the shepherds and the angels ~ Luke 2:8-20 ~

⁸And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ^a]">[a] the Lord. ¹²This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."


¹³Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

¹⁵When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

¹⁶So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

when the time comes

Can't get this song out of my head, perhaps there's something to it! Take a listen, I'm sure you won't be able to get it out of your head as well!

When The Time Comes

You are wisdom but you ask questions
Thank you God for never telling me a lie

Your decisions are mostly hidden
The stage you stand upon is not for human eyes

You tell me not to worry about tomorrow But I worry anyway
You tell me you’ll take care of all my troubles
Jesus, teach me how to wait

You are future but you are present
Thank you God for never running from your past

You’re committed to your creation
For everything you’ve made your love forever lasts

You tell me not to worry about tomorrow but I worry anyway
You tell me you’ll take care of all my troubles
Jesus, teach me how to wait

When the time comes, I will see forever
When the time comes, It’ll be all right
When the time comes, I will be the one asking why

why did I ever doubt you

discipline and obedience and my desire for other things

God has me on a journey, a spiritual walk into the discipline of fasting. The following is a piece to the work He is doing within me:

Food has become a quiet anesthesia to the emotions that I feel such as sadness, discouragement, fear of failure, or even depression. Because I have medicated myself with food for so long I have lost what it feels like to sit in the discomfort and call out to my Heavenly Papa. My discomfort hungers for immediate satisfaction and chokes out any growth my spirit desires to undergo. In my weakness I listen to its demand and fill my face with food until I am satisfied and content. Yet it does not last long and I find myself in the seat of agony once again. Here I sit faced with a choice . . . perhaps I'll see what's in the fridge.

natural vs. supernatural . . . a continuous thought

Today I have been thinking about the Kingdom. What is this mystery that is here and now and not yet? I've been thinking a lot about what life would be like without believing in Jesus. Unfortunately that life looks bleak, discouraging, hopeless, and unfulfilling. Yet what separates me as a believer from a non-believer? I am not any better than he or she and if I thought that, I wouldn't be a Christian in my mind at all. I've been thinking that what separates my life from theirs is that I have a secret. The secret is that the Truth has been revealed to me and not only do I see but I have vision. What marks my life as different is that it is lived with purpose and is much fuller. What would have been hopeless is hopeful, what would be bleak is adventurous and exciting, what would be discouraging is filled with joy. Funny enough, as I was thinking this, I read straight out of Matthew and this is what I read:

Then Jesus prayed this prayer: "O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding the truth from those who think themselves so wise and clever, and for revealing it to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way!

~ Matthew 11: 25-26 ~

I've also been thinking that what separates me from a non-believer is the way I live my life. This may be cliche, but what I'm thinking about is what reality I live in. Someone who lives for the world and in it may live in the reality of the seen, yet when I connect with the Father, I go into this childlike place and see a reality much clearer beyond my own. Everything starts to come alive and becomes in sink with each other. Its as if everything starts talking a mysterious language that leaves you in a trance. Now for some I may be talking crazy talk, but to me I couldn't be making more sense than the fact that 1 plus 1 equals 2. God says there is a reality beyond this one that we see with our eyes, its the supernatural. If you don't believe me, think about Elijah or Elisha, or perhaps Paul:

Let me tell about the visions and revelations I received from the Lord. I was caught up into the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether my body was there or just my spirit, I don't know; only God knows. But I do know that I was caught up into paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be told.

~ 2 Corinthians 12:1-4 ~

My thoughts now are how do I live in such a way as to attract those living in the natural to the reality of the supernatural, ( ie. the Kingdom, Jesus, the Father, etc., etc.)? Why is it that God allows some to have this truth revealed and not others? What is my part in the mix? I know its about obedience, yet it feels funny that the older I get in the natural I am growing backward to a childlike state of dependency on my first love in the supernatural. Almost sounds like the more I know, the more I don't know! How does this all make sense?

A whole lot of ramblings going on inside of my head, but I am thankful God gave me a brain to think, to ponder, and to be open to new concepts and truths He has been desiring to release. Please feel free to comment as to your thoughts, perhaps not even on what I wrote, but what has been on your heart lately! I'd love to hear about what God is shaking and moving!

Matthew 7:13-14

"You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way. But the gateway to life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it." ~ Matthew 7:13-14 ~

Simple words, yet words of life

Was sitting in Starbucks just the other day, and I read this excerpt out of Finney's book:

"Indeed I read my Bible on my knees a great deal during those days . . . beseeching the Lord to teach me His own mind . . . I had no where to go but directly to the Bible . . . " And here he laid the groundwork for all his evangelistic appeals. From henceforth, whether confronting individuals with the Gospel, preaching to multitudes or teaching in the lecture room, he was an evangelist whose dogmas were the heart of the Bible thrown at men's souls.

Funny enough I was having a conversation with a good friend yesterday about those people who have touched our lives, whom I deem as "beautiful people" who when they speak, they may speak one piece of Scripture out of the Bible that is so simple and you may read over it numerous times, but for some reason whenever they speak it into your life you have this transforming experience with the Father that thins the air between heaven and earth. Usually an experience that leaves you wanting more!

What I believe this is, is taking up the authority the Father desires to give freely and speaking the life giving words of the Bible out of courageous faith, only done in partnership with the Holy Spirit. When spoken in this way, words so simple become incredibly powerful, freeing, and Christ transforming.

I think Finney was on to something!

Well, this is my second last night in Canada before I jet set away to Germany. I hope to have lots of things to report whenever I return . . . until then, Auf Wiedersehen!

Thoughts on Charles G. Finney by Basil Miller and Prayer

Picked up another book yesterday, actually right off of our book shelf! I've been meaning to read it for quite some time as Cam has ranted and raved about how "that is exactly what he wants to do with his life!" Its a book on Charles Finney. If you don't know who this, shame on you! . . . haha, just kidding, I've heard of his name and have heard random references made about him, but I must confess I know nothing about the man. Hopefully that will change soon! You can also check out this website: www.gospeltruth.net or grab this book and start reading if you'd like to clear your ignorance as well!

I've only read the first chapter so far and already the man, who lived from 1792 - 1875, has got me thinking about prayer. The first chapter explains how Finney became a Christian in his later twenties. At the time he was a lawyer studying law and noticed how much of the legal jargon was interspersed with references to the Mosaic code of laws as well as other Scripture. Between curiousity and desiring to check out the references he picked up a Bible and began reading at leisure.

A little later after being asked to lead the choir in a local church because of his musical capabilities, Finney started challenging the minister and his hyper-dogmatic positions as not squaring up with the Bible. It was also around this time that Finney attended several prayer meetings. Yet interestingly enough, the book states:

He attended prayer meeting regularly but the praying did little to turn his attention to religion, for the church's praying was not followed by receiving. The lawyer chided the praying preacher for his non-receiving.

"I heard them pray continually for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and as often confess that they did not receive what they asked for," he says. Their confession, that praying often for a revival they secured none, seemed so inconsistent to Charles that once in a prayer meeting, when asked if he wanted to be prayed for, the choir-leading lawyer stood up and said,

"I suppose that I need to be prayed for . . . but I do not see that it would do any good for you to pray for me; for you are continually asking, but you do not receive. You have been praying for a revival of religion ever since I have been in Adams, and yet you have it not."

Once he told them, "You have prayed enough since I have attended these meetings to have prayed the devil out of Adams if there is any virtue to your praying." He could out-argue their prayers but could not refute the call the Bible made to his soul while reading it in the privacy of his office. "But on further reading of my Bible it struck me . . . they did not pray in faith . . . And after struggling in that way my mind became settled that . . . the Bible was, nevertheless, the word of God." This settled, God's battle for his soul was won.

Needless to say, this got me thinking about prayer and how I pray. Lately God has been teaching me much about prayer. Mostly that prayer shouldn't be about a list of things to knock off but about being still, waiting, listening, and then praying out of my heart. As such, my prayers have looked quite different and if you heard them they might sound extremely random, yet I know that my prayers are coming from a genuine place.

Yet, through reading Finney's thoughts, a person who was not a Christian at the time, it makes me wonder if a non-believer would say the same thing about my prayers? Am I truly praying out of a place of faith, especially for the miraculous, and receiving!?! I know only I can answer that question, but it has been making me think.

However, since praying in this way, out my heart that is, I have noticed a large difference. What might seem child-like has become to me the language of heaven. It sends me into a deep intimate place with the Father like I have known in no other way. And to top it all off, since praying in this way He has led me to pray for what my small human brain categorizes as the "bigger" things.

I guess what I've learned is that in order to learn the "adult talk" you must learn the "baby talk" first! A lesson that has often ended up in receiving!

Germany and perhaps a spiritual adventure too!

I'm leaving for Germany in a week from today! The trip was somewhat spontaneous but has been booked for about 6 months now. My grandma (my dad's mom), who is German, has several relatives living there. She has traveled to visit them many times over her lifetime and wanted to make one last trip before she wasn't able to.

Half for fun and half desiring to bring family along with her, she asked my parents if they would accompany her. Voicing a lot of interest myself I was later asked if I wanted to go too! Much to my surprise my grandma was very generous and even offered to pay for three quarters of my plane ticket! Obviously not wanting to pass up the opportunity I said yes and am now looking forward to a two week trip in Germany with my parents and our very own tour guide/interpreter . . . my grandma!

I would love to tell you all about the itinerary but I'm not all too sure of it myself. I know we land in Hamburg where we are picked up by relatives who live in Gifhorn. We'll be staying in Gifhorn for a couple of days before we make an 8 hour drive to the border of Germany and Italy where we'll be staying in a Bed and Breakfast and catching some grand sights! Other than that, I believe we'll be making a trip to Berlin and seeing some castles along the way.

All in all it should be a great trip, rich in history, with lots of pictures to prove for it!

On a side note, as I have been preparing for this trip it has come along with several interesting happenings. As I've sat back I've noticed that there have been several either coincidences or just strange occurrences, like . . . researching and writing a paper on Bonhoeffer this last school term, watching several movies with the Holocaust theme . . . first Defiance, then The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, and then Valkyrie (all great movies by the way!). With each incident it has made me think deeply about the atrocities of Hitler and his Nazis regiment. Now, here I am, going to the very country where it all began . . . my thoughts have been, as they usually are whenever a certain theme keeps popping up, . . . what are you trying to either say to me or make me aware of God?

It has been my experience that whenever God is trying to tell me something He continually brings a theme to my attention until I either take notice or understand a new revelation.

Even before I started writing this post I was extremely curious if any concentration camp sites would be in our midst. In my curious state I was brought to this website: www.ushmm.org where I've now spent a total of two hours reading about concentration camps (Sachsenhausen, Dachau, Auschwitz), ghettos, medical experiments, Kristallnacht, pogroms (Russian word meaning “to wreak havoc, to demolish violently”), Herschel Grynszpan, and the list continues.

What gets me is the evil and darkness I feel whenever I read, study, or watch anything related to the Holocaust . . . how could such evil be dreamt up? What's more is how could someone do these terrible, nightmarish things to another and think it was alright? Perhaps my struggle has been with wondering where God was in all of it? I know that He is everywhere, but what was He thinking, where was He moving, what was He touching . . . . ? I guess I wonder what the bigger picture was in it all?

One thing is for sure, I will not be impressed with what the devil can do, because I know a God who is even BIGGER than any evil that can be dreamt up and acted out. For this reason, I will press even deeper into the depths of God, searching out His heart and His face, seeing the purity and love that is in His eyes . . . yeah, that's where I want to be.

Anyways, as I'm about to embark on a traveling journey, I pray that I will also be embarking upon a spiritual journey. One that will take me to new places and new heights! . . . I'll keep you posted!

Early Mornings, News, & Connecting with God

Was up at 5:50 this morning. I've been pretty addicted to getting up early these days. You might not think that is a bad thing, but it's because I've been addicted to watching Canada am!?!

Lately I've been so enthused with the news which is something I thought I'd never be into especially growing up. I hated when my parents would turn on the 5 o'clock news! It was so boring to me not to mention extremely depressing. However, I'm loving getting up, making myself a cup of warm coffee, making a little breakfast and sitting and watching the news!?! Who knew???

However, I'd like to think I have an addiction to the mornings rather than the news as I find myself becoming more and more of a morning person . . . could I be getting old? Something about getting up when you know most people are still sleeping is inviting. I feel like I have a secret that no else knows about. And to top it all off, I believe I have been connecting with God without even realizing it . . . until just now that is!

I find that I start praying about the things going on in the world without thinking about it first . . . like praying for God to lead people to find Victoria Stafford, and Air France 447 . . . so many things going on in our world . . . just reminds me how big the world is but just how much BIGGER God is!

Alright . . . I've been sitting here for way too long . . . it's time to get on with the day!

service with purpose affirms identity

"When God chose to bring the Messiah through the Virgin Mary, He sent Gabriel the angel to bring the message. When the apostle Paul was about to suffer shipwreck, an angel of the Lord told him what would happen. On numerous occasions throughout Scripture angels did what God could have done easily Himself. But why didn't God do those things Himself? For the same reason He doesn't preach the gospel: He has chosen to let His creation enjoy the privilege of service in His Kingdom. Service with purpose affirms identity. A godly self-esteem is derived from doing 'as He pleases.' And true service is an overflow of worship" (141).

Recently I just finished a book entitled When Heaven Invades Earth by Bill Johnson. The book in essence is about changing the way we think about the supernatural so much so that the author advocates that "by rediscovering our true identity in Him that we can begin to move into the promises of God regarding the miraculous."

A lot of what Johnson says I agree with and believe in. Lately I've been thinking a lot about identity. The question: "What is my identity?" has been popping up a great deal in the past year. It even popped up in a conversation I was having with my husband yesterday after church as he stated: "I don't think I know who I am anymore?" He continued on to say: "I used to know who I was based on what I was into, like how I liked going to parties, and how I liked being a soccer player, but now, I just don't know anymore?"

So many times, we identify ourselves by what we "do" . . . "I am a CEO" . . . "I am a teacher" . . . "I am a hockey player." Even when I read Johnson's statement: "Service with purpose affirms identity" I was somewhat confused as I thought he was saying that we are defined by what we do. However, as I thought about it a little more deeply I realized that I am the most fulfilled whenever I am "doing" something or "serving" in a way where it gives me purpose. What is this about? Could this be the essence to my identity?

As I've thought a lot about this over the past while I realized that when God knit me together in my mother's womb He knit into me specific gifts: spiritual gifts, natural gifts, talents, strengths, abilities, dreams, desires, etc. I also realized that in being part of the body of believers (ie. the church) my gifts and everything else that comes along with being "Candace Aitken" must be used if the body is to function at its best.

This got me thinking . . . whenever I am "doing" or "serving" and am feeling of purpose I am in fact functioning out of my gifts, strengths, talents, etc. as what I've noticed is that I feel a great sense of purpose because I feel strong and succeed. Huh! Maybe, just maybe, that was God's intentions and plan??? For me to feel strong and for me to know what succeeding feels like through using my gifts and talents? Could there be a connection here in terms of identity?

Perhaps instead of identifying myself as "Candace Aitken . . . I am a student" maybe I should start identifying myself as "Candace Aitken . . . a child of God with gifts and natural abilities that include leadership, empathy, prophesy, intercession, pastoring, drive, focus, etc. Maybe I shouldn't define myself by what I "do" but rather by my "being".

Perhaps in understanding my gifts and everything that comes along with that I might just start understanding my true identity. Hence, Johnson's statement then makes perfect sense: 'service with purpose affirms identity'! When we function out of our gifts it gives us purpose and in effect affirms more deeply who we are and who we were created be.

the Cross is always ready!

Last October (I think) Cam and I decided to make a last minute trip to Edmonton in order to see Jason Upton in concert. If you don't know who Jason Upton is, I highly encourage you to visit his website at www.jasonupton.net and listen to some of his music! I guarantee you'll fall in love and hopefully be taken to new places in the Spirit!

The first song he played at the concert was a song called "The Kingdom Song" which we thought was going to be on his new album (1200 Feet Below Sea Level) he was promoting that evening. Unfortunately it wasn't, however the new c.d. is awesome despite the missing song! I hope you'll take a listen, as I found the song on You Tube! Words so simple that are piercing revelation! My hope is that it appears on a future c.d. of his! Enjoy!

The Kingdom Song

There is a pure and undefiled religion, walking with you Jesus
You are the blessed hope, You are the Risen Son
There were witnesses at resurrection, calling everyone
To walk the royal way, To sing the Kingdom Song

The cross, the cross is always ready
Every day it waits for me
Christ our narrow road, our vision
Christ, the everlasting seed

Jesus I want to follow
Jesus we want to follow

just a kid whose been chosen

Well, this is the first post that I am writing as I am new to blogging . . . this may mean that I am wasting more of my life away by being on the computer, but I believe it will also be a way to express what's going on in my head and heart, sort of like a public journal as to Candace Aitken's life!

As I was going through the steps of creating the blog I was seriously stumped on what to title my blog. I confess that I looked at several friends' blogs to see what they entitled theirs! Oh, so shameful! Haha. However, not wanting to be unoriginal I prayed to God asking Him what He would like to see as a title.

Perhaps a little too spiritual as I thought "why would God care what I titled my blog page?" let alone why am I even praying about something so silly? But I prayed anyways and just waited . . . Quite ridiculous really that I couldn't think up either a witty title or something that could captivate my audience.

So, as the waiting continued, I decided to look at some pictures for inspiration. I eventually landed on the one as shown above. This picture was taken by my husband Cam while on our honeymoon. I think it was our second day staying at our Bed and Breakfast on Thetis Island.

I remember the mornings being incredibly beautiful as we had a balcony that overlooked a huge valley. I remember looking out the window, being very insightful and taking a moment to take everything in . . . a marriage that just happened and now a new life . . . two becoming one . . .

As I thought back to that moment, the title for my blog kinda came out of it: I'm just a kid, whose very in love with the Father, a sister to and co-heir with Jesus, a kid who is His servant who has been chosen. Needless to say the title became: just a kid whose been chosen. Anyways, I hope you enjoy reading my posts as much as I'm sure I'll enjoy posting them! Please feel free to comment and I will do my best in responding back! Blessings!