AMPIA

Last summer, my friend Punam did her first documentary short film called "The Lesson". A week ago or so, it was nominated in the best short film category for the AMPIA awards (Alberta Motion Picture Industries Association) for this year. The awards are at the end of April but I am so proud of Punam and hope she wins the award. Right now, she is down in Ontario scouting locations for her next film. Here are a couple shots from last summer.

Punam's dad - the subject of the documentary - THE LESSON

It seemed we were always eating good Indian food or drinking Tim Hortons between takes as demonstrated above and below.

more of easter

Some snapshots of my weekend down in Lethbridge with a few of my favorite people.

Tulips to brighten a day

A new game created - Spin the eggs

The Coban-ator's 1st birthday and 1st chocolate

Ran into a centurion and Pontius Pilate on my way to Easter Service

Miss Alexa Joy - An angel who stole my heart

And how can you not fall in love with this little man? Dear Zach...

How the new game worked. I can't figure out how to change the direction of the video.

Redemption Song

Leading up to this Easter season, I have been thinking about redemption and grace.
According to dictionary.com, to be redeemed means...

1) To restore the honor or worth of
2) To exchange or buy back
3) To compensate for or cancel out the faults of
4)To set (a person) free by paying a ransom
5) To obtain the release or restoration of, as from captivity, by paying a ransom

Once again, I realized the price of my freedom. However, Easter is not only about my redemption but it celebrates the redemption of the whole world. The cost to remove my debt overwhelms me and the fact my chains are gone continues to bring me to tears.

The updated lyrics of Amazing Grace by Chris Tomlin have been playing in my head for the last few weeks. Although, YouTube is not cooperating with its sharing technology, here are the updated lyrics and if you have time, here is the link to the video

Amazing grace, How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I'm found
Was blind, but now I see

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed

My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love, Amazing grace

The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow
The sun forbear to shine
But God, Who called me here below
Will be forever
You are forever mine

Despite all my faith questions which at times appear to be without answers, one thing remains constant...I know I stand before my God redeemed and therefore can share my doubts, questions and fears without fear or shame.

needing Easter

This past week, my cousin Jen put "Jen needs Easter" as her status on Facebook. That status made me stop and in a moment, I understood that I need Easter more than I realized. I had been under the impression that Easter would be a short break from life down in Lethbridge with some of my favourite people.

However, after reading Jen's status, my need for Easter is deeper than a rest or a break from life.

Easter is a beginning and I am in need of a new beginning in my soul. I need Easter. I need the hope that Christ brings. I need to understand his forgiveness. I need the refreshing water only he provides.

It may be the Friday of my soul but I know that Sunday's a coming.

state-of-the-art

I love creating things and since I have embraced the idea that my art does not have to be perfect, I enjoy it even more. What makes art? Can art be art for art's sake?Do you have to make a living at your creative skill for it to be considered art? Dictionary.com defines art as:

the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.

I think I have an artist soul within and every once in a while, I let the artist out to play. Here is what my artist did this week - a painting for my living room:

It has been a beautiful weekend here whispering the hope of spring. Because I have lived in Alberta for many years, I know this hint of spring will not last...winter will visit us again and again until June (and then perhaps even then). But for now, I am enjoying it especially on my run this morning by the Glenmore Reservoir...when I came upon a herd of deer by the path. A few deer started gently running at the same pace as me on the path...for a few minutes I was running in the middle of the herd. It was beautiful.

Thanks for all the helpful advice for insomnia this week...the next night I had a most fabulous sleep. And my breakfast event went off splendidly - in fact, another $70,000 was raised to support a future event in April to help women and their children who are homeless and escaping abusive situations.

insomniac

Okay, so it is after 2 a.m. and I can't sleep. The problem is I have a breakfast event that I have to be up for at 5 a.m. Do I even try to get to sleep at this point?

The inability to turn my mind off from the event details even though everything is in place is most frustrating. There were a couple things that arose yesterday during the final preparation which have been dealt with but they keep knocking around in my mind in a random, incoherent manner preventing me from relaxing and ultimately sleeping.

This is so irritating - I need my sleep and I can't get it. Even my old standby of warm milk to knock me out has failed me tonight. On top of it, I have to work late tonight and early again tomorrow morning to help my colleague at her event. Oh, the glamour of public affairs!

Thank goodness for Clinique and Starbucks because those two products will be helping me get through the next two days without seeming like a wreck.

marvelous, extraordinary, wonderful, amazing grace

Years ago, during a faith-defining point in my life, I read the book, "What's So Amazing About Grace?" by Philip Yancey. This book opened my soul to the true concept of grace.

Last week, while browsing at the library, I stumbled across a version of the book in a graphic design format. It took the words from the book and made them into art. Through re-reading this book in a different format, grace flooded my soul again. Here are some of the thoughts that overwhelmed me when I realized once again how amazing grace truly is.

1) On one of the pages, there was this silver foil square that represented a mirror. On the page, the artist had written "See the one God loves." But when I looked into the "mirror", my reflection was warped. I realized that I will never see myself in the way God does. I see my flaws and ugliness where God sees me as his child who he loves beyond measure. I sometimes see my messiness as a reason that God would not want to love me but I realize he sees it and that is why he does love me.

2) Pointing out my sin is not God meaning to make me feel guilty but actually to point out my chains in order to liberate me. I actually do not think the feeling of guilt is from God. I believe guilt is different from conviction. Guilt makes us want to hide our chains in shame whereas conviction allows us to acknowledge the chains and eventually be free from them.

3) In the book, the question is asked, "What is Christianity all about?" The answer - "We are all bastards but God loves us anyway." Think about it.

4) Another question in the book - "Who does God love more - the murdered or the murderer?" The amazing aspect of grace is its unfairness. God loves us regardless. The thing with grace is there is nothing more I can do to make God love me and there is nothing less I can do to make God love me.

5) For when we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). We were sinners and he did it anyhow without guarantee that we would ever accept his gift. Or in Ephesians 2, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.”

6) "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound"...what is it you hear?


Often, when God’s grace overwhelms me, I am confronted with the lack of grace I show to others. I think the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace" could be paraphrased to "Make me an instrument of your grace". Imagine seeing people how God sees them.