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I am the Church of Sardis
I am the Church of Philadelphia

Busy with externals, religious activity, devoid of spiritual life & power – I have faith, but I am timid – I need to wake up, take action – I need God’s power to strengthen me, give me direction, wisdom, understanding and guidance. I need time. I need quiet. I need solitude. I need alone with with Him.

*Sardis & Philly were two of the seven churches that letters were written to in the book of Revelation. Look them up - which Church are you?*

Blessed.

My list is growing. Good Lord, is my list ever growing. First it’s this project, then it’s that proposal, then it’s that research, then it’s just this "little" but still time consuming buy, then it’s the on-going project that never leaves, then it’s another new project that requires all your effort and time, then it’s back to the old campaign, and then it’s accommodating requests, and determining dates and juggling budgets, and then it’s emails, and emails, and emails, and emails! Good Lord, my list is growing.

But I love it and I feel blessed.

G-Rizz Turns the Big 2-8!

Yup, my brother Gareth has officially turned 28. Not that 28 is a ‘big’ year in any way – but it’s big because it’s the first time I can blog about it! And he just so happens to be a very important person to me, so it all works itself out well. So here is an ‘ode’ to Bob (yes, Bob; I couldn’t pronounce his name when I was younger, so Bob it was):

Early childhood memories of Gareth include me breaking his “I-worked-on-this-for-HOURS!” Lego marble structure, playing hide-and-go-seek in his room and me breaking my arm (it was a great hiding spot though), being pulled around the lawn on a cardboard box because all the grass had died and made for a nice ‘skimming’ effect, getting so excited to see the white mould inthe garage because we thought it was SNOW(!), playing with dirt in the back corner by the rose bushes, zapping fireflies in the front lawn, playing on (or getting rolled over by) the ‘jungle gym’, riding our bikes down to the pool when it was hot, and secretly admiring him and his friends from my little ol’ grade 3 point of view….those are just a few…

Then the teenage years roll on by and we begin to see his passion come through; music. He begs my parents for a drum kit and plays incessantly for hours and hours and hours in his small little room with no fresh air and no proper lighting. He loved it and you could see the glee on his face when he really ‘got’ it. Unfortunately, the practicality of it, and the fact that the two grumpy old men downstairs didn’t like it too much, took over and we got rid of the drum set. Then the techno-trance-house-drum-&-base music started and we thought that would never end. “Around the world, around the world…around the world, around the world…” Thanks Daft Punk; you’ll forever be in my memory now. He thrived off of creating new music and putting two unseemingly (is that a word?) good beats together. He got himself some turn tables and records and there the passion began to flourish. Again, hours upon hours of spinning and mixing and it was then that we too realized his potential.

Have you ever seen someone doing something they really love, and been fortunate enough to be a part of it and witness it first hand? That’s what it’s like when I watch G play. Cue the sappy music if you will. Seriously though, I have always admired my brother for his drive, his talent, his enthusiasm, his passion and his love for others. I admire his creativity and the fact that he just writes and draws and designs whatever he wants – and it looks GOOD. Really GOOD.

He is a gifted musician, artist & entrepreneur and I thank God for placing him in my life to laugh with, to argue with, with make fun of my mom with (all with love, of course), to share his joy with & to watch him play. I look up to him for his tenacity and integrity and am thankful that at least one of us got the ‘musical’ genes from my mom & grandpa. He is supportive and always willing to offer some good advice or ideas, whether he thinks I’ll follow through with them or not.

Minus some rough patches throughout the years, we’re pretty close now and I love our relationship. We’re brother and sister, and no matter what your relationship is like with your siblings, you just can’t deny that brothers/sisters share a special bond unlike any other kind of siblings.

So Bob – Happy Birthday brudda. You deserve only the happiest moments in life and I pray that you’ll see God’s love for you soon.
Here’s to another 28 years of “Shagrath”.

Love you,
Thug.

DJ Eldon, doing what he loves...

Brudda & Sista.

Parental Discretion Advised

"Michael Myers is a killer, plain and simple. He does his work without mercy, seemingly without thought, stabbing or stomping or smashing his victims' faces long past the point of death until they are empty not only of life, but even the faintest trace of humanity.

His first victim—already bashed and cut and spitting up blood from a car accident—is decapitated with a piece of glass, and we see Myers sawing fervently (the camera looks on from behind) at the man's neck. He later picks up the head and lets it drop in a field. Another victim, the stripper, has her head smashed into a pane of glass repeatedly. At first she screams, but when she's no longer capable of that, she just jerks. And then she's still and silent—dead—and Myers smashes her face into the shattered pane again.

What may be Myers' most horrific killing takes place offscreen. We hear scream after scream as we watch an unrelated scene. But not content to leave well enough alone, Zombie eventually shows off the victim—in a bathroom covered with her blood—gasping and gurgling her last few minutes of life away while Laurie holds her.

Myers kills at least 14 people and a dog before the end credits fade and his grim, cruel world is mercifully wrapped in black. Most he stabs to death. One he impales on a set of antlers. Another he crushes with his foot—his heel smashing repeatedly into his victim's skull until it looks like a smashed melon. He snaps someone's arm, sending the bone through the skin. He gouges someone else's eyes out.

Myers eats part of the dog he kills. He pushes a car off the side of the road and sets it on fire. He tears through a guard shack with an ax. A van hits a cow. A man pulls a gun on Loomis. The sheriff threatens and points his gun. Someone is shot a couple of times. The end credits feature cutaways to realistic-looking murder scenes, corpses and all. Some of the pictures look as though they were meant to be "taken" during the police investigation of Myers' killings, but not all. "

This, as I’m sure you’ve realized, is a summary of the gruesome, graphic, lewd, inconceivable and down-right sickening scenes that one could see in the newly released movie “Halloween II”. Can I just say....what… the… heck? I am honestly dumbfounded by Rob Zombie and his desire to create a movie like this. And I’m even more dumbfounded by people who would actually pay to see this kind of &*!$. Excuse the ‘language’. Movies like this literally make me sick…am I the only one? I don’t think I am, and yet it’s probably made a couple million in its first release weekend alone. I would love to see some sort of research done, comparing this exact movie to the hundreds of violent acts that may become of it. Perhaps I’m being too harsh, or judgemental, but when God says that our bodies are temples – He’s talking about the eyes & ears too. And no, I’m not saying that every person who sees this movie is going to go scalp someone, but just think about it…it just nauseates me so much to think that a movie like this will be worshipped without a second of consideration. Thoughts?

Good vs. Best

I’m feeling challenged. One of my devotions over the weekend was from Ecclesiastes 9:10. Simply put, it’s this:

Whatever work you do, do your best.

God honors work. So honor God in your work. Such a true statement from Max Lucado…and while it definitely applies to my job, it also applies to other areas of my life: friendships, relationships & commitments. All of these require work – and not just any work, my best work. Am I doing my very best in these situations, or am I content doing ‘good’ things? Voltaire once wrote: “The enemy of the best is the good.” I know I’ve quoted that before and I’ll forever quote it in my own mind as a reminder to myself to be doing my best.

This leads me to my question though about doing one’s best; what does it actually look like? How can I realistically do my best in everything? I admire Ash’s quote “I am the best version of me that I could come up with.” I wish I could say that about myself, but I don’t think I’m there. And I know God’s grace steps in where I am insufficient, but that’s just it: I’m not doing my best.

Would you, if you happen to read this, help keep me accountable on a few things?

Spend more time praying and less time talking
Spend more time learning and less time watching
Spend more time listening and less time being idle
Spend more time being productive and less time being wasted
Spend more time doing my best than just doing good

Victor Hugo once said, “Certain thoughts are prayers. There are moments when, whatever be the attitude of the body, the soul is on its knees.”

I pray that my soul would constantly be on its knees; calling out for wisdom, crying out for understanding, and doing my best in order to glorify my Lord.

The Elbow

I already know what you’re asking: “she wrote a blog entry about the elbow? Get this woman to doctor, stat!” But seriously though, I was told something recently about the elbow that just blew my mind. I had never heard it before and yet, it makes so much sense!! More on that in a mo.

But here are some other interesting facts about the elbow thanks to good ol’ Wiki:

• It is made up of 3 bones; the Humerus, the Paired Radius and the Ulna.
• There are two main movements to the elbow: the hinge-like bending and straightening of the elbow & the complex action of turning the forearm over.
• There are 4 main ‘diseases’ associated with elbows; most of which are due to injury: Tendonitis, Fractures, Infection & Arthritis.
• An interesting fact about my elbows: they don’t line up due to a fracture when I was 6. Ask me and I’ll show you one day. And you’ll probably laugh – just like my family often does.
• And last but not least, the most important thing I’ve learnt about the elbow is this: YOU WILL NEVER MISS A ‘HIGH-5’ IF YOU LOOK AT THE PERSON’S ELBOW TO WHOM YOU ARE HIGH-5-ING. NEVER.

Isn’t that brilliant?

Feel free to take me to the doctor now.

Random-ing

So it’s Friday – another Friday. This week, like many weeks before it, has flown by. It felt like just yesterday that I was answering the phone in my Monday voice and now here I am answering in my excited “yay, it’s Friday!” voice. And believe me, there is a difference. It’s all in the lips; answering a call with a smile can absolutely, without a doubt be heard on the other end of a phone line. I’ve tested the theory and it works. Try it and see what kind of voice reactions you get from the other side.

This weekend is going to be a gooder: coffee-ing, garage saling, sibling-ing, music pumping, sleeping in-ing, churching, worshipping, lunching, researching, missing, photographing, goodbye-ing & celebrating. Lots of things to look forward to, I’d say.

I’m getting very anxious though, of all the fine folks leaving good ol’ Twas. Jen, Gat, Brigh, Alisha, Mei, Rachelle, Maddie, Saraya, Carly…this just isn’t right! Yet I know that it’s what God has planned for them all and who am I to argue with the Big Guy upstairs? All I can do is pray for them wholeheartedly that God would look after them, challenge them, give them opportunities to mature and grow in faith and obedience, become connected, make life-long friendships, know what it feels like to be in a loving, Christ-centered community and of course love one another well. That can be done, right?

“All in due time, child, all in due time.” Thank goodness for God’s timing.
God is good all the time...and all the time God is good.