Good Looking

This ad appeared on my facebook account. I've seen a few other similar ads recently.


'Browse 1000s of pics and profiles of men that are as good looking as him at... (take a guess)'


Firstly, (no offense to the guy whose photo it is) I don't think this guy is good looking. Secondly, it's a man's character that makes him attractive in my view, not his photo.

Great Chick Flick

Mum and I watched this great chick flick today. Apparently there's a whole series. We both really enjoyed it. Have to have some girls' nights in watching the rest of the series.

Let the celebrations begin... soon

Finally submitted my last assessment for the semester. For a while there I thought I'd never finish it (or even start it...). The results from my last assessment knocked my confidence a bit. But it's done now. One exam to go. Bring on mid June. Then it'll be time to celebrate.

The World Beyond Alison

So I've had a bit of a wake-up call of late. I'd started realising how Alison-focussed I'd become, I'd been trying to think about the world beyond me but hadn't got very far. After doing so poorly in my assessment I reverted back to my old ways pretty quickly... until recently as I've been catching up with various friends who seem to be facing fairly significant difficulties - one whose son-in-law has been diagnosed with cancer, another struggling with depression, one with health issues who's still awaiting results from doctors (potentially cancer), another who lost a pregnancy early on.

My guess is that one of the greatest gifts I can offer each of them is comfort - and even greater, to point them to God who is the greatest comforter, and to pray for them. As I've been struggling over the last year or so this is what I've appreciated most from friends - particularly when they've shared verses about God's faithfulness and verses that have meant a lot to them when they've been through difficult times. Comfort. It's good. And God is the best comforter.

When I've read the verses in 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 in the past, 'Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.' I'd always assumed that comforting other people would be something I could do further down the track. I saw it as a sequence of events, that first I would be comforted as I struggled. Then AFTER I'd been healed, I could help comfort others.

But I've realised it's not as neat and tidy as that. That I can comfort people as I go through struggles too. I'm not saying it's good to put immense pressure on ourselves when we're already struggling, but I am saying that sometimes we can share our struggles together, that we can still offer comfort to others when we are struggling.

A friend remarked the other day that it'd be nice if the difficulties in life were served up in nice, neat, manageable packages... but unfortunately usually they're not.

A Different Response

What was it that Jesus saw in Zacchaeus? The crowd saw the chief tax collector, who was a wealthy man and a short man (yes, the text actually says he was short, I checked that it wasn't just something I was told in Sunday School). Maybe they felt angry when they saw him, or maybe they just wanted nothing to do with him.

But Jesus had a different response. He told Zacchaeus, who had climbed the sycamore fig tree so he could see Jesus, that he wanted to come to his house. The crowd wasn't impressed with this at all!

Why did Jesus respond to Zacchaeus in this way? Why did he seek him out? OK, he was the only person up in a tree, but there's got to be more to it than that. I'm sure everyone in the crowd wanted to either ignore him, or throw rocks at him. I'm no theologian, but I wonder whether it was Zacchaeus' heart that Jesus saw. The crowd saw the external stuff. Jesus saw a man who was desperate enough to see Him that he would climb up a tree.

I'd love to see people like Jesus did (and still does). To not look at the externals and the mistakes they've made, but to look at their heart... and to love them because they are someone who is valued by God.

Discovering New Oceans

transparency + honesty = risk

I think it would pay to be more measured in the amount of risk taken though! Maybe one day I'll learn...

'Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.'

Andre Gide quotes

'The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn and feel and change and grow and love and live.'

Leo F. Buscaglia

He is Near

God wants every believer to implicitly trust that He is near.

Early Light Devotional -In Touch Ministries, Charles Stanley



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Growing Together in Christ

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Ephesians 4:15-16

What a beautiful picture. Difficult and painful at times, but beautiful.

At the foot of the cross

Tonight I asked the girls to choose another CD to put in the car - it's been a while since we've changed it. Lucy chose the album and we listened to it and sang along on the way to and from church. 'At the Foot of the Cross' was playing on the way home. I love it - think it's another one of those songs I've shed many tears listening to in the past.

But the song reminded me that it's all about Jesus - that at the foot of the cross where Jesus died for our sins, I can lay every burden down, that at the cross I am made complete. It flowed on well from tonight's sermon which made me think about what I blogged about yesterday, and reminded me that without Jesus all the best intentions in the world mean nothing. They're pointless without Jesus.

Jesus is our only hope. In His death and resurrection I have new life, only because of Him. Because of God's grace and His mercy. Nothing more, nothing less. What an amazing God we have.

Helping People Abroad

This afternoon we went to a 'Survive Past 5 Birthday Party', raising awareness about what we can do to help kids across the world survive past the age of 5. Heard some devastating facts about people in developing countries - that every minute, a woman dies of preventable complications related to pregnancy and childbirth, and that last year, 8.8 million children died before their 5th Birthday, most from easily preventable causes. We are so fortunate living here in Australia.

The party did get me thinking more about what part I can play in it all - money isn't always the solution though I'm sure it plays an important part if it's used wisely. When we went to Malawi and Mozambique we saw the way the Global Interaction team worked alongside the locals to help improve their quality of life. They were looking at teaching practical skills - like providing education to help them improve hygiene. Great stuff.

I'm still trying to figure out what response God would have me make - I'd like to know what I can do practically. I'm a bit skeptical about the value of writing to our politicians - though maybe that's wrong?

One thing I'll definitely be doing more is praying for people in developing countries and those seeking to help them. But I don't want to assume that means I don't need to do anything more myself.

Your thoughts?

Trusting Entirely in Him

Found a Sons of Korah flyer in the latest Koorong brochure the other day - they're doing some gigs in June. Yay!

On their website they have a couple of blurbs on various Psalms their songs are based on. I particularly love this one. Wish I was better at trusting entirely in God!!

Psalm 131

[The Psalmist] is resting transparently in the power of God. In this place of intimacy and trust he has discovered an unshakable peace and stillness of soul. He likens the experience to that of a child that has just been weaned off its mother breast and lies contentedly and peacefully in her arms. So too when we rest our lives in the arms of God do we find a stillness of soul and a contentment that all the external threats of this world can never take away from us. The final cry of the psalm sums up the reason for this personal spiritual testimony. The psalmist wants people to see the inward spiritual rewards of humility in order that they might trust in God. “O Israel – hope in the LORD.” In this position of peace and joy the psalmist longs that all of God’s people would learn to do the same and discover what peace is available to them in the arms of God if they will only put their trust and hope entirely in him.

Social Media

With all the recent discussions about social media, particularly Facebook and our privacy (or lack of!), thought I'd post this interview I found on the Open House website - I heard something along these lines on 103.2 last week, though this interview's dated February, so not sure it was the same one. Either way, it's interesting and raises lots of interesting (concerning) questions. Maybe I should be deleting my facebook account? and my blog?

Needing to enlarge my vision

Worshipping the Lord enlarges our vision.

Praise is not the obvious reaction to hardship, but it is the wisest response.

Taken from the InTouch Daily Devotion 19 May 2010

Your thoughts about how teachers are valued in society

I'm working on another uni assessment... well, trying to anyway. Motivation's low at the moment.

Wondering what other people's views are about how teachers are valued in society (particularly if you are/have been a teacher)? Do you think teachers are valued more or less than they were in the past?

Finding rest in God

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

Psalm 62:5-6

No matter what happens, no matter what I do or don't do, when I fail, when I'm weak, God is my Rock and my Fortress. I can find rest in Him, and hope because of Jesus. Oh that we would know that in the depths of our hearts!

Becoming an Unquenchable Worshipper

Just been taking another look at 'The Unquenchable Worshipper' by Matt Redman. About seven years ago we decided to read it as a team of people who led worship in our Church. It's an excellent book, and started some great discussions.

The Psalms have in fact been described as 'praise in the presence and absence of God'. In other words, a worship which survives every situation, whether God seems close or nowhere to be found. These laments are deep cries to God from a place of despair. But is that really 'worship', or is it simply 'complaining'? In one sense, yes, they are complaints. These petitions to God are the worship songs of a broken people. But almost without exception they also display an underlying confidence and trust in God, and so are truly worship. p19

Mike Pilavachi sums the book up well on the back cover, 'This is unshamedly a book about God and living a devoted life in His presence. Worship is about God, to God and for God. The Unquenchable Worshipper shouts this truth out loud.'

A few of my favourite things

Why is it that when something breaks or needs to be replaced it's often one of your favourite things? The last few weeks I've had to replace a few of my favourite things.

One was a mug that mum gave me for my birthday last year. It fell of the bench and smashed. Another was my hairdryer which just died on me (though it's not one of my 'favourite' things, but it serves a practical purpose and I've probably had it for over 10 years - it shouldn't ever need to be replaced! :-) Another was one of my favourite pairs of shoes - they were so comfortable. The other day I realised the soles were falling off.

So for my birthday, Mum gave me a new mug which I love even more than the last one. My brother and sister-in-law gave me a new hairdryer which is heaps better than my last one. And I bought some new shoes with birthday money and vouchers.

The saddest part was having to throw my old favourites away.

No Greater Love

For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Psalm 57

Delayed Obedience

Read this yesterday on Facebook (posted by Paul Baloche), "RT @RickWarren: We often delay obedience by seeking advice. Just do it!".

What does RT mean? Guessing it's something to do with Rick Warren having written it. Anyway, thought it was a great quote.

Sitting at His Feet

How often do we just sit at God's feet like Mary? I know I don't often enough! I was inspired by a friend's post recently about worship, and found some great songs with videos/presentations on youtube that help me to just sit at His feet and worship Him. I love music, got that from Dad.

Here's one of the songs I came across that's particularly special to me - Through it all.

Yes, God alone is the One who sees us through the seasons, through it all. Our God is faithful!!

Learning to Listen

She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what He said.

Luke 10:39

I want to get better at this!

Hilarious Ad - 'The only place it's been is in the bottle'

Saw a hilarious ad in a magazine today. Even more hilarious is this info I found about the campaign. And this. Who admits to this kind of thing!?! : -)

The creative was informed by a consumer survey, with the results revealing some unnerving truths about household’s soap use. When asked about their showering routines, 44% of respondents admitted to washing their face first, with 20% washing their backside last. Despite a great majority (76%) of those surveyed admitting to have found human hair on their soap, 71% of house holds still use bar soap as opposed to shower gel.

The ad reminded me of some young girls from America who stayed at our place years ago... after their visit my brother stopped using cakes of soap. I've never been keen on soap personally.



The caption beside the Palmolive Naturals Shower Milk is, 'The only place it's been is in the bottle'. Comforting.

You can also watch a funny video ad called 'The Scum and the Restless'. Sarah asked if we could watch it again.

Warning: The link in this post may be confronting

We should have been given a similar warning before Bible Study tonight - though Bible Study should be confronting, at least sometimes. It should also help us learn more about God, about His character, and about what He says to us through the Bible, and from that point of view it should also encourage us... To know that God knows us so intimately yet still loves us and gave His son's life for us. Our study tonight did encourage me too.

We looked at Psalm 139. We spent about 15 minutes quietly reflecting on v23-24. Ouch. I found it confronting, but confronting in a good way. I needed to sit still long enough to let God speak to me, as a friend said we too often make ourselves busy and therefore don't spend much quiet time with God.

But actions speak louder than words. Unless I do something about what I learnt tonight, it was pointless. Guess this is where accountability is important.

Even more important is knowing that wherever we go, God is there (v7-9) and He will guide us (v10).

Want to take a photo for a magazine?

Don't get too excited though...

The theme for the next edition of Together in Ministry Magazine (which goes out to NSW & ACT Baptist Churches) is 'Under the Shadow of Your Wings'. Thought I'd see if anyone has any pictures, or would like to take a picture to submit as a possibility for our cover shot (you'd have till mid June to send it in).

Here's the article that would go with the pic.

Under the Shadow of Your Wings

‘Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me. I look to you for protection. I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until this violent storm is past.’ Psalm 57:1 NLT

I’ve been holding on to this verse the last few months. When the storm has felt particularly violent, it’s been so comforting to know that I can hide beneath the shadow of God’s wings, that He protects me.

There are a number of Psalms and songs that speak about hiding under God’s wings. One by Reuben Morgan talks about our souls finding rest in Christ alone, and about knowing His power in quietness and trust. The NIV version of this verse says, ‘in You my soul takes refuge’. Peace amidst the storm as we quietly trust Him. A troubled soul finds rest in Christ alone.

Under the shadow if His wings. Safe. Warm. Protected. He is good. He is faithful. He is all-powerful. He is mighty. He is Sovereign. He alone deserves all honour and glory.

No doubt you can think of someone who is going through a violent storm at the moment – it may even be you. It’s at these times that we learn most that our God is faithful, that He is there just waiting to hide us under the shadow of His wings.

dreading today

it's not that big a deal, but i'm dreading getting back into my uni work today. feeling really unmotivated after yesterday. you'd think by now, having been through a fair bit in life, i'd be pretty good at dealing with disappointment... i guess that's what makes a disappointment disappointing.

on a better note though, often when i'm blogging (especially in the morning) i see this line being written in the sky by one of those planes - though i can't see the plane - and then a couple of birds fly past. it's like a reminder from God to not worry about tomorrow.

no second chance

Phoned uni this afternoon after I received my second assessment in the post and discovered I'd done very poorly. Wanted to check what the deal was from here... the bad news is that there are no second chances with that particular assessment, but the good news is that I haven't failed the subject... well, as long as I do well enough in the next assessment.

Not sure I want to get stuck back into my uni work tomorrow. If it wasn't for the fact that I loved prac so much I might consider throwing in the towel.

Makes me thankful that God sees my failures differently to uni, that He does offer us a second chance. Grace - an undeserved, free gift. What an amazing God!

Looking for Practical Suggestions

I was challenged this morning by a friend's post on Hannah's prayer in 1 Samuel 2, and how she remembers the world beyond her own circumstances in her prayers. She's very honest about her own heartache too, but it doesn't end there. I was also reminded in the InTouch devotion yesterday that Hannah depended on God through prayer, that she was a great example of a woman of prayer.

I'm not good at looking at the bigger picture, but I think it's time I stretched myself. I hardly ever listen to the news, so am thinking that might be a good place to start - probably reading it online will simpler with the girls.

Any other suggestions of ways to think more broadly about the needs of others and remember their needs when I pray?

In the silence

Last night I took another look at one of my favourite books, Esther by Chuck Swindoll. I don't remember reading chapter 8 (God's Surprising Sovereignty) where Chuck highlights Esther's wisdom in knowing when to act and when to wait. I certainly haven't been good at doing this - so reading it really challenged me. Here are a few paragraphs that particularly stood out to me:

How do we live in the fog without panic? How do we live our lives in this little space, not knowing where the shore is - especially during the times when we do not hear His reassuring voice? To put it simple and straight, we do it by discovering how God works, by having confidence in Him. p126

Life is filled with sustained periods of silence. Often. But those periods of God's silence are just as significant as the times when He speaks. They're far more painful, but they are nevertheless significant. And during those times on that fog-bound lake, you need ears of faith to listen for His voice. p128

...God wants to reveal His will to you and to teach you while you are waiting... There are tangible things to connect with. Passages of Scripture that bring comfort and insight. Messages that enlighten and enliven. Certain people you respect. Tap into those, wait, and listen with a sensitive ear... Don't talk so much! Believers who are maturing not only respect God's silence, they model it as well. p135

If you could be any animal, what would you be?

I think I'd like to be an eagle. How about you?

Ouch

I read this last night, but it wasn't until I re-read it this morning that I was really challenged by it. Ouch. Earlier this year I was given one particularly clear instruction - have I obeyed it? Occasionally yes, but generally no. It's a constant battle. It's a challenge specific to Alison, an area God knows I need to grow in. Maybe I need more accountability in this area?

*******

Title: Why Guidance is Not Given

Author: Elisabeth Elliot

Sometimes we are perplexed because guidance does not come when we ask for it.

Some of the elders of Israel came to consult the Lord and were sitting with the prophet Ezekiel. The word of the Lord through him was, "As I live, I will not be consulted by you" (Ez 20:3 NEB). Then followed a long account of Israel's deliberate disobedience: idolatry, desecration of the Sabbath, human sacrifice, revolt, rebellion, and trespassing all God's laws.

"You are still defiling yourselves...how can I let you consult me?" (Ez 20:31). Only the pure in heart--those who desire nothing but the will of God--can expect his counsel and guidance.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me (Ps 51:10 AV).

To pray that prayer is to accept the obligation to be obedient in all that is known of God's will.

Remembering Names

Now that I've finally learnt all the names of the kids in our class, I've almost finished prac... I'm hopeless with names - if I don't write them down, or use them several times in a sentence as soon as I've heard them, I usually forget them. So I was thinking that could be a painful part of teaching for me - it's so helpful to be able to use their names.

Earlier this week I had a few instances where I used the wrong name - one kid definitely looks like a Sam, but he's not, and there are two who look very similar except that one's a bit smaller than the other. Another I'd been calling James, but realised that's not his name at all. But they all had a bit of fun when I called them the wrong name and we had a good laugh.

I remember a video I saw at some business related workshop years ago where they suggested thinking up something that relates to the person's name to help you remember it - like a bell for Bella. I've found that I've forgotten the name before I've had a chance to think up something that relates to it. I'm trying to think what helped me the last two weeks, I think it was just practice and spending lots of time with them.

crappy day

Am I allowed to use the term crappy on my blog? Cause that's the best way of describing today. I managed to clip someone's car as I was parking on the road outside the school this morning. Thankfully no-one saw (would have been even more embarrassing), but the car's alarm went off and my car has red paint marks on it, so it was a pretty impressive scrape. First time it's ever happened, and of course I was in a rush... Been rushing to get the girls to their school before getting the classroom set up to use the 'smartboard' (an electronic whiteboard combination data projector thing), and probably a bit nervous about teaching my first maths lesson. So there began my day.

Left a note on the car and the lady phoned this afternoon to exchange details. Yay, soon I'll be speaking to the insurance company, I'm sure that'll be fun.

At least the lesson went well.

Why is red at night shepherd's delight?

You know that saying, 'Red at night Shepherd's delight, red in the morning Shepherd's warning'. What does it mean?

The Shepherd's must really be delighting a lot of late... most afternoons of late just before sunset the sky's been a beautiful reddy colour, like it is now. Very pretty.

Odd Verses

Been thinking about one of Aesop's Fables, The Hare and the Tortoise, and wondered whether there was a Proverb that talked about the idea of not rushing. Found one in 19:2 that talks about not being hasty.

I have to say some of the Proverbs are out there, take this one for example (27) that I remember an older man quoting when his wife was irritating him one day (they're quite up-front with each other):

15 A quarrelsome wife is like
a constant dripping on a rainy day;

16 restraining her is like restraining the wind
or grasping oil with the hand.

Thrown in the Deep End

This morning when I arrived at school, I discovered the teacher who's been supervising my prac was away, so there was a casual teacher there. When I explained that I was there on prac she said, 'That's great, you can teach the class then! You'll be a huge help, I've only ever taught Year 6 and high school'. I explained I was happy to help in whatever capacity but that last week I was mainly observing and helping individual students. So I ended up doing a fair bit more than I'd anticipated, but it ended up being fine. Enjoyed it on the whole.

Doing spelling with Year 3 proved interesting. I hadn't had a chance to look through the spelling words for the week and prepare anything before-hand, so I just had to wing it. We went through the words they weren't sure about, and one was 'avail'. How often do you use the word avail in a sentence? After they'd guessed what they thought it meant and kind of got it, I said, 'yep, so we could say something like I will avail myself to you', thinking as I was speaking. The year 3 boys all blushed and giggled away and I apologised and said that probably wasn't the best of examples. Then quickly moved on. How embarrassing! It was very funny though.

Reading groups was a bit of a disaster - I had to coordinate the groups, but stupidly hadn't thought about that before-hand either. Being a planner it kind of threw me. Anyway, we survived it. They got to see that teachers are humans too and they make mistakes.

This afternoon was the cross country so that just added to the complexity with a casual teacher who knew even less about what was going on. But we survived that too. I had to sit on the sidelines and coach the kids along when they got a stitch and remind them to stay inside the markers. Loved it when various kids came up to tell me how well they'd done when we went back to class, they were so excited, even to come 24th.

So I'm really loving teaching. Really grateful for the opportunity to be part of the class for two weeks, and to affirm my studies will be well worthwhile.

Awkward Moments

Had a few of those awkward moments this week - one with the principal at the school where I'm doing prac, I made a terrible attempt at a joke when he make a comment to me, I wish I'd just said nothing. Another strangely enough wasn't actually awkward in the moment, if that makes sense, at least I didn't think it was.

Anyway, found this funny awkward silence video on youtube.

undivided

undivided. unified. whole. not separated into parts or shares.

David asks God to give him an undivided heart. What a great (and bold!) prayer.



Psalm 83:10-12

10 For you are great and do marvelous deeds;
you alone are God.

11 Teach me your way, O LORD,
and I will walk in your truth;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.

12 I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever.