Memories

All these memories of living in Ireland have reminded me of a funny event while over there (funny for me anyway).
Staying with one of one uncles and his wife and living on a farm had a pet dog which was really old (can't remember the dogs name or how old he was but I guess that's really useless, filler info to the story anyway). Thats why they bought the puppy I named Benny while I was over there (again that is really useless filler info- but I do remember it so it's been added).

Anyway the old dog started to leave the farm on it's own for a while and then return. But one day the dog didn't return for a few days so we all assumed it and died.
So I decided that a dead dog needed a funeral body or not. Spent the day making a wooden cross and picking flowers and cleared a spot in the old orchid to make the bodyless grave. Then when all was prepared- I rang the funeral bell- aka hit the metal gate to the orchid with a big stick, and got everyone one to gather round the grave while I conducted the funeral service in my only attempt at being a minister. However, towards the end of the service the 'dead dog' decided to walk slowly past the gate and into his old bed. As an 8 year old that was quite a spooky experience- I had spent the entire day laying this dog to rest and then it walks past us during it's own funeral. The dog did die soon after I'd returned to Australia and they berried it in the orchid under the cross I'd assemble before.

Great start to the week

I'm in such a good mood today- think it's mainly because of the weather- it's been really sunny and warm all weekend and today, but we're still in winter.
That and this morning I was at the beach and then this afternoon I went to uni- something I'm not usually able to do but this weekend I stayed at the family holiday house and stayed as long as possible before having to come back to the suburbs for uni.

Think I'm a bit of a country girl at heart- lived in the same house in the suburbs my entire life so it's not that I mind living in the burbs, but I really enjoy staying in a more small town atmosphere thats only a 5 min drive to the beach.

My dad grew up on a farm in Ireland and when I was eight I live over there for a while. Just had so much fun climbing through barbed wire fences, jumping hay bails, rolling down hills into 'furn gully', cracking hazel nut shells with our teeth and eating them (the nuts not the shells), feeding the shetland pony 'tinker' grass down the lane, avoiding cow 'pats' while walking through the fields, herding the cows, running through and teasing the bulls with my bright red gumboots, mucking around with Benny (my pet dog while over there) and making boats with my cousins and having sailing races in their small creek (burne in Irish) are just some of the fun memories. having said all that, I was only there in the summer and I think the cold weather the rest of the year in Ireland would drive me nuts- so I get my country fix down at Balnarring, where i can make it back to uni for my afternoon class.

Spent today with a music therapist in a primary school for autistic children in Wantirna. Had lots of fun, and won't go into details, but it was great to see the kids working on co-ordination skills and social skill while having fun. That and having to work to gether as a group but also having total control over something in various ways allowing them to communicate. Not all the kids can talk and even those who can tend to have problems expressing themselves esp. emotionally- although sometimes I think that because they don't know or understand the social rules that govern how we interact with others, they end up communicating so much more. Found that at Scope (formerly the 'Spastics society of Victoria'- and the place with the cool 'radio head ad' on TV) where I help out every couple of weeks, can be so hard knowing whats going on in their heads or how they feel but if they don't want something often they'll just push it away or just get really excited if they do want it.
Then went to visit grandma cos it's her birthday today and I won't be around tomorrow for the family thing. And now about to take the youth group to see one of my old high school music buddies church concert entitled 'The road to Jerusalem'. It's only semi classical music but Andy's called it a 'cultural experience'. Apparently if you know who Bach is your cultured and if you can play Bach your at risk of being called a snob.

Now read this!

ok, this is the reason for the last post- so if ya haven't read that yet do the set home work then get back to this one.

Question- should you be totally open and honest with someone even if you think what you say might make them feel awkward?

How did that relate to the last post?
well last post was a lot of open and honest info about me that you prob didn't want to know and are now prob determinded never to- go underware shopping with me, swimming or to ever camp in the same tent or cabin with me- feeling awkward that I've disclosed so much info?
Good now you can answer the question!!
Although this is prob not a good example.

There is a reason for this post- you just don't know it yet!

I warn you now- this post is really just me having a rant- no theological or deep life issues today!
Went shopping for underware the other day and all the nice styles only go up to a certian size (in bras), which seriously doesn't help me. I'm not going to go into details over this one on the net but I really don't see any logical reason why they do this. (unless their all jelouse and reaping revenge on the rest of us!!).
The same goes for swimming tops- recently the styles have been so impracticle. incident at the start of the year were Mich and I went and did some laps at the gym. admittedly, I wasn't really wearing the appropriate swimming laps atire but I really didn't expect to lose my top in the pool. Really the situation wasn't too bad, Mich and left before me and was way up the other end and the only other people there at that time was a couple in their 30's or 40's the woman of which was swimming and the man I guess could have cop an eye full if he'd happened to look in my direction. Not sure about any security cameras but I haven't been baned from the pool for skinny dipping so I'll just asume there are none.
While on the subject, Ash totally had a go at me this year at SYG about my getting changed habits. Shared a tent this year with little Linda and Ash (talk about pink overload!!) which was great. Linda went to the shower or toilet every time she wanted to get changed, Ash managed to get changed within her sleeping bag. Me- after anouncing I was going to get naked I got changed. I gave fair warning and then didn't really care what they did (other than open up the tent). And I really don't see what was wrong with that. Ash rekoned it was cute- I rekoned it was practicle- for her benifit I tryed the sleeping bag thing- an gave up half way- then that night at like 1am when Linda had gone to sleep and Ash was in bed I made Ash get up by refusing to go to bed before we found my PJ pants- which just happen to be in the bottom of my sleeping bag from that morning! So I'm going to stick to my 'cute' method of getting changed in front of others- may me I'll be banded from youth leading due to indecent exposure- but it's not my fault if people fail to observe my 'I'm getting naked' warning.

sliver of hope

Wow!!! Melbourne's back in the top 8! Must admit I'd given up any hope for this year but somehow they've managed to came back.
As for you Steph and your belittling comments and calling 'Melbourne a crap team' - ha ha told you I'd get you back for that comment- just really didn't think it'd happen this year!! (sorry I had to glote- but I couldn't resist).

Is youth group worth running for 1 or 2 kids?

-even if you make a difference in only one persons life, is that not worth it?
-could my time and energy be spent better elsewhere?
-should we be moving out of the church and reaching people else where (and what does that look like practically)?
-should we be going out to try and get more into the church? (getting people into church for the sake of having people in church would never be my intention- more interested in people thinking about and growing with christ and if that means they need to be in church- as I'm sure I couldn't provide all that a church could- then so be it)
I read or heard somewhere recently the the tradional youth group structure is not 'working' with todays youth (forgotten where I heard that so I can reference it or prove it's validity). Do things need to change? and how?

This is all stuff I'm asking God at the moment, but any comments are welcome- you guys might see something I'm blind to.

Acceptance

Back at the end of first term, for the discipleship program I'm doing, one of our tasks was to talk to a non/ not yet christian about spiritual stuff. The idea was to get them to talk with us asking questions and to just listen to where their at.
So I decided to visit one of my oldest friends and went to hers for dinner and it was just really great to catch up cos, for a number of reasons, we don't get to see each other that often anymore. I also really enjoyed just listening to what she had to say about were she sat on spiritual issues- some of which were totally spaced out (liturally- cos she rekons she's been abducted by aliens) but I much prefer to listen to people and help them to find were their at rather than preach a sermon (mainly cos I really suck at getting up a just talking- need others to talk or a least ask me questions). So we sat outside and talked for hours about stuff, often being interupred by Trav and her other flat mates while commented on what they thought about spiritual stuff.
I loved talking to my friend because you can tell she's always so honest and would tell you about anything thats going on openly. However, she's a chronic dope smoker and had also consumed at least 2 cans of jim bean and I honestly don't know how much that would affect the way she thinks about stuff. I's also had a can, which I neglected to report back to the group, but I'm not too worried about 1 can- although there was an incident after 2 glasses of wine once but that was a once off!(I don't think me and wine mix very well- that or mich was spiling the drinks!!).
Reporting back to the group I was asked if I'd told my friend every time she was wrong- maybe this makes me a really bad christian and is something I need to work on but I couldn't sit there in her house and just tell her I thought she was wrong- I asked her questions to get her thinking more about what she was saying but that was it. I was totally accepted into their house and they didn't feel the need to tell me they thought I was wrong- why as christians do we always feel we have to correct people all the time just cos their ideas don't fit into our christian boxes? How is it that I am more accepted into non christians how than she would be into a church?
Also I felt I shouldn't mention that I'd had a drink while doing a church task- this girl is the most open and honest person I know, I rekon that if I'd gone and done this task with a christian person they'd be so worried about being correct or thinking about What would Jesus say, that they wouldn't openly state where their at (i know I'm generalising here).

motivations vs. intensions

Something I'm working on in my mind at the moment (not yet complete)-

motivations are not so important- so long as the deed is good God can use and change bad motivations for carrying out the deed.
Flipside- intensions are also not important- good intentions as motivation for action mean nothing we need to observe God's intensions. still working on this one- thoughts??

Globalisation

Had a dream, a while ago now, and I was in my sociology lecture and they were talking about the whole globalisation issue and how the Western world are imposing their culture on the 3rd world etc. And then they used operation christmas child (sending gifts to children of 3rd world countries for christmas) and the toys and other stuff people pack in these shoe boxes as an example.
Not etirely sure were I sit with the whole globalisation issue- think I can see pros and cons both ways- although mostly cons really- but this dream has made my think about what gets sent over with every good intension but could well be corupting their culture. Who says we have to give gifts for chrissy anyway and what about the products that we're sending. Saw a TV show once about how an Island nation (I think) whose cultural idea of beauty was big women but how Barbie dolls in this generation has totally changed that and now all the girls over there take on a more western ideal of beauty.
Not entirely sure what this means practically and globalisation is not an issue I've looking into much but Think I'll still send my box but might think more about what I'm sending over. Do missionaries, with every good intension, unknowingly impose our christian culture onto other cultures and is this a problem? something to think about!

my new baby

Now I've got your attention-bought my own guitar today- which I'm very excited about! (thanks to Michelle who lent me hers for about 2 years now). So I've added another member to my musical family, along with my piano (which I guess technically is the parentals if you count who paided for it), my cool glockenspiel thing that Mich got me for my 20th B'day and my flute. Talking to some of the guitar guys a while ago and we all agreed that you get so attached to your instruments and know them so well they almost take on a personality of their own (like ya know which string is always the first to go out of tune)! guess I'm guilty of favortism towards my piano but thats ok!
Now all I need is my own african drum and a steel drum from Jamaica- thats the dream anyway! that and a metallic blue grand piano but I'll probably die before that happens but I can dream!

thought this was interesting and often very true

The Question

Our lives as we live them seem like lives that anticipate questions that never will be asked. It seems as if we are getting ourselves ready for the question "How much did you earn during your lifetime?" or "How many friends did you make?" or "How much progress did you make in your career?" or "How much influence did you have on people?" or "How many conversions did you make?"

Were any of these to be the question Christ will ask when he comes again in glory, many of us could approach the judgment day with great confidence. But nobody is going to hear any of these questions. The question we all are going to face is the question we are least prepared for. It is: "What have you done for the least of mine?" As long as there are strangers; hungry, naked, and sick people; prisoners, refugees, and slaves; people who are handicapped physically, mentally, or emotionally; people without work, a home, or a piece of land, there will be that haunting question from the throne of judgment: "What have you done for the least of mine?"

From Henri J.M. Nouwen, "Seeds of Hope", Bruderhof Daily Dig

Hillsong through my parents eyes

I'm quite amused by all this excitment over the Australian story on the Hillsong pastors- I was at a camp leaders meeting so I missed it and can't really comment. But my parents (who are totally non-religious) watched and discussed for a moment tonight and what interested them was that so many people turned up to these churches- and how many there were around the world. They didn't mention anything whatsoever about the finacial stuff and all that contriversy (that may be due to how the program was positioned). Instead they related hillsong to Billy Graham and the numbers he attracted. Then good old dad went on about how religion is a human weakness and that it seems, from his interpretation of the show, that there are a lot of dumb people out there who seem to need a religion- so there's a non-christian view of the story (and that was a very us vs. them comment!!:)).
Thats got me thinking 1. you kinda hear that stuff at church but with a positive spin on rather than dad 'religion is for the weak' 2. do we need a religion?- do we need God? or do we need both? can we 'have' God without a religion? is religion without God benifical?
Also makes me question how dad see's me. he's always very accepting and this is deffinately not me having a wynge, but I'm definately not the scientific/ engineering stuff that he admires! really the totally opposite and really the only thing we've ever had in common is we would, and often still do, sit up late watching the cricket, tennis, olympics etc. when Mum and Gillian would go to bed. Guess thats what being a parent is all about- accepting your kid no matter what- talking to a friend Em about stuff like this and she told me how her brother is the black sheep of the family because he's not a christian- well I'm the black sheep of the family because I am christian- that and I lock keys in the car and require mum or dad to drive an hour to come and save me!