the overwhelming feeling has settled in for the night

Wow! I can't believe I've been a pastor for two weeks! It's been a totally interesting ride! Ups and downs but a lot of excitment and phrases that sound like..." I can't believe I get paid to hang out with kids/go to ..." the list goes on! that's the incredible part. Yesterday though was the dude before me's last day in the office and once he left the onus of it all really hit me. But the Lord has been reminding me why he has brought me to this place, what its' truly about and to go slow. Man our God is good!

Today, yes halloween day I picked up the keys to my apartment!! I have an apartment! I'm not just renting a room from a friend, but I have an apartment...a very empty one but it's there! And now I need a roomate like asap!

WOO WOO anyways... HAPPY HALLOWEEN :D

I'm a Youth Pastor.

...crazy! Last night I got the call I've been waiting for over the last month and a Half. As of 9:45 last night I'm officially the Middle School Pastor at Central Heights Church in Abbotsford, BC.

I believe I'm still in shock. I'm so excited and I know that God has been guiding this decision every step of the way. My cofidence is only in him.

So here I go, a new adventure begins!

*GOOBLE GOOBLE*

Well it's sunday evening, the house has returned to it's silent aoundtrack after being full of boisterous Hazeltons all day. Thanksgiving 2008 another great success, full of thankfulness, way too much food, family, friends and way too much food!

I do have a lot to be thankful for, however I will not make a list but know that in my heart I praise the Lord for who he is and what he has done for us, and what he is doing in my life.

I found out today that my dear friends Ryan and Melissa are engaged! OH JOY! It's so amazing.

One disapointment of the day...no american football...seriously I need to find an american household to invade on their thanksgivin' because all I wanted to do was play football on thanksgiving!

Oh and in 1957 is the year that Canada put out legislation declaring the reason for a "holiday" for giving thanks....

"For general thanksgiving to Almighty God for the blessings with which the people of Canada have been favoured"

Seriously cool right? This wasn't the first thanksgiving however it was then that it was decided to have it on every second monday of October and the final reason. And for the past 51 years it has been so...and with all the persecution of Christians in India and Iraq right now I'm truly thankful to the Almighty God for the blessings of freedom we have in Canada.

I went to something called the "Passion Tour" it's a world tour with 17 stops in the worlds major cities. It's a night of worship through singing, praying and hearing for Gods word. It's focus is college age kids. It was really encouraging. 10,000 students together with the focus of praising and giving fame back to the one name who deserves it, Jesus. Chris Tomlin and the David Crowder Band lead worship. Here are a few thoughts from tonight...


1. It was incredible that God gave this vision/dream to someone and I was participating in someones dream coming into fruition. God spoke to someone they obeyed and now thousands upon thousands of people are joining together to praise his name. This huge event started out as a thought.

2. At times I can be cinical or rather to put it in a more "neat" word, critical. My time at bible college taught be how to be critical, which I think is a very important quality that many Christians shy away from however I suppose that I can critique to the point of cinisicsm.

3. The speaker dude, whom I honesty can't remember the name of... told a students testimony. It was very moving, powerful and encouraging. She ended up being killed in a car accident three months after entering a relationship with Jesus, however her life continues to encourage others. Anyways the speaker read from her journal.... my hypothosis is that this journal will soon be sold in Christian books stores across North American very soon.

4. I have a dream for the future that I rarely tell people but has been with me for a long time. No no its' not to be in a musical, everyone should know that already! I believe one day it will happen there are just a lot of steps before it does.

5. COOL STORY. One of the people I saw there had given me a name of a girl who needed a roomate. I was looking for a roomate/place so I met up with this girl and she was awesome! The place was pretty nice, I got along SO well with this chick and would have had a blast living with her and rent was super cheap! All things seemed to fit well except that I didn't feel kosher about living there. For some reason I didnt' feel good about the situation and struggled wether I should move in. After thinking about it I told the girl it wouldnt' work out. It just couldnt' put my finger on why I didnt' want to move in, and the reasons I thought of were lame and sounded like poor excuses. ANYWAYS the dude I saw told me that this girl actually ended up moving back to Kelowna because she felt called to work with the youth up there! SO I would have been screwed if I had moved there! Honeslty God is so good! I was floored, because this fits into a much bigger story than this....all that needs to be said is that God is totally watching my back.

WHAT WAS I THINKING!

OH boy, I've been looking through old photos, diggin' through jounals and sorting through memories. I remember these years way differnet than the stories the pictures tell hahaha, I was stylish and cool, funky in my own little way....so I thought. NO all I can think i, Seriously though, SERIOUSLY how do I have so many freakin' friends. I was a big dork ...I'm sure most people have those feelings while looking at old photos but...seriously!?

Sooo, I'm in a time of waiting. I've been for oooh over a month now. Yep.