I've been working through some tough stuff this week and for the first time in ages it feels that it is well with my soul.
This hymn was written by Horatio Spafford after several traumatic events in his life. The first was the death of his only son, followed by the great Chicago Fire which ruined him financially (he had been a wealthy business man). Two years later, he had planned to travel to Europe with his family on the S. S. Ville Du Havre. He sent his family on ahead while he was delayed on business. While crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the ship sank rapidly after a collision with another ship, and all four of his daughters were killed. His wife Anna, alone survived and sent him the now famous telegram, “Saved alone.” Shortly afterwards, as Spafford traveled to meet his grieving wife, he was inspired to write these words as his ship passed near where his daughters had died.
When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Thursday, 26 July 2007
Friday, 20 July 2007
The Woods
The Way through the Woods - Rudyard Kipling
They shut the road through the woods
Seventy years ago.
Weather and rain have undone it again,
And now you would never know
There was once a road through the woods
Before they planted the trees.
It is underneath the coppice and heath,
And the thin anemones.
Only the keeper sees
That, where the ring-dove broods,
And the badgers roll at ease,
There was once a road through the woods.
Yet, if you enter the woods
Of a summer evening late,
When the night-air cools on the trout-ringed pools
Where the otter whistles his mate.
(They fear not men in the woods,
Because they see so few)
You will hear the beat of a horse's feet,
And the swish of a skirt in the dew,
Steadily cantering through
The misty solitudes,
As though they perfectly knew
The old lost road through the woods.
But there is no road through the woods.
They shut the road through the woods
Seventy years ago.
Weather and rain have undone it again,
And now you would never know
There was once a road through the woods
Before they planted the trees.
It is underneath the coppice and heath,
And the thin anemones.
Only the keeper sees
That, where the ring-dove broods,
And the badgers roll at ease,
There was once a road through the woods.
Yet, if you enter the woods
Of a summer evening late,
When the night-air cools on the trout-ringed pools
Where the otter whistles his mate.
(They fear not men in the woods,
Because they see so few)
You will hear the beat of a horse's feet,
And the swish of a skirt in the dew,
Steadily cantering through
The misty solitudes,
As though they perfectly knew
The old lost road through the woods.
But there is no road through the woods.
Wednesday, 18 July 2007
forgive and forget??
It all started when someone lent me some music by Damien Rice not so long ago. Since then I've been listening to some old music and lately, being in this reflective holiday mood, so many memories of the past years seem to have resurfaced. Incredible how powerful music can be in remembering things.
I've been wondering about past relationships, both the good and the not so good ones. What is it that one can take with you to a new relationship and what do you just HAVE TO leave behind? Is it possible to leave the hurt and heartbreak behind? Is it possible to truly forgive AND forget? I find it easier to forgive but the memories are not easy to forget, even the painful ones. And I wonder if God intended for us to go through this all - the broken heartedness, the broken promises, the hurt, the joy, the pain, the emptiness?
Just thinking it through, here's the words that I've been listening to ...
This Boy - James Morrison
This boy wants to play,
There's no time left today,
It's a shame 'cause he has to go home.
This boy's got to work
Got to sweat just to pay what he gets to get left all alone.
Well let's step outside,
Let's go for a ride,
Just for a while.
No we won't get caught,
Well that's what I thought, until we cry.
CHORUS
I'm still here,
But it hasn't been easy,
I'm sure that you had your reasons,
I'm scared for this emotion,
For years I've been holding it down,
For years I've been holding it down.
This girl tries her best everyday,
But it's all gone to waste 'cause there's no one around,
This girl she can draw she can paint,
Likes to dance she can skate,
Now she don't make a sound.
We'll play in our park,
'Till it's too dark for us to see
Well we'll make our way home,
With mud on our clothes,
She won't be pleased.
CHORUS
I'm still here,
But it hasn't been easy,
I'm sure that you had your reasons,
I'm scared for this emotion,
For years I've been holding it down,
And I,
Love to forgive and forget,
So I,
Try to put all this behind us,
Just,
Know that my arms are wide open,
The older I get, the more that I know.
Well it's time to let this go.
I got to let it go
I got to let it go
I got to let it go
I got to let it go
CHORUS
I'm still here,
But it hasn' been easy,
I'm sure that you had your reasons,
I'm scared for this emotion,
For years I've been holding it down,
And I,
Love to forgive and forget,
So I,
Try to put all this behind us,
Just,
Know that my arms are wide open,
The older I get, the more that I know.
I've been wondering about past relationships, both the good and the not so good ones. What is it that one can take with you to a new relationship and what do you just HAVE TO leave behind? Is it possible to leave the hurt and heartbreak behind? Is it possible to truly forgive AND forget? I find it easier to forgive but the memories are not easy to forget, even the painful ones. And I wonder if God intended for us to go through this all - the broken heartedness, the broken promises, the hurt, the joy, the pain, the emptiness?
Just thinking it through, here's the words that I've been listening to ...
This Boy - James Morrison
This boy wants to play,
There's no time left today,
It's a shame 'cause he has to go home.
This boy's got to work
Got to sweat just to pay what he gets to get left all alone.
Well let's step outside,
Let's go for a ride,
Just for a while.
No we won't get caught,
Well that's what I thought, until we cry.
CHORUS
I'm still here,
But it hasn't been easy,
I'm sure that you had your reasons,
I'm scared for this emotion,
For years I've been holding it down,
For years I've been holding it down.
This girl tries her best everyday,
But it's all gone to waste 'cause there's no one around,
This girl she can draw she can paint,
Likes to dance she can skate,
Now she don't make a sound.
We'll play in our park,
'Till it's too dark for us to see
Well we'll make our way home,
With mud on our clothes,
She won't be pleased.
CHORUS
I'm still here,
But it hasn't been easy,
I'm sure that you had your reasons,
I'm scared for this emotion,
For years I've been holding it down,
And I,
Love to forgive and forget,
So I,
Try to put all this behind us,
Just,
Know that my arms are wide open,
The older I get, the more that I know.
Well it's time to let this go.
I got to let it go
I got to let it go
I got to let it go
I got to let it go
CHORUS
I'm still here,
But it hasn' been easy,
I'm sure that you had your reasons,
I'm scared for this emotion,
For years I've been holding it down,
And I,
Love to forgive and forget,
So I,
Try to put all this behind us,
Just,
Know that my arms are wide open,
The older I get, the more that I know.
Tuesday, 10 July 2007
Psalm 131
Lord, my heart is not proud;
my eyes are not haughty,
I do not get involved with things
too great or too difficult for me.
Instead I have calmed
and quieted myself
like a little weaned child with its mother;
I am like a little child.
Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
both now and forever.
I've been doing a fair amount of reflecting this holiday and trying to make some big decisions about the future. I was thinking of this Psalm a lot. It's so comforting to know that we can take refuge in and gain our peace from God's sovereignty over our lives.
my eyes are not haughty,
I do not get involved with things
too great or too difficult for me.
Instead I have calmed
and quieted myself
like a little weaned child with its mother;
I am like a little child.
Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
both now and forever.
I've been doing a fair amount of reflecting this holiday and trying to make some big decisions about the future. I was thinking of this Psalm a lot. It's so comforting to know that we can take refuge in and gain our peace from God's sovereignty over our lives.
Days four to seven - Sunday 8 July - Tuesday 10 July
After only a few hours of sleep, this morning was not looking promising. But after a hot coffee and warm oats for breakfast, the world was more bearable. After a quick trip to Sandford on South Arm, I was ready to get to church. It was great seeing all the kids at Cornerpebble Sunday School again, I have missed them so much. It’s such a blessing seeing all my old friends again and catching up, so many things change: new relationships, engagements, having babies, new families and yet things still remain the same enough for us to be great friends still.
What a lovely way to spend Sunday lunch, infront of a roaring fire, fresh German vienna bread, basil and hommus spreads, freshly baked fruit loaf and very strong, warm coffee(!), talking about nothing of consequence, just basking in the joy of 'being', a gentle, mellow melding of old and new friends.
The rest of our stay in Hobart was spent catching up with friends, coffees and taking it easy with friends and family. Not particularly edge-of-your-seat-excitement but the best remedy after a very busy term at college!
From the top: Bron knitting, Emma in corporate-wear and ever so busy, Fi coaxing the fire and of course the real business: a roaring fire! I learnt to chop wood this holiday - it looks so much easier than what it is - I have so much more respect for all my guy friends who've chopped all my wood in the past - you know who you are - THANK YOU!!!
What a lovely way to spend Sunday lunch, infront of a roaring fire, fresh German vienna bread, basil and hommus spreads, freshly baked fruit loaf and very strong, warm coffee(!), talking about nothing of consequence, just basking in the joy of 'being', a gentle, mellow melding of old and new friends.The rest of our stay in Hobart was spent catching up with friends, coffees and taking it easy with friends and family. Not particularly edge-of-your-seat-excitement but the best remedy after a very busy term at college!
From the top: Bron knitting, Emma in corporate-wear and ever so busy, Fi coaxing the fire and of course the real business: a roaring fire! I learnt to chop wood this holiday - it looks so much easier than what it is - I have so much more respect for all my guy friends who've chopped all my wood in the past - you know who you are - THANK YOU!!!
Monday, 9 July 2007
Day three - Saturday 7 July
We woke up to this absolutely amazing morning with rain on the roof and a beachfront view. Driving down to Coles Bay jetty was beautiful and again we were in awe of the beauty of God’s creation: the view of granite cliffs dropping straight into the ocean was incredible!
A leisurely drive down the east coast and we found ourselves in Swansea at Ebb café, sipping lattes and getting lost in the view of the ocean.
What a delight it was to come back to Hobart and see familiar sights and be welcomed back by friends. Ironically we met up with Sydney Moore friends for dessert which was preceded by a deliciously thick, juicy steak and red wine at Ball and Chain Grill. What a pleasure to end the evening with good friends, in a café listening to live music.
Well, almost an end to the evening. I came back to King Street and caught up with my good friend Fi, of course it was just to cover the basic, girly catch-up info. What a rude shock it was to discover that it was 1.13am and be reminded that it was an 8.30 start on Sunday morning!
A leisurely drive down the east coast and we found ourselves in Swansea at Ebb café, sipping lattes and getting lost in the view of the ocean.
What a delight it was to come back to Hobart and see familiar sights and be welcomed back by friends. Ironically we met up with Sydney Moore friends for dessert which was preceded by a deliciously thick, juicy steak and red wine at Ball and Chain Grill. What a pleasure to end the evening with good friends, in a café listening to live music.
Well, almost an end to the evening. I came back to King Street and caught up with my good friend Fi, of course it was just to cover the basic, girly catch-up info. What a rude shock it was to discover that it was 1.13am and be reminded that it was an 8.30 start on Sunday morning!
Day two - Friday 6 July
We woke up to a soothing man’s voice at 6.15am on board the Spirit. We had 45min to get dressed, packed in our cars – no problem, plenty of time, or so we thought! After following the crazy maze of passages to the lower decks, we were finally in our car, ready for departure and to take on the bustling metropolis of DEVONPORT.
And bustling metropolis it certainly was (not!). We inflicted McDonalds on our bellies and met some strange characters. Our Shrek coffee lady was one of these. Following the “Shrek 3” campaign upheld by the other mega-million corporation of McDonalds in it’s shameless promotion, each staff member had to wear Shrek ears – green ones. This certainly brings hideous images to mind, what stood out for me though was the characteristic scowl that prevailed on Shrek coffee lady’s face and seemed to be engrained into the wrinkles on her face. Her disposition certainly matched her expression and after bungling my order to a tall latte with soy, I was wondering if indeed a small latte (just plain, nothing extra) was too difficult an order. Perhaps it’s society’s obsession with choice and differentiation that makes everything seem more complex, that the plain and ordinary doesn’t seem good enough and we feel the need to make it all complex. All I however wanted was a small latte.
One sign caught my eye as we entered McDonalds (well you’d be hard-pressed to miss it) was a lifesize sign indicating that they were looking to hire more staff. After my coffee experience, I am in no doubt why such a massive sign – they were desperate!
Our first stop was the town of Penguin, just north of Ulverstone.
Challenge 1: to photograph and count every penguin in Penguin.
A selection of a few of the penguins in Penguin
A cornerstore was our first stop – notably it had every type of sign plastered to it’s door indicating the general vibe of Penguin’s hospitality. Even one inside that I sneakily snapped: “Do not ask for credit – refusal may offend”.
Penguin was followed by a delicious coffee at etc (Elizabeth Town (bakery) Café) with an old friend, Des, who lives there in the holidays. I am embarrassed to say that we did talk of college work: Hebrew, Greek and Doctrine, but not too long, so that doesn’t count I guess.
etc cafe: Em, Des, me and historic Campbell Town sign
This trip to the east coast feels somewhat like a list of coffee-shop stops. Next we stopped in Campbell Town at Zeps and devoured gourmet toasted panini for lunch and did some grocery shopping.
Our last stop: Coles Bay. We stayed at Edge of the Bay. It’s a beautiful oasis on the beach front, I think I could live here for a long time. We had a wallaby visit us, very cute with lots of attitude and just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, a beautiful rainbow appeared over the ocean for a few minutes, it seemed like it was just for us.
We explored and played on the beach, did some rock-hopping and I mastered the art of self-timer photos with only 10 seconds to cross rocks, ocean and logs to get back into a posed photo!
We ended the evening, three friends, drinking champagne, listening to Damien Rice, watching the night sky and just feeling gloriously blessed. Later we watched Motorcycle Diaries and all I remember as I fell asleep was the sound of rain on the roof and waves crashing in the background. God is truly a great God to bless us in this way.
And bustling metropolis it certainly was (not!). We inflicted McDonalds on our bellies and met some strange characters. Our Shrek coffee lady was one of these. Following the “Shrek 3” campaign upheld by the other mega-million corporation of McDonalds in it’s shameless promotion, each staff member had to wear Shrek ears – green ones. This certainly brings hideous images to mind, what stood out for me though was the characteristic scowl that prevailed on Shrek coffee lady’s face and seemed to be engrained into the wrinkles on her face. Her disposition certainly matched her expression and after bungling my order to a tall latte with soy, I was wondering if indeed a small latte (just plain, nothing extra) was too difficult an order. Perhaps it’s society’s obsession with choice and differentiation that makes everything seem more complex, that the plain and ordinary doesn’t seem good enough and we feel the need to make it all complex. All I however wanted was a small latte.One sign caught my eye as we entered McDonalds (well you’d be hard-pressed to miss it) was a lifesize sign indicating that they were looking to hire more staff. After my coffee experience, I am in no doubt why such a massive sign – they were desperate!
Our first stop was the town of Penguin, just north of Ulverstone.
Challenge 1: to photograph and count every penguin in Penguin.
A selection of a few of the penguins in PenguinA cornerstore was our first stop – notably it had every type of sign plastered to it’s door indicating the general vibe of Penguin’s hospitality. Even one inside that I sneakily snapped: “Do not ask for credit – refusal may offend”.
Penguin was followed by a delicious coffee at etc (Elizabeth Town (bakery) Café) with an old friend, Des, who lives there in the holidays. I am embarrassed to say that we did talk of college work: Hebrew, Greek and Doctrine, but not too long, so that doesn’t count I guess.
etc cafe: Em, Des, me and historic Campbell Town sign This trip to the east coast feels somewhat like a list of coffee-shop stops. Next we stopped in Campbell Town at Zeps and devoured gourmet toasted panini for lunch and did some grocery shopping.
Our last stop: Coles Bay. We stayed at Edge of the Bay. It’s a beautiful oasis on the beach front, I think I could live here for a long time. We had a wallaby visit us, very cute with lots of attitude and just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, a beautiful rainbow appeared over the ocean for a few minutes, it seemed like it was just for us.
We explored and played on the beach, did some rock-hopping and I mastered the art of self-timer photos with only 10 seconds to cross rocks, ocean and logs to get back into a posed photo!
We ended the evening, three friends, drinking champagne, listening to Damien Rice, watching the night sky and just feeling gloriously blessed. Later we watched Motorcycle Diaries and all I remember as I fell asleep was the sound of rain on the roof and waves crashing in the background. God is truly a great God to bless us in this way.
Sunday, 8 July 2007
Day one - Thurs 5 July
The Tantalising Tassie (road)Trip - the journey of Claire, Em and Mel
We aimed to start at 5am for 5.30am. We really only left at 5.50am! Em and I watched hardened city possums chasing each other through the MAC trees (quite entertaining at that time of the morning) while waiting for Claire.
Challenge 1: reversing out of MAC driveway in a new car with a clutch that I wasn't used familiar with and couldn't see the left-hand mirror!
What followed was a smooth drive until our breakfast stop at Hungry Jacks. Got very strange looks from the attendant when asking for a sausage mcmuffin @ HJ. The wind was bitingly COLD - we're hoping that Tassie's warmer - yeah right!!
Challenge 2: finding lunch! We visited Subway in Woodonga (VIC not NSW). Also bought overpriced thermal bottoms. We drove in the rain for most of the way, not great weather for a roadtrip, but hey, we're committed to the holiday.
We stopped amid racing traffic on the freeway to take photos of crazy signs. This is going to be our thing for the holidays - random signs.
This is Claire powernapping!
We made good time to Melbourne arriving around 4-ish. We decided to go to the city for coffee before queing for the Spirit (of Tasmania) @ 7pm.
Challenge 3: this is a big one, too demoralising to put all the challenges separately - basically it was to find the Spirit! We took a slight scenic detour of Melbourne. We called it the loop-deloop of Melbourne. I'll do this in dot points, it's less painful:
The funny things:
Challenge 5: finding our room, 8243. The Spirit is the ultimate maze, every corridoor looks the same!
Challenge 6: my personal challenge: not choking on my dinner! Very entertaining for the kids around us but man did it hurt!
We aimed to start at 5am for 5.30am. We really only left at 5.50am! Em and I watched hardened city possums chasing each other through the MAC trees (quite entertaining at that time of the morning) while waiting for Claire.
Challenge 1: reversing out of MAC driveway in a new car with a clutch that I wasn't used familiar with and couldn't see the left-hand mirror!
What followed was a smooth drive until our breakfast stop at Hungry Jacks. Got very strange looks from the attendant when asking for a sausage mcmuffin @ HJ. The wind was bitingly COLD - we're hoping that Tassie's warmer - yeah right!!
Challenge 2: finding lunch! We visited Subway in Woodonga (VIC not NSW). Also bought overpriced thermal bottoms. We drove in the rain for most of the way, not great weather for a roadtrip, but hey, we're committed to the holiday.
We stopped amid racing traffic on the freeway to take photos of crazy signs. This is going to be our thing for the holidays - random signs.
This is Claire powernapping!
We made good time to Melbourne arriving around 4-ish. We decided to go to the city for coffee before queing for the Spirit (of Tasmania) @ 7pm.
Challenge 3: this is a big one, too demoralising to put all the challenges separately - basically it was to find the Spirit! We took a slight scenic detour of Melbourne. We called it the loop-deloop of Melbourne. I'll do this in dot points, it's less painful:
- driving for a few hours too many
- heavy rain - can't see more than 5m
- windscreen wipers on fastest setting - still can't see more than 5m!
- a very basic map of Melbourne - not any neccessary road names printed
- peak hour traffic in Melbourne
- only slept 3-5 hours last night - VERY tired!
The funny things:
- I overtook a massive FOX freight truck. When he saw that he was overtaken by three girls, the drag racing began - very entertaining. So as not to break the law, we relented, after a while, so that he sped off with his male pride intact. I think all truck drivers secretly dream of being Ferrari drivers.
- We had to ask a random pedestrian on a Melbourne street where the Spirit was - did we mention that it's a huge oceanliner type ship, visible from a very far distance!
- We nearly knocked over the Spirit staff when parking (I was not driving at this point - promise!)
Challenge 5: finding our room, 8243. The Spirit is the ultimate maze, every corridoor looks the same!
Challenge 6: my personal challenge: not choking on my dinner! Very entertaining for the kids around us but man did it hurt!
We're here!!!!!!
We are now in Tassie, we have been here for the last four days yet, I'll try to keep you posted on what we're upto, but there's a bit of a backlog as I'm just enjoying being on holiday at the moment, more will follow - promise!
Wednesday, 4 July 2007
Tantalising Tassie
It's only one more day until two friends (Claire and Emily) and I leave on a road trip to Tassie - the land of good wine, cheese and open fires. Please pray for us for safe travels and strengthened relationships. We'll be posting photos here as we go along the trip ...
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