Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Christmas Shopping Is Done

I finished my Christmas shopping yesterday. I have to wrap one last gift. It is my dad's gift. I got him a Corner Gas travel mug. He likes Corner Gas, so I thought to get it for him. I still have to wrap it. I wrapped all my other presents I bought that need wrapping.

Now all I have to do is finish my reading for school. I am almost caught up in my Bible reading. I just have to read to Psalm 122. I also need to catch up in my reading for church history class.

Friday, December 15, 2006

I'll Be Home For Christmas...

...You can count on me. That's right, I will be home. I am taking the bus and it is a 17 hour ride. I will be going from Strathmore to Calgary to Alsask to Saskatoon and then to my final destination of Prince Albert. It will good to get some time to refresh our minds and our bodies. I can't believe half the year is over. I can only imagine what the next half of the year holds. But to those I won't be able to see I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. To those I will see, I will see you soon.

Shalom,
Mr. C.C.

"Peace, love, and rock n' roll"
-Mark A.R. Jensen

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

It's Been Going

You might wonder what the blog title is all about. There is nothing to siginifcant about the title other than the fact that it's been busy the last few days.

On Saturday I was supposed to see my dad (he was with a friend), but he was tired from the auto auction in Calgary, so he came on Sunday and we went to breakfast at the Station. That was the first time I have ever been to Station for breakfast ever. It was pretty good and the way the Station is built is really cool. It has a lot of things to do with trains and whatnot. A lot of history of Strathmore in the pictures and such in the Station. It was good to see my dad if only for a short time. Then he gave me some money before he left. I should mention that he bought a car and a truck.

On Monday the school went to Operation Christmas Child. Basically we were helping get boxes packed, look through the shoeboxes to see if needed to be thrown out, and whanot. Some boxes had to go to the hospital because they were not full enough or the boxes had to be fixed and whatnot. There was other jobs as well. But I did box inspections, I also at one point took the inspected boxes that passed through and put on the the table in age group and gender so they could be put into boxes and packed, and finally I packed the cardboard boxes. J-Rad and I were filling box after box. There were a lot of 5-9 age group of shoeboxes. I don't know why that is. We there all day and by the end of the day we packed a ton of boxes (not literally of course). But there was still so many boxes to be packed and whatnot. Like my friend Rob said, he said that we did a lot of boxes, but when you look back behind you, it's like we haven't even put a dent in them. But to know that we helping with Operation Christmas Child was rewarding. It makes want to go home that much more and see my family. Even though I can't stand Billy Graham, I think that Operation Christmas Child is worthy project. Everyone deserves a Christmas.

Today, Wednesday, we have been practicing and getting everything ready for the Christmas production. There is puppets, drama, choir, and stuff like that. We will be doing this all day. Puppets and drama and the mens small choir group was rehersing in the morning. Then choir is in the afternoon. We will be doing a full dress rehersal this afternoon with puppets, drama, and choir. I think my group has our puppet performance down. It should be good.

That's what has been going on with me as of late. Talk you later.

Keep on rocking in the free world!
-Neil Diamond

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

The Way People Pray

I have harbored these feelings for some weeks now and a few people like my friend Mark knows how I feel. To be safe I will not be using any names.

Now at the beginning of the year it was fine that people were saying in their prayers: "Thanks for bringing this person here," "thanks for this day," "thanks for this amazing group of people," "just continue to work in their life," yada, yada, yada.

Now it's becoming overkill. We have been here just over two months and I feel like it's getting to be a bit redundant. Sure at the beginning of the school year it was great to pray like that, but now it's like I want to tell them to shut their cakeholes. That might be a bad way of saying it. I am not against prayer and don't think I am by this blog post. It's just that they are so repetitive about the prayers they do pray. Can't they pray anything original. I just don't feel it's worth praying if they keep regurgitating the same freaking prayers all the freaking time.

Why don't they pray something that has more meaning? Sure these overkilled prayers had meaning at the beginning of the school year. But as you get to know people, I am sure there will things you can find that they need prayer for. Sure, you might not know all people well enough to do that which is fine. But when you do pray for something that is more person then just general.

Praying is what you should do if you are a Christian. But don't be redundant in your prayers. That is what I am finding here a CBC right now. Over the last few years I started taking the intiative to pray and that intiative has only increased here at CBC. But when I hear someone start the praying and pray the usual things then I feel like actually saying something. I will just listen what other people say in their prayers.

I like I said earlier in this post, I feel like telling people to shut their cakeholes because of the prayers they say that have been prayed before. Hopefully by the middle of this year they are not praying these same prayers because it will be serious and I mean SERIOUS overkill.

If you know what this is like then feel free to leave some comments.

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

No More Drama

This week isn't looking promising for dorm 3. There was already some drama and it isn't even Tuesday yet. Can't we go a week without drama of any kind. Okay, here is the story:

The one guy modified his Superman costume for Halloween and was wearing it the dorm. Seems harmless enough right? You would think so. But then another guy called a fag for wearing it and also called him a hypocrite. This one guy is a big homophobe. I mean sure it says in the Bible that homosexuality is wrong and all, but Christians are supposed to be tolerant of stuff like that.

It's like why make comments like that if it will end up in a fight? Be the mature person and don't say anything. Not only that, but you need to lighten up. It's all in good fun. The sooner that guy learns it the better. I am the sure guy wearing the Superman was doing it all in good fun. That was not an open invitation to trash the guy. Doesn't he have feelings.

The resident mentor for dorm 3 and the guy who was wearing the costume tried to confront the other guy about it, but apparently the guy walked out and slammed the door. Avoidence is not a good thing. Unresolved issue could lead to pent up anger and some even worse happening.

Halloween only comes once a year, so let them have their fun because in the end it's no skin off your ass.

That is my rant. I didn't mention any names just be safe.

For Halloween I am going to be a New Orleans pimp. My costume is so simple. It's basically me putting on my suit. It's going to be sweet. I will post some pics later.

Until next time... shalom,
Mr. C.C.

Friday, October 20, 2006

Worship Blitz = Frustration: Part Three

Here is my final installment of the worship blitz posts. The final church we went to on our worship blitz was First Assembly. This church is of the Pentecostal denomination. What was told was that this church speaks in tongues. So I was ready to hear some people speaking in tongues. That didn't happen which was a rip. Sure you shouldn't go there with any pre-concieved notions, but they said there was going to be some speaking in tongues.

Another thing I didn't like was how the pastor had a mohawk. I think mohawks are cool, but I feel this person only had a mowhawk because he was trying to be hip to the young people in the congregation. I should mention that Tehillah Monday is a worship gathering for teens and young adults.

The pastor called the offering bowls "gold bowls of love." I thought that is a bit odd it would be called that. Sure they were gold bowls. They should have called them offering bowls. That's essentitally what they people doing is giving and offering.

The pastor then did a sermon. He was really emotional, almost emo in his sermon. He even went as a to cry. I don't think that crying is a bad thing. I think he was being a bit fake about it. A few of the students were not trying to laugh when he started crying. I think a certain level of emotion is needed, but not so much that it becomes emo.

Another thing I hated about the sermon is how the pastor said he wasn't trying to minipulate a reaction. My friend Mark Jensen made a good point when he said that if someone went to that church for first time, then would probably be persuaded by what that pastor was talking about as truth.

The final thing about the sermon was that there was no scriputre. There should be at least one verse of scripture. A fellow student said you don't need scripture. You do need some scripture when you are doing a sermon or it is baseless.

The band was good musicians, but they were pop punk and I hate punk music in general. The bass drowned out the singers. The one singer was too punk for me because of the way he was dancing around. Don't get me wrong in that fact that he can't do that sort of thing. It's just that it didn't do nothing for me.

They have some pretty whack views of stuff in my opinion. Just look at their mission statement below.

Mission Statement: Tehillah Monday exists to destroy the works of the devil in individuals, cities and nations. (1 John 3:9)

Now tell me if it says anything about Jesus Christ. I bet you can't because it doesn't say anything at all. They are more focused on riding people of the devil. It's just so madening that they would use that as their mission statement.

Statement of Faith: We have confidence in Jesus who healed the sick, the blind, and the paralyzed. And even raised the dead. He cast out evil powers and confronted corrupt leaders. He cleansed the temple. He favored the poor. He turned water into wine, walked on water, calmed storms. He died for the sins of the world, rose from the dead, and ascended to the Father, sent the Holy Spirit. We have confidence in Jesus who taught in word and example, sign and wonder. He preached parables of the kingdom of God on hillsides, from boats, in the temple, in homes, at banquets and parties, along the road, on beaches, in towns, by day and by night. He taught the way of love for God and neighbor, for stranger and enemy, for outcast and alien.

We have confidence in Jesus, who called disciples, led them, gave them new names and new purpose and sent them out to preach good news. He washed their feet as a servant. He walked with them, ate with them, called them friends, rebuked them, encouraged them, promised to leave and then return, and promised to be with them always. He taught them to pray. He rose early to pray, stole away to desolate places, fasted and faced agonizing temptations, wept in a garden, and prayed, "Not my will but your will be done." He rejoiced, he sang, he feasted, he wept.

We have confidence in Jesus, so we follow him, learn his ways, seek to obey his teaching and live by his example. We walk with him, walk in him, abide in him, as a branch in a vine. We have not seen him, but we love him. His words are to us words of life eternal, and to know him is to know the true and living God. We do not see him now, but we have confidence in Jesus. Amen.

As you can see by their statement of faith that they are so concerned with ridding the word of evil. They don't use any scripture in their statement of faith and mission statement which is odd.

For that service was boring. I was bored. I wasn't engaged at all. I feel like I failed at worshipping God. That place seems more consumed by ridding the world of evil then they do with telling about scripture. They need more scripture. Scripture is the basis for a lot of stuff. Sure it can be taken out of context, but if the Bible isn't taken out of context then you can do a lot with the Bible.

So comes to the end of my posts on the worship blitz. Hopefully I can come to terms with what is bothering me because I let it all go on the Wednesday night service at school. I crawled the labyrinth and by the end my hands were shaking and I was crying. When Brian asked me what was wrong and I just lost it and brokedown. I just ask you pray for me. It would really mean a lot to me.

Until next time... see you on the flipside.

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Worship Blitz = Frustration: Part Two

When I last left you I was frustrated at how I didn't get anything out of the Center Street service. I just was wanting to know why I didn't get anything from it. God wasn't telling me why he was making feel this way.

The next church we went to on Sunday was the Ukranian Orthadox Church. It had a lot of iconography. The sanctuary was filled with paintings on the ceilings and whatnot on the walls. There were banners that represented that the Catholic Church believes in.

The paintings represented stuff as well. It was awesome looking stuff. The one lady was telling us stuff about the different things around the sanctuary and what it all meant. It was cool that there was writing in Ukrainian.

A thing I thought was interesting was how they didn't have any instruments when they sing songs. All they have is the choir.

After the Ukranian Orthodox Church we went to Westside Kings. It was a 20 something church. It was really laid back I felt.

At Westside Kings they sat around tables which is a great idea because it gives you a sense of closeness I guess you could say. They had a lot of praise and worship songs. I never heard any of those songs. The one doing the sermon was really smart. He didn't just babble like some people do when they preach. Then they have some discussion with the people at your table which is a good idea.

The cool thing was that they had a five minute coffee break before they had the sermon. I thought that was cool and interesting.

Here is Westside King mission and values:

Our mission is to be and make disciples of Jesus Christ in authentic community
for the good of the world.

Confident we're part of a story so much larger
than any of us, we dare to enter the stories of others in Calgary, and around
the world, holding to the hope of witnessing the healing and transforming grace
of God, first-hand.

Our values that guide everything we do are grace,
journey, and relevance.

We understand we're all on a life-long journey of discovering who God is and a more accurate perception of ourselves. We realize that God has in his imagination an idea of who we can become that is not possible without His grace that accepts us as we are and, at the very same time, calls us forward to live like Jesus did. It means we've taken our hands off the religious panic button, and abandoned quick answers and worn out rhetoric, and dare to engage in an open dialogue about faith and the things of life knowing that participating in God's activity wherever and however is what is truly relevant.
Here is Westside Kings style:
Our style - evolving. As culture morphs, technology advances and methodologies evolve, what you see, hear, taste and smell at Westside might vary. But, we are quite intentional about one thing - to never get in the way of God's story. Our style is ultimately to partner with God in offering a thought-provoking window into the heart of who God is and an invitation to transformation.

Our style - casual and artistic, safe and provocative, contemporary and rooted in timeless biblical truths, relevant and ancient, rational and vulnerable.
Our style - uncompromising about the gospel while committed to finding a way to language our faith in a way that spurs us to live our lives as Jesus did - authentically and unashamedly in a constantly evolving world.

When you show up on a weekend, here's what you can expect - an invitation to join us in expressing our thanks to God through music, a few announcements to keep you informed about what's happening around Westside, then one of our communication team will bring a thought provoking thought for the week. When it's all done, we hope our style complimented what God desired to do in your life.

Westside Kings is a church for younger people. Well, the Sunday night service is anyways. They don't try and force you to worship like they want Tehillah Monday. But I will explain more later. They Shepard you along and guide you which is how it should be done.

In the next blog post I will tell you about Westside Kings. So until then... shalom!

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Worship Blitz = Frustration: Part One

This past weekend CBC had their worship blitz. Basically what that entitled was we went five churches. Four of them we went to a service. Let's get started shall we? I should mention that I am talking about a couple of the churches. The rest on posts to come.

St. Michaels Catholic Church:
This was by Catholic standards conservative. That is in no way a bad thing. I found it to be somewhat like Anglican services which I grew up with.

Likes:

The band was awesome I must say. Everything flowed well and the drummer was very good. The, who I assume was the band leader, seemed like he would be a cool guy to talk to.

The regular pastor who had an acent seemed laid back from what I have heard about other priests in the Cathloic denomination. It would have been interesting to talk with him especially on the idea of giving children their first communion at such an early age.

I like when the regular priest asked the kids: "Who is your best friend? The answer was Jesus. I found that smart to ask that question.

I liked how people worshipped like people would in a say an emerging church with their hands in their air.

Dislikes:

I didn't like how they give children commuion at such an early age. I am not some of them can't grasp it, it's just that some of them probably don't get anything thing out of it. I know if I was their age and recieving communion that I wouldn't get anything out of it.

Another dislike I had was when the Bishop was doing his sermon, he just read off of a sheet of paper. I like someone to have emotion in their voice and look at congregation when they are doing their sermon. Eye contact is crucial.

The final dislike I had with this church was how this one woman who got a to sing a solo made is seem like Canadian Idol. I feel that God couldn't really give a shit about how you sang as long you were doing so in God's name.

All in all I was pretty pleased with that service unlike some other services I am going to talk about.

Center Street Church:
This was the second church we went to for a service. It was a Sunday morning service and Brain said that was a huge church and he was not kidding. There was nothing about this church and service I liked. I shouldn't say that. There were two things I liked.

Likes:
I liked that they had a book store and a library. Getting Christian reading material so you further you faith is a good thing.

The second and last thing I liked was that they had a cello player in the band. I thought that was totally cool.

DISLIKES:
As soon as I walked in the door I had a beef with Center Street Church. I seen that they had a fully stocked coffee bar where you could get coffee and something to munch on. I thought who needs that. There are some churches who have a pot of coffee and are fine with that.

Another I didn't like was the fact that they had security. If you are that big that you need security then I feel you are not an intimate setting, for a lack of a better term. I mean, you should feel safe in a church. In restrospect, security is pretty pointless in a church.

I thought that the service didn't do a damn thing for me. I saw people dancing, rasining their hands, and just praising God to the fullest. It's fine that they did it, I just couldn't get in that mode.

The things I did not about the service was rock concert it was. In one of the books for worship leading class it says that you shouldn't have a rock concert feel to it and have it showy. Yes, you should have a good sound system and yes you should play to the best of your abilities. But you don't need that type of feel to it. You can do as with less lights and whatnot.

The woman who sung a solo was trying to be too much like Canadian Idol. Again, God doesn't give a rats ass how you sing as long as you are doing it in praise of God. Sure it's nice to do everything perfect when worshipping God and all, but we are not perfect. Who cares if you make a mistake it's the end of the damn world.

The one doing the sermon was mono tone. I just couldn't get engaged by him. The thing I remember guy talking about was a story about him having to be on ritalin. That's pretty much what I remember. Otherwise, I didn't a thing out of it.

In the big scheme of things, I felt like God was so distant during the Center Street Church service. I just didn't feel like worshipping like I usually do. I didn't feel it at all. I came out feeling frustrated. It's something I have never experienced before. I have this feeling that God was trying to test me. I felt like, "Why am I feeling this way?"

Feeling frustrated set the tone for the rest of the worship blitz. I will tell you more about that in part two.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Vespers, Prayer Labyrinth

I just finished Vespers. It's the same service as each Vesper service. I am not saying that is a bad thing. That is not what I am saying at all. There are times when structure is a good thing. I feel that some people need it in there lives. I can say that at times in my life I need structure or I don't get the task at hand done. With that being said, Vespers is a way to connect with God and Jesus in a various ritualistic sort of way.

I am not trying to say to non-believers that it is ritualistic in a bad way. It has candles, incense, and whatnot. I feel that it gives the room a sense of going from a noise filled day to a quiet time of reflection is this service. North America as a whole don't take the time to reflect. We are in a constant state of go, go, go. I feel that if we went a few minutes early (and I am terrible for this sometimes) and had places then we could not be in such a rush to get our next destination or wherever you happen to be going to.

I have made a promise to myself that once a week after the Vespers service, I find someone who possibly needs prayer and just go ask them if they need prayer or put my hand on someone and pray for them if they need it. I asked Jared if he wanted to be prayed for and he said yes. Then there was girl who needed some prayer and she was crying. I didn't know if should pray for her or not. Another student want and prayed with her and prayed for her. I was going to, but that person did.

Tuesday evening and Wednesday mornning we had a prayer labyrinth. It's basically like a bunch of prayer stations. I had experienced something similar to this at Gateway Covenant Church. But this labyrinth here was a bit more rushed as we had people behind you and people in front of you. We had to listen to a CD and each track was a different station. They had a person talking and then some music playing.

I like commuion station. It all goes back to the time when I growing up in an Anglican church in my hometown of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada. In the Anglican church they have communion each Sunday. Having communion more frequently then once a month like the Covenant Church does, it's takes me back to when I was growing up and seeing communion or experiencing it more regularly. I also like the the rock station. You picked up a rock and put all things you need to work put those words into that rock so to speak. Then you put it in a bucket of water and it's like all that stuff is drowning or flowing somewhere so you don't have to deal with it at that specific moment.

The one I hated was the mirror station. It made you take a good look at yourself. I know there are a lot of stuff I need to change about my appearance. I am unmotivated at times and nothing happens. But this year I had made a promise to myself to try and lose weight. It has been slow going so far.

All in all it was interesting doing the labyrinth. I would want to do it again because I wanted to do it not becase we had to.

That's it for now. I will talk to you people later.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Updates, Updates, Updates

It has been awhile since I have posted. There are updates a plenty.

School has been going pretty good. I am trying to keep up with all the reading. There is a lot of reading. Many people will tell you that. I need to read some more Created For Community, books for Worship and Intro To Worship, finish Blue Like Jazz, and read some more of my Bible.

Thanksgiving was pretty dead at school. More people left then expected. I guess people left because they could. Having quiet dorms was good I guess. We went to the movies on Friday. I saw Click while others saw different movies. Click was pretty good. It did have a story to it and I got the message behind it.

On Sunday my friend Mark Jensen and I went to the Anglican church service. Mark wanted to experience a serivce in an Anglican church. I told him that I grew up in an Anglican church. It was different from the Anglican service I am used to. All in all it was a change from the Covenant church.

I got my first paper of the year back. I got a 77 which better then I thought. Some people got higher which is expected. But overall I am happy with my mark.

In November, I will making two cakes. On will be on November 8th and the other will be on November 24th. My two nephew Brennan and Bryson have their birthdays in November which is cool.

I have to get this prayer laybrinth dones. I guess I will talk to you later.

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Reading, More Reading, Service Day, More

It has been been six days since my last blog post and there is a bunch of to tell you.

I am still doing a lot of reading. I thought we would be doing more papers and such, but there has been a lot of reading. I have to finish Blue Like Jazz. I need to keep up with my Bible reading. I don't want to fall behind in my Bible Reading. I will probably do a bit of Bible reading tonight.

Today was our day of service. Each Wednesday is our day of service. In the morning we met with our spiritual formation groups. The group leader Ryan Quist aka U2 Guy shared more of his story. Then Zach from Kansas shared his story. He was into drugs a lot and told us about his life struggling through that. He was basically sent here by his mom and his brother. His brother came here to CBC last year.

In the afternoon we did our actual service. My service group went to Wheatland Lodge which is an old folks home. We sat and talked to the seniors in their. It's cool just sit and hear all their stories. They are our link to the past. Senoirs are under appreciated in our society. The first person I talked to was Ed. I just sat down and started to talking to him. He had some cool things to say. We talked about farming, the weather, snow and cold, among other things. He said he wants to bring up at next months meeting is to set up a workshop where people can do wood working and whatnot. I thought that it is a good idea. I told him that he should bring it up. I told him that after I am done CBC that I want to broadcasting school in Saskatoon. Ed said that if I make on TV to say hi to Ed. I told him that I would do that. Ed was born in Grenfell, Saskatchewan and has been living in Strathmore for 13 years. He says that he will be buried in Strathmore when he dies. Ed said it didn't matter where he was buried because he knows that he is going the same place as I am when I die. Ed then had to make a phone call, so I then moved onto another table where to men were playing cribbage. I watched and talked with them. I told them that I was from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. I asked them who their favorite CFL football team and they said the Stampeders. One of them said, "Was there ever any question?" I asked them if the Calgary Flames was their favorite NHL hockey team and they said yes. I told them that I am Toronto Maple Leafs fan.

Overall, it was very cool to sit and talk with the senoirs. I encourage you to talk with any seniors in your family or any senoirs for that matter as they are a link to the past

Vesper Liturgy service is tonight. I hope to connect to God and process what all that has been going on in the last few days including today.

I need to finish my Foundations of Jewish Belief paper. It is due on Friday at 8:30 AM via email to Todd my teacher for Old Testament.

Friday I will be leaving for Saskatoon for conference type event. I forget the name of it. But I hope to possibly see my niece and two nephews. It's a very slim chance that I will be seeing them. Hopefully I will let them know what's going on.

That's it for now. Time to eat supper.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Vesper Liturgy

We had a Vesper Liturgy on Wednesday evening around 9:00. It was an interesting experience. I don't remember ever doing something like this. Although I could very well have.

I liked this type of service. It was more traditional typer service, but it was in a non-traditional setting. I can see myself getting used to this type of service. This service will allow me to get connected to God on a deeper level.

After the service was finished, I just knelled in the presence of the Lord. It was like he wanted me to just stay there. It was as if I couldn't move at all. It was like I was frozen there. I felt a connection to God. I have been feeling God a lot lately. It's nothing I have ever felt before. I don't what this all means. I guess as time rolls on, I will learn what this all means.

If you haven't done a Vesper Service, then I encourage you go and take one in. It's a different type of service then you would normally be used to. I think it's a unique way to worship God. It was a unique experience for me anyways.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Bored At Times

What can I say? There are times when I am really bored. I am not trying to make excuses for myself, but I try hard to find stuff to do. Besides doing all the reading for class, it's basically the same routine. I mean, you could watch a movie like some people. You could jam (just play instruments with people). Play board games or whatever. But sometimes I am not in the mood to play those things. I need to something to help pass the time. But I digress, I am not so hard done by.

I can't believe how much reading there. Mark said that he heard there would be a lot of assignments. By that I mean lots of essays and papers. But I will only be starting my first reflection paper soon because it is due on the 29th. It has to be handed in, rather emailed to Todd by 8:30 AM. It has to be three to four pages. That is what I heard anyways. I should start it today to get it out of the way.

My sister Angela is making up a care package to send to me. If you know her and want to contribute to this care package then don't hesitate to. She will be sending soon. I always like to have a snack or something. I know you are thinking that I don't need any of that junk food, which you are right. But don't give me anything that will absolutely hate. Just use your best judgement if you are wanting to provide something for this care package.

For afternoon classes I have two hours of choir and one hour of puppets. This afternoon will be easy.

Monday, September 18, 2006

Prayers

I won't do the usual blog post about what's going on in my life. Instead some prayers would be nice. It would mean a lot to me if you did that.

  • Just pray that I lose weight. Being as big as I am is not healthy. I always know it, but I was never motivated enough to do something about it.
  • Prayer for my friend Mark A.R. Jensen's younger brother Cory. He had collapsed lung earlier in the week. He is going to recover and is being released from the hospital on Tuesday. I know it would mean so much to him.
  • This upcoming trip to Saskatchewan with Todd Slechta, a teacher here at CBC. I don't remember exactly what it's called that we are going to in Saskatoon, but just pray we get there safe and to CBC safe.
  • For all my school mates this year that they could just be filled with the love of Christ and grow more in his name and that we grow closer with each other.
  • As you may or may not know, I am here at CBC with my friend Mark A.R. Jensen. Just prayer our friendship will strengthen and that we can grow in Christ and God more. Just keep us safe this year as we makes steps to grow in our faith.
If there is anything I missed, I apologize. Just pray for these items. It might seem like a lot, but each day just pray for one or two of these things.

It's time for me to go to class. Have a nice day!

Sunday, September 17, 2006

Sore, Basketball Tournament, Reading

I am still so from lifting weights on Thursday and Friday. It's a good sore though because I am wanting to lose weight. Hopefully I don't flake out and stop working out or exercising because I want this to be a year where I lose weight. It's a health reason.

But at meal times, I am trying to cut down to one plate. I not acheiving this at every meal. By having one plate it will help me in my journey to lose weight. But I digress, that it will take time to lose weight. I will keep you updated.

Yesterday there was a basketball tournament. I didn't have a partner until the day of the tournamnet. The Frable Invitational as it was called. Paul the resident intern found me a partner. I was paired up with Amy one of the resident mentors in the girls dorms. We ended up losing our first game to Connor and Kate. It was half court and if you scored a point, it was one point. But if you scored from the from the three point line then it was worth two points. The first to 11 wins. But you have to win by at least two points.

Anyways, we lost to Connor and Kate, so that moved us to the B side. Amy scored four points while I only scored one. Then on the B side we got a by because the one team didn't know they could play again and they left. Then we had to play one of the best teams in the tournament. Brain and Lenore Frable was our next match. They are both really good. I heard Lenore broke every record when she attended university.

I know that we were going to get beat, but I scored my teams three points. Even though we lost out in the finals, I still was fun. The A side winners were Paul (resident intern) and Pam (resident mentor) and the B side winners were Brian and Lenore Frable.

Then I wish I could do is shoot better from a long distance. My shooting is hit and miss in basketball.

I have to finish this reading. I have to finish reading the first five chapters of Blue Like Jazz. They are not overly long chapters. So that is good. Chapter two for worhsip class needs to be done. It shouldn't take too long. Foundations of Jewish Belief is going to kill me finishing it. As always, I am going to continue reading my Bible. Staying on track or even being ahead of the game is a good thing.

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Retreat, Prayer, Reading, Working Out

As I mentioned in my previous blog post that the school was going on a retreat to Southern Alberta Bible Camp. We left at 4:00 PM on Tuesday and got back at 9:30 PM on Wednesday. The main purpose of this retreat was to have a time of solitude.

We had a worship service on Tuesday night after we got to the camp. It allowed us time to just worship our Lord and God. Then on Wednesday we had another worship service.

We in fact did have an hour of solitude on Wednesday after the worship service. It was time to sit and write or just reflect. I just sat and reflected. Even though the weather wasn't the best, we made the best of it.

We also had to look for rocks in which we could write one or two items that we wish God would help us in. I wrote humble and humility. I am trying to justify why. God just wanted me to write those two items on that rock. I chose a big rock. I guess God wants to work on me during these next eight months. This school year will be very interesting to say the least.

Then on Wednesday evening we had a service with communion. Not only that, we had a time of deep reflection. It was moving. I know my friend Mark A.R. Jensen aka Marf felt the presence of God. I know that a few people felt God as well. People were brought to tears during this service. The power of God was in the room.

When it was time for the communion part of the service, we would take a piece of bread, dip it in the cup, and then place our rock in front of the fire place. It was like we built an alter for God.

It's like in the song "Here By The Water:"

Here by the water
I'll build an alter to praise you
Out of these stones that I found here
I'll set them down here rough as they are

I guess it was only fitting that we did that. It was great growth experience for a number of people including myself.

What else is there? There is more.

Last night my friend Mark found out that his younger brother recieved a collapsed lung. It even moved his heart which is could have been fatal. I just hope that you keep Cory and his family in your prayers. He will recover, but he is in hospital. It's unfortunate that this happened. But if I know Mark then he will stay strong. They are definantly in my prayers.

I still have some reading to do. I have to finish the rest of my five chapters of Blue Like Jazz. I also need to finish reading that learning styles sheet. Even though it is borning and gives me a headache, I will try to finish it soon. Finally for the Old Testament, I will try and finish the reading on Foundations of Jewish Belief. We have to write a reflection paper on it. It only has to be one or two pages. So that isn't too bad.

Finally for you on this blog post, Mark and I started working out. We made an oath before the retreat to start working out and get in shape. We even shook on it. I want to lose weight because of health reasons. So tomorrow we will hit the weight room again. We focused mainly on our chests today. Tomorrow will be legs.

That's about it right now. I will post tomorrow. Have a good night.

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Song, Test & Retreat

Marf and I wrote a song yesterday. I wrote the lyrics while Marf pounded out the tune and melody. I sounds great. I feel so anal about listening to myself on tape. But I did sound good. At least I think so.

There is a test today. It is on geography. I am feeling confident actually. I studied with some people yesterday and I feel that I am going to do pretty well on this test. At least that is what I my get feeling is.

Also at 4:00 PM today, we are leaving for Southern Alberta Bible Camp or something like that. It is for our retreat. We will be coming back tomorrow sometime in the evening. Around 10:00 PM or something like that. It will be a chance to my getting caught up on my reading. I want to pound the Bible and get way ahead. I hope to be done Genesis soon.

I will post those lyrics for the song "Ballad Of Steven Reid" either tomorrow or the next day. Well, I guess I should be going. Worship is at 8:30 and class is at 9:30. I need get dressed and whatnot. I also need to get over the stuff for the test as a last minute warm up.

Monday, September 11, 2006

The Ballad Of Steven Reid

Marf Jensen and myself wrote a song called "The Ballad Of Steven Reid." Steve Reid is the youth pastor at the church I go to back in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. I am hoping to play it at Extreme Impact if they have an open mic night. It is going to be great.

I still have to finish my reading for class. I will read one chapter of Blue Like Jazz today then one tomorrow. I will read some more of my Bible as well. I am up to Genesis 36 where they list the decendants of Esau. I hope to be done Genesis today or tomorrow. I am actually ahead of schedule. Well I am going to study for the test tomorrow. I guess I will post tomorrow... maybe.

Sunday, September 10, 2006

Reading... Lots Of Reading

The past few days I have been trying to get my reading all done. I have to get started on Blue Like Jazz, Emerging Worship, continue reading the Bible, and finish reading those booklets for Old Testament and Christian Formation. We also have to read Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. I am probably going to have to re-read some parts of Mere Christianity because C.S. Lewis is a complex writer.

Today we have church at Hope Community Covenant Church. One service is at 9:15 and the other is at 11:00. I don't know which service I will go to yet.

Yesterday (Saturday) we went to Spruce Meadows although a lot of people were dreading it. But it turned out to be pretty. There was way more then watching horses. There were tents that were set up as different nations. I got something from Germany, England, and Scotland. There was no France. Those four are some of my ancestory. Also, I don't know if I am Welsh or not. There was dog agility you could watch which was cool. There was music and dancing you could watch. There was a Rembrant exhibit. Rembrant was a painter in like the 1600's or something.

The thing about yesterday is that it was FREAKIN' hot. I put the empahsis on freakin'. Other then that it was a pretty good time.

Here is a quick story for you people especially Pastor Randall. Earlier this week when I was telling Todd Slechta and Brian Frable which church I am from, I would just say "Church of Randall Friesen" and they would immediatly know where I come from. Randall is on the CBC Board.

I best get going and get moving. I will talk to you people later.

Friday, September 08, 2006

Here I Am To Worship

Well, it's a been awhile since my last blog post and rightfully so. I was busy working and getting ready to come to school. College that be. I am now here at Covenant Bible College in Strathmore, Alberta and I have been here almost a week. I am starting to get to know some of the people here.

I don't have a roommate unlike my friend Marf Jensen, but that is another tale for another time or you can just go to his blog and read all about it.

I have been having trouble with my wireless internet. It is hit and miss. But Marf gave me an ethernet cord to use since his mother bought him a very long ethernet cord.

I have to say that my dad is wrong about the food here at school. He said that they would be making food that I don't like. I can officially say that he is wrong. They have been making some awesome food. This year I made the promise to myself to lose some weight. Hopefully I can achieve that goal. I will see how I make out with that.

I can't say that I am home sick. I hope that I can make this year truly awesome and that I can grow in the Lord and just become a better person overall. I will be proving to my mom that I am not here just for the social experience. I need to be here for myself spiritually. I just I grow by leaps and bounds. But before I go, let me finish with a prayer.

Lord, thank you for allowing me to be here. I just pray that everyone can grow in their faith in many different ways. Just make this a year that many of us will never forget. I just ask this in your name. AMEN.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Ten Days Left

I have ten days left then I am finished work. Work has been boring because in the summer it is not so dirty and messy. So I usually get done what I have to do in good time. But I shouldn't complain because I didn't really do much to get this job. I was given this job on a recommendation.

If I come back to work for PA Janitorial Services after I am finished school I don't know. I just want to have a career in many different fields. A radio station DJ, a singer in a band, professional wrestling commentator, or professional wrestling ref. There are so many different things I want to do. I guess I will make a decision when time comes. Right now finishing work, getting a laptop, getting funding is the main priority right now.

Friday, August 11, 2006

Busy, Busy Weekend

What a weekend I had. I had reunion stuff to do. Saturday, Sunday, and Monday I did stuff with family. There was family from all over Saskatchewan, Canada, United States, and Wales at the reunion. I was staying at the farm on Friday after work, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.

Saturday Afternoon:
Saturday afternoon there was a come and go tea at my Auntie Merle and Uncle Harvey's place on 22nd St. E. in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. There was a lot of family from all over at the come and go tea. Some people I never even met. So it was good to see people.

Saturday Evening:
Saturday evening there was a wiener roast at the farm. My dad's farm that be. My dad's cousin wife Eileen and their three kids didn't know what a wiener roast was. Eileen said: "Is it like roasting marshmallows?" Yes it's exactly like that. It was windy and John (dad's cousin from Coneticut) were freezing because they were not used to 50 degree F weather. They came from 100 degree F weather. But it was a good time. The wiener was roast was the Sheldon side of the family.

Sunday Evening:
Sunday evening all of the family went to my dad's cousin Carmen's place. He had the perfect place to hold a few hundred people. He used to have dairy cattle, but not anymore. So he converted his loft into a place where people can have dances and whatnot. So we ate more food and had a dance. The Cottonpickers were the entertainment. Seen a lot more family I didn't know. So it was a great time. I was in charge of the name tags.

Monday Afternoon:
My dad's cousin Gwyn was staying out at the farm. So I had to go pick up my dad's cousin Anna's husband Bryn from Carmen's at around 4 PM and bring him to the farm to stay the rest of his time here in Prince Albert. I gave Bryn the grand tour of the farm and he was fascinated by all that I shown him. Bryn does some farming back in Wales. He really enjoyed the tour. Here is a bit of trivia for you. Bryn told me that sheep out number people in England. There are nine million sheep and three million people.

Then on Monday evening after John, Elieen, their three kids, my Grandman Sheldon, Uncle Jack, Auntie Irene, Stew, Gwyn, John and Joy, Uncle Harvey and Auntie Merle came back from Waskesiu (Prince Albert National Park), we had pizza for supper.

All in all it was great weekend to see some new faces and see some old familiar faces. I am thankful that everyone arrived safe and made their way home safe. I am also thankful that all the functions during the reunion went off smoothly and safely.

The whole point of the reunion was to get people together and see people because we only got together at funerals. Busy weekend, but busy in a good way.

Sunday, July 16, 2006

Top 15 Rules For The Road

If you live in Saskatchewan then you will definently know what I mean. If you have ever vacationed or travelled through Saskatchewan then you might know what I mean. The following is all so true.

I saw this one day at work so I thought to write it down and post it. I am finally getting around to doing the posting part.

Top 15 Rules For The Road:
  1. Turn signals give away your next move. A confident Saskatchewan driver avoids using them.
  2. Under no circumstances should you maintain a safe distance between you and the car infront of you because somebody will fill the space, putting you in an even more dangerous situation.
  3. The faster you drive through a red light, the less a chance you have of getting hit.
  4. Warning! Never come to a complete stop at a stop sign. No one expects it and and will result in you being rear-ended
  5. Never get in the way of an older car that needs extensive bodywork with Manitoba or Montana licence plates. With no insurance, the operater has nothing to lose.
  6. Breaking is to be done as hard and late as possible to ensure that ABS kicks in, giving a vigorous foot massage as the break pedal violently pulsates. For those without ABS, it's a chance to strengthen your leg muscles.
  7. Never pass on the left when you can pass on the ring. It's a good way to prepare other drivers entering the highway.
  8. Speed limits are arbitrary figures; given only a suggestion and are not forceable in Saskatchewan during rush hour, especially Ring Road in Regina.
  9. Just because your are in the left lane doing 100, ignore the person behind you coming up at 110.
  10. Always brake or rubberneck when you see an accident or someone changing a tire. This is seen as a sign of respect for the victim.
  11. Learn to swerve abruptly without signaling. Saskatchewan is the home of high-speed slalom driving, thanks to the Department of Public Works, which put pot-holes in key locations to test drivers' reflexes and keep them alert.
  12. It is tradition in Saskatchewan to honk your horn at cars in front of you that do not move three milliseconds after the light turns green.
  13. To avoid injury in the of a collision or rollover, it is important to exit your vehicle thru the windshield right away. Wearing a seat belt will only impede our hi-velocity escape from danger.
  14. Remember that the goal of every Saskatchewan driver is to get ahead of the pack by whatever means necessary.
  15. In Saskatchewan, flipping the bird is considered a polite solute. This gesture should always be returned.

Think about it, especially us Saskatchewanians. Use Saskatchewanians know that this list is true.

Saturday, July 15, 2006

Song Recording

Today I went over Mark's house and we recorded a song I wrote. Well the lyrics anyways and he write the chords. It's a power ballad. It's awesome for my first song ever recorded. Mark has a new recorder which is sweet because you can add drums and stuff to it.

What we did was recorded the guitar part first. I sang so Mark knew knew where he was so he didn't lose his spot. Mark did four takes with the guitar. Then we recorded the vocals in which I did. Then Mark recorded the bass part. Some of it with the bass sounds like Geddy Lee with some intense finger work. It's awesome. Then Mark added the drums into the song. Then Mark did the guitar solo and he was being so anal about it because he know how wanted to do it, but it wouldn't come out right. But then finally we settled on the solo.

The solo has some made tapping and shredding. Then at the end of the solo it has a pick slide. It was awesome. Mark said he hasn't practiced guitar in about two weeks. He agreed with me when I said that it was a good day for him. But it did take awhile to record, but it's worth it in the end because you get a feeling of accomplishment.

We listened to solo a few times because it was so awesome. The song is over seven minutes. I didn't think it was that long of a song. But nevertheless, it was cool to record the song "And Maybe They Are Right."

Mark does a lot of recording with stuff he makes up. So I listened to some of the stuff he has recorded. I think recording yourself playing is a good thing because it helps you see what you could use for another song and what you could improve on. In CBC (Covenant Bible College), we are going to record some stuff when we have time. It's going to be awesome laying down some tracks at school.

Mark said he hopes that he hopes we meet a bassist at CBC because he/she could record with us. Even a drummer would be cool. A full band would be awesome to record with. I hope that is does happen. We can record more of my songs. I am so pumped to do more recording. Who knows, maybe this could lead to a career for me. But I will see what the future holds for me.

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Wrestler Breaks Arms

It's looks nasty the way it happens. Don't watch if you can't stomach this type of stuff. It would suck to be that person with the injury.

Wrestler Breaks Arm

Watch with caution, not suitable for all ages.

Sunday, July 09, 2006

It's Been Awhile! - Updates, Updates, Updates

Hey yo, I am back after a long period of not updating my blog. But I have lots to tell you. So let's gets to it.

I have been trying to keep busy since I last updated my this blog. But Prince Albert is Prince Albert and for those that know, Prince Albert can be a depressing place. But enough about that, let's take what I have done.

For the most part I have been working. Yep, work, work, and more work. But when I went to get paid at the beginning of June, my car wouldn't start. I was at my bosses place, well new place I should say and it wouldn't start. So I got it towed out to the farm and I got a ride back into town with the tow truck driver. He dropped me off at my sisters. So I have been staying at my sisters for over a month.

One June 3rd, I went and played paintball with the Gateway Covenant Church youth group and the First Baptist Church youth group. It was sooooo much fun. I wish Mark (a friend) would have went. But he has this whack idea of guns and whatnot. So he didn't come, plus the fact he had to work.

June 6th rolls around and I rode a bike to work and when I was riding back to my sisters from work, I crashed on cement and got some scrapes on my hands, my left knee, and my elbow. But they would have healed if I wouldn't have picked the scabs. I have a bad habit of picking scabs.

Now on June 8th my sister and I went to the farm to butcher chickens. We didn't do all of them. That would be a lot to do. We had two other days set aside for butchering chickens. I basically plucked some feather that remained and washed the chickens.

I know what you are thinking. You are probably thinking that saying butchering is a bad way to put it. But that's basically what we are doing.

I went to my cousins grad party on June 10th. Mark you may or may not know my cousin Danielle Carrier. But she was feeling hungover the next day as she was drinking the most. The food was great. The food is usually good at my family's functions. My family knows how to put on a spread. The best part was that there was Death By Chocolate. *Drools*

Then on about the 16th of June I went and got a government loan form for funding for school. I will be attending Covenant Bible College's Canada campus.

June 30th was another day for butchering chickens. I helped a little bit, by plucking any feathers that remain. Then I went and looked after my two nephews inside the house. My sister from Saskatoon came up for the long weekend.

Then on July 1st, we did the last of the chickens. This time I did plucking feathers and used a tiger torch to singe off any hair that remain. That was my first time doing that part of the process with the tiger torch. Usually my dad singed the hairs. Then I looked after my two nephews again. Later we my two nephews, my sister, and I went to the watch the fireworks. My five year old nephew loved the fireworks. My niece was staying over at my grandma's (her great grandma's) place, so she didn't come.


Then about July 4th, I went back to get another student loan form because I needed re-copy everything neat. The other form was messy. Later that day I went and got paid. I told my boss my last day of work is August 25th. I choose that day because it gives me time to finish getting ready for school. Then on the Friday I walked to Shopper Drug Mart in the South Hill Mall and I express mailed the form to Regina. So it should be in Regina sometime on July 10th which is a Monday.

But that's basically what I have been doing. That and doing a lot of stuff on Wikipedia.

School:

School is coming up sooner and sooner with each passing day. I will be more pumped about going when the funding comes through. It's not that I am not pumped up. It's just that I want the funding to be in place. If this funding doesn't come through then I will be devestated because I have been wanting to go to Covenant Bible College (CBC) for a number of years. If anybody actually reads this then please pray that my funding gets through.

Now, I will be leaving on September 1st for Strathmore and then arriving in Strathmore on the 2nd because that's the day the dorms open. Then school starts on the 5th.

I know that this will be a year that God truly challenges me and helps me grow. I think I will be better for any spiritual growth that happens over the course of the next eight months of school.

Oh and my mom has finally came around and has been more supportive of me going to school. I told that I was going. She tried to make up an excuse that I was only going for the fun part of it. I told her that I wasn't.

My Mom Getting Married:

Well, my mom pushed up her wedding to this year instead of next year. She will be getting married on August 26th which is conveniant for me because the day before is my last day of work. The man she is marrying is a real good guy. I think they will be happy together or at least they should be.

I think it's great that my mom has found someone. I never thought she would get married again. But as Mr. Big would say "never say never."

Well, that's it and that's all for now. But as I leave you, let me leave you with this.

"If you try to make someone else look bad by saying something, then just look at yourself first before switching it onto someone else. You won't look like a jackass in the run."

Mr. C.C.

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Bass Shredding

I was on YouTube.com and I seen on their main page was a featured video clip called "Bass Shredding." I watched it and it was pretty good. I mean it's a lot better then just playing the standard chords like some bassists do.

Some person on YouTube commented and said:

"Hey, bassists aren't supposed to be played like faggy guitars."

I replyed to that person and said:

"Try telling Geddy Lee that. Geddy Lee doesn't play the standard chords like some do."

Click the following link to check out that video.

Bass Shredding

Friday, May 12, 2006

The Scientist By Coldplay

On Tuesday we tried to play a couple of songs. We attempted "De Do Do Do De Da Da Da" by The Police and "The Scientist" by Coldplay. Now The Police song sounded pretty good except we didn't know when to end it. Part of learning a song is knowing when to end it. I guess it could of gone worse.

"The Scientist" by Coldplay sounded bad. It's not that Mark or myself didn't know how to play it. It's just that Steve, Thomas, and Hillary didn't really know the song and it made it hard for me to sing and therefore I got lost on where we were. Mark decided to play the piano for this song and it sounded really good. Cory played pretty good on the drums, otherwise we bombed.

I like that we are trying songs that might be harder then what some of the youth are used to. But it doesn't help when they don't know the song very well. Then that becomes a problem due to the fact that we have to play songs they know. I would like to teach the youth some new songs, but I don't know what they know and what level they are at. But I am pretty they are not a highish level of playing except Mark, myself, and Steve to a point. Cory is even slowly progressing in his drumming skills.

I guess we will see what this coming Tuesday holds. Make sure you come!

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Taxes

Well today I finally took my tax stuff in to get done. I got my T4 when I got paid at the begining of the month. I shoved in it in my glove box and forgot about it till this week when someone said something about taxes. Its a good they said stuff about taxes or I would have totally forgotten about it.

I took my tax stuff to my aunt to get done. She knows how to do all of that. I am pretty sure I will get a refund. I haven't worked enough or made enough money to warrant paying. I am sure hoping that I don't have to pay anyways.

Next year I will definently be less on my taxes due to the fact that I will in school. So I am will only have May, June, July, and possibly August to account for on my taxes.

But this year taxes are due on May 1st at midnight due to April 30th falling on a Sunday. So don't be like me and wait till the middle of the last week to get them done. Get them done sooner so you don't have to worry about it.

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Covenant Bible College

Well, some of you have heard I have been accepted. It will be awesome to get away from Prince Albert. I mean, there is nothing for me here in Prince Albert. I am basically stuck in a rut. I need to think about a career of some sort instead drifting through life the way I am. It will not get me anywhere.

I believe that Covenant Bible College (CBC) will be a good change for me. My dad, two sisters, my two grandmas and my grandpa support me. My grandma on my dad's side of the family has been telling everybody that I got accepted. She is so happy for me. It makes me want to do this even more. But there is one dark cloud trying to stop me from going. My mother doesn't want me to go. She thinks I am only going there for the social aspect of it. But that is so not true.

Okay I know that meeting new people will be apart of the experience. But going to CBC will be a growth experience for me. I hope that I will get to know God in away I never have before. I will prove to my mother that I am not going just for the fun stuff. I will prove that CBC is a growth experience in away that I have never known. I have been wanting to go to CBC for many years and I am finally doing it.

At least I am not going to be totally by myself. My friend Mark Jensen is going. He is the third Jensen that is going. At least in that respect I will have someone to study with and whatnot. It's probably most likely that I will not end up with him as a roommate. If nothing else, I hope that we are on the same side of the dorm.

Before I go for this blog post think about this:

If people tell you to be positive then are negative against something you want to do then that will undo all the preaching of being they have done.

Just a reminder that the Gateway Covenant Youth Group's Rock 'N Drop In is on today at the church. So be there and bring your instruments because we are going to rock out.

Monday, April 03, 2006

Cocain Smuggled In Virgin Mary Statues

Source: News.Yahoo.com

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Two men suspected of helping smuggle cocaine to New York from Mexico inside statues of the Virgin Mary were arrested Thursday, U.S. authorities said.

Peter Matheis, 52, and Rafael Serrano, 36, both Mexican nationals, were indicted in New York and Houston respectively on money-laundering and narcotics charges along with six others arrested previously in the United States, the Drug Enforcement Administration said.

Five 3-foot-tall statues of the Virgin Mary, filled with 242 pounds of cocaine, were seized in a Brooklyn warehouse as part of the police operation.

The drug ring used the statues to smuggle cocaine worth millions of dollars, FBI agent John Gilbride said in a statement.

The DEA said the investigation was continuing in Mexico.

Lawyers for the defendants could not be immediately reached for comment.

Monday, March 27, 2006

Isaac Hayes Quits South Park

Source: News.Yahoo.com

By ERIN CARLSON, Associated Press Writer Mon Mar 13, 6:13 PM

NEW YORK - Isaac Hayes has quit "South Park," where he voices Chef, saying he can no longer stomach its take on religon.

Hayes, who has played the ladies' man/school cook in the animated Comedy Central satire since 1997, said in a statement Monday that he feels a line has been crossed.

"There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs of others begins," the 63-year-old soul singer and outspoken Scientologist said.

"Religious beliefs are sacred to people, and at all times should be respected and honored," he continued. "As a civil rights activist of the past 40 years, I cannot support a show that disrespects those beliefs and practices."

"South Park" co-creator Matt Stone responded sharply in an interview with The Associated Press Monday, saying, "This is 100 percent having to do with his faith of Scientology... He has no problem — and he's cashed plenty of checks — with our show making fun of Christians."

Last Novemeber, "South Park" targeted the Church of Scientology and its celebrity followers, including actors Tom Cruise and John Travolta, in a top-rated episode called "Trapped in the Closet." In the episode, Stan, one of the show's four mischievous fourth graders, is hailed as a reluctant savior by Scientology leaders, while a cartoon Cruise locks himself in a closet and won't come out.

Stone told The AP he and co-creator Trey Parker "never heard a peep out of Isaac in any way until we did Scientology. He wants a different standard for religions other than his own, and to me, that is where intolerance and bigotry begin."

My Thoughts:

Well, I personally feel that Hayes is a hypocrite. I mean he has been apart of the show when they made fun of Christians, Jews, gays, lesbians, Mormons, etc.. But what really gets me is that Hayes didn't walk out when South Park used fellow Scientology followers Tom Cruise and John Travolta. It's real stupid that Hayes is now walking when it is comes to his religion of choice. Hayes, you are indeed most not be a true follower of Scientology or else you wouldn't have stuck around for that other Scientology episode.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Things To Accomplish

Well, here is something you can do. If you read this then I just tagged you. Write down ten to twenty things you want to accomplish in your life. Mine are in no particular order.

1. See Joe Satriani in concert.
2. Attend Covenant Bible College- I have been accepted for the fall.
3. Go to an indy pro wrestling show.
4. Have a successful career.
5. Get into shape.
6. Be a singer/lyrics writer in a band.
7. Meet Joe Satriani.
8. Make good money at my career.
9. Have a career that I enjoy.
10. Host a radio show.
11. Own my own website.
12. Start a record label called Progressive Sounds.
13. Own a house.
14. Own a better vehicle.
15. Create a paintball course.
16. Start a radio station based around music such as progressive rock, metal, hard rock, alternative, and other various forms of rock.
17. Meet a pro wrestler.
18. Start a band.
19. Attend Wrestlemania at least once.
20. Attend the summer and winter Olympics once.

Friday, March 10, 2006

Symphony X

Has anyone else heard of this band? I just recently heard about this band. They are progressive rock. I have only heard a couple of their songs. But they are really good. Those two songs are Communion and the Oracle and the other one is Evolution (The Grand Design). If you are into the darkish sounding progressive rock like Dream Theater then you will like Symphony X.

I am looking for more from them. If anyone has any suggestions then just let me know. Also you can check out there official website by clicking the following link.

SymphonyX.com

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

How Nintendo Are You?

Here is a cool little quiz to take to see how Nintendo you are. Below is how Nintendo I am.


:: how nintendo are you? ::

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Chuck Norris

I am on a quest to show you that Chuck Norris is a bit overrated and has a bit more hype then necessary. I am not saying that Chuck Norris didn't have his time. I believe he is trying to hold on to something that he once had or he is trying to do that through other people like my friend Matt. I picture him in one of those cheap cowboy western karate movies or Sidekick. Sidekick works for me.

But Chuck Norris did do one cool thing. He was the special enforcer at WWF Survivor Series '94. He superkicked Jeff Jarrett's head off. Click here to view the video clip.

Here is another fact about Chuck Norris that I wouldn't say too loudly:

Chuck Norris can touch MC Hammer.

Another fact about Norris I wouldn't say too loudly is that he knits sweaters. I'm sorry did I ruin your perseption of what a tough man Norris is? Well... I am not sorry actually.

Here are some fights I made of Chuck Norris battling other martial artists.

Chuck Norris vs. Jacky Chan

Chuck Norris vs. Jet Li- I am actually wanting Chucky to win this one.

Chuck Norris vs. Bruce Lee- The outcome of this fight is awesome. Not so awesome for you Chuck Norris fans.

Chuck Norris vs. Sammo Hung- Samo Hung never had a chance

Chuck Norris vs. Tony Jaa- Check to see if Chucky can beat the Thai Warrior from Ong Bak.

Chuck Norris vs. Jean Claude Van Dam

Chuck Norris vs. Steven Segal

Chuck Norris vs. Steve Blackman- Steve Blackman is a former WWF superstar who is trained in martial arts.

Chuck Norris vs. Rob Van Dam- Rob Van Dam is a current WWE superstar who is trained in karate.

Chuck Norris vs. Ernest Miller- Ernest Miller is a pro wrestler who has trained in karate.

Chuck Norris vs. Billy Blanks- Let's see if Tae Bo can beat Chucky.

Chuck Norris vs. Don "The Dragon" Wilson

Chuck Norris vs. Wesley Snipes


Chuck Norris vs. Matthew Kent
- I am pitting my friend Matt against Chuck Norris. The outcome is more of an upset.

Chuck Norris vs. Brandon Lee

Chuck Norris vs. Lorenzo Lamas

Chuck Norris vs. Tajiri- Tajiri is a Japanese pro wrestler who has a background in martial arts. His kick are also very lethal.

Chuck Norris vs. Erne Reyes, Sr.- Erne Reyes, Sr. is the grandmaster of Tae Kwon Doe and he is basically slaughtered.

Chuck Norris vs. Erne Reyes, Jr.- Erne Reyes, Jr. is a child martial arts star turned kickboxing champion.

Chuck Norris vs. The Three Ninjas (Rocky, Colt, and Tum Tum)
- He dominated this handicap match.

Chuck Norris vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Chuck Norris vs. The Karate Kid

Chuck Norris vs. The Next Karate Kid

Chuck Norris vs. Shredder- He barely won this fight.

Chuck Norris vs. Splinter- Chucky lost to a mutated cartoon rat.

All in all this proves nothing, but Chuck Norris only lost 4 times. I am sure he won't win so easily in a real fight against a lot of these guys. But the fact is Chuck Norris is not as good as he used to be. Granted he could whoop me and all, but I am sure it would take a bit longer to do so in his old age.

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Fantastic Four

No, it's not the movie. I have been tagged by Marky Mark Jensen. Just check my list of "uber cool blogs" I read so you can go to his blog yourself.

4 Jobs I Have Had:
Dishwasher
Fast food cook
Paper delivery person
Janitor (current)

4 Movies I Can Watch Over and Over Again:
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Johnny Depp version)
This is Spinal Tap
I Am Sam
School of Rock

4 TV Shows I Love:
WWE Monday Night RAW
WWE Smackdown
Good Eats
Licensed to Grill

4 Places I Have Vacationed:
Kamloops, British Columbia
Los Angeles/Anaheim/Hollywood/San Diego, California (A trip to Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm, Universal Studios, Sea World in '87)
Edmonton, Alberta
Candle Lake

4 Places I Have Lived:
Rural Prince Albert (Red Deer Hill area)
Prince Albert (in the city)
Camp Okema (for a week helping out cooking and another week as a councilor in the same year in the span of a few weeks)
I haven't lived in a fourth place yet...

4 Of My Favorite Dishes:
A combo platter (dry ribs, chicken wings, chicken strips, and wedges or fries with some dill dip, sour cream, sweat and sour sauce, or some other good dipping sauce)
Barbecue rib sub from Subway (double rib, on Italian Herb and Cheese bread, double cheese [half regular, half monteray jack, and some shredded cheese ontop], toasted, lots of pickles, hot sauce, barbecue sauce, Southwest sauce, salt, and pepper)
A burger from Fuddruckers
A grilled steak pita from Extreme Pita (double meat, whole wheat pita, double cheddar cheese, lots of pickles, all their barbecue and hot sauces, salt, and pepper)

Sites I Visit Daily:
RSMForums.com
Wicked-Wrestling.com Forums
AIM Mail
Thunder Arcade New Unofficial Support Forums

4 Places I Would Rather Be:
At an pro wrestling show.
Singing karaoke.
Jaming with a bunch of people who know what they are doing.
Somewhere out there, wherever it is...

Bloggers I Am Tagging:
Marky Mark
Steve
Matthew
Lisa or Lisa (same person, just two different blogs)

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Jujyfruits Rules!!!

Yesterday I ate my first box of Jujyfruits. You know the boxed candy that Elaine Bennis on Seinfeld is addicted to? I must say, they are really good for artificial flavoring. Where did you get you Jujyfruit you ask?

Well, in Saskatoon go to The Centre at Circle & 8th Mall. Once inside go down the area where the theaters are. Then find a store called Pine & Fancy. That is where you will find Jujyfruit. When you are in Waskesiu, you can find a Pine & Fancy there also. I was talking to the man who was there and I said made a reference to Seinfeld while holding up a box of Jujyfruit. That man said that they like to get in candy that you don't normally find. I must say that there is a lot candy and other such items you won't hardly.

Anyways, I also bought a couple of Wonka Bars. My niece and I watched Charlie & The Chocolate Factory starring Johnny Depp on Saturday and she wanted a Wonka. So I bought here one for a surprise when they come up on the 14th because of the winter break. It wasn't the small bar either. It was the big one. But there is no golden ticket. I stayed at my sisters place in Saskatoon over the weekend. Whenever in Saskatoon or Waskesiu, I recommend you buying some Jujyfruit, once you have a box, there is no turning back.

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

My Sister's Supposed Engagement - Need Some Advice

One day I was on MSN and my sister asked me... "Do you want to come to my wedding?" I was like huh? "I am getting married." She said her boyfriend has ordered a ring and that the wedding is in 2007. I was taken aback by all this. It came at me all too quick. I was like speechless. I didn't know what to say. So I said a few things in responce to what she had just told me. Basically I told her that I she doesn't regret getting married because she and her boyfriend like to argue. It's not your little spats. Okay, it's sometimes is little spats but most other times it's major arguing. God love them and all but it sometimes gets too much.

Now then one day recently I went over to my sister's apartment after work to pick up somethings that I have left there and checked out her new computer. It's better then what she was running. It's used, but it has Windows XP Home Edition. Anyways, we got to talking and the subject of her wedding came up. She was telling me who her maid of honor is and I gave her suggestions as to who her brides maids could be. But she flat out said NO! It's like those suggestions weren't good enough for her. She was telling me what colors she was having and all this other stuff.

I held my tongue on my thoughts. I want to tell her how I feel but I am not sure how go about saying it. One on hand, I want to get married and live her life the way she wants. But on the other hand I don't want her to make a huge mistake with her life. I mean, I feel as though the negative thoughts are stronger then the positive ones. I mean, I just feel them getting a divorce because they like to argue like I mentioned.

My other sister who lives in Saskatoon even has doubts about this wedding. I was talking to her on MSN one day and I told her that I thought she would get married before my sister Heather did.

I feel so conflicted on this matter. I don't think she has even told our parents yet which is the bad thing about it. I just need advice and prayer as I try and come to terms with this issue. I hope my sister come to realization that she should hold off on marriage for now. So any comments, advice, and prayer would be greatly appreciated.

I guess I have some praying of my own to do. *Sigh*

Maybe the next post will be much more upbeat.

Thursday, February 02, 2006

MoneyMusic.com- A New Link

I was listening the 650 CKOM and they had a person on who apraises records. Some records were being appraised at $15-$20 and some were being appraised at $100 and up. So I decided to add his site to my list of sweet links. It is MoneyMusic.com and you access the site by clicking here. It has ways to get your records appraised. Plus it has catalogues you can buy. But remember all currency is in American dollars. The appraisals are done by Mighty John himself. Check out that site and who knows, maybe you might have a record that is worth something.

Sunday, January 29, 2006

A New Look

After seeing some of the blogs I go to have changed their layout, I have decided to change the layout of my blog. You will still see the same good old content from me. I just thought it was time to for a change. I will put a up a poll to see if you people like my new layout. I personally like this one. But nothing is set in stone. I may change it. So be on the lookout for that. That is if I do decide to change it.

Monday, January 16, 2006

A Journalist? Take Quiz Click Here


You scored as Journalism. You are an aspiring journalist, and you should major in journalism! Like me, you are passionate about writing and expressing yourself, and you want the world to understand your beliefs through writing.

Journalism


92%

Linguistics


75%

English


58%

Art


42%

Theater


42%

Dance


33%

Philosophy


25%

Engineering


17%

Sociology


17%

Mathematics


8%

Psychology


0%

Biology


0%

Anthropology


0%

Chemistry


0%

What is your Perfect Major? (PLEASE RATE ME!!<3)
created with QuizFarm.com

Sunday, January 15, 2006

Poll Results- Who Is The Most Progressive Rocker(s)?

I think that it's time to end this poll and put up a new one. So the winner of this poll is Frank Zappa.

Poll Results:
Frank Zappa- 6 votes
Joe Satriani- 1 vote
Rush- 1 vote
Saviour Machine- 0 votes
The Darkness- 0 votes
Coldplay- 0 votes
Yngwie Malmsteen- 0 votes
Dream Theater


The next poll will be up soon. Thanks to everyone who voted.

7-year-old Driver in Tennessee Leads Police on Chase in Parents' Pickup

Source: News.Yahoo.com

Wed Jan 11, 6:55 PM ET
SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Eager to get his driver's licence, a seven-year-old boy put on his seat belt and remembered to use his turn signal as he took his parents' pickup truck out for a spin, leading police on a slow pursuit around town.

Officers initially thought they were chasing a drunken driver Monday night. "He was weaving and all over the road. He couldn't stay in his lane," Officer Josh Laverette said.
Instead, when the truck finally stopped in front of a home after the 11-kilometre escapade, they found a second-grader, barely four feet tall, behind the wheel. The house belonged to his parents.

"He was so short he had to sit up close to the steering wheel," Laverette said. "Whenever he would brake, he would pick himself up with his left foot and stomp on the brake with his right."
The pickup had swerved through traffic and busy intersections, nearly hitting one car stopped at a stop light and barely missing at least five oncoming cars, Laverette said.

When he finally stopped and authorities talked to him, "He said the reason he took the vehicle was because he wanted to get his licence," Laverette said.

Nine years too early for the licence test, the boy was charged with driving without a licence and eluding police. He faces a hearing later this week in juvenile court.

Susan Daniel described the scene in the streets of Shelbyville, a town of about 14,000 residents 80 kilometres east of Nashville: "There were like probably five city cars and three county cars and a state trooper" all chasing the pickup.

"It blew my mind because we actually watched him put on his turn signal and turn, and we could see when he went past that he had seat belts on," Daniel said. "Then to come find out it was a child, I was really shocked

Monday, January 09, 2006

It's My Life by Bon Jovi

Mark, a friend of mine requested some Bon Jovi. He wanted Lay Your Hands On Me, but it was too dark against the background of my blog. So I went with It's My Life. This is a good song. Bon Jovi has a load of other songs you would like such as One Wild Night, Always, Living On A Prayer, Lay Your Hands On Me, Saturday Night, Wanted Dead or Alive, and many others. So enjoy this weeks selection.

Past Videos Of The Week:
Closer To The Heart by Rush: 09-05-05 - 09-12-05
Youth Of The Nation by P.O.D. (Payable On Death): 09-12-05 - 09-19-05
Can't Stop by Red Hot Chili Peppers: 09-19-05 - 09-26-05
Welcome To The Jungle by Guns 'N Roses: 09-26-05 - 10-03-05
Just Take My Heart by Mr. Big: 10-03-05 - 10-10-05
Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen: 10-10-05 - 10-17-05
Sea Of No Cares by Great Big Sea: 10-17-05 - 10-24-05
One Week by Barenaked Ladies: 10-24-05 - 10-31-05
Dare You to Move by Switchfoot: 01-02-06 - 01-09-06
It's My Life by Bon Jovi: 01-09-06 - 01-16-06

Saturday, January 07, 2006

Is This Right?

I was one a message board and I came across the post. Now this user said he or she found it while surfing the Internet. It is a banner ad. This person was or is going to file a complaint.

  • Click here to see image


  • This person goes onto say:

    But the problem is, it was a BANNER AD, on a PAGE. it was being run by the ad-brite or whoever banner rotator it is.

    The reason this annoys me is:

    1- Children. the website has lots of them as members.
    2- Smokey is copyrighted. So they can't do that.

    Me personally, its stupid because Smokey the Bear is a kids figure so to speak and using it in this way would send the wrong message. Whoever made this banner has some screwed up ideas. I doubt they have permission to use Smokey the Bear. Besides whoever owns the rights to Smokey the Bear wouldn't let some use him in the manner. Kids associate Smokey the Bear with fire prevention and safety. This would send them the wrong message as I said. Whoever needs to advocate drug use through kids is seriously screwed up.

    In your opinion, is it right?

    Monday, January 02, 2006

    Dare You To Move by Switchfoot

    Well I am back with after some time without posting a new music video. But I am here to start off the new year right. So here is one I think you will enjoy. It is Dare You to Move by Switchfoot. I personally think its a great song. Switchfoot have other great songs like Stars, Meant to Live, etc. So enjoy my music video selection.

    Past Videos Of The Week:
    Closer To The Heart by Rush: 09-05-05 - 09-12-05
    Youth Of The Nation by P.O.D. (Payable On Death): 09-12-05 - 09-19-05
    Can't Stop by Red Hot Chili Peppers: 09-19-05 - 09-26-05
    Welcome To The Jungle by Guns 'N Roses: 09-26-05 - 10-03-05
    Just Take My Heart by Mr. Big: 10-03-05 - 10-10-05
    Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen: 10-10-05 - 10-17-05
    Sea Of No Cares by Great Big Sea: 10-17-05 - 10-24-05
    One Week by Barenaked Ladies: 10-24-05 - 10-31-05
    Dare You to Move by Switchfoot: 01-02-06 - 01-09-06