This is how I’m feeling

And it is marvellous.

Perspective

A drawing I did a while back. I can’t remember why, but I’m sure it’s as relevant now as ever.

A different kind of Christmas

I think you should all be empowered by this new video, which has become my favourite clip on the cost of materialism. I think it says very simply what we all know about the price of a consumerist society, and what we can simply do to have a better life and community now.

It was posted by Christine Sine on her blog with a lot of other cool tips and resources on how to do Christmas differently. I highly recommend checking it out. Merry Christmas.

What to do…

I spent some time on this week’s comic. It’s supposed to be encouraging really. See, it’s about the ingenuity and achievement of people, who do amazing things, but are stumped when it comes to solving problems. We can use our creativity and smarts to solve the worlds issues, we just have to fight the fear and want it. i think that’s where faith comes in, at least for me, and where hope for something better is so important.

Saturday for Christ’s Return

I'm a big fan of unity, and so I don't like to take up a negative stance against those who believe much of what I believe as well. Still, I think that we should be able to think independently and disagree on many things, constantly trying to find the truth and broaden each others minds. That said, I find it rather amusing that yet another Christian group has picked the date of Christ’s return. Guess what, it's this Saturday!

More accurately, Jesus' return to earth is Saturday, with the subsequent destruction of the Earth on the 21st of October. My sister is miffed that she'll miss her 25th birthday this year.

Wecanknow.com makes the argument that 'Noah knew, and so can we' but their site is so bulky that the actual details of their reason for believing this, and their reason for picking this Saturday, are well hidden. Never-the-less, they invite you to pour through the data and pray for a revelation of the truth.

focussing on the destruction of the world is dangerous. We begin to live as thought the planet and our lives don't matter. It's like the old hypothetical 'What would you do if you had only a day left to live?' Provocative perhaps, but I think a way more challenging and telling questions is 'What will you do if you don't die tomorrow?' 'What will you do if the earth doesn't burn?' 'What if we have to lie in the bed we made for ourselves?'

Maybe we'll make a better bed. Maybe we'll treat the earth better. Maybe we'll live our lives more like we'd hoped. We have to put in the effort to heal and transform, because there's no reset button. I hope my life can be different because I have hope for the world we have. How about you?

How to Crucify a Rabbit

Symbols get really messed up and thrown around by the pseudo-religious/secular holidays we keep having. I think the confusion will continue to grow as each invested party (ie, the market and the church) get more forceful and more extreme. I can't help but wonder if we're all just getting more confused.

Who is this Easter Bunny? What's his motives? Why would he give us candy for free? Can we take chocolate from strange bunnies? Is he in cahoots with this Santa figure who lures us in with the promise of free gifts? There's aksi a dead body in this story, did they kill Jesus to keep it a secret? Being God's son they must have figured He knew too much and hired the Judas to silence him. The Tooth fairy probably funded the thirty pieces of silver, he's pretty cashed up. And where are all those teeth going I wonder...

It's hard enough to pass on accurate information let alone all the hype. And now that I've got a daughter the prospect of telling her their's a bunny that lays chocolate eggs seems creepy. In a non-Christian sense even the new-life and fertility symbols of Easter have been forgotten for chocolate and excess. What does a hunt for chocolate eggs really symbolize? Do we really need an excuse to eat chocolate or give each other gifts? I'mlooking forward to focusing on the symbols that matter to me, and stripping away the rest. Easter is about freedom and victory, sacrifice and gain, Hope and rescue. For me, Jesus shows the world a way to find the freedom they've been looking for. I think symbols are important, they inform who we are and what we do. Think about whether your symbols are the ones you want guiding you, and if not, look for the ones that will inspire you.

Some cool links I found: Matt Stone Blog: Easter Fail Godspace: Resurrection Life - Christ or the Easter Bunny

Out of reach

One of my earliest memories is of trying to reach the door handle, and it being too high. I can remember frustration in that moment, of being unable to attain something so simple. Now days I often feel like I’m not quite there. Stretching for something only just out of my reach but entirely unattainable.
I guess I’m comforted by the fact that I can now reach door handles with ease. Also, there were always those around who could open doors for me. I’m not doing it on my own. I don’t really have the world on my shoulders. I’ll keep stretching till I reach the goal. Keep growing.

Waiting and Doubt

Sometimes waiting is hard, but not knowing what you're waiting for is harder. What if I'm wrong? What if it's not there? What if it's not what I think it is? What then? What now? 

You're waiting for something, or working toward something. I sincerely hope it's as good as you think.

Waiting………….

Life isn’t a race, but why wait to get started. I’m often so scared that things won’t work out, but when I try things I’m always proud and excited. There’s still things I want to start, so maybe I should get them underway. If the right moment doesn’t come, I’ll have to do with the moment at hand.

What are you waiting for?

Its moments like these you need…

Strangely enough this is an experience I had today. And despite the huge amount of effort to get the couches through the eye of the needle, as soon as I was done I thought “that wasn’t so hard.” This is a crazy statement based on the transpired events of the afternoon.

I think the reason it seems plain now is because my biggest obstacle was actually not knowing if it was possible to get the couches (yes, plural) in the lounge room. Was all my work in vain? Were these couches to remain outside forever? 

I was once told that all couches are made to fit through standard doorways and, vice versa, all houses were built with moving couches in mind. This ensures that while it may seem impossible to do, there’s always a trick to twist said couch through said house. I’d like to say that the designers of the couch and house, in this instance, did a particularly poor job. After trying every possible trick, removing several doors and dismantling the couch, we finally got it in. But now it’s easy (ish), now all I have to do is reverse that pattern to get it out. And I know it’s possible, I know because I saw it.

Here’s the punch-line:I would like to live my life with the abandon of knowing that there is a way, even when no way is apparent. Having the faith that soon I’ll look back on my impossible problems and say, “see that wasn’t so hard”. Let’s God and us overcome our impossible obstacles together.

Are you in?