GUYS ARE GREAT

I love men.

Uh..I hope you know what I mean when I say that. Just so it doesn't get weird.

I have a great desire to build into men. To see men raised up as leaders- leaders in the household, in the church, in the workplace, in the missions field. I desire to see men built up so that they can build into other men, who will build into other men, who will build into other men...and so on. I think it's no secret that there is a real shortage of men who are leaders in today's generation, and, while I won't get into why that is, I will say that I have really been made more aware of this problem in the last few months.

I have had the privilege to have had so many great men impact my life on so many different levels, at so many different stages of life. It makes me realize how blessed I've been. So...I made a little tribute list thingy, highlighting some of the men who have impacted my life the most. There are 12 of them, because I hear that 12 men have done big things in the past.

(in totally random order by the way)

1- My Dad (Jerry Rice)
Kind of an obvious one. I am so thankful for my dad, and I really can't say that enough. It is so humbling that a great man like him considers his children to be the biggest blessing in his life- I say it's the other way around for me. My dad taught me all kinds of things about respect growing up- mostly by modeling it for me. He also did pretty much anything for me: rides to early morning practices or paper routes, financial help while I was in school, always ready to play catch outside. God gave him the gift of teaching, which he did for over thirty years- needless to say he impacted the lives of hundreds of students. If I can be even kind of close to the husband and father that he has been, then I should be okay.


2- Peter Eddy
I smile pretty much every time I hear this guy's name. Peter Eddy represents the vision of what I do. It has been so amazing to see how God has worked in his life over the last couple of years, and how he has pretty much poured out his life into other men, investing all kinds of time in them. Honestly, I felt so blessed to be able to simply watch that happen. It was also a real joy to have Peter on my OEX team this past year- to get to do ministry halfway around the world with him was pretty much the perfect way to transition out of my time at Carleton. I really admire his passion to know the Word (and to apply it to his life), and I always get a kick out of how he likes to call me "Boss". There's no one I'd rather get in a shouting match with over a game of Settlers either!


3- Darren Lung
Darren is someone who, for whatever reason, saw something in me during my first year at Carleton, and chose to invest time in me, meeting up with me on a weekly basis and taking me out sharing the first few times. This guy is incredibly passionate about seeing the nations changed by the gospel. He has a great heart for the nations, and really does cast a vision that inspires others to be a part of changing the world. He played an instrumental role in getting me thinking about going on OEX. Carleton is blessed to have Darren back there this year, as the "old guard". The fact that he is on some sort of itinerate preaching tour to various campuses this semester speaks volumes of how much people love hearing him cast the vision.


4- Jevin Maltais
Another guy who I really looked up to in first year. Jevy was my first DG leader, and he modeled what it looked like to be a university student and to chase hard after God at the same time. As a first year, I was always struck by just how open and real Jevy was. I really appreciated that, because it made me have a greater enthusiasm for meeting with Christians on campus, and a lot more comfortable with the guys in our group. I continued to see that realness in Jevy throughout my time at Carleton. He also happens to love trance music (if you've ever seen him do the robot dance, you know he's a master of that), and he has mad photography skills. To pay the bills.


5- Russ Martin
It is amazing how God used Russ to impact my life in such a short period of time. On OEX 2005, I was really blown away by Russ' hunger for the Word. It totally reinstilled a passion in me to study the Bible. Russ sometimes gets knocked as unemotional, but his heart for the campus and for the world is definitely there. He's also one of the most organized guys I've ever seen, and seeing how he managed his time really made me assess my time management skills (or lack thereof). We were also unstoppable as euchre partners. I think we lost once, and I think it was a fluke. Russ has used the gifts God has given him to have a real impact on two fronts: the campuses in Toronto, and also with Internet ministies.


6- Parker
I didn't know Parker that well in my first year, but then he started discipling me in second year. The guy was just always there for the next two years, and it feels so weird not seeing him every day. I thoroughly enjoy having girl-talk with Parker. I enjoyed having him saunter into my room when I was in the "bougois". More importantly, I appreciated his heart to build into men, his vision for reaching the world, and the fact that he always seemed available- ready to chat about anything, and to pray for anything. The guy is a leader in the truest sense in that he serves the people around him. Though the old "control tower" of 1139-E is no more, Parker has set up shop in East Asia this year, and God is using him there. Parker is also secretly the master of Mario Kart.


7- Josh Wong
The fact that I was willing to come out to Halifax to work alongside Josh without having yet met him in person speaks volumes about the reputation that he has, and being in close contact with him on a daily basis the last couple of months has only reaffirmed some of the characteristics that originally attracted me: an amazing passion for building into men, the gift of discipleship, an incredibly humble servant heart, and a constantly positive outlook on life. Josh is a great leader, and it is such a privilege to get to work alongside him. I have learned a ton just by observing and doing ministry alongside the guy. He happens to have a black belt in kung fu, so he could kick the crap out of me. Not that he would. Today is also his birthday.


8- Brandon Clark
Since I was six years old, Brandon has been there. It's been hard in a lot of ways the last couple of years as we've been at different schools and moving on into a different phase of life. The amazing thing is that we can always pick up right where we left off, no matter what, and that to me is a real testament to the length and depth of our friendship. There is no one I would rather have as a teammate (in any sport), and he and I have so many memories- whether from school, sports, summers out on the golf course, or the Sega Genesis. It is awesome to have been able to grow up with a guy like him as my friend, and I'm excited to see where our lives will continue to go.


9- Nathan Onifrichuk
I hardly knew this guy in my first year at Carleton and then suddenly we were living in 1139-D. I may have been the "mom" of the house, but Nathan is the rock. I totally admire this guy's passion to know God more, to chase after His plan. He does it with such quiet humility and intensity. Nathan has a real heart for the world. He started up the prayer meetings in our house (which then moved next door the following year). Though he may give you the impression that he has no clue what to do when it comes to ministry stuff, I have seen how God has used him to build into other men. Nate is also the best air drummers I have ever seen, and a legend in foosball.


10- My Brother (Paul Rice)
You would think that because we are twelve years apart, me and my brother aren't necessarily close. That's not the case. We bond over our common interests, most of which I inherited from him: a passion for baseball cards, the (now-defunct) Montreal Expos, Ontario highways, music, and right-wing politics. My brother is also the one who took the time to make sure that I truly understood what it meant to have a personal relationship with God, when I was younger. He is probably one of the best guitarists I have ever heard, and he has followed my dad's example of being a great family man- despite being a successful business manager, he puts his wife and two kids first.



11- Mark Mowbray
One of the biggest reasons of why I'm in full-time ministry right now is because of how Mark modeled for me what it looked like to be involved with ministry. The summer after my first year at Carleton, I worked as an intern at my home church. Mark (our youth pastor) time and again simply showed that it was about knowing God more, rather than just doing as much as we can for Him. I really appreciate Mark because he has a special ability to come at students from a different angle and yet still meet them where they're at. Whenever I connect with him, he always manages to ask the questions that get me thinking the most- enough if they are hard to hear at the time. He is also an amazing family man.

12- The Brother-in-Laws (Steve Heidt and Mark Cretney)
Okay, I guess it's hard to lump two guys together. But I am thankful for the men that my sisters have married/will marry next summer. I've known Steve (left) since I was about 11, and so I saw a lot of him during my "formative" years. He is a real influencer, and someone who is passionate. It is heart to find a bigger heart than Steve's- he is always ready to give of his time, without having second thoughts about it. I saw him model to me first-hand what a dating relationship looked like before he married my sister, and I have always been struck by how he respected her. Mark (right) is currently engaged to my other sister, and though I may have only known him for a few years, we're tight. Tight enough that I call him Mike (I have no idea why). Again, I have appreciated how he has respected my sister, and I wholeheartedly approve. My sisters have some great guys in their lives, and I am blessed to have them as my brother-in-laws.

Okay, those are the twelve. Praise God for awesome men!

Obviously, there are so many more great guys that have had an impact on my life. I could go on to point out buddies from Belleville, guys from missions trips, all the great warriors at Carleton, and some of the studs I get to spend time with at Dal. The point isn't who really made "the list" or not, but more to give God the glory for the amazing men that I have had the privilege to spend time with. My prayer is that more men like these guys will be raised up, not only at Dalhousie, but across Canada- men who will be leaders, men who will be spiritual multipliers, men who will storm the gates of hell and take the gospel to the nations.

I love men.