hi guys,
today i came out of the dark dance room at school and walked out into the light sunshine and i got that annoying feeling where your eyes hurt because they've been in the dark. i just wanted to go back into the dance room or shut my eyes, but i knew that i'd have to get used to the light somehow so i kept my eyes open and smiled through the stinging pain. (im just a drama queen, it wasn't that bad, but you totally know what i mean.)
this got me thinking, light hurts sometimes. when we've been in the dark for a long time and suddenly a light is shone in our faces, it hurts. we reject it. we'd prefer the dark. but strangely, sometimes when we're in the light, we don't even notice the dark creeping up on us. it seems kind of natural. we let the dark in. our eyes accustom quicker to the dark than they do the light. stay with me.
in the same way, sin creeps up on us so super duper quickly, and temptation comes in so many forms that we don't even notice it happening. before we know it, we are in the darkness and we haven't even realised. but then god shines light on us and convicts us of our sin, and we deny it because we are much more comforatble in the dark. we are rebuked and we hate it because it hurts.
i had this experience the other day. i was pulled up for something that i knew inside was wrong but i didn't want to accept as sin. my first reaction was to deny it. i wanted to crawl back into the dark, but i knew it was good for me. so many times we don't though, and so starts a downwards spiral of darkness where you bag out that person and nit-pick the things that are wrong with them.
next time you are rebuked, think of this. i know it hurts initially, but in the end it's so much better to be living in god's light. have a check with yourself now. is there an area of your life where you are living in darkness? are you feeling convicted of anything? remember, the devil is out there for your destruction, but god is there to give you life.
*prayer for the week* - ask god to show you any hidden area of your life where sin might be creeping up on you and repent. say sorry to god for all the times you've rejected conviction and make it a priority to grow from conviction rather than spiraling down into sin.
i hope this week is fulfilling for you.
all my love
oliveanddaisy xx
Friday 29 July 2011
Friday 22 July 2011
dancing with the father
'...and the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of music.'
1 Samuel 18:6
i love to dance, and when i nail a movement i get excited and tend to get butterflies in my tummy. i want to keep doing it over and over again because i love moving my body in the correct way. why do i love dancing though? walking is moving as well, and i don't love that so much. doing sit-ups is moving, and i don't get tingling excitement after i finish them. i realised, mid lesson, why i love dancing. it's because there's something about moving your body, combined with music, may just be one of the things that we were created for.
now, i know that not everyone can dance. i remember a friend telling me a few weeks ago that he knew that dancing was definitely not what he was good at. i had a giggle, but he's an amazing musician and his talent made me very jealous. but, whether you're good at it or not, everyone can dance before the lord.
there's something exciting about having music turned up so loud until you are just so completely enveloped by it that you move unconsciously without even thinking about what you are doing, in front of nobody but god. there's those moments when you find yourself looking like a complete idiot while dancing in the middle of a deserted park with music booming so loudly in your ears that you couldn't even hear a bomb drop and having no-one see you but god. i have found myself in this situation numerous times, and its times like this that i feel so close to god. like i could almost touch him. it is so exciting.
but i am not the only one who has figured this out. david, a psalmist and possibly one of the most creative people that ever walked this earth, also discovered that meeting god through music and dancing is perhaps one of the most real ways to meet him. much to his wife's dismay, he spent hours of his time meeting god through movement without caring what anybody else thought of him. (although, i suspect, in his old age he began to care less what people think of him.) but get this, god said it 'pleased' him! it pleases god when we dance with him! i know we feel like fools, but god delights in it!
i encourage you, if you feel like you can connect with god through dancing or movement, do it. spend some time dancing with your father in heaven.
love oliveanddaisy xx
1 Samuel 18:6
i love to dance, and when i nail a movement i get excited and tend to get butterflies in my tummy. i want to keep doing it over and over again because i love moving my body in the correct way. why do i love dancing though? walking is moving as well, and i don't love that so much. doing sit-ups is moving, and i don't get tingling excitement after i finish them. i realised, mid lesson, why i love dancing. it's because there's something about moving your body, combined with music, may just be one of the things that we were created for.
now, i know that not everyone can dance. i remember a friend telling me a few weeks ago that he knew that dancing was definitely not what he was good at. i had a giggle, but he's an amazing musician and his talent made me very jealous. but, whether you're good at it or not, everyone can dance before the lord.
there's something exciting about having music turned up so loud until you are just so completely enveloped by it that you move unconsciously without even thinking about what you are doing, in front of nobody but god. there's those moments when you find yourself looking like a complete idiot while dancing in the middle of a deserted park with music booming so loudly in your ears that you couldn't even hear a bomb drop and having no-one see you but god. i have found myself in this situation numerous times, and its times like this that i feel so close to god. like i could almost touch him. it is so exciting.
but i am not the only one who has figured this out. david, a psalmist and possibly one of the most creative people that ever walked this earth, also discovered that meeting god through music and dancing is perhaps one of the most real ways to meet him. much to his wife's dismay, he spent hours of his time meeting god through movement without caring what anybody else thought of him. (although, i suspect, in his old age he began to care less what people think of him.) but get this, god said it 'pleased' him! it pleases god when we dance with him! i know we feel like fools, but god delights in it!
i encourage you, if you feel like you can connect with god through dancing or movement, do it. spend some time dancing with your father in heaven.
love oliveanddaisy xx
girl time
hey there!
you know what i've been loving recently? being a girl. its fabulous. i've decided that spending quality time with your gal pals may just be one of the most important things in a girls life. i go to an all girls school, so i am always seeing my friends, but if you think about it, how much do you actually talk? often it's only the old, 'hello, talk to you soon' thing, but how often do we take a lot of time out to just be girls and relish in each other's presence?
i know that this is something that i don't do a lot. this past few weeks, especially having school holidays, i have really focused on trying to spend quality time with as many people as i could. i am an extrovert by nature, so i had some practice listening to people rather than just talk talk talking. my best friends and i have become so much closer to each other and i have reconnected with people that i don't see as often as i probably would like to. i'm sure this is the same for guys as well. we all need deep connections with each other. so, let's try it! this week, try talking to someone for a whole hour. set aside some time to go deep into each others lives. often it will come back to god, which is awesome. we all have things to encourage, share and inspire each other with, so let's give it a go!
the bible tells us about how important it is to do life with one another. one of the first things god ever mentions is, 'it's not good for man to be alone.' we are made as relational beings, in the image of our relational god. all through his life, jesus was surrounded by twelve people with whom he 'did life with'. i think it's about time we turned off facebook and caught up for a coffee, so that we can delve deeper into our relationships with each other and release our relational side.
*prayer for this week* - that we would form deeper and stronger relationships with each other so that we are fulfilling our purpose as relational beings, and that we might be quick to listen and slow to speak when communicating with others.
i hope you find this a rewarding week!
love oliveanddaisy xx
you know what i've been loving recently? being a girl. its fabulous. i've decided that spending quality time with your gal pals may just be one of the most important things in a girls life. i go to an all girls school, so i am always seeing my friends, but if you think about it, how much do you actually talk? often it's only the old, 'hello, talk to you soon' thing, but how often do we take a lot of time out to just be girls and relish in each other's presence?
i know that this is something that i don't do a lot. this past few weeks, especially having school holidays, i have really focused on trying to spend quality time with as many people as i could. i am an extrovert by nature, so i had some practice listening to people rather than just talk talk talking. my best friends and i have become so much closer to each other and i have reconnected with people that i don't see as often as i probably would like to. i'm sure this is the same for guys as well. we all need deep connections with each other. so, let's try it! this week, try talking to someone for a whole hour. set aside some time to go deep into each others lives. often it will come back to god, which is awesome. we all have things to encourage, share and inspire each other with, so let's give it a go!
the bible tells us about how important it is to do life with one another. one of the first things god ever mentions is, 'it's not good for man to be alone.' we are made as relational beings, in the image of our relational god. all through his life, jesus was surrounded by twelve people with whom he 'did life with'. i think it's about time we turned off facebook and caught up for a coffee, so that we can delve deeper into our relationships with each other and release our relational side.
*prayer for this week* - that we would form deeper and stronger relationships with each other so that we are fulfilling our purpose as relational beings, and that we might be quick to listen and slow to speak when communicating with others.
i hope you find this a rewarding week!
love oliveanddaisy xx
Thursday 21 July 2011
good afternoon!
hi there everybody and welcome to my blog. i haven't yet decided exactly what it will be about, nor do i have a distinct writing style. i do, however, intend on sharing my thoughts with you about life, love, music and god. if you know me well, you will know that i am an avid journalist. i literally don't stop journaling. at the moment i have about six journals in use, all are just about overflowing with ideas, quotes, thoughts and stories that inspire me and fill my head. my friend suggested i write a book, but i knew that i am nowhere committed enough to write a book, so instead i'm writing a...blog :).
so who am i? i'm a fifteen year old northern beaches girl. i am completely obsessed with colour. i love rain, red lipstick and flowers. god in the centre of my life, well, at least i try to keep him there. i have the best friends anyone could wish for. my family is awesome, including my little brother luke. i love to write, anything. i think all the time, it's an addiction. i never use capital letters. i love sunflowers and the colour yellow. i love yoga and ballet, up until recently i was doing fifteen hours of dance a week, but i burnt out. it's not my passion anymore, but i still love it. my favourite show is the brady bunch, five thirty on channel 'go' everyday. watch it. i am addicted to chocolate. my secret indulgence is home beautiful magazine. i never leave home without a ribbon in my hair and a smile on my face. i wish technology didn't exist, i repel it, and seem to have broken every bit of technology i have ever known. my greatest dream is to visit two hundred countries before i die. i love christmas. i like cats and dogs equally. my textas are my prized possession. i love photography. i hate people touching my ears.
i think that's about me. this blog is written for no-one in particular and i don't even mind if no-one ever reads it. it's a creative outlet for me and i would hope that anybody who stumbles across it would find inspiration and encouragement in my words. i hope you are having a lovely day :)
god bless
love oliveanddaisy xx
so who am i? i'm a fifteen year old northern beaches girl. i am completely obsessed with colour. i love rain, red lipstick and flowers. god in the centre of my life, well, at least i try to keep him there. i have the best friends anyone could wish for. my family is awesome, including my little brother luke. i love to write, anything. i think all the time, it's an addiction. i never use capital letters. i love sunflowers and the colour yellow. i love yoga and ballet, up until recently i was doing fifteen hours of dance a week, but i burnt out. it's not my passion anymore, but i still love it. my favourite show is the brady bunch, five thirty on channel 'go' everyday. watch it. i am addicted to chocolate. my secret indulgence is home beautiful magazine. i never leave home without a ribbon in my hair and a smile on my face. i wish technology didn't exist, i repel it, and seem to have broken every bit of technology i have ever known. my greatest dream is to visit two hundred countries before i die. i love christmas. i like cats and dogs equally. my textas are my prized possession. i love photography. i hate people touching my ears.
i think that's about me. this blog is written for no-one in particular and i don't even mind if no-one ever reads it. it's a creative outlet for me and i would hope that anybody who stumbles across it would find inspiration and encouragement in my words. i hope you are having a lovely day :)
god bless
love oliveanddaisy xx
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