Various Life Thoughts

1. Pride in busyness?


Hello, my name is Sarah Hill, and I have to fight busyness to stay sane. Sometimes then, when I have a spare afternoon, I feel weird because I feel like I should be 'doing' something. I have an obsession with 'doing'.

a week of my life in Feb. 2010

How often when someone asks how you're doing, is your response "Busy, but good." Our culture has an addiction to always be doing, doing, doing. We are taught to define ourselves by doing. The more we do, the more we're busy with, the more worthwhile our time is, the better person we are. Even within gospel ministry, the more we're 'doing' for the Kingdom of God makes our lives more worthwhile. Does the more we 'do', make our salvation more significant than our brother's? We take pride in our full schedules.

Often when asked how we're doing, we rattle off a list of things that we've done. Was the question "what are you doing?" or "how are you doing?" Could we dare to open up our hearts to say how our hearts are doing? Oooh, vulnerability. That would be scary.

You and me alike, we need to fight to find a balance between apathy/laziness and taking pride and identity in being busy.
Work hard, yes. By God's strength and for His glory, not our own.
Be still as well, and know that He is God - not our agendas, our icalenders. To pause amidst responsibilities and acknowledge the core purpose of this life - to live by God's grace and worship him.
What's your focus - the lighthouse in the distance, or the current that you're caught in right now?
We need to focus our hearts.
On the King.

2. Eminen & Rihanna: I Love the Way You Lie
I heard this super catchy song on the radio about a month ago. Looked up the lyrics and watched the video and was bug eyed for all 4 minutes and 27 second of it. It's story of a couple who love each other, then hate each other, love each other, then hate each other. It basically jumps back and forth from sex to physical fighting. Over. And over. And over.

You swore you'd never hit em, never do nothin' to hurt em
Now you're in each other's face spewin' venom in your words 
when you spit em
You push pull each other's hair
Scratch claw hit em throw em down pin em
So lost in the moments when you're in em
It's the rage that's the culprit, controls you both
Next time there won't be no next time
I apologize even though I know it's lies
I'm tired of the games I just want her back
I know I'm a liar, if she ever tries to leave again
I'ma tie her to the bed and set this house on fire



I guess I haven't had MTV on for years, but I truly couldn't believe the shots in that video that are legal to create - extreme anger, spitting in faces, punching through drywall inches from a face, burning bodies, physical abuse + nudity and basically sex. The simultaneous music and lyrics add extra mood to the song.
There's no denial that brokenness  exists in the world. But should we be glorifying it, which incidentally, affirms it for who knows how many people?
I tried to find some redemptive components... but every time something positive came up, it was matched with a downhill spiral of violence.
Too bad it was such a catchy tune.
I still think Eminem is incredibly talented at rapping.

3. East Vancouver vs. The North Shore
Strathcona, in East Vancouver is where it is most common for something to be uneducated and unemployed. It have the smallest percentage of students graduate from high school.

North and West Vancouver on the The North Shore have the highest employment rates and the highest percentage of high school graduates. 

East Vancouver has the lowest paying jobs and the cheapest housing in the city (with the average house a 'measly' half a million, at least), including the majority of public housing and immigrated families.

The North Shore's residents hold the highest paying jobs and have the most expensive housing (with the average house upwards towards 1- 1.5 million.


Family variations are all over the map; there are Strathcona mothers who push and challenge their kids in school, helping them as much as possible with school work and help define their character in impactful ways. There are West Vancouver mothers who see their children 3 hours a day, long enough to bring home take out and drive them around to piano lessons, soccer practice and after school tutoring. These moms hardly have a voice in their children's lives. Brokenness lies in every demographic.

MacDonald Elementary, at East Hastings and Victoria, is closing because they are only at 1/3 capacity. I recently spoke to an affluent mother who lives on the West Side; she said she would never  enroll her child at a school like MacDonald because of the influence of broken families that is present in MacDonald's students' lives. With a reputation like that, no wonder MacD is only at 30% capacity.

I don't have a grand finale point. Just wanted to write out some thoughts.