Miss Hills

Happy blogday to me! - It's my 100th post... just happened to see my total when I logged in this morning!

I must share that at around 11pm last night, I breathed a huge and rather weary sigh - said to myself, "I need help!!" and then turned out the light... with a small smile on my face!

My entire teaching career, I devoted hours to correcting that innate desire in some children to just have to call me Miss Hills. "I'm one hill not a mountain!" became my cry!

These last few weeks have been 'rather busy' in terms of assessment and last night, as the last assignment was having it's cover page paper-clipped (not stapled!!) to the front, I realised that in my slightly weary state, I was handing in an assignment from none other than...

Karen Hills!

...I do believe I have just become a mountain!

Perspective

Scroll down slowly as there are some photos that may
disturb you on this one...

I'll never forget a sermon series that Malcolm did a few years back. It was on Jonah and the main thing that I took away from it was to get perspective in my circumstances, particularly when things are getting me down, you know - are you really in the belly of a whale or are you just thinking that it's that bad?!!

Well, I'm fine - a little worn out, but fine.

I'm feeling like I'm crawling towards the end of the year instead of running this race, but I'm fine.

I'm wishing I had a few of the finer things in life occasionally, but I really want for nothing... I'm fine.

I'm feeling a little sorry for myself at times, but... I'm fine.

Today, I received some rather disturbing photos that have certainly given me 'perspective' once again.

These are hard to look at but my thoughts in sharing them are so that perhaps what God has used to challenge me today, He may also use to speak to you in some way.

For me, these photos give me a lot more perspective on my circumstances. I am way more than just fine - I have a roof over my head, clothes on my back, running water never more than a quick jog away and food in my stomach. Everything within me now screams: "Get a grip!" ...my occasional need to wallow has definitely had some perspective added to it.

These photos make me give a little more thought and prayer to those whose circumstances in life are completely and utterly beyond anything I could ever care to imagine... and I'm encouraged to get back up and get into this race again - a lot more thankful than before and with a renewed zeal. These problems may seem a world away but there are so many little things I can do - least of all, pray.

These may break your heart as they did mine - photos of children always do - but if it makes you do nothing more than pray for people in these circumstances, then that's something... it's all quite sobering but I hope that at the same time, it gives you a little more perspective as you go through the rest of your week and that you're even more thankful than usual...

... for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.

Matt 19:14

It's confidential?... Really?

Confidential: entrusted with secrets

Oxford Dictionary

You know, ever since I was a little girl I have never been able to keep a secret. I was always the first to play with the presents under the tree at Christmas - I'd squeeze them, smell them, peek through any bit of the paper that would lift (without ripping of course!) and I was the QUEEN of placing them back so that no-one would know... or so I thought anyway!

I was told secrets less and less as I grew up (especially birthday presents or surprises) as I just couldn't do it! Before I knew it, often at the most inopportune moment, I would spill the beans - 9 times out of 10 quite unintentionally!

And what secret am I entrusted with now you ask? ...Try knowing my appointment for 2007!

And what's the biggest problem this poses - beyond the obvious effort at being all grown-up and over my childhood inability to keep confidentiality?! ...Try the fact that I can't share it with ANYONE until the 19th of October!

OCTOBER!! Keep a secret until OCTOBER?! It's torture - absolute and utter torture!

My only consolation is that my sessionmates are in exactly the same predicament. I'd love to say that every time the topic comes up (as it inevitably does!) that we just smile a cheeky smile and change the topic... but the reality would have to be more like this...!

And trust me when I say that underneath that tape (or well-placed spouse's hand!) the conversation is carrying on ten-to-the-dozen!!

The eyes are flashing... the mouth is smiling... and yet, we know nothing of each other's appointments! (bar insignificant details that could leave any one of us church planting in Eketahuna!)

Pray for us poor souls as the temptation is high... I think the temptation for a sweepstakes could be even higher!!

I don't think there's one of us who hasn't gone to bed without the dispo in hand yet, trying madly to figure out someone elses appointment! We're a sad bunch but this little bit of excitement will keep us going for a while!!

Make Poverty History

I must confess, I've been looking at the banner on Lucy's blog since she put it up and I've been meaning to click the link and follow the trail but have just procrastinated over that very thing for AGES!

Well, I finally got there the other day, hence the banner on my blog now. It's worth a look and kind of gives a new spin on things as you go through your day. I hope it encourages you and inspires you to think of the little things that you could do differently to help with the bigger changes that need to happen...

Church For Men

I've come up to the main building to check out a website (28KB from our units is just unbearable when jetstream is a hop-skip-&-a-jump away!!) and I can't help myself... here I am!

I'm feeling a little miserable this evening - my throat feels the size of a golf ball and swallowing is as nasty as running it down a sandpaper slide! I've decided to do my duty tonight (you could eat off the toilet floors here they're so clean!) before heading home for an early night.

You'll all be pleased to know I have not only come full circle with Mr Brengle (Samuel Logan that is!) but sanctification has been well and truly hashed out in our theology class so as soon as I have head space to get it all down legibly, it shall appear here! Currently, there's yet another sermon on the boil for assessment next week and my ThinkC assignment is to convince 4 ex-Jehovah's Witnesses of the work of the Holy Spirit and that he is a person not a 'thing'... anyone care to sub? - you know, my life for yours temporarily?!

So why the title Church for Men you ask? Well I've just finished watching the dvd 'Why Men Hate Going to Church' and there are some serious truths in there! Pretty helpful too considering I'm a women in ministry where men are very rarely catered for let alone catered for well. Church for Men is the website to go with the book/dvd/the whole idea basically so I'm looking forward to some tips on relevant men's ministry (seeing as I'm not one, I think I can safely say I need all the help I can get!!) so, I'm off to surf...

SOS

...as I race through my week end and weekend (!!) and assessments roll over me, the question is simply - to blog or not to blog? But I can't help myself!

The 4 day Sole Officer Symposium was great! I don't think I've laughed so hard with the girls... I mean fellow captains, cadets and colleagues (!!)... in ages. In general, it was a much needed break from life at the moment.

The film is going in for developing as soon as the weekend is over and Crin has a good 100 photos to burn off onto disc for us all so I'll put a 'selection' online as soon as I get them! Rest assured, when Corryn has the camera, a shot of someone's nostrils is bound to appear!

... I digress! *surprise surprise!* There were, of course, a few cringe moments over the time together (but there always are when a specific group of people come together I think!) but our speaker - Lt. Col. Geanette Seymour, Chief Secretary, Australia Eastern Territory (how's that for a job title!!) - was... indescrible! She cut straight to the core yet gently and with such a good sense of humour along the way. She was motivational, inspirational and just plain honest about life as a sole officer.

In hindsight at the testimony time at the end, more than a few confessed to not wanting to actually be at the symposium to begin with (the amount of 'stick' a sole officer gets in attending a symposium goes beyond words at times - albeit with the best of intentions!) yet we found safe friendships in our midst, a safe place to vent our frustrations as well as tools to deal with them, and were also equipped as to how we could continue on our journey to wholeness... deep eh?! And who would have thought all this would come from just 4 short days together?

My highlight would have to be the recreation time... generally I hate playstation games but SingStar 80s it the best and the dance mat left more than a few of us, simply without words! (generally due to the fact that we were gasping for air after trying to keep up with the dance moves on-screen!)

Now I bet you really can't wait to see the photos!

At one point we had a soapbox time to share. I didn't share but felt that I would write this instead:

single but not alone

intricately woven yet completely understood

"Thankyou for making me so wonderfully complex..."

from Psalm 139 (NLT)

Food For Thought

This came out of a class we had today. Definitely food for thought...

The study and practice of mission - how to reach out to a world whose values and viewpoints are very different from those of the Bible - is a vital skill. To remain pastors of the faithful is not enough; to become pioneers, boldly leading the people where the church has never gone before, is essential.
Chick Yuill - Leadership on the Axis of Change

...your thoughts?

The birds are back in town!

Ah! How I've missed them and I had no idea how much!

Duties are rough for most of us - I base that purely on how my session mates actually look at 7am! - but the whole process is so much more bearable when I walk out my front door to an absolute cacophony of bird calls - it's just great!

And when I come home, there's always a Tui still hanging around. Almost makes me want to live in the bush... almost!

Male Pride

I must say, my writing inspiration is not exactly coming from my own life at the moment. All I can really say is, if you share with me... beware! The narrator of this event will, I fear, have to remain nameless in order to protect what little male pride he has sinced managed to scrape together!

Who knows how long ago it was that this event occurred - all we do know is that it is still rather fresh in this man's mind!... I digress...

With the secret want of being in 'peak physical fitness' in the back of everyone's minds, no-one enjoys a challenge more than a man, particularly when the challenge comes from a woman!

On this particular occasion, a male cadet went out for a walk (up the big hill to the cemetery) and as he stopped (ever so briefly!) to tie his shoelace, he was passed by a woman on her bicycle. The male in question had a bit of a snicker to himself as she was not going very fast and thought he would pass her at a slow jog - just to be infront! Without another thought, he jogged passed.

Oh how little thought we give to consequences! What this male had not factored into the equation was the sheer determination and ultimately peak physical condition of the female cyclist - would she ever give up? No sirree! She sat, apparently quite contentedly, right on the tail of our slow jogger.

And now we reach the real dilemma for our jogger - having passed the slow-going female cyclist and having reached as far as he intended to walk (not run!), he rather desperately wanted to stop and head for home. But he couldn't just stop could he(?!!) - No! Because then she would pass him and win! Any takers on picking the ending to my story??... hmmm?

Let me share some more - our jogger did not (would not!) give up and with a cyclist in tow, jogged all the way to the top of the hill so as to concede at least a win to the top of the mountain! I'm not sure how long our jogger maintained his composure (I'm guessing at least until our cyclist was out of view!) but it was not long before he collapsed (momentarily) in an exhausted heap of .... you guessed it - male pride!

Picture it - unable to stand, barely able to breathe yet a fist ever so slightly raised in the air as the barely audible wheeze is uttered:

"....I...win...."

"Cadet, step away from the folder!"

This just could not escape blogging!...

You may (or may not) be aware that the army 'big wigs' are currently at College undergoing discussion about our territory and, of course, the appointments as we're only a wee way out from the Big Shuffle (or the bit of paper that will cause the Big Shuffle anyway!).

Well, aside from the obvious temptation to stick a glass to the wall of the CLD boardroom (all attempts to wait on the cabinet/DCs for coffee, hot water, food etc. were denied!! - we only wanted to serve...!), I'm sad to say we have all pretty much been kept away from the action - no surprises there! All that is, except one of my sessionmates who found himself moving tables in the boardroom with the TP. This in itself is not exactly cause for celebration, it was the item that almost came into his possession that was!

As they moved furniture, my sessionmate found himself just arms length away from a folder entitled:

Territorial Appointments ...Blah Blah Blah

...(of course the 'Territorial Appointments' bit is all he remembers of the title!)

You can imagine how he froze (just for a split second!) as thoughts of opening the folder whizzed through his mind (along with thoughts of security cameras, candid camera episodes and of course, the inevitable trip to the mercy seat for weighing up all possiblities in the first place!!). Ah! The temptation - could it be Mangatinoka? Corps plant Eketahuna or... Gisborne perhaps?! But alas, this cadet resisted and to this day, will never know the contents of the folder!

Hooray! - I can hear you all cheer. We too, were pleased that after 18months of boot camp, our sessionmate had honesty all sorted. It was only in closing that he relayed the contributing factor of a certain Personnel Secretary appearing at his elbow shortly after eyeing the precious bounty which leaves me to conclude...

Be sure Lt Col Arnold will read your mind and keep you from all temptation when around any documentation pertaining to your future!

...all things considered, I still can't help imagining the tug-of-war between the Colonel and a burly 2nd yr cadet over a folder! - oh to be a fly on the CLD boardroom wall!!