Going back (borrowed)

I borrowed this passage from Jon Acuff's latest blog, because we all need to be reminded of this... read the post in its entirety here.

I’ve talked about this idea before, but it felt right today because we are on the precipice of a new season of perfect. It’s December 29. In less than 72 hours, we’ll have a chance to make a fresh start in a fresh year. The calendar will declare a do over, a new day in a new month and a new decade to live better and be better and try harder.

I know I can’t be perfect. Past failures have made that crystal clear, but I still try sometimes. I still try to hold my breath and white knuckle my way back into the father’s arms. Creating lists, manically measuring my quiet times, doing the yo-yo diet version of faith. I don’t want to fail. I want to be perfect.

I want to free myself from the mess, clean my act up and string together a good solid month, of good solid living before I return to the God. But I’m not sure that is how God sees my life. In Psalm 103: 3-4, God is described as he “who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with compassion.”

The word I love in that passage is “from.” On the surface it’s a transition word, but the reality is that “from” represents the difference between man and God. In the world, when you fall into a pit, you’re expected to get back out. You dug it yourself, you climb out of it yourself. Get yourself together. Straighten up. Don’t bring me a problem, bring me a solution. In every job you’ve ever had and most of the relationships you’ve been in, this verse would read, “who redeems your lifeafter the pit.”

But in God’s world, He comes to the pit. He redeems us from the pit. Not once we’ve managed to get out of it, but from the middle of it. From the deepest part of the pit. He gets down with us in the pit and rescues us from it. Not after it.

I've noticed...

When I am apart from or out of touch with helpful and important people in my life for too long... a day, it seems... I lose accountability and make bad decisions.
Christians are typically more judgmental than non-Christians, and often have ulterior or self-serving motives behind their actions.
The power of forgiveness, grace and mercy is incredible, and I take it for granted.
Wetas truly are the most creepy insects to inhabit this country. I really cannot stand them.
I am sunburnt and it hurts.
Summer really is the best season of them all. People are happier and want to hang out more, and the world just seems so much brighter.
It's nearly 1am and I should be sleeping...

A Social Network Christmas.

Extreme Makeover

I love to watch Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. There are a few things I don't like about it, but on the whole, it's an enjoyable, and often emotional watch. One thing in particular I just don't understand about this show and others like it though, is the glorification of armed forces members. I know it's an American cultural thing or whatever, but seriously, it just seems a bit ridiculous to me. I'm not an advocate of war, so I guess that has something to do with it, but I understand they often do good things for people. What I don't get is how people think that the armed forces are fighting for the freedom of their country. Hello, they're fighting wars in other countries. Killing random foreigners is not making your country any more free. Maybe their intentions are right, they join up to help people, and that's all well and good, but seriously, does it make them a hero when they go to some other country and get injured in a war that really doesn't have anything to do with them or their country? I'm just not sure about it. Members of armed forces seem to be elevated above those with other professions, while there are people doing much more to aid the peace effort, fight for the rights of the underprivileged and work for freedom and equality in their local communities and all over the world.
I love that New Zealand's airforce has become a huge joke containing, I think, one hercules plane now! I also love that there is no huge emphasis or big deal placed on joining the army or anything here. The only time I really see this kind of glorification of armed forces here in NZ is on ANZAC Day where the soldiers who fought in the world wars are remembered and honoured for "serving our country". Once again, I'm not too sure how our country was served, but there were at least positive goals of taking out evil leaders and regimes in other parts of the world.
This post is really badly written, sorry. It all just got typed as it came out of my brain.
Meanwhile, mmm, I can smell my fruit and seed bread that is almost finished baking!

I know

“I know, my son, I know. I know, my daughter, I know. That thing you wanted is not going to happen. Not the way you’ve always dreamed. I know this hurts. I know this stings. I know you feel like I am distant or not aware of where you are and who hurt you and what you think life was supposed to be like. I know in moments like this you doubt that I can count the hairs on your head or have your best in mind. But please, I am not done. I have barely started to reveal your life to you. I am the God who satisfies your desires with good things. That is me! And when it comes to your hopes and your fears and your dreams, I know, my son, I know.”


Just something random that I read and meant something to me... read full post or check out others from Stuff Christians Like, here.


And then from another blog I just read... a very cool quote... "When we think too much about the opinions of others, we are letting them edit a book God has written." - Donald Miller.

Community

Community, and the idea of living in community is something that is on my mind a lot, and it is the real desire of my heart. I firmly believe that we were created to live in community, and I know this to be true through my own experiences. It is these experiences, I think, that make me crave it even more when it doesn't seem very evident in my life.
Seeing as I haven't written a blog post in a while, I thought it was about time. This is a huge topic, and there is no way that this post will do the complexities of it much justice, but I'm going to share a few thoughts anyway, and just scrape the surface.
Like often happens, you read about something once, and it then continues to pop up everywhere, whether that's a coincidence or something more meaningful. This has been the case here, although I'm noticing the prevalence of writing and speaking about community all the time lately, so it's hard to avoid anyway. I think it's something that's on the heart of many people, we just don't know how to do it very well, or don't have the guts to!
The two most significant recent places I've been reading about this topic are this article by Bonnie McMaken and this book by Anne Jackson. They're both pretty powerful, and really what it all seems to come down to is being truly open and honest with people and developing meaningful relationships.
For me, I think I've experienced this idea of community during five summers working at Camp Highroad, working on projects with various groups of people and having great chats with good friends, among others. For me, my workplace, at a school, is also one of the most important communities I belong to, and because of that, I'd often rather be at work than at home. In community you are exposed (depending on how much you let that happen), you are vulnerable, there is joy and emotion, you are challenged and face difficulties, but through it all there are people who really care and who will journey with you through it.
I read a sentence in the Bonnie McMaken article that really summed up an idea I had never been able to put words to, even though I could see it in my own life. She said "True community, the kind we see in the Acts church, goes deeper than friendship that fills our relational buckets." We have friends that we hang out with or invite to outings, but that's it. They fulfil certain roles in our lives, but the relationships are only surface level. Often we want to go deeper in relationships, but we fear rejection or even experience it, and this makes it hard. I know that's the case for me, anyway.
Anne Jackson's latest book is all about "Fear, Confession, and Grace" and how the church should be where people can be broken, where they can share their hurts and joys, and journey together with others who are also broken. Because really, who's not broken? So, the church should be the ultimate model of community. But it's not. It's far from it.
Those are my thoughts for now. I feel as if I could keep going, and share so many stand-out quotes from my reading. Instead, I'll leave you with a recommendation to read the article and the book (it also has art works of confessions that people sent to the author, and poems... so good!), and look into the idea of community some more.
Praying for courage and opportunities to make the dreams realities.

Curiousity...

I have Google Analytics set up for this page, and I love looking at the map which shows where people are reading my blog from. I know who some of the visitors are, like the Sydney and Manassas ones for example (<3), but I'm very curious about the number of visitors from Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch in particular. I'd love to know who you are! So stop by and say hi sometime. I find it pretty crazy that people have visited from countries like Russia and Wales and things like that, too. So cool. The marvels of the internet, eh!
Also, any ideas of what I could write a blog about would be appreciated. Holla.

Listening

I recently did a course on Guidance and Counselling at university. One of the key things we learned about was listening, naturally, because counsellors do a lot of that. We learned that some of the most effective ways to show you're listening and you've heard what the other person has to say are to summarise and repeat back what someone has just said to you, and to ask questions in order to show that you want to hear more. Through these techniques, people feel listened to, and they often end up solving their own conundrums, which is usually the goal of counselling. Anyway, I've been thinking about all this recently, but with regard to written or typed communication, and I think it's just as important there. How frustrating is it when you ask someone a question in, say, an email, and they don't reply so you have to send another one asking the same question?! Or you tell someone about something really important to you and they don't respond to it in their reply?! I have always tried hard to be thorough when replying to peoples' emails, letters or even text messages, because I figure it must've been reasonably significant for them to take the time to write or type it, so it warrants a response. I don't know if I succeed in my efforts. But I do know how valued or appreciated I feel when someone looks at me when they're talking and shows me that they're listening by consciously or subconsciously using those techniques mentioned above. And I feel the same way about written or typed communication. Except for the looking at me part. Naturally.

Why is it hard to be broken in church?

Again, this is simply me linking to something you should probably read... it's really good.

Why is it hard to be broken in church?

The joy of the Lord is my strength

"Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10 NIV)


I recently experienced a period of real intentional and conscious joy. I mean real joy, not just feeling happy or experiencing an absence of adversity. This kind of joy comes only through a relationship with God, through living in the truth of Jesus' death and resurrection, and through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We can still be joyful, no matter what life throws at us. 
Throughout these few weeks when I felt like nothing could bring me down, I was constantly hearing and reading things about a battle that is going on. A battle between good and evil, between principalities and powers. The theme of these messages was always that Jesus was victorious over all, and we have victory in him. I was also hearing about how, as Christians, we need to live in the truth of this victory, to not be cowering away from the world in fear, or living comfortable lives, but really stepping out in faith and claiming the truths of God's word in our own lives.
So, while I was hearing these messages I was preparing myself for some kind of attack that might try to destroy the joy that I was claiming in my life, and I was determined to be strong, in the Lord. About a week ago thoughts of insecurity and self-pity started sneaking in, and I've had a few struggles, but am trying to hold on to the joy. It is at these times that the joy of the Lord really does become my strength, and I'm praying that it will sustain me, and be renewed again and again.
Maybe this can be some kind of encouragement for someone. Maybe I just wanted to put it into words for myself. Either way, may Nehemiah 8:10 be a reality in my life and the lives of others.

Observations

Ok, so I've been thinking lately of a few things I'd like to blog about but haven't really got around to it. One day.

University is coming to an end for the year, and after 3 big tests next week I will be done. Hopefully I'm able to get some quality study done this week, despite all the exciting things I've got happening!

In the meantime, here are a few random recent observations...
- Why are people so attracted to drama? I can't stand drama, personally, and try to stay as far away from it as possible. So many people seem to want to hype things up to be more than they really are, or take offence at something that has nothing to do with them but act as if it does, or they try and have secret little conversations with people to feel like they're in the know and no one else is. Don't really understand it myself. Give me the simple life!
- And I guess, along with this is the way in which people answer the questions "how are you?" or "how have you been?" It's almost like it's necessary to answer these questions with either "tired", "busy" or "sick" in order to feel worthy. Sure, they may be the reality, but that's not all there is to it! Most people are busy and tired these days, it seems, but I hope and pray that your life can be about more than this, and that you can still feel worthy if these things are not the answers you'd be inclined to use. If you were to give me some other response, I'd be no less impressed. I hope that busyness and tiredness are not what are defining your life, that's all. Please don't feel like I don't care if you are sick, tired or busy. Of course I care. And I want to hear about it. Hope that makes sense.
- In a completely unrelated topic... There's this girl in two of my classes. She's American, and I'd like to think I would've known that even before she spoke, due to the fact that she wore bootleg jeans, with sport shoes, had reeeeally long straight perfect hair, stickers all over her laptop and carried a travel cup/water bottle thing with her wherever she went. Her American-ness is even more evident in tutorials when she has no problem speaking out and offering answers- something that kiwis aren't very good at! Turns out she's from Orange County, California actually, which I probably wouldn't have guessed. Aaanyway... one day she showed up to class with her top lip pierced, a kind of styley shoulder length haircut and hair dyed a dark mahogany colour, black jeans, slip-on shoes, and I don't remember what else. Is this what New Zealand does to people? Haha. I don't know. But I thought it was fascinating that she entirely changed her image overnight and now wouldn't stand out quite so much as being foreign.

Those are my observations for now. My lecture is almost over so better listen to the end and then get myself organised to leave.
Peace.

Not all relationships are equal- STOLEN!

Haha. Not stolen, exactly... but, you should read this post from my friend because it's pretty much exactly what I've been wanting to blog about sometime. Now I don't have to. I did post a reasonable length comment at the bottom though, so I've added my own little input into the subject, and you can read that too.
Justine, you're fabulous, and I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who struggles with this stuff.
Here's the link...
Not all relationships are equal

Jesus is victorious.

If I didn't live my life within the reality that Jesus is victorious, then I really don't know where I'd be right now.
If I derived my worth and value purely through other people, what they thought of me and how they treated me, then I would be in deep distress.
If I had to rely on my own strength in times of struggle then I would certainly fail.
I struggle with self-pity, with feeling let down and disappointed by the human race, and I am attacked by negative or evil forces and powers, and I've been thinking lately that if I didn't live in the hope and victory I have through the actions of Jesus Christ, then I actually don't know how I'd cope. Makes me wonder how those who don't know God do cope??!
No matter what I go through, I know that God loves me and has got my back, Jesus died and rose again to declare victory over evil and death, and the Holy Spirit dwells within me in power, while comforting and guiding me.
Remind me of this next time I'm struggling and feeling as if life is too hard.

Rewriting The Sinners Prayer, Amen, & The Church Camp Curse

You should probably read this blog post, and the comments that come after it are rather interesting too. I think it relates quite well to my post on altar calls recently...

http://www.ragamuffinsoul.com/2010/09/rewriting-the-sinners-prayer-amen-the-church-camp-curse/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+RagamuffinSoul+%28Ragamuffin+Soul%29

Reading reading reading.

That's what I've been doing for the last few hours. You see, my Religious Studies classes have tests every week based on the assigned readings, so you have to do them! Fortunately, the readings are usually quite interesting. I just wish they weren't so long. As I take a little break from this activity, I thought I'd share a few snippets...

This piece is from a chapter of Christopher D. Marshall's book, Beyond Retribution:
"Having been set free from slavery to sin, Christians have become slaves to God's liberating righteousness and are to offer themselves to God as 'instruments of righteousness (Romans 6:13), vehicles of restorative justice in God's afflicted world. Applied to the realm of criminal justice, this means taking evil seriously, holding wrongdoers to account and summoning their repentance, as God does with Israel (Rom. 1-2). It also means refusing to deny our relationship with wrongdoers, refusing to abandon them or exclude them entirely from the human community, just as God remains steadfastly loyal to his sinful people (Rom. 3). It means, further, seeing criminals not solely as perpetrators of evil, though indeed they are that, but also as victims of the crushing power of sin, from which they are in need of liberation and renewal. And it means not regarding their punishment per se as the satisfaction of justice. Punishment may be necessary... but it is not the pain of punishment itself that achieves justice, as though justice resides in creating an equity of suffering, the pain of the offenders' punishments compensating for the pain inflicted on victims. True justice resides in the restoring of relationships and the recreation of shalom (Rom. 5). It is only when the cycle of evil is broken and, as far is possible, the consequences of criminal action remedied, consequences which blight the lives of both crime victims and their abusers -- only then is true justice, the justice modeled by God, attained in measure."

Something to think about!

And then, this one is from Virginia Wiles' book, Making Sense of Paul:
"God's goal for the cosmos is shalom -- peace. Peace can be described as the absence of enmity: The lion and the lamb lie down together (Isa 11:6); warring humans 'beat their swords into ploughshares" (Isa 2:4). Stated positively, shalom is that existence in which everything fits together -- a good place for everything, and everything in its place. Shalom is order; it is right-relatedness; it is wholeness. Shalom is the integrity of the whole -- of the whole created cosmos, of everything that is."

Silver Ferns!

There really is not a lot that compares to being at a match where the Silver Ferns beat Australia. And that's what I just experienced. We beat those Aussies by 19 goals and it was a spectacle to behold. I loved that the Aussies had been making statements in the press about our lack of depth in the shooting circle, and yet we got all four of our shooters throughout the game and walked all over their defenders. Not even a Furry-man or a Bulley made any difference. Oh man, there were so many things I loved about that game. Anna Scarlett made the starting 7, and her, Casey and Leana were on fire on defence. So cool for Grace Rasmussen to get on the court, and for all the shooters to get their first shots at goal in. Loved that Sharelle had a few tantrums and was absent the rest of the game. There's nothing like the atmosphere either. Not often are you free to shout, both in support and in critique of what you see. So fun. The young girl beside me gave me a few funny looks at some of the stuff I was yelling though. Haha.
I love that netball is starting to get the recognition and support it deserves. On Wednesday the 6 o'clock News was delayed an hour because the netball was being played in Australia and was broadcast on the same channel. First time they've done that, apparently.
OK, I'll stop raving, but I'm very happy.

Church cartoon.

Borrowed again...

Once again, I didn't write this. But I read it. And it's something that has come up a bit lately, so wanted to share...

Dirt Under the Fingernails

By Eric Hurtgen

---

"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: than to lay down one's life for one's friends."
 John 15:12-13 TNIV

---

THE STORY OF JESUS CHRIST is the true story of a love unlike any other. It is the story of a love immense and immeasurable, yet not afraid of coming down and getting messy, of getting a little dirt under the fingernails. The love we see in Jesus is a love that waits years for a broken friendship to be mended, saves the last bite for someone else and dances with the girl no one else would choose, the kind that smiles when spat upon. This love of Jesus is real and risky.

Unfortunately, the supposed love most of us experience is far from this radical, Jesus brand, rarely real, almost never risky. Usually, what we see passed off as love is either too abstract to be of help to anybody, or too selfish to be even remotely mistaken for the real thing. It often seems idle talk, more an ideal than a reality.

This risky love floods the stories of Jesus. It is the kind of love He lived out, the kind of love that risked insult and injury. If we want to really give and receive this Jesus kind of love, we must refuse to play it safe.

---

Temple Grandin

What an incredible movie! Claire Danes did an excellent job portraying this amazing woman. I saw so many people I know in the character of Temple and those around her. In fact, I've come to believe that everyone sits somewhere on the autism spectrum, so I even saw myself in there sometimes! Temple's story is one of frustration, sadness and struggle, but also one of hope, possibility and encouragement for those with ASD, their families and those who work with them.

Here's just a little portion of dialogue I quite liked...

Temple: I hate parties! There are too many people and no one listens to me. They keep giving each other looks and I don't know what they mean.

Mother: They're just uncomfortable. People don't wanna hear all those... - details about cattle.

Temple: Well, I do. I wanna be with cattle. 

Mother: Sweetheart...I don't want you to avoid people.

Temple: They make me feel bad.

Mother: Then ignore them!

Altar calls

So, I don't usually like to pick at church services, because I know each one is different and no one is perfect, but one thing I've never really understood is altar calls. I'd love to know where this tradition came from and why. I mean, it's totally great for someone to step out of their comfort zone and make a statement about their desire to turn their life over to Jesus, but why should it happen in a setting where the pastor is talking over some emotional music after the sermon, almost guilting people into coming up the front. I guess some people need this encouragement to actually make the decision and get someone to pray with them, but I'm sure a number of people must go up because they feel obligated to.
Don't even get me started on being asked to raise your hand if "you're making this decision today and want to be prayed for". I definitely don't get the point in that one. It always makes me think that speakers who do this must, in some way, gauge the success of their sermon by how many hands are raised. And they always say "thank-you" to the people that do. Why?
Anyway, that's just what I think. And I welcome any input or opinion. I definitely think having people come forward for prayer has a valuable place in church services, especially because it may be the only opportunity they have to get someone to pray with/for them, and often making that move out of your seat in front of everyone is powerful for people and I'm sure God honours it... but I just don't think there needs to be all the hype and emotional triggers that often surrounds it.
There you go.

Random

So, ever since I've had this blog, I've had many an occasion when I hear something in a lecture, or come across something fascinating, or even think up something myself (shock, horror!), and I decide that I need to blog about that. But it doesn't often happen. It would be so much easier if I could just capture that moment and instantly upload it. Maybe one day technology will be this advanced... In the meantime, I'll probably go on thinking about it and not doing a lot about it.
I have just spent over an hour in the library achieving nothing in the way of the uni work I was here to do, but have done a few other things I've been meaning to do. So, it hasn't been a total waste of time. Have to be somewhere soon, so may as well post a pointless blog entry rather than attempting to start any work now, right? Right. Judging by these comments, you would have no idea that I'm currently feeling rather stressed about uni work. But now you know. I am.
And believe it or not, that's all I have to say.
Time to take in a few minutes of sunshine.
Love to all.

Donald Miller is so wise...

You should read this... http://donmilleris.com/2010/08/03/let-story-guide-you-pt-1-would-the-hero-say-that/
And most anything else written by Donald Miller.
What a dude.

passing it on...

So I just read this in an email I've started getting every day with little devotions, and though it was cool as it reflects some of what I think. Therefore, I am borrowing it to share with anyone who would care to read it...

Our Love-Hate Relationship with Church

By Chuck DeGroat

---

"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called."
 Ephesians 4:2-4 TNIV

---

WE LIVE IN a culture of victimization, and truth is, we’ve all been victimized at some level. None of us asked for the pain the world confronted us with.

But, there is a second reality. We’re all capable of hurting others, too. Only the most self-blinded among us would deny there are times (and they are many) that we rage when we ought to offer grace, or when we long to devour another lustfully or murderously, or when we sit quietly in the face of injustice.

We want so badly for the Church to be the healing place, but it’s run by self-contradictory people, too. Commitment means taking the risk to hurt and be hurt, to join the company of saintly sinners who stay, who don’t flip the channel when they are bored or mad, but who commit to the messy reality of sacred relationships. It is through this imperfect body of saintly sinners that God accomplishes His mission. Maturity is about moving into the mess of relationships, and trusting all that crazy Bible talk about the importance of the body of Christ for our own sakes, and for the sake of the world.

Cruisin'

Well, seeing as I recently went on a cruise and haven't said anything about it on here, I thought it was about time I did...
My opinion is that if you want a real holiday holiday then cruising is the way to go. It's kinda like staying at a resort. You have all you need there, entertainment is provided, and then you go on little trips to other places every now and then.
The best thing, I think, is the enforced relaxation. Like, you just have to relax. On sea days on the ship you can't go anywhere really so you have no choice but to sit down and relax.
You get to know people on the cruise, whether you actually meet them or not, and you see these people most days, but you can also avoid them if you really want to!
You get served three course lunches and dinners and then don't have to pay the bill before you leave the restaurant!
At night they put on big shows. I am a big fan of musicals, stage shows and performances, so getting to go to one every night is a dream come true! However, I wouldn't recommend the comedy magic show. That's all I'll say about that one. And if you're not a fan of crowd participation, it's easy enough to hide in the tiered seating!
Service is impeccable. Your room gets cleaned every day, there's always someone around to bring you a drink, your table gets cleared instantly, and it's almost always with a smile.
No need for hand bags. Cellphones have no service most of the time, and you pay for everything with your cruise card, so it's all you need to carry around.
If you want to get out of the weather or just have a break, there are great movies playing on the TVs in your room.
You get to dress up in themed or cocktail outfits just for fun, and everyone else is doing it too.
You get transported to some fabulous ports, given great advice about making the most of them, and have the option of some excellent tours, at an extra charge.
Well, that's just some of the pros of going on a cruise. I'm converted, and can't wait to go on another one some day. Let me know if you see any good deals.

Jovvies

So, I had a visit from some Jehovah's Witnesses the other day. Seemed like a nice enough couple. The wife stood silently about a metre behind the husband, like any good submissive wife would, while the husband did all the talking. Almost cracked up laughing at the cheesy way he tried to instigate conversation with me... So on the front of the 'Watchtower' magazine is a picture of some brunette girl accompanied by some headline question about stress. He asked me if I was worried about everything going on in the world, and if it made me stressed, and then went on to say that the girl kinda looked like me. Cringe. I informed him that I was a Christian, to which he replied, "ohhhh" in such as way as if to mean, "then I know exactly what I'm going to say to you now". I don't exactly remember what he said next... something about holiness... and then asked me how I go about addressing this holy being that I follow. I said that I call him 'God', to which he replied something to the effect of, "aahh, but with so many different beliefs and beings out there, how do you know you're talking to the right one?" and went on to inform me that I must know that he is called 'Jehovah' and so I must use this name if he is to hear me and respond. I let him know that I didn't quite agree with him on this point, but if he wanted to leave his magazines then he was welcome to. He did so, and I got back to my coffee and hang out time. That's essentially the end of the story, but the whole thing got me thinking, as these types of encounters often do. It makes me a little sad that the use of the name 'Jehovah' is so fundamental to this man's faith that he brought it up as his main argument. I mean, if you believe there is only one true God, then does it really matter how you address him (other than with respect, of course!)? He's going to hear you anyway. I know that God hears me whether I call him by name or not. I'm pretty sure there are much more important aspects of faith that we could've been talking about. It also makes me wonder how effective their door-knocking methods really are. I'd love to read some statistics or something!
On a similar note... because the name thing gives me the impression of people insecure in their beliefs, so much so that they won't be heard if they don't use the right one, it brings to mind another observation. I have a great aunty and uncle who are Jehovah's Witnesses. They were at my cousin's wedding in January. My cousin who is a Christian. I won't mention how they acted about the fact that it was in a church, but at the reception the MC announced that he was going to pray for the bride and groom before they left and instantly my aunty and uncle, who were sitting at different tables at the time, got up and raced off to the bathrooms. I don't know about you, but that screams insecurity to me. I've been to their childrens' weddings and certainly didn't disappear when there were prayers or ridiculously long sermons affirming their faith. That's just not something that would affect or threaten my own beliefs. I don't know. Maybe there was more going on. But whatever. And honestly, it makes me sad more than anything. It was a little amusing too, to observe.

AA roadtrip comp

You should enter this...
http://comp.aacarfair.co.nz/r/768
If you win, we both win!

Update

So as a bit of an update, I have now watched the movie Lord, Save Us From Your Followers and it was definitely a good watch. Lots of challenging and interesting points. Well worth a watch if you get the chance.
I also didn't end up having to do the self/peer assessment I mentioned recently, because of illness. So, it means I miss out on 5 marks in that course. But at least I was saved the stress, right?! I'm feeling fine about it.

In other news, I'm going on holiday on Saturday, and only have one assignment standing between me and that. Very excited about my friend Jess (hi Jess, I know you read this, you're awesome) coming over from Sydney to hang out. Four of us are driving to Auckland on Saturday ready to leave on a cruise on Sunday, to Norfolk Island, Vanuatu and Fiji for 12 nights. I've never been on a cruise before and am really looking forward to it. Here's the link... http://www.pocruises.co.nz/FindACruise/Pages/CruiseProfile.aspx?CruiseCode=N018
Plus, it will bring my country count up to 29. [Criteria for inclusion of countries: have to have bought something to eat outside of the airport or transportation depot.] Gives me a couple of years where I don't have to go somewhere new and can still keep ahead of my age in my country count!

Lord, save us from your followers.

I recently read a blog about the actions of Westboro Baptist Church. I then listened to a podcast this morning in which they interviewed the creator of this movie, aptly titled 'Lord, Save Us From Your Followers', and I was intrigued. Of  course, being a Christian we are constantly aware of those who claim to share our faith acting in very un-Christlike ways. Not only is this embarrassing and cringe-worthy, but it's just plain sad. Dan Merchant, the movie's creator is quoted saying, "If you’re a Christian, you give careful thought to what the Bible teaches on law. But we’ve forwarded the gospel of being right versus the gospel of love. We’ve been having the wrong conversation," and it's true! I recommend looking into this movie, or at least the ideas that come out of it. I haven't seen it myself yet, but intend to as soon as I can get my hands on a copy! I will embed a trailer below.
This whole thing also reminded me of a picture that featured in Dave Wiggins' comedy show "Googling God" which I saw last month. Good on this guy...

Let's go ahead and love, yeah?

Myself.

Tomorrow I have a self/peer assessment task to do for my Guidance and Counselling paper at uni, and I'm actually scared. It's a bit pathetic really, because it will just be a simple task where we employ some counselling skills that we've learned in the course and then our small groups will grade us, probably more generously than we deserve, judging on past experience. But for me, the idea of role playing is terrifying. The thought of it makes me feel sick. I am an incredibly introverted person, whether it's always obvious or not, and I always tense up when a teacher or lecturer says "get into groups and..." because I hate the pressure. The reality is, though, once I'm in the group and doing the task, it's always perfectly fine. It's just the thought and the initiating that I can't handle. I often even find myself taking a leadership role and helping keep the group on task!
Despite my fear of meeting new people and trying new things, I also actually love it. It's almost like the challenge brings some kind of rush. I always seem to find myself in challenging situations, and I get myself into them because the adventure of it all excites me. For example, all the overseas travelling I've done, and often by myself. I always know it's going to be tough, but I also know that it will be great and that I'll learn and experience a lot. It's amazing what God can do in and through you when something's too hard to do by yourself as well.
I've experienced a lot of different things in the past ten years especially, and now I find myself half way through my second year of full time study on this particular degree, having lived in the same house for a while, and it's kind of a weird feeling. There are of course, so many things I still want to see and do in the world, but for now it's almost like I'm ready to settle down or something. Haha, slight problem there... lack of someone to settle down with!
Well, that thought pattern went in an interesting direction...
That's all for now!

Forgive

Forgiveness. It's hard to do. Especially when there's an ongoing cycle of being lied to or bad-mouthed or used and abused again and again by the same person or group of people. But, in order to go on with life in a healthy state of mind and to restore a right relationship with God, it has to be done! Often it takes time to be able to bring yourself to a point where you can forgive, but when you get there it is so freeing. Being stuck in this kind of cycle of hurt is really tough and it can seem like there's no way out. But when you make it out the other side and look back, often they were times of growth and discovery and you learn things through them without even realising. I'm looking forward to looking back and learning whatever God can teach me.

Listen to the rhythm of the pouring rain...

I'm house sitting at the moment and the rain sounds amazing on the roof here. Wish it would rain for longer than a few minutes at a time! Although I am also enjoying the summer-like weather we've been blessed with lately. Glorious. Well, enough about the weather. And now for something a little different.
I love this song...

Rest, by Nevertheless
Hey where have you been?
Where did you go? Looking for innocence?
Shame is holding you down, selling you out, won't you come back again?

'Cause you've found a way to go on for days, pretending to live
But you are not ok, with all of that weight, you need to give up

Come now just let it go, let it fall down, let it all flow like
The water that's rushing in over your soul 'til there's nothing left
Won't you come to me and rest?

Hey I know that you're scared to look in my eyes,
When you know that something's wrong
I'll wait as long as it takes, for you to find grace, it's been here all along

'Cause you've found a way to go on for days, pretending to live
But you are not ok, with all of that weight, you need to give up

Come now just let it go, let it fall down, let it all flow like
The water that's rushing in over your soul 'til there's nothing left
Won't you come to me as you are

Dirty and broken with all of the scars, from all the unspoken
With all the words that you wanted to say but you locked them away inside

Come now just let it go, let it fall down, let it all flow like
The water that's rushing in over your soul 'til there's nothing left
Come now just let it go, let it fall down, let it all flow like
The water that's rushing in over your soul 'til there's nothing left
Won't you come to me and rest?

Factitious Disorders

So, I'm actually in a lecture about substance abuse in adolescents, but somehow found myself reading this website about Factitious Disorders (http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/factitious_disorders/hic_an_overview_of_factitious_disorders.aspx).
Here are some interesting snippets...

What are factitious disorders?

Mental illness describes abnormal cognitive or emotional patterns related to how a person thinks, feels, acts, and/or relates to others and his or her surroundings. Factitious disorders are mental disorders in which a person acts as if he or she has a physical or mental illness when, in fact, he or she has consciously created his or her symptoms. (The name factitious comes from the Latin word for "artificial.")

People with factitious disorders deliberately create or exaggerate symptoms of an illness in several ways. They may lie about or mimic symptoms, hurt themselves to bring on symptoms, or alter diagnostic tests (such as contaminating a urine sample). People with factitious disorders have an inner need to be seen as ill or injured, but not to achieve a concrete benefit, such as a financial gain. People with factitious disorders are even willing to undergo painful or risky tests and operations in order to obtain the sympathy and special attention given to people who are truly ill. Factitious disorders are considered mental illnesses because they are associated with severe emotional difficulties.

Many people with factitious disorders also suffer from other mental disorders, particularly personality disorders. People with personality disorders have long-standing patterns of thinking and acting that differ from what society considers usual or normal. People with personality disorders generally also have poor coping skills and problems forming healthy relationships.

Factitious disorder with mostly physical symptoms — People with this disorder claim to have symptoms related to a physical illness--symptoms such as chest pain, stomach problems, or fever. This disorder is sometimes referred to as Munchausen syndrome, named for Baron von Munchausen, an 18th century German officer who was known for embellishing the stories of his life and experiences.NOTE: Although Munchausen syndrome most properly refers to a factitious disorder with physical symptoms, the term is sometimes used to refer to factitious disorders in general.

Factitious disorder with both psychological and physical symptoms — People with this disorder report symptoms of both physical and mental illness.

What are the symptoms of factitious disorders?

Possible warning signs of factitious disorders include the following:

• Dramatic but inconsistent medical history
• Unclear symptoms that are not controllable, become more severe, or change once treatment has begun
• Predictable relapses following improvement in the condition
• Extensive knowledge of hospitals and/or medical terminology, as well as the textbook descriptions of illness
• Presence of many surgical scars
• Appearance of new or additional symptoms following negative test results
• Presence of symptoms only when the patient is alone or not being observed
• Willingness or eagerness to have medical tests, operations, or other procedures
• History of seeking treatment at many hospitals, clinics, and doctors’ offices, possibly even in different cities
• Reluctance by the patient to allow health care professionals to meet with or talk to family members, friends, and prior health care providers

Is it terrible to suspect someone of having one of these?

Get it together, Vic Uni!

Just heard from our lecturer that he may be made redundant next week! Now, this would be fine if he was one of those useless lecturers that just blab from the front of the class and think of themself as being superior to everyone else in the room. But, he's not. He's the best lecturer/tutor I've had in all my years of tertiary study. Not only does he use extremely comprehensive and well researched slides in his lectures, but he is hilarious, very down to earth, has extensive experience in the areas he teaches about, and does all that he can to help his students pass his courses. He also has the largest workload of anyone in the education faculty and drives all the way from Levin to Wellington for work each day! The university as an institution and the students will lose a lot if he loses his job.
The reason given by the university is that he's not involved in enough research and is not publishing 4 journal articles each year. Personally I think it's much better that he's spending his time being the amazing lecturer that he is, rather than doing research. And I think anyone whose been in any of his classes would agree. We pay fees to be educated well, not for our lecturers to write articles for external publications.
Sort out your priorities Victoria University!
And that's my rant. And a bit of a tribute to Chris Bowden.

Oh, the drama!

 Found a bunch of fascinating pieces on people who create drama in their lives... here's one...

Recognizing the Drama Kings and Queens in Your Life - by Lisa Whatley - October 2005

We all have drama kings and queens in our lives. You know who they are! These are the people that enjoy creating drama or chaos. They thrive on stirring up conflict, adding fuel to the fire. They are in our families, they are in our friendships and they are in our workplaces. These are people that seek excitement and attention by playing the lead role in drama or what I like to call ‘me-ism.’ Have you ever noticed how the drama king or queen is always the focal point, playing the victim? You did this to ME! This happened to ME! It is YOUR fault! Poor ME! You have seen this before. We all have. The man in the restaurant who doesn’t get the right order and proceeds to get so loud that the entire restaurant notices, or the lady at the check out counter who is impatient and rude to the clerk because he is a new employee learning to run the cash register and is having a slow day, or the lovely mother-in-law that blows everything out of proportion so that she has some adventure in her life. The list of drama tactics is literally endless! The good news is, we all have choice. We do not have to play their games, to be sucked into their drama, their ‘me-isms.’

After you have been working so hard to lessen the drama in your life by creating peacefulness and calm, drama is very noticeable. It actually becomes very uncomfortable to be in the same space with dramatic people. You have to make a choice on whether you want to participate in the drama that is being created or be the silent observer. Being the silent observer means simply that. Observe without attaching any emotion to the situation. This is very difficult especially if it is coming from family members or loved ones. It is even more difficult when you are the object of the drama! Remember the one creating the drama is really projecting “it is all about ME." In order not to be involved in their drama, one must consciously remember to not add fuel to their fire. Let them talk, rant, rave, blame or whatever they are projecting onto you, as ‘their’ silent observer. Remember this is THEIR stage, this is their play. They will try their best to suck you in by blaming you, it’s YOUR fault etc. Stand tall, holding your ground and listen. Just listen. No words. Listen. They will bait you by saying something about you, it will feel like a personal attack. That is what they are looking for, for you to play their game, for you to jump onto their stage and attack back! When you listen without adding any comments, what you are really doing is putting water on their fire. You see if you don’t add the fuel, there is no longer a fire! They have nothing to create drama with because there are no players! Drama kings and queens need players. They need fellow actors and actresses in order to play their lead role. By you choosing not to participate, they will have nothing to continue creating drama with. They will in all likelihood stop the drama and move onto another topic. It may however, be gossiping about someone but we can’t expect two miracles in one day! Drama people also create drama by using the poor me pity me routine. Again, this is all ‘me-isms.’ They will draw you into their ‘sad’ stories. They will not likely be attacking you, but they are looking for their fuel. They are looking for their fix. If you again simply listen with compassion as their silent observer, they will not get what they are looking for. One of two things will happen. They will look for someone else for their fix, or you will have empowered them to dig deep into the core of their own being for their own self-empowerment.

The Silent Observer…listens with compassion, changes the energy and brings peacefulness and calm into the situation. Are you a Peace Maker or a Me-ism? It’s only a choice, which do you choose?

© Copyright 2004-5 Lisa Whatley http://www.InfinityLightHealing.com You may share this information in it’s entirety with others freely, provided that this notice is included. You are free to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work under the following conditions: You must give the author credit, you may not use this for commercial purposes, and you may not alter, transform or build upon this work. For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the license terms of this work. Any of these conditions can be waived if you get permission from the copyright holder. Any other purpose of use must be granted permission by author.

Release them!

I was just listening to a podcast of a church service in which the preacher was talking about building people up then releasing them into the world to overcome giants, to face trials, and to grow. He then went on to say that this is what parents need to be doing for their children, rather than holding on to them because they're either scared they'll fail or that they'll succeed and do better than the parents! If you release them then they will come home.
I am so very grateful and thankful to my parents for helping me to do just that. Encouraging me to take off to America when I was 18, and letting me do it on my own and my own way, was the best thing they could've done. It was during this time, and subsequent trips, that I learned so much about the world, about people and about God. My parents probably knew that it would help me grow up and become more independent and capable, but I don't think they would've thought about the ways in which it made me come to rely on God in a whole new and lasting way. I wouldn't be the person today if it weren't for all of this. And it's true that by releasing me into the world they caused me to want to come home.
I may as well make this an official tribute to my parents and say "thanks Mum and Dad, you're amazing!"

Ok, so apparently my page layout means part of the guitar's arm gets cut off and 
you can't see some of the amazing fingering going on. If this is a problem, follow 
the link to the RELEVANT website for the original. Peace.


http://www.relevantmagazine.com/media/rtv/music-videos/watch/516/doxology

The problem with doing Religious Studies at university is that when I'm researching for essays, I always find interesting stuff to read that distracts me from my research!
Here's a wee snippet...
(from The Crucified God, by Jurgen Moltmann)

"It is true that faith lives by the anticipation of the kingdom through and in Jesus. But this is not a spiritualisation or individualisation of real salvation. Nor is it an enclave of redemption in an unredeemed world. Nor is faith a redeemed soul which still regards the unredeemed world with indifference. It is the eschatological anticipation of redemption, an anticipation through and in one who was the outcast, rejected and crucified. The memory of the crucified anticipator of the kingdom makes impossible for a Christian any spiritualisation or individualisation of salvation, and any resigned acceptance of participation in an unredeemed world."
"In view of the misery of the creation, the fact that the atonement is already accomplished, although its struggle continues, is incomprehensible without the future of the redemption of the body and of the peace which brings the struggle to an end."

Don't be put off by the scene you can see right now. It's worth a watch.
Catch phrase.

So apparently I have a blog now.

Don't hold your breath for anything good.