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My Accent

2009-03-08T17:59:00.001-05:00

This is how I really feel when most Americans talk to me in an
"English" accent...

Casimir Pulaski Day

2009-03-02T20:43:00.001-06:00

Update on my Life 16Feb09

2009-02-16T23:17:00.000-06:00

10 months later...

Update on my Life - 14Apr08

2008-04-14T22:33:00.001-05:00

One Cup of Water

2008-03-24T21:58:00.002-05:00

This is what happens when you ask a stranger to throw a cup of water in your face.

Two Dead Arms

2008-03-04T20:02:00.001-06:00

When you sleep awkwardly, life is tough.

Stomach grumbles

2008-02-19T20:30:00.002-06:00

What do you do when someone next to you has a grumbling stomach?

My Life, as of now.

2008-02-12T01:07:00.000-06:00

Sorry this was a long time coming!

Cami is here! YeeYeeYee!

2007-08-04T01:44:00.000-05:00

She is here! Woot woot!

Sport Shop Workers

2007-08-02T10:33:00.000-05:00

Here is a rant about people who are employed at sport shops.

English Sweeties

2007-08-01T09:06:00.000-05:00

What other things should I make Cami try in England?

After Eight Trick Revisited

2007-07-29T22:39:00.000-05:00

Here is a follow up to the video prior to this.
The last one may not have been that impressive, but I assure you, this is much harder.
I know, I know. I am weird. Such is life.

After Eight Trick

2007-07-29T11:25:00.000-05:00

This is a dumb video, but I thought you'd enjoy laughing at me... or just feeling sorry for me.

Back in England

2007-07-24T17:24:00.000-05:00

I know it's been a while, and my videoblogging died a quick death. This is because my laptop blew up and I lost everything. I know. All of my photographs, and documents from the last few years. It has been absolutely heartbreaking. Alas, I have a new hard-drive now, which is mostly empty. So I think a fresh start awaits.
I have finished my first year at Moody, and have loved it. When school broke out, I went to stay with Cami's family in Utah. It was good times. I met her parents and also her extended family.
Then I flew back to England for a friend's wedding, and decided it was better value for money to stay and work at my old coffee house job with free accommodation at my parents' house than to shimmy by way back across the pond.

So... in about 10 days, Cami flies over to England to meet my parentals and also have a holiday. I am taking her to London (obviously), Paris and Rome. And yes, there will be photos to come, although probably more on Facebook. You better be watching this space... I'm serious. I'll be back soon ;)
These are a few pictures of Cami and I for those of you who haven't seen how gorgeous she is.

Update on my life...

2007-04-02T09:54:00.000-05:00

This is what's new...

First Video Blog?

2007-04-01T23:13:00.001-05:00

Just press play...

God's reasons for His ways.

2007-02-07T23:40:00.000-06:00

At Moody, we have this thing called Founder's Week. We have great speakers all week and no classes. It's brilliant. [Sidenote: for all you Capers ppl, Ian Leitch spoke on Tuesday. Sweeeet.]
So tonight, Haddon Robinson (pictured: right) was speaking. Outstandish. Let's just say that for what he lacks in good looks, he makes up for in expository preaching. He spoke on Ecclesiastes and gave rich insight, but I want to leave you with one (shortened) illustration about understanding God's ways that I appreciated.

One time, reporters asked Albert Einstein's wife if she understood Professor Einstein's Theory of Relativity. To which she replies something to the effect of, "No. I don't understand his theory, but I do understand him."
The point being that we'll probably never understand why God does things in the way he does, because God doesn't have to explain himself to anyone, (even after we die). More important is to spend time getting to know God and his ways rather than what his reasons are. He is sovereign! Fact.

Disfunctional Nose Hair?

2007-02-04T22:58:00.000-06:00

Today, I went out to church and felt cold. Let me tell thee, in England, if it gets to -5ºC , people are so miserably cold, they most probably won't go outside. However, this morning the temperature without wind chill was -5ºF. That's right F. There's a couple of things that F could stand for, but here it stands for Fahreinheit. This is -21ºC, and with wind chill it was -33ºC (-27ºF).
Now you have to understand that these temperatures are a new concept for me. I encounter new experiences everday, such as ice-cream sandwiches and hackysack and ranch dressing, but this morning I discovered a new phenomena.
Whilst walking outside with the wind blowing in my face, a peculiar thing happened to my nose. Every time I breathed in through it, a prickly sensation consumed my nostrils. Taken aback by this, I concluded that my nose hairs were reacting badly to the cold and had resolved to packing their bags and leaving. Fearing this mutiny, I stuck two thumbs up there (my own) and held the outside of my nose with my index fingers. It worked. Hurrah.
Tonight however, my roommate informed me that my nasal adventure was actually due to the moisture freezing in my nose when I breathed in. Amazing. Who would've thunk it.
P.S. How many of you tried my holding the nose technique whilst reading this post?

Pictures of my Dorm Room

2007-01-22T22:56:00.000-06:00

Here are a couple of photos of the main part of my room.

As you can see, there are multiple St George's Crosses
to combat American patriotism, and also to note are the
sweeet mirrors by my work area that make the room look
pimp. And here is a picture of me inside of those mirrors.

Life's Curve Balls

2007-01-18T13:24:00.000-06:00

This morning I was a little bit down about some small unimportant matter, and upon examining myself I realised that I had absolutely no reason to. Even though outwardly I appeared quite normal, inside of me there was a little kid throwing a temper tantrum about how he wasn't getting what he wanted and consequently feeling sorry for himself. Do you ever get like that?
Sometimes I get pent up about such small things that it doesn't occur to me that I have no right to feel the way I do. I'm 21 right? So I shouldn't sweat the small stuff.
One of my profs today was talking about how sometimes God throws us curve balls* and that we should understand they are meant to teach us and help us grow as men and women of God. He isn't trying to trip us up and watch us fall, even though we may well do so, but He is there for us, helping us learn his lessons.
I think that this positive outlook is not an optimistic one but a realistic one, and for that I'm thankful.

*A curve ball is an American term derived from an American sport called "baseball" and is used when referring to a situation that was not to be expected. -E.g. "Dang dawg! I figured the po-po would never catch my El Camino after X-hibit had pimped it out, but they threw me a curve ball by using magnum road spikes. Now my wheels are jacked up and I'm in jail."

Losing your memory...

2007-01-15T01:12:00.000-06:00

So, I just got back from spending the weekend in Wheaton with Justin, and got to hang out with Pamela, Anna, Sarah H, Gisela and Caroline's sister Victoria Chick (who just started at Moody). However, I did not get to see Jimmy, which was pants.

Anyhow, this afternoon when I was at Justin's great-grandmother's place, she mentioned how she couldn't even remember what she ate yesterday, and Justin said he couldn't either but that this wasn't the most important thing to remember.
It was kind of a sweet moment, but it really got me thinking about what happens if my memory starts to fail me. Like Drew Barrymore in 50 First Dates. I decided that I'd probably leave messages to myself so I could remember stuff. I'd keep them in a book with really important things in it, to make my life great.
I would include stuff like, who not to say certain things to, because it was taboo and would offend them, but then I'd go ahead and say it anyway just to see people's reactions. Then I'd pretend to be really apologetic and put it down to my woeful memory. I'd write down a list of the funniest jokes in the world and read them, and they would be the same amount of funny every time. I'd keep my name in there, just in case I forgot it, and also how to pronounce it so that I don't embarrass myself horribly, like introducing myself as "Dahvio" or "Dave-O". Arrrgggghhh!! And I'd write down my shoe-size so that I don't accidentally wear someone else's shoes and then have them hate me, because I'd hate it if someone just walked off wearing my shoes and left me with theirs. That would suck.
But I once knew a guy who lost his memory due to some syndrome (I think Alzheimers or something) and he couldn't even remember who his wife was and he'd go up to people and ask if they knew who his wife was because he certainly didn't. That would be awful. I'd hate that. But the thing was, that this guy could still quote any Bible verse and knew every passage off the top of his head because he had drilled it into himself so deeply throughout his life that it never left him. I guess this is what they mean by the living Word of God.
Wow, I ended this post more seriously than I first intended. Kind of like an episode of Scrubs.

Organ 'n' Woshntan

2007-01-12T20:42:00.000-06:00

So after Christmas I went to Portland, Oregon to stay with Allison and Josh. What an ace time. Also spent a day up at Janice's house near Seattle. I got to meet up with a whole bunch of you Capernwray people. Hooray!

Here are photos of that trip:

I'm so glad I got to meet up with all of my friends. Allison, Josh, Danny, Janell, Pamela, Brent, Janice, Courtnay, Mona, Kaylie and Heather. I love you all!

Christmas in West Chicago

2007-01-03T22:11:00.000-06:00

This post is mainly for my family, who haven't really seen pictures.
So, Mum, Dad, Jess, this is the family I spent Christmas with this year.
P.S. my New Year's resolution is to blog more. Yayyyyyyy.
The end.

Back to the Blogging World

2006-12-25T14:10:00.000-06:00

So I think that most of you would agree that it's time I got back into the blogging world and let you all into my life again. I guess that this is my Christmas present to you all!
Happy Christmas!!!

Hmmm,,,,, Life has been so crazy and for those of you who don't know, this is what's been going on with me:

Moved to America in August;
Go to school at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago;
Live right downtown in the heart of Chicago and I love it;
Have been playing for the varsity soccer team and we reached the regionals before losing in the final.
Got a job on campus as a barista at a little coffee cart at school;
I still have no cell phone, but I'm working on it.
I miss you all, and look forward to hearing from you.

That's all.
P.S. Watch this space...

Life in Chicago

2006-08-30T20:46:00.000-05:00

This isn't really a post about life in Chicago, but I'll get there soon.
Things are so busy and life is moderately hectic. I have a lot to update on, but that will all come in due time. Watch this space.

For all of you concerned about me, I'm doing well and enjoying myself, playing a lot of soccer, getting settled in, and other stuff too.

When I get more time, I'll blog, but for now, I bid you adieu.

Hey Everybody........

2006-08-09T23:34:00.000-05:00

I love Shawna Howard.
She is just such an awesome person and you all should be jealous because I'm at her house this very second and just the fact that I'm in her presence makes me feel so special. I just wish I could be as cool as her. One day maybe I will be. I guess I just have to keep praying that God will make me as cool as she is...

California and the wedding.

2006-08-08T01:46:00.000-05:00

So, the wedding is over. They tied the knot, and are currently honeymooning in San Fran.
I'm writing this from Shawna's house, whom you have either met or have read about. She and her family are truly wonderful. It's true.
Anyway, today, the last of the Capernwrayites left for home. It was sad, and now I'm all that's left.
The last week has been hectic, but amazing. I've been able to meet up with old friends and make some new ones too.
Since I was in the wedding, I wasn't able to take any photos of it, just in case you were wondering. But I'm sure someone will post some soon, or already has. Instead, I will post a few of the limited number I took whilst beind here: (Oh, at the top, is Jon and I in our matching England jerseys.)

These hooligans placed this magnet on Jimmy's car.

Rocking it on, on the way to LA.

Enjoying the waves in Cali.
Jimmy and Justin sitting on Britney Spears' star in Hollywood.
With Jimmy and Justin's friend, Jonny, in Burbank. Nice.
Preparing stuff for the wedding.

Every night's a party at the Bachelor Pad

2006-08-01T03:27:00.000-05:00

So Jimmy and Justin road- tripped from Chicago to join the partay and we've been having heaps of fun since.
Tomorrow the 3 of us will drive to Los Angeles to meet a couple of their college mates. It's only 3 hours there and 3 hours back, but to me it's a mini-road-trip.
These are certainly the days of my life...

What's REALLY going on...

2006-07-30T11:47:00.000-05:00

Well, if things don't work out...

Arrived safely.

2006-07-29T17:31:00.000-05:00

I'm here!
In California, USA, the World.
Just to let you all know, everything went well with the travelling and visa et cetera, et cetera...
I'm sitting here right now in mine and Jón's trailer, with Miss Janice Rae, whilst The Man and His Girl have taken his parents to see the church where the wedding will take place.
It's kinda surreal being here already. The last week or so has been a blur, but I don't mind about that. I'm just ready to have the time of my life!

...pictures to follow...

Last goodbyes

2006-07-22T14:30:00.000-05:00

So there's less than a week before I leave for Yanksville, and I'm pretty excited. I have just one more shift at Costa, but there's a whole lot of clearing-out-my-stuff-from-the-house to do.
Lately, I've been so focussed on getting things sorted for school, Chicago, Cali, and trying to tie up loose ends, that I've almost completely forgotten that in the next week or so, I'll get to see some of the most amazing people that I had the privilege of living with for a while. I can't wait to see you guys!

Back on this side of the pond, I've been meeting up with people for the last time, saying goodbyes and just hanging out with buddies that I've known since I was knee-high to a grasshopper. They're good friends and I thought I'd share a picture of them with you.

Anyways, hope to see a lot of you on the flipside.

2 weeks to go...

2006-07-14T09:02:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I haven't blogged for a while. Big whoop, wanna fighdaboudit?
So, the real deal is that, after England beat Ecuador, and then lost to Portugal in the QFs, I lost the will to blog completely. I was so down in the dumps, I didn't eat, drink, sleep or breathe for a week.
But we've put all that behind us and we're moving on.

Here's the new news with me:
- I got my visa to the US (a 5-year student visa)
- I'm still working at Costa Coffee, earning as much money as I can.
- I hate that America is not a welfare state and that I have to pay exortionate amounts for insurance.
- 2 weeks today I leave for California and get to see two wonderful people get married to each other (as well as see a lot of other people I haven't seen in forever).
- That's all.

Oh, I know Jón and Marisa wrote this on their blog, but for anyone going to their wedding, (or those living in the Chicago area also), if there is anything you want from England, i.e. something small or food or wuteva, then let me know and you can pay me back when I see you.

England go through top

2006-06-20T16:31:00.000-05:00

A nervy game with Sweden tonight finished 2-2 with a late goal from England, and an even later one from Sweden.
Michael Owen's knee injury in the opening minutes was a heartbreaking shock for the team and the country, and we await a scan tomorrow to see whether his World Cup is over.
A wonder goal from Joe Cole is something you wanna watch on the highlights, and even though England didn't beat Sweden (yet again), it wouldn't have mattered if they did, as they finish top of the group, with Sweden second.
Also, a mention to the Germany 3-0 Ecuador game, where both teams also go through to the next round, where England will play Ecuador, and Germany will play Sweden. Should be a good game for England, but you never know with these underdogs. Heh.
Here are a few match pictures:

(Owen injured; Joe Cole scores; and above, England celebrate Gerrard's late goal).

And... Here is me sporting the new England away kit!

Italy - USA

2006-06-18T14:33:00.000-05:00

Thought this game deserved a special mention. What a crazy match, hey?
For those of you who didn't know, the result was 1-1, but that is only part of the story.
3 sendings off, 2 for the US and 1 for Italy.
What do you guys think of the sendings off? The two USA reds were just stupid and badly timed, but what about de Rossi's violent elbow on McBride? I was outraged, as was most of the country, and was even more behind the US. De Rossi has let down his country, his team, his sport, and himself. What a moron.
Here is the incident (which was harder to find photos for than I thought)...

After this atrociously vicious elbow to the face, de Rossi still has the nerve to protest. All respect for this man has been lost.

Also a mention to the biggest upset so far:
Czech Rep. 0-2 Ghana.
Did not see that one coming.

England win again.

2006-06-16T12:51:00.000-05:00

A great win for England, who beat Trinidad & Tobago 2-0 yesterday. A better performance than against Paraguay, and a wonder-goal from Stevie Gerrard.
Well done to Ecuador who also qualified for the 2nd Round, after beating Costa Rica 3-0.
Here are a couple of pics from the England match..

England's two goalscorers - Crouch and Gerrard

Also a special mention for John Terry and his goal-line save.

England Forever!

2006-06-12T14:18:00.000-05:00

So England won 1-0, and yes Schrecky, England didn't play at their best. They did however, play well as a team, and gave a respectable performance, in my opinion. The first game is always difficult for the bigger teams, and we can't forget to take into account the high temperatures which slowed the England team down. A special mention must be given to the Mexican referee who undisputedly took Paraguay's side on an unrealistic majority of decisions. Nevertheless, our boys done good.

This is the England goal. (Just thought it was a good photo.)

This is David Beckham, the England captain, who gave a cracking performance...

...and here is an England fan, sporting St George's Crosses to cover his hairy nips.

In other news, the USA put up a dissapointing struggle against the Czech Republic today, losing 3-0, the biggest defeat in the World Cup so far. I think they will have to beat Italy to qualify for the second round, which seems unlikely after today's performance.

Fever Pitch

2006-06-09T19:09:00.000-05:00

I dunno about you, but every 4 years there comes a time when my heart thumps and my emotions rise as if I'm manstruating or whatever the male equivalent is. This is that time.

The World Cup has started my friends, with the first two matches played today.
Two great goals from Germany against Costa Rica. Maybe two of the best in the tournament.
And a boring game between Ecuador and Poland (it has to be said), but a good win for Ecuador. If they win their next game against Costa Rica, it is likely they will play England in the second round. Wahey!
So, tomorrow is the big game. I say England 3-1 Paraguay, with Lampard, Gerrard and Crouch on the scoresheet.

Pride and Passion

2006-06-05T04:31:00.000-05:00

Work's been regular. It's been fine. Although today I'm going to ask my boss to get time off during the England matches. Really I should have planned this ages ago.
But aside from work, I'm frantically getting all the things I need for my visa application interview on the 26th June. Seriously you guys, could someone have a word and just tell them to let me in? Maybe?! Please pray for this whole visa thing to go smoothly, because I'm kinda concerned about how close I'm cutting it.

On a more important note... Is everybody excited for the World Cup?!!! Booyah!! Admittedly, USA have a tough group, but I think they'll get through. This paragraph is mainly for the guys, if you hadn't already noticed ...and the girls who like football (...Chelsea & Bethany). And yes I will be cheering for Ecuador. I work with a Polish girl who asked me if I will be supporting her country, to which I replied, "Not against Ecuador." But yeah, Schrecky, J, Jummy, Jistin, I was just thinking how strange it would be staring at a box in the corner of our living rooms, watching the exact same thing as each other.

I don't know if you know this, but there has never been anything in America's history to unite all people, nomatter what colour, religion or political views they hold. However, in England, there have been two things. The World Wars, and International football. Every shop in every town, every window in every wall, all you see are England flags. The passion and pride for our country's football surpasses all differences to unite all people. And you thought that England wasn't very patriotic compared to America?!! Ha!
...At least we know what we are cheering about! ...errrrm...you're not gonna let me into your country now, are you?
...Oh well, what the heck... COME ON ENGLAND!!!

I got work!

2006-05-26T16:11:00.003-05:00

For the last week or so, all I've been doing is working at a pricy Italian coffee House called Costa.
It's pretty good. And I like it.
I got hired to work part-time, but actually, every single day I've gone in to work, the manager has given me more work. I'm down for a 15 hr a week contract, but in the last 7 days I have worked 48 hours. Ha.
I really need the cash for college, and God has really helped me out here. Awesome!

Finding work and pics of kids

2006-05-15T11:37:00.000-05:00

Firstly I wanna say Congratulations! to Chaz and Rebecca on their marriage. (can't wait to see photos Pam!) If anyone else is getting married, then please let me know. I mean I know of some, it's just that I've been away from the blogging world for a little bit and I feel kinda out of the loop.

Anyway, I'm back home, still trying to find work. It's not so easy over here. I have a trial work day at a coffee shop starting on Friday, but that will only be for part-time work. Please pray that I'll find work. Thanks.

Oh, I thought I'd take this opportunity to post a few pics of some of the kids of students at my college. I don't know if you remember, but on my photoblog a while back I posted a photo called 'Blackanese Baby' of a half Korean, half African kid. Well, I posted a couple more of him taken recently so you should go and take a look at them. Here are some of him, his sister and a cute Japanese kid.

Photos from my End of Year Bash

2006-05-11T15:15:00.000-05:00

So, before I left college, we had this end of year bash. I thought I'd share some photos with you (and some of my college friends who will read this). Above is me with my date for the evening, Chisako Mori, of Japan.

Satoshi Kobayashi (Japan) and Hae Rim Lee (Korea).

With my former Liverpudlian roommate, Mike.

Sarah Rivoire & Marcella Rendo, My French and Italian friends.

My good friend Justin, and his wife Katie.

Machiko and Chisako, from Japan.

Nathan and Simon, from London.

Simo Frestadius (Finland) and his date, Caroline.

Update and Photos of Friends

2006-05-08T13:40:00.000-05:00

I've been away for a while, I know. I kinda lost the motivation for a while, but I'll try and write regularly from now on.
Hmm, so, I spent Easter with Stephen Morris' family, which was awesome. Here's a pic of the two of us.
We went to the cinema, played table tennis, and ate his mother's wonderful cooking. On Easter Day we went to a sunrise service at 6am (!) and we had an easter egg hunt too! It was tres fun. It was good to see him again, as i hadn't seen him since Winter School. I didn't realise how much I missed him.

I have now finished all of my exams and I am currently back in Kent for the summer, trying to find work, to earn as much money for Chicago as possible.
Leaving Regents Theological College was not too hard, although I will miss the friends I made there. It wasn't like that last day in March last year though.
Here are some pictures of me and some of my friends:

Note how I have a lot of Asian friends. Ha. (None of them Chinese though. Booo...)

Oh, P.S. go check out my photoblog for new photos from a photoshoot I did with my best friend at Regents. I will be adding more photos there, now that I have more time, so be on the look out and tell me what you think!

Random Bumping-into-people-ness

2006-04-08T06:41:00.000-05:00

So I'm eating lunch in the canteen and I look out the window and see Andy Woof!
I climb over everyone and rush out to meet him and his new wife. Turns out, they are on a 'just looking' kinda visit to the college. Weird huh?
Anyway, he's doing fine, enjoying the married life, working with gardening. And Kate and Rich are now going to his church in Carnforth.
I was so disappointed when he couldn't make it to T-Hof in the Spring, but it's awesome that I got to see him again.

Mother's Day or Mothering Sunday?

2006-03-26T14:50:00.000-06:00

Today is Mother's Day in England. It's also called Mothering Sunday.
In church today, I learnt that Mother's Day was started by a Pensylvanian woman in 1905. Meanwhile in Britain, we celebrated Mothering Sunday, which was the Sunday that you went back to your 'mother' church.
During WWII, American troops stationed in Britain started giving gifts and flowers to their landladies, which was ever so popular, and we adopted Mother's Day, combining it with Mothering Sunday, but holding it on the British Mothering Sunday, rather than on the American Mother's Day.
This answered a question I've had for years, so I thought I would post about it, but I've just realised that you Americanadians probably have never used the term 'Mothering Sunday', so I'm now in two minds as to whether I'll actually post this or not.
Either way, this is another opportunity to thank God for our Mothers.
Oh, yeah, it's my mum's birthday today too! Happy 25th Birthday Mum!!!

Nightmare on Sermon Street

2006-03-19T19:27:00.000-06:00

So this evening I was preaching at a church in Birmingham (the original one in England, not Alabama).
I haven't been well for the past couple of days and my condition remained throughout today. Nothing big, just a sore, raw and raspy throat. And I don't remember putting anything up there, but my nose was blocked up also. These symptoms along with an energyless body caused me to stay bed-ridden until last night, still not having prepared my sermon. I was still hoping on God for more inspiration and the words to say up until this afternoon, after my lecturer had preached in the morning. But no, I had parts still missing.
During the last worship song before I preached, I got a small kid to get me a glass of water to soothe my throbbing larynx. He did, and I got up to preach.
About 10 seconds into my my first illustration, which was meant to be a rib-tickler, I realised I had left my water down by my seat, and was about to motion someone to carry it over to me, when a phone rang. Yep.
It wasn't one of those repetitive monotones, but one of those catchy cool tunes, which you'd usually let ring a couple of times before answering. However, this was not the time. I paused momentarily for someone to turn it off, but I suddenly realised, it was coming from behind me. In a jacket on a chair behind me, this phone had been set to the ringing mode where it gets progressively louder the longer you don't answer it. Suddenly from amidst the congregation, the pastor shouts, "Oh, man, that's mine! That's never happened before. It'll stop ringing in a sec." But when it didn't stop, he had to come up out of the congregation, and pick it up.
This totally threw me off my sermon, but worse was the fact that it was all being recorded to be assessed for one of my modules.
Anyways, after the proverbial diarrhea had hit the fan, I cleaned it up and finished my sermon. There were some really good points in there, but overall it lacked the total enthusiasm and passion that are usually habitual of my sermons. I put this down to the lack of focus. That and the freakin' pastor's phone too.

We're all the same

2006-03-11T08:16:00.000-06:00

Over the last couple of days, some people's stuff has gone missing here at college, including an iPod. A Honduran guy was suspected by the Koreans, who had been watching his shifty behaviour which coincided with the appropriate timing of his departure from England. So, going to the authorities, they asked to solve the whole thing by searching his room. It had to be explained to them that this was not legal without his permission, which he would not give, being adamant that the impertinence of even suspecting him was absurd and out of order since he led worship back at his home church in Honduras. Then when the Honduran happened to be absent from the college premises one night, a couple of the Korean guys (just think of Kyung Taek and Yi Ho but even less outgoing), climbed up the wall outside and in through his window to search his room. They found the iPod etc in his coat, and took it back.
Upon telling us the story, we had to inform the Koreans that they could not report this to the authorities, as they could be charged with breaking and entering. The Honduran was told what had happened, but denied everything, sticking to a story of evidence planting. Nothing more will be done and everyone has their stuff back, but the people who know the truth do not look favourably upon the Honduran.

However, I am reminded of how theft is still in the same bracket as coveting etc, and that we all have problems and still sin, so technically are no different.

On another note, the night the two Koreans searched that guy's room, many people were praying for God's justice to be done, and the Honduran just happened to be out of college at the time because he was in hospital, having played football, had fallen awkwardly, and broken his arm.
This may or may not have been God's judgement, but some would say that going to play football on a stone floor after just stealing from prayerful Christians was only inviting God's vengeance. I don't happen to agree with either, but who knows. It's just funny how things turn out.

Everyone and their mum

2006-02-23T16:40:00.000-06:00

Somedays I oversleep through breakfast. Today I overslept through lunch. The wave of underachievement sweeps over me on days like these. I've been saying that a lot recently.
There was a point today where I had a deep longing to talk to everyone again. Have you ever thought how amazing it would be if you could just summon a friend to you from across the world? Hmm, but what would you do if everyone arrived all at once? That would be weird. I mean, who would you talk to?
Anyway, so today I see James W. Haring III on Skype and I'm so excited. Turns out, it was his mum. She is so awesome and I remember spending quite a bit of time with her when she came to visit in Austria. There was this one morning where Jimmy, Jonny B and myself were out on a run, and we stopped at her Taxi Maxi room to give her a barbershop-quartet rendition of "You are my Sunshine" and she loved it. That was and is a great memory. I think we should be more thankful for mums. Both ours and our friend's mums. Yeah, so I ended up talking to her for an hour, coming to the conclusion that I should call Jimmy and Justin tonight, partly because it didn't seem kosher that I spend more time talking to Jimmy's mum than the man himself.
Here's a picture of me today. Enjoy my burgundy braces. I sure do.
P.S. BJ, Do you remember that German Axe deodorant Johannes got his mum to send us from Germany? Well I found some of that Limited Edition in Austria, so I stocked up. As shown in the top photo. Once again, thank God for mums.

This is worse than that time the racoon got in the copier

2006-02-17T22:31:00.000-06:00

After playing Pro Evolution Soccer on the X-Box with a Korean guy for the last 5 hours straight, I come back to my room only to have my nostrils molested by a stench worse than the bowels of Hades…
Ok, so most days I get free milk cartons. Often, more than I can consume. (You see where this is heading). A couple of months ago, I entertained the thought that maybe a substance close to cheese could be created under the sink in my room. It could. However, by the time this was achieved, the excitement at the prospect no longer existed, and the milk cartons just kept on piling up. Little did I expect there to be a saturation point upon which the expansion of the milk/curds/whey quietly burst the cartons, (unbeknownst to myself), seeping something that could be classified as raw evil that permeates the carpet of my daily living.
The smell is so bad, I could throw up, and it would actually smell noticeably more pleasant. I think I’m going to have to sleep in the corridor tonight, or spray deodorant directly up my nose.

Davey got sick

2006-02-13T18:44:00.000-06:00

I'm not feelin' too good guys. I have a fever or something. I've been ill for the last week or so, but yesterday and today was pretty bad. I even missed classes... moan moan moan... you know the rest...

I do love a good party

2006-02-08T02:43:00.000-06:00

Saturday night we arranged a birthday party for 3 of the lads. Much dancing, much fun was had. Although it did occur to me that hardly anyone English was dancing. Strange? No, they're English.
My Japanese and Korean friends didn't let me down though. That's right. Koreans dancing. Actually, do you remember when we found out they rocked at Dance Dance Revolution? Awesome.

This was my birthday present to Simo, the Finnish guy. I portrayed him with Action Man, who had signs to hold up in Finnish, like, "I've been vomitting", "More bear steak!", "Can I bring my laptop into the sauna?", and "I'm going to need a specimen of your urine."
It's amazing what useful Finnish phrases you can find on the WWW.

Psychic Mind Reader???

2006-02-02T08:12:00.000-06:00

Someone sent me this, as they were baffled by it, and I wanted to see what you thought.
It took me about 2 minutes to figure it out, but that's because you get these sorta things inside Christmas crackers. Hey, do you guys get Christmas crackers? I can't remember.

Results for "The Daveo Photo Smile" Contest

2006-01-29T08:04:00.000-06:00

Here are the pics, all gathered together. Sorry it took so long.
I was gonna post comments, but I don't think I have to. (I'm not quite sure why none of the blokes participated...)

Hopes for 2006

2006-01-20T16:50:00.000-06:00

I re-read the mass-eMail from Leslie that she sent on New Year's Eve, and I just wanted to put a paragraph on my blog cos it really hit me...

So for 2006 this is what I wish for all of us: I wish us a year of encounters that make us feel vulnerable. I wish us moments where we feel absolutely down on our luck-- followed by times where we feel triumphant as we crawl out of the slime. I wish that we'd step away from our pride and be happy to just be humble-- accepting when we're wrong and feeling blessed when we're right. I wish for us to experience a conviction that we need change-- that the finger would be pointed at ourselves instead of judging others (we all do it at least once-in-a-while).

I too hope this for us all.

Chinese, Japanese, What are these?

2006-01-18T04:38:00.000-06:00

Last night I was studying with my Japanese buddy Satoshi Kobayashi, and after getting him to prank Jimmy and Justin's room in Japanese, I decided that we should go and surprise the new Korean students by cooking them a huge bowl of my Chinese noodles with Mussels and spices in them. Pretty much the whole of Asia was represented in the room. It was awesome.
We totally put on a spontaneous live comedy sketch for almost an hour.
After bundling into this Korean guy's room and dragging him out to eat our noodles, we did a Gorilla verses Chimpanzee dance, threw random things around the room, and I force-fed noodles into the mouth of every person in the room! Including six Koreans! Now that's a feat.
The whole thing was hilarious and the Koreans were in stitches, which is an unusual sight, but thouroughly enjoyable. Satchmo and I had already planned to go back to studying after these shenanigans, so at the agreed time, both of us just got up and walked out in the middle of our act.
The Koreans have no idea what's going on in this place. It's great. A night to note.

Moody Bible Institute

2006-01-14T17:57:00.000-06:00

I got in!!!

Pooing in the Pants. Please Pray.

2006-01-13T09:54:00.000-06:00

As many of you know, tomorrow, I find out whether I get into Moody Bible Institute in Chicago or not.
Please pray that God's will is done, and also for me, that I will not freak out too much if I don't get in.
I really have my hopes up and I think about little else every day.
Thanks guys.

Oh, yeah, and post some comments on my art photos as well, punks!

Drawing on my face

2006-01-11T13:32:00.000-06:00

Last night I was getting bogged down in studying and research for an essay, so I decided to cheer myself up by drawing on my face with Crayola markers. some people thought I was weird, but I didn't care. You know me.
So i went over to the girls' flat last night, which is where Regina lives. She's the Austrian girl I stayed with when I was there on the first night. She's pretty much awesome. I hung out with a Swedish girl who is fun, and then talked for over an hour with Regina, just about, stuff.
It was strangely refreshing just to talk like that. I miss it. I miss you guys.
Anyway, Regina's known as quite a sensible girl and I dared her to dress up really nice and come over to my room just before devotions this morning, to draw on each other's faces. She totally chickened out on me, so I went to devotions in a suit, which nobody does. I was quite out of place but I didn't mind. Then at the end of devos, they asked everyone to stay in the hall for a 360degrees pan photo for the new college website. I instantly got out my red marker and Regina drew two bright red cheeks on me. I was gonna draw on her face, but she chickened out again.
Anyway, I left the red cheeks on, but didn't realise the photographer would be taking another one of those 360 pan photos of my next class as an example of a typical classroom! It was so funny, cos I decided to sit at the back of the classroom, alone on the back row, in a full suit, shirt and tie, with rosy red cheeks, and a sad/angry face. The same happened in the cafeteria. Ha. Each time, I pulled the same face. Here it is. I'll let you know if I make it on the website. I'll probably be called into the principle's office tomorrow though.

Until next time, R.I.P. Austria

2006-01-09T13:24:00.000-06:00

It's not so much being here, but rather, not being there.
I guess hideous amounts of Milka and salami along with my photographs, will have to do.

The Best Last Day

2006-01-08T12:11:00.000-06:00

Evening of the 7th Jan…
I’m sitting here in Salzburg airport (as many of you have done) and I’m waiting for my delayed flight back to London Stansted. This afternoon, I had a wonderful time with Sophie and her boyfriend Tobi. I honestly would have been satisfied just to meet up and spend an hour or two with them on a park bench somewhere, waiting until my plane to arrive. That would have been cool.
However, they took me to a quaint but posh coffee shop in downtown Salzburg where we ordered coffees, shared a couple of slices of amazing Austrian cakes and also a Cuban cigar, for celebratory purposes of course. Awesome. It was so good to share the company of a good friend.
And I know you are all waiting to here about Tobi. Well, here’s the schpeel… He is perfect for her. Seriously. They just match up great. You can tell by the picture, he’s good-looking, he’s also polite, funny and an all-round nice guy. He also looked out for me, and it’s always a good sign when the guy looks out for a girl’s friends, I think you’d agree.
After talking for a couple of hours in that coffee shop, we went out to a beer hall where the Augustine monks used to drink. It really was quite the experience, picking up a beer mug as you walked in, paid, and got it filled up with beer straight from the barrel. Then you enter one of several beer halls full of people just sitting, talking and drinking their beer. Fabulous.
To top it all off, we went to the Red Bull flight hangar, where the owner and founder of Red Bull keeps his private collection of planes and vehicles and the likes, such as a huge Hummer. It was so upper class, and the sort of place that in England you couldn’t get close to unless you were a millionaire. It was classily lit, elegantly polished, and there was sophisticated mood piano music being played, which we only later noticed was live, with a pianist playing on a deserted landing, aided by the incredible acoustics of this aeronautical building. Truly breathtaking. I only wish I’d had more time to enjoy it.
So here I am writing another summary of this trip. I’d honestly have to say this was the best trip of my life. I can’t think of a word to describe it, so here’s a new one.
Outstandish.

Daveo's Last Night in Town

2006-01-08T11:16:00.000-06:00

Early afternoon of the 7th Jan…
Last night after lazing around for most of the day, Dawn, her friend, and I went back for a movie sleepover night at Christian’s. Before we went back to his though, we picked up one of Christian’s friends so they could go surfing in the snow. They both took surfboards and bombed it down the side of a ski-jump (the same one we went to with our family, Beej). Christian pretty much rocked. And it was really fun to watch too. Dawn, her friend and I took snow-decks and tried our hand at going down fresh powder slopes. It was pretty hard, since the snow wasn’t packed, but Dawn was surprisingly good at it.
Afterwards, the four of us went back to Christian’s to chill. I had my first Stiegl (since I didn’t drink last time) and it wasn’t bad, and then we cracked open a bottle of Spanish wine which Dawn had brought from her apartment. It pretty much tasted like ass, but we drank it anyway. We mellowed out, listened to music and played Texas Hold ‘em. The movie didn’t happen.
We got back to Dawn’s early this morning and slept for a little bit, before I said my goodbyes and made my way to the train station.
I’m sitting on the train from Schladming to Salzburg to meet Sophie and her boyfriend for a few hours before flying home to England.
On the whole, this trip has been pretty sweet. Even looking out of the window right now, shows me the glory of God and the wonderment of his creation. I think it was yesterday that the verse for the day at the top of this page was Romans 1:20 which says

From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities – his external power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God.

And I whole-heartedly agree.

Tauernhof in the Snow

2006-01-06T08:17:00.000-06:00

The Planai with snow...And for the lads...
The Funcourt, where we played footie all the time.

Surfboard and Snow

2006-01-06T07:52:00.000-06:00

Night of the 5th Jan…
So tonight, Christian, myself, and three kitchen girls from Germany went back to Ramsau up to the ski-jump with a surfboard and all five of us sat on it and bombed the hill. It was seriously unbelievable. It was so hard to walk up this ski jump, as it was so steep, but it was totally worth it. The theory was, that with the weight of five people the surfboard would speed down the hill a whole lot faster. And the theory was right. It was so freaking fast, and our all our faces were frozen solid when we hit the bottom of the hill over 100 metres later. We rode that hill twice, and it was so fun!
Then, we went back to Christian’s house and snow-decked some more. That was awesome. I was actually getting pretty good at it, I thought. There were a few other fresh-snow hills that we tried to ride, but the powder was like over 2 feet thick, and so we just sunk in. Tonight was such an awesome night. One I’ll never forget.

Pictures from this morning's hike

2006-01-05T11:49:00.000-06:00

Late afternoon of the 4th Jan…
So this morning was absolutely amazing. The hike down from Ramsau to Schladming took about 2 hours including stoppages. The views were incredibly amazing and truly breathtaking. There were only a few times where I had to basically swim through snow that was up to my chest, but it was totally worth it. I actually fell down a hill, but it was all thick powdery snow so I didn’t get hurt. I absolutely loved it. Here are some pics of the hike today, but I will post some on my photo blog soon as well.Since I stayed at Christian’s, I haven’t seen Dawn all day as she is nannying. Tonight, Christian said something about riding down the ski-jump on a surf board. I’m not entirely sure what he means, but I’m sure I’ll find out soon.

Day 4

2006-01-05T08:05:00.000-06:00

Night of the 4th Jan…
Today was a long day. After getting the last of my purchases on my list, i.e. lots of Milka, I went around taking photos of various things, mainly the snow.
Oh, I bumped into Jack, who was visiting for the day from Schloss Klaus which was weird. Hey, remember when he sang Viva Forever by the Spice Girls? Heh.
This afternoon, I went with Christian to Tanja and Joel’s house for their Bible Study. Tanja is Heli’s sister and Joel is Canadian. His parents visited T-Hof when we were there, if you remember. Anyway, that was awesome. The group consisted of an Aussie, and Irish, an American, a Canadian, me, and 3 Austrians. It was such a good Bible Study. After it was done, we just sat and talked for ages about past Capernwray experiences, as a few of them had been a number of years back.
Anyway, when that was done, a few of us went back to Christian’s for snow decking. I didn’t know what this was, so for those like me, snow decking is like skateboarding, but on snow. It is pretty much a skateboard deck on a ski. There was a huge hill of snow by the side of Christian’s house and we made that into a few runs to go down on. It’s pretty much like skateboarding, only it doesn’t hurt when you fall. I soon got the hang of it and it was sooo much fun. For the record, I can’t skateboard, ski or snowboard, and tonight was my first snow ‘sport’.
Tomorrow, Christian gets up early and goes down to work at T-Hof and I’m gonna hike it down to Schladming from Ramsau. Part of the journey is the hike from HP’s Farm, only longer, and through an abundance of snow. For a lot of the way I will be wading through the snow which will be above my waist. To hike it on a nice spring day would take about an hour, but I reckon this will take 2 hours. We’ll see.
First however, I’m gonna be trying my hand at snow decking again sometime in the morning. I’ll let you know how tomorrow goes. I have the feeling it’s gonna be more than hard.

Day 3

2006-01-04T08:33:00.000-06:00

Night of the 3rd Jan…
This morning I woke up and Dawn had already gone to nanny (upstairs). It was my goal to walk to Hofer and Kik to buy some more things on my list of things to get. I knew it was a long hike, and I was ready for it, but I forgot to take into account the copious amounts of snow, which had been cleared off the roads by special machines and onto the pavements! Seriously, it was piled in heaps about 4 foot high and so I had to walk most of the way on the road! I didn’t get run over, but I did realise by my fresh footprints that I was the only person silly enough to walk to Hofer. It was totally worth it though, even if they weren’t selling those Maoam sweets I had wanted to bring back.
I got back triumphant, and Dawn and I went to Tauernhof to see Christian. I got to see Martin again and we talked for a little while which was good. He’s such an awesome guy.
We then went out walking with Dawn to Billa and the craft shop where Ryan, Jimmy T and I got the material for our Jedi Knights costumes. We checked our mail in the Eagle’s nest, and this time I managed to hook my laptop into the system, enabling me to post the last three blogs, and then we pretty much chilled for most of the day at Dawn’s. This is the Living room of Dawn's appartment. Look how good she has it!
Tonight I went for another walk with God through the streets of Schladming. The snow is so beautiful. It’s truly magical at night. There are no people about and the snow isn’t so bright that it hurts your eyes because it’s reflecting the light. I realised how fortunate I was to be here and to have experienced what I have, what we all have. Even though I loved Spring School, I don’t think I appreciated Austria as much as I could have done. And I only really realised this after I had left. So I’ve been determined not to take this experience for granted, and not to care whether I look like a tourist or not, but to experience life here at it’s fullest. I love how I can come away from studying the bible at theological college and learn more about my relationship with God at night in a mountain town in mainland Europe. I’m enjoying life so much right now.
Oh, yah, I also rolled another snowball tonight. Here’s a picture of the two.

Revisiting places

2006-01-03T08:08:00.000-06:00

The night of the 2nd Jan...
So, I’ve had my first day in Schladming.
I forgot quite how long it is from the Bahnhof to Tauernhof. I almost died walking to Dawn’s with the suitcase. The wheels didn’t work, because of all the snow, but my suitcase did serve as a kind of snow shovel as I dragged it through the streets of Schladming. I don’t think I’ve ever been in this much snow. It’s pretty awesome.
Today Dawn and I walked around town and I picked up a few things on my list of things to get, from shops such as DM, Spar, and Libro. Tomorrow I’ll hit up Billa, Hofer and the likes. It’ll be fun. I also bumped into Christian, Eis and Maja, and Heidi. I’ll be hanging out with Christian this week for sure.
Dawn and I also went for a Kebab, although only I got a kebab. I know it’s really unhealthy, but compared to the ones in my hometown, it seemed good for me, somehow. We looked through my T-Hof photos and also went up to the Eagle’s Nest to use the internet on those crappy computers.

Tonight, Dawn was tired and is nannying in the morning, so I decided to go for a walk through Schladming by myself. I absolutely love the snow and walked around for ages, just passing places to muster up nostalgia. I walked by the Schladming Brauerei, (where they make Schladminger beer of course) and also the river where some of us used to jump in, and where I nearly drowned. After that I decided to make a giant snowball as I walked along. I packed it pretty good, and it’s as big as a football at the moment, but I think I’ll make it bigger tomorrow.I left it outside the front door, so hopefully there’s a chance that Dawn might fall over it in the morning.
Anyway, I’m currently sitting in Dawn’s apartment, whilst she sleeps, eating Mayonnaise flavoured crisps. Good times.

It’s white, it starts with SN and ends in OW.

2006-01-03T08:00:00.000-06:00

Give up? It’s snow, and it’s in Austria.

Midday on the 2nd Jan...
So, my 2 hour flight left 2 hours late from London Stansted, which I was less than pleased about. I arrived in Salzburg to find light rain, watering away the piles of snow. I was told that it had been raining for the last few days, so the snow had really gone down.
Luckily my friend from college had brought two of her friends along to keep her company whilst she waited for my plane to arrive.
On the drive to her house at about 11 O’clock, we stopped at a bar for a drink. I wanted to order something atypically Austrian, but was told that I was no longer in Austria, but in Germany! The drive from Salzburg to her house involved driving through part of Germany, my third country of the day. So I ordered a beer.
I got back to her house and she had given up her room and her bed for me, which was really nice, especially since it was the first time I’ve slept in a bed since leaving school.

I woke up this morning to find it snowing, and that it had snowed over half a foot overnight. Needless to say, I was thrilled.Breakfast this morning was great. A nice Austrian roll with a variety of Austrian Salami, and a nice cup of Austrian coffee. Oh, I found out something else. Last time I was in Schaldming, I bought this thick milky Austrian drink called Maresi. It looked really yummy, so I bought the 750ml bottle. I found it to be quite strong. Potent even. This morning I found out I found out that Maresi is not a drink, but a coffee creamer. Boy, did I feel stoopid!Before leaving for the train station, Regina (my friend from college) and I found we had 20 or so minutes to spare, so we went outside for a snowball fight. The snow was perfect. Soft, but very ‘packable’, and perfect for snowball fights. I’d almost forgotten how it feels to throw really good snow, and how satisfying it is when you hit someone with it.
Then we made snow angels, which I haven’t done in the longest time. It was pretty much the coolest thing ever.

I’m sitting here on a train from Salzburg to Schladming, watching the snow gently fall to the ground and not disappear. The snow on the roofs is pure, fluffy and over two foot thick. It is truly breathtaking.
So far, I’ve managed to get all (both) of my train tickets, with my sufficient use of German, and without using English (which I am quietly pleased with).
I heard a kid speaking English in the next carriage, so I went over to talk with this family, who turn out to be from Hampsted Heath in London, about an hour from where I live. They are also going to Schladming, so I got to give them a few tips and told them of some places to eat at or visit.

If anyone in Seattle reads this, then keep on checking whether I am on Skype, because Dawn and I would really, really like to talk with you. I’m guessing I will be posting on here again, as Dawn has wireless at her place, where I’ll be staying.
Hope you all had a great Christmas and New Years also!

New Year’s Eve

2006-01-03T07:59:00.000-06:00

So, on New Year’s Eve I had a wedding. Not my own, but a couple of my friends’.
It was just perfect. Tansye (the bride) looked breathtakingly beautiful, and the groom, Pavey shaved (for once). The whole ceremony was truly magical.
For the meal, there was a ‘Mad Hatters’ theme and all the food was like kids’ food. It was awesome. The sandwiches were cut into triangles and contained honey, or chocolate or the likes. Most of the food laid out was sweets, lollipops, or some kind of sugary confectionary. It was awesome. We were all told to bring crazy hats and some people’s were soo funny. The whole thing was awesome, and after that, most of the people stayed for the New Years’ party. We welcomed in 2006 with lots of dancing, and general misdemeanant fun, eight hours before most of you.
Went home, slept, woke up and packed my suitcase and hour before leaving for the airport.

Back in Kent for Christmas

2005-12-30T18:57:00.000-06:00

So after finishing my exams on the 21st, I came home from my college to my nice own comfortable... sofa. Yeah, my cousin from Malaysia is sleeping in my room. But what the hey, it was good to get away and spend time with family. There have been some real family moments, which is surprising, and good. Me and my sister get along really well, and there have been no major bust ups in the family so far, phew!
Anyway, tomorrow, well today, I have a wedding to attend, where I hope to take some good shots, but in truth, the wedding is not all about the photography. It's about the bonding of a man and woman of God and two friends also. Hmm, I wonder if there will be a free bar...
Anyways, after that, there's the reception, the after party, and the New Years' Party. Yayyy!!! So coming back in the late early hours of the morning, I plan to sleep until the early afternoon when I will awake to catch a plane to Salzburg and stay with a girl from college, and then off to Schladming to stay with Dawn on the mornign of the second. Yayyyyyy!!!
I know it has been a while, but I hope to post when I'm in Austria! Maybe with pics!
Miss you all and hope you all had a great Christmas. I guess I'll be in 2006 before most of you, so Happy New Year in advance!

This Time Last Year...

2005-12-15T11:27:00.001-06:00

...I was in London, at Paden's dad's appartment in Victoria.
Now those were good times.
It was Paden, her dad, Kaylie, Olya, Lisa, and myself. And then we hung out with BJ and Austin most of the time, and Ben and his cousin. (Ben, what's your cousin's name again?)
I can't remember who I waited with outside the appartment in the freezing cold that time we got there and nobody was in. Someone remind me.
I got a few good pics of the changing of the guard. But that kind of bores me.
Oh, something I remember was how amazed Paden was with the Rosetta Stone that time we went to the British Museum. Actually it totally changed my view of it and how amazing that piece of rock really is.
What else... oh yah, Paden cooking for us! She was awesome. And Paden and Austin Swing dancing in Trafalgar Square at the top of the stairs!
Oh, no, wait, I remember!!!!!

For those of you that weren't there, I'll tell the story.
Dorman (Paden's dad), has this company appartment, which we were staying in, but also had this one across the hallway. Anyway, sometime in the afternoon, One of Dorman's work colleagues was supposed to arrive in London and move into the appartment, so we moved all our stuff into the other appartment.
When we came back from a day out in London, Dorman was in the other appartment still waiting for that guy. We all moved into the orignal appartment because it had wireless, and we started eating bananas and just chilling. Paden started making a video of the appartment for her family, and was adding a running commentary to the footage, when she suddenly comes out of the main bedroom into the lounge where we all were, and is white as a sheet.
She's like, "Get out! Get out now!"
So we all move into the second appartment and she explains that there was someone in the bedroom, in the bed! Apparently that guy had showed up, but had his own key! Oh how we laughed. Then somebody stopped amidst all the laughter, and said, "Did anyone buy bananas?" And we all cracked up again because we realised we had eaten this guy's bananas!
Ha fun times.

Anyway, above are some pics of those days. Oh, what fun!

Christmas Spirit

2005-12-13T12:35:00.000-06:00

My roommate found this pic whilst randomly scrolling through blogs. Some mum and her daughter put it up on their garage door.It made us both laugh.

Jonathan Elvis Marie Wilson!!!

2005-12-13T07:20:00.000-06:00

Yes, our favourite Northern Irish brother now has a blog!
Hooray for this side of the pond!
The link is on the side.

Mike's Limericks

2005-12-11T18:58:00.000-06:00

My Liverpudlian roommate has just made me laugh with a variety of limericks. I thought I'd share them with you...

There was a young lady named Perkins
Who was very fond of small gherkins.
One evening at tea
She ate thirty-three
And pickled her internal workings.

There was a young martian from space
Who entered a three-legged race.
He wasn't that fast
In fact he came last
Because he was a bag of frozen potato chips.

There was a young lady from Gloucester
Whose parents thought they had lost her.
From the fridge came a sound
And at last she was found
But the trouble was how to defrost her.

There was an old man from Esser
Whose knowledge grew lesser and lesser.
It soon grew so small
He knew knothing at all
And now he's a college professor.

There was a young girl from Madras
Who had a magnificent ass.
Not large round and pink
As you might think
But was grey with big ears and ate grass.

There was a young man from Japan
Whose limericks never would span.
When they said it was so
He replied, "Yes I know,
But I try and get as many words and syllables into the last line and go on and on until it is just crap."

And no, I didn't get these from the internet. Mike rolled them all out one by one. If only he could do the same with Greek vocab... (J slash K, Mike!)

My Sister Jessica

2005-12-07T13:36:00.000-06:00

I meant to do a post about my sister 2 days ago (on her 25th birthday), but forgot.
I don't think any of you have ever met my sister, or even seen a picture of her, so here I post a couple taken on a day in July 2004.

She's a great sis to have, and she is very funny. Makes me laugh a lot.

Small Points of Notice

2005-12-06T10:18:00.000-06:00

Here are some random things I thought I would post about:

I updated my photo blog (www.daveophotography.blogspot.com) for the last time in a little while. Please comment on any/all that you like. I really value you guys' opinions on my photography.

Yesterday I booked my plane ticket back to Austria for the first week in January. I'll be visiting Dawn and will get to spend time with Sophie too. Can't freakin' wait!

Did any of you remember playing a card game with Jonny Wilson called Happy Families? Well, those that do, let me know. I don't know if you have it in Americanadia or wherever you are, but we have it here, so if anyone fell in love with it, maybe I could hook you up.

Recently, I bought Family Guy (Season Three) for the second time. The first time I bought that series, my roommate (Benjamin James Kirchner) took them on 10-day outreach and they got stolen. I was royally pissed. But it's ok now, since Family Guy is the only thing that can make me laugh nomatter what mood I'm in.

Went shopping in Manchester a few days ago. Shopped at H&M (uhuh) and bought a couple of hats. Vee cool. Sorry, I just had to drop the H&M Bomb on you. I mean, it is my fave shop and everything.

Chelsea Marie Douce has now got a blog! That's right, folks! There's two Ecuadorian chicas! And yes, Janice, you did beat me to this one, but I got dibs on the next mamacita. You can all guess where Chelsea's link is. Yeah, on the side.

Anyway, I hope you're doing well. I'm doing ok, myself.
Miss You!

Breaking Point

2005-12-05T13:13:00.000-06:00

So last night at football, i reached my breaking point. Since being here at Regents, I have wanted to get out, but even though it's bearable, I feel the lack of friends, and it kills. Especially after last year with all you guys.
I have like a few guys I spend quite a bit of time with and in my mind I kinda deemed them as 'friends', just to make myself seem worth something to others here.
Anyway, at football last night, I fall and sprain my ankle pretty bad, and instantly yell out in pain. The first thing I see is one of the guys I'm closest to smiling.
His smile wasn't a decided reaction but an instinctive reaction which wasn't put on.
I was horrified.

The thing is, that after making the friends I have last year, I know that any small ounce of pain I saw them going through would put me through pain too. I would instantly want to take the pain on myself and not want them to feel any pain at all. My instant instinctive reaction would be concern.
I know it sounds a little over dramaticised, but aside from being put out of sports until January, I came to the realisation that I didn't really have real friends here. And it cut to my core.
I'm a pretty broken guy right now and would appreciate your prayers. Talking to me would also be welcomed.

Two New Bloggers

2005-12-03T13:31:00.000-06:00

Both Anna Reedy and Caleb Atkins now have blogs! Hoorah!
Their addresses are on the side.
In other small-time news, last night I watched two of the biggest tearjerker movies again. The Notebook and I Am Sam. I still love both of these films. Cried in The Notebook at the same place as last time, and got so much more out of I Am Sam than I did the first time round. Like, I've always seen that film as one about a mentally handicapped guy and his struggle to keep the daughter he loves. A father's love. Y'know.
Last night it struck me in a different light. Michelle Pfeifer's line to Sean Penn, "I'm worried that I'm getting more out of this than you," made me think about how the film could easily be seen as a story about a woman who learns how to love her child by seeing a handicapped man's love for his. This makes it more applicable to those of us who are not mentally handicapped. Maybe we can relate to her postition more than Penn's. Maybe we can learn some of life's lessons in the most unexpected places. Maybe we have to take a second look.

Family Group

2005-12-02T09:33:00.000-06:00

Wednesday night I went Bowling with my Tutor group. This is pretty much the same as Family Group and I have often been caught misnaming it just that. It's not the same though, because there is not the same sense of family.
I don't know what your family groups were like, but both of mine in England and in Austria were absolutely amazing. I loved both, very much.
Here are some pics of my families.
I have very fond memories of my family groups and even though most of you weren't there, I just wanna say that I am thankful for all the happy memories, of making cookies, eating burritos for the first time, making cards with Linda, playing the animal game and Amir not understanding it, then in Austria, risking my life on a home made zip-line, sledding down a ski-jump slope on a small plastic sled, sweating it out in Christian's sauna, and then jumping in his freezing cold pool made of fresh water from the Alps, drinking from vases and jam jars instead of cups, eating those Bugles (crisps). Mmmmmmmmmmm... so many memories that I wish I could return to.

It occurred to me during one family group that as people from all different family backgrounds, with all different customs, traditions and comfort-areas, we managed to make it something more than just a meeting. Each family group was a bonding experience. It's weird. Maybe that's just me and my perspective, but didn't you guys feel any of that too? What were your favourite family group memories? I wanna know. seriously. I wanna know!

Defintion of a family:
1. A fundamental social group in society typically consisting of one or two parents and their children.
2. Two or more people who share goals and values, have long-term commitments to one another, and reside usually in the same dwelling place.
I like the second definition.

Life's small-sized joy

2005-11-30T07:49:00.000-06:00

Whilst pondering what makes me happy, I realised that the young kids that live on campus bring me joy. These are student's kids and they live in surrounding flats. Anyway, up until a few weeks ago (when the weather started getting mean), I used to finish class in the afternoon and go and play with them in the gardens.
We would do all sorts of things like pretend to be aeroplanes, on motorbikes, or swimming whilst lying on our backs on the grass.
The imagination they have is wild, and I wish I had younger siblings to do the same with. Man I can't wait to have kids. I feel like I was born to be a daddy.
You just wait. I'll be a rad dad yet.
Here are a few pics I took of them. There is an art pic I took which will go up on my photo blog in the next week. Oh, by the way, hardly anybody is posting comments about my photographs! Guys! C'mmon! Just write the good and bad points of each photograph, and if you don't think you have photogrpahic licence enough to comment, then just describe how the photo makes you feel. Gimme some support in this. Please! I'll be posting one photograph up each day for a little while.
P.s. Don't forget life's small-sized joys. Especially if they cry all the time. It's all good.

I feel... something?

2005-11-28T11:56:00.000-06:00

What do you do when you stop feeling God?

One man sees Christ die and believes, but another only hears about Christ dying and believes. Who has more faith?
In the same way, what if one man feels God's presence & love and lives by Christ, and another man does not feel God's presence or His love, but still lives by Christ because he knows what is really true. Who is displaying more faith.
You'd all say the latter in both instances. But then, aren't we supposed to want more faith? Yet we still want to feel God's presence and love, right?
Ok, let's rewind...

All my Christian life I have felt God's presence, His love and His power. But for the past month I have felt nothing. What do you do if you wake up one day and it feels like God has gone. You know it's not true, and are firm in that, but you still feel nothing.
Well, that was me, about a month ago.
I didn't change anything. My praying, reading the Bible, Christian duties, attitude & behaviour. I trusted that God was still there, and I believed (and still believe) that this is a wilderness experience type thing for me.
I don't pray that this comes to an end straight away, but that God helps me endure it for however long He wants, and for me to learn from this and come out stronger on the other side.

Now I've been struggling through, until roughly somewhere in the last week, where things suddenly took a turn for the worse. I started losing feeling in other areas too. Mainly within the realm of human interaction. Like I am losing the ability to feel happy or sad, pleased or angry. I don't feel anything. Nothing
This is about the time I started panicking and wondering what to do.

Guys, I'd really appreciate your words on this one, because I'm afraid my own may not be sufficient.
All I know is I must remain thankful in whatever circumstances that may arise.

My New Art Photo Blog

2005-11-27T10:22:00.000-06:00

Decided to host a blog just for my art photography.
These are not fun pics. This is photography. No digital manipulation (for the most part.)
Anyway, I created it last night and I will post on here every so often to let you know about the new photos I put up (for those who are interested).
The few photos on there right now are old ones from Capernwray that you have already seen.
Please feel free to comment and give your artistic opinions. Criticisms are just as welcome. (You know me).

www.daveophotography.blogspot.com

Noteworthy Phone Call to Minnesota

2005-11-26T17:56:00.000-06:00

Today I made one phone call and got to speak to these 5 people...

Awesome, huh!

"Seriously, I'm fine."

2005-11-25T12:39:00.000-06:00

So yesterday morning I threw up like 8 times before going to preach a sermon in Sermon Class (Like a homiletics class, but only the practical side). it had nothing to do with the fact that I was preaching, but it might have been to do with me staying up all night to write the (poorly presently) sermon. Or I might have eaten something dodgy. But I had to preach because there was gonna be a bunch of prospective students 'just looking' and sitting in on that class.
So, I told my lecturers for the day why I wasn't gonna be in class and went back to my room to sleep.
But, later that morning, loadsa people came in to see me, and give me food 'n' crap and to see how I was. What had happened, was that my lecturer mentioned it in class and they prayed for me. It was really weird cos people came in as if to pay their final repects at my deathbed.
Turns out it was probably just a 24-hour-bug or probably less than that. No big deal. But I think people are still praying for me even though I was like, 'Seriously, I'm fine. No, really.'
Later that evening i went and played fooball for like 2 hours and people couldn't understand it. Heh. I didn't really care.

In other news, I sent off my Moody application a couple of days ago, which is a huge weight off my mind. I'll find out if I got in by January 15th. Much prayer would be appreciated for this people. Thank you and good night.

Shannon Neufeld

2005-11-23T15:03:00.001-06:00

Shannon has joined the blogging world!
Her link is on the side.

Original Sin v Original Innocence

2005-11-22T10:33:00.000-06:00

Today in my Pentecostal Theology class there sparked a discussion on whether we as humans are born with original sin or original innocence. i.e. are we born as sinful beings or as innocent beings because we have not yet sinned?
Moreover, if a baby/child dies do they go to heaven or to hell? Original innocence suggests that if they die before committing their first sin, then they get into heaven on their own merit of a sinless life. However, Christianity teaches that nobody bar nobody gets into heaven on their own merit, but it is only through Christ's atonement of their sinfulness/sinful nature that gets us in. There is no biblical evidence for us being born innocent until we sin. Hmmm... Is not every person that enters the world doomed to sin?
What are we therefore saying? That young babies/children who die without accepting Christ are going to hell? That's a bit strong, ain't it? But are we always looking for a theological loophole to make us feel better and fit our circumstances? Also, what about God's grace?

In the 3 minutes that this discussion lasted, I concluded that we are born with original sin and that God is still the judge of all people, of which we play no part in, and He is a just and fair God.

I hope that this, my Torchbearing buddies, provides food for thought, and I'd love to hear those thoughts...

My God Reigns? In Me?

2005-11-21T03:56:00.000-06:00

This morning at devotions we sang 'Over all the earth' (or 'Lord reign in me'), which, if I'm honest is not my fave tune in the world. However, as we were singing it, I thought, "is this just lip service that I'm paying?"
I came to the conclusion that I didn't want it to be like that, so I decided to concentrate on the words. I didn't get a big message from the Lord. I just concentrated on the words.

There's a line (as you know) which goes, '...over all my dreams, in my darkest hour...' and I asked myself, 'Does He reign in those areas?'
As of late I have entertained realisations such as that God really isn't the boss of this area or that, and He isn't really the number one thing in my mind when I am doing this thing or that. But the sad fact is, I realise these things and don't do a thing about them.
How many of us need to ask whether God rules in every area of our lives? I often ask God to do just that, yet somehow I find myself living against that request.
I also realise it will all be ok, and I understand it's a journey I have to continue walking, and so onward I press.

I conclude that even though God may not truly reign in all areas of my life, He is still there and still knocking at the door, asking to come in.

"Lord, my one request,
Lord my only aim
Is that you'd reign in me again.

The Daveo Photo Smile

2005-11-17T17:46:00.000-06:00

In response to Marisa's comment on the last post (Life in Green) about my fake photo smile, I decided to teach the tricks of the trade to you all.
For those of you who are baffled, an example is shown in the previous post.
I challenge each of you to take a photo of yourself doing The Daveo Photo Smile and then post it on your own blog under the title "The Daveo Photo Smile" for all to see. Then I will collect them and put them all in one blog-post.
Hoorayyyyyyy!

"But Daveo! How on earth do I do that crazy, sexy, lovely smile of yours??!" I hear you cry!
Alas my Torchbearer siblings, I will give you a step by step (play by play)...

Step 1: Relax (don't do it, when you wanna go through it)
Step 2: Now press your upper lip lightly against your upper row of teeth (but don't concentrate on this too much. It's not that important.
Step 3: Smile slightly by raising your cheeks a little.
Step 4: Let your lower lip hang slightly away from your lower set of teeth.
Step 5: Move skin between bottom of chin and lower lip in a downwards direction.
Step 6: Take the Photo

Other important notes to uphold are to not frown; make sure your lower and upper sets of teeth are together; look lovingly at the camera (it loves you back); and finally, remember, if this doesn't work out, it's ok. You still have to post the best one(s) on your blog, and you don't have to give up your day job.
Allison is the first to try it, so if you are confused about what to do, then just look at her blog.
Good Luck fellow smilers!

Life in Green

2005-11-16T16:22:00.000-06:00

Today no less than 8 people used the exact phrase, "You're looking very green today,"
Here is a photo of how I look on Wednesday 16th November 2005.

Yes the T-shirt is from American Eagle (in some American Mall in San Diego) and in truth, the only reason I bought it was because I promised myself I would buy something from AE to take home with me.
Oh, and If you're wondering why their is an indent in the hair on the side of my head, it's because 1. I'm growing it again (picture Daveo at the beginning of Capernwray, but sexier), and 2. because i was wearing a matching green visor all day.
And before you start on the unfashionability (new word to add to my dictionary of discombobulated words) of visors, it was from H&M (Regent St, London). Phew!

Justin Nanfelt

2005-11-16T09:34:00.000-06:00

The main man himself has started a blog too! Wicked Awesome!
The link's down the side...
I'd check it out if I were you. There are some great pics there.

This is the pic we had on our door in Austria, in honour of you Justin. Maybe i'll get one sent over to you sometime.

Elin Austbø

2005-11-16T04:38:00.000-06:00

Our Norwegian friend Miss Elin Austbø has joined the world of blog. Her link is down the sidebar, for all you Elin fans...
Also, she has joined Skype, as has Jimmy! Hoorah! Anyway, here is the lovely lady herself.

My Longest Skype

2005-11-14T17:19:00.000-06:00

Tonight I had my longest skype with Miss Janice Rae.

It was 3hrs 58mins 4secs.
Anyway, I thought I'd post some sexy pics of the lady from Winter School because she is so wonderful.

Excuse me, have you seen my motivation?

2005-11-13T07:47:00.000-06:00

Today is a slow Sunday.
Lately I have been comtemplating my existence. Purpose in life, mainly.

I am a very goal-orientated person, and as of late have been looking at my goals and aims in life, and I ask myself, 'How badly do you really want these things?'
Do I just say I want to achieve something and then not apply myself to fulfil this achievement? I dunno.
Maybe it comes down to motivation.
I remember Rob Whittaker's lectures on Personal Evangelism, (which I do look at from time to time), and he said the greatest obstacle in converting non-Christians is a lack of motivation. The same applies for work, and menial tasks. Am I not even bothered to do anything about this obstacle? Of course I am! But it doesn't feel like I'm doing anything.
When I was at Capernwray and T-Hof, it felt like I had such a motivation to do stuff. What was my motivation there? I think it was you guys.
I'd really appreciate some of your thoughts on this one.

Mr Brent Potter

2005-11-12T10:43:00.000-06:00

Most of you already know this from Pam's blog, but Brent now has a blog. Hooray!
Brentsu, you were the first of my roommates I met whilst catching the coach up from London. And then to find you with all your crap sprawled across the floor in Austria only to be told I was roomming with you again! Man, apart from with my sister when I was a youngster, I have not shared a room with anyone as much as with you.
Bro, here are pics of Room Thir-ee and Room 1:

Abortion in Britain

2005-11-09T06:00:00.000-06:00

Ok, so devos was good. A guy called George Verwer (from OM) was speaking to us about some interesting shiznit. He mentioned a topic which was all on the news in Britain yesterday, and following Marisa's rant on it on her blog, I thought I'd let you people know what the dealio-yo is in your much beloved Britain. I don't know exactly what the law is in Americanadia, but this is what it is in B-rizzle. I got this info from a BBC site aimed at educating teens. I copied and pasted some lines straight from it...

Facts and figures
In Britain about 180,000 pregnancies are terminated every year. Teenagers account for 20% of these. More than half of pregnancies in under 16s end in abortion.
...500 women die each day from illegal abortions worldwide. Take no chances with your body - do it properly...
Is it morally right?
This is the difficult bit. Some people know immediately what to do when they get pregnant. For others, it’s a confusing, scary time. Many people have strong views on abortion. But it’s your life, your body, your decision and your right to request one.
What does the law say?
Up to the 24th week of pregnancy an abortion is legal, with the agreement of two doctors. It is not legal in Northern Ireland, except under exceptional circumstances.
If you’re under 16, you needn’t tell your parents if both doctors believe you fully understand everything involved. The docs won’t tell your parents (although they may encourage you to do so) unless they believe you’re in danger.
How do I get one?
Go to your GP, local sexual health centre or nearest Brook Advisory Centre (see below). A (very) few doctors don’t agree with abortion, but they are duty bound to refer you to someone who does, without delay.
They will arrange for you to be seen in a special clinic, usually fairly quickly, at your local hospital.
Is it free?
The majority of abortions are free, done on the NHS. In a few areas the NHS may not pay for all abortions. If you go private, you can expect to pay around £400 for an early pregnancy abortion.
I'm scared
You wouldn’t be human if you weren’t. This is the biggest thing ever. And all those questions, prying and prodding... it’s enough to put anyone off. It isn’t going to be easy. But be brave. No professional you meet will judge or lecture you. They are on your side.
After the abortion, what next?
You may feel relieved, sad or a bit of both. You’ll never forget the abortion. Most women never regret it either. If you need to talk some more, counsellors are there for afterwards, too.

Can you believe that!! For those of you who didn't read all that, This is the law and some stats in Britain...
- If you're under 16, you can get an abortion without your parents knowing. If you're 16 or over, you're not under anyone's jurisdiction on this issue. (Oh, by the way, at age 18, you cannot obtain an aspirin from the school nurse without phoning your parents and getting consent.)
- In Britain, 180,000 unborn babies are murdered each year.
- Doctors are required to appear pro-abortion, or refer you to a doctor who is, straight away.
- They are free to get done.
and this is what a top educational site advises teenage girls...
- It’s your life, your body, your decision and your right to request one.
- All those questions, prying and prodding... it’s enough to put anyone off.
- It isn’t going to be easy. But be brave.
- No professional you meet will judge or lecture you. They are on your side.
- You’ll never forget the abortion. Most women never regret it either. (bullshiznit)

So there you have it.
And you all thought Americans were stoopid!
People! We have a contender!

Stuck in a Moment

2005-11-09T02:47:00.000-06:00

So apparently, this is my 100th post. Who gives a damn.
Hmm, so last night I had like the worst night of sleep like ever. Or should I say non-sleep. I don't know what was up with that, but today is supposed to be a 'Day of Renewal' where we aren't allowed to do any work at all. Which should be good. I dunno what they have in mind, but I was thinking like a day spa and an hour long massage. (I'm still hopeful, but I'll find out in like 10 minutes.
Oh, here are lyrics which I thought summed me up at my present place in life:

You've got to get yourself together
You've got stuck in a moment
And you can't get out of it.
Don't say that later will be better
Now you're stuck in a moment
And you can't get out of it.

Bono -You Too

That pretty much sums me up in my life right now. Dude what is up?
Here are some pics I took with Stephen Morris at Capernwray one day whilst trying to capture a moment. I'm trying to illustrate how I feel...

This is where I'm at...

...and this is where I want to be.

Elizabethtown

2005-11-07T14:57:00.000-06:00

Tonight i went to the cinema to see Elizabethtown with Kirsten Dunst and Orlando Bloom (from Kent, England, like me). It was fun, and afterwards, Kirsten and I ditched Orlando to go for a pizza. Don't get me wrong, Lando is a good guy, and of a great pedigree, but durign the film he just wouldn't pass the bag of sweets, (which was rude, because I paid for them).

I thought that Cameron Crowe did an ok job, but it was different to his others. I dunno, it had a stretched out feel to it, as if it was giving you time to think. Naturally I thought Dunst was spritely in the film and added a feisty kind of friendliness to her character. Bloom played the role like a real person. It was strangely refreshing actually.
I don't want to critique the film, just to talk about it is all. Hmm, the story is about a guy who has a big failure in business and is about to kill himself, before finding out his dad has just died. (don't worry, this is all in the trailer). So the film is about the journey he takes dealing with stuff, and his realisation of all that he needs to come to terms with. This is aided by a flight attendant (Dunst) who strikes up an unusual friendship with him. And so on and so on... Well, that's how I perceived it anyhow. A line in the film which struck me was when Bloom is driving with his father's urn in the passenger seat and he says, "This is a trip we should have taken years ago." I dunno, but I just don't want that to be what I am saying to God about something in years to come. Thoughts people? let me know if you saw it and what you thought.

Ode to Jón Magnús

2005-11-05T18:42:00.000-06:00

Our Icelandic friend Jón Magnús Kjartansson has started a blog! You have to check it out!

Anyway, Here's my Ode to Jón...

We first grew close by praying about a certain situation,
Then in football in the Sports Hall, and with other recreation,
We had many good times at Capernwray, doing things that good friends do,
And to help you to remember man, I've written about two:

One time in the guys' corridor, in Room 23 at night,
We drew on our faces with markers, and had a plastic knife fight,
You stabbed me in the chest, but I only pretended to die,
Then I got up and killed you back, in the nipple (but you didn't cry).

Then one night with BJ Kirchner, we crept out to build a fire,
We talked about all kinds of stuff, as the flames climbed higher and higher,
That night was a milestone of Capernwray, more memorable than others,
It was there we built our friendships and became a band of brothers.

Jón, You Rock!

Street Evangelism...

2005-11-04T19:51:00.000-06:00

Right now it's 1.52am and I'm just buzzing.
I have a million thoughts in my head and I just had to put them out here to let you know what's going through my mind.
I just have to share Jesus with those who don't know Him. I can't help it! I was thinking of street evangelism, and you know there is that whacky guy who stands on street corners calling out for repentance, and just gets heckled at and stuff thrown at him for preaching, well, that's ineffective because people just don't listen to him. Now imagine if what he was saying was not only true, but it was good preaching, and convicting. Would people listen then? No. -Why? because they don't want to and they don't have to. But supposing they had to, and couldn't stop till they had heard the whole message. What then. Maybe great things would come about. maybe they'd feel convicted, or overwhelmed with God's love. So how do we make that work people?
Everyone knows a crowd draws a crowd. Now say there were already a whole crowd listening to this guy when people saw him. They most probably wouldn't throw stuff. They'd stop and try to hear what all these other people had stopped to try to hear.
So the preacher could preach for like 5 minutes and the people already there can hand out tracts and do some street evangelism. Maybe some singing of songs. And then another person gets up to do another 5 minutes. Why not? This would totally work?
I feel like I'm waiting for God's call to send me. To anoint my ministry. I'm just waiting on the anointing people. I'm like a revved up racecar waiting for the light to turn green. We should be bringing a new person to church every Sunday. Everyone should. They don't get the chance to hear the Word, because nobody invites them. The y don't know what church is like because they never go. Because nobody invites them. Why aren't we bringing them in.
I'm sick of praying for this and that, for God to bless me, to bless my mum, to bless my dad, to save my friend, to save my other friend. I wanna do something about it all. I wanna be a blessing to others, I wanna let God use me to save people. I wanna be active in hand's-on evangelism.
When we feel spiritually dry, why aren't we taking a spiritual drink of water? We need to read our Bibles and pray. Are we praying enough? Are we reading our Bibles enough? Probably not, so let's get on that. Pray for a message from God, even when you don't feel you need one to direct you anywhere. Pray for God to wake you up to reality. Where are you? In a lost world with no hope but Christ. You hold that hope. It's in you. It's Christ in you. Share Him. Do it. You need to. It's what you were destined to do. It was what you were commanded to do. Just do it.
It's 2.05am, and I am pumped.

Church Visit - South Manchester

2005-11-04T15:42:00.000-06:00

So today, I went on a compulsary school trip to visit the first of three churches to analyse the way churches are run.
When I first went in, I thought, man, this is small. It fitted about 250 people and for all services it accomodated 500 pentecostal charismatics. I mean, it's pretty big for an English church, but I was just expecting it to be massive.
When we were told what this church was doing, I was quite humbled and was left wondering why other churches weren't doing the same.
Now, you have to take into account that these people aren't your upper class rich Christians, but average earning Northern Joe's who attended a church 'that was given no hope' of surviving.
So they've grown from a congregation of 20 to 500 in the last few years;
Built a huge Bible College in India;
Recently built and planted 43 churches in India;
Just built 30 housed there for some Tsunami refugees;
Built a huge Adoption centre in Romania;
Built homes and churches in Romania, etc, etc...
Now, how does a church of this size do all this and have a turnover of £750,000 (that's USD $1.32m or CAD $1.55m)? Well, it started off creating it's own charity shops (thrift stores) and now has four, of which God seems to bless too. But the thing that bugs me, is that this church is making more of a difference in the lives of non-believers and believers internationally as well as locally, than some of our churches.
Hmm, do we lack the energy to go all out on planned out projects like the aforementioned? The pastor of this church said it was the people that mattered, and not the projects or premises, but the latter two seemed to be quite actively enlarging.
So why aren't even larger churches doing even greater things? Now you would say that this is not the idea of your church, and that's why it doesn't happen? Or that this church was just a one-off phenomenal church? To be honest, it didn't seem like it was. Only that people were actively doing stuff.
Just a thought.
Next Friday I go on my second trip. That is to a church in Leeds, where I was born, and apparently that one is really big. I'll let you know how that one goes.

This is a pic of me taken today by the way. It has no relation to the post, but thought you like seeing photos of me. Ha. J slash K. But I'm posting it anyway cos I thought it made me look cool.

STOMP!

2005-11-03T17:43:00.000-06:00

So tonight i went to Stoke-On-Trent to see STOMP. If you didn't already know, it's a show where people make music fomr brooms, dustbin lids, sticks, paper and plastic bags, basketballs, zippo lighters, and loads of other street stuff. They even played music using a bunch of kitchen sinks!
It was absolutely outstanding!