I was sent this quote by a friend and thought that it was definitely worth sharing with you all.
When Jesus takes your hand, He keeps you tight. When Jesus keeps you tight, He leads you through your whole life. When Jesus leads you through your life, He brings you safely home.
Corrie Ten Boom
Friday, August 31, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
When Life Is Confusing
"When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer."
Corrie Ten Boom
Corrie Ten Boom
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Drop A Pebble In The Water
Drop a pebble in the water; just a splash, and it is gone;
But there's half-a-hundred ripples circling on and on and on,
Spreading, spreading from the center, flowing on out to the sea.
And there is no way of telling where the end is going to be.
Drop a pebble in the water; in a minute you forget,
But there's little waves a-flowing, and there's ripples circling yet,
And those little waves a-flowing to a great big wave have grown;
You've disturbed a mighty river just by dropping in a stone.
Drop an unkind word, or careless: in a minute it is gone;
But there's half-a-hundred ripples circling on and on and on.
They keep spreading, spreading, spreading from the center as they go,
And there is no way to stop them, once you've started them to flow.
Drop an unkind word, or careless: in a minute you forget;
But there's little waves a-flowing, and there's ripples circling yet,
And perhaps in some sad heart a mighty wave of tears you've stirred,
And disturbed a life was happy ere you dropped that unkind word.
Drop a word of cheer and kindness: just a flash and it is gone;
But there's half-a-hundred ripples circling on and on and on,
Bearing hope and joy and comfort on each splashing, dashing wave
Til you wouldn't believe the volume of the one kind word you gave.
But there's half-a-hundred ripples circling on and on and on,
Spreading, spreading from the center, flowing on out to the sea.
And there is no way of telling where the end is going to be.
Drop a pebble in the water; in a minute you forget,
But there's little waves a-flowing, and there's ripples circling yet,
And those little waves a-flowing to a great big wave have grown;
You've disturbed a mighty river just by dropping in a stone.
Drop an unkind word, or careless: in a minute it is gone;
But there's half-a-hundred ripples circling on and on and on.
They keep spreading, spreading, spreading from the center as they go,
And there is no way to stop them, once you've started them to flow.
Drop an unkind word, or careless: in a minute you forget;
But there's little waves a-flowing, and there's ripples circling yet,
And perhaps in some sad heart a mighty wave of tears you've stirred,
And disturbed a life was happy ere you dropped that unkind word.
Drop a word of cheer and kindness: just a flash and it is gone;
But there's half-a-hundred ripples circling on and on and on,
Bearing hope and joy and comfort on each splashing, dashing wave
Til you wouldn't believe the volume of the one kind word you gave.
Drop a word of cheer and kindness: in a minute you forget;
But there's gladness still a-swelling, and there's joy a-circling yet,
And you've rolled a wave of comfort whose sweet music can be heard
Over miles and miles of water just by dropping one kind word.
James W. Foley
But there's gladness still a-swelling, and there's joy a-circling yet,
And you've rolled a wave of comfort whose sweet music can be heard
Over miles and miles of water just by dropping one kind word.
James W. Foley
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
A Perfect Picnic
It was a perfect summer day. There was a nice breeze. We had a day's vacation. We went for a picnic.
Picnics are such fun. Just lying in the grass; staring up at the blue sky through the branches of the tree; feeling the breeze stirring your hair; the warmth of the sun on your arms. Just lying around and being lazy and doing nothing except eat.
That was what struck me - we were just sitting there eating. The total aim and purpose of this trip was to eat. We went to all that effort to get together food, pack up the car, head out on the road, find some nice grass and share our space with the bugs and what were we doing? Eating. I decided to voice my thoughts.
"Does it strike anyone that we're just sitting here eating?"
My sister viewed me consideringly, head on one side.
"Well, you are just sitting there stuffing your face."
Sisters are so wonderfully blunt sometimes. She hastened to assure me that she didn't mean 'you' as in 'you', just 'you' as in 'one'. Problem is, I was just sitting there stuffing my face. I wouldn't have chosen to phrase it that way if I had been left to pick the terminology myself, but beat around the bush however much you like, when it comes down to the basic facts, that was what I was doing.
That picnic was so much fun. We were really silly and laughed until we nearly choked; we made a lot of noise and made people stare at us; we lay around in the grass and just talked (and ate). We enjoyed the sun and the grass, the laughter and time with each other.
Life isn't perfect, but it has its perfect moments.
That picnic was definitely one of those perfect moments.
Picnics are such fun. Just lying in the grass; staring up at the blue sky through the branches of the tree; feeling the breeze stirring your hair; the warmth of the sun on your arms. Just lying around and being lazy and doing nothing except eat.
That was what struck me - we were just sitting there eating. The total aim and purpose of this trip was to eat. We went to all that effort to get together food, pack up the car, head out on the road, find some nice grass and share our space with the bugs and what were we doing? Eating. I decided to voice my thoughts.
"Does it strike anyone that we're just sitting here eating?"
My sister viewed me consideringly, head on one side.
"Well, you are just sitting there stuffing your face."
Sisters are so wonderfully blunt sometimes. She hastened to assure me that she didn't mean 'you' as in 'you', just 'you' as in 'one'. Problem is, I was just sitting there stuffing my face. I wouldn't have chosen to phrase it that way if I had been left to pick the terminology myself, but beat around the bush however much you like, when it comes down to the basic facts, that was what I was doing.
That picnic was so much fun. We were really silly and laughed until we nearly choked; we made a lot of noise and made people stare at us; we lay around in the grass and just talked (and ate). We enjoyed the sun and the grass, the laughter and time with each other.
Life isn't perfect, but it has its perfect moments.
That picnic was definitely one of those perfect moments.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Home Again
I've been away for a few days, visiting a friend and having a wonderful time. Spending time with friends is special and I was made to feel very welcome, but there is nothing quite like coming home again.
As I got out of the car my sister was waiting for me on the doorstep and as soon as I reached the door she gave me a massive hug and said how glad she was that I was home again. I walked into the kitchen and got another big hug.
After I had chatted in the kitchen for a bit I went upstairs to my room and found a freshly-made bed, a vacuumed floor and a vase of flowers from the garden sitting on my dresser.
Sitting round the table at supper I sat back and listening to everyone talking at once and trying to tell all the news from the past couple of days in 3 minutes maximum.
A little later my sisters and I all squashed on the couch together to watch a movie. We talked to the characters on the screen when they did something particularly stupid and we kept a running commentary going throughout most of the movie.
The noise getting ready for bed was typical - people running up and down stairs; the bathroom door banging open and shut; laughing over teeth-brushing; the chatter that continues through mouthfuls of toothpaste, the shut bathroom door, pyjama tops as they are put over heads and is then raised a couple of levels as the last few comments are shouted from one bedroom to the next and then the creaking of beds as everyone settles down.
I had such an amazing time with my friend, but it was good to be home again.
As I got out of the car my sister was waiting for me on the doorstep and as soon as I reached the door she gave me a massive hug and said how glad she was that I was home again. I walked into the kitchen and got another big hug.
After I had chatted in the kitchen for a bit I went upstairs to my room and found a freshly-made bed, a vacuumed floor and a vase of flowers from the garden sitting on my dresser.
Sitting round the table at supper I sat back and listening to everyone talking at once and trying to tell all the news from the past couple of days in 3 minutes maximum.
A little later my sisters and I all squashed on the couch together to watch a movie. We talked to the characters on the screen when they did something particularly stupid and we kept a running commentary going throughout most of the movie.
The noise getting ready for bed was typical - people running up and down stairs; the bathroom door banging open and shut; laughing over teeth-brushing; the chatter that continues through mouthfuls of toothpaste, the shut bathroom door, pyjama tops as they are put over heads and is then raised a couple of levels as the last few comments are shouted from one bedroom to the next and then the creaking of beds as everyone settles down.
I had such an amazing time with my friend, but it was good to be home again.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
God Is In Control
It all started a few months back. Some old friends were going through a touch time with illness in the family. Their daughter had cancer in her leg and there was chemotherapy and surgery, then more chemotherapy. Two close friends were both struggling and just needed a listening ear and support.
Our closet family friends announced a few weeks ago that they were thinking of moving - countries, not just across town. It felt like an important and stable anchor in life was being ripped up. Then I heard that a lady who was almost like a surrogate aunt-come-grandmother to me had cancer. An operation should fix the problem. A lot of effort has been put into gifts, cards and notes to show support.
This week, life started to crumble and this morning it caved-in. Our friends are definitely moving - maybe in just a few weeks. Then this morning we had an e-mail. Our old friends with an ill daughter had not got good news. Worst of all, although things were still looking good with the lady with cancer, her husband had just been diagnosed with an aggressive form of a pretty nasty cancer.
I felt like I was sinking. What exactly was going on here? Why was all of this happening? And why to all these people? I wondered around in a daze, showering and getting dressed auotmaticaly as I tried to grasp why all of this was happening - and why all at once. I couldn't cope with all of this right then and how on earth was I meant to be able to stretch myself out and help all of these different people? Why did stuff like this have to happen to such nice people? Where they going to die? Why wasn't God stopping this? Why?
I didn't have the answers this morning and I don't have them now. I still feel like I'm wondering around surrounded by a cloud. All the thinking and the emotions have made me exhausted - what must it be like for our friends who are going through all of this right now?
God is in control. He knows what He's doing and why all of this is happening. It doesn't feel like it. It doesn't look like it. How am I supposed to feel that everything - including all of this - is in God's control?
I don't think I am. I think that God understands. He knows how difficult it is to trust Him sometimes. He knows that sometimes it is impossible to feel like God is in control.
What I have to do is believe that God is in control. We are told in the Bible that everything is in God's control, so that is the way it is. No argument. That fact is what we have to hold on to. Take the truth and hold onto it. Believe that God's word is true and even though you don't feel that God is in control, know that God is in control. Sometimes we can only get as far as the cold, light-of-day head-knowledge. God is merciful and compassionate and I believe He takes that cold, light-of-day head-knowledge and He takes care of the rest.
Right now, whether or not I feel it, the truth is there to be taken firm hold of - God is in control.
Our closet family friends announced a few weeks ago that they were thinking of moving - countries, not just across town. It felt like an important and stable anchor in life was being ripped up. Then I heard that a lady who was almost like a surrogate aunt-come-grandmother to me had cancer. An operation should fix the problem. A lot of effort has been put into gifts, cards and notes to show support.
This week, life started to crumble and this morning it caved-in. Our friends are definitely moving - maybe in just a few weeks. Then this morning we had an e-mail. Our old friends with an ill daughter had not got good news. Worst of all, although things were still looking good with the lady with cancer, her husband had just been diagnosed with an aggressive form of a pretty nasty cancer.
I felt like I was sinking. What exactly was going on here? Why was all of this happening? And why to all these people? I wondered around in a daze, showering and getting dressed auotmaticaly as I tried to grasp why all of this was happening - and why all at once. I couldn't cope with all of this right then and how on earth was I meant to be able to stretch myself out and help all of these different people? Why did stuff like this have to happen to such nice people? Where they going to die? Why wasn't God stopping this? Why?
I didn't have the answers this morning and I don't have them now. I still feel like I'm wondering around surrounded by a cloud. All the thinking and the emotions have made me exhausted - what must it be like for our friends who are going through all of this right now?
God is in control. He knows what He's doing and why all of this is happening. It doesn't feel like it. It doesn't look like it. How am I supposed to feel that everything - including all of this - is in God's control?
I don't think I am. I think that God understands. He knows how difficult it is to trust Him sometimes. He knows that sometimes it is impossible to feel like God is in control.
What I have to do is believe that God is in control. We are told in the Bible that everything is in God's control, so that is the way it is. No argument. That fact is what we have to hold on to. Take the truth and hold onto it. Believe that God's word is true and even though you don't feel that God is in control, know that God is in control. Sometimes we can only get as far as the cold, light-of-day head-knowledge. God is merciful and compassionate and I believe He takes that cold, light-of-day head-knowledge and He takes care of the rest.
Right now, whether or not I feel it, the truth is there to be taken firm hold of - God is in control.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Pink Satin And Perfect Little Bags
I've got all excited about the birthday present I'm making for my sister! My sister has a Kirsten American Girl Doll and I decided to make her a really pretty ball dress for the doll.
Whenever I get to a fabric store I am always overwhelmed by all the fabric - so many different patterns and colors to choose from and each piece of fabric just begs you to take it off of the shelf and give your inspiration free-reign. Another thing I like about fabric stores is the strange sort of quiet, even when people are talking and the tantalising smell of new fabric. I love going up to the bolts of fabric, rubbing it between my fingers and feeling that crisp, slightly rough feel that you only get from pre-washed fabric.
I wondered around, looking at all the different fabric, checking out the sales, matching up possible colors and trying to imagine what the finished dress would look like. I tried to pick out something that my sister would love to wear to a party herself, or the kind of dress she says she would wear to a ball.
Eventually I chose out some shinny pink satin - just the right color. Next I needed something for the over-skirt - definitely filmy and see-through. A white organza with little white flowers embroidered on it and a scalloped edge was most certainly the perfect match. Next I needed some lace, ribbon for the trimming and some little rosette flowers to hold up the gathers on the over-skirt. A delicate purpley-blue coordinated wonderfully with the pink of the dress and at last I found both rosettes and ribbon in almost the same color. In the end I found some lace which would go quite nicely and the last thing I needed was some ribbon to tie in the doll's hair. I know that the pink, gauzy, shimmery ribbon I found will fill my sister's heart with delight.
The perfect touch came when I found these little bags in the wedding department. They are made out of the same kind of gauzy fabric as the over-skirt and have little ribbons to draw the bag closed at the top. They came in three colors: blue, white and a pink that perfectly matches the pink of the satin. I could hardly believe my eyes! They are the perfect size to look like the little bags they have in the Jane Austen movies and I can't wait to see my sister's face when she sees the two little bags - one white and one pink.
Now I need to set to work to cut out the fabric and sew the dress. I hope that the finished dress will be all that I'm hoping it will be. I think the hard work will all be worth it if I see the stars of wonder and delight that I'm hoping to see in my sister's eyes!
Whenever I get to a fabric store I am always overwhelmed by all the fabric - so many different patterns and colors to choose from and each piece of fabric just begs you to take it off of the shelf and give your inspiration free-reign. Another thing I like about fabric stores is the strange sort of quiet, even when people are talking and the tantalising smell of new fabric. I love going up to the bolts of fabric, rubbing it between my fingers and feeling that crisp, slightly rough feel that you only get from pre-washed fabric.
I wondered around, looking at all the different fabric, checking out the sales, matching up possible colors and trying to imagine what the finished dress would look like. I tried to pick out something that my sister would love to wear to a party herself, or the kind of dress she says she would wear to a ball.
Eventually I chose out some shinny pink satin - just the right color. Next I needed something for the over-skirt - definitely filmy and see-through. A white organza with little white flowers embroidered on it and a scalloped edge was most certainly the perfect match. Next I needed some lace, ribbon for the trimming and some little rosette flowers to hold up the gathers on the over-skirt. A delicate purpley-blue coordinated wonderfully with the pink of the dress and at last I found both rosettes and ribbon in almost the same color. In the end I found some lace which would go quite nicely and the last thing I needed was some ribbon to tie in the doll's hair. I know that the pink, gauzy, shimmery ribbon I found will fill my sister's heart with delight.
The perfect touch came when I found these little bags in the wedding department. They are made out of the same kind of gauzy fabric as the over-skirt and have little ribbons to draw the bag closed at the top. They came in three colors: blue, white and a pink that perfectly matches the pink of the satin. I could hardly believe my eyes! They are the perfect size to look like the little bags they have in the Jane Austen movies and I can't wait to see my sister's face when she sees the two little bags - one white and one pink.
Now I need to set to work to cut out the fabric and sew the dress. I hope that the finished dress will be all that I'm hoping it will be. I think the hard work will all be worth it if I see the stars of wonder and delight that I'm hoping to see in my sister's eyes!
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
His Strength
This week I am helping out as a counselor at the day-camp my church runs for a week every summer. For the past couple of weeks there have been meetings to attend, lessons to prepare and a lot of cutting and painting to do as we transformed our space into a treasure-island. I also had to search through my closet looking for clothes that could make me look like a pirate.
On Monday morning we launched into a mad time of songs, games, lessons, crafts, drinks, more games, more songs and the best bit of all - when one of the counsellors gets 'gunged'! It is an amazing opportunity to teach lots of children about Jesus and all that He has done for us. Many of the children have never been to church and this is the first time they are hearing about God.
The question always seems to be, who's having the most fun - the children or us counsellors? The whole week is the greatest fun and I really think that the counsellors have just as much fun as the children.
The problem is, it is totally exhausting. Everyone puts a lot of time and energy in to each of the children and moving them around and doing the lessons and joining in with the games. Also, there is the not-so-little question of keeping all the children going in the same direction, picking up lagers for every activity and making sure that they don't get left out, keeping our area clean and tidy, getting the children involved in the lesson and answering the questions and a new one for me - stopping the fights that break out. This last one has been especially tiring. For some reason I seem to have ended up with an unusually high percentage of difficult and disruptive children. Trying to keep the balance between discipline, order and control, and fun, encouraging and interested is proving to be a lot harder then I would ever have imagined.
Today I became totally stressed out and all I wanted to do was come home and cry. I was totally exhausted and I felt as if I would never be able to ring another drop of energy from my weary body. Worse still, everyone else could see it too. I was wondering if I would ever be able to be nice to another child again.
I was totally convinced that I would not be able to get through another day. At last I managed to work out a strategy for dealing with the slightly more challenging children. Maybe I could make myself be nice to everyone and with a bit of hard work I would be able to get through all that needed to be done with a smile on my face.
Hang on, what about God? Where does He come into it? What is He doing all this time? What exactly is the real reason we are doing this camp?
I have become so stressed and tired that I had totally forgotten to ask God to be there with us through our time, to show Himself to the children through our lessons and to be with me as I'm trying to cope with the demands of the day. Maybe if I asked God to give me the strength I need, I might find myself relying on Him to get me through, rather than worrying about how I am going to manage.
What a revolutionary idea. Duh.
Tomorrow I am going am going to be trying my hardest to rely on God's strength, not my own; to ask Him, rather then worrying; to rely on His faithfulness rather then trying to do something that is beyond my capabilities. Putting my reliance and trust where it belongs will put the right perspective on all that is going on.
I am hoping - and praying! - that tomorrow will be a less stressful and tiring day for me and a more enjoyable and constructive day for the children. Tomorrow, with the help of a new day, a refreshed attitude and an all-powerful and ever-faithful God, the children and I can both have fun together.
On Monday morning we launched into a mad time of songs, games, lessons, crafts, drinks, more games, more songs and the best bit of all - when one of the counsellors gets 'gunged'! It is an amazing opportunity to teach lots of children about Jesus and all that He has done for us. Many of the children have never been to church and this is the first time they are hearing about God.
The question always seems to be, who's having the most fun - the children or us counsellors? The whole week is the greatest fun and I really think that the counsellors have just as much fun as the children.
The problem is, it is totally exhausting. Everyone puts a lot of time and energy in to each of the children and moving them around and doing the lessons and joining in with the games. Also, there is the not-so-little question of keeping all the children going in the same direction, picking up lagers for every activity and making sure that they don't get left out, keeping our area clean and tidy, getting the children involved in the lesson and answering the questions and a new one for me - stopping the fights that break out. This last one has been especially tiring. For some reason I seem to have ended up with an unusually high percentage of difficult and disruptive children. Trying to keep the balance between discipline, order and control, and fun, encouraging and interested is proving to be a lot harder then I would ever have imagined.
Today I became totally stressed out and all I wanted to do was come home and cry. I was totally exhausted and I felt as if I would never be able to ring another drop of energy from my weary body. Worse still, everyone else could see it too. I was wondering if I would ever be able to be nice to another child again.
I was totally convinced that I would not be able to get through another day. At last I managed to work out a strategy for dealing with the slightly more challenging children. Maybe I could make myself be nice to everyone and with a bit of hard work I would be able to get through all that needed to be done with a smile on my face.
Hang on, what about God? Where does He come into it? What is He doing all this time? What exactly is the real reason we are doing this camp?
I have become so stressed and tired that I had totally forgotten to ask God to be there with us through our time, to show Himself to the children through our lessons and to be with me as I'm trying to cope with the demands of the day. Maybe if I asked God to give me the strength I need, I might find myself relying on Him to get me through, rather than worrying about how I am going to manage.
What a revolutionary idea. Duh.
Tomorrow I am going am going to be trying my hardest to rely on God's strength, not my own; to ask Him, rather then worrying; to rely on His faithfulness rather then trying to do something that is beyond my capabilities. Putting my reliance and trust where it belongs will put the right perspective on all that is going on.
I am hoping - and praying! - that tomorrow will be a less stressful and tiring day for me and a more enjoyable and constructive day for the children. Tomorrow, with the help of a new day, a refreshed attitude and an all-powerful and ever-faithful God, the children and I can both have fun together.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Vegetable-arian
I get teased quite a bit for being a vegetarian. For some reason people seem to think its funny. I haven't yet been able to work out exactly why, but it seems to be a guaranteed subject for mirth.
Sometimes people just don't get the whole vegetarian thing. They seem to think that you'll eat chicken and fish. You assure them that you do not eat chicken or fish - no flesh at all. So then they think that you may not eat the actual flesh, but you will eat anything that may have been cooked with, in, beside, in the juices of or made from the juices of, the meat. Sometimes all you can do is sigh to yourself, take a deep breath, and start back at the beginning.
Generally nobody can grasp exactly what you eat if you don't eat meat. Well, just as a sort of freak-experience, you eat vegetables. Either people don't like vegetables or they just forget that vegetables can be eaten on their own. Vegetables can be quite nice.
I have heard various jokes about vegetarians and have heard different ways of describing people who are vegetarians, but none, in my opinion, beats one I saw on a kids' movie.
There is this little girl called Madeline, who lives with 11 other girls in a school in Paris, France. It is run by a nun, called Miss Clavel. Madeline has to go to hospital and on the way back to the school, she rides in the back seat of the car, beside a chicken in a cage. She calls the chicken Fred. That evening, as a special celebration for Madeline's return home, they have Chicken Helene. Madeline looks at the meat on her plate and connects it with the chicken in the car. She flatly refuses to eat Fred - people don't eat their friends. One by one all the little girls refuse to eat the chicken. Miss Clavel turns to the next girl down the table and asks her whether or not she is going to eat her supper. "No! I'm a vegetable-arian too!!"
I'm a vegetable-arian too.
Sometimes people just don't get the whole vegetarian thing. They seem to think that you'll eat chicken and fish. You assure them that you do not eat chicken or fish - no flesh at all. So then they think that you may not eat the actual flesh, but you will eat anything that may have been cooked with, in, beside, in the juices of or made from the juices of, the meat. Sometimes all you can do is sigh to yourself, take a deep breath, and start back at the beginning.
Generally nobody can grasp exactly what you eat if you don't eat meat. Well, just as a sort of freak-experience, you eat vegetables. Either people don't like vegetables or they just forget that vegetables can be eaten on their own. Vegetables can be quite nice.
I have heard various jokes about vegetarians and have heard different ways of describing people who are vegetarians, but none, in my opinion, beats one I saw on a kids' movie.
There is this little girl called Madeline, who lives with 11 other girls in a school in Paris, France. It is run by a nun, called Miss Clavel. Madeline has to go to hospital and on the way back to the school, she rides in the back seat of the car, beside a chicken in a cage. She calls the chicken Fred. That evening, as a special celebration for Madeline's return home, they have Chicken Helene. Madeline looks at the meat on her plate and connects it with the chicken in the car. She flatly refuses to eat Fred - people don't eat their friends. One by one all the little girls refuse to eat the chicken. Miss Clavel turns to the next girl down the table and asks her whether or not she is going to eat her supper. "No! I'm a vegetable-arian too!!"
I'm a vegetable-arian too.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Stop For A Minute And Think
As you might have been able to see from my lack of posts recently, I have been really busy. I am, actually, still very busy.
My to-do list goes on and on and so far I can't see the end of it. At times it is totally overwhelming and there have been moments when I have felt that I am drowning under piles of jobs and errands that I simply have to do.
Yesterday afternoon as I was working away, I was listening to a Stephen Curtis Chapman CD. It's a much older one - For The Sake Of The Call, but it has some really good songs on it. There is this one song that has a catchy tune and arresting lyrics. It's called Billy You're A Busy Man and is about this man who runs around doing lots of stuff and keeping so busy that he doesn't have time to stop and think about whether or not he knows God and what is going to happen after he dies. Although it was originally talking about someone who was running away from becoming a Christian by being busy, it made me think.
I'm busy. You're probably busy. What are we actually doing? Why are we doing it? Who are we doing it for? Are we so busy that we aren't stopping and talking to God? Are we so busy that we are forgetting to live for Him? Are we so busy that we can't remember that we started this or that project because we wanted to do it for God?
I'm not saying that being busy is a totally bad thing, but if we are so busy that we have lost sight of God and the reason we are busy, then I think we need to stop and think.
We don't necessarily need to knock anything off our to-do list, but we do need to go through our to-do list item by item and work out why we started doing it in the first place, what our end goal for this project is and who we are really doing it for now. Bring your focus for each project back to God.
Sometimes life gets so busy I run around in ever tightening circles and I get too dizzy to see anything. I need to stop and ask God to help me bring Him back into focus.
God should be the focus and center of all we do, so right now I need to take a few minutes to stop and put Him back in the center, stop and put Him back as the focus of each and every task I have to do.
My to-do list goes on and on and so far I can't see the end of it. At times it is totally overwhelming and there have been moments when I have felt that I am drowning under piles of jobs and errands that I simply have to do.
Yesterday afternoon as I was working away, I was listening to a Stephen Curtis Chapman CD. It's a much older one - For The Sake Of The Call, but it has some really good songs on it. There is this one song that has a catchy tune and arresting lyrics. It's called Billy You're A Busy Man and is about this man who runs around doing lots of stuff and keeping so busy that he doesn't have time to stop and think about whether or not he knows God and what is going to happen after he dies. Although it was originally talking about someone who was running away from becoming a Christian by being busy, it made me think.
I'm busy. You're probably busy. What are we actually doing? Why are we doing it? Who are we doing it for? Are we so busy that we aren't stopping and talking to God? Are we so busy that we are forgetting to live for Him? Are we so busy that we can't remember that we started this or that project because we wanted to do it for God?
I'm not saying that being busy is a totally bad thing, but if we are so busy that we have lost sight of God and the reason we are busy, then I think we need to stop and think.
We don't necessarily need to knock anything off our to-do list, but we do need to go through our to-do list item by item and work out why we started doing it in the first place, what our end goal for this project is and who we are really doing it for now. Bring your focus for each project back to God.
Sometimes life gets so busy I run around in ever tightening circles and I get too dizzy to see anything. I need to stop and ask God to help me bring Him back into focus.
God should be the focus and center of all we do, so right now I need to take a few minutes to stop and put Him back in the center, stop and put Him back as the focus of each and every task I have to do.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Swingdance Come Kickdance
I felt like I needed something to laugh at right now, so I thought that I would give you something to laugh about.
I was at a swing dance just kind of messing around. The lights were turned on only in the center of the room and round the edges it was dark and dim - just to give the whole thing a bit of atmosphere.
I wasn't really getting the dancing too well, so taking my sister's arm, we started to walk across the room. Actually, I wasn't exactly walking. I suppose you could call it something more like ... swishing I guess. The music had got into my legs and as I walked I swung my legs out in front of me, kicking them up in the air from the floor to waist height, one after the other.
Headed for a drink of water, I hummed a little tune to myself, shuffle-kicking my way across the floor, through the dark edge of the room to the door. Out went my right foot, kicking in front of me ... and into something hard. What was it?
A figure rose up out of the darkness immediately in front of me, clutching a hand to it's head and rubbing hard.
I don't think that the poor boy ever forgave me for kicking him in the head! It was very dark and how was I to know that he would be lying on the floor in the corner of the room while he was supposed to be dancing? Of course, I still shouldn't have kicked him in the head, but he really should have warned me that he was going to take a nap in the corner!
I've never been to another swing dance, but if I ever go to one again, I will either take a torch with me, or make sure I have some sort of warning system on the tips of my shoes, so that every time my toes come within 5 inches of something solid, it beeps. Not so that I can stop my foot from swinging to its destination, but so that other people can take their heads off the floor.
I was at a swing dance just kind of messing around. The lights were turned on only in the center of the room and round the edges it was dark and dim - just to give the whole thing a bit of atmosphere.
I wasn't really getting the dancing too well, so taking my sister's arm, we started to walk across the room. Actually, I wasn't exactly walking. I suppose you could call it something more like ... swishing I guess. The music had got into my legs and as I walked I swung my legs out in front of me, kicking them up in the air from the floor to waist height, one after the other.
Headed for a drink of water, I hummed a little tune to myself, shuffle-kicking my way across the floor, through the dark edge of the room to the door. Out went my right foot, kicking in front of me ... and into something hard. What was it?
A figure rose up out of the darkness immediately in front of me, clutching a hand to it's head and rubbing hard.
I don't think that the poor boy ever forgave me for kicking him in the head! It was very dark and how was I to know that he would be lying on the floor in the corner of the room while he was supposed to be dancing? Of course, I still shouldn't have kicked him in the head, but he really should have warned me that he was going to take a nap in the corner!
I've never been to another swing dance, but if I ever go to one again, I will either take a torch with me, or make sure I have some sort of warning system on the tips of my shoes, so that every time my toes come within 5 inches of something solid, it beeps. Not so that I can stop my foot from swinging to its destination, but so that other people can take their heads off the floor.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Paper Airplanes
Paper airplanes. What picture do you get in your brain when you hear those words? Do they stir some memory from when you were a little girl or boy and you flew airplanes in the park? Do they make you frustrated because you could never quite get them to fold correctly?
When I hear the words "Paper Airplanes", I have a picture in my mind of a happy little boy throwing a plane high in the air and shouting out "weeeeeeeeee" as it sores through the air, then throwing his hands up above his head and laughing out loud as it crashes into the couch, then rushing across the room to pick it up and start all over again.
It all started one day when I was a little bored of drawing pictures of pigs and space rockets, so I started making the piece of paper into a paper airplane. He wasn't particularly pleased with this and started squirming on my knee, but once he knew I was making a plane and was reassured that he could fly it, he was all eagerness to have it finished. His small fists pressed here and there, trying to help me fold the plane faster and his head bobbed up and down in front of my face as he tried to see what I was doing.
After we had finished folding the plane and written his name on one wing, he wriggled off my lap and ran into the family room. He had so much fun with that bit of paper! He giggled and ran around the room, almost more pleased when it crashed then when it flew.
That was the first time. After that whenever he was bored, or just wanted me to do something for him it was, "Lizzy! Lizzy! Make me a paper airplane please!!" He would catch onto my hand and jump up and down, dragging me to the table so I could get started on his plane.
I can now make stunt planes and Split Nose Cone Darts and I often make planes out of the bits of paper I gather at church, but the way I will always remember paper airplanes is an excited little boy with shinning eyes who loves throwing them around the room and laughing with delight and begging me to make another one.
When I hear the words "Paper Airplanes", I have a picture in my mind of a happy little boy throwing a plane high in the air and shouting out "weeeeeeeeee" as it sores through the air, then throwing his hands up above his head and laughing out loud as it crashes into the couch, then rushing across the room to pick it up and start all over again.
It all started one day when I was a little bored of drawing pictures of pigs and space rockets, so I started making the piece of paper into a paper airplane. He wasn't particularly pleased with this and started squirming on my knee, but once he knew I was making a plane and was reassured that he could fly it, he was all eagerness to have it finished. His small fists pressed here and there, trying to help me fold the plane faster and his head bobbed up and down in front of my face as he tried to see what I was doing.
After we had finished folding the plane and written his name on one wing, he wriggled off my lap and ran into the family room. He had so much fun with that bit of paper! He giggled and ran around the room, almost more pleased when it crashed then when it flew.
That was the first time. After that whenever he was bored, or just wanted me to do something for him it was, "Lizzy! Lizzy! Make me a paper airplane please!!" He would catch onto my hand and jump up and down, dragging me to the table so I could get started on his plane.
I can now make stunt planes and Split Nose Cone Darts and I often make planes out of the bits of paper I gather at church, but the way I will always remember paper airplanes is an excited little boy with shinning eyes who loves throwing them around the room and laughing with delight and begging me to make another one.
Monday, July 16, 2007
A Wave And A Smile
This morning as I was driving through a residential area, I passed a mother and daughter out for a walk.
The little girl can't have been older then about 18 months, had golden wispy hair and such a cute smile! She twisted round in her mother's arms and waved at me as I passed. I smiled and waved back. The little girl gave me a cute grin as her mother waved as well and I drove on round the corner.
Three little waves, a grin and a smile. Small things, but they gave me a happy minute and I think that the little girl had fun too!
The little girl can't have been older then about 18 months, had golden wispy hair and such a cute smile! She twisted round in her mother's arms and waved at me as I passed. I smiled and waved back. The little girl gave me a cute grin as her mother waved as well and I drove on round the corner.
Three little waves, a grin and a smile. Small things, but they gave me a happy minute and I think that the little girl had fun too!
Friday, July 13, 2007
There's Something More
When the greyness surrounds me and I feel a mess,
When nothing seems like it was meant to be,
When my feelings are feeling less then less,
And the world seems to hold, no joy for me,
When all is wrong and I've lost the right,
And there seems nothing left to hold on to,
When all is darkness - I can't see the light,
The things worth doing seem very few,
We try and we try to make things right,
To feel and care all that we should,
But no matter how hard, we strive and we fight,
We seem to end, with all bad and no good,
For what is the point of doing and trying,
Why should we try to mend the pain,
When it could all end in heartache and crying,
And at the end of the struggle we'll see no gain,
We've reached the point of trying no more,
No laughing, no running, no wanting to be,
Our hearts are aching and tired and sore,
And giving up now seems the best way to me,
But there's something more beyond the pain,
Something that's greater than what's in me,
Something more than pointless gain,
The will to live and the chance to be!
There's something there beyond what we see,
We've got to keep trying to reach the light,
We've just got to love, to breath, to be,
To live and laugh with all our might,
When all is dark and the going gets tough,
And we get scared - we fret and wonder,
Whether all there is, is just as rough,
We have to remember there's Someone stronger,
There's God in charge of all this mess,
And although to us it seems all wrong,
We could never, ever guess,
That to Him it will be a wondrous song,
So we have to live and laugh and be,
To sing our songs and dream our dreams,
We're the only ones to ever be 'me',
To add our parts to what life means.
Copyright - Lizzy
When nothing seems like it was meant to be,
When my feelings are feeling less then less,
And the world seems to hold, no joy for me,
When all is wrong and I've lost the right,
And there seems nothing left to hold on to,
When all is darkness - I can't see the light,
The things worth doing seem very few,
We try and we try to make things right,
To feel and care all that we should,
But no matter how hard, we strive and we fight,
We seem to end, with all bad and no good,
For what is the point of doing and trying,
Why should we try to mend the pain,
When it could all end in heartache and crying,
And at the end of the struggle we'll see no gain,
We've reached the point of trying no more,
No laughing, no running, no wanting to be,
Our hearts are aching and tired and sore,
And giving up now seems the best way to me,
But there's something more beyond the pain,
Something that's greater than what's in me,
Something more than pointless gain,
The will to live and the chance to be!
There's something there beyond what we see,
We've got to keep trying to reach the light,
We've just got to love, to breath, to be,
To live and laugh with all our might,
When all is dark and the going gets tough,
And we get scared - we fret and wonder,
Whether all there is, is just as rough,
We have to remember there's Someone stronger,
There's God in charge of all this mess,
And although to us it seems all wrong,
We could never, ever guess,
That to Him it will be a wondrous song,
So we have to live and laugh and be,
To sing our songs and dream our dreams,
We're the only ones to ever be 'me',
To add our parts to what life means.
Copyright - Lizzy
Thursday, July 12, 2007
The Next Grey Moment
It's been a grey kind of day today. The weather has been grey, threatening rain every minute, but I've also been grey inside. All my sunny, bright colors have somehow been merged together into a murky, messy grey.
My alarm went off this morning long before I was ready to wake up. I hadn't got enough sleep and as I slowly surfaced, the grim weather outside slowly but surely crept inside. By the time I was up and dressed the world was looking far from sunny and I was stomping around in quite a mood. Nothing seemed to go right as one thing after another went wrong. I snapped at my sister more times then I care to name and felt like kicking the computer when I checked my e-mail and found that nobody had written to me.
What had happened to a positive attitude and a sunny perspective? To where had the world-changing habits gone? Why could I not seem to get up enough motivation to start changing my attitude and the way the day was going? Why was the day just not going right? Why was God not listening to me?
Now was the time to remember that I could make the day sweeter. Now I could start to smile through my weariness. Now I could start to persevere through the trials. Now I could start to sing despite the rain. Now I could take a grey day and because of my determination to be cheerful through it all, I could turn the day around and make it a day of cheerfulness to everyone around me.
I didn't. I continued to feel grey inside and out. I continued to walk around in a dizzy fog of tiredness. I continued to feel like everything was going wrong. I continued to scowl and ignore any opportunity to smile. I simply didn't have the energy to pick up my feet and dance in the rain. It has been one of those days when it seems impossible to have a better attitude.
I should have had a better attitude - but I didn't. I should have remembered and followed through on all my thoughts about being cheerful despite a grey time - but I just sat at the table and wondered why.
Today is grey and I don't have the energy to wash it clean and bright again. By myself, I can't. Right now all I can do is ask God to get me though the next moment.
I think that God understands that sometimes we are just too tired and grey to be cheerful or positive. One thing I know for sure - He will always get us though the next grey moment.
My alarm went off this morning long before I was ready to wake up. I hadn't got enough sleep and as I slowly surfaced, the grim weather outside slowly but surely crept inside. By the time I was up and dressed the world was looking far from sunny and I was stomping around in quite a mood. Nothing seemed to go right as one thing after another went wrong. I snapped at my sister more times then I care to name and felt like kicking the computer when I checked my e-mail and found that nobody had written to me.
What had happened to a positive attitude and a sunny perspective? To where had the world-changing habits gone? Why could I not seem to get up enough motivation to start changing my attitude and the way the day was going? Why was the day just not going right? Why was God not listening to me?
Now was the time to remember that I could make the day sweeter. Now I could start to smile through my weariness. Now I could start to persevere through the trials. Now I could start to sing despite the rain. Now I could take a grey day and because of my determination to be cheerful through it all, I could turn the day around and make it a day of cheerfulness to everyone around me.
I didn't. I continued to feel grey inside and out. I continued to walk around in a dizzy fog of tiredness. I continued to feel like everything was going wrong. I continued to scowl and ignore any opportunity to smile. I simply didn't have the energy to pick up my feet and dance in the rain. It has been one of those days when it seems impossible to have a better attitude.
I should have had a better attitude - but I didn't. I should have remembered and followed through on all my thoughts about being cheerful despite a grey time - but I just sat at the table and wondered why.
Today is grey and I don't have the energy to wash it clean and bright again. By myself, I can't. Right now all I can do is ask God to get me though the next moment.
I think that God understands that sometimes we are just too tired and grey to be cheerful or positive. One thing I know for sure - He will always get us though the next grey moment.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
God-Centered Passion
"Whatever you do, find the God-centered, Christ-exalting, Bible-saturated passion of your life, and find your way to say it and live for it and die for it. And you will make a difference that lasts. You will not waste your life."
John Piper
John Piper
Changing The World - A Quote
When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world. I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation. When I found I couldn't change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn't change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family. Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can do is change myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.
Unknown
Unknown
Monday, July 9, 2007
Pride Cometh Before A Fall
Last week I was very busy putting together a power point presentation. I had to make a presentation about poverty, human trafficking, slums, the Persecuted Church and other global issues. I was really excited about it, as it is something that I have already been thinking about quite a bit recently. I set to work with a lot of enthusiasm.
I collected a lot of pictures from the Internet, got my sister to show me some power point basics, found a number of quotes and Bible verses to get people thinking and got to work.
I spent hours - literally hours - working on this presentation. I didn't just want to do a good job, I really wanted it to make an impact on people - to get them thinking about people outside their own country, to get them praying, to get them doing something.
Every spare minute I had I was pouring over the computer, tweaking this picture and that picture, re-arranging the pages, selecting the right font, choosing a background color. I rotated pictures, dragged them in and out of the pages, enlarged them and shrunk them. I spent ages deciding on the order the pictures would come onto the screen and which special effects I would use where.
I finally got it all finished on Friday evening. My eyes were so sore and wouldn't quite focus properly. My mind was boggled and if I had closed my eyes for any length of time, I wouldn't have been surprised if I had seen the pictures jumping around in front of me. It had been hard work - and a huge amount of hard work. It had also got me stressed, worrying about whether or not I would get it finished in time and if I could do a good job.
I decided, however, that all the hard work was worth it. I was genuinely pleased with what I had created. In fact, not to put too fine a point on it - I was seriously impressed with my power point presentation!! I thought that the pictures all went together well and that the special effects helped to add emphasis to the images. The quotes all carried the theme across well and would hopefully people thinking. The font matched the pictures and the idea of making a difference to poverty. Yes, I was really pleased with what I had done and actually couldn't think of any way to improve it. I thankfully don't seem to have these moments of extreme pride too often (not much above once every two weeks anyway) but when they come, I make a really good job of it. I was proud of my presentation and couldn't wait to hear what other people would think of it.
I carefully saved the presentation so it would keep the right font and got it copied onto a CD. I was all set and ready to go. Now I just needed to sit back and rest content in the knowledge that I had done a good job. Actually, I worried about it all weekend.
The day arrived and we had a big rush getting everything ready and set up. The CD loaded alright and the font I wanted was still there in all it's glory. We didn't play any of the presentation then, as we had many other things to get sorted, but the first slide still looked good and someone voiced their approbation. Much to my shame, I basked in the compliment.
Later we played my presentation in the background while some other stuff was going on. I knelt on the floor and had a little look - just to see what it looked like full-size and to check that it came out alright.
Kneeling on the floor was exactly where I stayed for the next few minutes, stunned into absolute silence. Where had my beautiful presentation gone? What had happened to the amazing way it had all fitted together? To where had the rhythm and flow and perfect sequences all flown? I felt like I was watching a hastily and badly-put-together slide-show of a third-rate quality. All the pictures which I had carefully arranged at angles has been put straight; pictures that were meant to come onto the screen one by one with a little gap between each one, now sprang on altogether and were immediately covered up by another picture. Previously pictures had come spinning in from a distance, dissolved onto the screen, appeared block by block from corner to corner or swept up from the bottom of the screen. Now they were just plunked onto the screen in any old place and just sat there looking at me mockingly and covering each other up with fine disregard of an artistically pleasing appearance. My 7-minute masterpiece had been reduced to a 2-minute horror. My pride had been reduced to a little heap of ashes on the floor.
I still don't know what happened to make the presentation get all messed up, but I do know that my pride took a long jump off a 700-story building and came crashing down to the sidewalk with the biggest bump I can remember in a long time. Hardly anybody actually looked at the screen, but those who did probably didn't look twice. Everyone knew who had done it and I was thoroughly humiliated.
I don't know if I'll ever have the heart to do another power point presentation, but if anyone ever takes the risk of asking me to do one again, then I will take less time over getting it 'just right' and won't be half so proud about the finished product.
Now the question is, can you be proud of your humility?
I collected a lot of pictures from the Internet, got my sister to show me some power point basics, found a number of quotes and Bible verses to get people thinking and got to work.
I spent hours - literally hours - working on this presentation. I didn't just want to do a good job, I really wanted it to make an impact on people - to get them thinking about people outside their own country, to get them praying, to get them doing something.
Every spare minute I had I was pouring over the computer, tweaking this picture and that picture, re-arranging the pages, selecting the right font, choosing a background color. I rotated pictures, dragged them in and out of the pages, enlarged them and shrunk them. I spent ages deciding on the order the pictures would come onto the screen and which special effects I would use where.
I finally got it all finished on Friday evening. My eyes were so sore and wouldn't quite focus properly. My mind was boggled and if I had closed my eyes for any length of time, I wouldn't have been surprised if I had seen the pictures jumping around in front of me. It had been hard work - and a huge amount of hard work. It had also got me stressed, worrying about whether or not I would get it finished in time and if I could do a good job.
I decided, however, that all the hard work was worth it. I was genuinely pleased with what I had created. In fact, not to put too fine a point on it - I was seriously impressed with my power point presentation!! I thought that the pictures all went together well and that the special effects helped to add emphasis to the images. The quotes all carried the theme across well and would hopefully people thinking. The font matched the pictures and the idea of making a difference to poverty. Yes, I was really pleased with what I had done and actually couldn't think of any way to improve it. I thankfully don't seem to have these moments of extreme pride too often (not much above once every two weeks anyway) but when they come, I make a really good job of it. I was proud of my presentation and couldn't wait to hear what other people would think of it.
I carefully saved the presentation so it would keep the right font and got it copied onto a CD. I was all set and ready to go. Now I just needed to sit back and rest content in the knowledge that I had done a good job. Actually, I worried about it all weekend.
The day arrived and we had a big rush getting everything ready and set up. The CD loaded alright and the font I wanted was still there in all it's glory. We didn't play any of the presentation then, as we had many other things to get sorted, but the first slide still looked good and someone voiced their approbation. Much to my shame, I basked in the compliment.
Later we played my presentation in the background while some other stuff was going on. I knelt on the floor and had a little look - just to see what it looked like full-size and to check that it came out alright.
Kneeling on the floor was exactly where I stayed for the next few minutes, stunned into absolute silence. Where had my beautiful presentation gone? What had happened to the amazing way it had all fitted together? To where had the rhythm and flow and perfect sequences all flown? I felt like I was watching a hastily and badly-put-together slide-show of a third-rate quality. All the pictures which I had carefully arranged at angles has been put straight; pictures that were meant to come onto the screen one by one with a little gap between each one, now sprang on altogether and were immediately covered up by another picture. Previously pictures had come spinning in from a distance, dissolved onto the screen, appeared block by block from corner to corner or swept up from the bottom of the screen. Now they were just plunked onto the screen in any old place and just sat there looking at me mockingly and covering each other up with fine disregard of an artistically pleasing appearance. My 7-minute masterpiece had been reduced to a 2-minute horror. My pride had been reduced to a little heap of ashes on the floor.
I still don't know what happened to make the presentation get all messed up, but I do know that my pride took a long jump off a 700-story building and came crashing down to the sidewalk with the biggest bump I can remember in a long time. Hardly anybody actually looked at the screen, but those who did probably didn't look twice. Everyone knew who had done it and I was thoroughly humiliated.
I don't know if I'll ever have the heart to do another power point presentation, but if anyone ever takes the risk of asking me to do one again, then I will take less time over getting it 'just right' and won't be half so proud about the finished product.
Now the question is, can you be proud of your humility?
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Just For Fun ...
Just for fun, to give myself a laugh, I went along to this website that gives you your very own 'Peculiar Aristocratic Title'.
You type in your name and it gives you a title - just like that. I did it a number of times, waiting until I got one that I really liked or suited me well. I had done it about eight times before it came up with the perfect title.
Ahem! Introducing (drum roll please!!) ...
You type in your name and it gives you a title - just like that. I did it a number of times, waiting until I got one that I really liked or suited me well. I had done it about eight times before it came up with the perfect title.
Ahem! Introducing (drum roll please!!) ...
My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is:
Baroness Lizzy the Talkative of Mellow under Trollness
Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title
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