Saskatoon Trip To The Holy Covenant Evangelical Covenant Church

Over the past weekend a few of us went to the Holy Covenant Evangelical Covenant Church in Saskatoon. We left on Saturday at eight in the morning. We arrived in Saskatoon in the afternoon. We would go to the church to meet our host family. Mark, Scott, and I would stay with the coolest host family ever. They were cool to talk to. We stayed with the Bishop's daughter and son-in-law. Jason and Candace were so hospitable it was unreal. On the Saturday, we went back to their house and the meal was awesome. Later we went back to the church for a vespers service. It was different from the vespers we do here at CBC. It was different in a good way. There was a lot of liturgy in this vespers service. I liked the change from the usual vespers. When the Bishop was at CBC he did a vespers service here and so I recognized some of the songs. Then we went back to our host family's place. We played some Super Mario and Jason was impressed by Mario skills. He said I had some "mad Mario skills." It was great joking around with Jason as we played Mario. Then after that we watch Night At The Museum on their projector and screen. That was a pretty good movie I must say.

On Sunday we of course went to church. The service was very liturgical. It was very different from any service I was used to. Candace continually had to switch books with us so we were on the right page. Being that we have never been to a service like that, it was hard to keep up. The songs had an eastern feel to it. I liked that about the songs. The way they do things for communion is different from most churches I have been to. I noticed that the bread was sweeter and the wine has more water in it then I am used to. Maybe it's because there were young kids partaking in communion. It's interesting that they let young kids partake in communion without having wait till their older or go through confirmation before receiving communion. There was one part of the service in which people asked for forgiveness of sins. It was more then just a handshake. We would hug people instead. That was different then what people normally would do. It was something that myself and a few other people out of there comfort zone. Over all the service would something that I liked. Then after church there was a potluck and the food was awesome. The main dishes and dessert was great. Then after that Scott, Mark, and I went to the mall to kill about an hour before we went back to the church and then heading in the van to go bowling. We went ten pin bowling, something I haven't done before. I think I did not bad for my first time ten pin bowling. Others did awesome at bowling. But it was fun nontheless. After supper we went back to the church and dialogged about the church service. The discussion went in various other ways such other items in their church like and stuff like mega churches, youth, drawing people into the church, among other stuff. Then we went back to the host family and watched the Tenacious D movie.

On Monday we went to the mall and whatnot before we headed back to Strathmore. All in all it was a great weekend.

See you on the flipside!
Mr. C.C.

“Church isn’t where you meet. Church isn’t a building. Church is what you do. Church is who you are. Church is the human outworking of the person of Jesus Christ. Let’s not go to Church, let’s be the Church.”
-Bridget Willard

“The perfect church service, would be one we were almost unaware of.
Our attention would have been on God.”
-C.S. Lewis

“Some go to church to see and be seen, some go there to say they have been, some go there to sleep and nod, but few go there to worship God”
-Proverb quotes

Continued Prayers

I recieved word today that my Grandpa, Bill Cantin had another mini-stroke. It's bad enough he had one mini-stroke, but a second one... I don't know what condition he is in. It's so hard not knowing something, but at least my sisters are sending me the information on his condition and whatnot.

I just keep thinking the worst. I know it's only a mini-stroke, but that doesn't make it better. That doesn't make the situation any less nerve racking. I don't know why I am thinking the worst, but I am.

People here at school have been praying for me and I totally appreciate that. I just want continued prayer for him. As I said in an earlier post, that I am appreciative of the people who are praying for him. Just continue praying for him to get some semblance of what he had back. I just want him to go back to doing what he does best and that is playing the fiddle. He is known throughout Prince Albert for his fiddle playing.

Until next time: Keep on rockin' in the free world!

There isn't any formula or method. You learn to love by loving.
-Aldous Huxley

The End Of An Era!

I am sure you have heard by now that Covenant Bible College is closing down. There are many reasons why had to do it. They first closed CBC Midwest because of the dwindling enrollment. Not only that, but financial difficulties have a lot to do with it. The growing cost and expenses outweighed the income that CBC as a whole was receiving. They depended a lot on donations and I guess that amount they were getting wasn't enough.

Now some of the stuff that was planned is not going to happen. The small group tour, CBC nomadic, and possibly Junior Hi Jam are not going to happen. I think that Junior Hi Jam should still take place, but we will see.

It will be hard for some people to deal with especially my friend Jon Loewons' family. His grandfather Wendell Anderson was the president of the CBC for 30 plus years. So there is a history and a legacy that goes with that. At the meeting yesterday, he apparently couldn't handle it. He realizes that he is the last one in his family to come here. I just wonder how his grandma Birdie Anderson will take it. CBC has been a big part of her family for so long. This news of CBC closing (if she hasn't found out already) will crush her.

I know that a lot of people have been wanting to come here. They didn't bother applying anywhere else because they were so set on coming here. I have heard that young kids have set their sights on coming here and now they can't. CBC has been a place that has changed a lot of people over the years and now people will not be able to come here like they have been wanting and also be changed.

This graduating class will be a special one as we are the last CBC Canada ever. We should make the rest of the year even better. We need to go out with a bang and make this the most memorable CBC class in history.

It will take some time to process all of this. For those that have supported CBC in the past we truly thank you.

Until next time: Shabot, shalom mother trucker!

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
-Theodore Roosevelt

All of us learn to write in the second grade. Most of us go on to greater things.
-Bob Knight

My Eyes Are Bugged Out

I finally got to the spot in the Bible we are supposed to caught up to. We have to check in with Todd by 1:30 PM and we are to be in Ezekiel 15. After reading from seven o'clock till now, my eyes are bugged out. But I was able to get my reading done even though it is three thirty in the morning. Now I can hopefully stay on track with my reading of the Bible. After Ezekiel, the books of the Bible are relatively short. I at least hopefully won't fall behind at all.

Now onto something different. I was looking at my Cost of Discipleship paper eight thirty or so and I got a 79. Todd gave me some good comments overall. He said it was my best reflection paper to-date. For him it was. But for other classes, I have gotten better marks. That is not the point though. The point is I got a pretty good mark on this paper. After seeing that mark, I was so stoked that I got that mark. My friend Mark on the other hand got the same mark as me and thought he should have gotten better. He is after all smarter then I am. But nevertheless, seeing that mark was the bright spot in a rather crappy day after learning my Grandpa has a mini-stroke.

Until next time: You suck, I suck, we all suck!

I was not an outstanding student. I did a reasonable amount of work. I got generally good - pretty good grades, but I was not that passionate about getting straight A's.
-Steve Case

Prayers For My Grandpa

When I got up this morning, I noticed I had to IM's on Windows Live Messenger from my two sisters. I thought nothing of what it could be. So I clicked on and they said that my Grandpa, William (Bill) Cantin (my mom's dad) had a mini stroke. I was taken aback. I didn't expect this at all and I just couldn't help but cry a little bit. After all, it is my Grandpa. At lunch as I was leaving after finishing, one of the teachers Brian Frable asked me how everything was going and so I told him that my Grandpa had a mini stroke and my eyes started tearing up. So Brain prayed for me which I appreciated it and I would appreciate it if you would pray for him. You don't know how much it would mean to me if you did that. My family would appreciate it as well. But as the day went on I was thinking the worst and I didn't want to do any of the reading I had to get done.

Once again, prayers would be very, very appreciate. I can't state how much appreciated prayers would be.

Until next time: ignorance is bliss!
Mr. C.C.

“Live this day as if it will be your last. Remember that you will only find ''tomorrow'' on the calendars of fools. Forget yesterday's defeats and ignore the problems of tomorrow. This is it. Doomsday. All you have. Make it the best day of your year. The saddest words you can ever utter are, ''If I had my life to live over again. ''Take the baton, now. Run with it! This is your day! Beginning today, treat everyone you meet, friend or foe, loved one or stranger, as if they were going to be dead at midnight. Extend to each person, no matter how trivial the contact, all the care and kindness and understanding and love that you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again.”
-Og Mandino, American Essayist and Psychologist, 1923-1996

Back From Edmonton

Well, I just go back from Edmonton. It was a very long day if you are wondering. The odd thing is we were away from CBC for around 15 hours. Eight and a half to nine of those hours was spent at the West Edmonton Mall. I know what you are thinking and sure it was a long time to waste at a single mall, but it was good times all around. It was cool hanging with people like Jon Loewen, Mark Jensen, Ian Solomon, Jesse Stegeman and various others. Jesse and myself were in Sport Chek and we double teamed this tackling (for a lack of a better word) dummy. Good times, good times! I also saw other people from school there like Tom Rorem, Courtney, Eric Braun, Danny, Hannah, Ashley, etc.. It was like over half of the school was there.

Sure I maybe tired, but it was worth going. I ate some food from this Chinese supermarket in this Chinatown section of the West Edmonton Mall. Chinatown must be a new section in the mall. But the food was sooooooo damn good. The next time I am in the West Edmonton Mall, I will have to remember that supermarket. I felt like a minority in that place. HA! But it was all good.

It's crazy how big of a Chinese population Edmonton has. Just looking around the West Edmonton Mall and you can see the Chinese as a big part of Edmonton.

Finished My Foundations Of Faith Paper

I have been working on my paper for over 12 hours and I finally got it done. I wrote an eight page paper for foundations of faith class. It's seven and a bit. Either way I hope I get a good mark because I worked hard on that paper. My head is saying "no more" and I won't have to do anymore foundations of faith papers because the class is finished for the year. My brain was going to implode if I didn't finish.

Theology is black and white with no gray area. It's either one or the other, there is no and. But I am sure if you researched it enough you could find some gray area. Either way no more foundations of faith!

Now I have read the book for youth ministry so I can write the paper on that. I don't want to do another paper. No more papers! I guess I will suck it up. I am in college after all. I just want to enjoy my break. I will have time to enjoy it and get this other paper done. I will also be catching up on my Bible reading as well. I need to be in Ezekiel 15 by Valentines Day. I will do a bunch of reading over the break.

Until next time, take care of yourself and each other!
Mr. C.C.

"Writing gives you the illusion of control, and then you realize it's just an illusion, that people are going to bring their own stuff into it."
-David Sedaris, interview in Louisville Courier-Journal, June 5, 2005
American writer