By
helen on May 29th, 2007
Posted in life update | 1 Comment »
Last week I cooked a spinach, sweet potato and lentil lasagna. My first lasagna ever. I made it up from something I’ve seen my sister do. It rocked. I’ve been thinking about it ever since. But have resisted making another so that I don’t over do it a get over it. Might be time again next week.
On Friday night Jon & I went and saw Shadowlands at the Genesian Theatre in the city. It’s a play about CS Lewis and his tragic love life. It was amazing. Really profound. I cried. I don’t generally cry in plays or movies. It said so much about love, God, theology & experience. So many quotable quotes. It made me love Jon more, so that’s got to be a good thing. And it made me think how much theology and experience are related and influence eachother. It’s very hard to hold onto a well thought through theology when your experience seems to contradict it. Somehow we need to find a way to create a framework for belief that is grounded in true experience and not ignoring it and yet remaining true to God’s Word…interesting. Hard. Good.
“Why love if losing hurts so much? I have no answers any more. Only the life I have lived. Twice in that life I’ve been given the choice: as a boy and as a man. The boy chose safety, the man chooses suffering. The pain now is part of the happiness then. That’s the deal.”
Harry: Christopher can scoff, Jack, but I know how hard you’ve been praying; and now God is answering your prayers.
C. S. Lewis: That’s not why I pray, Harry. I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God, it changes me.
Experience is a brutal teacher, but you learn. My God, you learn.
By
helen on May 23rd, 2007
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Autumn days are nice when the sun is shining
By
helen on May 19th, 2007
Posted in Questions | No Comments »
Why is it that when I hope to get up early with jon before he goes to work I struggle to drag myself out of bed but on mornings where I have ample opportunity to sleep in I can’t sleep???
By
helen on May 17th, 2007
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Monday - studying with Jo….ok, maybe not studying precisely. But we did have a good catch up over lunch and chai and I think she got some study done whilst I prepared for my lecture the following day. I may not have studied but it was a most enjoyable experience.
Coffee with Jen. Yay for Jen being back in Sydney. I love it when you have friends that you can go straight in with even after some time apart. Went to the cafe on the corner near Newtwon Performing Arts High. Reminded me people under 20 do exist in Newtown. And nice to check out a new cafe from the regulars.
Teaching. In tap we laughed a lot. The joys of teaching tap 
Tues - taught at SCA and loved it. Got a fun group of girl actors. We were greatly creative together and met with God. Nice.
Sat on headland at Dee Why, at dinner, read my Bible and watch the day turn to night. The ocean is so refreshing.
Went to an evening of encouragement for women in leadership. Was too tired to feel too encouraged.
Wed - tidy time then off to Wesley to visit their Gathering and teach. Hard but great. Gave me an awful lot of food for thought.
An evening at home with Harry Potter.
Thurs - a not so nice experience of driving in morning traffic to get to college. I guess I’m just not use to the 830/9 city crawl. But gave me a chance to listen to music for teaching. As i drove down the Wakehurst Parkway to college I had the horrile experience of hitting a dog that suddenly ran onto the road. I stopped to discover it had only injured its leg and managed to run off the road again. I was quite baffled as to what to do. Eventually its owner found us and took the dog home. Yuck feeling.
Was late but went and did a short technique class. Felt good.
Class. Great chat with Lauren. Bits of work. Chats with parents. Teaching. Love dancing.
Then had an amazing God time with a bunch of amazing people about the big picture of Breakthru’ Artz. Was awesome to see God move through people’s craft. Musicians played and sang, dancers danced, actors moved and spoke, thinkers spoke and read the Bible, others had visions to share….all prompted by the Spirit, all uniquely different in form yet amazingly connected and unified in message. God’s AMAZING.
By
helen on May 15th, 2007
Posted in creativity | 2 Comments »
I really enjoyed being a teacher today.
By
helen on May 9th, 2007
Posted in Procrastination | 2 Comments »
I need to study!!!!
Forgotten what that’s like.
Although I’ve never been terribly good at it.
Exam tomorrow.
By
helen on May 7th, 2007
Posted in Procrastination | No Comments »
nervous
By
helen on May 7th, 2007
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Just been writing up info for the production to send out to churches. Anyone know a church that might be interested in hosting the next Breakthru’ Artz production? In the meantime i managed to find that you can play bits of Sons of Korah songs form their website (Thanks to the link from Jenny’s blog). Which is a fun thing to work to. Yay for Sons of Korah. Hope I cna go see them on June 8. Anyone want to come?
Just had a mega weekend. Went straight from teaching and rehearsing to LOTR show. I think it went well. Not too many in the audience. But those who were seem to have nice things to say. It was fun to do. Sometimes I think it would be nice to be a hobbit.
Jon & I got home after midnight and in a crazy moment of hunger ordered pizza. (It had never occurred to me that one could order pizza at that time of night). So there we were at 1 in the morning eating the pizza enjoying the seediness of it all. In fact I enjoyed the seediness so much that the next morning was cold pizza and due to the lack of milk, ice cream in our coffee. Oh yeah. Back to salads and vegetables now.
Had church. Church was great. I love God. Go 2 Corinthians 12. I’m weak. He’s strong.
Had homegroup. Nice. The boys played with trains while they talked and prayed and the girls lay on a rug in the sun. In good girlie fashion we managed to talk and pray much longer than the boys, but they managed to amuse themselves.
Then it was off to Andy’s 6th birthday party. Oh how fun life is when you’re 6.
And THEN, we had an evening at home. Yes, at home. A Sunday night at HOME! Food. Music. Internet. Books. Nice.
This week I enter the land of Sydney’s Christian Creative Arts Students. Tomorrow I teach at SCA and Wed at Wesley. Should be fascinating. Though I have lots to do.
I also have an exam on Thurs.
Ok, that’s a break, back to work….
By
helen on May 4th, 2007
Posted in life update, Questions | 1 Comment »
This morning we caught the train into the city for breakfast and shopping. Fun. Until I got tired.
Why is shopping so tiring? It’s not like you do much.
It’s hot today. Which makes me wish I was at the beach. I’d probably go if I didn’t keep falling asleep.
As I type Jon’s making an experimental risotto with mushrooms, spinach, green beans and wine. Smells amazing. Hope it tastes as good. He’s a good husband.
I’m making a blogging come back!
By
helen on May 3rd, 2007
Posted in college, creativity | 1 Comment »
Today was back to college. 3 weeks felt like a long time. Back into the swing of things. I’m starting to feel less like a foreigner again.
This term I’m playing both lecturer and student. Shall be interesting to negotiate both roles. Should be fun though. Feel like I’m about to go on a whole new journey with creativity and ministry. I kind of feel in some ways completely out of my depth. But in other ways exactly where I’m suppose to be right now. Exploring.
Met a girl today from somewhere out of Sydney who’s now at college who was given a video of Breakthru’ Artz by her friend who heard me speak at a conference in 2001. She recognised me from the video. Random. And embarrassing! Not that proud of what we were doing 6 years ago! Funny though.
Speaking of which, we’re having an Xtreme Dance (precursor to Breakthru’ Artz) reunion on Fri night in which we plan to look at videos back to 1999. Fun.
Joyful, joyful
Lord we adore thee
God of glory, Lord of love
Hearts unfold like flowers before thee
Hail thee as the Son above…
Coloured people and we live in a tainted place
Coloured people and they call us the human race
We’ve got a history so full of mistakes…
Ah the memories.