Psalm Project

If Church Was Like a Screamo Concert...

 The Breaker's Commission by For Today - one of their less "hard core" songs, yet still powerful.

Every Tuesday and Thursday mornings for an hour or so we have what is called intercession; we split up into small groups and pray for a specific artist or group of artists.  This past Tuesday we prayed for the band "For Today".  They are a very hardcore Christian band spreading the word of Jesus Christ all around at each show they play.  They played in Montreal last night so a group of about 10 of us decided to go.  At intercession we always take notes of images, verses or just words of encouragement that we feel on our hearts and then share all together as a group.  Since we were going to their concert we decided to make a booklet full of all of our prayers and what we received from those prayers for them.  We were able to hand it to them personally after the show and talk with the main singer/screamer. (ha ha) He is so straight forward with the message of Jesus and it is really inspiring to see this group of musicians so passionate and willing to tell everyone at the shows about God.  They stop in between songs and just say "We're not here to convince you to buy our CD's or buy our merch but we come to preach Jesus".  A feeling of great power and unity came over me each time he would speak.  Suddenly it didn't matter how tightly packed everyones sweaty bodies were in this dimly lit, tight space, up a few flights of stairs, inside a sketchy building in downtown Montreal; everyone was raising their hands to our God and worshipping Him.  It is so energizing to feel the music that our God created in my bones and so often many people judge the Hardcore/Metal scene, thinking it's just rebellious teenagers.  A thought occurred to me though.  What if our churches were like these concerts?  Full of life, dancing, jumping, passion, movement, even screaming.  Isn't that what God wants from us? We have watered down the times we worship to standing in pews and clapping our hands (occasionally).  Imagine if you hadn't seen someone really close to you ( a parent, a sibling, a best friend ) in a really long time, and when you finally got to see them again they just stood there and clapped as you came to them.  Wouldn't you want them to be running, jumping, and yelling about how excited they are to see you?  I think we do that to God.  We simply stand and clap at Him.

More Than A Birthday Party

As part of the school we do community service once a week (every Wednesday).  I was put into the group for the "Old Folks' Home" and I was pretty happy with that because I used to go to the nursing home in town (at home) with my youth group.  The first day of community service, Evanne, Jessica, Fiona, and I arrived right on time and we didn't know what to expect at all.  Well... we were expecting an English speaking lady to be in charge, but we very quickly found out she spoke French.  There wasn't really anything planned for us to do but that was what led us to meeting Christine.  

In the midst of all the elderly people sitting in their beds or chairs, we finally found someone that we could spend some time with - talking and making puzzles.  Fiona and I were sitting with her at her desk trying to help her with her puzzle (I think we got about 8 pieces together) and chatting about various things, but I kept wondering how old she was because she was clearly not an old person.  So finally I asked, "How old are you?" We were both shocked when she said 17.  I'm 17.  I couldn't imagine being stuck in a nursing home at my age.  Right at that moment I had a huge heart for Christine.  She spent her days in this dark room, in her wheelchair, with no one her age to talk to or hang out with.  That's the last thing a teenage girl would want.  To our surprise once more, she told us that her birthday was February 10th.  How perfect! We would throw her a birthday party when we came the day before, on the 9th.  We found out her favorite kind of cake (chocolate of course) and made cupcakes, got her a few little gifts, and performed a birthday song for her.  We set up balloons and decorations around a table for her, and played pin the tail on the donkey.

I discovered one thing from this experience: that I'm really bad at pin the tail on the donkey.  Just kidding, I really got a lot out of it.  It made me realize how simple it is to show someone that you care.  I could see it in her eyes as I took a picture of her; she felt special.  A little goes a long way.  In just an hour and a half we had given Christine an experience that she may not have had in a long time, or ever.  It didn't take a lot of money and effort, just a little time and compassion.  I think we can all find a way to help people more often - whether it be a friend or family member, or someone that we just met.

Outreach!!

So I haven't blogged in a number of days .. we've been very busy around here, but, today we found out the options for our outreach!!! It was a total surprise.  They've split it up so the French speakers will go together and the English speakers will go together (2 French teams, and 3 English teams) so our groups are going to be about 5 people each. so......... The options for me are Brazil, Thailand, or Italy!!! I am feeling very uncertain right now but I'm going to spend this day praying since we need to tell them tomorrow morning where we want to go! Please keep me in your prayers!!