its a boy!

My family just got bigger. My friends Jennie & Andrew just welcomed Mitchell into the family today. He's a few weeks early, but no ones complaining. It gives Andrew more time with him before heading to police college for training. Im so blessed in that I am heading to Wellington in a months time for the weekend so I'll get to see him while he's still a little baby. While I dont have the pleasure of being a biological aunty to my brothers kids (as neither of them have any) I have the awesome gift of children through my friends children. They give me so much pleasure and I love hearing them call me aunty shar. So Mitchell is very welcome into my life and I have been preparing for his arrival since he was first known about. I have a great collection of nappies that need to somehow make their way north. Well I have no pics at this stage but as soon as I do he'll be in a frame and on my wall.

the technological age

So ive been thinking, since last week actually, so I decided it was time to think out loud (although I guess unless you are actually reading this out loud, then its not really out loud now is it....)

Last week we had a bit of a problem with telecom (our telecommunications company) because some workmen accidently dug into a fibre optic cable with their digger (accidential unless they were secretly employed by Telecoms opposition). Anyway it meant that our email was out, our cellphones werent working, no eftpos and no money machines were working.

It also happened to be on the day that I was waiting for an urgent email about flights we were trying to book for members of our youth group to get to Fiji. It struck me how weird it was that so much of my work day was interrrupted by this incident. As my work mates and I were reflecting it was hard to remember life before cellohones and internet. Even stranger was the fact that when I worked it out, it was only the year 1998 that I had my first cellphone and i didnt really get introduced to the internet and email until 2000. Thats only 6 years...what about the 20 something years before that? Has my life changed that much in such a short space of time that I now feel a little lost without that technology being available and at my disposal when and where I want it?

As I endeavour to try and simplify my life and declutter it, I find myself having to consistantly assess my desire for technology. Sure that phone has lots of cool gadgets and can do all sorts of cool things, but do i need it when I have a perfectly good phone already for making calls and sending texts. Sure it would be awesome to be able to buy the latest gadget or piece of technology but can my resourses be better used in other places, to benefit other people instead of satisfying my desire (for the moment anyway).

Im not saying that technology is all bad, I mean, i wouldnt be able to blog without it..but I wonder at how reliant I have become on it...and whether in the rush to introduce more and more technology into my life, other, simpler things are being pushed aside.

oh to be australian right now

No sooner had I published my previous post then I hear the news that a second well known australian has been killed. Peter Brock - racing car driver has been killed in a race. Australia will be experiencing a strange kind of grief this week.

a crazy week

There has been so much happen this week, personally, professionally and in the world around me. I've had a couple of conversations with friends this week that have really challenged me and caused me to pause and reflect. I've had dealings with people through work that have frustrated me, encouraged me, and pointed me back towards the God that i seek to know better. Then this week there have been those events that have shocked - the death of Steve Irwin, crocodile hunter - its been interesting how that event has polarised peoples opinions of him. Regardless of what people think of him, its still a tragic loss and the circumstances around his death make it even more tragic. Closer to home the death of two men in the Hawkes bay. The first guy was struck by truck of the second and as he got out of his truck to try and free the man trapped under his vehicle, he too was hit and killed. Both men's lives so tragically taken, in circumstances that seem so crazy. As Ive been thinking about it all today though, I cant help but think of those who die alone, with no one aware they have even gone. I heard a story of a local man who was dead 6 weeks before anyone came looking for him. How unbelieveable, and yet how real is this. The release of research about the hundreds of Men across our nation who live alone is food for thought. One can feel overwhelmed at times by all that seems to be going on. How do we begin to make a difference, to see transformation take place in any area? I come back again to the title of my blog "one matters for eternity". Sometimes the thousands, the hundreds, even the dozens can seem too much....but how about the ones. The neighbour across the driveway who is desperately lonely and goes to bed every night hoping that someone might notice if they didnt wake up in the morning. The child attending the school down the road who wishes that there was someone who would make the time to watch them play sport on saturday mornings. The student who feels the expectation of family (and sometimes country) to make something of themselves and begins to measure their worth and value as a person by the grades they achieve.

I can't comprehend the thousands, but I can commit to the ones.....because one matters.

its a matter of perspective

Well its been a great couple of weeks. it started with the sole officer symposium in Upper Hutt. a gathering of people from NZ and Australia who are for whatever reason, serving God as officers on their own. The company was fab, the teaching inspiring the highlight having said all of that, had to be singstar and the dance mat....so funny. Such a pleasure hanging with the girls. I then headed to New Plymouth for a weeks holiday. I had been looking forward to it for months and had been watching the weather reports. They were looking very promising. Well it turned out that Dunedin and New Plymouth did an exchange and while Dunedin suddenly had beautiful weather, NP wasnt quite so flash. There is a mountain in the Taranaki, although many visitors would be unsure if it was just a rumour because it often cant be seen. I got a great view of the mountain.....the day I was leaving, on the bus, on my way out of town. I came straight home and headed to camp for the weekend. Another great time. Ive had some things running around in my head over this last week. At times Ive had my questions about if Im hearing from God properly and moments when ive wondered what God is trying to show me...even at times Ive uttered the words 'where is God in the midst of this'. I was reminded today about perspective. Even though sometimes you cant see Mt Taranaki, and a visitor might even wonder if it actually exist, it doesnt change the fact that it is there. on the ground under the clouds you ask 'where is the mountain' but get in a plane and fly above the clouds and you see the mountain in all its glory. Sometimes the clouds of life settle and I look from where I am and struggle to see God, or see the purpose in something, just because clouds are covering my view, doesnt mean that God is not there. Its just a matter of perspective. So Im heading into a new week trying to look for a different persepective. Trying to place my hope in God alone and that he is my strength and my salvation.