Empowering Words (J-Yap)

There may not be thorough understanding of how things should be in the future in our lives, but may you be reminded and driven to live out an active faith in following our hearts, to risk, to grow, to embrace the truth that we are more than we or others allow ourselves to be.  
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Fear/ worry may seem natural, but God is powerful and we‘re called to follow.      

Hoping for Twin Powers Activate on Wednesday!  

jannikhansen36:

Has anyone seen this yet? A friend just texted it to me LOL.

GOLD!

  
41 saves for Jon Quick with the Canucks firing from left, right and center and he looked calm as a cucumber; Dustin Brown may have hit Hank but he’s clutch (and so is Mike Richards).  

To be frank this is how a playoff team should be: Stud goaltender, solid defensive plays from Greene, Mitchell and Scuderi; good puck movers in Doughty, Voynov and Martinez; and their united group of committed forwards willing to play strong, two-way physical, opportunistic hockey starting with Brown, Richards, Stoll, Williams, Kopitar and also their grind guys (Fraser, King, Lewis, Penner, Nolan).  

That being said, go Canucks go!  #FightingUntilTheEnd #NotOver

jannikhansen36:

MORE OF THIS PLEASE.

jannikhansen36:

It’s playoff hockey, you’re going to win some, you’re going to lose some. On the bright side, the Canucks couldn’t have played any worse. In game one, they took careless penalties. In game two, they gave up short-handed goals. Game three will be different.

Alain Vigneault is a winning coach. He will rile his troops and prepare them for battle. HANG IN THERE. BELIEVE IN YOUR TEAM. THEY CAN DO THIS!

Can’t wait to pass and be done with marketing… 
Don’t wanna let that bad grade haunt me anymore…
Couple more days of learning it before the final, so can’t give up!   

It may not seem so long ago, but 300 days have passed since the Canucks lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals to the Boston Bruins, and subsequently the 6/15 Vancouver Riots took place.  On this day (April 9th), the Vancouver Canucks prepare for the long road of redemption ahead of them as they strive to capture the Cup which came so close yet ultimately eluded their grasp.  Similar to last season, this season’s squad captured regular season supremacy once again, as they are the repeat defending President’s Trophy champions after a 111-point regular season.  However, this would be all for naught if the team stopped anywhere short of hoisting the championship.  

Despite the added incentive/ haunting image of the failure during last spring’s run, question marks remain, as skeptics remain unconvinced about the level of skill existent on this year’s team compared to last.  

Admittedly, the scoring depth has improved, and this season’s acquisitions (young, speedy yet oft-injured scorer David Booth from the Florida Panthers for declining veteran Marco Sturm and aging sniper Mikael Samuelsson; defensive stalwart Samuel Pahlsson from the Columbus Blue Jackets for two 4th round picks and prospect Taylor Ellington, and the least expected move of emerging scoring center Cody Hodgson and solid depth defenseman Alex Sulzer for Buffalo Sabre budding power forward Zack Kassian and point-per-game playoff scorer, defenseman Marc-Andre Gragnani) should better prepare the team for the playoff game, which is often played in the metaphorical trenches with an added emphasis on physical defensive play.  With the likes of playoff warriors Alex Burrows, Max Lapierre, Chris Higgins and Jannik Hansen, among others, this team should be able to have consistent scoring and four solid lines of two-way play.  

However, despite these depth improvements, concern remains surrounding the decline in scoring from core forwards. Daniel and Henrik Sedin, the last two regular season scoring championships went from being 100+ point scorers to 81 and 67-point seasons respectively.  More importantly, two-way center Ryan Kesler, whose 75-point outburst from last season dropped to 49 points this year, will once again be relied upon as a key contributor capable of carrying the team on his back as he did last season.  However, questions abound about whether he will be able to reach that level of offensive excellence to lead the offensive charge once again.  Ultimately, these core players will once again be relied upon heavily to carry the offensive load, with heavy criticism from the local hockey-mad fan base awaiting any subpar performances.

Defensively, the team’s improvements at the forward position should only reinforce an-already stingy defensive unit, anchored by the shutdown pairing of the rugged Kevin Bieksa and defensive anchor Dan Hamhuis, who both posted nearly 40-point seasons and +/- ratings above +10.  The defense is further reinforced by the pairing of Alex Edler, who posted career highs in goals, points and games played, and Sami Salo, the talented two-way defenseman who has managed to stay healthy for the majority of the season.  These two pairings (Hamhuis-Bieksa, Edler-Salo) and their collective health will be essential in determining the length and success of their playoff run.  Complemented by the likes of the enigmatic Keith Ballard, Marc Andre Gragnani, Aaron Rome and the defensively stable Chris Tanev, there is reason to believe that they will be able to contribute effectively and even fill in for greater roles, if necessary.

In goal, there is both increased stability and uncertainty, as well as potential and burden.  While #1 goalie Roberto Luongo remains as the starter, the role is no longer undisputed, and quite likely he will be playing on a short leash, as backup Cory Schneider has shown that he has the talent to take over and play well in short notice.  However, this tandem is surely an asset to the team as Schneider is an extremely solid insurance policy.

Collectively, the team’s ability to win games strictly by relying on talent and a potent powerplay for scoring has been extensively questioned, and this team will have to show that it is ready for the physical and emotional toll taken during the grueling battles during this postseason.

In examining their opponents, the LA Kings play quite the similar style, with an abundance of (lately slumping) scoring talent, as well as strong defensive play headlined by standout goaltender Jonathan Quick.   

Can they get it done starting on Wednesday against the LA Kings?  Guess we’ll just have to wait to find out.     

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Retrospect piece on Round 1:

Pros:
Good job Daniel and Henrik after getting reunited, playing together than they normally do, and Booth also really solidified that unit.  Also good job Schneider, almost stole another one tonight.  Burrows, Higgins, Hansen, Pahlsson, Lapierre were good energy/ foot soldiers up front but sadly they weren’t able to finish.  Weise looked okay out there.

Hamhuis and Bieksa were solid, enough.  Aside from his skating error tripping on the blueline Hamhuis was solid.  Bieksa and Edler also chipped in with goals that got the team back into things.  Ballard - Tanev were solid too.  Luongo was a solid teammate.

Now…

Cons:
Lack of discipline by Kesler who also never really seemed to be in the series; he really needs to find his form.  Edler’s been lazier than what I’m used to seeing, esp. on the game-tying goal when he should’ve boxed out on Richardson.  Raymond was a tumbleweed/ fish out of water, flopping around so much.  No secondary scoring/ connectivity in passing between secondary forwards (good passes from the defense though).

They didn’t deserve to win (well Schneider and the Twins did, but not many others).
 

Despite the “busyness” of the time of the year, with term papers and whatnot, last weekend was a necessary reminder about how things in life need to be placed in their proper order once again.  

I realize that up until now in reality I’ve been living while having my relationship with God somewhat as a lower priority, as evidenced by decreased TWA and reading of the Word, and also slight declines in attendance in church events (e.g. services, and also in Prayer meetings and fellowship meetings which are necessary for Core group members to attend, as well as siu yea which allows for bonding between members).

There have even been decreases in prayer quality and devotions— this is time to communicate with and understand His will, yet too often it’s became secondary in my list of priorities as (granted) urgent assignments take up time. However, just this past weekend I gave myself the excuse to skip on Sunday due to the “need” to finish assignments when at times I wasn’t actually even focused but just didn’t really want to go, which I am aware that it is not right to do.

Furthermore, overall it seems as though our primary role as His workers was turned on its head, so that I’ve been putting my intentions and goals above the pursuits He intends for me to have in life.

Thank God though for this reminder, and for some reading material to remind me once again of what is important in the Christian walk and how to walk properly and closely with Him. http://www.ldolphin.org/priorities.html    

Another important reminder: we are to actively STRIVE to obtain FIRSTLY HIS reign in our lives; EVERYTHING else is less important http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/1464-christian-priorities

2. We will always have enough time to do God’s will
Time problems occur when we try to do more than God’s will for our own lives. This principle should be a red flag in our minds whenever we find ourselves overwhelmed and unable to accomplish all that we are charged with doing.

“For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.” - 1 Corinthians 14:33 

3. Time is lost on the smaller things first
It is said that we lose minutes before we lose hours, days before we lose weeks. Often, time is lost in the gaps between activities doing unproductive things. Make a habit of keeping work with you to fill these gaps (reading material, homework, letters to write, Bible Scripture to memorize). 

Time management is a measure of knowing God’s will
Time management provides a way of walking carefully before God and of proving His perfect will.

I hope that these thoughts and principles will encourage you to make the best use of time for your relationship with God, your family, and your Church! God bless you.

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” - Ephesians 5:15-18

I know that this isn’t easy to achieve but it’s necessary that things get back on the right track so that my life may be used as He intended for it to be.

From Jaeson Ma:

Be careful what you share with others. Your words will either build up or tear down everyone who hears you. Expressing your worry, discouragement, disappointment, and anger will result in defiling those around you, and you will be held accountable for every negative or idle word spoken. (Mt. 12:36) Set a new standard for yourself to only speak as led by the Spirit, and refuse to backbite, gossip, criticize, judge, or tear people down. I am calling you, My Church, to a new spiritual level that can only be attained through righteousness and integrity. Don’t miss the opportunities to access these greater heights, says the Lord. 

really tired with school right now… it just seems so dry… plus the thought of being in fourth year next year seems to be followed quite often by “oh my, already?” in my head as I have been thinking a lot about it

even right now, just the sheer weight of everything, the papers, projects, catch-ups, readings, etc. and the taxing that comes with all of this wasn’t something that I’d come to expect or experience before… plus who knew even 9 o’clock lectures would be so difficult to make it on time for with energy for learning?  (the professor did say though that English majors in general aren’t energetic even in 9 AM classes so I guess I’m in the norm!)
 
I just wish I had one day off from school each week, just to recharge, where I might study on other days but on that day (maybe a Friday) I would be able to sleep a little later, get some work done until the mid-afternoon and then just be able to have some time to do enjoy things… somehow that enjoyment hasn’t been very frequent or easy to attain lately… if only there was another reading break around this time so term projects and stuff could get worked on…

Maybe conversely I’d need to learn to delegate once more and not pick up too much at one time, but instead to focus on doing one thing first before completing others.  For today (at least in the evening) that thing to do is rest and recharge for tomorrow, with hopes that there will be energy and drive to work on, if not complete, the things that need to be done.  #FIGHTING