Friday, December 24, 2010

Christmas Memories

This is the first year I will not be home for Christmas! Due the nature of my husband's job we need to be here for Christmas eve as well as Boxing day because it is a Sunday and there are regular services. Leaving us with the option of driving to and from Kelowna on Christmas day... no thanks.

So many people have been asking me if we will be in Kelowna for Christmas, it made me start to think of my favorite memories as a child.

The day my Dad brought home the Christmas tree was always a big deal in the Burke family. So much so that starting December 1st whenever my Dad would come home from work we would all rush to the door, "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!" we would grab his hands and smell them to see if they smelled of pine. If they didn't we had to wait another day, if they did it meant there was a perfect tree sitting in the carport! When I started to think about it, many of my favorite memories were centered around the Christmas tree. A day or two after the tree came home it was time to decorate. All the boxes of ornaments would be dug out of the storage under the stairs and brought up to the living room. Mom and I would let the boys go at it first, but the special bows and the pearls were our job. Once they were finished we took over moving whichever ones we though were out of place. Then we would place the bows and pearls perfectly, it was always so beautiful. Next came many evenings of gathering around the tree after supper for long games I-spy as we listened to Amy Grants Tennessee Christmas or Nana Mouskouri's Christmas album. I also had my very own mini tree that I took great pride in decorating. Christmas morning our parents would let us open our stockings before waking them up, to get some extra much needed sleep. Every year we would decide whose room to open our stockings in based on how nicely they were decorated. I was the usual host of course! Until we got too big and didn't all fit into my tiny room anymore, so I would help my brothers decorate their rooms to meet my standards. Another memory is coming inside after a long day of playing out in the snow (back in the days Kelowna had snow for Christmas), to my mother having made real hot chocolate and popcorn. To this day I feel like the three all go together. Exhausted and chilled we would pull off all our snow covered things and find places for them to hang to be dry for the next day. Then we would all sit around our big table with a tingling fingers clinging to the mugs of hot chocolate. We would even dip our butter covered popcorn in the steamy hot chocolate, yummy!
I feel very blessed to have had such loving parents who helped to create so many wonderfully warm memories surrounding the Christmas season.
Thanks Mom & Dad!
Merry Christmas, I hope you can take time and reflect on the blessings of God in your life especially the one we have in Jesus Christ.

Monday, December 6, 2010

It is time...

... for an update!

It has been a while. In away it seems a lot has happened since I blogged last and at the same time nothing at all.

Here are a few numbers for you:
4- the number of months it has been since we moved to Burnaby.
12- dollars, how much I spent on our new Christmas tree.
1- the number of times I've fainted in my life, happened last week! Side note: I'm fine it was a simple fainting spell.
19-days till Christmas!
0-Christmas cards I have made and mailed... and number of presents purchased.
5-wonderful Christian women who I have met and are mentoring me without knowing it.
2-beautiful stockings
11-months since Matt was in the hospital last.
71- My dear husbands hemoglobin level, only 10 points higher than when when he was in the hospital with TB, UC and phenomena in 2008, when they gave him an emergency blood transfusion!

The last one is a bit of a shocker to us. We have been trying to find a GP since we arrived here but no one is accepting patients. Finally we found out that an elder at Willingdon is a Dr. Matt explained his situation and asked him for a referral. Dr. G graciously (and by God's grace to us) took both Matt and I on. After our first appointment Matt had some blood work and other tests done to see where he was starting from. Dr. G just called Matt tonight quite alarmed after getting Matt's results back. I don't know if you remember from before but the average man his age and size should be at 140, Matt's is at half that. No wonder he has been tired and had difficulty getting up in the morning. It is a miracle he can function at all. Thankfully he is having an emergency appointment with Dr. G tomorrow to figure out a game plan. I know this is very frustrating for Matt because this was the reason we had surgery in the first place, to stop him from constantly loosing blood. It has come like an unsuspected punch in the stomach. This is not where we are supposed to be with his health, it is supposed to be getting better after surgery not worse. We are so blessed to have a faithful, sovereign God. One who knew his hemoglobin level all along. This is not a surprise to Him!
Please pray for Matt, but also thank God with us too. He will be glorified in Matt, he has been sustaining Matt through 4 months of 50-60 hours of work a week. He has been doing great things though Matt at Willingdon. He has continued to provide what we need financially, he is so faithful. He has been teaching me and growing me so much in these 4 months, it has been very hard at points but His love is unwavering! We are so excited to be seeking His will for our lives where ever it takes us and how ever it looks.




Friday, September 17, 2010

There is a first for everything....

"There is a first for everything" and expression we have all heard before, and probably have even used before. There are firsts for a great many things, but really in the way we use it, I think it is a but of an exaggeration... just a bit. There are many things I will never have a first for. I will never be hired as the COE of a large corporation, just not happening. I will never grow feet out of my hands and start walking around upside down. I will never walk on the sun, or even the moon for that matter. I will never be a famous chemist or a run way model.

But, that being said there are many many things that have happened or will happen to me of the first time. I'm sure you can think of many yourself even in the last week. For the fun of it I will try to think of a few first since I moved to Burnaby.

First time...
living in a condo (all 517 sq ft)
having no bedroom closet
having the washer and drier in a closet in my bathroom
seeing a transvestite and being aware of it
attending a Church of 5000
seeing an unwrapped condom right in the middle of the sidewalk.(sorry... it's Van!)
taking the skytrain as a resident of Vancouver
owning a bike a newer, one that wasn't made in the 80's or early 90's
having 4 house plants at the same time (love it)
being a minority
walking in the mall and feeling tall (yup!)
being fired....
having the car towed (that was my husband by the way) ... and being fired on the same day, at the same time.

So ya, there are more but I can't think of them right now. The reason I was thinking about firsts for everything was I got fired today!! Crazy right. Me, fired. Never thought that would happen, but it did. When it was happening I almost interrupted the guy with "you joking right?" I thought he was! I'm a great employee, hard working, smart, great people skills, organized, ethical, punctual, cheerful. Anyway, even now I'm still in shock. His reasons were that he thought I just could not handle how busy it was! Strange that the girl who was crying when it was busy didn't get fired but I who remained calm and upbeat the whole time did... something is not right here. It is actually a bit funny to me, I know the reasons he told me are not the real ones.

Other than pure shock, the feeling I have is relief. I really didn't like the job anyway. He never gave me what he promised for hours, the girls were super catty and rude. The schedule was all over the place and I really didn't like working till 9:30 pm. Yesterday I actually spent the afternoon handing out resumes and walking around trying to get idea's of where else to work, checking on craigslist and email out my resume as well. So it is not as if I actually wanted to keep the job, but I was hoping to find a new one before I left the last one. Also ruined my perfect record.

Well God knows what he is doing, I'll just keep praying and trusting Him. He is so good and faithful. His way is perfect. I just really want to find a job where we can save enough money for me to go to school, but His will be done.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

My Crib

okay so it has been a long time coming... well actually only 2 weeks and 2 days to be exacted, but here are a few snapshots of out humble abode in Burnaby.

the kitchen with a DISHWASHER, praise the Lord!


half the living room ... the other half was occupied by someone who wished to no have their photo taken, but same old love seat, lamp and end table.


our bed room and yes I actually do keep the bed made this time around... mostly because the bedroom doesn't have a real door.


the bathroom... with a nice deep soaker tub!!! Which I still have not used.


the view from out patio door, the edge of the patio and beyond.


My new ... well new to me bike. She is name less, any suggestions are welcomed! All she is missing is her basket and bell.


Thank you for visiting my home, please come again soon.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

On A Stage

I felt a bit embarrassed yesterday. My husband has been recruited to play drums 3 Sundays in a row and the church plant we are spending the month of August at. This means that 3 Sundays in a row I will be at the church bright and early for their practice due to our single vehicle situation. In seeing him, I mentioned to the pastor that if they happened to need a female vocalist one of those Sundays I would be happy to sing. He jokingly asked my husband if I can sing. Then ask if I has experience. I told him about my past church as well as my time at bible school on worship teams. Then he proceeded to explain to me why he does not want me to, basically he has been having difficulty getting the young women in his church to step up and lead on a regular basis, seeing as how I will only be with them for a month he would rather I didn't. I totally understand, which I expressed, but he proceeded to say something about not just being able to sing but having a heart of worship is the important thing. I know what he meant, he is a great guy, we really like him. In fact I totally agree with him, it is not just about sounding good. But it stung. I was not about to go into a spin about it, I just let it go. He didn't mean it in a hurtful way after all. But it still stung me. So much so that today I am still thinking about it.

I know God has called me and blessed me with a heart of worship, thought music, art, dance and creativity. I want my heart to always remain towards Him. I asked Him to remind me the beauty of worshiping Him with my whole heart.
I asked Him to teach me no matter where I am or what I am doing, whether on a stage or off, with a mic or without, to keep my heart content to worship Him alone with abandon.

I do believe He has blessed me with the ability to lead people into heartfelt worship of Him. I never, ever, ever want it to be about me. How I look or sound, or how I am perceived. Truly it is only by the Spirit that anything I do, say or think can be a fragrant praise offering to Him. What I really need is for Him to keep me from distractions and to give me a true heart of worship. To purify my heart and cleanse away my selfishness. For Him to teach me how to worship him and how to lead worship on and off a stage. I want my whole life to be worship not just when I am singing. I want (by the power of the Holy Spirit) to live my life in such away that I am leading people to worship God all the time.

As I go into my new job in a secular environment based completely on physical appearance, it will be a battle to keep my focus completely on God. I need His Holy Spirit to help me to live in a way that is worshipful to Him. In a way that leads others around me to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. It is a different sort of stage and much more challenging than just a 5-6 song set with a microphone.

Lord, by your grace teach me to worship you and lead others to worship you with my whole life. Amen.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Melissa HD

So for those of you who don't know yet, the "HD" does not stand for High Definition (trust me you don't want that!) or High Density (and I don't want that!), it is my witty little way of say Hairdresser.

For the past few months now my husband and I have been looking into the idea of sending me off to hair school. There are many reasons. First is it something I have always been interested in, just ask my Mother. Up until now it has not been an option due to finances. I really would love to get some training that will give me a useful skill anywhere I go. One that is a necessity for most North Americans ( unless you are follicley challenged, like my dear husband). I want a skill that capitalizes on my strengths, my creative abilities and my outgoing personality. I want a skill that can be used in the workforce as well as from home for when I have children. So I can make some money with out leaving home. And finally and most recently, God has given me some pretty exciting idea's as to how He can use it for His glory to ministry to the less fortunate in a very practical way.

I am very excited about the idea. One great thing about moving to Vancouver is there are way more options for schools then there ever was in Kelowna. There are also a few based out of well established high end salons down town Vancouver. Their programs are shorter in length, only part time, more effective, teach more modern techniques and cost much less! We are about 90% sure about registering me for a course that starts in January 2011! Very exciting. The best part is God totally provides. We have been very prayerful about this decision and will continue to be, but we have also received a lot of encouragement in pursuing this from many godly people we respect and trust.

God has us on this amazing journey, and I really want to share all that he is teaching us, how he provides and the steps he sets before us, for your encouragement and mine, but most importantly for God's glory!

For those for those of you waiting for pictures of our new place... they are coming soon. Everything is done except there is a pile of tiny little boxes and electrical wires in the corner were the TV is. It is still waiting to be set but, unfortunately I am not the one who can do that... I might be waiting for a while because someone is not in much of a rush to set up the TV (which is not a bad thing, it is just a bit messy to leave the stuff out)

VOTD (verse of the day):
"Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire."
Hebrews 12:11

Till next time,
In Christ & for the Glory of God!

Sunday, July 25, 2010

6 days...

okay so it has been a while. this past friday was my last day at the job I worked at for 2.5 years. they made it really nice for me. we had a 4 day long celebration. sushi & cake tuesday, cake for breakfast and OPI nail polish on wednesday, Starbucks and Starbucks card on thursday and amazing cheese plater and ice wine on friday! i thought i would cry, but i didn't. i guess it was anticipated for a month and a half so i was mentally prepared. i thank God for that job, he used it to provide for us for a long time while Matt was unable to work. i spend many days at work then after work driving directly to the hospital. it was such a blessing to have a boss who is praying for you!

so now the packing starts! i thought it would be easier to get motivated once i was finished work... nope! i still don't feel like packing at all. i would like to blame the weather. it had be 35 plus, and what do you expect i live at the beach.

anyway i am having a myriad of emotions. to be expected i guess. leaving the city i grew up in, indefinitely. leaving family. but on the other hand there is the excitement of change, an nice new place with a dish washer and bath tub. having our very own place. the adventure of discovering a new city. and of course what trumps it all, following where we feel Gods call!

well that is it for now, i hope to get better at blogging on a bit more regular basis once we move to keep everyone up to date.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Some exciting news.....

... sorry for the delay.

We have some thing exciting to share, we had to wait till key people were informed, but if you see my boss please don't mention it yet, she will find out on Tuesday, when she gets back from her 2 week long motorcycle tour in Ontario.
As of September 1st 2010 my dearest husband will be starting a pastoral internship at Willingdon Church, Burnaby BC (
www.willingdon.org, if you are interested) Meaning that we will be moving to Burnaby August 1st 2010. We will still be on board with Church Planting BC, but Matt will be spending a year in rigours study as well as learning the ropes of running a church hands on. We are so excited, we have been praying about this for a while, it is an amazing opportunity on top of it he will get paid a small salary to learn! Most people have to pay to learn this stuff. We have seen God open the doors all along our path and in the right moment He makes the way clear to us. There was no hesitation accepting the position. All though it means leaving our home, family and my job behind, we are confident that God will provide for all of our needs, as he always has.

We are now trying to plan ahead as much as possible, all though is is pretty hard at this point, we are mostly praying a lot! We will need a place in Burnaby because we would love to both be able to walk to work. There is the issue of me finding a new job down there. It will have to be full time and hopefully I will make at least what I do now. We are extremely bless to be getting paid by Willingdon, but Vancouver is a very expensive place to live. I am praying that God will provide a job for me that I enjoy, not just one I do because I need to make money. I would really love to be able to spend my days doing something that comes naturally to me and not something thing I have to constantly fight to do well at. It is much easy to enjoy your job when you feel like you can do a really good job at it, without going crazy or having your brain burnout due to over use (round peg square hole kind of thing).

I feel a mixture of excitement and nervousness. It is an adventure. I have never been too worried about change, in fact I usually like it. The thought of moving to a new city, getting a new place and meeting new people really excites me. Leaving family, and not knowing where I will work makes me nervous. It also makes me question how soon children will be on the agenda? Thhey will probably be postponed a little longer.

I really want to praise God for this opportunity! They made it pretty clear that they had never hired any intern with as little experience and schooling as Matt. Most interns they bring on have already completed seminary. Matt is an exception (again) he is also the first church planter they have brought on. Most of the other interns have just fed into the pastoral staff of their ever growing church. It is clearly and act of God that they offered him the position at all. We are very grateful to God.

I know the road ahead will not be easy, my prayer is that I will be able to fix my eyes on Him, His face, His purposes, His glory, above everything else in the whole world. Once again I have to lay down my desires at his feet and say "Your Kingdom come, your will be done, in my life, and on this earth as it is in heaven." That is hard to say sometimes! But I know that when I delight myself in Him He will give me the desires of my heart.
I would love your prayers as we make this transition.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Coming Soon...

I have a very exciting announcement to make soon, but I can't post in on the internet just yet. Please stay tuned for the breaking news, hopefully in the next week or so I will be able let you know all the details.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

The New Doo



























As per Dom's request. Sorry for the multiple shots.
Because my hair is all one color it is hard to see the shaggy layers in the photos, it is better in real life! Anyway I like it and think I'll keep it for a while.





Tuesday, April 6, 2010

10 in 2010

So here are 10 things that I have either just discovered or re-discovered in 2010, that I really like or love. These are not in any specific order either.


1. Maybelline mineral foundation. Makes my skin look naturally flawless and radiant! So easy to use and lets my skin breathe during the day. I think using it has actually given me a better complexion with out make up as well!


2. Aveeno products. I have used the lavender hand lotion for a long time, I keep it by my bed so I can use it at night, very relaxing! But now I use their moisturizer, facial scrub and conditioner. I love it all so much that I plan on gradually switching all my body products over to Aveeno ones. Plus if you buy them at Wal-mart they are affordable too.


3. I really, really like my new 70's glam rock hair cut!


4. The new TV show on NBC Marriage Ref.


5. Knitting. All though technically I started at Christmas 2009, I think that I have grown to enjoy it more and more in 2010, and have mastered more than just the basic stitch in 2010. I have always had at least 2 projects on the go until now because I just finished my first dress (which is sweet!) and we are leaving for Vancouver tomorrow so I haven't started anything new. But it will probably be something for a baby because everyone I know is pregnant. (Total exaggeration I know.)


6. Actually using my day timer for my personal life. I've had them before and use them usually for no longer than 2 weeks to a month and then stop. But to stay organized at work my boss got me one to keep on my desk which I have learned to use for my own survival. So I thought maybe now I would be able to use one for my personal life as well. I have set a new record for how long I have actually used one for.


7. The sharpie pen. I use it in my day timer and for everything else (but not at work). It is so nice. If you are like me and you like a nice pen try one.


8. Metro, I have always loved Metro, so this would be a re-discover. We used to go every once and a while. But now that my husband is a intern there, and preaches there sometimes, so we go every other week. I love it, I even crave it. It just feels so right. I think that is how church should be. If you have never been and you live in Kelowna go!


9. Seeing John Piper preach in real life. Okay so this had not actually happened yet, but later in the week it will and I know that it will be great. So I am adding this to my list in anticipation. John Piper is an inspiring preacher and a great writer, I respect him very much, probably more than any other well known preacher.


10. I love my new niece born March 30 @ 12:24, 7 lbs 3 oz. She is gorgeous and I look forward to cuddling her all the time and seeing her grow.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

The Tree


Yesterday in my devotion time I was drawing a picture of the cross and reflecting on it and Jesus' sacrifice. I began to draw branches coming from the cross, but I didn't know why.

This morning I was looking at it and I had a thought. I can't ever remember hearing a sermon on this before, but all of the sudden a few things I never put together before just clicked.

"And the Lord commanded the man saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but if the tree if the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day you eat of it you shall surely die." Genesis 2:16 As the rest of the story goes, satan tempted Eve and Adam and they ate the fruit and though they did not physically die, their sin cause separation from God and a spiritual death. "Therefore, as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned-" Romans 5:12 With Adam sin entered the world through the fruit of the tree, because of mans pride and desire to be like God, sin entered the world. You could say it was on the tree that sin entered and all born of Adam were born into sin.
1 Peter 2:24 says about Jesus, "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed." Are you seeing what I saw? Just as we know that sin and death entered the word through one man, Adam. We know that through one man, Jesus, all sin was paid for in full and all people can receive eternal life. In the same way that it was through the fruit that hung on a tree sin entered, it was through Jesus being hung on a tree sin was atoned for. I don't believe this was a mistake or a coincidence.

Furthermore we see that sin entered through a man's act of pride, Adam decided that he wanted to be like God as the serpent said to entice them, "You will be like God, knowing good and evil." Genesis 3:5. But we see that Jesus who was God acted in the most perfect picture of humility, "who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing taking on the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even on a cross" (tree!) Philippians 2:6-8. What a painful and beautiful contrast. Adam was man but wanted to be like God, was disobedient, sinned by taking fruit from the tree which brought separation from God.
Jesus was God but chose to be come man, was obedient though it meant excruciating pain, embarrassment and separation from God, took on the sin of the world on the tree, which brought reconciliation with God and man.

It was through the fruit of a tree that sin entered the world and as Jesus Christ was hung on the tree all the sin of mankind was placed upon him.

"For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God." Romans 6:10

Maybe you had thought of this already or have had someone point it out to you in a sermon or bible study, but I had never put the two together before. For me it was a fresh look at the cross this Easter and inspired awe at how God works. He is amazing! Everything he does is perfect and has a purpose, His glory. I love that.

He has Risen!

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Coming soon...

I know it has been forever since I blogged last...
I feel like I am not sure why I blog in the first place.
I don't know if anyone reads it, or if anyone finds encouragment from it, but I will keep thinking about it and I will either take it up again or I will close my blog down again.