Napier Baptist

I have just completed a draft of a major chapter of my dissertation. This section is meant to be 6,000 words. Current word count: 9,500. Some major editing to do tonight!! Tomorrow, I'm hoping, to start on a new chapter where the aim for the word count is 6,000 more words!

I had the pleasure of spending the evening with a new friend last night :)

During the night, we got talking about our worth, and they way we place such important on the things that certain people in our lives say, particularly our husbands. For example, they could comment that we look good that day, and that could set us up for a great day, feeling really good about ourselves. In the same way, if they make a comment that is less positive (!) we could take it hard and it would set us up for a bad mood all day.

As we continued down this track, we realised the following: Yes, our husbands(/wives) are important, but should our value really come from them? If we truly have an understanding of who we are in Christ, and the value He has placed on our lives, should it really matter what others say about us?! Yes, they're always gonna be a big influence, but God should have the ultimate and final say, and He's alreay said that we're perfect!

Enjoy the rest of our week, knowing that God made you exactly as you should be, and that in His eyes you have immesurable value!

I heard this quote while at Capernwray last year and remebered it recently and thought i'd share it with you.....
'Don't let your thumb eclipse the sun' - Your thumb, in comparison to the sun is a relatively small object, but if you hold your thumb infront of your face while looking at the sun, and focus on your thumb, and not the sun behind it, your thumb seems huge and you can effectively block out the sun. This analogy is true for our lives, if we hold our problems, fears,doubts, etc infront and focus on them instead of the sun or 'Son' behind them, they seem imensely bigger than they are. However, if we keep these problems, fears,doubts etc in persepective, focussing on the Son instead, they seem to pale in comparison.
So remember, just like the sun is so much bigger than your thumb, the Son is so much bigger than whatever you are going through, just dont let your thumb eclipse the sun!!

Okay, so some of you may thing I'm completely insain for even having this thought in my head, but Its been bothering me for months and I need answers!!!

Who invented the High - 5 (Not the cheezy Australian little kids group, but the act of slapping hands together,) And where did it come from??!!
For the past couple of months, whenever someone gives another person a high5, I have just been thinking "Why on earth do we slap our hands together as a 'Congratulations' or 'Well done'?"
Like, pretend you were an outsider to this world, imagine how weird it would seem when you saw A Dad give his kid a high-5 because she got a 10/10 in her spelling test.....

Am i actually going insain or do other people understand what I'm saying??!! Dont leave me hanging here guys, help me out!! =)

I've been thinking about the whole worship thing Kina brought up quite a few blogs back, and my thoughts have come down to a question that i'd be keen to hear your answers on, cos i dont know the answer! If you are not going to worship in truth, like if you have ulterior motives, or are not meaning what you are singing/doing, is it better to not worship at all? Like what's worse - Worshipping untruthfully or not worshipping at all (which you are atleast being honest about) ???? Any thoughts?

Lauren e-mailed this to me - it's hilarious! BAndy warned me not to put too many u-tube videos on the blog. But this is too funny...

Frank has finished his two weeks of eating 1 bowl of rice a day. The reason and the best thing that came out of it was: "I feel like the best thing I gained from the experience was a bit of a rebuke about how I conduct myself with food when I support causes directly related to the ravages of poverty. It was also good having a direct two week focus of intercession in this area."

Have a read of his journey, I think it's very challenging.

It's nice to be reminded that some of the people we look up to are/were human too. The piece can be found here.

"She was easily one of the most recognizable women in the world. She was seen as a living saint by many. And she was a particular inspiration to Catholics.

But a new book about Mother Teresa, Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light, based on the many letters she wrote to her spiritual counselors and confessors over an almost 50-year period, show a spiritual life that was, as she described it, dry, dark and lonely.

Three months before she accepted her Nobel Peace Prize, she wrote to a spiritual confidant: "Jesus has a very special love for you ... [but] as for me, the silence and the emptiness is so great, that I look and do not see, — Listen and do not hear — the tongue moves [in prayer] but does not speak ... I want you to pray for me — that I let Him have [a] free hand.""

Here's an interview with Steve Tollestrup (Executive Director of Tearfund) about the "Peg" campaign (Hat tip Servant):

Why has an international development agency like TEAR Fund, launched a campaign about domestic child abuse?
For a start we are not out looking for more campaigns or issues. Right now we have so much to deal with in places like Dafur and the current monsoon floods in Asia. These are huge international issues we are dealing with. When we first heard of the Nia Glassie abuse case our immediate thought was to leave it alone and let other campaigners with a focus on New Zealand pick it up. But then it occurred to us, isn’t that just the problem? Isn’t it always left to others? We believe that justice is a seamless issue from Bangladesh to New Zealand, Calcutta to Wellington. Other International agencies like Save the Children and UNICEF have this view and we applaud them for it. Also one of our mandates is child rights and poverty, I believe through the Peg Campaign we are being congruent and aligned with that intention.
Can I also be clear, that this is not a TEAR Fund campaign. We’ve launched it and tried to give it legs, but hope this will catch on and become something of a public movement.

Why a peg?
Much of the abuse reported has happened in the home. Our homes should be safe places for our children. The peg is a clear symbol of the home and the need to ensure it is safe place for kids. It also is a clear reminder of the abuse Nia Glassie suffered. This campaign is not about Nia alone, but all the children who have faced abuse.
The peg makes the campaign simple to organise locally as well. You don’t have to go out and buy a peg, or be stopped on the street to purchase one. They are easy to get as well as attach to clothing. The idea isn’t original. I noted while watching TV news a young guy protesting in Rotorua covered in pegs. At first I was amused, then I saw what a powerful symbol it was.

How should the Peg be worn?
We are requesting that only one peg in an obviously visible place be worn- and with dignity: . Shirt, jacket, lapel, handbag strap, hat. We do not support children wearing the peg.

The Peg has had a negative response from some media, saying it is morbid and ineffectual, how do you respond?
It was never intended to be morbid or crass. In fact it never occurred to us that as a symbol it was. I am getting loads of email in support and very little negative feedback. But I will concede that looked at from one perspective, the peg is a troubling and disturbing symbol. But isn’t child abuse disturbing and shameful? Why hide this fact? I would argue that those who find it disturbing or shocking, are not so much offended by the peg, but the very reality of the abuse that it brings out into the open.
Also in New Zealand we have other disturbing symbols and campaigns Consider the Christian cross, as well as graphic ad campaigns to bring down the road toll or drink driving.

There has been a series of photographs circulating via email showing the injuries from child abuse on a dead child. Isn’t the peg sort of the same?
I was sent the photos and as soon as I saw them I shut down the email. They were ugly and disrespectful. Some images are just too damaging and almost paralyzing. It is for that reason, TEAR Fund doesn’t use exploitative images in fundraising campaigns. The peg never comes close to crossing that line.

Isn’t it an ineffectual campaign though, aren’t you just jumping on the bandwagon of the present hysteria?
There is no one simple solution to this problem of our appalling rate of child murder and abuse– the third highest in the developed world. There is a wonderful saying in India, that drop by drop a bucket is filled. The peg needs to be seen in this light, as part of a wider movement and outrage. I believe emphatically in the goodness and power of ordinary people to change things. What are we to do? Simply sit back and do nothing, simply trust the system? My observation is that people want to do something. This is a simple but powerful gesture. Also the peg carries a pledge to speak out. Our pledge, those of us wearing the peg, is to become more informed, and our web link points to resources for that. It also is a pledge to speak out and be advocates for the children in our sphere of influence. That is our responsibility – no one else’s.
If the bandwagon is about people in this country saying enough is enough then we are definitely on the bandwagon.

You mentioned that this was originally conceived as a specifically Christian campaign, what did that mean ?
Originally the idea was that the peg would be a symbol, worn by Christians as a sign of national repentance and recommitment to action on behalf of our nation. Jesus calls Christians to be salt and light in the world around us. The church and Christian community because of its pervasiveness is in a unique position to educate itself, speak out and intervene where and as appropriate. Christ said, “Let the Children come to me.” As his disciples we are all child advocates.

The campaign carries on until September 21st. Why that date?
The attitudes, values and pledge of the campaign don’t end September 21st but continue on. However the 21st marks the first day of spring and represents new beginnings and seems an apt time to remove the pegs.

What would you like to see happen?
I’d like to see everyone wearing the peg, getting this out into the open and discussing it publicly and resolving to be in some small way, contributing to and being part of the solution.

A while ago there was a big argument because a couple wanted to call their baby "4real," after seeing the ultrasound scan and realising the baby was actually for real. They were regected though, becase the registrar said a name had to be a sequence of charecters.
So, they have now decided to call their baby Superman, but refer to him as 4real.

What are peoples opinions on this?! I think its pretty awesome; like having a really different name. But i dont know how realistic these parents are being....?!
Your thoughts.....

Perhaps here is another topic....

Hat Tip to Servant.

Go check out Micah Challenge New Zealand and especially the Millenium Development Goals. In terms of things our young adults could get passionate about, I'd put these goals very high on the list...

Hat tip to Servant.