The Day of Rest

I'm a Sixth Day Adventist. I take my sabbath on Friday. Its not catching on as far as cults go but its OK. My truth is my truth...

So I started the day by heading into work...I know this sounds weird...I had a meeting with the woman who is taking the students I have been teaching online for the onsite part of the course. My students also had an assessment to sit so I went in to get them started on that and smile sweetly. I'm walking down the corridor towards the classroom, their dulcet tones resonating and then through the door into a maelstrom of negativity...these kids are really enjoying the online version of the course which we are running for the first time - don't get me started on this whole thing! I could rail on for hours at the incompetence of the Council of Legal Education! Bottom line I don't want to be working there next year - last year I asked the church to consider a full time appointment in 2004 (for those of you who don't know I am Worship pastor for our parent church (ECW) on 10 hours a week and leading the cession church plant on another 10 hours). Its crazy stuff...but I guess its the way it is and God will use us whatever. But I'd appreciate prayer for something to change in 2005. I've been doing the bivocational thing for nearly 5 years now - it is very hard work. Anyway, even writing that sounds a bit lame. Hard work never killed anyone.

Kristen came into the big city with me. We had breakfast and she shopped during the meeting. We went back to a store later and bought something she had seen. So, I'm standing just outside the doorway to the women's change room area - Kristen is right there showing me what she is trying on and this store nazi tries to tell me to move away (the implication being that I was some sort of pervert). Needless to say this did not go down well with me! I told her she should "get a grip", that not everyone is some sort of pervert - I think we could have had a very loud, extended argument but she found a customer she needed to help (instead of harassing one who was about to spend money). The concerning thing was how ready I was for a fight. I spent the previous evening sharing with our Back to Basics Life Group on the nature of holiness and the evidence in our lives of spiritual growth being an ever more abundant presence of fruit - I think I blew out all 9 fruits of the spirit in about 30 seconds...

On that note, I've been thinking all week about what a great visionary and leader I know, said in his last blog (now over 4 days old...):

"As a leader - you can not move people to pray. You can not create momentum. You can not do so many things, but you can BE the right person. You can pray. You can allow God to speak and follow and get into the current of God's movement. I think that is something I'm trying to catch on to. I have to lead - not by what we need to be doing - but by being who God wants me and us to be. I need to be who I am asking others to be. I need to live it - breath it - experience it... regardless if anyone else follows. And then, I can, call people to join me with a a great degree of passion and authenticity."

(You can find the oracle in one of the blogs to the right - try them all - just trying to increase your traffic guys)

So some serious thinking to do. The good thing is the online teaching is finished for a bit - just some marking to do, so I can attempt to develop a routine to last me for the next few weeks. I think I need to realise that in my particular season, where the rhythm changes every few weeks as work changes, I need to be smart enough to change my plan early enough that I don't get too empty. Simple.

On a happier note we went to a birthday party last night where the birthday girl's boyfriend asked her to marry him. We knew this was happening cos Kristen made the cake! On one side it said "Happy Birthday"...on the other side it said "Will you marry me?" Kristen made a rose that sat in the middle of the cake with the ring inside it. So he tells her to close her eyes and make a wish and then he gets down on one knee nearly burning her eyebrows off as he does so and turns the cake around so the proposal is showing when she opens her eyes...then the magic words, "so did your wish come true?" She looks down and... Anyway she said yes. There is more to this story which I will reveal in a few days. Its gonna be exciting...

Well its Saturday am here in NZ and I have a power of work to get done. Later we are connecting with Melissa and Jacob, 2 of my key leaders who I'm marrying in 4 weeks (they're marrying each other as well). Melissa just got licensed as a minister this week so I'm pumped about that for her - the first pastor coming through the life of cession. Later we head for coffee with Kristen's key Kid's Ministry leader and her family. And then for dinner we are having 2 newer couples from the cession|community over for dinner...should be a fun day. There's even an outside chance that the Auckland Blues will sneak their way into the semi final playoffs. Objectively this would be a travesty. Subjectively I don't give a rip - they're my team so I don't care whether they really deserve to be there! The international season starts soon so competition is hotting up for places in the All Blacks - we play England in June so there is a whole world of hurt that needs to be visited on the so-called World champs (they're called the world champs because they happened to win some minor competition called the "World Cup")

Phew. A long blog. You can call me N8...

Beejay