A Day of Bliss

Yesterday, Wellington turned on the charm... grey, cold and wet was the order of the day - ALL day - and yet, when I went out for dinner last night I heard someone say:

"Wasn't it a great day today?..."

I sat up in my chair thinking to myself:

"Are you nuts?!! No blue sky - no sun - no warmth -
winter all over again!!"

All the while, though, something was niggling in the back of my mind about how strangely pleasant the day had been. Then the puzzle was made complete as the conversation continued:

"... No wind! Just lovely!"

...only from the mouths of TRUE Wellingtonians!

...Ahem!

Can you believe it's been 7 weeks already?!

Can you believe 2 years have flown by?!

Well, they have - so without further delay,

my first appointment is...

Divisional Youth and Candidates Secretary

Central Division

...and my thoughts so far on the appointment...

roll on Kaivata! (Fiji - January 2007)

...but seriously - the feelings range from excitement to being simply overwhelmed at times - not to mention the fact that I just want to get started!

At New Zeal over the weekend we got the opportunity to go and grab a verse from the basket (the baskets had hundreds of verses in them) with the prayer that it would be a word from God, just for where you were at. Here was mine:

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
John 15:16 (NIV)

I thought that was pretty special. Not much more to add really!

That's Gross

I can handle being up at 7am to clean...
I can handle having to clean the toilets...

What I can't handle is when cleaning the toilet bowl, water splashes into my face... Needless to say, I have discovered another one of those times in life when it's best to keep one's mouth closed!

Random

For those of you who have know me for a long time, you'll know that 'Random' was a nickname from way back (referring to my driving in case your wondering!) but yesterday, there truly was a random event in the Hutt...

...it snowed!

I kid you not! I got caught outside in it as I ran from the car to the safety of Countdown! How cool is that?!

There has to be some perk to living in the windy capital now doesn't there!

Yee haa!

A bit of fun for the afternoon thanks to Lucy's

brother-in-law... cheers!

If you're a little bored, like I was this avo, try it for yourself.

Freedom

Ever had one of those weeks where you know that things are progressing, life is going on, on the whole things are good but you just can't help but feel like you've been wading through a swamp? You know, everything's all wet and clammy, thigh-high squirmy mud stretches between you and the bank and there's just that general feeling of moving forward but with weights around your ankles?

Well that's me this week until finally something hit me. "Shake off the sin that so easily entangles..." (my paraphrase of part of Heb 12:1!!) that was the first revelation and the second has been weighing on my mind for some time. In one of our classes here at college, a lecturer has kind of been hounding the point that the most common cause of people's problems along their journey, results from a lack of thorough repentance when they first come to Christ. Food for thought isn't it? It has challenged me on repentance in general.

It got me thinking anyway and I remembered several times in my life, kind of like spiritual markers I suppose you would say, where the Holy Spirit revealed to me that I had to repent... again! I've been working my way through the Experiencing God bible study as well and when the author was waiting to hear from God on something, if there was a time of silence, he would pull out his 'sin checklist' and pray through it.

How often can we just get into the pattern of doing life without actually taking time to carry out a 'sin checklist' regularly? It can sound a strange thing to do but all it does is jog your memory of what has been happening in your life since you last pulled it out and it's amazing what comes to mind! I know it should be part of our devotional life as well, but for me, if I was being honest, it is something that can too easily be missed out, especially when time runs short and work pressures mount.

In saying all of this, I picked up an amazing resource I used at one of those landmark moments of mine and on flicking through, I've decided to work through it again. Ever come across 'The Steps to Freedom in Christ' by Neil Anderson? Awesome. Very thorough and what a tool to put into a disciple's hands at the right moment...

Anyway, all that to say that I've had a great end to my week. I'm feeling like I've reached the other side of the swamp - learnt another lesson and am almost ready to face another week of it all!