here's what happens when steph gets too much work to do.....

Music Shuffle
Put your mp3 player on shuffle, and list the first ten songs.
First Song::	Real Life Fairytale (Plumb)
Second Song::	In a Lose, Lose Situation (Emery)
Third Song::	I Can't Do This (Plumb)
Fourth Song::	S'Wonderful (Diana Krall)
Fifth Song::	Saviour (Skillet)
Sixth Song::	Luckiest (Manic Drive)
Seventh Song::	My Love Has't Grow Cold (Bethany Dillon)
Eight Song::	Paperthin Hymn (Anberlin)
Ninth Song::	If I Never Knew You (Pocahontas)
Tenth Song::	Why Did I Let You Go? (V*enna)
Time to see what they mean to you!
Who does song 1 remind you of?:	Errm..... someone I'd like to meet one day. ^-^
What part of your life does song 2 describe the best?:	now.
If you could dedicate song 3 to someone, who would it be?:	to all disgruntled students.
Does Song 4's lyrics mean anything to you personally?:	kinda..... it s'wonderful how Jesus loves me! *grin*
Why do you like song 5?:	b/c skillet is da bomb.
When did you first start listening to the artist of song 6?:	err... last summer (2005)
How many albums do you have from the artist of song 7?:	two
How are number 8 and 9 similar?:	it's about human relationships
What is number 10's meaning?:	regret that an oppurtunity to share Christ with someone was missed
What song out of the 10 is your favorite?:	7
What song out of the 10 is your least favorite?:	4
Which song means the most to you and why?:	3... because it describes me to a 't'. ^-^
Would you dedicate any of these to your love/crush?:	1!
Would you dedicate any of these to your enemy?:	yeah... 10
Do these top ten songs fairly reflect your music collection?:	pretty fairly

*escape*

Instructions:
Put your iTunes/Winamp/WMP on shuffle.
Say the following questions aloud, and press play.
Use the song title as the answer to the question.
NO CHEATING.

1. How does the world see you?
Great is Thy Faithfulness (Lincoln Brewster) - uuuuh..... ok?

2. Will I have a happy life?
Quadukka-L-Mayyas (Jesse Cook) - err.... don't even know what that means.
edit: uuuh..... found out that it means "your proud figure" or "your sexy body" in arabic (depending on which translation of the song u look at). now i know..... and i'm not sure what it means for a happy life...... *eep*?? O_o

3. What do my friends think of me?
Shattered Life (Seventh Day Slumber) - uhoh...

4. Do people secretly lust after me?
So Cold I Could See My Breath (Emery)

5. How can I make myself happy?
Never Take Friendship Personal (Anberlin) - but i thought it was the other way around!

6. What should I do with my life?
Everybody's Fool (Evanescence) - but but but..... i protest!

7. Will I ever have children?
The Look of Love (Diana Krall) - and so that means...... yes?

8. What is some good advice for me?
Another Day (Natalie Grant) - very GOOD advice too *nodding*

9. How will I be remembered?
Blue Moon (Mel Torme) - aww. i don't wanna be remembered as a lonely person. :(

10. What's my signature dancing song?
Dare You to Move (Switchfoot) - aww. SO not a dancing song......

11. What's my current themesong?
New (Bethany Dillon) - ^-^ love it!

12. What do others think is my current themesong?
Candy-Coated Waterdrops (Plumb)

13. What shall they play at my funeral?
Sanity (Matt Brouwer) - haha..... hopefully it's not cuz i lost it.....

14. What type of *man* do I like? (that was edited...... do NOT lean the other way!)
Freedom (Michael W. Smith) - *lol*..... a free spirit, huh?

15. How's my love life?
I Could Write a Book (Dinah Washington) - HA...... riiiight. if only. *rolls eyes*


alright..... some of those made no sense..... but 'twas fun anyhow. back to the grind, slave!

God, i can't do this. i can't.

everything's coming down on me....... giving up looks GREAT right now. i know this doesn't matter much in eternity's light, but it's consumed me now. can't even concentrate........ how do i keep things in perspective when i can't even see around its bulk? ugh.

Thought this was interesting..... i think we really aren't aware of how big our Family is..... for sure there are people with many many needs immediately around us, but we just don't think about all these other ppl that to a greater or lesser degree impact our lives everyday -- they need prayer just as much as we do!

Prayer is Precious (Russ Breimeier - ChristianityToday.com))
Hard for me to fathom that it's been nearly nine years since my long internship with EMI Christian Music Group in Nashville. I remember it like yesterday, not just the excitement of working for a prestigious record label, but also the adventure of going out on my own away from all my family and friends. Because I was alone and exploring the possibility of calling Nashville home should I find employment, I had the pleasure of sampling several churches in the area during my stay.

One week early on, I was caught off guard during the prayers in the worship service. There were petitions for an ailing relative of Michael Card, a difficult pregnancy for Wes King and his wife, and some other request on behalf of Phil Keaggy. I had no reason to be surprised, having learned in advance that several Christian artists called this particular congregation home. But just like at my home church, my mind triggered at the sound of a familiar name, causing my heart to send along a little extra boost of prayer.

For me, it was a reminder that the church is much bigger than we often make it. Over the years, I had prayed for people in my congregation that I'd never met, for missionaries overseas, for our country's leaders, for people in the national news. Why then should praying for Christian artists be any different? When you think about it, some of them are more present in our lives than we realize, depending on how often we play their CDs or sing their songs in church.

Looking back, perhaps I was letting celebrity getting in the way of prayer, allowing their spotlight and perceived success to get in the way of recognizing the needs and joys of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Since then, it's something I've tried to take more seriously, especially now that I interact with so many within the industry. Though artists do try to maintain some privacy with their personal lives, I encourage you to keep tabs on the happenings of your favorites via their websites. Additionally, knowing that we're all capable of criticism, I challenge you to pray for an artist you don't care for. It could simply be for someone who you think can do better, or perhaps even a non-Christian artist that has offended your sensibilities many times before. None of us are beyond the need for prayer and God's mercy, even if they are outside our everyday spheres of activity.

lonely planet.....

i've mostly succeeded in avoiding all-niters this year..... i've forgotten what a lonely endeavor it is. tonite the topic is snow. hrrrmmmmmmmm.................. whoever thought that ppl actually go out to study snow?!??? isn't it just that white stuff that's fun to play in and a pain to shovel? i guess there are important uses for such studies.... like predicting the amount of spring melt and the subsequent amount of flooding and water available for municipal utilization...... but who knew?? honestly, this was borderline for me....... and right now, it's looking more useless by the second. sleep beckons.

back i go........


edit: the clock now tells me it's 7:30 am...... tippy, let's go find our bed. -_-

Take a look at the following article.... it's so inspiring when Christians use their fame as a platform for reaching the unsaved. I'll warn you now.... the articles a bit long.... but it's a good one! I love how Cindy followed God where He led her.... and ended up doing amazing things! It makes me happy to see that she is still so grounded and aware that God is in control, and is willing to go with whatever He has planned for her next. People like Cindy Klassen make me so proud to be Canadian! ^-^


Cindy Klassen speeding for His sake

By Shirley Byers

SHE LOVES classic literature, good music, great art, and visiting new places. She loves God and her family. And she loves to compete on the ice. Following in the skate grooves of Catriona LeMay Doan -- once known as the fastest woman on ice -- Cindy Klassen sped her way to a bronze medal in the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City and came within a hair of two more.

Surprisingly, however, the Winnipeg native didn't even consider speed skating until she was 18 years old. She still dreamed of making it to the Olympics, but as a hockey player.

Klassen has held a hockey stick since the age of five. In 1996, the 17-year-old power-house was playing defense for Canada's National Junior Women's Hockey team. Then, in 1998, she was invited to try out for Canada's Olympic team.

"I did my best, and was pleased with my performance," comments Klassen. "I was fairly certain I had made the team."

She was at home with her parents when the devastating news came. Klassen hadn't made the team. "I felt hurt and angry, sad and confused all at the same time." She recalls.

Still reeling from her disappointment, Klassen received a call from the National Women's Hockey Team, encouraging her to move to Calgary. Although she wouldn't be on the team, Klassen could still train with them.

She complied, joining her former teammates in Alberta. However, she admits: "I couldn't handle being around all the players who had made the team while I had been cut."

So, soon after she'd arrived in Calgary, Klassen gathered her things and went home with the intent of playing on a recreational hockey team. Following her transition home, Klassen's parents -- who urged her to speed skate as a child -- broached the subject again.

Klassen had never been thrilled about what she termed "those skin-tight outfits and strange, long-bladed skates," but because her mother could get a discount on the equipment, she agreed to give it a try.

"It was so hard to even stand on the skates. I had a lot of trouble learning the technique," explains Klassen. "All of my training for 13 years had been geared to hockey and this was so different.

"There were still those weird outfits . . . For the better part of my first year in speed skating, I went against the grain, and wore very baggy clothes," Klassen laughs.

"But at the same time, I was finding that I loved doing an individual sport -- because what you put into it, you get out of it."

And Klassen put her whole self into it. She trained six days a week, her daily schedule consisting of two and a half hours on the ice in the morning, lunch, a nap and two hours of either cycling or weights in the afternoon. Her strenuous work paid off, as Klassen competed successfully in the World Championships and World Cups.

Then her lifelong dream was realized when she made it to the Winter Olympics.

"The World Championships can be pretty amazing but the Olympics takes this to a new level," says Klassen.

"For a time in Salt Lake, the pressure was getting to me," she admits. "I wasn't sleeping, I couldn't eat. I was so nervous."

She registered to compete in four events -- the 1,000, 1,500, 3,000 and 5,000 meters. When the time came for the 3,000-metre race, her anxiety skyrocketed.

"But that very day," she recalls, "I received an e-mail from the students at my old high school (Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute). [It] was packed with notes of encouragement, telling me they were cheering [and] praying for me."

"And that's when it hit me," Klassen continues. "This is just another race. [God] knows the outcome. All I can do is use what He's given me. All I can do is do the best I can. So, that's what I did."

Suddenly it was all over, and Klassen found herself standing on the podium. Her "best" had been rewarded with an Olympic bronze medal.

Since then, the geography major has only continued to improve, and in 2003 she became the first Canadian in 27 years to win the overall title at the World Speed Skating Championships.

Klassen now recognizes that, despite being rejected by the Olympic hockey team, "God was leading me. This was his plan all along. I learned by getting cut."

As a believer in Jesus Christ, she adds, "even when you want things . . . if it's not in God's will, it's not going to happen. I've learned to go along with that.

"Right now in speed skating I'm having the time of my life, but I have to be ready to move on if He wants me to do something else."

Klassen desires to be as open about her faith as former teammate and gold medalist, Catriona LeMay Doan, who told City Light News, "It's my relationship with Jesus that gives me true significance."

Inspired by Doan's boldness, Klassen says, "I want to use the publicity I've gotten through my success for His glory. I go back to my old high school and talk to the students. I . . . let people know I'm a Christian."

She adds, "I've won a medal, but that's nothing compared to the crown I'll get in Heaven. I see a lot of people in sports who think when they reach a certain level they've got it made, but really, you can only find happiness in the Lord."

-- courtesy of Living Light News

mary & martha.......

had a lovely time of sharing and praying with four of my beautiful sisters earlier this evening! *yaaaay... i'm now an adopted cousin!!!*

h2o's helping hands for hire was one of our main topics of discussion tonite. oh last-minuteness again!! *hee* not many ppl signed up to hire us, despite our efforts to somewhat up the promo this time around...... so we were left scrambling to find odd-jobs to do. after much deliberation tonite, we finally got down to praying (leave it to us to *save* praying for last!), and Karen said something about being Mary and being Martha that totally struck me. helping ppl is a GOOD thing to do..... we had every good intention when we started out. but things spiralled out of our control, and we wanted to fix it..... we wanted to do something. doing it ourselves.... that's not the point. we've totally been martha's (i have been anyway!), worrying over incomplete tasks, while the whole time the point was to sit and wait before the Lord and see what good things He has in store, like mary did. it was humbling to be reminded once again that i can't do it on my own, no matter how hard i may try and how good my intentions are.

don't you love it when God uses His word to show you/remind you of a truth?? it never ceases to amaze me that something so ancient can still be so applicable to me today. i guess humans never do learn, do we? :)