I have been reading Ephesians lately, such an awesome book in the bible. Something that has spoken to me is Ephesians 4, especially verses 17-32.
17 With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. 18 Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. 19 They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.
20 But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. 21 Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.
25 So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. 26 And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.”[a] Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 for anger gives a foothold to the devil.
28 If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. 29 Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.
30 And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own,[b] guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.
31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
Paul is talking here about changing the way we live our lives. It's not just 'Don't do this, Don't do that, keep on doing what that guy does;' he's talking about a complete transformation of our lives.
And you know what? WE CAN'T DO IT. We can try and we might make a lot of progress, but in OUR OWN STRENGTH we will never pull off a complete transformation of our lives.
eg V28 - 'If you're a thief, stop stealing and start working hard so you can give generously to others.' What kind of thief would be able to just decide one day that they're going to stop stealing and start working hard to GIVE to others? It's a complete transformation from being selfish to selfless.
Or V31-32 - 'Get rid of all bitterness, rage, slander, anger, harsh words, evil behaviour and be like Christ.' Again, what kind of person will be able to just decide one day that they are going to do that, and then be able to actually pull it off?
We actually can't do it. Not in our own strength. We need God.
V23 - "Instead, let the spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes"
THE SPIRIT. We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit regularly if we're to have the strength or ability to overcome sinfulness in our lives. Our own strength is nowhere near enough for us to overcome sin. But with God and the Holy Spirit in us, we are more than conqueror's and we will see our lives transformed.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Attitude
Yesterday I was working at a milk/ice cream/juice production plant out of town in a place called Leeston. I was with a whole bunch of people, and around 3pm we were all informed we would be finished work by "5pm at the latest". It had been a long day for those of us from Christchurch (I personally had a little over an hour's travel each way to get to the fatory, I had left home at 6:40am for an 8am start) and so we were looking forward to the end of the day. 10 minutes to 5 we start on the next job which ended up taking about an hour and a half. Needless to say, there was a lot of unhappy murmuring and outright complaining going on. I don't mind working a long day, but to be honest I was ready to go home and disappointed, and felt that we had been unfairly misled.
About 10 minutes into everyone's complaining and moaning, I became aware of my own attitude. Not that I was voicing any of this, but I found myself getting sucked into the negativity around me. I started thinking, "They (the bosses) need to sort themselves out, they need to get organized, how dare they keep us later than they said they would, some people have plans tonight, I hate this, I just want to leave, what would they do if we just stopped working" and so on and so on. I was annoyed, but the fact that things hadn't gone my way really didn't give me an excuse to treat my bosses with contempt and let my work ethic slip. How quickly my day changed from being pretty good to being pretty lame, and unfortunately (and sadly) it took far too long for me to sort myself out again.
I wish this story had a different ending, one where I changed my attitude from negative to positive, where I let this be reflected in how I carried out the rest of my day and that people noticed this and saw Christ in me. Unfortunately hindsight is all I have. I learnt a hard lesson.
The negative attitudes of others are extremely infectious.
In Romans 12:2 it says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
The pattern of this world is to grumble and complain, be insubordinate, be sinful, have a terrible attitude, treat others with contempt, be selfish, to steal, to bring others down, to abuse power, to kill, to deceive, the list goes on.
How often do we conform to this pattern world?
How infrequently do we let our mind be renewed and let this transform the way we live out our lives in every situation?
How often do we let the attitudes of those around us become our attitudes and ruin our day? And then bring that attitude home with us and let it impact negatively on our loved ones?
What would happen if we let the Holy Spirit renew our minds, if we listened to His promptings and lived our lives in a way that shows God to those around us? I reckon it would transform our society, our city, our country, our world.
Too many of us are guilty at one time or another of being no different to the world around us. We are called to be different. If there’s nothing different in our lives to those of our non-Christian friends, what do we have that they don’t?
We have Christ.
He should take first place in our life.
He should be seen in us.
I want my life to be a billboard for Him.
I want people to meet Him when they meet me.
I want people to want what I have.
I want Him to continue to transform me by the renewing of my mind, and for that to change the way I live.
That’s what I want.
About 10 minutes into everyone's complaining and moaning, I became aware of my own attitude. Not that I was voicing any of this, but I found myself getting sucked into the negativity around me. I started thinking, "They (the bosses) need to sort themselves out, they need to get organized, how dare they keep us later than they said they would, some people have plans tonight, I hate this, I just want to leave, what would they do if we just stopped working" and so on and so on. I was annoyed, but the fact that things hadn't gone my way really didn't give me an excuse to treat my bosses with contempt and let my work ethic slip. How quickly my day changed from being pretty good to being pretty lame, and unfortunately (and sadly) it took far too long for me to sort myself out again.
I wish this story had a different ending, one where I changed my attitude from negative to positive, where I let this be reflected in how I carried out the rest of my day and that people noticed this and saw Christ in me. Unfortunately hindsight is all I have. I learnt a hard lesson.
The negative attitudes of others are extremely infectious.
In Romans 12:2 it says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
The pattern of this world is to grumble and complain, be insubordinate, be sinful, have a terrible attitude, treat others with contempt, be selfish, to steal, to bring others down, to abuse power, to kill, to deceive, the list goes on.
How often do we conform to this pattern world?
How infrequently do we let our mind be renewed and let this transform the way we live out our lives in every situation?
How often do we let the attitudes of those around us become our attitudes and ruin our day? And then bring that attitude home with us and let it impact negatively on our loved ones?
What would happen if we let the Holy Spirit renew our minds, if we listened to His promptings and lived our lives in a way that shows God to those around us? I reckon it would transform our society, our city, our country, our world.
Too many of us are guilty at one time or another of being no different to the world around us. We are called to be different. If there’s nothing different in our lives to those of our non-Christian friends, what do we have that they don’t?
We have Christ.
He should take first place in our life.
He should be seen in us.
I want my life to be a billboard for Him.
I want people to meet Him when they meet me.
I want people to want what I have.
I want Him to continue to transform me by the renewing of my mind, and for that to change the way I live.
That’s what I want.
Monday, January 18, 2010
I'm Learning
I am learning more everyday.
For example - I have learnt since getting married that my wife sheds more hair than I ever thought possible. I find it EVERYWHERE, on my clothes, clogging the drain, in our bed, clogging the vacuum cleaner head, but as of yet I haven't (that I remember anyway) found any in my food.
I have however found, on more than one occasion, a long, filthy black hair in my chinese food from the chinese shop down the road. Note to self - Do not EVER go back there.
I'm learning to overcome disappointments as I miss out on jobs that I've been applying for. I'm learning not to worry. I'm learning to keep plodding along, learning to not hate my temping jobs so much, and I'm learning how faithful God is every day. It is awesome. Praise Him!
I have also just learned something really awesome that I can't tell anyone - yet. I will as soon as I can, and I will probably post it up here.
In other news...
'Global warming' is losing the support of the public more and more everyday. Sorry Al Gore, you're going to have to find some other way to fleece the public of hard earned money to line your pockets.
The Senate race in Massachusetts is heating up. Normally this probably wouldn't be a big news story, but here's the catch. If the Republican candidate, Scott Brown wins, this would take the numbers in Senate to 59 Dem, 41 Rep. And that would be good news to me. Why? Because then the US Government would be forced to change their tactics and do things bi-partisanly. That is, treat things democratically.
The health care take over won when it went to the senate because the democrats had 60 members. Obama needed 60 votes for the take over to be passed. All he had to do was convince all democrat senators to vote 'yes' and he would have success. I'm not against that so much. However, my main problem with this is the way it was carried out. It was not a democratic process.
Knowing the republicans are generally opposed to government intrusion into the everyday choices of the public, he shut them out of talks. It became a one sided debate, aimed at bringing about the largest government takeover of the private sector in American history. Instead of transparency, these talks were held behind closed doors.
While campaigning for presidency, Obama promised to have a transparent government, have open doors talks with both sides of the political spectrum on issues such as health care, and to have c-span camera's present at all of these meetings. None of this happened. The talks resembled more of a secretive, under-cover-of-darkness campaign then a genuine, democratic process for the good of the people. Never mind the fact that only 30% of american's support the government take over of health care, and that most people actually oppose it.
So for me, anything that is going to bring democracy back into the white house is a good thing. I think it will be great to see the president faced with the challenge of working with both Democrats and Republicans, instead of just needing to do the bare minimum to get votes from his own party alone.
George W Bush (Republican) spent the majority of his presidency with a Democrat majority in both congress and the senate. He didn't have the option to do things any other way than bi-partisan. And I think that's a good thing. Not only does it mean that people on both sides of the political spectrum are better represented, it means both sides have to work together to reach the solution. And that has to be a good thing.
For example - I have learnt since getting married that my wife sheds more hair than I ever thought possible. I find it EVERYWHERE, on my clothes, clogging the drain, in our bed, clogging the vacuum cleaner head, but as of yet I haven't (that I remember anyway) found any in my food.
I have however found, on more than one occasion, a long, filthy black hair in my chinese food from the chinese shop down the road. Note to self - Do not EVER go back there.
I'm learning to overcome disappointments as I miss out on jobs that I've been applying for. I'm learning not to worry. I'm learning to keep plodding along, learning to not hate my temping jobs so much, and I'm learning how faithful God is every day. It is awesome. Praise Him!
I have also just learned something really awesome that I can't tell anyone - yet. I will as soon as I can, and I will probably post it up here.
In other news...
'Global warming' is losing the support of the public more and more everyday. Sorry Al Gore, you're going to have to find some other way to fleece the public of hard earned money to line your pockets.
The Senate race in Massachusetts is heating up. Normally this probably wouldn't be a big news story, but here's the catch. If the Republican candidate, Scott Brown wins, this would take the numbers in Senate to 59 Dem, 41 Rep. And that would be good news to me. Why? Because then the US Government would be forced to change their tactics and do things bi-partisanly. That is, treat things democratically.
The health care take over won when it went to the senate because the democrats had 60 members. Obama needed 60 votes for the take over to be passed. All he had to do was convince all democrat senators to vote 'yes' and he would have success. I'm not against that so much. However, my main problem with this is the way it was carried out. It was not a democratic process.
Knowing the republicans are generally opposed to government intrusion into the everyday choices of the public, he shut them out of talks. It became a one sided debate, aimed at bringing about the largest government takeover of the private sector in American history. Instead of transparency, these talks were held behind closed doors.
While campaigning for presidency, Obama promised to have a transparent government, have open doors talks with both sides of the political spectrum on issues such as health care, and to have c-span camera's present at all of these meetings. None of this happened. The talks resembled more of a secretive, under-cover-of-darkness campaign then a genuine, democratic process for the good of the people. Never mind the fact that only 30% of american's support the government take over of health care, and that most people actually oppose it.
So for me, anything that is going to bring democracy back into the white house is a good thing. I think it will be great to see the president faced with the challenge of working with both Democrats and Republicans, instead of just needing to do the bare minimum to get votes from his own party alone.
George W Bush (Republican) spent the majority of his presidency with a Democrat majority in both congress and the senate. He didn't have the option to do things any other way than bi-partisan. And I think that's a good thing. Not only does it mean that people on both sides of the political spectrum are better represented, it means both sides have to work together to reach the solution. And that has to be a good thing.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
My life so far in 2010
It's 2010.
I'm unemployed - It really does suck. I have finished my Diploma in Civil Engineering, but when I try and use it as bait for potential employers, they generally have been telling me it's pretty much worthless. Would really have liked to know that before I spent two years and about 15 grand on getting it. Apparently going back to Uni to get my BE is the only way to get into what I want to do. I know for a fact that just a few years ago, that wasn't the case. I knew it would be harder with just a Diploma, but I didn't think I would be told by a number of Engineering Firms that its impossible.
Don't worry, I'm not depressed. I have been battered by disappointments BUT... I have faith. I believe God when He says, "I know the plans I have for you. They are for good and not disaster; to give you a future and a hope." I know that as these doors seem to close, He's moving me to the open door He really wants me to go through.
So for now, I've re-signed with a temping agency which should be able to provide me with enough work for us to pay the bills and on the days I'm not working I will be continuing my door-to-door job hunting and giving out a billion copies of my CV and praying for God to open up opportunities. Watch this space.
One thing being employed has 'helped' me with is now instead of a quick read up on the news every day, I have a lot more time to do some reading. I'm passionate about politics - not because I like to argue, but because I think it's extremely important for us to know what's going on around us in the political scene. The politicians are employed by us to make decisions for our good. So it's important to me that I know the full story about a law change that's being proposed. Or a policy change. Or what lawmakers are debating on. It's important to be informed and to really do some research into the pro's and con's.
I am a dual citizen of the USA and NZ. So I have a huge amount of interest tied up in what is going on in the USA (as well as here in NZ).
I'm watching the Healthcare Reform (or should I say Government take-over of the Health Sector) with great interest. I've been watching the global warming scam with great interest. I've been watching the media frenzy over Sarah Palin with great interest. I've been following the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan closely. I've been watching the out of control Government spending closely.
I don't like how biased the media is. I don't like how EVERY media outlet is biased, mostly left wing, but Fox, a right leaning outlet, is the only one bashed for having a biased viewpoint. I have been surprised time and again by what is reported on the news and how it is reported. I'm sick of humanity-caused climate change being reported as fact when there is less evidence for that than there is for life on mars. I don't like the direction Barack Obama is taking the USA and I don't like the way the press plays favourites with him. It seems they spend as much time praising him as they do trying to slam Sarah Palin.
This was not meant to be a rant, but I guess I got started on one. I wasn't expecting it to become a list of things I'm getting a bit "over it" about.
ANYWAYS...
I hope you are having a fantastic year so far. I am going to try and keep this thing updated fairly regularly and just say what's on my mind. It won't always be Politics. It won't always be winging and moaning (hopefully only a rare moan will make it on here). It will always be from the heart, and hopefully it will add something to your day, not take away from it.
I'm unemployed - It really does suck. I have finished my Diploma in Civil Engineering, but when I try and use it as bait for potential employers, they generally have been telling me it's pretty much worthless. Would really have liked to know that before I spent two years and about 15 grand on getting it. Apparently going back to Uni to get my BE is the only way to get into what I want to do. I know for a fact that just a few years ago, that wasn't the case. I knew it would be harder with just a Diploma, but I didn't think I would be told by a number of Engineering Firms that its impossible.
Don't worry, I'm not depressed. I have been battered by disappointments BUT... I have faith. I believe God when He says, "I know the plans I have for you. They are for good and not disaster; to give you a future and a hope." I know that as these doors seem to close, He's moving me to the open door He really wants me to go through.
So for now, I've re-signed with a temping agency which should be able to provide me with enough work for us to pay the bills and on the days I'm not working I will be continuing my door-to-door job hunting and giving out a billion copies of my CV and praying for God to open up opportunities. Watch this space.
One thing being employed has 'helped' me with is now instead of a quick read up on the news every day, I have a lot more time to do some reading. I'm passionate about politics - not because I like to argue, but because I think it's extremely important for us to know what's going on around us in the political scene. The politicians are employed by us to make decisions for our good. So it's important to me that I know the full story about a law change that's being proposed. Or a policy change. Or what lawmakers are debating on. It's important to be informed and to really do some research into the pro's and con's.
I am a dual citizen of the USA and NZ. So I have a huge amount of interest tied up in what is going on in the USA (as well as here in NZ).
I'm watching the Healthcare Reform (or should I say Government take-over of the Health Sector) with great interest. I've been watching the global warming scam with great interest. I've been watching the media frenzy over Sarah Palin with great interest. I've been following the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan closely. I've been watching the out of control Government spending closely.
I don't like how biased the media is. I don't like how EVERY media outlet is biased, mostly left wing, but Fox, a right leaning outlet, is the only one bashed for having a biased viewpoint. I have been surprised time and again by what is reported on the news and how it is reported. I'm sick of humanity-caused climate change being reported as fact when there is less evidence for that than there is for life on mars. I don't like the direction Barack Obama is taking the USA and I don't like the way the press plays favourites with him. It seems they spend as much time praising him as they do trying to slam Sarah Palin.
This was not meant to be a rant, but I guess I got started on one. I wasn't expecting it to become a list of things I'm getting a bit "over it" about.
ANYWAYS...
I hope you are having a fantastic year so far. I am going to try and keep this thing updated fairly regularly and just say what's on my mind. It won't always be Politics. It won't always be winging and moaning (hopefully only a rare moan will make it on here). It will always be from the heart, and hopefully it will add something to your day, not take away from it.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
just some questions...
Why is it that now it is automatically referred to as racism if someone criticizes President Obama? http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/09/16/gibbs-rejects-carters-claim-obama-critics-racist/
Why are some old people still allowed to drive when they obviously aren't capable? (foot slipped on to accelerator???) http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/2872349/Car-smashes-into-Christchurch-bank
What is this world coming to when a 13 year old is caught drink driving? http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/2872423/13-year-old-girl-caught-drink-driving
Why is my friend Elijah still in hospital?
Why is Niggy still not home from Afghanistan? (I miss you bro!)
What is with our fascination for finding another 'earth'? http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/2872010/Earth-like-planet-gives-hope-of-life
Why did I not get up in time to make lunch today?
What is with the lethal injection saga in Ohio? http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/2871953/Lethal-jab-halted-by-vein-trouble
What is with all the sexual abuse and incest? http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/2873457/Australian-Fritzl-raped-daughter-daily
Why have their been so many murders, assaults, stabbings, and the like in Christchurch recently?
Why am I still hungry?
Why haven't I finished my assignments?
Why am I writing this instead of writing my assignments?
Why did I think that guy at the skatepark was Tom and start hassling him when it turned out to be some random dude? And why didn't he punch me for being a dick? (Toby, you are my new friend - haha, hopefully see you again at the park soon)
I don't have answers for all these questions. What I do know is God is good, even when we are not. Even when the world looks to be in so much trouble, even when it looks grim, there is hope. I know that we may turn our backs on God and reap the consequences of that, but He is always there waiting for us to turn to Him. He is a good God, and just because an ungodly world is spiralling out of control, that will not shake my faith and hope in God, and it will only make me work harder to let my life shine His light and be an arrow pointing people to Him.
I believe with all my heart that God is good. I know that this world is not perfect. I know that there is pain, suffering, grief, poverty. I know that this stuff is not fun, or cool, or of God. But I would much rather take the hard road and have faith that God is good and claim the promises written in His word - the bible. And believe that He is the hope of the world, that He is the answer, that He is and will always be an awesome God, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords.
I would much rather do that then take the easy road and lose hope, become a person just going through the motions, letting how I feel determine the extent of my faith in God, become negative, cynical and un-joyful.
Questions, I have.
Answers, often I do not have.
But this I know - God is good, and I choose to put my faith and trust in Him. Praise God!
Why are some old people still allowed to drive when they obviously aren't capable? (foot slipped on to accelerator???) http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/2872349/Car-smashes-into-Christchurch-bank
What is this world coming to when a 13 year old is caught drink driving? http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/2872423/13-year-old-girl-caught-drink-driving
Why is my friend Elijah still in hospital?
Why is Niggy still not home from Afghanistan? (I miss you bro!)
What is with our fascination for finding another 'earth'? http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/2872010/Earth-like-planet-gives-hope-of-life
Why did I not get up in time to make lunch today?
What is with the lethal injection saga in Ohio? http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/2871953/Lethal-jab-halted-by-vein-trouble
What is with all the sexual abuse and incest? http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/2873457/Australian-Fritzl-raped-daughter-daily
Why have their been so many murders, assaults, stabbings, and the like in Christchurch recently?
Why am I still hungry?
Why haven't I finished my assignments?
Why am I writing this instead of writing my assignments?
Why did I think that guy at the skatepark was Tom and start hassling him when it turned out to be some random dude? And why didn't he punch me for being a dick? (Toby, you are my new friend - haha, hopefully see you again at the park soon)
I don't have answers for all these questions. What I do know is God is good, even when we are not. Even when the world looks to be in so much trouble, even when it looks grim, there is hope. I know that we may turn our backs on God and reap the consequences of that, but He is always there waiting for us to turn to Him. He is a good God, and just because an ungodly world is spiralling out of control, that will not shake my faith and hope in God, and it will only make me work harder to let my life shine His light and be an arrow pointing people to Him.
I believe with all my heart that God is good. I know that this world is not perfect. I know that there is pain, suffering, grief, poverty. I know that this stuff is not fun, or cool, or of God. But I would much rather take the hard road and have faith that God is good and claim the promises written in His word - the bible. And believe that He is the hope of the world, that He is the answer, that He is and will always be an awesome God, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords.
I would much rather do that then take the easy road and lose hope, become a person just going through the motions, letting how I feel determine the extent of my faith in God, become negative, cynical and un-joyful.
Questions, I have.
Answers, often I do not have.
But this I know - God is good, and I choose to put my faith and trust in Him. Praise God!
Friday, September 11, 2009
Thoughts on Friday 11/09/2009
once again I am realizing how easy it is to forget my blog, or put it on hold. I know its been ages since I wrote and I know that I initially wanted to write my blog every day or two. But in all honesty, I still intend to update this from time to time at the very least - I don't want to forget about it.
It's been a sad week in some respects. You may have heard about the 16 year old guy who died in a caravan fire in Edendale last weekend. His name was Matthew Kingsbury, and his family have been friends of my family since I was about 6 years old. It was so sad to hear the news, and weird to think what his family must be going through at the moment. It was weird to think about my sister, who was born around the same time as he was, and to think that he was her age. And its still crazy to think that he's not around anymore...
I hate it when people die so young and so tragically. But I know this - God is good. And I know that life does go on. And I know that we all have to die. And I know that we live in an imperfect world where there is pain and suffering in our midst. But I also know that God is a comforter, a redeemer, a healer, a provider, and a good, loving God. Even if we don't understand things that happen in life sometimes, God is sovereign, and He is God. So I pray for the Kingsbury's and friends of Matthew, and I thank God that He is Good, that even when I don't 'get it', He will never leave me or foresake me. Praise God!
On a lighter note - I have been following the Air New Zealand Cup quite closely this year (as I do every year) and for once, my boys, the Southland Stags, are doing flippin well! They are second on the table and have the chance to go top of the table tonight when they take on current top of table team, Bay of Plenty. Go the mighty Stags!!!
It's been a sad week in some respects. You may have heard about the 16 year old guy who died in a caravan fire in Edendale last weekend. His name was Matthew Kingsbury, and his family have been friends of my family since I was about 6 years old. It was so sad to hear the news, and weird to think what his family must be going through at the moment. It was weird to think about my sister, who was born around the same time as he was, and to think that he was her age. And its still crazy to think that he's not around anymore...
I hate it when people die so young and so tragically. But I know this - God is good. And I know that life does go on. And I know that we all have to die. And I know that we live in an imperfect world where there is pain and suffering in our midst. But I also know that God is a comforter, a redeemer, a healer, a provider, and a good, loving God. Even if we don't understand things that happen in life sometimes, God is sovereign, and He is God. So I pray for the Kingsbury's and friends of Matthew, and I thank God that He is Good, that even when I don't 'get it', He will never leave me or foresake me. Praise God!
On a lighter note - I have been following the Air New Zealand Cup quite closely this year (as I do every year) and for once, my boys, the Southland Stags, are doing flippin well! They are second on the table and have the chance to go top of the table tonight when they take on current top of table team, Bay of Plenty. Go the mighty Stags!!!
Monday, August 24, 2009
Sydney
Tomorrow I have an early start. I am flying out to Sydney at 6.30am which is not a good time for me considering I'll need to leave home at 4am to get to the airport on time. But needless to say I'm not too concerned about that, I'm more stoked to be going to Sydney for the first time!
God has blessed me so much. I have been given an awesome opportunity to go over to Sydney to check out C3 Oxford Falls, Change (on Wednesday night), hang out with Josh Kelsey (who runs Change) and hopefully there will be a chance in there for me to get together with some of the worship musicians to bang heads and gain some wisdom from some of the experts. It's really exciting and I am so thankful and blessed to be able to do it! I'm looking forward to whatever happens, and it is going to be awesome!
I am so thankful to be able to play a part at such an amazing church here in Christchurch, and to be part of the C3 movement. God is alive, God is good, and God is moving!
God has blessed me so much. I have been given an awesome opportunity to go over to Sydney to check out C3 Oxford Falls, Change (on Wednesday night), hang out with Josh Kelsey (who runs Change) and hopefully there will be a chance in there for me to get together with some of the worship musicians to bang heads and gain some wisdom from some of the experts. It's really exciting and I am so thankful and blessed to be able to do it! I'm looking forward to whatever happens, and it is going to be awesome!
I am so thankful to be able to play a part at such an amazing church here in Christchurch, and to be part of the C3 movement. God is alive, God is good, and God is moving!
Monday!
So it's been a little while since I last posted anything. And with that I realize that my initial dream of writing a new blog every day or two has possibly died. However, I am blogging much more regularly than I used to be so I think that is a good thing. I also think if I was blogging every day most of them would be pretty lame so it could be better quality wise if I blog less frequently. Anyway, moving on...
Today is Monday. We just had an awesome Sunday at C3 Church, Christchurch. I love my church so much, its a great family to be a part of. It is awesome to see it growing in both quantity and quality. Every week it seems we have a bunch of new people and the presence of God descends in a more powerful way than before. I love it!
I was lucky enough to have been given the opportunity to preach at our evening service last night, and it was just great. Our pastor had asked me about a month ago if I would do it and I said count me in! It is such an honor to get asked to preach, and this was a big deal for me. I have preached a number times in the past at Primal and at a couple of high school christian groups, but never at Sunday church. So this was the real deal, a big deal, definitely my biggest gig. I was pretty nervous.
I preached a message that has pretty much been on my heart for a while now. The theme for our Church this month is "Supernatural" and I based my message on the concept of worship and how it ties to the Supernatural presence and power of God. I believe with all my heart that worshiping God invokes the presence of God, and the presence of God invokes the power of God. I believe it is this presence and power of God that are vital for living out our lives as Christians and helping us become more and more like Christ. I also believe that the power and presence of God active in our lives is going to draw people into the presence of God, and we're going to see miracles as we are released into a life of worship.
I think that when we worship God with EVERYTHING, not just a few songs at church, but how we live our lives, the attitude behind our actions, aligning our lives with the Bible, that we have the power of breakthrough in every area of our lives.
When we worship God in our relationships, He blesses them.
When we worship God in our finances, ie tithing, being generous, He blesses our finances.
When we worship God with our work ethic, He blesses the work we do
When we worship God with our WHOLE LIFE, He blesses our whole life.
I believe that when Christians break through into a life of worship, we are opening up the door for God to come in and do the miraculous. I'm talking healings, deliverance, salvations, breakthrough, miraculous provision and more! And I believe that this extends beyond us, that when we open up that door for God, it will impact not only our lives, but the lives of our families, friends, workmates, classmates, communities, and our world for God.
Today is Monday. We just had an awesome Sunday at C3 Church, Christchurch. I love my church so much, its a great family to be a part of. It is awesome to see it growing in both quantity and quality. Every week it seems we have a bunch of new people and the presence of God descends in a more powerful way than before. I love it!
I was lucky enough to have been given the opportunity to preach at our evening service last night, and it was just great. Our pastor had asked me about a month ago if I would do it and I said count me in! It is such an honor to get asked to preach, and this was a big deal for me. I have preached a number times in the past at Primal and at a couple of high school christian groups, but never at Sunday church. So this was the real deal, a big deal, definitely my biggest gig. I was pretty nervous.
I preached a message that has pretty much been on my heart for a while now. The theme for our Church this month is "Supernatural" and I based my message on the concept of worship and how it ties to the Supernatural presence and power of God. I believe with all my heart that worshiping God invokes the presence of God, and the presence of God invokes the power of God. I believe it is this presence and power of God that are vital for living out our lives as Christians and helping us become more and more like Christ. I also believe that the power and presence of God active in our lives is going to draw people into the presence of God, and we're going to see miracles as we are released into a life of worship.
I think that when we worship God with EVERYTHING, not just a few songs at church, but how we live our lives, the attitude behind our actions, aligning our lives with the Bible, that we have the power of breakthrough in every area of our lives.
When we worship God in our relationships, He blesses them.
When we worship God in our finances, ie tithing, being generous, He blesses our finances.
When we worship God with our work ethic, He blesses the work we do
When we worship God with our WHOLE LIFE, He blesses our whole life.
I believe that when Christians break through into a life of worship, we are opening up the door for God to come in and do the miraculous. I'm talking healings, deliverance, salvations, breakthrough, miraculous provision and more! And I believe that this extends beyond us, that when we open up that door for God, it will impact not only our lives, but the lives of our families, friends, workmates, classmates, communities, and our world for God.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Socialism?
I wouldn't normally post something that got forwarded to me on my email, but I think this illustrates a good point. Don't start hating on me or trying to debate me because of it, just read it and think about it. I admit that it obviously was started by a staunch opponent of Obama trying to make a point, but its worth thinking about. We have seen what socialism has lead to in the past, and even if this is a made up story it is exactly how socialism (spreading the wealth) works
As the late Adrian Rogers said, "you cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."
This man is truly a genius!
An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before,
but had once failed an entire class.
That class had insisted that Obama's socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.
The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on Obama's plan".
All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A.
After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B.
The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy.
As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.
The second test average was a D!
No one was happy.
When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.
The scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.
All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.
Could not be any simpler than that. (Please pass this on)
As the late Adrian Rogers said, "you cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."
This man is truly a genius!
An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before,
but had once failed an entire class.
That class had insisted that Obama's socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.
The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on Obama's plan".
All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A.
After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B.
The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy.
As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.
The second test average was a D!
No one was happy.
When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.
The scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.
All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.
Could not be any simpler than that. (Please pass this on)
30th post WAHOO!
So I'm here writing my 30th blog post thinking about my life and stuff. It's been a wild ride over the last year since I started bogging. I try to voice my thoughts in a way that if people want to know what I'm thinking they can read it and if not they don't have to. So now my question is, what to blog about for #30?
I've decided to just talk about my life. I have been so blessed, God is good! He has always been with me, even when I maybe didn't realize it, and I have just been blown away at what He's been doing the last little while.
I'm still buzzing about "Empower Summit." The worship was amazing, and I was so honored to be able to serve in that. It has been awesome to see, this year especially, that all the struggle and hard work has paid off. Our worship sound at C3 Chch is developing into its own, we are seeing the presence of God more and more each service, and I am constantly blown away that God would use us to lead people into His presence.
I'm working hard at Polytech in my final semester of my Diploma in Civil Engineering, and I have been applying for jobs. Things are exciting, as there is a lot of interest in graduate Civil Engineering Technicians (which is what I'll be in November), and lots of careers nights and meetings in the coming weeks with Engineering firms. I'm hoping to land a job pretty soon! I'm praying and believeing God is going to open and shut the right doors and I'll end up in the position He wants me in, so thats exciting!
At the moment I'm working on a sermon about Worship. I'm going to be preaching at our Sunday night service in the next few weeks, and our theme for the month is "Supernatural." I believe there is great power in worship and I have a heart to see people released into a life of worship that goes far beyond attending Church. So I'm basing my message around worship and the supernatural power of God and how they go hand in hand. Should be a goody. I'm also going to be preaching at Primal in a few weeks time, so there's a couple of opportunities coming up for me to step out and preach the gospel which is exciting. I love it!
Thought for the day (blog):
"God is good - ALL THE TIME"
He really is. It takes faith to claim this over your life, but trust me, when you put God in His place as Lord, He proves to you how awesome He really is!
Praise God!
I've decided to just talk about my life. I have been so blessed, God is good! He has always been with me, even when I maybe didn't realize it, and I have just been blown away at what He's been doing the last little while.
I'm still buzzing about "Empower Summit." The worship was amazing, and I was so honored to be able to serve in that. It has been awesome to see, this year especially, that all the struggle and hard work has paid off. Our worship sound at C3 Chch is developing into its own, we are seeing the presence of God more and more each service, and I am constantly blown away that God would use us to lead people into His presence.
I'm working hard at Polytech in my final semester of my Diploma in Civil Engineering, and I have been applying for jobs. Things are exciting, as there is a lot of interest in graduate Civil Engineering Technicians (which is what I'll be in November), and lots of careers nights and meetings in the coming weeks with Engineering firms. I'm hoping to land a job pretty soon! I'm praying and believeing God is going to open and shut the right doors and I'll end up in the position He wants me in, so thats exciting!
At the moment I'm working on a sermon about Worship. I'm going to be preaching at our Sunday night service in the next few weeks, and our theme for the month is "Supernatural." I believe there is great power in worship and I have a heart to see people released into a life of worship that goes far beyond attending Church. So I'm basing my message around worship and the supernatural power of God and how they go hand in hand. Should be a goody. I'm also going to be preaching at Primal in a few weeks time, so there's a couple of opportunities coming up for me to step out and preach the gospel which is exciting. I love it!
Thought for the day (blog):
"God is good - ALL THE TIME"
He really is. It takes faith to claim this over your life, but trust me, when you put God in His place as Lord, He proves to you how awesome He really is!
Praise God!
Monday, August 10, 2009
What an amazing weekend
Wow. That's really all I can say. I just had probably the best weekend of my life. It was amazing. GOD IS GOOD!!!
My church, C3 Church Christchurch, was hosting an event called 'Empower' featuring Ps Tim Hall from Adelaide (in Australia) and Ps Wayne Peat from Howick (in Auckland). It was a powerful weekend, I was blown away by the power of God more than once. We saw people healed, delivered from demonic spirits, receiving words of prophesy, the gift of tongues, and so much more. But the thing that blew me away most of all was the presence of God in the midst of all our meetings and services.
I was leading worship for the whole weekend. We only had a 4-piece band for the weekend - Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Bass and Drums. We were lacking things like Keys, lots of singers, an extra guitar or two, but it didn't matter. In fact, I think keeping it simple made it that much more special - it was possibly the most powerful worship I have ever been in, I really felt the presence of God at another level.
I saw so many Supernatural things this weekend. I saw people healed, delivered, receive gifts of the spirit, and so much more, and I am still buzzing with the excitement of having an encounter with God! What really set the tone for me was the worship - there's nothing better than a large group of people worshiping God, united and passionate.
I think Ps Wayne Peat said it best - worship brings the presence of God, and the presence of God brings the power of God.
We saw that in a huge, awe-inspiring way over the weekend. My heart is more on fire for seeing people released into worship than ever before. It's vital that we break through into the zone where we're worshiping with ALL of our heart to His glory, because that is where we will see God's presence fall among us, and that's where the power is, that's where lives change, that's where the miraculous happens. Without that, we're just a having a good old sing-a-long at best.
And it starts outside of Church meetings. I have really been challenged by this lately. Do I set aside a good amount of time DAILY to seek God through Prayer and reading His Word? Am I really praying "fervent, effective prayers" (James 5:16) for my Church, my City, my family, my classmates, my friends to have an encounter with God? Or am I just cruising through life, taking the easy way out? Do I really have the heart for the lost and broken people that God cares so much about? Or am I way too concerned with me?
God is an awesome God. What will it take to get passionate about Him? I have been so guilty of having an apathetic attitude, and it's totally not cool, that's not honoring Him. We need to stand up, seek God above all else and let Him reveal His glory to the world through us.
We have the hope of the world, we have the answer, let's live every moment of every day FOR HIS GLORY.
My church, C3 Church Christchurch, was hosting an event called 'Empower' featuring Ps Tim Hall from Adelaide (in Australia) and Ps Wayne Peat from Howick (in Auckland). It was a powerful weekend, I was blown away by the power of God more than once. We saw people healed, delivered from demonic spirits, receiving words of prophesy, the gift of tongues, and so much more. But the thing that blew me away most of all was the presence of God in the midst of all our meetings and services.
I was leading worship for the whole weekend. We only had a 4-piece band for the weekend - Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Bass and Drums. We were lacking things like Keys, lots of singers, an extra guitar or two, but it didn't matter. In fact, I think keeping it simple made it that much more special - it was possibly the most powerful worship I have ever been in, I really felt the presence of God at another level.
I saw so many Supernatural things this weekend. I saw people healed, delivered, receive gifts of the spirit, and so much more, and I am still buzzing with the excitement of having an encounter with God! What really set the tone for me was the worship - there's nothing better than a large group of people worshiping God, united and passionate.
I think Ps Wayne Peat said it best - worship brings the presence of God, and the presence of God brings the power of God.
We saw that in a huge, awe-inspiring way over the weekend. My heart is more on fire for seeing people released into worship than ever before. It's vital that we break through into the zone where we're worshiping with ALL of our heart to His glory, because that is where we will see God's presence fall among us, and that's where the power is, that's where lives change, that's where the miraculous happens. Without that, we're just a having a good old sing-a-long at best.
And it starts outside of Church meetings. I have really been challenged by this lately. Do I set aside a good amount of time DAILY to seek God through Prayer and reading His Word? Am I really praying "fervent, effective prayers" (James 5:16) for my Church, my City, my family, my classmates, my friends to have an encounter with God? Or am I just cruising through life, taking the easy way out? Do I really have the heart for the lost and broken people that God cares so much about? Or am I way too concerned with me?
God is an awesome God. What will it take to get passionate about Him? I have been so guilty of having an apathetic attitude, and it's totally not cool, that's not honoring Him. We need to stand up, seek God above all else and let Him reveal His glory to the world through us.
We have the hope of the world, we have the answer, let's live every moment of every day FOR HIS GLORY.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Busy
Life is really busy for me at the moment. Mainly because I'm in my final semester of a Diploma in Civil Engineering and hence inundated with school work, but also because I run the music team at my church, and we have a great event coming up this weekend, the Empower Summit.
I really love having stuff to do, and I do enjoy being pretty busy. But I don't really love getting slammed with everything at once. For instance - I have been working on stuff for the Empower Summit for about a month now. I get a couple assignments a week or two ago. Then about 5 more. Then they're all due by Friday afternoon which is when the Summit begins. On top of that there is an Engineering Expo at tech on Friday that I'm hoping to get to so I can meet some engineering firms and hopefully score a job before I graduate. So I'm madly rushing to get assignments in early, finish my cv, go to meetings and band practices, be a good husband and still have time for God and time to chill out.
Hahahaha.... oh man. So busy right now. But it's all good. I'm healthy, alive and pumped for the Empower Summit this weekend. It's going to be an awesome weekend in Church!
I really love having stuff to do, and I do enjoy being pretty busy. But I don't really love getting slammed with everything at once. For instance - I have been working on stuff for the Empower Summit for about a month now. I get a couple assignments a week or two ago. Then about 5 more. Then they're all due by Friday afternoon which is when the Summit begins. On top of that there is an Engineering Expo at tech on Friday that I'm hoping to get to so I can meet some engineering firms and hopefully score a job before I graduate. So I'm madly rushing to get assignments in early, finish my cv, go to meetings and band practices, be a good husband and still have time for God and time to chill out.
Hahahaha.... oh man. So busy right now. But it's all good. I'm healthy, alive and pumped for the Empower Summit this weekend. It's going to be an awesome weekend in Church!
Friday, July 31, 2009
laugh at me
I've been thinking about jokes lately. Well, maybe more about humor than jokes. Its funny (pun) how someone's sense of humor will be completely misunderstood by someone else. I quite often come across as a dick because of my dry sense of humor. I'll start being a bit sarcastic (I use sarcasm sparingly mind you), or I'll make some dry remark and if someone doesn't know me I tend to put across a terrible first impression. *sigh*
Some jokes are actually lame. Some are funny. But generally jokes aren't that funny. Joking is funny, like pointing out something hilarious (such as the fact that someone in the group has braces), or spinning a good yarn or quoting something (in or out of context) which will make people laugh.
I'm no humor expert, but I sure can tell you a crap joke or two
Some jokes are actually lame. Some are funny. But generally jokes aren't that funny. Joking is funny, like pointing out something hilarious (such as the fact that someone in the group has braces), or spinning a good yarn or quoting something (in or out of context) which will make people laugh.
I'm no humor expert, but I sure can tell you a crap joke or two
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Smile :)
I was starting to write this entry as a bit of a whinge. I was starting to say how 'I think this and that and when people disagree with me and blah blah blah' and I was like - Hang on. Thats actually lame. I was about to post a blog telling people not to be haters when in fact thats what I was doing.
So new idea - I'm going to be Joyful!
If you're not already aware, I am a Christian. This doesn't mean I hate gay people or anything like that, but it means I love Jesus and I strive to live my life daily according to the example he set. I also love the bible, the inspired word of God.
I am generally quite a cynical guy, can be quite negative and given my personality (ISFJ on meyers-briggs) its quite easy for me to border on depression. But I have been noticing more and more, especially in the last couple years, how important it is to be positive, to speak life, and to be happy, full of joy, and SMILE!
God created the universe by speaking! "Let there be Light" and there was! I believe the same power God used to create the universe has been passed down to us through Jesus when we received Him as our Lord and Saviour and received His Holy Spirit. Therefore, speaking life into our situations carries great power - 'I am prosperous', 'I am bold', 'I am the man for the job', or how about this - "Be Healed in Jesus Name!"
I spent too much of my early Christian life being the negative, cynical guy. It not only brought me down, but it killed the mood around me. I reckon if I'd spoken a bit of life into my life I would have had a much more positive impact on those around me.
1 Thessalonians 5:16 says "Always be joyful" i.e "BE HAPPY!"
SMILE, it will make you feel better and honestly, it will make you way more attractive. When I was living in Auckland, I boarded with a lady named Maggie. She said to me one day, "You always look like the world is on your shoulders. Do you think it will make people want what you've got?" That really got me thinking; maybe I should actually do what the bible says and be happy, people should want what I've got but when I'm the lame, negative, cynical guy all the time why would they? Maggie also said to me in that conversation, "You've got a smile that lights up the room. You should show it off more, it's bound to win you the heart of a lucky young lady."
And you know what? She was right. Ask my wife what she noticed first that attracted her to me and she'll say my smile and the twinkle in my eyes. Thank you Maggie for that great advice! And thank you God for being so awesome and blessing me so much!
So new idea - I'm going to be Joyful!
If you're not already aware, I am a Christian. This doesn't mean I hate gay people or anything like that, but it means I love Jesus and I strive to live my life daily according to the example he set. I also love the bible, the inspired word of God.
I am generally quite a cynical guy, can be quite negative and given my personality (ISFJ on meyers-briggs) its quite easy for me to border on depression. But I have been noticing more and more, especially in the last couple years, how important it is to be positive, to speak life, and to be happy, full of joy, and SMILE!
God created the universe by speaking! "Let there be Light" and there was! I believe the same power God used to create the universe has been passed down to us through Jesus when we received Him as our Lord and Saviour and received His Holy Spirit. Therefore, speaking life into our situations carries great power - 'I am prosperous', 'I am bold', 'I am the man for the job', or how about this - "Be Healed in Jesus Name!"
I spent too much of my early Christian life being the negative, cynical guy. It not only brought me down, but it killed the mood around me. I reckon if I'd spoken a bit of life into my life I would have had a much more positive impact on those around me.
1 Thessalonians 5:16 says "Always be joyful" i.e "BE HAPPY!"
SMILE, it will make you feel better and honestly, it will make you way more attractive. When I was living in Auckland, I boarded with a lady named Maggie. She said to me one day, "You always look like the world is on your shoulders. Do you think it will make people want what you've got?" That really got me thinking; maybe I should actually do what the bible says and be happy, people should want what I've got but when I'm the lame, negative, cynical guy all the time why would they? Maggie also said to me in that conversation, "You've got a smile that lights up the room. You should show it off more, it's bound to win you the heart of a lucky young lady."
And you know what? She was right. Ask my wife what she noticed first that attracted her to me and she'll say my smile and the twinkle in my eyes. Thank you Maggie for that great advice! And thank you God for being so awesome and blessing me so much!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
music
Tonight Me and Holly have a band practice with my brother and two other guys. We're playing at a music thing in October called Samstock. Its pretty sweet, we're stoked to be playing. Its funny because my brother just mentioned to us one day about joining his band and then all of a sudden we're in it and we've got a gig lined up.
We mainly play covers, but with one or two originals. Its good fun so far. I play the electric guitar and Holly plays bass, and generally we have a good time jamming with the guys.
If you're down Mosgiel ways on October 2nd, be sure to come down and support us. I'll even give you a high five
PEACE
We mainly play covers, but with one or two originals. Its good fun so far. I play the electric guitar and Holly plays bass, and generally we have a good time jamming with the guys.
If you're down Mosgiel ways on October 2nd, be sure to come down and support us. I'll even give you a high five
PEACE
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Saturday
Its Saturday morning. 10.30am July 25, 2009 - NZ time. Today is the day my cousin Jenny Yoshida and her fiance, Eric Lorant, get married. They are in Orange County, CA, USA so that will be tomorrow our time. But none-the-less, its pretty cool to think that this is the date that they tie the knot and become husband and wife. I wish them all the best.
Holly and I had our friends, Donald and Elise Lucassen stay with us last night. They are friends of mine from when I was at high school, they got together a few years ago and were married at the end of 2007. It's weird to be married and have married friends come stay with you. Hard to explain, but its awesome to think that some of your friends have also made the comittment and their 2 lives have become 1. Pretty cool.
When I think of my marriage with Holly, I hope and pray that we 'do' our marriage how God always intended it to be. I hope and pray that our relationship honors God and show's others how awesome it is when you put God first in your relationship and seek to honor Him every step of the way. Marriage is awesome. Marriage is a beautiful thing. It's something I cherish and hope I always will. Don't take it for granted. Cherish it. Love it. Enjoy it. Have fun. Live Life. Be there. Always look to honor your husband or wife and more importantly God, I have no doubt in my mind that as you do that God will bless you and honor you.
So yeah, pretty boring post but just what I'm thinking at the moment.
Holly and I had our friends, Donald and Elise Lucassen stay with us last night. They are friends of mine from when I was at high school, they got together a few years ago and were married at the end of 2007. It's weird to be married and have married friends come stay with you. Hard to explain, but its awesome to think that some of your friends have also made the comittment and their 2 lives have become 1. Pretty cool.
When I think of my marriage with Holly, I hope and pray that we 'do' our marriage how God always intended it to be. I hope and pray that our relationship honors God and show's others how awesome it is when you put God first in your relationship and seek to honor Him every step of the way. Marriage is awesome. Marriage is a beautiful thing. It's something I cherish and hope I always will. Don't take it for granted. Cherish it. Love it. Enjoy it. Have fun. Live Life. Be there. Always look to honor your husband or wife and more importantly God, I have no doubt in my mind that as you do that God will bless you and honor you.
So yeah, pretty boring post but just what I'm thinking at the moment.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Back to School
So I’m back at school for my final semester. It’s quite hard adjusting to being back in class again after 2 great weeks off. I have already had my share of adventures with regards to enrolling, timetable changes, etc. Shaping up to be an eventful semester.
I was originally enrolled in Structural Theory which goes hand in hand with Structural design. However I was not enrolled in that and it makes no sense to do one paper and not the other. So I went about enrolling in Structural Design. I didn’t want to have 6 classes again this semester, as it made last semester flippin’ insane, so I pulled out of Traffic Engineering. This is a double goodness, as it means I didn’t pick up any extra work, and in changing my class I don’t have any night courses this semester, YAHOO!!!!
It’s a good feeling knowing that I’m almost qualified. It’s taken way too long, but it’s going to be awesome sitting that final exam and walking into that sweet first job!
I was originally enrolled in Structural Theory which goes hand in hand with Structural design. However I was not enrolled in that and it makes no sense to do one paper and not the other. So I went about enrolling in Structural Design. I didn’t want to have 6 classes again this semester, as it made last semester flippin’ insane, so I pulled out of Traffic Engineering. This is a double goodness, as it means I didn’t pick up any extra work, and in changing my class I don’t have any night courses this semester, YAHOO!!!!
It’s a good feeling knowing that I’m almost qualified. It’s taken way too long, but it’s going to be awesome sitting that final exam and walking into that sweet first job!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
EARTHQUAKE!!!
There was an earthquake last night, centered down south about 100km out of Tuatapere. It was apparently felt as far away as the Taranaki region, which isn't surprising considering it measured 7.8 on the Richter scale. We definitely felt it here in Christchurch, it was similar to most earthquakes I've felt in recent times, a rolling one like a wave rather than a violent shaking. The main difference was how long it lasted - it went on for ages! Apparently it was shaking for around 2 minutes.
Lucky for you I did a geology paper last semester so I know a little bit about earthquakes. I'll share some details I know.
Plate tectonics
New Zealand is situated on the boundary where the australian plate and the pacific plate meet. They are constantly moving (to the tune of a few mm every year). What makes it more interesting is the fact that above the north island the pacific plate is subducting under the australian plate, where as below the south island the australian is subducting under the pacific. Add to this the Strike Slip characteristics of the Alpine fault (plates moving past each other, one moving north, other moving south) and you have a country prone to earthquakes.
Magnitude vs Intensity
Last night's earthquake measured 7.8 on the Richter scale. But what does that mean? The main thing to consider is the difference between magnitude and intensity.
The Richter scale measures the magnitude, that is how much energy is released. However, this doesn't necessarily correlate to what is felt.
The modified Mercalli scale measures intensity, that is how damaging a quake is (such as the shaking, or destructiveness of it... pretty much what you feel). It has a scale from 1-12, where 1 is barely felt and 12 is large scale damage and destruction. So what people in the deep south felt may have been about 8 on the modified Mercalli scale, where as here in Chch it might have been like 5 or 6 and up north maybe it was barely felt at a 2 or 3... It will depend on the depth of the quake, geology of the area, distance from the epicenter, to some extent the magnitude, etc, etc.
Final facts?
An earthquake like last night occurs when the plates which have been grinding and pushing against each other, building up energy, then all of a sudden something gives way, releasing the built up energy in an earthquake. This happens all the time with energy generally being released in small earthquakes that we often don't notice. However, with energy building up on the plate boundaries, if the movement is stopped (ie the plates get caught or wedged or something and they can't move and release energy a bit at a time), the energy keeps building and building until something gives and the built up energy is released in a bigger earthquake.
I hope you have learned a lot from this 3 minutes of earthquake facts. I also hope I got an A for Geology. Still waiting to hear my results...
Lucky for you I did a geology paper last semester so I know a little bit about earthquakes. I'll share some details I know.
Plate tectonics
New Zealand is situated on the boundary where the australian plate and the pacific plate meet. They are constantly moving (to the tune of a few mm every year). What makes it more interesting is the fact that above the north island the pacific plate is subducting under the australian plate, where as below the south island the australian is subducting under the pacific. Add to this the Strike Slip characteristics of the Alpine fault (plates moving past each other, one moving north, other moving south) and you have a country prone to earthquakes.
Magnitude vs Intensity
Last night's earthquake measured 7.8 on the Richter scale. But what does that mean? The main thing to consider is the difference between magnitude and intensity.
The Richter scale measures the magnitude, that is how much energy is released. However, this doesn't necessarily correlate to what is felt.
The modified Mercalli scale measures intensity, that is how damaging a quake is (such as the shaking, or destructiveness of it... pretty much what you feel). It has a scale from 1-12, where 1 is barely felt and 12 is large scale damage and destruction. So what people in the deep south felt may have been about 8 on the modified Mercalli scale, where as here in Chch it might have been like 5 or 6 and up north maybe it was barely felt at a 2 or 3... It will depend on the depth of the quake, geology of the area, distance from the epicenter, to some extent the magnitude, etc, etc.
Final facts?
An earthquake like last night occurs when the plates which have been grinding and pushing against each other, building up energy, then all of a sudden something gives way, releasing the built up energy in an earthquake. This happens all the time with energy generally being released in small earthquakes that we often don't notice. However, with energy building up on the plate boundaries, if the movement is stopped (ie the plates get caught or wedged or something and they can't move and release energy a bit at a time), the energy keeps building and building until something gives and the built up energy is released in a bigger earthquake.
I hope you have learned a lot from this 3 minutes of earthquake facts. I also hope I got an A for Geology. Still waiting to hear my results...
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Haircut part 2
I probably shouldn't blog about the same thing 2 days in a row, but what the hey, why not?
I got my haircut yesterday and its a hummer! I look hot again. Haha. But during the course of this haircut I noticed something that I notice everytime I get a haircut. My facial hair is whack.
It's not that I grow it and it looks strange, but more the fact that it grows in patches and one of the patches it doesn't grow is about a half inch beside my ears where the sideburns should be transitioning from being head hair to facial hair. Every time I get my hair cut again, I notice the gap in my sideburns between where the hair from my head meets the stubble on my face. When my hair is long enough, I don't notice it, I let my sideburns grow further down my cheeks. But as soon as its cut it's like, whoa I'm a freak, what's that bald patch doing there!
The hairdresser yesterday got to the point where you can notice this dramatic 'gap' in sideburn growth and he (yes I got the dude again) kinda just stared at it for a while before saying, 'You want me to take your sideburns up bro?' When I replied 'Nah, it should be ok for now' he stared at the gap again then after a bit of an awkward silence he goes, 'Oh yep, fix it up yourself at home kinda thing' and he goes on finishing cutting my mop.
It's kind of funny when I think of how I seem to be finding grey hairs all over my head yet I still haven't hit puberty enough to grow sideburns without a bald patch. I remember thinking like 4 years ago (when I first noticed some growth of facial hair) that it wouldn't be long before the patchiness went away and my sideburns would be respectable... still waiting. I'm 22 years old and I'm still trying to grow sideburns better than my 14 year old brother.
I got my haircut yesterday and its a hummer! I look hot again. Haha. But during the course of this haircut I noticed something that I notice everytime I get a haircut. My facial hair is whack.
It's not that I grow it and it looks strange, but more the fact that it grows in patches and one of the patches it doesn't grow is about a half inch beside my ears where the sideburns should be transitioning from being head hair to facial hair. Every time I get my hair cut again, I notice the gap in my sideburns between where the hair from my head meets the stubble on my face. When my hair is long enough, I don't notice it, I let my sideburns grow further down my cheeks. But as soon as its cut it's like, whoa I'm a freak, what's that bald patch doing there!
The hairdresser yesterday got to the point where you can notice this dramatic 'gap' in sideburn growth and he (yes I got the dude again) kinda just stared at it for a while before saying, 'You want me to take your sideburns up bro?' When I replied 'Nah, it should be ok for now' he stared at the gap again then after a bit of an awkward silence he goes, 'Oh yep, fix it up yourself at home kinda thing' and he goes on finishing cutting my mop.
It's kind of funny when I think of how I seem to be finding grey hairs all over my head yet I still haven't hit puberty enough to grow sideburns without a bald patch. I remember thinking like 4 years ago (when I first noticed some growth of facial hair) that it wouldn't be long before the patchiness went away and my sideburns would be respectable... still waiting. I'm 22 years old and I'm still trying to grow sideburns better than my 14 year old brother.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
haircut
I'm getting my hair cut today. I'm looking forward to it, last time I got it cut was like a week before I got married, so it has gotten quite long and annoying. Holly trimmed it for me a couple weeks ago but its time I went to the hairdresser and got them to fix my style.
I like going to get a haircut, partly for the novelty of never quite knowing if you'll be happy with what you end up with, and partly because it's a good feeling losing those annoying locks. I don't really like it when I get the gay guy and he decides to give me an intense head massage (as in cranium) but last time he gave me a really good style so I don't doubt his hair cutting skills.
I find haircut conversation quite awkward generally. The usual question "so what do you do" is quickly answered and I always seem to follow up my answer "I study engineering" with "what about you" at which point I realize (just a bit too late) that I know what they do, they cut hair.
Yup, conversation dies pretty quickly at the barber...
I like going to get a haircut, partly for the novelty of never quite knowing if you'll be happy with what you end up with, and partly because it's a good feeling losing those annoying locks. I don't really like it when I get the gay guy and he decides to give me an intense head massage (as in cranium) but last time he gave me a really good style so I don't doubt his hair cutting skills.
I find haircut conversation quite awkward generally. The usual question "so what do you do" is quickly answered and I always seem to follow up my answer "I study engineering" with "what about you" at which point I realize (just a bit too late) that I know what they do, they cut hair.
Yup, conversation dies pretty quickly at the barber...
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