i have been thouroughly enjoying my psalms class this semester, especially since the teacher is Curt Nicuum. This is guy is one good teacher, and really makes you think. He has given us the assignment of coming up with our own psalm and the instructions are vague in order to inspire creativity on our part. I am not a very creative person, so minimal instructions leave me helpless and unsure of what road to take.
However, after some divine inspiration, I decided I would write a psalm to the tune of "the failsafe" by misery signals. listen to it here. Now the challenge is determining what I actually scream to God in a psalm. I have found a program that removes lyrics from songs, and so I am going to add in my own screaming using a friends recording programs. If all goes well, I should have a copy for you to listen to within the week.
I am excited about how this could turn out, but the road is still long. So far I have two lines, and I don't even like them. This is going to be a long week, but the process should be good for me.
Monday, February 19, 2007
agreed
kori has a great comment from the "prayer" blog I posted yesterday. I definetely agree with him as I did not mean to convey the motion that we stop praying all together during gatherings of various types.
i guess my main frustration is that I am on this christian campus and I don't see the church. then this frustration is amplified by the fact that I am not taking more responsibility in my own relationship with God because I am too busy doing all these christian things at a christian school. ironic, but I can see how it would be a problem at most christian schools.
when it comes down to it, I am very grateful to be on this campus, annoying prayers and all. I think a problem like this is only solved working from the inside out, starting with my own walk.
miss you guys.
T.
i guess my main frustration is that I am on this christian campus and I don't see the church. then this frustration is amplified by the fact that I am not taking more responsibility in my own relationship with God because I am too busy doing all these christian things at a christian school. ironic, but I can see how it would be a problem at most christian schools.
when it comes down to it, I am very grateful to be on this campus, annoying prayers and all. I think a problem like this is only solved working from the inside out, starting with my own walk.
miss you guys.
T.
prayer
I am continuely amazed at the south and how different the church experience is down here compared to home.
One of the things that really stands out is the question "does anyone have any prayer requests?"
Every time prayer happens here that question is asked, the person who is going to pray writes everything down, and then goes for it. I don't think we ever did that in youth group and I am not sure what to think about it. In the right situations, that is a great question and true prayer can take place. But in the south we have to pray before and after EVERTYHING we do.
for example:
1) In my chemistry class the teacher would start each class asking for prayer requests. then someone would volunteer to give the same mundane prayer. it goes something like this: "dear God, we thank you for the opportunity to learn, and to be at oklahoma christian. help us to learn today and continue to grow. God, help those that are in need and please heal (insert name) if it be your will. in Jesus name. Amen" I hate that.
2) After every intramural basketball game we huddle up at center court and another monotonous prayer is said. "dear god, thanks for sports. thanks for no injuries. help us to injury free for the rest of the season. (sometimes they throw in the "thank you for the your son Jesus who died to save our sins") and help us through the week. in Jesus name. Amen"
At this christian institution, we for some reason feel the need to squeeze in these prayers everywhere. I may be way offline but I'm not sure God appreciates these very much. They are so heartless and forced. These prayers almost become the substitute and justification for it to be okay that we don't take our own spiritual/prayer lives as seriously as we should. Prayer needs to be genuine. Let's take out our hearts and plop them before God, holding nothing back.
here is one last thing to add some more insight to the south. at our basketball game on Saturday morning the first half buzzer went and everyone was called into the centre of the court. The guy who had been running the scoreboard then started to preach! It lasted for like 5 - 10 mins and then it was game on. I was so confused. I asked my teammate what the heck happened and he said that they do a "commercial for God" at every half time throughout the day. priceless.
One of the things that really stands out is the question "does anyone have any prayer requests?"
Every time prayer happens here that question is asked, the person who is going to pray writes everything down, and then goes for it. I don't think we ever did that in youth group and I am not sure what to think about it. In the right situations, that is a great question and true prayer can take place. But in the south we have to pray before and after EVERTYHING we do.
for example:
1) In my chemistry class the teacher would start each class asking for prayer requests. then someone would volunteer to give the same mundane prayer. it goes something like this: "dear God, we thank you for the opportunity to learn, and to be at oklahoma christian. help us to learn today and continue to grow. God, help those that are in need and please heal (insert name) if it be your will. in Jesus name. Amen" I hate that.
2) After every intramural basketball game we huddle up at center court and another monotonous prayer is said. "dear god, thanks for sports. thanks for no injuries. help us to injury free for the rest of the season. (sometimes they throw in the "thank you for the your son Jesus who died to save our sins") and help us through the week. in Jesus name. Amen"
At this christian institution, we for some reason feel the need to squeeze in these prayers everywhere. I may be way offline but I'm not sure God appreciates these very much. They are so heartless and forced. These prayers almost become the substitute and justification for it to be okay that we don't take our own spiritual/prayer lives as seriously as we should. Prayer needs to be genuine. Let's take out our hearts and plop them before God, holding nothing back.
here is one last thing to add some more insight to the south. at our basketball game on Saturday morning the first half buzzer went and everyone was called into the centre of the court. The guy who had been running the scoreboard then started to preach! It lasted for like 5 - 10 mins and then it was game on. I was so confused. I asked my teammate what the heck happened and he said that they do a "commercial for God" at every half time throughout the day. priceless.
he's back.
it has been awhile. the main reason for my absence is lack of interesting things to say. sometimes the homework piles up and that is all that seems to be going on. however, spring sing (a stupid show that the clubs on campus have to participate in that includes choreographed dances and parodies of songs tailored to the clubs theme, ours being elves) is now in full swing and we have too many practices. we had our first lock in on saturday night where we practiced for 7 hours straight. it wasn't so bad, but my body was not at peak performance level for my hockey game on Sunday. Needless to say my two goals could have turned into so much more if only I wasn't so tired from doing silly dance moves. hockey has been a lot of fun so far and team is really bonding well, producing some sweet chemistry on the ice. We have one guy from New York who plays for the full 54 min game, and skates harder than anybody else. He is one of the fittest guys I have ever seen. He scores a lot of goals. More than me even.
Clair and I have been doing very well lately. We got into a weird lull at the beginning of semester where we just annoyed each other to death and it was creating quite a bit of tension. We are now back to normal (according to me anyways) and are enjoying each others company.
Here is the question of the week: if a homeless person asks you for money, should you give it to him?
Clair and I went out on Saturday to dinner and a blazers game and at the end of the game was approached by a homeless looking gentleman. He made up some story about how he was at the hockey game, he and his wife got into a fight, she took the car home and left him in downtown with no money or way to get home. I didn't by the story but the guy was only asking for a couple bucks to "catch a bus," so we thought it wouldn't hurt. He kept complimenting us, saying we looked great as a couple, and that my glasses were cool. Good tactic, because he got the money. As soon as we gave this guy the dollar bills, another homeless gentleman was walking by and noticed. After the first guy goes on his way, the next one catches us right before we are about to get into the car. He asks for "some change for a brother" and I offer to buy him some food. It was a pretty cold night and he said that he wasn't hungry but that he needed 5 bucks to get into the Salvation Army Shelter, and that would pay for a week there. I wasn't sure if that was true or not, and I only had a 20 so I was hesistant to give it to him, but I did.
God was definelty testing me with this whole thing, because my friends and I had been talking about this very situation that week. Why are we so hesistant to give to someone who asks for money? I judge people and don't give them any money becuase we all think we know what they, the homeless people, are going to do with it. How fair is that? Did God not bless me with this money even though I am a sinner to? Why do I want to hold on so tight to an earthly possesion that is not even mine?
In the end, I was reminded of Jesus. he healed and blessed not expecting for people to be perfect once he had done so. in the same way, I need to be a generous giver of whatever I have to give at that time, regardless of how I think the person will use that gift.
i hope everyone back home and around the world is doing well. there is a new banner at the top of the blog screen but it doesn't go to the right site unfortunately. you can go here tho. I can't wait for this album.
Clair and I have been doing very well lately. We got into a weird lull at the beginning of semester where we just annoyed each other to death and it was creating quite a bit of tension. We are now back to normal (according to me anyways) and are enjoying each others company.
Here is the question of the week: if a homeless person asks you for money, should you give it to him?
Clair and I went out on Saturday to dinner and a blazers game and at the end of the game was approached by a homeless looking gentleman. He made up some story about how he was at the hockey game, he and his wife got into a fight, she took the car home and left him in downtown with no money or way to get home. I didn't by the story but the guy was only asking for a couple bucks to "catch a bus," so we thought it wouldn't hurt. He kept complimenting us, saying we looked great as a couple, and that my glasses were cool. Good tactic, because he got the money. As soon as we gave this guy the dollar bills, another homeless gentleman was walking by and noticed. After the first guy goes on his way, the next one catches us right before we are about to get into the car. He asks for "some change for a brother" and I offer to buy him some food. It was a pretty cold night and he said that he wasn't hungry but that he needed 5 bucks to get into the Salvation Army Shelter, and that would pay for a week there. I wasn't sure if that was true or not, and I only had a 20 so I was hesistant to give it to him, but I did.
God was definelty testing me with this whole thing, because my friends and I had been talking about this very situation that week. Why are we so hesistant to give to someone who asks for money? I judge people and don't give them any money becuase we all think we know what they, the homeless people, are going to do with it. How fair is that? Did God not bless me with this money even though I am a sinner to? Why do I want to hold on so tight to an earthly possesion that is not even mine?
In the end, I was reminded of Jesus. he healed and blessed not expecting for people to be perfect once he had done so. in the same way, I need to be a generous giver of whatever I have to give at that time, regardless of how I think the person will use that gift.
i hope everyone back home and around the world is doing well. there is a new banner at the top of the blog screen but it doesn't go to the right site unfortunately. you can go here tho. I can't wait for this album.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
forgiven
last week I wrote a super sweet blog. it had everything that a good blog needs. a little humor, a touch of information, a sprinkle of insight and great grammar. unfortunately, when I went to publish my piece of art, the blogger site messed up and I lost it all. after a week of ignoring blogger.com for it's failure, I am forgiving the internet and writing a new post.
last week was pretty sweet. our dodgeball team came 3rd and I played in my second hockey game. i don't know what it is, but this past christmas gave me a renewed love for the game and I can't get enough. im glad okc has some ice I can tear up.
i wrote my first dynamics test which was "confusingly easy," as my friend Will described it. You walk out of the test thinking, man that was easy, but you are second guessing yourself more than ever because it couldn't have been that easy, could it? i guess we will see how easy it was. I have two more tests this week, which will hopefully won't be too hard either.
last night I was fortunate enough to hear Earl Lavender, writer of Living God's Love, talk. He said something so simple but it has really hit me. He said, you cannot give what you don't have. No duh. But the reality of it for me was that I have been so eager to jump into Lord's work, to get busy in the kingdom, that I have not even thought about if I am prepared spiritually. If I do not put any serious effort into the building of a relationship with God, which right now is practically zero, then how can I share Him with others? For most of my life, things have come fairly easy to me, so I have never had to seriously work hard to be more than moderate at something. This pattern is definetely reflected in my spritiual life. I have never seen the need to put effort into seeking God, beacuse I thought it would come naturally. I am now seeing and feeling how wrong this is. I hope that in the coming days, I will learn to "have a cup of joe with the creator" and to read and listen to what I have to learn about Him and from Him.
finally, if you haven't already done this go check out and read Nic Olson's blog, the link is on the right. you will not be disappointed.
last week was pretty sweet. our dodgeball team came 3rd and I played in my second hockey game. i don't know what it is, but this past christmas gave me a renewed love for the game and I can't get enough. im glad okc has some ice I can tear up.
i wrote my first dynamics test which was "confusingly easy," as my friend Will described it. You walk out of the test thinking, man that was easy, but you are second guessing yourself more than ever because it couldn't have been that easy, could it? i guess we will see how easy it was. I have two more tests this week, which will hopefully won't be too hard either.
last night I was fortunate enough to hear Earl Lavender, writer of Living God's Love, talk. He said something so simple but it has really hit me. He said, you cannot give what you don't have. No duh. But the reality of it for me was that I have been so eager to jump into Lord's work, to get busy in the kingdom, that I have not even thought about if I am prepared spiritually. If I do not put any serious effort into the building of a relationship with God, which right now is practically zero, then how can I share Him with others? For most of my life, things have come fairly easy to me, so I have never had to seriously work hard to be more than moderate at something. This pattern is definetely reflected in my spritiual life. I have never seen the need to put effort into seeking God, beacuse I thought it would come naturally. I am now seeing and feeling how wrong this is. I hope that in the coming days, I will learn to "have a cup of joe with the creator" and to read and listen to what I have to learn about Him and from Him.
finally, if you haven't already done this go check out and read Nic Olson's blog, the link is on the right. you will not be disappointed.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
ice capades
last night was pretty fun. i should have stayed in the dorms, finished my bible reading and then went to bed early. instead I was peer pressured into going ice sliding at lake arcadia. the weird ice storm has left the hills covered in 10 cm (notice the metric use) of solid, slick ice. needless to say we saw an amazing oppourtunity before us, and the pictures on flickr are the result.
we all ended up feeling pretty stiff and sore in the morning after many falls while trying to surf down the slope. at the bottom was a line of long grass and scattered trees. if you were lucky, you didn't can yourself on one of them.
also, we have entered a dodgeball team in the school tournament and have been practicing our 5 D's of dodgeball with fervour. Dodge, Dip, Duck, Dive and Dodge. wish us luck.
Tyler.
we all ended up feeling pretty stiff and sore in the morning after many falls while trying to surf down the slope. at the bottom was a line of long grass and scattered trees. if you were lucky, you didn't can yourself on one of them.
also, we have entered a dodgeball team in the school tournament and have been practicing our 5 D's of dodgeball with fervour. Dodge, Dip, Duck, Dive and Dodge. wish us luck.
Tyler.
Monday, January 15, 2007
NEW ROOM!
i just got the loft kit I ordered, so I was able to reorganize my room a little bit better. the only real problem is that I might fall out of bed and kill myself on night. for the extra space, it's a risk I am willing to take.
there is a picture on flickr.
in other news, school was cancelled today but is still on tomorrow. all the church services on Sunday were cancelled as well, which led to a great small group discussion at Chad and Sarah's apt. where we had supper together, broke bread, drank juice and communioned the way Jesus did back in the day. it was refreshing to be a part of that, especially in the bible belt (however the origins of people that attended the small group were Canada, Australia, Montana and Ohio). it was still good though.
we decided that as a group we needed to do this more often. Eat, drink and talk God in an informal setting. a place where we can express our angers and frustrations with God as well as give him praise. hopefully there will be many more great sessions to come.
although school was cancelled, I still had to get up for an 8 am lecture which my teacher decided to have online. it's pretty neat how it works, but still, I had class and homework on a snow day. the least the teacher could have done was have the lecture at say, 2, after everyone was awake.
and my final peice of news is that I did not get to play in my first hockey game this week. Ironically, they cancelled the game due to all the ice. Next week I will have my chance.
there is a picture on flickr.
in other news, school was cancelled today but is still on tomorrow. all the church services on Sunday were cancelled as well, which led to a great small group discussion at Chad and Sarah's apt. where we had supper together, broke bread, drank juice and communioned the way Jesus did back in the day. it was refreshing to be a part of that, especially in the bible belt (however the origins of people that attended the small group were Canada, Australia, Montana and Ohio). it was still good though.
we decided that as a group we needed to do this more often. Eat, drink and talk God in an informal setting. a place where we can express our angers and frustrations with God as well as give him praise. hopefully there will be many more great sessions to come.
although school was cancelled, I still had to get up for an 8 am lecture which my teacher decided to have online. it's pretty neat how it works, but still, I had class and homework on a snow day. the least the teacher could have done was have the lecture at say, 2, after everyone was awake.
and my final peice of news is that I did not get to play in my first hockey game this week. Ironically, they cancelled the game due to all the ice. Next week I will have my chance.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
hookah, halo and hotcakes.
with the ice storm here, everyone is basically couped up in the dorms, trying to find stuff to do.
my neighbour Chad aparantly can make some wicked waffles (ie. hot cakes), and the plan for friday night was to have some hookah, play some halo and eat some hot cakes.
in preparation for smoking hookah in the dorm room we were trying to find a way to cover the smoke detector because we weren't sure if it would detect the hookah smoke or not. I came up with a great plan to tape a plastic back around the smoke detector. it should work right?
well, as I was standing on Evan's shoulders, taping the bag there, and the smoke detector started to go, and then after 5 seconds turned off. We had no idea what made it go off and there was no test button that I could have hit.
by this point we were getting worried about smoking the hookah in the dorm and getting caught, as all the detectors are wired together throughout the building and we didn't want to cause the sprinklers to go off.
with our hopes down, and the ability to smoke hookah elsewhere was minimal due to the cold, we decided to give up on the idea. all of sudden, Justin came up with the great idea to go set up his dome tent in the park and just sit in there and smoke.
so that's what we did. needless to say it was freaking freezing outside, but with 5 manly bodies sitting in a small tent with a hookah pipe, we were able to stay warm enough and enjoy some good times together and have some good talks.
it turned out to be a pretty fun night.
there are some new photos on flickr of the hookah night and an OC basketball game.
keep in touch,
ty.
ps. thanks for the comments mom and dad, it means a lot. keep them coming.
my neighbour Chad aparantly can make some wicked waffles (ie. hot cakes), and the plan for friday night was to have some hookah, play some halo and eat some hot cakes.
in preparation for smoking hookah in the dorm room we were trying to find a way to cover the smoke detector because we weren't sure if it would detect the hookah smoke or not. I came up with a great plan to tape a plastic back around the smoke detector. it should work right?
well, as I was standing on Evan's shoulders, taping the bag there, and the smoke detector started to go, and then after 5 seconds turned off. We had no idea what made it go off and there was no test button that I could have hit.
by this point we were getting worried about smoking the hookah in the dorm and getting caught, as all the detectors are wired together throughout the building and we didn't want to cause the sprinklers to go off.
with our hopes down, and the ability to smoke hookah elsewhere was minimal due to the cold, we decided to give up on the idea. all of sudden, Justin came up with the great idea to go set up his dome tent in the park and just sit in there and smoke.
so that's what we did. needless to say it was freaking freezing outside, but with 5 manly bodies sitting in a small tent with a hookah pipe, we were able to stay warm enough and enjoy some good times together and have some good talks.
it turned out to be a pretty fun night.
there are some new photos on flickr of the hookah night and an OC basketball game.
keep in touch,
ty.
ps. thanks for the comments mom and dad, it means a lot. keep them coming.
Friday, January 12, 2007
crazy ice storm eh?
if you haven't heard the news, the state of oklahoma is being hit with a severe ice storm. it's not rain, it's not sleet, it's not hail and it's not snow, but something is coming down from the sky and creating ice all over the place.
the good news is that they cancelled afternoon classes. they also have a bunch of emergency plans of action so that if the power goes out we, the students, will still have a warm place to sleep and food to eat. it's pretty crazy.
as of right now, everyone is just sitting around watching movies. bball has been mentioned for later and I think I will hit that up.
b baller butel is signing off.
the good news is that they cancelled afternoon classes. they also have a bunch of emergency plans of action so that if the power goes out we, the students, will still have a warm place to sleep and food to eat. it's pretty crazy.
as of right now, everyone is just sitting around watching movies. bball has been mentioned for later and I think I will hit that up.
b baller butel is signing off.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
flickr
i have gotten some pictures up online. just click the link on the right of the page.
there are only a few photos up of my dorm room and roommates. keep checking back for more.
T.
there are only a few photos up of my dorm room and roommates. keep checking back for more.
T.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
back to the grind
the holidays were so great and it is very hard to be back on campus. thanks to all back home for the good times and catching up.
i think the thing that gets me the most is being in the dorm room and how it does not feel homey at all. no dad in the rocking chair, no mom vacumming while you are trying to watch TV, no brothers yelling at you and trying to wrestle you. i miss that.
it is a good thing that Clair is with me to keep me going. two days of classes have gone by and the homework has started. this should be a tough but fun semester.
in other news I have joined the fighting squirrels hockey club in the adult mens league here. hopefully I can dazzle them with my canadian stick handling and stunning good looks. if I can't, then at least it will be a good work out.
expect a flickr site to develop soon as I learn to use the new camera and shoot some pics of life at OC.
clair says hi.
tyler.
i think the thing that gets me the most is being in the dorm room and how it does not feel homey at all. no dad in the rocking chair, no mom vacumming while you are trying to watch TV, no brothers yelling at you and trying to wrestle you. i miss that.
it is a good thing that Clair is with me to keep me going. two days of classes have gone by and the homework has started. this should be a tough but fun semester.
in other news I have joined the fighting squirrels hockey club in the adult mens league here. hopefully I can dazzle them with my canadian stick handling and stunning good looks. if I can't, then at least it will be a good work out.
expect a flickr site to develop soon as I learn to use the new camera and shoot some pics of life at OC.
clair says hi.
tyler.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
american history = boring
with 4 down and 1 left to go, I find it hard to get motivated to study for US Turning Points.
The exams today went quite well. I got an A on the physics and the mechanics was long and tough, but I think I should be ok. It works out that you get about 8 min a problem, and that is just not enough for solving complex systems of loads and reactions on a truss. (can someone say nerd?....nerd.....thanks Tyler.)
tonight I will study for about...hmmm....30 min and the rest of the time will be spent vegging around, trying to recover from today's exams.
the end is in sight. and home is only 3 days away.
The exams today went quite well. I got an A on the physics and the mechanics was long and tough, but I think I should be ok. It works out that you get about 8 min a problem, and that is just not enough for solving complex systems of loads and reactions on a truss. (can someone say nerd?....nerd.....thanks Tyler.)
tonight I will study for about...hmmm....30 min and the rest of the time will be spent vegging around, trying to recover from today's exams.
the end is in sight. and home is only 3 days away.
Monday, December 11, 2006
these are studious times.
it is the week of finals.
we are so close, yet so far away it seems from being finished with these classes and jumping on a plane to grab some Tim Hortons.
I had my first final this morning and I think it went alright. It was Old Testament, and I destroyed the test up to the point that it started asking about minor prophets. Those guys all get mashed together in my head and there is little hope of seperating the information. However, I am confident my few mishaps in that section will not affect my overall grade in the course. I'm happy and proud to announce an "A" in story of the old testament. (this is the part where the crowd goes wild)
my next exam today is Calc III, in which I need to get a 60 or better to keep an A in the class. I think this will be doable.
tomorrow will be the killer with physics II and mechanics. both hard courses and they will be quite lengthy. so after tomorrow I will be home free.
i have looked into the idea of possibily spending a semester in India with Nic and the Mcmillans, doing some teaching and serving over there. As much as this appeals to me right now, I think I will come back to school and finish the year at least. After that, I will be in much better position to maybe spend the summer over there or do something else like that for the summer.
I feel torn between the radical call of Jesus (the just get up and go, and He will the do rest) and the call for me to just witness where I am. Maybe I have been disallusioned for the last little while spiritually, convinced that I just need to get away from school/security/comfortable to feel like I am serving God more wholeheartedly. I think instead of me moving physically, I need to just move spiritually, and really be alert to the doors the God can open down here in the bible belt. Or maybe not...I'm not sure at this moment.
I look at my parents. They are very selfless with their money and time. They are great servants of God. However, we obviously still attain and very comfortable lifestyle in sub-urban Calgary, with day jobs and very busy schedules. Does Jesus require more than this? Is this the true meaning of entering the kingdom of God? How much more can it go beyond this? Where does that idea fit in with me and where I am/where I want to be/where I should be?
questions, questions and more questions are coming from this.
pray for me please.
1 down and 4 to go. on wednesday night we are going out for India food to celebrate the end of exams. see you guys at home soon.
all those in regina - Jordan and I will be driving down on the 29th or so, stay for New Years and then leave on the 3rd or something. be there!
we are so close, yet so far away it seems from being finished with these classes and jumping on a plane to grab some Tim Hortons.
I had my first final this morning and I think it went alright. It was Old Testament, and I destroyed the test up to the point that it started asking about minor prophets. Those guys all get mashed together in my head and there is little hope of seperating the information. However, I am confident my few mishaps in that section will not affect my overall grade in the course. I'm happy and proud to announce an "A" in story of the old testament. (this is the part where the crowd goes wild)
my next exam today is Calc III, in which I need to get a 60 or better to keep an A in the class. I think this will be doable.
tomorrow will be the killer with physics II and mechanics. both hard courses and they will be quite lengthy. so after tomorrow I will be home free.
i have looked into the idea of possibily spending a semester in India with Nic and the Mcmillans, doing some teaching and serving over there. As much as this appeals to me right now, I think I will come back to school and finish the year at least. After that, I will be in much better position to maybe spend the summer over there or do something else like that for the summer.
I feel torn between the radical call of Jesus (the just get up and go, and He will the do rest) and the call for me to just witness where I am. Maybe I have been disallusioned for the last little while spiritually, convinced that I just need to get away from school/security/comfortable to feel like I am serving God more wholeheartedly. I think instead of me moving physically, I need to just move spiritually, and really be alert to the doors the God can open down here in the bible belt. Or maybe not...I'm not sure at this moment.
I look at my parents. They are very selfless with their money and time. They are great servants of God. However, we obviously still attain and very comfortable lifestyle in sub-urban Calgary, with day jobs and very busy schedules. Does Jesus require more than this? Is this the true meaning of entering the kingdom of God? How much more can it go beyond this? Where does that idea fit in with me and where I am/where I want to be/where I should be?
questions, questions and more questions are coming from this.
pray for me please.
1 down and 4 to go. on wednesday night we are going out for India food to celebrate the end of exams. see you guys at home soon.
all those in regina - Jordan and I will be driving down on the 29th or so, stay for New Years and then leave on the 3rd or something. be there!
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
tyler the heathen
With everyone in the bible belt off to Wednesday night church, I, the heathen, have decided it would be an opportune time to blog.
Wednesday night church just seems weird for Clair and I. The reason it bugs me is because I watch these "Christians," like robots, go to church three times a week and don't seem to even be questioning/searching/seeking for what it means to truly walk with Jesus in our world.
Maybe the are seeking but are to afraid or busy to want to deal with it.
I am at a weird stage.
I have moments where I just think, think and think some more about all this Jesus stuff. Then I am woken from my daze and I go on back to all the things that keep me busy.
I am so spiritually frustrated and anxious. I don't know what to do in regards to my call in the kingdom and kingdom work.
Am I getting to comfortable in this "go to classes, do homework, play intramurals, study for tests, do some service projects" bubble? Surely there must be more in store?
Should I wait it out until I have my degree? or leave school and pursue kingdom work whereever God may lead me?
I am leaning towards the latter these days. After hearing from Nic that he is probably going to India, I am SO jealous. I just want to get away like that and experience something else but school.
This is a very fragmented blog. Sorry.
I need to get some coffee with Close. 9 days till home.
I'm just going to do some calc. darn.
Wednesday night church just seems weird for Clair and I. The reason it bugs me is because I watch these "Christians," like robots, go to church three times a week and don't seem to even be questioning/searching/seeking for what it means to truly walk with Jesus in our world.
Maybe the are seeking but are to afraid or busy to want to deal with it.
I am at a weird stage.
I have moments where I just think, think and think some more about all this Jesus stuff. Then I am woken from my daze and I go on back to all the things that keep me busy.
I am so spiritually frustrated and anxious. I don't know what to do in regards to my call in the kingdom and kingdom work.
Am I getting to comfortable in this "go to classes, do homework, play intramurals, study for tests, do some service projects" bubble? Surely there must be more in store?
Should I wait it out until I have my degree? or leave school and pursue kingdom work whereever God may lead me?
I am leaning towards the latter these days. After hearing from Nic that he is probably going to India, I am SO jealous. I just want to get away like that and experience something else but school.
This is a very fragmented blog. Sorry.
I need to get some coffee with Close. 9 days till home.
I'm just going to do some calc. darn.
Friday, December 01, 2006
mochas, prison break and basketball
today was another snow day in Oklahoma. needless to stay I didn't spend it studying for upcoming exams and or anything useful like that.
I made some mochas (or is it mochi?), watched some prison break (season one is addicting and intense) and finally played some bball with the boys.
tonight Clair and I are going for someone's birthday party. I don't know whos it is, but Clair is the boss and so I am going to the party.
miss you guys up in the mother land and wish I could be there for the western vs. cofc Kings hockey game. score a goal for me Nic.
until next time. T.
I made some mochas (or is it mochi?), watched some prison break (season one is addicting and intense) and finally played some bball with the boys.
tonight Clair and I are going for someone's birthday party. I don't know whos it is, but Clair is the boss and so I am going to the party.
miss you guys up in the mother land and wish I could be there for the western vs. cofc Kings hockey game. score a goal for me Nic.
until next time. T.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
snow day?
The entire state of Oklahoma has shut down today due to the heavy snowfall that has acculumated over last night. This "heavy snowfall" is less than 2 inches.
Our school has cancelled classes for the first time in 52 yrs.
Wussies.
The sucky thing is I have no classes on Thursday anyways.
Our school has cancelled classes for the first time in 52 yrs.
Wussies.
The sucky thing is I have no classes on Thursday anyways.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
jerks and bball...part II
I forgot to mention that the kid has a tattoo of the state of texas on his shoulder.
maybe that explains everything.
surely Jesus doesn't love Texans.
maybe that explains everything.
surely Jesus doesn't love Texans.
jerks and basketball
have you ever just looked at a guy and decided that you just wanted to punch him in the face.
i played bball against a guy like that today.
he had this smug look on his face and thought he was da $hI!, for lack of a better descrition.
man do I hate guys like that.
to his credit, he made a few nice three's and made a nice pass through my legs to the center man.
however, the whole time he was talking trash and shouting "OFF" in the middle of all my shots.
luckily I am not a big strong guy and so I didn't put him in his place. why do I always think it would be so good to just knock him down? man that would feel good.
i wonder what Jesus would have to say about competive sport? it tends to bring out the worst in everyone the majority of the time.
i'm rambling now. stupid blog.
i played bball against a guy like that today.
he had this smug look on his face and thought he was da $hI!, for lack of a better descrition.
man do I hate guys like that.
to his credit, he made a few nice three's and made a nice pass through my legs to the center man.
however, the whole time he was talking trash and shouting "OFF" in the middle of all my shots.
luckily I am not a big strong guy and so I didn't put him in his place. why do I always think it would be so good to just knock him down? man that would feel good.
i wonder what Jesus would have to say about competive sport? it tends to bring out the worst in everyone the majority of the time.
i'm rambling now. stupid blog.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
this one is for Jason "the body" Bandura
it's true.
I am still alive.
I saw Jason Bandura the other day and he told me he checked out my blog and he thought that it was pretty out-dated. If I have people like Jason B checking out my blog, I guess I better start writing. So this one is for "the body."
Regina was great. I love going back to that place. The people there are very close to my heart and I always leave there thinking "why don't I just live in Regina?"
Nic has mentioned it already, but I did get to see everyone there a lot more when I lived in Oman. Ironic really. I wish I could be alot closer. I always feel like I'm missing out on the fellowship and fun that everyone seems to have. I think that more roadtrips are in order.
I got to play hockey for the first time since last christmas. The first game was a little shaky, and my legs didn't work after the first 10 min. It also didn't help that Nic lent me his midget stick and I had to get on my knees to even use the thing. That being said, I didn't think I performed to badly.
It was good to get out there in the cold air and have some classic Canadian fun. People only care about football and bball down here. For example, I turned on ESPN this morning to catch the highlights of Ducks vs. Oilers, and they showed one stinkin' goal from the whole game, and it was the OT goal. THAT'S IT? ONE FREAKIN GOAL FROM A WHOLE GAME?
As you can tell, I was a little riled (?) up.
Oh well. Less than three weeks now till Clair and I are back in the mother land. Can't wait.
I am still alive.
I saw Jason Bandura the other day and he told me he checked out my blog and he thought that it was pretty out-dated. If I have people like Jason B checking out my blog, I guess I better start writing. So this one is for "the body."
Regina was great. I love going back to that place. The people there are very close to my heart and I always leave there thinking "why don't I just live in Regina?"
Nic has mentioned it already, but I did get to see everyone there a lot more when I lived in Oman. Ironic really. I wish I could be alot closer. I always feel like I'm missing out on the fellowship and fun that everyone seems to have. I think that more roadtrips are in order.
I got to play hockey for the first time since last christmas. The first game was a little shaky, and my legs didn't work after the first 10 min. It also didn't help that Nic lent me his midget stick and I had to get on my knees to even use the thing. That being said, I didn't think I performed to badly.
It was good to get out there in the cold air and have some classic Canadian fun. People only care about football and bball down here. For example, I turned on ESPN this morning to catch the highlights of Ducks vs. Oilers, and they showed one stinkin' goal from the whole game, and it was the OT goal. THAT'S IT? ONE FREAKIN GOAL FROM A WHOLE GAME?
As you can tell, I was a little riled (?) up.
Oh well. Less than three weeks now till Clair and I are back in the mother land. Can't wait.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
harder than I thought.
I really thought that once I got to school I would be in a more blogging mood. But I guess I was wrong. It's hard to be motivated to type anything after 4 hours of calculus, mechanics and physics homework. Alas, here I am on a Saturday morning and nothing to do.
I find it hard on weekends, just because I love getting up to the family hanging out downstairs or outside. Its different in the dorms, because if there is no one in the room, then it feels like there is no one on campus. But if you give it to about 2 in the afternoon, life starts to appear.
The big news this week is that Clair and I finally got cell phones! We are officially cool and connected. Except its sad to see all that money leave my wallet. We were charged 300 deposit on the phones because we don't have any credit down here, and we get it back after 6 months of paying our bills. Keep your fingers crossed.
Its funny how cheap the cell phone plans are down here. For two phones, with 550 minutes shared, 300 text messages each a month, free minutes between all sprint customers and free minutes on nights and weekends, it only cost us 60 a month, plus tax. What a deal!
In other news, I have started playing JV golf, and they are making it really serious this year. We have 4 practices a week, and 5 tournaments booked. At the practices they are coaching us and giving us drills to work on, so there is mucho improvemento so faro. Im loving it a lot, and seeing my golf game shape up feels so good.
Well, this afternoon will be spent doing some more homework, but then we can relax tomorrow. Miss you guys back home.
go riders go. oh go go riders go go.
I find it hard on weekends, just because I love getting up to the family hanging out downstairs or outside. Its different in the dorms, because if there is no one in the room, then it feels like there is no one on campus. But if you give it to about 2 in the afternoon, life starts to appear.
The big news this week is that Clair and I finally got cell phones! We are officially cool and connected. Except its sad to see all that money leave my wallet. We were charged 300 deposit on the phones because we don't have any credit down here, and we get it back after 6 months of paying our bills. Keep your fingers crossed.
Its funny how cheap the cell phone plans are down here. For two phones, with 550 minutes shared, 300 text messages each a month, free minutes between all sprint customers and free minutes on nights and weekends, it only cost us 60 a month, plus tax. What a deal!
In other news, I have started playing JV golf, and they are making it really serious this year. We have 4 practices a week, and 5 tournaments booked. At the practices they are coaching us and giving us drills to work on, so there is mucho improvemento so faro. Im loving it a lot, and seeing my golf game shape up feels so good.
Well, this afternoon will be spent doing some more homework, but then we can relax tomorrow. Miss you guys back home.
go riders go. oh go go riders go go.
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