.

It was very fun to get to play in the Divisional Youth Band again. I haven't played with the group for over a year now. The DYB is a brass band made up of young people (aged 13-30 is the rule) from different Salvation Army churches in Alberta (our Division includes Alberta, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut). Right now we have members from Edmonton, Calgary, Lethbridge and Grande Prairie. See the map below for locations. For my Aussie and American friends, if you want to see what Canada looks like, Google "map of Canada" or something and check it out (You'll need a newer map to see where Nunavut is...it was created when the NWT was divided a few years ago).

Okay, this is kind of fun. I couldn't decide what music to listen to, so I set MediaPlayer to "shuffle" and then told it to play all the tracks in my library...so I've got Gregorian Chant, Christmas Music, Classical, Rock, Christian Contemorary, Newfoundland-Celtic, and more going...oh, and VEGGIE TALES!!

Anyways, back to DYB, it was a fun time. I'm playing cornet (kind of like a trumpet, but slightly different in appearance, design and sound). I originally learned to play on a cornet, but switched to trombone at the request of my music teacher when I was 14. We have a new interm leader for the band. The band has been without a leader since the fall, but now we have someone to take us at least up to the summer. I'm not necessarily all that big on playing my instrument, but I do enjoy spending time with the other members. We have some good times!! This month we were missing a lot of members though...everyone from Edmonton and Grande Prairie. It was a pretty sad sight, but we still had a good time.

Starting tonight I am working 4, 10 hour shifts at work instead of 5, 8 hour shifts. So from now on I work Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday starting at 8pm. Of course we never finish until around 7:30am, so it's actually closer to a 12 hour shift.

Saturday it was something like 13 degrees Celsius out (55.4 degrees Fahrenheit for my American friends)!! Our winter has been increadibly warm this year!! I jogged to band practice this morning...although it wasn't quite that warm at that time of day. It was beautiful!! I love that I can go running or cycling in Calgary and be completely surrounded by park and woods and not be able to see any of the signs that I live in a large city. The sky was so clear and the mountains looked magnificant. I'm going to have to back out and take my camera with me sometime...not sure when. I would today if I didn't have to wear uniform...although I suppose I could get my parents to take that over with them and I could get changed at the church...I'll think about it. But I will get pictures posted somtime.

Okay, well, I didn't really have much to say to start with and I've rambled long enough now.

Take care everyone!!

A weekend of love, grace and some good laughs...oh, and judgement!!

Hello all from wonderful, lovely, beautiful, fantastic Calgary, Alberta!!

This weekend I was in Edmonton, the capital city of our province, located 300 kms to the north of Calgary (for those who are not familiar with Canadian geography). The experience has given me a greater appreciation for the wonderful city that I live in. I found Edmonton's downtown, where I was, to be very smelly, and the weather was not overly pleasant...but nevertheless, it was a wonderful weekend (for the most part) and here's why.

I was in Edmonton (formerly the City of Champion's, now known as the City North of Calgary and home to Canada's worst hockey team) for the Breakforth Canada conference. Breakforth is an annual Christian ministry and worship conference held in Edmonton. This is the first time I've attended and it was a great time. There were some fantastic speakers, including Ken Davis (so very funny!!) and K.P. Yohannan (President and founder of Gospel for Asia). I attended 4 workshops by Dan Kimball, a pastor of a emerging church congregation in Santa Cruz, which were very interesting, as well as one workshop on storytelling for children. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the workshops and the majority of the speakers.

During the Saturday morning main session a fairly well-known Christian speaker and author addressed those attending. I am hesitant to mention his name, because many people will recognise it and I don't really have much good to say about him. I will say that he has written soem excellent books and much of his ministry in the past has been extremely worthwhile and beneficial for many, many people. However, during this session he gave a very strong message, setting very limited and demanding perameters for discipleship, many of which were very valid and true, however I did have a problem with his actual presentation in that it did not give much grace to the humanity of those attending. After his teaching time, he offered an opportunity for a response, inviting people who felt convicted and led to come forward. After many people had gone forward, he gave a "last opportunity to respond." Little did those of us who had not responded know what was coming next...and I doubt those who had responded had any better idea of what was to come. This man proceeded to call upon the authority of a prophet of God, and with that authority called down the judgement of God upon those of us who had not responded then and there.

This does not agree with my understanding of the nature of God and I wholeheartedly believe that the man was in fact not speaking as a prophet of God. I know God to be loving, merciful and gracious, and a call for judgement is none of these things. I also know that God is just, but He has appointed a Day of Judgement, however we have not reached that yet. I know that because of the description of that Day given in the book of Revelation. And so I believe that God has in store much, much more grace for us and that He is withholding His judgement until that Day.

Saturday evening K.P. Yohannan spoke, covering pretty much the same points as had been covered that morning, but he spoke out of love and compassion for people and a deep, deep love for Christ. He demonstrated the true grace and love of Christ in a way that I have not seen many times in a person.

After the evening session with K.P. Yohannan, some friends and I went to see Panic Squad. Panic Squad is a group of three guys who live in Vancouver and do clean improv professionally. I'd seen them before and they are simply fantastic at what they do. Very, very funny, but they keep things very clean. Improv is so much fun!! They put on a great evening and received a standing ovation at the end of it.

We left the conference early to get back to Calgary a bit early. One person in our group had his birthday on Sunday and wanted to get home because he and his wife were going out for dinner. I had also wanted to leave because I had to work that evening and wanted a bit of down time between travelling and working.

Overall, a fantastic weekend. Got to spend a lot of time with good friends and heard some great speakers, learned stuff and was inspired in my faith.

Hello, Bonjour, G'day, and whatever else!!

Well, the past week has been interesting. Last Friday night I quit my job...without a new one. That led to a rather heated "discussion" with my parents. Although I did have a good proper conversation with my dad later that was very good. So, I found myself without a job. I had an interview the Wednesday before that, but didn't actually have the job. The decision to quit was foolish, irrational and stupid, but I made it and had to deal with it.

So, I've spent the week hoping to hear back on the interview and sending in resumes to all sorts of places for all sorts of jobs. I had a bunch of tests to complete for my application for the College for Officer Training, so I finished all those. And I'm preaching this Sunday at my church, so I've been working on two sermons, which I love!! Preaching is so enjoyable!! And the preparation is lots of fun!! The reading, research and art of constructing a sermon - GOT TO LOVE IT!!

Monday I met Jackie (my best friend) for lunch, which was good. We talked and hung out for a while. After being away from my friends for nine months I've really learned to appreciate them!! It was great to meet new people and make new friends, but my friends in Calgary are friends I've had for over 5 years now, and it's good to be back with them.

This morning, I had a great start to my day!! I got a phone call from the company that I had the interview with over a week ago, offering me the job, so I start on Monday. So, I am going to be an Order Selector for BridgeBrand. I won't be a great job, but it pays pretty well and is full-time, so I'm happy. Now I have a job and don't have to worry about that.

I got a new CD this week. Got to love GST refund cheques...actually, I got two new CD's. One is an older Planetshakers CD "Phenomena" which is good. But I also got the Third Day CD "Wherever You Are" and it is GREAT!! I particularly love the words to the song "Communion." Having grown up in the Salvation Army, I haven't really practiced the sacrament of Communion much...not until more recent years had I ever taken part, and now only once or twice a year, but it is something that means a great deal to me. Here are some of the words to the song:

This is the body

This is the blood

Broken and poured out

For all of us

In this communion

We share in His love

This is the body

This is the blood

~

I will remember everything, Lord

That You've done for me

I won't take for granted

The sacrifice that set me free

I hunger and thirst for Your love

Come fill me today

~

We hunger and thirst for Your love

And Your righteousness

We long for Your presence here, Lord

Be with us again

~

Okay, so that's the whole song, but it's fairly short and I couldn't pick a section that I'd prefer over the others, so there it is. I love the song because it, in many ways summerises exactly what my faith is about and also why the sacrament of communion is so important. Communion is more than just a little piece bread and a bit of wine (or grape juice), it is anything that causes us to share in the love of Christ, particularly with rememberance of His sacrifice.

Take care and have a good one!!

Happy New Year!!

Today is the last and final day of the year 2005!!

It has been an AMAZINGLY AWESOME year!! So much has happened!!

- 6.5 months in Australia, with 2.5 months in California in the middle.
- New friends (no I'm not going to try naming you all, just in case I miss someone)
- Goals achieved
- graduate from SFYL
- make it home safely from Oz
- climbed to "The Big Cross" 4 times during the North American summer (as opposed to the Australian summer)
- overnight kayaking trip with Bart!!
(those are a few...many, many more)

Everyone have a very Happy New Year!!

I don't want to grow up, I'm a Toys 'R' Us Kid!!

Do you ever feel like you might be older than you thought? Or that you are older than you think you should be? Do you ever feel like suddenly things are "different"?

I had a couple of moments like that recently.

Firstly, a number of my friends will finish university this year. They are about the same age as me, and it is weird to think that they will have degrees and will be starting full-blown careers. And now I'm looking at starting to pursue my calling to Officership in the Salvation Army. That means being an ordained member of clergy (a huge privilege, but also a huge responsibility) and entering into the rest of my life (at least until retirement...which is 43 years away...almost twice as long as I've been alive so far). It makes me feel old.

I also received word that one of my friends that I worked at camp with this past summer is now engaged. She's the same age as me and getting married!?!?! Yikes!! Seems so young, and yet somehow it seems old enough...which maybe means older!!

And I also received word that someone I used to be friends with has recently had her first baby.

And now, as I was typing this post I discovered that two more of my friends got engaged last night!! Wow!! Okay, definately feeling old now.

To all my friends that are my age out there: WE CAN'T GROW UP THIS QUICKLY!! SLOW DOWN PEOPLE!!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

Congratulations Leslie & Quinn and Lindsay & Michael!!

My Time in Australia

Hey everyone!!

I'm home, working and active in my church again!! It's been nearly two weeks since I got back and I've finally got a bunch of pictures from my time away posted. There are lot of pics, so you need to scroll down to the place where Archive links are on the right side of this page and click on November 2005 (NOT November 2004), and then you'll be able to see them all on one page. I've tried to include a variety of pictures and I've made an effort to try to explain the picture in the caption...hopefully I've done an okay job. The pictures start from the start of February and run up to the graduation on November 13. There are also pics from the two and half months I spent in California at the Salvation Army's Camp Gilmore in the Malibu "mountains." Having seen the Rockies I don't really think they are mountains, but geologically they do qualify...but they just look like big hills to me. So yeah, there are about 70 pics. Enjoy.

Take care all!!

My first picture of the Australian coast...taken only hours after arriving in Australia.

Glenn and Alicia looking out over the ocean on the day we arrived in Australia. 

A stingray swimming in the seagrass in Lake Munmorah. 

This is Bartholamew Ian Virtue, his name sounds quite distinguished, does it not?