Category: <span>General</span>

Published June 15, 2005 by

Self – C.S. Lewis

Interesting quote that I don’t want to lose, so I’ll put it here.
Just a little foundational on what’s been going on in my head the past 12mths or so.
Trust C.S. Lewis to word it so nicely (from Mere Christianity) I sort of needed to hear it articulated again even although this is the first time I’ve read this.

“But there must be a real giving up of the self. You must throw it away
‘blindly’ to so speak. Christ will indeed give you a real personality: but you
must not go to Him for the sake of that. As long as your own personality is what
you are bothering about you are not going to Him at all. The very first step is
to try to forget about the self altogether. Your real, new self (which is
Christ’s and also yours, and yours just because it is His) will not come as long
as you are looking for it. It will come when you are looking for Him.”

Christianity General Words

Published June 15, 2005 by

If we are the body – Casting Crowns (lyrics)

But if we are the body
Why aren’t His arms reaching?
Why aren’t His hands healing?
Why aren’t His words teaching?
And if we are the body
Why aren’t His feet going?
Why is His love not showing them there is a way?
There is a way.

Christianity General Music

Published June 15, 2005 by

We are the Pirates who don’t do anything (abridged)

Quarter of the creed done. Jess W picked me put around 2:00 went and did some at her place. Had tead, went to Amy S’s for Veggie Tales night (YITS). Deciding what to go was all rather impromtu – figured we had nothing much better to do (than more essays). Will have to work hard tomorrow. Worth it though, to catch up with a few: Amy, Tracey, Jessmin, Clare, Erin, Jo and Nat.
Apparently Dave had dropped in earlier – those who are doing the netball lost the first game. Plenty of chips, scones, coke. Too much coke – hence still awake. Watched four VeggieTales then we left.
Thank you God for the friends reminder. I get in this stubborn mentality and refuse to work on what I’ve been given, wanting the outcome without the work, in so missing the journey, creating history, which really is a huge part of what it’s all about. Help me work on that.

Thinking about faith, interesting how all this (church crap) comes up. this situation and relating aspects. How the Personal Creed is very much about faith and belief. How I’ve been challenged with some of that lately. How I keep stumbling across books that I should be reading.

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:16-19)

General Life YITS

Published June 15, 2005 by

Alternative (unabridged)

Tuesday morning. The only one at home. Sitting in the corner of the lounge with coffee, Bible, journal. Favourite place – or becoming so. Its windy outside which makes the shaddows from the light coming through the windows more interesting. Have to write Personal Creed today, but that can wait.

I can choose my response to today. I’d rather it be less of a mess than the past few. Brining stuff back to God last night will have a large part in that response. I could distance myself from what’s going on, let myself think continually through it or let it sit knowing God is in complete control – the better option.

To go from here. Frustrated I vent frustrations on a few. Unfair not to listen first. I can’t change that (past), but a mental note for next time. I’m sorry I do that.

Can tell a little about God talk in some ways, when problems seem too much we take the first step of getting angry, pouring out dissatisfactions and fears and forgetting to stop. Get so caught up that we forget to listen when maybe that’s some of what we should be doing first. Not to say don’t bring it all to God. Raw emotion, exact problems, honesty of your situation. God wants to hear that. Just not taking the time to stop and be still.
Words, be they said, thought, written are less important coming from you than from another. God knows it all anyway.

What would it be like to approach a problem in reverse? I wonder if that’s part of what happens when it is too hard to pray when you are forced to either (completely ignore God) or to read something. A Psalm, whatever.
I don’t know how true or how clearly I’d prescribe to doing it differently. Worth thinking about though, that and having the presence of mind in that kind of situation.

Thankyou God for knowing me.
Help me to lsiten to you and to others first.
Keep honesty in place.
Let me put you first in everything – including problems.

————

Church stuff…. conversation with mum about more stuff.

Meeting on Saturday will be going ahead, Vote if kicking the Roe’s out was the right move. Yes I should go. Blah.
I will vote YES and dont mind saying it, it wont change.

Whatever the outcome, Dad, Mark, Geoff all resigning from leadership. Some staying so leadership isn’t crawled over with the wrong people… much being handed over to another Bretho guy.
We will be leaving WPC.
I had already made that descision.
Looks like some church hunting will be happening – as much as I hate the ‘church shop’ slogan, I guess I need to find somewhere that will work (both in getting there and fiting in).
🙂 mum saying stuff about that ^ freedom to choose is nice. I dont have to go same place as them – wouldn’t anyway unless I chose to. Intentionally getting annoyed and going out of my way to assert myself infront of her my have stuff to do with it.

So yes, changes ahead.
Prayer would be good.

Christianity Church General

Published June 12, 2005 by

Yesterday

put in blog 13/6/05, written 12/6/05

A pity that a lot of this weekend’s conversations have come back to church and the multiple issues associated with that. A fantastic day nonetheless but I had to shove what I heard this morning aside and have left it until now to consider it further.

Gut reaction. I have heard far more than I wanted to hear. Know possibly what I shouldn’t and am not entirely or at all glad to know it. Breakfast. Got talking to Long Van. It is curious when you are faced with a slightly different facet of the WPC story. An angle you aren’t entirely agreed upon, yet have to hear out. So she isn’t entirely satisfied with Geoff. Not quite up to ‘Keith’ standards. I think that is expecting too much. Not everyone is gifted with ‘pastoral care’. Pastors can operated effectively without a strong passion in that arena. Her concern was for the elderly people ‘that he hasn’t fully accommodated for them’. There may well be some aspects. Pleased she isn’t outright attacking him lets me question where Mark stands on this wants me to have a fuller picture of what dad thinks. No doubt, Geoff is a quality guy.

My disquiet is not with that, instead far more on that she gave me the undisclosed information that Age has resigned (now disclosed/public). More than that, that she mentioned something about ….(removed)… Angry. She shouldn’t be talking about that. I don’t want to hear that, that is their business. She should know better, (removed). Unfortunate, but my respect for Long Van dropped a fair bit. You could pin the word ‘malicious gossip’ on it, which might be naming it a little harshly, maybe not. I was not impressed.

Ah God. Why is it so hard, it hurts to hear this stuff. They’re calling a church meeting. That was the ‘last resort’ a week ago. Invite chaos to take reign. I don’t want to be there.

Today. Aside from all the issues I managed to sideline. Conference session/s were interesting, a lot around the budget, pushing things forward.

The most interesting thing has been observing people, their relationships with their spouse/partner and their kids. I really do work with some amazing people.

I find Prableen and Harpreet an interesting couple. Time to observe an arranged marriage in it’s early throws. She can’t be more than a few years older than me. 22 maybe. What would it be like? Oh I wouldn’t want it. Prableen, I don’t know what to think. She looked lonely at one point; she obviously loves, or is ‘learning’ to love him… I guess you see her looking for response, which doesn’t always come.

Jo and Hugh. They have such fun. Rachel and Phil. How I like seeing how that works. Rach is alive. Paul and Ange, how he left an apple (just secretly) at her spot on the table… she ate it completely unaware. Ian and Anne, her words make up for his silence. (:) Ian’s great)

Can’t say this hasn’t had me thinking about relationships. Because it has. Bad move in some ways, lonely. Well God. Interesting how the desire for a ‘one’ gets stronger, beyond just the factor of having a relationship. I guess I haven’t had much of an opportunity to watch young families interact (not since I was too young to care), interesting what you can glean from a bystander perspective.

Team sports. Finally the ‘Round Robin’ came about effectively. Great fun! Green team. Scavenger hunt, fishing, volleyball rallies, bikes, croquet, the pool.
We won.
Only team that caught a fish. Not bad for 20mins. Chris got it, right as we were about to go. I succeeded in loosing the reel handle off my rod – I have no idea how. I looked down and it was just not there.

Dinner. Not as heavy as last night. Still huge. Three courses. Three hours (or thereabouts). Gnocchi entrée thing however was a little strange. Nice though. Chicken main, with capsicum sauce, apple/berry crumble for desert; possibly the better menu. Bek and I sat with the ‘older’ kids. Zac D, Zac B, Heidi, Joshua, Levi and Rachel. They soon left.

Dinner over. Bek and I managed to find DVD of Finding Neverland and took it back to the room. I love that movie. Not a clichéd ending. Moves me. Seen it once before – at the movies.

And now.

Big day God. A lot you need to have a lot of thought, a lot of want I am incapable to deal with on my own. More I need your help, to know you’re there. More to know of your plan for my life. More to understand that direction lies with you and I cannot possibly have all the answers, nor is it appropriate.

God search me and know me. Know when I sit and when I rise, discern my thoughts. Know my going out and my coming in.

Know me. I want to know you more.

Church General Relationships