Isla, my 4yr-old, was telling me about one of her teachers at kindy, Mr Keith. I remember Lily found him entertaining when she was in kindy.
"Do you think he's funny?" I asked Isla.
"No. He's a teacher. Teachers aren't funny."
Tuesday 30 April 2013
New York
Central Park, New York, was mowed by a flock of 200 sheep until 1934.
Proof that before the Americans were ruling the US, New Zealand was.
On a side note, the flock of sheep had to be moved to safety during the Great Depression when park officials worried they might turn into lamb roasts for hungry picnickers.
Which probably indicates there were some Aussies there as well.
Proof that before the Americans were ruling the US, New Zealand was.
On a side note, the flock of sheep had to be moved to safety during the Great Depression when park officials worried they might turn into lamb roasts for hungry picnickers.
Which probably indicates there were some Aussies there as well.
Wednesday 17 April 2013
Dirty God
I'm reading a great book at the moment. Check out these little passages from the chapter "The God with Dirty Hands"....
“The Bible teaches us that God “demonstrates his own love for us” (Rom. 5:8) in how he came to us in Jesus. He didn’t expect us to climb up to him. He climbed down to us. He got his hands dirty so that we could have our hearts cleaned.”
“Jesus didn’t keep his distance from the messy world that he descended into when he left heaven’s golden streets for earth’s dusty Middle Eastern villages, filled to capacity with the poor and frustrated, the disenfranchised and the rejected. Jesus didn’t revel in his priceless glory—rather, he gave himself completely to the opportunity to make the inglorious feel that they mattered to God.”
Excerpt from Johnnie Moore's “Dirty God.” Thomas Nelson, 2012-11-19. iBooks.
Very nicely put!
“The Bible teaches us that God “demonstrates his own love for us” (Rom. 5:8) in how he came to us in Jesus. He didn’t expect us to climb up to him. He climbed down to us. He got his hands dirty so that we could have our hearts cleaned.”
“Jesus didn’t keep his distance from the messy world that he descended into when he left heaven’s golden streets for earth’s dusty Middle Eastern villages, filled to capacity with the poor and frustrated, the disenfranchised and the rejected. Jesus didn’t revel in his priceless glory—rather, he gave himself completely to the opportunity to make the inglorious feel that they mattered to God.”
Excerpt from Johnnie Moore's “Dirty God.” Thomas Nelson, 2012-11-19. iBooks.
Very nicely put!
Monday 15 April 2013
Tuesday 9 April 2013
A Grain of Wheat
John 12:24-25
Unless a grain of wheat dies, buried in the ground, it will stay just a grain of wheat. Useful, but in a very minor way. Ready to be eaten or crushed.
If we hold on to our life, wanting to stay in control, calling the shots, doing what we want, we will never be anything more than what we are now. Useful in a minor way.
But if that grain of wheat dies, buried in the ground, it will sprout and reproduce itself many times over. Completely transformed, no longer anything like a grain. It turned into a plant!
If we can manage to let go of our life, hand over the reins, stifle our selfish desire to be in control, living generously for others and for God, "reckless in your love," imagine what might happen! The grain was totally and irreversibly changed. What might a transformed human look like, with our much more complex bodies, personalities, imaginations, desires, compassion, spirit?
But how do we do it?
I find it tricky to contemplate how to go about dying to my self. I find proclamations of "I will die to myself and live for God today" largely unhelpful. It's a bit vague. However if I translate it to "I will live for others today; I will put others first," it becomes a lot more doable, at least for me.
Unless a grain of wheat dies, buried in the ground, it will stay just a grain of wheat. Useful, but in a very minor way. Ready to be eaten or crushed.
If we hold on to our life, wanting to stay in control, calling the shots, doing what we want, we will never be anything more than what we are now. Useful in a minor way.
But if that grain of wheat dies, buried in the ground, it will sprout and reproduce itself many times over. Completely transformed, no longer anything like a grain. It turned into a plant!
If we can manage to let go of our life, hand over the reins, stifle our selfish desire to be in control, living generously for others and for God, "reckless in your love," imagine what might happen! The grain was totally and irreversibly changed. What might a transformed human look like, with our much more complex bodies, personalities, imaginations, desires, compassion, spirit?
But how do we do it?
I find it tricky to contemplate how to go about dying to my self. I find proclamations of "I will die to myself and live for God today" largely unhelpful. It's a bit vague. However if I translate it to "I will live for others today; I will put others first," it becomes a lot more doable, at least for me.
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