I have been meaning to write this post for about two weeks now but I knew it would be a long one (therefore anyone who’s not up to it can stop reading now) and I have not really had the energy to sit and do that. But then yesterday Jane said to me that I needed to write a long post for her to read and I told her that I had this long one coming and then she said that I should write a post about obedience which we had been talking about and I was shocked as that is exactly the post that I had been thinking about writing.

Okay so obedience who would ever have thought that I would ever wite a post about obedience. Certainly not be I hear the word and I put my guards up but that is the theme that was spoken about in church last week and it also the theme that came up in the book I was reading so I thought that I had best engage it.

So I found myself reading my bible. I was reading Galantians, Ephesiuns and Phillipians and I noted that Paul was giving lots of directions on how to live (as he does) and I thought that I would write them all down. So this is what I wrote:

trust in God who lavishly provides his prescence
be sensitive and kind
serve one another in love
live freely animated lives
don’t seek repetitve, loveless and cheap sex
have affection for others
be exuberant about life
stick with things, be committed
have compassion in your heart
don’t force your way in life
stay convicted to holiness
direct energy wisely
live creatively
forgvingly restore others
remember you may need forgiveness also
don’t criticise
stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed and share their burdens
make careful exploration of who you are
know your journey and work and sink yourself into it
don’t be impressed with yourself
don’t compare yourself with others -just take responsibilty for doing your creative best
be mature
enter into generous common life with other
share the good things you have and the experiences
don’t be mislead
don’t allow yourself to get fatigued by doing good
don’t boeast for anything but the cross
tear down walls between people
treat people as equals
walk the road that God calls you to travel with humility and discipline
steadily pour out yourselves to eachother
stay together but don’t be the same – remember out of genorsity Christ has given us our own gifts
take your lead from Christ
don’t go along with the crowd
don’t become obsessed with er
sex and perversions
tell the truth to yourself and other
allow yourself to be angry but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry forever.
get an honest job and help others work
watch the way you talk – say only what helps, each word as a gift
be gentle
be intimate with God
don’t be cautous with love but be extrvagant with it as Chrst was and don’t expect anything back
free yourself from gossip
make the most of every chance you get
don’t drink too much wine
sing prises to God at any chance you get
don’t abuse your body do what your parents tell you
don’t just don what you have to but go the extra mile
pray for eachother
be willinh to also suffer
be deep spirited friends’don’t push your way to the front but help other get ahead
be energetice
give up your earthly credentials and trust in God
don’t take the easy risk free path but stay focused on the goal
make it clear to those you meet that you are on their side and not against them
don’t worry – pray
fill your minds with things that are true, authentic, compelling and gracious
celebrate God
receiev and experience the amazing grace of Jesus deep, deep within you
allow God to shower his grace and kindness upon you.

And I have to say that is not all of them but I had to cut it as I need to go to church now. But anyway I don’t know about you but for me after reading that list obedience to God didn’t seem like somthing I wanted to put my bac about against but something exciting and fun and altogether wonderful.

I got a haircut last night and I think I look quite different. Everyone who has seen me at work today has said so too so I am letting you all know so you don’t have to say it.

I am quite happy with it at the moment but I guess we will really find out when the nice blow drying that the clever hardressers do goes away and it is left up to me to style it.

Martin, Jo and I are going to this:

http://www.micahchallenge.org.au/pages/content.asp?plid=44

and I think everyone else should come too…..

Woke up feeling pretty crappy – sort of stressed and up tight and I couldn’t shake it. I tried to read the bible but it annoyed me too so I went searching for a prayer that I wrote a little while ago in some of my old diaries. That was the worst idea that I had as I ended up reading my diary from when I was about 17 and 18. What a total jerk I was. How absolutlety embarassing and made me feel more anxious. So finally I tried some meditation but that didn’t feel good either.

So I made some peppermint tea for Jo and I and went and sat in her room. She was chatting to Jem which I did for a bit and then we decided to do some art. I drew a leunig and it was unbelieveably soothing. We also put on some John Coleman and he always makes me feel like everything is right with the world. After Jo made some very yummy lunch I lay on her floor and read some poems and here is one that I founf by Noel Davis. He like John and Luenig some how manages to make everything feel okay.

Called to be loving reminders for eachother

We need to tell and retell stories in word and deed
that keep reminding us of what we most forget
that our essence is Love
our destiny Divine
and that Love ebbs and flows
from the heart of our being
to the far shores of the universe
when we dare to listen adn to acknowledge
our loving self
to let go into one another and let our fragile lives
be drawn way out of their depth
into the living flow
of You

It has been a very long week and I am exhausted. Probably the biggest I have had since I started at Compeer. I am very much looking forward to going home, attending my meditation group and then having dinner, wine and a catch up with my sister. And then I will have a big sleep in tommorrow.