Refreshing

I am back I promise! Just haven't had the internet for a month or so.... but here I am.

I have been loving my Job so much recently that I have been forgetting to take a day off. So today I took a day off! and it was amazing!

I slept in.

Then drove out to Dangar falls and sat by the river and read a book.

Then walked out to the Waterfall viewing and read some Psalms. They were so amazing you couldn't help but Praise the creator.

Then on the drive to the aboriginal keeping place and looked around. There was some amazing artwork. If I had the money and could justify spending a couple of thousand on artwork I so would of. There was this one that told the story of Kevin Rudd saying sorry. It was amazing!!! seriously if I was u I would jump in your car and drive to Armidale to see it (and me!!)

Then I went to the New England Art Museum.

Found a funky Cafe, with a real good BLT and Homemade iced Tea.

Went for a shop.

Then painted a painting.

That was a Soul Refreshing day-off.

-Be Strong and Courageous-

!Relle

Happiness

I remember years ago Eva Burrows was talking at one of my high school assemblies and she said this quote that has stuck with me...

"Happiness is like a butterfly: the more you chase it, the more it will elude you. But if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder." Thoreau

So 5 days ago I moved from Sydney to Armidale and a whole bunch of things changed for me. I live in a new city (Is Armidale classed as a City?), I live in a new house, I have a new phone number, I have a new car, I have a completely new job, I even got really sunburnt last week and am peeling so I even have a new layer of skin :0)

I have to admit leading up to the move I was getting a little anxious, it just seemed like so much was about to change and I was quite happy with were I was at, I was comfortable in life. I shared my thoughts with a wise friend of mine who said to me 'there is one thing that is still the same, and that is the one who has called you'.

So true.... God is here.

In the past 5 days that anxiousness has gone and the peace has settled in, I'm loving my new role, I am loving Armidale. I keep having little moments where I know I am in just the right place at just the right time.

like the other dayI was walking through the Lamb and Potato festival wearing my straw hat (cause that's how it's done in North NSW) and a butterfly landed on my arm....

Happiness.

-Don't Take Care, Take Risks-

!Relle

I'm Back

I'm back into the Blogging world, and how '2006' does my page look :0)....I'm going to have to get the blog doctor on board and spruce this page up a little....

It's been pretty interesting looking over my past blogs... and seeing how life has changed since then...

anyways just a quick post to say I'm back....

-Don't Take Care... Take Risks-

!Relle

Williams Words

I reckon this is gott abe the best offering preach I've heard.....

I am glad you are enjoying yourselves; the Salvationist is the friend of happiness, making heaven on earth is out business. “Serve the Lord with gladness’ is one of our favourite mottos.
So I am pleased if you are pleased. But amidst all your joys don’t forget the sons and daughters of misery. Do you ever visit them? Come away and let us make a call or two.

Here is a home, six in family, bathe and drink and sleep and feed and die in the same chamber.

Here is a drunkard’s hove void of furniture, wife a skeleton, children in rags, father maltreating the victims of his neglect.

Here are the unemployed wandering about seeking work and finding none.

Yonder are the wretched prisoners cradled in crime, passing in and out of the prison all the time.

There are the daughters of shame diseased and wronged and ruined, travelling down the dark incline to an early grave.

There are the children fighting in the gutters, going hungry to school, growing p to fill their parents’ places.

Brought it all on themselves do you say?

Perhaps o, but that does not excuse our assisting them!
You don’t demand a certificate of virtue before you drag some drowning creature out of the water. Nor the assurance that a man has paid his rent before you deliver him from the burning building!

But what shall we do? Content ourselves by singing a hymn, offering a prayer of giving a little good advice.
No! Ten thousand times No! We will pray for them, reclaim them, employ them. Perhaps we shall fail with many. Quite likely.

Our business is to help them all the same, and that in the most practical, economical and Christlike manner.

So let us haste to the rescue foe the sake of our own peace, the poor wretches themselves, the innocent children and the Saviour of us all.

But who will help with the means? And as there is nothing like the present who in this company will lend a hand by taking up the collection?

William Booth

-Be Strong and Courageous-

!Relle

Truth

Alright I need all christians out there to promise they won't freak out....

recently I have been reading my star signs....i don't search them out everyday....they just happen to be in front of me in one of my everyday activities....

the thing I have noticed about them is that they have absolutely no relevance to my life....unless I search for most far fetched reason to relate it to something that is happening.....

a much better guide I think is the Bible....every day when I open it up it is so relevant to my tasks for that day so relevant to what i am feeling and so personal.....

Gotta love a love letter from the creator of the universe!!

sorry also to y'all 2 months since my last post I am so slack...will try to improve

-Don't Take Care, Take Risks-

!Relle

Driver's Ed Evangelism

I have an awesome God.....he makes it sooooo easy to tell people about him......if you don't believe me just try it......

The last few days I have been asking God to lead me in convo's with clients at work....and two days in a row I have been in Driver's Ed group sessions and the conversation has turned into full on God talks.....it has been sweet....who would of thought Driver's Ed is an evangelism tool.....

none of the kids have totally bought into God....yet.....

If you are into formula's there ain't one for evangelism....

..but what God has been doing for me in the last few days is..... I ask for the opportunity, I look for the opportunity and I am bold enough to take the opportunity when it comes...

it's cool and there is nothing better than to share God with someone....

Don't Take Care, Take Risks

-Be Strong and Courageous-

!Relle

Triune God

At the moment I am completing some pre-college studies. I am doing an assignment on each of the Salvo’s doctrines. What I am realising is that there is soooooooo much about God I don’t know...I knes I didn't know it all...but man there is heaps more to him... Like … I have never let myself dwell on what it means to me that God is my father….that he creates, he governs and he sustains (Salvation Story p16)….it is awesome ….mind blowing….I knew this stuff but to dwell on it is something new (as in for the last hour and a half I have written two paragraphs of my assignment)

Here’s a bit more of the paragraph that has me captured at the moment….dwell on it for a second…do you see God in all these ways?

….a God who as Father creates, governs and sustains; as Son redeems, befriends and disciples; and as Holy Spirit sanctifies, counsels and empowers. In persons and work he is three; in personality and love he is one

Don't take care - Take risks

-Be Strong and Courageous-

!Relle

Acts 20

I was reading through Acts recently and read Paul quoting the words of Jesus.... It is more blessed to give than to receive....

man ...I know how blessed I have been in the past when I have received....When people have given financially to help me get places to share God's love....

and how much his provision has blessed me........and now he is saying it is more blessed to give.....

sweet!!

-Be Strong and Courageous-

!Relle

Acts 20

I was reading through Acts recently and read Paul quoting the words of Jesus.... It is more blessed to give than to receive....

man ...I know how blessed I have been in the past when I have received....When people have given financially to help me get places to share God's love....

and how much his provision has blessed me........and now he is saying it is more blessed to give.....

sweet!!

-Be Strong and Courageous-

!Relle

Africa In Australia

Sorry guys, been way too long

JUst a quick post tonight...

I have a new 'Thing'...It is to make Africa in Australia......to live a life of expectancy...the kind of expectancy I live when "on the mission field" (when I am in a developing country, cause I am on the mission field here in Aus too) but here at home......to Pray for the sick, seek guidance in everything and to make sure I am building into and encouraging those around me daily ....too be looking for the ways God is answeing my prayers...

I have the flu at the moment ...been praying t away (it's what I did in Fiji),...and it is half gone...kinda weird half the symptoms stayed around half went......don't really know why....but God is still a great God

I have no Idea if this makes sense.....there is mucus blocking the communication from my head to my fingers.....

hope all is going well for y'all

-Be Strong and Courageous-

!Relle

Fiji Lessons

I've been caught out...I'm back in the country and haven't Blogged....sorry for misleading y'all thinking I was still In Fiji....

Fiji was fantastic...God did some awesome things...He likes to do awesome things....

I was over there leading a Teen Missions Pre-teen Team.....So I ( with other leaders) took 8, 11 & 12 yr olds to Fiji to spread the name of Jesus and Serve his Children.... These kids blew me away...they dug a ditch 600ft long and 18 inches deep and laid water pipes so the village now has water!!!!....they lead a kids club (yep the kids lead a kids club) and 29 kids from the village prayer a prayer of recommitment or salvation.....sweet as.....

These Kids Trusted God sooo much....one day our back wheels of the truck slid off the muddy road ...and when we got the 30 passagenger safely out of the tray I was so expecting the kids to burst into tears...instead they started praising Jesus saying "Thanks Jesus that no one got hurt"

One of the best moments was one night when i was sick having three kids pray for me in their kiddish laughing prayer, full of so much faith....

Also to see prayers answered on the spot...like when we prayed that the ground would get soft..it started raining....when we prayed that our clothes would dry on an overcast day...it didn't rain until the moment we took our dry clothes off the line ...

Todays lesson was about simple prayers too...two things i prayer for this morning was a contact phone number for a friend I haven't talked to in a while and news from another I haven't heard from...10 mins later I had an email from both with the phone details I prayed for.... God showwed me that the littles prayer aren't only answered over on missions but in everyday life....

Simple I know but I lesson I needed to learn again

-Be Strong and Courageous-

!Relle

Gone to Fiji

-Be Strong and Courageous-

!Relle

Too Blessed for Debt

Was thinking the other day about debt and how so many people are held back in life because they get themselves in debt... they are tied to people/banks until they pay back what they owe....So many people miss out on awesome opportunities because of their financial commitments.....

I've never had a loan or even a credit card...prob the most I've owed people was a couple of bucks till I could pay em back the next day........I just can't fathom spending money I don't have...

so while I was thinking I came up with the term....'I'm too blessed for Debt'....it is soo true....I have made the decision not to go into Debt....and I have everything I need ...I have a roof over my head, an abundance of food, a car to drive...for the last three years have gone overseas 5 times....and hey I'm not in a huge paying Job

It's putting faith in God to meet my financial needs not relying on other people or a bank...

I'm too blessed for Debt

I used to drive a 1979 mazda 323 that was very near the end of it's life....but I loved it (it was Yellow, what more could ya want)....and it got me where I needed to go...but it was barely getting me there....so I prayed....considered the loan thing ...for about a second ....but instead the car ran on prayer for a few months.... then out of the blue I got sent $2000 for a new car...prayed for the car... Dad had a friend who could get into Auctions and a few weeks later had myself a nice little Lancer for $1900 but worth alot more ....God is awesome....the only thing I prayed for and didn't get was a pink car...I'll have to do with Silver :)

God showed me once again he will meet all my needs....and I am free to Go when he says Go.....

I'm too Blessed for Debt

The thing I started thinking about last night was do I have the faith to believe one day I could own a house....without ever getting a loan?......My God is definately big enough...we'll see if it is what God has for me

I'm way too Blessed for Debt


-Be Strong and Courageous-

!Relle

Christmas

I thought I would post twice in one day....to make up for the break I had in the last few weeks

As your thinking about chrissy pressies this year why not check out Tear Australias "Arguably the world's most useful gift catalogue" at http://www.tear.org.au/giftcatalogue/index.shtml or www.tear.org.au

... there's cool stuff like goats and toilets and women self-help groups... all for people in developing countries...

it's a good idea...

-Be Strong and Courageous-

!Relle

Orchestrated

My God is one amazing Orchestrator!!.....can blend things together so perfectly...

Have had a couple of amazingly encouraging letters from sisters around the world turn up in the last few days...

just when i needed them...

with just the right words.....

thanks Jesus.... for care and guidance and so much more...all of your glory

Psalm 23:3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

-Be Strong and Courageous-

!Relle

Lessons Learnt

Be careful what you pray eh!..

I've been away at schoolies (for those over in Nth America you guys call it spring break) ... end of yr 12 big week-long party....30 000 17yr olds ....we had 400-500 (can't remember) HC's...christians who live in the hotels for a week, build relationships with the kids and are there for them when they are in situations they can't handle...or just want a chat..... we had over 100 salvations ....Praise Jesus.....

But before I went I prayed that God would teach me more about leadership and who I am in leadership.... (I'm heading out to Fiji in 27 days as a leader for a team of 10-12yr olds spreading the word of Jesus...Hooray)...for the first day I was leading a team of 4 HC's (until their leader got there) I was like yeah this is when God will teach me......but no...it was when I was on another team....submitting to a leader that I learnt the lessons....

My leaders style of leadership was different from mine...and there is absolutely nothing wrong with this....so all the issues where my own ( U where a great leader buddy)....

I think I finally started getting it.....That I don't always know best an there are other ways to get a fantastic result...It doesn't always have to be Relle's way....(not that everything i do has a fantastic result either, that sounded really prideful)

You only need to confronting authority on only really important issue....choosing your battles and checking your motives... Standing up for injustice...not petty little things

I also know I like to bend rules a little....but it was kewl cause my leader was also a friend of mine...so I totally felt I couldn't bend them cause I knew him...it was so hard...but I think I was good....

and part of that is as a leader having the integrity to stick by the organisations rules...The organisation I am going to Fiji with are huge on rules (some toally wacked)...so this is a good lesson....and one I hope to be found faithful in

Also being a team member instead of leader showed me the things a member looks for in a leader...things that will so help me as a leader

and it was sweet...cause I learnt the lessons now in a safety net of friends.....

could you guys keep me in your prayers...whenever I step up to a task I get hit with feelings of inadeqaucy ...and I sooo feel like this with Fiji.... but i spose that cool, cause I know I can't do this... but I also know ' I am the vines, you (God) are the branches when I abide in you and you in me it brings forth good fruit, but without you I can do nothing'.....(Relle's version)

Thanks Jesus for your Grace

-Be Strong and Courageous-

!Relle