Skip to content

all said and done

  • Home
  • About
  • Archives
  • Photography
  • Pinterest
Home > Life
Published June 21, 2009 by Rebecca Matheson

Ministry

“At the same time you love it but you also hate it with all your guts” (Thanks Les…)

This is exactly how I feel, or at least in the past have felt about Gush. It intrigues me to work out if this is where I need to again pour some effort or if I should wait for somewhere else to pour that expense. It is an expense. It is time, heart, pain and mental energy. It is well and truly worth it.

Do we get a say in what our ministry is? (I don’t like the term ministry by the way, and I’m not even sure of the concept of it as a stand-alone but just run with it). Or do we just somehow arrive there?

I also reckon marriage is a ministry by this definition. Not in a bad way – of hating it’s guts, ha. It’s wonderful, but at the same time it’s a lot of giving up of self and that’s marvelously difficult at times. Today Geoff made me breakfast in bed and made me lunch (err.. when I was in bed again being lazy/sleepy). It was very good.

Christianity Church Life Ministry

Christianity kingdom of God Life Ministry

Published January 6, 2009 by Rebecca Matheson

A couple of mistakes

reading_smGeoff and I have spent the last few days in Bendigo, staying at the lovely Langley Hall. After and between exploring where Geoff spent a good bit of his primary years and early teens, we had some space for catching up on the the volume of reading to be done for the next while.

I bought with me two books, Irresistable Revolution – Shane Claiborne and The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet – Colleen McCullough. So one non-fiction, one fiction.

They have turned out be horrendous mistakes.

Irresistible Revolution kept me awake for a few good hours on the first night while I tried to reconcile my life with some ideas and practicalities, I eventually gave up because I couldn’t get it to work and slept instead. Pure brilliance. If I could wish something disturbing on everyone I know, it would be that book and the guts to actually come through with something. I shall meanwhile continue to attempt to assess my own situation in regards to some fair truths that will persist in being shoved at me gently while I finish the text. The safest way of living here, methinks is to never finish it at all so it might be forefront in my mind.

The supposedly lighter Pride and Prejudice follow on – which I have never actually read (or rather finished) because the BBC so closely follows the story and I can’t be bothered wading through more of Mrs. Benet who is so freaking annoying, made it’s way merrily along and then started destroying some of the beautiful things about Elizabeth and Darcy – which I could manage with – with some pain mind you, but it birthed out Mary nicely to compensate. THEN at about half way, it went spaco-weird as Mary gets abducted (via two other abductions) into this weird sect and I suddenly remembered that for all McCullough’s charms and graces in seemingly following in the grain of something light, she doesn’t actually write strictly happy chick lit and although not exactly terrifying -I wasn’t in the mood for it to the last thing I read before heading off to sleep. I continued to read and when it flicked back to mauling Darcy and Lizzie I left it kindly there. I am enjoying the book rather a lot. Despite McCullough’s marvelous attempts at making new of Chick-lit, the topic itself and the appalling lilac (cringe even at the word) of the book cover will ensure it’s place forever in the genre, but I do LOVE the nasty shock she pulls out just as you’re getting comfortable.

image source

Books Christianity Holidays Life

Books claiborne Life mccullogh

Published January 2, 2009 by Rebecca Matheson

Idealutions, resolutions or hopeings

It is entirely up to me to eventually work out which are feasible, but it is now 2009 and there are, however ridiculous: resolutions or I could term them idealutions, at least that way there is leeway in sidestepping the mark.

2009 came in moderation, not with a bang. There were no fireworks, but we had sparklers, music, champagne, a marquee and a few friends. I most enjoyed the early morning introduction to ’09. First up after a less than perfect sleep in a tent on less than flat ground, but there was an eggshell sky and sun, a silent field and moment of the same before it went to the crapper and the clouds and we got some rain.

The news continues to talk about 2008 as a non-highlight and begs hope out of the new year. I am inclined to disagree with the former statement however the word hope is a sweet one that should live on.

In a moment of introspection (aka. now) here are my highlights of the past and hopes for the present (with a few true aspirations and undoubtedly top shelf items that I won’t really reach, being short and all).

Highlights

  • January 5th I married my best friend. And consequently spent the rest of the year married to him (to be continued…). It’s been interesting and fun! Needless to say, I really love being married and I really love Geoff! It’s certainly been a wildly contrasting year in regard to all previous years.
  • Uni, second semester proved full of inspiring people especially in regards to tutors. I finally felt like I was pulling my weight effectively and got to try things like branding and animation. I have come to the realisation that I mightn’t fit the typical traditional stereotype of ‘graphic designer’ but can work from my interests and strengths and hopefully can levy more out of the web stuff and marry it with my ‘designish eye’.
  • Frustration. It seems a weird choice to include it here, but God has increased my frustration with how I live as a Christian and how church can/could operate. It hasn’t gotten too far but there is room for movement and there needs to be room for movement. Some of this is tied up with finishing up with leading youth and being dumped in the deepend of doing nothing.
  • And there are the miscellaneous things like: growing friendships with people like Beth and Bri, marvelous restaurants, some great movies  and books and some less than typical experiences – like seeing Wicked.

Un-Highlights

  • A bodgy start to the uni year with some super low motivation levels in regard to particular subjects.
  • Less investment in certain friendships and not because of want, but because I am a lazy and…
  • Feeling so busy and unorganised

Idealutions, resolutions and hopeings

  • A slower year, where priorities become priorities and the trivial things are thrown out with the bathwater
  • Invested time and head space to enjoy and get the most out of uni
  • To be more organised at home
  • Eat better, cook nicer food – to be bothered
  • Get more fit
  • To continue to investigate, read more about, and live out some of the results of the aforementioned frustration
  • More time for God…. listen more, write more
  • Be less critical of things like traditional church and learn to love what is good and do differently instead of simply getting annoyed.
  • Be a part of something that explores doing Church differently, try some things!
  • To freelance for a while and to do well at it in terms of being self-disciplined and gain useful experience
  • Put together a portfolio, get a design job
  • More head in the blog. More faithful writing, less crap. Perhaps make something more of it.
  • Release a WordPress Theme (and yes it is in production!)
  • Learn to use the Wacom properly and work on practicing drawing/illustration etc.
  • Learn more about Flash
  • Learn more about Illustrator
  • Learn some of the little extra things about webdesign and standards that I might otherwise ignore.
  • Get my head around Javascript/PHP etc..
  • Continue to work on building a really good marriage and be better at loving Geoff
  • Be better at maintaining and developing friendships
  • Invest in things like Soul Survivor etc.
  • Keep track of the money I spend
  • Spend less money
  • Own less, give more
  • Greater confidence and willingness to try things (especially re. design)
  • Days of doing different things, like taking my camera out somewhere foreign or less than usual
  • Finish uni, and do well in my final year
  • Righteousness and peace… Isaiah 32, Romans 14

Blogging Books Christianity Church Cooking Create Culture Design Experiments General Life Ministry Movies News Relationships Social Justice Web Design Work

2008 2009 Life new year resolutions

Published November 27, 2008 by Rebecca Matheson

This Christmas… Advent Conspiracy

http://www.adventconspiracy.org/

Christianity Church Cooking Create Culture Experiments Holidays Relationships Social Justice

advent christmas Jesus Life presents

Published September 15, 2008 by Rebecca Matheson

Anxiety

Post of the day to Mark Sayers:

An ancient cure to a very modern anxiety

Just an all round good quality insightful post.

Christianity Life Post of the Day Words

anxiety God Life mark sayers

1 2 3 Next »

Recent Posts

  • Fizzy Lifting Drink
  • Time is an arkenstone
  • Faithful to that wistful longing
  • Observing Life
  • Caravan Park

all said and done

Ignite WordPress Theme by Compete Themes.