Amazing :)

God never ceases to amaze me. :) Last night I got to attend an appreciation event for volunteers at my church. Although it's impossible for me to attend regularly, I help out with the summer day camps - which is why I could go. It was a fabulous night! We had dessert, worship, and a message. It felt so much like church! Joshua Seller led worship, and a guest speaker spoke about the importance of being a slave for Christ.

I came home and started feeling rather down because I didn't have the opportunity to have such amazing experiences every week. So many Christians take going to church for granted - they view it as "just another day" or "another service." But I would give anything to be able to go to church on a Sunday - anything!

So, I decided to ask my mom if I could go to church tomorrow...I was terrified that she would yell or swear at me (her usual reaction), but she actually said yes!

I am going to church tomorrow for the first time in almost a year! God is so good! :)

Am I Crazy?

I definitely think I am - in this world, anyways.

I just finished reading "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan - an amazing book! If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend that you do. It's life changing and thought provoking. Not a very difficult read intellectually - but very difficult on the comfort level. Don't read it if you don't want your life to change.

Anyways, after I finished reading it, a crazy thought popped into my head...I want my life to be harder. Yeah, insane, I know...but I actually do. I want God to give me storms so that I'm closer to Him - I don't want to be complacent and lukewarm...I want to be on fire and passionate!

I have no idea where my life is headed or how things will turn out. This whole U of T thing really scared me - but now I realize that it's God's will for my life. I can shine as a light to others in the midst of sin, brokenness, and bad decisions. I can live for Jesus.

It's like that Mikeschair song called "Let the Waters Rise." The chorus goes like:

There's a raging sea right in front of me, wants to pull me in, bring me to my knees

So let the waters rise, if You want them to, I will follow You, I will follow You.

Lord, I want life to get harder if it means I'll be closer to You. I want to stand before Your throne in heaven and say, "Lord, I did all I could to live a life that glorified You. I did the best with what You gave me, and I'm ready to spend eternity with You."

Father's Day :)

Today is Father's Day - and even though my dad isn't home, I can still celebrate it with my Heavenly Daddy.

I'm planning on finishing the book "Crazy Love" today. I'm also scheduling ONE HOUR of time alone with the Lord - no distractions :) It will be spent in worship, reading the Bible, and prayer. I'm really excited!

While it's nice to wish your biological dad a Happy Father's Day, don't forget about God, the spiritual Father to us all.

Prom :)

An apology is needed for my week+ absence from blogging. There's less than three weeks of school left, which means I've been bombarded with tests, assignments, and essays. Thankfully, I've finished all my work. The next few weeks are going to be used for studying (a lot), and a bit of relaxing, too.

Yesterday, I got to go to PROM! It was amazing and lots of fun! There's pictures below to look at :) Joel picked me up around 4, and we got lots of pictures taken before we left. Everyone was meeting down at the waterfront for more photos...and then we arrived at the actual event! It was at our school, but the prom committee did a great job decorating it. Dinner was delicious, and the dancing was great. The only disappointment was that everyone left so early...the people were more excited for after prom than prom. Which was incredibly dumb!

Joel and I stayed until around 9...we were one of the last ones to leave. He surprised me with his not so bad dance skills! We dropped by my friend's after prom, and then spent the rest of the night together at his house watching Guys and Dolls. I got home around 2 AM and went straight to bed. I woke up at 1:30 PM today, and have been laying on the couch since then.

Now that this great event is over, it's time to get back to reality (and studying).

Time to Think

I've had a long and interesting week since I last posted. There's been many tears, laughs, and smiles...and lots of time to think.

Although I'm not going to go into much detail (this blog is available to some of my friends), I will say that I received a huge lesson in obedience and submission. I was being stubborn in a situation, thinking + secretly hoping that I was right. Well, turns out I was wrong. I had to let go of my pride, and honestly ask God for a new heart and a new way to see things.

The thing about sin is that we love being in it, and we try to trick ourselves into thinking it's right. Fortunately, God loves us too much to just leave us in our sin. Which is why He graciously taught me this lesson.

Father, I thank You for Your greatness. Your love amazes me. I especially thank You for being patient and gracious towards me. I know there are areas in my life that need Your light, and I pray that You help me change. I want to be more like You, to live a life that overflows with passion.

Here are some photos of my University...and yes, I've made my decision! I will be attending University of Toronto -> Victoria College. It's in the top 15 best Universities in the world, and it has around 40,000 undergraduates. I'm terrified, but trusting God with my whole heart. He's got a plan for me. :)