Category Archives: God

A Life Long Love

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This past weekend Dave and I made a very quick visit to New Zealand, this is something that I have been wanting to do ever since Dave went 6months into our relationship.  Dave’s Dad’s side of the family is born and bred kiwi and apart from joking about the fact the New Zealand is really just another state of Australia, and mentioning the abundance of sheep I really didn’t know all that much about it, but was curious to see where his family was from and to be able to visualize the places and people they talked about.

I was really thankful to meet the rest of Dave’s family at our wedding last year when his Uncle and Aunt and cousins came for a flying visit of their own, just for us.  But I didn’t really get a chance to hang out with them and get to know them, it was just an introduction because before I knew it the wedding was over and we were on our way to Disneyland.  And as I mentioned in this blog right here…  I have been really excited about going for a long time and it has finally come and unfortunately gone.  But even though this weekend was short we did get to spend some time with them just hanging out and celebrating the incredible achievement of Dave’s Grandparents Brian and Jean.

60 years is a long time… in fact in the last 60 years so many things I take for granted were invented or made their way into the mainstream, they have lived through changes that I can’t even imagine, they have watched their boys grow up and move away, one all the way to Australia and then start families of their own.  Now their grandchildren are also grown up and as Granddad Brian reminded us in his speech on Saturday he is now looking forward to the next generation again… no pressure.  The thing that amazes me most is that they have done all of this together… all 60 years.  In his speech, Dave’s uncle Chris explained that only 4% of couple make it to their 60th wedding anniversary, it truly is a remarkable achievement and for them both to get there in such incredible health is just amazing.

While we were there we were also able to go to church with Brian and Jean and I think that this was incredibly special.  Sure it was a different style to what I am used to and in a crowd of people that I had never met, but it was still nice to be there, altogether, worshiping as a family.  Given that it was also mother’s day it was nice to be surrounded by my extended family mums, seeing as mine was left behind in another country.

I am so thankful for this brief trip, and I am more proud than ever before to carry the name George.  I have loved meeting extended family that I didn’t know existed, as well as spending time with friends that I just haven’t been able to before.  I can’t wait to go back and spend some more time with my other family, learn more about them, who they are, why that’s the case and where the George’s all began.  I guess I just want to live up to my name… the most curious George… especially curious about the George’s.

Oh and here are just a few of my favourite happy snaps from the weekend…

Make me uncomfortable

Sunday night at church we were asked the question what does Easter mean to you… for someone that calls themselves a Christian you would think that this was an easy enough question, but it’s actually been playing on my mind all week… what does Easter really mean to me? And I think unfortunately Easter for me has become a tradition rather than a revelation.

Easter is the best part of my whole life story, the part that means I am not eternally stuffed, but instead I have eternal life because of Jesus’ sacrifice, yet more often then not I forget about the true meaning of Easter and get more excited about the chocolate and depending when Easter falls, my birthday. I take the story and the event completely for granted.

It makes me quite sad that this is the case, but I think that I am not alone, and I think that the reality is because I live in a good country, where I want for very little and life is pretty good, I have become comfortable, comfortable with what I have, what I can do, and where my life is heading, my faith in God is a choice yes, but one that I find I can separate from my life if I want to, which is terrible.

The reality of the Easter story is uncomfortable, it says that I caused this, my sin killed him, but he did it because he still loves me. The Easter story also highlights my laziness in telling others about God, because if I let the Easter story in all it’s fullness invade my life, the reality of life and death, heaven and hell is more real then ever before and it hurts, so its easier just to take the chocolate and run.

The other question that has been going around and around is why isn’t Easter as big as Christmas? And in all honesty I think all of the above is part of the reason, the Christmas story is lovely, wholesome and heart-warming (on the outside at least, if you don’t think too closely about the reality of giving birth in a stable, or travelling pregnant on a donkey). But it is all wrapped up nicely with a beautiful baby, some kings, presents and a super duper star and then this is linked to a jolly fat man who brings us lots and lots of gifts. Easter doesn’t have that, sure there is a fluffy bunny, some baby birds and a ton of chocolate but it is tied together with a man, an innocent man dying brutally on a cross because we stuffed it… it’s not really your feel good story of the year, on the surface anyway.

The reality is though, it’s the most beautiful love story ever told, a man lays down his life so that I can live, so that you can live… so that we don’t have to pay the price for what we have done. But it’s a story that forces us out of the comfortable spot that we live in… it challenges us, but instead it should give us hope…

Anyway, I guess what I really wanted to get at is this Easter I am praying that God will make me uncomfortably with my apathy towards the story, with my reluctance to share and that I will be moved once again by the amazing sacrifice and gift that I have been given and that I will share it.

I want to look past the traditions, the hot cross buns and the eggs, but into my daily walk with and what the eternal consequences of it actually are… I hope you want this for your Easter too.

Fixing my attitdue

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So I have something exciting to share with you… it turns out my husband is a lot wiser than I thought. Seriously no sarcasm intended… he is really wise. He has been writing this blog called ‘just a thought’ for a while now and each time he posts something I learn something… I think he is on to a winner… so if you are looking for some interesting thoughts… check his blog out… seriously do it… you won’t regret it.

Another wise man has been sharing some rather wise words in the form of a podcast I have been listening to this week. I have been listening to Steven Furtick speak at Life Church about the favour of God and what it means to walk in the favour of God. I have found it quite challenging, which was quite unexpected, because normally when I think of the Favour of God I think of it raining down blessings of all kinds. In fact, to be honest, I normally get a little sceptical when people start talking about the favour of God, because it makes me think of prosperity gospels and doing things so God gives you stuff, but usually it’s a feel good message so I gave it a crack. But that’s not what it is about at all… seriously the favour of God could not be further from that. Sure while you are walking in the favour of God you might get some good stuff, your blessings may increase but that’s not the point… the favour of God doesn’t mean favors from God… in fact Steven defined favour as:

The guarantee of His presence and the provision of His power to accomplish His special purpose, in and through my life.

Pretty cool ey? I really like it… The other thing that hit me was the attitude it should come with, Steven talked about the fact that lots of people walk around doing life and when bad stuff happens they say things like ‘that would only happen to me” or “that’s the story of my life” but if that’s the way we are thinking then we need to get a new writer/director… because our current is terrible! Instead we should be waking up in the morning saying “I wonder what blessings God is going to give me today” or “I wonder how I will see God working today”, we should have a grateful attitude as gratitude is the gateway to favour.

This really made me think, I have been guilty of having a ‘woe is me and my life’ frame of mind for probably a couple of years now, granted I have encountered some pretty life altering events and some of them haven’t been that awesome… in fact some of them have been less than average. But through this I have come to expect that I will always get the rough deal, that me, and my family are destined to have second best, to always be facing something bad and that when things are looking good for once, not to get too excited because it probably means that the next disaster is about to strike. This is a terrible way to live… and it doesn’t really scream hope, faith, love, grace and favour… in fact it pretty much says doubt. I know I have blogged about changing my attitude before and it probably seems like I just round in circles, which is probably true in many ways, but I think each time I go round I get a bit better at taking steps in the right direction. I need to start living like God likes me, like really does have something special for me to do, which he does, like he loves me and wants the best for me, which he does, like all things will work for good, for those who love the lord and are called according to his purpose, which I am and he will. I need to get thankful, like really thankful, not just for the big things, but for the little things too, in fact for everything (because he is worthy). I need to expect wonderful, powerful, amazing stuff all the time, I need to trust that even if I can’t see, I’m in his favour so I am safe, secure and heading in the right direction, and I need to do this consistently… I need to life the bar of expectation for my life… and when/if… no, when the bad stuff comes, be thankful for the people, the prayer, the power that I have been given to lift me out…

So one of the things I am going to do to help me be more consistent is get more thankful, like really thankful because I am and I should be! So one day each week I am going to stop and take a moment to post about the things I thankful for, it might just be a wordless Wednesday, or it might be a day of its own, perhaps marvelous Monday… Or something along those lines, either way, when ever it is it will be full of thanks, not just for big things but for all the small things too… I am going to share the favour that have received… And slowly but surely my attitude will change… I hope… but just to get me started, I super thankful for God’s beautiful earth… how’s this for favour…

massivebeautifulfavour.jpg

Acts of Love

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Day 24: Acts of love

This is a blog that I have been umming and ahhhing about writing for a little while now, I think I may have touched on the topic before, but its one thing to mention it in passing and another thing altogether to write a whole blog about it, but given that I have a set topic which it fits… so here it is anyway.

Before Dave and I got married, we did some pre-marriage classes which as far as I understand is pretty standard, but during this we were able to discuss lots of things around expectations, money, food, kids etc etc.  Anyway I can’t remember if it was during one of the classes or as a result of one of the classes but Dave and I once again found ourselves discussing something called ‘The 5 love languages’. Its actually a really interesting and helpful thing to do and if you want more information about it you can check it out here.

Anyway, in most things Dave and I are pretty compatible, except for one particular area… love… now before I you start to panic, its not a big deal, but it is one that frustrates us both, maybe Dave more than me… The thing is we have very different love languages, that is, different ways we express and receive love… A little while ago, I repeated the online survey and these were my results…

What this means is… give me some kind words and spend some time with me and I am the happiest little monkey going round, what it also says is that way down the bottom of my list of things that make me feel loved is acts of service… do the dishes, clean the house, clean the toilet, fantastic, it will make me thankful that I don’t have to do it, but it won’t make me feel anymore loved than I already do.

Where is the problem I hear you ask? Well the way you receive love is often the way you give love… and Dave’s love languages are pretty much the opposite of mine. In fact his top one is acts of service… which I think is crazy, but that’s just the way it is! His least effective is also both my top two which is just as annoying, but appears to be less of an issue at the moment.

The problem is I have avoided housework and cleaning for most of my life, don’t get me wrong I love things to be neat and tidy, but I don’t ever want to do it… especially by myself, every now and then I will get a burst of energy and go nuts cleaning, but they are few and far between, unlike Dave who rejoices in clean counters, empty bins and wardrobes that close! I know housework is a common enemy of most people love, in fact I think I am not alone when I call it a necessary evil, but the thing is now I find myself married to a man who feels most loved when I put my shoes away, when I clean the dishes and then I remember to put the washing on. So over the last 10months I have found myself doing some of these things occasionally, I wouldn’t dare say regularly, because that would be lying, but I am getting better. For me these things that I hate have had to become acts of love, not service, because I need to show Dave how much I love him in a way that he will appreciated and understand, not in a way that works for me because other wise it is pointless. I still hate doing them every time, but I love the feeling of telling Dave that its all done and the encouragement that I get back. It’s appreciated much more than a little note, a present or even date night is. Who knows maybe one day I might even enjoy get used to it. But for now they are my acts of love.

The Greatest of these is Love

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Day 23: Words of love

1 Corinthians 13

 1If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love,
I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge,
and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
3If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship
that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

 4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy,
it does not boast, it is not proud.
5It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

 8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease;
where there are tongues, they will be stilled;
where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
9For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
10but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.
11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.
When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.
12For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.
Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Working 9 til 5

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Day 19: Love your work

As today is technically my Sabbath… and I am lacking a little motivation to blog I am havignn a day of rest and I am actually just going to refer you back to a previous blog I have written, conveniently on this exact topic.  So for my ‘Love your work’  blog you should click here and go back to my post called ’10 reasons why’ and that will tell you why I love being a dietitian… enjoy.

Oh and if you have already read that one… feel free to go and enjoy your Sabbath

A Love Like No Other

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Day 16: Your favourite love story. (movie, book, television)

There are so many love stories I love, yet as I sit down to try and write this blog, there is not one commercial story in particular that pops into my mind.  Sure I have a few chick flics, Disney romances even the story of Kate and Wills floating around in there, but I don’t think I have a favourite… I was going to do another top whatever, but I am going to restrain myself because I know I have planned one of those for tomorrow, so instead I am going to pick something that isn’t a movie or book or TV story line, in fact it’s not even Dave and I, despite the fact that we have an awesome love story.  No, instead, I am going to give you my favourite love story of all time which while it isn’t specifically a book, movie or tv show it has at one stage or another been on all of the things.

My favourite love story is one that has changed my life, made me who I am today and encourages me to continue to grow and become a better version and closer to who I was meant to be each day.  My favourite love story is simply this…

Romans 5:8-9
8But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation.

John 3:16
For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Moments of Love

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Day 13: A moment that filled you with love

On May 14th 2011 I married my prince charming… now even though it was 10months ago tomorrow, because I started my blog in July I have never really posted about the day itself… I have given a 6month update on ‘Being Mrs. George’ but never the wedding day itself, so I have decided it’s time and because I really wanted to I have found an opportunity to make it fit perfectly… what has more moments filled with love than a wedding….  so here it is….

I was going to try and write this blog without being too mushy and soap opera like, but then I decided that I didn’t care… so feel free to tune out if you don’t have the stomach for it, but the reality is we are a fairytale and my dreams have come true… I got to be a real princess for the day and Dave was every bit my prince charming and still is… So here is my Wedding Day broken down into moments filled with love…

Moment One – The Night Before
So this one isn’t technically on the wedding day, but it is just as important.  The night before we got married Dave and I had been down at the church setting up what we could for the big day to follow, once we were done we said goodnight and headed off in separate directions.  Being the stress head of a person that I am, by this stage I was beginning to get really nervous.  Getting married is a huge decision and I was worried I would back a bad choice (I know that i shouldn’t have been worried, because there is really no one quite like Dave, but I was), anyway as I drove home, I started getting sentimental about the fact that this was my last night at home, my last night under my parents roof and my last night as a Lewis, despite the fact that I had had over a year to get used to the idea… As I walked to the door I noticed a present on the door step.  It was from Dave, the accompanying letter told me that he was so excited about getting married and that what we had was a once in a life time love and that I shouldn’t be worried, I should just go inside and go to sleep, but before I do I was to watch a particular song on the ‘Keith Urban’ DVD that was the present.  I had to watch the song ‘Once in a life time’, which would feature in the wedding tomorrow, because the lyrics explained how he felt. The lyrics he was referring to were those of the first verse…

“I can see it in your eyes and feel it in your touch,
I know that your scared but you’ve never been this loved.”

It was exactly what I needed to hear and as I feel asleep listening, I rember feeling like I was ready to get married, that it would all be ok, because I really was loved more than I would ever understand.

Moment Two – Getting Ready
Nothing makes your feel more princess like than the way you get pampered on the morning of your wedding.  We were up nice and early and ate breakfast while we watched it pour down with rain outside.  Over night there had been huge storms, but it seemed that nothing could phase me, in fact it;s probably one of the few times that I have been completely unphased about the details of something.  I had planned everything down to the minute so I knew what to do and when to do it, anything outside of this didn’t matter or was a bonus.  In fact fact I was so care free that I forgot to go to my hair appointment… but it was all ok and at about 10:30 my little tiara went on and stayed on.  As I had my hair and make up done, I just soaked it up, as I got dressed and started having photos done I was so aware of how happy and excited everyone was, how much my parents loved me, how much my girls loved me and how much fun we were about to have. It was so special to spend that time with them, busy getting ready, but relaxed enough to enjoy, to laugh, smile and have fun.  As we arrived at the church Kirsten suggested that we prayed together before I started the process of becoming Mrs George.  This moment was so overwhellimg that I was crying before I even saw Dave, but I was just so conscious of being surrounded by people that loved me and wanted nothing bt the best for me.

Moment Three – The Ceremony
Dave and I got married at the Church that I grew up in which is where we both attend… this meant that people I had grown up with and in front of were able to come and witness this next step for us.  There were so many more people there than I ever thought there would be, all to cheer us one and be part of our special day.  The ceremony was fun, light, and romantic… well I thought so anyway.  I can’t even begin to explain how overwhelming it was to get to the church, all dressed up and to see the man of my dreams waiting for only me.  During the ceremony we reflected on the 6 years we had already spent together through photos and publicly declared our love for each other.  There were tears and laughter and music… perfect.

Moment Four – The Party
After the service we had a million pictures taken, and then headed to the Langham Hotel for our wedding reception which was even more magical then we could have ever hoped for… it was as Dave said when we chose it “where princesses should get married’.  The room looked beautiful and the evening was so much fun.  Everyone was so excited and happy for us, it was really special to have most of the people that had helped us get to where we were today, and become the people that we are in one room, celebrating with you.  It was so much fun that I didn’t really want to leave, I had to be pushed out.

Everything on our wedding day went super smoothly and we loved every minute of it… The story itself doesn’t really even do it justice, but they say that a picture is worth a thousand words so here are some of my favourite pictures taken by our amazing photographer Kelly, from Alexroad Photography.

I think the best bit about the day though, and something that still makes me have a moment filled with love whenever I think about it, is the fact that Dave and I left the wedding day stuck together for life.  Dave is more than I could have ever hoped for and I am very excited to be the most curious George, by name and nature.  And while I think of it, I need to and want to say thanks to all of you who have helped us get to where we are now… it has been an incredible journey so far but I know this is a journey that which we are really  just starting.

Nothing of so much importance

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Day 10: Love doing nothing

It’s not that often that I get to do nothing… I am used to being busy, running around at 100km an hour just to get things done, but this year I have made an effort to make more time, mostly in preparation for heading back to study (which is still a couple of weeks away).  It has been hard giving up good things and saying no to things that I would love to do, but I know that I have made the right choice.

Anyway, through my new found power of saying no, and while I wait for the year to come at me in full swing… which I am pretty sure is not too far off, I have found that I have had time to just sit and do things that I enjoy, like read or watch a movie, or even cross things of my list.  And I have really enjoyed it.  So tonight when I was asked to ‘love doing nothing’ Dave and I did just that, we ordered fish and chips and spent time reading and watching movies on TV.  It was exactly what I needed after a particularly hectic day at work.  It made me realise just how important it is to stop… a little like at church last Sunday or at the young adults retreat a couple of weeks ago.  There is definitely a time for stopping and enjoying.  I know we can’t do it all the time, but I think it helps us to put things into perspective.  Gives us a chance to enjoy what we have rather than continuing to burn ourselves out trying to get more. It also gives me a chance to recharge and refresh so that I can do what I need to do with all I am, rather than the little bit that I still have left.  I think as my life starts to get busy again I am going to need to book in some time for myself to do nothing, to stop and focus and most importantly recharge.