one body fest

oooh boy.

so we've been planning this festival for months. september 12...it echoed in our minds and our day planners (or diaries) -- we couldn't get away from it.

what would happen?

would students show up? would they find a church? would churches show up?

we asked dozens upon dozens of questions, except...

will it rain?

will it pour and wind and be freezing cold?

answer: yes.



all the plans of mice and men...do go awry.

My friend Brenda.

1 John 5:13-15 (The Message)

"My purpose in writing is simply this: that you who believe in God's Son will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life, the reality and not the illusion. And how bold and free we then become in his presence, freely asking according to his will, sure that he's listening. And if we're confident that he's listening, we know that what we've asked for is as good as ours."

My friend Brenda Wilchowy (the Pas, Manitoba) has this quoted on her blog. She's going on an 11-month adventure around the world with an organization called "Adventures in Missions".

She and I did our dts together, and became friends over our mutual love of cheesecake. I had the overwhelming and awesome opportunity to see her ever-too-briefly last summer (2007), and I must say that I love her to pieces.

Her blog is a great place to find out more about what she's doing -- I'm pretty excited for her.

I've just been talking with a friend about uncertainty in life, and for me, I am certainly uncertain. I am in Lethbridge, because I know felt that God was asking me to stay here, and it was quite a journey just coming to terms with that. I woke up this morning, amazed that this is where I live -- some days, I really miss home. Some days, I really want to get married. Some days, I want to quit my job and work at the church. Some days, I want to stay in bed. And some days, I am just so absolutely certain that this is where I should be -- something within me believes that this confidence doesn't need to be as shaky as it is.

i have decided something.

i am becoming an artist.

perhaps you thought that i already was one -- perhaps you are right. what i mean, though, is that i am changing the way i think about myself. i will now think, when i get up each day, "I AM AN ARTIST".

not really, but it is something that i will be exploring more. i've realized that i love to paint! it's such a beautiful, satisfying and challenging way to indulge my love of all things visual.

i just finished an 8' x 12' painting for an event that several churches in Lethbridge are taking part in. it's called one body fest and the idea is that if we are the church, the body, the bride of Christ, and there are new students entering our city each year who come from churches...we should be welcoming them! so we're going to try and do that. there's a lot more to it, obviously, and there's a sense of urgency in it, because so many people leave the church and let go of faith in these young adult years.

we want to see that statistic change, not so we can keep butts in pews, but so that we can together discover the truest meaning of the gospel...

again, more to that than i was preparing to type right now.

here is the painting in 3 stages -- i'm thinking that i'll get prints made of it so that ya'll can have a copy of your very own.