2 Corinthians 9:8 "And God is able to make all GRACE abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work."
There are countless arguments as to why the Christian faith is weak. Arguments involving the accuracy of the Bible, the divinity of Christ, modern science, resurrection from the dead, the virgin birth, the list goes on. Non-Christians can go on and on about these issues because the Christian religion is such an easy target. And while there are plenty of ways to refute these beliefs about the fault of Christianity, these ways are not why or how I believe. While arguing with a guido about such arguments (a guido is an Italian American man usually residing in New York or New Jersey. He wears shirts that are too tight and unbuttoned 5 buttons too low to show off the chest that he spent hours and hours at the gym obtaining, he spends more time on his hair than his girlfriend, and continues to "hit the clubs" long into his mid to late 30's. Often attracted to the female version of himself, the guidette) these thoughts stopped me in my tracks. After explaining his upper hand to me--the fact that he was both Jewish and Catholic (what a powerhouse!), having knowledge of both the Old and New Testament since Catholics ONLY believe in the New, I immediately lost my endurance. I was frustrated with his incompetence and rudeness. I found my effort pointless. What Paul writes in 2 Corinthians never spoke so clearly. God is the giver of eyes of faith and a heart of discernment through Grace. He gave me eyes to read the Bible and to believe the inspired words in my heart. You can argue all you want but ultimately the "tweaking" or "pricking" of the heart is done by God and the workings of the Spirit. I had never been so appreciative of that Grace. Still remembering those in prayer who need guidance, I am so glad that God chose me. What a gift!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Monsoon
After an hour tutorial, I spent the afternoon at Burleigh Heads Beach. After a long bus ride of unsure turns, we arrived to what is now our favorite beach so far. Standing on the coastline, if you look to the left you can see the tall buildings of Gold Coast and to your right you can see rocks spilling over a cliff into the green ocean. I still can't believe that I'm actually here. I told myself that the beach would be a good indication of the reality of Australia, but the beach makes it even more unbelievable.
I was woken up from my nap by Kerry's pointing to the sky in the distance. A dark cloud was hanging over moving steadily toward us. Since we had never experienced a storm in Australia before, we thought it best to catch the bus and head home. Heading to Robina, it began to downpour. It was like a monsoon! At the Robina Town Centre bus stop we had to take of our thongs (flip flops) to keep from slipping and run into the mall.
I am surprised at the secular culture of Australia. Given the most beautiful beaches in the world with some of the most powerful rains (at times) a question to whether or not God exists is senseless.
"O LORD, our LORD, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!"
Tomato Sauce.
15 January 2011
Today I squeezed an entire packet of ketchup all over myself. I was sitting down to a sunday afternoon lunch at the cafe with my burger and chips served with a packet of ketchup. I was pleased to see this as ketchup has been a rarity in the time I have spent dining here so far.
There are ways of getting around embarrassing instances because living in Australia there are many things that I have yet to be accustomed to including food packaging but the "I'm an American" excuse does not apply here, even a monkey could have played this one out more smoothly. This particular package was called masterfoods tomato sauce--ironic I thought because this ketchup packet owned me. Ketchup squirted everywhere--dress, neck and face. I should have just pretended that I was bleeding--at least then people wouldn't have looked at me like I was an idiot, rather they may have been the least bit concerned--or maybe not—after all, they are Australian and are used to gruesome violence.
It's amazing how quickly humans recover after traumatically embarrassing moments. Without even thinking about it, I gathered my arms together to cover the awful mess and did the ever popular head thrust and gaze. You know, the abrupt jolt of the neck where we pretend that something suddenly captures our attention and then we gaze after it as if we are watching a meteorite plummet from the sky. Everyone is guilty of it and I used it as my recovery mechanism. I seemed to have had everyone in the cafe fooled until I darted my eyes across the table to the cute aussie watching me with his mouth agape. I thought to myself, please don't laugh, please.
No sound of laughter escaped but I'm sure he was holding back.
I attended a church called New Life Uniting Church for the evening service, and although I didn't enjoy the music selection, the message regarding the disaster in Brisbane struck me. As of today, 16 people have died in the flood and 14 are still missing. The number of casualties is expected to rise because the search of these missing people has been going on for days. 75% of the state of Queensland is considered a "flooded area" but Robina has not been touched. Monday when the flooding began, I had arrived at Brisbane airport. Shuttling to Bond Uni the rain came pouring down. I feel fortunate to have made it safely. God is good. Prayers to those searching for loved ones and for those who have lost them. Prayers that the state of Queensland can make a full recovery.
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.
After spending 34 hours traveling I have finally made it to Australia. It took 5 planes, 3 trains, and 4 automobiles to get here.
The hardest part thus far has been saying good bye to my family. Sunday night prior to leaving everyone came over to say their goodbyes. Early Monday morning was the drive to Holland with my mom and sisters. Waiting in the station I was able to snap a few pictures and embrace in a few hugs, but the train came so quickly. After months of preparation and years of anticipation, it was finally here. We headed out to the tracks and the train came barreling through. Things happened so quickly after that. Final hugs and long glances were given and onto the train it was. Steph, carrying one of my suitcases, came onto the train with me and given the limited amount of space she was trapped on the train with the conductor. I laughed all the way up to my seat. I wish she could have stayed on the train with me. I was unsure as to whether or not she actually made it back on land with Mom, Danni, and Taylor. But then there she was again, parading around the pavement peering into the windows to spot me. Once I did catch her eye with the waving of my hand, it was showtime. She chased the train waving her hands in the air as if she had missed it. I miss them.
Then there was the train ride. Three and a half hours to Chicago with Marijke. As the train rolled on over the intersected streets, I watched the people in the cars and trucks waiting for the train to pass and for the guard rails to go up. They waited with such anticipation. Everyone knows how that goes. You wait, your hands gripped so tightly as if the tighter the grip, the faster the train will go. Sometimes you even count and as the number of boxcars increases the more annoyed you become. I remember looking at those people and thinking, "hey, this is no ordinary train, you can't get mad. I'm going to Australia and this is my first mode of transport!" To the uninformed eye it was just a normal train rolling one car after another making them late for their doctor's appointment, but to me, this train meant everything.
In Chicago I thought, "wow already in Chicago, this ain't so bad, I'll be there soon enough." Boy, was I wrong. Looking back, I feel as though I spent the most time there. Once we (Marijke and I) arrived at Union Station, we had to catch the "L" as she called it. First time in Chicago, I wasn't sure what this meant, but I found out soon enough. The "L" is short or abbreviated for elevated. Let's just say that we had my two 50 lb. suitcases as well as hers, with backpacks plus a guitar. Going up the stairs I 'bout died when Marijke fell over on the stairs. It brought me back to the old days when we were uncoordinated and awkward and made a habit out of ungraceful moves. At first I thought she broke her guitar but we ended up in fine shape and made it to the top. Waiting for the train I had hoped to snap a few pictures. I attempted to number each mode of transport by taking a picture of myself with the corresponding number of fingers. This fell through when, once again, a train came barreling through and it was time to get on. Sitting on the "L" with all the metropolitan sophisticates, I reassured myself of the plans I have to settle down in the country. City life just ain't for me.
Chicago part 2 coming soon!
The hardest part thus far has been saying good bye to my family. Sunday night prior to leaving everyone came over to say their goodbyes. Early Monday morning was the drive to Holland with my mom and sisters. Waiting in the station I was able to snap a few pictures and embrace in a few hugs, but the train came so quickly. After months of preparation and years of anticipation, it was finally here. We headed out to the tracks and the train came barreling through. Things happened so quickly after that. Final hugs and long glances were given and onto the train it was. Steph, carrying one of my suitcases, came onto the train with me and given the limited amount of space she was trapped on the train with the conductor. I laughed all the way up to my seat. I wish she could have stayed on the train with me. I was unsure as to whether or not she actually made it back on land with Mom, Danni, and Taylor. But then there she was again, parading around the pavement peering into the windows to spot me. Once I did catch her eye with the waving of my hand, it was showtime. She chased the train waving her hands in the air as if she had missed it. I miss them.
Then there was the train ride. Three and a half hours to Chicago with Marijke. As the train rolled on over the intersected streets, I watched the people in the cars and trucks waiting for the train to pass and for the guard rails to go up. They waited with such anticipation. Everyone knows how that goes. You wait, your hands gripped so tightly as if the tighter the grip, the faster the train will go. Sometimes you even count and as the number of boxcars increases the more annoyed you become. I remember looking at those people and thinking, "hey, this is no ordinary train, you can't get mad. I'm going to Australia and this is my first mode of transport!" To the uninformed eye it was just a normal train rolling one car after another making them late for their doctor's appointment, but to me, this train meant everything.
In Chicago I thought, "wow already in Chicago, this ain't so bad, I'll be there soon enough." Boy, was I wrong. Looking back, I feel as though I spent the most time there. Once we (Marijke and I) arrived at Union Station, we had to catch the "L" as she called it. First time in Chicago, I wasn't sure what this meant, but I found out soon enough. The "L" is short or abbreviated for elevated. Let's just say that we had my two 50 lb. suitcases as well as hers, with backpacks plus a guitar. Going up the stairs I 'bout died when Marijke fell over on the stairs. It brought me back to the old days when we were uncoordinated and awkward and made a habit out of ungraceful moves. At first I thought she broke her guitar but we ended up in fine shape and made it to the top. Waiting for the train I had hoped to snap a few pictures. I attempted to number each mode of transport by taking a picture of myself with the corresponding number of fingers. This fell through when, once again, a train came barreling through and it was time to get on. Sitting on the "L" with all the metropolitan sophisticates, I reassured myself of the plans I have to settle down in the country. City life just ain't for me.
Chicago part 2 coming soon!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
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