PS. What do you think about this font?

Danella's Delectable Caramel Slice (and other interesting things)

This post will probably seem incredibly flat considering the exciting news I posted last! Ah well. That's how it goes.

I was wondering how you like this font. Mum thinks it is hard to read. I think it is cute. Danella thinks it is hard to read. What do you think? Do you think I should just have a boring font like this? Or this? Or this? Or maybe even this?
Or do you think I should leave it like it is? Ideas, anyone???

Danella just came in and offered me a piece of her delectable slice she made on Sunday. She couldn't remember the name of it when I asked her. :-( So I'll just christen it 'Danella's Delectable Caramel Slice'. There. How does that sound? It looks a little like this:

Although admittedly it's not quite as thick. And not the same colouring exactly. But it's the best Google images could do, so you'll have to be content with that.

We were going to announce the news of the baby at our public speaking group but we got a vomiting bug so we didn't go. Someone asked me on Facebook how I was going to announce it. I thought I would post it my planned method, because I thought it would have been quite an amusing way to announce it!

I was down to Chair the Impromptu session. Basically, you have to think of topics, then assign them to the speakers and they talk on that topic for 1 minute. Well, my Impromptu session was going to be on Announcements. Each speaker would be given an announcement (for example: The aliens are invading earth or There's no more flour in the cupboards) and they would have to ANNOUNCE than announcement to the rest of Tecorians. Because you could easily state the sentence then sit down, the challenge was to make it interesting. State where, when, why, how, who etc. Make it last for a whole minute.

And that's not all! You also had to do it in a certain style. For example, Bob might be asked to announce that the walls of Jericho have just come tumbling down in the manner of a racing car commentator! Or in a melancholy manner. Or acting very happy. Or American. You get the picture.

So... I was going to get Dad to announce that his wife was having her tenth baby in a very fatherly style. Sounds okay, doesn't it? But I thought that people might just assume it was just for the Impromptu session, not true and that I made it up! Well, afterwards I was going to say, "Well, all of those announcements were false. I made them all up, and I don't think any of them were true! Apart from one. One of those announcements was true, and we're all very excited about it. Does anyone want to guess which announcement was actually true?"

So there you go. That was my plan. Sadly we didn't go to Tecorians (public speaking group) as I said above we got a vomiting bug. So that kinda ruined my plan. :-(

Yup, I reckon that's about it from me for today. It seems kind of rambly... sorry!

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT... THIS ONE IS SPECTACULAR!!!

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!!!

Wait for it...

Mum is pregnant with baby number 10!!!!!!!!!!

We are all very excited to welcome another precious addition into our family.

The due date is February 7th

We currently have five girls and four boys so this baby has the potential to even up the numbers or uneven the numbers. Talk about suspense!!!!!

I'm not sure I will survive all the waiting until Feb 7th, I love babies so much!!!

Comment on this post if you are excited.... :-)

God speaking

This morning our sermon was the third in a series about God speaking. We have been exploring how God speaks to His people, with a special focus on how God spoke to His Church in the book of Acts.

Some things we have discovered so far are:

-When the Holy Spirit is present EVERYTHING changes
-The Holy Spirit is for EVERYONE who believes in Christ
-The Holy Spirit is present with everyone, empowers everyone, gives gifts to everyone, and speaks to everyone.
-The consequence of this is that the community of Spirit-filled believers is also responsible to listen together, weigh up together and act together on what God says.

What we have learnt to apply so far is:

-Each individual in the church has the privilege of coming into God's presence and hearing from Him, which we all should do on a daily basis.
- The church as a community is to be dwelling in God's presence and hearing from God together. When they do, they are to act on what God has said.

In a nutshell: God's vision is an empowered community who dwell in His presence, listening to Him and outworking His purposes.

In the book of Acts we see this empowered community not only hearing from God as individuals and as a community for the benefit of the church, but also hearing how God wants to work through them in the marketplace. There are many examples of this in Acts.

Read Acts 8:9-25

Verses 9-14.... Sent to Samaria
Luke the author is obviously linking what is going on in this passage to Jesus' promise in Acts 1:8. The point is that the gospel is for the world, not just the church. The church is the agent for the gospel, not the recipients of the gospel.
For the Jews in the church it would have been weird to think of God moving among the Samaritans. God is with the Jews not the Gentiles. Likewise we can often think that God moves in the church, not in the world around us, but God wanted to surprise the church then, as He does now, that God is working in the world as well as the church.

Do we have a bias as to where we think God is working?

Do we think God is involved in the world as He is in the church?

Verse 14..... Sent by the church... listening and obeying like Acts 13
Notice in this part the clarity that those ministering have. The Holy Spirit is revealing to them where to go, what to do and how to go about it.

Verses 15-17.... Philip, Peter and John all need each other
It takes a church to make disciples, not just an individual. We all have different gifts that we share, so that through our interdependence God does his work. We may often be called to build on what someone else has started.

Verses 18-25.... Peter has Godly insight and boldness
We might think "I could never do that!". Peter is empowered with supernatural insight and boldness. However, when we go on a mission we may be surprised how the Holy Spirit uses us! It is exciting what God can do when we are listening and obeying.
The unusual thing that happens in this account is the actions of Simon. How come he returned to his old ways after believing in Christ? True repentance hadn't taken place. The point is, we need to truly repent and totally surrender to Christ before His Holy Spirit can fill us.

How does the clarity, boldness and effectiveness of Peter's actions inspire you and your situation?

God wants His people to take His presence and power into the world around them, where He is already at work. As we do so, we will see God move and grow in confidence and partnership with Him. The Church then becomes a place of empowerment, equipping and celebration.

A good way to remember the application to our lives is by using the acronym APP. Yes, think of this as the Holy Spirit APP for your life, rather than an app for your phone.

A = AWARENESS of God's presence
Like the early church, let's get into the habit of coming into God's presence every day and inviting the Holy Spirit to be with us, guide us and speak to us throughout our day. Pray for opportunities to share what God has given you and expect God to be working around you.

P = Develop God's PERSPECTIVE
Like the book of Acts, let's see beyond the natural circumstances. Let's ask questions like "What would Jesus reigning in this situation look like?" Then be listening for an answer and be willing to act on God's leadings.

P = PRACTICE
What is impressive about the book of Acts is that they gave it a go. There comes a point where you just have to take the risk and try something. We will never know exactly what is going to happen, but what we see in Acts in our experience is that often God surprises us.

Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us (Hebrews 12:1)

Yes. I admit it. The title has nothing to do with the post *cringes* Sorry!

Well, the exciting news I hinted at will probably be posted during this next week. Yes, you must wait until them. Hopefully it will be Tuesday.

Our netball game was, well, rather appalling this morning. We got about 5 goals. I am convinced they got about ten times that many! Which is a TERRIBLE score for poor us!

Here's the Procrastinator's Daybook. Does any of you actually like reading it? Shall I keep doing it? Or stop it?



Date... June eighth
Starting time... 5:33 pm
Mood... A bit tired and slightly headachy.
Outside my window... It's dark. And silent. And slightly spooky.
I'm thinking... I'm wondering what to put down here..
I'm currently reading... Jack Frere of the Paratroopers. Great book. I don't remember who wrote it.
I'm listening to... The sound of the computer keyboard clicking and clacking away. We have a rather antiquated (did I spell that right?) keyboard.

I'm wearing... clothes. It just seems like that sort of day.
I'm looking forward to... the news I get to post next week. You'll love it.
I'm hoping... Chocolate will turn up. Quite a vain hope, I imagine. :-(
Yesterday, I... got the hiccups.
I'm hungry for... Chocolate. Like always. Did I mention I liked chocolate?
The song stuck in my head is... For He/She is a Jolly Good Fellow. Completely randomly.
I love... CHOCOLATE!!!
I loathe... Concrete jungles. I love trees.
Picture of the week...

This is very cute. Enough said.

Well, that's it from me for a while. Stay tuned... Exciting news coming soon!

Big announcement!!! DRUMROLL....

I know- this can hardly beat the last post. :-) That was just totally awesome. It took me ages to think of 100 random facts about me, I can tell you! I hope you liked it.

Even if you didn't, maybe you'll like this post. It's to tell you something I think is cool.

The. Puzzle. Is. Officially. Complete.

There. What did you think of that? It took us about three days. That is most normal for an 1000 piece puzzle you know! And we don't work full time. We just put in a piece when we happen to be walking past, or spend an hour or two working in the afternoon. With three of us (Sophie, Danella and I) it usually gets done surprisingly quick. :-)

Another big announcement coming soon... stay tuned....

100th POST!!!!!! EXCITEMENT!!!!!!

Comment on this post if you think 100th posts are awesome.  *runs off to comment, then runs back*
Okay, here we go!

Did I tell you that I had something cool up my sleeve? I do! Here's what it is... DRUMROLL...

I'm going to put down 100 random facts about myself. Yes, you heard right. One hundred. A century. Yibai. Sto. Hundrede. Hondered. Sada. Cant. Cent. Hundert. Hyaku. Cento. Hundra. O suta. Yes, ONE HUNDRED!!!

The only other feat that has come close to this (that I know of) is 70 random facts, which I believe was attempted by Jag Swiftstorm. Here is his try at 70 facts. http://jagswiftstorm.blogspot.co.nz/2013/04/seven-or-five-tags.html
He did 70. Now, here's my attempt at 100!!!

1.)    I love avocados.

2.)    I can play the bass recorder, somewhat.

3.)    I don’t like ricebubbles or weetbix.

4.)    Beds with uneven sheets annoy me.

5.)    I prefer using handkerchiefs more than tissues.

6.)    I am hopeless at throwing a frisbee.

7.)    My younger brothers laugh when I get diggers, backhoes, front end loaders, rollers etc muddled up.

8.)    I’ve had my hair curled once before.

9.)    Cappucino Fudge Icecream is THE BEST!

10.) One of my younger sisters is taller than me, and another is about my height.

11.) I love reading the Bible in KJV Old English.

12.) Umbrellas fascinate me.

13.) I am very curious.

14.) I can do the splits.

15.) When I write in my diary, I love using diaries that are unlined so I can doodle on them.

16.) One of my sisters has different coloured eyes.

17.) I was born with blonde hair.

18.) Now I have dark hair.

19.) Right now I’m wearing a vest.

20.) I love using gel pens.

21.) I hate using thick pillows. I always sleep on the same pillow, a really thin one.

22.) Every morning I feed our two rabbits.

23.) My pencil case is awesome.

24.) It has four pockets.

25.) Whenever we go into sandfly territory, I always get BADLY bitten. L

26.) I am right handed.

27.) My watch is one minute ahead of our family clock.

28.) I wear my watch on my left wrist.

29.) I’ve never made chocolate eclairs before.

30.) I teach Sophie music theory.

31.) My sister Abbie owns 7 horses.

32.) Another sister, Danella, owns an aviary full of budgies.

33.) I still read Enid Blyton. J

34.) Fuchsias are my favourite flower.

35.) My bike has a baby seat on the back so I can take Jacob for bike rides.

36.) I like sketching.

37.) Mum got new glasses a few months ago.

38.) I love snow.

39.) Hopefully we’ll get quite a bit of snow this winter.

40.) I love the colour royal blue

41.) I can draw cartoons.

42.) Right now Mum is reading aloud.

43.) It’s hard trying to think of all of these!

44.) I can name all of the Duggar kids in the right order.

45.) I love frozen blueberries.

46.) I have a birthmark on my left shoulder blade.

47.) I was born at 7:50 am on a Friday.

48.) I’m nearly halfway through this list.

49.) 100 is a lot to think of!

50.) We’re doing a computer programming club.

51.) I have been learning violin for 1 ½ years.

52.) I have been learning piano for 2 ½ years.

53.) I’m not very accomplished at either.

54.) Brussels sprouts are yummy.

55.) So are parsnips.

56.) I love chewing on cooked meat bones.

57.) I can do any handwriting I feel like. And change halfway through if I wish. You should see my diary... it’s totally different fonts all the way through!

58.) I used to be President of a Writing Club.

59.) I’ve read almost all the books we own.

60.) A lot of these facts begin with “I”.

61.) I like using long words. You know, using gargantuan idioms to fabricate intelligence.

62.) I’m not very patient.

63.) D’ye realise there is one fact for every single blog post?

64.) D’ye realise I started two with the conjunction “D’ye realise”?

65.) I love climbing trees.

66.) I am hopeless at chance games.

67.) I never used to be able to plait my hair, until I learned late last year.

68.) I’ve always had weird and funny dreams.

69.) This isn’t as hard as I thought it would be...

70.) Only thirty more to go!

71.) When I sharpen pencils, I hold the sharpener in my right hand and the pencil in my left.

72.) I absolutely love jokes.

73.) Jokes make me laugh.

74.) Funny things make me laugh.

75.) Sad things make me sad.

76.) Happy things make me happy.

77.) I could keep doing this until I get to number 100! (But I won’t.)

78.) I’m doing the Cambridge Exams in English and Maths this year.

79.) We have quite a small washing line.

80.) I love massive tree swings!

81.) Do you know how to have Joy? Put Jesus first, Yourself last and Others in between.

82.) I sing Christmas carols throughout the year, not just at Christmas time!

83.) We used to jump off the top of our Garden Shed.

84.) I love chocolate.

85.) When I do dishes, I usually sing.

86.) When I fold washing, I am usually silent. Queer, but true.

87.) I am knitting baby bootees at the moment.

88.) Don’t get any ideas from that.

89.) We’ve only just got the DVD of our ballet show.

90.) It’s aboslutely super!

91.) Nine more facts to go. How will I ever stand it?

92.) If you’ve read all of these, congratulations!!!

93.) If you like this post idea, leave a comment. Comments make me happy.

94.) 100 random facts (handwritten) takes up about 2 ¾ pages of refill, with most taking up one line.

95.) This is the first post I’ve written on paper first. All of my others have been sit-at-the-computer-writing ones.

96.) I am wearing a T-shirt.

97.) It is in the evening as I write.

98.) The End Is Near!

99.) I love eating sausages.

1100.) This is the last one! Phew. What an accomplishment!

My 100th post form:

Well???? What did you think of my 100th post? Comment if you like it!

99th post....

Yup... you can tell I'm excited about my 100th post, aren't you???

You are completely and utterly right. :-) I am.

Just fillin' in this post so I can get onto the 100th one here. Ummm... oh, yes. I got a really cool jigsaw puzzle for my birthday. An 1000 piece one. Danella and Sophie doing it as I speak/type! It's laid out on my bedroom floor partially complete. It looks like this:

There, isn't that cool? What a nice jigsaw. We've got most of the house, boat/pond, fence, path and trees done. The sky will probably take aaaages. I have had a lot of experience with skies taking ages. :-(

Is this a long enough post? Can I get onto my 100th one?

Yes. I will. I have decided. Catch you later... on my fantastic 100th post!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Jumpstart

Jumpstart. Where do I begin?????????????????

Jumpstart is a camp aimed at 14-17 year olds held at The Crossing, Geraldine. For some information on it and some photos, go here.

We went to Week one ('we' being Abbie, Danella and I) and had an absolute blast. It was SOOOO EXCELLENT!!!

We had Bible teaching from the Book of Joshua and Apologetics teaching on quiet times and being able to defend the reliability and authority of God's Word. We also had some Life Issues sessions including "How to Prepare for the Unexpected" and "Spending your life vs. Investing your life".

And then there was the fun. We did a spy game "Island Invasion" which we did at night with black face paint and dark clothing. Yup- lots of sneaking around and sprinting through the dark being chased by Resistance members not being able to see where you were going! We also had a photo scavenger hunt, talent night plus lots of time to play card games and get to know each other more. It was such a great camp.

The counselors were so lovely, I learnt a lot from their example and watching the way they handled situations. I find that I often panic when faced with difficulties, but there are other options!

I felt that the entire camp was a great reminder to really lean on and trust in Jesus. I liked the Bible teaching in the book of Joshua which was excellent, specifically some of the points Dale Epp the speaker pulled out were really interesting and I hadn't thought of them before!

If you are interested on going on a camp like this I would really recommend Jumpstart. It is life changing. (Oh, and the food was great too!)

On another note, this is my 98th post!!! One more to go then my 100th post! Stay tuned for more!

Back from Camp!!

Yes, I have been back from camp since Friday however I have been extremely slack in not saying so!
We have been busy recently, with a conference over the weekend (where we were privileged to meet one of my special followers, Esther Rose) and housecleaning today.

This is just a quick post to apologise for my lack of posts recently, but I will hopefully be back posting again in the next few days and I'll tell you all about camp. And conference. And everything else we manage to cram into our busy lives!!