...hope

Today I grieve for the loss of my Grandmother. She passed away in the wee hours of the morning yesterday...(I haven't slept yet so it feels like today).

Renee and I were talking about this, and it's not sadness that she's gone. There's joy for that. There's joy because I know, and my family knows, that she's with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It is that joy that helps me...it is that hope that I take refuge in.

No, I'm sad for my loss and the loss of her company for me and those around me.

I'm sad for myself that I will miss more times sitting on the couch with her catching her up on our family.

I am sad for my wife that she will not get to know my grandma better.

I'm sad for our boys; I'm sad that Quinlan will never get to meet his great grandmother.

I'm sad that Benard only started to know her.

I'm sad to watch my mother and father lose a person whom they loved so much, along with anyone else that knew her.

I'm sad that my siblings and I all have children we wish could know their great-grandmother better.

I have hope in her eternal life with God, and it is because of that hope that I have joy for what we remember and what we experienced.

I have joy in knowing that my grandmother got to spend time with Benard, and that she was able to see how full of life he is and how much he loves his great grandparents.

I'm happy that I got to introduce her to our younger son by way of a photo the last time I saw her.

I'm joyful that I got to hear her nag Grandpa about not forgetting the shopping list when he went out that day.

I'm content in knowing that I got to give her a kiss, tell her I loved her and give her a hug the last time I saw her...and that she did all those things back.

I'm grateful that I knew and loved her so much in my life.

I'm thankful that she was such an example of leaning on God for me and my family.

I'm overjoyed that my father can say he has no regrets in what was said and done in all their time together.

I'm awed at the love and peace that surpasses all understanding that is present in my life (thank you God).

Lord, we lift up our hearts to you, and thank you for the wonderful time we got to spend with your daughter, Ruby.

She was and is a wonderful woman that will be missed, remembered and always loved.

...i miss you and will always love you, grandma...

a jumble of thoughts

This was a draft i found...dated in...2008 sometime?


this is just a place for me to put things down sometimes...
i feel that it can be more, but my life...scratch that...i make myself too busy to do such things

blessings have been poured out on me in such a way that i can feel as though they're commonplace

they are...common that is, God has given me so much and continues to do so each and every day

but my attitude towards them should not be one of apathy and expectation

where is the delight? where is the wonder?

i feel as though i have entered into a time of my life where God has decided not to hold back the amounts of spiritual blessings, and i am caught up in the world around me

it is this place of indifference that i cannot seem to escape from

don't get me wrong, i am passionate about the work that i am doing, and i love the time that i do get to spend with my family and youth kids...

it is the feeling that i am "slugging" it out that bothers me

the difficulty of my situation is real and the problems that i face can be difficult, but i feel as though i am in a slump of sorts

why is it on this journey of life that we always seem to be looking forward to where we will be?
when others tell me that i will look back on this time and smile, laugh or remember wistfully, why do i doubt it?
i know that it is probably true, and that i will likely hold this time in my life close to my heart, but is it too much to ask for that now? is it too much to ask God to reveal the joy of this time so that i may enjoy it while i am in it?

i do not know how to resolve this
i feel as though i am stuck in the city with the foolish (to quote Whitman)
and i'd rather be in the thick of it with the faithful holding onto that ineffable joy that the Lord provides...

Lord, help me to see your work and hand of provision in all of this. Help me to put aside my feelings and grab onto your Truth as you reveal it to me through your Word and your Spirit

an old writing

this is an old poem that I wrote on my way to bed one night...back in high school, I'm pretty sure. I scribbled it down onto a post-it and left it on the fridge...

i say this to all within my shout
as i go to bed without
a prayer, a hug, a kiss goodnight
to embark upon a gentle flight

To gaze upon what dreams may come
To pray that all someday get some
Of that everlasting hope
...I leave to you within this note

Finally, a post worth reading!

Well everybody, I'm happy that you all check my blog from time to time, and though it may not be a blog for the day to day activities in my (our) life, this is something that goes beyond mere 'day to day'.

We have a son!

Benard Isaiah Bjorndal was born Saturday, December 22nd at 10:45pm. He weighed in at 7lbs, 6oz and was measured at 20½ inches. He's a beautiful little boy (looks like his mom) and we're so happy to have him. The reason for the delayed post was. of course, we're tired. That, with coupled with the no-internet-at-home thing means it gets out slowly.

There you go! and Merry belated Christmas! (the reason for the season is not short-term)

~myke

What's the Dilly Yo?

Hello everybody!

Apparently, there are people wondering when I will post again. For all of you curious kooks, I don't have the internet so posting can be difficult. It doesn't mean I do not want to, but I often will forget to bother posting for those moments where I do get the internet.
Derek, thank you for honoring the 3 month anniversary.
I will be posting when there is a baby to talk about. I know that everyone will want information once we have a baby, and you'll get it as soon as possible.

To remind many of you, this blog is not like many others. It is a place for me to rant and write thoughts of mine as I have them and feel need. While I've been very busy with school this past semester, I just haven't had time to write.

Thanks again for the interest in the blog, and if we get internet at home, it will likely get updated more often.

~myke

Finally!

I have been slow in updating with a picture of our wonderful baby. This is just a quick one to let you all see what "Casbin" looks like as of about 6 weeks ago.

~Mike

Holy status update, Batman!

Well, here we are again, sending out a mass email in an attempt to keep everyone informed. As you may remember from the last email update Reneé and I sent out, we were thinking of me continuing on with my studies towards becoming a youth pastor.
Since that time, I’ve been in contact with several schools and talked out various options with different friends and family. The end result is this, I’m going back to school in two weeks. The plan as it stands (we’ll see if God agrees) is that I attend CBC here in Abbotsford for one year, continuing on at Briercrest for my final two years. So there we go. Thank you all for praying for us as we made this decision. We don’t have all of the details fully worked out financially, but we’re confident that God will provide us with everything we need to pull this off.
So as we step forward faithfully into the training we know that we have been called to pursue, we know that all of you will be in our corner, supporting us and praying for us. Feel free to email or call me to talk more about it if you’re interested.

Thanks again to everybody for praying for us and supporting us through what we’re embarking on.


~Mike & Reneé