Easily, the three under-used often-abused words in the English language. Be careful how you use them. Use caution. But use it joyfully and charitably.
They are gifts.
If you know me, I use them as carefully as I can…
But I use them now, because they translate what I wish to say…
I love you.
70.73 Campus Based. Family. It is what it is.
[No picture available]
I don’t doubt it for one second; teaching continues to be one of the most underappreciated jobs on the planet. But when the opportunity arose to work at Annunciation School as an Teacher’s Assistant, I couldn’t help myself.
That first day was memorable; maybe not for the kids but definitely for me. There’s something strangely uncomfortable about having 56 young eyes trained on you, waiting for your next step…
I know that it’s a shameless plug, but these guys are my close friends and their idea behind their clothing is fantastic. I like this clothing because it’s more than just a shirt; it’s a presentation of something that is interesting, exciting, thought-provoking and conversation-starting.
Just because things are a certain way doesn’t mean we can’t take a second look, think about it, reflect on it, pray about it and try to see with a new set of glasses. Our eyes are flawed, but it doesn’t mean we can’t, and perhaps more importantly, constantly, witness something truly beautiful
Easily one of my favourite moments in life is one that I shared with my good friend in Toronto of 2008. That Conference was especially significant in that it felt like it was the conference that ended what was a great time in my life. I was a full time missionary worker, doing the thing that I love the most with the people that I love the most.
Session 2 Saturday morning will forever be one of my favourite sessions ever simply because it was the session I shared with my cousin, Skwirrel. I don’t remember if it went well, but I remember being so honoured to share God’s message with the rest of the YFC Canada family.
But not only that, that particular conference saw not only Skwirrel, but practically all of my closest friends serve in a major way. It was edifying seeing everyone grow in their role and execute it as skillfully and efficiently as God allowed. It was truly a beautiful sight to see.
And I understand that this kind of opportunity doesn’t always present itself but my advice, when you get the chance to serve with all of your closest brothers and sisters, when you get the chance to take something that is special to you and share it, when you have a talent and a skill that will lift someone else to God, if you have the opportunity to face fear, to do something that you wouldn’t normally do with the support of your friends and family beside you doing the same thin…
Say yes.
66.73 I promised this girl that I would make her cry, laugh at her if she got stressed, and would be a horrible horrible counterpart. Even after all that, we still became great friends. If that isn’t an example of God’s persevering love, I’m not sure what is…
I obviously fooled my little sister into thinking that I was going to do the same thing as her but that’s beyond the point. If you’re from Pacific and you went to conference, chances are, you are now familiar with the Reodicas from Capital. Chances are, you hung out with them, saw them off, have been taken in by their joy, captivated by their presence and now are talking on tokbox with one of them.
I of course am exaggerating a little, but what’s remarkable about the Reodicas is that they seem to capture what we all desire in all of our relationships: simple joy.
Joy in itself is a beautiful thing. It’s the joy of Christ that makes Christmas so wonderful. It helps us smile a little wider at a baby laughing, or sink a little deeper into our favourite chair, or savour our favourite food a little longer. What if one could detect the joy of life, the joy of Christ every waking moment: how wonderful would life be?
Of course, not all of life is joyful. But when we gaze up on Christ as the source of our joy, we afford ourselves a greater experience with God’s love. Contrary to what other people might say to you, God’s love includes joy. What is love without joy?
Thus, it is such a beautiful affirmation, an edifying gift to be around those who’s joy is in Christ. I have been blessed to meet a few people in my life time who’s joy in Christ is always so vibrant, so magnetic, so beautiful that it’s difficult not share in their joy.
Joy in Christ is infecious: easily and readily shared. Although it is sometimes difficult to share our joy, or to be mindful of the joy that Christ brings us, it’s always nice to have people around to remind you. Their joy becomes your joy, and suddenly, the things that bother you don’t seem to bother you anymore.
His joy in us becomes our joy in Him. And for some, that joy is apparent and undeniable. You can see it in their actions, in their words and how they love. Thankfully for us, those who have such joy in their hearts also share that joy because that joy is never meant to be kept,but to be always shared.
I’m not really comfortable with the idea of having to kill time when you’re with a friend. For example, if you’re hanging out with a friend, is it really ‘killing time’ before you go to the movies? Or ‘killing time’ before you get your restaurant reservation? Of course not, that time is a time well spent. And for some strange reason, our Lord has given me the gift to get to know people especially through the imagination of hypothetical situations. If you could own a restaurant, what food what it serve? If you could perform with one person in the whole world, who would you perform and what would you play? Stuff like that.
For some reason, I’ve found great joy in getting to know my brothers and sisters by coming up with these little imaginative games. I never seem to run out of questions to ask because I think that knowledge of a person is limitless. There is always something new to learn. Of course these little games don’t provide ALL the information that I want need, but it’s a fun way to think and reflect just how we think we would react to certain situations.
I’ve come to learn that I’m not very good at conversation, but thank God, He’s blessed me with a creative imagination. Because of it, I’ll never have to kill time, just use it more creatively.
To view this post, you’ll need to be my friend on facebook. Simply go to my photo album, entitled, Regulators. Sorry for the inconvenience.
We affectionately called it ARX, the Latin word for “Stronghold.” There aren’t many things that I hold as dear as ARX simply because I believe it was the first retreat that was a gift specifically for this region, specifically for my brothers and sisters. It was an intimate retreat that allowed us to start with a firm foundation (Eucharistic Adoration), dwell in silence, imitate the saints and grow in love with our God.
For me, it was the great affirmation that my brothers and sisters trusted me, and that we journeyed together with great joy, and with an even greater love.
