Moral Courage

The main morning meetings at Venue 2 New Wine were entitled : MORAL COURAGE
For that read: Faith - Risk etc Based on Hebrews 10v35-11v40

All very relevant stuff and encouraging to know that I'm on the right track. Although I sometimes wonder if it's not harder to take risks and step out of your comfort zone in your home country surrounded by home comforts and friends and family. God has called me to go far away (for a period of time as He decrees) and, although there are challenges and sacrifices to be made there, He is equipping me with everything I need - spiritually, emotionally, materially etc, to do the job he's called me to do. Hurrah for an amazing God!

'So do not throw away your confidence, it will be richly rewarded.'
'But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.'
'Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.'

God told Abraham to leave his civilised and rather nice home and take his wife and go to a place that He would show him, without elaborating much more.
God told Noah to build a massive boat in the middle of the desert, when there were no rain forecasts for the foreseeable future.
God told Moses to waltz into his 'grandfather's' palace and claim back all the immigrant workers and lead them out into the wilderness.

These all took faith and courage. Now is not a time to be weak or cowardly. Now is a time to stand firm, to act on what God tells us to do, sometimes in mere obedience not fully understanding the whys and hows of what will happen next.

Someone once said that the safest place to be is in the centre of the will of God. Not so.
Whilst He gives complete protection and will never abandon us, it's possibly the most dangerous place to be. Jesus was fully in the centre of the will of God at all times, and he lived a dangerous life.

All this is great encouragement as I get back into a new routine of not being a teacher and being a full-time Christian worker. I'm so excited at the possibilities and opportunities that are already coming my way. I'm challenged to stay focussed and to fix my eyes on Jesus as I walk the path He has marked out for me. He leads me and guides my every step. It's a walk, not a sprint.

God loves everyone. He is saddened by the rejection that He gets from people, from people who have turned away from His love and even rejected His rescue plan in Jesus. He is distressed by the heartache he sees in the world from so much suffering and pain. The way is open for us to be reconciled to Him and to live in relationship with Him, so that he can lead us into great and amazing adventures with Him. It's about surrendering my ego and selfishness and submitting to His way in my life. It's a daily thing, constantly coming back to Him and His love, especially when things of this world press in and try to distract me away from that.

God has the ultimate authority and when we believe in Jesus and what He established by His death and resurrection, and are reconciled to God, He puts within us His Holy Spirit and suddenly we move from being merely natural, worldly people to having a supernatural nature. God has condemned the evil forces in this world, lead by Satan, to complete and total destruction, but the final judgement has not come down yet. Until that time Satan is still squatting in the world, but he's not in charge any more. He's doing his best to trick people into thinking that he is, and so many are fooled and fear him. But he is under the same authority as we are and God has given us authority and power to send him packing in the name of Jesus. He's like a naughty schoolboy who is trying to fool a teacher into doing what he wants when in fact the levels of authority are clear and he has no rights to think he can behave thus.

God's been saying a lot to me lately about authority. It's a funny thing. When you are given authority it's often to do something much bigger than you think you are capable of. When I became Headteacher, overnight I had more authority. But you have to use it. There are lots of nasties around in the world, keeping people trapped and tricking them into thinking that this is it and a life of fear is the best they can put up with. Not so. Jesus came to set people free, He came to give life to the full and to restore people to a rightful relationship with the Almighty Creator of the Universe. He has delegated authority to us to cast out demons, heal the sick and raise the dead, all in His name. This is the life of adventure to which He has called us. I feel God is telling me to get ready, crazy things will happen in Africa, where people are even more switched on to the supernatural than in the UK. It will be amazing, humbling and awesome and totally of God. I can't wait...!

Post 100 - amazing amazing amazing!

So I'm back from New Wine, a week that was nothing short of AMAZING!
There was brilliant weather (and corresponding sunburn) ,
Awesome worship times and many a healing, great company and lots of challenging teaching, matched by the presence of God to help us process it all and to lead us deeper into him...

The musical find of the year, and recommendation to everyone to rush out and buy it as soon as you can, is Brenton Brown's first solo album - EVERLASTING GOD
(and Thanks, Dan for discovering it first , playing it all day so it was well and truly in my subconcious, and then negotiating a discount for me for the last remaining, much played demo, copy in the shop ;-) !!) An album has got to be good when it sells out at a Christian conference where there are 8000 people.

On his website (www.brentonbrownmusic.com), in the biography section, there is some interesting background to the album. Being South African, as he is, it's a particularly appropriate album for me to take with me and there is one song which I know is going to be a key song in worship out at GGA - 'We will worship Him'
To quote the man himself:
''This song is just a lovely picture of God’s grace, and how things can change."
Amen to that.
Jesu Inkosi - Jesus is Lord

Might return to the musings of Brother Brenton at a future occasion, but there is much more to say about what I learnt last week... But for now, am just checking back in with my blogfriends, I hope you are all enjoying the sunshine, and I'm now I'm off to catch up on some all important sleep ;)

fields of fun...

Don't expect many entries for the next few days, I'm off to NEW WINE A (www.new-wine.org) in Shepton Mallet, Somerset for a week.

My summer holiday this year going to be spent with some of my church family in a field in deepest darkest Somerset. If the weather holds, it will be amazing. If it rains, we might get a bit wet, my tent (although a mega, retro tent) is over 20 years old!

But fear not, I'll be back soon, tanned and happy, having had some awesome experiences with our amazing God.
I'm so looking forward to it and know that it will be brilliant! ;)
See you soon!

End of an era

Today I finished my job. ;-)
I am no longer Headteacher.

No more having to make decisions and argue with trustees.
No more having to wear skirts and avoid trousers at work, my trusty old, yet classic trouser suit is once more re-instated in my wardrobe!

It's been fun working with the EB Kids. They don't like the internet, so I can't write much about them here. But God lead me there 2 1/2 years ago when I quit my comprehensive job (before I went completely mad) and then put me in a leadership position. It's all been preparation for something, and skills I've learnt there will probably be extremely useful at GGA.
There have been some challenging moments and I've never had to deal with such interesting characters, I could write a book on some of their ways, and maybe one day I will...

So, the end of an era. I've put my stack of chocolate presents in the fridge, and am ready to wrap up my stunning flowers to take them camping this weekend. Tragically, they are gorgeous red gladioli which will clash terribly with the amazingly retro orange and brown mega-tent I've borrowed from my parents... (SOOO retro it's now back in fashion.. it even has flowery 70's curtains, excellent).

The kids and their families have been very generous in donating kids' clothes and toys for the children at GGA. Several of the parents have grasped the vision for what Heather is trying to do and are inspired by the story of GGA. It's good to have them on board.

My official leaving present from the school - crystal wine glasses... beautiful, but not so useful for a mega journey south... and a copy of their Bible (now that would have been useful 2 years ago, to aid my debating skills in the classroom) . The staff got together to get me binoculars. Fantastic, much more useful for safari ;)
But year 9 excelled themselves and clubbed together to get me a mini clock set in a light blue vw campervan complete with 2 surfboards on the roof. I'll put a photo on sometime. Some presents can be tacky, this one is brilliant!

Many memories, much fun, leaving is always a bit sad, but there are lots more exciting times ahead and now it's full steam ahead for the big tidy up and throw out...

Kwa Mashu

People who know S.Africa...
Does anyone know anything about KWA MASHU?
I know it's a township just North of Durban.
But the word keeps coming into my head randomly so it's becoming interesting to me...

Will go there someday, but is it famous for something?
Is there an amazing church there?
Is that where my future husband is currently abiding?!?!

Only time will tell...

the perils of bureaucracy, the story begins

I went to London today.
Not to visit the queen.
But to get my volunteer visa sorted at the S.African Embassy which, if you ever need to go, is sandwiched quietly between a postcard shop and an old pub, so it's very inconspicuous. I managed to completely miss it and end up at Downing Street before I realised I was going the wrong way...
I don't like Embassies anymore.
The British Embassy in Rome was ok when my passport was stolen because I was whisked up to a nice cool office and helped quickly.
There was no waiting around today, but the whole atmosphere in there is one of stress, with people all around you almost pleading with uniformed clerks, saying things like 'But he died 36 years ago' and the like...
The clerk, who was supposed to help me, was less than helpful.
He refused my 'medical report' because it reported on my medical history and 'gave too much information'. Apparently they don't want to know that, they just want a letter saying I am fit and well. He wouldn't believe me telling him that I was. Held my tongue.
Then he disputed my bank account, telling me that the amount of money in there wasn't enough to live on. Of course it isn't, that's what monthly sponsors are for...
By now I was getting a bit fed up.
And then he came out with the 'have you got your £600 deposit?' which is apparently 'in lieu of a return ticket' and not optional. The fact that I had a return ticket right in front of him didn't make any difference. Hmm, oh yes have it out of my pocket money sir!!!!! Like I could just whip out that amount of money from my wallet and hand it over.
So not a good experience all in all. :(

Pray that it gets sorted out soon, and preferably without that massive payout- which would be more than I paid for the flight in fact....

clarification of the purpose of my blog

There seems to have been some confusion for people visiting my blog recently.

This is not a website for God's Golden Acre (go to www.godsgoldenacre.org.uk for that)
Nor is it a fundraising exercise or marketing ploy.

I set up my blog as a means of expression of my thoughts and musings as I prepare to go to live in South Africa and work with some of the many AIDS orphans out there. It's a means for my friends to keep up with what's going on in my life and it's like an ongoing online conversation.
Although my life will be forever transformed by the experiences in Africa, there is more to life than just writing about how sad the AIDS epidemic is, and giving a constant list of how one can help.
I hope that the snapshots of life out there (as I'm discovering them) and the snapshots of what's going on in my life here in the UK are of interest, but really it's a way of processing them by journalling online.

I AM getting a bit fed up with people who read my blog, think they somehow know me enough to pass judgement on my life and leave criticism in the comments page. You can't possibly know someone well through merely reading their stuff on the blog, there is so much more to my life than what gets written here, I couldn't possibly write about all my life, there's not time...
If you have a problem with me, and you know me well enough to approach me on this issue, please email me privately about the matter. If you just put a negative comment on the web, it isn't very helpful in the long run.
(If you feel strongly about something, start your own blog and do all your rantings there, don't hijack mine)
There is a way to deal with conflict and it is in private and directlywith the person involved . On a couple of occasions I'm seeing misunderstandings and personal comments appearing here for the whole world to see.

The views expressed on my are personal ones and do not necessarily reflect God's Golden Acre as a whole. Don't judge me on that. I'm not perfect, no one is. Please remember that before you put yourself in the position of 'blog critic and judge of character'

I don't want a whole lot of ranting comments in reply to this.
Just bear it in mind the next time you feel like attacking what I've written. It's just a few ideas on a page in cyberspace, not absolute truth
(for that check out another book that's available near you called the BIBLE- now I expect THAT will get more comments than anything I've said before ;-) !!!! )

coffeeeeeeeee

This morning my macchinetta di caffè decided to explode dramatically all over the hob.

Coffee everywhere.

Rubbish.

Yet wierdly I had looked at it 1 min before and just knew it was going to happen.
So I got out of the kitchen, fast.

(Yes, I know I could have prevented the whole thing, but that would have been much less dramatic for a Saturday morning, and besides, my hob is now sparklingly clean. Nice)

All's well that ends well (as one of my fellow Stratfordians once said)

on DVD's and 4x4's

Several years ago, thanks to a government initiative, I got to go on a training day where I came away with a free DVD player (useful) and some DVD-making software (not so useful, at the time)... Yesterday, the software became not only useful, but a marvel of modern technology on my computer and I ventured into the world of media...
Have made a 3 minute DVD 'Snapshots of GGA'. It was much fun to do and the combination of gorgeous children, other photos of the devastation caused by AIDS and a haunting soundtrack of the Young Zulu Warriors have worked well. Am not technically-minded enough to put it on the internet as yet, but it went down well at Cafe Create last night.

Quick plug: anyone from St Paul's interested in being a presenter for Cafe Create, there's a job going as last night was my last evening up front. It's easy, just imagine you're on TOTP or similar (without the millions of people watching through the cameras...) Good fun, have really enjoyed it and hope that 'Cafe Create' continues to go from strength to strength in the future...

It's getting to that stage of leaving. Last 'Cafe create' first of all. On Thursday I shall be ending my job as senior teacher and saying goodbye to 80 great little people and my staff. My school is joining in to GGA in donating children's clothes and toys to take out there, it's so fantastic that they're on board.
All goodbyes are sad, but it's a process I have to go through and brings me one step closer to getting out to SA. 8 weeks today I'll be waking up for my first full day in KZN!

On Monday, I'm heading to London to visit the S.African Embassy to get my visa sorted. If you pray, please think of me then, that all goes smoothly. These processes can sometimes be tricky.

In other news, it's becoming apparent that we need another vehicle out in Cato Ridge as things are a bit difficult at the moment. A short while ago one of the 4x4s got written off somehow and now they are struggling to get a lot of kids to several school with very few vehicles, and they need more. Then there'd be one to take kids to hospital when necessary too.

God knows and meets all our needs. So I am confident that somehow He will meet that need, being as I've brought it to him and am leaving it with him. He loves to provide for his children, in miraculous ways. To enable people to help out with that, I've written to 5 car companies in the UK, to see if they would be able to help us out, financially or in providing a vehicle out in SA. So far, one rejection. But even if this proves fruitless, somehow at just the right time, that 4x4 WILL arrive. And so there's many reasons to be thankful! :)

'And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ' (Phil4:19)

Campioni del mondo...

Viva Gli Azzurri! Viva Italia!!!!!
I've believed in them since the beginning

Wish I was still in Perugia to celebrate tonight.

What a great world cup, have really enjoyed it.

Looking forward to S. Africa 2010,

might even get into some of the matches then...

movie reviews

So I've had a bit of down-time recently and have made the most of it to see some interesting movies.

First, I saw a dvd of ELIZABETHTOWN, which is one of those chickflicks that actually has a quirky side to it that makes it quite good. Maybe it was the quirky characters in it, played by Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst. Any movie plot that revolves around a guy rediscovering his life at his father's funeral and an 'out there' air hostess who keeps appearing to cheer him up helped, or the road trip at the end across small town america... more than just an 'aww, sweet' film...

Then, last night, for an arty, intellectual evening, I saw EL LOBO, a Spanish film about ETA terrorists in the Basque region in the early 1970's, based on a true story. Good film. Refreshing to watch a movie in Spanish for a change, and good to see Patrick Bruel doing more than just singing (ageing French rock star, yes they do exist!). Also, good to discover Eduardo Noriega with his smouldering Latino looks, even though he does die his hair blonde for part of the film.

Having studied foreign films as part of my degree, it's always good to keep up with European cinema. Just as Amélie was a cool French success, mostly because it wasn't your classic 'French' movie, this was a bit of a hit precisely because it wasn't your classic 'Spanish' movie. And that was refreshing, even if there was the usual mix of violence, death, sex etc (well it was a thriller about terrorists, what you do you expect?)

Still, the film makes a point about people who really believe that bloodshed will get you what you want. Quite scary to think that there are people who are prepared to go to any lengths to get what they want in this world. Usual story, could be about so many different separatist groups in this world. It seems we never learn...

The World Cup Final...

COME ON ITALY!!!!!!! :)
Alessandro del Piero is a legend!
Bellissimo...
No one will be on their vespas on Sunday evening... ;)
An entire country will be doing exactly the same thing as me!!

Prayer Conference 2

There's a story of when Jesus appeared to a couple walking on a road to Emmaus, after his death and resurrection, and after he's explained some stuff to them and revealed who he is (cos they didn't recognise him at first) , they exclaim :
'Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?'
(Luke 24, if you're interested)

That's kind of how I felt (and I know I'm not alone) on Saturday as God took what Gordon Hickson had to say and made it come alive. It was one of those lightbulb moments, when suddenly everything falls into place and all you can do is go 'aaah, I see'

My mind was officially blown probably about an hour into Saturday's talks. I've got 40pages of notes and the CDs on order to process. As I sat there, friend's names came to mind and I thought, they really need to hear this, it's key to what we believe and who we are in Christ. I'm sorry that there weren't more people there to hear it, it was truly amazing and I can't write any more until I've allowed myself some time to work it all out in my head and heart and put it into practice...

God is SO AMAZING!