Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord...

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence> If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, YOu are there. If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the furthest limits of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me fast. I praise You, for I am fearfullly and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works; that I know very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In Your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed. How weighty to me are Your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! I try to count them- they are more than the sand; I come to the end- I am still with you. Amen.

a rabbi asked his students,

when is it at dawn that one can tell the light from the darkness?

one student replied, when i can tell a goat from a donkey.

no, answered the rabbi.

another said, when i can tell a palm tree from a fig.

no, answered the rabbi again.

well, then what is the answer?
his students pressed him.

only when you look into the face of every man and every woman and see your brother and your sister, said the rabbi.
only then have you seen the light. all else is still darkness

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.

When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet sruck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you and your love for art. The young man held out his package.

"I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this."

The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painte by the young man. He started in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the painting that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture.

"Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift."

The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every thime visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.

The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection.

On the platform sat the painting of his son. The auctioneer pounded his gravel.

"We will start the bidding wiht this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?"

There was silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted.

"We want to see the famous paintings! Skip this one."

But the auctioneer persisted. "will someone bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?"

Another voice shouted angrily. "We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!"

But still the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! "Who'll take the son?"

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the long-time gardener of the man and his son. "I'll gave $10 for the painting." Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.

"We have $10, who will bid $20?"

"Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters."

"10 is the bid, won't some bid $20?"

The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.

The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once, twice SOLD for $10!"

A man sitting on the second row shouted. "Now let's get on with the collection!"

The auctioneer laid down his gavel. "I'm sorry, the auction is over."

"What about the paintings?"

"I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything!"

God gave His Son 2,000 years ago to die on a cruel cross.

Much like the auctioneer, His message today is, "The Son, the Son, who'll take the Son?"

BECAUSE YOU SEE< whoever takes the SON gets everything.

connecting with people on different levels.

it's so interesting when you click with people.

trust, openess, articulation, communication.

accountability.

letting go of fear of what each other may think-

important for friendships to be interdependant.

security in the Lord- this is my goal.

mind of Christ.

healing can come with friendships.

LOVE never gives up
LOVE cares more for others than for self
LOVE doesn't want what it doesn't have
LOVE doesn't strut
LOVE doesn't have a swelled head
LOVE doesn't force itself on others
LOVE isn't always "me first"
LOVE doesn't fly off the handle
LOVE doesn't keep score of others sins
LOVE doesn't revel when others grovel
LOVE takes pleasure in the flowering of truth
LOVE trusts God always
LOVE always looks for the best
LOVE never looks back, but keeps going to the end.

Parts of 1 Corinthians 13- THE MESSAGE

we can put our names in where it says LOVE
i sure would fail on my own, but if we ask Him to transform us with His love and give us His heart for others than His love will spill out of us.

through the years of mindless searching
and all this senseless wandering
i've come across the truth once hidden
this way of peace and love

we will dance together
Him singing over me
we will dance together
in His arms i'll always be

even though this road is winding
to this place i must proceed
in that garden, the Master's waiting
to watch and comfort me

we will dance together
Him singing over me
we will dance togher
in His arms, i'll be free.

By: ce & re

i see her wander around, princess without her crown, stublin' and fallin' down beneath her burden. she's floating through our town, bride without her gown, passin' her heart around to none the hurting.

she's scared of coming home, she's ben so long anlone, she's stat upon her throne, until it crumbled, now she's got to choose, she's nothing left to lose, she's battered and she's bruised and feling humbled as saying her prayers to no-one.

who is her brother, who is her keeper? where is her lover, can anyone reach her? cup of cold water, in the name of the Father, sending a letter to the prodigal daughter.

now where is love everyone, for all the one's who mourn, for those who suffer scorn and have no father. maybe to bless not curse, maybe the last not first, maybe the ones who thirst, will find the water.

her lover sees inside, He sees with lovers eyes, He sees a radiant bride, with passion burning. everythings upside down, her rags become her gown, her scars become her crown with no returning and i sing my song to you baby!

who is her brother, who is her keeper? where is her lover, can anyone reach her? a cup of cold water, in the name of the Father, sending a letter to the prodigal daughter.

By: Andrew Smith

these are things we go thru............

new adventures
leaving fear
faith
new skills
trust
accountability
friends
decisions
actions

what else?

i was inspired by my dear friend and leader from the SoJ who sent out a list of things she was thankful for.
some of my thankfuls:

my mum and pa- for who they are and how they've raised me
Kingston friends, other friends and former roomates and leaders who care and have imparted so much life into me
living at home for this season
freedom to be
freedom to worship
fold-up vitamin d light
the islands
jobs
green tea
mk
school
food
thrift stores
tigger
pets
vitamins
new revelation
music
intercession
abilities.ca
alpha
privelege to learn about justice/mercy

thanks Papa. help me not take anything for granted.

This is Black Lake in behind the sand dunes

It was the most gorgeous day yesterday, Thanksgiving Monday! I drove down to the dock early and parked to ride the 6:15 boat and rode my bike to Big Sandy Bay, where I spent the majority of the summer on Wolfe Island. It was glorious! I got these great pictures, and just as I was leaving the beach to walk back on the trail to my bike, it got very hazy&cloudy. i was there at the perfect time! On the way back, i met my friend from NY's neighbours. i hung out with them for a while and we wrapped some of their little trees, then we had a picnic and we threw my bike in their trailer to make the 1:15 boat back to town. It was so awesome meeting them.
I'm so thankful for the opportunity to be in such a beautiful environment.



The land in the distance is called Bear Point. My friend swam out there!

While at Je'Taime in Montreal, people there were in groups of 3 waiting on Papa for words of encouragements. The group that i went to there was a girl who was making jewlery, and she made me these earings, each colour representing a layer in my life. It was tres special, especially since i'm into making bead stuff too. i was really blessed.

Pa, Mum and i went to this really neat exhibit in Monteal last weekend called Je'Taime Quebec. It's an art exhibition that is going on in different cities in Quebec to tell the province that they are loved and special. There are these series of tents that tell a story. The first one has a chair in it covered in fabric and is shaped like a womb. So when you're in the chair, it's as if you're in the womb, and there is a sound of a heart beating and in French and English there are these words, I love you, I'm forming you... There is a tent that has fabric like a river,possibly a passage way of the birth canal, then there were feathers that you could go inside which represents being covered with protection. There was sounds inside those feathers too. Above head there was little planets. Then the last tent was the wedding dress representing the Warrior Bride, with the bow and arrows. There was a message saying, I love you Quebec and want to marry you. Beautiful. Quebec is part of our nation and has a wonderful destiny.

While there, we met a super cool girl whose heart is so for the Father! She was so kind and funny!

i'm sitting infront of this little fold up light that gives out a light that is equivalent to being out in the sunshine. our bodies need vitamin d. this is super for people with s.a.d. seasonal affective disorder. i tend to do better emotionally in the sunshine, so this is a very good thing.

Jesus is the light. i believe when i go to Him, He fills me up and makes me more secure and at peace. i need to embrace Him more.

i tend to involve myself in a lot and need to be careful not to burn out and get too overwhelmed. i'm trying to wear like 3-4 different hats. i really want to be an excellent stewart of time, hmmm, need to work on that still! i LOVE people so much, but i've come to learn that i need to hide away and get rejuvinated A LOT. sleeping sometimes is good too... ha ha, zzzzz. anyhoo,my friend Big G knows that i love quotes and shared this Chinese proverb with me. i hope i get the words in order here.

there's freedom in limitations.

at first i was confused, because when i think of limitations, it's like putting something in a "box" so to say, but as he explained it, it's like boundaries. for example, saying no when you don't want to do something, having solid friendships, without expectations or pressure, that type of thing.

thanks G, i appreciate you!