Moving...

Well - I'm moving...not physically, but on the world wide web. I have decided to stop using this particular blog and start fresh. My new blog - "Longing For His Appearing" - will focus on the things that I am learning as I dig into the scriptures, what the Lord teaches me in the place of prayer, as well as lessons from the marketplace and at home. Any personal updates about the activities of our lives will be posted on my secondary blog "Far Above Pearls" or will be able to be found on my Facebook profile.

Thanks for reading here at "The Spirit and the Bride say 'Come!'" and I hope to hear from you on my new blogs.

We're Pregnant!!!!!

Well, after a VERY long absence from blogging, I am finally back! The truth is, I've been delaying writing anything because my mind has been rather consumed with the exciting news that we've been containing, that Joe & I are going to be having a baby!! The due date is around March 14, 2008 and so far so good! I've been feeling great and have been blessed to have no morning sickness - I've just been SUPER tired! But we are SOOOOOO excited and as you can imagine, so are my parents who will now be grandparents for the first time!! Joe & I also had a really fun time telling them, along with Joe's parents and Nick & Nicole when we all went out together for a joint birthday celebration for Joe & I. Joe's parents were visiting us for the weekend, so it was perfect timing. We all went to Montana's and got the usual birthday song with the ridiculous hats they make you wear, but we added our own twist by getting them to write a special message on our dessert plate...

Of course this caused some confusion for a few minutes, thinking it was a mistake and that it should've read "b-day", so Joe & I happily played along before finally telling them that no, it wasn't a mistake and that yes, we were indeed pregnant!! It's been exciting to see a little bump start to take shape - even if it's mostly in our imagination. :) Already we have been feeling a sense of God's destiny and calling on this baby's life and are excited for this person He is forming and shaping within me and discovering who he/she will become. So we covet and welcome your prayers in this time of MUCH change and for the health of mom & the baby throughout this pregnancy.

In addition to all this, we've been super busy since we moved into our new house on July 6th. We've been painting, ripping out carpet, putting in new laminate flooring, getting some new living room furniture, and next we're putting in new baseboards and trim! I can't wait to the see the finished product, but I realize that our house will probably be in a state of progress for some time yet! After we finish with the living room & dining room, I'm guessing the next project will be redecorating my office which will become the nursery for our baby!

So there's our BIG update!!! Hopefully I'll be blogging more regularly after this so that I can keep you in the loop as the date of our baby's arrival gets closer. :)

The Great Canadian Wish List

CBC News has started a group on Facebook called "The Great Canadian Wish List" where anybody can make a wish for Canada, invite their friends to support it & then on July 1st, the top results will be reported about on CBC TV, CBC Radio, CBC Newsworld and online at cbc.ca/wish.

Their hope is to provoke discussion and the free expression of ideas and they have certainly succeeded, as the debates and arguments abound regarding several issues such as abortion, gay marriage, our nation's spiritual condition and saving the environment. It has also evolved into a sort of competition for the top 2 spots on the list - pro-life vs. pro-choice.

As I browsed the pro-choice group, I think I was most bothered by their main image which portrays a female icon with the phrases, "My Mind, My Body, My Choice", for herein lies the greatest deception of them all. I happen to be reading the book "Body By God" by Dr. Ben Lerner, which is a book designed to help you improve your body and health by applying principles found in both science and the Bible. The very title itself is a clear statement about our body - it's by God - designed, created, and shaped by Him (see Genesis 1 and Psalm 139). As Dr. Lerner puts it, "No person can make another. The body is not by man; the body is by God". Yet he continues to go even further by saying, "Your body is not your own! Your body is not only by God, it is for God, and it is God's." In other words, "Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his..." (Psalm 100:3) or as Paul states it, "You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

This deception that our bodies are our own, when truly they are God's, is a terrible and destructive line of thinking that has invaded our society's paradigm, yet not only with our bodies - we think this way about everything. We think our possessions are ours, our money is ours, our time is ours, our mind is ours - yet the Bible also says that "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it." (Psalm 24:1) Yet we are primarily selfish creatures looking out for #1 - ourselves - with little regard to how our decisions affect others or how they line up with God's ways. David Sliker, an author and intercessory missionary at the International House of Prayer recently wrote a post on this very topic of humanism on his blog (wordcast) where he quoted Psalm 2:1-3, which says "Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One. 'Let us break their chains,' they say, 'and throw off their fetters.'" David goes on to expound this text and what that will look like in the coming days...

The result of this concerted effort to reject God and His Son will be the apex of humanism itself, or the exalting of man and his capacities and capabilities in a manner that is seemingly able to effect his own salvation without the interference of biblical morality or the “restraint” of the law of God. In the minds of the sinful man, “salvation” means the achievement of Utopian ideals related to perfection in society and perfection in man himself.

In the world's eyes, legalizing abortion and gay marriage are a signpost to our progressive thinking, open-mindedness, tolerance and our rise to perfection as mankind, while holding to the moral values and guidelines as laid out for us in scripture is to actually regress. Considering how God feels about these subjects is simply not a part of their rationale, for it is primarily about what they want and what they feel they have the "right" to do. Somewhere along the line we came up with this twisted idea that we have the "right" to choose what to do with the lives that were never ours to begin with. The very breath in our lungs comes from God and it is He who has every right to ask us to live our lives according to His ways. And His ways are not bondage, as the world perceives them to be! His commands are not chains to be broken off! His commands were given to bring us abundant life, freedom and joy beyond anything we could imagine for all of eternity! He is not an angry God trying to take away our "fun" or force us into slavery to Him - He is a loving God who put rules in place as boundaries to protect us and keep us in a close relationship with Himself, since sin is what separates us from Him.

But I digress, for I have still yet to reach my main point. I'll have you know that I did join "The Great Canadian Wish List" group and I supported the wishes of "Abolish Abortion in Canada", "Spiritual Revival in our Nation", and "Restore the Traditional Definition of Marriage". I would probably also support many other noble wishes to end poverty and disease or save the environment, but the problem with most of these is that we are looking to ourselves for the solution instead of looking to God. I will always stand for protecting unborn children, but the fact is, that even if abortion was made illegal in Canada, it might change the behavior of men and women and save the lives of many babies, yet their hearts would remain the same. I am all for the changing of legislation in our country, but more than this, I long for a change in the hearts in our country. What good is behavioral alteration if the hearts of people still scream in rebellion against God and His ways? If they still have no regard for God, then we have gained nothing, for their souls are still lost. So taking that into consideration, the greatest wish for Canada needs to be for spiritual revival and for the hearts of people to return to the Lord God with weeping and repentance, for He truly longs to show them compassion and loving-kindness instead of judgment. (Joel 2:12-13) God is also the only one capable of bringing eternal restoration to the earth and He is the only one who is capable of ruling the people of the earth with justice.

Consequently, the caption for my blog is fitting to describe the response that is most needed by the body of Christ today - let the Spirit and the Bride say "Come!" - let us call out for the return of Jesus to the earth and for Him to bring speedy justice in answer to our unceasing prayers. (Luke 18:7-8) Let us fast and weep and mourn and call solemn assemblies (Joel 2:12-17) to cry out on behalf of our nation and our world and fill the bowls of prayer in heaven. (Rev. 5:8) Let us see His kingdom come and His will done by interceding for revival, appealing to the courts of heaven to affect change in the courts of the earth. I know it seems weak and it feels weak to simply pray when it feels like we should be signing petitions and making phone calls to politicians and marching down the street with signs, but I am becoming more and more convinced that in the "weakness" of prayer there is greater strength than we could ever imagine. For what would take us decades to try and change in our own strength, God could come and do in a moment!

Turning & Resisting

Today is Day 3 of a 40-day fast that has been called by Lou Engle and which people from all around the globe are participating in. I don't usually "jump on the bandwagon" too easily, but this time felt different & I felt that the Lord was asking me to join in on this time of praying, fasting and seeking His face. Already, I'm really glad that I did, because He is already working things in me and teaching me about what it means to truly fast in sincerity and not just as a religious activity.

Return to Me
There is a key portion of scripture in Joel 2 in which the Lord says, "...return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning." The prophet continues on to say, "Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity...Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly..." (vs. 12-17) There is far too much going on in this text to expound fully, but the basic message is that when there is sin in the land and coming judgment, the Lord calls His people to respond by fasting and praying in repentance and turning back to Him with their whole hearts. Only then is there hope that He may relent from His anger and perhaps release blessing instead.

Little Foxes
Yesterday I was listening to the webstream of the prayer room at IHOP where they are also participating in this 40-day fast and Mike Bickle was leading the people there in a time of personal repentance and turning. It was very reminiscent of 2 Chronicles 7:14 which says, "...if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." Mike encouraged each person to fix their thoughts on the Holy Spirit and submit to His leadership over their lives, asking Him to reveal any areas of sin that needed to be repented of and dealt with. He referenced Song of Songs 2:15, "Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards..." which is the bride crying out to Jesus, asking Him to help her remove the little sins that sneak in and ruin the garden of her heart. It's not necessarily the obvious sins of murder, adultery, or theft that God is going after, but He wants to rid our hearts of the "little foxes", the inconspicuous sins that we pass off as not being that bad - things like complaining, gossip, or pride. Then, once Holy Spirit had highlighted these things in our hearts, we were challenged to determine to not do those things again and turn from our sins, recognizing that we may very possibly fall into them again, but still making a firm decision to resist to the best of our ability.

Resisting Sin
So, as I listened, I was meditating on the passage in Joel 2 and speaking to the Lord & asking Him to show me what I needed to repent of and turn from in my life. I began to write down the things that He was showing me, yet none of them were really new to me - He has tried to confront me on these issues before, but I realized that instead of resisting the devil (James 4:7-10), I had been resisting the leadership of the Holy Spirit, not wanting to submit to His correction. I have knowingly been facing the same temptations over and over again, but usually giving into them instead of really fighting them, making excuses that I was too weak to resist them. And then, I was suddenly reminded of a verse that my former pastor Steve Osmond had once preached about - Hebrews 12:4 which says, "In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood." Basically saying that I was not yet resisting to the point of allowing myself to feel the pain of turning from sin and putting to death the desires of my flesh. I don't know why we think that killing our flesh won't be painful or a struggle! In Joel 2:13 it also says to "Rend your heart" which means "to tear violently" - that definitely sounds painful! Yet I have definitely not yet resisted temptation to that point of pain or really fighting and saying "NO!" I've been more like a passive dog that rolls over onto it's back as soon as another dog attacks it, completely surrendering to its opponent without a fight.

Jesus our Example
Yet, earlier in Hebrews 12 it is giving us the example of Jesus as inspiration for us, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus...who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame...Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." I need to fix my gaze on Jesus and how He truly resisted sin to the point of shedding His own blood for me so that I would not grow weary in my battle to do the same. His life and death are my example so that I will be able to "...throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles..." (vs. 1-3)

Turn To God, Turn From Sin, Turn Away His Anger
Then, this morning I was reading Daniel 9, a great example of someone who was embracing the weakness of fasting and prayer and confession on behalf of himself and his nation, and again I saw the pattern of turning. In verse 3 Daniel says that he turned to the Lord God, which was then followed by the recognition for their need to turn from their sins in verse 13, culminating with the desired result that God would turn away His anger and wrath (vs. 16) and instead restore them in His great mercy (vs. 18). For us to turn individually is just the beginning - we need to cry out for a widespread turning so that He will have mercy on our nation of Canada, bring a revival of souls coming into His kingdom and a restoration of righteousness and holiness in our land.

Now What?
So now what? I'm not really sure what the next 37 days will hold, but I'm anticipating both good & painful times in God's presence. But it's a good pain. It's the conviction of the Holy Spirit and godly sorrow which "leads to salvation and leaves no regret". (2 Cor. 7:10) I'm looking forward to Him tenderizing my heart through fasting and receiving more revelation from His Word. I'm anticipating some struggle and counterattacks from the enemy, but by God's mercy and grace, I hope to be victorious as His strength is made perfect in my weakness. (2 Cor. 12:9) Yet more than this, I long for encounters with Him & experiencing greater depths of His passionate love for me, causing me to fall more in love with Him in return.

A New Home

Well, I am VERY excited to announce that we finally got a house here in Winnipeg! After over a month of searching and 6 unsuccessful offers in a very competitive market, we were able to purchase a house last night! Our 7th offer was accepted on a 3-bedroom bungalow in the St. Vital area on a HUGE lot - big enough to build another house on it if we really wanted to! It's a great place for us & has a lot of potential - in other words, there are a few projects to do, but it will be fun making it our own. The basement is undeveloped and just waiting for our personal touch, while the main floor will need a slight make-over as well on the floors & walls, but overall, it is a great place! It's close to St. Vital mall & any convenience we may desire with the added bonus of being closer to my family - it should only be about a 35 min. drive instead of almost an hour from where we live now. Our move in date will be 07/07/07 - talk about the perfect number! :)

Now, I wish I could say that I was an incredible woman of faith throughout this entire process, but sadly, it was actually quite difficult to remain positive. Each house we put an offer on, we would begin to dream and hope and picture ourselves living there & then be disappointed when we didn't get it. It was stretching for my heart to keep trusting God and that He would bring us the right house at the right time. If you'll remember a couple posts earlier I mentioned the "north and south winds" of God - the hard times & the good times. We had previously felt the south winds of His blessing when we sold our house in Calgary, but it was soon followed by the cold north winds of testing when our car was broken into & then the house-hunting began.

It's funny how God can show You His goodness & faithfulness & blessings, but as soon as the storms come, your foundation feels rather unsturdy as it is tested to see how firmly you really believe these things. How quickly we forget that He really is kind & loves us & has promised to take care of us! How easily I get discouraged and feel weak in my faith when the smallest bit of trial comes my way! If anything, this whole process really showed me what was in my heart and produced in me the desire to develop a stronger foundation that will be able to withstand whatever storms may come. Because I know that MUCH bigger storms will be coming! I want a heart that is so in love with Jesus & so confident in His love for me that no amount of pressure, persecution, trial, hardship, temptation, disaster, etc. would be able to shake that confidence.

But thank God that when I am weak, He is strong! When I am faithless, He is still faithful! When I am powerless, He pours out His grace to supply what I am lacking. So while I see that I definitely have areas I want to grow in, He has lovingly provided for us & given us this house. We are very grateful & thankful to Him for it all - the south & the north winds - for it is all producing in me an inner beauty that far surpasses what people may see on the outside.

I also want to acknowledge and thank our fantastic realtor David Unruh who was amazing as he advised us, spent MANY hours driving us around to look at houses, wrote up many offers with us, and encouraged us to not lose faith in this process. It was amazing to have a realtor who believed that God was going to provide us with the perfect home for us & who would pray over each offer with us! Thanks David!

And lastly, but certainly not least, I want to thank all our friends and family who have been praying for us along the way - your prayers and words of encouragement were much appreciated!!

A Day in the Life

I thought it might be fun to give people a snapshot of a day in the life of me, just to give you an idea of some of the things I do & participate in from week to week. (Inspired by Shawn Blanc's post, one of the many blogs I read daily)

5:45 am - The alarm goes off for Joe - he turns it off after several attempts to "snooze" won't work & rolls over to cuddle me - he doesn't get out of bed as he planned, but I don't mind. :)

6:30 am - Begrudgingly roll out of bed at Joe's insistence & pestering

6:35 am - Go for a prayer walk with Joe around the neighborhood, a time to pray for any of the various needs for ourselves, our friends, family, SHOP, etc. and get a little bit of exercise at the same time; this is a new routine we've starting doing every weekday morning

7:05 am - Have breakfast together (if we're not fasting that day), get ready for the day

7:30 am - Joe leaves for work, I get ready to host internship at my house by setting out all the possible drink options I can find (Tuesdays are the corporate fasting day for anyone from SHOP who wants to participate); if it's a Monday, Wednesday or Thursday, I go to the chiropractor at this time to get my back, neck & jaw worked on since they tend to give me more pain than I would like

7:45 am - Check my email, read any blog posts from my Google Reader subscriptions, read some news articles and a couple daily comics, check Facebook for any new photos, messages, etc.

8:15 am - Spend some time playing the piano & singing to prepare for my devotional set that I'm doing for internship

9:00 am - The interns arrive - we're a small bunch today, just me Steph & Kristi, but it still feels good to get together to worship & study the Word - where 2 or 3 are gathered, He's there with us!

9:15 am - Kristi starts her devotional set on the guitar, singing worship songs, her own songs & spontaneous worship mixed in - she's working her way back into playing guitar after months of wrestling with tendonitis in her wrist & is starting to see some improvement - praise God! I have my own personal devotions during this time, reading my Bible & writing down thoughts from what I've read

9:40 am - I start my half-hour devotional set on the piano, same thing as Kristi

9:45 am - Brian, our director at our house of prayer, unexpectedly arrives - we didn't think he was coming since he just got back from a long road trip from B.C. for his brother's wedding

10:15 am - We update Brian on everything that's happened while he was away & he lets us know how his trip went

11:00 am - We all get our drinks (my current fix is Maxwell's Cinnamon Royale instant coffee, not quite the same as a Starbucks Cinnamon Dolcé Latté, but it'll suffice) and get settled to listen to an hour of Allan Hood teaching from Daniel Chapter 9, outlining the timeline of some end-time events as detailed by a prophetic word given to Daniel by the angel Gabriel - quite fascinating & mind-boggling!

12:15 pm - Internship is done for today, everyone leaves & I clean up

12:30 pm - Read some more news, do some research on the internet, send an email to my sister to plan a girls night tomorrow to watch the finale of America's Next Top Model at her house, since we don't have TV at ours - yes, ANTM is one of my vices and guilty pleasures that I don't get to watch, but I follow on their website

1:00 pm - Read a couple chapters from "Epicenter" by Joel Rosenberg, a book detailing his insights into the events occuring in the Middle East and his predictions of future events based upon his knowledge of political and economic occurances, and as seen through the prophecies of the Bible - also fascinating and mind-boggling!

1:40 pm - Spend some more time in personal devotions

2:00 pm - Sign in for work; I work remotely from home for a company in Calgary, doing computer programming; today I'm working on a satisfaction survey for employees of an American restaurant chain, a phone info line for people who are suing a company, and product surveys for calling cards! :)

3:30 pm - Normally would prepare supper at this time, if it's something that needs to bake in the oven for a while, and if not, then I start supper prep more around 4:30 - but not today, since I'm fasting :)

3:35 pm - Realize I need some music - turn on the International House of Prayer's prayer room webstream, but it's not working - bummer! Turn on Audra Lynn instead - this is by no means settling - her CD is great!

4:47 pm - Fantasize about food as the stomach rumbles...

4:50 pm - Joe gets home from work & I give him a joyful welcome home hug & kiss!

4:52 pm - Finished up a few more things for work

4:56 pm - Joe & I update each other on how our days went

5:06 pm - I read some more from "Epicenter"

5:58 pm - I decide to crash for a short nap before heading out tonight

6:36 pm - We leave to go to Shane & Kristi's for a prayer meeting for the under-30 generation in Winnipeg

6:58 pm - Arrive just on time at Shane & Kristi's; Joe is leading worship this week for our harp & bowl style prayer meeting which combines worship with intercession - we take turns praying, using a scripture as the foundation of our prayer and then the singers sing brief spontaneous phrases and prayers to support and expand on the prayer - it makes for very enjoyable prayer meetings!

9:50 pm - Arrive back home, check email & Facebook. I'm exhausted, going to bed!

House Hunting

Well, for some time now, Sanctuary House of Prayer has been hunting for a building to call our own. We have been graciously given the use of a building on Sundays during the afternoon and evening to hold our worship & intercession meetings, but if we want to see our dream of 24/7 continous prayer happen in this city, than we need a place to call home where we can meet any day and at any time. Recently, we discovered a treasure of a building that was formerly a Salvation Army church, that has been sitting empty for over 2 years now - just crying out for some worship and prayer to happen once again inside it! After much prayer, we put in an offer and it has been accepted! We now have until June 7th (a month from today) to come up with the finances. This is a huge step of faith for us and we are asking God to miraculously provide what is required - because, truthfully, it is His dream, more than ours, to have a house of prayer in Winnipeg! We are also putting out the call to anyone and everyone who would like to support us in this effort - if you would like to give, visit Sanctuary's website for more information on how to donate.

As many of you know, Joe & I moved to Winnipeg to be a part of this emerging house of prayer because we believed in the importance and significance of what God wants to birth through the prayer movement in Canada and in the nations of the earth. We are excited to be a part of building the foundation of this house as we labor together with others who are passionate about partnering with God through worship & intercession, to see His purposes accomplished. More than ever, we sense the urgency of His call to us to give of ourselves wholeheartedly to serve Him and minister before Him, day and night, giving Him no rest until He returns again for His bride.

"And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" Luke 18:7-8

Ironically, Joe & I also find ourselves searching for a house of our own, somewhere to put down some roots here in this city. The search has not been an easy one, as the market is competitive, but we are trusting that God wants to give a home to both us and Sanctuary, and no matter what may happen, He knows best and will provide us with what's best for us. The future ahead is bright, but often unclear, with many unknowns. Each step is a step of faith, believing that God has good plans for us and that the journey is producing good fruit in our hearts. Because He doesn't want to just give us what we ask for - He wants to actually journey with us and mold our hearts along the way. Even something as practical as purchasing a house is an opportunity to experience intimacy with God in a new way!

And lastly, I want to share an exciting piece of news - after several years of borrowing keyboards and pianos from generous friends, I have finally been able to go out and purchase a piano of my very own! She is a beautiful Korg home edition electronic piano and has already added a lovely touch to our home. Even Joe has enjoyed playing with her and using some of the rhythm loops to play his guitar to. :) She is a welcome addition and I am very thankful to have her!

California Trip

Well, I had a fabulous time on my trip to California for my friend Jen's wedding! I had a little mishap on my way down - I missed my connecting flight in Denver because they changed the gate number on me and I didn't realize it until it was too late, but thank God there was another flight to L.A. just an hour later and I was able to get on stand-by! Jen & Lisa met me at the airport and we picked up my brand new, never before driven silver Hyundai Elantra (who we later named Frederique) car rental and I drove from L.A. to San Diego with Jen as my navigator. I'll admit I was a little tense driving on the freeway & was very focused on the road, but a bonus was getting to drive in the carpool lane, which made the trip very fast!

During my stay, we crashed at Jen's sister Erin's place where it was Erin & her husband Paul, Jen, Lisa & me all in their one-bedroom condo! Jen, Lisa & I all shared the living room space and there was a lot of wedding paraphernalia all over, so it was a little crowded but lots of fun staying there! Over the few days I was there, I was the designated chauffeur and drove everyone around everywhere, which was kind of fun for me! We did a lot of eating with friends & family, shopping and getting last minute things for the wedding and just hanging out and enjoying each other's company. Erin, Lisa & I went for pedicures one day & Erin paid for me to get a 15 minute chair massage which was fantastic!

The day of the wedding couldn't have been more perfect - the ceremony took place on the beach with the ocean in the background in the morning, so it was still cool and not too sunny which made it just right for taking pictures and also saved me from getting burnt! Jen & her bridesmaids Erin & Lisa looked beautiful in the dressed Jen had sewn and with their bright bouquets made by the newly acclaimed florist...moi! Haha! Yes, I made the bouquets the morning of the wedding, which I found quite humorous. Never would have thunk it! Then we had a ceremony with Mexican tortillas as our menu & a little bit of dancing by those adventurous enough to try.

Then Chris & Jen went off to enjoy their honeymoon & my trip ended with Erin treating Lisa and I to Coldstone Creamery ice cream (which is like Marble Slab for anyone who is familiar with that) - yummy! Then Erin & I watched a movie, because I needed to stay up before leaving at 2am to drive back to L.A. to catch my 6am flight! I was a little worried about wanting to fall asleep while driving, but it wasn't too bad - I just slapped myself a few times to wake up! The drive also went really good, as I was a little nervous about driving the 2 hours in the middle of the night on unfamiliar roads, but Erin equipped me very well with maps and directions. The airport was a little crazy, but I got there on time & then tried to sleep as much as possible on my flights home so I would be well rested for 5 hours of prayer at Sanctuary! :)

** For more pictures from my trip, see my Facebook albums **

P.S. If you're not on Facebook yet, you should be! :)

Going to California!!

Hey all - I'm heading out of the country with my brand new passport and flying to California tomorrow!! I'll be arriving in Los Angeles, be greeted by my two amazing and lovely friends Jen Gorby and Lisa Peppard, driving a rental car down to San Diego and enjoying the ocean view for a few days for Jen's wedding. I can't wait - it's going to be super fun to be reunited with my old roomies! At the same time, I'm missing Joe already. :( But distance makes the heart grow fonder, so it just means I'll love and appreciate him that much more when I return. Also, for anybody who knows and also loves Jen Gorby, stay tuned for pictures from the wedding!

Farewell & God Be With You

Today we officially said our last good-byes to Derek & Erin, my brother and his girlfriend, who are embarking on a year long traveling adventure in Australia, Thailand, China, and many other exotic locations. My family had our own farewell night on Saturday, and then today we all were there at the airport to send them off. It was rather emotional - they were nervous, sad, and excited - we were a little nervous too, sad to see them go, but believing for God's best in the year ahead of them. It's hard to let go...I love my brother very much and have come to love Erin a lot too as she has come to feel like a part of our family. What will the year ahead hold for them? What adventures will they have? What obstacles will they encounter? What joys and fears will they experience? And what does God have up His sleeve for them? It's then that I have to choose to trust. Trust that God knows what He's doing and that He loves them both far more than I do, so He'll take good care of them.

Good-bye Derek & Erin! Have a great trip! I love you and will be praying for you!

My Family

Yes...this is indeed my family.
The results of this impromptu "shaker face" photo shoot were rather frightening.
Nick, Derek & Erin are definitely my favorites.
Yikes!

Feel free to try this laughter-invoking activity at home - Instructions: keep your lips as loose and flappable as possible, then shake head from side to side rapidly, take picture (using a fast shutter speed). Warning: may result in piercing momentary headache.

If you want to participate, please post your pictures on your blog and leave a comment here with the link! :)

Click here for bigger & better & more of the same.

"Come north winds..."

Awake, north wind,
and come, south wind!
Blow on my garden,
that its fragrance may spread abroad.
Let my lover come into his garden
and taste its choice fruits.
Song of Songs 4:16

Strangely enough, on Friday after Joe and I had just sold our house and were rejoicing the richness of God's blessings, I also felt a certain sobriety and awareness that while we love to enjoy the warm "south winds" of His blessing, that we are also guaranteed the cold "north winds" of trials. The beautiful thing though is that both the winds of blessings and of trials are designed to blow on the garden of our hearts so that the fragrance of what God has been planting there will be spread abroad and allure Him to come near so as to enjoy the fruit of His labors.

Saturday night, we went to participate at a worship watch at a church in Winnipeg that was holding worship throughout the night. We were there with our friends from Sanctuary House of Prayer to lead the worship for 3 of those hours, and not long after arriving, three of us had our cars vandalized in the parking lot. Our car had the passenger window smashed in, while others' had large scratches made in their paint, and had their window smashed and stereo hanging loose where the person had attempted to steal it. Yet, through it all, I knew God was watching to see how we would respond to these "north winds". What sort of fragrance would He smell? And I believe He smelled the sweet fragrance of worship ascending to His throne as we all continued to give Him the praise He fully deserved! Although it sucks that our car was vandalized, I have no doubts that this does not change the fact that God is incredibly good and worthy of our adoration. And I desire that in all circumstances, both good and bad, that He would be able to enjoy the fragrance of my love and be drawn to come to His garden that He is producing in my heart.

Still Stunned

Well, for those of you who hadn't heard, for a while Joe & I have been considering the timing of selling our house in Calgary so that we can in turn begin to look to purchase a home here in Winnipeg. Over the last couple weeks we had some discussions with our realtor (and my former discipleship school director) Craig Hill, who had also helped us buy our house in Calgary and were making the steps towards putting it up for sale. We had talked about listing it on MLS last night at midnight so that we could begin showings over the weekend, so yesterday, I was going to blog to say we were putting it on the market, and to please pray that we sell it.

Well, yesterday Craig called and admitted that he got a little eager and actually listed it Thursday night and that he actually had some people interested in making offers on our home. So, totally unexpectedly, we all of a sudden had the possibility of needing to enter into the adventure of negotiations with potential buyers! He was going to keep us posted as to the progress, so we just waited to hear back from him. In the mean time, we had to come up with a faxing solution fast!! We hadn't anticipated needing access to a fax machine on Good Friday, so we were kind of hooped, since most businesses were closed. We were calling around to try and find someone with a fax machine, while also trying to activate a service that would allow us to send and receive faxes using our computer at home. Our best solution was having to drive 45 minutes to a friend's home to use theirs, since the service for our computer was having issues.

Around 3:30pm, Craig called back and stunned us with the news that there were actually four competing offers for our house! We were shocked, to say the least! We had definitely not imagined it would happen this quickly and that the interest would be so high! Since putting up the listing on Thursday night, he had received 21 calls on Friday morning from people wanting to see our house! So anyways, one of the offers was really good, and with Craig's assistance and guiding, partnered with some prayer for God's wisdom and peace - we sought an even better offer from this buyer and he agreed! Yet, we still needed to be able to receive his offer, sign it and fax it back. Well, believe it or not, during the whole negotiation process, we were able to receive technical assistance for our problem (on Good Friday!) that fixed our issue just in time for us to be able to use our computer to do the faxing! It was totally God, giving us favor and helping us along the way!

So, we received the offer - signed it and faxed it back - having sealed the deal and selling our home in less than 24 hours for a selling price significantly more than our asking price!

We are still stunned and amazed at God's goodness and provision! We were blown away with how quickly it went and how He blessed us so richly! It felt very surreal. The whole process was exciting and nerve-wracking and joyful and we are so thankful to God for doing it, because we certainly had very little part in it all and had no idea what we were doing! He definitely deserves all the glory and praise for it all! It was also quite amusing, since we hadn't even been expecting to put it up for sale until Friday night, so it was a total surprise gift from God. :)

Now...on a totally different level, we then cruised to an Easter gathering that we were now very late for and hunted for our Easter eggs and ended up receiving $4 in Tim Horton's coupons. Then, today I took a couple young ladies out for coffee & was able to use the coupons. But, I was $0.66 short and was going to put that on my debit card, since I never have cash on me. Well, I had forgotten that most Tim Horton's don't take debit or credit cards! So, I searched my wallet and thankfully had enough change to pay the bill, but I was mostly so amazed and grateful that God had even provided the $4 in coupons the day before so that I could treat these lovely gals without having to go to an ATM to try and get cash.

So whether selling our house or having God provide for some coffee, He is soooo GOOD and He loves us so much and cares about the big and the little things! I just LOVE Him for that!

PRAISE GOD!!

P.S. (Sorry for using exclamation points at the end of nearly every sentence) :)

My Hunny

We went out for a coffee date tonight and I had some fun taking some pictures of my hunny...

"Be a monkey! Be a monkey!"

**Sigh** I love this guy!!

Day 3 at IHOP

After a couple of hours in the prayer room in the morning, we all went out for lunch to Panera again with Joyska to enjoy their fantastic soups, salads & sandwiches. We got rather giddy and quite weird when we got inspired to take photos of ourselves...the pictures say what words cannot describe!

After recovering from the above episode, we did a little shopping before heading back. I was wiped out, so I crashed in bed for a bit before going to a meeting with singer Jacob Hanley to chat some more about prophetic singing. In Christina's words, it was a "very laid back chat" and his honesty was very refreshing. Once again, we were able to get some more insight into the ins and outs of harp and bowl intercession.

After this, we went out for "girls night" to Cinzetti's - an AMAZING Italian buffet! There is WAY too much fantastic food to try and consume, including a dessert buffet - so needless to say, our stomachs were all feeling the pain after stuffing ourselves to the max. As we were leaving, we caught the photo bug again and before we knew what had happened, half an hour had passed as we laughed ourselves sick doing a spontaneous photo shoot outside the restaurant. Here are my favorites...

We then returned to the prayer room to enjoy a very energetic intercession set being led by Misty Edwards, which was an awesome way to complete our trip! Overall, it was a really fun time that encouraged, inspired and refreshed us to keep doing what we're doing!

Day 2 at IHOP

I spent more time in the prayer room after our meetings in the morning and then Kristi, Steph & I went to Panera for lunch, which was really good! I had an excellent salmon salad with broccoli cheese soup - yummy! Then we browsed at Bath & Body before speeding back to IHOP to get in on a briefing before a prayer set. At IHOP, every team has a 20 minute or so meeting beforehand where they discuss details about the set, the passage of scripture they'll be praying and singing about and any technical items relating to music and format. So it was neat to hear how they do their briefing and to get even more insight into how they do things here. Then we got to enjoy the set and were invited to attend the briefing for the next set as well. So, we went to another briefing and then stayed for the debriefing of the previous set - are you still following?? The first briefing and then the debrief were for Sada Rogers set, the gal we met with in the morning, so that was cool. Her team was really funny and as she put it - "quirky". We definitely laughed a lot - it was quite hilarious and entertaining while also being educational on some more aspects of the harp and bowl model of prayer. After that, it was more time in the prayer room and then I came back to Joyska's place and hung out with her for a while, blogged a bit on my devotional blog and then went back to the prayer room around 10pm and stayed until I started to fall asleep. :) All in all, it was a full and fun day! Only one more day left! So, I'm heading to the prayer room right now to soak it in...

P.S. (The weather here has been AMAZING! It was supposed to rain the whole time we were here, but it hasn't rained at all yet and it's been gorgeous and warm! It's rather humid too & with the very happy and chirpy birds, it kind of makes me feel like I'm in a jungle! haha - Definitely wish we could bring some of this weather back home with us!)

Divine Appointments

I figured it would be easier to do short little blogs throughout our time here, as opposed to trying to do one big blog when I get back, after I've forgotten everything that happened... :)

So, this morning, the four of us girls had a meeting set up with Jon Thurlow, one of the worship leaders here at IHOP. We had come up with a long list of questions on our drive to ask about how we can improve as prophetic singers and worship leaders in a house of prayer setting and we were ready to drill him for answers - haha! It was actually very helpful and we were able to obtain many useful tips and things to change about how we are doing things.

But then, as we were in the coffee shop, we spotted Sada Rogers who leads a worship and the Word set that is currently singing about the Song of Solomon, which is what our team is also singing about right now. So, Kristi flagged her down and asked if we could talk to her about it. It just happened to work out with her schedule to talk to us right away, so it was totally a divine appointment and we learned SOOOO much that will be definitely applicable to our set and will help us to sing about this amazing book in the Bible much more effectively. Woohoo!! We are very excited to make some changes and also very encouraged about where we are at - that even though it may seem "rough and ugly" right now, that that's okay and it's not our job to evaluate how we're doing, because it's ministry unto the Lord and He is delighted in our efforts to worship Him from His Word.

Now it's time to get back to the prayer room for some more God time!

For all of you at Sanctuary House of Prayer - go for it this afternoon and have a blast - we are with you all in spirit! :)

Day 1 at IHOP

We left Friday around 5:30pm, driving through the night, witnessing a lot of very beautiful sheet lightning, arriving at IHOP at 7:30am - precisely 14 hours later. We were all pretty pooped and a little sore from the long time in cramped quarters, but over all it was a good drive. I crashed as soon as we arrived and slept for a wee bit before showering and heading to the prayer room around 10:30am. Had a bite to eat and then back to the prayer room. Went to the prophetic rooms - it was good, but I have a terrible memory, so I need to listen to the tape again to hear what they said - but what I do remember was encouraging.

Then it was to Chipotle with Joyska (the lovely gal who is hosting me) for yummy fajitas. I went back to the prayer room while the rest of the girls went to the Encounter God Service. But I started to fall asleep, so here I am blogging before I go to bed! :) Charlie, a temporary visitor at Joyska's is keeping me company...I like him... :)

So far, so good! I've really enjoyed the few hours I had in the prayer room today. I was able to really talk to God about a couple things that had been on my mind for a while and He was speaking back to me, which is always nice. I'm loving being here - the atmosphere is so lovely for entering into His presence.

Upcoming Travels

Well, I'm super pumped to be going on a girls road trip to the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, MO this weekend!! It started out that just Christina was going down to pick up her brother who is finishing up at an internship there, but then the trip grew to now include Kristi, Steph and myself as well, so us 4 girls are going to make the drive together! I'm really looking forward to spending a few days in the prayer room and just soaking in the atmosphere there. As I was telling Christina last night, I often feel as though I need to go there with an agenda and a plan to make sure that my time is used well and yet I also want to be open to whatever God has in mind, without limiting Him by my own expectations or plans. So, it's hard to say what I'm hoping to get out of this little trip, but overall, I just want to meet with God, free of distractions, and hear Him speak to me.

But speaking of travels, I am also really excited to be going to San Diego, California at the end of April for my lovely friend Jen Gorby's wedding! My other dear friend Lisa Peppard will also be making the trip from Hong Kong & it's going to be a very fun reunion, because the three of us all went to a discipleship school together in Calgary and were even roommates for a while. I can't wait and am hoping for beautiful weather for this wedding on the beach and a fantastic time with my girl friends! :)

Thanks for praying!

Update to all my Sanctuary friends who were praying for me last night...I am feeling 100 times better today and I slept amazing last night, which is fabulous! Thanks so much for all your prayers!

P.S. I'm definitely not pregnant - the doctors checked! ;)

Abdominal Pain of Unspecified Origin

So, last night I had wicked pain in my side all night long, so I decided to go the Emergency ward at St. Boniface Hospital this morning to get it checked out. Perhaps I made a mistake in choosing them instead of a clinic, but I didn't know what was causing the pain & wanted to go somewhere where they could do any tests or x-rays if needed. So, I got there at about 8:00 am and was registered by 9:00 am. Then I sat in the waiting room until 2:30 pm. Yup. That's right - 5 1/2 hours in the waiting room (6 1/2 if you count the first hour in the emergency admitting room). Good thing I came prepared with my Bible and a book!

So then, by 3:00 pm I finally saw a doctor. He decided to get some blood work done, so then a nurse came to insert the IV and it turns out I have small veins. She was super nice, but the pain was not fun as she first tried my arm and then my hand, both without success. Another nurse then came and tried on my arm again - so the third time was the charm. Joe showed up after he was done work around 5:00 pm and then Kristi and Steph were sweet enough to come by and visit me and pray for me. Then at around 7:00 pm, another doctor came by and told me that the results from their tests were inconclusive and I was diagnosed with "abdominal pain of unspecified origin" and prescribed some pain killers. *Sigh* It was a long day at the hospital just to hear that. But it's all right. The Lord was with me there and was teaching me some things through the experience. Here is a picture of me doing my best pitiful "feel sorry for me" look. :)

Date Night

Last night, Joe made reservations for us at the Olive Garden as a surprise for me, which was really sweet of him! We had a lovely time just being together and being romantic and didn't really even notice that our meal was taking extra long to arrive. Our server kept apologizing and saying it would be coming soon, until finally the "Culinary Manager" came over to explain that our order had been lost and our meals hadn't even been started yet! Ha! So, we finally did get our food, but now our entire bill was on the house! Sweet! We even got dessert included. It totally felt like God decided to take us out for dinner and that He paid our bill. :) Then, the funny and ironic thing is that the computer randomly chose us to participate in a customer satisfaction survey that will give us $5 off the next time we go! I think they were groaning in the back when they saw that - haha! But, they still took excellent care of us and gave us great service, so we won't be giving a bad review. Then, when we got home, we played with our new camera's self-timer function. You can see that we were figuring out some of the settings as we went... :)

New Camera!

I'm quite excited to report that after smashing my previous camera in the car door over 2 months ago, that we have finally purchased a new one! (Notice the nice big crack, exposing the camera's innards)
I am very happy to have a camera again & also one that is smaller and more convenient for taking along in my purse. It also has some fun features that I'm looking forward to playing around with (I mostly don't have a clue how to use it yet). Here's a sample of one of the artistic features - color accent mode - which isn't super practical, but makes for some fun picture taking (it takes the picture in black & white, but leaves everything of your chosen color that it sees)! It's of my "little" sister Nicole, who was being crafty...

And here's one more picture for your viewing pleasure of Joe with his newly shaved head and Ali Guse (one of our many new little friends from the Guse family at Sanctuary House of Prayer)...

Devoted Pursuit - Part 2

So, I realize that I have been a really bad blogger again, but this time it's because I've been spending most of my time blogging at "Devoted Pursuit" - which is my blog for my daily devotions. I've been going for just over 2 months now and it has really helped keep me accountable to reading the Word regularly and then actually dialoguing with God about His Word and what He's saying about Himself through it. So, I recently wrote a "Two Month Review" on that blog, and I thought I would share it here as well...

So how am I feeling after two months of discovering the attributes of God? Staying dedicated has definitely been challenging at times, but I am getting fonder of the saying, "If you don't quit, you win!" Ha! So, while sometimes it feels more like I'm just "not quitting" than making significant progress, I believe that it all counts and that the Lord appreciates my weak attempts at pursuing Him.

But I will share a significant break-through (for me) that I experienced about a week ago. In all of this, sometimes I wonder if my heart is really being impacted or changed. I am desiring to discover who God is because I really, truly want to know Him and fall more in love with Him, but it can still be easy to fall into the trap of "doing my devotions" instead of seeking to "be devoted". So, anyways...this one day, I had been reading and writing about how Jesus was our scapegoat and how He carried the weight of our sin for us. I didn't think too much of it at the time, but then later that night, my husband and I rented a movie...

Now, I'm pretty sure that Holy Spirit prompted me to walk away and I think I knew that I shouldn't have watched it - but I ignored His small voice and watched it anyway, naively hoping it would get better. Afterwards, I felt defiled and confessed to my husband that I had been disobedient to the prompting of Holy Spirit. My husband then began to ask me what the movie made me feel and why. There were several things I began to list of the things in the movie that made me angry - the infidelity, the drug use, the condoning of sin - but when it came down to it, what angered me the most was the disregard of God. As I tried to express this, the thing that seemed to sum it up best was simply that "Jesus deserves better".

As I said this, tears began to flow as I began to think again of how Jesus had become our scapegoat and how He had taken upon Himself all the sin that I had seen in that movie, and He had taken on all of my sin (including my disobedience that night). And love for Him began to well up in my heart as I had a revelation of how beautiful and amazing He was for doing that for me and for all of sinful mankind. It pained me to see the blatant disregard and rebellion against God in that movie because it was being done towards this God-man that I loved! Jesus, who I was beginning to know better and fall more in love with had been despised and scorned and it was like a sword piercing my heart.

Now if only I could feel this way all the time - if only I could remember the strength of emotion I felt when I said, "He deserves better" - how much would that change the way I live? Sadly, we are very forgetful creatures, and I continuously don't live my life according to what He truly deserves for what He did for me on the cross. But I want to - and the more I read about Him, the more I discover who He is and how He feels about me, the more I believe that it is going to radically transform me.

Hardwood Stairs are Dangerous!

I just want to warn you of the dangers of hardwood stairs...they are very slippery!!! This morning was the second time I've fallen down these stairs. The first time, all my weight came down on my right elbow, which efficiently became a HUGE bruise. This time, my left elbow and ankle bore the brunt of the injury and are now throbbing and will certainly turn into bruises as well. And yes, this is a shameless post crying out for sympathy and comfort!! :)

New Blog Layout

Hey all,

Check out my new blog (wordcast) layout ~ an original design by moi!

Waddya think?

How we met...

In celebration of the upcoming Valentine's Day and because my friend Jana from "The Joy Box" shared the story of how she & her husband met & got married, I decided I would share our story too. For some of you, you've heard it several times :) but for others, it'll be the first - so enjoy!

Where I was at...

In the fall of 2003, I was working at a church in Calgary, AB. I served there in numerous ways, at the weekly young adult service, doing websites and graphic design, and also helping teach in some leadership classes we did on Sunday mornings. At this time in my life, I felt I was "done" with the cycle of "crushing" on guys and decided to stop that cycle and take advantage of my singleness by enrolling in a one-year diploma program at a career college in computer programming and website creation. As my roommate and close friend Lisa Peppard said, "It's prime time!" It was prime time to venture out and do something, since I didn't have a relationship to consider in making the decision. I figured that this was a sure sign I wouldn't be dating anyone until I was done the program, since I'd be in school and working!

Where Joe was at...

Little did I know that somebody else had very different ideas! Almost a year before this, is when Joe first started attending my church as a new Christian, recently having returned to God after several years away. On his first time attending our young adult service, he saw a clip of me in a video that was being shown from a prayer event I participated in in Ottawa, Ontario called "The Cry". He was immediately attracted and drawn to me, but probably put me on a bit of a pedestal (his balloon burst pretty quickly after we started dating) and knew now wasn't the time to pursue me - he needed to pursue Jesus first! But after several months of admiring me and watching from a distance, as well as praying about me and whether or not to pursue me, the Lord finally gave him the "go ahead"!

The pursuit...

My first week of school, I was back at work at the church, and Joe came into the office to drop off some of his assignments for the leadership classes that I would teach at. (Yes, I was his teacher! And no, I didn't get the hint when he kept bringing his assignments in to me personally.) And out of the blue, he asked me if he could take me on a date sometime. I was totally shocked and not expecting this, and was a little frazzled, but, knowing he was a man after God's heart, I didn't have a problem agreeing. However, I thought he was super shy, quiet, guy and not really my type, so I anticipated having to tell him I wasn't interested! Yikes!

The First date...
But from the time he asked if he could take me out, to the night of our first date, it was all I could think about & every time I did think about it, it made me completely nauceous! I was sick to my stomach with nerves and anxiety and confusion! As I was waiting with my roommates the night of our first date, I was shaking and my teeth were chattering - it was quite ridiculous! haha! But as soon as I went to meet him, I calmed down and began to observe who this guy was. He was a gentleman - opening the car door for me. He showed leadership - he had the whole date planned out. He served me - by hanging my jacket for me & refilling my water when the waiter was MIA. He was hilarious - making me laugh the entire evening. He loved God - he told me his testimony & was vulnerable in sharing his heart. I was completely blown away! He wasn't at all what I thought and he was serious husband potential! I was shocked, because it was the last thing I was expecting at this time in my life.

The Third date...

Was Valentine's Day! We went to Banff, hiked in the mountains, went for dinner, and went to the hot springs - rather romantic and intense for the 3rd date! On our drive back to Calgary, I was very bold and came right out and asked him, "So what are your intentions?" Ha! My mom freaked out when I told her about that, thinking it would totally scare him away! But I was not into dating for the sake of dating and I wanted to know if he was in this for the purpose of discovering if we were meant for marriage. And he was not scared away at all, and was totally on the same page as me. So, it then became official - we were "courting".

The Fourth date...
We had gone to see a movie and were back at my apartment, talking in his truck. All of a sudden he begins talking about Jesus as our bridegroom and about Jesus' intense love and passion for me & he begins to practically prophesy to my heart about Jesus' zeal to win my heart and conquer all my enemies. I hardly knew what to do with myself. I wanted to burst out crying. I had never heard anybody speak like this before. He was speaking in my language!!! As an avid lover of the book of Song of Songs, and as a romantic at heart who loves the image of Jesus as my bridegroom, I had never imagined I would find a man who shared this passion. And the reason I wanted to cry, was because I was so amazed at God's goodness towards me and so thankful that He had brought me this man, and I felt so loved by God that He would bring me someone like this who "gets me". Someone who understands the way I tick. And I knew that Joe was the one I would marry.

Six months later...

It was my 23rd birthday August 26, 2004, and I knew that Joe was planning a special evening for me for my birthday. He picked me up around 7:00pm and we went to his place where he had prepared a wonderful, romantic, candle-lit dinner for two. Earlier in the week, he had called my mom to ask her what my favorite foods were and got recipes from her so that he could cook me up the best meal! It was a fantastic meal of my favorite broccoli cheese soup, served with vegetables and dip, and followed by an amazing dessert of chocolate cake (in the shape of a heart!) topped with icecream and a hot chocolate sauce. It was absolutely divine!

Then, it was time for Joe to present me with my birthday gift surprise, which meant I had to be blindfolded!! So, I was kept completely in the dark (literally) while Joe led me to the truck, took me for a drive, and then led me on a walk, uphill, downhill, and through tall grasses! We finally reached the spot he had carefully selected for this exact moment and positioned me in the right spot. He then directed me to stretch out my hands to receive the first part of my birthday gift - if I could guess what it was, he'd give me the second part!

Well, I had been saying for a few weeks how much I wanted a kitty, but I couldn't have one, because I wasn't allowed to in my apartment. So instead, Joe got me a stuffed kitty for me to cuddle! lol - I was already won over and thought it was the sweetest, most thoughtful gift. I had no idea what was about to happen next!

The Proposal...
He then said that I could look, so I pulled down my blindfold, and there he was, knelt down in front of me, with the ring out, and he was videotaping my response with my digital camera! As soon as I saw the ring, I gasped and basically started freaking out - haha! Throughout the proposal, I was practically hyperventilating and just laughing as I exclaimed "Oh my goodness!" and watched it all unfold in complete disbelief. When I removed the blindfold, I also got to see where he had brought me - we were up on a hill in Edworthy Park, overlooking the Bow River and Downtown Calgary. It was absolutely beautiful with all of the city lights lighting up the evening sky.

He then proceeded to tell me how much he loved me and that I was more beautiful than any majestic view! *Sigh* He then told me that he wanted me to be his wife - would I marry him???? And in girlish delight, I squealed a "Yes! Absolutely!!" in response and proceeded to start screaming and jumping up and down in excitement! lol.

We then had the pleasure of just soaking in the moment, sitting on the hill, looking out at the view, and sharing our excitement with each other. We prayed, thanking God for bringing us together and for the amazing ways He had shown us His love for us through each other. We asked Him to guide us and cover us in the days and years to come as we were about to begin on this amazing adventure of life together.

The Wedding...

So, 5 months from then, we got married on January 22, 2005 - almost exactly a year from our first date on January 20, 2004. It was a gorgeous, balmy winter day in Calgary and my lovely bridesmaids, dressed in red, orange, and yellow, brightened up the white landscape! We got married in a beautiful old Baptist church with a huge vaulted ceiling and gorgeous stained glass windows and rich red carpet. It was perfect - of course!

And that's our story! I hope you enjoyed it! For anyone else who has a story to tell, I'd love to hear it! Post it on your blog and leave a comment here with the link!

The Hannah Season

So, in my last post, I talked about the Esther Season - the time in my life where God was preparing me for my future husband.

Now, I am beginning a new journey into what I've decided to call the Hannah Season. As I'm sure most of you know, Hannah was the mother to the well-known prophet of the Bible, Samuel. Her story can be found in the first 3 chapters of the book of 1 Samuel and she is a godly woman with many admirable qualities that I would hope to emulate.

1. She was a woman of prayer - I too want to be a woman who cries out to God on behalf of my children, before they are even born. Since, I believe they already exist in the heart of God and He has known them from before the creation of the world, than surely my prayers matter even now!
2. She had open hands - before she even had children, she dedicated her child to God. I want to do the same, knowing that my children belong to God before they belong to me. By giving them back to the Lord, I am placing them in the safest possible place.
3. She persevered - she sought the Lord earnestly and passionately, fasting and crying out to God persistently for this desire of her heart. In the same way, I want to persever in prayer for my children, being an intercessory warrior on their behalf!
4. She worshiped and believed - even before she saw the answer to her prayers, she gave worship and praise to God. I believe she had a spirit of faith that believed the Lord had heard her prayers. Praise and faith are qualities I want to display in my home and instill in my children.
5. She was a woman of integrity - even though she may have been tempted to change her mind once she found herself with her beloved son in her arms, she did not back out, but followed through on her vow and kept her commitment to God. By God's grace, I hope to be a mother who keeps her promises and who lives righteously both in public and in private, setting a godly example for my children.

I'm sure there are even more qualities that could be extracted from Hannah's story, but I think the part that I am identifying with most right now, is her simple desire for a child. And in some ways, I feel the same emotions of when I was longing to find my husband - the uncertainty of when and how and what will they be like? There's a knowing that they exist, but they remain nameless and faceless until the day that God decides the time is right.

So, I find myself with a new journal. It's a little brown suede notebook (couldn't choose anything too feminine or masculine) that will soon start to be filled with prayers for my future child, letters to them, and I'm not quite sure what else. But it's fun and exciting to engage with God about my future children before they are even conceived, and to allow Him to prepare me to be the kind of mother He would desire for me to be. It's again a season of prepartion and molding and shaping...

The Esther Season

When I was approximately 20 years old, I felt the Lord speak to me that He was bringing me into what I coined "The Esther Season". The Esther Season was a period of time that He was going to use to prepare me for my future husband. For those of you who are not familiar with the story of Esther, she is the young woman in the Bible who was chosen to become the new queen of King Xerxes. Before she met the King, she spent a year in preparation, being submitted to beauty treatments and learning about how to be a queen. Similarly, I was desiring for the Lord to work in my life to make me beautiful (in spirit) and to prepare me to be the kind of wife He would want me to be for my future husband, who I was also waiting to meet. At this point of my life, I had already been praying for my future husband for approximately 7 years (since I was 13) but now I felt prompted to create something to record my journey through this special season. Therefore, I bought a journal and filled it with the following...

1. A list of "must-have" qualities I was looking for in my husband.
2. A "bonus" list of qualities I wanted in my husband, but weren't a requirement. :)
3. Prayers for my husband.
4. Letters to my husband.
5. Lyrics to love songs and poems.
6. Pictures.
etc. Keep in mind that I had no idea who I would be marrying - but it was something to remind me to pray for him and it was good for me during those single years when it sometimes gets lonely and you wonder if you'll ever find him! :)

So, when the time came that I finally met the man I was going to marry, it became even more special. I could now write prayers for him, knowing what his needs were. I could now write letters to him and write a name and picture a face! I could now record the love songs that I had written myself for him! It was lots of fun and I really enjoyed putting my love and time into this creation. After we became engaged, I was going through several old journals from when I was a teenager and I found more prayers that I had recorded for my future husband from as far back as 13 years old and 15, which I then copied into this journal as well.

It was amazing to see how God has been so faithful to answer all of my prayers! And God even took the silly, seemingly unimportant desires of my heart and fulfilled even my "bonus" list! He is so good! What was really special though, was when I surprised Joe on our wedding night with this journal as my gift to him. It actually moved him to tears, seeing all the prayers and letters I had written before I even knew him. But God had known! And this journal is still a special momento to look at today.

Now, I told you all this to tell you of a new season and a new journal that the Lord has prompted me to begin...one that I have decided to dub "The Hannah Season".

More to come in my next post... ;)

Pictures Galore!

I decided to create a slideshow of my favorite photos - enjoy!

**Mushiness alert: Be prepared for several kissing pictures!** :)

It's Our 2nd Anniversary!!

Today, January 22nd, marks our 2 Year Anniversary!! What can I tell you, except that it truly just keeps getting better! Sometimes when I think back on our dating months (our dating and engagement was one year combined), I am amazed at where we have wound up! I never could have imagined where God would take us - both spiritually and geographically - and how I would fall even more in love with this man who is my partner for life! He is truly my "perfect gift" from the Father - not perfect, but perfect for me! :) And this year, he asked if I wanted to plan something with him or be surprised, and of course, I chose to be surprised! So, I knew he was planning something, but I had no idea what it was or when it would happen.

So, last week Monday, my brother Derek asked if Joe & I wanted to go for supper with him and his girlfriend Erin. I had just been thinking this a couple days ago & so I was super excited to get together with them, since I've hardly even seen them since we moved to Manitoba almost 5 months ago. So, Derek suggested a restaurant that he and Erin liked, downtown, and we were going to meet them there Friday night. So, Friday came along & I had mentioned to Derek that maybe they could come over to our place for dessert afterwards, since they hadn't seen where we were living yet. So, I sent Joe grocery shopping and told him to pick up some pie shells and puddings and stuff to make pies. Then, I had Joe bake the pie shells and he suggested we make the pudding later, so it would be fresh. Then, I was going to call Derek, just to make sure everything was still a "go", but Joe said he'd call him for me while I got ready. Well, Derek didn't answer, so I asked Joe to call Erin, but she wasn't home either, so I figured they were probably on their way.

So, I finished getting ready and we headed out & when we were about 5 minutes from the restaurant, Derek calls me on my cell phone, saying that he went to pick up Erin from work, but her boss had just arrived back from Hong Kong with a shipment of clothing that HAD to be priced and put on the shelves TONIGHT, and since Erin is the new manager there, she absolutely couldn't get out of it. I was totally disappointed, because I'd been looking forward to this, and I told Joe to just turn around and go back home, but then Derek said that we should still go, 'cause it was a really nice restaurant and they enjoyed it & we would have a good time. So, I figured, yeah - we were almost there already and if we went home, then I'd have to make supper, so we might as well still have a nice dinner together. So we went, and luckily Derek had made a reservation for 4, so we got in right away.

I told the waitress that the other 2 weren't coming, so she sat us at a table for two and we began to peruse the menus. After a few minutes of just holding hands and enjoying being on a "date" together, Joe says, "Happy Anniversary! This night is all about you." And I thought to myself, "Oh, that's nice. He's trying to make me feel better and he's pretending we're celebrating our anniversary (since it was a couple days before the actual day)." And I just kept looking at my menu, trying to decide what to order. Meanwhile, Joe is stressing out because I obviously didn't get it, so after a couple more minutes, he asks me, "Did you get what I just said?" And I'm, like, "No....." and then he elaborated, "This is your anniversary night - this is the surprise! I used Derek and the whole thing to get you here without knowing that this was the beginning of our celebration!" Well, then I gave him the reaction he had been hoping for the first time! Haha! I was totally shocked and surprised and in disbelief that he had arranged the whole entire thing!

Then, he went on to describe to me all the times I had totally stressed him out during the week when he thought I was on to him, or he was scared someone would blow the surprise by accident! It was really funny replaying everything, now that I knew what had been going on! So, we enjoyed a lovely dinner at Pasta La Vista, which had a great atmosphere and excellent service and fabulous food! But before we got our meals, Derek calls on Joe's cell phone, and according to the plan, he was supposed to call my cell phone earlier, but we didn't hear it ringing. So, Derek was the one who was supposed to reveal the surprise to me, but since Joe had already told me, I just played along. :) (Derek, if you're reading this, then I guess it's payback for all the lying you did to me!!) But, it was funny, because then I found out from Derek that he was still at home at my parents' place in Steinbach, and that Erin was working, but he had made up the whole story about her boss & that he hadn't actually ever been to the restaurant! Also, Joe told me later that when he had called Derek's cell phone, when I had asked him to check and make sure we were still on, that Derek had been in the bathroom, and my MOM had answered! So, if I had made the call, like I was planning to, it could've been totally ruined, because I would've known he wasn't in the city! So, Joe was praying a lot during the week that everything would go smoothly and that I wouldn't find out & God totally helped him out! Haha!

Then, when we were finished our meal, Joe made a suggestion to go to the Fort Garry Hotel to tour around the place, since it's the fabulous old hotel in the city that is very similar in style and grandeur to the Banff Springs Hotel. So, I was totally up for that, but at this point, also totally suspicious of why he was taking me there, but also not wanting to assume anything. So, we got there and began to just tour all the floors, looking at the amazing ball rooms, etc. and we were on the 5th floor and I was trying to find a public washroom to use, when Joe pulls out a room key and says, "Why don't you use the washroom in here?" :) So, obviously, he had reserved a room for the night & he had even arranged for the "Romance Package", so there was a huge fruit basket full of strawberries, kiwi, apples, oranges, special cheeses, chocolate, etc. accompanied by some fruit juices and sparkling juices and a single red rose! We also got to have breakfast in bed (a very fluffy and gloriously comfortable King-size bed!) and have access to a fitness center with a pool and hot tub and all that jazz. So, it was a totally fabulous surprise, and Joe had even packed a small bag with a change of clothes, toothbrush, bathing suit, etc. which he had smuggled there when he checked in when I sent him grocery shopping earlier that afternoon!

So, everything went as he had planned and we had a wonderful anniversary that kept me smiling and laughing for hours at all the things that he had to endure while trying to keep it a secret!

I love my husband!!

Oh...and I still got to make the pies to bring to a friend's place for dinner tonight - haha!!