Ok, so you know when you go through something traumatic and you need to debrief with someone? Well on this occasion, a couple of people is just not enough. I need to debrief with EVERYONE. Read on, and behold the horrors of my morning..
So for the last few months, I've been applying for jobs, particularly ones that use my uni degree, in the hopes of not rendering it pointless! Finally, last week, a job came up with Tourism Tasmania. I could go for it! It was a level 5! All week, I worked on the application, writing slightly over a page for each of the six selection criteria. Last night, I stayed up quite late completing it. When I eventually went to bed, all was finished except for some final proof-reading and rewording.
About five hours of sleep later, I woke up and recommenced completing the final touches. The applications were to close at 5pm today. I was just tacking a little more onto the end of criteria 3, when a dialog box popped up. From then on it's all a blur. The box read something like "Windows is losing data", followed by "error", followed by a window in which I was given a few options to deal with this error. I chose the wrong one.
Word shut down. Desperately, I reopened my USB drive and looked in the folder... Nothing. Adrian and I were chatting in MSN at the time of the disaster. I told him that I had just lost my whole document and promptly cried my eyes out, while Adrian leapt into action suggesting the most logical steps to getting it back.
I searched the recycle bin.. I searched every other facet of my computer that I could think of.. Oh yes, I was mad. And very, very upset. Adrian talked me through searching for temporary files that could have been left behind, and for AutoRecovery files, and for every other trace that it could have left. We searched high and low.
After a long time, Adrian ran back to his host family's house to get some dinner, and while he was gone I had the ingenius idea to search on the internet for a program to recover it. I found one which looked very trustworthy. I downloaded it, and it searched and found several AutoRecovery copies of my file! But then it asked me to register before it would give me access. Registration was $39.95. I paid up. (I also noted their 100% satisfaction guarantee, "or your money back" - so I'm counting on that).
Typically, the licence key that they gave me didn't work. Adrian came back online and I confessed having paid way too much for a program that probably waits 24 hours to approve your registration. We searched, coming closer and closer to the file.. but alas, it was not there.
Applications close in 2 hours time. I could write another one. But after I got over my frenzy of tears and frustration and death threats directed at my computer, I decided that any application I wrote now would be rushed and of poor quality. Each of the criteria should be at least a page, and I had it SO worked out before.. I could never write another one half as good. I will just have a holiday.
So thus endeth the most devastating, traumatic experience (involving a lost file) of my life. Do you feel my pain??? Oh my gosh. Well I'm over it now, and I accept that I wasn't meant to apply for that job. There is a reason for everything, I am told, and I will never know the reason why Word ate my file.
Thanks for listening. I feel a little better now. I know you will sympathise with me, and I hope that you never have to go through such a crisis in your lifetime. I will write a book about it someday.
* A little bit tongue-in-cheek. But only a little.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
A Quote to Frighten Your Day
I've read a bit of "The Great Omission" by Dallas Willard, and he talks about how we are meant to be inhabited by God, and living by his power, not our own.
Quote:
"Human life cannot flourish unless it pulses with the 'immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe' (Ephesians 1: 19)."
Then this:
"But, someone will say, can I not be 'saved' - that is, get into heaven when I die - without any of this? Perhaps you can. God's goodness is so great, I am sure that He will let you in if He can find any basis at all to do so. But you might wish to think about what your life amounts to before you die, about what kind of person you are becoming, and about whether you really would be comfortable for eternity in the presence of one whose company you have not found especially desirable for the few hours and days of your earthly existence. And He is, after all, one who says to you now, 'Follow me!'"
Quote:
"Human life cannot flourish unless it pulses with the 'immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe' (Ephesians 1: 19)."
Then this:
"But, someone will say, can I not be 'saved' - that is, get into heaven when I die - without any of this? Perhaps you can. God's goodness is so great, I am sure that He will let you in if He can find any basis at all to do so. But you might wish to think about what your life amounts to before you die, about what kind of person you are becoming, and about whether you really would be comfortable for eternity in the presence of one whose company you have not found especially desirable for the few hours and days of your earthly existence. And He is, after all, one who says to you now, 'Follow me!'"
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Adrian in Bolivia
Follow this link to Adrian's latest video with some random images of life in Bolivia.. it's hilarious!!
It's nearly time for him to leave Bolivia. He goes on the 14th of this month, but before then there is the national referendum on the 10th, which could mean he has trouble leaving the country. From his blog:
"On the 10th, Bolivia will vote to keep or remove Evo Morales in its national referendum. If the vote is NO, then Evo must go, but not before he serves the remainder of his term (he has two years remaining I think). If the vote is YES, those who have voted against him are likely to pursue other channels to have him removed. Either way we feel this will be a bumpy month for Bolivia. We will be in lock-down over the weekend, enjoying a sleep over at Matt and Elsas with net-time, movies, and the Olympics (go AUSSIE, go BOLIVIA). Church will not be on, and neither will baby-washing, as the police attempt to prevent groups from forming in the city on Sunday."
Read more at www.fixmypix.com.au/blog
So if you have the inclination, please please keep praying for Adrian. The next month will bring a lot of challenges for him.
Thanks
:o)
Monday, July 28, 2008
My Europe Videos
They're up on Youtube. Some (ok all) are poorly shot but they do give you an idea of what a place looks and sounds like.
http://www.youtube.com/user/renaebellepeters
http://www.youtube.com/user/renaebellepeters
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Living like you mean it?
So I'm reading this book called "the Great Omission" by Dallas Willard (how American can one name sound??) It's interesting.. but before I get to that, I was thinking the other day about how much Christians love books.. there is a definite trend. People who are truly trying to be disciples of Jesus (usually) are reading, discussing and looking for the next book to read. Even those who admit to having finished in the range of 5-10 books in their life, and who are admittedly bored stupid by reading, make an effort to read Christian books, in an attempt to build themselves up in their faith and knowledge of God. And the written word has to be an important part of being a disciple. I mean, God inspired and commanded his followers to record history in what is now the Bible. Clearly God speaks to us through words written on a page. So, I think the love of reading and the skill of writing are gifts.
Back to this book! It's talking about the trend in the majority of Christians to see discipleship as optional. Quote: In churches of the Western world "one is not required to be, or to intend to be, a disciple in order to become a Christian, and one may remain a Christian without any signs of progress toward or in discipleship." People are becoming "Christians", but not imitating Jesus in his example and the things he taught.
The Great Commission, in the Bible, is presented by Jesus in Matthew.. he sets some goals for the early church. These are to 1) with God's power, to make disciples without regard to ethnic differences and 2) to baptise these disciples in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. This author talks repeatedly about the two Great Omissions from the Great Commission. In place of Christ's plan, we substitute "make converts (to a particular 'faith') and baptise them into church membership." So, people are not taught to be disciples. Quote: "it was not a part of the package, not what they converted to." When they read about Christ's teachings, they are puzzled and simply can't relate to them, thinking "what does this have to do with us?"
More summarising: A disciple desires above all else, to be like Jesus. There is no other way. The non-disciple, whether professing to be a Christian or not at all, "has something "more important" to do than to become like Jesus Christ ... Something on that dreary list of security, reputation, wealth, power, sensual indulgence, or mere distraction and numbness, still retains his or her ultimate allegiance." (Distraction and numbness.. that relates to something else I have to write about later. )
He goes on: If our minds are cluttered with these excuses, true discipleship can seem like a mystery to us, or even something to be dreaded. But there is no mystery about desiring to become like someone. That in fact is a common thing. In this case, it involves "learning how to love our enemies, bless those who curse us, walk the second mile with an oppressor..." and live out the "inward transformations of faith, hope, and love."
The cost of non-discipleship... it costs peace, hopefulness that stands firm in the worst circumstances, and the power to do what is right amid evil. "Non-discipleship costs you exactly that abundance of life Jesus said he came to bring!"
John 10:10: I HAVE COME THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE, AND HAVE IT TO THE FULL. (Jesus' words).
A Leo Tolstoy quote that is so, so true: "Man's whole life is a continual contradiction of what he knows to be his duty. In every department of life he acts in defiant opposition to the dictates of his conscience and his common sense." Willard then mentions the popular bumper sticker that says "Don't follow me. I'm lost." He suggests that its popularity possibly comes from the way that it touches on the universal failure referred to by Tolstoy. It has become an object of humour.. when in the case of "a man's whole life" it's actually quite serious. Perhaps that failure is what causes people to doubt that they could actually stand in the world as a beacon of light among darkness, showing people the Way.
Another quote: "We are not speaking here of perfection, nor of earning God's gift of life. Our concern is only with the manner of entering into that life." He says that while we can never earn our savedness (sounds better than salvation doesn't it ;) ) through our own merit, we still have to act as though it is ours. Own your salvation.. don't just stand back and look at it.
A clear problem.. the 21st century evangelical church has had very little impact on societal problems. For some reason or another, churches have practically agreed that discipleship to Christ is optional to being a member of a Christian church. "Thus, the very type of life that could change the course of human society - and on occasion has done so - is excluded or at least omitted from the essential message of the church." (Just look at how many changes Jesus brought.. he was a true social revolutionary!)
So we need to think.. are there certain things that we're holding more important than being like him? Are we disciples, or just Christians by current standards? "Being unwilling to follow him, our claim of trusting him must ring hollow. We could never credibly claim to trust a doctor, teacher, or auto mechanic whose directions we would not follow."
He summarises.. Ignoring the need to live in the steps of Christ is depriving yourself of life's greatest opportunity. Truly following Christ is not just necessary, but the fulfillment of the highest human possibilities.
That was some messy summarising. I hope it's legible.
I know discipleship is a much-talked-about thing, but it's a fundamental part of what we're all about as Christians.. Jesus famously said to go and make disciples. It's false to define ourselves as "Christian" ONLY because we have made a decision to follow Christ at some point in our life. Instead, we should think.. are we going through with that? Or did it stop there? Rather than stopping at a decision, we need to convert that decision into an ongoing desire.. to be like Christ.
Back to this book! It's talking about the trend in the majority of Christians to see discipleship as optional. Quote: In churches of the Western world "one is not required to be, or to intend to be, a disciple in order to become a Christian, and one may remain a Christian without any signs of progress toward or in discipleship." People are becoming "Christians", but not imitating Jesus in his example and the things he taught.
The Great Commission, in the Bible, is presented by Jesus in Matthew.. he sets some goals for the early church. These are to 1) with God's power, to make disciples without regard to ethnic differences and 2) to baptise these disciples in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. This author talks repeatedly about the two Great Omissions from the Great Commission. In place of Christ's plan, we substitute "make converts (to a particular 'faith') and baptise them into church membership." So, people are not taught to be disciples. Quote: "it was not a part of the package, not what they converted to." When they read about Christ's teachings, they are puzzled and simply can't relate to them, thinking "what does this have to do with us?"
More summarising: A disciple desires above all else, to be like Jesus. There is no other way. The non-disciple, whether professing to be a Christian or not at all, "has something "more important" to do than to become like Jesus Christ ... Something on that dreary list of security, reputation, wealth, power, sensual indulgence, or mere distraction and numbness, still retains his or her ultimate allegiance." (Distraction and numbness.. that relates to something else I have to write about later. )
He goes on: If our minds are cluttered with these excuses, true discipleship can seem like a mystery to us, or even something to be dreaded. But there is no mystery about desiring to become like someone. That in fact is a common thing. In this case, it involves "learning how to love our enemies, bless those who curse us, walk the second mile with an oppressor..." and live out the "inward transformations of faith, hope, and love."
The cost of non-discipleship... it costs peace, hopefulness that stands firm in the worst circumstances, and the power to do what is right amid evil. "Non-discipleship costs you exactly that abundance of life Jesus said he came to bring!"
John 10:10: I HAVE COME THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE, AND HAVE IT TO THE FULL. (Jesus' words).
A Leo Tolstoy quote that is so, so true: "Man's whole life is a continual contradiction of what he knows to be his duty. In every department of life he acts in defiant opposition to the dictates of his conscience and his common sense." Willard then mentions the popular bumper sticker that says "Don't follow me. I'm lost." He suggests that its popularity possibly comes from the way that it touches on the universal failure referred to by Tolstoy. It has become an object of humour.. when in the case of "a man's whole life" it's actually quite serious. Perhaps that failure is what causes people to doubt that they could actually stand in the world as a beacon of light among darkness, showing people the Way.
Another quote: "We are not speaking here of perfection, nor of earning God's gift of life. Our concern is only with the manner of entering into that life." He says that while we can never earn our savedness (sounds better than salvation doesn't it ;) ) through our own merit, we still have to act as though it is ours. Own your salvation.. don't just stand back and look at it.
A clear problem.. the 21st century evangelical church has had very little impact on societal problems. For some reason or another, churches have practically agreed that discipleship to Christ is optional to being a member of a Christian church. "Thus, the very type of life that could change the course of human society - and on occasion has done so - is excluded or at least omitted from the essential message of the church." (Just look at how many changes Jesus brought.. he was a true social revolutionary!)
So we need to think.. are there certain things that we're holding more important than being like him? Are we disciples, or just Christians by current standards? "Being unwilling to follow him, our claim of trusting him must ring hollow. We could never credibly claim to trust a doctor, teacher, or auto mechanic whose directions we would not follow."
He summarises.. Ignoring the need to live in the steps of Christ is depriving yourself of life's greatest opportunity. Truly following Christ is not just necessary, but the fulfillment of the highest human possibilities.
That was some messy summarising. I hope it's legible.
I know discipleship is a much-talked-about thing, but it's a fundamental part of what we're all about as Christians.. Jesus famously said to go and make disciples. It's false to define ourselves as "Christian" ONLY because we have made a decision to follow Christ at some point in our life. Instead, we should think.. are we going through with that? Or did it stop there? Rather than stopping at a decision, we need to convert that decision into an ongoing desire.. to be like Christ.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
It's SNOWTIME!
I've been lucky enough to make two trips up to the Welly for playing in the snow this past week! I'm pretty sure it has all melted now. It was so lovely up there! On the first visit with my lovely flatmates Simon and Allie, we stayed til dusk and then the lights of Hobart came out (the few that there are.. but lights nevertheless!) The moon was shining on the snow, and it was quite beautiful. The next day, I trekked back up the mountain with Georgie and Astrid, where we had a killer snow-fight. Who doesn't love snow??
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