Getting in front of the 8 ball

Changed my facebook profile to a photo that I took while down south and have temporiliy relabelled my status as being behind the 8 ball. Let's just put it down to a momentary feeling of being overwhelmed by all that is coming up this year... But then I took a breather to listen to the 2nd in Driscolls series of A Rebel's Guide to Joy with today's focus being on loneliness. It made me realise that as a Christian I'm so far in front of the proverbial 8 ball that the game is starting over with a whole new team... The sermon I listened to today is a series that is based on the book of Philippians and, whilst I don't think that it's really an expository sermon (he did after spend about 10 mins of the 75 minute sermon on the passage and I think more time in Hebrews) the last 20 mins were a brilliant encouragement and challenge on what it means to live a life that is transformed by the impartation of Christ's grace.

So good in fact, that I went back through the sermon and kept on pausing it so that I could write it down as a reminder. I'd encourage you to download the whole thing and have a listen for yourself, but in the meantime here's a little sample for you:

You receive imparted righteousness. You get to be more like Jesus by the Grace that He gives. That's the cool thing with imputed righteousness... you receive a new heart, a new centre, a new nature. God changes you from the inside out. You're a new person, that's why we use words like 'born again'. You start over.

Paul uses words elsewhere like 'new creation in Christ' - everything is different. New from the inside out and your new nature, your new heart, has new desires. You don't want to sin anymore; you want to live for God. You don't want to do the stupid things you were doing; you want to change. You have new desires.

Not only that but you have a new power through the Holy Spirit that enables you to act on the desires of your new heart. And you're not doing this alone - you have a new community in the church. And you're no longer led by lies, you have truth now so you have new instructions to guide your new journey with God's people to live out, and obey, your new desires - all of which are the fruit of righteousness that has been imparted to you through Jesus...

You can stand before God, right now, because of Jesus and you can live a lifestyle that isn't just white knuckling against sin and fighting against your desires - new desires, new power, new nature, new community, new truth, new destiny, new Lord - forever. This is Christian life.

And it results (Paul) says to the glory and praise of God. You get excited, you get passionate, you get to live a new life. You get to be a new person, you get a new power, you get a new joy. It's all of grace and it's all of Jesus. You get a new life - one that's actually worth getting up out of bed for...

Inspired? You should be. We all should be shouldn't we? If we're marked and changed by the Holy Spirit because of Jesus... what kind of a different perspective should that be giving us on the day to day lives that we get to live?

One of the downsides to doing the type of ministry that I do is that you get to be a part of peoples lives in an often instense way through-out an intense time in their lives. It's both a priviladge and a heart-ache, especially the more that you care for them! And so I wouldn't normally do this but since another one of them has hopped on a plane this afternoon to be away for a year (and more to follow in the next couple of weeks!) I dedicate this post, and a little message, to these girls - and to all other's like them who are away from the people who remind them, daily, what their identity in Christ is...


Remember this, you are not alone. You are never alone because you are marked with, and by, the Holy Spirit. You are loved - not just by those who will miss you back home but by the Soverign Creator and Sustainer of this world and the world to come. The Saints are praying with you, and for you.

xxx
j.

South for the Summer

I've spent the week here:


It was, as always, a great week. Filled with spending time with wonderful friends and making some new ones. There were dinner parties every second night and although I have a life that's very different from these people (all in their 50-late 60's) it was amazing how easy they all were to get to know and hang out with - sunset drinks each night over looking the beach is not a bad way to end a day if you ask me.

While away I was reading a fictional book called "The Old Man and Mr Smith" which had the basic premise that God (the Old Man) and Mr Smith (the devil) decided to come down to earth and roam around together for a little while to see just what humanity was up to - and whether God and the devil seem to play a role in people's lives any more. It was a fascinating book and if you can get your hands on a copy I highly recomend it because, although secular and very off base in it's biblical theology, it had some interesting points and things to consider.

But at the same time I've been listening to a series on 'Ruth' by Mark Driscoll. I haven't spent much time listening to him before but recently downloaded this series off itunes and I'm really glad that I did. The contrast between these sermons and reading the book was a staggering reminder at how far the world is from understanding the sovereignty of the true God that I worship and serve. There were many challenges for me in listening to the series - but the primary question rolling through my head is, as a woman, what kind of legacy do I want to leave behind? It was a question that Driscoll posed and while I've thought about it before, it's only since this week that I've started to strategically think about the kind of legacy that I want to be, and leave, for my family, friends and those that I minister to. It seems to me that if we think about the type of legacy that we want to leave behind us, then we should be a lot more strategic in our day to day actions... something to think about and pray through.


It was a week of things to delight the senses. Good food and wine featured as well - a lot. One day we went to an amazing winery and restaurant (that's the photo above - I actually think it's my new favourite restaurant in NSW) and had a sensational meal with this delightful trio of citrus tarts finishing off my meal. Isn't it great to be able to indulge in all the senses that God gave us?

the depth in an industry that's all about the surface

This is me in action doing my 'other job'. I've been doing a fair bit of makeup work over the semester break which has had a couple of pro's, and the con of making me much more tired than I would like to be. But the pro's have definitely outweighed it all.

Primarily the relationships that I've been able to rebuild and step up a notch with some of the girls that I used to work with, as well as meet some new ones. In the makeup industry I am constantly being quizzed as to why on earth I would be a Christian, let alone be in ministry full time. The apparent contrast of makeup and ministry raises either eyebrows or questions but in these last couple of weeks some of the questions from the girls or clients have been, to say the least, intense.

The ones about dating and sex are pretty standard, but it's only been recently (and with deepening relationships) that they have turned to "is my handicapped brother a punishment from God?" and "do you think I'm going to Hell?" Phew!

People are literally crying out to see how the Gospel will speak in to their lives but are the secular Christians hearing them and really listening so they can offer the words of hope? I've been tempted a couple of times in the last few weeks to throw in uni ministry and go back to the work force because of the incredible opportunities that there are. Don't get me wrong, I love what I do at UTS (and no I'm not leaving because I do feel that God is using me there in some specific ways too) but it has renewed my earnest desire to see committed evangelical Christians reaching their peers in the workforce.

I love this city, but we're the modern day Corinth. Shouldn't we be doing something about that? I know there are many faithful Christians in the work force who see their offices as their mission fields, and I praise God for that, but somehow I don't think that many are thinking that strategically...

How can we change this?

to the start of all things new...

I'm back. I wasn't going to be. I've been thinking about giving the whole blogging thing the shove and having, checked how many people are still logging on, I think I can safely say that my 'readers' have dwindled to a handful - which, to be honest, I'm much happier about. Because now I can start afresh.

There have been a few reasons not to write in the last couple of months - laziness, feeling uncreative and lets face it, some thoughts and feelings just shouldn't be lain out there for anyone and everyone to critique. But I am breaking a pattern this year. For the first time ever I have made 'new years resolutions'. Something that I have been quite firmly against but am now softening my views on (time should soften us and not make us harder right?). And so I have 28 resolutions. 28 things (for 28 years) that I want to see, accomplish or be challenged by in 2008. Some of them I'll share over the coming weeks perhaps, but for now I just wanted to share someone else's thoughts to kick off my new year.

I've mentioned her before, Frances Havergals - an 18th century poet from England who most Christians know for being the author of "Take My Life". A while ago I picked up this tattered old book, with it's covers nearly worn off which has a thought of hers for each day. I'm under no allusions that I'll be disciplined enough to read each one each day (a girl can hope but I'm also a realist) but for this day at least i could share with you, in the last few minutes of the first day of this year, her thoughts about "A Leader You Can Trust".

'We have not passed this way heretofore, but the Lord Jesus has. 'For we have not a High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities' (Heb 4:15). IT is all untrodden and unknown ground to us, but He knows it all by personal experience; the steep bits that take away our breathe, the stony bits that make our feet ache so, the hot shadeless stretches that make us feel so exhausted, the rushing rivers that we have to pass through, our Shepherd has gone through it all before us... And He does not only know, with that sort of up on the shelf knowledge which is not guilty of want throught among ourselves, but He remembers that we are dust...Think of that when you are tempted to question the gentleness of His leading. He is remembering al the time; and not one step will He make you take beyond what your foot is able to endure. Never mind if you think it will not be able for the step that seems to come next; either He will so strengthen it that it shall be able, or He will call a sudden halt, and you shall not have to take it at all...

...I, the Lord, am with thee, be thou not afraid!
I will help and strengthen, be thou not dismayed!
Yea, I will uphold the with My own right hand;
Thou art called and chosen in My sight to Stand.
Onward then, and fear not, children of the day.
For His word shall never, never pass away!
For the year before us, oh what rich supplies!
For the poor and needy living streams shall rise;
For the sad and sinful shall His grace abound;
For the faint and feeble, perfect strength be found."

Not a bad reminder to start the year off with eh?