Power to the Blog...

I read this, this morning:

"The anonymous female author of an Iraqi "blog", whose Web site entitled "Baghdad Burning" mixes humour, despair and acerbic political commentary, has been nominated for a major literary prize in Britain."

You can read the rest of the article here:

http://xtramsn.co.nz/technology/0,,13441-5582521,00.html

GO THE BLOG!!!

Good news... Bad News...

The good news after visiting my Surgeon today is that I'm going to be able to go to the Waltham Community Urban Fair this Friday!! Yaaa! The Bad news is that they're postponing my operation 1 day to Saturday Morning. The further good news is that I will be getting my own Suit!!! Yaaa!

Hey Baby... How you doin?

Today I got to hold Samuel Alan Taylor...

Congratulations Adrian and Lucy!

Jas aint Happy

The Waltham Community Urban Fair has been postponed until next Friday the 31st... And I'll miss it caus I'll be in surgery!

I have a Date!!!

I had a call from the surgeon this morning and I'm booked in next Friday morning to be operated on at St Georges Hospital.

Thank you God for such a fast resolution!

And thanks to all those praying!

Bring on the scalpel!

Waltham Community Urban Fair

Tomorrow we will be holding a stall at the Waltham Community Urban Fair at Waltham Primary School from 3pm to 6pm and here's a sneak preview of the Opawa Baptist Info stall...

It will be a great day for the whole community, plenty of entertainment, food, bungie Tramp and rock wall for the kids and fundraising stalls!

Please pray for fine weather, and we hope to see you all there.

Time to grow Jas...

I have in the past been prone to jump into new and exciting things, making big decisions on the spot without going through the right processes.

In 2001, I had this really cool idea to open a drop in centre/soup kitchen on Friday Nights at my old church, (CNLC). We were looking to feed some of the people who lives on the streets, the prostitutes, glue sniffers and street kids.

It was a great Idea, and I got lots of support so I charged straight in, mentioning it to the Administrator, Anne Morrow (in charge of Pastoral care) my youth Pastor and the Senior Pastor.

I thought they had given me the Green light!

I was wrong.

The opening night we fed 50 people with a 2 course meal.

the next week the youth Pastor took me out to Coffee. He wanted to explain to me that Leo, the Snr Pastor had no idea we were going ahead with the project!!! He was not happy!!!

So you see, sometimes I just get a rush of blood to the head with an exciting idea and don't stop to consider the correct process. (Like getting the Snr Pastor's rubber stamp.)

(We ended up running for another 6-7 months, feeding hundreds of people in the process and sharing our passionate love for Jesus with many of the "Untouchables.")

I'm glad God has allowed me to grow through this.

Sometimes there needs to be a thorough process in order to collect as much information as possible and to gauge the feeling of all those concerned in order to make sure that the church isn't run by the whims of the leadership, but by the Spirit speaking through the whole body.

I am appreciating this more and more, and I pray God will continue to teach me good discernment skills.

It is Finished!!!

My employment with Statistics NZ has finished this afternoon!!

It has been a long month and some long days, but to finally hand in 300+ census forms to the main office has given me a great sense of accomplishment. I've visited over 300 homes within the area of the church and have created dialogue with as many people, sometimes twice.

It's a great way to meet people and find out more about the area and the people who live here.

And get paid for it.

It'll be nice to have my evenings back again.

If anyone is interested in 5 years time in doing this, it's a great way to earn a little cash and to meet heaps of people.

YouthTRAIN...

This Morning we discussed some skills and strategies of Pastoral Care. The realization on the faces of the three here this morning that they are Pastors in the way they are involved in Pastoral care for our youth was good to see.

Conversation issues were discussed, how when talking to youth, it's probably best to talk about the most important thing in the lives of the youth... Themselves! Asking questions, carrying conversations, but giving the youth the freedom to lead.

Also we discussed responses to crisis, where we touched the tip of the iceberg as far as Pastoral Care in life's crisis. Some interesting considerations...

There was an opportunity to reflect on last weeks class and there were some insightful responses, good to hear the issues are being wrestled with.

Keep up the good work!!

Is that the light at the end of the tunnel???

Census is almost finished...

An operation for my back within the next three weeks...

Waltham Community Day next Friday...

could this be a return to the normality of life...

whatever the case, looking forward to Monday, the first day off in almost a month!!

To Hell and BACK III

Today was the day I met with the surgeon to discuss operating on my back.

From Thursday last week, I have been experiencing excruciating pain for the first two to three hours each day, to the point that I couldn’t even walk let alone sit to drive anywhere. I actually paid a visit to A n’ E because it was so intense, I thought something serious had happened over the last couple of days. However 2 ? hours later, after pacing up and down the waiting room, the pain had lessened and I felt I could probably return to work. Quite an inconvenience.

Sunday again, my PUSHER, Amanda, gave me another prescription of anti-inflammatories, this has helped some-what.

Today the surgeon told me the best course of action was to operate and remove the piece of ruptured disc which is putting pressure on the nerves going down my leg. My Spine is also degenerating and is probably 10 years older then myself.

The Doctor is going to write to ACC to confirm funding and then hopefully book in for surgery within the next week or so! Praise God it’s happening quickly!

Please pray for a quick resolution and a smooth bureaucratic process o get this over and done with!

Your Prayers are appreciated.

Enlightening Sunday evening!!

a couple of photo's of the light show after Church on Sunday Evening...

Barista Course...

Well done to those who took part in the Barista course held at Polytech on Saturday...

Look forward to your coffee efforts here at church...

YouthTRAIN

YouthTRAIN began today as 5 of us started to look at some of the issues surrounding caring for young people in the Church Context today.

Please pray that God will use this time to re-envision us, in order to properly care for the young people at Opawa Baptist and surrounding community.

To Hell and BACK II

I have an appointment with the surgeon next Monday at 3.45pm, fingers crossed he will be able to operate soon.

Your prayers are appreciated

Your prayers are effective

Your prayers are always heard

To Hell and Back...

My visit to the specialist this morning went positively. Positively in that I now know what is wrong with me.

Yesterday morning was the worst morning I have had over the last two months. Plenty of times I contemplated just staying in bed, but I wanted to be at church as I knew it was going to be a flat-out day… plus I didn’t want to miss out on anything. This helps drive me.

I now have a new best friend! Thank you Amanda Landers, you’ve saved my life. (Amanda wrote me out a prescription for a drug called Tramadol, so good it should be illegal! I picked this up on Sunday afternoon and praise God for good drugs! Probably for the first time in a month and a half, the pain was almost non-existent!

This morning was probably the best morning I’ve had over the last two months.

My Doctor, Mark McLachlan, gave me the results of my MRI Scan.

It seems I’ve split one of the discs in my back, possibly previously, maybe as long ago as October 2004. In January this year, while at the gym, I pushed myself too hard and the liquid element of my disc squezzed out this crack like a marshmallow between your fingers!

As you can see from the diagram looking down onto my spine, the Fluid from the disc has put pressure on my spinal cord and the nerves coming from the spinal cord and this is causing the increasing pain.

This, according to Dr McLachlan is redeemable via surgery. They can remove the extra fluid and stitch up the split in the disc. This should relieve the pain and may even return me to a more normal life, (whatever normality means!)

Thank God

Pastor Amy Hay!!

Congratulations Amy!!

Ahhhhhhh...

What a cute looking family. Congratulations Warwick and Rebecca.

This'll stir...

I found this little gem in an old folder...

Letter to Dr. Laura
by J. Kent Ashcraft

Dear Dr. Laura,

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and I try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind him that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate.

I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the other specific laws and how to best follow them.

a. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odour for the Lord (Lev. 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odour is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

b. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

c. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness (Lev. 15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

d. Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

e. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?

f. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination (Lev. 11:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this?

g. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?

h. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev.19:27. How should they die?

i. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

j. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? (Lev.24:10-16) Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev.20:14)

I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help. Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.

Your devoted disciple and adoring fan,

J. Kent Ashcraft

Georgia Rose...

For the exclusive photo of Georgia Rose Tomlinson, Check here, of check this site again tomorrow!

http://www.youraveragechristian.blogspot.com/