Wow, that was a long weekend. It was good too. Saturday I had a bunch of friends
over for supper and we watched "The Fellowship of the Rings." The Extended version. Four hours of action on screen. Then Sunday afternoon we went to a park, and in the evening to a good-bye party for someone moving to Windsor. Yesterday afternoon, we were helping some soon-to-be newly-weds move stuff into
their new apartment. After we were done we watched "The Two Towers."
School starts next week. I'm actually looking forward to it. It'll be nice to have a groove again after having to make up stuff to do for the last four and a half months.
Poking around The Toronto Star website, I found a couple of useful sites for people looking to save on gasoline. Gas Buddy and Gas Tips are a couple of websites that record what gasoline prices are in various parts of numerous cities. Next time you're filling up it might be useful to check them out. Gas Buddy doesn't currently have any records for KW, and Gas Tips doesn't seem to have the best priced places. For instance, both have London stations and Gas Buddy told me of one place that was selling at about 4 cents cheaper per litre than the cheapest on Gas Tips. I guess they both just need more people volunteering the info.
Wow, a lot has happened in the last 5 days since I posted last. Wednesday night I started to help a friend who is putting together a playroom in the basement. We framed up a couple of walls that night, then finished the framing on Friday night. ( I got a couple of bruises on my left index finger from missing the nails). Saturday, we wired it up, and then some of us went for barbeque at someone else's house. The rest went off to prepare for a Sunday wedding. After church on Sunday that's where I went too. I got roped into the decorating committee. It took about two and a half hours to get things decorated. It only took a half hour to an hour to tear everything down again after the dance. And yes, I was out on the dance floor. That'll likely come as a bit of a suprise to my friends who've seen me try to dance before, but I found if I leave my glasses behind I'm much less self-conscious and can enjoy myself jumping around.
Yesterday was the first day of classes. Like I said to my Latin prof, I'm likley to be a little bored for the first half the term. She has to go through and explain English grammar to the 18 year olds in our class. Meanwhile, I remember learning it well in high school. Mine was a throwback high school that stressed grammar. And if I haven't learned it all by now, having studied Russian, Greek and Hebrew, I'm not likely to learn it ever. (And I don't mean composition. I'm aware I make mistakes when typing. Don't go calling me on those. When I say grammar, I'm talking about knowing the meaning of Subject, Object, Verb, Adjective etc.)
From the wonderful news department, my friends, M&A, had their first child at 4:30 this morning. I'm sure he'll grow up to be a strong lad.
In other news, starting Wednesday last week I've gotten into negotiations for a job as research assistant in the School of Computer Science at UW. I think it's the job for me, and I'm rather excited about it. I'm sure the competition is fierce since I have just the minimum qualifications. But I'm sure I can pull a rabbit out of my hat.
That's all for now. I've got prepare for the rest of my day. Hmm, a nap sounds good.
Aw, I went and did again. In the post below, I said "just have the minimum qualifications." That's not true. I really need to work on my preference for lying over praising myself. It's a bad habit.
In real world happenings, I've finished my first week of class. Latin, Hebrew and French look pretty easy. My Jewish Philosophy and Mysticism class looks interesting, though it's annoying that it's 3 hours all at once. Sitting on those hard wood chairs for three hours is not fun. There are ten students in the class 5 guys and 5 women. It turned out in Thursday's class that all the guys sat along one side and all the women along the other. Odd how that works.
is pretty much all I've been thinking of for a few days. Friday night I was at my friends' place, putting up drywall. Then we continued on Saturday. We finished drilling it on and started with the putty. That stuff stinks, but you don't really notice to much if you don't breath deep. After playing with their daughters a bit, I returned home and was in bed by 9:30. Pretty tired.
In the meantime, I've got a phone interview tomorrow. A door is open a crack.
In more fun stuff, I got to see the little baby with parents today. Healthy looking kid.
This week has been quite busy. I've been going to school, helping one friend drywal, and helping another friend paint his new (resale) house. It's a whole load of fun and work. This morning I had a telephone interview with this professor that's looking to hire a research assistant. Finally! It only took two weeks or so to get the interview set up and done. I think the interview went rather well, and I should hear back from him next week some time. It's a good God that provides me with oppurtunites such as this.
This morning I was privileged to go to a meeting called a Team Time. We often refer to it as Team Time with Loys, since Loys leads them and is an excellent speaker and relationship builder. He seems to make friends with everyone he meets; give him five minutes with someone and he's made a new friend.
So we were sitting down and talking at the beginning and we got onto one of the major topics of the day here in Canada: Gay Marriage. It's well beyond my ability to remember everything that was said, but the discussion moved onto why things have gotten to this juncture. Leaders in government are not standing for the very things their constituents are asking them for, but are willing to accept more power in return for voting along the party line. And there seems to be a dearth of Christians willing to take on the responsibility of putting their names on the ballot.
It was at this point that Loys pointed out that this wasn't even the most important thing that should be on the hearts and minds of Christians. We should be standing our ground on moral issues, telling the government that this is right and this is wrong. And in the meantime, much more important than convincing the government of that is to be reaching people who are lost. We should be find creative ways to evangelise and reach out to those who need help.
This is not talking about street evangelism, or door to door, or teaching people the four spiritual laws. Although there are some people for whom that is exactly what they need. Loys told us about a community centre in Mississauga(I think, I missed the actual location) that his church has been sowing into. First they showed up and started a youth outreach program. The youth there asked, 'So how long before you leave like the people before you?' Loys says he replied, 'Just wait around and see.' It's been four years. Various families of his church have moved into the neighbourhood, (which Loys described as one of the feeding points for the drugs trade in Toronto, so not where most people want to raise their children) and fed into that community centre. Then more recently, they looked at what the church was doing and asked how to expand that outreach. Their members were on the board for the community centre, and the youth were being reached for Christ. Loys started to canvas door to door, since that is what he does well. Knock on a door. Told the man at the door who he was, that they've been look after the children at the community centre, that we love the children, but it's not only the children, we also love you. Is there anything we can pray for you? I'm out of work this last year and a half. Can you give me your family name so I can pray for you? Yes. Thank you. What field are you in? I don't wish to pry, and you don't have to tell me. Computers. Thank you. The man's little daughter is there listening to all of this. Seeds being sown into her life as well. When Loys left he called some others in his church and asked them to pray for this man, giving his name.
I have no idea if Loys has seen any fruit from this, but look, Loys did not tell the whole gospel to the man. Most likely the man was not ready to hear it, but we can be sure that man, and others who are still being canvased in that neighbourhood, will have a seed and maybe ask questions. Just because you haven't given the whole gospel doesn't mean you haven't evangelised. And so much we want to sow wide in the hopes of reaching many, but we get one, while by sowing into a specific area we can reach many, continually working with them. Some churches boast of having saved many souls during some outreach event, but when the event is over, the chuch has not grown. What has happened? The new christians have not been discipled into maturity. That is a much more important thing than how many have been saved.
Wow, this is a rather long post. And now I have to go.
Yesterday, I helped a friend move. It's amazing how much stuff a family of five can have. By the end of the day I was so tired, I felt like I could hardly move. It was so nice to rest today. Unfortunately, all the time I've been spent helping people, I haven't been able to keep up with my readings and what not for my classes. It's a possibility that I'll be working starting next Wed., but if not I might be in a little bit of trouble, trying to catch up again.
It's strange. The amount of time I've been helping people do stuff has lessened, but I seem to have less time. I can't think of why I posted a total of once last week. I was helping a friend move on Tuesday, and I was helping with some painting Thursday evening, but that's not that much. I guess I was a bit busy this weekend. There was a conference Friday night, and Saturday morning till just after noon, but I should still have had some free time last week. I wonder where it went.
Weekend.
by alan on Tue 2nd Sep 2003 4:31PM
Wow, that was a long weekend. It was good too. Saturday I had a bunch of friends over for supper and we watched "The Fellowship of the Rings." The Extended version. Four hours of action on screen. Then Sunday afternoon we went to a park, and in the evening to a good-bye party for someone moving to Windsor. Yesterday afternoon, we were helping some soon-to-be newly-weds move stuff into their new apartment. After we were done we watched "The Two Towers."
School starts next week. I'm actually looking forward to it. It'll be nice to have a groove again after having to make up stuff to do for the last four and a half months.
Gas prices
by alan on Thu 4th Sep 2003 10:10PM
Poking around The Toronto Star website, I found a couple of useful sites for people looking to save on gasoline. Gas Buddy and Gas Tips are a couple of websites that record what gasoline prices are in various parts of numerous cities. Next time you're filling up it might be useful to check them out. Gas Buddy doesn't currently have any records for KW, and Gas Tips doesn't seem to have the best priced places. For instance, both have London stations and Gas Buddy told me of one place that was selling at about 4 cents cheaper per litre than the cheapest on Gas Tips. I guess they both just need more people volunteering the info.
Try it out.
by alan on Tue 9th Sep 2003 5:46PM
Wow, a lot has happened in the last 5 days since I posted last. Wednesday night I started to help a friend who is putting together a playroom in the basement. We framed up a couple of walls that night, then finished the framing on Friday night. ( I got a couple of bruises on my left index finger from missing the nails). Saturday, we wired it up, and then some of us went for barbeque at someone else's house. The rest went off to prepare for a Sunday wedding. After church on Sunday that's where I went too. I got roped into the decorating committee. It took about two and a half hours to get things decorated. It only took a half hour to an hour to tear everything down again after the dance. And yes, I was out on the dance floor. That'll likely come as a bit of a suprise to my friends who've seen me try to dance before, but I found if I leave my glasses behind I'm much less self-conscious and can enjoy myself jumping around.
Yesterday was the first day of classes. Like I said to my Latin prof, I'm likley to be a little bored for the first half the term. She has to go through and explain English grammar to the 18 year olds in our class. Meanwhile, I remember learning it well in high school. Mine was a throwback high school that stressed grammar. And if I haven't learned it all by now, having studied Russian, Greek and Hebrew, I'm not likely to learn it ever. (And I don't mean composition. I'm aware I make mistakes when typing. Don't go calling me on those. When I say grammar, I'm talking about knowing the meaning of Subject, Object, Verb, Adjective etc.)
From the wonderful news department, my friends, M&A, had their first child at 4:30 this morning. I'm sure he'll grow up to be a strong lad.
In other news, starting Wednesday last week I've gotten into negotiations for a job as research assistant in the School of Computer Science at UW. I think it's the job for me, and I'm rather excited about it. I'm sure the competition is fierce since I have just the minimum qualifications. But I'm sure I can pull a rabbit out of my hat.
That's all for now. I've got prepare for the rest of my day. Hmm, a nap sounds good.
False modesty.
by alan on Fri 12th Sep 2003 9:49PM
Aw, I went and did again. In the post below, I said "just have the minimum qualifications." That's not true. I really need to work on my preference for lying over praising myself. It's a bad habit.
In real world happenings, I've finished my first week of class. Latin, Hebrew and French look pretty easy. My Jewish Philosophy and Mysticism class looks interesting, though it's annoying that it's 3 hours all at once. Sitting on those hard wood chairs for three hours is not fun. There are ten students in the class 5 guys and 5 women. It turned out in Thursday's class that all the guys sat along one side and all the women along the other. Odd how that works.
Basement Drywall.
by alan on Sun 14th Sep 2003 10:50PM
is pretty much all I've been thinking of for a few days. Friday night I was at my friends' place, putting up drywall. Then we continued on Saturday. We finished drilling it on and started with the putty. That stuff stinks, but you don't really notice to much if you don't breath deep. After playing with their daughters a bit, I returned home and was in bed by 9:30. Pretty tired.
In the meantime, I've got a phone interview tomorrow. A door is open a crack.
In more fun stuff, I got to see the little baby with parents today. Healthy looking kid.
Busy week
by alan on Thu 18th Sep 2003 4:50AM
This week has been quite busy. I've been going to school, helping one friend drywal, and helping another friend paint his new (resale) house. It's a whole load of fun and work. This morning I had a telephone interview with this professor that's looking to hire a research assistant. Finally! It only took two weeks or so to get the interview set up and done. I think the interview went rather well, and I should hear back from him next week some time. It's a good God that provides me with oppurtunites such as this.
The most important thing
by alan on Fri 19th Sep 2003 3:13PM
This morning I was privileged to go to a meeting called a Team Time. We often refer to it as Team Time with Loys, since Loys leads them and is an excellent speaker and relationship builder. He seems to make friends with everyone he meets; give him five minutes with someone and he's made a new friend.
So we were sitting down and talking at the beginning and we got onto one of the major topics of the day here in Canada: Gay Marriage. It's well beyond my ability to remember everything that was said, but the discussion moved onto why things have gotten to this juncture. Leaders in government are not standing for the very things their constituents are asking them for, but are willing to accept more power in return for voting along the party line. And there seems to be a dearth of Christians willing to take on the responsibility of putting their names on the ballot.
It was at this point that Loys pointed out that this wasn't even the most important thing that should be on the hearts and minds of Christians. We should be standing our ground on moral issues, telling the government that this is right and this is wrong. And in the meantime, much more important than convincing the government of that is to be reaching people who are lost. We should be find creative ways to evangelise and reach out to those who need help.
This is not talking about street evangelism, or door to door, or teaching people the four spiritual laws. Although there are some people for whom that is exactly what they need. Loys told us about a community centre in Mississauga(I think, I missed the actual location) that his church has been sowing into. First they showed up and started a youth outreach program. The youth there asked, 'So how long before you leave like the people before you?' Loys says he replied, 'Just wait around and see.' It's been four years. Various families of his church have moved into the neighbourhood, (which Loys described as one of the feeding points for the drugs trade in Toronto, so not where most people want to raise their children) and fed into that community centre. Then more recently, they looked at what the church was doing and asked how to expand that outreach. Their members were on the board for the community centre, and the youth were being reached for Christ. Loys started to canvas door to door, since that is what he does well. Knock on a door. Told the man at the door who he was, that they've been look after the children at the community centre, that we love the children, but it's not only the children, we also love you. Is there anything we can pray for you? I'm out of work this last year and a half. Can you give me your family name so I can pray for you? Yes. Thank you. What field are you in? I don't wish to pry, and you don't have to tell me. Computers. Thank you. The man's little daughter is there listening to all of this. Seeds being sown into her life as well. When Loys left he called some others in his church and asked them to pray for this man, giving his name.
I have no idea if Loys has seen any fruit from this, but look, Loys did not tell the whole gospel to the man. Most likely the man was not ready to hear it, but we can be sure that man, and others who are still being canvased in that neighbourhood, will have a seed and maybe ask questions. Just because you haven't given the whole gospel doesn't mean you haven't evangelised. And so much we want to sow wide in the hopes of reaching many, but we get one, while by sowing into a specific area we can reach many, continually working with them. Some churches boast of having saved many souls during some outreach event, but when the event is over, the chuch has not grown. What has happened? The new christians have not been discipled into maturity. That is a much more important thing than how many have been saved.
Wow, this is a rather long post. And now I have to go.
Movement
by alan on Thu 25th Sep 2003 2:46AM
Yesterday, I helped a friend move. It's amazing how much stuff a family of five can have. By the end of the day I was so tired, I felt like I could hardly move. It was so nice to rest today. Unfortunately, all the time I've been spent helping people, I haven't been able to keep up with my readings and what not for my classes. It's a possibility that I'll be working starting next Wed., but if not I might be in a little bit of trouble, trying to catch up again.
Timeout.
by alan on Mon 29th Sep 2003 6:50PM
It's strange. The amount of time I've been helping people do stuff has lessened, but I seem to have less time. I can't think of why I posted a total of once last week. I was helping a friend move on Tuesday, and I was helping with some painting Thursday evening, but that's not that much. I guess I was a bit busy this weekend. There was a conference Friday night, and Saturday morning till just after noon, but I should still have had some free time last week. I wonder where it went.