Who let the dogs out?

My best friend since kindergarten pulled up to the gas station last week and took a picture of this! Look who's driving!  Too cute.  (PS This pic was taken in Vancouver, which is why all the trees are still green in the middle of winter...)

Making a difference with Christian Friends this Xmas

Jesus says in the bible: 
"Where two or more are gathered in my name, I am there with them."
- Matthew 18:20

This past weekend was like your typical Christmas weekend (with less than 2 weeks till Xmas) - shopping at the malls for last minute presents, watching the Christmas play/concert/musicals at our local church, wrapping and delivering Christmas presents in preparation for the day we celebrate the birth of Christ (Dec 25)...

But what made this past weekend before Xmas different for me and my buddies- was one of my Christian friends had an AWESOME idea while we were Christmas shopping... It was the coldest weekend of December with sub-zero temperatures dipping into the minus 20 range... and here was their idea...

They recommended that we stop into a local coffee shop, pick up a bunch of cups of hot chocolate, stop into the dollar store, buy some toques and candy canes, and hand them out to the homeless. 
I was up for the challenge!

So, we did our shopping, and went out on our quest to find people to hand out hot chocolates, toques, and candy canes to. We also included a little card in each that said "God loves You."
And we prayed that God would lead us to the right people, who needed a smile that day.

We were walking downtown Toronto by Eaton Center. It was a snowy day. And icy cold. Who would be sitting outside begging on the coldest weekend of December???

The first guy we handed out our Xmas stuff to- actually gave it back.  It was a guy with a cardboard sign, sitting by a lamppost in the snow. His sign said "Jobless and Overqualified". He said, we should give our toques and candy canes to someone who needed it more... ok, fair enough.

The next person we handed our hot chocolate and toques and candy canes to had a cardboard sign that said "Spare some change please". He had a red beard/mustache and earrings. He was sitting outside by a store, in the shade, but also in the icy cold.  I can remember the smile on his face when my friend handed him a hot chocolate. Priceless.

We continued on our journey and came across two homeless girls with a cardboard sign that read "Do Not Judge"... They were in blankets and also, sitting on a few steps outside by the mall. They were SO EXCITED and so appreciative of the hot chocolate and toques and candy canes. Mission Accomplished.

And the final fellow we gave our gifts to, he was outside having a smoke. A man with a long beard, also sitting in a corner, out in the cold. I remember saying "God bless you" to him, And he said "God bless You too."

Even if what me and my friends gave was not much... it was encouraging to know that God could challenge us to do something different in our routines to bless others this Xmas.... and we were willing to take part!

It humbles us, and makes us so thankful that God has blessed us with loving, warm homes... not everyone is in the same place (at this moment in time anyways)... I mean, for people to be begging for change outside on the coldest weekend of December...  we don't know what circumstances in their lives would lead them to choose that path...

Either way, we just hope that in our small ways, we could bring the Joy of Christ to others this Xmas season. It really goes to show how friends in the body of Christ can help encourage you to do amazing things for Christ... even if they are simple.

Jesus says in the bible: 
"Where two or more are gathered in my name, I am there with them."

May this blog post be an encouragement to you to DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT this Xmas season, and go out of your way to bless others, together with Your Christian friends...
it's simple, easy, and can really bring meaning to the true reason for Christmas.

On another note, we also saw carolers outside of Eaton Center this past weekend singing songs for the homeless and raising funds that way... pretty creative!  Hope this can give you some cool ideas on how to bless others too this holiday season.

God bless you!

Verses that reflect Nelson Mandela's Life

It says in the Bible in Philippians 4:8...

"Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable,
and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.
Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise."

This bible quote really reminds us of the Great Example that Nelson
Mandela lived in his life.

Tomorrow (Dec 10 2013) is the Public Memorial for late former South African
President who fought racism and apartheid.

He was imprisoned for fighting for people's freedoms, and even
after leaving jail after 27 years- he still chose to work alongside
those that imprisoned him, in the interest of pursuing Peace in South Africa.

Wow... you can tell you REALLY want to MAKE A DIFFERENCE in the world,
when you choose to not live with bitterness in your heart,
and choose to work alongside your enemies... to pursue the right thing.

Jesus in Matthew 5:43-48 in the bible says...
"I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

I cannot tell you if in fact Nelson Mandela did pray for
those who persecuted him for 27 years- but what WE DO KNOW
is he had the strength to work alongside them,
to pursue Peace and Equality.

That's got to say something about his strong spirit.

As even if it was probably a natural to hold
bitterness in his heart, Mandela rose above resentment, and chose Peace.

How admirable.

Rest in Peace Nelson Mandela. You showed us all a good example
of how to fight for what is right-- and choose to work alongside
those who persecute us, rather than hold bitterness and resentment.

What a great example from one of today's modern day heroes.

Here's Canada's message of condolences to Nelson Mandela's family...

Tips to not pack on the pounds this Xmas :)

Welcome to December! Tis the season to be eating!

Here are 5 tips are courtesy of Good Housekeeping Magazine, to not be a "glutton"
at all those Xmas parties, and to stay in shape during the Christmas holidays.

First, Make time for a good workout.
Daily. Such as a 15-20 minute walk or jog everyday.
You'll have lotsa energy-- and the ability to burn
the calories you ate at the Christmas party the night before.

Next, when at the Christmas party,
try to limit your amount of fatty choices.
like, having just 1 or 2 desserts at the buffet... instead of 5.
Or, when you're having turkey, choose to not eat the fatty
skin on it.
Little SMART choices like that can get you
through the holiday season without gaining too much weight.
Maybe have more fruits and veggies if that's available.

Another tip to not overeat at the buffets
is to drink a glass of water, and snack on a couple
of high protein foods like pistachios or almonds
before heading out the door of your home.
The protein and fiber will take the edge off your hunger,
so you're not crazzzzy hungry at a buffet.
And then you can do away with over eating.

Another tip to not pack on the pounds during the
Xmas holidays...
Try chewing on your food at least 20 times.
It takes conscious effort to realize how many times
you chew your food, but when you do this, u develop good
eating habits, because sloooow eating is known to slash
calorie intake by 10 percent.

And finally-- for those who are prone to emotional eating,
just make sure you're surrounded by the people you love
a lot this Xmas season... and it doesn't always have
to be around food! Like u can go xmas shopping together,
volunteer together... etc.

Hope these tips can help all of us stay in shape, during the most festive time of the year!