Praise

Today was the day of prayer here at Prairie Bible Institute. It was really cool to see everyone praying all at the same time for pretty much the same thing.

But I started thinking, God is big.

Like really, really big.

Like so big, that with 48 words, He can create all the millions of billions of stars in the sky. Keep in mind many of these stars make our sun look like a tiny little spark.

And that just scratches the surface of God’s bigness.

And then many Christians take it for granted that He listens to us.

For a while I was frustrated with my prayer life. You see, I’m a very visual person, and it always bothered me that I couldn’t see God when I prayed. I knew that according to the Bible, I would die if I saw Him, but I only just made the connection.

God is SO big, powerful, and great, that if I saw Him, it would blow my mind. (Not figuratively, literally. There would be stains on the wall.)

I find it hard enough to comprehend the tiny little bit that I can grasp, but what really amazes me, is that He accepts our praise, prayer, and worship.

It is insignificant, but He accepts it anyways.

That really amazes me.

Frustration & Reminders

Flight training is frustrating.

There’s a lot of information getting thrown at us, and it’s hard to remember it all. Every time I go into the simulator, I make a really stupid mistake. Sometimes I miss a step on my checklist, or I screw up a simple radio call. I know these mistakes are all part of the learning process, but it’s frustrating either way.

Sometimes when I’m really tired, or I did particularly badly in a lesson, I really feel awful and almost feel like giving up.

The day before I started flight school, I wrote a post comparing my situation with that of the Israelites in Egypt. My uncle commented reminding me that they then spent 40 years wandering the wilderness. That was something I needed.

I was given a reminder yesterday of why I’m here: I want to be a missionary. This picture from my trip to Guatemala is why.

Questions

In case you haven’t been keeping up, I’m in flight school. Those of you who have been keeping up are thinking “I got that”.

Most of you don’t know what’s going on in that realm though. I haven’t really said a whole lot about it, and I have had a few people ask how it’s going.

So,

No. I have not crashed yet. I did taxi off the runway in the simulator, but that didn’t register.

No. I haven’t been up in a real plane yet.

Next week.

I got my uniform just the other day.

Yes the instructors are nice.

I’ve learnt a lot of things. I don’t have the time or energy to tell you about it all.

Though I will give you a quick little thing I learnt:

Be careful when you take the engine cover off. There’s oil on the inside, and it sucks when you get it on your brand new, white uniform.

Incidentally, does anyone have any good advice for getting oil stains out of a new white shirt?

Qualified?

I’m not very old. I barely qualify as an adult. Sometimes it’s very hard to talk with those who are older than me (particularly seniors) because I feel like I simply don’t know enough.

The Bible says something different.

“Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go… Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you” (Jeremiah 1:7-8).

God will send you whether you’re young or old, and He will protect you from your enemies.

Still don’t feel qualified?

Jacob was a cheater, Peter had a temper, David had an affair, Noah got drunk, Jonah ran from God, Paul was a murderer, Gideon was insecure, Miriam was a gossiper, Martha was a worrier, Thomas was a doubter, Sarah was impatient, Elijah was depressed, Moses stuttered, Zacchaeus was short, Abraham was old, and Lazarus was dead.

God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

(Note: I did not come up with this. I found it on the internet, here.)

I love this. I’m certainly not qualified. I don’t have anything special, yet He’s still calling me to do His work.

Music

Hi, I’m Dominic and I’m  a musician.

Nothing new there. I’ve played violin since I was seven. I think. It’s been quite a while.

I wouldn’t consider myself a particularly good musician, but I have fun.

Music is fun. Often if I feel bogged down from all my studying, I just break out my violin and play. Usually I only play a few short tunes, but it helps me feel way better.

A few years ago I got a pretty decent microphone for Christmas. I’ve been recording for some time with that mic, but I’ve never really published my music.

Until a few weeks ago. I poked around online and found a pretty good software for music and sound recordings. I decided that since these days music publication is free, why not try it?

Do that’s what I did. I don’t think they’re all that good, but I’ve received some nice feedback.

So yeah, if you’re interested for some reason, you can check it out here and here.

Share

Those who know me know that I want to become a missionary. I’ve never kept that a secret, it’s even in my blogger profile description. I’ve been thinking though about what it means to be a missionary.

The “missionary verse” if you will, is Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (ESV). Most people nowadays realise that this includes our nation, our town, our street, our home, but sometimes I think people forget that it’s also now. Not later.

For me in particular, I’m looking towards a life of professional missonaryism (Yes, I know that’s not a word; I just invented it.). It’s easy for me to get into the mindset of “I don’t need to go all out missionary work right now, I’m going to do that later!” That mentality is wrong. I need to constantly remind myself that if I’m not working as a missionary now, what makes me think that I will later?

The great commission is not for certain people at certain times, but for everyone at all times. Now I’m not saying that you should go out onto the street and start screaming the Gospel into the face of everyone you see, but rather, you should always be mindful that you are displaying the character of Christ at all times.

And always be ready and willing to share the Gospel when the opportunity presents itself.

Three Days In

Today is (was) my third day at the airport. Our director likened this first little while to drinking from a fire hose.

He was wrong.

I feel like I’m chugging the oceans. All of them. At the same time.

My friend and I were depressed to realise that it’s only been three days.

It feels like three weeks.

I’m tired.

“See if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:24)

I read that this morning, and it stood out in my mind. I know that there are many grievous ways in me. Not only does the Bible support that, but just by taking one look at my life, I can see that my life took a very wrong turn somewhere. (Namely, the fall of man…)

Yet I can still ask God to lead me to Him.

One Day Until Freedom

So today is my last day before I start flight school.

You could say I’m excited, but that would be an understatement.

I’ve wanted to fly for as long as I can remember, but I’ve never been able to.

That’s all about to change. My dream is about to come true.

I wonder if this is how it felt for the Israelites the day before Moses led them out of Egypt.

They spent years in harsh slavery, then Moses comes along and says God will deliver them. They see all the wonders, and then one day Moses comes up to them and says “tonight is the night”.

One more day until freedom.

Or flying, as the case may be.

(Post edit: The photo is from a card I sent to my grandparents. It says "Dear Grandma and Grandpa, Thaks for the 50$ cheque. I'm going to put it in my bank acount so that I can buy a plane. I need to save 223, 910$! Lots of love, Dominic." The date is from my tenth birthday...)

Happy New Year!

Happy new year to the four of you who regularly read my blog!

Oh, and the rest of you who happen to glance at the second line…

Today is my last day at my parents house for Christmas break. I’ve had a good time, it’s nice to see all my friends and family again, but I must admit that I’m excited for flight school next week.

It’s funny how a new year makes it feel like I’ve got a shot at a new start. I hope that it’s the same for you.

If it is, I hope that you embrace this fresh start, and really try to make a difference in your life, or someone elses.

And even if you don’t feel like you get a fresh start, make one anyways. It’s never too late to start!