mywaterjar

Maxi Skirt…everyone should have one (or five)

2012-01-15T17:59:00.001-08:00

I recently posted a picture onto Pinterest. It’s a Maxi skirt by Splendid. I commented that I was going to make it, and had the most repins of anything I’ve ever put up. My concern was that there were going to be some who thought it was a link to a tutorial…and it’s not. But it is currently on sale for about $40…I’m too cheap for that.

BUT, maxi skirts have got to be close to the easiest things you can throw together so I thought I would put up my own tutorial. I’ve made 2 so far and they took about a half hour each and 1-2 metres of material.
PLUS, it turns out I’ve got a baby growing in my belly, so these skirts are going to be my stylish, comfortable go-to skirt for the next several months.

This skirt is all about stretchy, so find yourself some nice stretch material…I got mine for $3/metre and it’s light and VERY stretchy
First, decide how big to make the waste (I wear mine around my hips, so that is where I took the measurements) . It will depend on how stretchy your material is and how big your waste (hips) is. You can just wrap some around your waste and stretch it a bit so it fits comfortably. My hips are 39 inches and the waste of the skirt is 32 inches to give you an idea.

I made the waste panel first and decided I wanted it to be pretty long like in the Splendid skirt, and also because of being preggers. So I cut it 18 inches (it’s going to be folded in half, so keep that in mind, cut yours as long or short as you like).

I cut mine 18 (long) x 32 (wide) – don’t forget to add seam allowance. Make sure when you cut, the stretchiest direction (if there is one) is horizontal. Then fold so right sides are together (making the fabric 18x16) and stitch. Then you can fold it in half the other way so wrong sides are together.
I put it on at this point where I was going to wear it and measured from the bottom of the material to the floor to figure out how long to make the skirt panels. Again, don’t forget seam allowance and hem if you intend on doing a hem (I didn’t do a hem).

Next I cut my panels for the skirt…you’ll need two

Make the top of the panel the same as your waist. So because you have two panels, each panel will be half the measurement of your waist. I also wanted the back panel to be more full so I cut it into more of an ‘A’ shape.

The front panel measured 16 inches at the top, 35 inches long and about 20 at the bottom, the back panel was 16 at the top and about 31 at the bottom…add as much or as little fullness as you want to the front and back (plus seam allowance). Then put the two panels together right sides facing and stitch both sides.
Now it’s time to finish it off.

Put the skirt panels inside the waste (right sides together). In the above photo I have the waist unfolded, but you’ll want to have it folded (wrong sides together) and pin in place (lining up seams). Make sure when you stitch this part you use a stretch stitch or at least a zigzag stitch…and stitch away. YOUR DONE. You can wear these skirts as a dress as well…my only problem with that is I’ve got very full hips, but a small bust so it’s a bit loose on top as a dress…

I made the pink top as well, it’s very simple as well…if you are interested in a tutorial let me know…or I might just do one anyways!
I would live in these skirts if it wasn’t so hot at the moment!!

The Latest

2012-01-15T16:31:00.001-08:00

Ok, first of all we are moving…our lease is up as of the 23rd so we are outta here. And secondly, if you know anything of our life, it seems to be that I am always pregnant when we are moving and it is no different this time. New baby signals new life all around. And so I find myself with a little beauty growing inside of me and no place to live (I don’t know why it happens that way).

We are not fully sure of where we are headed. For now we will be staying with my in-laws (thank goodness for great in-laws). Then there might be a major move coming up, but we are waiting to see if Matt gets the job so I’ll hold off on that announcement until we know it is happening.

And that is the latest…more info to follow.

Refashion…

2012-01-08T12:43:00.001-08:00

Casey over at Stellar Mother has given me an opportunity to share a love of mine (sewing). She asked me to do a tutorial on making yoga shorts out of a t-shirt. It has got to be one of the easiest projects I’ve done. If you’re interested in that kind of thing go check it out. She’s got heaps of other tutorials of her own as well.

The Year that Was

2012-01-01T18:06:00.001-08:00

Well…another year has finished…it’s been a challenge and a blessing. We started the year wondering what the heck was going on. We felt like we should be anywhere but where we were. I think I asked God several times what he thought he was doing. As it turns out he was getting us ready to get to know him a whole lot better.
Nothing on the outside of us has changed much, but I had asked God to do something spiritually significant in our lives this year and to be honest I was hoping for something big to happen in a day, but God took us through a few months of simply being with him…doesn’t sound spiritually significant? Well, I’ll tell you I am a changed person. I spend time with God now, just sitting and listening on a regular basis asking God to show me his ways and he teaches me more and more each day. The amount of time I spend with God has increased significantly which changes me a lot. I hear him better than ever, I know him better than ever and I look forward to continuing on that journey.
God introduced us to some good reading this year as well. We have been inspired by reading what Walter Beuttler has to say on getting to know God better. We were encouraged in our time of waiting on God by F. B. Meyer in his book Elijah and the Secret of His Power. And most recently challenged by the life of Rees Howells in his biography written by Norman Grubb. God has been preparing us, making us ready…we thought we were ready last year…but THANK YOU JESUS he knows us better than we know ourselves and we would have crashed and burned had God done things our way.
Are we fully prepared for the future? I’d say not, but we expect that the work we do isn’t the right work unless we need God to do it. Plenty of ideas we’ve had for things to do because we wanted to do ANYTHING but what we were doing (is that a confusing sentence or what?) were things WE could do, in our own strength…but that can’t be right.
So where does that leave us in 2012…well, unfortunately there are a few things I can not yet divulge…I know, I hate it when people do that…but I promise there will be more information forthcoming, it’s just that there are things that need to fall into place, and people who need to know before the blogosphere, but stuff is definitely happening. God has opened doors and begun to move in ways we are astounded by. When you let God do it his way, the impossible becomes the possible…we’ve begun to see it already and I can’t wait to share the whole story as it unfolds, but you’ll just have to wait – we had to!

Praise and Worship…

2011-12-12T20:05:00.001-08:00

I’m not talking about the praise and worship done on a Sunday morning that usually includes singing, although I do thoroughly enjoy that type.

The other day some circumstances arose that caused me to be frustrated and so I was saying to God ‘well what do we do now?’ And I did not find myself any less frustrated for doing so.

I had read an article by Walter Beuttler called A Holy Solemnity not long before so decided that instead of complaining to God, I would begin to praise him and forget all about the circumstances. After only a few minutes I felt so much better and being able to let go of all the stuff I know God has control over anyways, gave me a much clearer vision of things ahead.

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above… Colossians 3:1.

I really don’t spend nearly enough time praising and worshiping – a few minutes every now and then is about tops and so I’ve been challenging myself to be at it throughout the day. Instead of picking up a book to read or watching t.v. or getting on the internet, I give that time to God who deserves it. I’m not saying I’m perfect at it, but boy does it feel good when I take the time to really set my heart on things above.

In fact, while I was spending some time in worship I was thanking God for his Holy Spirit because –well – it’s pretty awesome. The H.S. gives us the ability to know God in a way that we could never know another person whether friend or lover.

For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 1 Corinthians 2:11,12

It has made me wonder if, perhaps, that is why the world is constantly seeking the spiritual, because we were made to have a spiritual relationship with God. He is the only one who can give us what we crave because he is the only one who can give the Holy Spirit. We can’t find it from another person and we certainly can’t find it from any other gods whether they be nature or otherwise…

Faith

2011-12-04T18:14:00.001-08:00

I was reading 1 Samuel last night…still on the Old Testament…it’s really fascinating.

If you haven’t read, recently or otherwise, 1 Samuel 14, have a look. The Israelites are basically surrounded by Philistines and grossly outnumbered. The army is freaking out and running away, but Jonathan (King Saul’s son) decides to have a go. So he leaves camp with his armour bearer and says ‘let’s go show ourselves to that group of Philistines and if they ask us to come up to them then we know the Lord has handed them over to us’ (I’m paraphrasing).

So that is what happens and Jonathan and his armour bearer climb up to the group of Philistines and kill them all (about 20). Following that, the Philistines get scared and start killing each other and in the end the Israelites win the battle.

What I found so incredible about this passage is that first of all, Jonathan stepped out in faith into a situation where any normal person would expect to be…well…killed. He had confidence that God would hand that group over to him and so he climbed up and took them out – 2 men against 20. A big step of faith, that, when looking at the ridiculously large number of the Philistine army, doesn’t really even make a mark…20 men killed among ‘soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore’ and Saul with about 600 men. If I were Jonathan I don’t know that I would have bothered…such a huge risk for so little result? It created barely a dent in the Philistine army…and yet, because of Jonathans faith, God gave the whole army into the hands of the Israelites.

I’ll let you make your own comparison in your own life. All I will say is that when Jonathan stepped out on a limb for God…even though his initial impact was small, the world was changed.

Life and Death

2011-11-02T18:04:00.001-07:00

I was thinking about a young man who passed away recently from cancer. He was a Christian and was confident of his destination. I started to wonder why God took him at such a young age. I am no better than he is and yet I get to continue living. Why am I blessed in this.

Then it occurred to me that perhaps I have it all backward. Perhaps that young man is the one that is blessed.

He does not know pain or sorrow any more. And whether or not he is in heaven now, or just sleeping until the time comes when Jesus returns (depending on your theology). He is at peace and will be now and forever. I’m thankful that I feel blessed to remain alive and have a part in the work that God is doing on earth now, but I wonder how many things we understand so differently to God.

When we stand before God and have a better understanding of reality will we be constantly smacking ourselves on the forehead wondering how we could have missed it so many times…

The Old Testament

2011-10-26T02:31:00.001-07:00

I am currently reading the Old Testament. I’d give you a reference but I’m movin’ all over the shop. I’ve read it through before, although it has been a while. It’s taken me a while to get back into it. However, it is fascinating stuff – the beginning of stuff. I was reading in 1 Chronicles yesterday and there are some crazy stories in there.

I was getting frustrated at the kings that would follow God, but towards the end would do something extremely selfish or stupid – usually because they get full of themselves. I couldn’t understand where they could go wrong, but then I realized we all do the same thing. The Old Testament is full of literal stories of the stuff that goes on in our heads. It’s just that most of us don’t rule nations so when we do something of that sort it doesn’t make such a difference to the world.

The main thing I’ve noticed so far is that fact that whenever God’s people cried out to him – he always responded with compassion and mercy…I’ll let you know more thoughts as they come.

My Granola

2011-09-27T15:16:00.001-07:00

I put together my very own granola recipe…I think this would have to be the only recipe I’ve ever made – I used another recipe and chopped and changed until I got it just right…and you can make it as cheap or as expensive as you want depending on what nuts you use.

Ingredients:
6 cups rolled oats (just use the cheapest brand you can find)
3 cups nuts (whatever you feel like – you can do 3 cups of walnuts if you’re on a budget)
1 cup seeds (sunflower, sesame etc)
1 cup wheat germ
2 cups shredded coconut
1 tsp salt
2 Tbs Cinnamon (or not, if you don’t like cinnamon)
1 cup veg oil (you could probably use whatever oil you like)
3/4 – 1 cup honey
2 Tbs brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
raisins (and/or other dried fruit)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 165 C (325 F) - If you have a fan forced oven as I currently do, set it to 135 C.
2. Mix oats, nuts, seeds, wheat germ, coconut, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.
3. In a small pan over medium heat stir the oil, honey, brown sugar and vanilla until they are blended.
4. Pour the heated mixture into the nut mixture and stir until well combined.
5a. If you want a crunchier granola (my preference): spread mixture on a cookie sheet with baking paper on it to no more than 1/2 inch thick and bake it in the oven for about 35 min.
5b. If you like a chewier granola: spread mixture thickly on the cookie sheet and bake for about 20 min. (it also helps if you use more honey, but I don’t like my granola that sweet).
6. Remove the granola from the oven and sprinkle over as much or as little dried fruit as you like. use a fork to mix together on the cookie sheet, then spread out to cool.
7. Once your granola is cooled store in an airtight container (zip lock freezer bags work as well as anything).

This granola is great for changing to suit your taste, so if you make it and it’s not quite the way you like it - add or subtract different ingredients to get it the way you like…

“But How’s He DO That?”

2011-09-18T12:19:00.001-07:00

My three year old son is now fully into the “why” stage…usually followed by “how”. He started asking me where things come from…

Seth: Mummy, where’s this apple come from

Me: Jesus (or God) made it.

Seth: How’s he DO that? (read wonder and amazement into that question).

Now he pre-empts the answer

Seth: Did Jesus make this table?

Me: Yes

Seth: How’s he DO that?

Me: Well, he gives people ideas, creativity and ability so they can do it.

Seth: OOOooohhhh!

Seth is also really into ‘best friends’. Every kid that turns up at the playground is his new best friend so I told him Jesus wants to be his best friend…that put a huge smile on his face…then I told him when Jesus is his best friend he lives inside of him…(what am I getting myself into)…Seth swiftly responds “how’s he DO that” After a brief pause searching my brain for some sort of response I said “the Holy Spirit (yes, that’s right, I’m trying to teach my 3 year old about the trinity) is the part of Jesus that can live inside of you, that way you will never be alone and he can help you to not be naughty”. So now when he’s having trouble doing something I tell him to ask Jesus for help…problem is when he’s frustrated he’s not interested in asking for help, he just wants to sulk.

Now he talks about the Holy Spirit living inside of his tummy…which is about the right spot…and I just trust that God will give him enough understanding to make up for the bits that I try to explain a bit wonky!!

Thoughts

2011-09-14T15:53:00.001-07:00

I was just reading this morning in Acts 14 particularly verse 3 which says “So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders.

Then I read in 1 Corinthians 2:4 which says “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power…”

I am eager to see God’s power at work…do I forget about God’s message coming first? And taking that backwards, do we speak God’s message but have no expectation of God’s power following?

…just my thoughts for the morning…

Matt's August Sermon

2011-08-25T22:28:00.000-07:00

Matt spoke again at church a few weeks ago...if this all works properly you should be able to listen below!

Miraculous Healing

2011-08-23T03:25:00.001-07:00

I’ve thought about healing a lot over the past few years. I have no understanding of it really except that the disciples healed as they went and I know there are miracles today. I’ve been in healing meetings, have seen numerous people prayed for and know of people healed, but as far as my own ability goes (or rather, any ability the Holy Spirit has given me) I am at a bit of a loss.

A couple of weeks ago I was taking a walk down by the beach and saw a woman who was obviously disfigured from birth. She was too short and looked awkward in her stance. I walked a bit further down the beach and sat down in the sand with my daughter. As we sat there I looked back up the beach and saw this woman walking with crutches to get into the water and it just about broke my heart. It was an incredible day and there were people running and playing everywhere…and she slowly made her way to the water among this. I knew she had never known what that was like… but being a grown woman I figured she had probably already dealt with those feelings of missing out.

I asked God, “Would you heal her?” …hypothetically meaning - if I went and prayed for her healing would she be miraculously healed. Then I realized God would now ask me to go pray for her. But I’m a chicken and I knew God knew it. I told him if he wanted me to go pray for her he was going to have to give me a big push. I knew God ‘could’ heal her, but I just didn’t know if he would. He didn’t give me a push, and then I begged God not to let her miss out of being healed simply because I wasn’t brave enough to be the one to pray for her.

That experience has stuck with me and so I was praying about it the other night, trying to figure out why that question ‘would you heal her’ had felt so intense, because God had not said ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Then he revealed the answer he had given me and I understood why it was so heavy at the time. His answer had been, “you won’t know unless you go and pray for her”…

Reflection

2011-08-04T03:59:00.001-07:00

I was thinking back to a time just after Ada was born (August 2010) when life was in such turmoil. We had been seeking direction from God for the past 2 years, and thought we had found it. The opportunity had arisen (or so we thought) to be part of a church on one of the islands off the top of Australia. After seeking God for so long and having opportunities come up that we knew where not the right doors to walk through we were relieved to finally know what we were going to be doing. It felt so right, and even though we would have been living out of a camper (this at a time when I was desperate to make a home for my new daughter), we couldn’t deny that everything in us pulled in that direction. Then the door closed and we were like a couple of stunned mullets. (If you are finding yourself in a wilderness a great book to read is Elijah and the Secret of His Power by F. B. Meyer, it gave both Matt and I so much encouragement – even in just the first few chapters)

Because we had spent 2 years seeking, before that opportunity arose we were fine about continuing on the ‘seeking’ road. We knew it well. But when we stepped off that path into a clearing only to find that it wasn’t, it was as though we had lost the path and were now lost in the woods. Matt got a job and we rented a house and we felt so out of sorts. Filled with confusion we found ourselves in a very bleak time.

The reason for writing this is not to make everyone feel depressed, but more to the point – here I sit more than 6 months later and I am so relieved at God’s wisdom and patience. I can now look back and be grateful for God’s gentle hand in all of that. That lost opportunity gave me the ability to see that I was willing to live on a dirt floor as long as I was in God’s will – because when you are in God’s will you can do anything. God used that missed opportunity to make very clear to us our motivation and desire to serve God, but in his infinite wisdom he held us back because he knew there was still work to be done on us. God has taken me closer and closer to him over these last months. I can now see that I sit before the King of Kings when we talk, but more importantly I sit before my Father.

We continue to seek God, but there is so much more peace, contentment and joy. We are eager to see what God has laid out before us, but are more able to take a deep breath and wait…

You Do Not Have Because You Do Not Ask

2011-07-29T03:13:00.001-07:00

I was debating whether or not to put pictures up of all the clothes I’ve made now that I have my sewing machine back (I’ve figured out how to make pants and they actually look really good!). But I need someone to take pictures and I’ve just been lazy about it. So instead I have this thought.

I’ve been spending a lot of time talking to God about prayer because I reckon there is a lot about it I don’t know. I was thinking about how the Bible says that if you ask God for anything that is within his will – he will do it. Then I put that with the verse that says ‘you do not have because you do not ask’. I figured I had better start going to God in prayer about EVERYTHING (making sure to include thanksgiving and praise and all the other good stuff). At least that way God has the chance to say no to a prayer…and who knows what he will say yes to…that way I don’t miss out on anything.

Seth (my 3 year old) has been taking swimming lessons for a few months. Some kids have no problem going under water - it doesn’t seem to bother them. And because my son is the most amazing boy in the world, I figured he’d take to it…but he didn’t. He HATED putting his head under water. This had gone on for a couple months of swimming lessons and I was growing concerned because swimming is an important skill to learn… especially when there is so much water around. Two weeks ago at his swimming lesson he again was hating to put his head under and so I asked God to give him confidence so that he could learn to swim well. This was about half way through a half hour lesson and at the end of the class the teacher was going to get the kids to go under water for several seconds. That day Seth did it and came up with a big smile on his face. And only a week later he is like a fish, constantly hanging off the teacher and swimming around him under water. He even swam by himself a few metres under water from one teacher to the other…and I wonder had I not asked God to give him that confidence when would he have gotten it.

Sewing Machine Update

2011-07-16T12:30:00.001-07:00

For anyone who’s keeping track – I just got my sewing machine back…fixed under warranty (thank goodness, otherwise I’d be without). And it really is true that absence makes the heart grow fonder…

A Funny Thing…

2011-06-21T14:09:00.001-07:00

Actually, it’s not funny. A few days ago I broke my sewing machine. I’ve had it for 4 months and was sewing away on a fairly light knit fabric when it got caught up. So I took the fabric out and started to sew again, but the machine was suddenly labouring to move…

To supply a little bit of background, I’ve been wanting a sewing machine for about 2 years and finally got one for my birthday this year. And whether it is all in my head or not, I have felt that God has stirred this interest in sewing in me. It’s a great hobby for extracting creative juices and also for having something to do besides looking after the little ones, but I have felt that it’s for more than that…sort of like, someday, somehow, there will be an opportunity for ministry.

I am pleased to say that my first response when the machine broke was…’well, if God wants me to sew then it will all work out’ so I wasn’t really too concerned. Yes, very pleased indeed…needless to say, it wasn’t long before the devil (and when I say the devil, I don’t mean the actual devil…I’m sure he’s way to busy to bother with me…) began to put thoughts of ‘it’s not fair’ in my head. Yes, I began to pout, and I felt quite deserving of my grumble…after all, I’m just trying to follow God’s leading, and now look what’s happened!

Several days went on after this. I have dropped my sewing machine off at the store and will hopefully get it fixed under warranty. However, on the way home I was thinking of my response and was a little disappointed in myself for letting those second thoughts push their way in and so I apologized to God and will endeavour to have the, and KEEP the first response I had, in all situations…and that’s when thoughts flooded into my head of all the times ‘it’s not fair’ was my first and only thought in MANY things in my life. It seems somewhat easy to have a good response when you feel you are following in God’s leading, but what about all the times in life when life has just plain been not fair? Oh, I’ve got my work cut out for me…being a Christian is not easy!

Confession

2011-06-13T17:08:00.001-07:00

Sounds intriguing doesn’t it? Well, perhaps not…

Over the past several months I have been making an increased effort to spend more time with God. Praying, reading my Bible and just sitting quietly and listening. Then about a week ago, I heard a message at a church meeting. We had visiting missionaries and one of the ladies who spoke talked of Deborah in the book of Judges. Deborah was married to the king and she was a prophetess. She received a word from the Lord and said to her husband the king “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you…” I don’t need to go further because the point she made was, why was Deborah so confident of the words she spoke? She knew she had a word from God…why? Because she was a woman of prayer. She KNEW the sound of Gods voice.

I have to say with some confidence that if God gave me a word as big as the one he gave to Deborah, I would not feel so confident. And so, with that, I knew that I needed to step up my time with God even more…no time for slacking off.

Then, over the past couple of days I’ve not been spending so much time with God, - so this morning I knew I needed to, but I found that as I sang a worship song in my head, and as I prayed a few little prayers as I went about getting the kids fed and dressed this morning, there was a little bit of resistance. I didn’t really feel like it. I wasn’t enjoying it. In fact, I would have been a whole lot more comfortable leaving it alone and just getting busy in the day as I had been the last few days. I’ve felt this way before in the past and never really thought much about it…usually I’d just leave it for a while. But this time I became curious as to what that feeling was all about. Then I realized, it was my conscience. I was feeling convicted, because the truth is, the reason I haven’t been spending much time with God is because I’ve been a bit lazy and selfish with my time. This may seem like a small thing and no reason to get so bothered…but I don’t think it’s a small thing to God. In fact, as soon as I realized where the feelings came from and made a mental effort to change things (also known as repenting) I felt so much better and just about fell into my time with God this morning.

So why the confession? Well, partly because I felt so different after I realized what was going on I felt like sharing, and partly because I thought it might breathe some insight into someone else’s life.

Judges 4:23 – On that day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan before the Isrealites.

If you can hear the voice of God, you can be a part of changing the world.

Impossible

2011-06-04T20:18:00.001-07:00

Now, there is a word I’ve been thinking a lot about lately. Perhaps it is because I just spoke for Communion and that was the subject…but in reality, the reason I spoke about it for Communion is because that’s what God has been chatting to me about lately. The reason I used it for Communion is because we celebrate a man coming back to life after 3 days…which is impossible. After a Doctor declares someone dead in hospital they let the morgue know. They don’t say “well, lets leave him here for a few days just in case he comes back to life.”
It’s a bit like that question: Could God create a rock that’s too big for even him to lift? The answer being: Yes he could, but then he’d be able to lift it. We, as humans can’t really understand impossible because there are things that are impossible to us…but there is nothing impossible for God.
I read a book recently called Mission Possible. The story of a woman who worked for Wycliffe. She lived in a tribe in PNG with people who did not even have a written language. She told a story about a time when she took some young men from the tribe to town in a motor boat. The boat took 5 cans of fuel to get home and the young men, thinking they were saving money only got 4 cans of fuel, so when they were about an hour away from home the boat motor stopped. This meant they would have to spend the next 4 days floating back to town. Marilyn was exasperated, but the men said ‘why don’t we just ask God, he’s got more than enough power (I’m paraphrasing)'. So they began to pray that God with make the boat motor run. Marilyn got tears in her eyes for the sentiment, but was not expecting anything to happen. After the men prayed they tried to start the motor which sputtered a bit, so they prayed again, and again tried to start the motor…that time it started. Marilyn figured it had started off of fumes and would soon cut out again, but it got them all the way home and she was reminded of Matthew 18:3 “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” These tribal men knew that nothing was impossible for God.
I think sometimes we get a bit jaded as we get older. We’ve seen to many empty dreams, hopes dashed etc. that we don’t want to hope in anything any more. Or we try to make things as easy on God as we can so he will make things happen. But children see the world differently.
My son said to me recently (he was two at the time)
“Mum, I have a big idea” I chuckled and said “Oh yeah? What’s your big idea”. He replied “I’m going to fly to the moon.”
It would never even occur to me to have an idea that big, because I know it’s impossible…but not to the mind of a child…
In another book I read recently (see I told you God has been chatting to me about ‘Impossible’) called Elijah and the Secret of his Power. The author, F.B. Meyer, says this (if you aren’t sure of the story, you can read it in 1 Kings 18):
His (Elijah’s) faith was exuberant. He was so sure of God, that he dared to heap difficulties in His way, knowing that there is no real difficulty for infinite power. The more unlikely the answer was, the more glory would there be to God. Oh, matchless faith! which can laugh at impossibilities and heap them one upon another, to have the pleasure of seeing God vanquish them -- as a steam hammer cracks a nutshell placed under it by the wondering child.
The altar was reared, the wood laid in order, the bullock cut in pieces; but to prevent any possibility of fraud and make the coming miracle still more wonderful, Elijah said, "Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the sacrifice and on the wood (1 Kings 18:33). This they did three times until the wood was drenched, and the water filled the trench, making it impossible for a spark to travel across.
Alas, few of us have faith like this! We are not so sure of God that we dare to pile difficulties in His way. We all try our best to make it easy for Him to help us. Yet what this man had, we too may have, by prayer and fasting.
What a challenge to my own faith…I know I have, on many occasions, tried to make things easier for God…
Let’s make sure, when it comes to God’s Kingdom, that we change our hearts and become like little children. Let’s have faith that can fly to the moon.

Showing Off

2011-05-19T17:26:00.001-07:00

I’ve recently gotten into sewing and have been amazed at the creativity you can find on the net. More experienced and brilliant crafty types out there are generous enough to share their ideas for free, which means I get to make nice things without having to pay for it! I’ve just made some things for a friends baby shower and now that she’s received these items I can’t help myself…I have to show them off. Keep in mind I am no photographer so don’t be too disgusted at how poorly I’ve taken these photos…that seems to be another thing that brilliant sewers can do…all these people sharing their wonderful things can also take really good photos of them…sigh**

these are some little kimono booties. Pattern supplied by Homespun-threads here. She makes hers on a sewing machine…I had to hand sew mine…I don’t know how she manages.

Next up is the baby burp blanket with little tabs on them to hold a little toy or a dummy (pacifier). This idea is from Merrimentdesign here,

And lastly is a little elastic headband…a bit hard to see in the picture, but you get the idea. This one I just made up myself.

Ok, done showing off now, just thought I would share something a bit different than what I normally do!

Invaluable

2011-04-21T17:00:00.001-07:00

Who would have thought that waiting on God could be such an indispensible lesson. That’s where we are…still…waiting on God. In the past when we have had to wait on God, it always felt like all we were doing was…well…waiting. What I have now come to realize is that the waiting is actually a training ground. I want so desperately to do big things for God, but what I have failed to realize in the past is that you can not do the great things of God without first going through the preparation that only waiting on God can give you. Yes, I still have times of frustration. I get impatient for the future, but those times are getting fewer because I can now remind myself of the importance of this time and take advantage of every opportunity. When i get aggravated I can turn myself around and soak in the presence of God and simply say ‘teach me’.

Numbers

2011-04-14T20:32:00.001-07:00

For those of you who are interested in this kind of thing…below is a quote from a book written by Stuart Allen called God's Word - Written (or The Purpose of the Bible).

(1) Numerics - Underneath the Hebrew and Chaldee of the Old Testament and the Greek of the New
Testament there is hidden an extraordinary disposition of numbers which cannot be explained away on human grounds. In order to understand this we must remember that none of these languages had symbols for numbers such as we have (1,2,3,4, etc.). Instead of this they made use of the letters of their alphabet so that a=1, b=2 etc. One can easily see then that a word could be looked at in two ways, either as a word or as a series of numbers which could be added up to a total. For instance, the Greek for ‘word’ is ‘logos’. If looked at from a numerical standpoint its value would be l=30, o=70, g=3, o=70, s=200: total 373. The numerical value of ‘logos’ is therefore 373. If we were to look at the Greek text of the first eleven verses of the New Testament (Matt. 1:1-11), we should find an elaborate scheme of sevens underlying the words, which could not have been put there by chance, or even arranged by any human cleverness on Matthew’s part. These verses contain 49 words (7x7).
Of these 49 words, 28 (4x7) begin with a vowel, and 21 (3x7) begin with a consonant. These 49 words have 266 letters (7x2x19); this number is itself 38 sevens, and the sum of its factors is 28 (4x7). Of these 266 letters, 140 (20x7) are vowels, and 126 (18x7) are consonants. Of these 49 words 35 (5x7) occur more than once in the passage and 14 (2x7) occur only once. Seven occur in more than one form and 42 (6x7) occur only in one form. The 49 words are divided thus: 42 (6x7) are nouns (the name of something) and seven are not nouns. Of these nouns, 35 (5x7) are names of people and seven are ordinary nouns. Of these names, 28 (4x7) are male ancestors of Christ and seven are not. Thus, an elaborate system of sevens occurs in these few short verses of the Bible. If Matthew was not writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, what a headache he must have had trying to
arrange all these sevens!

There is also a system of elevens in the Greek and Hebrew texts of the Scriptures and so wonderful is this that the chance of these figures occurring by accident rather than design (that is by the inspiration of God) is 1 in a number followed by 30 noughts, a billion million taken a million times!

Matt's Turn take 2

2011-04-13T19:48:00.000-07:00

I've only just published a post on humility below, but apparently there has been some trouble downloading Matt's sermon from the link I posted previously so I've given Grooveshark a try...if this works you can listen here...p.s. ignore the song titles I forgot to change them from what the computer decided they were.

Humility

2011-04-13T17:45:00.001-07:00

It’s good stuff…if not a little uncomfortable. God has been dishing it up to me by the plateful lately and I’ve found that it’s terrible going down, but has a wonderful aftertaste – I think it’s one of those Godly things that doesn’t make sense but because God made it, it is good.

The Oxford Dictionary defines humility as the quality of having a modest or low view of one’s importance.

I’d like to suggest that the biblical definition is quite different. In Philippians 2:3 it says ‘in humility value others above yourselves.’

I think the humility that God desires is not about thinking low of yourself, but simply putting others above you. The bible often talks of Jesus’ humility, and while he did make himself low by becoming human…he knew what he was on earth for and it wouldn’t have given him a low view of his importance. Because of that he always put others ahead of himself. You will read that he had compassion for people constantly and would go out of his way to teach or to heal.

We have a lot of work to do on this earth and our importance is anything but low. However, if we want to get the work done that God has for us, then in our humility we must do as Jesus did and put others above ourselves.

Psalm 22:4 Humility is the fear of the Lord; it’s wages are riches and honour and life.

Matt’s Turn

2011-04-07T15:23:00.001-07:00

Matt preached a few Sundays ago and I thought I would put it here if anyone is interested. He preached on Nehemiah. And because I am computer illiterate about trying to attach his sermon to this post I attached a link instead.

http://www.mediafire.com/?71kxwd5a7hcat

It is in four different parts because that is how it came on the CD…sorry this is so messy!

Find Your Own Way

2011-03-29T16:01:00.001-07:00

I have heard it said that Jesus is one way, of many, to God. ‘Because’, it is argued, ‘why would a loving God make only one way to heaven’? As I was thinking about that this morning I came to a shocking conclusion. If this is true, if God in order to be loving, has made many ways to him, then he has sent his son to be tortured and murdered as just another of many ways…In my opinion that makes for a much less loving God than if God was willing to allow his son to be tortured and murdered because it was the only way.

Compassion Vs. Miracle

2011-03-21T17:24:00.001-07:00

You may wonder why I would use ‘vs’ instead of ‘and’ between two seemingly compatible words, but that would hardly make my point.

In Mark 6:30-34 it says

The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

I gotta say, if I was one of those disciples, ‘compassion’, would not have been the verb running through my head. With this in mind I’ll continue with verses 35-37

By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

But he answered, “You give them something to eat.”

They said to him, “That would take eight months of a man’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”

The disciples had a good point. Not only was Jesus asking them to show compassion when they were very tired, but now it seemed he wanted them to give away all of their money as well.

Jesus never promised a miracle. The disciples knew that he could do them, but all they could see was what they had to give of themselves, which was every ounce of energy they had left and every spare cent (does that ever sound familiar?). What Jesus asked them to do was to act on compassion (notice the word ‘act’). This is what follows in verses 38-44

“How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.”

When they found out, they said, “Five-and two fish.”

Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties.

Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.

Jesus never asked them for more than they had, but I wonder sometimes as we seek to see miracles are we missing the opportunity because as Jesus moves us to act, we give excuse after excuse? ‘I’m too tired’, ‘I don’t have enough’, ‘that’s somebody else’s job’. And then we wonder why we never get to see miracles.

**Important side note! After this amazing miracle, please notice that Jesus Immediately made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him while he dismissed the crowd. Times of rest do come and are important and Jesus made sure they had the rest they needed!

A Quick Thought

2011-03-14T16:20:00.001-07:00

Was just reading Acts, in particular chapter1 verse 23. Perhaps everybody already knows this, but it just occurred to me.

They cast lots to choose who would take Judas’ place, and it’s the last time they cast lots – it was obviously a way that they sought to receive God’s leading on an issue. So why is this the last time? Well, following this they receive the Holy Spirit, so they don’t need to cast lots anymore because they have leading from within, instead of without.

Something to keep in mind if you are waiting for God to give you an outward sign. If you are a Christian you’ve got the Holy Spirit, so start looking for it from the inside.

Ok, ok…

2011-03-13T18:39:00.001-07:00

I have been reading a few articles by, and have begun reading the testimony/life story of, a man named Walter Beuttler. He says this:

Several years ago, the Lord asked me to shut myself in with Him. I found a place where I could be totally alone with the Lord, in fasting and prayer.
Sunday afternoon, I realized that I had spent 48 hours in prayer, fasting, and seeking the Lord, with no results. I had neither felt nor received anything, nor was I aware of His presence. I knew the Lord wanted to speak, but He did not do so.
Then I said within my heart, “It takes God a long time to speak.” No sooner had I said this, than the Lord spoke to me in a voice that was as clear as a bell, and as sharp as a razor. This was a voice which was not audible, but a voice that I heard. He said, “To hurry God is to find fault with Him.”

‘To hurry God is to find fault with him’…it seems God has to remind me of that a lot lately.

The End of the World??

2011-03-11T14:48:00.001-08:00

Due to all the drama happening around the world there has been a lot of talk about Matthew 24. I hadn’t read it in a while so had a look through and thought it was important to post it here so that those who haven’t had a look can see for themselves (NIV translation).

⁴ Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. ⁵ For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. ⁶ You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. ⁷ Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are the beginning of birth pains.

Notice in verse 6 it says ‘but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come’. These things have been happening and will continue to happen, the end is yet to come.

⁹ “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. ¹⁰ At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, ¹¹ and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. ¹² Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, ¹³ but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

you could argue that that is happening now…but I reckon it’s going to be a lot worse than things are now.

¹⁵ “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’^[a] spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— ¹⁶ then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁷ Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. ¹⁸ Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. ¹⁹ How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! ²⁰ Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. ²¹ For then there will be great distress, unequalled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equalled again.

It continues, but I’ll leave it there. After reading that I was a lot less alarmed, and will remain that way until ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ is seen standing in the holy place…er…whatever that means, but that sounds pretty specific.

That One Again.

2011-03-05T13:30:00.001-08:00

I was having a look back through my posts and had a read of one called ‘The Other Bit…’ from 2 June 2009. It kicked my butt…again. I reposted it again below:

The other bit...

I have, more times than once, found comfort in the scripture 2 Timothy 1:7

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. (NIV)

At times when I have been afraid, God has reminded me of the part that says 'God did NOT give us a spirit of timidity'. And I have found great strength in that. However, more recently God has made a statement out of the other bit...the bit about self-discipline.

When I am stressed or overwhelmed, and I go into my 'self preservation' mode, my tongue tends to become very sharp. I find fault with most things said by those closest to me (I imagine there may be a few of you who know me well reading this and nodding in a knowing sort of way).

Over the past few months, I've had a hard time of it and have therefore reacted in a not so nice way to those closest to me...mainly my husband Matt. Once I noticed the way I was acting I spent time asking God to change my circumstances so that I could get back to my more normal pleasant self. That's when He reminded me that He has given me a spirit of self-discipline...

'But I don't want to discipline myself to be nicer I just want you to change things so I don't react so poorly'

God wasn't having any of it, and so, every time I found myself reacting in a bad way, that part of the verse would pop into my head. I'm sorry to say, I did a pretty poor job of it. But I think I'm starting to get the hang of it...hold on, let me just ask Matt what he thinks...

How to Get Men to Volunteer for Sunday School

2011-03-01T13:38:00.001-08:00

I wanted to share this because my husband is the coolest. He wanted to do something for the boys at church in the 10/11 year old age bracket who are too young to do youth group, but too old to play in the crèche/nursery. On Sunday just past he brought his welder and grinder to church and made 3 pronged spears with the boys…you should have seen their eyes light up (only to be used under adult supervision boys). Of course, those who were in the church service were a little curious about the strange noises coming from outside. Next he’s going to have them over on a Saturday to add a bamboo handle and they will go reef walking on a still evening to spear crayfish (crayfish in Australia are like lobster in the states). A few of the men came out after church and seeing what was happening were eager to get involved…

Bananas, Oranges, Grapes, Apples…

2011-02-27T19:34:00.001-08:00

Insert big *sigh*. It’s been a rough few months…wondering what God is doing (what are You doing by the way??). We still don’t know, but there has been one thing that has given us hope and joy and that is fruit.

John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

(Notice the word ‘remain’, that sounds long term to me) So we’ve seen some fruit which gives us confidence that we are where we are supposed to be. We are in him and he is in us. In saying that, do not misunderstand; there was a time when we couldn’t see an apple within a million miles, which doesn’t mean we were apart from God. If you go back a little ways in the book of John to verse 2 you read “…while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” So there are always going to be those pruning times…insert another big *sigh*. But oh the joy when you are doing the work of the father. It’s a bit like getting a big breath of fresh air after being under water, or a drink when you are soo thirsty. I can’t believe I wrote that, I hate similes. Anyways…there is oh so much more I could say on the subject but I will finish with Colossians 1:9-11

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience.

The bible is so good…

Knowing God

2011-02-20T01:27:00.001-08:00

Woke up this morning at 4am to Matt’s work alarm going off (oops—Matt is not at work). When I jumped up to get it I jinked my neck and ended up back on the bed in pain…it was an early start. After a massage from my amazing husband and a hot shower it was coffee time, and luckily the kids had a sleep in (6:30am) so I could sit and rest my neck. That was the start to my Sunday morning. All of that doesn’t really have anything to do with the title of this post, I just thought I’d share about my poor neck before getting on with it, cause I was on to do communion this morning and thought I’d share it here as well, it’s about knowing God which won’t be a big surprise if you’ve read the previous post…

John 14:6-9. I’ll let you read it yourself but it’s basically Jesus saying he is in the father and the father is in him…whoever knows him knows the father.

Then the shocking fact that Christianity isn’t a religion…some of you already know this, but for those who don’t – religion is man-made, Christianity is God made. Christianity is a relationship with God and with that comes eternal life.

I was listening to a message the other day by a Pastor named Bayless Conley (he has a TV ministry as well that is seen around the world). He shared a story about his daughter travelling around Europe with a friend. In Switzerland they found an out of the way Inn and were talking to the old lady that owned the place trying to decide whether or not to stay there. As they were talking, the topic of God came up and the lady said she didn’t know much about God, but she did watch a show with a guy named Bayless Conley, to which his daughter replied ‘I know him, he’s my dad!’. Bayless made the point that that should be our reaction when we hear the name of God ‘I know Him, He’s my dad!’.

Often though we get side tracked with our own stuff. When we pray we are asking for our own needs, when we read the bible we are looking for answers to what we are dealing with in life and when we sing praise and worship we are hoping for those warm fuzzies. There is nothing wrong with any of this. In fact The bible tells us to bring our worries to God. But we need to make sure that that is not all we do.

Jesus did not die so that we could have warm fuzzies, he did not die so that we could have a nice car or a big house or lots of money. He didn’t even die so that we would never know suffering or pain or tears. Jesus died so that we could have a relationship with God.

I finished by saying that we should take the opportunity of sharing in communion to make a new effort to get to know God better, so that when someone say’s the name of God we can say ‘I know Him, He’s my dad!’

Seed

2011-02-18T14:46:00.001-08:00

I’m currently on the topic of ‘Knowing God’. What I mean is, it has been impressed upon my heart to get to know God better. I ask God for plenty, but I don’t often take the time just to spend it with God…When I read my bible I am often looking for inspiration in regards to my life, not usually just to get to know God better. When someone mentions the name of God I want my response to be ‘I know him!!’ So that is the seed that is currently growing inside of me. I mention this so that you can ask yourself what seed the Holy Spirit has put into your heart. Is there something that is getting your attention? Make sure you seek it out, get it into you. There is no better time than when the Holy Spirit is trying to show you something, because then you’ve got supernatural powers to have it revealed to you.

Missions vs. Evangelism

2011-02-13T02:12:00.001-08:00

The title of this post isn’t actually accurate, but it seemed the closest I could come to my point. Seeing as I am the Missions Coordinator for our church I tend to spend a little bit of time thinking on the subject. I consider all Christians to be missionaries, but it seems that our ‘named’ missionaries seem to be doing ‘missions’ better than those who do not own the title.

Trying to understand it in my own head, I have long thought that missions on the home front looks a lot like evangelism. In third world countries, missionaries can feed the poor, give medicine to the sick, build houses for the homeless, but in first world countries we just don’t have the same sort of needs (after all, our neighbours live in houses and buy their own food), so we do evangelism (tell people about Jesus and invite them to church)…then it suddenly dawned on me. The difference between what ‘they’ (the missionaries) are doing and what ‘we’ (at home) are doing, is that they are showing the love of Jesus and we are just telling people about it. The truth is, there is a lot of need everywhere around us. It may not be as obvious, but it is most certainly EVERYWHERE and goes beyond food and shelter.

Now, I’m not saying stop doing evangelism, but we really need to mix the two together. Everyone knows there is a big difference between telling someone you love them and showing them. I just want to put it out there that if we are going to make the name of Jesus famous (some of us will know the song), then lets get out there and show people why He’s a God worth knowing.

Inspiration

2011-01-14T19:46:00.001-08:00

I thought it was important to write ‘something’ seeing as it has been a while. I haven’t really had time to be inspired for something to write…or perhaps I have been inspired, but haven’t had the time to think about it and jot it down.

We’ve finally moved into our own home after 8 months in one bedroom (there was a lot of travel mixed in to that 8 months as well), so most time has been spent unpacking and organising, and because we have plenty of room in this house, we’ve also taken the time to SPREAD OUT.

God has been working, building, changing etc… He has been very busy with us, but it is hard to keep ‘rejoicing in our suffering’. When I have a bad day with two kids and unpacking I try to remember that my capacity has been enlarged and not diminished (even though sometimes it feels that way)…and I am trying to be ok with that fact that sometimes being a mum is hard (thought comes to mind of recent time cleaning poo off of the carpet). But I continue to try to remember that there are great times ahead to be had and they will be even better if I let myself be grown and changed. Can’t have ‘new wine in old wine skin’…

On the Road Again…

2010-11-08T01:57:00.001-08:00

After about 15 hours of travel over 3 days with a 2 1/2 year old and an 11 week old we have arrived in Gladstone for 3 weeks. Then its about another 15 hours of travel over 3 days back north to find a place to live in Cairns. I thought I would give a brief update – my mom pointed out to me the other day that the last post I wrote talked about me being pregnant which is no longer the case. As stated above we now have a daughter named Ada, who at under 3 months has already started travelling. I calculated once that Seth in the first 2 years of his life has travelled about 1/4 of it. We’ve done a lot more moving around since having kids than in the DINK (double income no kids) years of our marriage. I did have that usual fear people get that once they have kids they are really stuck. Luckily I have a few great friends with kids who have travelled many placed around the world to push that fear aside.

We are still waiting to find out what God has in store for us which is an interesting journey in and of itself. We recently had a ministry opportunity come up that we felt was finally what God had for us. After so many possibilities arising that we did not feel right about, this was finally one we ‘knew’ was right. Then it fell through and has left us a little shell shocked to say the least…what does that mean!? It has been harder to trust God when that answer to prayer (or what we thought was answer to prayer) turned out not to be. It’s the first time something like this has happened and so I’ve got no experience to look back on. So here we are learning something new once again. God is forever teaching (haven’t we learned enough? – how many times have I said that!).

And so that is a summed up version of the last couple of months. Not much in it (not that Ada isn’t much), but continuing the journey one step at a time and working hard to remember that God is in control.

Waiting Room

2010-08-14T22:39:00.001-07:00

It’s a strange time for us…waiting for a baby and having no place of our own. We’ve been in such expectation of God but with nothing eventuating as of yet it feels as though we’ve been sitting in a waiting room. Sort of like God has other matters he must attend to before dealing with us -- after all, he would be pretty busy. Then, just the other day we got an encouraging note from a friend we hadn’t spoken to in quite a long time, who had no idea of our circumstances, and it was such a good reminder that while it may feel like we are waiting for God to get around to us, he’s actually out there working for us right now – building our ‘house’ so that when it’s time we can walk in and everything will be set up ready to go.

Value

2010-06-08T15:42:00.001-07:00

Just had an awesome time in the US, but far too many goodbyes. After spending three weeks with my family (who, I have to mention, I love to pieces), we had the opportunity to make some good friends in California. And as with a lot of experiences, God had something to say.

I was fortunate enough to attend the women’s conference that was running the weekend we arrived and was treated like a special guest. I had a girl assigned to me to show me around, and I basically had free reign of the place. There were two very gifted speakers at the conference, one of whom I had the chance to have lunch with, not to mention, getting know the pastors of this large church and being able to fellowship with them.

But as I was attending the conference and getting treated like a queen, I found myself WAY outside of my comfort zone. I felt uncomfortable just hanging out in the green room. I felt I needed to be doing something. After all, there were so many people working so hard to make the conference happen, I thought they deserved to be in my shoes much more than I did. So I found myself sitting in the conference undeservingly, and that’s when God and I had a little chat. I asked God what I was doing there and why it was that I got to be so blessed in this time, and He just asked me where I got my value from. Because, to the world, if you want to be worth something, you had better get busy doing stuff. But God reminded me that He places value on His children because he just plain loves them. And that’s what he made clear to me. He was just pouring a little love on me. And I realized that He really wanted to treat me this way all the time, but because we need to learn and grow and remain humble, He unfortunately can’t (well, not yet anyways). He also mentioned as I sat at lunch with two very influential ladies that He didn’t think any more highly of them than He did me. They’ve done some amazing things simply because they have walked with God and God has given them the opportunity to be a part of what He is doing, and that’s all any of us has to do.

The Truth Is…

2010-05-19T05:41:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I love the adventure of not knowing what is coming next…and sometimes I grow weary and wish things were laid out before me.

I’m going to be giving birth to our beautiful little girl in a few months and the mother in me desires a home to bring her to, but the daughter of God in me has ‘wings like eagles’ I can run and not grow weary (Isaiah 40:31)… ‘ay there’s the rub’ as Hamlet would say. And so I find myself eager to serve God in whatever is in store for our lives, but feeling anxious because I feel as if we’ve been groping around most of the time just searching for another foot hold to step into.

The other night I spent some time with the big man, asking for Him to speak to me on the subject. I have often in the past gone into this prayer time only willing to hear God say ‘you can have that’ which he very rarely does, which causes me to come out of those times frustrated that God did not speak to me. So I made sure to keep my mind open to whatever it was I needed to hear.

I thought maybe I should stop asking for things and let God do it, but that didn’t seem right to me because God cares about what is in our hearts and wants to bless us and give us the desires of our hearts… and so God took me back to a passage I had read about a week ago in Philippians 4:6

‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, which thanksgiving, present your requests to the Lord.’

And it became clear that the anxiety that I felt was not good, but asking for what is in my heart is good if it’s done with thanksgiving. So now I ask the Lord for what is in my heart but I’m thankful for whatever he does because I know that it will be the best thing for us and also for the Kingdom of God. And I know that God will bless us in whatever is in store no matter what happens.

Not Without Drama

2010-04-21T14:47:00.001-07:00

Today is our official ‘away’ date. However, there is the small matter found last night of a water pump or some such thing that needs fixing in the car…I suppose we should be grateful that Matt can fix it himself instead of having to book it in to a shop before we leave. Our ETA was 9am, but has been delayed till probably 1pm…if the store has the part. Then we stop off in Townsville, camp in Rockhampton, with a layover on the Sunshine coast, and then on to Brisbane and the airport…well, that’s the plan anyways.

Reflections

2010-04-04T17:08:00.001-07:00

Our official move out date is April 9th…2 days short of exactly 2 years of living in our little house on the beach.

Our time in that house has felt like a clean out. The four years previous were a huge time of growth for us. They were a heavy slog at times, where God kept us in our discomfort zone in order to mould us and chip off some rough edges. But I think you will often find, those times of intense growth tend to fertilize a little bit of baggage. The human in me could not help but grow a few extra chips on its shoulder. And so, these past two years have felt like a big clean out. God has brought me to a place where I can be content again, no matter what the situation…well, almost. We have no idea what is to follow, but eagerly await the steps before us. We’ve been walking blind for the past two years, knowing that our time in the house was temporary, but not knowing why, and now I find myself expectant of what God will do next because we have no job and no place to live…what the?! More faith exercising…I sometimes feel like I’m running out of breath from it, but never seem to…

And Away We Go!

2010-02-15T01:30:00.001-08:00

…Well, sort of. We’ve got tickets booked to the States for the end of April, and Matt will be finishing his job shortly. Because we will be travelling for over a month and Matt doesn’t have a job we are going to give up our house on the beach. Oh and we are having another baby by the way. Why does God keep doing things this way. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s exciting, but we keep ending up in these vulnerable positions, mostly when we are about to have a baby.

When I was pregnant with Seth and about to go on maternity leave, Matt called me up at work and told me he needed to resign, and he is not the type to leave a job if he doesn’t have another one lined up. But in this case he was so stressed he couldn’t stay, so I knew it was important he leave the job. And there we found ourselves -neither of us working and about to have a baby…I don’t recommend it, but in our case it was definitely a God thing. For the past couple of years we had been talking about moving about an hour north, but were never able to because we both had work in town and there isn’t much work north. But since we found ourselves suddenly in a position where we could go, we decided to. And God confirmed this to us by giving us such a peace that we should not have had considering the position we were in. Another confirmation came when we rang our landlords to say thanks for being such great landlords and they informed us they had a place about an hour and a half north on the beach not doing anything and they had recently wanted to rent it and asked if we would like it for cheap rent…what the…and that’s how we have found ourselves living on the beach for the past 2 years. It’s been great, but a new baby seems to symbolize a bigger change than just the size of our family and so we find ourselves in that place again. God has been signalling to us for about a year that change was coming so we’ve just been waiting for it.

(Interesting side note: when we first moved here I asked God to give me a bible verse/s about what was coming up next for us, and I felt to read the very end of Acts, not knowing what it was. It reads as follows ‘For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.’ I had ignored the part that said ‘for two whole years’ cause I thought that was a little too specific, but when we leave here it will be 2 years almost to the day…interesting)

Over the past year and a half we have struggled and changed and grown and struggled. I have battled with being content and being a mother. And we find ourselves in a place of peace and contentment (most of the time). Even though I can actually see the change coming now, I have no frustration in waiting for it. I’m finding it quite easy to sit back and let God do what God is going to do…it’s a really good place to be. And since God’s in the drivers seat, I have no idea where we are going…and I don’t need to. I can just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Set Your Heart on Things Above

2010-01-15T15:41:00.001-08:00

We find ourselves in a familiar place. A place of uncertainty. It’s an exciting place, but also full of it’s own stresses. A place where we need to ‘set our hearts on things above’ as Paul states in Colossians 3:1. It’s too easy to look at the world around us and worry about the things of this world. But we are trying to remember that as Christians we are not slaves to the circumstances of this world, and so we strive to set our hearts on things above.

It’s familiar but uncertain which almost seems like an oxymoron. Everything is about to change, but we can’t see past our toes. God hasn’t lit the path past each step that we’ve taken over the past year, but He has never led us astray before. We should be full of faith constantly, knowing that God has never let us down. But there is that ever present voice that says ‘maybe He will this time’. Why is faith like that. It’s a muscle that needs to be exercised or else it diminishes. And so God has put weights on our faith…again…(since we are often too afraid to do it ourselves…can we not help but be grateful?)

And so here we find ourselves putting one foot in front of the other because the only other choice we have is to stand still and we were not made for that. Time to hold our breath, close our eyes and jump when He says jump.

Communion

2009-11-30T01:40:00.001-08:00

This past Sunday I spoke for communion. We celebrate communion every other week at my church so it can some times be difficult to speak on something new…here’s what I said…

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When we celebrate communion, we are celebrating the sacrifice that Jesus made for us through his death and resurrection. We aspire to have an understanding of what it cost Jesus, to ‘feel’ something of that sacrifice. But today I want to look at this celebration from a different direction. As Christians, it costs us something to be in relationship with Jesus, but what cost are we really willing to pay? How often do we offer something that costs us very little.

In 2 Samuel 24 King David is building an alter and needs a few supplies. He goes to see a man named Araunah who tells the King to take whatever he likes, and offers him some animals to sacrifice as well, and this is David’s reply in verse 24:

But the king replied to Araunah “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”

Are we sacrificing ‘burnt offerings’ to God that cost us nothing? Jesus sacrificed everything for us. In return are we offering him the very least of ourselves?

In saying all of this, when we talk about paying a price, it tends to have a negative connotation, but as we reflect on what our relationship with Jesus is costing us, I want to suggest that it is something to celebrate as much as we celebrate the sacrifice that Jesus made for us, and here is why.

Luke 6:38 says: Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.

When we give of ourselves to God – that – is how he gives back to us. So let’s stop and think about what we receive back when it costs us the bare minimum. When we do only just enough to become a Christian and no more...what do we receive? We get eternal life… how’s that for pressed down and shaken together. So now imagine what God could do with your life if you gave it fully over to Him.

Jesus said in John 10:10: I have come that they may have life and life to the full.

Not that we ‘will’ have life to the full but that we ‘may’. So today I want us all to ask ourselves one question...What else can it cost me?

As I was preparing for communion I thought I had better ask myself that question before I stand up here and ask you to. And at the time the answer was time. I had been really slack about spending enough time reading my bible and praying. And so when I found myself about to turn on the TV or get on the internet, I’d stop and pick up my bible. Even though I didn’t want to every time, it helped me to remember that it’s supposed to cost me something. So today, what does it need to cost you? Maybe it’s finances. You haven’t been paying tithes regularly and God is speaking to you about that, or it may go beyond that into giving as a lifestyle. Maybe it needs to cost you a boyfriend or girlfriend (I was going to say ‘non Christian’ but it can be a Christian who is keeping you from growing in your relationship with God as well). It might be a job or a career. Perhaps it’s security. God wants you to step out in faith and you are afraid. There is always something more we can give to God of ourselves.

I’m going to pray and then we will share communion, and as we continue to worship, take the time to ask God what else it needs to be costing you. And keep in mind this is not a once off thing. This is something we should be doing on a regular basis. Lets receive from Jesus the ‘life to the full’ that he has come to bring us.

A Word of Wisdom

2009-10-27T15:57:00.001-07:00

Since becoming a mum, I have encountered a barrage of new experiences beginning from the first trimester I was pregnant and felt car sick all of the time.

The number of times I have broken down in frustration, anger or just plain sleepiness are many, but I’ve discovered a little secret…well, not a secret so much as it is in the most popular book in the world.

I was just chatting to my mum today and relaying an experience I had with Seth after we had finished our months of travelling. When we were settled in, I had the unpleasant task of getting Seth back into the habit of going to bed on his own and sleeping through the night. Every night I would put him in his cot and he would cry for at least 10 minutes…which doesn’t seem like much, but every night I felt really bad about leaving him, and I didn’t want to keep putting him through the torment of mum leaving him in his cot. Each night as I put him in bed I would say ‘I’m sorry honey, but its time for bed. I know you don’t like, but it’s time for bed’ etc. I was fed up, but something came to mind…

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. (James 1:5,6)

I remembered this verse and so said ‘Alright God, I’m lacking in some serious wisdom, so I’m asking, and trusting that you will give it to me in this situation.

I had done this several times previously and always seemed to sort something out after having this chat to God. And so I asked and believed and suddenly it occurred to me. I realized the way I spoke to Seth as I put him to bed was not helping the matter and so I changed my tone as I put him to bed that night. I said ‘Seth you get to go to bed now you lucky boy. I’m so proud of you, you are such a big boy going to bed’ etc. He cried that night, but I was believing that God had given me wisdom and so I continued over the next couple nights to talk to Seth that way as I put him to bed, and now when I put him to bed he doesn’t cry, but just throws all the pillows and things out of his bed and then lays down and sings himself to sleep.

I thought I would share this on my blog because whether you are a mum or not and you need wisdom, I have found time and time again (most vividly with Seth because I become exasperated so many times) that God always gives me wisdom when I ask for it.

And be careful that when you ask for wisdom and then God gives it to you, you don’t say to God ‘never mind I figured it out’.

Love

2009-10-25T19:20:00.001-07:00

Why is it that an incredible emotion like ‘love’, can become so ordinary when it relates to God. Or perhaps I am the only one that thinks this way (that would be embarrassing). Perhaps it is because I have begun to take it for granted. Or maybe because the bible mentions it so often it has become ordinary?

Moments ago I read Philippians 1:9 which reads: And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight…

Not that you would abound in knowledge and depth of insight, but that your love would.

It’s a bit obvious in a way I suppose, but it stuck out to me so I’m sitting on it. '

(P.S. That’s the only place in the bible that I could find where love and knowledge/insight go together in this way)

Motherhood

2009-10-09T23:39:00.001-07:00

There is an interesting phenomenon I’ve discovered about being a mum…I don’t always like it. Part of it is caused by Seth going through what I like to call ‘mental growth’. It makes me feel better about him behaving badly for a time and it doesn’t usually last too long. It seems to be that his physical abilities surpass his mental capabilities for a time and he is just difficult. Once his brain catches up he is easier to manage and I can breathe a sigh of relief. The other thing I realized is that, although I love Seth very much, there isn’t much satisfaction in the day to day function of a stay at home mum. I don’t seem to accomplish too much, and this is part of the reason I got into share trading.

It’s a funny thing share trading, because depending on who you talk to you, you get different comments. I was never much into share trading and then all the sudden I was. I couldn’t get enough of it. I was reading books one after the other. I just bought my first shares online yesterday and I’m excited about the possibility of adding to our family income. And after I make my first million…that was a joke, not that I would mind making a mill from trading.

I’ve also found through my reading some very interesting concepts. Like the difference between the way rich people see money and the way middle/lower class people see money. Most middle/lower class ‘work very hard for their money’. While the rich tend to find ways of ‘making their money work hard for them’. I find this a fascinating concept and think its how Christians should look at money because we have a rich Father and it takes the power away from money. I hate the way money controls people and makes them feel trapped. That’s why Matt and I worked very, very hard to get out of debt as fast as we could.

Well, now I’ve gotten way off the topic of motherhood, but those are my thoughts for the moment…albeit a little all over the place.

Many Paths?

2009-09-22T14:02:00.001-07:00

…But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life. (Matthew 7:14).

I have long wished that I could say there is more than one way to God. It would make life so much easier…but then, God never said it would be easy. In fact He says ‘Wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction’(verse 13). So there are many paths to destruction and only one to life.

The reason I bring this up is because it’s a very negative concept and I was uncomfortable with it for a long time. I didn’t have an understanding of it that I was satisfied with (not that I expect to understand everything in this lifetime). After all, God is a loving God, why would He make it so hard? And then I realised one very simple thing. He wouldn’t have sacrificed His son if there was another way. Jesus gave up EVERYTHING because there was no other way. And He didn’t have to. In fact as I read about him hanging there on the cross knowing that at any time he could have called down angels (and let me tell you, if it was me up there on the cross I wouldn’t have hesitated – mankind would have been doomed. To see the look on the faces of all those people standing there trying everything they could to degrade me). But he didn’t. And so instead of having no path at all, no gate, no road. We have a narrow one. It’s not meant to make it hard for us to get to God, its meant to make it easy. It’s a gift not a burden. We don’t have to do anything cause it’s already been done.

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13 NIV)

What’s next…

2009-09-19T02:18:00.001-07:00

I’ve just stuffed myself with chocolate chip cookies, and now I’m sitting in my bedroom listening to the ocean…life is good…but what is next?

After spending almost 2 months travelling home has never smelled so sweet, but both Matt and I believe there is change in the wind. What that means exactly we aren’t too sure. We have a bit of direction, but only enough to begin to move forward, not enough to actually change anything, and so we wait.

When we have more concrete details on what the heck is going on, I’ll probably write about it. So until then I’ll probably write more God stuff, cause He is who I spend my time thinking about. I’m reading the book of Acts at the moment and finding it fascinating. There is so much drama in the early church, and so much excitement. Christianity is so new, and I wonder if Christians today can get that back. Where have all the signs and wonders gone? Anyhow, if anyone has anything interesting to say on Acts please do and I will try to have something interesting to say as well!

Home Sweet Home

2009-09-10T15:51:00.001-07:00

I would be disingenuous if I did not say it didn’t feel good to be home. However, we did have an amazing time full of experiences that I will never have a chance to write down. Experiences that will shape who we become. I believe this trip was tailor made by God to move us forward…to move closer to perfect in him (please understand I have no illusion of reaching that perfection in this lifetime, but I’m grateful for the opportunity to become more like Jesus through the incredible experiences that God constructs.)

I was just reading the book of Acts. I noticed the apostles rejoiced when they had “… been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name” (Acts 5:41). Over and over again we read in the bible of a way of thinking that is opposite to the way the world thinks. No wonder the apostles were not afraid to proclaim the name of Jesus. Not only had they received boldness from the Holy Spirit (see Acts 4:31) but they looked at the suffering they had to endure as something to celebrate. Instead of being embarrassed for standing up for Jesus we should be celebrating…now if only I could get my brain to function that way…

Evangelism

2009-08-30T03:11:00.001-07:00

I hate the word ‘Evangelism’. It scares the crap out of me. So does the word ‘Witness’. It’s as if somewhere along the line I have gotten it in my head that to evangelize means to go up to a complete stranger and say…

“Did you know Jesus loves you?'”

I thought I was getting a free ‘get out of jail card’ when a few Christians along the way said, “all you need to do is live a good Christian life and people will see that you are different and ask why.”

I thought that was pretty sweet cause then I didn’t have to do anything…problem is, no one has ever asked me why I’m different…or even noticed (shocking). Eventually I figured out that wasn’t really the way to go, but I still could not get the ‘evangelism’ stigmatism out of my head.

Then we spent some time with friends just south of Newcastle about a week ago. Matt had taken Seth for a walk, but suddenly walked in and said to me with a very serious look on his face, “get you shoes on and get in the car”. At first I panicked cause he didn’t have Seth, but I realised that scenario didn’t make sense so I walked with him to the car and saw Seth strapped in the car so I got in. As we drove away Matt filled me in. He had seen a girl (about 18) crying at the park and had walked by her a few times but finally felt compelled to stop and see what was wrong. She had had a fight with her boyfriend and was pretty upset. Matt felt he wasn’t really the right person to comfort her, so he said he could get me. She said it was fine, but he came anyway. As we were driving I was praying, actually asking God if she could be gone by the time we got there cause I had no idea what to do, but I kind of figured she wouldn’t be… and she wasn’t. I went and sat down and Matt introduced us. I found out she had fought with her boyfriend about her eating problem and she was afraid it was over between them.

I had no idea what to say and I kept asking God. Finally after a few awkward moments I decided to come clean and to do the only thing I knew how to do in this sort of situation. I told her I was a Christian and the best thing I knew how to do in this situation was pray, so I asked if I could pray with her. She said yes, so I prayed…nothing fancy, just what came into my head. Afterwards I asked her if she had ever been to church or anything, she said she used to be big into church but hadn’t been for a long time. It just so happened that the friends we were staying with had started up a home fellowship and it was on the next day, so I asked her if she was interested, which she said she was. So I gave her my number and told her to text hers through to mine and I would call her that night with the address.

Now this sounds like its coming up to a beautifully wrapped up story where she comes and loves it etc, etc. But she never sent me through her number, and I can’t say I blame her, cause she didn’t know me at all and this home fellowship could have been a cult for all she knew. But I still really felt good about what happened and I believe God has used that in her life if for nothing else, than just to let her know He’s thinking of her. I would have loved for the story to have turned out differently cause it would make me feel good, but the point is more that the experience wasn’t weird because I was just honest. I didn’t push Jesus on her, it was just that if I was in the same situation I would pray, so that’s the best I could do for her. It takes a bit of the sting out of ‘evangelism’ for me to know that if you just be yourself and only say what comes naturally and be honest it’s not so bad.

Horses for Motorbikes

2009-08-18T16:27:00.001-07:00

I wanted to share an experience that the pastor (Allan Kelly) at Clermont had about 7 years ago because I think it is a great example of the attitude we need to have as Christians in this world. We get so caught up in the way things ‘are’ and ‘have been’ that we miss the opportunity to let an eternally creative God work in magnificently innovative ways.

When Ps. Allan first went to Clermont to take over the church there, we came as an experienced motorbiker (is that a even a word?). He had a fantastic idea to reach the young people in the community by starting a motorbike ministry. The problem was, after meeting a few people around the place, they didn’t have motorbikes they had horses and Allan didn’t know anything about horses. So after praying very hard about it he decided he would start a horse ministry and said you God ‘you had better make me good at horses’. So he took his 9 year old son to pick out some horses. The horse his son chose was a pretty ugly looking horse to which Allen tried to convince his son that he should choose another, but his son was adamant and so Allan finally agreed. They took the horse to a woman to train and it turned out that this horse was so bad the woman said ‘forget about it, I’ll give you your money back, you have no chance with this horse’. Allan disagreed and told her it might seem a bit strange but he wanted to pray for the horse. So he laid hands on the horse, prayed for it and left. The next day he came back and the woman’s jaw was on the ground. The horse had become tame.

Over the past 7 years Allan has broken about 60 horses and any one he has trouble with he just prays for. People who have spent all their lives with horses and spent decades breaking them bring any difficult ones to Allan. He has brought God into peoples lives by showing them that the God they thought had no relevance in their lives works within their world.

What a great example of God using our weaknesses to show His strength, and changing peoples lives in a relevant but supernatural way.

Road Trip – Part 2

2009-08-13T16:24:00.001-07:00

3000 klms down, and unknown klms to go. We’ve been on the road now since the 5th of August and have at times looked at the road map and just pointed at a place to go…whatever looks good on the map…I don’t know that I’ve ever felt so free. I do at times have trouble just taking it in and enjoying it for the experience that it is. I keep asking God what the purpose of the trip is, so it’s good for me to have to just take things as they come.

We have seen so much of God in this trip in all the little things. At one point we were driving down this dusty dirt road behind a big truck and we couldn’t get close enough to it for the driver to see us behind because of the dust. I asked God if he wouldn’t mind giving us the opportunity to pass, realizing that it’s completely unnecessary for God to do so. A few minutes later a truck came the other way and caused the truck in front of us to slow enough that we could get close enough for him to see us and let us pass. Then a few minutes later the tire blew out…. Its a bit ironic, but then, as stated previously, we were blessed in Clermont by getting our new tire bought for us.

I got the opportunity to ride a horse while in Clermont which decided it didn’t care to have an inexperienced rider and it threw me off. I’m a bit sore but nothing serious. It was an unusual experience because I had gone out with some women from the church so as I lay on the ground gasping for breath I had these two women praying for me and laying hands on me asking God for healing so I just relaxed and let Jesus do his thing. I don’t know that I’ve ever felt so peaceful in a situation like that.

We moved on from there and spent a night in a tent on the side of the road which was good, but then the next night we ended up in Emmaville on the tablelands of NSW and spent the night in a caravan park in our tent and the temp. got down close to freezing that night! It was painful to say the least. So we decided to move on to visit some friends in Newcastle and slept in a very warm bed…and now I’m sitting in their living room with borrowed big fluffy dog slippers while Matt is taking Seth for a walk. We are headed down to Nora Head next and then probably up to Kempsy area and then onto Brisbane. We still have no particular plan that we need to follow and it feels very energizing, I would highly recommend it.

Road Trip – Part 1

2009-08-12T20:52:00.001-07:00

‘Scene opens with a loan car driving across the bottom of a very large dam. Camera cuts to a close up of cracks forming in the dam wall. It’s a great start to a natural disaster movie.’ I say to Matt.

‘Tell me about it when we get to the other side’ He comments back as we come to the end of our drive across the bottom of a dam wall.

It was a beautiful dam, but made us a little bit nervous putting our trust in the integrity of that wall holding back a whole lot of water.

That is where we got onto the dirt roads and really began our road trip south. We stopped in Townsville as mentioned previously and were blessed by our friends there. Then the following day we headed for Clermont.

We are at the end of week one of our trip and have been so hugely blessed by people I said to Matt if it keeps up this way we will end up coming home with a house or something. God is good.

So far we haven’t paid for any of our own fuel, we’ve had meals provided for us and paid for. When we were a few hours from Clermont we blew a tire and before we could pay for a new one, one had been bought for us. We’ve been offered places to stay and it’s only been one week. I think the thing I find the most joy in with generous people is that I know in the bible it says you are more blessed to give them to receive so I know they will receive back from God.

I know I haven’t said much, but I’ve struggled to find time to write so hopefully as we spend a bit of time visiting friends and family in New South Whales I will be able to provide a little more information!

The Water Miracle

2009-08-06T14:23:00.001-07:00

Once upon a time in a land far away there lived a man with a heart to follow God. He had a prophecy spoken over his life that one day he would stand over a dried up water source and with hands lifted up to heaven would ask for a miracle. God would grant that miracle and it would be a sign that revival was coming and that the waters of revival would spill down the mountain into the valleys and spread to the cities.

Over the next few years, every time this man entered a village he was expectant of the fulfilment of that prophecy, but nothing happened. It seemed God wanted him to empower the people through his practical skills and he and his team would begin by building relationship with the people and then work with them to find solutions.

Over many years the man began to forget about the word spoken over his life and continued working as best he could through the continued leading of God. And so the team grew and God opened new doors.

One day, more than a decade later, he found himself in a prayer battle for the small village of Huei Hia. There was significant resistance from village elders. He was told that the village was in desperate need of water, and while everything had been put in place to store the water including tanks, pipes and a water basin, there was no water and it was the middle of the dry season.

An old man watched on intently as the man stood by the empty water source. The old man had watched as the witch doctors from the village had done all they could to provide water, but had been unsuccessful, and so he wanted to see if the man who brought God into his village was any different.

No practical ideas were going to work, and the man had forgotten the words spoken so long ago. But as he began to walk away he felt the Holy Spirit speak to him and say ‘why don’t you ask God NOW’. And so he joined in prayer with his team, and with his arms raised to heaven, asked God to do what no one else could. They all went home that day with nothing to report. He still had not remembered the prophecy

Not long after they returned home they received a call from the village. ‘You won’t believe it, the tanks are overflowing with water and there has been no rain!’ The man began to tremble as the memory of the promise from many years ago came back into his mind.

Now there is a great expectation of revival among the people, and many lives are already being transformed from the mountains down into the city. And it’s not just a story, but it’s what we saw as we travelled through Thailand.

(These are the water tanks that overflowed)

The man referred to above is the missionary we went to visit, Erik. For a more complete story of the work they are doing you can visit this link:

http://accwm.blogspot.com/2008/09/water-miracle-at-heui-hia.html

It was an amazing experience to be a part of what God is doing through them in Thailand if only for a short time and I find myself humbled to have observed their trust in God. God has given them a great vision and opened doors that would have remained closed to anyone else through, not just the work they are doing but their mental approach. I was less surprised with what they were accomplishing when I found out they have 24 hour prayer. People are booked in to pray every hour of the day, every day of the week. I was challenged by their commitment to prayer, especially since I’ve seen the power of prayer and yet I struggle to have the self-discipline to continue making it a priority every day. And I know better. When they worship, even though they are singing songs I sang in church when I was eight (‘The Joy of the Lord is My Strength’ and others) and had I heard it sung elsewhere it would have sounded stale, they bring it back to life because they believe every word as they sing. I look forward to experiencing the change the trip has inspired in me as I continue on my own journey. Hopefully I will get the chance to visit with the team again and see the continued work that God is doing in that place.

Road Trip

2009-08-05T03:00:00.000-07:00

I'll add more about Thailand shortly, but thought I would mention that we have come to the end of day one of our road trip that will last about a month or so. We are having a layover in Townsville staying with some good friends, then we are off to Clermont for a few days (I hope I spelled that right). I am hoping for the opportunity to ride a horse. I've only done so a handful of times but enjoy it. Our trip will lead us down the east coast of Australia into NSW where we will see some more friends and family. We are hoping for lots of adventure and for Seth to sleep well at night! At some point we will be fossicking for Sapphires so plan to be very wealthy by the end of the trip (I'm hoping everyone can hear the sarcasm in that comment). At the very least I've been instructed by my mother that I have to get at least one for her seeing as it is her birth stone. We'll pick out the biggest one for you mum!

Village #1

2009-08-02T21:56:00.001-07:00

As we arrived at the first village we found ourselves faced with a walk down a slope to reach the buildings where we were going to have our meetings. I was rather cocky about my ability to walk gracefully down the muddy path down to the village. Matt asked me if I would like him to take Seth which I declined. Whether it was because I wanted to impress those around me with my agility or I was just plain convinced I could do it, I cannot remember. Either way, it took me about three steps before my foot slid on that red mud like ice. Now you are probably expecting me to say I fell flat on my back or something similar, but I am happy to report I was not one of the group to encounter that unpleasant problem. And so, I laid down my pride, handed Seth to Matt and began my very, very slow decent down the hill. It took me till almost all the way down to realize that it was better to step in the grassier areas to get more grip. My shoes didn't help either. With my feet covered in mud slipping in my thongs (flip-flops) and then my thongs slipping in the mud, I took a step, then another, with villagers running and skipping around me...ok maybe that is an exaggeration, but they did walk beside me laughing and hanging onto my shirt in case I fell. Finally, one of the men gave me his arm and I held tight as I took the last few steps. Towards the end of the day the mud had dried out a bit and we were all a bit relieved that the walk back up would be easier.

I would like to make an aside here and mention that not only does God have a sense of humour, but when we get ourselves into situations that we think are impossible, God always gets us out.

As we were having our final meeting and the sun went down, the heavens once again opened and we had the opportunity to listen to the lovely sound of a downpour...I remember mentioning to God that the rain could stop anytime...anytime at all. It finally did a few hours later just before the meeting finished. So there we were in the dark, and the only way to leave was walk back up the slope, so with a few torches (flashlights) to light the way (well sort of, they kept moving and so we would freeze until the light fell on our path again). It was nothing less than an experience, and I would not have done it differently, although I might have worn different shoes.

THAILAND

2009-08-01T16:22:00.001-07:00

I have tried a hundred different ways to start this, but nothing seems right. Some things are easy to express in words, but when you experience something that changes you, well, how do articulate that? And it's not as if some extraordinary event has taken place. All I can say is that I have come home from Thailand altered in some ways that have not yet fully expressed themselves. So I will share my trip as best as I can, but I suppose some stuff is just for me.

Whether it be the sound of villagers laughing at me as I slip down a muddy slope or riding an elephant through the forest, I'd like to try my best to write down my thoughts well, so bear with me as I put some stuff together!

First Impressions

2009-07-25T05:28:00.001-07:00

We are now into day 3 in Thailand. I just ate at an authentic Thai restaurant...well maybe restaurant is not the right word. It was down a back road half hidden away. I've noticed most good places to eat are only found if you get lost or if you are a local. We had an excellent lunch, but I ate what I thought was a green bean and it turned out to be a green chilli. I don't eat much hot food and have never had a chilli straight. At one point I was making plans of what to do if I passed out cause my vision was blurry and I was feeling quite light headed. My stomach burned and Erik (the missionary we've come to see) said I'll feel it burn all the way through, so I'm looking forward to that! Then Matt tried one and said 'yeah, it's a little hot'. MmHmmm, granted he eats chilli like it's candy.

God has made it very clear from the beginning that He is here with us. One of the girls in the group almost didn't end up coming because her passport was going to expire in 5 ½ months and apparently you can't travel on a passport unless it's got 6 months left on it at least. Someone in Cairns finally sent her through with a warning that they might send her back when we get to Singapore. Each step of the way she was questioned and checked, phone calls were made. But she is here with us now, and I just take that as God making His presence known from the start.

Seth travelled amazingly well, and we even met a lady in the Singapore airport who grew up near where I grew up...it's a small world sometimes (for those who know Canandaigua, she grew up in Ithica)!

The place we are staying is quite beautiful. It's a little run down (they are working on renovations where they can) but the rooms are comfortable and we are being well looked after. I asked Mariaana (Erik's wife) how the structure of the building is. She said the structure is good, but the wood has been eaten out by termites. The Thai people let the termites eat the wood because they believe they are holy. In fact, they let them destroy their holy structures because they believe the termites to be more holy.

We've been asked several times if anything has surprised us, but I think when you visit a foreign country you expect things to be different so it's not really a surprise. Also, as I mentioned, we've been so well looked after that we haven't really been outside our comfort zone. Sunday we visit the mountain tribes were I imagine things will be different. It will be interesting to see how everyone handles the new environment.

It's amazing the work that the team is doing here. The influence they have in schools, in the government. I'm not going to even bother writing it down now because I don't have that much time!

I suppose that is enough for now. I'm sure I will have more to write later, after all it's only been a couple of days. It's a great experience being in a country not as a tourist, but having the opportunity to be shown around by locals and encounter authentic Thailand.

Ready, Set...

2009-07-20T14:04:00.000-07:00

GO! Headed to the airport this morning I'm alot more at peace than I was a week ago. Seth hasn't been sleeping well because we haven't been home and I was getting frustrated thinking about how poorly he would sleep while we are in Thailand. I was a bit cranky at God asking why my son had to suffer because we are following what we believe to be the path God has put before us. God's response was as follows:
"I never said there wouldn't be any suffering." Then he reminded me that he sacrificed His son. And then...because He's a loving God and His desire is not for anyone to suffer, He reminded me that when I made the decision to go to Thailand He made it quite clear He was going to be there the whole time. Not just in the sense that 'God is always with us' but as an intrigal part of the trip. And so off we go...I'm pretty excited to see what God has in store for us as we put our faith in Him again...

Revival

2009-07-09T17:48:00.001-07:00

And so the adventure begins...well sort of. I'm at my in-laws at the moment which means I've got a bit of a break with a full time baby sitter (thanks nanna). Matt is up at Weipa until Friday next week so he will be having more of an adventure than I am, although with the temperatures looking to drop this weekend close to freezing I'd say I'm being adventurous (it's amazing how fast after living in New York I've acclimatized to the tropics!)

With all this quiet time God is beginning to move my heart with new thoughts. As mentioned in my previous post, I've been reading the book 'Can God' by J Edwin Orr. His journey is one of stirring people to pray earnestly for revival and describes revival as follows:

"What is revival? It is not an Evangelistic campaign, or a series of special meetings. The way the word has been prostituted so as to mean to many nothing more than the visit of an itinerant Evangelist, displays terrible ignorance, which savours of profanity.

"What is revival in Nature? Yonder is a gaunt, gnarled tree, that has withstood many a blast. What a miserable object it is, with a few withered leaves still clinging to its lifeless limbs! But go back in the spring. What a change! The old dead leaves have all dropped off, and the tree is radiant with a new life, that has come pulsating from within. In the physical realm, revival means, not the coming of some new exotic parasite seeking either to camouflage, or to replace the old tree, but the new life and growth in the already existent.

"The parallel is true also in the spiritual realm. Revival is not a matter of organizing; but it bursts through human plans and organization, sending new stream of life into undreamt of channels.

He discusses the past revivals that swept through Whales in 1860 and 1905 (the book was published in 1934) but says this:

'Will those who tell us that they have been through the Welsh Revival explain whythere is no revival today?'

"Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save: neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear."

'Who'll pay the price?'

"The Lord saw it – and wondered that there was no intercessor."

Romans 12:1 says

I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, your reasonable sacrifice.

If all of us as Christians offered ourselves fully to God (after all, this is our 'reasonable sacrifice') scary as it can be...and we prayed in earnest for revival, what would happen? I would have to say in all honesty that I believe some pretty incredible stuff would happen that I've never seen in my lifetime...so why aren't we??

It's stirring in my heart...but I know that thinking about it is not good enough...

...and (He) wondered that there was no intercessor...

Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? (Ps 78:19)

2009-07-02T19:37:00.001-07:00

I love what J. Edwin Orr says about the start of his journey in the book Can God - ? "An hour later I was cycling down the road to nowhere, convinced that it led to everywhere." It turns out on his journey that the road does in fact lead to everywhere.

We are shifting at the moment from Matt supporting our family to God supporting it...not that God isn't always supporting our family; however, Matt has no work after today until mid September and we decided that we would take advantage of every opportunity that God gives to us in that time instead of stressing. That means we are starting on a journey down a road to nowhere that we are convinced leads everywhere.

This month Matt is headed up to Weipa with a couple of pastors on a fishing/camping/hunting adventure for a few days. Then later this month the three of us (Matt, Seth and I) are headed to Thailand on a missions trip for about a week and a half. We get back Aug 1^st and after that we are hopping in the Landcruiser, packing our camping gear and driving off into the sunset, or rather the sunrise, as that is the best time to travel with Seth. We have been invited to a few different places including Claremont, Longreach and Newcastle. There will most likely be some or all of the following: Motorbike (motorcycle for the Americans) including a side car and horse riding, camping, preaching, learning, meeting lots of people and probably a lot of trust in God (since we are believing that God will open doors as we go and that he will provide all of our needs). We have felt recently that God is bringing us into a new season but He has been very silent on the particulars and we felt it important to take advantage of every opportunity that He has so far provided and believing quite strongly that as we trust in the path He is laying out for us, some pretty exciting things will happen.

I'll keep everything updated on here as I am pretty excited about these next few months, so if you want, you can experience at least a small part of what is happening in our neck of the woods or the rainforest or the outback or wherever we end up at a given time.

Impossible

2009-06-17T17:52:00.001-07:00

God has been impressing upon my heart lately 'impossible'. I am beginning to get a stronger sense of the fact that there are plenty of things that are impossible for me, and I think we are meant to live in that realm more than a lot of us do. Living in that place where we watch in wonder and awe at the things God is doing because it is impossible for us (scary, but amazing).

God does not want us to live our lives doing things that we have the ability to do. He is an active God and wants to be a big part of our lives. You read often in the Bible about miracles happening to show the power of God, to lift His name up. God's name does not get glorified when we do stuff through our own ability. It is through the impossible that all eyes turn to God.

Matt has just bought a book called "Can God: 10,000 Miles of Miracle in Britain". It is being sent to us now. I have not yet read it but I'm looking forward to it. Matt has read it and said it is inspiring. It's a story of a man travelling impossibly. Miracle after miracle, God continuously does the impossible on this man's journey.

To be perfectly honest, it makes me a little nervous. If God is impressing this on my heart; and God is impressing it on Matt's heart...could there be a reason perhaps??

I'll keep you updated...

Your Love Never Fails

2009-06-15T16:31:00.001-07:00

Below are the lyrics to a song called “Your Love Never Fails” by Jesus Culture

Nothing can separate
Even if I ran away
Your love never fails
I know I still make mistakes
But You have new mercies for me everyday
Your love never fails

Chorus:
You stay the same through the ages
Your love never changes
There may be pain in the night but joy comes in the morning

And when the oceans rage
I don't have to be afraid
Because I know that You love me
Your love never fails

Verse 2:
The wind is strong and the water's deep
But I'm not alone in these open seas
Cause Your love never fails

The chasm is far too wide
I never thought I'd reach the other side
But Your love never fails
Bridge:
You make all things work together for my good

We sang it in church this past Sunday and I felt quit overwhelmed by it. I love the imagery of ‘the chasm is far too wide’ because we as Christians sometimes think that we should see it as only ‘appearing’ too wide, when it really isn’t -- but the truth of the matter is that sometimes the chasm is really far too wide and it’s only because of Jesus that we reach the other side. Some things are impossible for us, but nothing is impossible for God…

Promises

2009-06-08T03:24:00.000-07:00

I sometimes wonder if we forget that the promises of God are real...

Life gets difficult and we think they are nice things for Him to say, but we don't really expect Him to follow through.

Read the Bible KNOWING that those words are truth. If he makes a promise He is going to keep it.

Have a read of Hebrews 6:16-20

Time, as elusive as...

2009-06-05T13:56:00.001-07:00

I was going to come up with a witty little simile (even though I hate them) that everyone would think me very clever, to make up for the fact that I've written nothing of much substance recently. After booking tickets and planning a trip to Thailand; keeping Seth fed and entertained; and typing up some documents for church I've only had enough time to flip through a magazine full of useless gadgets that was left in my letter box while watching Seth stuff peanut butter up his nose, in his hair and in every nook and cranny of this high chair. Then I received a reminder that I had been tardy in getting said magazine back to my letterbox along with the order for above mentioned useless gadgets.

So, no, this is not an excuse, but I thought I would indulge you all in the goings on and keep you all somewhat entertained.

The other bit...

2009-06-02T17:55:00.001-07:00

I have, more times than once, found comfort in the scripture 2 Timothy 1:7

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. (NIV)

'But I don't want to discipline myself to be nicer I just want you to change things so I don't react so poorly'

Longreach

2009-05-25T22:09:00.001-07:00

5am Friday I found myself wrapped up in a big wool blanket. It took up most of the room on the passenger side, but we had to keep blasting the aircon to defog the window and my thermostat is very sensitive. I had pushed a pillow up between me and the door so I could get at least a little sleep after leaving at 2:30am. We were going to leave at 3, but Matt couldn't sleep as usual before a trip, so we decided to leave a little early.

As the sun began to rise we found ourselves basically in the middle of nowhere making our way down the dusty roads marked in places by the odd cattle station. It was brilliant.

There is such a marked difference driving down a dirt road than driving down a paved one. The dirt road makes you feel like you are a part of the scenery...all 900km of it. It's refreshing and relaxing, not to mention there isn't much traffic. Seth enjoyed the trip as well. I was amazed at how well he handled it.

Longreach itself is wide and flat and brown with the same colour river running through it. It made me really appreciate where we live on the coast and all of its green and water. But it does have a sense of beauty in its own way.

Matt spoke on Sunday at the church there (his little sister is the Chaplain at the high school there and a part of the church) and did an excellent job...I may be a little partial seeing as he is my husband, but I know good when I hear it.

Monday morning we headed back...this time at 1:30am...this time Seth wasn't sleeping. But it was perfect timing as we found a most gorgeous place for breakfast just as the sun was rising. We had never even heard of the place.

It was quite a tiring trip as Seth sleep very poorly while we were away, but we went away to bless others and despite our tiredness we came away feeling much more blessed ourselves.

Longreach

2009-05-13T16:04:00.001-07:00

We are headed to Longreach tomorrow…over 900 km of dirt road. It was about time for an adventure and it’s fantastic because Matt has never been there either. We will be there until Monday and then we head back…yes, 900km on Friday then another 900km Monday, I hope Seth has a good time (has anyone had an 11month old that has enjoyed a 12 hour trip??).

Humility

2009-05-08T17:50:00.001-07:00

Both of them were grubby, hard to understand and may have had a little too much to drink. They were what a lot of people would consider 'typical' aboriginals, and they walked into church several weeks ago.

One of them said hello to me. Thinking back I can't remember his name, although he offered it. I smiled and was very polite, but relieved to move past. As we were singing during praise and worship, I noticed they had sat up the back and I was relieved because it meant that others coming into church that afternoon would be more comfortable to sit closer to the front. I thought it was good of them to stay out of the way. Whether they did it for others comfort or their own, I couldn't say.

James 2:1-4. My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favouritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? (NIV)

I've read this scripture many times before. In fact that is why God could remind me of it, because I knew it fairly well. I had read it in the past thinking I was glad that I did not act that way. And so there I sat embarrassed and ashamed. I only wished God had reminded me of it in time for me to do something about it. I wanted to invite them to sit up the front, even though one of them started belting out a chorus with lots of gusto, but little pitch. It was probably one of the best parts of the service. Afterwards they left before I could show my appreciation for them being there so I'm glad others showed them more kindness than I had. But at least next time I'll be more prepared.

Krispy Kreme Analogy

2009-05-02T21:51:00.001-07:00

I am quite partial to analogies. I love to find random associations between two wholly unrelated topics. And as a side note, I hate reading books with lots of similes. ‘Like’ or ‘as’ are completely boring ways of describing something, and now with that said I’ll probably use one in my next post.

So I would now like to make a correlation between Krispy Kreme (hereafter referred to as K.K.) donuts and God working in our lives.

I just spent this past week in Brisbane, and for those of you who are unaware, Krispy Kreme donuts are only available in select cities such as Brisbane and Sydney (none in Cairns) in Australia, unlike America where they are so widely available. So any time I go there I have in the back of my head the fact that I will get to eat some. On my latest stay in Brisbane we went through the city a few times, but never with the opportunity to stop at a K.K. I found this very disappointing as the week went by and was hoping that perhaps one of our friends might pick some up themselves…which they did not. I soon realized my chances were pretty close to nil and I would just have to wait till next time. I found, however, a sort of peace about this and thought God could actually make a way for me to have a donut, so I thought I would let him have a go.

…I will time out here for a second for those of you who think I am being a little over dramatic about a donut. There are some of you who may be shocked and disgusted at the fact that I would ask God to get me a donut…and perhaps I shouldn’t, but He and I are pretty close and I thought I’d share my feelings with him cause I really really like donuts and Australians are not very good at making donuts (or pancakes). Moving on…

The last night that Matt and I were in Brisbane we went to a wedding, and at the reception… of all the things the bride and groom could have chosen to use as wedding favours…they chose to use K.K. donuts. That is right my friends, I got my donut…and not just one. They put one on Seth’s (my 11 month old son) hi chair and he isn’t allowed donuts until he’s at least 25, so I got two.

Now, this may not have been God’s divine hand moving in this situation, but that’s beside the point because after telling you that whole story, it doesn’t really matter for my analogy.

Bear with me…I’ve almost gotten to my point.

I thought about the fact that sometimes when we are looking to fulfil our purposes in life, we look for God to make them happen in the most obvious of ways. And when they don’t happen the way we expect, we think that’s it, there is no chance of it happening. But sometimes God wants to give us the desires of our hearts in unexpected ways… after all, a God that creates a world full of wonders such as the ones we see on earth, must enjoy continuing to use his creativity . And it always comes at the right time and in the right place. Not only that – when he makes it happen he doesn’t just give you one donut, he gives you two.

Away

2009-04-26T14:12:00.000-07:00

I should mention that we are away for a week in Brisbane for a conference and a wedding so there probably won't be anything new here for a little bit. So far our plane has been delayed 4 1/2 hours, they lost our stroller (we have it back now) and Seth has been sleeping horrible...but other than that we are having a good time. Got to hear Joel Holm (Author of Church Centered Mission - good book) at church on Sunday which was very good. If anything interesting happens I'll be sure to jot it down.

To Be Refreshed

2009-04-21T17:05:00.001-07:00

Psalm 51:10-12 (NIV)

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Proverbs 2

2009-04-20T17:22:00.000-07:00

...More on the previous post later. Now I thought I would share one of my favourite bits of scripture.

Proverbs 2:1-6
My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

I came across these verses a few years ago when I was feeling very confused and frustrated about my future. I wanted understanding and the above scripture promised that if I did those things I would get it. So I decided to test out Gods word. I thought, He’s got to do it because He’s put it in the bible.

Christmas was coming up and Matt and I were going to spend a week at him mum and dad’s. I thought that would be a great place to try it out.

Looking at the first part it talks about accepting God’s words and storing up His commands within you. I took this to mean I should be getting into the Word and getting it into me. So that was my first step...to spend a lot of time reading my bible...especially when I didn’t feel like it. As I was doing this I did my best to open my ears to hear God speak. I spent a lot of time walking around the property praying and ‘calling out for insight and crying aloud for understanding’ and when I didn’t get anything I kept ‘looking for it as for silver and searching as for hidden treasure’.

I spent a good few days on this, and while I understand that this scripture is something I should be living out every day I felt desperate times called for desperate measures. And so this went on for a few days, and every time I wanted to give up I remembered about the part on silver and hidden treasure. I knew if there was a million dollars buried somewhere on the property I wouldn’t stop until I found it...so I kept going.

At this time I had been giving God two choices about what he could do with my life...yes that’s right, I gave God the options, and as I was spending time doing the above searching and not hearing a thing and getting very frustrated, God reminded me of that and basically said ‘what do you think you are doing’ oops... it suddenly dawned on me. I felt so embarrassed and basically repented of what I had been doing. Repenting for giving God options may seem a little extreme, but that is what I wanted to do because I was limiting God in my life and that is certainly not what I want to be doing. I went to bed peaceful that night and was determined to keep searching.

The next day I spent some time praying and offering up my future to God saying to him that if he wanted me in the same place for 5 more months or 5 more years I would be ok with that as long as it was what he wanted...then I felt God tell me everything would change in less than a year...that may seem a little strange and God certainly doesn’t give me that much information all the time, but less than a year later I got pregnant with my little boy and a few months later we moved to the beautiful spot we are living now.

So now I try to live that scripture so I can be more aware of what God is doing. Of course I don't always, and sometimes have to get back into it, but it's like anything...you have to keep practicing.

And if you read the previous post you will notice that God is doing some more stuff, but this time He hasn’t given me an idea of when or what, only a strong sense that he is doing something...and sanding off a few rough edges to get me ready, ouch.

P.S. If you want to read a really amazing picture of what it is to search for wisdom as for treasure, have a read of Job 28...

...

2009-04-17T16:24:00.000-07:00

Matt (my husband) and I are now in a position where we have neither the capacity nor the ability to do anything. So anything that happens is wholey and entirely God...I better hold on with two hands...

Sometimes I Really Don't Like it When God Tries to Make Me a Better Person

2009-04-14T02:56:00.000-07:00

It’s a long title I know, but not long ago God decided that I needed to have a better grasp on the concept of contentment… I was feeling a bit sorry for myself, not happy with my circumstances, but let me put things in perspective…

Before we moved to where we are now, we lived in a small place with the neighbour’s door facing ours. Many days we unwillingly got to watch what they were watching on TV (lucky us). It felt very crowded and there was no where to get away. I was discontent, thinking to myself, if only we lived somewhere better, then I would be happy.

Fast-forward a bit and here I am living across the road from the beach in a small community. I can see the ocean from my bedroom window and I take my son for walks on the beach most days. So there I was on the beach boohooing myself (I know it’s stupid, but I’m just being honest about where I was in my head.), and there is God with this exclamation point hanging over the situation. It’s easy to see why people would be discontent when they have little, but I discovered you can be just as discontent with plenty. But I was afraid that if I felt content with were I was in life, that I would stay there. I only half believed that, so that half battled with the other half of me that was willing to learn and change. I also noticed that there is a macabre satisfaction in being unhappy.

I love what Paul says in Philippians 4:11-13 (NIV) ‘…for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.’

The great thing about being a Christian is that when you give your life to Christ and become like a servant to him, you are no longer bound by your circumstances, because circumstances are no obstruction to God’s plans. He can pick you up and put you down somewhere new in the blink of an eye. In fact, our move out here to the beach all happened within about 2 weeks. And that was really the light bulb for me. Learning that to be content does not mean you are satisfied with where you are in life, but it is an understanding that ‘I can do everything through him who gives me strength’. And one really great outcome that happened from not thinking about myself so much is that I can begin to hear God a whole lot clearer.

At the moment, nothing has changed except my attitude, and I am so grateful for that because I am enjoying the beach so much more now!

Easter

2009-04-12T02:12:00.000-07:00

This was written a long time before Jesus was even on this earth...

Isaiah 53
He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life, and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the Strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Use Me

2009-04-09T16:45:00.000-07:00

Fear…I was asked to speak at a women’s meeting at church not long ago and as I began to prepare I asked God what He wanted me to talk about. As I stared out the window (I do that sometimes when I talk to God, look up at the sky…), it wasn’t long before I felt God tell me ‘Fear’. Not a problem, I thought. So I started by looking through my bible for verses on fear…that was the easy part.

I had about a month to prepare so with all of that time, I was very eager to bring a relevant message to the women. I prayed often and read my bible, but nothing was coming to mind. I was just staring into a big black hole. Normally I get some ideas quite easily and put them together for a nice talk. Day after day I prayed… and thought… and stared…nothing. I was beginning to see the real fear that I had within myself. It is a fear that probably remains to this day, that I am still working out. I have a fear that if God asks me to do something that is beyond me and I go out to do it shouting with my arms raised, into battle, that I will turn around and God will be no where in sight. I’m afraid God won’t back me up. Now, mind you this has never happened before…God has always been there. Most of the fears we have are not rational, especially when they are fears about God missing the mark. I kept asking God what He was doing. I was doing everything right so where was He.

So the time came and I went to the meeting with a half dozen verses and an example of fear in my life. God said to me as I walked in ‘I knew who was going to be here when I told you what I wanted you to speak about’. It gave me only a little comfort. I got up to speak and started crying because that is what I do when I get emotional and I blame it on my mother (she does the same). I did everything you are not supposed to do when public speaking. I repeated myself, rambled, apologized…it was embarrassing. And as we stood at the front of the church singing some praise and worship I complained to God. What did He think He was doing? I wanted to make a difference. I did everything I could. I held up my end of the bargain, so where was God with His. Then the lady next to me put her hand on my shoulder and said ‘that message was for me, can you pray for me?’ So I did, and when I finished I looked up and saw many of the women there with tears streaming down their faces, God was working at getting rid of fear in a lot of those women. One woman even said she was driving there in the morning asking God what the deal was with fear.

God was gentle with me. There were no ‘I told you so’s’, just a quiet pat on the back. He understood, somehow.

I realized something important that morning…or was it a few days later…funnily enough it didn’t have to do with fear. God showed me that He doesn’t need us to be the best at what we do with great gifts and talents…all he needs us to do is put up our hand up and say ‘use me’. And He always shows up.

1 Corinthians 2:1-4 (NIV)
When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirits power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on Gods power.

My Water Jar

2009-04-08T17:15:00.000-07:00

OK, so here goes...my first post...why am I nervous?? I never thought I would blog. I'm one of those people that won't do something just because it's popular. I didn't wear burkenstocks until people stopped wearing them, but I enjoy writing and this is a way to get myself to write.

I chose the name 'My Water Jar' for my blog because of the woman at the well. She put down her water jar to tell people in the town about a man she just met named Jesus...so for two reasons I chose the name. One, because I hope that what I write can give water to the thirsty. I'm a Christian so that will be reflected in what I write. If you don't like it, don't read it. Two, because I plan to do some study for my writing and I hope that will fill up my water jar. One apology is that I am horrendous with punctuation...so if you are good at it...I'm sorry.