My life has been crazy busy! I am working 5 days a week from 6am til 2:30pm, I have been playing netball 2 times a week, am coaching 2 teams (used to be 3 teams until a month ago), i am a youth group leader, attending church every sunday and an active member of our youth/young adults discipleship group on sunday nights. and in all that i am trying to plan a wedding!!!!
So my life has been busy... but i have got the next 1.5 weeks to do NOTHING! other than work, NOTHING! I am soo grateful for this time. I have blogged about how busyness is just lame, but it really is. I am noticing that now, since i havent blogged in a couple months and havent journalled in quite a few months. Sorry if people come to my blog. i am sure u will be disappointed by the amount of times i have blogged recently.
So i will try to keep blogging more... so sorry!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
ANZAC Day
For those people who are overseas, they might not know why we get a holiday called ANZAC day.... basically anzac day is for us to remember the troops that have fought in war. i am just excited that i get a day off to rest and sleep in etc.
I have noticed that for my whole life i have had this apathetic spirit towards anzac day and the people the fought in the war. the bible says there is a time for war and for peace. but i dont understand war, nor do i agree with it happening. i think thats why i have such an apathetic spirit. i mean is it really necessary to go take a bunch of guns and bopmbs and go kill people from other countries...
all i know, is i have a day of work and thats good.
I have noticed that for my whole life i have had this apathetic spirit towards anzac day and the people the fought in the war. the bible says there is a time for war and for peace. but i dont understand war, nor do i agree with it happening. i think thats why i have such an apathetic spirit. i mean is it really necessary to go take a bunch of guns and bopmbs and go kill people from other countries...
all i know, is i have a day of work and thats good.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
So sorry for not blogging!!!!
Back to the blogging.... my life is super, crazy busy, i dont even have time to just sit and do absolutely nothing.... oh wait, doing that tonight! yay! nah but my life is crazy. i am getting married in less than 5 months.... argghhhh sooooo weird to think that i am gonna be a married woman soon! anywayz onto my blog....
I felt inspired to blog tonight. i watched this movie called 'Amber's story'. such a beautiful movie, it made me cry. in 1996, Amber, aged 9 was riding her bike around and got kidnapped from her bike by a man. they had no leads, an eye witness who had real bad sight, so he didnt really see anything and 4 days later, found her murdered on a creek bed. this is based on a true story if u didnt get that.
Then Amber's mother worked hard to impliment this emergency broadcast system called Amber Alert. when a child has been abducted, within an hr or so, an amber alert is sent out all across the state to police and on news and radio etc. so that this child can be found as soon as possible and hopefully not dead. her mother worked so hard that it is now implemented into all 50 states across america. they even showed a story of how the amber alert saved a child's life.
what touched me so much about this story is that at first, i was soooo angry that someone could murder such an innocent child (Amber). by the end, i was in tears just so touched at how because 1 life was taken so horribly, many lives have been saved thanks to the family of Amber. It's so beautiful. as crappy as it is that one innocent life was taken so horribly, many others are getting saved as a result.
i so admire the courage of Amber's mother and how she can turn the worst tragedy of her life into something so amazing. I hope that i continue to grow in courage.
I felt inspired to blog tonight. i watched this movie called 'Amber's story'. such a beautiful movie, it made me cry. in 1996, Amber, aged 9 was riding her bike around and got kidnapped from her bike by a man. they had no leads, an eye witness who had real bad sight, so he didnt really see anything and 4 days later, found her murdered on a creek bed. this is based on a true story if u didnt get that.
Then Amber's mother worked hard to impliment this emergency broadcast system called Amber Alert. when a child has been abducted, within an hr or so, an amber alert is sent out all across the state to police and on news and radio etc. so that this child can be found as soon as possible and hopefully not dead. her mother worked so hard that it is now implemented into all 50 states across america. they even showed a story of how the amber alert saved a child's life.
what touched me so much about this story is that at first, i was soooo angry that someone could murder such an innocent child (Amber). by the end, i was in tears just so touched at how because 1 life was taken so horribly, many lives have been saved thanks to the family of Amber. It's so beautiful. as crappy as it is that one innocent life was taken so horribly, many others are getting saved as a result.
i so admire the courage of Amber's mother and how she can turn the worst tragedy of her life into something so amazing. I hope that i continue to grow in courage.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Change
So change happens soooo much. and so often. I think it happens too often for me liking. Although i am one to have changes every now and then, I am also a creature of habit. So when massive changes come up.... its hard. but when they are good changes, I tend to get so torn between my feelings of excitement and my feelings of somewhat sadness, or nervousness.
The most recent change that has come up has come soooo suddenly and has all happened heaps fast. My maid of honour Kerrie and one of my other bridesmaids Sally are moving to Gympie. For those people who don't live in Aust, Gympie is about 2 hrs down the road. Although its not that far, its still a massive change. I found out 2 weeks ago. They are going there this Thursday. Sadness was the first emotion that i felt. Kerrie is my bestest friend ever, so it was tough. But at the same time i am sooooo excited!!!!!! God is bringing about alot of change in 2008! They are going there to take over as leaders of the Salvation Army because the church there is in real trouble!!! how awesome is that!!! If u know Kerrie and Sally, those 2 are gonna change that little town around. It's such an amazing opportunity but come sooo fast I have had to adjust very quickly.
This has not come as just a blessing to them, but a blessing to me as well. I have been struggling to pray. Its a gift I have been given but i get so overwhelmed by how much i could pray for, that i dont pray at all. and as my friend Denise says "just do it"... well u will be proud Denise, i have started just doing it. been praying it up for my 2 beautiful friends and its been a blessing to me. i feel very empowered when i pray and feel a huge part of what they are doing up there cuz i am praying. so its a massive blessing to me. and its giving me a hunger to pray more.
speaking of new things.... i have an interview on Friday.... as some of my friends know, it is a passion of mine to do High School Chaplaincy. But i was gonna wait a couple yrs so that Andrew can finish his apprenticeship and stuff. I started randomly filling out an application form online for it, but didnt finish it. apparently it registers on their system when u even start one. so they rang me and offered me an interview for Friday!!!! MASSIVE STUFF!!!! its like God is opening a door that i didnt even think would be opened for a couple of yrs. so its awesome!!!!
The most recent change that has come up has come soooo suddenly and has all happened heaps fast. My maid of honour Kerrie and one of my other bridesmaids Sally are moving to Gympie. For those people who don't live in Aust, Gympie is about 2 hrs down the road. Although its not that far, its still a massive change. I found out 2 weeks ago. They are going there this Thursday. Sadness was the first emotion that i felt. Kerrie is my bestest friend ever, so it was tough. But at the same time i am sooooo excited!!!!!! God is bringing about alot of change in 2008! They are going there to take over as leaders of the Salvation Army because the church there is in real trouble!!! how awesome is that!!! If u know Kerrie and Sally, those 2 are gonna change that little town around. It's such an amazing opportunity but come sooo fast I have had to adjust very quickly.
This has not come as just a blessing to them, but a blessing to me as well. I have been struggling to pray. Its a gift I have been given but i get so overwhelmed by how much i could pray for, that i dont pray at all. and as my friend Denise says "just do it"... well u will be proud Denise, i have started just doing it. been praying it up for my 2 beautiful friends and its been a blessing to me. i feel very empowered when i pray and feel a huge part of what they are doing up there cuz i am praying. so its a massive blessing to me. and its giving me a hunger to pray more.
speaking of new things.... i have an interview on Friday.... as some of my friends know, it is a passion of mine to do High School Chaplaincy. But i was gonna wait a couple yrs so that Andrew can finish his apprenticeship and stuff. I started randomly filling out an application form online for it, but didnt finish it. apparently it registers on their system when u even start one. so they rang me and offered me an interview for Friday!!!! MASSIVE STUFF!!!! its like God is opening a door that i didnt even think would be opened for a couple of yrs. so its awesome!!!!
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
No Compromise
There arent too many things in life that get me really really really frustrated. BUT this is one of them. This bumper sticker i have seen heaps and heaps around lately on people's cars. i have also been seeing things in my life, like chinese 'good luck' stuff, fortune cookies, astrology etc etc. this stuff is a 'normal' part of everyday life. i think what frustrates me the most is that this stuff is not from God. magic doesnt happen, astrology is a bunch of rubbish where someone decided they could put everyone in this world into 12 different categories and tell them how their life is going to be that month. luck is for pagans! (TWC people will get that one!). so why do i see so many Christians around thriving on stuff like horoscopes and fortune cookies? hasnt God called us to live a life of no compromise. when we compromise the little things, its only a matter of time before we start compromising the big stuff. and why do we put ourselves in this spot? i dont know. my mum, whom i love dearly is often a bit 'oh ok, whatever. everyone is different and we have to respect what they believe". i have a level of respect for everyone on this planet, but i dont believe that respect means that we go along with what they believe or we accept what they believe!!! One thing i have learnt is you can respect someone, without respecting their lifestyle and their choices.
I remember reading recently in John about Jesus overturning the tables in the temple because people had turned the place of worship into something that it shouldnt have been. I want to be more like Jesus. i want to speak up against the stuff that i dont believe in. I dont want to offend people but a Christian life always comes with having to offend people every now and then. I want to be that person that isnt afraid to speak up!!!!!!!
I know this stuff that i have mentioned seems a bit trivial, but it is whats on my heart now.... sorry i havent blogged in awhile. i dont really have any motivation to blog, cuz i dont know whether ppl actually read it.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Birthday
So this time last week i was celebrating my 20th birthday. it was an ok day, but it was cool to ponder my life for the last 20 yrs.... i have been through so many years of just wishing i was someone else and thinking i am not very important in this world. God has been changing this perception for the last 1.5 yrs. My parents a few years ago told me that my mum had an IUD in, which is to stop u from getting pregnant but its that horrible one where if u r pregnant, when they take it out, u r supposed to miscarry if u did get pregnant. But God must have really wanted me on this earth cuz here i am!!!
But the cool thing is, is that i heard more of the story last Friday. Apparently while mum was pregnant (she didnt know she was til like 20 weeks!!!!), she had 2 bone grafts done. they took one of her ribs out and put it in her cheek cuz she had a bad accident a couple yrs prior to that. but then it got highly infected, so they had to take another rib out and do another one. so while she was pregnant with me, she had x-rays (which can kill the unborn baby), had 2 operations and was on heavy pain killers.... but i was a fighter from the start. God created me this way. i survived, i was completely fine, even after all that.
When i was 2, i was riding my tricycle through the house on the 2nd storey and i rode out onto the verandah and i fell off my bike and fell 2 storeys into our backyard. i landed in this ditch my dad happened to dig a couple days prior and there was concrete on one side of the ditch and grass on the other. nothing wrong with me!
its amazing to see how God wanted me soooo much on this earth and he stopped at nothing for it to happen. Satan came to rob me of life before i really had a chance at life... BUT IT DIDNT HAPPEN. makes me wonder what God has planned for me in the next 60 yrs of my life!!! exciting stuff!!!
But the cool thing is, is that i heard more of the story last Friday. Apparently while mum was pregnant (she didnt know she was til like 20 weeks!!!!), she had 2 bone grafts done. they took one of her ribs out and put it in her cheek cuz she had a bad accident a couple yrs prior to that. but then it got highly infected, so they had to take another rib out and do another one. so while she was pregnant with me, she had x-rays (which can kill the unborn baby), had 2 operations and was on heavy pain killers.... but i was a fighter from the start. God created me this way. i survived, i was completely fine, even after all that.
When i was 2, i was riding my tricycle through the house on the 2nd storey and i rode out onto the verandah and i fell off my bike and fell 2 storeys into our backyard. i landed in this ditch my dad happened to dig a couple days prior and there was concrete on one side of the ditch and grass on the other. nothing wrong with me!
its amazing to see how God wanted me soooo much on this earth and he stopped at nothing for it to happen. Satan came to rob me of life before i really had a chance at life... BUT IT DIDNT HAPPEN. makes me wonder what God has planned for me in the next 60 yrs of my life!!! exciting stuff!!!
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Giving
In my devotions for the past couple weeks, i have been reading Corinthians. The leadership team for our new night service are reading it together. a chapter a day. Its been really good to read. This week we have been Reading 2 Corinthians 8-15. I have been really challenged this week with giving. it has come up numerous times in the readings this week and its been pretty convicting.
2 Corinthians 8:7,8: Since you excel in so many ways—in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us[c]—I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving.
I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches.
2 Corinthians 9:6-10: Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. As the Scriptures say,
“They share freely and give generously to the poor.
Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”
For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.
Since being back in Australia i have been struggling with giving. I have been giving weekly in church, but i have found it a struggle to give and i dont give as much as i could. I think what the problem is, is that i feel that since i have lived in the slums for a year and lived with no money, its like God owes me something. and its a bit of selfishness. its my money, so i am not gonna give it back to God. i have had a whole year with no money. this theory is wrong and God was convicting me of this.
So I just hope and pray that as the church we will be the generous givers we are called to be.
2 Corinthians 8:7,8: Since you excel in so many ways—in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us[c]—I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving.
I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches.
2 Corinthians 9:6-10: Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. As the Scriptures say,
“They share freely and give generously to the poor.
Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”
For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.
Since being back in Australia i have been struggling with giving. I have been giving weekly in church, but i have found it a struggle to give and i dont give as much as i could. I think what the problem is, is that i feel that since i have lived in the slums for a year and lived with no money, its like God owes me something. and its a bit of selfishness. its my money, so i am not gonna give it back to God. i have had a whole year with no money. this theory is wrong and God was convicting me of this.
So I just hope and pray that as the church we will be the generous givers we are called to be.
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