Just sitting on the counter (other wise forbided space) enjoying a wholesome bowl of "fruityO's" (cheep version of fruit-loops). Could life get any better?

Today is Jonathan birthday. He's 26! Getting old. What can I say that will make him look really good...ummmm...just joking there is lots to say. Not only does he continue to live with me and love me dispute giving him ample reasons not to, he is also the best father around. Jon takes his calling very seriously. He struggles with his own spirit revealed shortcomings, always wanting to become more like Christ, always asking God what else there is to work out for his salvation. Jon longs to see the church God has intrusted to him become fully all that God intends it to be. His heart is heavy and for each member, wanting and praying for their spiritual growth. This is the life of a true man of God. Although there are days that Jon feels phyically, and emotionally burdened by his calling, the other 90 percent of the time he carries it with grace. That's not all but that's all I'm going to say about him. I thank God for his friendship and love. I am very thankful that he was born 26 years ago.

patience

Well, I told everyone that since we got this new camera for Christmas I was going to be posting more pictures and I have not kept my word so far. So here is one of Gracifer(nickname). What a cutie. Honestly, I have the cutest girl in the whole wide world.

Having dialup internet sucks so bad. I think because this new camera takes higher quality pictures it takes forever to uplaod one. I'm waiting.........................and waiting....................and waiting.................like what would actually be so difficult to bring high speed to me..................and waiting....................and waiting.............................Am I so far away from the civilized world that this is a complete impossibility................................and waiting...................................and waiting................................and waiting...................................................................................okay I won't complain anymore............................................honestly I should be timing how long this is taking.......................................................FINALLY!

christmas eve

I haven't put the gifts under the tree all this week because I knew the temptation would be too great for my little guy. But tonight I thought it would be nice to put them under and I was tidying the house anyways, so I did. Elijah came up stairs with Jon to go to bed and immediately saw the gifts...now 45mins later we are still trying to get him to go to sleep. Jon is very patient with him.
I guess that's half the fun of christmas. he doesn't really get the idea that if he goes to sleep the morning will come faster.
Oh well.

Philippians 4.4-9

Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: REJOICE!

Let your gentleness be evident to all.

The Lord is near.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me- put into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Christmas time is here!

Well, it has been awhile. The real reason being that I dread using my very very slow dial up connection. (Sasktel please stop exploiting the fact that I will in the middle of nowhere so that you can overcharge me and make up for the revenue losses you take by offering great deals to those in the populace, so you can compete with the competition.)

Anyways, the reason I decided to blog today was because I had some pictures to share and I had nothing else to do. (Correction: I could have clean the bathroom, cleaned my stove or mopped the floor, or cleaned up the huge mess Elijah made in the guest bedroom...but who wants to start into that at 9:30pm)

So this first picture is of Grace. We all went to the youth banquet and the kids got into some chocolate, as you can tell. She is so cute. Yes, Scott and Liz that is the shirt you sent her...and I did get all the chocolate out :)

And the second one here is of the Christmas tree at the Chalmers household. Nothing special, but I like it. Sorry the picture is so dark. I've done alot of popcorn and cranberry stringing this year...that's my Christmas tradition. I've been really trying to keep Christmas simple this year. I have the temptation to want to make things complicated but God's always asking me about my motives. It is way too easy for me to make Christmas about some many other than things, rather than Christ. So this simple tree is a reminder to me to make Christmas about Christ. I think people who can have a beautiful Christmas home and Keep Chirst as their focus are amazing. I'm sure there are alot of ppl out there that can do it...Unfortunately for me...my heart is wicked and self absorbed...not to be self abasing or anything!

So ya, the point of all this is to say we are enjoying or Christmas season. We've done some good visiting, and I've been baking, and I've personally been learning alot about myself.

What a girl!

Yes, this is my lady of grace. What more can I say...If you are looking for the secret to the gorgeous hair it's white cheddar kraft dinner. Lovely I know! What a wee beauty I have.

Birthday!

Well it's that time of the year again. I'm 27 this time. Wierd. I still feel like I'm 21. that means my dad is 48. He's going to be 50 soon. I never thought that day would come either. I guess time goes on with or without us. Nothing big happening today...but I don't need Jon to tell me he loves me one day a year because he says it ever day. AAAH! Yes that's sappy but true. Well, what will I do with my first day of being 27? I guess a shower might be a good start, and then maybe I'll do the dishes. Sounds good!

Well, we are back to the grind again. Last week was such a departure from our regular routine. I feel the need for structure agian. I went to the gym this morning, and had a really nice visit with another girl who was also there workingout. I felt like I was losing control of everything in my life because I wasn't starting my day on the right foot. I don't know if anyone understands that. But yes, when I'm not working out and starting my day with a good breakfast I feel very undone, and when I don't do it for weeks at a time I feel very very undone. Anyways, today was the beginning of putting myself back together. Some how the house got completely destroyed this weekend so I have a large cleaning job ahead of my today. but instead of feel defeated before I even start I'm going to decide it is do-able. Like my mom always says, "Just pick one thing up at a time and put it away" Good advice mom.
So off to my day I go...

My prayer

To my children:
I pray that you will grow to know your value. That you prize the treasure that is you. That you find joy in your own uniqueness. That you never demean yourself by wanting to be someone else. That you find contentment in your circumstances, where you live, single or not, school or at home. I pray you have the ability to discern what is good and right. As the people around you speak and live I pray you would know the truth from the lies. And that you would have the courage to live with truth. I pray you would know what a man and woman of God looks like. Humble, servant, with self-respect, honour, responsible, loving and full of grace.

Hey Scott

If you are reading this leave me a comment some time...I'd love to hear your thoughts!
And everyone else just a plug for the coolest guitar playing cat around Scott Orr. Check out his blog at www.scottorrmusic.blogspot.com

Noise (a very different kind!)

Yes, I know I recently titled a blog "noise", but there really was no other appropercaite title.
Have a ever mentioned that we live behind the town Bar? Well we do. the problem being that very often we go to bed to the thumping of very loud music or we are awoken by very loud music in the middle of the night. Take for instance last night. At 2:00 am Elijah came into our room very upset. Ofcourse now awake we could very clearly hear why he was scared, there was annoying thumping music and loud screaming voices come from the Bar. When Grace wake up at 4:00am and I was sitting with her the music continued and when I finally got back into bed at 5:00am it had faded a bit. For my sake I wish ppl were alloyed to smoke in Bars so that they wouldn't go into the bar's back deck, which faces our back yard, and talk very loud, and curse and swear, and listen to their music while they have a drag. So anyways...what can the only pastor in town do...complain and make it look like we are condeming them all to hell? Or just live with it and lay in bed fumming mad? Either way I think we're screwed!
Okay I feel a little better for getting that off my chest.

Sick!

Not fun...we have been sick all week with throwing up and the runs. The only good thing I can think of is that I haven't had to cook. Actually I usually love cooking but I haven't been in the mood and been sick is convient or the reason.
Mom told me to give the kids rice water, but I doubt incredibly that they would ever drink it. I do think it might work if they ever would though. So its been toast, soda crackers, and water. Yummy!
Jon is at a volleyball tournament today. He left the house thinking they would win it all. I love his confidence. He phone and said they had won their first game and were going on to glory. So we'll have to see if his perdictions come true. I really hope so because in three years of coaching he has never won a tournament...poor guy. I wants it so bad.
Well one of the kids is upset at the TV so I'd better go see what is up.

Excitment fills the air !!!!

No we did not run into a lot of money, and we were not given a free trip to Alaska...so what am I so excited about. Well, this coming Feb. at Youth Quake you know who is coming to play? Downhere! And you know what that means? I get to see Jason. (long lost cousin) Yes, yes indeed I am very excited.
Thought you all might want to know how excited I am.

Cold

Burrrrr...it is getting cold. My toes are freezing as I sit here typing. I should run and get my sheep skin slippers...I'm back and my toes are already warming the wool. Toasty!
What does the cold bring to mind??....??....hot chocolate, cold bundled walks, its dark when I wake up and when the kids go to bed, apple crisp, beef stew, knitting, christmas, and cold hands when I'm reading, just to name a few. I'm not complaining. The beginning of winter is wonderful, is by the six month of it that I start feeling down!

Can't see for the TV

I lovingly,( I say that sarcasticly), rented Elijah a movie tonight (Clifford's BIG adventure). Anyways, he loved it. He was laughing and , up off his seat when things got exciting, and then he bitterly cried when the movie was over. I mean he was very, very, very upset about this movie being over. I actually started wondering if this had not been such a bright idea, to let him watch an hour long story on tv. When I got to thinking about it, it upset me how much emotion he was giving to a story, to characters, and pictures. I mean the kid doesn't know any better and he has a hard enough time controlling his emotions at the best of times. Hey that sounds like me...not the crying bitterly because a movie is over, but giving my emotions, time and sometimes energy (if its a really sappy love story all the crying really wears me out) into a plastic box that tells stories. I wonder if God ever looks at me and says, "Man, I wish Amie would invest her energy into something real, like ME!" I guess it really doesn't have to be the TV. It could really be anything that I acknowledge in my life over God. Do I look like a toddler, sitting inches from the TV, eyes afixed on the characters and tears running because the dog lost its owner? How much greater to weep for those around me in pain, or worse the unsaved? How much greater a life would be laughing at the sound of a child, running in feilds created by my King, or giving up everything for the joy set before me? But alot of the time I can't see all that for the perverbial TV.

What do I believe?

This is not going to be very cohesive but I thought that by writing I may be able to put my thoughts in order. Jon and I have recently been faced with the issue of how to interprete the Bible, whose theology is sound, and what makes someone right and others wrong? I guess it all started when I began to read Rob Bell’s book, “Velvet Elvis” He talks about Christianity being a wall of bricks and if one of the bricks is removed than the whole thing falls. He suggests faith should look like a trampoline that flexes and moves. Bell desires to see the church openly discussing the issues of our faith. He says that he affirms to foundational doctrines of our faith such as the trinity, virgin birth and salvation through Christ alone, but also believes that we are only human that the authors of the bible were only human and therefore can never really understand God and consequently need to continue to hash our interpretations of the Word. This made sense to me , in fact I found it relieving to hear someone say it. Just yesterday we had an old dear friend drop in on his way by going home. He had actually been to a conference in the States and one of the speakers had spoke negatively about Rob Bell and his philosophy of interpretation. Our friend pointed out that the above doctrines of our faith can not be interpreted differently, that in fact they are so foundational to our faith that without them we would not have “A Faith.” I clearly see what our friend is saying, and yet I felt as though there still are things in the Bible that people through the centuries have interpreted completely differently, and had staked their lives and others on. So I still wonder if there could be a balance. For example I am unnerved when someone stated emphatically that the world was created in seven days, and if you don’t believe that you are going to hell. I also am very annoyed with people who speak as if to have the inside scope of the “end times.” I mean, first of all, does it matter to God what we believe about these things and secondly, it takes a certain kind of arrogance to assume you have read to mind of God. That you have put him into a neat little box. So anyways…ranting now stopping…my dilemma now remains, do I believe there is a need to affirm certain truths, and to do so with conviction, or do I believe there is a need to be open to all possibilities about God and the Word????? Could there be an in between? Could there be a road that could hold both? Affirming the orthox doctrines of our faith but realizing God doesn’t say everything in black and white and wants me to go to him for direction and guidance when it comes to some things. I don’t know…. I feel like I have to believe something with conviction or else what do I have to give anyone else. And it does seem to me, that God does say some things very clearly…

tomatoes

Don't you love fresh tomatoes out of the garden. Toasted tomatoe sandwiches! Yummy! Mayo, salt pepper, and a thick slice of frest tomatoe. These were my thoughts three years ago when I planted my frist garden here in Plenty. The first year the plants got killed by late frost in May, there were no tomatoes. The seconded year I got huge plants, but no tomatoes! This year I was very careful. I planeted them well, I pruned them, and watered them. And then I realized that I had bought, planted and cared for cherry tomatoes. You do not know how disappointed I was and still am. I don't know what to do with cherry tomatoes. I made a batch of salsa, but I have more now and I don't know what to do. I want a tomatoe sandwich. Is that too much to ask?
Maybe next year. Is that not every gardener's moto?

Noise

Have you ever seen this show on CBC on Sunday afternoons. Its about youth that do things to make a difference in the world. It never ceases to inspire me. There are some amazing stories of young people who do unbelieveable things. I was thinking how I used to believe that I could do anything. As a teenager there was nothing to big for me to tackle. I remember working at Fair Havens one summer the Sr. Youth leader told Brad and I that we were dreaming too big and when we got older we would realize that one person can only do so much. I remember crying that night in bed. I never wanted to believe that. I don't think I believe it...but my expectations have definitely been lowered. I've been asking myself what impossible things does God want me to do? Not just globaly, but here at home. Organizing a tupperware party for the community ladies seems like a big deal. I mean I don't know any of them, and what if it turns out to be a night that they are all busy? Maybe tupperware is the wrong thing to do...? anyways, I'm going to keep asking God.
I wonder if I underestimate the work I do for God at home. you know the two lives that I give myself to everyday are so important. I wander if I am selfless and give and teach maybe God will use them to do great things in the kingdom. That is definitely something to inspire towards.

PS sorry for all the spelling mistakes. Those of you who have known me for a long, long time lovingly know that spelling is not one of my strengthens!

too far away

Back from ontario now. Its been over a week now and I'm starting to get back to normal. It was so good to see Joshua. We haven't been able to be brother and sister for a long time. Distance, jobs, other relationships and just busy living got in the way. No bitterness...I just want to get to know my brother again, and I'd say the trip was a success. We had a few good days of doing NOTHING. Which is good for the both of us. Anyways, he's a good man and I'm proud of the decisions he makes, and the life that he and his wife are making for themselves.
I also went back home to the community I grow up in. I was so freshing to see faces that I love. Had a good, but too short visit with the Hay family. People who just ooze love! I can't believe how special each of their kids are. They each are so unique and beauitful ( I mean handsome, sorry boys) in their own way! I wish I could be around to see and be apart of more of their life.
Who knows why god takes us so far away from people we love? I do know that he wants me to be content and Christ like in every situation, and where ever on planet earth I happen to be.
We're starting up Youth Group tonight. Jon's looking forward to getting back into the swing of things. We are praying that this year's grade sevens will come out. It would be nice to see some new faces. Jon has also just started coaching Volley ball in the highschool. He loves coaching. So lots of changes coming up. Coaching means practices and tournaments on weekends. Oh well, its important.
well like I said, I'm happy to be home but missing all those great people in my life that regrettfully live very far away.

I can't think of a title

I wish I had a picture to show you Grace's first steps. (I can't find the digital camera and if I did I can't find the cord that connects it to the computer) She took 3 very good steps today between Jon and I. It's funny how much more cautious she is compared to Elijah at her age. Elijah just got up one day and walked and she's taking a few everyday. I'm glad they are not the same people. Actually, I'm not too anxious for her to walk because then I'll be chasing two children at church and trying to keep two children in the pew. Lovely! Sounds like fun!
I'm going to visit Joshua on Tuesay. I got so excited today thinking about it that I started feeling sick to my stomach, actaully it was more like my colon area. There will be alot of my reader that will not understand that, infact I hardly understand it myself, but that's what happens when I get really excited. Anyways, it will be so nice to spend some quality time with my bro and his wife. I feel like I hardly know the guy! This is a picture of me and the kids very excited that Mom and Grace get to see Uncle Josh and Anut Becky. (EJ's not coming but he'll smile about anything)