life-ity life...

So I've proven to be a fairly poor blogger over the past year due to my pitiful number of blogs but none-the-less, I'm back....writing.

Um....where do even start. This dilemma again...

I had my first day of classes of my second semester at Briercrest today and all three of my classes look very interesting and challenging. I am excited to be back in Caronport learning about the God i have chosen to fully devote myself too. In thoughts, actions, and motivation. This all stems from an amazing first semester this fall and a FUN and INTENSE Christmas break back in lovely Saskatoon.

First semester was a bit wierd at first; Not gonna lie. Since I was only taking 3 classes on Mon and Wed, and working tues, thurs, fri with a farmer for harvest I kind of had a hard time just being able to make some quick friendships and I was pretty discouraged. I found the change in routine hard to get used to as well. It wasn't really until about the middle of October when I had a pretty significant God moment which happened while I was singing and reading and praying by myself in the basement. God was finally able to break through my human efforts for acceptance when I truly realized why I was in Caronport. I was here to connect with HIM. Once that vertical connection was recognized, it seemed like every day there was horizontal (human) connections made that were exactly who and what I needed at that specific time. That weekend was a missions conference called 28:19 which is from the great commission in the gospel of Matthew. God had some big things for me there including affirmation for future plans regarding the japanese nation and peoples. Very exciting and encouraging. I had an intense vision on Friday night laying in my bed which I will never forget. Monday night I went to Regina with a friend Jess and we watched the second Invisible Children documentary and I was rocked. Such an injustice still taking place in Uganda. Then Tuesday was Day of Prayer which is a semester highlight for many B-crest students. It was amazing. God is so faithful...when we seek....He is there. Ready to empower, encourage, challenge, comfort and LOVE. 'The more I seek you, The more I find you'-Kari Jobe. Why do we get so excited when God shows up....or we experience Him on a day such as this,....He has told us in the Bible that He will never leave us, that when people gather and pray that He is attentive and delights in our efforts to communicate with HIM. I came away from that fired up at the intensity it brought to my own life, but at the same time a little bit discouraged because it perhaps exposed our lack of persistency and faithfulness. (especially as one body....as the CHURCH)

I went to Saskatoon for mod break at the end of October and my discipline of being in the word (bible) ceased and consequently my passion began to fade. I was bummed out by that. I'm sick of being on a roller-coaster of spiritual emotion and want to be consistent in my desire to follow and seek and please the Lord. So I dove back into my personal time listening to songs on you-tube such as 'How He Loves Us' by Kim Walker, the more i seek you, and alot of othere Kim Walker stuff I can't remember the names of right now...haha. Crazy as it may seem, I began to reconnect with God... Could this be a direct correlation?? Bible=passion? Intimacy w/ The Lord=fire in the soul? I think so. Absolutely. So aside from honestly learning new things daily in my three classes with AMAZING prof's, I was learning was it meant to sit in the presence of the Holy God, knowing the He enjoys every second I devote to HIM.... knowing that I am so much more valuable for work in the Kingdom when I can learn who I really am....(in Him) and fully embrace it. To say, this is what my strengths are, this is where I am weak, and take pride in the precision in which our Soverign Creator has put us together. To figure out what gets us fired up; our Holy Discontent as Bill Hybels puts it. I don't think satan gets much more fearful when a child of God realized their potential and embraces themselves for who God has created them to be. It is a powerful realization and a very crucial one in your life as a disciple and representative of Christ Jesus.

I was able to chat and encourage and learn from sooo many people throughout the remainder of the semester. Coffee meetings with great men in the community, brothers in Christ, fellow students, pastors, Briercrest employees....I feel incredibly blessed to have chatted and learned from every single person who took the time to laugh and learn and cry with me. A prayer group was started with a very devoted core of people in this time and good things are happening through it and will continue to happen with an even greater effectiveness as we continue in our devotion of seeking the Lord and His desire for our community. Soon before the semester wound down, I came across a video by John Piper on the topic of suffering and it really made me question alot of things.... like maybe if Im not suffering in our day to day lives, I'm not doing exactly the things that will cause discomfort and rifts that only the Holy Spirit can mend. I went into the Christmas break with an expectancy to see situations in which I would be uncomfortable and 'suffering' might be real. For the testing of your faith develops character and perserverance. I was very excited to be back in Saskatoon. I love that city. I was able to reconnect with old friends. Both those who believe and follow Christ' example, as well as you that have not made the decision to do so. I had many lunch dates and coffee's and I can honestly say that I walked away from every single one excited and encouraged in all of my friendships. I met some really great people that are invloved with the VanGuard house/church, the Bridge ministry and had some really intense prayer and times of crying out to God. Had a great couple of days to myself in which I was able to read, reflect and relax. God is definitely in those times as well.

So looking back on my Christmas break, I can without a doubt say that I was tested, challenged, strengthened in my faith and given the oppourtunity to put all these nice things I've learned in the safe flourishing environment of Bible School into practice. I did not do anything that I regret or am ashamed of. In many ways, I wish I was still in Saskatoon. There was not enough time to talk and laugh with so many people. But I know that everyone I had the chance to meet and talk with blessed me and I enjoyed every moment with every one of you. I was so excited to come back to Caronport on Sunday night as well....I know this semester is going to be absolutely amazing and cannot wait to dive into my classes and relationship here as well. The God that I am trying to follow is truly everywhere. He doesn't just hang out on Bible School campuses, or churches in various towns, but in every situation and every relationship. In everything, but that doesn't mean that those things can become your God either. I believe that Jesus Christ was indeed a real man, and that He died on a cross because it was the will of God the Father. This death (and more importantly) His Resurrection is the reason I believe what I do. If this never happened, there would be no hope for me. I am a Christian because I accepted this sacrifice for all the junk that I have done and the sinful nature that I was born into. If I do not have Faith in Jesus Himself, then I believe I do not have Faith in anything that matters. This causes me to try and act differently which I hope shows that the Love and Power of Christ is very POWERFUL and very REAL! I hope that those of you who have known me over the past few years when I was partying notice a difference in me. I also hope that you see that I am still ME. Still the Dan that you can laugh with and talk with. I feel the same, but I feel different in a radical life-changing way. I feel like I am the optimal version of who I CAN BE. I believe that this is what Jesus was talking about when He said the reason that He came was so that anyone who believes can HAVE LIFE, but not just HAVE it, but have it to the most FULLFILLING degree imaginable. Challenges most definitely still arise, I still get bummed out and hurt and sad....God created all these emotions for us to grow in Him and in ourselves...I know that I have one who has promised Never to LEAVE or FORSAKE me. The Lord God in His Mighty Power and love takes delight in me; in my life; and I can truly call Him a friend!! There is no greater joy than this.

I am excited for 2010.....I am excited because I know that the Lord is going to act and move in some pretty powerful ways this year. Both in Caronport and Saskatoon.... Revival is knocking on the doors of my heart and on the hearts of those who are willing to sacrifice things to seek Him in faithful obedience. 2010 is going to be a great year for me and I hope that those of you who see me in this year will be able to get a glimpse of how God is working and what He is doing in my life and from my vantage point. May your hearts be softened and eyes/ears open to truly hear what this message is all about. Blessings in 2010.

Welcome to Spiritual Mountain...

So I just got back from YC in Edmonton last night....sore throat, back and a tired body...but somehow more refreshed than the week before. That is the 'mystical' power of God! It's amazing what kind of energy and direct praise to God people can expend. More specifically, high school kids. I wonder what would happen if something like that happened like once a month in all of the respective communities represented in Rexall Place. Obviously on a smaller scale, but would it be beneficial for those kids to have something back in their hometowns to not them forget so quickly the amazing spiritual high they just experienced.

Why is it that we feel so free on a Sunday morning, when we're sitting in a packed arena with 16,000 of our peers instead of our home-CHUCH. (Reggie Dabbs style yo) Is it cuz we generally feel more at ease and liberal when we're somewhere 'different'? Is it the LOUD music provided by various bands such a Relient K, Red, Thousand Foot Krutch or Toby Mac? The high-energy speakers like the extremely spirited Mr. Dabbs, or Jonah Smith? Or is it cuz that's the norm for a weekend such as this? The Expected response of the listeners? Can you imagine a body of believers (THE CHURCH) on a Sunday morning with those expectations placed upon them. A snapshot of that Sunday morning service would look mighty different from most services around Saskatoon I'd say. I don't want this to come across as putting blame on our specific denominations and their amazing pastoral staffs, but rather a challenge to how passionate we could actually be when we have the intimate experience in that hour and a bit once a week. Maybe that's the ticket to hop on the love train to God. Maybe that's the power of Christ that we need to be reminded of more regularly. Our minds are so forgetful...and HE is not. He knows he is good, what if we could grasp that and hold on to it way more consistently in our lives outside of huge retreats?

It's so easy to get thrown back in the routine. I didn't even have time to unpack my suitcase from when I got home, to when I had to stumble out of my house in my Pepsi clothes for another Monday at work. Which I barely did by the way...I was a tad late this morning!! haha

There's nothing else like a bonding weekend like that for a group of young people. I barely knew any of the forty folks from Cornerstone Friday morning at 7:00 am, and can honestly say that I was sad to say so long to the kids and fellow 'chaperone/helpers' when leaving the church parking lot, Sunday night.

If any of you read this, I just wanna say thanks! You are all very special and we experienced something rare together this past weekend. Remember that the WHOLE PURPOSE, was not to give you a spiritual mountain to go snowboarding back down to the lower-level chalet of a dull spiritual life, but to convince your mind and soul that a life in Christ is truely better than anything you may be tempted by. Nothing in your schools, on sports teams, weekend road-trips, or even just in your homes will ever come close to giving you a fulfillment of life like a life saved by and lived for Christ. Trust me. Dive into your youth group activities. See if anyone else feels the same as you do and read a few verses in a Bible together once a week. Leave me and message on facebook and I'll see if I can get a couple people together for it. God is GREAT and he loves us SOO much. He wants more than anything for us to love Him back the very best that we can!! Even though it's not much in comparison, he delights when we give anything to Him whole-heartedly.

As we sang over and over, well I did anyway... HOW GRIT, Iss the Lof Off GOD? How GRIT, Iss the Lof off GOD? How GRIT Iss the Lof Off God?? Like I said before, I am so glad I got to know you all a little bit in the last few days. I saw your wonderful personalities and kind hearts. Each one of you is truely made in the likeness and image of God,...which is unfathomably GRIT!

1st blog,...ever..

Saweet,...so this is blog,....la da da da... As inspired from a Disney tune on Cinderella I believe,..haha
You can stop reading now if you like, cuz it probably won't start to make any more sense later on. I don't even know who's gonna read this, so I dunno where I should start....the beginning just might be the best...so i was born in Swift Current Sk on a cold January day in Saskatchewan in 1986....??Just kidding...not that far back.
After high-school in Caronport, I came up to Saskatoon for Uni and after a couple years of that, I really didn't like it and got a job at Pepsi thru a guy that I didn't really know that well at that time. The money was pretty good and it was definitely enough to pay the bills for the time being. There was much to much partying goin on and eventually Heather and I stopped to going to church completely due to a lack of sleep as well as little desire to confront our way of life at that time. I was doing whatever I wanted to do and had little concern for God or others. Everyone fell in love with The Danimal at parties and stuff and I eventually fell in love with that too. Not so much the drinking and meeting new people and personalities, but kind of with the pride and status that it brought me.
I didn't think that I would ever be in the spot that I had come to be living in every day, but it happened. It was a very gradual process but looking back, it all seemed so easy! Too easy... Satan definitely is a master at luring and decieving people toward himself. Last April, it all came to a fork in my road... Heather wasn't in the house anymore and I did whatever I wanted to do, whenever I wanted to do it. Had a couple roommates last summer and we were always ready for a party and some crazy adventures. It's a good thing that I was on disability for my back because I probably wouldn't still be working for Pepsi if I had to work every day at 6:30. It's a good thing I had my harley to keep a large portion of my summertime occupied. I think that's truely why I had the bike for less than a year due to it's sale last week.
I remember thinking at one point just this last fall that there was no way that I could ever go back to the church and back to a daily discipline of building a relationship with God. Never in my scariest dreams did I think those thoughts would be in my mind. In about the middle of December, I didn't have an urge to go and seek out a party or someone to chill with and I chilled with Ferg in my house. Alone. And thru some reading in the message version of Romans, God was able to speak to me. Or rather, I was able to hear his still small voice.
Starting in Chapter 1 at verse 18, there is a title: Ignoring God leads to a downward spiral. There are some very powerul and blunt passages that kicked me in the butt, and in the head. It was then that my mind started to think a bit clearer and I soon cut drinking and partying down in my life, but not completely out. I prayed for God to provide people in my life that could help me out of the pit that my whole life was in, and miraculously, he provided. Imagine that? haha... I thank all those people very very much for their love and compassion. And for all those who were praying for me the whole time all this stuff was going on. I know that it wouldn't have happened if thier words hadn't gradually softened my heart to open the Bible and kind of seek God once again.
I got involved in a College and Career group at Ebeneezer Baptist Church which has been awesome; I attend Cornerstone Church every Sunday that I am in the city; I have participated in the bus ministry i which I help with a team of peers that go to a parking lot on 20th st and ave. P in Saskatoon and low income people and families come and share laughter, friendship, sandwhiches, and a word from the Bible every Friday from 10:00-midnight.
Which all brings me to where I am at this point. Kind of,...hahaha....there's alot more depth to many of these areas but I think that this is a good first blog. It's good for me! Not sure why I even got the urge to do this...?
If anyone has questions or feel that you should talk to me about any of this stuff,...feel free! Facebook or hotmail are both checked often.
Have a sweet day. God bless you and your time for reading this
Dano