To Know Your Name

Jason Mraz (in the Netherlands somewhere I think.)

Video from here

Cause you gotta know your name before you play-a the game
Keep a level-headed check on your health and stay sane

The wall at the backround is interesting! I like the colours and the look of it.
Some words really stick out to me.. Like faith, my life, the river...
But yea, you gotta know your name! It's important..To know who you are. Don't let the outside determine who you are.

Love is a beautiful thing!

A friend of mine, Tia, called me last week to tell me she had gotten engaged. So here's to say Congratulations T and M! In honour of their engagement I thought I'd post two lovely pictures. I just like the first picture: it is two Ugly Betty actors actually. The second one is of Steven Curtis Chapman's daughter Emily's engagement photo, they are already married actually I think. I just think there is something so fresh and beautiful in them! May their life together be blessed..

Love is definitely a beautiful thing. There are so many love songs out there, but hey here's one. :-)

Love is beautiful!

Edit: PS. Especially when things like these grow out of them... :)

Nieces

All three of them!

E & J examining how lovely their new cousin is..

and being themselves.. :)

Isn't she lovely! #2

It's my niece, E. I took both of these photos a month ago. She's soooooo cute, isn't she! l-o-v-e-l-y. Ohh how I LOVE all of my family!

A Lifehouse song..

"I'm falling even more in love with you
Letting go of all I've held onto
I'm standing here until you make me move
I'm hanging by a moment here with you

Forgetting all I'm lacking
Completely incomplete

Desperate for changing
Starving for truth
I'm closer to where I started
Chasing after You
I'll take your invitation
You take all of me now

I'm falling even more in love with you
Letting go of all I've held onto
I'm standing here until you make me move
I'm hanging by a moment here with you

I'm living for the only thing I know
I'm running and not quite sure where to go
And I don't know what I'm diving into
Just hanging by a moment here with You"

- Lifehouse "Hanging by a moment"

Quite nice lyrics.

Pastor wear

Haha, another very funny one from Nakedpastor :) Go see!

Here's the link

Gotta love Skype! :)

Besides the beautiful sunshine over here yesterday, the best thing was to chat over Skype with some family! :) (if you know anyone living away from home/far away like I do, do not ever underestimate the value of giving them a call- phone or any other type!)

Hello auntie Mimo!

Mum, you know you could put me down now..

Now that's better...

She is four weeks today! Woohoo! We are all besotted as you can see. =)

Family

I felt like posting some family photos. Here is our latest addition! She arrived on September 14th. I'm her auntie. She's lovely and a miracle!

The next photo was taken in the summer of 2007. It's my little sister and me. She's was a miracle too when she was born, and still is (though sometimes gives me headaches too ;P)

Spiritual abuse

From Naked Pastor

It is so true. Unfortunately. :( I think ANY person in leadership in ANY church should seriously have a self-inspection to see where they stand with regard to spiritual (and emotional) abuse.

We are not always aware of our offensive ways!

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139:23-24

Humility is the key. We don't have to be perfect (and hence in denial of our faults) - just ready to admit them and have humility. He can change us and help us change. Watching Jamie Oliver's latest show and project here in the UK made me think of this as well. There's a lovely single mum of two in it, Natasha, who is such a beautiful example of humbleness. In general, it takes lots of guts to admit you are in the wrong and that you want to change. That maybe all that you have been doing is not the best or the greatest way. Willingness to change. Renewal of the mind..

I think spiritual abuse, as well as in the wider world emotional and verbal abuse are way too underlooked and discussed. It is good that there is more attention these days to violent and physical abuse, but it should be remembered that there are other forms of abuse that are highly destructive too. And they are much more subtle.. And less noticeable. And most of the time, we people in general, don't even realise if we are engaging in something that is neither right, healthy or good. (Like we are taught to eat certain foods, but in the end are those foods good and healthy for us?) Thus I think one could be engaging in spiritual abuse even without realising, because one may be conditioned and thought to think it is ok as a Christian to behave this way and do things that way (though it's not if you ask God!). Someone said in the discussion at NP's site there, that there should definitely be more books on spiritual abuse, I agree! (NP is himself by the way a Vineyard pastor in Rothesay, Canada)