Terribly Poetic

Hey everyone, so I’ve been busy in the last couple days at my new job here at Ranger Lake Bible Camp, and one of my first tasks was to finish up some design work I had begun back in December for the camp. After developing their brochure and poster, I was now ready to create the shirt design for the summer. Typically I like to carry over thematic elements and I am quite pleased with the design. Visit Poetic Industries to see the original poster. However, we are getting different opinions on the use of colour in the shirt and so I turn it over to you, my readers. Please comment on which shirt you like best and if you have any other thoughts, please add those to your vote as well.

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After much prayer, guidance from friends, and the like, I announced yesterday that I will be leaving my job at Saskatoon Youth For Christ. I have been feeling some uneasiness for the past while and now know that God has been promoting and guiding me to move on. It is one of the most scary things I have ever done as I am leaving into the unknown. Already, God has been giving me peace about this decision and already He has been at work to show me a job to step into. I can’t talk about it yet as it isn’t finalized, but I can say that it is a term job that would run from April 1st till probably the end of September. I am trusting God to help me decide if this is the right place to be, especially as it would mean, going through a job change in the fall again.

I will be leaving YFC after some 5 years here and have been able to work with some amazing people. Both staff members and students. I am very thankful for the time I have spent here and look forward to what God has in store for me. I heard it said once that every job and every moment God is preparing us for what He has in store for our future. Now I can’t wait to see what that future is.

Yes I am going to talk about hockey in this post. And no, I would never call myself a hockey fan. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I even watched a hockey game. But in an effort to become more utilized in my work here at YFC, I am going to be running a hockey themed club. Let me repeat that for those that are too shocked, me, Daryl Grunau, basketball loving, ultimate frisbee player, who knows next to nothing about hockey, is going to be running and leading a hockey night. There I said it. It is now official. (Okay it was probably official when I created the Facebook Group for the club, but I don’t want to nit pick here)

Starting Jan 29th, at the YFC Building, I will be leading a hockey club, that watches NHL games on big screen, playes XBOX 360 hockey games, Wii Hockey, and a new hockey card game. To prepare I have found myself starting to actually pay attention to NHL highlights, when I normally would ignore them or even turn them off. While doing alot of work for the hockey card game, I looked at TONS of player stats, (at least 300+) and reminised while looking through my hockey card collection from my childhood. Slowly I am starting to put together some knowledge, but it will still take alot of “faken it” to really pull off that I like hockey. I think the ticket for me rests solely in this new card game.

The game was pioneered by some members of Gil Klassen’s family many years ago. With just some alittle tons of work we updated it with new cards, a new scoreboard, and some new twists. While it is hockey themed, one doesn’t have to know a thing about hockey to play and enjoy it; and for the hard core fans, you will have the fun of debating over whether my rankings of the players is accurate or not.

Let me know what you think.

Ooh my honey, you got me working day and night*

Actually its not that anyone is making me work day and night. I mean who’s to blame that I wanted to do a complete redesign for my Church’s website and redesign their letterhead, envelopes, and other printed materials? Who’s to blame that I also fit in transfering the church’s web host and transfering domain names, and setting up the new site with WordPress? Me? Is it really my fault? Come on here. And for sure its not my fault that I already work a busy job at Youth For Christ in a rather active ministry and that my wife also happens to work in a completely different ministry over at our church. So when I promise to do these redesigns and have not time to do them; what do I do then? Well the answer is I work till 2am. And not just for 1 or 2 days, but for several. In fact at least 5 days and counting and the website isn’t finished and I haven’t started on the printed materials yet. Okay so maybe it is my fault that I agreed to do to much work at once. But in my defence, I am addicted to Design. Whether its building websites, creating logos, rebranding a company, reading many design related blogs, or skimming through a new magazine article about the latest Photoshop Tuturials, I just can’t get enough. In fact, the reason I work late at nights is because I can’t sleep because I have a need to get the ideas in my head onto my computer before I forget. So in my defence I do believe that I was created with this desire. Actually do we not all have this same desire? You know that one that loves to create. Deep down I think we all have it. I believe it is our way of breathing life into this dark world. Oh sure it isn’t all art and visual design like what I and so many other do. Some build things, some teach, and still others help. All of it I believe is the same desire to bring life. Its part of who we are, who we are created to be.

That is my defence then. I can’t help it. I was created to do this and I a lack of sleep isn’t going to stop me.

*Bonus points to whoever can name the group and band that sang these words