Lynne Taylor

A lovely time in cambridge

Paul and Steve have already posted on our Cambridge time.
(Paul's even includes an old pic from a few haircuts ago!)

It was lovely to see people who we remembered from our summer in Cambridge all those years ago.
Delightful to catch up with Paul and Kathryn and the kids.
To spend time with Lyn and Andrew.
And remake connections with lots of familar faces.

Monday morning saw us taking a short walk around the lake
(and lugging Thomas up the steps to conclude)
A kind couple photographed us in action.

God smiles

I so appreciate the way that our loving God
so often smiles and winks at us when we need it most.

The Tim Finn was a classic example, and i still dash to that site from time to time, as needed!

Getting in the car in Cambridge on Monday, the timing was perfect to catch the start of the track. First time i'd heard it not on my laptop speakers.

Today I phoned someone about the Pegasus church plant and heard both sense and vision (with a Biblical framework thrown in).
That's today, when i also emailed a wise leader to ask for time with him, to (among other things) check we aren't mad with the dream we are incubating.

Our loving God dishes out
Strength for the journey.
Hope for the road.
Wise and faithfilled companions.
Peace in our hearts.
A dream to come true.

A new theme song...

Tim Finn has a new album out soon (14 October)
I am listening to the first track,
"Couldn't be done"
and smiling internally and externally

"we had no idea that it couldn't be done
and we needed to find a likeminded someone
who had no idea that it couldn't be done"

I believe in things that cannot be done
i believe in a BIG GOD who makes things happen for God's glory

This will be my new themesong...
roll on october 14....

:)

Cure Kids

Hey, here's an opportunity for some fun and some good...

Our friend Simon Brown and his brother
(the Blues Brothers in fact)
are taking part in the Cure Kids $10 challenge.

$10, 2 nights
to get from Auckland to Queenstown.

They needed to find $7000 to register.
They have found that, and are keen to get to sponsorship value of $15000.

Raising funds to help fund research that helps Cure Kids.

Be in! Sponsorship form attached ...

Each team will carry a GPS navigational system on them so that interested parties can log onto the CureKids website and follow their progress.

Last year Cure Kids raised $194,000 through this race and this year their fundraising goal is $250,000 which will go towards funding research into the inherited heart condition, Long QT, which can result in sudden death in seemingly healthy children.

More info here

No religion?

I wonder what 2006 will show?

People of "No religion" increased from 20% of the population in 1991 to 30% in 2001.

(From Statistics NZ, 2001 Census)

Church attendance in the UK

"Many churches in England are in a healthier state now than seven years ago. Some local churches as well as a few denominations are doing very well, more churches are growing, and overall they are not losing nearly as many people as they were. "

There is still a net loss in terms of numbers attending church, but it seems the flow is diminishing...

Press release here

an Idol thought

I watched a little of NZ Idol on Sunday night...
(I am not a regular watcher, and may be about to show it)

It was a Elton John special
with all contestants singing Elton John songs (that's logical!)
and I wondered later
(as I was listening to Cyndi Lauper in the car)
if another time they would have a special night
when all contestants must sing songs by female vocalists?

And if not, why not?

Clean up the world

Meet 1.30pm Saturday 16 September at church,
then heading to the Heathcote River to clean the riverbank (Tunnel roundabout to Ferrymead).

Bring gumboots, old clothes, drink, hat.
Prepare to get a little messy.

See you there!

That's better

I noticed today how important my work is to my life.

I have been struggling with a work-problem, related to how best to record some new information that i am gathering on our Baptist churches.

Usually I don't mind the fairly boring task of data entry of church stats from our 250 churches (doing the entry gives me a sense of how we're going as churches that is helpful as i come to evaluate later), but this time i have struggled. And i knew it was because i wasn't convinced that the new info i was gathering was being recorded in the best way.

But today i nailed it and with clever linking and another worksheet have worked out a new way of doing it that works this year, and will work next year too.

I was surprised how light i felt walking to pick up kids after school.

Not that i was stewing over it all the time, but there was something not right that needed fixing and now is.

We are after all, integrated whole people. Our whole of life affecting our whole of life.

What are you?

How do you most naturally connect with/worship God?
See here

Netball

Netball ... is a non-contact sport
Yeah right.

(tell that to black sausage finger - which can fortunately still type!)

What am I?

Digestion's Passionate Practice for this month is Worship.
Worship pathways...
discovering how we worship God, and getting on with it.

i have been trawling back through my blog
and yup
the signs are all there

The categories are (from Gary Thomas):
Relational,
Intellectual,
Activist,
Creation,
Serving,
Contemplative,
Singing,
and Traditionalist.

I'm talking about my primary one tomorrow night...

Will tell you later!

A question about mice and bach

So how do they know whether we are there or not.

And how do they know not to come in
between the covers of the bed
while we are sleeping?

It is good that they Just Know.

A statement about mice and bach

It is really good that OUR mice
the ones that live at the bach
only do "dirt" and nothing liquid.

Because it is easy to flick dried dirt out of our bed
but not nice to imagine dried liquid.

So it is good they only make dirt.

Maybe they do liquid outside?
But most likely, not at all, in deference to us.

Good isn't it!

Note on mice and bach

If you are leaving your bach for a long time,
remeber to unset the mouse trap so you don't return to a smelly dead mouse.

Alternatively, leave it for SUCH a long time
that the corpse has time to dry nicely.

(with a large thanks to steve who skillfully removed all pieces of said mouse
while i skived off back into town to play indoor netball)