Love.

Dear friends,
I am lying in my room in the spot in which I have devoted my hours to studying. I cannot see anything but the light that my computer gives off, but in this darkness, in this spot where my mind has learned countless hours of educational material is where my biggest revelation comes.

I figured I should let you all know that I have personally experienced true love.

I have a friend who doesn't believe in love. She told me that love is nothing more than an illusion people grasp onto to fill a void. I honestly gave thought to her rant on the non-existence of love, but today is the day where I tell my friend that she is wrong.

I have another friend. This friend claims to believe in love yet seems to have love mixed up with a million other emotions and feelings. This friend has used and abused love, yet in the same breath love has used and abused her. Today is the day where I tell my friend to keep searching for love, because eventually, one day, love is going to find her.

Love is something desired by each and every one of us. It is a desire built into the very core of our being. It is an intricate puzzle of thoughts, feelings, emotions, actions and words that manage to tangle themselves together to create something beautiful.

This thing called love has many, many powers. As much as love seems to be a positive superhero it also has a dark side, see love can build you up and put you on top of the world, and in a matter of seconds it can put you flat on your back, crying in pain.

But, I figured I should let you all know that I have personally experienced true love.

Even though I believe that I have experienced love, I have a few questions for love. First question, why are you an unfair bitch? Why do some people find love yet others don't... Why do you lavish yourself upon me yet hide yourself from my peers? What makes anyone more worthy than another to be graced by your presence?

One day, I hope love will answer my honest questions...

So where have I experienced love?

I have a family. A caring, compassionate, LOVING family. I have people who give up their Christmas to help others and to show that there is more than all this damn consumerism at this time of year. I have experienced giving, fellowship, community. LOVE.

See, we've been chasing for love like a pot of gold. Selling our bodies to heal our souls. . We've been lost. We've been deserted. We've been struck down and left for dead. We've been abused. We've been humiliated. We've been tossed around. And some of us, well, some of us have found love.

Love has its time, so grant it that time. You may not be happy with love's timing, but, you don't have a choice. Love has a heck of a lot more power than you do so good luck trying to fight love.
Love is beyond what your mind can comprehend. It is so much more than you can imagine.

I encourage you. Be still and wait for love. If you do, love will find you, in one way or another.

These are my thoughts, as raw as I get, but thanks for listening.

Love,
Jordan

Dear Blogging World.

Dear Blogging World,
I have missed you lately. I have been doing a good amount of writing for the newspaper so I have not been able to devote as much time to you as I would have liked. I don't mean to sound vain but let me share something with you... I used to Google my name sometimes just for kicks, as my name is not overly common in our world the first two links were usually my blog... Last week in the office a few of us decided to Google our names... The first page was mostly my stuff... Jobs, papers, sports, articles. All me. But my blog was no where to be found anymore. I apologize for this and I WILL start writing a little more. You have my word.

Blessings,
Jordan Michalski

Ghetto Gospel

Yeah, okay I know. I am the furthest thing from being hardened by the streets... But something about this song is legit. Too legit to deny.




"Tell me do you see that old lady ain't it sad
Living out a bag, but she's glad for the little things she has
And over there there's a lady, crack got her crazy
Guess she's given birth to a baby
I don't trip and let it fade me, from outta the frying pan
We jump into another form of slavery
Even now I get discouraged
Wonder if they take it all back while I still keep the courage
I refuse to be a role model
I set goals, take control, drink out my own bottles
I make mistakes, I learn from everyone
And when it's said and done
I bet this Brother be a better one
If I upset you, don't stress
Never forget, that God hasn't finished with me yet
I feel his hand on my brain
When I write rhymes, I go blind, and let the lord do his thang
But am I less holy
'cause I choose to puff a blunt and drink a beer with my homies
Before we find world peace
We gotta find peace and end the war on the streets
My ghetto gospel"

"We are Strength in Numbers"

Dear Friends,
Today I have a request of you.
Yes, a request. In the 6 years that I have been blogging I have asked for nothing more than your thoughts. But today I ask for a little more.

There is a church within the city of Winnipeg that is asking people to give $10 towards habitat for humanity. None of the money go to the church, I can assure you of this, but it goes to building a home for a family in Winnipeg that needs it. The goal of Soul Sanctuary (said church) is that they wish to raise $75,000 dollars in a few weeks for this cause.

The way I see it...
$10 will get you 2 coffee's from Starbucks.
$10 will get you lunch.
Or $10 can help provide adequate housing for someone who needs it.

So I ask you to donate, not for me, not for you but for someone who could use it a little more than we could.

"We are strength in numbers"

www.soulsanctuary.ca

I Am Young

Dear Friends,
I have been 'living the life' lately. I am enjoying every part of this good ol' life of mine. Let me explain...
So I am currently enrolled in the University of Manitoba taking a general supply of arts courses. I am not really sure what I am working towards but its all good, I am young.

I am done school everyday in the morning (still taking a full course load, by the way) and at noon I head down to work at Quest Musique on Portage. It is a pretty sweet deal. I love being surrounded by all the gear all day and the people I work with are pretty darn awesome as well.

I have also taken on another job, the culture reporter/writer for the Manitoban. Yes, I am hired by the university newspaper. For those of you who refuse to pick up the Manitoban for whatever reason, maybe give it another shot, and if nothing else just turn to the culture section and you'll find my writings.

I love my church too! Oh my, just the environment is intoxicating (in a totally positive way). I look forward to heading to church on Sundays and meeting with a solid group of guys on Wednesday nights.

Oh and now... Politics... I went out with a friend last night to a social for a MP candidate. I had so much fun during the night, speech's, pictures, dancing, food. The works. But I have caught that political spirit that I once had about a year ago. There is something exhilarating about politics to me. I have a huge interest in them. It is still an open door for a future career option.

I am still not sure what I am going to do with my life yet, but I am young.

I hope you all have a great week, take it easy.

"We don't deserve blessings of any sort. But God Bless you all."

"So, Don't Let Your Luggage Define Your Travels"

I love the Canadian side to this poem, but I love the phrase; "Don't let your luggage define your travels, each life unravels differently." That's beautiful.

Thoughts?

What Do You Make?

Dear friends,
I have recently caught onto a vision of sorts and am working through a lot of things. I know that is pretty vague but I'll let you know more about it in due time. But my ultimate goal is to make a difference.
He is a solid poem I found about making a difference. This goes out to all the current and aspiring teachers out there.

Sincerely,
Jordan Michalski

Cell Phones.

So, I am not even going to ask the question as to who has a cell phone but rather how often you use your cell phone. By 9.08 am this morning I sent and received 3 text messages. Yesterday alone I received 69 text messages and sent about 52. Allow me to check my call log.., since the new year has started I have reached my phones capacity to hold calls, conversations lasting from 7 seconds to 89 minutes. So, needless to say, I use my cell phone a lot… But what about you? Do you use it more than I do? Less?

On our most recent New Years Eve I was out at the lake. My dad was going to make a trek into Brandon Manitoba to check out some snow machines or something. I went along and just wasted the day away with my pops. On the way back we got into a pretty solid conversation. I can remember nearly it all to a tee yet one thing he spoke of blew my mind. He used the words ‘static medium’ in regards to human communication.

Say we have two individuals. You and I. In today’s world you could be in a extremely remote region and I could still have some sort of communication with you. Whether via satellite phone, text messaging, internet etc. There is no doubt that in almost any region that you wonder on the face of the earth I could still probably manage to communicate with you in some form or another. Now, where does ‘static medium’ come into play?

A medium is a way or means of expressing your ideas or of communicating with people (thanks to the dictionary for this one). And if something is static it means that it remains the same, that it is constant. My best definition of a static medium in regards to media is text based communication (either one or two way) in which each person can receive and perceive the information portrayed to them in whatever, which way they wish.
Case in (very exaggerated) point. You send me a text message reading “I hate you.” Now, how do I react?
1. I believe you. You actually mean that you hate me, and in fact I hate you right back. So much so that I will not even reply to your text.
2. I don’t believe you. I realize that you have a light hearted side to you and I assume that you are joking. I decided to answer your text with an “I love you too.”

No emotion is successfully transferred through simple static words, we lose the aspect of tone of voice and body language in their entirety.

The downfall of communication in our generation is simply called the SMS Text Message.

There is not a doubt in my mind that given a generation of children growing up with Msn Messenger, Facebook Chat and Texting that we will successfully breed a socially inept generation.

Think about it, for one more second. Ever had a fight over Facebook, Msn or Text? Would that fight have the same outcome if it were to happen face to face with that individual? Would that fight ever have happened if you were face to face with that individual? Tell me I am wrong…
It is pitiful to see what we have become, for someone to look down at their phone and receive a message of bitterness when they know full well that the sender would have never said what they just did face to face. It creates a persona of anonymity and cowardliness. When someone loses the ability to look another in the eye and tell them ‘what’s up’ we know we have a problem…

I’m not even sure how to even start combating this issue, but I think I may have come up with a few simple starter steps in minimizing the damage done by texting and other static mediums.

1. Limits… Only you know how much is too much. When texting is running you into the ground, or maybe when you have had a fight via text, give it a break.

2. Use a Phone… Your cell has more than one use… It is called a cell phone is it not? They why don’t you try using it… Using a phone will enable the ability to determine emotion by tone of voice, much better than reading into a text.

3. Confrontations Stay Away From Electronics… When you need to say something important to someone, grow some and do it. None of this ‘easy way out’ jazz. Do it face to face, don’t be stupid about it but be real and get your point across the way it was meant to get across.

4. One Simple Rule… If you wouldn’t say it to ones face… Then don’t say it over text.

I love hearing your thoughts, I encourage you greatly to leave a comment, as a writer there is nothing more satisfying then know that someone is reading your work and is taking time to ponder it.

So my traffic has gone down to about one or two hits a day, but that is okay, I will post more once I am back in school.
Anyways, I am loving it out here, but today I got hit my a lonely spell... Like I got quite emotional and started missing people.
Ever heard the words "I miss you". Yeah, they mean so much to me right now...

Be Blessed.

Hey Now

So the action around le blog has been quiet for a few weeks now, sorry for no posts, but I am been living it up since grad out at the lake. There is a good amount of stuff I wish to tell you. Much has been happening. But I went to a church service tonight... I left feeling that the more I am exposed to radical Pentecostal practices the more I am convinced they are made up.

I don't have much more to say as of now. But soon enough my friends, I will find time for you.

Peace and Love

Air Horn? Anyone?

Well, my grad is on Tuesday... And it may involve an air horn in one way or another. Should be good.

The Light is You

Here is the fun song of the month. I love it, so happy go lucky and cheery :D. I hope to see these guys on July 31st at the park, if you want to come, gimme a shout.



Teddybear, honey bee
Don't forget that you love me
More than the stars over your head
It's just that your love shines like the moon
Full and bright and blinding through
Into my heart, into my head

When it's so dark I can't see the light
I close my eyes and I think of you
My little love, my only girl
I wouldn't leave you for all the world
I'll just sit here and wait for your moon to rise
When it's so dark I can't see the light
Well I close my eyes and I think of you

When it's so dark I can't see the light
Well I think of you
When it's so dark I can see the light
Shining through you

We've Grown Up

Here is my first published poem. I urge you, if I can say it to you face to face, take the oppertunity. A shady video probably does not do it justice. Anyways, the words are posted below.
Enjoy, comment.




We've Grown Up

See we were once tiny little babies,
Held by our mothers,
Cradled by our grandmothers,
And kissed by our fairy godmothers.

We couldn’t walk into the room,
But as soon as we entered it we instantly became the center of attention.
Every set of eyes gazed on us,
But we knew no such thing as an ego and simply lived to breath and breathed to live.

We knew how to scream and how to cry,
But I would hazard to guess we didn’t even know we were alive.
All we did was sleep, and eat and poop and repeat.

We were tiny little things,
Kissed by God and delivered into the arms of our mothers,
Free from any folly, white as snow,
We were innocent, through and though.

But We’ve grown up.

See we were once not so tiny little children,
Both boys and girls learning to read,
Learning to write,
Learning to count, and learning to fight.

These were our pivotal years,
When all we knew was school and what mommy told us.
We didn’t have a care in the world except that which was for lunch.

We played tag and kicked a soccer ball,
Some of us watched TV and movies,
And the crazy ones - they had their first kisses.

But we’ve grown up.

Now we entered this stage called puberty,
Oh No… Not puberty.
See we learnt of something called hormones,
And how our ‘friends’ had this magical power of putting tiny little butterflies in our stomachs.

From those magical spells cast upon us we learned of things called crushes.
He crushed on her while she crushed on him, but him was not he, he was a different him.
Now of course, this led he to heartbreak, another discovery of this age.

Now things grew even more confusing than my last stanza.
If you thought the He’s and Him’s were complicated,
You had another thing coming when you reached the and, if’s or buts.

But, we’ve grown up.

Now, we entered another stage, another chapter if you will.
They called it high school,
We learnt of public showers and how all the other kids were built just like we were.
Half of us jumped into these watery death pits,
While the other half waited till they got home, see they learnt of a little thing called self conciseness.
A terrible thing I will admit, but a necessary one.

And remember those crushes?
Yeah, well they turned into boyfriends and girlfriends who would hold hands while watching the scary scenes in snow dogs.
Any excuse to touch was excuse enough.
Now boyfriends started stealing the virgin lips of their girlfriends.
Then in two months, it all ended and both boyfriend and girlfriend would go on to new boyfriend and girlfriend and add to the list of stolen kisses.

Now we got to this point where we grew up.
We stopped playing these silly little games and became adults.
Pfft, who am I kidding? It was junior high all over again.

See but this time, this time the stakes were higher.
We learned about God, about who or what or if He is. And if He was who is said he is and we started to ask Him questions. We came back to those confusing and’s, if’s and buts and why’s and more questions than we could handle.
See, some of us talked with God. But some of us couldn’t get that far.

We learned about calculus.
About Pascal and how he was sure of nothing in life, because everything came down to probabilities.
But probabilities had nothing on the general theory of relativity.
See we started messing with space and time and then we got spacetime now we don’t even know where we are in time, time rules us, time defines us, time destroys us.

By around this point we started winning championships.
We learned how to kick a ball into a net and how to shot a hoop.
We played our games to the sounds of thousands of screaming girls on the sidelines, all screaming our names.
Only for us to realize after the game that those thousands of screaming girls were infact our own mothers, cheering us along, never to leave our side.

Oh, and remember our boyfriends and girlfriends and our two month relationships?
Well they turned into more than two months, and by the end of it the we were stealing hearts and not just kisses.
This is where we learned of true heart break. Where getting up in the morning was tough because you knew you had to face another day seemingly alone.

But it’s the seemingly that’s the great part.
Along hand in hand with our heart break we learned of true friends.
Those who would hear us out and who knew what exactly we were all about.
Those who would take our side and protect our backs.
Those who didn’t care what we looked like on a bad day,
Nor did they care what we looked like on any day,
Because in their eyes, we are beautiful.

We learned about mom and dad.
See for all these years, we took ma and pops for granted.
They had this plethora of wisdom which was always available yet we were too naïve to ever tap into it.
But the best part was that this wisdom never left us.
When we were lost we could come running back,
We could ask our questions with no fear of judgement
Ma and pops were the best thing that happened since sliced bread.
And for all I know, mom was the first one to slice bread.

See, I don’t write poems for me.
They are for you, so that you can remember that we grew up.
And so that you will not forget that we still have a lot of growing up to do.

We are young, forever young. And while forever young that means forever growing old,
Forever learning and forever furthering our knowledge.
Forever falling in and out of love until one day we make it or we quit.
Forever understanding nothing and forever not understanding everything.
Forever praying and forever hoping.
Forever singing and forever screaming.
Forever in the rain and forever in the sun and forever in the snow, but never in the mud.

Cause we’ve grown up.

My Poetry

As a few of you know I have started to write my own poems over the past few weeks. I have one called "We've Grown Up". Its a tale about how we have become of age in this life. I have read it to a few people and they all like it for the most part. So my plan is... With the help of my producer (Little Brother) I am going to try to put together a video. It'll have the audio track in the back with either the lyrics or pictures or something on the page.

I hope to have it up by tonight, so check back.

Well... Can You?

"Good God, can you still get us home?"

Up To Date

Hey,
Lots of traffic around this joint over the past few days. I threw the link up on Facer and got 40 odd hits in a day, out of the ordinary for my cutesy little blog. Anyways, I must say, life has been hitting me hard in the past few weeks, as I am sure that you could imagine. This, my grad year, has been everything short of what I imagined it to be. I must say that it has been the biggest emotional roller coaster of my life. I can look to each season of this year and see a huge emotional turmoil in one way or another. As for now I am trucking out my last 5 days of school.

I am looking forward to my school graduation day that will come about at the end of June. My church's grad will be this Friday. I am sure it will be a good time as well.

Well, despite the trash that I have been going through I still consider myself blessed. I can remember sitting in the dentist chair a little while ago and while Karen was cleaning my teeth I had a good amount of stuff on my mind. During the stay of my visit in her chair I learned much about her and we talked more than she had her hands in my mouth, a rarity for me at a dentists office. Anyways, I can recall on multiple occasions during our conversations Karen kept mentioning how I was always so lucky. 'Lucky this, lucky that.' And it was all light hearted, good spirited fun but when I walked out I started to think...
You know what Karen, your actually wrong... I am not as lucky as you think, but rather I am blessed.

Now hold your horses, before you start ramming anti-prosperity philosophy down my throat let me tell you, I am a very large critic of praying for iPod's. But I do believe that God does bless his children in one way or another, I also believe he presents them with suffering and trials. During the many, many, many, many tears I have cried over the last few months I can attest to the fact that trails exist, but on the other hand I can also say that throughout my trials I have seen the blessings of God in my life.

Oh yeah, and I have recently taken a vested interest into poetry. I have started writing poems on my own. Some are pretty bad I will admit but a few have shaped up into somewhat pieces of art. Anyways, if you want a look at them you can fire me an email of Facer message.

I wish you a solid week.
PEACE

To You Who Use Youtube

I needed a laugh, this brought it to me.

"Speak every time you stand so you do not forget yourself.
Do not let a moment go by that doesn't remind you that your heart beats 100,000 times a day and that there are enough gallons of blood to make you an ocean.
Do not settle for letting these waves settle and the dust to collect in your veins."

For Those Who Can Still Ride in Airplanes for the First Time

“I am looking for God, Quentin.”
“While this world says “fuck you” for trying.
For this world hates your eyes, Quentin.
For they are simple and pure.
And this world hates your fingers, Quentin, little like the stems of flowers.
For not being able to pick up the things you have left behind, because you are still learning to do so.


I always hated poetry in school. Grade seven poetry was hell as far as I am aware. I once heard a woman speak at Soul in spoken word. I can still remember mocking her elegant lack of tone and emphasis on strange syllables. Yet I am now somehow convinced that the purest form of art comes from poetry. Surpassing the art of music perhaps, but who am I to say.

This poem captures the innocence of children in one respect, yet opens up many other conversations as well.

Athlete of the Week

Andrew Benga of the Springs Christian Academy Eagles soccer team is this week’s Home Run Sports Winnipeg High School athlete of the week.

This 5’7” midfielder is the Eagles’ captain. At the recent Beaver Brae Soccer tournament in Kenora, he received All-Star recognition. Coach Kim Barkowski states, “I have had the honour of working with Andrew for 4 years and he has constantly impressed me with his talent, positive attitude and skills. It’s Andrews humble leadership style and his ability to inspire, motivate and elevate his teammates to a higher level of play that sets him apart from other athletes.”

In his grade 12 year he maintains an academic average of 93%.

- http://www.mhsaa.mb.ca/pages/award/aotw.php


My buddy got Athlete of the Week for Manitoba High School Athletic Association. Honestly, this kid is a champ. He is insanely talented both on a off the pitch. Props to you Benga.

Tyler Ward Meets Airplanes

Here is one for ya. I must say, I am totally digging this Tyler Ward dude. One of my buddies showed me this fella, fairly impressive no?

Kurt Vonnegut

Valedictorian Speech

*** Updated on 03/24/11 ***If you have searched on Google for a Valedictorian Speech go ahead and use mine as a basis. If you have any questions about a speech email me @ jordangtmichalski@gmail.com

Good luck in writing your speech!

Turns out I am not Valedictorian for this year. I won't lie, I am a tad disappointed but I also understand that when I look back on my high school career I am not going to be in tears at the fact I was not the "big V". Either way, one of my best buddies got it instead so I am pretty pumped for him.

Here was the speech that I pitched to the faculty last week, give'r a read.

Good afternoon and welcome, friends and family, teachers and administration, honoured guests, Pastor Leon, Mrs Bayne and you, the class of 2010. First off, I would like to thank God for allowing me to have the opportunity to speak to you all today.

So, here we are… Many of us have waited thirteen years for this day. From Kindergarten until grade eleven we dreamt and imagined what it would be like to finally toss a hat into the air. We dreamt of growing up and becoming more independent in our own lives. Then grade twelve dawned upon us… in the hustle and bustle of everyday life we almost forgot about graduation… We focused on high school credits and sports team accomplishments. We concentrated on building friendships and on making memories. But now, this is it. Graduation. Today is a day for celebration. Today is a day where your thirteen years of work all pay off. Today is a day focused and targeted around us, the grads.

But to celebrate us we must first look back to how we got here.
Mom and Dad, and parents of all these graduates - thank you so much. It is you, the parents, who have pushed us in making decisions as we strive for excellence. It was you who offered your advice, your love and your experience in every area of our lives. When we were stubborn, you pushed through. When we were crying, you cared. When we were needy you provided. We thank you ever-so-much for simply being our parents.

Teachers, Pastors and Mentors. Thank you as well. When we were away from home we were usually in the presence of you. You were the people who encouraged us to do the best that we could, you were the people who we ran to when we thought no one else understood and you were the people who always dropped insight into our lives from an angle we never fathomed. From the graduating class, we thank you.

And to the Graduates. Most of you I have know for a good portion of my life. You have truly been a blessing in more ways than you could imagine. It was you who set an academic bar that I strived to reach, it was you who took a vested interest into my life, and it was you who took the time to simply be my friends. Each one of you has taught me a different and important lesson in the years that I have known you and have made an impression on my life in one way or another. As my gift back to all of you, I give you these thoughts…

It was Ralph Waldo Emerson who once said: “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us”. This quote captures the idea of graduation in its entirety.

We all have a past… A journey if you will. It started from birth and morphed its way to where we find ourselves today. We attended elementary school and learnt to share the computer in Mrs. Joyal’s grade one class. We grew into children who learnt to work diligently as we longed to go to fun mountain every year from grades four to six. Then we made a leap into junior high where, on the Memphis trip, we learnt about raging hormones, as the bus was separated with girls up front and boys in the back. Our journey continued into high school and eventually grade twelve, from here we learnt what it meant to support a friend in time of crisis. We learnt of the qualities and characteristics of God and how we relate that to others through a bonding experience at camp Cedarwood. We have acquired knowledge through our years and we have come to a point where it is time to put that knowledge into action.

As an accompaniment to our past, all of us have a future. In fact, we have spent this last year fervently preparing for our future. We are aspiring Dentists, Pilots, Lawyers, Engineers, Teachers and Automotive Mechanics, just to name a few. We are people with big dreams and people who have a desire to let their lives take flight. We know that with the proper guidance we can make a difference in our world using the lives we have been given.

But all of it… Our past, our future, graduation day itself. Mean nearly nothing when compared with what dwells in both you and I. It is a overused cliché; “This generation will be the generation that will change the world.” We have heard it said time and time again, but as far as I am aware it has never been as true as it is today. As much as I would cringe when I heard someone start talking about “this generation” it finally hit me… In Mark 16:15 we are called to ‘go into all the world and make disciples of all people’. We are administered a challenge that if taken on has the capacity to change our earth in ways we could never begin to imagine. We, the class of 2010 are the people that Jesus is talking to in this passage. He is calling us out, telling us to spread the word of God in a way that people will understand. Now is the time to be bold in our faith and to take a step out of the boat as Peter did. To rely on completely our Savior who dwells within us. Jeremiah 33:3 is a promise from God, saying; “Call to me and I will answer you, tell you great and inconceivable things you did not know.” One on hand God gives us a task, yet on the other hand He give us a promise. He sends us out, but He does not send us out unequipped. Ephesians 2:10 Says that “we are His workmanship, created in Christ to do good works.” God delights in us and He has given us the opportunity to leave High School behind us and to keep on going, to strive for great things in our lives.

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us”.

Our past and our future are simply tiny matters when compared with our potential, combined with the love of Christ in our lives. Now is the time to go out and to be God’s light in a world so desperately seeking Him.

Now, as I close I wish to leave you with a blessing…

May the Lord bless you as you go on your way. May He go before you to show you the way. May He go behind you to encourage you. May He go beside you to guide and befriend you. May He always be above you to watch over you. And may He be within you to give you peace.
In the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit. Amen

I listened to a lovely elderly lady named Erna Baughgartner speak today, here are some thoughts and notes I took that I'll share...

- Darkness is needed on a canvass to produce picture. A canvass is white and without darkness a picture cannot take from. In this way, darkness is needed in our life in the form of suffering. To paint a picture, to build character.

- "God has given, God has taken away. Yet the name of the Lord is to be praised"

- Job's friends came to him and they took pity on Him. They were right by sitting with him in his time of loss but they were wrong when they started to speak into his life without wisdom.

Okay, that point makes me think... Too often we try to speak words of advice into someones life when we have no clue what we are talking about... Being there for a friend is the best advice you could give, to not speak but rather simply be present.

Oh, and check out Job 2:8. Someone, please, tell me what that is saying to you. I stumbled upon it today while reading.

It's been a long night and I've tired my knees down to the bone, and my heart of stone. I should feel lucky, but I don't.

Kill 'Em With Kindness

I saw this tour poster and have since applied this principle to my life. Kindness is one of the greatest weapons that any man can possess. It has the power to do amazing things to the emotional state of any person.

I met a girl today. Aged 16, but doesn't look it one bit. In the first 3 minutes that we were in each others presence we said nothing more than a hello. In the next 2 minutes I asked about her musical preferences. In the next 4 minutes I showed her a song that she may enjoy. In the next 15 minutes I learned of how high school friends have treated her poorly, how her sister cuts and how she worries for her family.
It took me a very long time to process this exchange, I still am not to sure what to make of it. I simply gave this girl a ride from point A to B... All I know is that kindness kills. Kindness kills in the most positive and constructive way possible. It is kindness that breaks down the walls to a hardened heart.

Try it out. Be Kind.

I have spent my night doing an insane amount of homework. I don't usually do this much but I had been stressing all day about my work load so I figured I would plow through it tonight. It feels insanely good to get a solid amount of work done.

I wrote my potential valedictorian speech today. I say potential because I must present it tomorrow in front of a board of faculty, from there they choose 1 of 4 possible people to present their speech as valedictorian. So, if I get chosen you will have to wait until the end of June to see my speech, but if not I will post my speech as soon as possible.

I am working everything out for my graduation day as well. I got the car set up and am getting everything ready to go. It is exciting.

One Step in the Right Direction...

"One step in the right direction
Won't change the world, but it's a start
Someone's gotta see the good in everything
And that there's more than just the stars to think about
That's where the art comes out
That's where the truth of the heart comes out"
- The Banks of the English Bay,
Said The Whale

Sitting in law class today, I tore through a huge assignment in record time while listening to my new found obsession, CBCRADIO3. I tell you, every Canadian artist is on this site and there are some solid tunes pumping from it. But, while listening to one of my favorites, Said The Whale, I heard a quick verse and had to look up the lyrics to see if I heard correctly. And yes, I heard correctly.

"One step in the right direction won't change the world, but it's a start."

Say what?! Right there, they had me. It's beautiful. We all know that big accomplishments are not made by one giant leap but rather many small 'baby steps'. Never mind that we are talking about changing the world here. You could ask anyone in this world and they would say that our world is in due need of some sort of change. I think this line is gorgeous!

"Someone's gotta see the good in everything"

What more do I need to say about this?, everyone needs and optimistic friend. I know in myself I see the cup half empty a good amount of the time, something that I have tried to curb. Thinking positive instead of negative totally will improve the life of yourself as well as the people around you... I am no shrink, but of this I am sure.

"And that there's more than just the stars to think about. That's where the art comes out, that's where the truth of the heart comes out"

I have no clue what Ben Worcester and Tyler Bancroft of Said The Whale were thinking when they wrote this, but that is the beauty of art. For all I know they could have been talking about global warming, yet when I interpret this I see it as a magnificent quest to understand the concept of a creator. The idea that there is something beyond the stars. And once we can come to realize that there is something behind the stars we see the origin of art, the Creator himself. Now wait, Said The Whale could have just left it there and I would have been content. Yet instead they choose to add one more line; "that's where the truth of the heart comes out". Oh my goodness, how well does that tie in with the idea of a creator? For me, coming to the realization that God is out there and then seeing how all art finds its path back towards Him is a solid idea. Now toss in the fact that He knows our hearts through and through. The truth of ones heart can elude many a people, including the one bearing the heart. But through God those secrets of darkness become illuminated, brought to light and dealt with.

Gahh, a profound moment for me today.
Have a good one.

Job 42

"I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted." - Job 42:2 (NIV)

I had heard someone speak of how whacked out God was because He allowed Job to suffer immense pain and suffering at the hands of Satan, and when Job asked God "Why me? Why all this?" God responded with a "Because!". So I figured I should read it and find out for myself. I bookmarked the page in the Bible a while ago but only got around to reading it now. God speaks to Job in a long piece as to how great He is in comparison to Job. But I see more here, I do not think that God was screaming at Job as to how foolish he could have been for questioning Him or boasting about His greatness, but rather God was reassuring Job that he will never leave him or forsake him (Heb. 13:5). I guess Job didn't have this New Testament promise to hold on to yet, but God was still there telling Job not to worry.

I think if God was tearing a strip off Job for questioning Him, Job would not have ever responded to God. He would have been beat into submission where the fetal position would have been Jobs only option. But instead Job praises God as to how mighty He is. After God is done speaking to Job, Job simply tells God that he understands. He may not completely understand why God had made him suffer but he does understand that God is not going to abandon him in his time of need, that God will still be there for Him despite his trials and hard times.

Just a little note... Something I took comfort in today.

Praise ye The Lord

Well I am going to eventually let y'all know whats going on with this Philosophy class of mine. All I am going to say for now is that I enjoy being around Atheists. Mostly because its a change for me, I have been around Christians or religious folk my whole life and have not had an experience where a solid defence for my faith was needed. My Prof. is a Philosopher who knows both sides of the argument and is well researched in all areas. He tells us that he does not tell people whether is believes in God or not... But I watched the movement of his hand during a secret ballot as to who believes in the existence of God... Needless to say, he does not. I will write about what I have learned a little later on this week...

Okay... Call me what you want but I think this song is beautiful. Contrary to public belief Ms. Miley Syrus did not write this song... The credit goes to John Shanks and Hillary Lindsey. I have not listened to the original version of this song and I am not going to. But rather I came across this version while looking through Tyler Wards music on youtube.



Now, I frankly don't care what anyone is going to say about me for listening to this but it is definitely pulling on my heartstrings... HARD! But whatever... I'll attempt (and fail) to put the emotions to the side and continue writing...

I am headed off to a youth conference this weekend... The same youth conference I vowed just a week ago that I was not going to attend. You know the times where you realize that you have to grow up? When you realize that decisions you have made out of ignorance have shot you in not just one foot but both? I have leaned on my parents for support within the last few weeks... The only people who I am comfortable talking to anymore. And they have given me some advice, some which I have chosen to listen to, some which at the time I decided to disregard. I honestly regret not listening to the options I threw out... Note To Self: Despite being blinded by emotion, listen to Mom and Dad.

Oh, back to the youth conference... I have learned a fair bit about God within the past few days... And I hope (or pray...) that I find more of God at this conference. I would call myself a Skeptical Theist, one who believes in God and despite arguments around God and still believes that we (I) learn and uncover more of God day by day. I also believe that while I live on this earth I will never find God in His entirety. I think it would be foolishness to believe that you have figured out in any respect or area, who God is.



Oh, and back to the youth conference... I have a burning passion deep within me... I don't know how to use it or capture it or what its for... But its a fire that burns so hot it nearly tears out through my chest and stomach. I need to find a way to uncover what this passion of mine is, hopefully something this weekend will click. If I go to this conference and I don't uncover what this thing is within me, then so be it. I won't be dismayed... Because when I finally discover what this bugger is then it's going to take off like nothing I have ever seen before, of this I am sure.



Oh! The Conference! I almost forgot! It will be a good weekend, I am sure of this as well. I am sure that this weekend will have its fair share of uneasy moments and unsettling times. But something I have learned from a friend in the last little while rings in my ears; "When life is in discord, Praise ye the Lord."

University, yeeeaaa-no.

This week is an exciting one for me. I am attending a Philosophy class at the University of Winnipeg from 9-3 from Monday to Friday. It apart of the U of W's "High School Enrichment Program: To provide the most promising students with an early taste of university experience.".. Or you could call it the biggest marketing push of the year by the U of W to get kids to enroll for the fall term. Both descriptions are equally accurate.

I have been starting to think about this whole university thing... It seems to have been the driving force behind my life for the past two years... Preparing for University. Choosing the right high school courses for admittance into University. Well, I am headed to the University of Manitoba for the fall session in 2010 and spring of 2011 and I am no longer pumped to attend. Sure, their is apart of me that is going to love the change of scenery and all, but I want the payoff without the work and sacrifice... No more sacrifice. What a damn egocentric thing to say, I know... But I digress.

Dear University,
Mess off for now.
With Disgust, Jordan.

Watch Your Back...

I stumbled upon a drawing in one of the classrooms at my school. I laughed... Then I actually turned around to see if anyone was behind me. Props to the kid who had drawn the original of this, you made me laugh and you scared me.

The Power of Video Games

Okay, so this is my very sketchy (pun totally intended) sketch.

You don't need to laugh, that's not my goal. Someone just tell me they understand it. Just one person, please.

Oh, and this is a totally real excerpt from my life.

Facebook

I am going to dedicate more time to blogging I think. Why? No reason really, but when I have time like tonight, no homework, hockey games on TV I think I will start coming to the blog a little more often.
I "deactivated" le Facebook. I am not to sure how long it will stay "deactivated" but I hope it will stay like that, for at least a little while.

I still have the whole Twitter thing up and going, me and my 18 followers.

I am going to draw up a little comic sketch, not XKCD quality but close enough, you can probably expect that one tomorrow.
Oh, and this reminds me. Check out www.xkcd.com, thats where the majority of the comics come from.

And last but not least, I kinda want to post under the "Education" tab, seeing as there is not one post there yet... I may have something brewing.

After the Storm

I came across this band a while ago, a dear friend pointed me in their direction. I am excited for a new release from these boys, not sure if one is in the mix yet.
This tune is a solid one, listen and read for yourselves.




And after the storm,
I run and run as the rains come
And I look up, I look up,
on my knees and out of luck,
I look up.

Night has always pushed up day
You must know life to see decay
But I won't rot, I won't rot
Not this mind and not this heart,
I won't rot.

And I took you by the hand
And we stood tall,
And remembered our own land,
What we lived for.

And there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears.
And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears.
Get over your hill and see what you find there,
With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.

And now I cling to what I knew
I saw exactly what was true
But oh no more.
That's why I hold,
That's why I hold with all I have.
That's why I hold.

I will die alone and be left there.
Well I guess I'll just go home,
Oh God knows where.
Because death is just so full and mine so small.
Well I'm scared of what's behind and what's before.

And there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears.
And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears.
Get over your hill and see what you find there,
With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.

And there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears.
And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears.
Get over your hill and see what you find there,
With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.

After reading this I was reminded that I was going to download FireFox. I downloaded version 3.6... And I have yet to become a Wiccan.

My Kind of "Humor"

"When you have a fat friend there are no see-saws. Only catapults."

I have come to the conclusion that I need to find more friends who understand my kind of humor. But then again, my kind of humor is dry, scientific and sarcastic. I guess I will continue conforming to the humor status quo and just continue to read xkcd comics when I have the time.

Tetris

I'm sure that the most of you will not understand this... But to those few Tetris Players like myself out there... Who would click every link in a Google search in attempts to get tetris at school that's not blocked, to those who would sneak their DS's into class and play underneath the desk, to those who would close the tetris window, lie in bed and see the tetris blocks running through your head... This is for you.

So, I am convinced that I happen to have the best family in the world. I just came home from one of my cousins weddings. The more our family expands the more I have come to love it. I can remember the days where I would see my cousins, Aunts and Uncles at Christmas and other major events. But in the past few years we have all become closer I feel... Its something I love. Truly love. I can remember being bummed out that I had no cousins my age, but now I see that having cousins older than myself is the best thing that could ever happen to me. The wisdom that is poured into my life by my cousins is something that could never be matched. The fact that one of the guys who have married into the family has become one of the guys that I could come to with anything is beyond me. I love you all.

So a friend sent me a text, when I read it I could not stop laughing.

"I really hope that [English Teacher] is not a psychoanalyst. Because the fiction piece I am writing is really just a part of my life. How awkward would that be if he figured out it was not fiction?"
When your biggest fear is that your English teacher my be a psychoanalyst and may see through you piece of 'fiction', you are in a good place.

So I have decided to write again. To use an Internet blog.

If you are on this blog now, you probably were directed to it by www.soulsjordan.blogspot.com, my previous blog. I used it for about 4 years and wrote all sorts of things on it. Ideas, thoughts, music, you name it and I wrote about it. But I see writing in a new way now. For myself, there are two major means of communication; a) Verbal and b) Written. I have decided that instead of leaning more towards the written means of communication I am going to verbally communicate things to those who are close to me.

So, I am going to organize all my posts into sub-categories.
They are as follows:
1. Humor
2. Musings
3. Music
4. Education

If I find something funny, it is simply "labeled" (Using blogger Labels) as 'Humor'.
If I find something interesting or if I have a thought or two that I wish to share, it will be labeled 'Musings'.
If I wish to share music of sorts with you, either lyrics, audio or a video, I will label it 'Music'.
If I write a piece which I believe may be educational to someone out there, I will label it 'Education'. (Posts labeled under Education will usually be a presentation of facts that will be concluded with my view points opening up the comments section to hear from readers as to their views.)

In this way, post will be easily navigated by all readers using the side bar. Some posts may overlap but I see it as a fresh new way to blog.