hello there, my beloved readers!
i know, you are missing my blogging, my wise words of encouragement, my stories, yes yes yes. i'm joking, but i am sorry for not blogging for so long. as most of you know, i have spent the land month in 3 foreign countries, italy, greece and egypt, travelling, learning, exploring, sightseeing and people watching. what is people watching? watching people. it's my new hobby. i spent so much time just watching how different people behaved and soaking up their culture. in rome, i people watched the roman women and willed myself to transform into some gorgeous, dark, long legged, skinny girls. it didn't happen, but it was fun to watch them. they even wear stilettos on the beach! funny..
so, over he next few weeks, i will be telling you stories from my trip. i will pass on stories i've been told and information i've learnt and hopefully you can soak up as much of it as you can. i hope i tell it all right! something that really struck me was that god isn't just MY god. he's not a god for today, yesterday or tomorrow. he's not king over manly, sydney, nsw or even australia. he doesn't only speak to me and my friends but he speaks to nonna's in pompeii, teenagers in greece and toddlers in egypt too. he is active in all parts of the world and i can't comprehend it because my peanut brain is a bit too small to understand, although this trip has broadened my mind and my knowledge to all sorts of aspects of my god that i didn't know before.
i climbed mt vesuvius, got to the top (puffing and panting) and realised that god made this massive mound. i saw the how he had instilled humans with knowledge and power and determination and that the ancient egyptians knew that they could do anything they set their minds too. i saw so many weird and wonderful things and saw how diverse the earth was, and that my god had made it all! i saw heiroglyphics and paintings on the walls of tombs and read the ancient egyptians creation stories and saw that god was working in them and speaking to them! but i will tell you all that in good time!
mr smith, your postcard is in the mail and you should be receiving it shortly!
wel, i am jetlagged and too tired to type right now, but please do look forward to some... interesting... stories that i have learned during my time overseas and be glad that my trip really was a refresher, and now i'm back feeling better that ever! or at least i will be when i'm not so jet lagged!!
hope you are all well!
god bless,
oliveanddaisy xx
Wednesday, 19 October 2011
Monday, 12 September 2011
super god!
heey guys!
these last few weeks i have been really busy. like, really super uber majorly busy. i can't even remember what i've been doing, i've just been...well, busy.
i have an awful disease. a dilapidating, painful, stressful disease. it's called the 'ican'tsaynotoanything' disease. it can be defined as the inability to say no to anything and just adding more and more things to your plate. if you're like me, you will also try to do everything with a massive smile on your face and pretend like everything is super fine and that you have no problems or cares in the world. everything is just damn easy.
you might also suffer from this terrible affliction. besides wearing me out and draining me of energy, it also means that my head is constantly filled with buzzing thoughts that get louder and louder until i yell at them to be quiet. not literally. i get more and more busy and more and more stressed until i break in two. i grow further and further away from god because i can't be silent and listen to him because i can't hear him. i talk myself into being too busy to spend time with him and read the bible and pray that i just almost cut off from him.
last week was a tough one, actually. i was doing various presentations to various groups of people, whilst trying to do my homework, whilst trying to keep my sanity, whilst trying to do it all alone. note to self: this is not a successful combination. it got to the point where i yelled at my bin for overflowing and collapsed on a heap on my bedroom floor, sobbing violently. at this point, i screamed out JESUS! HELP ME!, and weirded out the non-christian members of my family (aka all of them). i asked god for peace. i asked god for rest. i asked god to save me from the mess i felt like. and guess what, he did.
i've heard people say before, 'i cried out to god and he came to my rescue.' 'he gave me a bible verse,' or 'a comforting word' or 'i just felt this overwhelming sense of peace and i knew that god was with me.' and to tell you the truth, i'd never felt it. god just never rescued me like he did other people.
but on that night, on my bedroom floor, i felt all of them. he hugged me. he gave me a comforting word from his scripture. he gave me an overwhelming sense of peace. i felt calm again, i was no longer sobbing violently or stressed and nervous about the presentation i had to make.
'come to me all you who are weary and burdened and i will give you rest.' matthew 11:28.
he does give us rest when we come to him. when we cry out to him in a fluff of tears he is there and he answers. he. gives. us. rest.
i encourage you now, all those who have my disease, when times get busy, make time for god. we know that it is us that is drawing away from god and that he is still there, but we forget that he can actually save us. draw close, call out, find peace.
*prayer for the week*: that even though you are busy with exams or boys/girls or formal or saving the world, that you might constantly remember that god's yoke is easy and his burden is light. you can find rest in him. let god know that you want to remember that.
god bless you all, i hope you have a peaceful and rewarding week!
next time i blog i will probably be overseas!
have a safe and happy holiday!
love oliveanddaisy xx
these last few weeks i have been really busy. like, really super uber majorly busy. i can't even remember what i've been doing, i've just been...well, busy.
i have an awful disease. a dilapidating, painful, stressful disease. it's called the 'ican'tsaynotoanything' disease. it can be defined as the inability to say no to anything and just adding more and more things to your plate. if you're like me, you will also try to do everything with a massive smile on your face and pretend like everything is super fine and that you have no problems or cares in the world. everything is just damn easy.
you might also suffer from this terrible affliction. besides wearing me out and draining me of energy, it also means that my head is constantly filled with buzzing thoughts that get louder and louder until i yell at them to be quiet. not literally. i get more and more busy and more and more stressed until i break in two. i grow further and further away from god because i can't be silent and listen to him because i can't hear him. i talk myself into being too busy to spend time with him and read the bible and pray that i just almost cut off from him.
last week was a tough one, actually. i was doing various presentations to various groups of people, whilst trying to do my homework, whilst trying to keep my sanity, whilst trying to do it all alone. note to self: this is not a successful combination. it got to the point where i yelled at my bin for overflowing and collapsed on a heap on my bedroom floor, sobbing violently. at this point, i screamed out JESUS! HELP ME!, and weirded out the non-christian members of my family (aka all of them). i asked god for peace. i asked god for rest. i asked god to save me from the mess i felt like. and guess what, he did.
i've heard people say before, 'i cried out to god and he came to my rescue.' 'he gave me a bible verse,' or 'a comforting word' or 'i just felt this overwhelming sense of peace and i knew that god was with me.' and to tell you the truth, i'd never felt it. god just never rescued me like he did other people.
but on that night, on my bedroom floor, i felt all of them. he hugged me. he gave me a comforting word from his scripture. he gave me an overwhelming sense of peace. i felt calm again, i was no longer sobbing violently or stressed and nervous about the presentation i had to make.
'come to me all you who are weary and burdened and i will give you rest.' matthew 11:28.
he does give us rest when we come to him. when we cry out to him in a fluff of tears he is there and he answers. he. gives. us. rest.
i encourage you now, all those who have my disease, when times get busy, make time for god. we know that it is us that is drawing away from god and that he is still there, but we forget that he can actually save us. draw close, call out, find peace.
*prayer for the week*: that even though you are busy with exams or boys/girls or formal or saving the world, that you might constantly remember that god's yoke is easy and his burden is light. you can find rest in him. let god know that you want to remember that.
god bless you all, i hope you have a peaceful and rewarding week!
next time i blog i will probably be overseas!
have a safe and happy holiday!
love oliveanddaisy xx
Monday, 5 September 2011
everything
You're a falling star, You're the get away car.
You're the line in the sand when I go too far.
You're the swimming pool, on an August day.
And you're the perfect thing to say.
And you play it coy, but it's kinda cute.
Ah, When you smile at me you know exactly what you do.
Baby don't pretend, that you don't know it's true.
Cause you can see it when I look at you.
And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It's you, it's you, You make me sing.
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.
You're a carousel, you're a wishing well,
And you light me up, when you ring my bell.
You're a mystery, you're from outer space,
You're every minute of my everyday.
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/m/michael_buble/everything.html ]
And I can't believe, uh that I'm your man,
And I get to kiss you baby just because I can.
Whatever comes our way, ah we'll see it through,
And you know that's what our love can do.
And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It's you, it's you, You make me sing
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.
And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It's you, it's you, You make me sing.
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.
You're every song, and I sing along.
'Cause you're my everything.
Yeah, yeah
by mr michael buble. the genius.
You're the line in the sand when I go too far.
You're the swimming pool, on an August day.
And you're the perfect thing to say.
And you play it coy, but it's kinda cute.
Ah, When you smile at me you know exactly what you do.
Baby don't pretend, that you don't know it's true.
Cause you can see it when I look at you.
And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It's you, it's you, You make me sing.
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.
You're a carousel, you're a wishing well,
And you light me up, when you ring my bell.
You're a mystery, you're from outer space,
You're every minute of my everyday.
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/m/michael_buble/everything.html ]
And I can't believe, uh that I'm your man,
And I get to kiss you baby just because I can.
Whatever comes our way, ah we'll see it through,
And you know that's what our love can do.
And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It's you, it's you, You make me sing
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.
And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It's you, it's you, You make me sing.
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.
You're every song, and I sing along.
'Cause you're my everything.
Yeah, yeah
by mr michael buble. the genius.
god's quirks?
heey everyone :)
i was having a conversation with a friend over coffee and i briefly mentioned how odd i was. let's face it, i am a quirky person. i collect owls, i hate people to touch my ears, i watched bride wars 4 times in two days (today and yesterday, yes, that recent), i have wonky teeth and i like to brush my tongue, the list goes on.
although i call this weird, he called it character. it's funny, i had put them down to 'defects'. like there was something wrong with me. something odd and quirky that only i had because i was weird.
note: the negative connotations associated with being quirky. he made me think about something that hadn't previously occurred to me. maybe it's been given to me by god, because it really is part of my character. maybe god is obsessed with owls, and so passed that on to me. maybe he also likes to have a clean tongue, and i inherited that. maybe god too is completely obsessed with the whole idea of marriage and a wedding and so wanted me to share in that delight!
cool, huh. maybe they're not 'defects', but they're given to me specifically because god wanted me to share in his delight too! what are you're odd quirks? a friend i know sticks out his tongue when he concentrates. another friend doesn't like things around her neck. another friend acts like a cat. another keeps socks or shoes on all the time, for fear she may get dirty feet. i want to suggest to you that these are not bad things, and in fact, they are probably quite good things! think about what your quirks are, and get a better idea of the character that god made you to be.
god bless,
oliveanddaisy xx
i was having a conversation with a friend over coffee and i briefly mentioned how odd i was. let's face it, i am a quirky person. i collect owls, i hate people to touch my ears, i watched bride wars 4 times in two days (today and yesterday, yes, that recent), i have wonky teeth and i like to brush my tongue, the list goes on.
although i call this weird, he called it character. it's funny, i had put them down to 'defects'. like there was something wrong with me. something odd and quirky that only i had because i was weird.
note: the negative connotations associated with being quirky. he made me think about something that hadn't previously occurred to me. maybe it's been given to me by god, because it really is part of my character. maybe god is obsessed with owls, and so passed that on to me. maybe he also likes to have a clean tongue, and i inherited that. maybe god too is completely obsessed with the whole idea of marriage and a wedding and so wanted me to share in that delight!
cool, huh. maybe they're not 'defects', but they're given to me specifically because god wanted me to share in his delight too! what are you're odd quirks? a friend i know sticks out his tongue when he concentrates. another friend doesn't like things around her neck. another friend acts like a cat. another keeps socks or shoes on all the time, for fear she may get dirty feet. i want to suggest to you that these are not bad things, and in fact, they are probably quite good things! think about what your quirks are, and get a better idea of the character that god made you to be.
god bless,
oliveanddaisy xx
Friday, 26 August 2011
god's plans, nooooooo!!
heey!
last night at youth group we were talking about who we are becoming and god's plans for our lives. this is a topic that i had been avoiding. truthfully, i have almost been avoiding talking to god about my future because i was scared he'd tell me to do something that i didn't want to do. let's face it, i don't want to be sent to a far off country like egypt by myself, trying to teach christianity to muslims and having my life put at risk. it doesn't really tickle my pickle. i also don't really fancy being a nurse. i hate blood and disease and that doesn't really sail my whale either. essentially, i was scared that god would choose the thing that i least wanted to do and make me do it. no wonder i was scared.
last night was a fabulous night. god showed me that i had certain passions and talents for a reason, because he gave them to me. and he did have plans for me, but it was going to be better than anything i could have planned for myself, because he was going to utilize my loves and passions and gifts. he wants me to be doing what he designed me to be doing, which also happens to be what i love.
this way, we can be sure that the things we are doing because we love them are also probably what god wants us to be doing, unless you feel guilt doing them. god has instilled us each with some of his own passions and gifts, they have literally come from god. so now, like me, you can relax, knowing that wherever your future leads you, god will meet you there and fill you with life. what you love, you love for a reason. so keep doing it!
*prayer for this week*- that god might give you clarity as to where your gifts and talents lie, and that you won't be nervous or anxious about your future but instead you will rest easy, trusting that god knows what h's doing.
hope you are all well!
god bless,
love oliveanddaisy xx
last night at youth group we were talking about who we are becoming and god's plans for our lives. this is a topic that i had been avoiding. truthfully, i have almost been avoiding talking to god about my future because i was scared he'd tell me to do something that i didn't want to do. let's face it, i don't want to be sent to a far off country like egypt by myself, trying to teach christianity to muslims and having my life put at risk. it doesn't really tickle my pickle. i also don't really fancy being a nurse. i hate blood and disease and that doesn't really sail my whale either. essentially, i was scared that god would choose the thing that i least wanted to do and make me do it. no wonder i was scared.
last night was a fabulous night. god showed me that i had certain passions and talents for a reason, because he gave them to me. and he did have plans for me, but it was going to be better than anything i could have planned for myself, because he was going to utilize my loves and passions and gifts. he wants me to be doing what he designed me to be doing, which also happens to be what i love.
this way, we can be sure that the things we are doing because we love them are also probably what god wants us to be doing, unless you feel guilt doing them. god has instilled us each with some of his own passions and gifts, they have literally come from god. so now, like me, you can relax, knowing that wherever your future leads you, god will meet you there and fill you with life. what you love, you love for a reason. so keep doing it!
*prayer for this week*- that god might give you clarity as to where your gifts and talents lie, and that you won't be nervous or anxious about your future but instead you will rest easy, trusting that god knows what h's doing.
hope you are all well!
god bless,
love oliveanddaisy xx
Sunday, 21 August 2011
on sunday, the fool was forgiven,
hello lovelies,
it feels like it's been a while! i hope you are all well :)
i had an amazing experience yesterday, i didn't expect it and i totally didn't think that it would turn out like it did.
see, for almost a year i have been a very silly girl. and stubborn, don't forget stubborn. foolish, you might like to call it.
i suppose you want to know what i'd done? sorry, classified information. but i will tell you that i had pretty much let go of one of the best things i'd ever had and tried to convince myself that i hadn't and that i knew what i was doing. but i didn't. and on wednesday, i realised that i was a silly silly girl. it's almost like when you'd been spelling the same word wrong for ages without realising that it was spelled wrong.
this foolish behaviour caused me to come crawling back to a friend with my tail between my legs, in fact, i'm pretty sure i was shaking, and say 'i'm sorry, you were right, i am a foolish little girl.' i honestly thought that they would play it a bit and have a little bit of a laugh, maybe tease me, because they knew they were right all along. but no, none of that. they took me in and loved me, even though i was possibly the biggest goose in the world.
this has been one of the best illustrations of god's love for me that i have experienced in a long time. even though he knew he was right, he still showed me more love than i would have ever hoped for. i didn't expect him to, but he showed me an overwhelming amount of grace and forgiveness. no judgement, just pure, raw love.
it's so comforting to know that as soon as we ask god for forgiveness, everything we've done is forgiven. this experience has truly helped me to understand god's love and mercy for us, and how much we need god's forgiveness. we are blessed to have a god that forgives us so freely, just like my friend did yesterday.
let's all be good examples of god's forgiveness this week, just like my amazing friend. let's shine a little bit of god's light, and show others the pure, raw love that god can give them.
*prayer for the week*- let's pray this week that god will help us to know what real forgiveness and pure love looks like, and that we might be able to put it into practice in our own lives.
i hope you have a lovely week :)
god bless,
oliveanddaisy xx
it feels like it's been a while! i hope you are all well :)
i had an amazing experience yesterday, i didn't expect it and i totally didn't think that it would turn out like it did.
see, for almost a year i have been a very silly girl. and stubborn, don't forget stubborn. foolish, you might like to call it.
i suppose you want to know what i'd done? sorry, classified information. but i will tell you that i had pretty much let go of one of the best things i'd ever had and tried to convince myself that i hadn't and that i knew what i was doing. but i didn't. and on wednesday, i realised that i was a silly silly girl. it's almost like when you'd been spelling the same word wrong for ages without realising that it was spelled wrong.
this foolish behaviour caused me to come crawling back to a friend with my tail between my legs, in fact, i'm pretty sure i was shaking, and say 'i'm sorry, you were right, i am a foolish little girl.' i honestly thought that they would play it a bit and have a little bit of a laugh, maybe tease me, because they knew they were right all along. but no, none of that. they took me in and loved me, even though i was possibly the biggest goose in the world.
this has been one of the best illustrations of god's love for me that i have experienced in a long time. even though he knew he was right, he still showed me more love than i would have ever hoped for. i didn't expect him to, but he showed me an overwhelming amount of grace and forgiveness. no judgement, just pure, raw love.
it's so comforting to know that as soon as we ask god for forgiveness, everything we've done is forgiven. this experience has truly helped me to understand god's love and mercy for us, and how much we need god's forgiveness. we are blessed to have a god that forgives us so freely, just like my friend did yesterday.
let's all be good examples of god's forgiveness this week, just like my amazing friend. let's shine a little bit of god's light, and show others the pure, raw love that god can give them.
*prayer for the week*- let's pray this week that god will help us to know what real forgiveness and pure love looks like, and that we might be able to put it into practice in our own lives.
i hope you have a lovely week :)
god bless,
oliveanddaisy xx
Monday, 15 August 2011
unlovely?
good evening!
i'm sure many of you have the same trouble as me. sometimes there's just those people that are hard to love. they are annoying. they do things to hurt you. they gossip. they have weird habits. they get too close to your face. we have issues trying to love them, because they are just so, unlovely.
we spend our lives trying to convince ourselves that we should be loving them, but at the same time not loving them because it will damage our reputation or we know we will just get hurt by them. god tells us to love them, but we don't. why? because ultimately we see them as having the issue. its not me, it's her. it's not me, it's his attitude or her bad breath. ouch.
and it's true. they are unlovely. but not in the way we think of them as being unlovely. guess what? it's not them, it's us. by us not loving them as the person god made them, we are not loving god. the bible even tells us that if we are not loving everyone around us, we are not loving god. that hurts. by us not loving others, we are being unlovely. that's not what we want to hear.
whether we like it or not, we are someone else's unlovely person. someone else finds you hard to love because of the way you talk or the spinach in your teeth or your weird morals. this is why we are called to love everyone around us. why? not because we want to, but because we love god and we love his creation. we love because he first loved us.
so next time you see that person that you find tricky to love, think about the fact that it could be you that has the problem. not everybody feels the same way about that person as you do, so cut them some slack and love them as god's creation.
good luck :D
god bless,
oliveanddaisy xx
i'm sure many of you have the same trouble as me. sometimes there's just those people that are hard to love. they are annoying. they do things to hurt you. they gossip. they have weird habits. they get too close to your face. we have issues trying to love them, because they are just so, unlovely.
we spend our lives trying to convince ourselves that we should be loving them, but at the same time not loving them because it will damage our reputation or we know we will just get hurt by them. god tells us to love them, but we don't. why? because ultimately we see them as having the issue. its not me, it's her. it's not me, it's his attitude or her bad breath. ouch.
and it's true. they are unlovely. but not in the way we think of them as being unlovely. guess what? it's not them, it's us. by us not loving them as the person god made them, we are not loving god. the bible even tells us that if we are not loving everyone around us, we are not loving god. that hurts. by us not loving others, we are being unlovely. that's not what we want to hear.
whether we like it or not, we are someone else's unlovely person. someone else finds you hard to love because of the way you talk or the spinach in your teeth or your weird morals. this is why we are called to love everyone around us. why? not because we want to, but because we love god and we love his creation. we love because he first loved us.
so next time you see that person that you find tricky to love, think about the fact that it could be you that has the problem. not everybody feels the same way about that person as you do, so cut them some slack and love them as god's creation.
good luck :D
god bless,
oliveanddaisy xx
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