Trudge

the snow was deep

the hill was steep

the wind was getting stronger

courage to keep

refusing to weep

prayers were growing longer

forward we creep

through snow heaped

encouraged by a song bird

Take the Time

It's been an interesting week.

The other night at Sola (Young Adults service at Northview), the speaker was talking about how some Christians are hypocrites, and the church thinks it's their job to condemn people to hell. He said that throughout the Bible anytime Jesus rebukes anyone, it's the religious people. The Pharisees and church leaders. Anytime Paul rebukes someone, it's in his letters to his own church. He never tells sinners that they're going to hell. 

Then the other night, out for dinner with Dave, Graham, and Jenna, we were talking about church, and how we can draw people in. Graham said that the only way people these days are going to come to a small-ish church is through personal relationships. 

And now, this morning on Facebook, one of my long-lost-friends from high school had written a note that everyone could see. He's a very anti-religious person, often known to laugh at those 'religious idiots'. He had been searching YouTube and found some things that interested him, about people dying and coming back to life and claiming to have seen heaven and hell, and that sort of thing. Bogus, most of it. He said that it didn't change his views of religion, but it made him start to think. He got a really weird feeling in his gut, and he's very curious. The next night he went to Tim Hortons with a few guys for coffee, and another group of guys sat next to them, and started talking to them, saying they seemed like nice guys, but if they're not saved they're going to hell. That kind of thing. Good intentions; going about it all wrong. 

So this freaked him out a little bit, it was such a coincidence. Just that afternoon he and his friends had been debating those very same things.

Now he's really questioning religion. He still claims that nothing is going to change his anti-religion beliefs, but he still wants answers. 

I so badly want to invite him to church this sunday (it's baptisms, so nothing super intimidating for a non-christian, but a good chance to see how God has changed other peoples' lives), but I haven't really talked to him in a long time, and coming out of nowhere to invite him to church would probably scare him off. It would be like all the people he makes fun of; trying to be friends with people just to get them to church. If I had taken the time to maintain that friendship awhile ago it would have been totally okay to invite him to church, and maybe spark his curiosity even more. 

Take the time to develop personal relationships with people who you've drifted apart from. You never know when you could be called to make a difference for them.

Poor Starving Student in Need of Work

So Christmas is coming.

It's a hard time for someone trying to save money. You can cheap out a little bit on gifts, but there's a fine line between "being creative with a low-budget" and "what the heck IS this you cheap jerk?"

After cutting back the spending limit, and the amount of people you're buying for, some money is saved, but it still ends up costing a lot.

I was thinking the other day about what to do, and my mom had a pretty good suggestion.

As a summer job last year (which ran into fall too) I cleaned 4 houses. I really liked it, and I'm pretty good at it. And I have almost all of December off of school. So, here's my idea:

Christmas Cleaning.

Pre-decorating, pre + post party (Christmas or New Years), or just as a Christmas treat for yourself.

I have yet to come up with a price, mostly because some houses are big, and some are small. Some are close to my house, and some are far away. Some houses have many people living in them, and some do not. So in those respects, an hourly rate isn't the best bet. I'm trying to work out a fair way of setting the price, because I guess it doesn't look professional to walk into a house and say "um...... how about.... 50 bucks? Sound good?"

Also, I usually use whatever cleaning supplies are in the house, because some people are particular about the products that are used in their home (smells, allergies, etc) but I do have a few things of my own. I live in Abbotsford, but would drive into Langley if it's not TOO far away.

Anyways. If this sounds good to you, or any of your friends (please spread the word), let me know!

Justine Janzen

by email: justine_janzen@yahoo.ca

by phone: 604-857-9716

I'm planning to start in December, but I could probably do a few sometime this month too.

References are available!

(i really hope someone reads this:P)

They will know we are Christians

Dave and I were playing through some hymns the other night, and I came across one that I'd heard before on the radio, but never in church. The more I played it, the more I loved it, and the more the words struck me.

Four verses, a couple lines each. And as a whole, they sum up everything you need to know.

If a non-believer approached you and asked you, "What does being a true Christian look like?" ... 

this is what you'd tell them

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord.

We are one in the Spirit we are one in the Lord.

And we pray that all unity may one day be restored.

And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love

Yes they'll know we are Christians by our love.

We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand.

We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand.

And together we'll spread the news that God is in our land.

And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love

Yes they'll know we are Christians by our love.

We will work with each other, we will work side by side.

We will work with each other, we will work side by side.

And we'll guard each man's dignity and save each man's pride.

And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love

Yes they'll know we are Christians by our love.

All praise to the Father, from whom all things come

And all praise to Christ Jesus His only son.

And all praise to the Spirit who makes us one.

And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love

Yes they'll know we are Christians by our love.

God is Love. And if God is in us, so is Love.

Bitter water and sweet water cannot flow from the same stream.

"By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:35 (ESV)

The Nature of Things

Today was one of the most perfect Fall days.

That big orangey-yellow circle was back in the sky, and the earth was a little bit toasty.

A handful of gorgeous red leaves lay under every tree along the sidewalk, and there was that scent in the air... the sweet aroma of color. The fragrance of frost. It was fresh, it was comforting, and there was a trace of Indian Summer in the air.

It's always sad to see the first few leaves that have been shunned from their perch, sentenced to rot on the cold, wet, ground. Last year was even more sad for me.

I had missed the changing of the colors! I don't know where I was when it happened... but I saw green leaves... then I saw no leaves. The in-between stage disappeared on me. It's one of my favorite parts of fall! 

This year I caught it just in time. I recognized the signs... and I was still. I waited. And this time I didn't miss it.

Paradise Lost

End of the Summer Hike

Lindeman Lake, Chilliwack

It was a rough, long hike. Not many flat areas. Nearly half of it scrambling over piles of rocks. It was a little bit chilly, but we were warm from the effort (at least I was.)

We stopped quite a few times so I could have water and catch my breath. 

We were hungry. Somebody slept in (I won't say who... but his name rhymes with David), so we had gotten a late start. I knew my backpack contained a delicious Tim Hortons sandwich and Cookie.

Finally we reached the lake. 

It was gorgeous.

So worth the hike. 

I didn't know water could look like that.

The pictures look as if it's sunny and hot, but really, it was completely overcast. The water is really that color.

Amazing!

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul. ~ John Muir

I don't know who this John Muir guy is, but he sure says some lovely things about nature.

Into that Setting Sun...

There is something about the setting of the sun that is magic. Something that I can't quite put my finger on. Or maybe it is not one thing in particular. Maybe it is the collection of anything you want it to be. 

The warmth of the days last rays as they stretch as far as they can to gently touch your hair and put their hand on your face, before quickly slipping away for the night.

The colors that seem to come from nowhere. The sun seems to be yellow/orange. The earth is blue and green. Yet somehow we get pinks as bright as flowers, purples as deep as the sea, and reds as strong as fire.

The knowledge that a perfect day has finished, and in the morning, another one will start, because the sun will always be there.

The way you can watch a sunset wherever you want. It happens everywhere. A beautiful backyard garden, the wide open ocean, a rooftop restaurant, a lush green field... 

The brightness of the sun at the end of the day is always more dazzling and blinding than any other time of the day. It is closer to us. It is at eye-level, trying to catch our glance and wave goodnight.

The tranquility of a sunset is there for anyone to enjoy, and that should be taken advantage of, because you can do whatever it is you haven't gotten done during the day as you admire it. Anyone who has never watched the sun set is greatly missing out. It is almost impossible to think of anything else during it. And I'm still not sure why. 

"Once I saw a chimpanzee gaze at a particularly beautiful sunset for a full 15 minutes, watching the changing colors, and then retire to the forest without picking a pawpaw for supper." - Adriaan Kortlandt