Category: <span>Holidays</span>

Published March 30, 2008 by

No rules

Writing a post now is some kind of evil-forced reflection on the past week.

I have been up at Soul Survivor for it’s entirety, bar the last afternoon/evening and one night session hiatus for a 21st. This is the third year in a row – I think. It could be the fourth. It’s always interesting seeing what goes on. God generally uses it as a grand old chance to mess wildly with my head. Last year’s highlight was found in leaving a ‘main session’ going off on a walk and having God speak pretty clearly to me after catching my attention with possibly the most mind blowing moon ever (the same one that frequents your night sky actually). Nothing so gobsmackingly obvious and beautiful naturalistically this year.

Here’s the bare honest truth. I love Soul Survivor for the chance to step out of my ‘daily patterns’, I love the people, I love watching my youth kids pray for eachother, rally around others (and they around them). I love watching people change and grow. But I pretty much spend the whole time, every time frustrated in trying to work out what the hell is going on. Not so much in a bad way – it’s hard to explain. I guess I have this enormous dissatisfaction at the moment with the type of stock standard basic life that I live and although I know, I know there is stuff I do that is good and hey stuff that even is a bit on about bringing about God’s kingdom – I struggle to see it. And even when I do, I don’t think that I’m quite on the right track.

My (kinda) friend Steve Said ran some seminars about the Kingdom of God and if you ever get the chance to hear him do. I’m sure he’d be happy to assist busting some misconceptions. I’ve heard him before, but I needed to hear it again. The VERY short version:

The kingdom of God and following Jesus is not about what you eat – it’s not about prescribed rules at all.

“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,” – Romans 14:17

And before you approach that directly, go and blow the brains out of your standard understanding of righteousness, justice, peace and joy. Erm… take some time and learn Greek and have conversations with lots of wise people or shortcut by going and buying the recordings off the seminars.

Prescribed rules are easier but I don’t think they’re what I want.

(and that my friends is why I’m going to add this stupid little mid-post footnote – calling you my friends – and saying that I think you’re a tool if you think you can go to church on Sunday, lead a “moral” little life, don’t swear and think that you’re following Jesus. Harsh? Hey well I need to hear some of it too and I really wanted to use a different word than tool btw… but I figure I’d better keep this vaguely respectable.)

The other thing I was reminded about was the word Vocare (oh yes, remember that thing I started and pulled out of due to wedding insanity?)

Vocare (latin) basically is on about vocation – where your deepest passion meets a great need in the world. I’d really like to be living my vocation, vocare.

If someone could tell me what my deepest passion is, I’d be greatly obliged.

Christianity Holidays Life Relationships Social Justice

kingdom of God Romans is a good book Soul Survivor Steven Said

Published March 24, 2008 by

Rewind the week

be_kind_rewind_post.jpgAfter an exceptionally busy weekend and a crashed blog server, it’s time for another tedious fill-in.

I managed to catch Michel Gondry’s new film Be Kind Rewind I confess I was disappointed in that it lacked such strangeness as the other two. I did enjoy the side comment about Citizen Kane’s weird time sequence and the mention that ‘that’s been done before’. I also enjoyed the fact that when walking out of the cinema, two old ladies were carrying a portable DVD player. Oh the irony! Despite all, it’s a fun and clever movie, I just didn’t like it quite so much as the Science of Sleep – which blew me away. Be Kind is almost too Jack Black.

Easter consisted of a ‘stations’ art/music installation at my church. We were a little rushed through but I really appreciate the launch into acknowledging and using the ‘other’ type talent around the place that is effective for the means and communal minded. It did make for good contemplation. I only wish I had longer. My little sister had two pieces in the exhibition and apparently someone has offered to buy them… I’ve been at her to sell her artwork, so perhaps now she’ll pay attention.

And yesterday was Anne’s (Geoff’s mum) birthday, so we went around there and typically ate too much roast dinner, saw the Grandparents and played Settlers, Blokus etc.

It’s been a tough year to stop enough to remember Jesus over this period. I think I need to do something about that.

In other news, Soul Survivor is coming up this week, and I really, really need to apply for a passport for June’s endeavor of returning to my childhood.

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Art Be Kind Rewind Birthday Easter Jesus

Published January 18, 2008 by

With recommendation

Bec and Geoff are married

Hello. A two week hiatus is about the longest All Said and Done has ever seen. I did forget to wish myself/blog a happy 3rd birthday on December the 12th. So happy 3 years.

My mind can now muse wedding without being at all stressfully consumed. It is a strange thing, there is a whole side of my brain that has returned cleanspun. I have yet to wade through every single photo (Although I’m giving it a good shot – hurry up people if you haven’t posted them yet!) and present unwrapping will happen tonight.

We arrived back late last night… a good four hours later than intended as our car blew up on the way home. This was really the most major drama, bar the Spamalot tickets that were booked for the wrong date but that turned our stupendously and ended happily with far better seats than we started with. The car is probably very very dead and is sitting in a little town four hours away. Thanks to kind friends and parents we did arrive home, but somewhat more tired than you should be after a two week honeymoon.

As details are treacherous, especially when talking about your honeymoon, I shall outline the weeks away in a series of links. Where and what: the stay, entertainment and food highlights. No you’ll never know the whole story even if you tap into my brain, I’ve probably sub foldered everything. It’s safer you know.

After all that. I am very, very happy to be Mrs. Matheson and it sure is nice to be home.

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Published December 31, 2007 by

Hens, Bridal Shower and Christmas

It’s a sweltering 40 degree day in Melbourne. I’m sitting inside Geoff’s house with the air-con going, Ingrid Michaelson playing and watching order-of-service pages print. We’ve had that much trouble with the printer (this is is the third attempt) Geoff re-named it “Piece of Crap”. Now it’s kindly churning them out. Maybe technology listens… or maybe the new cartridge is working.

It would be unfair on the poor old blog (and perhaps you readers) to leave a gaping hole in the goings-on of the past little while. The post previous to this one might have just as well been left unwritten. I have however at my fingertips a few photos and a few memories to at least get down in some form.

The bridal shower happened the Saturday morning before Christmas. My sister Laura did a whallop of organising and pulled off some cliches beautifully. Geoff thinks that I’m allergic to perceived cliches, let alone real ones but I coped better than expected. We did do the whole newspaper wedding dresses thing – three teams. The dresses were quite seriously amazing. Bustles, pill-box hats and the like. Lots of frills and flowers. I shall share photos when I can. It was a fun morning with friends and grandmas and aunties. Laura creatively got everyone to bring ‘gifts’ of something valuable in life (this could be something read out or something concrete for me to keep) – that way I wouldn’t wind up with any more kitchen stuff. There was advice from the ‘already marrieds’ and some yummy food.

I’ll make a short mention of my dad’s side Christmas shindig. It was a peculiar mix new and additional boyfriends/husbands/fiances and a less than full representation of the relatives, but surprisingly probably the best one we’ve had. I unfortunately head off early to a 21st I was a bit tired to be bothered going to (but that turned out okay in the end).

The hens party stretched from a Marie Antoinette style afternoon tea (High Tea) to a thing back at one of my bridesmaid’s (Jess) house. The afternoon tea was amazing. I seriously don’t think I could have done it any better way. Chateau Yerring outdid everyone’s expectations. I like my coffee and it was a perfect three hours to relax well, eat some really nice food and to chat.

Photo of the room and me with Anita (my soon to be sister-in-law!)

theroom.jpg anitabec.jpg

At Jess’ we played one unmentionable game (Thanks Ana), had a interesting kind of pass the parcel, then the girls all read out these amazing letters they’d written me (to be put in a book with photos). We watched ‘How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days’ (How suitable) and then I was so tired I skipped ship/the other movie and went to bed.

Christmas was packed in on both ends. Christmas Eve and Christmas breakfast with Geoff’s family, an early leave to get to my parents for presents followed by a leisurely lunch, then out to my mum’s side for Christmas dinner which we followed with heading back to Geoff’s family to see his Grandparents that evening. I got some nice things. My favourite was Geoff’s amazing gamble of a present – a necklace that he got off Etsy. I knew nothing and my taste is (frustratingly) fairly select. He’s done good.

And that my friends will have to do you for a little bit again. I’m keen to key up a friend with blog details so that I can get some photos of the wedding up for you before we get back to save you waiting until the end of January.

So Merry Christmas because I missed it and perhaps I’ll make it here at least once more before the big day.

…it is funny measuring increments of time as ‘x days before/after wedding’.

Holidays Life Wedding

Published December 29, 2007 by

Details to come

Five deprived days.

My internet has been down and my landlord is on holidays… that and it’s been Hens night, Christmas and now a week until the wedding!

I thought about ranking each day but that takes thought. I never know quite what to give unless it’s like a 7 out of 10 because 10 has got to be the best thing ever and mmm…. it’s meaningless.

So: bad, good, very, really, the best

Bridal Shower:  very-really
Hens: really (Bucks night = really because they were nice enough to him)
Christmas: really
Boxing Day: good
Moving house: bad (too much crap lying around)

Too busy to give details, but I shall return someday. I dare say you won’t see much until the end of Jan now. But do keep an eye out incase something surprising shows up.

Holidays Life Wedding