There's nothing quite like stopping and being still in amongst busy-ness. Purposefully resting while all else around you continues to move at a rapid pace. Behind my house, along the river, there is a beautiful big tree with a humble wooden bench sitting beneath it's branches. I love this bench. Hundreds of people walk past this bench every day. They're usually in a hurry; with somewhere to go, someone to see or excess fat to burn. When things are particularly busy, I will often walk to the river and lie down on this bench for a little while. People stare at me like I'm mad. Seriously, they walk past with their heads turned, wondering if they should throw me a $5 note or perform CPR or something. The temptation to stare back at them with my eyes crossed and my tongue hanging from my mouth is very great, yet so far I have resisted. There are far too many negative connotations tied to people who lie on benches. During exams about a year ago I walked down to the river to lie on this very bench. An elderly man, probably nearing his seventies, was walking past on the pathway and stopped in his tracks once he caught sight of me. Still standing on the pathway, not daring to come any closer, he called out to me "What are you doing?". I had been enjoying a lovely daydreaming sess and was a little startled by the sudden interruption. I sat up quickly and explained that I hadn't heard what he had said. Still refusing to venture from the path of safety, he called out again "What are you lying down for? Are you knocked-up or something?". Ouch. I explained that I was taking a study break and felt a little tired, and he turned on his heel and marched off, muttering angrily under his breath about how ridiculous it was for a young person to be lying down during the day.
This wasn't a particularly encouraging encounter, but I still love that bench. It is hard and lacks pillows, so there is no risk of me falling asleep, yet it is still incredibly peaceful. Sometimes I feel so overjoyed by all of the wonderful things that God has blessed me with, that the most appropriate response to this seems to be to stop and rest in the knowledge that I am His child. Just to be still and know that He is God. For people who do not share this same joy, that is an odd thing to do. Why would you stop when there is so much to do? So many people to see? So many things to achieve? Yet there is so much value in just stopping, and being still, and praising God that He is good even when life is overwhelmingly busy. For those of us who are students, things are particularly busy at the moment. I suppose the purpose of this blog is to encourage whoever is reading this to take the time to be still. Just stop. Rest. Find peace in the knowledge that we are loved unconditionally. That God is in control. Please know that I say this knowing that I myself do it very poorly. Scheduling in rest feels like an odd thing to do when there is so much work looming over my head. But it is essential. There is nothing more energising than acknowledging that we are living for something far greater than the busy-ness of this world.
On that note.. I'm off to do some last minute revision for today's exam. All the best for those who are drowning in the dark and murky Uni waters at the moment. Remember that it is Christ who sustains us, and whatever we do is for His glory.
Peace out, rock on, yada yada yada... :)
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Free Indeed...
Recently a group of CUers have been participating in Alt-R. What is Alt-R, you may ask? Actually, I wonder what happens if you press Alt-R on the computer keyboard.... hmm, just tried it.. apparently it does nothing. I was half expecting my computer to explode or spontaneously break into song or something. ANYWAY.. tangent... Alt-R is a Christian Union initiative which involves a crew of us heading to the Cleveland Detention Centre for a couple of hours every fortnight to play sport with some of the lads. Last week was my first week of Alt-R, and it was a really great experience. My touch footy skills could use a little polishing, but it is such a fun sport. It was so encouraging to see that the boys seemed to enjoy spending time with us as much as we did with them. Even if that was only because our presence provided a break in the monotony, I still think that is a plus. Showing these boys love through our interactions and our willingness to spend time with them was a really positive experience. It was also an awesome reminder that it's God who saves His people, not our ability to clearly articulate the truth or to love unconditionally. How wonderful that God uses us for His purposes! Claire Ferguson had a long chat with one of the guards about some of his beliefs, which was really encouraging and reminded me that even though we are focusing a lot of our time on the lads, our interactions with the staff are also hugely important. I spent about an hour playing soccer with a few of the lads, and really enjoyed being able to talk with them about their lives. I was particularly struck by how willing they were to share their experiences and their hopes and plans for the future with me. They even asked me a few questions about my life, which was really great and I enjoyed sharing with them as well. I came away thinking "They were SUCH good kids!". And in the context of the time I spent with them, they were. They were respectful and polite and responded well to my questions. However, as I was reminded by my very wise boyfriend, many of these boys aren't necessarily 'good kids', and particularly as females entering the centre we shouldn't be naive about this. A few of the boys I was talking with only had a couple of weeks left of remaining in the centre. It was really good to hear about how they plan to spend their time once they've been 'released'. Some of the boys are going to continue with school. One of the boys is going to travel to Mt Isa where his big brother will teach him how to work on a cattle property. But one boy's response in particular has really stuck with me. When I asked him what he planned to do once he left the centre, he threw his head back and exclaimed "Just enjoy being FREE!".
So much of me wanted to take that boy and sit him down and explain to him in no uncertain terms what true freedom is. His excitement about the thought of being free was palpable. Yet the pure joy that accompanies true freedom is so much greater. I'm sure that this particular boy's definition of freedom would differ quite significantly from mine. Worldly freedom differs quite significantly from the freedom that we as Christians live in. Romans 6:18 says
"You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness".
The passage goes on to say in verse 22 "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life".
Worldly freedom tells us that we are free to live as we please. Free to live for ourselves. Free to follow our desires and our passions. Free to become our own god, and to direct the paths that our lives follow. Yes, it is wonderful to live in a free country where we don't have to answer to the powers that be and can live as we chose without fear of severe reprimand. Yet this is merely a shadow of the freedom that we experience as children of God. We have been SET FREE from our sin. We have been SET FREE to live under God, our Creator and our Father. We have been SET FREE to become more like His Son and to live eternally by His side. We have been released from the deathy grasp of sin and SET FREE to live in righteousness. Note that Paul doesn't say that we "decided to SET OURSELVES FREE because living under the rule of sin was a right bore". Paul says in verse 19 that we are weak in our natural selves. I don't know about you, but so often I am acutely aware of my inability to live in righteousness by my own strength. So often I stray, so often I stumble. Yet even as we were dead in our sin, we were loved by our Father, and made alive by His Son.
Verse 14 says "For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace".
Wow. That blows me away. How right it is that we praise our Father!
For those who pray, please pray that we will be able to share this freedom with the boys at Cleveland. This may show through our actions initially, but hopefully opportunities will arise where it is appropriate to speak to the boys about the love and grace that gives our lives purpose, meaning and hope. In the words of a beautiful song that I recently heard, "We're free indeed, we have been set free, Son has set us free".
So much of me wanted to take that boy and sit him down and explain to him in no uncertain terms what true freedom is. His excitement about the thought of being free was palpable. Yet the pure joy that accompanies true freedom is so much greater. I'm sure that this particular boy's definition of freedom would differ quite significantly from mine. Worldly freedom differs quite significantly from the freedom that we as Christians live in. Romans 6:18 says
"You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness".
The passage goes on to say in verse 22 "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life".
Worldly freedom tells us that we are free to live as we please. Free to live for ourselves. Free to follow our desires and our passions. Free to become our own god, and to direct the paths that our lives follow. Yes, it is wonderful to live in a free country where we don't have to answer to the powers that be and can live as we chose without fear of severe reprimand. Yet this is merely a shadow of the freedom that we experience as children of God. We have been SET FREE from our sin. We have been SET FREE to live under God, our Creator and our Father. We have been SET FREE to become more like His Son and to live eternally by His side. We have been released from the deathy grasp of sin and SET FREE to live in righteousness. Note that Paul doesn't say that we "decided to SET OURSELVES FREE because living under the rule of sin was a right bore". Paul says in verse 19 that we are weak in our natural selves. I don't know about you, but so often I am acutely aware of my inability to live in righteousness by my own strength. So often I stray, so often I stumble. Yet even as we were dead in our sin, we were loved by our Father, and made alive by His Son.
Verse 14 says "For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace".
Wow. That blows me away. How right it is that we praise our Father!
For those who pray, please pray that we will be able to share this freedom with the boys at Cleveland. This may show through our actions initially, but hopefully opportunities will arise where it is appropriate to speak to the boys about the love and grace that gives our lives purpose, meaning and hope. In the words of a beautiful song that I recently heard, "We're free indeed, we have been set free, Son has set us free".
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Who am I?
Who am I? Well.. that depends on who you ask. If you ask any of my peers at Uni, they will tell you that I am a student. If you ask my lecturers, they will insist that I am a pre-service teacher. If you ask my SBTE (School Based Teacher Educator) she will tell you that I am a student teacher. If you ask the ladies I work with at VECDP, they will tell you that I am a teacher aide. If you read the snazzy Buddina State Primary School name badge that I was given today, it will tell you that I am a learning manager. That's right, I am Carly Laird - Learning Manager. I'm sorry.. but what exactly is a learning manager supposed to be?? I always thought that it was somewhat amusing that JCU pushes the term 'pre-service teacher'. Apparently 'student teacher' has negative connotations that may crush the precious self esteem of teachers in training. However learning manager just seems a bit much. I'm not really sure whose learning I'm supposed to be managing. Probably my own, seeing as I'm still a student myself. That hardly seems worthy of a name badge title though. Oh well.. it's nice to feel a part of the staff, even if it is a little bit pretentious.
Today I had my first day of prac! I have a wonderful SBTE who seems to maintain a nice balance between being helpful and directed as well as chilled out and flexible, which works really well for me. As a whole my kids are pretty well-behaved, which is just lovely! Obviously there are a few boys in particular who can be a little rowdy, although by the end of the day they were fighting to sit at my feet and asking to hold my hand, so I'm not overly worried. Unfortunately this blog will be quite short because I have a fair bit of planning to do before tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who has sent me messages and emails while I've been away. It's so nice to feel cared for and missed even when I'm only away for a week! Peace out :)
Today I had my first day of prac! I have a wonderful SBTE who seems to maintain a nice balance between being helpful and directed as well as chilled out and flexible, which works really well for me. As a whole my kids are pretty well-behaved, which is just lovely! Obviously there are a few boys in particular who can be a little rowdy, although by the end of the day they were fighting to sit at my feet and asking to hold my hand, so I'm not overly worried. Unfortunately this blog will be quite short because I have a fair bit of planning to do before tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who has sent me messages and emails while I've been away. It's so nice to feel cared for and missed even when I'm only away for a week! Peace out :)
Monday, April 13, 2009
Prac Blogging!
It really has been quite some time since I have posted here! This was brought to my attention by the not-so-subtle pesterings of a few dear friends (I'm talking to you here Cam, Joel, Tim and Amanda). I have also noticed that both Joel and Phoebe have found the time to update their blogs. Therefore I am without excuse. Although in my defence, I feel that Uni is slowly killing the joy of blogging for me. I have never in my life had to write as many long and waffling reflections as I have this semester. Don't get me wrong, I definitely see the value in reflecting, however it can become a little tedious. But anyway, that's not particularly important, and it's certainly not the focus of this post.
I am writing to you from Buddina Beach on the Sunshine Coast. The weather is quite cool, although I am told that the only reason I feel cool is because I am a soft Townsville girl. Probably true. I am staying here with my family and I'm realising just how much I miss seeing them. I'm also realising how much I miss the sound of the ocean. It always makes me feel sleepy and relaxed. For those who may be wondering, no I am not just taking a holiday. I am actually here for a one week placement at Buddina State Primary school. I will try to keep this blog updated on all things prac, however don't be surprised if I haven't updated by the end of the week. I think that this prac will be quite full on, although I am feeling a little excited. I drove past my school today and I am looking forward to meeting my class of grade ones!
Today I spent a fair bit of time in the Brisbane airport, and I realised that I quite like airports. A minister once told me that he often goes to airports and just spends time watching people (he's not as creepy as he may sound) because he felt that this was a good way for him to keep in touch with his compassion for people. I can't say that I've ever done this, but I can understand his point. Airports can be emotional places. John Mayer sums it up well in his song "Wheel"...
"And airports
See it all the time
Where someone's last goodbye
Blends in with someone's sigh
Cause someone's coming home
In hand a single rose"
Goodbyes can be really hard. I am terrible at goodbyes, I really do struggle. It's nice to know that I am not the only one though. Airports are an interesting place to observe how different people handle goodbyes. Some try to make them short and brief and as emotionless as possible. Some cling to the person they are saying goodbye to and desperately try to memorise their eyes, their smell and their touch. Some cry unashamedly. Some awkwardly pat each other on the shoulder and stumble through rehearsed phrases such as "have a good one".
It's always fun to watch how children react in airports. They can be so insatiably excitable! "Look! The Jetstar is coming!!" It's so amusing when little ones run ahead of their bedraggled parents yelling "Quick we'll miss the plane quick quick qqquuuiiiccckkk!". I love the way that excitement in children is almost always accompanied by an overflow of questions; "Are we flying in the silver plane? Why aren't we flying in the red plane? Why is our plane silver? What are clouds made of? Why can we fly through clouds? Are clouds wet? What happens if the plane crashes? Will it be on fire? Why do planes crash? Do planes float?".
For some reason I also find the voice-overs in airports highly amusing. Today in the Brisbane airport there was a wide variety of accents; Irish, British, Aussie, some form of Asian, etc. I sometimes wonder if it is the same guy just putting on different accents for kicks. As I was waiting in the Brisbane airport today, a Qantus voice-over was reading out the surnames of the people who were late for their flight. There were about a dozen names to read out, and unfortunately for the voice-over lady, they were all foreign. There was a long and drawn out pause after each name, followed by stuttering and frustrated sighs. As if that wasn't bad enough, she then had to read the names a second time. The most enjoyable part about this little performance was that each name sounded completely different to the names given in the first reading. It was hilarious!
Flying is also fun, although I'm sure that the novelty would wear off quite quickly if I had to fly every weekend. Flight attendants can be quite amusing. I think that most of us have been on flights where there have been particularly charismatic and friendly flight attendants. They really do make the flight a much nicer experience. Unfortunately most of us would also have experienced flights where the cabin crew were less than friendly. I couldn't get any of the flight attendants to smile today. Very disappointing. Although one of them had a ridiculous hairstyle that essentially looked like someone had stuck a yellow donut to the back of her head, so I'm not sure that I would be smiling either. Prior to landing today, the captain advised the guests that the cabin lighting would be dimmed for our 'comfort'. Although within five seconds of this sentence leaving his mouth, the wailing twangy noise that goes by the name of Kasey Chambers filled the aircraft. If the staff had any concern for our comfort at all, they wouldn't have subjected us to Kasey. Other than that, it was a very pleasant flight.
Yes, I do realise that my first installment of prac blogging doesn't really have anything to do with prac, but that is ok. Tomorrow I will visit my school and meet the office staff, and I will meet my class on Tuesday. I am really hoping to not get sick. So far I have managed to get sick within a few days of beginning every prac that I have ever done to date. It's time to break the pattern!! I hope that you are all well... thanks for all of the comments, they are always really lovely to read! :)
I am writing to you from Buddina Beach on the Sunshine Coast. The weather is quite cool, although I am told that the only reason I feel cool is because I am a soft Townsville girl. Probably true. I am staying here with my family and I'm realising just how much I miss seeing them. I'm also realising how much I miss the sound of the ocean. It always makes me feel sleepy and relaxed. For those who may be wondering, no I am not just taking a holiday. I am actually here for a one week placement at Buddina State Primary school. I will try to keep this blog updated on all things prac, however don't be surprised if I haven't updated by the end of the week. I think that this prac will be quite full on, although I am feeling a little excited. I drove past my school today and I am looking forward to meeting my class of grade ones!
Today I spent a fair bit of time in the Brisbane airport, and I realised that I quite like airports. A minister once told me that he often goes to airports and just spends time watching people (he's not as creepy as he may sound) because he felt that this was a good way for him to keep in touch with his compassion for people. I can't say that I've ever done this, but I can understand his point. Airports can be emotional places. John Mayer sums it up well in his song "Wheel"...
"And airports
See it all the time
Where someone's last goodbye
Blends in with someone's sigh
Cause someone's coming home
In hand a single rose"
Goodbyes can be really hard. I am terrible at goodbyes, I really do struggle. It's nice to know that I am not the only one though. Airports are an interesting place to observe how different people handle goodbyes. Some try to make them short and brief and as emotionless as possible. Some cling to the person they are saying goodbye to and desperately try to memorise their eyes, their smell and their touch. Some cry unashamedly. Some awkwardly pat each other on the shoulder and stumble through rehearsed phrases such as "have a good one".
It's always fun to watch how children react in airports. They can be so insatiably excitable! "Look! The Jetstar is coming!!" It's so amusing when little ones run ahead of their bedraggled parents yelling "Quick we'll miss the plane quick quick qqquuuiiiccckkk!". I love the way that excitement in children is almost always accompanied by an overflow of questions; "Are we flying in the silver plane? Why aren't we flying in the red plane? Why is our plane silver? What are clouds made of? Why can we fly through clouds? Are clouds wet? What happens if the plane crashes? Will it be on fire? Why do planes crash? Do planes float?".
For some reason I also find the voice-overs in airports highly amusing. Today in the Brisbane airport there was a wide variety of accents; Irish, British, Aussie, some form of Asian, etc. I sometimes wonder if it is the same guy just putting on different accents for kicks. As I was waiting in the Brisbane airport today, a Qantus voice-over was reading out the surnames of the people who were late for their flight. There were about a dozen names to read out, and unfortunately for the voice-over lady, they were all foreign. There was a long and drawn out pause after each name, followed by stuttering and frustrated sighs. As if that wasn't bad enough, she then had to read the names a second time. The most enjoyable part about this little performance was that each name sounded completely different to the names given in the first reading. It was hilarious!
Flying is also fun, although I'm sure that the novelty would wear off quite quickly if I had to fly every weekend. Flight attendants can be quite amusing. I think that most of us have been on flights where there have been particularly charismatic and friendly flight attendants. They really do make the flight a much nicer experience. Unfortunately most of us would also have experienced flights where the cabin crew were less than friendly. I couldn't get any of the flight attendants to smile today. Very disappointing. Although one of them had a ridiculous hairstyle that essentially looked like someone had stuck a yellow donut to the back of her head, so I'm not sure that I would be smiling either. Prior to landing today, the captain advised the guests that the cabin lighting would be dimmed for our 'comfort'. Although within five seconds of this sentence leaving his mouth, the wailing twangy noise that goes by the name of Kasey Chambers filled the aircraft. If the staff had any concern for our comfort at all, they wouldn't have subjected us to Kasey. Other than that, it was a very pleasant flight.
Yes, I do realise that my first installment of prac blogging doesn't really have anything to do with prac, but that is ok. Tomorrow I will visit my school and meet the office staff, and I will meet my class on Tuesday. I am really hoping to not get sick. So far I have managed to get sick within a few days of beginning every prac that I have ever done to date. It's time to break the pattern!! I hope that you are all well... thanks for all of the comments, they are always really lovely to read! :)
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Please don't stop the music....*
This morning at church I was told by the ever-direct Chris that I should update my blog, because "even Joel has found time to update his blog". Apparently the life of a doctor is the true measure of busy-ness, and as I am not a doctor, I should be able to at least match his blog updates. So with this in mind, I thought that I would write to you, dear reader, about what has been on my mind lately. Competitive blogging aside, finding out that people actually read your blog is always a nice little motivation to write more often! :)
Something that has been on my mind recently is music. Yes, I can hear your disappointed sigh from here. You were probably expecting something out of the ordinary. Anyone who knows me will understand that music frequently features in most, if not all, of my day-dreaming sessions. Most things that people say remind me of a song, and rarely a minute will pass by when I am not humming along to a song in my head. So if you are having a conversation with me and I suddenly get a faraway wistful look in my eyes, chances are that something you have said triggered a song that is now playing on repeat in my head. Now would probably be an ideal time to notify the good people at the TTH psych ward. (Just as an aside, why does 'The' feature in the acronym for our public hospital?! How silly... it makes the word 'the' seem repetitive and redundant, yet the sentence feels incomplete without it). Anywho... music is such a huge part of who I am. It is intrinsically linked to my conscious being. My arts lecturer would be proud of that sentence. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I kind of like that I have such an indefinable connection to music.
You don't have to be a music connoisseur to appreciate that music is strongly emotive. However I am struck by how the emotions that music can produce sometimes contradict the emotions embedded in the lyrics. Two songs that I really love are "Why Georgia" by John Mayer and "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman. As soon as I hear the opening riff to either of these songs I cannot keep the smile from my face. There are so many good memories attached to both of these songs, and listening to them reminds me of how I felt at those times. Although both of these songs are not exactly uplifting. Throughout "Why Georgia" John Mayer sings of frustration, discontentment and a fear that he isn't living life 'right'. Tracy Chapman in "Fast Car" tells the story of a one woman's dreams (the pursuit of a 'better life' and the desire to belong) that are brought to a halt by the heartbreaking realities of life. The tensions that are explored in both of these songs are acutely felt by many people throughout the course of their lives. Not exactly a cheery thought. Yet, because of the memories attached to these songs, they make me want to dance! Maybe I just need to pay closer attention to lyrics.....
The other music related pondering that I have been mulling over recently is the calming effect that music has on people. When I am feeling nervous about something, listening to Coldplay or Switchfoot always makes me feel better. Christian music is particularly helpful here, although that is another blog topic for another time. Recently, when I have had important and intense conversations with people, strumming quietly on the guitar seems to help to create a calm setting. It can also be a little distracting, but I am a pretty distractable person. I came across a good example of the calming quality of music this week at work with our beautiful P.I. (physical impairment) kids. A physio came in to see if we could encourage one of our little ones to stand in an upright frame for a portion of the lesson, so I was working along side her. The little girl DID NOT like the standing frame one bit! She cried and cried, the poor darlin. After trying everything to calm her down, we figured that it would be better to give the standing frame a miss a try again another day. So the physio went to work with a different client, and I was left with a thoroughly distraught little girl. Again, I tried everything I could think of to calm her down, yet nothing would work. Maybe this is an unhelpful teaching approach, but in situations like this, when none of the strategies from my 'teacher's toolbox' are working, I sometimes think about what I would do if I was the child's mother. So after about 15 minutes I unstrapped the little girl from her wheelchair and cuddled her on my knee. Whenever I was sick as a little girl, my Mum would sing "Kum By Ah" to me until I fell asleep. I always feel calm whenever I hear this song, I think that I have been conditioned to feel sleepy whenever someone sings it. So, with the little girl snuggled on my knee, I sang "Kum By Ah", over and over again. Before too long, her crying stopped and she fell into a deep sleep. She may have fell asleep simply because she had reached the point of utter exhaustion, but I like to think that "Kum By Ah" at least helped to create a calm environment. When she woke up again, she was a completely different little girl, smiling and laughing at nothing inparticular. I was exhausted, yet I couldn't help smiling at this little girl's sudden show of joy.
* The astute of you will realise that the title is a quote from a Rhianna song. Not that you would admit knowing this. I was struggling to think of a song quote that had something to do with music. Cam's suggestion was "Doh a freakin' deer", but I didn't think that it went with the tone of the blog so I settled for Rhianna. Alternative suggestions would be appreciated.
Something that has been on my mind recently is music. Yes, I can hear your disappointed sigh from here. You were probably expecting something out of the ordinary. Anyone who knows me will understand that music frequently features in most, if not all, of my day-dreaming sessions. Most things that people say remind me of a song, and rarely a minute will pass by when I am not humming along to a song in my head. So if you are having a conversation with me and I suddenly get a faraway wistful look in my eyes, chances are that something you have said triggered a song that is now playing on repeat in my head. Now would probably be an ideal time to notify the good people at the TTH psych ward. (Just as an aside, why does 'The' feature in the acronym for our public hospital?! How silly... it makes the word 'the' seem repetitive and redundant, yet the sentence feels incomplete without it). Anywho... music is such a huge part of who I am. It is intrinsically linked to my conscious being. My arts lecturer would be proud of that sentence. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I kind of like that I have such an indefinable connection to music.
You don't have to be a music connoisseur to appreciate that music is strongly emotive. However I am struck by how the emotions that music can produce sometimes contradict the emotions embedded in the lyrics. Two songs that I really love are "Why Georgia" by John Mayer and "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman. As soon as I hear the opening riff to either of these songs I cannot keep the smile from my face. There are so many good memories attached to both of these songs, and listening to them reminds me of how I felt at those times. Although both of these songs are not exactly uplifting. Throughout "Why Georgia" John Mayer sings of frustration, discontentment and a fear that he isn't living life 'right'. Tracy Chapman in "Fast Car" tells the story of a one woman's dreams (the pursuit of a 'better life' and the desire to belong) that are brought to a halt by the heartbreaking realities of life. The tensions that are explored in both of these songs are acutely felt by many people throughout the course of their lives. Not exactly a cheery thought. Yet, because of the memories attached to these songs, they make me want to dance! Maybe I just need to pay closer attention to lyrics.....
The other music related pondering that I have been mulling over recently is the calming effect that music has on people. When I am feeling nervous about something, listening to Coldplay or Switchfoot always makes me feel better. Christian music is particularly helpful here, although that is another blog topic for another time. Recently, when I have had important and intense conversations with people, strumming quietly on the guitar seems to help to create a calm setting. It can also be a little distracting, but I am a pretty distractable person. I came across a good example of the calming quality of music this week at work with our beautiful P.I. (physical impairment) kids. A physio came in to see if we could encourage one of our little ones to stand in an upright frame for a portion of the lesson, so I was working along side her. The little girl DID NOT like the standing frame one bit! She cried and cried, the poor darlin. After trying everything to calm her down, we figured that it would be better to give the standing frame a miss a try again another day. So the physio went to work with a different client, and I was left with a thoroughly distraught little girl. Again, I tried everything I could think of to calm her down, yet nothing would work. Maybe this is an unhelpful teaching approach, but in situations like this, when none of the strategies from my 'teacher's toolbox' are working, I sometimes think about what I would do if I was the child's mother. So after about 15 minutes I unstrapped the little girl from her wheelchair and cuddled her on my knee. Whenever I was sick as a little girl, my Mum would sing "Kum By Ah" to me until I fell asleep. I always feel calm whenever I hear this song, I think that I have been conditioned to feel sleepy whenever someone sings it. So, with the little girl snuggled on my knee, I sang "Kum By Ah", over and over again. Before too long, her crying stopped and she fell into a deep sleep. She may have fell asleep simply because she had reached the point of utter exhaustion, but I like to think that "Kum By Ah" at least helped to create a calm environment. When she woke up again, she was a completely different little girl, smiling and laughing at nothing inparticular. I was exhausted, yet I couldn't help smiling at this little girl's sudden show of joy.
* The astute of you will realise that the title is a quote from a Rhianna song. Not that you would admit knowing this. I was struggling to think of a song quote that had something to do with music. Cam's suggestion was "Doh a freakin' deer", but I didn't think that it went with the tone of the blog so I settled for Rhianna. Alternative suggestions would be appreciated.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Everything is Meaningless
"Everything fails, everything runs it's course"
"Everything is meaningless, I want more than simple cash can buy"
Recently I enrolled in the University of Southern Queensland in order to complete an external subject this semester and count it towards my compulsory elective. At the beginning of this week I received a letter from USQ which simply stated "Congratulations for choosing to study at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ)!" along with a USQ username and password. Other than feeling slightly bemused by the ridiculous exclamation mark, I thought that 'congratulations' was an odd choice of words. A few days later I received a USQ student pack, which contained some brochures which I briefly glanced at, a magnet, some stickers (how novel) and a wall calendar. After deciding that most of the pack was useless I figured that the wall calendar could at least tell me what day it was, so I opened it out and had a squiz. The background of the calendar looks like intergalactic pish posh; lots of stars, bright lights and electric sparks. Towards the bottom of the calendar is a large orb which seems to be radiating quite a lot of electricity. The orb is suspended by two hands (incidentally the manicured hands of a woman). The picture reminded me of pictures that you often see in Christian literature that depict the hands of God lovingly supporting the world, His creation. However this orb isn't the world, it's just a confusion of colour and light. I suppose that is significant of the humanistic view that 'the world is what you make it'. Anywho.. plastered across the top of the calendar is the slogan "Fulfilling Lives". I had a flick through some of the other USQ paraphernalia and realised that this phrase is used on all of their letter heads. I was quite taken aback by this. Although I now understood why I had been congratulated for having the wisdom to enroll in USQ. Clearly my life is about to be fulfilled. I can't help but wonder, why would a University claim to fulfill lives? Especially a University in Toowoomba. Furthering one's education through institutions such as University is certainly a good thing, but it will not fulfill your life. It may increase job prospects, allow for the development of discipline, facilitate personal and academic growth, provide opportunities for social networking and grant you a four year reprieve from full time work, but it will not fulfill your life.
Switchfoot would have to be one of my favourite bands. The two lines at the beginning of this post are taken from their song "Happy is a Yuppie Word" which features on their album "Nothing is Sound". This song is inspired by the book of Ecclesiastes, which I have just finished reading. For those who aren't familiar with Ecclesiastes, the chapter begins with:
"The words of the Teacher, son of David, king of Jerusalem: "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless."
That's a pretty confronting way to start a chapter. Everything is meaningless. How encouraging. However it does motivate you to continue reading. I really enjoyed reading through Ecclesiastes. Particularly with the onset of another Uni year close at hand, it has been helpful in shaping my perspective on work. The tension between the temporary nature of work completed 'under the sun' and the undeniable necessity of work is highlighted throughout the chapter. As I was reading Ecclesiastes I couldn't help but ponder the USQ slogan "Fulfilling Lives". Many people enroll in University in an attempt to achieve prestige and wealth. Yet these are essentially meaningless.
Ecclesiastes 2:11: "Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun."
Chapter 3:10 states: "Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless."
Isn't this so true of our Western culture? The more we get, the more we want. Contentment is an unfamiliar concept to most people. We look to things like University degrees and high paying salaries to fulfill our lives, but this only amounts to a chasing after the wind.
So what does this mean? Should we become unmotivated hippies who misquote passages from Ecclesiastes as a convenient excuse to forfeit the labour force? As appealing as I find the hippy lifestyle, that probably isn't the best solution. Eccesiastes 2:24-25 says "A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without Him, who can eat or find enjoyment?".
What gives our toiling under the sun meaning and significance? Seeking to give God the glory that He is due through our every action. How do we achieve this? By "remembering our Creator" in all things (Ecc. 12). Work cannot fulfill our lives because it was never designed to. It is temporary, a vapour in the wind. Only something eternal has the capacity to fulfill our lives, and provide a hope that will not fade.
"Everything is meaningless, I want more than simple cash can buy"
Recently I enrolled in the University of Southern Queensland in order to complete an external subject this semester and count it towards my compulsory elective. At the beginning of this week I received a letter from USQ which simply stated "Congratulations for choosing to study at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ)!" along with a USQ username and password. Other than feeling slightly bemused by the ridiculous exclamation mark, I thought that 'congratulations' was an odd choice of words. A few days later I received a USQ student pack, which contained some brochures which I briefly glanced at, a magnet, some stickers (how novel) and a wall calendar. After deciding that most of the pack was useless I figured that the wall calendar could at least tell me what day it was, so I opened it out and had a squiz. The background of the calendar looks like intergalactic pish posh; lots of stars, bright lights and electric sparks. Towards the bottom of the calendar is a large orb which seems to be radiating quite a lot of electricity. The orb is suspended by two hands (incidentally the manicured hands of a woman). The picture reminded me of pictures that you often see in Christian literature that depict the hands of God lovingly supporting the world, His creation. However this orb isn't the world, it's just a confusion of colour and light. I suppose that is significant of the humanistic view that 'the world is what you make it'. Anywho.. plastered across the top of the calendar is the slogan "Fulfilling Lives". I had a flick through some of the other USQ paraphernalia and realised that this phrase is used on all of their letter heads. I was quite taken aback by this. Although I now understood why I had been congratulated for having the wisdom to enroll in USQ. Clearly my life is about to be fulfilled. I can't help but wonder, why would a University claim to fulfill lives? Especially a University in Toowoomba. Furthering one's education through institutions such as University is certainly a good thing, but it will not fulfill your life. It may increase job prospects, allow for the development of discipline, facilitate personal and academic growth, provide opportunities for social networking and grant you a four year reprieve from full time work, but it will not fulfill your life.
Switchfoot would have to be one of my favourite bands. The two lines at the beginning of this post are taken from their song "Happy is a Yuppie Word" which features on their album "Nothing is Sound". This song is inspired by the book of Ecclesiastes, which I have just finished reading. For those who aren't familiar with Ecclesiastes, the chapter begins with:
"The words of the Teacher, son of David, king of Jerusalem: "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless."
That's a pretty confronting way to start a chapter. Everything is meaningless. How encouraging. However it does motivate you to continue reading. I really enjoyed reading through Ecclesiastes. Particularly with the onset of another Uni year close at hand, it has been helpful in shaping my perspective on work. The tension between the temporary nature of work completed 'under the sun' and the undeniable necessity of work is highlighted throughout the chapter. As I was reading Ecclesiastes I couldn't help but ponder the USQ slogan "Fulfilling Lives". Many people enroll in University in an attempt to achieve prestige and wealth. Yet these are essentially meaningless.
Ecclesiastes 2:11: "Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun."
Chapter 3:10 states: "Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless."
Isn't this so true of our Western culture? The more we get, the more we want. Contentment is an unfamiliar concept to most people. We look to things like University degrees and high paying salaries to fulfill our lives, but this only amounts to a chasing after the wind.
So what does this mean? Should we become unmotivated hippies who misquote passages from Ecclesiastes as a convenient excuse to forfeit the labour force? As appealing as I find the hippy lifestyle, that probably isn't the best solution. Eccesiastes 2:24-25 says "A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without Him, who can eat or find enjoyment?".
What gives our toiling under the sun meaning and significance? Seeking to give God the glory that He is due through our every action. How do we achieve this? By "remembering our Creator" in all things (Ecc. 12). Work cannot fulfill our lives because it was never designed to. It is temporary, a vapour in the wind. Only something eternal has the capacity to fulfill our lives, and provide a hope that will not fade.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Trip, fall, I'm down again....
Trip, fall, I'm down again,
Lying on the ground,
Deep sigh, my elbow hurts
Trying not to cry
I look upwards for help
He's waiting to oblige
Cause all He wants is me
That's easy to define
One of the bands that I am really into at the moment is Maverick. I was only recently introduced to their funky sound and I really dig it. The rationale behind the name is:
"A maverick is a cow that isn't branded - and 'Maverick' doesn't want to be branded either!" It's a little lame but I'm happy to overlook this because their music is so unique. Here's the link to their site: http://www.mavericksound.com.au/index.php
Worth a look.
The lyrics at the beginning of this post are from Maverick's song Toddler written by Bronwyn Hart. Here are the rest of the lyrics from the song:
Dirt, mess, my plans undone
Like my undone shoes
I've tried and tried again
shoelaces I can not do
I just want to help Him out
Like a toddler pushing two
But His plans are so much more
Following them I cant loose
So small in his tender care
No Love equates
My life is loose bows needing His repair
But all my plans are in the way
As He ties my undone shoes
I keep getting in the way
And if only I would let
Go I could run and play
As He ties my undone shoes
I keep getting in the way
And if only i would let
Go I could run and play
(run, run, run, run, I could run and play run, run, run, run, in His Will I'm safe)
Trip, fall, I'm down again
Lying on the ground
Deep sigh, my elbow hurts
The story of my life
I look upwards for help
He's waiting to oblige
Can I sit back and wait
While my shoelace He ties
I was listening to this song on the way to soccer last night and found myself chuckling out loud. I think that I find the song so enjoyable because I can relate to it for a couple of reasons. As someone who works with children, this struggle between the plight for independence and longing for help from a more capable other is quite amusing and something I encounter often. However I was also chuckling because this is exactly how a lot of us continue to live. Sometimes our relationship with our Father is so child-like. I'm not talking here about having 'faith like a child' - but rather the parallels that exist between how a young child interacts with their parents and how we interact with our Father.
Please don't get me wrong; I'm not trying to patronise you by saying that your faith or relationship with God is immature and self-seeking. But isn't it true that sometimes we get in the way of our own lives, like an impatient child? We try to tie our own shoes when we lack the skills and knowledge needed. We are ill-equipped to tie our shoes; therein to sort out our lives independently. Therefore our shoelaces remain untied, and we continue to trip and fall time and again. If only we would stop squirming and pulling and pushing away God's help, we could go run and play. I really like the picture this song paints. There have been so many instances in my life where I have been impatient and eager to control the direction my life is headed in, when really I've only needed to give my life over to the One who created it. My feeble plans only get in the way of the plans that God has for my life. Instead I will be content to sit back and wait, while my shoelace He ties.
Lying on the ground,
Deep sigh, my elbow hurts
Trying not to cry
I look upwards for help
He's waiting to oblige
Cause all He wants is me
That's easy to define
One of the bands that I am really into at the moment is Maverick. I was only recently introduced to their funky sound and I really dig it. The rationale behind the name is:
"A maverick is a cow that isn't branded - and 'Maverick' doesn't want to be branded either!" It's a little lame but I'm happy to overlook this because their music is so unique. Here's the link to their site: http://www.mavericksound.com.au/index.php
Worth a look.
The lyrics at the beginning of this post are from Maverick's song Toddler written by Bronwyn Hart. Here are the rest of the lyrics from the song:
Dirt, mess, my plans undone
Like my undone shoes
I've tried and tried again
shoelaces I can not do
I just want to help Him out
Like a toddler pushing two
But His plans are so much more
Following them I cant loose
So small in his tender care
No Love equates
My life is loose bows needing His repair
But all my plans are in the way
As He ties my undone shoes
I keep getting in the way
And if only I would let
Go I could run and play
As He ties my undone shoes
I keep getting in the way
And if only i would let
Go I could run and play
(run, run, run, run, I could run and play run, run, run, run, in His Will I'm safe)
Trip, fall, I'm down again
Lying on the ground
Deep sigh, my elbow hurts
The story of my life
I look upwards for help
He's waiting to oblige
Can I sit back and wait
While my shoelace He ties
I was listening to this song on the way to soccer last night and found myself chuckling out loud. I think that I find the song so enjoyable because I can relate to it for a couple of reasons. As someone who works with children, this struggle between the plight for independence and longing for help from a more capable other is quite amusing and something I encounter often. However I was also chuckling because this is exactly how a lot of us continue to live. Sometimes our relationship with our Father is so child-like. I'm not talking here about having 'faith like a child' - but rather the parallels that exist between how a young child interacts with their parents and how we interact with our Father.
Please don't get me wrong; I'm not trying to patronise you by saying that your faith or relationship with God is immature and self-seeking. But isn't it true that sometimes we get in the way of our own lives, like an impatient child? We try to tie our own shoes when we lack the skills and knowledge needed. We are ill-equipped to tie our shoes; therein to sort out our lives independently. Therefore our shoelaces remain untied, and we continue to trip and fall time and again. If only we would stop squirming and pulling and pushing away God's help, we could go run and play. I really like the picture this song paints. There have been so many instances in my life where I have been impatient and eager to control the direction my life is headed in, when really I've only needed to give my life over to the One who created it. My feeble plans only get in the way of the plans that God has for my life. Instead I will be content to sit back and wait, while my shoelace He ties.
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