(Inaugural) Song of the Week

I’m going to try and post my “song of the day” once a week… so here for you is my first song of the week.

Those of you who “know” me would know how much I love music and especially singing. For my first song (and one I’ve sung loudly several times this evening) I’m going back to a well-known gospel tune that I first leant to love as a member of a Christian Youth Choir in Adelaide… takes me back almost 10 years now… 

Anyway, here tis….

He Never Failed Me Yet!

Chorus
I will sing of God’s mercy
Every day, every hour he gives me power
I will sing and give thanks to thee
For all the dangers, toils and snares that he has brought me out
He is my God, and I’ll serve him
(No matter what the test) solo
Trust and never doubt
Jesus will surely bring you out
He never failed me yet!
Repeat Chorus

Verse 1 solo
I know God is able
To deliver in times of storm
And I know that he’ll keep me
Safe from all earthly harm!
One day when my weary soul is at rest
I’m going home to be forever blessed!

together Trust and never doubt, Jesus will surely bring you out
He never failed me yet!

Chorus

Verse 2 solo
Didn’t my God deliver Moses from King Pharaoh?
And didn’t he cool the fiery furnace
for Shadrach, Meshach, & Abednigo?
When I think of what my God can do
He delivered Daniel; I know he will deliver you!

together Trust and never doubt, Jesus will surely bring you out
He never failed me yet!

Chorus (then)

Bridge to end

He never failed me; he never failed me yet (builds x4)

Trust and never doubt, Jesus will surely bring you out (rit)

HE…. NEVER FAILED…. ME… YET!!!!

(add whoops, cheers, claps, stamps, whatever takes your fancy... just make it a joyful song of encouragement and praise!)

You can You-tube an example, but my favourite version is currently on high rotation in my car... (it's a cassette recording!)

Tschuss till next time! <><

Moving part 2

I'm no longer homeless!

Though still in between homes.... I had a lovely week last week house and dog sitting for my sister and her husband. They had a week's holiday in Perth (and I hardly had time to be jealous!!)

Peach (the dog) was great at keeping me company too, and I walked, with her, 5 out of 7 days.... Not too bad, especially as the weather was not too conducive to strolling most of last week.

Today, however the sun is shining brightly (and it looks much warmer outside than it actually is!) Ah, Melbourne in winter... when I don't have to get up and go to work early in the morning, I really like it ;)

This week, I'm staying with good friends, and hope to complete the move to my new place by this time next week....

No, moving is not fun... but soon I will be installed at my new address...

• In one of the two suburbs I was praying for
• To live with a lovely (piano playing) christian lady
• And with many thanks to the people that have helped me through all this
  
• I "should" be adequately settled prior to my parentals arriving back in Oz

God is so good, and I have no more moments to waste on this beautiful sunny day....
By for now, I'm thinking my next post will be from my new address (YAY!)

Brrrrrr

Have you seen the latest Coke add?  It's kinda funky in a way... though I'm sure it will grow to become rather irritating... kind of like my patients sometimes... at first they're cute, or you laugh off their "quirks", but soon enough those same things infuriate you... ah well.... tis life I guess.

I'm thick in the mire of house hunting and packing up... two things for which you will have already noted I'm not a big fan of.  Finding a "perfect home" is not easy.  Nor is packing up and saying goodbye to the place you've been calling home for the last 12 months or so.

I won't miss....

• The cold floorboards (they were great in the summer though!)
• the creaky venetians
• the noisy traffic
• the creaky doors
• the lack of doors between my room and the kitchen....

I will miss....

• The great big backyard
• My housemate practising the piano
• The comforting sound of friends in the house
• The walks... from Rosanna Station to home, and the circuit along the wetlands
• my quick & easy route to the Eastern Freeway

Both lists could have many more items... and some items could fit on both lists!  The more bothersome list is the "things to do before the end of June"  I won't share that one with you, suffice to say its all about sorting, packing, cleaning and throwing away... the nuts and bolts of moving.  Ugh... time for bed!

I appreciate all your thoughts, prayers and suggestions as I wearily approach June 28th (there ain't enough hours between now and then, either!)

Tschuss till next time... <><

P.S.  Check out Cassa Verba's latest post for a moment of pure joy ;)

http://cassaverba.blogspot.com/2009/06/sound-of-music-stunt.html#links

Homeless

Or I soon will be if I don't find a new place to live by about the 27th of June and counting!

I'll be dog/house sitting for my sister for a week till the 2nd... but that's still not very long.

I've been homeless before, so I can manage for a bit, but its no fun really.  I'm so sick of the moving thing, I've changed address almost too many times to count in the last decade... If I could afford it, I think I'd buy a caravan! ;)  Nah, a houseboat! 

I'd appreciate your prayers, ideas, suggestions over the next two weeks or so....

I really don't want to be homeless :(

Everyday & Moving... a "monday muse"

There's a song I know called Everyday... (Everyday it's you I live for, everyday I'll follow after you, everyday I'll worship you my Lord)  There's another one called Moving (Moving, keep on moving, I've been moving so long the days all feel the same)... There are very different reasons why I like these songs and why they speak to me.

Everyday is pretty obvious... I'm a Christian and so everyday I thank God I'm alive, that he's with me and that hopefully I can give him glory.  This song is all about that and so I like to sing it!

Moving is different.  Its not a P & W, rather an alt-pop song by a band called Supergrass.  I first heard it one long Adelaide summer as a teenager... It has a moving kind of medley and rhythm, on suited to staring blankly out of bus or train windows as the world rushes by (or you rush by the world)  I like it 'cause it has a real gypsy soul, like mine... I have always been a "mover" first because my parents did, and now because I can't seem to stay still!! But I don't agree with all the lyrics... 

firstly, my days rarely always seem the same!  I could post a lot about my varying days (but I'm too busy!)

second the chorus goes ... there's a love, love feeling around me and a stone cold feeling inside.  I just can't stop messing my mind up and wasting my time (ooo).  There's a more-love feeling around me and a stone cold feeling inside.  I've got to find somebody to help me, I'll keep you in mind.  Now I'm very, very rarely stone cold inside... being the all-loved all loving gal that I am... though I do have a tendency to lonliness.  And that probably doesn't make sense upon first reading...  

Mmmm... I'm obsessed with Love.  I know I'm loved (by God, by my parents, by family and friends) but I also need constant reminding that I'm loved as I can be very hard on myself, and also so selfish.  When all I am doing is thinking about me; I get very sad and lonely.  

I also love loving... I love my God and the world and all the beautiful things in creation.  I love my family and friends.  I love everyone really (and sometimes I feel like I've given all my love away with little in return, but that probably for another post).

Where am I going with this?  Back to lonliness and being a mover.  Back to being on a journey.  Here in the world, but not home.  Comfortable, but fully knowing that there are so many around me who aren't.  Knowing that there's something great around the corner, but just not quite here yet.

I'm in a time of my life where I feel like I've journeyed through some really hard and difficult times... and now I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  No, now I am so close to the top of the hill.  Still I'm not in a place where I can just enjoy the view... there's too much to do, and so little time to do it in.  But

• I'm tired, and sick and tired of being sick & tired, and I want to be well!
• I have so much but I want so much more!
• There's so much I want to do, but just don't seem to have time for!!

And it's almost 6 months into my "year of getting 'round to it"... and I haven't quite got 'round to it all.... Oh, but I'm tired, and it's 10.30pm and time for me to turn in for the night.

So everyday I'll keep moving, keep praising and praying, keep on keeping on... until its time to rest.  I'm not quite balanced with the rest, the recreation, the work... but I'm getting there.

It won't happen overnight, but it will happen.

The merry month of May

I love May in Melbourne... the beautiful Autumn weather and colours... the fuss about Mother's Day... the fact that I'm settling into my work more and more.

May also brings my parents wedding anniversary... so here's a pic of them with the flower's I arranged from their kids.  Even managed to surprise Mum, so that was even better!

Upon not sleeping - warning this is a rambling post, beware!

Oh, I just have to smile (or cry) at the irony and agony... am I just my own worst enemy, or am I also just an ordinary christian struggling with sin..?

Well, at any rate its still lent, less than one full week till Easter comes in all its glory.  In my "high" anglican years (Read that as "anglo-catholic") if you wish.  I learnt to enjoy all the "religiousness" around the seasons of the Christian Calendar.  My favourite festival easily became Holy Week - which is Palm Sunday through to Easter (Sunday).  At my school we had reminders of Palm Sunday in Chapel on Monday morning, or perhaps even the Friday before... With green palm fronds and appropriate hymns and prayers and reflections.  Then, yes on Monday morning all the ornaments in the Chapel would be covered over with purple cloths and so would begin our week of "special" chapel events.  The Stations of the Cross... and the divine, oh so divine setting of a special easter hymn... who's name escapes me... Help Glenda, do you remember?  Actually, I think it alternated one year would be stations and the next would be the special hymn (special because it was so long, told the whole story of Easter, and was interspersed with string chamber music, organ, soloists and choir and congregational singing... oh it was beautiful and painful... the agony and the ecstasy that is Easter, captured in a beautiful peace of music (as an aside, I also have to mention that the chapel had wonderful acoustics)  The week (at school) would culminate on Thursday (Maundy Thursday in holy week)  With a fairly solemn Eucharist, (well they all were a bit solemn) but this one also beautiful because it was the tradition for the principal to wash the feet of one girl from each year level of the school... prior to communion, or straight afterwards (bummer how that memory fails me... and it was only 11 years ago!!!)

Anyway, I've completely gone off topic for a ramble there... where was I?  Yes, Lent... well when lent began I was thinking about things I could (but didn't) give up as a fast for lent... in my church we are encouraged to fast, or not fast, in whatever way we think appropriate, but mainly to spend more time in reflection and prayer as we progress toward Easter... at any rate.  I just had to moan to God tonight (something I regularly do when I haven't had a good night's sleep) that one thing that briefly crossed my mind (in addition to "the internet" not practical, and "food" also not practical) was sleep... also not practical, as I distinctly remember thinking... but that could well leave me insane or very ill before it gets to Easter... well its 4.35am on the 26th of March... this time next week is Maundy Thursday (a night to remember the Last Supper, Jesus in the Garden & his betrayal and arrest)... and I'm well on the way to an "all nighter" just couldn't switch off tonight, eventually gave up, put another reflection in  my journal, turned of the light, began to sing a song (I often attempt to sing myself to sleep) which made me cry... (or was that before the journal.... (long nights, also not ze gut for the forgettory)  Oh anyway, here I am at 4.41 - NOT ASLEEP.  Did I actually promise to give up sleep for lent?? Well no, but I did think about it... and I had also thanked God just prior to Lent that sometimes I don't even have to pray for something "properly" like with Dear God.... amen, but that I could basically "think" about it and God answered my prayer, provided my need... does that also mean that because I thought about it... no, now I'm being silly, and I'm back again to the "my own worst enemy"/just an ordinary christian struggling with sin argument.

Upon not sleeping... how pointless!

Oh, but back to School and holy week... after every Eucharist the girls were "rewarded" for being on their "best behaviour" in chapel by getting a pastry treat... I'm fairly certain it was Hot Cross Buns after Thursday's Eucharist (one day early for the strictly faithful... how many of them are there nowadays??)

Mmm, actually, I loved Holy Week before school too... Maundy Thursday can have a special night time service... what's it called, Dad?  Where a series of readings, quiet hymns/reflections/prayers are divided by the extinguishing of candles... so that by the end of the service the congregation is in complete darkness... One very memorable Maundy Thursday night, I attended the service in a tiny little church that did not have electricity, so that when all the candles were extinguished it really was dark... and my Dad (the minister) and another member of the church had prearranged a special reminder of how shocking, scary and dark that moment of betrayal was... do you want to know how???  

tee hee, hee... stay tuned (for another exciting episode of Joce's rambling ravings!!!)