Monday, June 30, 2008

Arte y Pico Award


Rodney from The Journey blog has honoured me with the Arte y Pico Award. Cool! Thanks Rodney.

The rules for passing this honour on:

1 - Pick 5 blogs that you would like to award this honour to.
2 - Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.

3 - Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.

4 - Award-winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of “Arte y Pico” blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.

Go to the Arte y Pico blog if you'd like to know more about this award.

It's hard to pick just five blogs, but here are a few I enjoy reading regularly:

1. Bek from Longfur for sharing openly about her life and faith and not being afraid to share the hard bits either.

2. Middo from Disciple of the Way for raising great questions about theology and church and making me think.

3. The ladies from GirlTalk for getting me to think more about what it means to be a Christian woman.

4. Amanda from Amanda's Musings for being arty and tempting me with her many wonderful creations online.

5. Iris from Double Half and One Ten Without Ham for having possibly the most unique blog title and for blogging in her second language (I don't even have a second language!) There are some great pics of Germany on her blog.

Go check these blogs out if you haven't already!

Friday, June 27, 2008

Netball Update

Well, I've played five games of netball so far this season. It should have been six but we won one game on forfeit. It's a long story and was due to a mix up of timeslots. The team we were meant to be playing were VERY annoyed they had to forfeit (they only had two players show up) and for a moment I thought a catfight was going to erupt. Mrrrrow, I thought a few of the ladies were going to get the claws out but nothing happened. I think there's a fair degree of bitchiness in EVERY netball competition. Well, pretty much anywhere where it's all women sadly.

Our win-loss record is 2-4. In our second game, we lost by two 26-24 and then we had our first win the following week 38-21. The next week we were hammered by the top team, Miling, 31-11. But EVERYONE gets thrashed by them so we didn't feel too bad about ourselves.

Last night, we played the Skunks again who we lost to narrowly in the second game and I thought this time we could have a win. Except we only had five players available but you have to play if you have a minimum of five and they had seven so we really didn't stand a chance. One of our girls rocked up halfway through the first quarter so we quickly shoved her on but still it was six against seven and we went down 47-24. Very disappointing but I feel if we'd had a full team we could have won or at least the game would be very close.

I hurt both my shoulders quite badly during a game a few weeks and it took ages for them to get better. I'm not exactly sure how I hurt them but I was in quite a bit of pain for the next couple of weeks and no muscle cream was working. I couldn't lift many things, including the doona off our bed, but I kept on playing even though Duncan said I shouldn't. I'm all tough haha :) Then one morning last week I woke up and I was pain free and have been ever since. Whoever said God doesn't heal?

I'm still very much enjoying it and I'm hoping we get to do some social things together soon. It's difficult to chat before or after the game because most people arrive just before the game starts and leave as soon as it finishes because they have kids or a fair distance to travel (like me). Oh well, I'm sure I'll get to know them better gradually.

The competition has a three week break coming up soon. That'll be good.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Last Day of Work

My last day at Curtin was the 27th March. Here are some photos:













My boss Lib about to present me with pressies from everyone.













Ooh I wonder what they could be. They turned out to be Cluedo, a pizza tray and a wall clock.















Workmates waiting to see my reaction.













Reading the touching sentiments from everyone.













Lib and Kathy













The whole bunch of us (well almost, there were a few missing).

I was telling Duncan last week just how much I miss my old job. It's funny when you're working how you can't wait for Friday each week and how you get so frustrated and think of quitting. But when you actually leave, you feel fondness and sadness. I don't think I ever hated my job, I just loved writing more. I miss the people more than anything and I plan on calling in to say hi one time when I'm in Perth.

I miss working with people with such great senses of humour. I miss the in-jokes. I miss M&Ms in the lollybowl. I miss the great mochas at the cafe next door. I miss working with so many hardcore Eagles' fans. I miss teaching and helping students. I miss the few oddballs who would ask for help at the reference desk. I miss the lunches and the dinners and other work social events. I miss wearing decent clothes every day.

No workplace will ever be perfect. At times I think we all got on each other's nerves and often I felt patronised because I was the youngest. But mostly it was like having lots of aunties and big sisters (male librarians are a rare breed, there were only a few).

Do you ever look back at places you've worked at in the past with a sense of nostalgia? Or have you worked at places where you've just been glad to get out of?

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Job Snob

Over the past few weeks I have started the dreaded task of job hunting.

I'm not sure if I'm doing it because I really want a job or if other people really want me to get a job. Hmmm I suspect it's a bit of both.

I'm not entirely bored at home because us women can always find some pottering to do. However I do feel 'wasted'. Not drunk mind you, that's not what I spend my days doing. By 'wasted' I mean that I've completed the task I was staying home to do (unpack and organise the house) and now me staying home is a waste. I have no reason to stay home other than cooking and cleaning which don't take all day. I don't have kids to look after. I'm not sick and unable to work. I write only one day a week. Therefore there is no reason why I shouldn't be looking for a part-time job. I think for me to stay home and do nothing would be a waste of my abilities when I could be out there being useful to people.

When I moved here, I braced myself that it wasn't going to be like the city. I wouldn't have a lot of options. In fact, there are no librarian positions here as the public library is run by the shire officers. I would have to do something unrelated to my degree......and that was worrying me.

I applied at the shire but was told there were no positions available but they took my resume in case any vacancies came about. The only positions I saw available were for shops, supermarkets and cafes. I hate hospitality jobs, having worked in hospitality when I was 18....never again! One of the other vacant positions was at a gift/clothing/makeup/toy shop (basically an 'everything' shop) for a couple of days a week. Those hours would suit me perfectly and people I know were asking me whether I had applied. But there was something stopping me.

It took me a while to figure out why I was so reluctant to apply for this job. Basically the only reason I could put it down to was that......I'm a snob.

I DON'T look down on people who have lower paid jobs than I did in Perth. I think people should be happy doing what they love even if that's cleaning or being a checkout chick or a nightfill person. I don't know many people in those jobs who actually DO love it but if someone loves their job then that's great and it doesn't matter how 'lowly' society considers their occupation to be. But there was no way I was going to consider a position like that. If one of those jobs would make other people happy, that's fine, but they're not for me. I think part of it was that I'd studied my butt off for four years (three in Communication and Cultural Studies and one in Information and Library Studies) and I was going to work in an area related to what I'd worked towards. If I didn't then it'd be like those four years were for nothing.

In retrospect, I can see that God had much bigger reasons behind me going to uni other than getting a job (I became a Christian there for a start) but it didn't make it any easier applying for a job that really wasn't what I wanted just because I had to find work. Also I can see now that I care way too much about what other people think, particularly my former workmates at the library who are keeping in touch and are quite keen to know where I'll be working next. I have a feeling that they wouldn't be very impressed if I went from being a qualified librarian to working several days in a shop. I already copped enough weird stares when I told them I was moving to Buntine. To them, it must have looked like I was throwing a promising career away.

I know this is worldly thinking and it frustrates me so much because I don't want to think this way and I don't want to care what worldly people think. I want to enjoy my job and work well rather than climb a corporate ladder, gain prestige and make bucketloads of money....but it isn't easy to change your thinking, especially when there are so many people who will encourage you to think otherwise.

After much thinking and deliberating, I decided I would apply for that job. If I got the job and people in Perth asked me what I was doing, I would just tell them and ignore any raised eyebrows, knowing that I'm with Duncan and my marriage is far more important than any career.

I applied for the job and went for an interview a week ago. Slowly my perspective has changed. I could see that the role would take a bit of adjustment but I think that if I got the job I would really enjoy it. It is cruisy and people-oriented, just not as face-paced and stressful as working in Perth. But I also have peace that if I don't get the job then it's okay, that God is in control and I will work when he determines.

I'm supposed to hear back whether I'm successful or not.

I'm still waiting......

Monday, June 23, 2008

Jane McGrath Loses Her Battle

I was so sad to hear about the death of Jane McGrath on the news last night.

For those of you who don't know who she is, Jane was the wife of former Australian cricketer Glenn McGrath and had been battling cancer for quite a few years now.

I'm not sure why this has affected me. Perhaps because she had fought such a long and brave fight, that I thought she'd beat it in the end. Or maybe it's because breast cancer is an issue affecting so many women.

It angered me a few years ago when someone I was talking to (can't remember who) said they reckoned Glenn would be cheating on her because that's what all Aussie cricketers do. Just because Shane Warne is a sleazebag doesn't mean they all are. I would hate to have my character degraded simply because I was in the public eye. How did that person know that Glenn McGrath was anything but a loving and supportive husband? Answer: they didn't.

Pray for Glenn McGrath, who is now a single dad to two children and pray for the whole family, that they will know God's love at this time.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Two Years On

Two years on from what you may ask?

Today my blog celebrates its 2nd birthday.

And it (I) would like cake....thanks :)

Apparently only 5% of blogs reach this milestone. For many, blogging starts off as a fun hobby but then their blog falls by the wayside due to writer's block, disillusion at the lack of comments they receive, busyness of life or the fact that being committed to updating a blog regularly takes...well....commitment. That's something which a lot of people don't have these days in many areas but that's a topic for another post.

Over the past two years I have learnt a lot about the rules/etiquette and general experiences of blogging. I learnt a lot about life, about God and about myself. I've also learnt some blogs are worth reading and others aren't worth a minute of my time. Sometimes you need to pick and choose who you listen to.

Shortly after my wedding, I considered giving my blog the flick. Not because of its small readership. Not because I'd run out of things to say. It was because I was growing disheartened about the often lack of godliness in the blogosphere, even between Christians, and I know I'm not the greatest either so I thought maybe I should just quit. But then God reminded me that the blogosphere is really no different to the world in a lot of ways and I can't run from the world just because it aint nice sometimes. I'm called to be in the world but not of the world. So here I am, in the blogosphere but called to be a radically different blogger for Christ. I'm still learning what this entails. But I aint going nowhere. Sorry but if that disappoints you....tough hehe. I'm here to stay :)

Some other things I've learnt:
  • Archives are fabulous to look back on. Sure, sometimes I re-read posts and cringe but it was all part of the 'journey'. Two years ago, I was single and had my heart set on moving to Melbourne. Two years later, I'm married and living in a place that's much much smaller than Melbourne. Strange how things work out.
  • The smiley is not always an accurate representation of a blogger's current emotions. Sometimes I've typed a smiley when I've been seething with anger, ready to throttle some people because of something they wrote. I'm trying to let my smileys coincide with my smile but it's not easy sometimes.
  • I ummed and aahed for months over whether to start my own blog after being a lurker on others' blogs for months beforehand. Sure, if I hadn't started it I would have saved hours and hours of my time but I would have also missed out on just sharing life with people (complete strangers at first) and learning so much.
  • Some things are worth debating (fighting) about and some things aren't worth my breath and I've learnt to just let it go.
I also comprehended a change of title for my blog since 'Sed' is a combination of the first letter of Sarah plus the first two letters of my now maiden name. Now that my surname has changed, should my blog's name change too? I decided, nah, the Sedshed will continue to exist as it is.
What about you? What have you learnt over your time as a blogger? If you're reading this but don't have your own blog, what's stopping you starting one? What do you find about blogging that benefits you personally? And what do you find frustrating?
Happy 2nd anniversary to 'This is what Sed said'.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Quote of the Day

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain.
- Unknown

Monday, June 16, 2008

Cuddles With Ellie

Some of you may remember that my family in Albany had two ginger female cats (Ellie and Marmalade) who were sisters. We'd had them for 11 years (since they were five). Earlier this year, my parents decided to have Marmers put down since she was in such poor health. I also mentioned in that post that Ellie was grieving for her sister as this was the first time they'd been apart in 16 years.

The first time I saw Ellie since Marmers was put down was the Easter long weekend. I went down to Albany, not sure what to expect, as my mum had been telling me over the phone about Ellie's increasingly strange behaviour.

Ellie had always been a very independent cat. If she were human, I could imagine she'd be a bit of an oddball and a bit of a loner, content to do her own thing. She is quite shy and never cared too much for affection although she enjoyed when she got it. Marmers was far more outgoing and dominant. We actually doubted Ellie would miss Marmers too much at all.

Boy, we were wrong. To this day, Ellie still comes inside and makes a horrible meowing noise, poking her noise into all the rooms as if she's looking for her sister. She was so disturbed about sleeping in the shed (where they usually slept) because she could smell Marmers in there. In the end, my dad threw Marmers's old bed out (a cardboard box with old towels in it) and that helped somewhat. Then suddenly Ellie became a lap cat which was surprising as she'd NEVER liked cuddles or being picked up and would always wriggle until you let her go. When I came down, she came up to me and kept meowing at me, then she jumped onto my knee and was quite content to stay there for as long as she pleased. Now she also makes a horrible harsh meowing noise outside the back door until you let her in and put the heater on for her. Then she'll lie quietly. My brother told her, "You can pay for the heating bill." Personally I think she's a wily old cat and is playing us a bit.

Ellie often makes such a racket outside that my parents have to bring her in just so she won't disturb the neighbours. It's a noise none like we'd heard before and we believe she's calling Marmers. She's also starting to waste away like Marmers did. My dad thinks she'll eventually die of a broken heart.

I hate to see anyone depressed - people or animals. I don't know what to do for Ellie and while I very much enjoyed my cuddles with her at Easter, I hate to see my poor old pussy cat like this.

Has anyone ever had a depressed animal before and know what to do?


Ellie and I on Easter Saturday.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Friday Funny

This was sent to me by a now former workmate. It's hilarious!

DISORDER IN THE AMERICAN COURTS
These are from a book called Disorder in the American Courts, and are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and now published by court reporters who had the torment of staying calm while these exchanges were actually taking place. It's worth reading to the end! Those of you who have worked with attorneys will find this very easy to understand....

ATTORNEY: Are you sexually active?
WITNESS: No, I just lie there.

ATTORNEY: What is your date of birth?
WITNESS: July 18th.
ATTORNEY: What year?
WITNESS: Every year.

ATTORNEY: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
WITNESS: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.

ATTORNEY: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
WITNESS: I forget.
ATTORNEY: You forget? Can you give us an example of something you forgot?

ATTORNEY: How old is your son, the one living with you?
WITNESS: Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can't remember which.
ATTORNEY: How long has he lived with you?
WITNESS: Forty-five years.

ATTORNEY: What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning?
WITNESS: He said, "Where am I, Cathy?"
ATTORNEY: And why did that upset you?
WITNESS: My name is Susan.

ATTORNEY: Do you know if your daughter has ever been involved in voodoo?
WITNESS: We both do.
ATTORNEY: Voodoo?
WITNESS: We do.
ATTORNEY: You do?
WITNESS: Yes, voodoo.

ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?

ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the twenty-one-year-old, how old is he?
WITNESS: Uh, he's twenty-one.

ATTORNEY: Were you present when your picture was taken?
WITNESS: Would you repeat the question?

ATTORNEY: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And what were you doing at that time?
WITNESS: Uh....

ATTORNEY: She had three children, right?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: How many were boys?
WITNESS: None.
ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?

ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death.
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?

ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard.
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?

ATTORNEY: Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?
WITNESS: All my autopsies are performed on dead people.

ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
WITNESS: Oral.

ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.
ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?
WITNESS: No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an autopsy on him!

ATTORNEY: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
WITNESS: Huh?

ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY: But could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Wedding 3 2008

The next wedding was the one I came home early from Cornerstone for. Duncan's cousin Cherie (sister of Leighton from Wedding 1) married Brett on Sunday 2nd March at the beautiful Matilda Bay foreshore. I finally remembered to put on some sunscreen for the third outdoor wedding I'd been to in as many months. The ceremony was followed by afternoon tea under a marquee (hey, that rhymes).







Brett (far left) and his boys.












Cherie and her dad, Ian, coming down the aisle.











The back of Cherie's lovely dress.









Cherie's girls. They all wore different colours and styles.









Kissy kissy!













Dunc with his cousin's son, Will. Their outfits were almost matching.













Signing the register.





























The new Mr and Mrs.













Bridal party arriving back after photos.


























Cherie's dad's speech.














Cutting the cake.












First dance.















Us.














And again!












Dunc's mum (on the left) and her identical twin (Dunc's auntie obviously).












Boats on the Swan River.










View of the city.









And they sailed away into the sunset.





The next wedding I blog about will be OURS!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

So Sad

I was on Facebook yesterday and saw that on a friend's profile that her friend's baby boy died on Saturday. I have met this friend of hers a couple of times and when I read that, my heart just broke for her. She is married with a two-year-old daughter and while I'm not entirely sure how her five-month-old baby son died, it sounds like it was SIDS but again I'm not sure, only that he passed away in his sleep.

Both she and her husband are Christians and trusting the Lord with this but if you have spare minute, please join me and many others in praying for Donna, Adam and Jessica as they grieve for their son and brother. Pray that God would keep them close and bring them comfort and peace with the hope of seeing little Jordan again in heaven.

Friday, June 06, 2008

Calling all Theoblogians #4

Okay, I really need all you theologian types to come out of the woodwork and respond to this. Or even if you've never been to Bible college but have a Bible-based opinion then please leave a comment, even if you wish to be anonymous.

Nearly two weeks ago, Duncan and I had lunch after church with a guy from our church. While we were eating, he suddenly changed the topic to the trinity and said quite frankly that the trinity is man's idea and that there is no evidence for it in the bible. To say the least, both Duncan and I were pretty spun out. I've only been a Christian for six and a half years and didn't grow up in a Christian home, but since my conversion, I have never doubted the trinity exists. Sure, it's hard to get your head around but I have never expected to be able to understand what God understands because that would make me God! I had never met a Christian that DIDN'T believe in the trinity. Was it even possible to refute the trinity and still be a Christian? I had always thought that was a JW belief.

This guy was well armed with Bible verses that he said never say Jesus is God in the flesh. In fact, he believes that Jesus is not divine at all, that he is 100% man and although he is FROM God, he is not God. He said that Jesus was the perfect man, created by God so he is not the Creator, he is a creation. Since he lived the perfect life, he is able to be a perfect sacrifice and pay for the sins of mankind.

One of the first questions that Duncan and I asked was how could a man, even a perfect man, pay for ALL the sins of mankind - past, present and future? The guy replied that the problem with many Christians is that we have got it into our heads that only God could pay for sins because we are so programmed by the idea of the trinity. He said that if God created a perfect man and said that by his death and resurrection, we could be forgiven then God can do what he likes. He also said that Jesus only became 'divine' because the early church needed to have a 'god' as the cornerstone of their religion to be able to compete with other religions and mythologies. To have a man as the centre of their faith would not have been enough. This is something which The DaVinci Code also claims if I am correct.

I am not the greatest at pulling Bible verses out of a hat to counter arguments. I find it even more difficult 'under pressure' when someone is challenging you and they are pre-prepared with a list of Bible verses and all I have is my tardy memory. Now this guy wasn't trying to be malicious or fight with us. He simply wanted to have a debate and was obviously intending to raise this with us when he invited us to lunch. I still find this quite intimidating. It's tempting to try to win the argument rather than search for truth and have a mature discussion. That's one of the reasons I prefer to debate on blogs and online forums because then you can go away and investigate someone else's claims rather than be put on the spot.

Verses I brought up:
John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
That sure sounds like the Word is Jesus and that the Word (Jesus) was God. That he was there in the beginning (not a creation) and made all things (creator).

Then there's John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

But this guy had a comeback. He claimed that the 'Word' refers to Genesis 3:15 "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."
So Jesus is the fulfillment of that verse. Yes, we agreed. Jesus is the one who will crush the serpent's (Satan's) head but I didn't see how he could deny that the Word is clearly a person.

Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

That sure sounds like the trinity to me. Even though the word 'trinity' is never mentioned in the Bible, surely that verse would prove that God is one yet three persons (kinda confusing I know).

The guy didn't agree. He claimed that verse is not in the original text and was inserted years later by 'trinitarians'. How I could investigate that, I don't know.

Philippians 2:5-8 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!

His counter-argument for this verse was that Jesus had a nature like God's but that does not mean he is God. He said there is no evidence in the New Testament of Jesus ever claiming to be God, only to be the Son of God and a son is not his father.

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

I pointed out that God says "Let US..." so he is either talking to himself or it proves that Jesus was there in the beginning.

But the guys simply said it was a figure of speech which doesn't make sense to me at all. In fact, he said several times that some translations were unreliable or that parts of the Bible had been tampered with (ie. Matthew 28:19). In my opinion, this is very dangerous ground because if you are starting to say that the Bible has been tampered with to prove your opinion, then who's to say which parts have and which parts haven't and the Bible loses its authority in matters of faith.

I digress.....

Duncan asked, "What about the Holy Spirit?" and was given a response that the Holy Spirit is simply another name for God ie. people could call me Sarah or Sed (my nickname) or Duncan's wife and they are still referring to the same person.

I asked then that if Jesus is just a man, created by God then should we worship him as God clearly says to worship him only. He replied "yes, we should worship Jesus, absolutely." Here's my dilemma. Jesus accepted worship - Matthew 28:9 Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him - so either Jesus is guilty of blasphemy or he is God in the flesh.

After a few hours, we went home with our minds spinning and then jumped straight on the net to check for verses. I was absolutely certain there were many verses that I could not remember for the life of me and I was right. Here are a list:
Colossians 2:9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.

Colossians 1:16-20 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
(Another argument this guy had was that all things were created FOR Jesus but not BY or THROUGH him. This passage says otherwise, it says both FOR and BY.)

Titus 2:13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ

Romans 9:5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.

John 17:5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

Acts 20:28 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" —which means, "God with us."

John 20:28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

I think that's enough.

One of the main things that this guy said was that if he can't understand it then it's not true. Meaning he can't understand the logic of the trinity (how can God pray to himself, sit at the right hand of himself, how can the Father and Son be the same person) then it isn't real. There are plenty of things I can't understand about God. How can all the wisdom and supremacy of God fit into a human brain? I don't always understand but I trust him. This guy could not understand how Jesus could be 100% man yet 100% God at the same time, that it is ludicrous and that if Jesus were truly God then he could not have been tempted because God cannot be tempted by anyone.

Another dilemma I have is that if Jesus isn't God in the flesh, then God is still remote to us. He hasn't walked in our shoes, he doesn't understand our pain and temptation. Jesus does but God doesn't if they are separate beings as this guy claims.

After doing some more searching on the net, I found that there are plenty of Christian groups and websites out there supporting this guy's claims. Every verse the 'trinitarians' come up with they have a comeback for. It's pointless arguing. Some sites are Truth or Tradition: Who is Jesus Christ and BiblicalUnitarian.com both of which claim that Jesus is a mere man.

The good thing about these 'debates' is that they can make you turn back to the Bible to see what it actually says. You are challenged to question whether you actually might be right or wrong. But debates also prove what we already know - that anyone can twist scripture and make the Bible say what they want it to say.
Now it's over to you. Have a look at those sites if you have the time. I'd like to know your thoughts. Is it possible to be Christian and not believe Jesus was God in the flesh?

Thursday, June 05, 2008

Cornerstone Pics

We got back from Perth last night (explaining my absence from the blogosphere). While I gather my thoughts, here are some pics from Cornerstone, a camp I went on back late Feb/early March. The theme was 'Designing Church' which interests me greatly at the moment. However, I was slightly disappointed as some of the talks really weren't about what church should look like, therefore I felt the title was a little misleading. However, the first talk was brilliant; a reminder that the gospel needs to be at the centre of every church regardless of its size, style, demographic, location etc. It was still a great camp even though I had to leave early for.....you guessed it.....another wedding!

So here are the photos. I stayed in a cottage with people from my now old church. Although I'm slowly settling into a new church, I miss them.




Taryn and Jill in the dining hall.










Me and Jane.









Lunch









Phil Davidson, the guest musician.












Jane and Brad in the cottage.










Jordan and Daniel






Brad, Ali and Jane