Well Rounded

Here's how the quote continues, "...And therefore, if a man write little, he had need have a great memory; if he confer little, he had need have a present wit; and if he read little, he had need have much cunning, to seem to know that he doth not." Having a well rounded education takes more than reading what other people have said, but it takes more than simply writing about it as well. We have got to be talking with people about what we're learning, critiquing one-another, working things out, challenging each other, but we have to know what we're talking about first. You can't have one without the other.

Shame Says

Aspergers is something I was born with. Technically.
Shame says something different, though. Shame says that I brought this on myself. Shame says that whenever I can't make eye contact it's entirely my fault. Its says that whenever I struggle in a social situation, whenever I can't focus, whenever I can't understand someone, that it's because I'm lazy. Shame says that I need to work harder, that I'm being lazy about it.

Truth says I was born with this. Truth says that I didn't bring this on myself, nor did I make myself gifted. It says, this just happened. Truth tells me to accept where I'm at before trying to move past it, before pouring my entire being into working harder at this, before defining myself by what I struggle with. Truth says it's not my fault.

Shame grabs a megaphone and tells me that this is where I will always be, that I can never get better at this. Shame tells me that no good can ever come of this. Shame tells me that no one will ever get it and tells me that it's too big.

Truth tells me that I can get better at this, but it's okay if I choose not to. Truth says that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him. Truth tells me that it'll be okay.

Shame tells me that this isn't a God thing, tells me not to bring it to the cross. Shame tells me to figure it out on my own, and if I don't, I'm a failure. Shame tells me it's all or nothing, that I need to fix it all, or give up. Shame tells me that it's all riding on me, yet I still, somehow, don't matter.

Truth tells me to ignore shame.
But my, oh my, is shame loud.

Ex-slave Aftercare

Another research assignment for school...

EX-SLAVE AFTERCARE

A new page

Hey guys!

If you've ever met me, or read my blog for more than 5 minutes, you'll know that I'm a big fan of justice. I've spent a fair amount of time joining amazing teams of abolitionists in the fight towards a world without forced labour or human trafficking.

The Great Search

I read this in a Montaigne essay recently, and it really stuck out to me, so I made a quick Pinterest-esque picture. This is so true, and something to cling to when we don't have all of the answers. Don't give up; keep searching, but be okay with letting God handle what you can't.

What's God Got You Jammin' on?

I love hearing stories about how God is being an active part of someones life, but I never know how to bring it up. I love it when it does come up, but how to get there I'm not sure. So, I've decided to do away with subtlety and just ask, "What's God doing in your life right now?" or "What's God got you jammin' on?" (I'm not sure where I heard that, and it doesn't really make sense, but I've fallen in love with it.)
So, if you're someone that I hang out with somewhat regularly, don't be surprised if I ask you this out of the blue.

This feels quite short, as though I should elaborate, but the whole idea is one of just getting to the point, so I suppose the brevity of this is reasonable.

Love

I can't say that I've actually spent more than ten minutes learning Greek; in fact, I've spent more time learning German for no reason outside of being able to say “Oh wohen meine haarbürst” which is the first line of Veggie Tales’ Oh Where is my Hairbrush, and I’m not even sure that I’ve conjugated that correctly.

What I do know about the Greek language fascinates me, though. I’m a big fan of the idea of having four words for love. I’ve wanted to write about the love from friends and church family lately, but I couldn’t stop thinking about this idea of four loves, so I’ll just start with writing about those and see where it goes.

Not a Right

Just to let you know, life being handed to you on a platter is not a right.
I read something the other day about how colleges should be setting aside seats for home schooled students. I don't think so. We should be applying with everyone else, and they should be holding us to the same standards. Women, it's not our right to make up %50 of the RCMP. Yes, we should have an equal chance to a man at the same level, but we shouldn't be having jobs set aside for us.
Sorry to be so forceful, but I think that this sort of thought process is incredibly dangerous as it seems that it leads to being lazy. Don't get me wrong, I've been lenient towards this before too, but I'm not convinced that it's true.

Family

I've heard that the church is supposed to be a family, but that wasn't something that I felt when I was younger. I'm not saying that I was some sort of deprived child, I'm just saying that I didn't get it until recently.

I hadn't noticed it in the moment, but over the past year or so especially, God has been surrounding me with a family.

Ivan

I'm sure that most of you have by now heard of the devastating earthquake in Guatemala on November 7th. As though the news of 48 dead with many more missing weren't enough, I recently heard a bit about a guy named Ivan. Ivan is a Guatemalan man who survived the 35 second quake, but his family was not so fortunate. Both of Ivan's parents, his three brother, three sisters, and two cousins all passed away after being buried alive.
Let's be praying for Guatemala in this time of recovery and particularly for Ivan as he's going through the grief of losing his entire family in one day.

The Art of Conversing

I recently picked up this book that's collection of essays from various writers which I just started reading. It seems to have been a good buy considering all of the underlining I've done already when still only on the first essay. The essay is entitled The Art of Conversing and it's by Michel Eyquem de Montaigne (say that ten times fast.)

International Justice Mission

As many of you know, I’m a big fan of International Justice Mission. The work that they’re doing gets me so excited because it’s exactly what the bible talks about. They’re literally defending orphans and widows, literally setting people free, literally seeking justice!

Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.

-Isaiah 1:17

That Amazing Time of Change

As I read stories of "the greats" I can't help but feel a desire to have been there in the time of their work. To work along side people like William Wilberforce, Paul, or Galileo Galiliei. Whether it's someone working for justice, faith, or science, their stories bring me to a place where I'm wishing that I could have worked along side them. To walk have coffee with Wilberforce, and hear him share about his hopes and dreams. To be the one transcribing his speeches. To celebrate with him in his victories, and encourage him through the days of defeat. To be part of the Clapham Circle, surrounded by world changers. It was an amazing time of change that is stunning to look back on.

The God Necessity?

A couple months back I went through the Does God Exist? DVD series by Focus on the Family (again,) and I was asked by my teacher to write an essay on what I had learned in the course. Well, it grew and grew to become a rather large research assignment that ended in a much larger paper than originally planned. The information that I learned through my research for this has incredibly strengthened my faith, and totally blown me away, so I wanted to share it here for you to be encouraged. 

And once again, I'll give a warning; it's pretty heavy, and seems a lot like school (probably because it is,) but I think it's worth the read.

Patience

The Gift of Purpose

God really does love us.

That's something that I'm constantly rediscovering because it can begin to sound cliche until I see what that really looks like in my life. The truth is, it's not just a good Sunday school answer; It's a very profound truth.

One of the coolest ways that God has shown His love for me is through a really exciting gift, the gift of purpose. We all know that God has a purpose for our life, but rarely do we think of it as the amazing gift that it really is.

Music

I recently did this English assignment that turned out much different than I had expected. It ended up being somewhat close to poetry, so be warned.

God Likes You

In my mind there's a big difference between loving and liking someone. I can love someone even though I don't enjoy being with them or don't particularly like them. I think that you love someone through God's crazy power in your life, and you like or don't like someone based on personalities and (sometimes unfair) judgement.

Supply & Demand

I was recently at the Campus Fire conference in Surrey with a handful of great people from my youth group. That week my youth pastor asked that I share about something that I learned over the trip, and I eagerly obliged. Anyways, it turns out that the whole thing was recorded, so I thought that I'd share that here.
http://vimeo.com/50399559

Sometimes I Need Things Spelt Out to me Over and Over

I seem to have it in my mind that the bible is some mysterious book that is not only extremely dull, but also incredibly confusing and convoluted. I'll read the Iliad just for kicks (ya, 'cause that's not dull, confusing, or convoluted,) but the bible? I'd rather just read a book by a Christian who quotes scripture every once in a while.

That's pretty dumb.

The Difference it Will Make

Taking the bus isn't exactly the most pleasant experience, but it's not too bad. Unless of course you have to run to get there in time, and then you sit there waiting and hoping that you didn't miss it.
I may have done this. More than once.

Prejudices

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about learning something crazy from a children's bible.

Over the past year or so I've been reading a very angry and hurt, atheist's comments on a Christian blog and they've been blowing my mind and making me constantly rethink my assumptions.

I've learned so much from people that I once thought were not so bright and seen great love from people that I once assumed would be jerks.

Bands that I once thought were full of themselves put out songs that show incredible faith and understanding of who God is.

The Fear of Science

"I love science, and it pains me to think that so many are terrified of the subject or feel that choosing science means you cannot also choose compassion, or the arts, or be awed by nature. Science is not meant to sure us of mystery, but to reinvent and reinvigorate it."
-Robert Sapolsky

Adam, Eve, and the Dumbest Move in History

This summer I spent a bit of time working at camp, taking care of some young kids. I think Jesus may have been onto something when he spoke about faith like a child because I certainly learn a lot from them. The greatest lesson that I learned with these kids, though, came when I was asked by this little girl, once again, to read her a book.I told her she could choose a book and prayed that it wouldn’t be The Little Mermaid. Again. To my delight, she chose to read this children’s storybook bible and asked that I start with the story of The Fall.

I Am Saved

I am saved.

Even when I keep screwing up.

Even when I don't have a project on the go.

Even when I'm too lazy to do my devotions.

Even when it feels impossible to love my neighbour.

Even when it feels impossible to be loved.

Even when I'm not convinced.

Even when my faith wavers.

Even when I'm sick of living.

Even when I don't want to get back up.

Even when I feel like I'm being pushed back down.

Even when I'm pushing others back down.

Even when I'm full of myself.

Even when my actions don't follow my words.

Even when I'm ridden with guilt.

Even when I feel overwhelmed.

Even when I don't feel anything at all.

Even when I doubt, stumble, procrastinate, hate, lie, wallow, and laze.

I am saved.

Benelab

I recently heard of this relatively new non-profit group (founded in November 2011) called Benelab.
Benelab is a search engine that was started by a bunch of high school students to raises money for different causes each month.

Rest

I am not good at resting.
Never have been.

Recently, I've learned (or maybe "relearned" is a better way to put it) two big things about rest, and because I'm not in a rest phase right now, it's making me pretty nervous (maybe I've got one coming up soon.)
But, I thought that I'd share them.

Meaningless Talk...

"... so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith. The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm."
1 Timothy 1:3-7

Excuses, Excuses

Heyyyyy,

It's been a long time since I've posted anything, so I'm here to make some excuses *cough" I mean, I'm here to explain...

Freeze Tag

Remember when you were a kid and you'd play freeze tag with your friends?
or if you're more like me,
remember a couple of weeks ago when you played freeze tag with your friends?

That game is awesome.

Anthem Lights

Anthem Lights

Technically, these guys are pretty new; they only have 2 albums out (one of which is just an acoustic version of their first.)
BUT, they have been together for longer than that because they used to be called Yellow Cavalier and put some great stuff out then as well.
Anyways, they put out some of my favourite worship music. I'm constantly blown away by their talent, especially when I watch their live performances.
You should definitely check them out; here's their website
http://anthemlights.com/

Help! I'm a Student Leader

Help! I'm a Student Leader
by Doug Fields

God used this book to really change my life about a year ago.
Even while it has a ton of great information and tips, it's still a fairly easy read. Doug writes in a way where you feel like he's just sitting there chatting with you, so you don't get caught up in big words or distracted by the writing style. I would highly recommend it to any middle or high school students, even if you don't feel like you're gifted in the area of leadership.

The Book Thief

The Book Thief
by Markus Zusak

So, I tried to write out a brief explanation of this book, and I sounded like an idiot with a lame book.
All that I'll say about this book is that it's incredibly challenging to read, both academically and emotionally.

If you need more information about a book than that before you decide to read it, join the club, and here's a brief description from the author's website.

CSTOTTYJMBM

Greetings to all of you crazies out there who take the time to read my blog.
Thanks. You rock.

AND, I have some news.
Let me back up a bit though.

Waking up One Day and Realizing Your Blog That was Supposed to be 50% Comedy and 50% Serious isn't Funny at all

Sorry 'bout that.

Couldn't Think of A Name to Save my Life

Well, God has been moving in my life for me to change my words to being more positive. For the longest time I thought that it was an attitude problem, but I finally realized (through God working and me failing) that I don’t have an attitude problem (or at least that’s not the highest priority on my “to do list”)