Joe the Time Maximizer

Whaddup World! So all day yesterday I was thinking about what I should name my next blog post. Here are some of my ideas

Lookin like a Fool with your Vans in the Snow

What a Day

WOW(not world of war craft)

My life without Facebook-Day One

Haha, now I know that all of your favorites out of all of these has to be the first one and until I realized how great these past few days have been because of my improve time management, it was the obvious choice. It snowed like 6 or 7 inches on Sunday and yesterday as i was walking, I thought about how silly I am for not having a pair of boots to walk through the snow in. I love vans so much and the checker pair that I have now are my shoe of choice on most days but on a snowy day like yesterday I kind of wished that I had some boots so my feet and socks wouldn't get wet. I also would look more like a person from Northern Illinois who has a handle on how to dress in the winter with snow. Today was much better for my feet so the vans will be sticking around for now.
Now the next 3 titles are what I really want to talk about. I absolutely love not being on Facebook, the web and not watching lots of t.v. as I did up to Sunday. I have gotten so much stuff done over the last two days, its crazy and super great. Yesterday after work and class, I came home to study for about 3 hours and then I took a test while I watched One Tree Hill, one of my favorite shows ever. After this I left home to do some homework in the library with friends which was fun and then come home after an exhausting day to hit the hay.
Okay so this might not sound like a super cool day but I'm very proud of myself for not wasting my day away like I have the tendency to do at times because as Francis Chan talks about in "Crazy Love" James 4:14 reminds us that our lives here on earth are "a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanishes away." I think that everyone knows this but they don't take it to heart. That's why facebook, tv, video games and so many other things can be detrimental to people's lives at time. I read an article for one of my classes in which a girl talked about how much time she wastes on Facebook. Sarah checks her facebook a dozen times in a given day. That's so crazy but I have to admit that I wasn't far behind her. There are so many distractions in life that are hard to overcome at times but if you do, your life can end up being so much better. I've been learning that over the past two days and it's been great. I write for the school paper's sports section and usually I procrastinate to the point where almost everyone else on the staff has their articles in and I'm still scrambling to get all of mines in on time. In the absence of Facebook, t.v. and all of the other distractions in my life, I was able to pound out all of my articles that I need for tomorrow TODAY!It feels great and I know that my colleagues will appreciate it so much.
I've been finishing my reading of "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan and its pretty sweet! I haven't gotten too much farther than I was on Sunday but I'm going to read a few chapters tonight so my next post will definitely include some Chan words of knowledge. Good Stuff. Well I gotta get going since I have small group and some other things going on tonight. Much Love folks and see ya next time.

Blessings
Joe Canady
Philippians 4:13


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WHO DAT!

Okay so for some reason its been over a week since I last blogged on here but I have good reason for the aforementioned blog neglect. My computer has been giving me issues so I couldn't use it for a good chunk of last week and I also have been pretty busy lately with school stuff and life in general. I will admit that laziness has factored into it as well but I have to start blogging regularly because I want to stop wasting time on FB and other sites that are super time consuming and I feel like a lot of things are going to be going in the next few weeks that will be "blog worthy." That brings me to a major thing that happened this week. First off, the Super Bowl happened and the New Orleans Saints showed that they have come a long way since they were called the "aints" and beat the Indy Colts for their first Lombardi trophy. I have been telling people that I wasn't really too into the game because the super bowl has lost its mystique in my life. I loved watching because I was surrounded by some hilarious guys who happen to be some of my best friends. I went home last weekend for my niece's birthday and also to watch the super bowl and something totally unexpected happened. Spring Break is about a month and really I was planning on going on a fun trip with my friends from back home and just have a great time with people that I love but God changed that. Saturday while I was sitting at home watching t.v. before the big party for my niece Tanaya, New Orleans popped into my hear. Not Reggie Bush and Drew Brees, but the people of New Orleans came into my mind and at the time I really didn't know why. I mean I had remembered the email that I had gotten the week before about a missions trip to NO for spring break but I had never considered going. I knew that God was trying to tell me something so I ended up praying about it for a few days and it had become clear to me that I had 2 spring breaks and they both went to doing things that had nothing to do with God and it was all about me and this trip was an opportunity to give Spring Break 2010 to God and allow myself to be used by him to touch the lives of a lot of people in New Orleans. After I made the decision on Tuesday of this week, I had to act fast because my application, deposit and 35 fundraising letters were all due on Friday. I got everything turned in and now I will be going to New Orleans for a week to work to continue to rebuild the area. Hurricane Katrina was 5 years ago but there are still so many people who are still recovering and I'm excited to go to lend a hand. It's gonna be great.
Despite this trip happening, I've been feeling a bit distant from the Lord and I know part of the reason why. Life has a way of being so busy and so full of distractions that God can quickly drop down on the priority list and that's exactly what has happened in my life. When your too busy for God, that's a big issue and I have decided that that can't be me anymore, so this week, I'm gonna restructure my life to make sure that God is number 1 again. One of those things will be getting away from Facebook and all the other social networks that I do on a regular basis. Another will be limiting my T.V. watching to about an hour a day or maybe less. I really only want to see Biggest Loser. LOVE THAT SHOW.
Earlier today I picked up a book that I have been wanting to read for a while and it's called Crazy Love by Francis Chan. I have so far only read a few pages and it is already blowing me away. I am gonna read it this week and I'm sure I will have at least one blog about it this week. Well, tomorrow starts another week and I'm pumped to see what God does in it. Until next time folks.

Blessings
Joe Canady
"just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Matt. 20:28
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All good things must begin...

Okay so since the new year started, I wanted to start back with the blog thing since it was awesome doing it last summer during my internship but I never got around to it...until now. So earlier I got a ridiculous email that caused me wanna punch someone. Instead of getting in trouble or going to jail, I thought I would just blog to release some steam. This isn't how I planned on starting the blog back up but I'm glad that I'm finally back. So many things have happened since the last time I have sung my life song on here that it would take me a long time to go through everything so over the next few weeks, I will probably be talking about some of the cool things that have been going on since last year but the main reason I feel like I need this blog is to really put my thoughts and desires and everything that is Joe. I'm hoping this replaces Facebook and all of the other things that make getting on the internet so addicting and time consuming but who knows. So starting now, Joe's Lifesong is back.
Last week marked the start of second semester and it was exciting for because among other things, classes started, the newspaper is back and this is semester 6 of my college career which is crazy. Soon I will start getting overwhelmed with homework, work and everything else that always comes at a more than steady rate after the first few weeks are done but right now, life is good. I'm excited to see what God is gonna do in my life over these next few months. I sense that these next few months are gonna be some of the best of my life. Now clue what that means for me but God is in control and I'm ready for whatever he brings my way. So I work at the computer repair office on campus and while I work I always listen to music. One of my favorite CD's to listen to is Fee's Hope Rising. Please listen to it because it is awesome. Much love and see you tomorrow!

Blessings
Joe
Matt. 20:28
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Snipe Hunting

OMG! Man, I am usually the one pulling the pranks on people but today was the day that I got got for sure. Some of my youth group kids have made it their goal to expose me to as much country crazy activities as possible. I went carpe catching a few weeks back and that was really funny and scary at the same time. I couldn't believe that these kids wanted me to grab these huge fish out of this muddy water and then play with it. So weird, haha but anyways, I had been hearing about snipe hunting for a while now and I was excited when Bryan, my prankster of a friend told me that we could go tonight. So, I get all dressed up in camo gear, grabed my sack0 and got pumped to see and catch these "rare" birds. Little do I know, that the plan is to bring Joe out to the woods, scare him by claiming that coyotes and weird animals were out near me, have me sit on the ground holding a stupid sack and leave me there. That's snipe hunting at its best! A prank to prove how gulible someone can truly be. I feel like such a fool and if it wasnt for my roomie Jered telling me about the real snipe hunting, I probally would have been gearing up for more hunting tommorrow. It was really funny though and I love my youth guys for doing it but I feel bad for them because they might have just started a war. I don't know, maybe I will have mercy on them....NOT! haha. Today was a fun day; myself and the other interns met with, Paul, the senior pastor at Metro and asked him different questions about Metro and ministry in general and it was so cool. I felt like I learned so much time in the short time that I had with him. One of the most important things that I felt like he said was to "make sure you know what you want in a church" I think this is great because going into any church position interview, you are trying to sell yourself but the church is selling themselves as well so as a canaditate you have to word your questions in a way that they have to be honest and real. Just things like this make me think so much about the future and the oppertunities that I'm going to have in the future. It's exciting stuff. After the meeting, I went to Buffalo wild Wings with Jordan and Connor (other interns) and it was so good. If your wondering what kind of sauce I get at Bdubs, I'm a honey barq and mild kind of guy. They never let me down. I also had the first practice for the youth worship band and that was great. We have some talented kids and with some practice, they will sound awesome in a couple of weeks. Well its crazy but tommorrow is Thursday already and I have tons of stuff to do, but I'm pumped to getting back to drumming after a week off. It will be great. I get to play with an awesome and hilarious group of people. Oh yeah, something really awesome happened on Monday. JERED AND JORDAN GOT ENGAGED! I was so excited when Jered told me about the ring a few weeks ago and then this weekend when he told me that monday was going to be the day. They are great together and God is at the head of their relationship which makes it amazing. Can't wait to go to their wedding. I will always remember the day they met...they almost shared a half baked potato and the rest was history! Congrats guys. Well thats all for now folks. Until next time...

In Christ's Name
Joe
Philippians 4:13

An eventful week to say the least.

Well, this week was amazing week! I spent most of the week in Vandalia for Kids bible kamp, which is the awesome day camp for kids grades pre k-6th that Metro puts on every year. I stayed in Vandalia Monday thru Thursday because not only was I an assistant teacher for the 5th and 6th grade class but I also had to coordinate a service project for the teens that came over from Edwardsville to help us and I had to lead a devotional for them in the evenings. It was a busy week but man did I have fun and I was truly blessed by the awesome kids that I got to work with and teach about god. Cool stuff. We worked in downtown Vandalia on some landscaping projects that I think the kids enjoyed and also greatly helped the people down at the Mainstreet Vandalia program. It was so cool. We talked about Legacies and ultimately what kind of legacy were we all going to leave. What kind of impact are you making on the world. That was my challenge to the Eville teens and I really hope that they think about and understand the potential and plan that god has for each of their lives because we all have the ability to leave out mark on the world in a positive way that is pleasing to god and the quicker that we figure out how to do that and do, the better off we will be. I don't know about you I dream about making the type of impact that Michael Jackson made on this world. Instead of music, could you imagine that some made that kind of lasting impact on the world through Jesus Christ. The kind of impact that would move 20000 people to attend your funeral. The kind of impact that would move millions upon millions of people to publicly and privately mourn your passing, all because you touched peoples lives through the love of Jesus. How cool would that be? What kind of Impact are you going to leave? How will they remember you? Such a great topic and I enjoyed talking about it will the great guys and girls. I also edited the highlight video for KBK and that was cool but also a bit annoying. I love video editing but for most of my life I have been spoiled and have been blessed with being able to edit with Final Cut Pro which is for Macs but the camera that I was using this week wasn't compatible with the IMac so I had to use movie maker and it isn't nearly as cool. Luckily it came out okay and was a big hit at the carnival. Despite being really busy and working pretty hard all week, KBK was great. The highlights were definitely hearing about the 8 teens that gave their lives to the Lord. Amanda was in my class and it was cool, seeing her receive Christ and really be interested in learning more abotu him. That's what makes it all worth it. There was also another kid named Caleb who is the 3rd grade brother of a high schoolers in my youth group. Caleb heard about God through his older brother and then decided to ask God into his heart at KBK. So cool. God definitely moved at KBK. I mean from kids getting saved, to parents being now dragged to church because their kids, it was a great week to be apart of the kingdom of God for sure. I was blessed and privilege to serve this week. Here are a few pics from the week.



Well after KBK I went home for my bday which was Saturday and that was fun. It was great to see my friends and just to be able to laugh with them and catch up a little bit was great. I have been home very little this summer so whenever I can get away for a few days in da brook, I take advantage of it for sure. We went to Mangolian Grill for dinner and man was it amazing! Here;s a pic so you can be jealous....


Well this summer has been flying by and I'm starting week 8 of the internship tomorrow. I'm excited to get back to the office and see the staff tomorrow. I also get to meet with the other interns and Paul, the senior pastor which should be real insightful. He's been in ministry for over 20 years n will have some great advice for a newb like me. Anyways, my goal is to blog everyday this week but I can't promise anything. I'm really gonna try. Well until next time...

In Christ's Name
Joe
"All can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"

What a week

Wow, this in a lot of ways was a pretty difficult week. It didn't start that way though. Sunday, I went to my friend Ben's wedding back home in the Brook and that was great. Ben and Lizzie have one of the most amazing love stories that I have ever heard. I'm so happy for them and excited to welcome Lizzie into my family cause Ben and his whole family is like a second family to me. If you want to hear the sotry, I will tell you cause it is pretty amazing. So I got back to the grind on Monday and found out that I get to be in charge of Fusion(youth group) this week and I was so excited about that. Heck, I still am. I'm delivering a message on peer pressure and also doing a hilarious game that I can't fully talk about on here just in case any fusion peeps are reading this. All I can say is that it involves happy meals. I will have pictures to share with you on Sunday. Tuesday was when the week kind of changed. I got a call from my mom saying that IKEA sent me a letter saying that I have to be there working 12 hours a week for the rest of the summer or I have to quit. Obviously since I live 300 miles away, this isn't possible so therefore I'm no longer working at IKEA.



This is a huge bummer for me because I was kind of given a raw deal with it and I really enjoyed the extra cash every month but hey sometimes life sucks but ultimately God is still in control and I have a lot of things to be thankful for. I've been kind of down about that since I found out and some other things have happened this week that has gotten me down but in the end God still reigns. In times like this, it gets hard for me at times to understnad the ways of God and to honestly not get angry at God. I am reminded of Dueteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he. There are definitely going to be times in our lives were things will happen that can make us frustrated, mad, and a whole lot of other things but as this verse says, we serve a God who makes no mistakes and he is perfect. I have to take rest in that because right now, I'm thinking, "Crap, I'm not going to have anywhere to work for breaks and when I'm home on weekends" It's not a good feeling but God is so good and has given me a lot of things that I most people don't have. I'm learning so much with my internship with Metro and just getting to hang with kids and learn about what it means to do ministry has been great and I'm grateful for that. Though I have had so unfortunate things happen this week, I also get to lead youth group on Sunday and have done alot of work at Metro and we have another week of Kids Bible Kamp next week so I have a lot of thins to look forward to in the next few days. I'm excited to see what happens within the last month of my internship and to see what God does in my life. I know its going to be great. UFC 100 is tommorrow and I can't wait to watch the fights.



Well, I think thats all for now. Until next time...

Blessings,
Joe
Philippians 4:13

Long Time No Blog

Well it seems that Joe's lifesong hasn't been singing for quite some time now but I can ensure you that despite my lack of blog posts lately, my life has been pretty eventful. Since my last post, I have been home in Bolingbrook to work at Ikea and more importantly, in Florida attending an awesome christian summer camp called Big Stuf. Big Stuf was so much fun. First of all, its a week long camp on a beach in Panama City Beach, Florida. Now, honestly I could stop right there and you should be so jealous but it was so much more than just a week on the beach. Big Stuf is a week where in the mist of 1500 middle and high school students having a blast on in the ocean, participating in awesome worship and hearing some great messages about Jesus, God shows up and touches them in a real and powerful way. As I told guys who I had the privilege to room with at the beginning of the week, the fun and everything was destined to happen but I cared much more about what God was going to do in their lives over the course of the week and when it was all said and done, I think a lot these teens experienced God at Big Stuf and that's what its all about. One of the greatest things about Florida was being in the auditorium during worship time and seeing 1500 students going crazy for God. Cool stuff.
Another highlight of the trip for was watching the Nickelodeon classic, "Good Burger" Good Burger is a pretty retarded movie but I laugh my head off the entire time. Just picture this, I weird looking black guy gets out of bed in the morning with his fast food restaurant uniform on and goes to take a shower fully clothed in a super funny rub a dubb dubb way. Pure comedic genius if you ask me. You shoud watch it if you get a chance. It will rock your world! This week is week 5 of my internship and it has been going great. I have been hanging out with students, getting to know the staff and other interns at Metro and ultimately just being blessed with a lot of knowledge and ministry experience that is going to help me later on in life. I'm excited to get the worship team for youth rolling pretty soon and I turn 20 in a few weeks so that's exciting. Well I have dishes to do and dinner to eat before I maybe call it a night so that's all for now. Until next time.

In Christs Name,
Joe
Philippians 4:13