1000 Islands Tour

Over the weekend I had the chance to check out the 1000 Islands (which I learned is marketing speak for the 1,864 Islands. Close enough).

Aside from being flat out beautiful (some of the nicest vistas I've seen outside of Muskoka). It's also got some really cool touristy stuff to do.

We went on the 1000 Islands Tower. It's 40 storeys high. Did I mention I had a fear of heights growing up? Thankfully, I think God has helped me deal with most of that... it's still there a little though...

From the top, you can see everything! It really is hard to describe just how beautiful it actually is. You really should check it out.

 

This is the view from the top (above). The picture of the ground is my favourite though. If you look really close, the speck next to the grey SUV/ Van is a person too scared to come up! I don't think the picture quite does the "butterflies in the stomach" feeling justice. But, that's the closest we can get.

After we spent some time in the realm of birds, we returned to the ground and then hit the water on a 1 hour cruise. 

I loved the scenery, but I might have liked the houses more. Some really creative architecture. I guess if you are living on a private island, you have the cash for a fancy house and well landscaped lawn. One of the houses had a bridge to a very tiny island. The house is in Canada and the island is in the U.S.A. There's a conversation piece!

All in all, I can't recommend a trip to the 1000 Islands enough!

Being A Good Friend

I love going to church. I love the worship, the sermon, the fellowship before and after. LOVE IT! That being said there are some days where it just doesn't click. You can ask me 30 seconds after the sermon ends what it was about... I couldn't tell you to save my life! It's not that I don't pay attention, I guess it just doesn't hit me.

This Sunday wasn't one of those sermons!

I was visiting a local church. The pastor was speaking on 1 Samuel. Talking about the friendship between Jonathan and David. 

It's changed the way I see them.

I always saw them as being good friends, but I never considered what that looked like.

In 1 Samuel 23:17 we seen a distressed David. Saul is trying to kill him. Jonathan (Saul's son) is there, trying to bring him some comfort.

What does he do? He reminds David of God's promise. David will be king. He could've given a generic "it'll all work out." He didn't though. Instead he talked to David where he was at.

That was the first thing that hit me.

The second was how Jonathan really is the hero of the story. He's there for David while his father is trying to kill him. Not only that, he's stepping aside so that David can be king. Jonathan is basically giving up his birth right. He's following God's plan even though it is going to cost him everything.

I wonder if I would do that. Would I be willing to lay my reputation, financial security or even life on the line for a friend if God asked me to? I'd like to think so. But thinking and doing are two very different things!

That's what I'm thinking about today. I'll likely be thinking about it for a while. It's inspired me to rethink how I treat friendships. How we as the body of Christ should look. Hopefully it does the same for you!

But....

It could just be me or it could be a trend. I'm not sure, but "but" seems to be the scapegoat of the English language.

Think about it.

You're enjoying a nice lunch with a friend. They look at you and say something along the lines of "I don't want to offend you but...". The words that follow after the ... are brutal. This friend doesn't mince words. They just say what they want (which is quite offensive) and then go back to their lunch. You want to say something back, but you can't technically. They "didn't want to offend you." You've lost the argument before it even started.

People do it with racist comments too. I'm not racist but... ya...

Maybe I'm just on the net too much. I keep seeing it and hearing it though.

I get that we do need to be frank and up front with each other sometimes, but shouldn't we still try to be tactful? If we really don't want to offend someone and still need to rebuke them, shouldn't we just say what the problem is?

I can't think of the scripture where Jesus says - Hey guys, don't want to offend you, but you are a bunch of white washed tombs.

Maybe I'm over thinking this.

And before you ask, no, I wasn't recently having lunch with a friend. I just needed an example!

I'm Back

Last week, after spending four months in Production, I returned to the air!

I love the Production department. It's a lot of fun and allows me to flex some creative mental muscles I don't normally get to. That being said, it's fun being back on the air.

What's been a bit of a challenge is the new shift. I was apart of The Slam for close to (if not over) 3 years. Terry Molinaro has since taken the reigns and is doing a fantastic job with the show. I'm glad he has it. I get to listen to it now!

Instead of The Slam, I'm on "Drive". That's the fancy way to say 4:30-7:00 in radio lingo. It's strange to go from the routine of The Slam (and all it's idiosyncrasies) to a new slot. But, change is good! It keeps you on your toes. I get to learn all the quirks and ticks of a new slot. Bring it!

I'm also loving the new hours. The Slam was cool because, you can sleep in (everyday), do whatever for the afternoon then go to work. In Production, things were different.... No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't go to sleep before 11:00. Generally I wouldn't be able to until 12:00 or even 1:00. It was frustrating. Especially getting up at 6:00-6:30. With a sleep schedule like that, I might as well have a kid!

This new shift is the best of both worlds. Start at 11:00 go till 7:00. Love it!