Journal Excerpt

Raw reflections from the Diocesan Youth Conference of Prince George, Catching Fire:

  • A willing heart is all God requires of me
  • When you have the bare minimum to do the work of the Lord, all else is superfluous. Go without hesitation, now means now.
  • God first, self last
  • Always check your departure time…
  • God knows exactly how to make me feel uncomfortable and it is particularly in this discomfort that I am able to, with great desperation, fully rely on Him
  • Standing in the rain for nearly an hour to welcome participants can be seen as a burden or a blessing. It is always about perception. How will I choose to see?
  • “When we live in contradiction to our design, we break.”Ken Yasinski
    • How am I living in accordance to the design God created for me?
    • When I do not know how to live with my design, that is, my circumstances in life, do I consult the Creator?
    • The one who can best restore what has been broken is the one who built it. Why do I try to fix myself when I did not create me? Go back to Jesus.
  • Sharing with words what we believe is in service of affirming the reality
    • Talking about the blessings of the CFC Family Ministries with the diocese affirmed the reality of its anointing and personal importance in my own life. This is why testimonies are so important! Being a witness is as much for others as it is for the self.
  • Do not only look for God’s grand gestures of love. He loves me in the little things, the simplicity of conversations, the purity of new friendships
  • There is joy in being a fool for God! (swing dancing is not that bad)
  • Finding myself in vulnerable states is finding myself at the hands of the Potter. Why should I be afraid if He is the one moulding me?
  • “This weekend I have been blessed by Adoration because when I was looking at Jesus all I could feel was Him looking back at me” – Marco, Prince George.
    • Wow. Open the eyes of my heart to see as this young boy saw, but moreover, to recognize that even in the times that I gaze blankly upon You in the Blessed Sacrament, You still gaze with fervent love at me.
  • “This weekend I have been blessed by witnessing all of those who stood up and committed their lives to Jesus for the first time. Keep going, don’t give up!” – Theresa, 17, Fraser Lake.
    • Wow again. Help me make the decision to commit my life to you every day, and when I fail in fulfilling this commitment, quickly remind me to get back up and try again.
  • I should learn how to play guitar…
  • Teaching LiveLoud songs to a CFC household is not about skill or expertise. It is about being used by the Lord to facilitate others into prayer, into worship of God! How profoundly humbling!
  • Prince George is a small town with a great hunger
  • There is nothing I desire more than to be used for God’s glory. Lord, use me!