Well, tonight is the end of one thing and the beginning of another. My husband Jason and I have had the amazing privilege of being the youth pastors for our church for the past six years or so. Enigma Youth Experience (or Enigma for short) has been an amazing adventure which tonight has now come to the end of it's journey. The four part vision for Enigma was Digesting the Bible (really digging in and examining scripture), Interacting with God (through prayer, reading His word, worship and just sitting and listening for Him to speak), Loving people (really love all people, not just your friends or the ones you want to love!) and finally Changing The World (and if you do the first three you will go out and change your world. Key word being GO!) These past six years, I feel that we have accomplished the first three items. Now is the time for the fourth ... Changing The World. With Revolution 457 starting up this will become the focus. How to change your world. How to not only discover your gifts and talents but to also use them. As Pastor Syd said in his sermon one Sunday, the most expensive pieces of land is a graveyard. That's where all the unwritten books, unsung songs.... all the dreams that were dreamed and the visions seen but never acted upon lie. That is such a profound statement. Opportunities are coming in the next while that will allow you to move into your destinies and purposes now... not years from now. Take them. Am I sad that Enigma is over? Yes. Enigma has been a very integral part of my life. I have truly loved every minute of it, even the minutes that weren't the easiest. I have loved (and will always love) every person who has sat in on a Friday night or come out to an event. I am proud of all of you. I am honored to have been involved in all your lives. I will miss Enigma but I am excited in what is to come with Revolution 457. It is the next step. And it is an awesome step! God is going to do amazing things! Dream big, nothing is too big for God. Let's go get a generation and turn this nation around!

It's time to go change a nation!!!

This little boy here is probably my favorite subject to photograph. It use to be dragonflies but they are now number two. He's a lot easier to shoot, I don't have to chase him around for three hours to get a few pics. (yes I have done that just ask Jason all the while talking to the dragonfly. I know sounds a little crazy!) My beautiful baby boy Logan Jayce Clifford Rivers. (I'm a little biased but then again what mother isn't) This pic was taken this past July at an event on Parliament Hill called The CRY 2 Him, run by an amazing ministry called 4mycanada. (Check out the site it is an awesome ministry!!! http://www.4mycanada.ca/ ) Such an amazing day. Thousands of people young and old alike on the hill praising God and praying for this nation!! I had the awesome privilege to be one of the official photographers for this event and man was I blown away. I took over 450 photos that day (which for anyone who knows me is typical. There would have been more but my camera battery died and I got heat stroke) but I would have to say that this one is my favorite. Not just because he is my son, but because of the significance of the photo in combination with what we were on the hill for. There was a break for lunch, so I made my way back to where Jason & Logan were sitting for lunch. He had woken up from a nap in his stroller so I put him on the blanket and was letting him play with my Tilley hat. We stuck it on his head and I thought he looked so cute that I had to take a few pictures. This is the second picture I took. At the time I was just trying to get all of him in the frame, it wasn't 'til I got home and looked at them on the computer that I noticed that he's got the Peace tower in the background. (Coming out of his head to be exact) When I saw the pic on the computer it struck me, this is what the CRY was all about. It was about coming together and lifting up a voice to God for this nation. For righteousness to prevail. So that future generations can have a strong, moral Canada. One that will protect the unborn, the rights of children, the sanctity of marriage. One that loves God. If I don't speak now, if I don't effect change in my nation now then that beautiful baby boy who has no voice right now will grow up in a country that is immoral and corrupt and it will be because of me. I cannot afford to be too scared to speak. I MUST be a voice. This government is making decisions on key areas that will affect generations to come. Issues coming up like the private members bill to protect the unborn and make abortion illegal past 20 weeks. (Right now there is no laws governing abortion whatsoever!! So you can have an abortion all the way up to 9 months!) This will save 20 000 babies a year if it is passed. Issues like the free vote on the definition of marriage, bills to protect children from internet pornography and sexual predators, raising the age of sexual consent to 16 from 14. All of these and more will protect our children, protect that little boy. Go and talk to your MP, let him know that you want a righteous, moral Canada. It's not about a party it's about what's right. Go in honor and humility. Above all go. They think that my generation (18-35) do not want these things because we have been silent. There is no time anymore to be silent. Take a stand for Christ, for a return of morality to this nation. I know that I must because I don't want to look at this little boy in a few years when he's not so little anymore and have him ask me "Mom why does this nation not protect it's children and families? Why didn't you do something when you had the chance?" I want to be able to say that I did all that I could and motivated others around me to take stands and we did change this nation. Do it today. Do it for your children and your future children. It must start with us. Can a nation be changed? Yes!!

My first foray into the blog

Well.... I have never done a blog before but have seen quite a few of them. I think that the concept of a blog has a lot of potential but also has to be treated very carefully. This is something that can be seen by people you know and people you don't know. The statements you make can either have a positive or negative impact. Especially if you are listing yourself as a Christian. Now this is in no way to say that we as Christians are perfect, ( I am far from it) it's just that I think that we should be careful in the words we use and the things we say. We can be a great witness for God or we can be a stumbling block and a bad example to those that are searching. In this day and age people are searching for truth. They can see a fraud a mile off. As Christians we need to be examples of Christ's truth and righteousness. As one pastor I heard put it we need to be Jesus with skin on. We need to be a light to a dying and broken world that desparately needs Christ. Whether they realize it or not. Too many people are living life their way (outside and inside the church). We need to start living life His way. Dying to self and living for Him. Telling a dark and dying world of the need for Jesus as their saviour. If not, then we have failed as Christians.

Wow, kinda heavy stuff for a first blog post. But then again the truth is always the best place to start!