Mexico eh.

I just had like a 45 - 60 minute conversation in the doorway of my apartment building with some friends of mine. I think I shall try to get into good spiritual conversation with friends more often. I kind of find it sad in a way that a really good spiritual conversation is few and far between with myself and the friends I go to church with. I think I'm going to try to influence that to change if I can. I guess we'll see.

One of the things that came up was my contemplation on a short terms mission trip to Mexico in October I believe that was presented to our church a few weeks ago. When it was first brought up I was like "oh that might be cool to be involved in, but I don't think I can afford to go, I'll find out what it would cost". So I talked to our pastor and found out what it would cost. My initial reaction was one of theres no way. I feel like Jerven and Rob ( the Lead pastor and youth pastor respectively ) have both expressed that it would be a good experience for me to have though. That coupled with the fact that the last 8 - 10 months or so have been months where I've felt like I've grown in my spiritual maturity probably more so then I have in a long time lead me to the conclusion that I NEED to go. Perhaps its a selfish reasoning, one that will end up with me not taking from it what it has the potential to show me in my life I don't know. I do know however that I feel like it will be a growing experience. I am stating right now, that I will be going. Barring any complications that do not allow me to go. I have said that cost was an issue in my mind. In reality, its not an issue, my job and current living situation will allow me to raise the funds on my own without requiring me to ask for help if I make myself do it. The excuse just doesn't hold water. I can't allow that to be the reason I don't go, and thankfully I have friends that will hold me accountable to that. I know that if this is where God wants me to go so he can break and mold me, even in any small way, I need to do my best to get there. I know that I'll probably "feel" like I can't do it, or I shouldn't do it. Satan has ways of influencing us not to follow Gods leading, and so I am thankful for my friends to hold me accountable to that.

I won't lie. It is an uncomfortable feeling for me to go on this trip. It will be a great deal out of my comfort zone. I need that. I need to be forced to see and question what I believe to be important in life. I hope that as I go I will be able to work hard to accomplish our building task down there, but also that God will break and build me. That he will use this experience to show me that the comfort I have here in Canada so easily blinds me to the lost and searching. That it allows me to sit back and believe everything is ok. That I can come back and have stretched my comfort zone out so I can be more effective as a believer to reach out to those around me.

So Mexico. Here I come.

Membership...its about time lol

I believe it was last year..or possibly the year before, a few friends of mine challenged me with why I wasn't a member of the church I attend. I've been part of the Rosewood family since 1989 which if you do the math is just shy of 20 years. So I feel completely at home there, and though I've been tempted to leave and find another church a few times, the fact that it is "home" to me has been a huge factor in me staying put and continuing to enjoy Rosewood. My immediate response was the ever popular "I dunno, never though about it" which in all honesty isn't really an answer at all is it lol. The question though did get me thinking of why I hadn't taken the step of becoming a member. This is what I came to the conclusion of. I don't like to be labeled. The idea that I would be an official member of the Christian Missionary and Alliance denomination honestly didn't really appeal to me. I can't really explain why but here's my best try, I don't like being pegged, I view myself as a Christian not as a denomination and so I didn't think membership was for me. Now the idea was rolling in my head though. It had gone from not being on my mind at all, to being thought about and considered. A silent mental run down of the arguments both for and against pursuing membership. It kind of subsided and slid back into the recesses of my mind, but little did I know it would be brought back up a few months or so ago. They church was going to start membership classes. Well I might as well check that out I figured so I did, to see what it was all about and stuff. Well it changed my mind. I realized it wasn't necessarily "pegging" me as a "Christian and Missionary Alliance" denomination member, but rather an active part of the Rosewood family and yes in some way the C M&A as well but it was mostly more local than that. Really the only difference between being a member and attending is that as a member you have the ability to vote on the workings of the church, and decisions that are put forward. You have a voice in the Church you attend.

So as of Tuesday night I am now an official member of Rosewood Park Alliance Church. Only took me almost 20 years lol.