J9's Property

Yeah, I guess it's been a while....

No, I haven't abandoned my blogs, I've just been rather caught up in goings-on around here...between practicing my fingers off for various Easter weekend gigs, and the insanity that's been work lately....

As for work, in the space of 3 months, we've lost 5 people from our unit. That means 5 caseloads to be absorbed by the rest of us, some of whom (including yours truly) are already at the maximum load you'd want to be at. Yee-ha. We've had 3 people quit (2 had new jobs to go to, the 3rd we don't know....), one person got promoted (yay!), and one person got fired. To top it all off, we were informed today that the unit manager is being moved to another unit, so we'll be getting a new manager.....sometime.....

Yikes!

As for Easter weekend gigs, I wanted to tell you all about a concert we'll be participating in on Easter Saturday (April 7th) at 7pm. It's the annual Impact Brass Anniversary concert. (for those of you who are confused, Impact Brass is the group formerly known as the Ontario South Divisional Youth Band) A group that Doug and I play with, Marked By Love, is the special guest group for the evening. If you haven't heard of us yet, check us out at markedbylove.com! We'll be performing music from our new CD, (which will hopefully be available that night!), as well as a brand new song, written especially by my friend, Donna Harris, for the occasion. If you're the type that likes to sample the wares prior to purchase, go to our MySpace site, where you can hear samples of the music we'll be playing.

If you'd like to come, the concert is at Mountain Citadel in Hamilton (at the corner of Stone Church Road and Upper Gage Ave), and I believe tickets are $10.00 at the door. We'd love to see you there!!!

If you're more the Toronto type, and don't feel like going to Hamilton, you can check out the North York Temple Good Friday concert. It's at the corps (25 Centre Ave, near Yonge and Steeles) on Good Friday evening, I believe it starts at 7:30, and I think the tickets are $5.00. The concert will feature the North York Temple musical sections, including the band, songsters, junior band, and singing company.

Any wonder I haven't had time to blog lately!!! Well, if you're able to make it to either of the concerts, maybe we can be old-fashioned, and catch up in person!

Well, that's what they've named my testimony this Sunday, anyway. I've been asked, as a representative from the songsters, to give my testimony about what I learned during the 40 days of Purpose.

I guess you could call this a trial run...

It would take me way too long to talk about everything I learned over the 4 weeks, so I'll just talk about the 2 main lessons that had their greatest impact on me.

The first lesson is that I am uniquely made with a specific ministry in mind. We are all made in a certain shape, with an individual personality, specific abilities, and given special gifts, which all equip us to serve God in the ministry he chose for us.

I have a very bad habit of constantly comparing myself to other people. I will often look at someone and think to myself, 'I really wish I had their ability'; 'I wish I had that personality trait'; 'I wish I could do what they do.' It's a trap: if we all had each other's gifts, abilities, and traits, then as Rick says, certain things wouldn't get done!

It's like a foot wishing it was a hand. If the foot was a hand, it wouldn't be able to do the job a foot is supposed to do, and the person would fall over. It's the same with us. We have a special place in God's family, and we have been designated for that ministry since before we were born. I need to accept my abilities and my limitations, and strive to grow into the person God made me to be, so I can do the job God created me to do.

Rick Warren had a really good suggestion for discovering just what our intended ministry is: try different things! Many people have no idea what their special place in God's family is. The mistake is to sit in a pew, and assume that you don't have a ministry. Instead, Rick suggests that you try out different ministries that interest you, until you find the one that fits you. If you find out you're not suited to a certain area of ministry, don't get discouraged; chalk it up to experience, and try something else.

Now, that's not to say that we can use the line "this is the way God made me" to justify poor behaviour. We still need to strive to become the person God intended us to be. And to do that, there is one person whom we must try to emulate: Christ. Just because you have certain personality traits that aren't all that positive, doesn't mean you should let them all hang out, especially when it is counter-productive to your ministry. God continually gives us opportunities to develop our character, so we can grow into the person He envisioned when He created us.

That's the second lesson that really stuck with me: God uses all kinds of experiences to mold us. I don't think there's a single person in my church who has not gone through a time of physical or emotional pain, or intense temptation. The important thing to remember is, "all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose."

I think everyone has asked the question, "why do bad things happen to good people?" Rick has a great answer for this: "God's not concerned about our comfort, He's concerned about our character!" I've experienced this first hand, and even during the 40 Days. When we met for study time on Thursday nights, we would spend the first part of the evening watching a video of Rick Warren. We would then break into small groups for discussion and prayer. The tricky part about the small group time, was that the groups were chosen entirely at random. We had no idea who was going to be in our group, until we actually met together for the first time.

Now, anyone who knows me, will know that I am your classic, stereotypical, shy, introvert. I don't feel very comfortable around people I don't know, and I tend to simply ignore them out of a total lack of knowledge of what to do! So, when I'm thrust into a group of people I don't know very well, or just plain don't like very much, it's very difficult for me to focus on what we're supposed to be doing. But, God's not concerned about my comfort; He's concerned about my character! So I decided I was going to learn from the experience, and keep my thoughts focussed on the discussion at hand, and not let my negative feelings get in the way. It was a challenge, I can tell you that!

One great suggestion Rick had was the concept of a Spiritual Journal, where one would record the experiences they have gone through, and the lessons learned through those experiences. Rick's comment was, "a lesson forgotten is an experience wasted." If God's going to allow you to go through a difficult experience for the purpose of teaching you a lesson, or developing a character trait, wouldn't it be horrible to realize that you've forgotten what you were supposed to learn? You would have gone through all that pain and angst for nothing! I took a lot of history courses in university, and one truth was demonstrated over and over again: those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.

What I can tell you for sure, is that I am continuing to go through difficulties and uncomfortable situations. I know I have a lot to learn, and I hope I can always remember what I've been taught in the past. I have important lessons to learn, because these lessons will equip me to fulfill the purpose God has for my life: to worship Him, to fellowship with other believers, to grow in Him, to serve in ministry, and to spread His gospel. I know I have a long way to go yet, before I begin to resemble the person God made me to be, but I firmly believe that He who began a good work in me, will carry it on to completion!

I love to read. Give me a good novel, and I'll have it read cover-to-cover in 2 days. (we're talking the 500-600 page size)

But, tell me I have to read something, and do you think I can do it?

It's like pulling teeth!

I started out so well, reading the Purpose Driven Life. I was on top of the readings, keeping on track, even remembering what I was reading. A book like that, you'd think I'd be flying through it, reading ahead, trying to pace myself so I don't have it read through so quickly that I don't remember things when we finally discuss them at the sessions.

Instead, it's a chore. One that I think to myself, "I really should do that.....right after I do something else...." I struggle to concentrate on what it is I'm reading, fight the distractions that wouldn't even touch my sub-conscious level if it were a good novel I was reading.

It's SO frustrating!

I'm seriously behind on PDL now. No hope of catching up. We have a session tonight, then the final session on Sunday. All I can do now is try to actually finish reading the book, but with no outside motivation, I'm not sure if it will happen.

(someone) is laughing right now.

And I hate it when (he) does that.

I so remember the excitement, back when I was a kid, whenever we had a snow day! The anticipation of listening to the radio, waiting to hear those wonderful words, "Wentworth County school board, buses cancelled!" Woo-hoo! Time to play outside all day, build snow forts, and play hooky with permission!!

I may be a grown-up now, but I still love a good snow day!!

They are certainly few-and-far-between; since I live only 10-15 minutes from my office, I usually don't have an excuse to not come in. Those that live much further away are much more believe-able, when they call in and say, "the roads are too bad, I can't drive in that!" I, on the other hand, would likely get the response of, "oh, it's not that bad, you don't have far to come..."

Today, though, is another story. Thanks to a whole lot of freezing rain, our entire office is without power.

Yee-Ha!! Snow Day!!

So I can relax, get some things done around here, and dream of what life would be like if I didn't have to work. I certainly wouldn't be bored, I've got too many irons in the fire! Between piano, scrapbooking, photography, all these things I just don't have the time to do with a full-time job.

But, I just might take some time to play in the snow, for old time's sake!

For those of you who are interested, yes, I went to bible study last week. I basically quarantined myself, so no-one else would catch what I had!

We watched another Rick Warren video, and then broke into our small groups. I ended up in a very interesting group, with a good mix: some people I know very well, and am very comfortable with; some people I don't know at all; and some people I do know, and am NOT very comfortable with. It will certainly help me to grow! I have to admit, I had to remind myself a couple of times to keep my not-so-nice thoughts in check, and to stay focussed on what we were discussing. It's a learning experience to say the least!

As far as the reading goes, I was doing wonderfully well (and quite proud of it!) until Friday. That old quote "pride goeth before the fall" came to life in vivid detail, as this evening was the first time I've read since Friday morning! (I feel sheepish...) I'm bound and determined to get caught up in time for this Thursday, though. Pray I won't let anything get in the way!

Speaking of which, I am going to sign off, so I can go read!

You know, I'm getting the distinct impression that (someone) doesn't want me doing the 40 Days of Purpose...

I'm very happy to say, I've been doing all the readings so far! I'm right on schedule. It hasn't been easy, let me tell you! I've been fine, making the time to read: I've been doing one reading as soon as I wake up in the morning, and another reading each evening as I'm getting ready for bed. Each time, though, it's a battle to keep my concentration on what I'm reading. There's constant distraction: the TV is going elsewhere in the house, but loud enough for me to hear it; I have trouble staying awake (especially during the early-morning readings); other noises/thoughts intrude; and my bladder always seems to want to tell me it's full, even if it isn't! I've managed to ignore the distractions for the most part, although there have been several times when I've had to go back and re-read a paragraph or 2, because what I've read hasn't sunk in!

OK, so I'm battling through the readings. How about the weekly meetings? Well, we have our second one tomorrow night, and wouldn't you know it, I'm sick!! I finally picked up one of the many cold bugs flying around this year (actually, I think I did OK, not catching anything until February!), so far it's settled in my chest; I don't know if it's going to migrate upwards, or if this is it. Regardless, I have a feeling that tomorrow will be worse than today, just in time for our first meeting in small groups!

This set of readings and bible studies is evidently very important for me to participate in, if (he)'s working so hard to keep me from it! (he)'s not going to get the upper hand, and I'm going tomorrow night if I have to drag myself there and wear a mask!

The musical sections at our corps are doing something very odd.

(for them, anyway)

For the next 4 weeks, there will be no rehearsals.

Instead, there will be Bible Study.

?????????????????????????????????

Anyone who knows anything about North York Temple, will know that it is one of the more traditional corps in the city, especially when it comes to music. We have a very strong band program, and the songsters aren't far behind. We have very strong leaders, a lot of musicians (with names like Venables, Allington, Rawlins), and the focus has always been the MUSIC.

So, when it was announced last week that the leaders would be giving up their rehearsal time (in the middle of a busy season, no less), and instead the groups would come together on one of the rehearsal nights to do a bible study, needless to say there were a few raised eyebrows. (mine included)

I'm thinking to myself, this could be a very good thing!

I was very surprised that the Bandmaster and Songster Leader agreed to this. Our corps band is a very busy one, with big grandiose concerts and special events happening every couple of months or so. They're even preparing to do a recording. But, I think this bible study shows that the priority is being put in the right place. It's also teaching the younger kids in the corps what the priority should be.

We'll be going through Rick Warren's "The Purpose-Driven Life". Now, our own little bible study group (when it was running) already did this book. I'm not upset about doing it again, though, because it was a couple of years ago, and to be honest, I don't remember a whole lot. I'm looking forward to refreshing my memory, and maybe getting a different perspective as well. (different leaders can have that effect!)

I'm also looking forward to being in a small group setting with people I don't normally hang out with. The small groups are being chosen completely by random, and while some may find that scarey, I'll be interested to see how the dynamic works out. Especially if I wind up in a group with someone I don't like/get along with/appreciate. As was said in the first session last night, "God's not worried about our comfort; He's concerned with our character".

One concession that was made for the leaders, is that we'll be squishing the "40 days" into 4 weeks, so we're having to read 2 chapters a day instead of 1. That's OK - I enjoy reading. I just hope I can keep up with it...

Sherrilyn and Elfreda brought up a very good point last week: we don't get near the scriptural teaching through the church that we used to. Think about it: we used to have 2 meetings plus open-air every Sunday, as kids we started in Sunday School, then went to Junior Soldiers, then Sr Soldiers, then Corps Cadets, then usually youth group every week. It was perfectly normal to be at the corps 4-5 days out of the week, and not just for musical practices.

But, then they started cutting things out, watering things down, and catering to outside influences. Short-cuts taken. Meetings cancelled. Programs altered in an attempt to "make it more relevant". Eventually, things just plain petered out. It's a sad state, really.

And we wonder why church attendance is down?....

I hope the rest of the congregation, and maybe even some other corps, might take our example and try the same thing. Take a sabbatical from something you think is important, and focus for a time on what truly is important. It's the age-old concept of fasting, and it can do wonders for your soul!