Off to Saskatchewan!

Hello Folks!

Well, I'm trying really hard to get back into the habit of blogging. I need to do it! I love it oh so very much. Sadly I am blogging at 11:00pm and need to be up early to drive to Saskatchewan tomorrow. I'm speaking at a youth deal for the weekend and probably should be rested, but... I'm doing my usual thing of waiting until the very last minute to pack, prepare and get everything done. I think since travelling so much the excitement wears off. Sadly that excitement is what is needed to be prepared in advance and not put off the needed packing until it is too late.

I decided that a good thing will be to blog while I'm on the road. Since I have this wonderful new computer I will be able to. I probably won't be able to post, but I will write them and save them and then post them when I get back.

Okay... you have to see this... my friend Daniel is on the floor of the TV room doing these wacked out stretches... with a tennis ball. It looks like he is having a siezure or something. But I guess when you are a big time dancer you have to do strange things like this to keep limber and keep up the ability to wing your leg above your head at random times during the day. I'm lucky if I can wing my leg above my hip, so I suppose I should keep my mouth shut.

So yeah, tomorrow -- Saskatchewan! The middle of nowhere Saskatchewan! I'm looking forward to this. It's not all that big, about 70 people coming, but they are hungry and coming from all over the place. That number will be good to get deep with everyone and have us all be able to go to deep places with the Lord as well. I'm speaking at least four times, but there are still three slots that are open and we don't know what to do with. I am travelling with a small team and there will be other capable people there as well, so we'll see how it all pans out. Thanks to the wonder of following Jesus sometimes waiting until the last minute for Him to reveal His plan is the best. Why make plans when you don't know what God wants? And why stress when God is going to do what He wants anyway? Just show up, love Him and try your best to follow Him.

Yeah... I like that.

Anyway, I should really go pack now. And the 8 hour drive to the camp will aid in me getting everything ready for the weekend. I have the feeling it will be one of those "Come Holy Spirit" weekends where that is all you say and He takes over.

Here's to never ending adventure with our most wonderful Jesus!

I'm Gonna Kill Jesus!

You can always tell when my life has gone from normal to insane levels of mayhem. It’s when I stop blogging. But now that I am posting a blog, don’t you be thinking that anything has changed. I am learning new levels of time management and cutting out portions of my day for the all hallowed practice of the blog.

You may question the title of this blog in particular. No I have not gone off the deep end. Well, I have, but I have maintained my mind in relative fashion. It just goes along with a story I’ve been really wanting to tell you guys lately. It has to do with a little boy we know in our church. He has a certain knack for always saying the most incredibly strange things. I think he is far too intelligent for his age and therefore very strange and hilarious things will come out of his mouth.

In Sunday School the class was learning about the armor of God. Remember that scripture? You know, the helmet of salvation, breastplate of righteousness, sword of the spirit. This little boy really liked the sword of the spirit part, but failed to listen to the entire idea.

After the little teaching the teacher said, “Okay, now what are we going to do with the sword of the spirit?”

The little boy proudly shouted out, “I’m gonna kill Jesus!”

Hmmm…. Something was lost in translation.

Speaking of lost in translation I had the immense privilege of hanging out with a certain Pastor Boris all last night. Pastor Boris is from Kiev it the Ukraine. He is seriously Ukrainian and his English is really good, but sometimes not so hot. I think the major part that ceases to make sense is the cultural differences.

Needless to say we had a great time spending the better part of an hour in Shoppers Drug Mart buying gifts for his leaders. Did I mention Pastor Boris is the pastor of the largest messianic Jewish congregation on the entire planet? So he has a few leaders. All of whom are getting a prized gift from Boris’ trip to Canada – underarm deodorant.

Yes, that’s right. He bought literally $50 worth of deodorant. I’m sure everyone in the store thought this guy was flat out nuts. Daniel and I honestly thought we were in a movie. It was so funny. What was even greater is when Boris got out his massive wad of cash to pay for everything. Suddenly this crazy man wasn’t so crazy.

Anyway, we then drove through the worst rain storm I’ve been in for quite some time. Marble sized hail, the road disappeared under water, geysers were shooting up from the sewer grates, lighting and thunder everywhere… and we were happily driving through the middle of it trying out best to work out the language barrier while laughing hysterically the entire time.

Ever so soon

I really don't know what to write in this here blog. You'd think my life is getting boring or something! That is vastly untrue -- I just have little to no idea of how to put into writing what is going on. That and with the recent addition of a laptop I am now able to actually work at normal hours, but also increase what I'm able to do. I don't need to sneak in five minutes of computer time here and there throughout the day and then do a giant computer binge every evening. Now the binge lasts all day long!

In and hour and twenty minutes I'm heading out to the airport to pick up Daniel. I can hardly contain myself, I'm so exicted. I'd write for the next forty years about that, but... this is all you get. You'll probably be reading much, MUCH more about adventures with Daniel on the coming days anyway. I have the feeling that some seriously amazing/funny things will be happening...

I'd like everyone to know that I am comfortable with myself. I am a lot more comfortable with myself then I was even a month ago. God has really been doing a number on me concerning what it's like to simply be me. He has been meeting me in places where I have been afraid to go... and now that I've found that I went... the peace, the fulfillment, the excitement is massive. There is nothing like being who you are.

When I was in the Toronto area this last time this really hit me. I was sitting with Dennis Wiedrick on his portch and we were having a really great coversation. We were talking about ministry stuff and identity stuff and the whole gambit. Dennis said something to me that really rocked me in such a good way. We were talking about people who are consumed with "ministry", people who have their identity in ministry and in the constant whirlwind. I've always been one to shy away from that because I have seen hundreds of ministries all around the world and been involved in many of them and let's just say that I've learned a lot.

Still, identity -- where do we get it, where do we operate from? Do we operate from the identity of ministry or the identity of who we are in Christ? For example, I am a son. My identity is being a son. I am a son of my Father, God. This is where I derive my worth, my value, who I am, my identity. If everything gets taken away, I am still a son and nothing can shake that. I'll never loose my sense of value and well being because a son is something that I can't just step out of. It's blood and it's in there forever.

The scary thing is when you put ministry in that place. The more ministry you do the better you feel about yourself, the more self worth you have, the greater value and purpose you feel your life has. Take ministry away and what do you have left? Nothing. We can't find our identity and be totally consumed by ministry. It is so dangerous... simply because it is so close to the goal, yet terribly far away.

Anyway, all that to say that I am rather thrilled that I am a son. I am rather thrilled that now the highest seat of spiritual warfare is rest, for resting in the midst of the storm truly takes faith and expresses faith which says, "I know God is in control." Seems to me that Jesus modelled that for us once.

I'm so glad that He has already won the battle. I'm so glad I live in an open heaven and don't have to fight everyday for it, but simply have to learn how to appropriate it here in planet earth. Pastor Bill Johnson told us that he believes 98% of the closed heavens exist only between people's ears. What would happen if we changed our mindset and attitude to truly believe we really are in an open heaven and set out to do that which we could knowing it were true?

So much striving would cease. I pray it does in my heart.

Anyway....

There's some verbal rambling for you all.

That was unexpected

Unexpected could be the theme of my life these last few weeks. Much has occured which I never, ever thought would happen. All of it has been incredible. I would tell you of such things, but that is not what this forum is for... naaaah... I probably wouldn't tell you anyway. I just want to tease you all and leave you hanging.

Something that I will tell you about which is both unexpected and incredible is the fact that I am currently updating my blog in the comfort of my bedroom on wireless internet with a brand new smoking hot laptop computer which the Lord has most definately blessed me with today. Some friends of mine called up this week and informed me that God told them to buy me a laptop so they graciously obeyed our wonderful King and now an answer to prayer is at my fingertips.

This was and is totally unexpected and I am beyond blessed, beyond grateful and totally floored.

I would write more, but I am also beyond tired right now and need to make a phone call before I crawl into bed.

Love God people. Life's just more fun that way.

I'm not Conrad

There is this very strange thing that has been happening to me more and more often. Before it was kind of funny, but now I'm starting to really take notice and say to myself, "What the heck is going on?"

Everywhere I go I get mistaken for someone. It started with people saying, "You so remind me of so-and-so, it's not even funny." I would laugh and they would laugh and off we'd go. Then it got more serious and people would really make a big deal of it saying I looked EXACTLY like someone and acted like them too.

Lately it has been people walking up to me with an astonished look in their eyes saying, "STRANGE NAME... I can't beleive it's you!" I then look at them and say, "I'm sorry but I'm not STRANGE NAME. I'm Kayle, you have me mistaken for someone else."

For example, a few weeks ago in Toronto I literally had someone run up to me and try and give me a hug calling me David and saying how wonderful a surprise it was to see me. I looked at them really strange and eventually they realized that they've never met me before ever. Then right after we cleared that up another person ran up to me doing the exact same thing, "DAVID!! I can't believe you're here!!"

Wierd.

Tonight I was in my new favorite place on earth, the Sugar Bowl. I was sitting down with my friend Jon and noticed these two people looking at me really funny. I thought they must be trying to read something behind my head and paid no attention to it. The lady put on her glasses and looked closer and the man waved and me and said, "Conrad? Is that you?"

I looked over my shoulder, noticed there was nobody and said in return, "Are you talking to me?"

"Yes... Conrad?"

Nope. Not Conrad. I'm still Kayle. We laughed a bit and they lady kept looking at me as if I was lying.

Oh yeah, and I got an e-mail today off our MyCanada website saying that they know someone would could pass as my brother.

Figure that one out.

So that is strange and what is stranger is how Bryan and I made Chili today. But we didn't have a can opener because Stef took it to work. So we opened all the cans with a hammer, screwdriver and a set of pliers. It was quite fun in all honesty. We just realized maybe we should have cleaned the tools BEFORE we pounded them into the cans of food. So I just made it really spicey and cooked it for a long time instead.

So with that, Kayle, David, Conrad or whoever I look just like will sign off and bid you all a good morning, evening or afternoon depending on when you are reading this.

Kayle Mumby, Superstar

Here is my glamorous lifestyle for you to see:

- Woke up one hour too early for no apparent reason other then my alarm clock was blasting my head in. I still don't know why I set it so early.

- Drove to Whyte Ave to get some wonderfully delicious coffee.

- Forgot to bring parking change so walked 6 blocks in the POURING rain

- Realized the manager of the Starbucks on Whyte is a friend I Speedskated with for years and whom I had not seen in a very long time

- Went to the Sugar Bowl for some incredible lunch (Salmon and lettuce something or other which was completely fantastic)

- Talked to a complete stranger who broke up with his girlfriend that morning and looked like he was incredibly broken hearted. I find out later that he is about to get his doctorate in psychology and felt strange giving him advice, but it was a fantastic conversation and totally a God thing

- Had an incredible prayer time at Healthworks

- Talked to Daniel for 3.2 hours so far (the day is not over)

- Forced myself to eat left over spagetti that I made last night. I liked it better today

- Listened about 17 times to a voice message I got last night

- Went and got another coffee at my Starbucks

- Decided to go book shopping as that seemed the thing to do when all alone

- Looked for a book on George Valanchine (sp?) but couldn't find it. So I bought a huge biography on Stalin instead. For those of you who know who Valanchine is you'll be laughing along with me at just about how opposite those two people are and be asking how it is physically possible to go into a store looking for one thing and coming out with something so, so, so far off the goal

- Ate an entire bag of microwave popcorn

- Decided I shouldn't be alone

- Am curing my aloneness via electronic virtual friendship on myspace

- Will soon make some phone calls...

Yes, my friends... another day in the life of Kayle Mumby, Superstar.