'Lets Talk About Love'

Its a beautiful thing. Love makes a person warm, special, and when you feel loved you get all tingly. But the question is, what is true love? Is true love the feeling you get when you open up your presents on Christmas day? Or is it something that only happens when you are married? Can someone feel loved without these things? ABSOLUTELY. Here's an example! One day, a long, long time ago, a man by the name of Jesus Christ died on a cross for the sins of humanity. Wow, I feel tingly already. And its only just begun. He loves us when we make mistakes, He loves us when we're feeling down. Nothing earthly will EVER get in the way of His everlasting love. How does that make you feel about the earthly love you recieve? Makes it feel like your earthly love is pretty petty doesn't it? Everytime I hear the story of Jesus' death, I remember all the times I didn't feel loved enough. And then I think to myself, I am loved everyday, NO MATTER WHAT. It makes me thankful for all the wonderous things, and even sometimes the bad, because I know that up in heaven, someone is looking out for me. I know in my heart that I am TRULY loved.

Miracle in T.O.

Ahhhhh... the season has arrived. Teams are getting together, putting on a show, and making things happen. Last night marked the Toronto Raptors 15th year anniversary of the time they first stepped foot in the Air Canada Centre. It was a moment that will live on in the history of the team for a long time to come. The Raptors, having just come off an offseason transformation, were facing off against the heavily favored Cleveland Cavaliers. Not only did they have LeBron James to worry about, but now they also had to deal with the Big Diesel (Shaquille O'Neal). But in this particular game, the pair did not seem to be a problem. The Raptors started the game off strong, building up an early lead behind Andrea Bargnani's tremendous start. At half time, the Raptors had a commanding lead. This lead would soon dwindle, and would bring out the ghosts of Raptors past. Not ever being able to keep a lead, the Raptors struggled to find wins. On this night, the Cavaliers took over in the 3rd quarter of action. But the Cavaliers could never quite get over that hump. They were able to come within 1 point of the Raptors, but that would be it. The Raptors went on another run, to seal the deal. Lets just say that this is a HUGE sigh of relief for the Raptor faithful. Lets just hope that we can keep up with this stellar play.

Friendship

Friends are cool, and friends make me happy. They lighten up my day and make me smile. In most people's lives, friends are what give you a good social status. This is very unlike the past. For example, in the Greek and Roman days, peoples repetoire and prestige was given to them if their families were of noble status. Today, it is your friends. If you have a lot of friends you are considered to be popular in a sense. And if your friends are popular among other people, your status goes up.

It is a great feeling when your friends greet you with a smile and a wave. As simple as that sounds, it really does feel good. Humans have simple minds, and are happy with simple things just like that example.

If it weren't for friends, I'd be a wreck. If it wasn't for friends I wouldn't be having a fun time in college right now. I might not even be in college. So I just want to give a shout out to all my friends that have made my life worthwhile.

I Hate to Make Mistakes

Sometimes life gets you down. Life is that way sometimes and you can't let it get you down. In my life, I have a slight fear of rejection. I don't like to make mistakes because someone could be watching me. Even just the little things get me all bent out of shape. I tend to over dramatize things. I'll say something, and then realize I said it awkwardly or something of that nature, and then I'll go on a stressing out rampage because I have, at least in my eyes, ruined my self image. For example, everyday I go to school waiting for an opportunity to talk to the girl I like, and when that time comes around, I tend to make a fool of myself. And then later on in the day, I'm worrying that I have ruined a possible chance, because I said something wierd or awkward. But is it necessary? Also I hate it when I make a mistake on the basketball floor. For example, say my team is practicing. We end up getting to the scrimmage part of practice and all is good. But then I tend to get rattled a little. I rush things, and that's when I start making mistakes. If, in this situation, I were to just settle down, my mistakes would be fewer and I wouldn't have to worry about making those silly litle mistakes. I think my main issue here is that I tend to get rattled under pressure a little. More in the girlk situation than the basketball one but I do in both. I just need to settle down and take it moment by moment.

Good Effort

This past weekend was rivalry weekend at Providence College and Theological Seminary. The Freemen (men and women) soccer teams both faced off against their arch rivals, the CMU Blazers in a battle to become MCAC champions. First off, the ladies teams faced off against each other. After the first half, the Providence ladies led 1-0. But after a flurry of events and some bad refing, the CMU Blazers had 3 unanswered goals. The Freemen did bring up the intensity nearing the end of the game, but were only able to squeeze one more goal into the net. Many opportunities were missed, but the ladies played hard and gave a valiant effort.

Next up, the guy's game. Providence had beaten CMU every game they played this year, and that didn't change on this occcasion. Providence came out on top in the end 2-0. High intensity play helped them out in this one.

Next up for the Freemen soccer teams is regionals. This coming weekend the teams head off into Minnesota to duke it out with a few teams out there. Good luck to all the soccer teams, and play like you mean it. LETS GO FREEMEN!

LETS GO FREEMEN!

Rivalries are what make a sport competitve. Opposing teams talk trash, get in each others faces, and will do anything to not lose against their rivals. This weekend is rivalry weekend at Providence College. That can mean only one thing. Welcome the CMU Blazers. Competition always heats up as the Blazers come to town. Not only is their a mutual disgust towards each other, but there is always the bragging rights in the race to become the top Christian college in the area. This weekend there are a flurry of games against our so-called rivals. First on deck, we had the Women's volleyball teams facing off against each other. In a disappointing finish, the Providence ladies fell short in their final home game of the season. But the madness won't stop there. Sunday is the day where soccer gets under way. First off, the lady Freemen take on the Blazers in the MCAC finals. Whoever wins this, gets the glory for this year. In their last meeting, the Providence ladies took over the second half to take the game to a final score of 2-1. And last but not least, the men's soccer team faces off against the Steinbach Bible College. Whoever wins that bout, will move on to the next round to possibly face the Blazers again. So this weekend be prepared for some more rivalry action, and be there to cheer on your.....FREEMEN!!

Clear Your Mind

Sometimes in life you say stuff you don't mean to say, and do stuff you don't want to do. For me personally, I say things sometimes and then realize later that I said it. I then go into a stressing out state because, what if that statement offended the person, or what does this person think of me now? For instance, you like a girl/guy. You get nervous around this particular girl/guy. You fumble with your words and say silly things. And sometimes you say something that made sense in your head at the time, and then realize how much of a tool you are for saying that. You then ask yourself, have I ruined any chance that I might have had? Its hard to wrap your mind around this at the time you said it, but do you think they really care? If the girl/guy really likes you, they won't care what you say. The thing is, you have no idea if they do have something for you. So you run like a chicken with its head cut off, hoping for another chance to talk to them before time runs out for you. Everyone deals with situations like this no matter what. Its life. We (or should I say I) just need to take a chill pill and relax (But have I ruined my chances?).

Who is your Role Model?

Today my blog is going to be a little different. Im going to discuss what I plan to write for my feature story.

I am planning to write about role models and how much of an effect they have on the young generation. Specifically, athletes. All young kids grow up to have role models, usually celebrities, athletes, or other people of that nature. There is a problem with this situation. For me, I have looked up to professional athletes. One problem with looking up to such prominent figures in society is that they just can't seem to get out of the spotlight. Every little thing they do is publicized. I think that professional athletes need to stop getting into trouble. Plain and simple right? Well, it sounds pretty simple to us regular folks.

So in my feature story I plan on writing about athletes and crime. So many athletes nowadays are getting in trouble with the law, and I plan on breaking that down. So in the near future be prepared for what Im going to write. It will be interesting.

6 Days and a Bit!

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. This time of year excites me. The NBA is just around the corner. The next generation of players hit the floor, along with some very familiar faces. Anticipation is on the rise every day, not only for us fans but for the players as well. This is their career, and what they do every year determines what they get paid, where they live, and what team they play for. All things count. October 27th is the day it all begins. Nerves will be going crazy, and people will come together to enjoy this glorious event they call basketball. Go Raptors!

1...2...3...Click!

Christmas time is the time of the year where families get together to celebrate Jesus' birth. Also at this time of the year, families decide that they need to show off their families and show what good families they have. And that can only mean one thing. Family pictures! No one except my mother, likes the idea of family pictures. If the taking of these pictures didn't take so long, I might not mind them. But, when they take a couple of hours, that changes. Also to make matters worse, the Funk's don't co-operate. For me, its the simple fact that all my pictures show the fakeness of my smile, so I don't smile in the pictures. This only leads to my family being mad at me, and the photographer telling me to smile. I don't always co-operate. I am just hoping that one day in the future my family realizes that I don't smile and will just leave well enough alone. And also, we argue a little. Sit here, sit there! Do this, do that! Sometimes it gets to be unbearable. The problem is, every year we will, as a family have pictures taken. And when mom says were doing them, it's only respectful that we do them. She did raise me and all!

It's On The Horizon

Every day that passes, means only one thing. The NBA season is just around the corner. It's time to see which teams actually improved over the offseason and which teams made no effort at all. The Toronto Raptors for example have a lot on their plates. Over the offseason, the Raptors made a complete overhaul. And the most amazing part about this overhaul, was that they didn't lose their core players. They added without taking away. I believe the Raptors made a case for themselves. The pick up of Hedo Turkoglu started it all. After coming off a NBA Finals exit, Turkoglu decided to change things up a little. His choice was to join the Raptors. This gives hope to us Toronto fans. We now have a Finals caliber player on our team. We also, don't have to rely on Chris Bosh as heavily as we have. He can take over games with the greatest of ease.

All that is left now, is the season. A few questions remain amidst this promising change. Can these new players work together? And will all these new players get playing time? All I know is that this upcoming season is going to be one heck of a season.

H1N1 Flu Spreading Everywhere

It seems like professional athletes usually are pretty healthy. While people in the world suffer with various illnesses, athletes live the life. Anyways, today the H1N1 flu hit the NBA. Lebron James, Cleveland Cavaliers star player, found out he had a case of the flu today. Two others on his team as well, have had flu like symptoms in the past weeks. All of them were sent home after finding out what it was. At first, when the flu became of existence, I thought they stretched the truth a bit. News networks and other various organizations believed it would become a pandemic. In my eyes, the regular flu was worse. I can see what they were getting at now a little more. I still don't think it's going to be a pandemic, but it seems to be growing everyday. I still do think that organizations around the world should still focus more on the growing AIDS population, or even just the regular flu.

This particular flu is growing to new heights though. You know when the healthy group of people called athletes get it, that it must be doing some damage. All I know is that I don't want to catch any type of flu, any time soon.

What Are You Thankful For?

This past weekend was Thanksgiving. The time of the year where families get together, people eat alot of food, and most importantly people remember the things they are thankful for.

Personally, I am thankful for pretty much everything God has done and given to me. He has blessed me with a great family, great friends, good health, and plenty of other things that are too numerous to mention. I look back at my childhood. I see all the things that went wrong and all the things that should've (at least in my eyes) went differently. I then realize that if it hadn't been for that particular event, I might not be where I am today. God has and will always be there by my side. I just have to be thankful for everything that comes my way, whether good or bad. And in accordance with that, I have to show God my appreciation by giving back to Him. Whether it's expanding His kingdom, or just showing Him you care, every little thing helps. Also, be thankful more than just on this particular day. Be thankful everyday, because no matter what you say, God is blessing you.

Its That Time of Year Again

Summer has ended, fall is here, and winter is just around the corner. Snow has not come, but it might as well be here. The wind is cold and it seems to be gloomy everyday. People wear hoodies, long sleeves, and the occasional person is wearing the full gear (mittens, toques, etc.). I can't help but realize that this time of year seems to be the least favorite time of the year. Yes people get to play hockey, go snowboarding and other stuff in that nature, but everyone seems all gloomy. People sit around, watch TV, and seem not to care. They are in a zone. That zone is called the nothing box. The zone where people go in when they just want to do (surprise coming) nothing. I noticed this morning, as I watched Sportscentre, that people seemed to fixed into that zone. All eyes were on the televison. No one even seemed to notice when the 'Hits of the Week' came on. There were massive tackles, tackles that were even hard to watch. No one seemed to care. I even let out a few 'ooohs' and 'ahhhs' to see what peoples reactions would be. Nothing. Just me making a fool out of myself.

The only thing that happened this early morning was one game of pool. They too seemed as if they didn't care. Just going through the motions it seemed. And to further prove my nothing box theory, people around the pool table watched the ball every time it was shot. Back and forth, back and forth. And pool is a very intriguing sport to watch. Probably the best there is.

But then my theory changed a little. I found out that not everyone sits in their nothing boxes. There are also people who hibernate this time of year. As the minutes ticked away, people started to show up. The spirit in the room got more lively. People seemed to have more fun. The television was changed to the Price is Right. Good, old fashioned, family fun.

Personally, I really dislike the winter season. It's just too cold. My mind is elsewhere all winter. The only thing I look forward to in this season is Christmas. And that is still about three months away. So as I wait for that lovely time of the year I will sit in my nothing box. (twiddling thumbs).

Disruptive Behaviour

Fines happen everywhere. Speeding tickets, athletes getting in trouble and many other types of fines are dished out nowadays. Reportedly yesterday, a 10 year old boy and his parents were fined $260 for something their child did in class. $260 is not a big fine but when it comes the way it did for this family. This 10 year old boy fell asleep in class. Happens all the time. The teacher saw the kid sleeping and she went to wake him up. When she woke him up, he had a fit. The teacher said that he disrupted her class. In all fairness, he did. But again, this happens all the time. Kids nowadays are disrespectful, yes, but why fine the kid and his family? And for something this small yet! Anways, the mother decided (I would have done the same thing) that she would fight the fine. And, no surprises here, the fine was dismissed.

But then you got to think of where the fine took place. This incident happened in El Paso, Texas. Now it all seems to make sense. Texas has rules for everything. Everywhere I hear, Texas is a place with rules out of the wazoo. It just doesn't make sense why someone would make a big deal out of something this small.