Thanks

For all the memories.
For the times we shared.
For the laughing
The crying
The good and bad
For each and every day
For the messenger conversations
For keeping me up
And being with me when I fell

There's no way I can properly thank all of you. But I appreciate all you've meant to me and all that you've given me, and how you've changed my life.

Politics and the Church

I still remember, I think it was in 2005 in the Canadian General Election, a sermon from FEC's now-retired senior pastor, translated in English by one of the current pastors. Essentially, the sermon lauded Stephen Harper for his sentiments and his beliefs, while ragging on Paul Martin. Furthermore, the sermon extended beyond the issues. The sermon touched base on how Paul Martin had considered undermining his party (which was never really a real threat, he was known to be next-in-line to Jean Chretien), while how Stephen Harper patiently waited his turn to be leader (even though he was never a clear-cut leader in the first place... it's hard to say he was being patient). Nonetheless, it brought about an interesting though... how far should politics go in the Church?

Of course, I personally thought it to be despicable. The translator may have been assumed to be of the same opinion as the speaker, because they were both pastors. They may not have shared the same views. At the same time, it was hardly evident that Conservatives stood up for moral values anyway. We haven't seen anything done in the 2 plus years that Stephen Harper has been in charge. Yes, a gay marriage reversal would cause an uproar... but then why does it matter who we vote for if none will change it (assuming one is against gay marriage, which I am not really against)? To be honest, if the Liberals come up with a better policy to help the environment and the economy, and to cut taxes, I'd probably vote for them.

In the same way, it happens in every election. A lot of Evangelicals were frustrated when the choice was between Obama and McCain, who is relatively moderate and not very strong on the issues. However, the addition of Palin, a strong conservative, has caused a lot of Evangelical leaders to throw their support behind McCain. Radio show hosts such as James Dobson have told viewers to vote McCain (many had blasted McCain in the past), and I'm assuming it will happen again in churches everywhere tomorrow (Sunday). It sort of reminds me of a story I read after the 2004 election in the States, when a church tore itself apart after the pastor said that anyone who voted Democrat should leave the church.

How far can politics intertwine with the Church? Is voting Republican a must if one is a Christian, based on abortion and gay marriage stances? What is right?

Waking Up To A Brand New Morning

Everyday is a new day. Whether I'm here, far, wherever. The sun rises. Another day of beauty.

Sarah Palin

Wow.

Personally, I thought that was an amazing pick by McCain. From an issues standpoint, she is an extremely strong conservative. They both have significant distaste for pork-barrel spending, with Palin leading the charge in Alaska against her own party members. That's honesty right there.

From a political standpoint, it makes a lot of sense. Disgruntled Clinton voters and other undecided women (Of all undecided voters, women count for 55% of them) will have to take a look at the suddenly progressively-looking party. Palin's strong conservative background will reassure conservatives who were wary of McCain's moderate stances on many issues, and should draw voters from Barr back to McCain. She seemingly matches up very well against Obama, and has experience at the executive level, something Obama and his running mate (Biden) lack.

Oh, and she's pretty. Yeah, I know that's shallow. But does anything think that Belinda Stronach would've gotten elected under both the Liberal and Conservative Parties in Canada for an MP spot if she wasn't pretty either? It's sad, but looks do play an important part in politics.

So yes, so far, all signs point to a thumbs up for me. Most of the people criticizing the decision are strong Obama supporters anyway. The references to Clinton and Ferraro in her acceptance speech were a bit cheesy and obvious draw at the disgruntled supporters, but hey, if it works, it works.

Personally, I think whichever party wins this year gets to take over a nosediving economy, gets blamed for when it inevitably struggles, and will lose the election in 2012.

House Bunny

Ehh, average, in my opinion. I wasn't disappointed... in fact, it was a pleasant surprise (mainly because I thought the movie would be horrendous). I may not have loved it, but at least I didn't come out thinking that they swindled me of $9.

In other non-related news, Grouse Grind is on again this Saturday... anyone interested? In the past week my stomach has started to bulge, so yes...

True Worship

1 Hour Later, through a worn-down guitar, my best friend and loving sister, two voices, and real longing and earnest prayer, I think I have discovered what true worship is, once again.

And it's something I'll look forward to. Every single time.

That may have been one of the most amazing events I have ever experienced. Right in our basement.

Grouse Grind

Today, I tried out the Grouse Grind trail up in North Vancouver...

Man, was it killer. My legs were so sore afterwards, and had cramped up at one point in the middle of the hike. I went through tons of water (and even stopped to eat a muffin). My lower body was just tortured.

Of course, I continually talked to no end, and my breathing was okay. In fact, I wasn't feeling fatigued or anything. Just my legs. They were going to fall off. (Fortunately, they didn't).

Apparently that's just a practice run for next week too.