blogging

So I've been rather inspired by a couple of things I've just read... and maybe a little convicted that I need to actually write stuff if I want to actually do this blogging thing...

Yeah, I know. Genius right?!

But one thing that I read was from here and asked 'why we do what we do'...?

Why do I do this crazy thing that I do? I'm not really sure... but maybe I need to rethink it if I don't have an answer!

The other thing that greatly inspired me was this GREAT post from Make Mine Mid-Century, a hilarious Aussie who was so honest about her own struggles about blogging... have a read here, and if you don't laugh, well, there's something wrong with you!

So begins the serious attempt to actually do real blogging...

Meanwhile the voice in my head (yeah, I have a voice in my head, don't tell me that you don't have one coz I won't believe you!) is quickly snickering and whispering "yeah right...!"

*sigh*

Writing inspiration

How is it that there are times when the words seem to just flow beautifully but others when even stringing a sentence together is tricky?! I have started another blog as a way to update family and friends with what I'm doing. That way this one is more just musings and the randomness of the title. I confess I am completely random sometimes.

But I digress.

I had such inspiration beginning the blog to tell people my news. Now I'm not sure what to say next. What do people want to know?! I mean, I'm incredibly nosy in many ways so I like to know lots. But I'm sure others get bored... and I certainly don't want to be accused of TMI (the hideous crime of sharing Too Much personal Information).

But now I am here, without much inspiration and without posting anything for several days... I'm going to have to go back to some of those other wonderful blogs I've read where they talk about how to do that most terrible of terrible words: discipline. It may just have to come to that.

image from weheartit.com

Inspiration from another blog

I know that it feels like stealing but I have to share this awesome phrasing about inspiration:

"Too often we give up on inspiration, instead choosing to wallow in the mundane. We trade in our dreams and rationalize it as being realistic, pragmatic… after all there are bills to pay, deadlines to meet.
I reject that. Why in a world of vibrant, vivid colors would you choose gray or worse choose to close your eyes?
We must be moved to greatness. We must become agitated, stirred into action, inspired to reach far above and beyond anything conceived as possible in this world. Because THIS IS NOT OUR WORLD.
So don’t give in, don’t settle. This is not your world. You are meant for so much more than this.
Find inspiration.
Be reminded of who you really are. Be reminded of what it’s like to be in the presence of God. The presence of Him from Whom all blessings flow.
Find inspiration.
Surround yourself with it. Drink it in until there is no room for boring or unimaginative or mundane. Reject possible because possible is beneath you.
Find inspiration that lifts you up to great heights where nobility and righteousness and glory reside.
Find inspiration to reach to strive for more than what this world offers… and the world will be better for it"

This is from Kingdom Inspiration by Kevin Ring

Blogger Templates

Stuff Christians Like

Absolutely love reading what Jon of Stuff Christians Like has to say, and especially enjoyed this post. Read the full thing here. This was the part that really captured my thoughts, that I thought was really inspirational:

"There are probably a billion reasons it’s difficult to be a youth minister, but one of the reasons that it’s not, is pretty simple:

This generation has more potential to spread the gospel than any other generation in the history of mankind.

It’s true, teenagers today will communicate more, share more and talk more than ever before. Twenty years ago, when a student heard a great sermon, they maybe told two friends at school. Now, they post a link to it on facebook. They tweet about it. They blog about it. Your sermon can go viral in about 12 seconds. The ability for this next generation to be salt and light is unbelievable."

Blogger Templates

Where I'm at

I have been looking at weheartit.com again and found these... which I just liked so much I thought I'd share them:

And I couldn't do this without having at least one tattoo image...!

I should be in bed...

Ok well I know I should be in bed already. It's been a long day in Auckland, and we got back at 11:30pm. It's reasonable to spend a little time unwinding after a busy day and then a discussion about the future on the hour and half drive back home... but I couldn't sleep after that. So I looked through the various blogs I follow. And I was pulled into the magical world of beauty, deep thoughts and wonderful humour. Thank God for people who regularly post things to share with others! I think I might need to take a leaf out of their books... :)



Blogger Templates

Inspiration

I have been away from doing any blog or being even interested in sharing my thoughts... but I was online the other day and came across these wonderful amazing creative girls with the most beautiful blogs ever, that I had to start again. So now to make this look even half as pretty as theirs and then let them know how much they have inspired me :)

Storytelling

Listening to examples of the power of telling a story well. So impressed by Kym Lardner's storytelling that I'm listening to on a CD while I type... and only just managing to type between laughing so hard!

At the moment a fantastic woman who is part of the current storytelling block course being run here is staying with me. She's letting me listen to her CD of stories. Her resources for the course are really cool.

The point of the storytelling course is to help people going to far off lands use storytelling as a way to tell those they meet about Jesus. After all there are very few people who don't like a good story. The Bible itself is full of them. Some of the best stories are in the Bible. I'm pretty jealous I can't sit in on the classes.

But I wonder how much we are trapped in our mentality that stories are only for kids... frankly I've always enjoyed kid's stories hugely. I love cartoons, picture books, fairy tales. The world of imagination is just so exciting. That's why I've always loved the Bible as well. As a kid it seemed like the ultimate treasury of stories. And there was always another one to find, one that was only half remembered, or a favourite to re-read.

Hence my excitement (and jealousy!) at people learning how to tell stories really well. Jesus is exciting, so let's share Him in an exciting way.

Quote of the day

I got this from a friend pasting it on Facebook and it is really my quote for today, so I thought I'd share it. Apparently it's from Donald Miller in the book "Searching for God knows what".

"...what we really need is God. What we really need is somebody who loves us so much we don't worry about death, about our hair thinning, about other drivers pulling in front of us on the road, about whether people are poor or rich, good-looking or ugly, about whether we feel lonely... we need this; we need this so we can love other people purely and not for selfish gain, we need this so we can see everybody as equals, we need this so our relationships can be sincere, we need this so we can stop kicking ourselves around, we need this so we can lose all self-awareness and find ourselves for the first time, not by realising some dream, but by being told who we are by the only Being who has the authority to know, by which I mean the Creator."

And that sums it up for me today.