Big but an easily readable book.
Good foundation and history.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Travel Tips For The Big City
While this isn't the case in Prince Albert, in cities much bigger the thing to remember so you are not embarrassed is, if you have to ask how much it is, YOU CANNOT AFFORD IT.
I learned that with $500 earrings, an $850 purse, and a particularly likeable orange $130 tie.
Secondly, if that girl across from you in the Gucci store has her blond hair in a pony tail, under a baseball cap, wearing large sunglasses, it may be a movie star, but not necessarily Scarlett Johansson.
Third, don"t go downtown on the hottest day of the year. Everybody else is there shopping, thinking everybody else stayed home.
When you exit the El station and realize you are walking onto a movie set, don"t make a big deal about it, just keep walking. The man did ask nicely for me to get out of the scene please, so I did.
Watch for my appearance in a comedy called Quebec. I"ll probably end up on the cutting room floor.
And finally, be prepared for there to be So. Many. People. I forgot there were so many people in the world. In all kinds of colours, cultures, sizes and models.
Hope this helps. Pictures to follow.
I learned that with $500 earrings, an $850 purse, and a particularly likeable orange $130 tie.
Secondly, if that girl across from you in the Gucci store has her blond hair in a pony tail, under a baseball cap, wearing large sunglasses, it may be a movie star, but not necessarily Scarlett Johansson.
Third, don"t go downtown on the hottest day of the year. Everybody else is there shopping, thinking everybody else stayed home.
When you exit the El station and realize you are walking onto a movie set, don"t make a big deal about it, just keep walking. The man did ask nicely for me to get out of the scene please, so I did.
Watch for my appearance in a comedy called Quebec. I"ll probably end up on the cutting room floor.
And finally, be prepared for there to be So. Many. People. I forgot there were so many people in the world. In all kinds of colours, cultures, sizes and models.
Hope this helps. Pictures to follow.
Well, nearly done.
This week has been very very helpful, considering the fact that earlier this summer I wasn"t really sure I would even make it through the season. But I may just make it after all.
Today our class goes till 12 pm, then we are done. Since I don"t have to be at the airport till tomorrow morning at 6 am, (Which will present its own set of problems!!) I have some free time this afternoon.
It may be crazy, because there is a heat advisory out, (97 F, plus major humidity!) but I am going to try to get downtown one last time. I"m heading to the Gold Coast, Gucci, Bloomingdales, etc, and the beach.
Peace, and thank you for your prayers.
Today our class goes till 12 pm, then we are done. Since I don"t have to be at the airport till tomorrow morning at 6 am, (Which will present its own set of problems!!) I have some free time this afternoon.
It may be crazy, because there is a heat advisory out, (97 F, plus major humidity!) but I am going to try to get downtown one last time. I"m heading to the Gold Coast, Gucci, Bloomingdales, etc, and the beach.
Peace, and thank you for your prayers.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Praying. Together.
By Randall Friesen
GATEWAY COVENANT CHURCH
Prince Albert Daily Herald
I"ve never been one of those people who feels the need to pray before you dig in to your meal. I mean, that prayer can at times become a seemingly dead thing. “Mumble Mumble Mumble , Amen.”?
Having said that, I also have to say that it is something Lauralea and I have done with our kids from nearly day one.
Why do we do it?
Is it to teach our children how to pray, or how to pray regularly? Maybe early on. But it does become a joke when you sit down to eat and repeat the family mealtime prayer, say amen, and not 5 seconds later one of the twerps at the table will honestly inquire why we are eating because we haven"t prayed yet.
Sigh. Yeah, deep spiritual moment there.
I have never thought its just done for those reasons though.
For me, the reasons we pray that simple little banal ditty before we eat a meal go deeper.
It is the only time in the rush of our family life, that we come together to stop, and pray. Whether its banal or not, trite or not, we are praying together. We are recognizing something or someone bigger than ourselves, God. And in so doing, it becomes an act of worship.
In moments when considered deeply, it becomes holy, reverent, and true. Of course you will have days when its only blah blah blah. But you keep on praying, day by day. And some days it"s more. Each day gives you and the kids one more opportunity to make it more.
And common prayer shapes us. It defines who we are and how we connect and relate to each other, and to God, The Greater.
When God created this world and gave it to humankind, he gave us the keys to it. To an extent greater than we may realize, what we wanted would be, and what we didn"t want, wouldn"t be.
Somewhere in the fall of humanity, we gave a spare set of keys to God"s enemy. We gave him room to be here too. To come and go mostly as he pleased.
I have always seen prayer as us inviting God into the equation again. It"s us recognizing that we need him here on earth, in our lives. Asking him to do here on earth and in us, as it is in heaven.
When we do that together, it can become a deeply moving and sometimes a powerful act of worship and unity.
Last fathers day as my whole family gathered together at mom and dad"s for lunch, we stood and sat around the room getting ready to eat. As we prepared, we entered again into that prayer that we had prayed a million times as family. Sometimes angry, sometimes sad or hurt, and many times completely unaware. Only occasionally were we aware of what we were saying and doing. But that day we prayed again, and it was an act of worship and thanksgiving.
We were unaware of what the week would bring, but we were aware of God"s presence and our unity in him that day. In the common prayer we did together what we could not do individually, we united our hearts around Jesus, it was a holy moment in our routine lives.
Later that week dad passed away, suddenly but not unexpectedly. We as family gathered again to make plans and of course to share a meal together. As we bowed our heads there was a moment of realization for most of us, that this was the first time we would pray with one of us gone on. It was a sobering reminder that while we may come and go, prayer remains.
Yes, there is deep value in prayer. It becomes deeper still when it"s corporate prayer, and even more profound when that prayer is prayed together, daily, for years and years. It will shape you as a group and unite you in a common theme, that of worshiping one greater than yourselves.
Consider it for yourself, and maybe for your family.
Our prayer is a short German table blessing, “Come dear lord and be our guest, bless what thou provided hast, Amen.”? You could update it to something like “Come dear lord and be our guest, bless everything that you have given us. Amen.”?
Start sowing these seeds of prayer. Generations to come will reap wonderful fruit if we do.
_______________________________________________________
Randall Friesen is a local husband and father who pastors Gateway Covenant Church. He writes regularly at randallfriesen.com
GATEWAY COVENANT CHURCH
Prince Albert Daily Herald
I"ve never been one of those people who feels the need to pray before you dig in to your meal. I mean, that prayer can at times become a seemingly dead thing. “Mumble Mumble Mumble , Amen.”?
Having said that, I also have to say that it is something Lauralea and I have done with our kids from nearly day one.
Why do we do it?
Is it to teach our children how to pray, or how to pray regularly? Maybe early on. But it does become a joke when you sit down to eat and repeat the family mealtime prayer, say amen, and not 5 seconds later one of the twerps at the table will honestly inquire why we are eating because we haven"t prayed yet.
Sigh. Yeah, deep spiritual moment there.
I have never thought its just done for those reasons though.
For me, the reasons we pray that simple little banal ditty before we eat a meal go deeper.
It is the only time in the rush of our family life, that we come together to stop, and pray. Whether its banal or not, trite or not, we are praying together. We are recognizing something or someone bigger than ourselves, God. And in so doing, it becomes an act of worship.
In moments when considered deeply, it becomes holy, reverent, and true. Of course you will have days when its only blah blah blah. But you keep on praying, day by day. And some days it"s more. Each day gives you and the kids one more opportunity to make it more.
And common prayer shapes us. It defines who we are and how we connect and relate to each other, and to God, The Greater.
When God created this world and gave it to humankind, he gave us the keys to it. To an extent greater than we may realize, what we wanted would be, and what we didn"t want, wouldn"t be.
Somewhere in the fall of humanity, we gave a spare set of keys to God"s enemy. We gave him room to be here too. To come and go mostly as he pleased.
I have always seen prayer as us inviting God into the equation again. It"s us recognizing that we need him here on earth, in our lives. Asking him to do here on earth and in us, as it is in heaven.
When we do that together, it can become a deeply moving and sometimes a powerful act of worship and unity.
Last fathers day as my whole family gathered together at mom and dad"s for lunch, we stood and sat around the room getting ready to eat. As we prepared, we entered again into that prayer that we had prayed a million times as family. Sometimes angry, sometimes sad or hurt, and many times completely unaware. Only occasionally were we aware of what we were saying and doing. But that day we prayed again, and it was an act of worship and thanksgiving.
We were unaware of what the week would bring, but we were aware of God"s presence and our unity in him that day. In the common prayer we did together what we could not do individually, we united our hearts around Jesus, it was a holy moment in our routine lives.
Later that week dad passed away, suddenly but not unexpectedly. We as family gathered again to make plans and of course to share a meal together. As we bowed our heads there was a moment of realization for most of us, that this was the first time we would pray with one of us gone on. It was a sobering reminder that while we may come and go, prayer remains.
Yes, there is deep value in prayer. It becomes deeper still when it"s corporate prayer, and even more profound when that prayer is prayed together, daily, for years and years. It will shape you as a group and unite you in a common theme, that of worshiping one greater than yourselves.
Consider it for yourself, and maybe for your family.
Our prayer is a short German table blessing, “Come dear lord and be our guest, bless what thou provided hast, Amen.”? You could update it to something like “Come dear lord and be our guest, bless everything that you have given us. Amen.”?
Start sowing these seeds of prayer. Generations to come will reap wonderful fruit if we do.
_______________________________________________________
Randall Friesen is a local husband and father who pastors Gateway Covenant Church. He writes regularly at randallfriesen.com
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