Just A Glimpse

Let's Try This Again

2007-11-11T23:46:00.000-06:00

I figured it was finally time to put down some thoughts. Who knows if anybody even checks this thing any more. But for you faithful bloggers, I will attempt to re-resurrect the glimpse and see what happens.
The Spirit of God. Has anybody heard the song 'Vision of You' by Shane and Shane? Probably my favorite song right now: it basically talks about inviting the Spirit to come and fill this earthly container (thanks Aunt Audrey) and letting Him be the focus. The song moves me every time I listen to it. By the way, if you haven't picked up the album Pages by Shane & Shane, you have some shopping to do. Anyway, I've been in this intense learning curve as of late as God prods me telling me that He wants more of me. Well, I don't know about you, but sacrificing more of me has always been a huge struggle of mine. It is so easy to grab life by the horns (which is what the world tries to convince us to do) and live it for ourselves with our own agenda. My good buddy Luke Heidebrecht and I were talking on the phone a week ago, an he mentioned that if our goal on earth is to serve and glorify God, why would we want to do anything else? Living our lives for ourself seems to always end with a need that cannot be filled. And then we go on trying to fill these needs that can't be filled. I can't count the times that I've had to relearn trust. Why can't I regularly trust God with my life? I think it might have something to do with pride. Pride is all about ME. It's totally counter-sacrifice and it continually pulls me away from seeking God's will in the fullest. Praise Jesus that He has never and will never give up on me. He keeps tugging at my sleeve, beckoning me.
The last few weeks have been quite the "wrestle match" with God. I've been trying to listen more for God's voice instead of filling the silence with my own words, and it seems that God has been waiting and anticipating this change in conversation for a while. It's amazing how God has the right words for our lives if only we will listen with our hearts.
Back to the Spirit of God.
I desperately need the Spirit to fill and work in me. I desire my vision to be centered on Jesus. Even though you're here, Jesus come.

Stab in the Dark

2007-08-03T22:15:00.000-05:00

You know it - facebook did it. I'm curious - shall I update? Or... has everybody else stopped blogging and is now doing you know what. If you still think blogs are worth it - and that I should continue this thing - drop me a line. It's not like there isn't a lot on my mind that could be written down.

I'm What

2007-07-01T10:33:00.000-05:00

I'm in Thailand on Koh Tao.
I'm currently enrolled in a 4-day PADI scuba diving certificatiion course.
I'm looking forward to coming home.
I'm coming home on thursday.
I'm currently reading C.S. Lewis (Screwtape Letters) and Return of the King.
I'm being blown away by the gospel of Matthew as I experience a Jesus I've never experienced before.
I'm going to bed.

Off to Thailand

2007-06-22T02:13:00.000-05:00

Hey Guys! Well, our stint in the Himalayas as finally ended. It was a glorious week up here at 7000 feet! We have spent much time in awe of God and his artistry! So... if you guys could just pray for safe travels this weekend that would be awesome. The itinerary is as follows: Today 5:00 - 5 1/2 hour train ride back to Delhi, Sunday at 12:40 in the morning (so basically Saturday night): 3 1/2 hour flight back to Bangkok, Monday night: Cody takes 10 hour night bus to Chumphon and 2 hour speed ferry to Koh Tao in Thailand, Tuesday morning: Luke flies home to Canada. So, there's a bunch of stuff going this weekend - should be fun! I'll update again from Thailand. Maybe some pics if you're lucky too.

My New Look

2007-06-15T09:50:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I need your honest opinions. In an effort to look as ugly as possible, I have decided to attempt a horrible looking handlebar moustache. Please leave your ratings... suggestions... concerns.

Sooo... what do you think?

Sunset at Kanyakumari - at the southern most point of India.

A couple little friends from the old folks home ministry near Madurai (they are kids of the staff)...

Okay, some explanation required. I never thought that ever in my life, I would be involved in a interpretive dance competition. Well, it's true. These are most of the members from our 24-7 prayer room team, and we entered in a competition at a youth conference (it was actually a lot of fun) and won! Hehe... a video of the whole dance is on the way.

Okay, so here is my winning photo of the Taj.

Patricia and Marie-Eve from Montreal. They were part of the 24-7 prayer room team, and so as a band of new friends, we ventured to Agra together to see the Taj and other sights.

The boys posing in regular style.

Finally, a photo of some worship with the missionaries in Delhi. Luke and I had the opportunity to lead their house church sunday morning. I was blessed to lead worship and Luke shared a bible study. Oh, and I did a children's story - The boat story of mike, ike, and two other guys I couldn't remember - and made the missionaries act it out impromptu while I narrated. It was a riot!

So. I apologize for the lack of updates, but truthfully we've been on the move a lot since we got to India and lots has been happening. It's been incredible getting to know all the missionaries out here and they have blessed and encouraged us so much. God continues to teach and grow Luke and I immensely - especially in matters of prayer and love. I'll admit that it is difficult sometimes to love people who sometimes can be so rude and in-your-face, but it seems that truly humbling yourself sometimes and responding with grace instead of anger, always yields a favorable result. God is gracious with us also - I praise Him for that! He has provided us with so many new friends along the way, and we have been blessed to make connections with so many brothers and sisters.
We joined with the MBMSI team for a week to help them with a prayer room they were hosting at Storm; a youth conference for all of North India. It was an incredible experience, and we did lots of teaching and guiding in prayer. This was one of the more stretching experiences of the trip, as prayer has for a long time been a struggle of mine in my walk with Jesus. Once again, God was gracious to me and taught me so much. I had so many neat opportunities to speak into people's lives; opportunities that were totally orchestrated by the Spirit. Praise the Lord! People are hungry for truth - it's so exciting to see!
Anyways, tomorrow we head to Jamuna Nagar, about 6-7 hours north by car. We're heading up with Darren, one of the missionaries here. From there, we will head to Mussoorie in the Himalayas. It is a small city built up on the mountains. The temperature will be cooler there (although the heat wave in Delhi has ended - now we're down to high 30s - seems pretty comfortable actually) and so we will hopefully do some hiking and take in God's creation. We will be there for the week and then come back to Delhi in time for our flghts back to Thailand.
Thank you all so much for your prayers - they have been felt!!!! I give God all the glory for everything He is doing in India, with the missionaries, and with Luke and I as we continue our journey.
Praise the Lord!

Fast Update

2007-06-08T06:06:00.000-05:00

Quick update

45 degrees Celsius
Delhi
Manning a prayer room from the 7th-9th at an India Youth Conference called Storm
Being blessed beyond reason by the missionaries we are with
Learning more and more about God's compassion for the hurting
Looking forward to cooling off in the Himalayas in about a week
Bye

Mmm...curry

2007-05-27T10:32:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone! Well, it's true - we've reached India! Pretty crazy. Day one in India is about to wrap up and let me tell you - it has been a crazy day! India is WAY different than Thailand. In Thailand, the people are so sweet and kind but in India, they are very rude and pushy. Luke and I were actually pretty tired from a short night before flying out and so our patience was tested to the max numerous times today - but we survived and things are working out one step at a time thanks to the Lord! We are in Madras, and are looking to catch a train or bus down to Madurai as soon as possible so we can be with our missionary friends there. There is so much poverty here - it's unreal. We were riding an auto-rickshaw through Madras on our way to see a fort, and drove through a slums area. It was actually very difficult to see. I've never experienced anything like that before - broke my heart. How can it not? People lying on the sides of the streets - children without clothing - men dying with leprosy: it blew me away. I pray that God would use this experience to continue to mold my heart after his - I can only imagine how much more pain He must experience when he sees his children hurting.
Anyways, the stress and testing of patience did die down later in the day and we went out for some good Indian food and chai tea. Best tea I've ever had in my life...
Luke and I definitely need prayer - 1) things work smooth going to Madurai (we're new at Indian train transport) 2) We will be safe 3) God will continue to guide us and teach us!
Okay, that's it for now - no pictures this time - sorry!
Cody

Adventures Etc.

2007-05-18T10:01:00.001-05:00

Okay everyone...here's what's going on. Things continue amazingly on our journeys. We've been in Chiang Mai since Sunday night, and let me tell you, good times have been had. We honestly do miss the kids back in Pua, but it's been neat to have some new crazy experiences while here in Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai is a fairly large city, like Saskatoon probably, but with many more people. The lifestyle is prety laid-back, unlike Bangkok. Us country boys have found many fun adventures not just in the city, but more so in the surrounding beautiful mountainous countryside. It is so unbelievably pretty here - with so many neat things to explore such as huge mountains, caves, waterfalls. Anyways, without further ado, a few pics to show you:
(Mom, sorry about the, well, you'll find out..)

Arnold and Me.

We rode elephants - pretty sweet. This is how it looks from the top. Tons of fun. Jealous Ms. N?

Here we are with our sweet Honda Dream 125 cc. motorcycles. These things do 85 km/h tops safely.

A breath-taking waterfall in Doi Inthanon National Park. Can you find the little Cody?

This is how it looks from the highest point in all of Thailand - we drove up Doi Inthanon with the motorcycles - just different ones as you will soon see (sorry mom).

Two random guys on top of Doi Inthanon

An amazing cave east of Chiang Mai. We were the ONLY people in it. Somewhat spooky actually...but really cool.

Had to save this one for last. You can't drive these in Canada without a license. I am not licensed in Canada, but in Thailand that's okay. I'm all safe and sound - but it was a lot of fun to drive. Didn't do anything stupid mom, don't worry! Rented it for one day to go up Inthanon. Shoot...

So, as you can see, we've had some crazy experiences. God continues to grow us and walk with us. His creation is so vast and amazing! Our plans are to leave on tuesday at 2:30 (that's when our flight leaves) for Bangkok, and then bus to Chon Buri which is on the ocean. I get my Indian visa on tuesday morning - so pray that everything work smoothly! We're hoping to work with the kids at the orphanage yet. Last time we visited they were gone - so hopefully next time we can be with them actually. Anyways, thanks for all the prayers, and know that we are both keeping very safe and sound.

Cody

Some photos

2007-05-12T03:51:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture of Pua Valley where we were living.

Some of the kids from the home.

King of Pua

My little friend Gaza

The Mouse has a glowing clickwheel

2007-05-09T08:31:00.000-05:00

So the move from Bangkok to Pua in northern Thailand has finally come and it was a very welcomed thing. Bangkok has a lot of cool stuff to offer - but like any overcrowded city - it's busy and loud, and us country boys prefer a little peace and quiet. We took the good ol' night bus (11 hours long) to Pua yesterday morning and have spent a couple relaxing days hanging out with Luke's friends here. We got to go to the schools where he taught and also hang out with the kids at the home where they stay. It's been a very refreshing week so far! Today we worked at Kathy's Home (the name of the kids home) and installed some bathroom accessories into all the shower stalls. In the afternoon, we took a hike into the mountains to a waterfall. I guess you could say it was amazingly beautifull. Anyways, I think we will be here till Sunday and then we'll go with Mak and Narola (Luke's missionary friends) to Chiang Mai where we will be for about a week. I can't belive it's already been 9 days - time is flying by very fast.

God has been SOOOOO good this whole trip so far. He has been bringing people into our journey that have helped and blessed us tonnes already. For example, at the bus depot the other night - we were getting a little confused as we were trying to figure out where our bus was (there must have been 200 buses)... and this lady, out of nowhere, suddenly comes up to us and figures everything out for us. She had a family with her but still toured us around until we figured it out. Thanks God! Anyways, just one of the many little things God has been providing! The opportunity to hang with the kids in Pua and be ambassadors for God is another gift from God. We're loving it here!

Anyways, this place is shutting down in a few moments. I'll try and get some pictures up later this week! Basically everywhere you look is picture perfect!

God Bless!

Lukah, you're a dirge.

Sawatdee!

2007-05-04T06:42:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! Well, I finally arrived in Thailand and things are going amazing! Definitely a lot of adjustments - food, temperature, language - but it has been a lot of fun so far! My flights were more/less long but actually pretty good. I got to talk to some pretty neat people which made it more interesting. I don't have any pics yet because I'm at an internet cafe away from the guesthouse and I don't have my camera cable. Anyways, right now Luke and I are in Bangkok, staying at an Alliance Guesthouse. Very nice people. It's only been a couple of days but we've managed to see quite a bit already... Bangkok is a crazy crazy city - with so many people (6 million - 14 million with surrounding "suburb" areas) and so much to do. It really is a city that never sleeps. Right this moment, I'm sitting in an internet cafe on khaw shon road - a road which is pretty much a backpackers hub - with hostiles, shops, restaurants and lots of foreigners. We'll probably stay in Bangkok a couple more days - and then head up to Pua in the north. Anyways, just wanted to update you all a little bit because I'm sure you've been checking. We're going to grab some grub (which is all amazing).
Sawatdee Krap!

"Over, sideways and under"

2007-04-27T18:24:00.000-05:00

Well, it's official! I'm unemployed - and it feels incredible. Never thought I'd say that... oh well how can I argue: 4 days till I leave for Thailand. Wow - it's a very surreal thought.
Some details - I leave Tuesday morning at 7:08 AM for Chicago. After a 3 hour layover and terminal change, I'm off to Tokyo, Japan for another 3 hour layover. After another 3 hour layover, the last leg takes me to Bangkok, Thailand where Luke will be waiting. Altogether 22 hours actual flying. I can't wait to leave!
More later...

Okay, okay....

2007-04-20T14:27:00.000-05:00

So a little update. Dad came home yesterday - which was a pleasant surprise. He is definitely over the worst of it - and it's nice having him back. My exams are done as well, which means I get to look forward to my trip all the more now! 11 days and counting...
Have a great weekend!

Dad's A Little Sick...

2007-04-17T12:20:00.000-05:00

Hey! Just a quick prayer request... my dad went to Boundary Trails hospital yesterday because he has pneumonia. If you guys could pray that he'd recover quick, that would be awesome!
Oh, and my exam went pretty good - I think! One more left (tomorrow morning) and then I'm free!

Not a Welcomed Surprise

2007-04-15T13:59:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone! I'm in the middle of studying for my exams so this is going to be quick. I just realized yesterday that my exams are all 2 days earlier than I expected originally... meaning one is tomorrow already! This definitely changes things as I was planning on another 2 days of studying - SO - if you think of me today or tomorrow at 9 AM (exam time) - I'd really appreciate a quick prayer! Back to the books...
C

Knowing What's Best

2007-04-09T14:39:00.000-05:00

Kudos to my Dad for inspiring this post.

Christ sacrificed His life for us. We now owe him everything in return for the sacrifice He made for us - our whole lives surrendered to Him.

I've been thinking and praying a lot about God's calling in my life lately, and it occurs to me that I have a lot of shortcomings when it comes to my response. Say God would call me to something that seemed totally absurd - it would be such a natural reaction to use human logic and "reality" to create doubt. Sometimes I'm astonished at how I doubt God. He has proven his Awesomeness to me again and again and to think that I still consider my petty wisdom and judgment superior to God's?

If I wanted to live life for Christ fully, I would throw myself with all the energy I can muster in the direction God is calling me. It shouldn't matter what anybody thinks, what 'reason' tells me, what other people are doing - God knows best - and works things for His glory.

I can only conclude that I live because Christ has given me life. This life I've been given is a gift - and now it's my choice whether to live a regular mediocre life here on earth, or pursue God with all that I am - knowing and trusting (tough one sometimes) that He's completely in control.

I owe it to Him.

-- 22 days till I leave --

Old Man Winter Kicks Again

2007-04-03T23:11:00.000-05:00

Well folks, it's finally time to resurrect this blog. It's been nearly a month and a half without any posts - and so I decided to a least jot down some thoughts and things going on in my life.

March was it's usual tease of weather - I enjoyed it more however this year because of working construction. Todd and myself began coaching spring volleyball. It's going to a short but very sweet season. There are 9 guys on the team in Grades 9 & 10... we're called - wait for it - "Retro Volleyball"... here's our jersey:

Fairly unique I'd say! The guys thought that Retro sounded pretty cool so we went with it and made the jerseys funky...

I can't deny the fact that I leave in exactly 4 weeks for Thailand... wow! Lots to do though before I can leave without leaving too much behind! On the 18th and 20th I have my last final exams of the year... it will be nice to be done! Unfortunately I have to miss the vball provincials on May 4-5th, but I think I will get over it considering where I will be. Just so you know, I leave on the 1st of May and Return on the 5th of July. Luke will be picking me up at the airport in Bangkok - praise God! Otherwise I would have had to face Bangkok culture shock at 11:30 pm on my own - but thankfully Luke will be there to welcome me. All these things aside - I am extremely pumped for going and seeing the amazing things God is going to show me and Luke along the way!

An so the snow comes again... but I'll admit - God has showed His beauty to me very clearly even though my tendency was to complain about the cold... I was working in Kenora this week renovating a cottage and even though roads were a little slippery, the scenery was gorgeous:

Signs of spring

So even in the sometimes frustrating transition time between winter to spring, God shows his beauty.

Obviously this weekend is Easter. I don't know if I've before in my life actually tried to prepare for Easter - I mean - it's only really one of the most pivotal events in our lives... As I was sitting in church the other day, God laid on my heart Isaiah 53. And so I rebelled and pulled my attention away from the sermon, and quietly read this particular chapter. It seems that God had in mind to make this easter a little more meaningful for me as well. Let's not forget how incredibly HUGE this weekend is. Let's not harden our hearts to the Spirit's movement. Rather, let the enormity, the beauty, the Sacrifice, the turning point - hit us; let Jesus touch you. Even though it's hard in the midst of good things like gatherings, food, fellowship - we need to remember Christ's sacrifice - something we take for granted so often.

Isaiah 53: 11 says: "As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities."

Isn't life exciting? Not only do we have the hope of eternal life, but we can live today in freedom because of what Christ did for us!

I consider this blog... resurrected.

The Show

2007-02-20T18:46:00.000-06:00

Well, it's not very often that I post a plethora of photos, but this post will be one of the exceptions. I had the opportunity to go the Jars of Clay concert in Winnipeg yesterday. I can honestly say that I've been waiting probably around 8-9 years for them to come to Winnipeg again (I missed the first time). They are probably my favorite band (if I had to pick one) and so I was quite excited when I heard they were coming. Anyways, without further ado:

Some boys from years back - Burlap to Cashmere - opened for the Jars.

Now for the Jars:

There you have it! So now I passionately hope that all you who couldn't go are at least now a little bit jealous.

Peace,
Cody

Broken

2007-02-03T00:43:00.000-06:00

I have the sweet opportunity to be with four youth from my church at Bethany College this weekend for Youth Advance '07. We hauled out to the dry province of Saskatchewan today to see what God might have in store for us, whether we expected it or not.

The theme this weekend is "Broken". Seems like a strange theme to base a weekend around, but I've been realizing even tonight how important this is.

As a youth sponsor, I figured this would be a great weekend to help the youth grow and be a 'leader' and all that. But as you might expect, I can tell already that this weekend is going to impact me as much as it will them.

I know that something I have always barricaded in my life is the whole issue of God's will. I have often chosen to ignore the leadings from God in my life and rather lean on what I consider to be rational and right for my life. It seems like this week, leading up to youth advance, I've been with messages from God over and over telling me to let go of my will and grab hold of his.

One verse that hit me in particular is found in Isaiah, I think 55:10-12 ish. It talks about God's thoughts being far above my thoughts and his ways far above my ways. Even though, in my human wisdom, I think I know what is best for me; what seems plausible for my life; what I think I can attain - God has the power and sovereignty to do unimaginiable things in my life if I only let go of my selfish and shallow views, and grab hold of Jesus and what he wants to do with me.

My prayer for this weekend is that God will break me apart. I pray that he will show me what I am holding back from Him and teach me to follow with a heart that BURNS for Him.

Some more pics of San Francisco through a different lense

2007-01-13T17:13:00.000-06:00

Here are some pictures I took of San Francisco. I thought I'd make an attempt at something different - here's what popped up. The top picture obviously was taken with my Dad in mind.

Enjoy the pics and have a great weekend!

What A Trip!

2006-12-25T20:28:00.000-06:00

Well, I just arrived early Sunday morning along with my comrades from our 8000 km trip across USA. We managed to make it to almost every destination we had in mind - including Colorado Springs, the Grand Canyon, Los Angeles and San Francisco. It was an absolutely incredible trip! We had so many mishaps come upon us - and yet everyone was so easy-going and light about it that instead of it ruining our trip - it just became an adventure! For instance, car troubles halted us in Colorado springs for 2 1/2 days longer than we had intended to stay - BUT - instead we got to see the area for all it's worth. It was awesome! We got see the Garden of the Gods, the Cliff Dwellings, AND take an awesome hike in William's Canyon in the mountains. Not to mention that we also got to meet the owner of a small guitar shop, who gave us a tour of his little guitar shop in the basement. Working for him was a legend of a man. He had built guitars for John Denver, Elvis Presley, and Simon & Garfunkel! How sweet is that! We got to hang with these two old dudes for about an hour - amazing how God runs you around meeting new people! If you ever see an expensive custom built guitar with the label "Cripple Creek" then you know where it came from.

And now it's Christmas time - time to be with family, eat food, give and receive. Most importantly though, is what we are celebrating foremost during this season. Jesus birth marked a milestone in history as God's plan of salvation began to unfold in a very tangible and visible way. Why is it that you and I find it so easy to brush over the importance of Christmas so easily, when really it is such a HUGE event in regards to our following of Christ. I wonder sometimes if Satan is beginning to like Christmas - or the "holidays" as it is being called more and more. It seems that as the years go by, we are becoming less focused on what is important and distracted with things meaningless. I have no doubt that God find pleasure in us blessing each other with gifts - but what if that becomes our obsession? Make sure you take time this Christmas to meditate on Jesus and the hope he brought to the nations with His birth! It is one of the biggest miracles in all of history!

~ Merry Christmas ~

To My Extended Family

2006-12-11T23:27:00.000-06:00

Ah yes, here I am again to finally get down to something deeper than 'what's going on'. This post goes out to my friends. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and it's amazing what you can all see when you look closely not just at yourself in the past, but also at people who helped take you in that direction.

As many of you know, one year ago - life was much different. I was engaged to be married and gearing up for a round-the-world trip to visit my soon-to-be in-laws in Muscat, Oman. 365 days later, I'm a very single man gearing up for a trek with some friends down to hot and sunny California. My, things have evolved. Nine months ago, my life turned upside-down. That definitely was the darkest Tuesday I've experienced, but one that has proven to be an incredible place of God's movement in my life.

But like I said: this one is for my friends. Never before in my life have I experienced the love and care of my friends like I have in the past 9 months. I wish I could express how grateful I am in words, but they wouldn't do. Unfortunately for my friends, they've had their ears worn out several times by my lengthy monologues. I would go on for hours, letting everything in my mind out. And yes, they would simply sit their and listen. They would look at me with eyes that loved and just listen. What a gift!

Growing up, I often was confused by the verse in Proverbs that said that 'there is a friend who is closer than a brother'. How could this be? I sure had never experienced it - but longed and prayed for it for so many years in my childhood. I now know what that truly means.

Thank-you, Thank-you, Thank-you! All you people who listened to me; all you who made meals for our family (my mom was going through her surgeries right then as well); all you who called me to see how I was doing; or took me out to something fun to get my mind off of things. To you who prayed so much; or wrote me an encouragement note; or gave me a HUG. Thanks.

Today is my 22nd birthday. I now embark on the 23rd year of my life - and never have I been so excited for what God is doing. Not only do I get to ride this adventure with God, but I also get to have the love and care of my brothers and sisters.

Proverbs 18:24 - it's a promise.

A Quick Update

2006-12-11T00:25:00.000-06:00

Just so you guys know what's going on in my life:
On Dec. 11 I am writing my Vector Geometry/Linear Algebra final exam at 1:30 pm.
Dec. 15 I am writing my Calculus exam. So, to be quite honest - I'm a little STRESSED out BUT I know it's all going to be alright. If you remember me on these days - I wouldn't mind a prayer. Thanks and oh yeah, the 16th I leave for the road trip down to California. Quick update - back to the books!

Hmm...sunrise

2006-11-26T01:46:00.000-06:00

If you want you can begin following the backpacking adventure - check out the link on the right! Oh and just got my traveling weapon the other day - a digital camera (It's a Canon S3 IS for those of you who care). Here's a picture I took the other day at sunrise - always a pleasure.

Where My Mind Wanders

2006-11-15T22:15:00.000-06:00

Everyone's mind is on something. Maybe it's something going on at the present moment; possibly something taking place tonight. It could be that special person you just can't stop thinking about; or someone who's being troubled with sickness or other ill situation in their life. Maybe it's a dream for the future, or a nudging from God. Here are some places that my mind has wandered to in the last while.

1) The EM Cup
Hopefully everyone knows what the EM Cup is. It is a hockey tournament for the EMC Conference, in which many churches from around Canada get together in Steinbach to "face-off" (sorry I had to) and play some puck. I get to play for my home church Rosenort EMC and it's going to be a blast. Make sure you make it to our first game at (I think) 5:30 on Friday, the 17th of November.

2) Cali 2006
Mr. Adam Kroeker, Ms. Kyrstle Eidse, Ms. Naomi Reimer and myself are planning a road trip set to begin December 16th, 2006 and end around the 23rd. We are heading down to California to see the sights, have a good time, and log some serious kilometers. My last exam is on the 15th and so I'm very glad to get away the next day and hopefully still be back for Christmas.

3) November 22 - On The Edge
I'm super excited about next Wednesday. Amos, the senior sponsors and myself are planning a praise and worship concert for youth from all over. We've invited 7 church youth groups and are looking forward to seeing God move as we worship Him and bask in His presence. I'm also excited that I get to play with a few of my fellow Chapel Band team-mates from Bethany!

4) Backpacking Asia
Come this next May, I'm planning on going backpacking with my incredible friend Luke Heidebrecht. Luke and I met while at Bethany and have been super close friends ever since (we're kinda crazy together). Luke is going to be doing an internship in Thailand from January to April, and then I'm going to meet him and we're going to travel through India (hopefully see and maybe even work at an orphanage in Calcutta), Nepal, China, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand (it's all tentative). Obviously, I'm quite pumped. I will be probably gone for about 2 months.

5) Youth Missions Trip
It has been a dream of mine for the last year to take a group of youth from our church on a cross-cultural missions trip. I don't know where this little dream of mine will lead, but I know it's God planted. So... I pray that God will fertilize it and lead me to the right people to help get this trip in motion!

6) The Big One
God's will is all I really want in my life. Right now, I'm excited about the ministries God has placed me in. I've had such an incredible time working with the youth in our church and connecting with them on a personal level. It's neat to share not only my struggles with them, but also my passion for Christ. Also, God has gifted me with worship leading and this is something that I find tremendous joy in. To me, there's is nothing quite like leading God's people into His presence. The future? What really is guaranteed day to day? Not much. I choose to live for this day that God has placed me in, trying my best to serve him and grow. I know God has an awesome plan for me (wife, ministry, career, place to live, etc.) and I've come to a place in my life where I'm ready to GO wherever God wants to send me. If it means remaining here in Rosenort and serving the community and the church - SUPER! If it means becoming a long-term international missionary - GREAT!

So my friends, there you have it. A small glimpse into my mind and the things that are churning and brewing. If you have any comments/suggestions/ideas about anything I shared - I'd love to hear it!

Blessings,
your brother.

Freedom and the Number 7 Aren't Related

2006-11-01T01:23:00.000-06:00

I don't know about all of you people out there, but I personally love it when I hit a bird with my car. There's something raw and terrific about going down a gravel road at 90+ km/h and accidentally hunting down a bird in the process. Let's just say, in light of this, yesterday was ecstasy. My incredible boss, Gerald Dueck, called me up before work informing me that the crew was going to meet for breakfast at Humptys on perimeter. After a (dare-I-say) scrumptdelicious (that's for all those sunday school boys) conglomoration of perogies, salsa, peppers, onions, salsa, cheese, and scrambled eggs (and 4 cups of coffee), we were off to the jobsite. Accidentally, I meandered from the most direct route and found myself on a back road, still heading the general direction of Starbuck (the location of our new house). This would be no ordinary backcountry trek to the job though... but one of mass death and joy. Sounds morbid. As I was driving, I encountered a flock of birds nicely nestled on the road. There must have been 25 of them. Inevitably, my windshield broke the flight of one poor little sap, and he fell to his ruin on the gravel behind me. According to my personal stats, I had just increased my lifetime bird kills by 50%, moving from 2 to 3. Then, within one minute, another crowd of birds. This time, however, it was my bumper that did the damage, taking out another bird. Two on the day. Well, from the title, you can guess what happened. One more flock - even bigger - 3 deaths to add to the toll. And the last piece of carnage another minute later - 2 more deaths. This brought my daily total to 7. This has got to be a world-record for accidental car killings of birds. I couldn't believe it. Any other astounding bird killing stories?

More important in my own life: Freedom. I found myself very thankful once again for God and the incredible Father and Lover He is. Growing up I was a very unconfident person. I didn't really think much of myself. I pretty much thought I was dirt and that I deserved the teasing/neglect I got. All of this became ingrained deep inside of me and became the motivation for the way I thought about myself and the way I carried out my life. At Bethany, God began an incredible work in me. He began to strip all the layers of self-blame, feelings of uselessness, feelings of inferiority. He began to uncover the creation He had personally designed and ordained. The real 'Cody' began to unveil. As I became more and more confident in who I was, I began to see God and my faith in a whole new perpective. I want to live my life on the edge, free and yet obedient to God's will. Freedom. I love that word. God has set me free from not only sins that I was burdened with for a long time, but also all of those things that people said growing up; the lies that Satan kept shooting at me. He showed me that if He "is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31). And the crazy part is that it is in our weaknesses and shortcomings that God wants us the most. It seems to me that personal spiritual warfare is pretty much a battle of the weakness. Satan is after that which tempts us, that which brings us down: those things which we are weak in. God wants to make his strength perfect in our weakness. Who will we allow to have our weaknesses? When we give those weaknesses to God; when we give those discouraging lies and manipulations to God; then we can live that freedom that he so badly wants for us to have. I'm passionate about Freedom. It's exhilarating. I can finally be myself and all that God wants for me to be.

What's your take on freedom?

Overly Long Evenings can be Rewarding

2006-10-29T00:16:00.000-05:00

So tonight I had the incredible honor of attending the Manitoba Baseball Association annual awards banquet. I was nominated for Grassroots Coach of the Year. Coaching is a huge passion of mine - I simply love working with kids and love being involved in competitive sports and so the two mix quite nicely into coaching. I had the awesome opportunity of head coaching baseball in Rosenort this summer (it's my third year doing it). I coached at the Bantam level (ages 14-15). Anyways, I guess the year was a huge success as we ended up winning league playoffs, regional finals, as well as eventually the Provincials. Anyways, as a result I got nominated for this award and was at an overly lengthy awards ceremony this evening. Anyways, the good news - I Won! I'm pretty excited - it was such a fun year to begin with and now this. So anyways, here's a picture of me. I was there all by my lonesome so I had to take a picture of myself. Oh well, I got to meet some guys from Cardale (I think).

Meet Nicholas. My brother and star ace pitcher on our team (and master utility player). His hair is so cute.

By the way I reccomend two CD's to all of you:
Jars of Clay - Good Monsters - Brilliant CD from the Jars - a nice new spin on their trademark sound with a mix of fun and thought-provoking songs.

Chris Tomlin - See The Morning - Really awesome new worship CD - Tomlin is definitely my favorite worship artist - I especially like the new twist on Amazing Grace.

Ciao.

Gardening and Proposals

2006-10-25T18:22:00.000-05:00

Life is great. More importantly God is incredible. In all things, big and small, God never ceases to amaze. I look back on the last 7 months of my life and have so many questions. Why would God have brought me through this entire experience to end up single anyways? I feel like I gave so much, and yet now what do I have? I guess God continually reminds me that first of all, as of yet I do not understand Him and His incredible perfect ways, and secondly - growth comes from pain. I think we all know this, but ignore it for fear of change. Change can be interesting - it's confusing, endless, and just plain uncomfortable. But God-ordained change is that which makes us more like Jesus. I look back and see how God has molded and shaped me in the last 7 months more than ever in my life. I feel like my outlook on life is completely rebuilt.

God is incredible. Obviously, when my break-up took place, I lost a huge part of heart; a part I would never have back. This was one of the hardest parts of everything: feeling like I had this gaping whole deep inside me. Like I said though, God is incredible. Moreover, God is the most amazing lover I have ever known. When I thought that my heart would be permanently broken and I would never heal, God loved me more romantically than any lover on earth could. He picked me up and gave me the biggest hug I had ever received and carried me all the way through one the biggest valley's I've been through. I love Him so much.

It was nice today outside. My lovely mother asked me to harvest the carrots from the garden. It was a very refreshing experience. Plus - carrots taste great fresh out of the cold earth. Even with a little bit of leftover mud on them, they are quite delightful. I don't know why I wanted to share this story - but harvesting carrots can be quite nice in the cool fall air.

I teach piano and guitar. One of my little five year olds is the most cute thing you have ever seen in your entire life. She has this permanent cute smile and giggle that leaves your heart melted for the entire half hour lesson. While in a lesson one Wednesday, my next student burst into the room and I asked him to wait for a few minutes well I finished with Jesslyn. Jesslyn then asked me if the student that had burst in was my son. I laughed and said that I had no children and that I wasn't married either. Then it happened. With the biggest puppy face I had ever seen, she looked up at me and asked if she could marry me. It was priceless. When I kindly deflected her offer, she said that maybe when she was my age we could get married. So at least now I know what it's like to be on the receiving end of a proposal.

Remember: God is loving and faithful, carrots taste good fresh out of the ground, and little children are growing up way too fast.

The Preliminaries

2006-10-22T22:31:00.000-05:00

Well, before I go off on some rant which will become totally mysterious to you, I figure I will provide some background to what's going on in my life. As many of you know, 7 1/2 months ago I became a single man once again. The spring was very hard as I began the healing process, but once summer had began to end I was looking forward and excited for life. I've grown immensely because of this experience and see the world, myself, God, my family and I guess girls in a whole new way. It's great to be single I must say. There is a freedom here that only a single person can I have. Just me and God. It doesn't mean that I don't go through days right now in my life where I wish there was a life partner, but this is exactly where I need to be, for now.

Right now, I'm a busy man. Mondays and Tuesdays - I build homes with Gericho Builders. Wednesdays and Thursdays - I teach 31 students (ages between 5 & 45) guitar and piano. On fridays, I attempt to work on my two correspondance classes that I am taking from the University of Manitoba. During the week in the evenings, I help coach the varsity boys volleyball team and sing in the church choir. Friday evenings are filled with sponsoring at senior youth (REMC). Every 4th sunday, I have the opportunity to lead worship at REMC (a huge passion of mine). Tuesday nights I play volleyball in the winnipeg men's volleyball league. So as you can see, I'm quite the busy guy.

Anyways - there's the fairly concise update of what's gone on and is going on.