tomorrow...

I will be leaving for two weeks to see...

and this..

maybe some of this...

oh yeah, and also this...

It's gonna be great! Gotta finish packing!

To everyone who still has exams, study hard! Not long now! To all those who will be voting, make sure you don't stuff up ok? hehe.. But seriously, here's something for you to consider when you vote, make sure you make your vote count for the glory of God (click to enlarge)...

none but Jesus

I can't stop listening to the new song on my blog. It is called 'None but Jesus' and I absolutely love the lyrics. I have posted them below.

What I love most about this song is that it just really reminds me of who God is and how much He loves me. He is everything I need and all my delights should be in Him. It also reminds me, sadly, of how He is not my everything a lot of the time, and how other things in my life take my love away from Him - and I no longer have 'none but Jesus' in my heart, but some and Jesus.

None but Jesus

In the quiet, in the stillness
I know that You are God
In the secret of Your presence
I know there I am restored

When You call I won’t refuse
Each new day again I’ll choose

There is no one else for me
None but Jesus
Crucified to set me free
Now I live to bring Him praise

In the chaos, in confusion
I know You’re Sovereign still
In the moment of my weakness
You give me grace to do Your will

When You call I won’t delay
This my song through all my days

All my delight is in You Lord
All of my hope, all of my strength
All my delight is in You Lord
Forevermore


Lord please forgive me for the many times I have left my first love. May all my delights, hopes and strength be in You Lord, forevermore. May there be none but Jesus for me. Amen.

summer is officially here...

With a maximum temperatre of 39.8 today, and an overnight minimum of 21.6 (it was 30 degrees when I went to sleep), I think it's safe to say that summer has officially arrived in Perth. What a scorcher.

I started early today and was able to get out at 3pm - which was awesome. First time I had finished that early in a long time (if not ever). Today I didn't actually mind the heat as I drove down the freeway with the windows wound down and wind in my hair. I think the early finish had put me in a good mood, cause I'm usually a bit cranky when it comes to hot weather. It just doesn't bring out the best in me. In weather like this, the best thing to do is either stand under an air-conditioner and think cool thoughts, go to the beach (or other mass of cool water), or sit outside in the shade while sipping on lemonade - not sitting in a hot car or walking around working up a sweat. So thank God for flexi-time.

This hot weather makes me look forward so much more to New Zealand where the top temperatures are only around the 18-20 degree mark in the warmest city :D. How good will that be??? It's not long now.

NZ one score and one year ago...

This was a photo that my Dad sent me of my family 21 years ago in New Zealand. Caleb is inside my Mum (which is maybe why she doesn't look all that happy in the pic!). When I asked her why she looked so glum in the photos, she told me it was because me and AJ were running around and driving her crazy - fair enough then mum :D . I'm pretty sure my Dad still has that jumper and backpack too!

4 sleeps to go!!!

the home stretch

This year is quickly coming to an end - it has gone really really fast for me. All the things that I have been looking forward to are just around the corner, New Zealand, BOOT camp in Adelaide, Carols by Candlelight, Christmas, Post-Christmas sales, New Year's eve, Public Holidays galore.... It's going to be great!!

Our family trip to New Zealand is just around the corner. We leave at midnight on Thursday! I am starting to get a little bit excited about it all because I have started to look up stuff about New Zealand online and man, it looks like such a beautiful place! I have been once before - 21 years ago when I was a wee lass, and I have some very vague memories of glow-worms in a cave, but that's about all I can remember.

It's going to be such a great experience to go there when I am old enough to appreciate the scenery and culture. I found this promo video online - I thought it was worth sharing (if only to make all of you out there jealous! hahah)

OK I better start thinking about what to pack!

vocab-boost

Thought I might add a bit of an educational element to my blog. Vocab-boost. I will post up some new words every now and then that I will try to add to my vocabulary (or ones that are just fun), and you, the reader, can also learn with me too! Definitions come from Dictionary.com (love this site)

Here are the first lot:

woolgathering \WOOL-gath-(uh)-ring\, noun:
Indulgence in idle daydreaming.
e.g. Rowena was woolgathering instead of cleaning her room

sagacious \suh-GAY-shus\, adjective:
Of keen penetration and judgment; discerning and judicious; knowing; shrewd; wise.
e.g. She was very impressed by the sagacious comments from Caleb

triskaidekaphobia \tris-ky-dek-uh-FOH-bee-uh\, noun:
A morbid fear of the number 13 or the date Friday the 13th.
e.g. Triskaidekaphobia is a foreign concept to the Christian as he/she trusts in God and has no reason to fear

claque \KLACK\, noun:
A group of fawning admirers.
e.g. Rowena's claque was at it again, following her around like a bad smell :D

introspection \in-truh-SPEK-shuhn\, noun:
The act or process of self-examination; contemplation of one's own thoughts and feelings; a looking inward.
e.g. It is wise to invest one's time into regular spiritual introspection

spurious \SPYUR-ee-uhs\, adjective:
Not proceeding from the true or claimed source; not genuine; false.
e.g. The claims of Mr Rudd's political capabilities were clearly spurious

eschew \es-CHOO\, transitive verb:
To shun; to avoid (as something wrong or distasteful).
e.g. She endeavoured to eschew temptation, and take the route around the shops rather than through the shops.

here kitty kitty...

I like chapter 6 of Daniel. What an awesome account. A few things stood out for me this time round after reading it....

1. Daniel loved God - he just kept on praying and standing up for God no matter what the cost. Daniel 6:10 is great, it says that when Daniel found out about the new laws forbidding him to pray to anyone other than the king, he just kept doing it 'like he did aforetime'. Situations didn't phase him the slightest. He kept God his priority.

2. Daniel's testimony was strong - everyone noticed it. The king loved him for it, others hated him for it. But Dan just kept his light shining. When the king was forced to send Danny boy into the lion's den - he said to him in verse 16 'Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee'.

3. God was (and always will be) in control - the lion's didn't touch Dan at all. They left him there. I have always kinda thought that perhaps these lions were just docile, but what is most amazing is that when the baddies were thrown into the lions' den afterwards, their bodies didn't even touch the floor before the lions finished them for tea. Crazy. Not docile at all. Would have been cool to have experienced that though (sitting with the lions - not being eaten).

When Daniel sat, within the hungry lion's den,
Nobody thought, that there was any hope for him,
But all night long, the lion's never took a bite,
God took away, their appetite

When you believe, you shall receive
There's not a trouble or care that Jesus can't relieve,
For He is just the same today,
All you have to do is trust and pray,
Believe, you just believe!

a day at the races

Merilyn, Alan, Shauny, Sel-belle, Yorkie, Special-K and I went down to the Swan River today to watch the Red Bull Air Race. It was the perfect weather for hanging out by the Swan watching planes zoom by. The sun was out but the winds were quite cool at the same time. Renz and Ruey joined us halfway too.

It really is quite amazing that Perth is able to host such an awesome event. It was really well organised with big screens placed strategically along the South Perth Foreshore for everyone to catch the action.

The race itself was awesome. As I have mentioned before, this was the first time that I could actually watch the Race and I have to say, I was really impressed. The speed and the sound of the planes was awesome in itself, but the way that these pilots could manouevre through the pylons was just amazing.

Here are some pictures from today...