What do you want?

I was reading my Bible just before going to bed the other night.... blind Bartimaeus was sitting at the gate and heard that Jesus was coming by. He was calling out to Jesus, ‘Son of David... have mercy on me’. Jesus heard Bartimaeus and stopped in his tracks. He then asked Bartimaeus ‘What do you want?’...

I felt challenged as I read that story. How many times do my prayers stop Jesus to take notice of what I am saying? And ‘What do I want?’

I also began to question myself... do I actually ask Jesus for exactly what I want? I have lots of dreams and desires in my heart but do I actually voice them enough in my prayers so that Jesus takes notice? Obviously Jesus already knew what Bartimaeus wanted because He could see that he was blind... so why did He ask him ‘What do you want?’

Jesus wants us to ask Him for what we want even though He may already know the desires of our heart. There is that other Scripture that says ‘You have not because you ask not’.

The next day we had a guest speaker in our staff meeting and he spoke about several things but he also spent a little bit of time on this same story. I was flabbergasted!! Obviously God is trying to tell me something! Perhaps I need to get on my knees more often and ask Jesus for what I want.

James 4:2  You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.

Life...

Every now and again I am absolutely stunned at how quickly life can pass by, often without us barely even noticing and last night was one of those times... My husband Craig and I celebrated with one of our friends who turned 40 years old today. I honestly cannot believe I have friends who are that age and that I too have almost reached that point in life... the dreaded top of the hill! However, aren’t they now saying that 40 is the new 30?? What a relief!!



I remember when my mother had her 40th birthday and we had a huge surprise party for her... I was sixteen at the time and everyone else who was my mum’s age and my mother of course... seemed SO old. It kind of shocks me to think that I was there to celebrate with my mum when I myself who has only about 15 months to go haven’t even started a family yet!


But along with celebrating with our friend the big 40... yesterday he also buried his friend of many years who was a similar age... that is most certainly a wake-up call to me of how short life can be.


All of this rolled into one definitely makes you reflect again on your own life... my achievements, successes, failures, opportunities taken or missed... but it also encourages me to ensure that in the coming years I take every opportunity that I possibly can and strive that little bit harder to achieve all of those goals and dreams that I have in my heart.


Life is beautiful and a God-given gift but often life can be short or it can pass by so quickly that it comes and goes without a blink because we can be so busy doing EVERYTHING but I want to be one who will ‘seize the day’ and make the most of my life, live my life to the full with purpose and do God’s will for my life... because we have only one life to live on this earth... and I want to make it count!

Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.

Honouring God

When I was 13 years old I made a decision in my life that I never wanted to be in the ministry because of my experiences as a pastors kid and because of what I saw my parents go through as pastors.

Being a PK can be a bit rough at times…. There are sacrifices to be made that you don’t have a choice about, expectations placed on you because of the position your parents are in, other children pay out on you because your parents are pastors… and it goes on.

So when I was a little bit older, but not too much wiser, I began to get a desire to preach. This desire was obviously from God because in the natural that was the last thing that I ever wanted to do so I hid that desire and pushed it deep down and ignored it. I didn’t want to face it because my fears and insecurities were taking a higher place than the call of God on my life. I knew that I had a call of God on my life to preach and to be an influence to others but I thought there were others who could do a better job than me… people who were more experienced and not petrified of getting up and speaking in front of others.

About six months ago though, I made another decision… a decision that was difficult for me to make and it took a very long time but I decided to let go and let God… whatever God was asking me to do, I was going to do it.

Today I had the awesome privilege of preaching at Girls Church…. I stepped out… and even though I did feel quite nervous I left behind all of my fears and insecurities in doing so.  I honoured God by doing what he had been asking me to do for such a long time.

I also feel very honoured but quite overwhelmed that God would use someone like me to speak into the lives of others. I also have a great sense of relief at having overcome one of my greatest fears and I thank God that He was with me every step of the way.

You know, it is amazing what God will do when we just give up and let him have complete control of every part of our lives.

2 Timothy 2:20-21
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honour and some for dishonour. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honour, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.

Celebration...

This last weekend my husband and I celebrated ten wonderful years of marriage.  As we were driving on our way out to dinner I commented on how I felt so blessed that we had such an awesome marriage when we live in such a 'disposable' world with a divorce rate that is unbelievably high and many couples not even making it passed five years yet alone ten.

Some people treat marriage as lightly as the piece of paper that their certficate is printed on but to us marriage is a whole lot more than that piece of paper... it is a life-long commitment to the one we have chose 'til death do us part'.

From the very beginning of our relationship we chose to place God at the centre and I have no doubt that it has made all the difference.

I am more in love with my husband today than the day we married and everyday that love grows deeper as our relationship grows.  Love isn't just a feeling of butterflies in your stomach, or a weak feeling in your knees, love is a choice we make everyday no matter what we are feeling and regardless of circumstances.  Although, I am very glad to say that I often still get that gushing feeling when I see my husband even after ten years!

As we were reflecting on the last ten years over dinner and reminescing about all the fun times we have had together we started to wonder about what the next ten years would bring, where will we be and what will we be doing after another decade?  I'm certain that we will see many more dreams fulfilled and enough memories created to write a book!

It's the memories we create together that make them the best.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.  1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Giving...

The past two to three weeks have been very busy for me with friends and family getting married, having babies and baby showers, celebrating birthdays, etc.. lots of good things to rejoice about and wonderful excuses for a party!
Last night as I was busy putting together and wrapping a couple of pressies for two of these momentous occassions I was thinking about how much joy I get out of giving people presents.  For me, with my love language of 'gifts' it is almost as good as, and if not better than, actually receiving a gift for myself.  I do love to receive gifts and I am very happy and extremely blessed to have a wonderful husband who is thoughtful and generous in his gift giving but I absolutely love to see the expression on someone else's face as they open a present which the totally adore... especially if it is the one I have given them!

But a feel a tinge of sadness for many of those in the society in which we live... a people and a generation who are so caught up with self and focussed on get, get, get, and more, more, more... don't want to miss out attitudes... gotta have the latest craze.  They do not know or understand the great blessing that it is to give to others... they don't understand the proverb 'it is more blessed to give than to receive'... they don't understand that what they sow they will reap.

As a Christian I believe it is so much more important for me be understand the principles of giving and being a generous person.  God has given us the greatest gift of all in His only Son, Jesus.  He gave His Son so that we might have life, and life more abundantly.   The only thing that I need to do in return is surrender my whole life into His hands. 

It seems so very simple and nothing compared to what we have already received... eternal life... and yet with society thrusting that 'keep up with the Jones' mentality down our necks, it sometimes takes everything inside of us to stand up for what we really believe in.  Instead we try to hold onto parts of our lives as tight as we can so that we can maybe still 'look good' in the eyes of society.  However, if we do take the risk of giving our whole entire lives to Him to do His will, we would probably be extremely amazed at what God will again give us in return.... even though He has already given us so much.

Like a butterfly...

I was very blessed today to share a lovely lunch out with my boss who is also my pastor and his wife and the rest of my work mates. We had an awesome time together chatting over yummy Thai and it was just like having lunch with the family. We all get along so well together and God has built such an awesome unity between us all.

Spending time with family and friends is sometimes something that we can take for granted because we may do it so often but it is the little things that we frequently overlook that we need to take time to cherish because we never know where our lives may lead us. Life is full of change and I am one of those people who actually like change. Change really does feel like a holiday and I love it (and holidays of course)! It can be slightly overwhelming and maybe even a little bit scary at first but as you begin to let go and go with the flow it can get quite exciting. Just like a caterpillar after being couped up in a cocoon while it changes from a multi-legged crawling insect into a beautiful butterfly.

God is continually wanting us to change, to grow in our relationships with Him, to become more mature in Him, to become like Jesus. He also loves to see us succeed in life, to achieve our goals and our dreams but to do all of these things, takes lots of little steps and lots of changing.

But there is one thing that never changes and that is God... He is the same yesterday, today and forever. No matter what we do in life, where we go, how we live, where we may travel on this earth... Jesus is always there, constant and steadfast, never changing, always by our side and in control if we allow Him to be.

It is comforting to know that through all of the changes that life may bring my way... and I know there will be many... that Jesus will always be the one and only unchanging detail...

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.  Hebrews 13:8

Living Water

Just over the last few days I have been feeling like I have been going through a bit of a dry patch and as I was getting ready to go to bed tonight I was reminded of a scripture that we were studying during our first few weeks of Bible College.



The story talks about a woman at a well and Jesus comes over and asks her for a drink of water…she gets him a drink and then Jesus starts talking to her and telling her everything that was happening in her life and that if she drinks of the ‘living water’ she will never thirst again.


It was that little bit that was bought to my remembrance…if we drink of the ‘living water’ we will ‘never thirst again’. As we go through life and our walk with Jesus sometimes we can feel a little empty or dry in certain areas but it doesn’t have to be that way because we have Jesus…the living water…the well that will never run dry. We have Jesus on tap 24/7!


We can sometimes seek after many other things in life to try and fill the hole or the emptiness that we are feeling or to satisfy that dry feeling but they will never bring the fulfilment that only God can bring.


I think it is awesome that Jesus can supply our every need in life, any area that is lacking…we can call on him at anytime and know that there is an unlimited supply of ‘satisfaction’.


You know how it is on an extremely hot summers day and you’ve been working or playing hard and all of a sudden you just feel so overwhelmingly thirsty and in need of big, long drink…right now! You go to the frig and pull out that icy cold filtered water, pour yourself a tall glass and take a big, long drink…. That water is so unbelievably satisfying and your thirst has been quenched just like that.


That is what Jesus can do when we look to Him to fill the dryness in our heart or for the answer to our problems and He gives us peace, or if we are a feeling a bit depressed, He can bring something or someone along to make us smile and it’s exactly like the refreshing ‘ahhhhh…’ as you take a swig of that nice cold drink.

Jesus...The Rock

I have come to the realisation today that sometimes life can be going great, everything seems to be falling into place, your future looks secure and happy, your dreams seem to be coming to pass and then all of a sudden there is a curve ball thrown in! 



But this is exactly where God wants us to be… all dishevelled and wondering what happened. He wants to get our attention so that we have to reach out to Him for the answers, so that we have to have faith instead of relying on ourselves, so that we can see miracles happen.


Come on Jesus… show us your power, show us your strength!


When things don’t go exactly the way that we think they should, it is only through Jesus that our future looks bright and happy. He is the rock on which we can stand in what seem like turbulent times, He knows exactly where we are going and what our future is.


Deuteronomy 32:4  ‘He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.’

God is AWESOME...

I recently had the great pleasure of reconnecting with a friend whom I went to school with in New South Wales about 20 years ago. We used to hang out together at each other’s houses on the weekend, spent countless hours talking about boys and make-up and doing those silly things that teenagers do.

I remember one afternoon we had been out somewhere and had to walk back to her house and we decided that we were too tired, even though it was only about a 10 minute walk, so we stuck our thumbs out to get a lift from a stranger, which was very naughty! We ended up getting a lift by a very nice man and got home safely only to discover about a half an hour later that someone had seen us who knew my friends Mum and had dobbed us in... we were roasted!! The things we do!!



Anyway, we had lost contact with each other until the beginning of this year, we found out that we now live in the same city and tonight I had the opportunity of seeing my friend give her life to Jesus. There is nothing more exciting in the world than knowing that through all the events and changes that have taken place over those past 20 years, the number of places in Queensland that I have lived, the different places that she has been and events that have taken place in her life, somehow God has caused our paths to cross again at a time in my friends life where she needed to find Jesus. That is just so absolutely AMAZING!! And the other totally amazing thing is that God would use me to be the one who would be an influence in her making the most important decision in her life... that is just so AWESOME!!


I am so very thankful that God has His hand on all of our lives. Sometimes we may think that it ‘just happened’ but God is not of a God of ‘just happened’, He has a purpose and a plan for each of our lives even when we least expect it.

Proverbs 3:5-6  Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.

Quiet times...

Early this week I heard a message from a well-known International preacher. One of the points he was making during his message was that we as Christians shouldn’t feel condemned or worried if we have only 4.5 ‘quiet times’ per week because that actually meant that we were like everyone else and we were ‘normal’.

I must admit that I was quite shocked that he was actually saying that it was ok not to spend time with God everyday! What happened to what the Bible says about ‘praying continuously’ and having a relationship with God? The soul purpose we were created for was to have fellowship with God and to have relationship with Him… how can you build a relationship with someone on only 4.5 ‘quiet times’ per week… and how long are those quiet times?

Imagine if your husband or wife came home and said ‘Sorry honey, I have too many other things going on in my life at the moment, I’m going to have to restrict the time I see you this week to only 4.5 times and only 15 minutes at the most. I won’t be able to phone you just to say that I love you or to ask you for help with any problems that I might be going through and I won’t be able to stop and think about you at all and wonder what you might think about my ideas… I’m just too busy’.

If that is what being a normal Christian is about then I don’t want anything to do with normal… I want to be totally abnormal! I want to be one hundred percent sold out for Jesus and focussed on Him all of the time. God should be part of our lives and thoughts all throughout every single day… we need to get rid of the spirit of humanism that is slowing creeping its way into the lives of Christians and the church and become like Jesus. I want the Holy Ghost to speak to me continuously and if that is going to happen, I have to be the one who takes the first step.


James 4:8 ‘Come near to God and he will come near to you’.

Holy Spirit

Just over the last couple of weeks God has really been challenging me to want more of His presence in my life, to get a hunger for Him so that nothing else in life matters. I have been reading a book called Face to Face with God and it is an awesome book which just talks about revival in your heart… getting a hunger for God... wanting an experience with God which far exceeds anything else in life… wanting to bring honour to Jesus.

I have been in church ever since I can remember and have been a pastors kid since I was about 13 years old. I have experienced the tangible presence of God in my life several times before but I want more… I want God to come and fill my cup so that it is overflowing.. . I want the power of the Holy Spirit in my life to change my life so that I can influence the lives of others because of Him.

God created us to have fellowship with Him, to spend time with Him.  Sometimes our lives can become so busy with just doing 'stuff' that we neglect to sit quietly and spend time with our God, to allow Him to come and spend time with us.

I am so thankful that I attend a church that allows the Holy Spirit to have His way in our meetings and allows time for Him just to come and meet with us.

"When Moses came down from Mount Sinai carrying the two Tablets of The Testimony, he didn't know that the skin of his face glowed because he had been speaking with God."  Exodus 34:30

Dreams...

Last night over dinner with my husband our conversation eventually lead to us having a deep and meaningful about our future, our hopes and dreams, our desires and what we want to do in the coming years...which is one thing that we love to do. Craig and I both have some very big dreams (sometimes I wonder if they are even too big) but I don’t ever want to be one of those people who has lots of dreams and talks about them all the time but never actually does anything about it. So of course this afternoon, while I am at home alone without my lovely husband (he is working... as he does every weekend...we have a desire to change this!) I have again been thinking about our dreams and wondering how we can achieve them and what I can do to help achieve them.



The other night at our home group we were listening to a CD by a guy named Dr Dave Martin and he was discussing the differences between the way that rich people think and the way that poor people think. One of the points he brought up was that rich people believe ‘I can create my life’ but poor people think that ‘life just happens’. God has given us a mind to think and to create and to have dreams and visions... God is the creator of the whole universe, He created the world we live in, He did it all in only seven days AND we are created in the image of Him... We can create the life we desire through Jesus.


But I find myself in a quandary, as I so often do when it comes to my dreams, because I always wonder to myself... but what is God’s will?? I always ask myself the same question ‘is my dream also God’s will for my life?’ What is God’s will for my life? The problem is that I never get a straight answer... even from God. The only thing I have got to go on is God’s Word... The Bible. So I asked myself the question ‘Do my dreams line up with the Word of God?’ Well....Yes....they do!


So does that mean that all of my dreams will come true? I guess they will... if I work hard at it... if I have the right mindsets... if I trust in God for the impossible and have faith.


I remember quite a few years ago now, I believed that God was calling me to New Zealand to be a farmer’s wife. Now, for those of you who know me well, you will probably be on the floor rolling around in laughter right now!! As if I could be a farmers wife... right!!?? What was I thinking!!!??? Anyway, I was going... I had my ticket booked and paid for, my bags were almost packed until.... God stopped me. I mean He stopped me!! God gave me a word from someone who knew absolutely nothing about my situation and told me very directly to ‘wait for the green light’.... I was trying to go on a red light and God stopped me. So I listened... I didn’t go and God has blessed me with the most wonderful husband in the world!


As we start to take steps towards our future and head in the direction that we believe we should be going, the direction that our dreams are leading us, if God doesn’t stop us in our tracks... we must be on the right path. God may not always answer our questions for direction in our lives, He wants us to step out and trust Him but if we do start to go off in the wrong direction, it is wonderful and comforting to know that He will gently lead us back onto the right track.

Still Small Voice

I was putting on my make-up for work the other morning and was contemplating how God seems to speak to me at what seems to me to be the most inopportune times, like at 4.30am in the morning when I am trying to go back to sleep, or while I am putting on my make-up when I am running late for work, or at midnight after a very long day and I want to go to bed.

But you know, He can and will speak to us at any time of the day and it doesn’t matter what we are doing. He’s not limited to the times when we are quietly reading the Bible or listening to worship music waiting for Him to talk to us and tell us something profound.

The Holy Spirit is living and breathing inside of us constantly ‘waiting’ to speak to us. When we are so focussed on the matter at hand sometimes we don’t even realise what He is saying or even that He is trying to tell us something. We need to learn to ‘hear’ the Holy Spirit when He talks to us, especially if He is interrupting us in the middle of something. He’s that still small voice that tells you to do something or write something down or don’t forget that but we usually choose to ignore it and keep on with our busy lives. God wants us to make Him our central focus so that He can speak to us at anytime… even at 4.30 in the morning.

A few years ago when I was on a skiing holiday with Craig in New Zealand, I really felt that I should phone my Nana who was living in New Zealand… although not even anywhere remotely close to where we were. I didn’t end up phoning her and my reasoning was that it would cost just as much to phone her from where I was as it would from at home, therefore it didn’t make much sense or difference anyway. So we just went on our merry way and the next afternoon we arrived back to our apartment and there was a message left for me to phone my mum or my uncle…it was in that very instant that I knew. My Nana hadn’t at all been sick and was very active and fit for someone of her age but she had unexpectedly passed away that very morning. You can guess that it was like a huge kick in my stomach when obviously God was so clearly speaking to me the day before.

Even still today I greatly regret not listening to that still small voice but I admit that I learnt an extremely valuable lesson and now more than ever try to listen when I get that niggling feeling.

"And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice." 
1 Kings 19:11-12

All I Need

This morning at church we were singing a song and the last paragraph of the song says ‘you are all I need’. As I was singing this God really challenged me… is He really all that I need? Sometimes we can be singing a song during praise and worship and not even really thinking about the words we are actually singing.

I was thinking about it again this afternoon and considering how I would be if I really didn’t have anything left in my life except God? What if He took away my life as it is now…my husband, my job, my finances, my friends, my giftings, everything that I consider of value to me…how would I really feel?….would Jesus be all that I need? I would definitely like to think that I could say yes, He is all that I would ever need but I honestly don’t know.

It’s a pretty big challenge when you think about it but something that I am compelled to strive for in my life.

Spring Cleaning

DEFINITION: is the period in spring time set aside for cleaning a house, normally applied in colder climates, where the house is difficult to clean during winter.
 OR: The most common usage of spring cleaning refers to the yearly act of cleaning a house from top to bottom which would take place in the first warm days of the year typically in spring, hence the name.

MY DEFINITION: getting things more organised so that I can function without feeling ‘cluttered’ and removing all traces of dirt and dust from every corner of the house. Not sure if that is actually possible but I will definitely try my darndest!

During the week I made a list of the ‘spring cleaning’ that I wanted to achieve this weekend and decided that this great feat would take place either Saturday or Sunday afternoon...surely a few hours would be plenty!

I mean, I have prepared myself well by pre-purchasing a few storage items which will enable different areas of the house to be ‘de-cluttered’, the house isn’t actually that big and my list isn’t really that long, is it? Ok... perhaps I did bite off a little bit more than I could chew in a few short hours... but I’ll be really quick! NOT!!

I possibly could have achieved a little bit more than I actually did today but as I was sorting through piles of books to put onto the new bookshelf, I came across an old year book from Grade Nine, when I was living in Toronto, Canada. There is nothing like reminiscing of great times past and wondering where and what everyone from back then is now doing with their lives. However, looking at all of those pictures and reading messages from friends and teachers doesn’t actually help solve the mystery, so of course I had to include a few minutes on Facebook in search of them all but to my absolute amazement I had no luck at all....so now I am left still wondering! My little trip down memory lane probably cost me about an hour of my time and even though I didn’t find any new Facebook buddies to add to the list, I consider that it was worth being side-tracked for a while to reminisce about the ‘good old times’.

I then went on to complete a few other things on my list but it’s only approximately half completed and I wanted to finish it all! I wanted to feel like I had conquered this ‘spring cleaning’ thing that everyone seems to have been talking about recently, I wanted to feel like I had achieved something great, I wanted to feel like my whole life had been cleaned out.

Surprisingly enough...I am actually beginning to feel a little less ‘cluttered’ which is definately a good thing...imagine how I might feel by the time I have in fact completed the whole entire list.

Laziness...

On my way to work this morning I was contemplating the very unproductive night I had last night and how on earth, after a long day at work of sitting in front of a computer, can I get home and plop myself on the couch in front of another ‘box’ and not move for almost the entire night!?


I did cook some lovely fish for dinner before doing so and I also tidied up a little bit after that….oh and I put some washing on… but all in all I can confidently say that I did a big fat NOTHING for the rest of the evening!

Admittedly, there wasn’t anything of interest at all on the ‘box’ and the whole entire time I was sitting there saying to myself…. ‘I could get up and do this’ or ‘I should do that’ or ‘I just want to see what happens at the end and then I will get up’ or….. and it goes on.

I have a list of things that I should have been doing but for some reason the nice cushy lounge I was sitting on was so much more inviting and I did need to rest after such a long day…blah, blah, blah…

That feeling of needing to relax, switch off and do nothing for a while to get over whatever it is that I have done during the day eventually evolved into being just plain lazy and that sense of total abandonment of life, which is what being lazy is all about, feels so nice but only at the time though!

Today I am feeling deflated and unsuccessful and annoyed at myself… I know that I can change that by getting myself motivated and not doing the same thing again tonight but I know have wasted away a few hours of my life which I will never get back and that seems almost unforgivable.

I know I am the only one who can motivate myself…. someone else can try to inspire me but in the end I am the answer to my problem.

Proverbs 6:9 ‘So how long are you going to laze around doing nothing? How long before you get out of bed? A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day of there, sit back, take it easy – do you know what comes next? Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life, poverty your permanent houseguest!’

Ok… I think that is enough to get anyone’s butt off their comfy lounge… especially me!

Dad...

Today on another Father's Day I have to say that I am very blessed to have a Dad who I consider is one of the world's best ever! Although I don't get to see my Dad everyday as I used to as a child because we don't live in the same town, I know that whenever I need him, I can call him on his mobile or at home and he will always be there more than willing to have a little chat with his eldest daughter.

I love thinking about all the good times we have shared together but one time I remember well when I was very young and appreciate my Dad very much for is when we went on a drive together in his truck in New Zealand...the truck was called Precious Pup and to me as a little girl it was sooo cool and huge! I spent the whole day with him in the cab as he drove out to pick up his load and then drop it off at the end of the day. It probably didn't seem like much at the time and perhaps even to others it may seem insignificant, but I recall having a very exciting and fun day with my Dad. Another time that I remember well was when he took me sailing on his catermaran one sunny afternoon at the lake when I was a little older and we were testing out the harness... oh what fun!

As a child my Dad was always lots of fun to be around, he always made us laugh and I always felt so secure with him there... knowing that he would look after me in any situation and would always be there for me no matter what.

But what I remember most about my Dad and which has had a huge influence on my life as both a child and an adult is that every morning he would get up early, go into his office by himself with his Bible and spend time with God. I am so very thankful that my Dad, and my Mum as well, have instilled Godly principles into my life since I was a young girl. Although at times when I was still growing up it all seemed like such a drag.... when I look back now as an adult, I appreciate that they didn't give up on me and just let me do my own thing.

My Dad has always encouraged me to number one... have a relationship with Jesus... to be who I want to be and not what others expect me to be, to be successful in whatever I want to do and to have fun doing it... I hope and pray that I can be the same great inspiration to my children when they come along.

Party time...

I actually wrote this a day ago but couldn’t upload it cause the server in NZ went down so here it is now…

I had my little party today…yay! I didn’t actually get to ski at Remarkables down that particular blue run that I was talking about previously because it hasn’t been open since we have been here BUT I skied an even steeper and longer run at Coronet Peak today and the funny thing was that I didn’t even realise it until I got to the bottom and looked up!

Sometimes fear can get the better of us if we let it and that is exactly what happened to me only two days ago when I totally froze in the middle of a run because I thought I couldn’t do it… which was absolutely ridiculous… and Craig took great pleasure in telling me that…lol. I did manage to relax with the help of a bit fat Kiwi (someone dressed up in a Kiwi suit) who skied down to me and made me laugh and then I made it safely to the bottom of the run.
It is amazing what a little bit of laughter can do…

Fear can come into our minds at anytime, anywhere and for whatever reason but we have the power through Jesus to tell it to leave. Fear is something that I often struggle with and I have noticed that the older I have become the more fearful I seem to get in certain areas. However, I do know that God has been showing me how easy it is to get over fear and get on with whatever it is that I am doing. And if I have fear…how can I have faith?

Favour...

We arrived in Queenstown today after coming through thick, thick cloud and a tonne of turbulance… we couldn’t see anything at all out of the window except cloud until about only one minute before we touched down! Thankfully we were flying with Air New Zealand who apparently are the only airline that doesn’t have the problems that other airlines have flying into Queenstown in low visibility because it is surrounded with mountains.


I am feeling very blessed right now… we have a gorgeous suite which overlooks Lake Wakatipu and the mountains, Craig had organised for flowers in our room on arrival and I am loving the nice chilly weather. We have also already been shopping and stocked the cupboard for the week and included is a tub of creamy NZ Jelly Tip ice cream…my fav!

But apart from all of that, after hanging out in town this afternoon and chatting with the friendly locals (good old NZ hospitality) Craig and I are both gratefully thanking God for his awesome favour. Today when we flew in it was a bit rainy which of course means that it should be snowing on the mountains…. And it was. We heard that they actually hadn’t had any snow for over two weeks and that the snow had already turned to slush because it had been so warm but since this morning with it snowing all day tomorrow is going to be a ‘powder day’ at The Remarks…whoo hoo! God is so awesome…his timing is just the best and we are both so amazed that our prayers have been answered.

I guess we shouldn’t really be surprised though because God wants everyone of us to walk in His favour all the time and loves to see us happy and enjoying life just like any Dad wants to see their children happy and blessed.

daydreaming...

Just after I climed into my comfy bed last night and got all snuggled in ready to go to sleep I was a little bit disappointed about the fact that I hadn't managed to write in my blog and it was only the second day. To tell you the truth I hadn't been able to think of anything all night that I had wanted to write about which was a little bit scary.

Then I started to think about my upcoming ski trip to NZ in THREE DAYS....WHOO HOO!! I was remembering this one blue run that I have actually skied down a few times before but I always, ALWAYS see it coming and stop at the top to try and build up my courage to go over the edge. Anyway...in my mind I began to imagine myself skiing down towards the top of the run and then just keep on going straight over that edge without even thinking once about it and continuing down watching myself ski perfectly (without crashing!) and then when I reached the bottom I had a little party with myself...hehe. And then the revelation came...

Sometimes when we look at ourselves we see all the things that we aren't good at or we see ourselves as someone lesser than who we really are and what we can accomplish or sometimes we can look at ourselves and see what we could achieve but then immediately after those awesome thoughts, those negative ones, that we all know so well, just come and make themselves at home. But... (don't you just love those buts) God sees us as the completed and finished project... He sees the big picture, the one whom He created us to be. He sees everyone of us at the end of our journey and He is right beside us the whole entire time encouraging us as we take each step.

Now I know that surely I am not the only one who has those 'silly' daydreams and if I am then I have just completely embarrassed myself... but they aren't silly by the way! If you can imagine yourself doing something that you have always wanted to do the only other thing that you need to do to achieve that dream is to believe in yourself and to trust God. It may not happen overnight but if we begin by taking little steps towards those dreams, they will happen.

It doesn't matter what our dream is... whether its to ski that run next week, to be a better mum to our kids, to own a million dollar company or just to cook dinner without burning it... God sees that dream completed in us, we just need to look at ourselves through Gods eyes...oh and maybe do a little bit of hard work if you are after that million dollar company!

OK...so now that you know about my little dream to ski that blue run perfectly without pausing at the top...stay tuned for the party in a few days time :)

Jeremiah 29:11 'For I know the plans I have for you' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future...'

treasure within...

Ok so you know how it is... when you take that first initial step in doing something that you have never done before... whether its the first time you learn to ski, or the first time you drive a car, go out on a first date or skydive... whatever it is, it kinda takes your breath away when you even start to think about it! Anyway this is my first blog, so you get the picture... I'm quivering in my boots!

For as long as I can remember my friends, teachers, family and God have been telling me that I have 'treasure' within me or that I have something to give or there's heaps of stuff inside me, and to be honest with you most of the time my response has been 'whaaaaa???' I just couldn't see that I would have anything that anyone else would even be remotely interested in hearing or listening to.

But God has been showing me that under all of my insecurity there really is something in there and that if I don't get over my fear, have faith, let it out and share it, then I will never be completely fulfilled and be left thinking...if only...

So just recently I decided to let go, and let God... It's not like I have opened the lid on the treasure chest and it has all suddenly revealed itself but I know that as I take this first step God is going to meet me.

I have always had a passion and a desire to make a difference and to be an inspiration so this is my very small beginning...

"Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin." Zechariah 4:10