Wednesday 30 January 2013

The more I learn about myself, the more I fall in love with God

Yo yo whats up everyone! haha

I was wanting to write last night but I was tired after hockey where yours truly scored a power play goal in the dying seconds of the game to send it to overtime! Too bad we lost. This blog is about me and the story that my life has to tell so expect there to be a few mentions of hockey because I love the game!
What I wanted to write about is the complexity of our bodies and how amazing God truly is! As I continue to learn more and more about how the body is designed and how it functions, I continually am reminded that God had a purpose in mind when designing us.
For example, have you ever looked at the anatomy of our bodies? It is amazing how everything is in the right place to function properly. This past week we have started our "Head and Neck" anatomy course and the complexity of how the Cranial nerves come from the brain and move around the skull to activate muscles, provide sensation to parts of the head and face, and provide signals to glands, is crazy. I swear more than half of the people in class have their heads spinning. I am blessed to be able to take in the info fairly quickly and by reviewing it I am at least holding up to some information.
Back to the beauty! It is amazing how as we develop before we are born, all our nerves, muscles, and bones, even though they all grow at different times during development, grow the perfect way around each other so that our bodies work! Just go and take a look at the complexity of our body with how the muscles, nerves, arteries, organs, bones, and everything else in our body are all perfectly placed in our body for our function! It is amazing and I am so glad God designed us the way he did.
Also, take a look at the physiology and biochemistry in our bodies. The processes that break down and build up molecules and elements in our bodies have so many checks and balances that they run so smoothly without any external invention needed.
Now I know in this world there are diseases and conditions that gums up the works and our bodies don't function properly. It is sad to see these effect loved ones for sure. But again it is amazing how the knowledge we gain can be used to understand how the diseases happen and develop a way to fix them.
Personally I look forward to helping people who come to see me with a problem that they just can't figure out or know what to do with so I can solve the mystery and save the day...so to speak haha.
Even outside of our body, we can be reminded about God! At night if you ever look up (and are not in the light pollution of a major city) and see the stars and the vastness of space it makes you feel so small but at the same time amazed that God made all of it and put it into motion and it just does it's thing. Like it says in Psalm 19:1 "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands"
So cool! Look at the beauties of nature through the vast oceans, treacherous mountain ranges, even waking up to a snow covered land is a sight to behold.
I also read a bit of Job yesterday and one of my favorite parts of the Bible is when God is describing the Behemoth and Leviathan in Job chapters 40 and 41. Those beasts sound so immense and unstoppable and to think there is something greater that made them is awesome!. Like the old school veggietale song says "God is bigger than the boogie man" haha. But God is glorified in his creation and I am thankful for the constant reminders I receive through school and the world I live in.
All the best and God bless,
John

Saturday 26 January 2013

Insert witty or meaningful title here.

Hey!

So exams just finished this past Friday and it feels good to know that I don't have write exams for another few months and I'm somewhat free. To be honest, for a couple exams I did some of the most intense cramming I have ever done because I finished "studying" minutes before the exam. Just enough time to catch my breath, say a little prayer, and continue on working my brain. Overall, they did not go as well as my first set of exams this year but that is expected since there were more exams this module and more material. I do enjoy my time here at CMCC and as I learn more the more I get excited to someday work as a Chiropractor and help people. People will come see me, I will ask them questions, perform some physical tests, and voila: I know what is wrong and what to do to help! If you have ever seen the BBC show "Sherlock", I hope to be as good as Sherlock Holmes in reading people and assessing people in my clinic.
(Side note: I'm writing this entry at my buddy DL's place in Waterloo and his keyboard is so sweet to type on. Way better than my Dell Inspiron keyboard! Ya I have an Inspiron!)

Also this week, I went to the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) with my friend SD last night. It was cool to go there again after so many years. My favorite part was the Canada section of the museum. Some may find it lame but I loved the old furniture made out of Maple. Such quality work!

Also, I'm going to get into tea. It's good for you and I think it would be nice to have in the morning. My plan is to wake up early enough to have a tea and muffin while I do my devotions and then get ready for school. The hard part is getting up because my bed is soooo comfy! Anyway, about the tea, if you have any suggestions let me know in the comment section!

QUOTE of the POST:
With exams, I failed to select a new verse so I kept James 1:4 on my whiteboard. I did however hear a lovely quote this past week. I hope to someday have that feeling again :)

"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams."
- Dr. Seuss

SONG of the WEEK:
This song by Adele, I can relate to. With SM in mind, I wanted to marry that girl so I believed, and still do believe, that I would want someone like her. She is happy with someone else and later on down the road of life we may meet again and be friends or whatever. For now, all I can do is pray for her as I wish her nothing but the best in life, even if it is not with me. I personally enjoy this cover of the song.


Thanks for stopping by to read. Please comment and give me feedback and suggestions on what I should write about!
All the best and God bless!
John

Friday 18 January 2013

"Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be" - John Wooden

Welcome back,
In the midst of exams and the hustle and bustle of daily life, it is important to reflect on WHY you do certain things and WHAT are you trying to achieve or WHERE are you trying to get too. In my transitional time that I have been going through the past few months, I have really made an effort to try and mature. I believe growing closer to God is essential for this as well as a few other things. I decided to read a book called "The 10 Best Decisions a Man Can Make" by Bill Farrel. I enjoyed reading this book because it is chalk full of wisdom and advice on how to live life to it's fullest. With chapters like "Decide to seek an adventure", "Decide to be Better", or even "Decide to Love", and many more, this book really goes into depth on how you could hone in on who you are as a person and how is God trying to lead you. Personally, one of the best chapters was "Decide to Set Goals" because it is an important thing to do in life. It helps lay out WHAT I want to do and HOW I'm going to do it. So I decided to share a few of my goals in the hopes that maybe it will help me stay accountable to them by knowing other people know about them. Also, feedback is always appreciated. Some of these goals are long term and some are short term (less than a year).

ACADEMIC
LONG TERM GOAL:
1. Graduate CMCC in 2016
SHORT TERM GOAL
1. Maintain >80% average
2. Perfect adjusting techniques, Soft tissue and massage techniques
3. Learn Acupuncture
4. Become Certified in Exercise physiology and/or Personal Training
5. Work with 'World Spine' organization
6. Meet and network with practicing DC's (minimum 50) in prospective areas

PHYSICAL
LONG TERM GOAL:
1. Become bigger, faster, stronger!
2. Run 5 kilometres in under 20 minutes.
SHORT TERM GOAL
1. Run Tough Mudder in May 2013
2. Bench press 215 lbs by June 2013
3. Squat 215 lbs by June 2013

SPIRITUAL
LONG TERM GOAL:
1. Strengthen my relationship with God
SHORT TERM GOAL:
1. Read Bible daily to have it completely read cover to cover by August 2013
2. Pray daily
3. Volunteer at church and in community to serve others
4. Memorize one verse weekly

FINANCIAL
LONG TERM GOAL:
1. Be out of Debt by Age 28

When you lay it all out like that, it really helps to keep yourself focused. Give it a try if you haven't already done so. Also comment and let me know what you think!
Thanks for reading!
All the best and God bless,
John

Wednesday 16 January 2013

I saw Goodbye in her eyes

This topic has been on my mind since deciding to start a blog and I hope you enjoy it. The topic is my ex-girlfriend SM. (no real names in his blog for privacy purposes)
(Also, I realized while writing this that I have so much to say so there will be multiple posts about how God has worked in my life through SM so bare with me.)

Today, would have been the 3 year anniversary of when SM and I officially started to date. Unfortunately for me, today will just be another day as SM broke up with me back in September (The night before my first day of school. If you read a previous post, you realize how much of a change I've gone through. Bad timing I know but it needed to be done. But I digress.) Now for those of you reading who don't know SM looks like a mix of Taylor Swift and Rachel McAdams so you can imagine that this girl would catch any guy's eyes. Personality wise, she is her own special self. The way her presence fills the room is amazing. Good times were always to be had when SM was around. She was funny, cute and adorable, and a little crazy at times. Best part about her is that she loves God which is just amazing. Having her in my life was a blessing indeed. Before we started dating we were friends for a few years as well as we met in my first year university.

But now, as it has been almost 5 whole months since the break-up and in that time, I have only seen her once from a far and I haven't talked to her since, All I have left of her is the memories. Oh the memories. It is strange 'how every melody seems like a memory' as I listen to songs on the radio or from the past that we used to listen to.
It is crazy how life changes.At one point I am enjoying 5 years of friendship, and almost 3 years of a committed relationship with a wonderful woman who I was planning to marry some day, and then the next point, the relationship ends, friendship over, and there is total separation and ex-communication. It is truly hard to have that happen in your life. Anyone who has lost a loved one knows that it isn't easy. However, this whole ordeal was made easier thanks to the hope I have in God and the love He has for me. You see, "sometimes good things must end, so great things may come together" and I firmly believe that God is working in both of our lives. Now I do not know what the Lord has in store for the future, whether SM and I would ever meet again and be friends (or even something more if that is God's plan), but since losing SM I have been drawn so much closer to God. Almost everyday it becomes more apparent how God's guiding me in life in order to use me for His glory. It does suck that I lost SM but over time I will fully understand why that had to happen. I know so far it had to happen so that I would grow up and be a Man of God that I am called to be and put my childish ways behind me (1 Cor 13:11). It is encouraging to know that God has a plan for me that will have me do great things (Jer 29:11) and as long as I seek Him first, my plans will line up perfectly with His.
So basically God had to break me to make me who I am today and for who I will become tomorrow. As for my love life, yes I miss having someone to love, laugh, and share my life with, but I have come to realize that I was not mature enough to have a girlfriend no matter how much I wanted one. I'm sorry to SM for the hurt I caused her in my foolishness and I hope someday we can be friends again but I thank God for the times I did have with SM as they will always be cherished. Who knows who God has in store for me, but as long as I trust and seek Him first, when the time is right, I will be ready to love that girl like Jesus loved the church. Which brings me to verse of the post!

VERSE of the POST:
Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. - James 1:4

SONG of the POST: Goodbye in her eyes - Zac Brown Band
I can relate with this song so well since I did feel/see a goodbye in her eyes/vibe the last time I was with her and she is with someone new who she met before we broke up. "He will love the way she shines". Still a great song that has helped me.

Thanks for reading and please comment and let me know what you liked, dislike, or anything on your mind!

All the best and God bless!
John

Saturday 12 January 2013

#Beastmode engaged!

Welcome back,

So the second set of exams are starting up next week here at CMCC and it is crunch time for everyone to get prepped for them. As for myself, I'm not feeling stressed as I feel confident I have retained plenty to get by, I'm just studying in hopes to shoot for the moon and try to maintain my goal of a high average. So the next couple weeks will be busy and tiresome but as long as I work hard and keep the Lord involved I will do just fine!
Met with my mentor this past week and it is a blessing to have someone who understands what I've been through and who has the wisdom to help me out. This whole mentoring this is a great thing to have and it's something everyone should take advantage of. Having those meetings every blue moon is good to just talk over how things are in life, how my spiritual walk is going, just to make sure we are living to be all we can be. I think I would make a pretty good mentor to some of the younger guys I've grown up with back home. That's why I've let them know I'm available to do so if they want a mentor.
So the NHL is finally done it's precious lockout. The owners and players will be back to making money and the fans will finally get the quality of hockey we've missed. Mind you juniors and AHL are good but the there is just something about the pursuit of the Holy Grail Lord Stanley that brings out the best in us. Also, this means that Fantasy hockey is back! Just another thing that has the potential to consume my life. Hopefully my teams do well this year and I manage them to perfection because there is potential for some cash prizes this year!
Also watched "Sherlock" again the other day. Such a good show! I remember a thought I had last year with regards to him and my work. I hope to be as good as Sherlock with observing my patients and knowing what is wrong with them before doing physical tests. It would be so neat to be that smart and logical.
Finally, (on a more personal note) I feel more temptation the past few days and I think it is because I haven't been in the Word the past few days because I have had school earlier and I slept in once. Boy oh boy is the Devil sneaky. I find myself thinking dangerous thoughts that in the past have led me astray. You see, I've struggled with a particular sin for a long time in my life because when I was younger I didn't set up the proper armor of God for myself to battle it and so I got caught up in the sin and trapped. Habits were formed so it has been hard to shake. Since my wake up call last Fall (2012), I've been filled with the Spirit and feel a new desire to battle the sin and be obedient to God for the love of God and for the love of my future wife. So, even though the temptation has crawled back the past couple days, I am amazed at how God flipped a switch in my life last Fall and the temptation has been almost gone. So PTL (praise the Lord) for His victory over sin that I can hold onto in my life.
Thanks for stopping by and reading! Comment below!

All the best and God bless,
John

VERSE OF THE WEEK:
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plants to give you hope and a future. - Jeremiah 29:11

(even though life may not be what you expected it to be, God is so faithful to His people. It is encouraging to know that God has my life planned out and it will be a great one because of Him.)

SONG OF THE WEEK:
"A Thousand Years" - Christina Perri.
Discovered this song while studying and it is beautiful. "I have loved you for a thousand years, and I will love you for a thousand more". As a Christian man, I vow to love and be faithful to my wife even before I meet her and love her forever after that so the concept of already loving someone a thousand years reminds me of this.



Saturday 5 January 2013

Here's to the next chapter of my open book life



Hello!

First of all, Happy New Year and welcome to my blog! 

This is my first time officially "blogging" since I did blog a bit back in the day on a website called "Xanga". Essentially this blog will be similar with me writing about stuff that happens in my life and being an outlet of thoughts, feelings, and hopefully some wisdom. I hope to update this thing weekly or anytime I feel called to write. I will also try to include Bible verses or quotes that have touched me as well as 'song of the week' since I always find myself having a favourite song of the week that gets played a bunch so I think I'll share that.

I have always considered my life an open book as I have nothing to hide in my life which allows me to freely and honestly answer any question asked. Sometimes in life this sucks because, since I'm human, I do make mistakes and people, including myself, get hurt. This blog will be an extension of my open book life and I hope you enjoy the read!

My reason to starting this blog is that my life went through one of its largest changes last fall with me starting a new school (Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College), moving to a new city (Toronto), and losing one of the most important relationships in my life (my friend of 5 years and girlfriend of almost 3 who I will refer to as SM for her identity sake). With all these changes, I have felt that I have grown immensely with my walk with Jesus and have truly woken up to the potential of my life. It was a painful wake up call but I have finally shaken myself out of the auto-pilot mode I've been in the past couple of years and am really excited to see how God will change my life for the better now that I am going to be proactive in being all I can be. With all this growth, I've decided to share the journey God is going to take me on with you, my readers! (if I get any haha). It still feels good to share even if no one reads it I suppose. 

Well this is the first entry and I hope you enjoyed it. I will be giving background to my life and share my experiences as I continue to blog. I hope you enjoy and please contact me or comment to let me know what you like or dislike!

All the best and God bless!
John 

VERSE OF THE WEEK:  (keep with the growth theme of my life)
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.
- 1 Corinthians 13:11

SONG OF THE WEEK: