Testimonies

This Thursday I'd like to give thanks for testimonies. Since last Wednesday, I have been blessed to hear four testimonies of God's work.

On Wednesday last week a lady who had taken Bibles to China came to the school where I work to share her experiences with the primary aged children. Her enthusiasm for the people of China and her passionate expression of her experiences held their attention for nearly an hour and a half! On that day I was struggling with worry about the outcome of my compensation case (the outcome ended up being another cause for thanks). It was a blessing to be re-focused on God and upon those in more difficult circumstances than myself, and it helped me to realise anew how much I have been given. I especially enjoyed her account of her visit to a Chinese woman who lived in poor conditions with a dirt floor. This woman welcomed her with great joy and affection, attempting to communicate although she did not know english. She shared her few possessions with her, including three apples from her winter store. Such examples of generosity are always an inspiration!

A few days later I heard the testimonies of two Chinese women at a World Prayer Night. It was good to hear first hand from those who have experienced Chinese rule. One woman shared how her parents and other close relatives were ardent communists. She also shared about devoted Christian women in Malaysia helped her to come to know Christ. This was an inspiration to love people in a self sacrificing way. Both woman shared struggles in their Christian lives which were a reminder that we can all face similar struggles no matter which country we come from!

At church on Sunday a woman was baptised. She shared her life experiences, which included many traumatic events such as rape, divorce, prostitution and having to place her children in foster care. She had even conceived as a result of rape and given the child up for adoption. It was a blessing that she was willing to be so open about her life. It is good for Christians to be reminded of what we are saved from through God's grace, and that God's kingdom is open to all who repent and believe. It was a reminder of God's power to save.

I appreciate it that God moved these women's hearts to share about his work in their lives. Their testimonies were a challenge to me to be more open about what God has done in my life, so that others can be encouraged. I don't like to go around talking to much about past events, or to give unnecessary details, yet I also need to be open to God leading me to share. We all need to be willing to share the power of God in our lives, both in conversion and afterwards, so that others can give thanks with us.

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Wild echidna encounter

Those of you who enjoyed my echidna encounterwill also enjoy Phil's post on a wild echidna. Natasha, who attended my school and now lives in the USA, pointed out for the benefit of American readers that echidna is pronounced e-kid-na.

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Feminine dress according to Susan

A couple of weeks ago I enjoyed Susan's post on dress. "No Excellencies for the Daughters of Abraham?" explores the way dress should be both modest and attractive.

Here is are some of Susan's comments:

. . . when female apparel is analyzed and wittled down to a list of "do's and don't's," then we've lost the real issue. It shouldn't be a matter of measuring our hemlines or making hard-and-fast rules such as "skirts are the only legitimate apparel for women." The real issue is the heart. How does this manifest itself? In different ways for different women. How was that for ambiguous :)?

. . . We Christian women are presented with a false dichotomy: attractive, seductive clothing or frumpy, modest clothing. It seems we have to choose between beauty or conviction.

Or do we?

Read the whole of Susan's Susan's post to find out her answer!

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Pictures of the twins

Esther is a doting little mummy to them! Jeriah is the one with darker hair.

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For those of you who were impressed with my niece Esther's photography skills as evidenced in one of the photos in this post, I decided it would be a good idea to post one of her other efforts taken on the same day. She is a budding professional at less than three years of age . . .


Here is another picture of Dave and I, this time at Brickendon near Launceston. This historic farm was beautiful with the hawthorn hedges blooming. The self timer on Dave's camera took this one for us!

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God's kindness during my legal case

I would like to thank those of you who prayed for me with regard to the compensation decisions I mentioned here.

It has been a difficult time for me, and I have prayed a lot in the midst of it. I am relieved, excited and grateful to report that my legal case is now settled. I am grateful to God for giving me the courage to take a small risk which resulted in a better outcome. One of the many trials that resulted from my injuries on the 9th of July 1999 is now over! This is an enourmous blessing. I am grateful that God has sustained me through the many medical appointments, legal appointments, decisions, and stresses of the compensation process. Mum and I have been praying all the way. There were many times when the knowledge that we had a marvelous heavenly inheritance to look forward to, no matter what the outcome of my case was, gave us great comfort and encouragement. I am grateful to serve a God who gives us a sure a certain hope of those things which will never pass away. One day last week, when I was lying in bed feeling burdened and stressed about my decision, God reminded me of one of my memory verses:

Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
And look to the earth beneath.
For the heavens will vanish away like smoke,
The earth will grow old like a garment,
And those who dwell in it will die in like manner;
But my salvation will be forever,
And my righteousness will not be abolished.
Isaiah 51:6

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Before birth

I met my twin nephews, Jeriah and Caleb, last night. They are even more loveable than I anticipated :). I am not yet able to upload photos of them. In the meantime, I thought it would be good to share a few pregnancy pictures. Ever since my sister found out she was having twins, her example of an uncomplaining and positive attitude have been an inspiration to me. I admire her even more after hearing some of what she went through with the birth. Her perseverence in choosing a natural birth is amazing, especially since the doctors were advising her during the birth to have an epidural and later a caesarean when the second baby was breech.

All these pictures were taken two and a half weeks before the birth.


Here I am with my sister, who usually weighs about as much as I do!

Janelle with her husband Lyndon.

Janelle and Esther.

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Practising thankfulness

This post was written to be included in Lydia's Thursdays of Thankfulness.

Today I have exciting events to be thankful for! Yesterday my twin nephews Jeriah and Caleb were born. My two most pressing questions have been answered. I now know the answer to "is there two boys, two girls, or a boy and a girl": two boys! I also know their names, which I have been anticipating a lot. I know that these names will be precious to me for the rest of my life, as I enjoy my nephews and pray for them in the years ahead.

Some of our prayers were answered with regard to the birth, as Janelle did not have to be induced or have a caesarean. We expected the twins to be born on Tuesday, as Janelle was due to be induced that day, but the hospital was too busy and she could not go until Wednesday. Then she did not need an induction done, because after the doctor broke the waters she went into labour. It is wonderful that she was able to have as natural a birth as possible. The twins are very healthy, and I look forward to meeting them tonight or tomorrow.

On the theme of thankfulness, I also want to share from C.J. Mahaney's book Humility: True Greatness. This book has been a great blessing to me this year. I am now reading it for the third time. Like most people, I learn the lessons of humility slowly and I need frequent reminders.

C.J. Mahaney recommends several practices that he believes can assist us in our quest to be humble. One of these is gratefulness. I enjoyed this quote that he used to illustrate the benefits of thankfulness:

"Thankfulness is a soil on which pride does not easily grow." Michael Ramsey.

C.J. emphasises that it is not only right and beneficial to be grateful, it is also wrong not to be grateful. "An ungrateful person is a proud person. If I'm ungrateful, I'm arrogant. And if I'm arrogant, I need to remember God doesn't sympathize with me in that arrogance; He is opposed to the proud."

C.J. recommends that we begin each day expressing gratefulness to God. He says, "I want to greet my Saviour with gratitude, not grumbling."

I was also inspired at this quote C.J. used about Matthew Henry: "he was an alert and thankful observer of answered prayer." This was always "sweetening his spirit, and he would often invite others to join him in giving thanks."

I would love to be a person who exibits this kind of sweet, thankful attitude toward God. As C.J. says, each day we can observe "countless indications of His provision, His presence, His kindness, His grace?" Complaining characterises my attitude more often than thankfulness does, and I often ask God to change this and to help me to be more thankful.

C.J. points out the central reason why we should be grateful: "whatever grace we receive from God is so much more than we're worthy of, and indescribably better than the hell we all deserve."

Recently I was reading Luke 6:35, and I was deeply touched that we serve a Most High God who is "kind to the unthankful and evil". I am included in that category, as I am often unthankful and my human nature is evil. Yet in the midst of this I can rely upon the kindness of God, and trust that he is transforming me into a person who praises him in every circumstance.

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Taking note of history

History must be our deliverer not only from the undue influence of other times, but from the undue influence of our own, from the tyranny of the environment and the pressure of the air we breath. Lord Acton.

I have loved this quote for a long time. The first part reminds me of our tendancy to repeat the mistakes of other times. Knowing history can help us not to do this, and in doing so it can deliver us from the undue influence of these times. As we study history, we can see the reasons why people did things and the way we could be tempted to do the same things. The study of history can also enable us to see how things we take for granted now are not the "way things have always been", they are a product of historical events. In this way, seeing how current situations are a product of history can liberate us to challenge "the way things are" are cast off historical influences that are not good. This ties in with the meaning of the second part of the quote.

I love the second part of the quote even more than the first. I often realise how much my own time and environment influence me. To some extent this is inevitable. However, it is important to minimise how much we allow the time we live in to dictate our choices. I often feel disturbed when I hear Christians speak harshly against their brethren who lived in other times and made mistakes. I feel disturbed because I think their comments are short-sighted and often show a lack of awareness of how we do the same thing.

For example, the way Christians treated Australian indigenous people was at times less than ideal and at times plainly abusive. I think we should condemn without hesitation the things that were done. However, that is different to condeming the people who did them and saying that these people could not have been Christians. In cases of clear abuse which were not repented of, it is fair to question the person's salvation. We are told to evaluate the fruit of someone's profession, and we can make some judgements based upon this. However, in many cases what the Christians did came out of a mistaken attempts to help aboriginal people and bring the gospel to them. Many of their mistaken attempts could have been averted if they had a better understanding of scripture and they had taken the trouble to apply the Bible instead of the wisdom of their times. It is worthwhile to note this. However, I am disturbed when people condemn these Christians while they continue to assume that it is fine to go along with current wisdom.

As Greg Price wrote in his article "Taking moral equivalence to an extreme" (The Australian November 2, 2006), it is easy to patronise and condemn those who acted in the past. He wrote about the "stolen generation" of aboriginal children who were removed from their parents (sometimes by Christians). This was done in an attempt to help them, and it was often done on a racist basis. "Patronising the past also neatly shifts the spotlight. Perhaps Australians of the '40s or '50s should not have removed children from their communities. But is the present hands-off approach any better? Where's the moral advantage in leaving Aboriginal children in communities degrated by alcoholish, petrol sniffing, domestic violence, and sexual abuse? It's much easier to apologise for something that happened 50 years ago than come up with a policy solution to an existing problem."

Price's last sentence says exactly what I feel. It is easy to stand on the sidelinse and criticise people who tried their hardest to act rightly. It is much harder to consider how we should evaluate the times in which we live and how we can solve current problems. Today I read Scott Brown on this topic, in a post that exposes the way we adopt worldly methods to reach youth and therefore we fail. He also did a post on Al Mohler's wisdom on the education of children. Mohler says in part: “I don't think God calls upon Christian parents to put our children in the schools as guinea pigs as salt and light. I'll be honest. I just don't think that at all is the biblical vision. The public schools are an innovation. They are not a fact of nature."

I can think of lots of other areas where what is currently popular or expedient plays a large part in the decisions of Christians. One example is the way Christian couples choose to use hormonal birth control even if they know the facts about how it can act to terminate human life, because it is easiest and they don't want children right now. It is easy to go with the flow and assume that it is fine to do whatever seems expedient or current without evaluating what the Bible has to say. I hope that I extend grace to other Christians who make decisions based on the times in which they live, or who apply the Bible differently to how I do. I also want to extend the same grace to those who lived long before me.

However, in the midst of praying for a gracious attitude I also remind myself that history can be "our deliverer not only from the undue influence of other times, but from the undue influence of our own, from the tyranny of the environment and the pressure of the air we breath." I don't want to blunder along, with the time I live in dictating my decisions. Whenever I think about Christians in the past, I do not grimace as much at their mistakes as I do at my own capacity to buy into the type of thinking that created their mistakes. I know there must be many areas where I do adopt unbiblical ways of thinking. As I learn more about history, I hope that I can see that the way things are done now is often not the only way or the best way. I can also gain a vision for how to live differently. Christians in the past often understood and applied scripture better than we do today, and I can learn from that. God has placed each of us in the time in which we live. By God's grace, I hope to be granted insight on how to live in the most biblical way possible to achieve his purposes in this time.

21 November - I thought I'd quickly note some of the other things that I believe we need to think about in terms of the Bible rather than current thinking: the roles of men and women, methods of poverty relief, illegitimacy, business practices, entertainment and amusement choices, consumerism, and the law. I would enjoy hearing from readers who can share the issues they have thought about in relation to the difference between current practices and biblical thinking.

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Twins to arrive tomorrow!

My sister's twins seem to like staying put! However, tomorrow they will be forced to emerge. Janelle is now 38 weeks pregnant and each twin weights seven pounds! It is time for them to stop sharing such a small space! I am looking forward to finally having the question answered: two boys, two girls, or a boy and a girl? Their names are also an item of much interest for me. I plan to see them for the first time on Thursday night or on Friday, when I return to Hobart after working this week. My sister goes into hospital for the labour to be induced at about the same time I need to leave for work tomorrow, and I have no doubt that my thoughts will turn to her often as the day passes. I am continuing to pray that she will be able to deliver them without the need for a caesarean.

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Abortion stories

Last night I watched a TV show on abortion. I often avoid watching these shows, because they tend to make me upset. In fact, I usually avoid TV altogether! The last time I sat down to watch a TV show was about two months ago with my friend Ruth. Her sister is expecting twins as well, and the show was about identical twins.

The program I watched last night was well made. Those who shared their experiences were presented against a black background, with light just on their faces and torsos. Five women and one man were featured. The interviewer did not appear in the documentary at all: he or she was invisible and silent. This gave the effect of being confronted simply with the person who was sharing. The testimonies were interspersed briefly with scenes of cityscapes underneath a dark sky, and occasionally with other images such as children enjoying swings. White text on a black background presented small amounts of information that gave the context for what the person said next.

Although I have heard that the maker of the documentary is pro-life, this was not overt. There were testimonies from those who regretted and repented of abortion, and from those who justified their decisions or were at peace with them.

I appreciated the way the documentary maker had presented each person in the context of other aspects of their lives. For example, it is hard to demonise a woman who feels no guilt for having two abortions for financial and career reasons when we know she is also a loving wife and devoted grandmother. To be pro-life, yet still present people we disagree with in the fulness of their humanity and without counter argument is courageous and powerful. People who have abortions are people just like you and I, who are deceived into thinking abortion is the best or only solution. Many of them are the sort of people you'd enjoy talking to at a dinner party.

Despite the fact that the interviewer's position was not overt, I think a strong pro-life perspective came out. One woman strongly justified her abortion, yet she is now childless at 45. Her tears over her childlessness spoke volumes for the emptiness of justifying her choice to kill the only child she will ever have. In another testimony, a woman who felt no guilt for her abortion said something that I found deeply profound. I do not remember her exact words, but the essence was that having a child is about relinquishing control and in doing so allowing life to flourish.

For me, the documentary brought to mind again ideas I have thought much about already. I was grateful to be able to discuss some of these ideas with Dave over the phone after watching it.

The more stories of abortion I hear, the more convinced I am that this will not end unless people choose not to enter sexual relationships where they are completely unprepared to have a child. If you are not ready to have a child, you are not ready to get intimate. A logical deducation of this is that if you are not ready to have a child, you are not ready to get married. In Australia, married women as well as single women have abortions in large numbers. If abortions are to reduce, people at least need to have a viable back up plan if their plan number one (no baby right now) does not work out. Otherwise they feel they cannot continue the pregnancy.

The debate over abortion is not really over whether or not the baby is indeed a baby. Those who justified their abortions knew they were justifying killing a person. They did not attempt to argue that what they did was anything other than killing, they argued that it was an OK form of killing.

When considering abortion, it is important to realise that we cannot make a judgement of what someone's quality of life will be. Those who justify abortion do so on the basis that the child would not have a good life if it was born. Several women mentioned that they did not want their child to suffer what they suffered. One mentioned poverty, another the lack of a stay-at-home-mother. The question that needs to be asked in these situations is "would you rather be dead?". I doubt their reply would be yes. We all suffer pain. Justifying abortion on the basis that the person would suffer makes us all candidates for termination. There is no way of planning everything out to avoid suffering.

There is no ideal, perfect time to have a baby. However, most people who have abortions do so on the basis that it is "not the right time". They hope to have a baby some day, just not now. The woman who is childless at 45 wanted specific things to happen before she would be "ready" to have a child, and in the end that time never came. In aiming for an ideal, she ended up with nothing. Usually, the ideal time is realted to financial circumstances. I find it ironic that in one of the richest cultures on earth, we feel we cannot afford children. In past generations, people had more children with less money.

Finally, in all this I am reminded of the gospel and I am aware of my own sin. In my pro-life efforts, I want to present the gospel of grace to hurting or deceived people. I still do not know how to do this well, but it is my desire. We should feel a deep compassion for those who are without God to turn to in circumstances of distress.

I am deeply grateful to serve a God who teaches us what is true and good. The Bible tells us that we do not have ultimate control over the womb, it is God who opens and closes it. Marriage is the relationship in which to pursue love and intimacy, and we are to avoid unwise and ungodly partnerships. Children are a blessing and a reward, and they are to be accepted with joy within marriage. Indeed, one of the reasons God created marriage is that he wants us to have them! Without God's revelation, I would not know these things. It is wonderful to serve a God who not only has a great plan for how things should work, but who graciously reaches down to save us from our sins and set us on the path to a flourishing life.

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Time to decide

I have a long running legal case for compensation from the Motor Accidents Insurance Board (MAIB) with regard to my injuries and subsequent chronic pain that I sustained in a car accident in 1999. I wrote about my car accident, and mentioned some of the aspects of being involved in a legal case, in my post 9/7/99 in the providence of God. All motorists are required to be insured with the MAIB, and each person pays hundreds of dollars each year to them on the understanding that they will be insured for any medical expenses and lost income that result from a car accident. My legal case has been ongoing for five and a half years. I am presently faced with important decisions about my case. I would appreciate your prayers as I seek God about what avenues to take.

Edited on November 20 - I decided I had perhaps included too much information about my case on the Internet. However, I do feel in great need of your prayers and I hope that you will continue to pray as I make decisions! One of the things I most need prayer for is that I will not take on heavy burdens, but I will rest in the sovereignty of God as I make the best decisions I can. I need to trust God as he guides me. I was blessed as I read James 1 this morning, a reminder of the truth of God's care for us and also of the truth that money is a passing matter.

2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

9 Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, 10 but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. 11 For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.

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Thursdays of Thankfulness

Recently Lydia introduced a new series to her blog. She has invited readers to contribute posts on what they are thankful for each Thursday. I think this is a great idea, and I am happy to have a snippet of time to participate this week. The Bible is full of instructions to give God the praise due to him, and provides us with many examples of people who were thankful. I have recently completed reading the Psalms again, which are full of examples of things to praise God for!

Here are two of my praise points:

1) I keep feeling grateful for Dave. I won't go on about it too much, lest this post become something approaching an online love letter (which I am sure Dave would not appreciate). However, I will write a brief list of some of the things I am thankful for about Dave: kindness, leadership, passion for God and the Bible, fun, respect, ease of conversation, intelligence, friendliness, diligence. I am sure I have missed out countless things - perhaps I'll share them next Thursday!

2) My job. I am very grateful that I have enjoyed this year at work, and that I have nearly completed it! There are now only four weeks to go. My year at work has been a big blessing for me, as I have had many struggles with work since my car accident seven and a half years ago. The children, the staff, and the skills I have learnt in teaching have all been a huge blessing.

My internet time has run out, so that will be it for me today on thankfulness! However, I hope to have more to share next week. Perhaps some of you will join in too, and I can enjoy reading your entries.

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The example of Jesus in prayer

I recently enjoyed dropping over to Mountain Musings during one of my all-to-short times on the computer during a break at school. Tom posted a long quote from Charles Spurgeon on Jesus' example in prayer. As Spurgeon says, "If ever one of woman born might have lived without prayer, it was our spotless, perfect Lord, and yet none was ever so much in supplication as he!". Yet Christ made a habit of fellowshiping with his Father. This is a reminded of how much more I need to make prayer a priority, at war as I am with sin. I often fail to have the victory, while Christ was always victorious. I need his power desperately, yet I often fail to spend time asking for it. I hope this quote will remind me to renew my commitment to concentrated prayer.

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Twins due to arrive any day

As my regular blog readers will know, my sister is having twins. Her babies are now due to arrive any day! Twins are induced at 38 weeks if they have not come before that, as it is not healthy for mother or babies if the pregnancy extends beyond that point. My sister is now 37 weeks. I have several prayer requests for the birth, in case any of you can spare Janelle a place on your prayer list! My sister is a midwife. She strongly prefers a natural birth, such as she had with her first child Esther. This is reflected in the prayer points.

* Please pray that Janelle will go into labour before she needs to be induced.

* Please pray that there will be no complications in the birth that would necessitate a caesarean.

* The first twin has its head down, but the second is breech. Please pray that the second turns well after the first comes out (it should have plenty of room!) so that Janelle does not have to have lots of pain killers while they turn it ( or a caesarean if they can't).

* Please pray that the many staff who will be attending this twin birth will be a blessing. It is not ideal to have so many (eight at last count) but my sister is going to a public hospital and does not have much choice in the matter.

I would have loved to post pictures of my sister, but unfortunately the compter where they are stored is refusing to allow me to connect to the internet! In two weeks, I should definitely be able to post pictures of two much loved babies!

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Learning from Titus

I love the book of Titus. It is packed with practical instructions for life. This means it is not a comfortable book. My personal life often does not reflect its commands. Many churches also do not emphasise or reflect its teaching. Yet the book of Titus also shows how far we have progressed. Titus 3:3: “For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.” I identify with this description of what I once was! Likewise, many of my brothers and sisters once lived this way. Yet God miraculously intervened. He showed kindness and love (3:4). He saved us according to his mercy, “through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” not due to our works (3:5). God gave us abundance through Christ (3:6). Now we have been justified through grace and have an eternal hope (3:7). What a contrast with our former situation! Jesus Christ's sacrificial death on the cross for our sins has liberated us to walk in life, hope, and freedom.

In the light of the facts about what He has done for us, God tells us to obey his commands. Titus 3:18 “This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works.” We are not to be like those who profess to know God, but deny him through their disobedient works (1:16). Our liberation is not only a motivation to good works. It is also an event that reminds us of the power of God. If God is powerful enough to turn our lives around, he is surely able to help us complete the good works he requires. While as individuals and churches we do not yet put into action all the commands in this book, we have hope that God will bring it about.

I have been memorizing Titus 2:1-8. This segment of scripture gives instructions to Christians of various age groups. I hope this will help me to pray for others. I also want to obey verses 4 and 5. These verses teach that young women are to love their husbands, love their children, be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, and obedient to their husbands. As I have stated on my blog before, I believe these verses apply to all young women even if they are not yet married. If this is what God wants for us at a future date, it is worthwhile to begin preparing now! Obviously I can't yet love or obey my husband, but I can aim for some of the other goals. I often work on loving children, as I am with them nearly every day. As I memorized these verses, I realised that I did not even know what discreet meant! I consulted Macquarie's dictionary, and this is the definition it gave. Discreet: 1. wise or judicious in avoiding mistakes or faults; prudent; circumspect; cautious; not rash. 2. not given to careless talk; restrained. 3. not flamboyant; unobtrusive. I quickly realised I had a long way to go before I achieved that goal!

While I had the dictionary out, I was also inspired to look up the word homemaker. I love this definition: "one who creates and maintains a comfortable and welcoming ambience for the members of a household". This definition places the emphasis upon people, where it should be. God wants us to have confortable and happy homes. This would usually involve cleaning and cooking, or delegating it to someone else, but that is not the focus. The reason God wants women to be homemakers is that it blesses and serves others. It is possible to have a spotless yet unwelcoming home. All women can be homemakers no matter what their current work situation is. However, creating a welcoming home for our families and communities does take time and effort. This means that it is reasonable to conclude that at some times in our lives, particularly when there are young children at home, it will be necessary to cut back on paid work in order to fulfill this calling.

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5 weeks

Dave and I have now been officially unsingle for five weeks, so I thought it was time to post some more pictures of us!

The recent spate of anti-patriarchy comments on my blog prompted some rather tasteless jokes on my part. I do take the matter of Biblical roles and the task of defending scripture seriously, but sometimes I have to laugh or I'll cry! This photo was part of one of those jokes. This is supposed to be a dominating patriarchal pose, since Dave is standing, I am seated, and the child is the lowest of all :). However, a friend told me that the effect was not successful as we all look too happy! To be effective, Dave would need to look severe, I would need to look sad, and Esther should look cowed. No smiles please.


Esther spent her first ever night away from home the night before this picture was taken. She slept in my room, and gave me plenty of hugs in the early hours of the morning . . . but that is another story! I promised to take full responsibility for her overnight, and I am pleased to be able to say that I fulfilled my responsibilities!

The weekend before this, Dave came to visit me in Launceson. He brought me these beautiful roses . . .


I know Dave really does like me, because he not only drove 3 hours to see me, he also slept on a dreadful mattress that had to be placed in the dining room of the house where I board! Here we are . . .


We had a lovely weekend sight seeing, eating out, seeing my friends, talking, walking, reading praying, going to church . . . and generally enjoying each other's company. Dave is reading "The Hobbit" to me, which we both enjoy. We have also watched "Pride and Prejudice" (BBC version) together, during my school holidays. It will be Dave's turn to choose a movie next :)! He grew to like Pride and Prejudice, thankfully, as otherwise all those hours would have been torturous for him!

Two weeks ago when I was in Hobart, Dave helped me babysit my niece Esther. Esther likes Dave, although I don't think she quite knows how to give appropriate compliments yet. She told her mother she thought he was a "pretty boy". Here Dave is playing a game with her where she was rolled in a rug and then carried around.


On the same day, I tried to teach Esther to take pictures of us. This is one of the results . . .



It is not bad for a first effort!

I think that it is healthy that Dave and I spend a lot of time around other people, as well as time alone, and that we spend time in family contexts. This gives us a chance to get a more realistic picture of each other. Unfortunately Dave's family is far away in South Africa, so I have not yet met them. It is great that Dave enjoys spending time with my family.

I am grateful to God for five happy weeks, packed with lots of great memories.

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My Queensland family

Recently my mother and father went to Queensland to visit my brother and his family. I enjoyed seeing the many pictures that were sent back with them on a disk.

My brother's family . . .


The proud Grandma . . .

I was happy to see this picture of my sister-in-law with her daughter. I am glad my sister-in-law is able to enjoy clothing a baby in pink dresses after her two little boys!


My new niece, born in June, looks totally adorable. My parents said her behaviour is as good as her looks. I hope to meet her in the new year, whenever I have a chance to go to Queensland for a visit.

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Echidna encounter

At the end of September I was blessed to able to visit Platypus House with my friends Felicity and Dave. The platypus were difficult to photograph. However, at the same place there were some echidnas that were happy to sit still for us while they ate . . .



It was fun to watch their long tongues lap up their food!

We were able to touch the echidnas. I had never done this before.


Since my sitemeter tells me that many of my visitors come from the USA, I thought you would enjoy a glimpse of these Australian animals.

Baby echidnas and platypus are called "puggles". They hope to breed both at Platypus House.

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I'd rather live here

On my pink town post, Keziah provided a picture of a much nicer town painting idea in multicoloured hues. Keziah often uses great pictures on her blog. Thanks for posting the link to this site, Keziah. I still think the government should let people paint their properties whatever colour they like though! I am sure that most of my readers agree :)!

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Totally behind!

This week I have had very little Internet access. Most of my efforts to get online have been thwarted. Since I believe in providence, I trust this is all in the broader plan :). I have only read about two blog posts all week! Most of my limited internet time has been taken up with reading comments on my Strong women post. One respondant has been posting many long comments related to her beliefs about the roles of men and women, which are contrary to mine. I have had no time to give these a proper response. Later on I may be able to do some posts on the topics she has raised. However, I do not want to engage in long term debate. I have now put on comment moderation, as I do not like to have comments on my blog that teach falsely without having the time to reply. If any of you have time to reply to the comments that are already on this post, I would appreciate your input. I hope to have more time for blogging at some stage, but at the moment spending time with people in the offline world (such as Dave) is more important to me.

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