So not too many months ago S was asked if would like to Direct Easter Camp, run by Turning Point Ministries (TPM, a part of the Lutheran Church of NSW). To which he said yes to...
Easter Camp is an amazing experience, it starts on Maundy thursday, and goes to lunch time Easter Sunday.
The camp follows the last weeks days of Jesus life, death and resurrection, beginning with the last supper.
The campers that come to this camp are usually between the ages of 13-17, not exclusively though but this camp is also known at 'Confirming Easter Camp'.
Confirmation in the Lutheran church begins around the start of high school or thereafter and it consists of a year or two of group studies, with the pastor, and we learn about Jesus, investigate His life, what it means to be a christian today and how it can impact my life.
Confirmation classes then lead onto 'being confirmed'. A chance for these young folks to stand up in front of their confirmation and confirm what their Godparents said at their baptism, that they will continue to follow Jesus and it's a decision they choose to make.
This Easter Camp helps give a deeper understanding of what Jesus did for them, and us.
We simulate what would have happened in the events before Jesus death.
So S and I have been given the task to organise this years camp.
Easter Camp is pretty structured but I really want to do it justice.
But being fully aware of God's presence of the working out of this camp.
It is a bit task no less, even being a small camp, something I love as it allows campers to build deep, faithful relationships with God and other christians their own age.
Easter is less then two weeks away now, so there's lots of preparing to do. But most likely I will keep updates here on our progress.
Hope you are spending your Saturday night as productively as mine, I'm acutely aware that daylight savings ends tonight so technically I've still got an hr before I should head to bed!!!
Showing posts with label Wisdom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wisdom. Show all posts
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Seek Justice, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly With Your God
"People aren't confused by the gospel
They're confused by us
Jesus is the only way to God
But we are not the only way to Jesus
This world doesn't need my tie, or my hoodie
My denomination or my translation of the Bible
They just need Jesus
We can be passionate about what we believe
But we can't strap ourselves to the Gospel
Cause we're slowing it down
Jesus is going to save the world
But maybe the best thing we can do
Is just get out of the way"
Casting Crowns-What this world needs
The title comes from the Casting Crown song, 'Courageous'.
Casting Crown is a band formed by youth pastor Mark Hall, and consists of seven members now, most who serve as minsters in a Eagles Landing First Baptist Church in Georgia, USA.
Mark Hall performs the lead vocals for the band and his voice is so easy to listen to!
Beautiful tone and the female vocals match so perfectly with his voice and make the songs sound complete.
The main reason I enjoy Casting Crowns, and it's not just because of the amazing music but because of their words.
I've yet to come across a band in which I can connect so deeply and with such understanding the words in which they sing.
They are stories, peoples stories they sing, truth in God's word it's and being able to capture that and provide people in their concerts the ability to sing along and make the words their own, because it's their story to, it's my story and it's my path to Jesus
This song it called East to West and it's so beautiful and speaks so clearly about a pivotal point in Jesus life, his death and resurrection and why he did just those things for me and you.
East to West by CC
Here I am, Lord, and I'm drowning in your sea of forgetfulness
The chains of yesterday surround me
I yearn for peace and rest
I don't want to end up where You found me
And it echoes in my mind, keeps me awake tonight
I know You've cast my sin as far as the east is from the west
And I stand before You now as though I've never sinned
But today I feel like I'm just one mistake away
From You leaving me this way
Jesus, can You show me just how far the east is from the west
'cause I can't bear to see the man I've been come rising up in me again
In the arms of Your mercy I find rest
'cause You know just how far the east is from the west
From one scarred hand to the other
I start the day, the war begins, endless reminding of my sin
Time and time again Your truth is drowned out by the storm I'm in
Today I feel like I'm just one mistake away
From You leaving me this way
Jesus, can You show me just how far the east is from the west
'cause I can't bear to see the man I've been come rising up in me again
In the arms of Your mercy I find rest
'cause You know just how far the east is from the west
From one scarred hand to the other
I know You've washed me white, turned my darkness into light
I need Your peace to get me through, to get me through this night
I can't live by what I feel, but by the truth Your word reveals
I'm not holding on to You, but You're holding on to me
You're holding on to me
Jesus, You know just how far the east is from the west
I don't have to see the man I've been come rising up in me again
In the arms of Your mercy I find rest
'cause You know just how far the east is from the west
From one scarred hand to the other
One scarred hand to the other
From one scarred hand to the other
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Phantom Aid and Blood Minerals.
So I’ve been learning a LOT in class so far, and one of the
things I’m starting to get the hang of it essay writing. I hate essay writing,
I hate looking for references and I hate trying to think of my own argument but
then to make it sound legitimate by backing it up with someone else’s quotes.
Fun stuff really.
But I digress, the point of this post isn’t to bore you on
all the details of my new adventures into academic writing, or to tell how well
I’ve been doing in my marks so far (except sociology, but really, it’s
sociology).
One of the main things that has been coming out of my
classes, sort of like a theme running, is the inequality of health around the
world and even in our backyards.
The life expectancy rate of an aboriginal is shockingly low
compared to that of a Caucasian, as well as that of rural dwellers to city
dwellers.
There is a 31 per cent increase in C-section births in 2007
than compared to 18 per cent from 1991.
Citizens of Africa can expect to live at least 40 years less
than that of Americans or Australia.
Russia’s life expectancy has decreased by 11 years since the
end of the USSR.
The question we are asked about this is why? Why are all
these things happening in society today where health is so well known about,
preventative measures are so well thought out.
About three-quarters of deaths under the age of 75 are
considered preventable!
And chlamydia rates are rising!!!
No seriously go look up that statistic. In this day and age,
where sex education is told throughout schools, safe sex is advocated
everywhere you look, adults aren’t pretending like there kids aren’t having
sex, so they give them the information for them to have safe sex. So why are STI’s
on the rise!!
Some things baffle me, but some things sadden and hurt me
deeply.
Blood minerals and phantom aid, has anyone heard of these?
If you’ve seen the movie blood diamond you already have a
glimpse of what blood minerals are, take for example the mines in the Congo,
have hundreds of workers being beaten and rapped on a daily basis, and all to
extract minerals from the earth and rocks.
I’m not naïve, the minerals they are finding, are the ones
they use in this here laptop and my mobile phone, minerals that I don’t even
realise are in my computer, and that someone somewhere half way across the
globe is beaten so that I can have my laptop.
It’s horrible and it makes me sick.
Phantom aid is another topic we learnt about today, in sociology
actually, what I thought would be a boring topic turns out to be pretty
interesting.
Now if you don’t know what Phantom Aid is, it is where the
countries that gives aid, such as America, Britain, Australia and Canada, give
aid to countries that are having difficulties, such as a natural disaster where
they are unable to help themselves, these countries give them money. But
there’s a catch. Like there always is with money.
If America gives money for aid assistance, they will
stipulate that they can only use food grown by American farmers, and only if
they use America shipping containers, to get them there. So in effect, what
America is doing by giving this money to poorer countries, putting these
restrictions on it, they are basically using their own money to fund their own
economy. These countries also then have to pay the higher pay rates for
American produce and carriers, so more of their aid money is taken up by this
when they could put this money in to their own economy, to create jobs in their
own country, save some money on the cost of food, and maybe be able to put some into medicine, education, better infrastructure, and all these types of things, but
they can’t because they are having to buy more expensive food.
Or for example, when a country pledges money to another
country and says, we will help you build this dam, only if you use our
consultants and our builders and constructors. So effectively, half the aid
money that is pledged never actually leaves the country.
This kind of aid needs to stop, and I’m quite happy to say
that Australia has become stipulation free in its aid giving. But it is still
very prevalent in other countries and I encourage you to go research it if you
don’t already know!
Why have I never heard of phantom aid? In a world with
fast news and thorough in depth investigations like all the advertisement says,
why do I not know about the people suffering for the things I use!
Here is a clip we watched at school today it is a bit sad
but what makes us sad, is what people are living through. I think we can take
the time out of our busy lives to pray, to think of, and maybe
even see what difference we can do on our side of the world. Because nothing
will change if someone doesn’t take the first step!
Congo: Blood, gold and mobile phones
I know it a bits late but I'm linking up with Jess for
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Gen Y
I did not write this and do not know where it came from, I thought it was well written and had a good message that I'd like to share with you.
"Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the older woman, that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.
The woman apologised and explained, "We didn't have this green thing back in my earlier days."
The young clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations."
The older woman was right - her generation didn't have the green thing in her day.
Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilised and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were truly recycled.
But we didn't have the green thing back in our day.
Grocery stores bagged our groceries in brown paper bags that we reused for numerous things, most memorable besides household garbage bags, was the use of brown paper bags as books covers for our schoolbooks. This was to ensure that public property, (the books provided for our use by the school) was not defaced by our scribbling. Then we were able to personalise our books on the brown paper bags.
But too bad we didn't do the green thing back then.
We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks.
But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day.
Back then, we washed the baby's nappies because we didn't have the throwaway kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy-gobbling machine burning up 220 volts --wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.
But that young lady is right; we didn't have the green thing back in our day.
Back then, we have on TV, or radio, in the house --not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Tasmania. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower than ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.
But she's right; we didn't have the green thing back then.
We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.
But we didn't have the green thing back then.
Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerised gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 23,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest burger joint.
But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then? There is a lot to be grateful for no matter what your age or experience."
I am a gen-y, I was born in the year 1990, I am still considered very young, I have a great stereotype with being born in this time frame.
Just like the stereotype projected onto this older lady, the stereotype of lazy gen-y is on me. Stereotypes are hurtful but so ever present in our society, they aren't considered stereotypes anymore. They've become our first thoughts when we look at someone young, or see someone old driving a car or someone smoking.
You never know the circumstances around that person and who they are. It's sad to think that as a nation we are always trying to shift the blame on to another generations or on to a different sociological group, yes we working class folk do hate against those you have more money then we. Though we do not know what they did to get there and how much effort they put in or what they do with all their extra money.
We need to stop pointing the finger or trying to shift the blame, if we did, we'd probably be a lot closer to finding some answers to our questions.
"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honour one another above yourselves. Never lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people in a low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his heart." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
-Romans 12:9-21
Linking this post of up Jess for her weekly
"Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the older woman, that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.
The woman apologised and explained, "We didn't have this green thing back in my earlier days."
The young clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations."
The older woman was right - her generation didn't have the green thing in her day.
Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilised and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were truly recycled.
But we didn't have the green thing back in our day.
Grocery stores bagged our groceries in brown paper bags that we reused for numerous things, most memorable besides household garbage bags, was the use of brown paper bags as books covers for our schoolbooks. This was to ensure that public property, (the books provided for our use by the school) was not defaced by our scribbling. Then we were able to personalise our books on the brown paper bags.
But too bad we didn't do the green thing back then.
We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks.
But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day.
Back then, we washed the baby's nappies because we didn't have the throwaway kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy-gobbling machine burning up 220 volts --wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.
But that young lady is right; we didn't have the green thing back in our day.
Back then, we have on TV, or radio, in the house --not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Tasmania. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower than ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.
But she's right; we didn't have the green thing back then.
We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.
But we didn't have the green thing back then.
Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerised gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 23,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest burger joint.
But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then? There is a lot to be grateful for no matter what your age or experience."
I am a gen-y, I was born in the year 1990, I am still considered very young, I have a great stereotype with being born in this time frame.
Just like the stereotype projected onto this older lady, the stereotype of lazy gen-y is on me. Stereotypes are hurtful but so ever present in our society, they aren't considered stereotypes anymore. They've become our first thoughts when we look at someone young, or see someone old driving a car or someone smoking.
You never know the circumstances around that person and who they are. It's sad to think that as a nation we are always trying to shift the blame on to another generations or on to a different sociological group, yes we working class folk do hate against those you have more money then we. Though we do not know what they did to get there and how much effort they put in or what they do with all their extra money.
We need to stop pointing the finger or trying to shift the blame, if we did, we'd probably be a lot closer to finding some answers to our questions.
"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honour one another above yourselves. Never lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people in a low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his heart." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
-Romans 12:9-21
Linking this post of up Jess for her weekly
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Wordless Wednesday
My Wordless Wednesday is going to be made up of pictures I was pinning on pinterest yesterday, some funny, some inspiring.
Bought to you by Pinterest
Linking up with Sakura Haruka for another awesome Wordless Wednesday!
Friday, October 12, 2012
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Footprints
One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the LORD. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonged to him, and the other to the LORD.
When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back a the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life.
This really bothered him and he questioned the LORD about it. "LORD, you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why, when I needed you most you would leave me".
The LORD replied, "My precious, precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you".
- Author Unknown
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Casting Crowns
"People aren't confused by the gospel
They're confused by us
Jesus is the only way to God
But we are not the only way to Jesus
This world doesn't need my tie, my hoodie
My denomination or my translation of the bible
They just need Jesus
We can be passionate about what we believe
But we can't strap ourselves to the gospel
'Cause we're slowing it down
Jesus is going to save the world
But maybe the best thing we can do
Is just get out of the way"
-What This World Needs by Casting Crowns
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