Forgetfulness

Forgot to take my medicine yesterday- really messed me around.
Having dizzy spells, headaches and general forgetfulness.

Feeling guilty about going back to work half-days this week already.

Cancer Diary #3

It's been exactly 1 week today since I was discharged from hospital.
We decided to go out (at my request) on a little 'shopping' trip today so I could try and walk around for abit to get myself moving more. 3 hours later I was ready to go home again, totally exhausted.

The scar seems to be going along nicely. The surgeon was right to be impressed with his handiwork.

It's been cold these 2 days here so a good excuse to wear jackets and scarves that cover the neck.

Now the medical bills start arriving in the post.
Can't put a price on your life though.

Cancer Diary #2

I don't get it.
I sit around and do nothing all day but still feel very tired.
Had a couple of emotional moments in the last few days- sometimes it just happens and then I feel abit better afterwards.

Mum has been coming over and massaging my feet. Now that she is retired she has been doing plenty of tai-chi with the local neighbours and reading up on reflexology books.

She might also try and find a bell for me that I can use around the house.....

Cancer Diary #1

That 'C' word.

It all started about a month ago, on a Sunday afternoon after church. Having lunch with family at home and started getting short, sharp stabs of pain in the right side of my neck. Approximately 3-4 stabs every 2 minutes.

Due to the pain level and consistency, went to the GP the next day to have it checked out. The GP took one look at me and said 'Hmmmm. Your right thyroid is larger than your left.'

She then proceeded to check and feel around the neck.

GP: Um....I can actually feel a lump in the top part of your right thyroid.
Me: Oh? Is that something I should be afraid of?
GP: We don't know yet, but I'd like you to have some tests so I can get a better idea of what that lump is.
Me: (pause).....um....ok.

One Blood Test and Thyroid Ultrasound.

At follow-up appointment:

GP: Well, the blood test can back normal. The Ultrasound indicates the lump is there, but I can't conclude exactly what it is. I'll need you to have more tests as I need to narrow it down to the following possibilities: a Colloid cyst, a Goiter or Cancer.
Me: (silence)
GP: Yes, that C word. That may be all that you remember from this appointment, but the one thing I want you to remember is this: that thyroid cancer is the turtle of all the cancers out there. It is the slowest growing cancer and if you had the choice of getting a cancer, then 'this' one is the 'best' one to have.
Me: Yes, thank you.

Had a Biopsy (Fine Needle Aspiration) in the neck to take out 2 samples of cells.

A week later...........

The cell samples came back abnormal last week.
I was referred to a thyroid surgeon.

Had the thyroid operation 3 days ago.
Surgeon confirmed it was Thyroid Cancer, and whole thyroid has been removed.
I will need to take thyroxin tablets for the rest of my life.
Will also need radioactive iodine therapy in a couple of months time to kill any remaining cancer cells.

Discharged late yesterday and now back at home to recover for 2 weeks.

A cancer survivor at the age of 28.

He's Back!

Doctor Who is Back!

Return of the Friday Funnies

A small selection of what came through emails at work today:

*********************************************************************

Two blondes were going to Disneyland . They were driving on the Interstate when they saw the sign that said Disneyland LEFT. They started crying and turned around and went home.

******
I gave my son a hint. On his room door I put a sign "CHECKOUT TIME IS 18".

******

On my first day of school, my parents dropped me off at the wrong nursery. There I was...surrounded by trees and bushes.

******
And last but not least...

I married my wife for her looks... but not the ones she's been giving me lately!

It's oh so quiet

Been quiet at work the last couple of weeks.

As a result have been meditating and doing lots of thinking about what the rest of this year has in store for me and us. Still no job offers yet for W so that has been affecting me more than what I had thought.

The quietness I think pretty much confirms that I should take this opportunity to drop back to part-time work.

Whilst many women will only go part-time because of children, I feel that it is a privilege also that whilst I currently do not have children, I should utilise this time to serve others during the week. Don't get me wrong- I don't have a problem with mums working part-time or not working at all because of their children.

I just feel right now................ as a married, childless woman that there are people (women in particular) and opportunities available during the week that I can fellowship and disciple, and be discipled myself.

One of the big things on my mind is how to get older, wiser women we know in our church to either formally or informally disciple younger women like myself and many others. Alot of women's bible studies are held during the day, so this automatically limits many young, working women and only reaches the young mums and non-working women in society. Is that something that should be changed?

Trust & Obey

Never have these words ring so true.

To trust that things will be fine when things don't go to plan.
To trust that maybe that was not the opportunity to take.
To trust because something doesn't happen and that's OK.

It's easy to say 'yes I can/do trust you' and 'yes I am patient' but in reality I am not.

To be a person that can wake up each day with no material possessions.......nothing at all except a humble mind and spirit that says:

"God. I don't know where my next meal is and what it is that you have planned for me today. But I know that you can be trusted because you love me anyway, and I believe that Christ died for me and has paid the penalty for my sins. Because of this revelation, I trust that you will lead me and my family to do good things for your kingdom. If it is your will to take us on the most difficult path we have ever faced before, show me the way and I will leave everything behind and go. If this journey takes years and maybe eventually takes my life, I am willing to do that for you, for I know that you have the plans for me; plans to help me and not to harm me; plans to give me hope and a future. (ref Jer 29:11)"

This is how you Trust and Obey.

Walking Backwards

Have been looking at various bushwalks around SE Qld for the upcoming Easter break.

I then remembered the Giant Stairway Walk at Katoomba I did with a bunch of old QUT Christian mates in my uni days. This was when National Training Event was still located at Stanwell Tops, and our team missions were based around the Greater Sydney area.

Giant Stairway Walk

We took the Scenic Railway down and then walked from there to Echo Point, where the 3sisters are.

What most people do is walk down the stairs and then catch the Scenic Railway back to the top!

We did it BACKWARDS.

I don't remember if that had been specified before we went on the walk.........I obviously didn't hear it and therefore collapsed in a heap when we reached the top.

At least I didn't do this walk in flip flops like someone else- bless her!

True womenhood

For women:

Message by John Piper to Women

With very good theology on how marriage is no better than singleness, and why we should not be wimpy women.

An aside- to my interest, John makes mention of some relatives of mine in Australia (Gladys and Esther Staines) as those that are not wimpy women.

List

Defrost meat- check.
Buy more meat- check.
Prepare marinades- check.
Look for chinese veggies- check.
Buy more veggies- not yet checked.

Hungry mouths to feed- hmmmmmmmmmm

No longer anti-social

Helping to make food for a 21st birthday party on the weekend.
Have been told there could be at least 150 people!!

Also, there is a Goodseed Worldviews Evangelistic Conference being held at our church in 2 weeks time. Don't know much about these guys (they're from Canada so maybe you guys can shed some light on them, Nathan and Mareesa?)

Sounds like heavy stuff but some interesting topics though raised that are worth addressing.

Goodseed website here.

Anti-social time

A world first......................
Just checked my calendar and I actually don't have any evening engagements this whole week, Monday to Friday.

What do people do when that happens?
Watch TV?
Read a book?
Clean the house?
Do the laundry?
Cook?
Play card games by themselves?
Sleep?

This whole concept is very foreign to me, especially as I'm not studying either.

Not even uni students get THIS much spare time at night do they?

I'm the Doctor

Quoting Harriet Jones, Prime Minister:

"You're the Doctor, what happened to MY Doctor? Is this just some title that gets passed around?"

Unfortunately the answer is true- My 39 year-old Doctor has regenerated himself into the 20-something year-old Matt Smith. Probably won't be until later this year or next when we get to see this new guy in action, but he has some pretty BIG shoes to fill.

Will he talk too much?
Does he like little shops?
Does his love nibbles?

Bye Bye Mr Tennant- at least I still own 4 seasons of you.

I think I've aged 10 years...

It's only the 2nd day into the Chinese New Year and 15 days into 2010 and:

Someone is out of a job.
Someone is minus an appendix.
Our bathroom has been pulled to pieces and gradually being restored.
Have possibly 5 weddings this year(and counting) and attended 1 already.
Have received matron-of-honour dress already for 2011 Feb wedding (must watch weight)
Read 7 books in one week of the 'Tomorrow Series' by John Marsden.
Next couple of weekends getting booked up quickly.

And I thought 2010 was going to be a more relaxing year.....

Definite ATO scam

The ATO has never, ever accepted 'credit card' as a payment option for paying off your income tax bills.

Why then would they even bother asking you for your credit card details when a tax refund is due to you?

ATO Scam

MAJOR EPIC FAIL for whoever is behind this, but then again there are so many people out there that are doing it tough and anything remotely close to getting money from the government is hard to pass up.

Interview Snippets

Some snippets from a Dr B. Winter interview in the Briefing a couple of months ago:

PH: How are Christians being affected by contemporary worldviews?

BH: 30 years ago, the favourite text amongst Christians was John 3:16. However, in a recent poll, the most quoted text was Matthew 7:1: “Judge not, that you be not judged”. I think that tells us something. Modern Australian culture says you mustn’t judge, and now Christians are following the world by claiming this text as their basis for remaining dumb about the culture. Christians are following non-Christian society by refusing to make these judgements.

PH: Are you saying that Christians have capitulated to the modern age by refusing to distinguish between truth and error?

BH: Yes, I am. Furthermore, they are misapplying the text “Judge not, that you be not judged” in doing so. The reality is that Christians are meant to “destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God” (2 Cor 10:5). Nowhere does the Bible say that believers are meant to keep quiet when people challenge the notion of truth and say that there is no difference between right and wrong.

The church today has imbibed a playboy theology that goes back to Greek philosophical heathenism. The central idea of this Greek view was that our aim in life is to pursue happiness. Many Christians have bought into this idea. They want to serve God, but they also want to be happy. This creates a problem for them because they have no place for pain or suffering in their experience.

Christian young people who follow this line are putting themselves on the same trajectory as the young playboys and playgirls in the first century who said, “Everything is permitted for me; I can do what I like”. As far as they were concerned, life was about enjoying oneself and being happy.

People forget that God’s plan for us Christians also includes trouble and persecution. If our aim is only to have a pain-free and happy life, then we will fall away from Christ when we experience adversity.

The Bible never promises a life that is free of trouble and suffering.

Slight Glitch

Abit of a blip has already occurred this year.

Will work through this prayerfully with God and see what His plans are from here.

Buying in Bulk and Future plans

Why the sudden trend of buying 10kg lots of beef steaks at cheap, wholesale prices and then having this shared around your friends?

Maybe we should consider this for fruit and veggies also, where you could buy boxes of fruit and veg from the markets and then have this divided up also.

Problem is we are only limited to 1 small freezer, and with a bathroom renovation finally taking place in Feb we are saving as much as possible for the rest of the year.

An aside, we have been prayerfully considering where God wants us to be and what He wants us to do in the next couple of years. Both of us at the moment feel that some sort of church-based ministry or bible college may be on the cards.

It's getting to the point where we have both spent a fair number of years working in the secular world. (almost 9 years each)
Both of us feel that we need to do something more productive, and the things we have seen and experienced through working can be valuable for ministry to the church family and/or community.

Attending Brisbane Leadership Training next week- may get to have some meaningful discussions with like-minded people there.

2010

In 6 days time I will mark my 5 years working at Peak.

I shall be 1 step closer towards the 4th decade in my life.

Here's hoping 'Gus Junior' will last longer than 'Gus'.

Trip to Melbourne in Dec for Boxing Day Test?

1 year sabbatical from ministry?

New bathroom

Rent a bigger holiday house on stayz.com.au?

Continue doing weights whilst watching DVD box sets?