Thursday, December 29, 2005

Seasons Greetings

Back to the gym today to appease the conscience after the folly of 2 major Christmas dinners in two days. As I was running my breath away I noticed these strange things seeping out my pores, I believe I was sweating pure Christmas pudding!

Saturday, December 24, 2005

Holidays??

I'm looking forward to having a break over Christmas. While this may seem a pretty straight forward statement, for me this will be the first real holiday I'll be having since January this year. I had a Week off after the Open Home, Open Year Celebration, but I was so emotionally, physically and spiritually drained, you could hardly call it a holiday. I'm having three weeks of annual leave, because one of the stat holidays (27th DEC falls on one of my work days, I'm also having one stat up my sleeve) I'll be back in the office on either the 17th of Jan or the 19th, if I claim the stat on that Tue.

I now realise why all through Bible college the lecturers and Pastors who I met emphasised again and again the importance of looking after yourself. "If you don't look after yourself, no-one else will!" So this Christmas break I'm not going to think about ministry stuff at all.

I'm starting to appreciate the value of keeping yourself fresh and excited about work. The only way I find I can do this is to plan and to focus on what I feel God has called me to. If I know in advance what I have on my plate, then I know how much energy I can afford to spend on it. This also means I don't feel guilty saying "No" to the damands of others.

"Learn to say 'NO,' It will be of more use to you then being able to read Latin." This is so true. If we cannot learn to say no, we only have ourselves to blame when it all starts turning brown and pear shapped around us.

"Lack of planning on your behalf, does not not justify an emergency on my behalf!" is also something I have picked up very early in ministry. I once learnt the value of "...not taking others monkey's on your back..." when it came to looking after yourself. This means that in a situation where someone comes to you with a problem, you do all within your power to help them, but you don't allow them to unload the problem onto yourself. This relieves responsibility from the offender and creates unneccessary stress upon yourself.

All this said, I believe God has given me gifts and abilities and he expects me to use them. I'm looking forward to next year when I come back to work, I'll be the only one in the office so I'm looking forward to spending a couple of days looking, dreaming and praying over the year and taking the opportunity to focus on the role I've been called here to Opawa to fulfil.

I love Opawa Baptist and I thank God every day that He has called me to such a 'life filled' church.

Thursday, December 22, 2005

Blue or White??

Which Christmas Album is the better...

Big Crosby's White Christmas...



Or Elvis' Blue Christmas...


You Decide...

Sunday, December 18, 2005

Sacred Space

I've just been experience an amazing sacred space here at church, after the last Digestion for the year, we ate together and shared out "Toasts" to God and his working and through us.



As I'm cleaning up, "Belfast Child" by Simple Minds is playing on the sound system, the Christmas tree is lit up, the manger with the ribbons is bathed in red and I have this feeling that I really love my church.


There's something about being alone in the church, favourite music coming through the wireless and being alone to experience God's presence ("I Was Made for Loving You" coming through the sound system as I write this.)

Thank you for this time God

Friday, December 16, 2005

Merry Christmas from the Little People...


Merry Christmas from the Christmas Journey...

Monday, December 12, 2005

Digestion...


Digestion this week will take on a literal flavor. For any who are looking to attend, please feel free to bring a plate of food and perhaps something to drink also as we will be finishing this year with a meal together. Should be great, hope to finish the year well.

Saturday, December 10, 2005

Slight Mis-hap!



Had a wee breakdown in communication over the painting of Amy's office while she's away! It seems there's a shortage of good painters/artists...



If anyone feels inspired, there are three little projects which could be tackled over the next few weeks:

1. The Youth Office needs some painting done

2. A Chalkboard needs to be designed and created for the foyer to hang above the Cafe, something with prices etc.

3. From the Open Home, Open Year Celebration, I have three scrapbooks which need to be filled with all the photo's and drawings from the event.

If anyone feels inspired, your artistic creativity would be much appreciated!

Friday, December 09, 2005

Christmas is all about the presence...


Check out this present!!


When the CCC finally get of their ass give Peter and Joyce a break, I can't wait to experience the presence this Christmas in the square.

(10am to 10pm, SE corner of Cathedral Square, 10th to 24th Dec.)

Please pray for Joyce and Pete!

In the beginning...

In the beginning God created the heaven and the Earth. And the Earth was without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Devil said, "It doesn't get any better than this."

And God said, "Let there be light" and there was light. And God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit," and God saw that it was good. And the Devil said, "There goes the neighborhood."

And God said, "Let us make Man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air and over the cattle, and over all the Earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the Earth." And so God created Man in his own image; male and female did He create. And God looked upon Man and Woman and saw that they were lean and fit. And the Devil said, "I know how I can get back in this game."

And God covered the earth with broccoli and cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives.
And the Devil created McDonald's. And McDonald's brought forth the 99-cent double cheeseburger. And the Devil said to Man: "You want fries with that?" And Man said: "Supersize them." And Man gained 5 pounds.

And God created the healthful yogurt, that woman might keep her figure that man found so fair. And the Devil brought forth chocolate. And Woman gained 5 pounds.

And God said, "Try my crispy fresh salad." And the Devil brought forth ice cream. And Woman gained 10 pounds.

And God said, "I have sent thee heart-healthy vegetables and olive oil with which to cook them." And the Devil brought forth chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. And Man gained 10 pounds and his bad cholesterol went through the roof.

And God brought forth running shoes and Man resolved to lose those extra pounds. And the Devil brought forth cable TV with remote control so Man would not have to toil to change channels. And Man gained another 20 pounds.

And God said, "You're running up the score, Devil." And God brought forth the potato, a vegetable naturally low in fat and brimming with nutrition. And the Devil peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy center into chips and deep-fat fried them. And the Devil created sour cream dip. And Man clutched his remote control and ate the potato chips swaddled in cholesterol. And the Devil saw and said, "It is good."
And Man went into cardiac arrest. And God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery. And the Devil canceled Man's health insurance.

Then God showed Woman how to peel the skin off chicken and cook the nourishing whole grain brown rice. And the Devil created light beer so Man could poison his body with alcohol while feeling righteous because he had to drink twice as much of the now-insipid brew to get the same buzz. And Man gained another ten pounds.

And God created the life-giving tofu. And Woman ventured forth into the land of Godiva Chocolate and upon returning asked Man: "Do I look fat?" And the Devil said, "Always tell the truth." And Man did. And Woman went out from the presence of man and dwelt in the land of the divorce lawyer, east of the marriage counselor.
And Woman put aside the seeds of the earth and took unto herself comfort food. And God brought forth Weight Watchers. It didn't help.

And God created exercise machines with easy payments. And man brought forth his Visa at 21 percent. And the exercise machine went to dwell in the closet of Nod, east of the polyester leisure suit. And in the fullness of time, Woman received the exercise machine from Man in the property settlement.

It didn't help her, either.

Thankyou to http://editrix.typepad.com/editrix/silly_stuff for this

Friday, December 02, 2005

Oh the times they are a changin...

What used to be an empty space...















Has begun to take shape...















And is beginning to look a little more attractive... Maybe...

It's amazing what a lick of paint, some couches and a coffee machine will do for the decor.