The spiritual attack that is.
Have taken quite a few hits already from Satan as RICE gets closer and closer. Firstly, He takes out one Big Day Out speaker, and appears to be in the process of taking out the 2nd speaker also. (wife has swine flu)
Only 2 weeks to go, how many more hits can we expect?
All of today's best laid plans did not happen at all, one way or another. A mere extra 15 minutes would have made all the difference. W is home with a cold so had to fill in his roles for the day and to top things right off, the work staff conference is next weekend, which takes out the entire weekend before E1.
Admin team is stressed about numbers and food team is anxious about quantities.
Plus I've misplaced that neighbourhood letter that MUST be letterbox-dropped next weekend. With the stupid work conference who on earth is going to do this???
*DEEP BREATH*
At the end of the day I should have expected all these plans to be manipulated and destroyed by the evil one. He would raze RICE to the ground if he could, but he will not.
He will not deter us.
He will not stop us.
He will not tear us apart, because we have the full armour of God and the King of Kings and Lord of Lords fighting the fight with us. Whilst he will strike the heel, Our Lord will crush his head.
Will you pray for us? Pray that many young lives will be saved and turn to the Lord.
We only have 48 hours after RICE to ensure that this happens. Otherwise they will be lost and the oppportunity is gone.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Thursday, July 09, 2009
No Hot Water
For the past 2 weeks our hot water system has been dying a excruitiating death.
One night (around 9:30pm) we tried for 45 mins to get hot water. My theory was that somehow the old system would only work during the day, when the sun was out and actually warming up the old gas system. The system also wouldn't work in the mornings as the sun usually isn't up when we wake.
We tested this theory a few nights later, with W using our small fan heater to warm up the hot water system around 5:30pm when the sun was already down. 5 minutes later the hot water came. This also meant that we only had limited opportunity to use the bathroom. Therefore a highly effective system was created where one person would go first and then the other would take their place 3 minutes later.
This system was so effective that we were actually having trouble converting back, when a temporary electric system had been installed this week. The hot water comes so quickly I keep burning myself.
Our only problem now is that the electric system only allows 5 mins of hot water at any one time. Afterwards you have to wait for 20 minutes until the system heats up the water again.
Good to know that we are saving water, but for those wishing to stay with us who enjoy their 30 minute showers will have to make alternative arrangements :)
Not that anyone should be having 30 minute showers anyway *tsk* *tsk*
Water Restrictions.
One night (around 9:30pm) we tried for 45 mins to get hot water. My theory was that somehow the old system would only work during the day, when the sun was out and actually warming up the old gas system. The system also wouldn't work in the mornings as the sun usually isn't up when we wake.
We tested this theory a few nights later, with W using our small fan heater to warm up the hot water system around 5:30pm when the sun was already down. 5 minutes later the hot water came. This also meant that we only had limited opportunity to use the bathroom. Therefore a highly effective system was created where one person would go first and then the other would take their place 3 minutes later.
This system was so effective that we were actually having trouble converting back, when a temporary electric system had been installed this week. The hot water comes so quickly I keep burning myself.
Our only problem now is that the electric system only allows 5 mins of hot water at any one time. Afterwards you have to wait for 20 minutes until the system heats up the water again.
Good to know that we are saving water, but for those wishing to stay with us who enjoy their 30 minute showers will have to make alternative arrangements :)
Not that anyone should be having 30 minute showers anyway *tsk* *tsk*
Water Restrictions.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Paperwork, Paperwork
Inundated at work, inundated at home.
30th June stuff to complete, Qld Blue Card Applications and Letters galore.
The tally so far for Blue Cards being held up in processing due to missing information now stands at four (4). This is the first time this has happened, and strangely enough, all the culprits have been male :)
What is frustrating is that 3 out of the 4 forms submitted have been held up due to the applicants not specifying whether they had a middle name or not. All they have been asked to do is sign another form which states 'they do not have a middle name' and then send it straight back.
As for the 1 out of the 4, this person forgot to sign the application form altogether :) oops!
Paperwork aside, it is W's brother's wedding this weekend :)
30th June stuff to complete, Qld Blue Card Applications and Letters galore.
The tally so far for Blue Cards being held up in processing due to missing information now stands at four (4). This is the first time this has happened, and strangely enough, all the culprits have been male :)
What is frustrating is that 3 out of the 4 forms submitted have been held up due to the applicants not specifying whether they had a middle name or not. All they have been asked to do is sign another form which states 'they do not have a middle name' and then send it straight back.
As for the 1 out of the 4, this person forgot to sign the application form altogether :) oops!
Paperwork aside, it is W's brother's wedding this weekend :)
Friday, June 19, 2009
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
This probably isn't something that I should be bragging about, but it's really made me honestly think alot.
I have recently had to attend 3 funerals in the past month alone; with all 3 being quite different to each other.
Funeral 1- Great Aunt
This was one of W's great aunts, aged 84. She became their maternal grandmother when her sister (W's blood grandmother) passed away 32 years ago. She was probably one of the more vibrant characters I have met from her era. Although she had 2 leaky valves in her heart plus a pacemaker, on Boxing Day about 2 years ago she was seen playing an electric shock game that W's brother had got as a Christmas present. It was on the lowest setting and she was really enjoying it too!
That is to say that her funeral was a rather light-hearted and happy celebration of her life, at the local Uniting Church Hall.
Funeral 2- Client's only son
About 2 weeks later, we got a phone call at work from one of our clients to say that his son had a seizure whilst playing sport with his mates. He was only in his mid 20s, working in the family business and was about to takeover the business in the next 6 to 12 months.
Needless to say that this was a sombre and rather sad affair, with so many young people, family and friends mourning the sudden departure of a young, healthy man who's adult life was only beginning. The funeral was a Catholic one, with the usual bells and smells.
Funeral 3- Workmate's parent-in-law
Just today, I attended the funeral for the mother-in-law of one of my workmates. This was also sombre and grieving due to the fact that she had not been well for a number of years, after suffering a stroke. Whilst the family was not religious in any way, they chose to have a service at the crematorium with a Catholic priest and sung Amazing Grace during the funeral.
The words spoken were based around the notion that Jesus Christ came to die for us and that he loves us and will look out and care for us. After mentioning the Footprints story, the conclusion was that Christ loves us so we ought to love one another.
Thoughts of mine:
- What about sin? How does the understanding of sin change the view of Christ loving us?
- Calvin vs Armenianism (check spelling)
- What is the best way that we as Christians can offer support and prayers to those who do not know the Lord? Especially explaining that there is a Heaven and a Hell?
We share in their grief, but we also need to tell them that there is hope for those who truly believe that Jesus Christ is their Lord, and the foundations of the faith that has been given us.
I have recently had to attend 3 funerals in the past month alone; with all 3 being quite different to each other.
Funeral 1- Great Aunt
This was one of W's great aunts, aged 84. She became their maternal grandmother when her sister (W's blood grandmother) passed away 32 years ago. She was probably one of the more vibrant characters I have met from her era. Although she had 2 leaky valves in her heart plus a pacemaker, on Boxing Day about 2 years ago she was seen playing an electric shock game that W's brother had got as a Christmas present. It was on the lowest setting and she was really enjoying it too!
That is to say that her funeral was a rather light-hearted and happy celebration of her life, at the local Uniting Church Hall.
Funeral 2- Client's only son
About 2 weeks later, we got a phone call at work from one of our clients to say that his son had a seizure whilst playing sport with his mates. He was only in his mid 20s, working in the family business and was about to takeover the business in the next 6 to 12 months.
Needless to say that this was a sombre and rather sad affair, with so many young people, family and friends mourning the sudden departure of a young, healthy man who's adult life was only beginning. The funeral was a Catholic one, with the usual bells and smells.
Funeral 3- Workmate's parent-in-law
Just today, I attended the funeral for the mother-in-law of one of my workmates. This was also sombre and grieving due to the fact that she had not been well for a number of years, after suffering a stroke. Whilst the family was not religious in any way, they chose to have a service at the crematorium with a Catholic priest and sung Amazing Grace during the funeral.
The words spoken were based around the notion that Jesus Christ came to die for us and that he loves us and will look out and care for us. After mentioning the Footprints story, the conclusion was that Christ loves us so we ought to love one another.
Thoughts of mine:
- What about sin? How does the understanding of sin change the view of Christ loving us?
- Calvin vs Armenianism (check spelling)
- What is the best way that we as Christians can offer support and prayers to those who do not know the Lord? Especially explaining that there is a Heaven and a Hell?
We share in their grief, but we also need to tell them that there is hope for those who truly believe that Jesus Christ is their Lord, and the foundations of the faith that has been given us.
Friday, June 12, 2009
RICE Brisbane 2009 Goes LIVE Today
Check it out:
http://www.ricebrisbane.org/
6 weeks of craziness is in store.
Pray for the many, many leaders that have been working extremely hard for the past 8 months behind the scenes, to get this up and running today.
http://www.ricebrisbane.org/
6 weeks of craziness is in store.
Pray for the many, many leaders that have been working extremely hard for the past 8 months behind the scenes, to get this up and running today.
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Should I go to a music festival?
I'm in a dilemma....well sort of....but not sure.
Believe it or not I have been following quite closely "Empire of the Sun", an Australian electro-pop duo comprising of 2 men: one from Sleepy Jackson and the other from PNAU.
I've been waiting for their tour announcement for months. Whilst the answer has been provided, the environment of which this is to happen is somewhat not what I expected.
They aren't actually doing a tour, but performing at a music festival later this year called 'Parklife'.
http://www.parklife.com.au/
I'm clearly not a die-hard music guru unlike some people I know, hehe, but when I think of music festivals I think of:
- Young Girls (wearing skimpy tops)
- Young Boys (wearing more sophisticated 'wife-bashers', checking out young girls wearing skimpy tops)
- Sunburn
- Dehydration
- Alcohol (and lots of it)
- Rowdy Crowds
Think Big Day Out, Splendour in the Grass, Sound Relief, Sunset Sounds, V Festival and Good Vibrations.
To sum it up- rather Non-Christian environment.
Being the person that I am I will feel quite out of place, but I would really like to see this group perform live.
*scratches head* What should I do?
Believe it or not I have been following quite closely "Empire of the Sun", an Australian electro-pop duo comprising of 2 men: one from Sleepy Jackson and the other from PNAU.
I've been waiting for their tour announcement for months. Whilst the answer has been provided, the environment of which this is to happen is somewhat not what I expected.
They aren't actually doing a tour, but performing at a music festival later this year called 'Parklife'.
http://www.parklife.com.au/
I'm clearly not a die-hard music guru unlike some people I know, hehe, but when I think of music festivals I think of:
- Young Girls (wearing skimpy tops)
- Young Boys (wearing more sophisticated 'wife-bashers', checking out young girls wearing skimpy tops)
- Sunburn
- Dehydration
- Alcohol (and lots of it)
- Rowdy Crowds
Think Big Day Out, Splendour in the Grass, Sound Relief, Sunset Sounds, V Festival and Good Vibrations.
To sum it up- rather Non-Christian environment.
Being the person that I am I will feel quite out of place, but I would really like to see this group perform live.
*scratches head* What should I do?
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Throat Exercises
I refuse to watch horror or suspense movies, purely on the basis that I'm simply too scared and terrified of blood and guts stuff. I can't scream very well and fake screaming is just wrong :)
This rules out things like Saw, Scream, Nightmare on Elm Street and Final Destination 'type' franchises.
In my younger years I would have also added Doctor Who to that list, purely on the basis of the spooky opening sequence music.
However, the exceptionally brilliant David Tennant has made me realise how great this 'not so little' TV series (first broadcast in the 1960s) is.
I've been slowly working my way through seasons of Mr Tennant's portrayal of the Time Lord, and came across the episode titled "Blink" from Season 3. The crux of the episode was how this bunch of 'Weeping Angel' statues come to life and start stalking you and move closer to you, every time you look away or blink your eyes. Once they reach you then you die.
This is definitely the most terrifying and spookiest episode I've watched yet............to the point that I genuinely screamed 3 times in a row within 10 seconds.
Even after rewinding the 10 seconds so W could see what I was screaming about, I couldn't help it but scream again because the episode was just genuinely creepy to the point of being a suspense movie.
"Whatever you do, Don't Blink. Do not look away from them or they will come for you. No matter what you do, just don't blink. Good luck".
This rules out things like Saw, Scream, Nightmare on Elm Street and Final Destination 'type' franchises.
In my younger years I would have also added Doctor Who to that list, purely on the basis of the spooky opening sequence music.
However, the exceptionally brilliant David Tennant has made me realise how great this 'not so little' TV series (first broadcast in the 1960s) is.
I've been slowly working my way through seasons of Mr Tennant's portrayal of the Time Lord, and came across the episode titled "Blink" from Season 3. The crux of the episode was how this bunch of 'Weeping Angel' statues come to life and start stalking you and move closer to you, every time you look away or blink your eyes. Once they reach you then you die.
This is definitely the most terrifying and spookiest episode I've watched yet............to the point that I genuinely screamed 3 times in a row within 10 seconds.
Even after rewinding the 10 seconds so W could see what I was screaming about, I couldn't help it but scream again because the episode was just genuinely creepy to the point of being a suspense movie.
"Whatever you do, Don't Blink. Do not look away from them or they will come for you. No matter what you do, just don't blink. Good luck".
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