Published May 16, 2007 by

The Etsy alternative

farts.jpgIn my travels and thanks to another Bec who found me through advoc8, AND offered me some money saving tips, I have discovered Etsy.

What is Etsy?

Think Ebay, but classy and handmade/handcrafted.

I came close to buying a necklace/earings off there for the wedding (muahaha) when I suddenly clued that my sister can make perfectly nice jewelery and it’s definitely simple enough for her (No offense Em), thus saving myself about $60. If she’s nice.

Wow. I nearly spent money on something I’m not even sure is 100% right. What’s gottne into me!?

Despite the sometimes realistic, tedious but cheaper means of ‘DIY’, it can’t all be done and I really got fairly excited – that girly/indie/vintage/loving thing in me – looking around. It’s fun! I want it all!

The US dollar is down (I think that’s the right way of saying it) at the moment so the prices don’t vary too much, most sellers post everywhere for fairly reasonable prices- some sellers are Australian – even cheaper.

If you like… stuff go and have a look! Analise, my finger is pointing at you (And it’s sure not the middle one).

The website itself is quite appealing and the whole thing definitely has the tendency to be addictive.

Culture Design General Wedding

Published April 9, 2007 by

Comedy Festival – Ross Noble

comedy_logo.jpgSuch a boring title when I was going for something similar to, “Jesus the Iceman”. That post is actually sitting in drafts waiting for more inspiration and anyway, while this is somewhat current news, I shall share.

Last night I had the pleasure, along with Geoff, Laura, Hannah and Dan – thanks to my little sister’s boyfriend (Dan) – of going to a Melbourne Comedy Festival event.

Ross Noble, extremely clever and as any good comedian should be, madly funny.

What worked for me?

It was a show of tangents but it all linked cleverly back to some point during other… tangents – this fits beautifully with my own concept of strange related things (Usually better kept to myself and not mentioned out loud).

What didn’t work?

Christian bashing – which was okay and he made some extremely valid points but when it gets to bashing the idea/validity of Jesus that’s when I struggle. Bash Christian stereotypes all you like, to be honest they kind of need it… although I doubt that’d make them listen. Along tame lines, “They should just shut-up and be nice”, fantastic points about living your faith instead of blabbing it rudely and forcing personal convictions on to people.

I laughed really hard but I didn’t quite reach crying… I got pretty close. Bum-face children just about did it.

He is an incredibly funny and talented man and hey, we got to experience two and half hours of it!

Culture General Humor

Published January 15, 2007 by

Inclined Individual Self (and Junior Camp)

interludeIt is 1:07am and it should not be the time to talk about camp but as my mind is nowhere close to shutting down, so now is the time for it all to find it’s way somewhat on to paper as God so beautifully ties things together and my memory is pathetic.

The simplest means of expressing what camp was for me this time is by contrasting it with the last one.

In comparison to the last Junior Camp I had the privilege of leading on this one unexpectedly wound up as a cross cultural experience. Along the lines of camp-prep I somehow missed the fact that there were 20-odd Students from a Korean School joining the usual very Aussie crowd.

Activities took double time due to lack of translators (a few but not enough) and interaction between both leaders and campers was a curious, difficult, hilarious and enlightening experience.

Not only was communication a basic issue, with it came simple ‘getting used to’ some of the ways they did things differently, which was probably more of an issue for some of the Australian campers.

Comforting a homesick/crying girl who cannot speak English is ten times worse than dealing with an English speaking crying girl (not my forte to start with).

Some highlights of mine lie in the fact that we did have to deal with the different culture and although it probably wasn’t quite the usual ‘grow in God’ camp that many campers are used to I think that it was a valuable experience and I have no doubt that God did and will effectively use the situation.

I will fondly (can I use that word without sounding really old?) remember how the study group I was a co-leader of got excited about how we shared that Koreans pray – out loud and simultaneously. They wanted to try it, and so we did and it was fantastic for them to do so. Admittedly I battled to concentrate but it got me thinking about inhibitions and how I did struggle with being vocal in that setting – how much we get all concerned about what others think of what we are saying when really we are simply talking to God and that is to whom it matters what gets said.

Another story that deserves a mention because it got me laughing (and I was told I had to put it on the blog) was when I was in the cabin after being at the pool – so I was walking around in bathers and boardies and one of the Korean girls gets all expressive with her hands and trying with all her might to find the English word she wants and eventually comes out with, “You look sexy”. I said thank you with the straightest face I could and got out of there before I cracked up laughing. How’s that!

As for the team, it could have just been the fact that it was the second time I’d met many of them but it felt much closer and better suited. Everyone pulled their weight and I was really impressed and encouraged to be among these people who had given their time and money to help out and still were consistently positive. We capped off the camp with a one night leader’s retreat at a house in Buxton, which I don’t think I would’ve missed for the world. It really made the week.

In terms of ‘crashing point’, which I’ve decided happens at least once when you’re leading, it came around the Day 2 mark, instead of Day 4 or 5 as it did last time. That’s the point where it everything just sucks, you’re over tired, frustrated, wanting away from kids, missing xyz (in this case Geoff and really it was weird, I don’t miss people at all really and I missed him quite a bit and it was a strange thing).

As for the contrast in what I learnt-what God showed me.

Last camp was relatively full on in that I can recall writing heaps down, taking time to go over some clear cut issues and finding some relatively evident direction. By the end of day one of this camp I was struggling to even work out what God would do. This didn’t change through camp.

The camp was full on (much more so) and there was so little time for self. And that was it. Self wasn’t part of the picture. Self needed some squashing for a period of time, brief but brutal and it was necessary and it did show me something. There was none of this self analysis thing, none of this ‘how does this person’s relationship and mine (friend/boyfriend/sibling) play out’ and how will I end up from doing xyz or getting this job or… It was a slab of forced almost selfless living (I cannot claim the total).

I want to extend a big thank you to Di this morning for what you spoke about. Initially you caught my attention by dropping a catechism (Something similar that’s bought other things to my attention lately) about the chief end of man being to glorify God and went on about worship and focusing on Him how it isn’t about achieving something. It’s daunting really that when/if we can truly come before Him then it’s very much not about self. Self dominates so wildly and recklessly in my life. Subtle ways sometimes but oh yes it’s there.

Sure there isn’t this flat denying of what we are, because God is also the creator but how much are we caught in our selfishness and inclinations in like directions.

I find it a much easier thing to be a Christian and a really good Christian when it’s just me and God and maybe me and God and someone close. But when you add more to that I start to flounder. It’s scary and I hadn’t realised it was such a strong thing. It’s easy to get comfortable. I’m really in many ways looking forward to God landing me somewhere this year where I can learn to express who I am and how much God is a part of that. It is my current ambition (and one that’s doomed to fail without Him) to work on exhibiting his glory (if you can pretend for a bit that exhibit is a less temporary word). Meaning really, that I take distinct second place, I’m effectively invisible. It’s big. It’s a bit weird but the more I read and discover about the glory of God, it’s I guess just something I want more and want to want more.

Christianity Culture General Life Ministry

Published December 22, 2006 by

Theology of Glory

cafeLazy blogging often includes links to interesting articles. As ‘lazy blogging’ is the flavor of the day, this article proved interesting to my own today-apathetic self (believe me, without a car you feel stranded – even if I don’t have anywhere to go).

So here goes: The Theology of Glory

tip: bypass the ‘how we got to the interview’ section at the start unless you’re me and like reading everything in excess.

Why is this interesting Rebecca? Well… in the continuation – slow it may be – of my reading,The Pleasures of God (John Piper), this is some of the the stuff that I’ve been thinking a little about. To work that what that is out, you must read it.

I am throughly encouraged that God continues to understand that I seem to need a lot of related information shoved at me at particular times for certain themes and ideas to really sink in.

If you have not known me long you will not have realised that my memory is very insufficient and although I get excited about ideas (like such presented in this article) if you come to me a moment later I will have only the slightest scercik of an idea of even what it is on about. I catch a thread and unless I spend an immense amount of time investigating and WRITING IT OUT it just disappears.

Sadly I might just have to live with never being one of those cool 3rd year uni smarts sitting in a cafe having interesting and philosophical discussions over coffee-glorious-coffee with other like-brained and diverse individuals. There goes that dream…

Bear with me. Get some coffee, read up. Share some thoughts if you have any and I might work out what got me that little bit enthused and all those extra marvelous thoughts will come rushing back. Something like a coffee hit – but better.

I think that’s a very long winded way of telling you that the article is good… for some reason I can’t fully remember or adequately describe.

Christianity Coffee Culture General Personality

Published December 7, 2006 by

Two Wills and Ways

sheep and goatsLast night saw a good hours discussion around the recent desecration of a Bible by some Islamic students and how we as Christians should respond. We did, admittedly go off on all kinds of tangents about mass Bible productions, the worth of the actual paper and ink/ideas…

Two arguments were put forward as to how the principal of the school responded. One in regard to the individual students and how the expulsion was unnecessary and how deeply affected their lives would be from here on in, how a cycle of acting in favor to the ‘greater’ community does not change people’s attitudes towards the Islamic community and how perhaps they should have ‘yes acknowledged it was an immature act’ but still defended their own (I might have this one slightly wrong, no doubt Tim can step in through a comment and explain) and the alternate: the principal did what he could and acted out of utmost respect for those in and outside the community and in doing so has set quite a good example – no it may not have been in absolute best interests of the kid’s futures (and I hope that they are being counseled or the like) but there were other means of ensuring them being satisfactorily settled in new schools… Both sides carry weight.

Therein was the argument that led toward the acting upon a moral conscience over the political – would it have been dealt with differently if the story was not leaked to the press? Would Christian schools act in the same manner if they found students burning a Koran (yes there are many variables – the Koran is not a Holy Book for Christians, unlike the esteem the Bible is upheld in)?

There is much to be learned here about respect for one other.

I was talking later with Geoff and we determined that perhaps you cannot separate your political decision from the moral one in that kind of situation (or any that dictates a like response). Yes we are called to love, yes we are called to show grace. To the individual? To the masses?

Oddly enough, this morning saw me delving somewhat impatiently into the middle of a chapter on ‘election’ in the John Piper book The Pleasures of God. After my early confusion the other day I’ve worked out that the whole flipping long chapter is about predestination in some way shape or form (some people define the two separately).

I find talking about and reading about this kind of thing frustrating in that a good bit does make sense and there is heaps to Biblically back it up, but at the same time there appears to be gaping holes and room for far too much paradox in the theology for such a, ‘I like things concluded logically’ person.

Why mention this after talking about a news issue that has seemingly zip to do with election?

If I was in the situation of the Islamic principal I would have acted in a like manner. This reflects somewhat on my own view of, ‘for the greater good’ (I think?) and how a public life can effectively show love to others in ‘just’ decision making.
Predestination/Election and the arguments around it seem to point to two wills/ways: divine election (God chosen) and God’s desire for everyone to be saved.

Piper wanders around explaining things (and I haven’t yet read the extended section of it in the appendix) and quotes Robert L. Dabney (Presbyterian minister about 100 years ago) as to how it may work,

“…In other words, God has a real and deep compassion for perishing sinners. His expression of pity and his entreaties have heart in them. There is a genuine inclination in God’s heart to spare those who have committed treason against his kingdom. But his motivation is complex and not every true element in it rises to the level of effective choice. In his great and mysterious heart there are kinds of longings and desires that are real – they tell us something true about his character. Yet not all these longings govern God’s actions. He is governed by the depth of his wisdom through a plan that no ordinary human deliberation would ever conceive (Rom 11:33-36, 1 Cor 2:9). There are holy and just reasons for why the affections of God’s heart have the nature and intensity and proportion that they do.”

I am at no more of a final conclusion around what I believe about predestination than i was before. I can grasp at shards of how it all works together, how election is different from predestination and how being chosen and saved and everything else fits together, but I don’t really get it.

I’m not sure if I have very well explained the parallel that I found between the two issues. There is the individual (the chosen?), there are the rest of us.

I am glad that we can boast in the prowess of the decision making ability of God (which is the only way we can tangibly/humanly explain what we see happening) and that He really knows what he’s doing even when we aren’t confident in the ‘right way’.

Christianity Culture General