merry CHRISTmas

In a time where being politically correct is the expectation of society, and being a bold Christian is discouraged, even abhorred, by the world - I just want to wish all who read this post a very Merry Christmas and God's blessings for the New Year!

This year, Christmas has been good (and technically, it hasn't even begun yet). Coming back from Melbourne, and then diving into Christmas activities has been a real blessing. From the Christmas Family Dinner, to Carols in the Valley, decorating the Christmas tree, making a gingerbread house, carolling on Christmas Eve, and much more to come tomorrow, it's been a nice lead up to Christmas 2008.

Here's a few pictures from Carols in the Valley and of my little gingerbread house...

Merry Christmas once again!

the dome

waiting to light our candles!

the girlies

the crowd (there were HEAPS of people)

ranga baby who played with us

the white stains on the walls are me learning two things... A. don't over-do decorations, B. icing is not very forgiving when trying to decorate gingerbread.

spiritual family

Tonight was a special night. My church held a Christmas Dinner / Praise Night which involved a Pot Bless Dinner (a.k.a. Pot Luck Dinner, only as Christians, we believe more in blessings than luck, hence Pot Bless), games, skits, carol singing and an exhortation. Though we have done similar things to this in the past, tonight, I dunno, it was different. It just felt as though we were like one big family.

After we had dinner, we had some games where some of the older adults joined in too. We shared a lot of fun and a lot more laughs. We were split into a few groups and we later had to perform a skit, based on the Bible, which had to include three random objects that we had chosen earlier - the catch was that we were not allowed to speak, but we could make sound effects. The stuff that people came up with in the 10 minutes provided, had the lot of us (older adults included) in hysterics.

Some of the young people prepared a skit (this time with slightly more prep time than 10 minutes!), which was done so very well - and again had a lot of us in stitches. God has given so many people in this church such great talent!

Earlier today, I was incredibly hesitant to go tonight because I had to chair the program and I just felt as though my heart wasn't in the right mood to do so. With all the church stuff that had been going on, I guess I had been feeling a bit overwhelmed about it all and felt too 'down' to be a cheerful chairperson. I reminded myself, that though these feelings were plaguing me, God is still on His throne, God still loves His bride the church, and God will always be there for us - even during trials.

In the end, I really do thank God for the opportunity to serve Him as a chairperson tonight. Standing at the front of the sanctuary and watching as everyone sang together in unity and in praise to our God, was an indescribable encouragement to me. God reminded me what a true blessing it is to serve Him.

Tonight, I really thank God for my church and how trials have helped to strengthen it more and more. Though many more trials seem to be on the horizon, I take comfort in the fact that God will never leave us or forsake us, and I thank God for the blessing of a spiritual family.

hopeless love - fact not feeling

At the National Youth Conference, Pastor Barlow shared with us two messages that I thought would be good to summarise here. Not only because I will have to do a quick sharing on them for the Camp Echo, but also because these two messages were the ones that I think, impacted me the most.

Hopeless Love

The scene was set at Jesus' crucifixion. After a few years of watching Jesus perform countless miracles and learning from His great ministry, all appeared to be over as three women gazed up at their Teacher, Lord, and Friend, hanging lifeless on the cross. Joseph of Arimathea chose to honour Jesus when He was silent and dead, and unable to acknowledge the kind gesture of funding a tomb. The three women continued to show their love for Jesus going to His tomb to anoint His dead body. Though they were doing the 'right thing' they failed to realise that a risen Saviour would not need His body anointed, or a tomb to be laid to rest in. The dedication of the three women and Joseph of Arimathea was loyal and involved, but lacked one very important thing - hope.

The hopeless love that they had did not believe that Jesus would rise from the dead. They lived, like so many of us today, on the wrong side of the resurrection. But as we realise the truth of Jesus' resurrection, as Christians, we can believe this and have hope that He not only has redeemed us, but that He is coming back again to bring us to Heaven.

Fact, Not Feeling

Jesus lives, despite what we feel in our heart. His resurrection was God's approval for the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins - without the resurrection, Christianity is just another human way to get to God. But why should we hope in the resurrection? Is there much proof for it?

The Sabbath day was changed by the early church from a Saturday to a Sunday ('the first day of the week')to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus (which happened on a Sunday). There would be no change in Sabbath Day if it weren't for such a miraculous event.

People often believe that enemies of Jesus, stole His body so they could foil any resurrection attempts. But if this was the case, all they would have had to do would be to bring out the dead body of Christ from it's hiding place to disprove all the perceived rumours that Jesus had resurrected.

Some people believe that the disciples of Christ stole the body of Jesus. But this was too unlikely as they were already feeling so defeated and discouraged that He had died. Moreover, if they had hidden the body and they knew 'the truth' they would not have died for the cause of Christ later when they faced martyrdom for being Christians.

It is often thought that the whole 'tale' of the resurrection is one that was thought up and written down as a narrative to give Christians hope, but if this was the case, why would the first eye witnesses of the resurrected Jesus be women - who were known in that time to be un-credible witnesses (not even the disciples believed them when they were told! Luke 24:11).

However, despite the evidence for the resurrection, some people will still choose not to believe because of the moral implication - that they will be accountable someday to a living God who will judge them for their every action. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil (John 3:19).

Regarding disappointment, disappointment comes from expectations not being met. If our expectations are wrong, we can be disappointed - even by God. We should therefore try to have our expectations in line with God's will. When disappointed, don't give into the temptation of isolating yourself from church - you need good christian fellowship to help reprove, rebuke and exhort. These things will help us grow!

what's hot, what's not

I ♥ these things...

The ♥ symbol! It's sooooo handy!

Chloe fragrance. This is the nicest thing you could ever smell - period. I bought myself this as a present and got DJs to wrap it up for me too! hahaha so sad.. I'm currently practicing temperance by not opening up my gift! (as a result, I keep going back to the fragrance departments to re-smell it while I wait for Christmas to come!).

Melbourne (see previous post)

Playing hymns on guitar - maybe it's because we usually hear them being played on piano all the time, but it just sounds so good! Holy Holy Holy is really cool on guitar [chords: D Bm A D G D, A D Bm A/E E7 A, D Bm A D G D, Bm D G D G A7 D]

Andrew Murray. The devotions we had at camp were from his book 'Absolute Surrender' and they were a real blessing.

The FTZ (free transit zone) in the CBD and CAT buses. OK this might sound stupid, but I am such a fan (especially after coming back from Melbourne where you have to PAY for trips within the city! Unheard of in Perth!). For work I need to do quite a bit of walking around the CBD, and as the weather heats up, hitching a ride in a nice, air-conditioned bus is just fabulous. We are very spoilt here in Perth!

Subway. Meatball sub on Italian Herbs and Cheese, with everything (except pickle), salt and pepper, and chipotle sauce. So satisfying (so not a healthy choice anymore).

Statement Heels. Hahahaha that one was for Julia. :P

Christmas! I can't wait! and it's so very close now! Christmas Tree is up, lights are all twinkling, some presents are already under the Christmas tree, and this year (thanks to Leah and Eugene) I have a Gingerbread house to construct! Yes, I will post the photos up when I've finished :D. But more importantly, we remember God's gift to us, His children - a Saviour in Christ to save us from the depths of Hell. Though it's great to have all the fun and excitement of Christmas and gingerbread houses, it's even better to know that because of Jesus, we have a blessed hope that in God's eyes we are forgiven and that when we die, we will be reunited with our loving Father in Heaven for eternity.

I really don't ♥ these things at all...

Hayfever. Not sure if I'm getting hayfever, but my eyes have been itchy-as, and I tend to be sneezing a lot more than normal. Why must pollen be so lethal??

My camera. Seems like my once trusty camera is starting to be less trusty. Though he still takes some pretty good shots, I fear as though he might not last very long and this makes me sad.

Hot weather. Summer has just begun and I am already over it. Bring back winter!!

Church Politics. A lot has gone on in the past few months at my church and the ugly side of a lot of people has come out in the process. Seems as though a lot of destructive words have been uttered, divisive actions have been made, and for some, it seems as though God has been forgotten in the process. It's comforting to know that God has the same thoughts when it comes to these things. Proverbs 6:16-19.

i ♥ melbourne

Thank God for a really blessed trip in Melbourne. Though today I am dead tired and feeling down because I had to go back to work, the memories in Melbourne will continue to warm my heart. It was great catching up with brothers and sisters from Hope, Sydney BP, Bethel and of course from Ebenezer. Old friendships were built upon and new friendships were made. The fellowship in Melbourne was definitely the highlight – from the straight-after-red-eye-flight-breakfast in Flinders Lane to the car trip back to the airport last night, the last 12 days have been an amazing and unforgettable blessing.

The main reason for going this time round was the National Youth Conference that Ebenezer BP were hosting for the first time. Situated in Anglesea (at the beginning of the Great Ocean Road – I think), it was a good little spot for some spiritual food prepared by Pastor John Barlow. The camp itself, though seemingly different from previous camps (still not entirely sure why this was the case), was great, but in a different way. I think it may have been because the messages caused me to think rather than convict me or fire me up. I didn't really feel a spiritual high, rather, I left Melbourne missing the fellowship and pretty keen about visiting Esperance someday to visit the Barlows :).

The messages were captivating, and raised many points that caused me to think more about my own walk with Christ, some that I had never considered before in my whole life as a Christian. There were a few times where I did feel conviction - more about things like my lack of faith in God, having false humility, and being guilty of having a 'Hopeless Love' sometimes too.

But I think the best thing about camp was the fellowship I was able to have with some of the fellow campers – the bond that we shared through Christ helped bridge the (age) gap that would normally separate me from those who I got to talk to (though to be honest, being a bit immature for a 25-year-old, the gap usually isn't THAT big). Outside of the church it is often difficult to share deeply with people you have only just met, but at camp, it was as though the bond through Christ gave each conversation the opportunity to take a giant leap past the usual pleasantries and into sharing from the heart. For me anyways :)

Our camp group was named Soli Deo Gloria (glory to God alone), and we had the blessing of having Pastor Barlow in our group. The discussions were open and many shared their struggles and experiences honestly. The discussions we had in our groups were deep and at times challenging but were also sure to include some laughs along the way. It was a great mix of people and camp just seemed to finish way too quickly.

Following camp, the days were pretty much made up of eating, drinking coffee, shopping, walking, and taking photos. The people from Ebenezer and Bethel were great hosts and it was a blessing to spend more time with them in the past few days. I'm really looking forward to going back to Melbourne in March next year!

As always, here are some photos from the trip. They are in a very mixed up and illogical order.

random dog on chapel st - so cute!

group shot outside Ebenezer BP

another group shot outside Ebenezer BP

breaking by back to pose with cakes at Bernetti

yumming some cha

random lane

tram shot

at The Mess Hall for our last lunch :(

brekky at Chapel St

brekky bunch outside Drummond (where City Gospel Fellowship is held)
icecream at Docklands
mussels at Belgian Beer Cafe
korean food with Trina and Adeline
Coffee with Bethelites and Trina
yum cha
'Noah's Ark' at camp
Soli Deo Gloria
SDG HQ
after red-eye flight (note the red eyes)
at The Garage
Docklands statue
at The Mess Hall (our waitress was a Christian!! she took this shot for us)
breakfast at Lygon St with Damo

at Melb's Harbour Town (very deserted)

words from spurgie

Just wanted to share with you all some choice words from my old buddy Charles Spurgeon. I couldn't agree more with how he puts this and I think it's a lesson worth learning.

"Avoid foolish questions."

Titus 3:9

Our days are few, and are far better spent in doing good, than in disputing over matters which are, at best, of minor importance. The old schoolmen did a world of mischief by their incessant discussion of subjects of no practical importance; and our Churches suffer much from petty wars over abstruse points and unimportant questions. After everything has been said that can be said, neither party is any the wiser, and therefore the discussion no more promotes knowledge than love, and it is foolish to sow in so barren a field. Questions upon points wherein Scripture is silent; upon mysteries which belong to God alone; upon prophecies of doubtful interpretation; and upon mere modes of observing human ceremonials, are all foolish, and wise men avoid them. Our business is neither to ask nor answer foolish questions, but to avoid them altogether; and if we observe the apostle's precept (Titus 3:8) to be careful to maintain good works, we shall find ourselves far too much occupied with profitable business to take much interest in unworthy, contentious, and needless strivings.

There are, however, some questions which are the reverse of foolish, which we must not avoid, but fairly and honestly meet, such as these: Do I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? Am I renewed in the spirit of my mind? Am I walking not after the flesh, but after the Spirit? Am I growing in grace? Does my conversation adorn the doctrine of God my Saviour? Am I looking for the coming of the Lord, and watching as a servant should do who expects his master? What more can I do for Jesus? Such enquiries as these urgently demand our attention; and if we have been at all given to cavilling, let us now turn our critical abilities to a service so much more profitable. Let us be peace-makers, and endeavour to lead others both by our precept and example, to "avoid foolish questions."

six months to live

What would you do if you knew you only had six months to live? This question came up in our Bible Study tonight and my mind started racing about all the possibilities. Quit my job (fo shizzle!), witness to my friends and family, tell people how I feel about them and what they have meant to me in my life, tell people things I have been too gutless to say, maybe head off to somewhere like Myanmar and serve God somewhere out of my comfort zone, street-preaching, give away my belongings, eat 'sometimes foods' all the time, spend time with my loved ones.

I could think of so many things! Things I have always wanted to do, but never have because of embarrassment, pride or fear (haha sounds familiar huh?). The thing is, it made me realise that a lot of the things I am working towards now (as a twenty-five year old, with supposedly many years ahead of me) are totally different the things the Rowena-with-only-six-months-to-live would work towards. But why the discrepancy?

Are the things in my life at the moment THAT meaningless? Am I wasting my time doing this or that? How much of what I am doing counts in an eternal perspective?

Living in the light of eternity is something that has been drilled into me during the countless youth camps and Bible studies of the past 10 years or so, but I think it's always good to be reminded of what our current priorities are and what they should be. As the Bible study material puts it 'contemplation of death gives us the wisdom to live'. Amen to that!

O-what-a-lot-of-fuss-about-bama

I haven't really been following the US Elections much - I just see whatever happens to be on the TV. I caught all the nonsense like Michelle Obama dancing on Ellen, and then her husband, the future president of the United States, Barack Obama, do the exact same thing. And I have learnt recently that the new President of the United States will be the 44th one, the first one of African-American descent, and that the Obamas will bring to the White House the youngest children to live there in over 50 years.

The victory for Barack Obama was a landslide, and it seems as though the guy also has a lot of support all over the world. I didn't think too much about all the hoo-ha until someone mentioned something about Obama being the Anti-Christ.

I googled 'Obama anti-christ' and got quite a few results - the first of which was a blog entitled 'Barack Obama The Anti-Christ?' which contained quite a lot of amusing, if not creepy, articles and videos about this very topic. My mind couldn't help but keep returning to the though of this fella...

I mean, he is a very charismatic fellow, he's into World Peace (I heard on Channel Ten News today that 'the UN look forward to working with Obama to unify the world'), he's coming into a time of global recession, he seems to have the rest of the world supporting him, and Oprah worships the ground he walks on.

At the moment, my knowledge about this topic is limited and as such I can't comment much more than this, but I would encourage everyone to keep watching this space in the news to see what happens. One thing is for sure, the time we have here on earth is limited so we need to keep shining our light and seeking that which was lost.

cup day

The "race that stops a nation" was on again this year. But to be honest with you, I forgot all about it until this morning when I was on my way to the train and a lady walked past with a really nice clip in her hair - I just thought, 'Wow, she went to a lot of effort to do her hair for work' and thought nothing further about it. As I got on the train, I saw another lady with a pink fascinator in her hair, and then it clicked! It's really quite interesting that the thing that stops this nation of Australia, is one that is based ultimately on gambling.

Apparently, this year, Australia spent up to $150 million on this one race! That's quite incredible when you remember that our world is going into what is going to be potentially a global recession.

But I guess, I can see how one can be lured into the temptation of gambling through things like the Melbourne Cup. Last year, I entered the Office Sweepstakes (it cost me $2), and I came out winning second prize - which ended up being something like $6. Afterwards, I started thinking things like 'man, if I put $20 on it I would've won $60!' and so on. I never ended up going to a TAB after that (my conscience kicked up enough of a fuss about contemplating the initial 'what-if' thoughts), but it just became quite clear to me how people can get carried away by the thrill of winning to keep chasing that thrill again and again until the point that they declare bankruptcy. I dunno, it may seem like a harmless day of fun, but it just seems as though there are so many seemingly-harmless things in this world that make us turn our eyes away from Jesus.

appreciating hymns

Regeneration and Youth180 had the second Hymn Appreciation Night on Friday. And ever since then, I think I have learned to appreciate hymns a lot more. I guess the committee's did their job with at least this girl hey? Or I should say, God did His job hehe.

Eight hymns were presented in total, with each including the story behind the hymn, or the reason why that hymn was special to them. All presenters did really well, and now every time I sing those songs, I see them in a completely new light.

I was particularly encouraged by Barry and Juanita's sharing about William Cowper (pronounced 'Cooper', not COW-per hehehe), author of 'There is a Fountain'. The story was quite touching - you can read the whole thing here. I have always loved this song, and every time I sing it, it really touches my heart. But to know that it was written by Cowper, who was just such a broken and troubled person, made me realise just how much hope and meaning Jesus gave to people like Cowper, who had little or no reason at all to hope again.

There is a fountain filled with blood
drawn from Immanuel's veins
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains

The dying thief rejoiced to see
That fountain in his day;
And there may I,
though vile as he
Wash all my sins away

Dear dying Lamb, thy
precious blood
Shall never lose its power
Till all the ransomed church of God
Are saved, to sin no more

For since by faith I saw the stream
Thy flowing wounds supply
Redeeming love has been my theme
and shall be till I die

When this poor lisping,
stammering tongue
Lies silent in the grave
Then in a nobler, sweeter song
I'll sing thy power to save

What beautiful words. The amazing thing is that the more you study the history of hymns, the more you realise that so many of these beautiful lyrics were written by people who were going through some serious emotional, physical, spiritual pain. God is really such an amazing God - to give His children a song in the midst of such trials is what grace is all about.

smoke on..

The Red Bull Air Race is COOL. The speed, the acceleration, the precision, the g-force, the hilarious commentry, the scorching sun, the blue skies, the iconic Perth sky-line as a backdrop, the bored little kids playing in the Swan River, the tasty and highly nutritious food from the caravans, the vroooooooooooooooom sound as the planes wizz by, the ice-cold red bulls, the pretty paint jobs on the planes, the plethora of large-lensed cameras clicking away in attempts to capture the perfect shot, the oo-ing and ahh-ing of the crowd, and the schwaarzaneggar-sounding control tower guy who gives the pilots the green light to start and to turn their 'smoke on'.

This year I had to go again because I actually thought it was the last time it was going to be in Perth (but it turns out that it's back next year too! Woohoo!). We caught a ferry from the city-side to south-perth and settled in a spot just next to all the silly people sitting in the grandstands who actually paid for a seat at this free event - suckers! To the right were the commentators and the control tower, to the left was the grandstand, and in front, the chicanes for the first stretch of the track. Though it got pretty warm sitting in the sun for a few hours (as a result, we were both a few shades browner after it al - despite several applications of sunscreen), it was totally worth the while.

Bring on Red Bull Air Race 2009!

the South Perth foreshore

the pretty green plane

'Perth' in case you forgot

the view from our possie

display





where the Schwarzaneggar-Control-Tower-Guy says 'smoke on' from

they had a better view than us

pretty green plane again

ice-cold red bulls mmm...