wiiii!

I treated myself to a new little toy on Friday. I've wanted a Wii for a while now and when I saw there was a deal at Dick Smith, I went after work on Friday to pick one up! I got a Wii console (which comes with Wii Sports), a Wii Fit, and a Moto GP game in a bundle. This was usually worth a total of around $600 (so I'm told), but I bought mine for $388. Not bad huh? If you hurry down to Dickies you can still probably grab the deal! Tell them Rowena sent you - no don't actually, otherwise they will look at you funny and ask whatcha talkin bout willis?

It's pretty cool. I'm very happy with it. I especially love my Wii Fit! It's so much fun, and I am actually doing exercise!! After about 90mins on Saturday night, I was sore all day Sunday and today! If it wasn't for me doing a bit more last night, I think I would be in even more pain today. It's totally dealt with my usual excuses for exercising - weather (too hot, too cold, too windy, too rainy, too sunny, too much hail, not cold enough, not warm enough, too dark, too early, too late) and having no one to exercise with. With my Wii, I can exercise in the comfort of my home and I can't make the excuse of no one to exercise with because I only have one remote anyway! hehe

I'm curious to know if the Wii will actually make a difference to my fitness - actually, I'm pretty sure it can - it's just my persistence (or lack of) which will interfere. Anyhoo, it's my new little toy, and so far, I'm loving it.

counting it joy

So the last few days I've been in a bit of a mood. I realised the other day that I was going to miss out again on an away day at work because they had scheduled the event on a day I couldn't go. Away Days are cool because we don't have to do any work, we get to go for a nice lunch and we get to knock off early! I've missed out so many times before, but this time I couldn't help but feel a little more miffed than usual, because I had been working pretty hard recently, and it just felt as though I wasn't being recognised for my efforts. I prayed that I could go, but it just felt that it wasn't going to happen.

Junk thoughts entered into my head, and as a result I felt discontented, disappointed, unappreciated, excluded, angry, and I even thought how I would take 'revenge' - take time off work as a 'sick day' or look for another job. Yep, junk thoughts through and through. I knew what I was thinking was not right and I just tried to get over it by trying to count it joy despite it not really being joy-worthy.

The song 'Count it Joy' was in my head for the last few days, and every time I was tempted to start mulling over some more junk thoughts I just heard in my head the Wilds Men's Choir Count it Joy Joy Joy, when you're faced with trials and tests - though that's all I could remember, it was enough.

So when I woke up this morning and I had to go to work, as much as I wanted to stay home, I just kept thinking Count It Joy as I got ready. And it really became easier. Every time I thought I had the right to be upset (i.e. when I didn't get a seat on the train because people who got to the train station later than me pushed in front and got a seat - well it didn't really give me the 'right' to be upset, but I still got upset!), God intervened (the lady I was standing next to got off at the next stop, and I got her seat). So I took that as God showing me what I was doing was right in His eyes.

Last but not least, when I got into work today, I found out I was able to go tomorrow to the Away Day after all. I was even told I HAD to go, and prior commitments would be rescheduled! So not only did Counting it Joy help me during my mini trial, my prayer was answered too! So I'm pretty happy and thankful to God.

to julia with love

In response to your blog.

He'll never leave me

Hooked on this song at the moment. My brother taught me this song on guitar and I have been trying to play it on piano as well. The lyrics are beautiful.

I'll Never Leave You
Words and Music - Mac Lynch

As Joseph sought the Lord his God, with all his heart (with all his heart)
God laid on him a burden he would bear, yet not alone.
The Lord was with this holy man to bring to pass His master plan.
Through foreign lands, God walked beside His own

Chorus
I’ll never leave you, never forsake you.
By waters still, in pastures green, I’ll often take you.
But when I break you, so that my name be glorified,
I’ll never leave you, never forsake you.

Though fires and floods would seem to hide His plan for you (His plan for you),
Though trials and afflictions seem to take away your song,
Though you may never understand, just trust in His upholding hand.
In time you’ll learn, He’s been there all along

in less than an hour...

My folks are coming back home after 39 days of globetrotting, and leaving their young to fend for themselves. It's about time too, was starting to get sick of the friends that kept coming over for dinner...

conviction by calendar

It’s not every day that you get convicted by a calendar.

I’ve been thinking a lot about my spiritual life recently. It’s been pretty average for a few months now and I have neglected a lot of things that I shouldn’t have neglected. I had points where I was OK, after which I would rest on my morals and think ‘that was pretty good Rowena, well done,’ and then slack off again for a while. The conviction has continued to grow and grow until recently I realised the sluggish spirituality I had been experiencing has been pretty much my fault for being lazy, and pretty much just losing interest in my First Love.

There have been a few things that have prompted me to make a change. Firstly, random as it sounds, organising the National Youth Conference. After a bit of discussion, we decided on a theme, ‘Come, My Beloved’ – God. It’s a theme that is revolves around God calling us (His beloved) back into a relationship with Him. When I think of this, I picture myself as a type of Hosea’s wife – a dirty, sinful, selfish, woman who left her husband to prostitute herself, only to be bought back again when no one wanted her and when she was at her lowest point in life. Well, I haven’t exactly prostituted myself and this isn’t exactly the lowest point in my life, but I have strayed from my God – and that’s bad enough. I have been infatuated with the things of the world and have lost interest in the most important things in life. The camp theme has reminded me (like many times before) that God is always there for me and that He is always ready to take my repentant self back.

Second, while teaching Sunday School, one of the lessons that came up was being Loyal to God’s Team (as opposed to my own or the world’s team). Though the lesson was meant for the kids, I knew it was also meant for me too. I had started cheering for the wrong team. I had to get the right colours back on again. This was sometime last month.

Third, seeing a man on the train reading his Bible. Convicted by his devotion, I started reading my Bible again. Hmm, this would have been about last week-ish.

Fourth, having two opportunities to share the Gospel. Doing so lifted my heart and reminded me what a privilege it is to be called a child of God. It reminded me of my own sinful nature and God’s disgust for sin. It reminded me of His unbounded grace, and ceaseless love. It also reminded me of the joy in serving God by being His hands and feet.

Fifth, Regeneration Campfire (as well as other discussions I have had in Regen) just helped confirm with me that spiritually, I’m not really where most others are and that I have fallen behind. Just sitting at the campfire reminded me of the times where I had done so previously with a heart full of devotion to God and full of desire to serve Him. That was... on Friday night.

Sixth, a long lunch at McDonald’s with Truc and Julia. I think just talking about what was going on in my head helped me determine to do something about it. Now that it was out in the open, I couldn’t just not do anything about it – especially not with two watchful sisters who would start checking up on me. Accountability can be a powerful motivator. That was yesterday to be exact.

Seventh, seeing my Regeneration Prayer journal on my desk starting to gather dust. Convicted by the dust, I grabbed it and started praying. That was last night.

And then today, as I flicked through my calendar at work to June 8, I came across some wise words from Oswald Chambers:

What’s next to do?

If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them – John 13:17

When you know that you should do something and you do it, immediately you know more. Examine where you have become sluggish, losing interest spiritually, and you will find it goes back to a point where you did not do something that you knew you should do.

It was just a few words from an old dude I don’t know, but they penetrated right through to the squishy bits of my heart. I had been thinking for a while that I needed to get back on track with God, and this was just the push I needed. God is really, truly amazing..

warming by the fire, underneath the stars

On Friday night, Regeneration headed out to Lake Leschenaulta for a Campfire, without the camp. It was a night of sitting outside, surrounded by 4 degrees of freezing-ness, and warming up by a toasty hot campfire. We sat around praising God, praying, sharing, fellowshipping, drinking hot chocolate (and Tea Tarek), toasting marshmallows, taking photos, and some of us wannabe MasterChefs even tried our hand at Campfire Cuisine (corn, potato gems, sausages, roast potatoes, and even a choc chip cookie).

It was great doing something so different, and I'm sure it won't be the last time.