Lost...

    I'm finishing grade eleven, and all my friends are talking about what they're going to do after high school - going to certain universities or Bible colleges, traveling, getting jobs... but I don't have a clue what I'm going to do with my life. I have all these random interests and opportunities, but they're disjointed and I just can't put them together! For example, I want to take Political Science and Law after that (if I can get in). But I also want to go to a Bible college or do something to strengthen my faith and prepare me spiritually for the challenges ahead in life.
    I've always said I want to be a lawyer or politician, but now I'm not sure. Being a lawyer, I imagine, would be rather dull and unimaginative, and politics in Canada is just way too nasty. Maybe I'm wrong; I'm not sure. I have many interests... traveling, reading, writing, skating, serving God, history, politics, ect, ect.
    I find my career opportunities branching off into a couple of completely different paths. I could take Political Science, then go into law and become a lawyer or politician. Or after Political Science I could go into journalism. Or maybe I could just completely skip university, and travel around the world, writing or just working wherever I can. That sounds the most fun, but I've always wanted to become well educated and, well, learned. And where does Bible college or missions fit into any of these...?
    I just feel lost, swimming in a huge sea of choices. Where to go, what to do? I know that God has a plan for my life, and he's going to do great things through me, but in a way that just makes me more scared - what if he leads me to do something I don't like for the rest of my life? I know that sounds silly, but really, it's scary because I don't know what God has in store for me. I know it's good to give God the reigns and just let him take me to where I need to go, but it also makes me feel helpless.
    I guess I just have to stay positive and have faith that God will do what's best for me. I need to relax... every once in a while I tense up mentally and plague myself with
"What ifs?". I'm sure it'll all work out. I'll try to keep Psalm 23 in mind...
    Anyone have any thoughts or ideas? Is Law worth going into? Is journalism hard? Is my dream of traveling the world unrealistic?

Brosseau

Photo from CBC article

   Before the election, she was employed as a bartender in Ottawa. But on May 2nd, Ruth Ellen Brosseau was elected to Parliament! Needless to say, her salary has increased significantly. Unfortunately, she was in Las Vegas during the election, partying for her birthday, which got her lots of bad publicity. Later she admitted that she didn't expect to win, and had never even been to her riding (Berthier-Maskinongé) before! Obviously she was elected simply because she was the NDP candidate in her Quebec riding and the province was rapidly turning orange.

   Then the NDP got even more bad publicity because they said that she had a diploma in "Advertising and Integrated Marketing Communications" from St. Lawrence College in Kingston, but she didn't actually graduate!

   The media also jumped on her because she doesn't speak French. I don't think that every MP has to be able to speak French, but it is pretty important if you're representing a mainly Francophone riding in Quebec! To be fair though, she's currently taking intensive French lessons so she can actually understand what her constituents are saying.

   It's good to have young, new MPs in Parliament, but so far she seems very unprofessional. All the same, I think we need give her a chance. New MPs can bring freshness, change, and hopefully respect to our Parliament, and we shouldn't judge people before they've started! In her case, though, cross your fingers... this is going to be interesting!

Royal Glenora Ice Show

Photo from Edmonton Sun Article

   Last night I saw the final performance of the Royal Glenora Club's 50th Anniversary Ice Show! Kurt Browning, the charismatic 4-time world champion, amazed us with his quick feet and big jumps! The world and Olympic champions Jamie Sale and David Pelletier were there too, along with the national champions and Olympians Anabelle Langlois and Cody Hay! There were also many other accomplished figure skaters who skate or used to skate at the Royal Glenora, so close you could reach out and touch them as they skated by. One skater tripped and almost slid right into the people in front of me. But overall the performances were as impressive as their all-star cast - they really know how to put on an entertaining show there! Congratulations to all of you who helped make the show a success - all the skaters, coaches and volunteers!

The End of the World

     I don't know why any Christian would try to predict the end of the world, or believe any apocalypse prediction. Christ specifically said that no one except God the Father knows when the world will end:


Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.  – Mark 13:31-33 (Christ's words)


     Christ's words above are also recorded in Matthew 24:35-36. There are many other places in the Bible that say Jesus Christ's return will be sudden and unexpected:


Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. - Matthew 24:42 (Christ's words)

Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labour pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.  – 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3


     Any apocalypse prediction goes against what Christ said and what the Bible says, and is thus extremely unChristian. Even if we don't know exactly when it will happen, what does the Bible say about judgement day? Let's take a look:

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.  – 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  – Matthew 13:47-50

     So to conclude... I'll just let the Bible speak for itself! We don't know when Jesus Christ will come back to earth, but we need to be ready (Luke 12:40).

All Bible verses are quoted from the NIV

Slave Lake (and Manitoba)

     

   374 houses destroyed and 52 damaged, was the official word today on the out of control wildfire that devastated Slave Lake on Sunday. Officials released a map (above) showing which homes were destroyed, which ones were damaged, and which ones were ok. Luckily there wasn't as much damage as some people were predicting, and no one was killed or injured! But over 400 homes is still a lot. Keep Slave Lake in your prayers, people.

   But as new disasters come, people seem to forget the last ones. There was Indonesia (well, that was a while ago), Haiti, New Zealand, then Japan soon after, and many other disasters in between which I'm sure I've forgotten about, which in a way proves my point. Anyways, we mustn't forget Manitoba. Thousands of people were evacuated, and it is still flooding. The good news there though is that the controlled dike break (Q: Do the ends justify the means?) which was expected to impact hundreds of homes actually didn't do that much damage and apparently none of the homes in the dike break area were flooded! :D
I couldn't help thinking that we could use some of that extra Manitoba water in Slave Lake...

Creation

Did this evolve or was it created?

       In April the atheistic organisation Centre For Inquiry Canada launched controversial bus ads in BC claiming there is no God. The catch-phrase of this anti-Christian organization is "Extraordinary Claims Demand Extraordinary Evidence". They say that the burden of proof is on believers of God to prove that He exists. They also say that a belief in a god is an "extraordinary claim" and that it requires "extraordinary evidence".

       I find this interesting, because it seems to me that the real extraordinary claim here is that life somehow originated from non-life (an occurrence which has never been observed) and that humans like you and me ultimately evolved from microscopic organisms over time – in short, the Theory of Macro-evolution, which most atheists adhere to. It makes much more sense that an intelligent designer made our beautiful universe than that random processes created everything we know.

       So my challenge to you is this: find the real evidence, and judge for yourself what is true. Are there intermediate links between species in the fossil record that show they evolved? No. Are there evolutionary trends in the DNA of different species? No. Have we seen instances of (primitive) life spontaneously generating from non-life? No. Macro-evolution claims to have the answer to how we got here, but because of the numerous holes in the thoery, it ends up merely creating more puzzling questions instead.

       On the other hand, does it seem that nature was created? Take a look at your eyes – the delicate yet complex system of sight we have that is better than any camera ever invented. Take a look at even single celled organisms! There is no such thing as a "simple life form." Single cells are like miniature cities with ways to get food, break it down into energy, get rid of the waste products, protect themselves from invasion, copy information (DNA), communicate with other cells, and perform other essential tasks. You can believe that these spontaneously generated through random processes with random components at an unknown time and place, or you can choose to believe what is strikingly apparent - that nature has been designed by an intelligent God.

Life

Painting by Kari Fell

     I wanna write another blog post... what should I write about? Can't think of a topic... I'll just write about life. It's complicated, and it's hard. Sometimes I feel like it's not even worth it. But I guess life is worth living - even mine.
     I'm nobody famous. Hmm, I don't even know anyone famous! But fame isn't really that important... in fact, it would be a bit of a bother, don't you think? It still would be nice, though, to be known and have ppl actually care about what you said.
     I'm not rich. Life would probably be a lot easier if I had wheelbarrow-loads of cash... especially since I'm so lazy :P But I'm not out begging on the streets; I have enough. The Bible says that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, so I'll try not to love money.
     I don't have a cool car. My mom says that cars are just to get you from point A to point B, but a cool car would be gr8! I'd drive around all day, in my nice, new Lamborghini Gallardo, with the radio cranked. Hmm, that's not very deep, is it? I've always thought myself an intellectual... ok, what argument can I bring against a Lamborghini? I know: My conscience would make me follow the speed limits... and what good would a Lamborghini be if I couldn't go any faster than a rusty, old, dented up minivan?
     I don't live anywhere cool, like Florida, New York, California, or Hawaii. It would be nice to live somewhere like that, instead of here in the middle of nowhere... Vegreville, Alberta. The big thing in our town is the new Wal-Mart :P Oh well. At least here we can breathe clean air and see the stars every night. Here we aren't stuck in the fast lane. Here we have some nice people, and a gr8 church - Vegreville Alliance.
     I'm still looking for love... no wait, what are you saying, Toblerone? Don't you remember the quote you saw on that gravestone in the Vegreville cemetery? "God gives us love. Someone to love he lends us." God has given me his love, abundantly. And some day (hopefully sooner rather than later) he'll lend you someone to love.
     Well, my life isn't very exceptional, or very exciting. But it's still life. And life's always worth living. It doesn't matter if you're famous, or rich, or what car you drive, or where you live, or if you have a super-hot girlfriend! Those things are extras! I'm lucky, I have all the basics - a good God, a good family, with food to eat and a roof over my head. Heck, this computer and this blog are extras!
     So... to conclude. Wow, I've written a lot, considering I didn't know what I was writing about. Hmm, is this post good enough to put on my blog? Sure - right now I'm clicking "Publish Post". Oh wait, I still need to conclude! Um... just live life! And do something with your life - stand up and stand out! And if you aren't already a Christian, become one - you'll see the world in a whole new, vibrant way! And finally, become a fan of my blog on Facebook! TTFN (Ta Ta For Now!)

Happy VE-Day!

On May 8th, 1945 Germany surrendered unconditionally to the Allies and World War II was over in Europe! VE-Day marks the anniversary of this great event every year!

To read more about World War II, visit my other blog: The World War II Blog

The 2011 Canadian Election!

   Well, my predictions were right about the NDP becoming the opposition party, the Liberals coming in 3rd, and the decimation of the Bloc Québécois! However, I was expecting a minority government for the Conservatives. It was a pleasant surprise to hear that the Conservatives finally have a strong majority government!

   It was also good to hear about Ignatieff's resignation, following the worst election for the Liberal party in Canadian history. I'm sure the Liberals will be able to recover in time for the next election - they've been around since Confederation and aren't about to be snuffed out now. But the big question now is: Who will be the new leader of the Liberal party?

   The New Democratic Party started a new era in Canadian politics with Jack Layton's outstanding victory! I'm sure they will at least make Canadian elections more interesting. Unfortunately, in the meantime they will have to bow down to Quebec's demands, since they won most of their seats in that province.

   What does the decline of the Bloc Québécois mean for Canada? Well, hopefully it will severely and permanently weaken the Quebec sovereignty movement. The Bloc has lost almost all of its power in Parliament, which can only mean that Canada as a nation will be stronger and more unified.
   Elizabeth May made history and became the first Green Party candidate to be elected into Canada's Parliament. Despite making history, she is only a caucus of one, and I don't expect her to have much influence in our government. The Bloc Québécois, which lost most of its power, still has four times more seats than the Green Party!
   Last but definitely not least, I think the Conservative Party will be able to make Canada a better nation now that they are freed from the quibbling, appeasement, and instability of a minority government.

Seats:

Conservatives - 167   (up 21)
NDP - 102                 (up 66!)
Liberals - 34              (down 43)
Bloc Québécois - 4    (down 44)
Green - 1                   (up 1)
Other - 0                    (down 1)

For further information see the Elections Canada results.

Vote!

☒ Tomorrow, if you are a Canadian Citizen over 18, vote!

Stay informed about the election:

Conservative Party

Liberal Party

New Democratic Party (NDP)

Bloc Québécois

Green Party

Christian Heritage Party (CHP)

Other Parties
If there are any independent candidates in your riding, I'd like to encourage you to learn about their platforms as well :)

Elections Canada

50 Ridings To Watch - The Globe and Mail

Poll Tracker - CBC

Canada Votes - CBC