I was born a child of grace...

We've had a fabulous O'Week at UNE this week, and it was really encouraging to see our new Christian Student Group - UNitEdinc (United In Christ) - up and running! We had a stall on Monday, and gave out flyers, lollypops and free water to about 500 freshers who came by our table. We had about 20 new Christian students put their names down, people who are interested in coming along to our weekly meetings and getting plugged in to Christian life in Armidale! Tuesday we ran a sport afternoon and free BBQ dinner, and on Wednesday we were able to spend about four hours at the Freshers' Bash at the UNE Bistro, cooking students food and just generally being around to chat with them. Now via email, texts, facebook and the net, we're seeking to get our name out to as wide an audience as possible, so that there's no one on campus at UNE who doesn't know who we are and what we're about! So, check out our website, our facebook page, and please be praying as we kick start our weekly meetings this coming week, and seek to create and build Christian friendships with students at UNE, and reach out to those who don't yet know Jesus.

Here's the intro clip the guys knocked together to promote our meetings this term.

I posted earlier in the week about the fabulous Next Generation Conference we attended at the end of January. Some people have requested photos. So here is the super (limited time only!) bumper post, right at the click of a mouse!
( Click )

Remember these posts? Last week, an Armidale gang trundled down again to Katoomba for the fabulous KYLC (now renamed NextGen just so we are all confused). We spent an incredible week getting stuck into God's word, honing our youth leadership and Bible Study writing skills, challenging and praying for each other. Coming back home was a bit like falling off a spiritual high, but I just keep reminding myself that we've got heaven to look forward to. It'll be like NextGen, but a million, trillion times bigger and better!

I'm looking forward to the Christian stuff that I'll be involved with this year. I'll continue co leading the music team - we're planning a music conference for early May which will be fab! I'm on the committee for the brand new UNitEdinc group (Christian Students on Campus) which will kick off in the first week of uni. We are small, but our God is big and I have no doubt that while there will be struggles and birthing pains as we get this group off the ground, that God will do amazing things. I'm looking forward to meeting new Christian students who might be feeling alone or overwhelmed in the midst of their new uni life, and sharing about Jesus with those who don't yet know Him.

NextGen was such a fabulous way to begin such a big year!

Here are the seven of us from St Pete's, Armidale (most of the back row), plus the group we were accommodated with for the week, our lovely cook Amy, and our adorable Austrian site hosts Stephan and Claudia. Yay for Kadumba!




Tomorrow I'm heading south yet again, to help Fran move into college in Sydney and visit with family for a week. I guess one day soon, these holidays will end!

I just had a blast with Fran, Emily, Pete and Mum. I suggested we all do some ficlets together and the idea was embraced with enthusiasm! Then we all read our pieces aloud to each other, blushing and laughing, kicking fear in the face.

Title: The Jump
Fandom/original: Original, but heavily influenced by both Alias and a number of war/adventure novels or biographies that I've read.
Rating: G
Word count: 215 words.

The jump took place at 3:55 Tuesday morning. France was a mass of dark misty blackness as he made his way to hole in the plane floor and prepared to jump. Utter blackness met his eye. The radar told him that they were right above the building, and the clock told him that he had exactly 14 minutes to complete the mission. Time was running out. The pack on his back was made secure and ready. He jumped.
The air was freezing as it blew past his face, as he fell ever onwards into the encompassing darkness. The vast spread of grazing fields and sheds slowly became distinguishable from the rest of the landscape. 13 minutes, 12, 11...
---
He own screaming woke him. The man was covered in linen and tarpaulin, and his arms were tangled in the ruined parachute. His legs wouldn’t move, and he looked down to see 20 feet below a lush, fern covered lawn. Desperate for some means of escape, ignorant that his time had expired three hours before and the agents were already on their way, he shook the foliage. The branch gave way under his weight. Pain jarred his torso, his head went light. “Vat do ve haf here eh?” a mean mannered, evil smelling, whisker covered face cried.

I truly believe depressed spirits are the best parents of creativity. (I always, very irrationally, wished my upbringing had been just a little more traumatic, for I might have been a genius.) Today, I've given birth to multiple bouts of inspired randomness, and I intend to keep at it all week. I don't want to get to the end of another year and have to say with Lady Catherine de Bourg that "If I had ever learnt done, I should have been a great proficient".* I can do, I should do, and I will do!
This week I intend to read a little, make a little, and play a bit too. I'm thinking about buying a camera and a photographer friend, James Day, has lent me one of his really nice cameras for the day. I don't know if I quite trust myself with $11,000 in my hand but I'm not complaining!
I'm going to get out the paint in a few minutes and without planning anything, see what happens.

And each day I hope to present a small piece of writing. I really do love writing, which leads me to the question, Why don't I do it more? Be gone, trepidation, fear, paranoia, for I'm gonna!

Title: The Line
Fandom/original: Original
Rating: PG for slight language
Word count: 270 words
Prompt: Racing
Confession: I did a tiny amount of editing as I posted this into the entry. I plead innocence as I've not written anything since my last creative writing assignment in November. Stone me if you will!

Mother said my heart always did it when I became overexcited. I couldn’t remember. The only thing I can ever remember is waking up with a pain in my chest and cramps in my waist. The memory of passing out never stayed with me, nor the moments that came before hand, those exhilarating moments beforehand. It always ended the same. I would scream as I awoke.
“Why the hell can’t I be like the other boys!”
The screaming hurt more.
“Damn it mother, damn it!”
The tears burnt my face. I secretly wished they’d tie me somewhere before I had a chance to get on to the running track, but I guess they had the same unspoken hope inside of them as I did, that this time things would be different. I was the only boy in the school who couldn’t compete and I was a disgrace, to my teachers, to my mamma, and to me.
Mother held my head to her lap as I gasped for air, clutching at the loose stones and dirt that lay so close to my face. The sirens became audible and then they were lifting me into the van. "Going for oxygen", they said. I knew it. I knew it every time. Every single time.
The tears burnt again and the gasping rent my insides.
“Next time I will,” I muttered through clenched teeth. A jolt made me scream and the pain only increased my angry resolution. “Next time Trent Williams will reach the finish line!”
The pain began to die away, and was replaced with a dull, quiet darkness that grew until it was black.

*Chapter 31, Pride and Prejudice.

Today, on the Eighth and Last Day of Thankfulness, I'm grateful for:

- A lovely Christmas and Boxing Day with about 40 different friends and lots of delicious food!

- Fun family times in front of the TV watching mostly more "Alias", with some of The Office and Mamma Mia! thrown in there too.

- Funny conversations via facebook status comments with friends who I haven't seen in about 10 years.

- Some exciting plans for 2009 - namely KYLC in January and Coldplay in Sydney in March.

- I have lots of nice friends.

- I live in a nice place. I like our gardens. Although it's mostly always too cold, the climate here really isn't too bad either.

- We're holidaying with Joe, Carly and Nadia next week!

Today I smiled because:

I was reading Alisan's blog and I'm so excited the Greeffs are back with us, even if only for a short time.

The music rosters for January almost finished, and I'm looking forward to introducing some new songs at church next semester (most notably 'Come Hear the Angels Sing', one of Michael Morrow's newest songs).

I cycled another 20 kms and watched Sydney Bristow save the world, again!

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve!

Photos make me smile!

This is what we made this morning:



Sally finally got hold of photos from St Pete's Carol Service, which was on the 14th December. It was a lovely night and lots of fun, even if stressful and mammoth too!



The Choir and Band before the service. What a beautiful and talented group of people!




More photos here. (Thanks to Sally's brother Ryan for the photos of the service!)

1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
Studied at UNE. Actually, you could make that; studied at an institution (full stop) – with face to face, feedback, assessments and exams! Woo!
Coordinated church music.
Went to youth and uni ministry conferences in Jan and Dec.
Became an aunty.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don’t do new years resolutions – it’s just more potential for disappointment.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yep! My sister in law had beautiful Nadia. Andrea had another baby too.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Kim died on the 23rd of October. I miss her so much.

5. What countries did you visit?
Just Australia, but next year, God willing, the list will be much longer ;)

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
More: Courage. Faith. Tolerance. Forgiveness. Selflessness. Let’s say more love in general.

7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
October 15th. It was the day the doctors told us we would lose Kim.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Finishing my first year of uni with flying colours. Clearly I’m amazing.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Oh, let’s just not go there.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Not really. All my problems were mental, which I’m not sure is a good or bad thing!

( Q's 11-35. )

We have a Christmas tree! And it actually looks really good too.

I'm not on music tonight, which means I can actually just arrive at church on time and enjoy the service ;)

Karen and her boys are coming out tomorrow morning and we're decorating ginger bread houses. After a carols service, Christmas/engagement party at the Dewhurst's last night, and the tree hunt today, it's actually beginning to feel like it could possibly be Christmastime.

Alias is cheesy, but I like it. And I did 22kms as we watched it this arvo!

We have a tray of mangoes.

Fran stayed the weekend.

Today I smiled cause:

We brightened up some old peoples' morning singing Christmas carols in nursing homes today. Those places are so sad and it makes me glad that we could go and sing and talk with them about the truth of Christmas.

We had lunch as a choir at the pub afterwards.

Fran and I had tea with the Greeffs, some missionary friends who have been in Africa, and whom I hadn't seen for three years!

Well, after that I guess it's good that I'm forced to write something nice. Today I smiled because:

I got to work an hour early which meant I got to leave early...

Which meant that when I got home, I still had time to post...

Go for a walk (but note to self: don't walk at 7pm next time, if I wish to avoid awkward encounters with our antisocial neighbour!)...

Eat...

Wash up with my brother and Nick...

Have a fabulous workout...

and I still have time to read a bit before bed!

We had an end of year work lunch at Caffiends. Hayden served us, and Fran came along cause she's an ex staff member. Louis from China came too, because he's in at the office doing work experience this week. Matthew is the most hilariously eccentric man you'll ever meet. I love being educated by him - he has a head full of random trivia, especially regarding Europe in the past and present. Luis is from Peru and today he decided he was going to treat us all to an impersonation of Joey from Friends saying "How you doin'? ;)" Marion divides her time between laughing and fussing, Luke quietly looks on, and Chinese Louis (or "Louis number 2" as Matthew calls him) sits there, trying to keep up.

I have resolved to get fit again this summer. Walks and workouts are the order!

The Greeffs are in town and tomorrow I'm having dinner with them!!

Summer decided she would visit today and shone her sun delightfully on us.

It's laaate and I've been out all day, so this will be quick! It seems I never catch up on anything lately (including sleep!) but with work, people, holidays... there's too much to doooo!

Tonight was so much fun. Caroline, Fran and I hung out, had tea, and then drove down town and rented As It Is In Heaven. I absolutely and thoroughly loved it! Fran left half way through so she better get round to watching the rest sometime this week cause she definitely missed out. I don't know that I exactly agree with the SMH that it is the best thing to come out of Sweden since ABBA (not sure I agree with the ABBA bit of the review, that's is :P). It was a beautifully - and sometimes excruciatingly - real story of love, loss, fear and triumph, with plenty of beautiful music and scenes of Swedish country side thrown in. Caroline and I were almost crying by the end of it... til we realised that the ending was actually rather ambiguous. We chose to believe the slightly less realistic, but 'happily ever after' version! I did have problems with it - especially the theology and the yet another dodgy portrayal of Christians - but I'm not writing a review. It's definitely on my rewatch list!
I always love the time I spend with Caroline. She is one of my most treasured friends, such a beauty. I love both her honesty and her hilarity. Ever since our KYLC and Titanic days we've got on fabulously, and I love every minute of it.

The rules: For 8 days you have to post something/s that made you happy that day. Tag 8 people to do the same.

I'm glad Lauren tagged me, because I have been realising lately that I've become exceptionally good at complaining and feeling sorry for myself. I don't think there's any point in just trying to feel happy for the sake of it when things aren't great, but I only have to remember that while "I have sinned and perverted what was right... I have not get what I deserved. He redeemed my soul from going down to the pit, and I will live to enjoy the light." (Job 33:27-28). Life really isn't as bad as it could be and this exercise will be good for me!

So today's happy thing was:

Lunch this arvo. I had planned to meet Alice and Fran at one, and after a bit of confusion and 10 minutes wandering around looking for each other, we finally met up outside the Post Office. It was freezing - yes! crazy Armidale weather - so we decided to seek refuge inside Fillin' Goovey - a cafe which serves delicious, freshly made healthy goodness, and where half the girls from church seem to have worked over the past two years. Because of the latter fact, it's a favourite haunt for many of my friends and there's always someone there to say Hey to. Today was no exception. Neil, Rosie, Soph and Sophie Lee were all in there when I arrived, and throughout the course of our lunch we chatted with these guys, plus Tim, Stuart and Megan who all made their appearances throughout the hour. I especially enjoyed chatting with Megan. She's a lady from the morning service at church who played the organ in a couple of the carols at last night's service. She's the real breacher of the gaps between the older and younger musicians in our church, as she knows all the traditional rules that we have to abide by but isn't freaked out that we like to play music with a drum kit and electric guitar! I guess it was a rather uneventful lunch really, but people excite me, and hanging out with Alice and Fran was lovely too ;-)

New icons and my uni marks and hilarious workmates all made me happy today as well. Wow, I'm getting good at this!

I don't think I have 8 friends who regularly post at the moment, but if you're reading this and want to do it, please do! Let me throw some suggestions: Ruth, Carly, Mum, Fran, Diane, Heather, Bonnie, Danielle.

If you could recommend I read ONE book in the holidays, what would it be?

"'Neither this man nor his parents sinned,' said Jesus, 'but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.'" John 9:3.

I read this verse this morning and it just seemed to very concisely sum up so much of what I've been thinking about lately, about God's role in suffering and what he is doing through our earthly trials. It is a great hope and comfort when we realise that in everything that hwe go through on earth, God is working. Why is He working? So that people might see him and know him, because he is the author of life, and only through Him do we have hope of salvation.

In John Piper's Don't Waste Your Life he says: "God loves us best by giving us the best to enjoy forever, namely himself, for he is best." Sometimes God has to go to very great lengths to remind us that He's there, that we are small and our efforts are futile. He reminds us because of his very great love, and sometimes the reminder comes in the form of suffering.

The Westminster Confession says that "Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever." That is why God goes to such great lengths to remind us. It is our chief end, what we are made for. Because God knows that this is best, he will go to great lengths - (sending Jesus in the first place was of course the greatest act of all!) - to remind us of the fact.

Oh that we would respond in praise, rather than despair, at his loving yet painful reminders!

As a PS: Jesus went on to heal the man born blind... as He promises he will heal each of us from our struggles and woes (wont necessarily be in the way we think it should be though!). But we mustn't forget that part of the story!

"No doubt a part of the wonder which is concentrated in the word “Behold,” is excited by the unbelieving lamentation of the preceding sentence. Zion said, “The Lord hath forsaken me, and my God hath forgotten me.” How amazed the divine mind seems to be at this wicked unbelief! What can be more astounding than the unfounded doubts and fears of God's favoured people? The Lord's loving word of rebuke should make us blush; he cries, “How can I have forgotten thee, when I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands? How darest thou doubt my constant remembrance, when the memorial is set upon my very flesh?” O unbelief, how strange a marvel thou art! We know not which most to wonder at, the faithfulness of God or the unbelief of his people. He keeps his promise a thousand times, and yet the next trial makes us doubt him. He never faileth; he is never a dry well; he is never as a setting sun, a passing meteor, or a melting vapour; and yet we are as continually vexed with anxieties, molested with suspicions, and disturbed with fears, as if our God were the mirage of the desert. “Behold,” is a word intended to excite admiration. Here, indeed, we have a theme for marvelling. Heaven and earth may well be astonished that rebels should obtain so great a nearness to the heart of infinite love as to be written upon the palms of his hands. “I have graven thee.”It does not say, “Thy name.” The name is there, but that is not all: “I have graven thee.” See the fulness of this! I have graven thy person, thine image, thy case, thy circumstances, thy sins, thy temptations, thy weaknesses, thy wants, thy works; I have graven thee, everything about thee, all that concerns thee; I have put thee altogether there. Wilt thou ever say again that thy God hath forsaken thee when he has graven thee upon his own palms?"

-- Charles Spurgeon

Kim, you've been my friend for as long as I can remember! I have loved you and known you longer than most people in my life, bar my immediate family and a few members of my extended. You always have a hug, smile and encouraging word ready whenever I see you. You make me laugh when you tell me embarrassing stories about my childhood ("Cobba, its about time you and I had a chat!"). I love your family and am blessed and encouraged by what you've done for them: giving up so much love and time for them, homeschooling all the kids and sowing into them the love and truth that God has worked in your life. I wish I could hug you now but I know that your family are close by, and that God is holding your hand. It feels too soon, but I know that God has had every single one of your days planned since before the creation of the world. We are so lucky to have had you for 45 today, and I praise God that I have known you for 17 1/2 of those. The doctors have said that we wont get to see you again, but I praise God that one day soon, we will! And we'll have all of Eternity to catch up on the years that we're gonna miss out on here. I will look forward to that day :-)


Kimbo, He will wipe every tear from [your] eyes; there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. (Rev 21:4) I love you!

Who I Am & Who I've Been

Most of us haven't known our LJ friends for more than a few years. Did you ever wonder what your friends looked like as they grew up? Show them!

Post pictures of yourself every 5 years from birth to where you are now. If your age is not a multiple of 5, post one from every 5 years and from your current age. For example, if you're 28, you'll post pictures from ages 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 28.

For each picture, tell
1) what age it is,
2) where it was taken,
3) what/who (if anything) is in the picture with you, and
4) something you remember from that age.

Age One day old, 1988.
Where At the Nepean Hospital where I was born, Penrith, NSW.
Who/What Just me... but don't I look just like my little niece?!
Memory Ok, so I really don't remember anything, but my birth has lots of stories attached to it - including the longest umbilical cord in the hospital's history, foreheads and screws, and oh yeah - the nurse wrote HARDY down my back in purple texta because they'd had some babies mixed up before me!!


( Utter Cuteness :P )

When peace like a river attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say
It is well, it is well, with my soul

It is well
With my soul
It is well, it is well, with my soul

My sin, O the joy of this glorious thought
My sin not in part but the whole
Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul

It is well
With my soul
It is well, it is well, with my soul

And Lord haste the day
When my faith shall be sight
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll
The trump shall resound and
The Lord shall descend
Even so it is well with my soul!