The Meat of the Matter...

92. Be Vegetarian for a Month.

So its a week into Lent already and the Veggie thing is going well. I keep thinking how blessed I am to even have the option of giving up a particular kind of food!

God has really blessed me this year with a place to stay, a car, I have an awesome job, and manage to full time study too. Sometimes it's hard, but the pressure is good. God has given me alot. I am greatful. I also want to do my best with what He has entrusted to me.

May this time of Lent be focused on diligently living out that which He hath set before me.

His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' Matthew 25:20-22 (NIV)

http://julieclawson.com/2010/02/16/preparing-for-lent/

A Rose by Any Other Name?

24. Get an Autograph

So our group stood in line after the gig waiting to chat to the guys of Just Jinjer. Being the bright kid I am I decided to kill the third bird with this stone. Get an Autograph! This was by far one of the easier tasks on my list.

I got to thinking about how we are all known for something. It's not the autograph in itself that we seek, but what it represents. The name is the motif for one's identity. What are you known for? What would cause your signature to escalate in value. What do you represent to the world? 

 May these words challenge you to consider you Life and from it, what sound the the world hears. When you sign you name at the end of the day, who have you been singing to?

"Lifesong" - Casting Crowns

Empty hands held high

Such small sacrifice

If not joined with my life

I sing in vain tonight

May the words I say

And the things I do

Make my lifesong sing

Bring a smile to You

Let my lifesong sing to You

Let my lifesong sing to You

I want to sign Your name to the end of this day

Knowing that my heart was true

Let my lifesong sing to You

Lord I give my life

A living sacrifice

To reach a world in need

To be Your hands and feet

So may the words I say

And the things I do

Make my lifesong sing

Bring a smile to You

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Let my lifesong sing to You

http://www.castingcrowns.com/

www.justjinjer.com/tour.html

Asking the Right Questions

14. Watch a Live Band.

13 February 2010, Menlyn Events Arena, Pretoria. Just Jinjer's Morrocan Picnic Valentine's Show. What an amazing evening!

Just Jinger takes me back to my primary school days. I remember those days fondly when everything important was still taken care of by my parents and the only thing I bothered with was being the smart kid in the classroom, the good kid in church and the 'completely together' kid with my friends.

Just Jinjer's lyrics have always stayed with me. The past two years there've been many a day, sometimes week, when a simple line from one of their songs has been the messanger of clarity when my mind has been drowning in options and perspectives.

I believe everyone has an innate desire for Truth. We all want to know what and Who is truly Real. It is evident in many of Just Jinjer's lyrics of the searching for that truth. I cannot speak for the intended neanings behind any of their songs, but I will comment on their common ground. Most of their songs, if not about a girl, are simply yet deeply philosophical. They are asking good questions, I believe there is breakthrough coming for them as a band and ultimately as individuals. Truth will be found by those who diligently seek it.

Remember Me - Just Jinger

"Please tell me Jesus, 'Was I bad?' 'Did I let go of your hand?' I felt forsaken, felt alone, felt a long way off from home. I've got some questions about your Dad, and that place you call the Promised Land. Can I come in? Can I still get there? I know it's hard, and I've searched through every nook and corner;

Please send me directions, please tell me where to turn. And if I make the wrong decision, remember me.

I know I stumbled, I fell down; broken pieces on the ground. And from that angle, I could see You sat always next to me.

Please send me directions, please tell me where to turn. And if I make the wrong decision, remember me.

Regained my senses, found a way to make the most of each day.

Can I come in? Can I still get there? I know it's hard, and I've searched through every nook and corner;

Please send me directions, please tell me where to turn. And if I make the wrong decision, remember me.

Remenber me.

Oh I fell down into my own lie.

Remember me."

 

WELCOME BACK TO SOUTH AFRICA! YOU HAVE BEEN POSITIONED FOR BREAKTHROUGH. YOU HAVE BEEN COMMISSIONED FOR TRUTH.

http://www.justjinger.com/index.html

Ode to Adam

75. Do Something for Someone on Valentine's Day

I seem to catch myself wondering alot about this relationship thing these days. It really is so complex but, I'm sure by the time I've over thought this from every conceivable angle, it will be so simple.

So for Valentine's Day my sister and I decided to invite two awesome friends to watch local band Just Jinjer with us. Nothing funny, just some good tunes. In my mind I remember thinking this as a way of honouring two outstanding examples of men. Men of dignity and respect, honour, valour, direction and strength.

Often I breathe thankful that my past experience of men no longer dictate my present and future interactions with them. There are good men in the world, there are men who are willing to stand for truth and honour. Unselfish, compassionate, trustworthy men do still exist.It encourages me to know there are other men besides my dad that I can trust and rely on.

Udo and Eddie are examples of men grounded in their identity, who choose their battles wisely, and once chosen, courageously fight to protect the honour of both the men and women around them.

Food for thought

33. Buy Lunch for a Homeless Person.

Two weeks ago Friday I needed to go to Menlyn (Local Mall) to buy tickets for a show from computicket. It had been an emotional day and i didn't really want to be alone so i stopped by to see if my friend Encasn wanted to come with.

So off we went, only to realise we were STARVING. I suggested 'Kauai', trying to be all healthy and all. On route however, we had to pass 'McDonalds'. I had this sudden thought to go to McDonalds instead (Whoever thought God would prompt Fast Food McDonalds over Health Food Kauai). So I suggested we eat at McD's.

After we ate, I was going to go buy the tickets and find something to eat for supper. As we got up from our lunch to leave, I heard this small little voice pleading in my ear.There before me was a young boy, asking me to buy him bread. In my mind I became grumpy, this was really the last thing I needed in my day! But before I'd even had chance to articulate my grumpiness, the words, 'Come with me' were out of my mouth. as the boy walked alongside me, I began realising that even though only a handful of people would be willing to give him something to eat, how many people would be willing to spend the time to get to know him?

SoI just started asking general questions. Though I could kick myself for not properly committing his name to memory, I made a concerted effort to let him know that I was more concerned with who he was as a person than with answering the cry for food from a beggar. I did my best to show him I was choosing to help him, that I did care enough about him to ask him questions and make conversation.

When we got to Checkers, I decided it better to give him a choice as to what he wanted. This made him afraid; I doubt many people had cared to know his preferences for things, or his opinions for that matter. It really didn't matter to me what he answered (although I was pretty limited for cash), what mattered to me was that he knew of his value, of his humanity in the simple act of making a choice.

He ended up buying a pre-roasted chicken, 2 loaves of bread, and 2l of milk (I told him milk was better for him than coke). He said he was going to go home so that his parents could eat as well. As he left, I felt lighter, like all the weight from the day he took with him. the gift of giving resonated in my being. I was so aware that God had just blessed me in the encounter with an 11 year old boy, a roasted chicken, 2 loaves of bread and a bottles of milk! All it cost me was R63 and 15mins of my time! (How critical are either of those amounts to maintaining your comfortable, privleged life?)

My heart is thankful that despite the unfortunated circumstances my little friend finds himself in, He has not let it harden his heart. He is still innocent, still trusting, still loving. God may You protect his heart, may he never lose Hope, and may he know You are with him always.

Shoes to fill.

71. Wear slippers to the Mall.

I decided to wear my slippers to the Mall on Saturday. I pre-decided this, but still can't help smiling at the fact that this happened the day after my Greek experience (previous post).
I must add that I love my slippers, as soon as I'm in my house, shoes off, slippers on!

So I ventured out with my slippers on to face a day of shopping with my sister, Claire. Even though not really socially acceptable, I decided not to care. Break the box, break the mould. Does it really matter in the grander scheme of things what I wear on my feet a particular day? I don't even think most people noticed.

I'll walk in my shoes (even if they're slippers) because they're pretty big shoes to fill. But they're my shoes, I was made to fill them.

Breaking plates because I can.

19. Eat at a Greek Resturant.

Friday was Nancy's birthday. We went to a traditional Greek restaurant; live music, broken plates, fire dancers, AMAZING food. It really was a special evening, especially now that Nancy and I can't spend as much time together as we used to. it was also good to see and spend time with alot of friends I haven't seen in a while.
The most significant part of the evening for me was us breaking plates on the floor. one of the awesome traditions that make me glad of my (little bit of) Greek heritage!

I've been challenged alot this past week on the little box I live in. It's not minute, granted I afford myself the privelege of many things, many comfortable things, but nevertheless, it's still a box.
It has alot scribbled on the inside; design ideas, words of wisdom, interesting philosophies, recipes for all occasions of day-to-day living. The problem is, as I've said, they are scribbled on the inside of a box that only I can see.

Past experiences have dictated that I shouldn't engage with life and the people in my life. Careful study of people has restricted the expression of my mind, because "they don't see it like that" and "they don't understand" and "I'm the only one who sees things like this".

I have grown very comfortable with my box, it's beautiful really, nice and square, completely defiined, always reliable, never changing. It has awesome colours painted on the outside which, along with the beautiful intricacies of the inside, makes it all round pretty impressive, to me and most on lookers.

But here's the thing... I can do so much more. I am so much more. As pretty and as comfortable, it's not my hiding place or my home. Wide open spaces greet me with expectations pending. Not only did I break a plate, but I also broke a box. I broke the perception in my mind that others dictate what my capabilities. Now I'm breathing something new.

 Watch this Space... there's alot of it!