Is God rocking your world?

I really like this idea, that while God might be violently shaking our foundations and pushing us out of our comfort zones, he's also rocking us safely in his arms. Nice :)

what I really think of you...

What You Really Think Of Your Friends

Petrina is your soulmate.

You truly love Andrew.

You consider Karen your true friend.

You know that Brenda is always thinking of you.

You'll remember Megan for the rest of your life.

You secretly think Cath is creative, charming, and a bit too dramatic at times.

You secretly think that Fletch is colorful, impulsive, and a total risk taker.

You secretly think that Chris is loyal and trustworthy to you. And that Chris changes lovers faster than underwear.

You secretly think Dave is shy and nonconfrontational. And that Dave has a hidden internet romance.

What Do You Think of Your Friends?

TWIST music ministry conference

This is a great conference. I think you should all come.
(I just booked my flights - $49!)

Modesty

One of the blogs I regularly read had a series of articles on modesty a while ago, and they really challenged me about my attitudes to clothes and why I wear what I wear.

Generally, I think we're ok at this. I don't remember anybody appearing at church in a strapless, backless, sideless, midriff-exposing, scoop-neck top with matching 2 inch miniskirt (maybe I was away that week). But even if we think we dress modestly, perhaps we could do with asking ourselves a few questions.

Are we looking to serve the guys in our church, and outside it, by not exposing them to temptation?
Do we know what impact, if any, the clothes we wear have on the men around us?
Is our primary purpose to make ourselves look pretty & feel good, and is that ok?

I have some ideas on all this, but the folks over at girl talk are better at explaining stuff than I am, so I'd encourage you take a look at their articles, and then once this blog is finished crashing due to the flood of responses (hint, hint), I'll join the discussion.

And guys, before you get a whiff of female hormones, glaze over & run in the other direction, we want to hear your opinions on the topic too!

I'm a student again!

Yesterday I got two things in the mail : a thin envelope from QTAC* and a big package from UQ. I feel like I'm 17 again!

I've been offered a place in the Bachelor of Arts course at the University of Queensland. Very exciting. And my excitment is only very slightly diminshed by the fact that I already have a BA from UQ. What could be better than a second BA?

I'm amused by the small changes that have happened in enrolment procedures in the last 13.5 years. The course code is still the same : 707001. The hecs/help guide looks similar. Still the usual demands to get the enrolment paperwork in on time (a challenge for me). The handbook which used to cost $13 is now on a free cd. Still running the same seminars on planning your BA which I didn't go to in 1993 and won't go to now.

The main difference is in the subject offerings. I can no longer take several courses in medieval literature or do a whole subject on one particular writer. Cost cutting. There are more generalist subjects on offer - overview type stuff. Boring.

But there is one type of subject that was not in the UQ BA of a decade ago. The type of subject that attracts students by pandering to their egos. Undergraduate creative writing. Traditionally in the BA, a student would learn to read. And then they would be encouraged (forced) to read some more. And then they would learn to write about what they have read in an intelligent, thoughtful kind of a way. Should undergrads be allowed to do creative writing? Or more to the point, should an academic be forced to read their attempts?

Anyway, this semester I will be enrolling in WRIT2100 - a poetry writing subject (with a little bit of analysis thrown in to make it more bearable for the lecturer.) I feel I have now lost any credibility I might have had in fighting for a traditional arts course.

* Qld Tertiary Admissions Centre

I love my ENJO mop

Ode to my Enjo Mop

The clothes are dirty
The beds unmade
The cupboards overflow
I’ve paper piled up everywhere
And ouch! I’ve kicked my toe!

The shower’s mouldy
The rubbish stinks
And toilet - what a sight!
But my floor is shiny, squeaky clean
So everything’s alright.

My mind’s a jumble
So much to do
And oh so little time
Chaos, madness everywhere
Telemarketer on the line.

My life’s a mess
My work’s undone
My kids – out of their trees
But my floor is washed and sparkling clean
So I’m happy as can be.

SAR 2006

Live like you have a father in heaven...

In the last week and a bit I've looked ar Philippians 4:6-7 quite a lot (2 bs groups, 1 'devotion', a 1-1, church, by myself). It's a great passage. And I've formulated a new policy to live by. Here it is:

"Live like you have a Father in heaven who loves and cares for you."

To be worried and anxious is to live as a pagan - denying that we have a competent and caring God looking after us.

But I'm just back from a meeting with N's year 1 teacher. He's having a few problems. Feeling my stomach twist into a knot. Please pray that I'll pray and live by my new policy.

Hillsong Parody

This is funny and disturbing. Check it out.

Never Alone

Things have been a little quiet on the blog recently. Sorry.

Here is something I've been working on. What do you think? Would you ever want to sing it in church?

I think it's got a few dodge lines. Any suggestions for improvements?

Never Alone

We’re not alone, for Christ is here
Immanuel our God come near
We’re not alone, for to our world
Jesus has come, eternal word.
And as he speaks, our souls laid bare
Naked, ashamed, our sin is clear
Yet mercy clothes us in his love
Never alone, Christ is with us.

The longest walk, earth’s darkest day
Noise from the crowd and mounting pain
His heavy load of grief and shame
Breathless that we should breathe again.
“Lord, it is finished,” comes his cry
Then silence fills the blackened sky.
A creeping dread in every heart
Lost in the world now God departs.

The dawn will come, the sun will rise
Out of the grave we’ll see hope’s light.
Tomb opened wide, stone rolled away
Morning has come, a brand new day.
“He isn’t here,” the angel said.
“He is alive no longer dead.”
Now Jesus lives we’re not alone
Christ is with us, Christ is our own.

Never alone is now our cry
In joy, in grief, in lonely sin.
Never alone for Christ is ours
He lives in us, we live in him.
And up until that final day
When all our fears are cast away
We live secure, trust in his love,
Never alone, Christ is with us.

SAR 2006

Looking for a new church (I hope not...)

America is a different world. Watch this.