UhOh
My mother thinks I must be pregnant because she hasn’t seen me for so long. I can’t remember what my house looks like in daylight and it’s taken me three attempts to blog so far this week. I need a holiday. But the election is tomorrow and tonight I am going to the heritage screening of Casablanca at the Civic. It’s all good. Hopefully something resembling intelligent thought will be cast upon this page soon.
However, right now.. I’m off to the gym.
My Clever Possum
I have a clever possum. He lives somewhere close to my house, and likes to climb the grapefruit tree outside my living room window. When I get home late at night and switch on the TV for the late night news, I’ll hear a rustle-thump-thump and turn around to see a glimmering pair of eyes watching TV with me. Most recently I’ve decided that he’s particularly clever because he’s managing to snack on the grapefruit hanging in the tree, leaving the empty skins hanging. It’s quite a trick.
My Glorious Lorikeet
As we are heading into summer, and there are spring cherry blossoms and wild lilies all around my little valley, I’m sleeping with my bedroom windows open at night. Secretly it’s because I’m providing Prince Charming with easy access (ok kidding) but a surprising side benefit is waking in the mornings to the sight and song of rainbow lorikeets on my window sill. It’s a pair that live in the trees and bush surrounding me, often they fly up and down the driveway as you arrive home and leave but recently they have taken to singing to me in the mornings. Dad says that I should buy some birdseed, feed them and tame them. I’m not sure yet, but right now I think that they are so beautiful.
Old Skool Camp
Another weekend and another camp done. This time it was for the young adult community at Windsor Park. It was successful and not successful, but some of the concepts were awesome.. talking about how to do church if organised religion was made illegal opened doors for good quality conversation and ideas to circulate. My hope is that more and more of these opportunities will be able to gather momentum and eventually become part of the young adult lifestyle ministry that is driven by the participants rather than the passive modes we seem in at the moment.
Dental Hygiene… You’ll Need To Suspend Belief!
I usually go to the gym everyday for about 2 hours, unless I’m pushed for time, like last night. I guess because it’s a more localised club that a big city center, you see some of the same faces everyday. Anyway.. one of these faces is a little more red-faced than usual, and for once, it’s not me who’s embarrassed. At least, I don’t think I’m embarrassed.
There’s nothing more relaxing than taking 15 minutes in the sauna, followed by a hot shower after a workout. And just cos I’m a clean freak, I cleanse, tone, moisturise, scrub, exfoliate… you know .. the whole deal. A full hygiene routine, including taking care of my teeth. After all, a sweaty workout can leave you with an uncanny desire to brush your teeth.
So imagine, last night, coming out of the shower, towel wrapped around, hair dripping wet, but feeling clean and fresh all over. Imagine the severely disturbed and distressed face of a 40-something year old woman in front of me. She leaned in close and told me how disgusting and inappropriate it was for me to carry on with ‘that kind of behaviour’ in such a public place, and some habits should only be saved for the privacy of my own home, where I wouldn’t be subjected anyone else to whatever perverse sexual practices I engage in.
Just so we’re clear.. I can’t recall the last time I engaged in any sexual practices, let alone getting to be perverse! Ed.
Something must have convinced her I didn’t have the foggiest idea what she was talking about, so she explained in further detail; as to how she was happy to share gym space and even the shower cubicle next to me (as often happens because we must be on the same gym schedule) but would I please consider that not everyone else is comfortable with me ‘taking care of myself’ with my vibrator.
EEKS. Aghast. What?
Until I realised what she must have thought was going on, and I started to laugh. As I laughed, she became more incensed and red-faced. When I regained my breath from laughing, I obviously had to explain that the buzzing she had somehow associated with self-pleasure.. was in fact my Oral-B electric toothbrush.
THe mind boggles. I’m not necessarily overly familiar with the apparatus myself, but, erm…. well. How you get to that conclusion, I’m just not sure. But considering that I’ve been to the gym everyday for the past two weeks, and seen her there 10 out of 14 times… well, I brush my teeth in the shower. What’s so wrong with that?
I walked away to her mumbled apologies and scarlet face, chuckling under my breath, wondering whether or not I would be able to tell anyone this story without dying.
Been and Seen
23 – 26 Aug National Youthworkers Hui in Papamoa
Seen: The Island26 – 28 Aug Manukau Central Baptist youth camp
28 Aug Te Atatu Union Church
31 Aug Windsor Park Baptist Church Lip Sync comp
3 Sep Heather’s 40th, Jerry’s 21st
Thoughts From Hui
Potentially a lot of hui and not a lot of Do-ey. Seemed as if there were some real God moments where some potentially good things were happening, but I was concerned about the ongoing longevity of these things if the current alumni remain at the head of the ship.
Age-ist
I might potentially be ageist, but I do believe that consistently innovation and lateralism comes from youth. Rebellion leads us to want to choose our own paths and prove our own merits, but also there is a openness that doesn’t always happen with aged experience. I’m not sure what I mean yet, and I’m probably being very offensive.
Time Tithe
One of the key ideas that really did influence me at the Hui was the idea of every paid youthworker tithing 10% of their time to another youth ministry. The idea that service and combined purpose breeds a more genuine kind of relationship and unity, that unity being the purpose. As I reflected on this over the weekend I spent speaking at Manukau Central Baptist.. I birthed a little dream.
Te Atatu .. Maybe?
Knowing that Te Atatu are very keen to do something with the young people in their midst, and feeling encouraged and refreshed by the time I spent with the South Auckland kids, I began to dream of a small team of experienced young adult leaders donating 3 hours a week into the friday programme that’s being run for the 10-14 year olds. I know that there are a couple of older youth around, connected by family ties to the congregation. If there was a way of eating dinner and sharing life story stuff with these ones, in the hope of passing on some involvement and leadership with the younger group… it excites me. I guess there are a small group of talented people that immediately come to mind to run an intermediates type programme. I’d donate the time to organise and prepare, it would just be the bodies to turn up on to help me out.
If we could plant enough encouragement, support and resource into that group, to see some of the older kids want to stick around and be involved.. that would be a worthwhile thing.
Not Sleeping
I’m not sleeping at night, I’m lying restless or sitting on the couch wathcing TV. Flipping annoying. Righty-oh. I’m off to the gym I think.
Been And Seen
Wedding Crashers – I might well get slapped in the face now, admitting that I went to see this. I was given advice not to, and I chose not to listen and then wasted 2 hours on a comedy that was too long, and too unfunny. Oh, the pain. Let me admit that the advice-giver was correct, I was incorrect and yeah. I’ve learnt my lesson now.
Dracula – Going to the nosebleed section in the Civic is never a good idea when battling sinus congestion, and going to see a ballet that can’t decide if it wants to be a ballet or a production isn’t a great time either. It was beautiful, well-produced, exquisite use of stage and lights, costuming was great, but the company ballet scenes felt protracted and out of place in the context of such a twisting plot and large number of main roles to keep track of. It was a lovely night out though, in delightful company.
Other News
I laid relatively low in the weekend, apart from the gym on Saturday and Sunday, and church last night. Pet peeve… church notices that involve one or more of the following (item, dance, skit, video, comedy sketch) and then also require a powerpoint slide and a person to get up and explain the notice that’s just been displayed.
I’m getting the feeling that the drugs I was taking all weekend may be affecting my sunny disposition
These Are A Repeat..
I wrote these prayers more than a year ago, to a friend who was leaving. Now I say them to myself..
You will have peace about the outcome of your journey, even though it may feel that it is just beginning.
You will have confidence the journey began long ago, & confidence in the hands that have brought you here.
You will know the patience that comes from trusting in the Lord.
God will teach you all need to know about trusting in Him.
Scriptures will breathe and speak and sing to you, in cold and lonely places, dark spaces, light filled spaces.
Scriptures will encourage you, teach you to stand in awe in bright spaces, sad spaces, warm spaces.
Scriptures will guard your heart and mind from the harshness of other words, that might rob you of joy.
You will carry the warm flame of this family deep within you, in a safe and reachable place, always with you.
You will wake each day with eagerness for your daily tasks, contemplations, conversations, experiences.
You will be accompanied by worthy companions, worthy to teach you, learn from you, share with you.
You will unwrap layers of deep significance in safe places, into the safe hands of the Father.
You will experience the Fatherhood of God in revolutionary ways, that transform you.
You will be a son like you have never been before, and also a friend, a brother, a grandson.
You will remember the place that you have come from, internally and externally and take valuable lessons.
You will be changed and rearranged, refreshed and restored, to newness, oldness and innocence.
You will learn not to chastise yourself for what you see as weaknesses, they are God’s opportunities.
You will learn to love what God has made, complete in your imperfections.
The colours, sights, sounds and experiences you encounter will travel with you, transforming you, shaping you.
The inevitable moments of glory and humiliation will all in turn, push you towards the arms of God.
The deep Joy that resides in you, will find new expression & release amongst new friends & old to celebrate it.
The passion finds a place to live life wholeheartedly, savouring the moments and sensations.
The heart finds peace, and security, a place to belong and know as home.
The heart will be cared for, treasured and used to love well, even in the awkwardness of vulnerability.
The voice will find a place to be heard, the ears a comfortable place to listen.
The soul will be comforted with strength in times of famine, water in times of drought, love in times of trouble.
The soul will be anchored onto that deep foundation that keeps all things secure.
The questions will be answered, confusion clarified, deep soul searching given some climax of conclusion.
The mind that is open will stay open, willing to learn and to be challenged, strong on it’s convictions of Truth.
Ick To The Sitemeter
Sitemeters are both marvellous and hideous at the same time, because I really don’t want to know about the people who are looking for pictures of ‘chicks in thongs tash mcgill’. I find the thought of myself in one frightening enough, but to think that someone else might.. mega-ew. However, marvellous motivation for the gym, where I have been twice this weekend. Yay me.