I wish I was one of those kinds of people who can think of really good things to say in the moment.  Rather than the type who 10 minutes later thinks of a really good point but only gets to share it with themselves.   

I find negative people so draining.

I am uni at the moment and everyone is so negative. They don’t like the course, they don’t like the teacher, they don’t like the other people in the course, they don’t like Christians, far out some don’t even like migrants. I mean I am struggling this morning with many things about the course and the teacher and yes some people are difficult and hey after reading Howie’s blog I could probably easily say some pretty negative things about Christians too but really. The classroom is just so hard to be in. I can feel the negative energy floating around. I tell you what it is not very conducive to learning.

Today Ryan and I went for a run. I don’t like running around Enmore/Newtown much. I tend to fall over a lot and the path is really hard and it jars me but we did go to the Brickpit or Sydney Park and that is the coolest place. We sprinted to the top of the hill and we could look out over the city and it was great. We could also see all the planes coming and going and it made me feel excited. On the way back we walked because I was really intrigued by all the cute little cafes and houses and brick bridges and the light was all cool as well. It made me feel very happy.

However one of the things that I don’t like about living in the inner city is all the cockroaches. They are everywhere and they leave their mess behind. So yesterday we bombed the house. I felt a bit bad when I saw them all there dead or half dead crawling around slowly but it was very nice when we got rid of them and I could sit up last night without seeing them running all over the walls.

Well Ryan has made my blog all fancy and pretty so come and check it out. I am very happy, thanks Ryan.

I have even managed to work out (with a little bit of help) how to write about myself in the “about” page and when I write names how to get a link. Yay for me I feel very fancy. Now all I need is to work out categories but I think I am getting there and maybe I will get rid of the links that Ryan has put to make fun of me.

I guess after three years of blogging it is about time.

Well Tom shared with us the other day a part of his sermon where he discussed how much the people in our house liked Kevin Rudd. He may have been exaggerating a little but just to prove he really was telling the truth I thought I’d post about how happy I am to see how popular Kevin is at the moment with a two-party-preferred vote of 61 per cent to the Coalition’s 39 per cent.

That makes me happy not only because I really, really want Labor to get in and Liberal to get out but also because it has happened despite the fact that John Howard and the Liberal party have been attacking him mercilessly for the last couple of weeks. To the extent that John Howard even forced someone to resign – which I have to say given he didn’t even do that to Amanda Vanstone despite the extreme errors that she made which ended with someone wrongfully deported shows where his priorities are at. Anyway, they were saying on the radio this morning that maybe people actually realised the game that John was playing and didn’t like it. Now I know I am probably being a little too hopeful and maybe a little hypocritical as if it was the other way around I may not have cared so much but wouldn’t it be good if Australians decided that we didn’t actually want to see these kinds of attacks on people’s personality but rather we wanted to see what people had to offer.

Now I know that John Howard is a pretty clever politician and has been in places of unpopularity before and still managed to win but I am feeling very hopeful that by this time next year he will no longer be the prime minister.

I love watching TV series’ on DVD. It is great as you can watch it at your own leisure and you don’t have to put up with the adds.

Anyway, my latest is Seachange. Jo and I have become addicted. It took awhile to get into but now I can’t seem to get enough. I mean I don’t know if it is as good as the West Wing or the Sopranos and definitely not Buffy but it sure is sweet and I am totally hooked.

Martin’s brother and his girlfriend had a baby yesterday. It is a little girl but they haven’t decided on a name for it yet. I wish I was there. Anyway congratulations to them I really hope and pray that all goes well for them and thier little girl.

I was not going to tell anyone this as I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to do it and I thought it might be bragging or something but hey it’s my blog which is keeping a record of my life so I can. Not to mention the more people that know the more people to keep me accountable so here we go. For lent I have decided to not drink alcohol at home. I know that sounds rather lame in some ways and really I should just give it up all together but truth probably is I don’t want to do that and I don’t know if I see that is necessary. The reason I want to give it up is so I can use the time when I get home to pray or meditate or something rather than drink and really just be more present to my home. I am obviously not going to be doing that when out so I feel I can have a drink. Although I have not used my time as effectively as I can but well there is still time and I do feel better.

I have also joined the not buying anything new group. I love the idea. I think it is so great and the idea of going on after lent excites me but again I don’t know if I can. However Martin bought a new camera and given that you know my money is his money and his money is my money does that mean I bought it too. I also really like and was excited about him buying it. It is very cool you should all see it. On the other hand I can’t force him to do it (and I don’t want to if that is not his choice) and I don’t really want to separate everything so what can I do.

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.