tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-185781072024-03-23T12:30:26.549-06:00Beameeup ScottyScotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08206357547437118064noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18578107.post-4029234497763996822007-05-04T14:40:00.000-06:002008-12-12T21:59:16.829-06:00enf P<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNjKI_khnxb4jaByA6yetMVL9ysWfb79wgDEItz4hAgqiJ2kZkaAoiBvdRofTGfvY6zGpPCZGoVLansqGvdZQAk9ihwhH-nUYk2exJ2lOQRR272lO_5LLNp3u18AcRIis73Z_vgQ/s1600-h/IMG_1291.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5060812289225660530" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNjKI_khnxb4jaByA6yetMVL9ysWfb79wgDEItz4hAgqiJ2kZkaAoiBvdRofTGfvY6zGpPCZGoVLansqGvdZQAk9ihwhH-nUYk2exJ2lOQRR272lO_5LLNp3u18AcRIis73Z_vgQ/s400/IMG_1291.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"></span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Still waiting</span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Can’t go yet</span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">It won’t change, but…</span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">How long can it be dragged on?</span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">I am not ready yet.</span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Isn’t it supposed to be different?</span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Avoid this anxiety.</span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">!Youtube!</span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">3:00 AM<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>. Quiet</span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Forgot about that meeting.</span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Tylynol, A535</span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Caffeine, Nyquil, Caffeine, Nyquil, Caffeine, Nyquil.</span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">How do others do this?</span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Are they better people?</span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">What if…?</span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">!Myspace!</span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">OH YEAH, I was supposed to…</span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Too late now.</span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Peace now, wishing now.</span></p><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-: EN-CAfont-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12;" >Happy regret.</span>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08206357547437118064noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18578107.post-23197482106905224502007-05-04T14:30:00.000-06:002007-05-04T14:45:56.153-06:00How do you like your truth?<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Is this for me or for you?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">If I make it for you, will it really be me?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Do you want it raw or by recipe?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">This rapes my heart</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">I want to bring beauty.</span></p><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-: EN-CAfont-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:12;" >You only want porn.</span>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08206357547437118064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18578107.post-51724539106539941342007-02-08T11:13:00.000-06:002007-05-04T14:48:00.529-06:00Frailty and Strength<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">-same muscle, different decades</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">-same mind, different attitudes</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">-same material, different designs</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">It is all in “how” you use it, spend it, invest it.</span></p>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08206357547437118064noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18578107.post-1165427430938151992006-12-06T11:17:00.000-06:002007-05-04T14:49:07.456-06:00dogs and glass ceilingsAssumptions can be our friends and other times they can be the dogs that chase us through the woods into an untimely and gruesome death. They help us attain levels of great performance, or they pin us to the wall with fear that we will never meet the expectations. Yet most times we are unaware of the assumptions that manipulate our lives. We just continue on chasing the gold at the end of the rainbow because we assume that 1) there is gold there, 2) we can reach the end of the rainbow, and 3) the gold will make me happy.<br /><br />The assumptions that I am thinking about today are the assumptions that what I am now is all I can ever be. That nothing of any consequence can ever come from small town Saskatchewan. That good enough is good enough.<br /><br />But imagine if Jesus came walking into our town today with his twelve disciples in tow. If he sat in front of the water tower and called us to a higher way of living, would it make a difference? I wonder if there would be any sort of change to the way that we do our lives. I wonder if he said to me, “drop your pen and follow me” would many of my assumption change.<br /><br />What would really make a difference to me is if he said that he knows what I am capable of and he believes in my abilities. That would be a big one. It would rock my worldview.<br /><br />If you knew what God thought about your abilities, would he be optimistic? I think he would. And that can change all your assumptions for the better.<br /><br />You can be so much more than what the assumptions around you say. Yet you do not have to be guilty for missing the mark because there is forgiveness.Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08206357547437118064noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18578107.post-1165358561884236802006-12-05T13:44:00.000-06:002007-05-04T14:50:05.546-06:00BurntDear Student<br />How are you doing? Are you busy? Are you tired?<br /><br />There are two types of tired. One is slept away with one good night in the sheets. The other exhaustion is much deeper. This one feels worse in the morning.<br /><br />It is like the difference between a sprinter and a marathon runner. The sprinter after 100 meters may be temporarily winded but ready to go again that same day. The marathon runner is inconsolably shattered and done competing for the rest of the week. College life is much like the marathon.<br /><br />Let us be honest with ourselves. College can be a thankless black hole that you put life energy into. Yes, it is important valid work, but it requires self-induced balance. No one is going to give us a medal for burning out.<br /><br />You might know the feeling. You have not “sprang” out of bed in months. Standing in front of the mirror at the start of the day you feel like it should be the end of the day. Nothing of great consequence is on the agenda, and yet there is a quiet nagging dread. Hiding somewhere in the layers of your psyche is a rogue emotion that just wants a good irrational crying session. I know because I have been there.<br /><br />I should have known better. A new baby, a thesis deadline, and a waiting list of serious student issues required twenty all-nighters on semester. When my eye started twitching, it should have been a warning sign. But there was so much “good” stuff that needed doing. It is a long familiar story, but two years later I am still trying to bring recovery to the frazzled neurons in my brain.<br /><br />Sports Psychology reveals that high level performance can only be maintained temporarily. To continue to perform optimally, we must rest optimally. I wish someone would have told the twitchy-eyed-all-nighter-idiot two years ago. If we want to do well we must rest. So that begs this question; How are you going to spend your Christmas Vacation?<br /><br />Here are three pointers learned from the recovery side of burn out.<br /><br />1) Be a good animal: Sleep lots, eat well, exercise, breath deeply and make love to your spouse (if appropriate). Do not believe that the mind and body are separate. What is good for the heart is good for the brain.<br /><br />2) Swing left or right: Most of our daily activities polarized into either right or left brain thinking. When you take a break to rest, do something from the other hemisphere. If you read technical books, read poetry in your break. If you concentrate for hours in meetings, loose yourself for hours hiking with the dog. Paint a picture, read an adventure novel or do a puzzle. Getting caught up on your office work will not get you caught you up on rest.<br /><br />3) Meditate: Learn the skill of relaxing and focusing. This not only brings the health benefits of the relaxation response, but it also re-programs your instinctual behaviours because the process is very similar to hypnosis. Truth within scripture will only set you free if it is internalized and owned.<br /><br />May you have a rest filled holiday.Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08206357547437118064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18578107.post-1160588881764782622006-10-11T11:47:00.000-06:002007-05-04T14:51:12.790-06:00To my RA's and SRC<blockquote><br /></blockquote>A whisper comes out of the breeze<br />Deity camouflaged in air<br /><br />“Mighty Warrior”<br /><br />The coward turns, “Who said that?”<br /><br />Who said that?<br /><br />Someone whispered in your ear last spring<br />But knowing God is sovereign<br />There was more than one voice<br />“Will you lead the students next year?”<br /><br />Who said that?<br /><br />There are others who are more qualified.<br />Others who are smarter, more committed<br />and better suited.<br />But they are not here.<br /><br />Moses my servant is dead – now, cross this river and take the land.<br />The other RA has graduated – now, take us where we have never been.<br /><br />You are the one sovereignty picked to lead this year. You have a commission from God.<br />You may be scared, you may be unsure. But, hear the words to the coward in the wine press.<br /><br />“Be strong and courageous.”Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08206357547437118064noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18578107.post-1155501513013743382006-08-13T14:23:00.000-06:002007-05-04T14:51:46.042-06:00Algae<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2242/1407/1600/Img_4804.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2242/1407/400/Img_4804.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Ancient, Silent and Horrible<br />She never comes up-so no body knows<br />But I know she’s there cause I seen her.<br />There’s a sea monster in Last Mountain lake.<br /><br />It’s not very deep, but it is long<br />Only two paddle strokes to cross,<br />It disappears into the horizon<br />Once flowing from perpetual winter it sits and brews<br /><br />That is why she stays<br /><br />There are other lakes, other haunts<br />But none so ripe as this<br />The august surface lives<br />Blankets each cove, shore painted green<br /><br />Summer slime is fine wine<br />This vintage is her secret<br />The others don’t know<br />For she likes to drink to drink alone<br /><br />I named her pigtails<br />Hoping the gentle thought would ease the terror<br />Don’t worry, she is peace as melting snow<br />Yet only in sobriety<br /><br />When the white caps<br />church the water clear,<br />her wits keep shy<br />often mistaken for rock or log<br /><br />When green and brown float<br />On hot breathless days<br />Formless Lilly pads hide the shape<br />Of the monster beneath<br /><br />Drunk on fermenting juice<br />She might forget herself<br />And venture too close to those who<br />Would discover her addiction<br /><br />When tail brushes legs<br />They climb out of the soup<br />Hoping to wash away the itch<br />Ignorant they were touched by leviathanScotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08206357547437118064noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18578107.post-1151626727850041932006-06-29T18:13:00.000-06:002006-06-29T18:18:47.920-06:00Where is the Poster Child<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2242/1407/1600/OUTDOORS%20MAN.0.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2242/1407/400/OUTDOORS%20MAN.0.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />July is the month of rest for me. Although I am around, I will not be around cyber-space. Posting will resume in August. Have a great summer.Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08206357547437118064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18578107.post-1150783019640694732006-06-19T23:35:00.000-06:002007-05-04T14:52:57.574-06:00Imaginary hunters with real bulletsWe are all wise enough to know that with every good freedom also come dangerous trappings. The Internet is like a beautiful wide-open pasture of information to graze on. Yet under all that brain food and entertainment are landmines.<br /><br />I heard about a crazy notion back in the 90s. There were two serious problems that needed resolving.<br /><br />1. In the former Yugoslavia there were thousands of unexploded land mines buried in the countryside. They were responsible for killing completely innocent civilians and children long after the civil war was over.<br /><br />2. In England there was an outbreak of BSE in the cattle there, requiring that complete herds be slaughtered to stop the spread of the disease.<br /><br />You can probably put two and two together of what the crazy idea was.<br /><br />Sometimes I worry about encouraging people to start blogging. Am I inadvertently sending the innocent one into the field to defuse landmines?<br /><br />Blogging is wonderful for the freedom of communication that it offers. We do not have to get our articles cleared by a publisher. We can reveal information to a society that needs to know about governmental inconsistencies, and cover-ups. We can express ourselves any way we want.<br /><br />Yet therein lies the problem. The tongue is the hardest body part to control. If it has free reign of our blogs, who knows what trouble will land on us or other people. The blog is like Pandora’s box. Once you publish, it is out there, and even deleted, it might still haunt you. Text Sticks. It is as easy as Control-A, Control-C, Alt-Tab, Control-V.<br /><br />What I am saying is, (singing) be careful little hands what you type. General rule of thumb…assume that your friends, lovers, enemies, and bosses are reading your blog. Imagine your girlfriend’s father and your Student Dean reading it every night. Otherwise, we might find ourselves on the business end of a pink slip.<br /><br />We can also forget that there are predators out there. Like a gopher blissfully enjoying the sunny day, we might squeak out some delightful personal information, unknowingly compromising our safety. Then, like a hawk coming out of the sun, an identity thief, hacker, or sex offender shocks us with the reality that cyberspace is not a game. Pseudonyms and alternate personas are like camouflage. Both hunters and the hunted use it. Carnivores are hunters with no mercy, which means they are searching for hours to find some innocent blogger who says too much.<br /><br />Beware the feedback of someone that is suspicious. Anybody can post anonymously, or sign someone else’s name. Don’t take feedback to heart unless you are certain of the author.<br /><br />Last thought, how many of you have read someone else’s blog and said, “Ooh, I didn’t need to know that.” Remember that the blog is not the place to unburden your soul, tell your secrets, or confess your sins. That is what best friends, diaries, and confessional booths are for. This is not insincere; it is just wise and tasteful.<br /><br />I would like to grow this post into a larger article. If you have any other trapping that you can think of, leave a comment.<br /><br />Safe blogging my friends.Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08206357547437118064noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18578107.post-1150240033609285322006-06-13T16:54:00.000-06:002006-06-13T17:07:13.623-06:00Promo Time<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2242/1407/1600/133_3334%20stretched%20legs.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2242/1407/400/133_3334%20stretched%20legs.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />This is your chance to be in pictures. If you are going to be a student at FGBC this next year, we are going to be taking promotional pictures for our material on June 27th, 2006. If you have ever wanted to be in the Catalogue, Life publication, posters or anything else, this is your chance.<br /><br />The recruitment team will be in Eston on the 27th, so if you have the day off and live close enough to Eston to make the trip, then come on down...or up...or over. Bring a few changes of clothes, preferably casual, classy/elegant, and profesional.Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08206357547437118064noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18578107.post-1149231212199167502006-06-02T00:50:00.000-06:002006-06-17T22:04:46.296-06:00Our gift to the worldWho gives this woman to be married?<br /><br />I am not ready for that question yet. Of course, my daughter is not even two, but when that day comes I don’t know what I am going to say. “Her mother and I” is the right answer, but I might just say… “I changed my mind” or “When you get a better job” or maybe “Work for me for seven years and then you can marry her.”<br /><br />Sending kids off can be an anxious season for parents. Every year we see it here when Mom helps her baby(strikethrough- sorry Ryan, I couldn’t figure out how to do strikethrough so I just italicised it. Can you do that?) young man move into the dorms. Will he be OK? Will he be able to sleep here? Will the college realize how great this guy really is?<br /><br />After investing for 18 years, there is a lot of love, sweat, and fears going into this student.<br /><br />We feel something like that at graduation. When the students who have been with us for four years cross the floor, there is so much pride and joy. There is also a bit of dread. Will they make it? Will they be accepted? Will their potential be realized?<br /><br />This year I especially felt that with this graduating class. They are brimming with talent and potential. They have great attitudes, and sincere hearts. They are experienced enough to be helpful, but wise enough to go into life as learners.<br /><br />After thriving at FGBC for four years they develop the habits of a high performance Christian community. They have become dear friends and they will desire that Body of Christ experience for the remainder of their lives. This group has the potential to bring that ethos into the environments that they are going into. They will be change agents.<br /><br />So I am both excited and nervous. I feel like we, the staff and faculty, are sending this group to the world as our present. Here is our gift. We are so proud of them, and we will be their biggest fans. Of course, we cannot take full credit. We can barely take partial credit behind God and parents. But we cannot help feeling that they are ours.<br /><br />Please treat them well. Please give them opportunities. Please welcome, protect, and love them. You will discover that they are smart, loving, energetic, with a lot to offer.<br /><br />“Who gives these students…?”Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08206357547437118064noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18578107.post-1148666851891696522006-05-26T12:00:00.000-06:002006-05-29T14:11:01.326-06:00Imminent<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2242/1407/1600/IMG_2432-flip-and-cooled.0.png"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2242/1407/400/IMG_2432-flip-and-cooled.0.png" border="0" /></a><br />What is the future going to look like? What is God going to do in the future? Are we going to have flying cars and moving sidewalks? Is the church going to be an afterthought of history like the belief in a flat earth? Will the United States loose it’s economic momentum and it’s status as the world’s super-power?<br /><br />The future finally arrived on the farm this year. My dad installed a machine on his tractor that uses GPS to steer. He still has to sit on the tractor and make the corners, but now he can read a book or watch movies while seeding. One of our neighbours knits, and I heard a rumour that another one likes to take his pellet gun along to shoot “critters” while driving. (If cutting edge GPS technology enhances your “varmit huntin”- you might be a redneck.)<br /><br />It has changed the way they farm. They can seed at night with little difficulty, and there is much less mental fatigue throughout the day. It is wonderful.<br /><br />I dreamed about this technology for years. Strange how I dreamt about it, but never really anticipated it. When the technology arrived, I was surprised. It is almost like I was caught off guard.<br /><br />What else do we dream about and not anticipate? Marriage? Graduation? Children? Opportunities? The second coming of Christ?<br /><br />The word we choose to describe the coming event helps forge an attitude. If you are single, how do you describe marriage; “Eventual,” “Doubtful”, “Imminent?” The attitude you adopt will affect your behaviour. If someone pouts all the time because marriage is “doubtful,” they will be less attractive or will miss opportunities that are staring them in the face. Someone who thinks “eventual” will have a better attitude, but might still miss opportunities. Someone who thinks “imminent” will be watching and waiting, primping, and most likely flirting more…and we all know that flirting eventually leads to dancing…Oh NO!!! (yes- I know that some people become extremist in their quest for a spouse. This websight does not condone the notion that “If I don’t have a husband by 21 then I’m an old maid who might as well open a halfway house for stray cats.)<br /><br />Don’t miss the point here. The question is, how do you think about the second coming?<br /><br />The Pope was asked what he would say to the world if he knew Christ was returning today. He said “Quick, everybody, look busy!”<br /><br />Is his coming eventual, doubtful, or imminent? The bible counsels us to be watchful so that we are ready. Whether he comes in our lifetime or not, let us have an attitude of heart that is ready. Live like he is coming today. (But plan like he is coming 100 years from now.)Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08206357547437118064noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18578107.post-1146179988007441752006-04-27T17:13:00.000-06:002006-04-27T17:19:48.030-06:00Muddy Issues<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2242/1407/1600/old%20girl.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2242/1407/400/old%20girl.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Aaaahhh<br /><br />It is sure nice to be home. No more assignments. No more in-dorm time. No more 8:20 Community Group. My favourite thing about going home was re-connecting with friends and family. It still is.<br /><br />Home…SWEEEEEEEET…home.<br /><br />Yet there was always something I hated about going home. It seemed that within a few days of my return, I would find myself embroiled in the same old habits I had worked hard to stop all year. It was like the mediocrity and naughtiness were waiting there under my bed to pounce as soon as I slept there.<br /><br />When you come home from Bible School, your family expects that you have changed. Yet, they might also assume that you have not changed. They expect more but treat you the same. However, it is not their fault that your habits are back. You cannot blame them.<br /><br />Your pastor hopes for great changes and welcomes you back, yet you might find church less than you remember and far from the high performance community that you soaked in for eight months. It is not his fault that your habits are back. You cannot blame your pastor.<br /><br />Your friends, like you, will want to have fun the way you did in grade twelve. Yet, they have moved on, and they will be disillusioned that you have changed also. Reliving old times is called nostalgia. Only let yourself indulge in nostalgia for a couple hours. Otherwise you will encounter “immature old-age” because you are living in the “good-old-days.” It is not your friends fault that your habits are back. You cannot blame them.<br /><br />You will find a familiar comfort from your old life. But you will have no doubt gone home with some new-years-resolutions for change. The first day home those resolutions are tested, and most often they are forgotten. Then we despair that we failed, and we wonder if there was any changes in our lives at Bible School.<br /><br />So what is the problem?<br /><br />It is simply that you are in a rut.<br /><br />For you city folk that have tried to repress the memories of Eston mud, I will remind you of the properties of a rut. Ruts are deep impressions where a tire has gone before during a rain storm. When they dry, they are hard and crusty. The hardest thing is to drive on a road with a rut because if you fall into the rut, you can be stuck in it for miles.<br /><br />Your old habits are actually old ruts. Even though you have been at school for eight months, the ruts have not changed because you have not ploughed over them. In the absence of new habits, the old habits come back with attitude.<br /><br />So what can you do? Here are some brief thoughts.<br /><br />1) Decide what you want to accomplish or be like this summer. What is the final product or lifestyle that you want? Putting a vision in front of you will help with the next step, and it will give you inspiration to get off the couch.<br />2) Decide what new habits will help you accomplish your goals and live the lifestyle you want. Probably your new lifestyle involves intimacy with God. Then the obvious habit is a regular time of prayer. Be specific, and decide where, when and how this prayer time will look, and what to do if you miss.<br />3) Grade over the old ruts. The old grooves are there because they have not been filled in yet. You need to make changes that will shake up your old routine. If your old habit was too much television, then make a change that will cut this out like joining an evening softball team. Or jogging and praying at the same time. You can defuse the most tempting moment by making yourself busy with something productive.<br /><br />The first week home is critical. Many people mess up, get depressed, and give up. If you have fallen into the ruts, do not get down on yourself. Stop. Get real. Get out. And get going.Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08206357547437118064noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18578107.post-1144855606706669442006-04-12T08:37:00.000-06:002006-04-12T09:26:46.800-06:00Blogging makes you richI am proud of the blogging community here. This is why.<br /><br />There are two types of writers out there. Those who publish, influencing the world, and the rest of us who wish we did.<br /><br />What makes the difference? It is not for lack of education and practice. Just think how long we have been learning to write. If you have a Bachelors degree, you have been practicing writing for 16 years.<br /><br />There must be something more. There must be an attitude or style that differentiates the published from the mute. What is the next step in our development?<br /><br />Most people plateau in their writing development. They reach a point where they can type, email, and pass an English class. Since there is no need to improve, they cease to grow. We must overcome the atrophy.<br /><br />The blog is the tipping point. <br /><br />Consider the difference between the blog and the book report.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Voluntary vs. Required:</span> When you are obligated to write a report, completion is good enough. You do not care to go any further. The blog is voluntary; it is something that you want to grow.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Creative vs. Formatted:</span> The book report has very strict building codes, where the blog gives unfettered room for creativity.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Prolific vs. Scarce:</span> Any blogger worth their HTML will update weekly. This develops a habit of writing that is absent in the typical technophobe. It also increases their odds of success. The more articles we write, the more chance we will win the Pulitzer.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Public vs. Private:</span> Writing to a teacher, friend, or diary has only one reader in mind. A blog is intended for a global unknown audience. This is a critical change in attitude on the road to becoming auteur.<br /><br />But there is a problem, there are too many terrible writers. Some have dismissed the blog because it is often the diary of 13 year olds. Your page must stand out against this backdrop.<br /><br />Perhaps there is one more attitude to choose. We will write with excellence.<br /><br />Reading and listening makes one broad minded, verbose, and wise. Speaking and more so writing makes one sharp minded, articulate, and influential.<br /><br />Keep writing through the summer. Make us all proud.Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08206357547437118064noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18578107.post-1144363082848634642006-04-06T16:27:00.000-06:002006-04-13T15:36:17.183-06:00DUN done<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2242/1407/1600/Curtis%20Jumping.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2242/1407/400/Curtis%20Jumping.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />The thesis has been slain!!! I recieved my grade in the mail today. Thank you all for praying and helping.<br /><br />Of course, I still need to get it approved by the librarian and then published, but that is a summer project.<br /><br />Now, for this blog I asked Steve Atkins to post a question. It is not as easy to answer as you may think. And don't just take the agnostic road saying that it can't be done.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.archive.org/download/steve_asks_about_apostles_in_youthgroup/apostlesinyouthgroupquestion.mov">Click here for a video question</a>. It will take a minut to load up.Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08206357547437118064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18578107.post-1143222157920459932006-03-24T11:25:00.000-06:002006-03-24T11:42:37.940-06:00Thesis Defense<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2242/1407/1600/princessbride02.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2242/1407/400/princessbride02.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2242/1407/1600/dancing%20heros.jpg"></a><br />Please think of me on Monday. I will be defending my thesis. 170 pages that can be summed up in 30 seconds. But I am not worried, because I know something they don't....I am not left handed.Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08206357547437118064noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18578107.post-1143220627254187452006-03-24T11:14:00.000-06:002006-03-24T11:17:07.296-06:00Tommi-goneThe voters have spoken in a very close race. 6-5 in favor of the right one. There was one destroyed ballot with "anonymous" voting. (Never listen to anonymous unless they put their name in the text)<br />Thank you for all your voting.Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08206357547437118064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18578107.post-1143080305360603322006-03-22T20:10:00.000-06:002006-03-22T20:32:05.746-06:00I ain't never seen an elephant fly<a href="http://www.skyventure.com/experience/skyventurepromosmall.wmv"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2242/1407/400/sky%20venture%20flying.jpg" border="0" /></a> Hey, Check out what Brian Tysdal and I did when we were down in Orlando. If you are ever down visiting our Orlandonians, make sure to go to <a href="http://www.skyventureorlando.com/">SkyVenture</a>.Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08206357547437118064noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18578107.post-1142983078029023262006-03-21T17:14:00.000-06:002006-03-21T17:17:58.050-06:00Short MP3I have recorded a short mp3 Idea that you can put in the mix of songs on your Ipod. Just a simple idea that hopefully makes us think.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.archive.org/download/East_and_West_Parradox/EastWestParadox.mp3">Click here to listen or right click and save target</a><br /><br />Also, don't forget to vote for which Tommi-Lyn to kick off the island.Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08206357547437118064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18578107.post-1142668804889995662006-03-18T01:54:00.000-06:002006-03-18T02:00:04.910-06:00Survivor<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2242/1407/1600/tommi%20button.0.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2242/1407/320/tommi%20button.0.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2242/1407/1600/Tommi-Lyn.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2242/1407/320/Tommi-Lyn.jpg" border="0" /></a>Some have asked why there are two pictures of Tomm-Lyn on this sight. No, she does not have two different sites. Actually, I made a face button of her, and then she sent me her own picture, so now niether one of us can decide which one to delete. It is like voting on which one gets voted off the island. Well, that is what it has come down to. I will remove one picture on friday depending on your votes in the comments. So which Tommi will it be.Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08206357547437118064noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18578107.post-1142393311312498752006-03-14T21:23:00.000-06:002006-03-15T12:12:05.253-06:00Face Buttons<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2242/1407/1600/IMG_9917.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2242/1407/400/IMG_9917.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Friends and students. You may notice that there are many faces along the right side of this blog. These are face buttons. They are links to others blog sites. If your name has no face button, then I need to get a picture of you. If you have a favorite, then send it to <a href="mailto:scott.francis@sasktel.com">scott.francis@sasktel.com</a> and I will set it up for you. Note, the picture for Renee and Tommi-Lyn was from Renee's flikr account. You need to see her photos if you haven't gone there yet. Renee- I hope it was OK to nab those pictures.Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08206357547437118064noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18578107.post-1142019090301472182006-03-10T10:57:00.000-06:002006-03-10T13:53:36.606-06:00Why can't we all just get along?<div align="center"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2242/1407/1600/spider%20sunset%20blog%20ready.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2242/1407/400/spider%20sunset%20blog%20ready.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">This spider waited in her web at my doorframe for two weeks last summer. I called her Charlotte.</span> </div><p><br />In an ideal world, everybody would look out for each other’s interests. We would never prey on another’s weakness. We would live happily ever after and there would be free pastries on Tuesdays. </p><p>In reality, death, pain and torture have always been, are now and forever will be. As long as there are parasites and Carnivores, there will always be thieves and terrorists. </p><p>Within our society, regrettably, there are careers built on entrapment. Salespersons entice us to purchase beyond our means. Recruitment officers promise that the army is fun. There is even an entire cottage industry that makes and sells Chinese finger puzzles. (You know, those woven tubular things that you put your fingers into and then cant get them out of.) </p><p>More sinister are the traps that are baited with the three lures irresistible to humans, namely; money, sex and power. To think we are immune to falling only sets us up for trouble. The only place where these tempters can't touch us is six feet under. We must be innocent as doves and wise as serpents. Ignorance is never an excuse to be let off the hook. </p><p>Said the spider to the fly, “Oh dear, you did not know that there was a web here? You did not know that getting trapped would mean the loss of freedom, stinging paralysis, and eventual life sucking torture while you are still conscious? Oh? Well, please forgive the inconvenience, just sign this form and then you are free to go.” </p><p>You are going out for reading break. Have a great time. You deserve a rest. Yet beware of the potential snares set for students on spring break; Pornography, sexual...stuff, shameful media, drunkenness, recklessness, distraction, and the love of status. </p><p>Like a fly stuck in a bottle that finally finds the opening, a student can go ripping out of the college greenhouse with all the joys of freedom, straight into charlotte's web. You cannot see snares and webs, but you know where they might be. Just stay away. If you are caught, squirm, wiggle, and fight until you get loose. </p><p><br />My dear students, Be innocent as doves, and wise as serpents.<br /> </p>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08206357547437118064noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18578107.post-1141924556559158202006-03-09T10:58:00.000-06:002006-03-09T11:15:56.616-06:00Strike Hard<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2242/1407/1600/singer2.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2242/1407/400/singer2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />I have only to let myself go! So I have said to myself all my life - so I said to myself in the far-off days of my fermenting and passionate youth. Yet I have never fully done it. The sense of it - of the need of it - rolls over me at times with commanding force: it seems the formula of my salvation, of what remains to me of a future. I am in full possession of accumulated resources - I have only to use them, to insist, to persist, to do something more - to do much more than I have done. The way to do it - to affirm one's self "sur la fin" - is to strike as many notes, deep, full and rapid, as one can. All life is - at my age, with all one's artistic soul the record of it - in one's pocket, as it were.<br />Go on, my boy, and strike hard... Try everything, do everything, render everything - be an artist, be distinguished to the last.<br /><br /> - Henry James (novelist) -Discovered in his journal, written in his later years, before he wrote his best works.Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08206357547437118064noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18578107.post-1141331044767002462006-03-02T14:13:00.000-06:002006-03-12T23:41:56.606-06:00Creature Franchising<div align="center"><a href="http://www.archive.org/download/one_small_step/MOON.WAV"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2242/1407/400/strange%20couple.jpg" border="0" /> <span style="font-size:78%;">Kyle and Kathy getting windexed</span></a></div><span style="font-size:78%;"></span><div align="left"><br />Franchising couples is one of my favourite jobs. Yet sometimes you wonder how on earth the couple ever got together. In this case I wonder about the potential of a herbivore and a carnivore. This was the first time that anybody ever go dressed up for their Franchising. Their choice of attire leads me to suspect that there really is kryptonite in the Eston water supply. Let this be a lesson to you ladies. Beware of rabbits on <a href="http://spaces.msn.com/spiritualinjustice/">train tracks</a>.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><em>For the benefit of non-FGBC folk, franchising is the name that the students gave to the meeting that a new couple has with the dean of students as they become "official." It usually includes some suggestions on dating etiquette, recommendations for restaurants in town, and general inspiration for romance. We like to consider Eston the "Paris of the North."</em></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08206357547437118064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18578107.post-1141230385253553532006-03-01T10:11:00.000-06:002006-03-01T10:26:25.270-06:00Patron of RetreatsThere are very few people<br />who realise what God would make of them<br />if they abandoned themselves into his hands,<br />and let themselves be formed by his grace. (St Ignatius)Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08206357547437118064noreply@blogger.com1