We're in...

After a drizzly and cold day, we are finally in the rectory. There are still lots of boxes to unpack but having slept there for one night now, it feel good and quite manageable.
Also, I picked up my textbooks and programs for next year... Look out students, here I come!

Dreaming

I'm still working on the other verses, but here's the first...

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With all the mist around I see
When all the trees are hidden from sight
But when all the Christmas lights are bright

Gone to a better place...

Too often this phrase is used when the words don't come or can't come. I'm happy to say that my grandfather has 'gone to a better place' because he is at home with the Lord. Though I don't know about my other grandfather, I know that I will see my Pa again some day and that is a day I look forward to.

The funeral is on Wednesday and knowing how much Pa loved music, I'm going to play the hymns. It will be a sad occasion as he is and will be missed but also a relief as he is now in glory and no longer suffering.

Praise the Lord for his faithfulness and mercy that gives me this assurance.

The joys of the mountains

Well I've posted previously about the cold and the windstorms, so I suppose it is only appropriate to include something about the bushfires. Presently you could set your watch by the helicopters as they offload and then disappear to reload before returning. Although we were on alert yesterday the most we had to do was have a bag packed ready to go if asked. It really highlights how little value our earthly possessions have as I looked around my room and thought 'I don't really want to part with this but I can live without it if I have to'. Thankfully the wind changes were sufficient that all we had was a lot of smoke. Today feels a little cooler, though outside it's still scorching.

DipEd or Diphead

Well I've done my last exam for uni (Tuesday) and handed in all my uni work (last Thursday), so other than doing my OT exam, I'm finished for the year. So this poses a question: where to next year? The answer: I don't know, but hopefully all the applications and interviews will head me in a direction sooner or later.

In the meantime, there's more applications to do, an exam to study for (and sit this weekend) and a house to pack up.

Yes that's right, we finally have a moving week. We've given notice where we are currently so need to be out by December 8. Because it's in December I feel like it is ages away, but then I have to remind myself that we are more than half way through November...

Overall, I could be a tiring few weeks.

Two weeks to go....

and then my course will be finished for the year. How time has flown. Atleast a dozen things still to do - presentations, reports, essays and exams. But atleast the end is in sight :-)

The dilemma is solved

For those in the know about the dilemma of this past week, you'll be pleased to know it's been resolved. I ended up getting foils and alternating between two colours: red and gold (more auburn and bronze in my hair). There has also been a reduction in hair length, though not as extreme as some previous years: I can still wear it in a ponytail.
Can't be bothered putting a photo up, so you'll have to take it from me that it looks good and I'm happy with it :-P

Good game, pity about the ref

First half was definately better than the second.

Goal celebrations even happened in our corner of the ground!

The stretcher came on a few too many times and the ref seemed like he need to refresh his rule book knowledge. It's possible the tv-replays might have showed things more in his favour, but I don't hold too much hope in that. Something in his favour was his lack of cards. At other times he really should have used his whistle more - the crowd tried to make up for it with whistles and cheers (and boos (& booze)).



photos from www.theworldgame.com.au, well worth a look if you want to kill some more time :-)

Not so lucky this time...

Finishing Up

Well amidst the teaching and uni stuff, I've finally managed to finish a blanket.... good thing I only had to choose the squares and sew them together. If I'd had to knit them also I'd still be working away.

In the next week, I'll finish up at school. Still have a bit of work to get done before then but I'm still enjoying it so all is good.

And just cause I can, here's another photo of Fifa:

The waters saw you, O God,
the waters saw you and writhed;
the very depths were convulsed.
The clouds poured down water,
the skies resounded with thunder;
your arrows flashed back and forth.
Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
your lightning lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.
Psalm 77:16-18

Actually, it was just a rainy, windy night and we had to make other arrangements for transport the next day. Picture is taken inside our backyard. 3 people and 2 chainsaws later, the car was able to drive out. It looks quite small in this picture, but it weighed enough and part of the branch was stuck at around twice my height. God has a way of ensuring we acknowledge the limitations of our planning... No damage was done to people or property, so my prayers were answered.

Nehemiah

Rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem:

So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart. Neh 4:6

So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God. Neh 6:15-16

I find it really amazing how God can get so many individuals to work together to achieve his purposes. That's what I call power!

Jeremiah

Studying OT stuff is really cool:

"The time is coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them," declares the LORD.

"This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and their will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbour, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD'because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." Jer 31:31-34

Teaching...

Once again I'm enjoying practicum.

It is a little weird at the moment though because the independant schools are starting to advertise/phone to sort out their positions for next year. So in between writing lesson plans and evaluating lesson plans, I get to fill out lots of applications...

Today I also had my interview with DET. It all felt a little weird having driven straight from school to be there after lunch. The questions were fairly standard especially after having written the supporting statement.

More lesson prep to get on with now. My aim for this prac is to continue to make maths fun while also learning a lot.

Q: When is a piano better than an electric keyboard?

A: Many times but especially when you have a blackout during the middle of church.

Luckily I was prepared with a drum, we unplugged the guitar and found the songbooks to use instead of the projector. We were wondering how many glitches with technology in a service we could have before that final glitch happened.

Overall, we were still able to sing praises to God which is always good.

Thankyou God

It's been such a glorious weekend in the mountains that there is little else to say except 'Thankyou God'!


I suppose the phrase could also be followed up with a prayer for good health. In the overall scheme of things I'm not that sick though. I'm just sick enough that I can't do everything I want to be able to do. Another of life's frustrations.

How the weeks fly

Somehow I've managed to finish week 3 of uni this semester. Where the weeks all went I don't remember. I've even finished some of my assessments which feels even weirder. During the past few weeks I've signed up for a beach mission and attended one meeting. I've even celebrated my birthday on numerous occasions so I must have added about 3 years to my age rather than the customary one. I'm managed to fill some of my days with group meetings and other days with socialising. Most days I've managed to have lunch by about 4pm and dinner somewhere around 8pm. I've also slotted in a cold and managed not to miss any uni (probably to the detriment of my colleagues) including a yr 10 maths test in which I managed to only loose one mark cause I forgot to discount an ambiguous case that was probably too ambiguous for my stuffed up head to handle. What all of this means is that I've only one more week before I'm prac teaching again. It also means there is only one more week before M&K go overseas. Plus in the said week I have an essay, group presentation, and reflection due. I hope that is it cause that's all I can remember at the moment. It's also going to be a fairly busy weekend with lots of music practice. Somewhere amongst it I also have to find time to play with some toy cars and video tape them all in the name of Maths. At this stage my biggest fear is that the next week will also fly by before I've realised it and completed everything, but as I learnt at ECOM this week:

'Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.' Philippians 4:6-7

Just as I thought...

You Are 72% Control Freak

You are a pretty major control freak, though you may not know it. While your confidence is inspiring, your bossy ways tend to scare people off.

Are You A Control Freak?

Exhaustion

There was going to be a post here about how tired I am and semester starting tomorrow.... but I'm too tired for that. Birthdays and Beyond the Line have both been good. Maybe I'll post more another day.

Success

The only problem with success is that you think you can cope. With failure you know you can't and so eventually give up trying. Having successfully got through all first semester's subjects I'm now attempting to do even more in second semester. Am I crazy? Probably. Will I regret this later? Yes, but only until they are all done. Come December I'll be as happy as larry (who ever he is) provided the success continues. One thing is for sure, I should have got out of EE sooner! Nothing like hindsight to help you keep things in perspective :-)
Next week I head to Dubbo and Gilgandra. Just something else to fill in time and keep me from the essays/responses/critiques. Only 8000 words to write before the end of November and I haven't even got this semester's uni work yet.
Too much work to do... but then that's the way I like it :-) No time for boredom and many opportunities for whinging... Please pray that I will have the energy to accomplish this self-inflicted workload and that I will still have opportunities for creating/maintaining friendships.

Puppy sitting...

Well, here are two fairly dark pictures of my puppy... Perhaps when I get the photos from a real camera I'll be able to show her more clearly. It doesn't help that she is mostly black with caramel legs and a white tinge. The camera doesn't do her justice but it does show that she is fairly small. And just in case you're wondering her name is Fifa and she'll be soccer-mad (if she isn't already!).

Parents (who can trust 'em)

My parents are crazy. Yes, I know you think yours are too, but mine are definitely crazy. I don't even have to be gone for a full week before they turn their own lives inside out, and mine also. What I'm talking about here are pets. Now I know my family has spoken of getting another dog, but it was always covered with the comment of 'when we get to the new rectory' or 'but it needs to be house trained'. Somehow, this all got forgotten this afternoon. A 7 week old puppy! Now can someone tell me what they were thinking. She was even crying while Mum was telling me about her on the phone.
Oh well, at least I'm getting some rest while I'm away. There will probably be disrupted sleep when I get home again.
Not that I really mind the pet, but I'm not sure that I like the fact that I can see where I get my spontaneous shopping from (add another one to the dad tally...).

Warmth (The joys of the cold)

The joys of the cold are of course a wood fire: Not a very good picture but it's warm...

Another not so good picture, the fire is almost too hot to get close to...



A wooly jumper: (no pictures currently) I recently received a very nice green vest and matching scarf that I'm sure to be seen in regularly over the next few months. I've also started a knitting project to make a poncho. Don't hold you breath for it but we'll see how I go...

And an electric blanket: just perfect for studying away the hours.... especially if someone makes you a cup of hot chocolate to enjoy there... sigh, nobody else home at the moment to make me one...

Survival

Having completed my first practicum I've had my eyes re-opened to what it is I need for survival: (in no particular order)
* Sleep
* Prayer
* Time spent reading God's word
* Relaxation time
* Food
* Communication (not necessarily electronic)

Theology and Teaching (or Mountain Madness...)

It's been about a week since everything that was coming with us to the mountains has made it to the mountains... That means it's been a hectic month but then that was what I'd expected so can't really complain...
The house is adequate for the three of us and it's been nice to have the wood fire burning most nights this week (and sometimes during the day). The only downfall of the move so far is deciding what to do about internet connection. At this stage we are thinking about just getting it put into Dad's office in Lawson, so I'll have to continue to travel to be connected to the world at large.

This post is also a tribute to the late Shida:
She is and will continue to be fondly remembered. She lived a good life and was a great companion. Even to the end she was queen of the car (sat down straight away in the driver's seat).

Now to the title of this post...
Teaching and Theology: I'm continuing to enjoy my courses. In two days time I'll start my four weeks of prac teaching and at this stage I'm still looking forward to it. I enjoyed getting my head stuck into the Abrahamic and Sinai covenants recently (let me know if you would like to receive a copy of the final essay and didn't receive an email with it yet). The next piece of work for the MDiv is due in the middle of my prac, so hopefully I'll find enough time to give it thorough attention. I'm still trying to work out whether correspondence study is the way to go for next semester's MDiv or whether I'll try and get back to lectures again. The main problem with my courses at the moment is the expectation that you'll be online 24/7. This is impractical for study and also inconvenient given my current connection drought. Oh well, it all just adds to the mountain madness I suppose... Church has been really encouraging lately. Given the uncertainty of next year and even next semester it is a little strange trying to work out what to get involved in. Already I've been roped into playing for the Easter Sunday services and the 8.30am service. On the whole things are going well and the change feels a little more hectic than a holiday but still enjoyable.

Limbo

At this stage I don't know how to think. On Sunday we had our final services at Summer Hill and a farewell afternoon tea. It was great to see so many friends there but sad to think that after 12 years that chapter is closing. On Saturday we begin our time at Lawson. There will be new people to meet and old friends to greet, and the whole thing will probably pass by in a blur. As I walk or drive around the neighbourhood I feel a sense of loss that is mingled with excitement and apprehension. I long for my life to feel normal again.

Another week bites the dust...

Being at uni once more has really seemed to make my weeks fly by. It may have something to do with the fact that the weeks are numbered. Either way having finished week 3 gives me only 3 more weeks before I'm in a classroom. That's kind of scary but in an exciting way. What I find even scarier is that then I only have another week or so before we move. Sooooo much to do, sooooo little time, sooooo little energy.

Creativity...

I like to be creative. This often shows itself in the range of craft activities I dabble in and would love the time to undertake seriously. Unbeknownst to most, I also enjoy a bit of creative writing.
I thought it might be time I put up a blog with some of my writings. For details see the link on the side bar... Things will only go up as I have the time or feel it is appropriate so don't expect too much of it in terms of content or regularity...

Useful things

Verses I've found helpful lately:

I lift my eyes to the hills -
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
Ps 121:1-2

Great peace have they that love your law,
and nothing can make them stumble.
I wait for your salvation, O Lord,
and I follow your commands.
Ps 119:165-166

I call on the Lord in my distress,
and he answers me.
Ps 120:1

Boxes, Boxes and Boxes

It's time for boxes, boxes and more boxes....

Boxes are part of my life at the moment in two significant ways:
1. Given the impending move, we have stuff half packed in boxes. We have tried to keep these boxes out of the main thoroughfares but it doesn't always work.
2. Studying psychology again has made me consider what box I fit into.... Am I a behaviourist? cognitivist? or humanist? and thus how do I (or not) structure my lessons?

I've never really liked boxes much, although for organisational purposes they can be interesting.

Less of Moore

Tommorrow is my last day at Moore College. Time has flown by and I'm finally starting to look forward to the approaching time of study. It has been a real blessing to work in a Christian environment for the last couple of years. It's nice to be able to openly talk about church, prayer and bible reading, etc., without being taken aside and told that no one cares about your private life or your job's on the line. I'm definately going to miss Moore (and not just for the lunches, morning teas, afternoon teas and library usage).

Being a fulltime student again, here I come. Please pray that I might be a diligent one.... going by past experience I'll need all the help I can get... ;-)

Btw: if anyone wants to help me spend my last pay check for a while, I'll be heading to Burwood on Friday evening for a bite to eat and a movie... meeting approx. 7:30pm at the food court.

Keeping Mum!

I saw this movie tonight and have to say it goes into my lists of movies I've seen so that I can avoid seeing them again... But it was interesting and I'd probably recommend others see it just so they know what I'm going on about. I was also waiting for the voice over to quote Song of Solomon 7:4b "Your nose is like a tower of Lebanon..." That verse always reminds me on Cleopatra, although hers doesn't quite lend for that same description... Plus, just for the record, not all minister's families are quite like that.... :-)

Hmm...what to write...what to write...don't feel like sharing so here's some crazy things to give you a laugh....

Your Hair Should Be White

Classy, stylish, and eloquent. You've got a way about you that floors everyone you meet.

What's Your Funky Inner Hair Color?

Well that one was right obviously ;-P so let's see about the next one...

Your Superhero Profile

Your Superhero Name is The Magnetic Spear Your Superpower is Genetic Engineering Your Weakness is Love Your Weapon is Your Poison Torpedoes Your Mode of Transportation is Stilts

What's your Superhero Name?

Curious....

Your Power Color Is Magenta

At Your Highest: You energize yourself and push others to suceed. At Your Lowest: You feel frustrated and totally overwhelmed. In Love: You are suprised by who you attract. You're a love magnet. How You're Attractive: Open and free spirited, people want to explore the world with you. Your Eternal Question: "What is my next source of inspiration?"

What's Your Power Color?