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1. A good reminder, God still has plans for you.

2. Some pretty flower that died prematurely at my hand.

3. An unexpected lunch with the husband.

4. Relaxing and reading during my break times at work.

5. Getting a dress on for church.

6. Picking up a book about Bonhoeffer again after, oh, about 2 years.

So far twenty twelve has been a good one. How about you?

Blogging continually is as much a slog as it is a joy. But lets face it, we wouldn’t do it unless we loved it.

So maybe you have something in your life that you decided to do because you are passionate about it, but as time wears on you have become tired and weary. Lets get your mojo back.

1. Write a list

Write out you things you want to do in 2012 – no matter how crazy they may be. Then you at least have a starting point for working out your next step towards it. Plus you have done the hardest part – getting started!

2. Listen to someone who has been there.

I highly recommend this ebook from the glorious Mandy of Messy Canvas. Mandy tells it like it is and has made me realise that most peole feel inadequate and unsure and the only way to be creative is to go ahead and be creative. Plus it is free!

More motivation can be gleaned from this ebook from Creative Collective.

3. Pray, ponder, draft and consider.

The best thoughts and projects develop over time and consideration. What began as a frivolous throw away idea can, with time, become the backbone of an entire project. Remember that not everything has to be written, completed and posted all at once. My favourite blog post this year came out of a mediocre idea which was deleted and re-written twice before it became something I was proud to have written.

4. Remember that it’s not all about you.

Sometimes we imagine that life is a feature film where we are the big star and everyone else plays a supporting roles (admit it, we all do it). Francis Chan challenges this in his book Crazy Love:

“From start to finish, this movie is obviously about God. He is the main character. How is is possible that we live as though it is about us?”

“You alone are the LORD. You made the skies and the heavens and all the stars. You made the earth and the seas and everything in them. You preserve them all, and the angels of heaven worship you.”   Neh 9v6

And there is the challenge: Lets do the things we love, for the One who made us and loves us.

This weekend I’ve been on and off sick. My throat is swollen up and I had some fever while shaking from cold uncontrollably. Let me tell you, it is not a very nice feeling at all! But, thankfully I have a perfect remedy for such a situation. Stay wrapped up warm in bed, with warm cup of tea and lots of fruit and some Strepsils! That is exactly what my body needs- bed and duvets and a good book/sleep. So this is my Monday, what about yours?

{click picture to enlarge}

Row 1: Snowfields; I Loved You in the Morning; Untitled by Sabino Row 2: Untitled by Broken Skyline; Light; Soft Row 3:  Because you’re mine, I walk the line ; Longing ; Untitled by Sabino

Future of forestry – “Closer to me”.

Closer to me
Oh, I want you to be
Even closer to me

Well I (being a girl) would rather be a Proverbs 31 woman than a Victoria secrets model (most of the time). Lately I have been following this movement on Facebook and one contributoe posted this open letter to his future wife.

1. Young couple celebrating at the Bellevue Hotel, Brisbane, 1940, 2. PAPER PLATE AD, COUPLE AT DOCK, 3. Couple portrait, 4. Couple sitting on a log near Timber, Oregon, 5. Couple, 6. Couple of people in technicolor

Maybe this will inspire you, maybe you might want to pray a similar letter or maybe it will just reassure you that there are good guys out there waiting for a good woman. Enjoy . . .

Dear Future Wife,

First let me say how I much I deeply long for the day when I know who you are. While I am living in the moment and being content with what God is doing in me for the time being, there is a huge part of me that wonders what you look like, how I will meet you, what your family is like, what you want for your life, what your strengths are, what your struggles are, what you want our relationship to look like, what is going on in your life right now, and, especially, how your walk with God will bring you to me. I really wish there was a way to open up a time portal and glimpse into the future. But I guess that would ruin the surprise. I want you to know that I am praying that God is working in you each and every day, and that you would hear his still, small voice when your head lays against the pillow at night. It is also my prayer that God would be working in me, so that every day I would be learning something that God wants me to know, in order to be the husband, best friend, and partner that God wants me to be for you.

There are so many things that I cannot wait for. I cannot wait to have inside jokes, to laugh, to go on dates, to sing in the car together, to just be together, in both good times and bad. To quote one of my favorite artists, jenny & tyler (FYI you will be hearing a lot of them in the car), I want to be the person to help carry you when you are weak. I want to be there when you are broken-hearted. I want to be there to pick you up when you fall. I want to be there to share your burdens. But I especially want to be there with you, with my hands lifted high, praising the God of the universe.

I think it’s important that you know that I bleed green and gold. If you don’t know the Baylor fight song and that “Good Ole Baylor Line”, then that’s going to be a serious hurdle for me to get over. Also, I apologize in advance for yelling at the TV during ALL Baylor sporting events. But seriously, if you are doing “Sic ‘ems” with me when we are 90 together, then I’d say I’m the luckiest man in the world.

There are just so many things about our future relationship that I am so excited about. But it is probably the chance to stand on an altar and pledge before God our commitment to each other for the rest of our lives, and then living out that commitment every day, that excites me the most. I cannot wait for all that God is going to teach me about what true love is through you. So know tonight when your head hits that pillow, God loves you, and so do I. This is a promise I make to you today.

Love, Michael

Ok, I can no longer hold silent! I do not like Kate Moss. There, it’s out.

First of all, I don’t care how good of a picture the girl takes- it’s altogether sad to see the extent of a monopoly she holds over the modelling world!  Every time I see her on the cover, it just makes me think that the editor was too lazy or unimaginative to think of something original. So they put on Kate in some British designer, to celebrate British arts. Sigh, as if there are no other models, EVER! (Although, arguably this applies to Kate and a small group of other models as well, who just rotate the editorials between themselves- it’s boring!)

Secondly, is it just me or are we all too easy to forget that she is just not a very good role model? Aside from the drug problems, she hardly has a lifestyle that I would want to aspire to. Let me explain myself here before I get yelled at for slashing her. I know everybody makes mistakes, and I know she turned it around and is a successful businesswoman, but there are so many other inspirational stories and women out there that I really do not see any need to idolize her and put her on a pedestal. Which is what seems to be happening, especially in Vogue. She is the one who said ‘nothing tastes better than skinny feels’. Really? This quote, said by Kate in her then heroin phase was taken up by thousands of girls as their personal lifestyle motto, and has caused a lot of damage. Because that is the sort of influence she has.

Now, I have written this as a reaction to her birthday , and the hype that was over her because of it, but I want to state that I don’t have anything against her- I don’t know her, but she’s probably smart and nice. But I don’t like her personna, or what she as a model represents, and that is why it would be really encouraging to see magazines reach for something new, something groundbreaking. Here are some pictures of other models, unknown and fantastically talented.