A Hell of a Life

This is one book I'd recommend to the Average Joe wanting to find out more about Jesus.

John Dickson writes in a very down-to-earth way, as if one might when talking to a mate. He uses plenty of analogies to make his point. Although the book is a bit outdated (it was written in the 1990s and refers to Madonna and Michael Jordan as the big superstars of the time), it still manages to convey its message that Jesus is bigger than any celebrity. He's had more books written about Him, more websites dedicated to Him...and it was His life that defined the modern calendar. At the end of the book, there are testimonies from people from all walks of life, saying what Jesus means to them and how we can trust Him, too.

It's Dickson's own testimony that really resonates. Raised in a single parent, non-Christian home, it was his Scripture teacher in high school that made a big influence on the self-confessed ratbag teenager and his mates.

This book shows the real Jesus, recorded in the gospels - not the love and peace, robe-wearing hippie that many people tend to think He is.

Quote of the Day

An atheist once said to me, "Why doesn't your God come and physically show himself to us?"
I replied, "He did. And they nailed Him on a cross."
- Ken Ham

Harmony

It was an odd type of concert to be going to - Eskimo Joe teaming up with the WA Symphony Orchestra.  The result? A night of absolutely amazing music at the Perth Concert Hall last month.

There were two types of people in the audience - those (like my friend Sarah and I) who would go to see Eskimo Joe and those who would see WASO. I think everyone would have come away appreciating both types of music.

5 Hopes For 2018

It's mid March already, so I'd better post this. Here goes nothin'.....

1. Press on with my dream of becoming a published author. I plan to submit short stories to competitions to hopefully build my writing 'resume', as well as not give up on getting my novel published.

2. Start riding my bike.

3. Build my fitness. I've already been swimming laps at the local pool on my childfree day once a week (man, I'm unfit). When the pool closes for winter (it's an outdoor pool), I'm going to go to Zumba once a week.

4. Go hardcore on DIY projects. I'm in the middle of fixing up my verandah railing (cutting off old wire, sanding, repainting, and putting up new wire). Then I hope to paint the verandah surface with some non-slip stuff I saw in Bunnings. Our verandah gets terribly slippery when wet, and despite my continued warnings, the little fellows run on it, slip over and hit their heads. After that, my scungy outside laundry needs repainting, as well as some of the doorframes and window frames inside the house.

5. Make a serious dent in the huge pile of unread books next to my bed, on my shelves, in my bookcase, and in the drawers of my bedside table. I love books, but I feel like I'm drowning in them (note to self: STOP BUYING BOOKS). Those that I don't like will either be sold, given away, or placed in my in-laws' Perth house (where we stay when in Perth) for other guests to read.

Bible Verse of the Day

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-25

Forging a Real World Faith

It took a while for me to put into words what this book was about. At times it seems disjointed and disconnected, but at the end, everything really clicks into place.

It's about how to live as a Christian in the real world - beyond the church, beyond the 'safety' of any Christian gathering.

What we can do to sharpen our faith, like a refiner of silver. This takes guts and effort.

Our responsibility to grow our faith, and not remain stagnant.

Gordon MacDonald frequently examines the life of Daniel in the Bible, as the example of someone who made a real impact on the culture without compromising his faith in God.

It's a challenging book, but a bit dry in parts. The use of the term 'self-mastery' throughout irked me, until I realised he meant self-discipline. I think it falls short a bit on God's grace and the power of the Spirit in changing us (it's not all up to us).  Possibly a bit more balance was needed here. But it's worth a read, and for those Christians living in a bubble (it's easy to do), it's good shake-up.

How Social Media Ruins Friendships

I'm sure I could easily come up with at least 10 reasons why social media is beneficial for friendships, but my experiences over the past five months with Facebook and friendships have left me shaken, anxious, paranoid, angry and bitter. I won't go too deeply into the events that caused this reaction (you never know who is reading after all....although part of me wants to just put it all out there), but enough so you know what has caused this extreme reaction.

I've written about this briefly before, but in early October last year, I went to message a friend and my heart leaped as I saw the 'Add Friend' button on her profile. Since I consider this person a 'real life' friend, I messaged her via Messenger, asking what I'd done wrong. I considered maybe her kids had been playing with her phone, until I got the dreaded message. Yes, she'd done it. The reason? She 'didn't agree with some things I post'. I asked her to elaborate. This isn't someone from high school who I haven't seen in 18 years, so it could make any in-person encounters awkward. Last year I posted about how it's usual habit for many Facebook users to unfriend anyone who disagrees with them on anything! I tried to recall if I'd shared any controversial political articles recently. I eventually learned the reason.

I was unfriended because I was sick.

Yep, it was because I posted about this incident.

Then I was re-added by this person a couple of months later as if her actions hadn't had any effect on me at all! She knew I'd been upset about it, but I didn't mention the extent. That whole saga about being in hospital with abdominal pain meant I lost more than just my health temporarily. My parents didn't believe me and acted like it was a massive inconvenience for them, and now a friend of mine had unfriended me because they just didn't want to know (they said they cared too much, but I would never turn my back on a friend in need, even if I was worried about them). I even asked some other friends of mine (not mentioning this person's name) and they thought it was very weird behaviour.

So I still have a yucky taste in my mouth months later and I'm wary about what I post. But then the rebel in me, declares, Who cares what they think!

• There is no Facebook/real life divide when it comes to friendships. I'm sick of people behaving waaay differently on social media to how they would in real life. If you're rude to me online, that affects our real-life friendship. I'm not just going to forget about what you said because you forgot I'm a real person behind a computer screen. I've seen people write, I'm doing a massive friend cull on FB, getting rid of negative people in my life, then declare that they still want to be real-life friends with the people they unfriended, and not understand why those people were hostile. Ummm yep, it IS personal, buddy. You shafted them out of 500 people and wonder why they're pissed off. And if they're so 'negative' online (which is usually code for they don't agree with everything their friend says or does), why do you still want them in your life?
  
• If you're unfriending someone because you're jealous, then YOU'RE the one with the problem. Unfriending/unfollowing someone you're jealous of won't solve the problem, because it's raised heart issues for you that you need to deal with.

• If someone wants to post 'personal' things, let them. If they want to post often, let them. I've heard people complain, "Mary posts so much on Facebook,". Well, how do you know Mary posts a lot unless you're always on there reading it?
•  I've had enough of women using Facebook to be bitchy and exclusive. I get sick of seeing mutual friends post stuff about being 'best friends' with someone and liking one person's every post, while completely ignoring other people.

• If you're don't like or are not interested in what someone else posts, just scroll on by. Unless you're really concerned about this person and what they're posting, just let it go. People like different things. Get over it! Life would be pretty boring if everyone was interested in the same things.

Related posts:
Fakebook
Facebook 'Friends'
Facebook Etiquette 
Faceless

Maya is 10

Maya dog turned 10 yesterday.

I couldn't have asked for a better first dog.

Loyal, faithful, gentle and true, she has grown from a timid puppy who used to wet herself in fright, to a wonderful old girl.

I will get her a big bone the next time I visit the butcher.

Quote of the Day

You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, and there's still going to be somebody who hates peaches.
- Dita Von Teese

My Snuggle Monster

His love language is definitely physical touch.

It wasn't just the fourth trimester. He continues to love his cuddles....and I love mine from him, too.