Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
In a Single Word
All the great things are simple,
and many can be expressed
in a single word:
and many can be expressed
in a single word:
Freedom
Justice
Honor
Duty
Mercy
Hope.
~Winston Churchill
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Compassion asks. . .
Compassion asks us to go where it hurts,
and to enter into the places of pain,
to share in the brokenness, fear,
confusion & anguish.
confusion & anguish.
Compassion means full immersion
in the condition of being human.
in the condition of being human.
~Henri J. M. Nouwen
Monday, December 26, 2011
Whatever You're Doing ~ Sanctus Real
It's time for healing time to move on
It's time to fix what's been broken too long
Time make right what has been wrong
It's time to find my way to where I belong
There's a wave that's crashing over me
All I can do is surrender
(Chorus)
Whatever you're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos somehow there's peace
It's hard to surrender to what I can't see
but I'm giving in to something heavenly
Time for a milestone
Time to begin again
Revaluate who I really am
Am I doing everything to follow your will
or just climbing aimlessly over these hills
So show me what it is you want from me
I give everything I surrender...
To...
(Chorus)
Time to face up
Clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out
That I've wanted to say for so many years
Time to release all my held back tears
Whatever you're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but I believe
You're up to something bigger than me
Larger than life something heavenly
Whatever you're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but now I can see
This something bigger than me
Larger than life something heavenly
Something heavenly
It's time to face up
Clean this old house
Time breathe in and let everything out
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Isaiah 9:6
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God,
Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Healing Begins ~ Tenth Avenue North
So you thought you had to keep this up
All the work that you do
So we think that you're good
And you can't believe it's not enough
All the walls you built up
Are just glass on the outside
So let 'em fall down
There's freedom waiting in the sound
When you let your walls fall to the ground
We're here now
This is where the healing begins, oh
This is where the healing starts
When you come to where you're broken within
The light meets the dark
The light meets the dark
Afraid to let your secrets out
Everything that you hide
Can come crashing through the door now
But too scared to face all your fear
So you hide but you find
That the shame won't disappear
Sparks will fly as grace collides
With the dark inside of us
So please don't fight
This coming light
Let this blood come cover us
His blood can cover us
All the work that you do
So we think that you're good
And you can't believe it's not enough
All the walls you built up
Are just glass on the outside
So let 'em fall down
There's freedom waiting in the sound
When you let your walls fall to the ground
We're here now
This is where the healing begins, oh
This is where the healing starts
When you come to where you're broken within
The light meets the dark
The light meets the dark
Afraid to let your secrets out
Everything that you hide
Can come crashing through the door now
But too scared to face all your fear
So you hide but you find
That the shame won't disappear
Sparks will fly as grace collides
With the dark inside of us
So please don't fight
This coming light
Let this blood come cover us
His blood can cover us
Monday, December 19, 2011
Hope
I want to blog about Partners Relief & Development and their work with the Burmese people (I highlighted one of their videos a few days ago). I just ordered their calendar and it includes amazing photography and touching quotes - a perfect combination in my eyes. Of course, I love their book Displaced Reflections and I'm anxiously awaiting their second book, which I'm sure will not disappoint. Check out their website and see how you might consider getting involved:
"All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word:
Freedom, Justice, Honor, Duty, Mercy, Hope."
~Winston Churchill
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Reporter - A film with Nicholas D. Kristof
I blogged about the preview of this film in August and I finally got my hands on a copy and watched it. It's an amazing film - definitely worth watching! One of the central themes is about what's called 'physic numbing'. Basically the idea is that our brains can't handle large scale suffering. We can grasp the idea of 1 victim, but when that number increases (even just to 2), we become less compassionate (there's a whole area of study on compassion - I'm not making this up). Hopefully I've peaked your interest and you'll watch the film Reporter for yourself!
"If I look at the mass, I will never act.
If I look at the one, I will."
~Mother Teresa
Thursday, December 15, 2011
It takes a village to build a village
Check out the following article from this week's Red River Valley Echo. It includes some of the pictures I took from the spring when I worked with the refugees and the Hopes & Dreams club.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
My Heart
It's been quite a while since I've blogged about myself and my life - I've been covering other links and features from various websites, so I thought it was about time to blog a bit about myself again. I want to share some of the things on my heart currently (those of who you know me best, know my heart is a vast ocean, so this will be but a drop!).
At the end of 2009 when I was in South Africa, I experienced, for the very first time in my life, a true desire to go to church and worship. It was not an obligation and as soon as the Sunday service ended, all I could think about was 'when is the next service?'. When I moved this past August, I had no idea how long I would be in the area. I was just on term work and didn't know how much I should connect with the community. I was also working nights during the week and so when the weekend rolled around, I slept a lot of time sleeping, trying to recover from the past week and preparing for the lack of sleep for the next week.
So it wasn't until late October that I finally went to a local church. The reason I picked this specific one was the fact that they take out full page ads in the newspaper to promote the various programs in the church which focus on the community at large. One example is that they fix up vehicles and basically give away cars (there are some rules, but that's the basic premise) and the people receiving the vehicles don't have to go to the church - they don't even have to be Christians.
Life has been incredibly busy, especially since I started teaching again in mid-October. I get to the end of the week exhausted, with a pile of marking and prepping that never seems to get smaller. A few weeks I've made the decision to get a few more hours of sleep versus going to church. But the weeks I've decided to go have been such a blessing. It's amazing how different it feels when the pastor at the front speaks directly (doesn't talk around an issue), and is real, to the point of sharing the messiness of his own life. It's been a really good church for me to worship in on Sundays and now I'm hoping that I can also connect with the people in other ways in the new year.
At the end of 2009 when I was in South Africa, I experienced, for the very first time in my life, a true desire to go to church and worship. It was not an obligation and as soon as the Sunday service ended, all I could think about was 'when is the next service?'. When I moved this past August, I had no idea how long I would be in the area. I was just on term work and didn't know how much I should connect with the community. I was also working nights during the week and so when the weekend rolled around, I slept a lot of time sleeping, trying to recover from the past week and preparing for the lack of sleep for the next week.
So it wasn't until late October that I finally went to a local church. The reason I picked this specific one was the fact that they take out full page ads in the newspaper to promote the various programs in the church which focus on the community at large. One example is that they fix up vehicles and basically give away cars (there are some rules, but that's the basic premise) and the people receiving the vehicles don't have to go to the church - they don't even have to be Christians.
Life has been incredibly busy, especially since I started teaching again in mid-October. I get to the end of the week exhausted, with a pile of marking and prepping that never seems to get smaller. A few weeks I've made the decision to get a few more hours of sleep versus going to church. But the weeks I've decided to go have been such a blessing. It's amazing how different it feels when the pastor at the front speaks directly (doesn't talk around an issue), and is real, to the point of sharing the messiness of his own life. It's been a really good church for me to worship in on Sundays and now I'm hoping that I can also connect with the people in other ways in the new year.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
John (not his real name)
Normally when I blog about InvisiblePeople.tv, I include the video clip right here, but today I'm not going to do that. I want you to click on the link below and I want you to read the write-up before watching the clip. There's something severely wrong in a 'civilized' society that beats up on the vulnerable homeless.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
MP Joy Smith's Tireless Efforts Continue
Joy Smith continues on in her fight against human trafficking and exploitation of the most vulnerable - from yesterday's Winnipeg Free Press:
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
CNN: This is Miguel's Story
I want you to remember Miguel's face. . .this is the reason - HE is the reason - why we need to be vigilant. He is the reason to buy fair trade; he is the reason NOT to participate in pornography and prostitution; he is the reason to be a conscious consumer (especially as westerners who not only want what we want, but we want it cheap). Please don't forget Miguel. . .
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
They Were Women
I ask you to take some time today to stop and reflect about the women who lost their lives on this day in 1989 in Montreal for the simple fact that they were women. Then consider how you can improve the life of at least one woman or girl (locally or globally) because there are many on our globe who face violence today just because they are women.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Little Drummer Boy
Check this out: Sean Quigley is a 16-year old from Winnipeg. He not only sang the song, he played all 8 instruments, directed, and edited the video! Way to go Sean!
Sunday, December 4, 2011
CNN: Common Dreams
You will need about half an hour to watch the CNN Freedom Project documentary Common Dreams, but it is definitely worth your time!
Saturday, December 3, 2011
CNN: Your Cell Phone, Congo's Misery
We are all truly connected and not just by using your cell phone, but the materials that lie inside it:
Friday, December 2, 2011
CNN: Violin Symbolizes Brush with Slavery
Check out the following article for a dark side of Canada's history. I had no idea this happened in our country and I think our prime minister needs to make a formal apology, so I would ask you to write a letter to him in that regard (no postage required):
Stephen Harper
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0A2
Thursday, December 1, 2011
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