Tell Me What I'm Thinking...

So, I had shepherding today. Here's a small snippet.

Rebecca: Hmmm... The vision and philosohy are... hmm... tell me what I'm thinking...
Me: Hmmm... The vision and philosohy are... hmm... tell me what I'm thinking...
Rebecca: That is NOT what I was thinking. I don't know WHAT I was thinking.
Me: Well, if you're not thinking it, I can't be thinking what you're thinking.

Yes, we are a little strange.

Merry Christmas!

Have a very merry Christmas everyone!

Love Sam-Is-Mad!

So, How Did I Do?

What did I manage to complete from my list?

- Meeting regarding my house
Not done

- Read English Literatre For Children
Done

- Work on KFC Costumes
I did 2 belts. That was what I was aiming for. This means that I have only 2 more belts and 3 costumes to hem. That is a lot of progress. Each belt takes about 3 hours.

- Watch The Pursuit of Hapypness
Not done

- Finish my Vetamophus stuff
I have only four more chapters to read. That means that I did 6 homework exercises, a few other exercises, and completed (start to finish) a seminar paper

- Cook desserts for Frankston Christmas service
All done (we are having stewed cinnamon apples with ice-cream), except that I need to buy the ice-cream

- Listen to another audio CD
Listened to most of it. I have just one more sermon to listen to. Which is a large amount of sermons.

- Read More Prayers for the Plain Man.
Done!


Other stuff I managed to do:
- I read Night by Elie Weisel. It was heartbreaking.
- I read a few short stories from The Book of Virtues
- I read part of Famous Men of Greece
- I read an education article
- I started knitting a dolls dress. True, I only did a few rows, but I've been wanting to get started, so I'm really grateful for that.

So, what are my goals for today?
- Buy the ice-cream
- Do my last few chapters for Vetamorphus
- Listen to the last sermon on the CD
- Finish reading Famous Men of Greece
- Plan my New Years Resolutions
- Make a budget for next year
- Watch Pursuit of Happyness
- Work on KFC costumes

Plus I have church at 4:30PM. But I should be able to get a few of these things done. That would be good.

Dessert Dilemmas

So, dessert. One of the things on my list.

Unfortunately my oven doesn't work. So I thought that I could use the one at Frankston. So I emailed Ruth.

The oven at Frankston doesn't work.

I was then going to cook at Rebecca's house. However, as you may have noticed from my previous post, I didn't make it anywhere yesterday. So, no oven.

I thought, okay, I'll buy scones, but still whip the cream and buy jam.

Baker's Delight doesn't have any plain scones. They've got chocolate scones, savory scones and fruit scones. The first two are not suitable, and I don't like fruit scones. (Yes, it is selfish, but they chose me to do dessert, and I want a dessert I like!)

So, I went to the supermarket, looking vaguely about for something. I found pancake mix, and choc bits. I thought, great, I'll make choc-chip pancakes.

I would just like to say that this is harder than it sounds. The choc-chips all went to the bottom of the mix, the chocolate all burnt, and the pancakes nearly all broke on flipping. Plus my kitchen (and to a lesser extent my house) filled up with smoke.

So, I've got one lot of pancake batter (without chocolate) that I can use. But I'm feeling a little wary of pancakes. Plus, the only thing I've got to put on them is maple syrup. Although I could make a lot of chocolate sauce to put on it. But it seems a little boring for a Christmas dinner.

Aside from that, I've only got the chocolate bits, some dark melting chocolates, and some bruised fruit (nectarines, an apple, and a grapefruit). And I'm preety much out of ideas. And money. I've not got much left, and it does need to last for a few days. I could go back down to the shops and buy some of their bruised apples, and make stewed cinnamon apples. But it doesn't seem special enough.

Hmm...

Incredibly Unproductive

I was incredibly unproductive yesterday. I managed to listen to a CD, defrost my freezer, and read one book. Of course, I wasn't feeling particularly well. I wasn't sick, but it was a day where I just couldn't summon the energy to do anything. I didn't even go to Care Group, because I didn't have the energy to walk down to the train station.

So, my list for today:
- Meeting regarding my house
- Read English Literatre For Children
- Work on KFC Costumes
- Watch The Pursuit of Hapypness
- Finish my Vetamophus stuff
- Cook desserts for Frankston Christmas service
- Listen to another audio CD
- Read More Prayers for the Plain Man.

It's only eight things, but I don't know how many I'll actually do. I'm up, which is a start, but I'm still lacking in energy. But hopefully I'll get through at least SOME of the things on my list.

The Silver Smith

Here is a story for you. Rebecca passed it on to me.

A group of women were engaged in a Bible study on the book of Malachi. As they were studying chapter three, they came across verse three which says:

"He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." This verse puzzled the women and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible study.

That week this woman called up a silver smith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest in silver beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.

As she watched the silver smith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot -- then she thought again about the verse, that he sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.

She asked the silver smith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silver smith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy--when I see my image in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you. He is looking for His image in you.

1 Timothy 4:12

So, I've been doing Vetamorphus this year, which I should have finished but I most definitely have not. But I am getting close. I've 5 more chapters to read, 6 exercises to do, and one paper to write. I should be finished by Sunday.

Here is some of my thoughts from 1 Timothy 4:12.
Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

Timothy was young to hold the position in the church that he did, and no doubt there were those who criticized. Today there are many who criticize children, teenagers, and young adults for their faith. (I've been told "it's just a hase" like I was 6... though I don't hink you should say that about anything even to six year olds). The best (and indeed pretty much only) way we have of combatting this attitude is to follow the advice that Paul gave Timothy, which is to set an example for all believers, young and old, in every area of our life and faith. (Hey, he didn't say it would be EASY).

So, as a young Chrisitan (both in terms of how old I am and in terms of how long I've been a Christian), what kind of example do I set? What areas do I need to improve on? (And no, I do not expect you to answer this. Though you can if you want. The questions are for me.) And for the rest of you Christians who read my blog... what kind of example are you setting?

Two Testimonies

I'm not much good at sharing testimonies. But here are two that have happened recently. One some of you (Frankston people and Steph) have heard. The other is about 10 minutes old.

Testimony 1
As you all know, I've had pneumonia. And money was getting quite tight for a while. I went back to work as soon as I could (being a CRT means I don't get any sick pay), but there is a lag with our payments. I get paid for two weeks of work on the Thursday after the second week. So, it was just two days before my big pay, and one day before I was working at Katrina's doing cleaning, for which I usually get $50.

On that day, Chiann was driving me, and she looked at me and said, "God is telling me to give you $50." Now, I'm actually not a easy person to give money to, as Rebecca will tell you. But who am I to argue with God? I thought that the money probably would have been more useful a week before, but I can always use an extra $50.

Well, the next day I went to Katrina's. Because I had changed the day with her due to other commitments I had, she had forgotten to get any money out. She went down to the ATM. Not working. She was going to have to put money in my account.

How much does Katrina normally pay me? $50. And had Chiann not given me that $50, I wouldn't have been able to get home (legally, anyway). Had she given me the money a week earlier, I would have used it in a mortgage repayment. God really knows out needs and provides for them.


Testimony 2.
My lawn is a huge, huge mass of weeds. The grass is mostly higher than my waist. I need to mow it. Problem 1: I don't have a lawnmower. So I go down to Bunnings and look at them. Cheapest push mower: $60. I don't have $60. So I decide to post a Freecycle add, knowing that I'm going to have difficulty picking it up. So, just as I post it, I ask God to sort it out.

Not only am I getting a lawnmower, but as the person who is giving it is picking up some stuff from me, he's even dropping it off for me! How awesome is that!

Praise God!

Braveheart

Strange to say, many people from church have not seen Braveheart. (They haven't seen the Princess Bride either, except Adrian, who kept on trying to convince me that Edward Scissorhands was better. As if.) As I've been reading a book on Edward III, it came up. (Edward III is granson to the old king, and son to the prince.)

So, we were talking about the movie. I said it was good, but not exactly historically accurate. Everyone needed to see it, but to remember that it was a MOVIE and not a documentary.

Ps Ian then said, "Can you give us some examples of where it's not historically accurate?"

Me: "Well, for one, I don't think Isabella of France ever have an affair with William Wallace."

Some Unusual Comments...

Icy Tower is so boring, it's like eating peas out of a can.
Apparently this describes the height of boredom for Mason.

I used to call helicopters Harry Potters.
Brodie comforts me on the fact that I can't pronounce ambulance or cinnamon.

I'm king of Australia.
No way are you king of Australia. Miss Rabbit is the PRINCESS.
I'm glad that my students all recognise my royal appointment.

Sacrificial Love In The Girl's Ministry House

We've had a few sermons recently on sacrificial love - including one preached by Hannah, one of the kids. Well, this has resulted in a few cases of sacrificial love...

Me: Who's in the bathroom?
Kallie: I am
Me: Hurry up. I have pimples.
Kallie (opening the door): Did you say PIMPLES? You can have the bathroom, your need is greater than mine.

Potential Christmas Presents

For those who are stumped for ideas for Christmas presents for me, here are a few things that I would like.

- An ipod
- Singapore maths Intensive Practice books, grade 1.
- Drawing with Children by Mona Brookes
- Katie and the Sunflowers by James Mayhew
- In His Steps. Charles M Sheldon.
- The Book of Story Beginnings. Kristin Kladstrup.
- The Nativity (DVD)
- Bright Eyes (Shirley Temple DVD)
- Hamlet (Branagh version DVD)

Religion at the Opera

So, I was at the opera last night, seeing Don Giovanni. And while I was there, Adam and I started talking about Jesus. I brought up Psalm 22, then got out my Bible and gave it to him to read, pointing out that it is remarkably similar to the crucifixion on Jesus. (Gee, I wonder why?)

Daniel, one of our friends, saw and said, "So, you're one of those Sola Scripture types."

Me: "Yep."

Daniel: "You know, only 400 years ago, we would be burning each other at the stake."

Me: "Ah, the good old days."

(For those who don't know Adam or Daniel, Adam is a secular Jew and Daniel is a practicing Catholic. That may explain the joke for some of you - and why I was bringing out Psalm 22.)

Mmm... Chewbacca

So, something about Cors + Justin's Engagement party (which was on Tuesday). I helped a little with the tormenting of them (photos hopefully later - but we made them dress up as a princess and a frog prince - I painted the frog mask, and we made them answer impossible quiz questions).

So, in one of the speeches, Eleanor (I think) talked about Corina's 16 year old self had said would make up her perfect guy. Her three points were:
1. Kind
2. Funny
3. Hairy (she claims that bit was a joke).

Well, Justin has 2 out of 3. (Guess which one he's missing.)

So, in the quiz time, one of the questions was, who was Cors' favourite actor in primary school. Justin's first answer, "Um... Bruce Willis?"

Denise's father shouted out, "No Justin, think hairy!"

"In that case, Chewbacca."

All Excited For Nothing

I got a comment on my last post - marriage season. I was all excited. Only to open it and find that it was a spam add. In French.

Oh well.

Marriage Season

Clearly it is marriage season at the moment. Everyone is getting married. Well, everyone except me... (plus a few others - Rebecca and Kallie and Claire and Winnie and well... more people than are actually getting married).

Some of you might have noticed it in the prayer requests. But I have:

- Steph and T - and I'm going to be a BRIDESMAID.
- David and Kaye
- Ruth and Phil
and now: Corina and Justin (a post or two on their engagement party in a few days I hope!)

Plus Winnie's brother is getting married, and her cousin, and Christian's friend, and another friend's brother is "thinking about it".

Plus Corina's older sister got married on Saturday! I wasn't able to go to the wedding due to having both work and a hen's night at the same time, but as I don't actually know Corina's sister (or the groom) I only felt a little bad.

So, my question is... who's going to be next?

And is it gossip to speculate?

Do I Look Jewish To You?

On Friday I was at a school. I was running late for Yard Duty, and I didn't have enough time to return my Bible to my classroom before yard duty (I had taken it into the staffroom to read it... well, duh).

So I'm walking about the near empty area I've been assigned, and one of the kids sees it and asks me, "Are you Christian?"

"Yes," I answer.

"So'm I," he says.

Five minutes later, he comes up to me and asks," Are you sure you're Christian?"

"I'm sure," I say.

Monday, and I was in the same school and same class. So the boy asks me, "Are you SURE you're Christian?"

"I'm SURE." I say. "Why do you keep asking?"

"You don't LOOK Christian."

"What does a Christian looks like?"

"Not like you."

"All right, what do I look like?"

He thinks for a while, "You look Jewish."

Huh? I do not look Jewish. (Incidentally, my biological great-grandfather was Jewish.) "I do not look Jewish."

"Yes, you do."

"Well, I'm English. And I'm Christian."

A nearby girl says, "I thought you were an Islander."

I would just like to point out, that I look more Jewish than Islander. And I don't look Jewish.