Place: woodman point

Poison: water

Favorite things: the fountain of youth.

Young hearts run free!

It amazes me how teenagers believe that they are so hard done by with their emotions and crazy perspectives on life.

I see such a different picture. The freedom to express themselves. No mortgage, full time jobs, expectations or responsibility.

To see them free, happy, in love, in lust, creatively pursuing their futures, expressively finding out their personalities. They have the world at their feet and spending my days with them inspires me towards the fountain of youth.

It’s not that I want to look younger, it’s that I want to live in the moment more grasping the opportunities and living less weighed down by responsibility.

Immaturity is not my goal, by free-thinking, fresh inspiration and loving with abandonment is so heartening.

Young hearts run free…I think it should be mandatory for all adults to spend a few days with some pure hearted, spontaneous teenagers, that cynic in you will shrink and the optimist will rise.

You will get to the place where you dream again and truly believe that all things are possible, even just for a moment.

Young hearts run free.

Let your heart roam a little to a land of possibility.

A

Place: woodman point camp site

Poison: grain waves

Favorite things: chats with young people

As I dodge the 41 degree heat and watch the brilliance of teenagers, I am being made so acutely aware of the power of our souls.

I believe we all have a mind, spirit and a soul. Our souls being the emotional, personality part of us, that makes us who we are. I’m sure if it’s theologically correct or physiologically correct, but I truly feel the difference between these three.

I have moments of intuition, spirit lead unction that I can’t explain the knowledge or feeling I receive in the moment.

Then I have moments of debate, deep internal discussion that are bouncing around on the tennis court of my mind.

Separate to the two mechanisms in my daily world, I have my soul. My emotions. My response to situations that can bring fear, freedom, passion and expectancy to different circumstances.

Watching youth process a camp atmosphere, I truly see it is the realm
Of their souls that take the biggest beating in highschool, home and daily life.

Their self worth, their dreams, their quirky personalities, their life goals. It’s fear, it’s worry, it’s heaviness, that holds them back from stepping into places of freedom.

Refreshing our souls, is a very different process to stimulating our minds or empowering the Spirit in our lives.

From communicating to people we trust, to exercise and living healthy lives, to time out to reflect or taking time to journal our deepest thoughts and emotions. To express our unique genius and impress others with our talents and strengths, to overcoming adversity and helping another person win a battle.

These are the land of refreshment, these are the islands our soul creates.

However our world refuses to hold them in high esteem and young people especially don’t get many moments to find this necessary refreshment.

If you are in a place that is grey and colorless, dig deep into places of your soul and find ways to measure its current temperature, then find ways to refresh the temperature gauge and awaken your soul.

Peace

A

Place: woodman point youth camp

Poison: coke zero

Favorite things: portable air con device

It has reached 42 degree’s in Perth, I am nearly 8 months pregnant and I am at a youth camp with 250 kids celebrating Australia day.

This morning as I reflected on Australia day, whilst eating Vegemite on toast, I celebrated silently the immigrants and people groups who truly make up this great nation.

Recently the media has been whipping up a frenzy about racism and Australian pride, but I personally don’t get my values from popular culture.

I love the shades and hues of Australia, I love that my husbands groomsmen were from 6 different nations. His closest friends are Cambodian, Thai, Burmese, Russian, Maori, Afrikaans an the list goes on and on.

We are richer for living our lives deeply with these friends. The culture we share, the experiences we model, the life that is enriched from our differences.

I love a cultured, colored country. I love noodles and bubble tea, souvalaki’s and sushi. I adore Nasi goreng and Pad ra Prik, I would fly around the world for Roti, tandoori chicken and some dr pepper. I don’t need too though because it’s a part of my everyday, just like taco’s, fish and chips and guacamole.

Australia I love you just the way you are…every color under the sun, hands joined together, hearts celebrating in unity.

True blue

A

Place: home

Poison: coffee

Favorite things: the potential of a new day.

The one thing about summer that I hate and love with the equal ferocity, is the early morning wake ups.

I am a snoozer, sleep in-er, laze about, just five more minutes please type of girl. Someone who getting up early to watch the sunrise, who needs to be awake from the night before.

Summer sun brings early morning clarity.

The heat brings a discomfort to lying in.

So the love hate relationship burgeoned over the years.

Early mornings have a hue of expectation and perspective that can only be described I believe by the divine. There is a numinous sense of mercy that awakens each morning. If you’re in a place of question or delay, it comforts.

If you are confused and have questions push back the covers and awaken to the perspective of the morning.

A cup of tea in hand, a walk around the block, find a place of inspiration and wait.

It will not tarry, it’s like it can’t wait to appear, because you created the expectation for it.

Early morning expectation.

Early morning comfort is often found outside the doona.

Early morning awaken me.

A

Place: home

Poison: water

Favorite things: late night swims

After dinner my husband looked at my state of swolleness and said were going for a swim in the ocean.

I was full of delight and fear yet I was up for the adventure.

As we stepped out into the ocean, the cool humid waves lapped and we longingly looked into the sky feeling small amidst the blanket of stars.

Whilst looking up we realized we were wading through a fresh batch of seaweed that was floating carelessly.

The seaweed was annoying and scary but It made me think of our everyday.

We have opportunities to delight in the spontaneous, we are often distracted by the delightful and then occasionally those moments of beauty are interrupted by shadows that try to create fear and intimidation.

I actually feel like that’s my today, I have such hope for the future, am stunned by the reality of our new baby and it’s presence in our lives, yet there are parts of today’s shadow that I long to disappear and never return again.

Friend, stay focused on the spontaneous moonlit beach swims and the starry sparkly promise of the canopy above and do your best to let the darkness of the seaweedy, murky moments fade away.

A

Check this out creative crew…

http://vimeo.com/25040776

Place: My Office

Poison: Pepsi Max

Favorite Things: My Job

As I sit here today in the office arranging last minute communications and strategies, there is a foreboding sense of change. Im normally not that great at change, but the thought of a new family, baby, opportunity is really delightful.

As delightful as the change is, my heart still sits in this place of waiting. An inbetween place, a place of almost frustration.

The waiting place, is never a pleasurable experience. Its an awkward place of confusion, awaiting the opportunity of change.

I long to be in the place of nappies, sleepness nights and snuggles, yet I also want to be in this place of purpose, intentionality and growth.

Truly the growth most happens, in the waiting place.

A waiting place that teaches peace, a waiting place that teaches patience, a waiting place that grows our capacity for the place of fulfilment of promise.

Without the waiting place, maybe the promise could never arise. Without the waiting place, maybe our character couldnt sustain the new, without the waiting place, maybe the victory wouldnt taste as sweet.

The waiting place has purpose.

The waiting place is bouyed by frustration.

Lord, help me to fill my waiting place with trust not worry.

What’s your waiting place?

A

Place: church

Poison: water

Favorite things: my husband

Sitting in church listening to a message about position. I am reflecting upon the position that we place ourselves in life and culture.

Where do we position ourselves?

Often when I speak to people they act like the circumstances they find themselves in is everyone else’s fault but their own.

Granted there accidents in our world, where stuff happens that is out of our control, but realistically the percentage of that happening is very small.

Most of the culture we experience in our everyday moments, the circumstances we hate in our today, are results of decisions we made yesterday.

My question to myself and any of my random readers, is this…

What are you positioning yourself today for your tomorrow?

What decisions are you making today that will adversely affect your tomorrow?

Who are you spending time with in your today, that are changing the culture of your tomorrow?

Just like the simple positioning of furniture in your house, you can relocate the position of your everyday to bring change in your tomorrow.

Hmmm.

I want to think on that a little more…

How about you?

A

Place: bed

Poison: toothpaste

Favorite things: new Internet at home

Ahhh, what a day!

We got up really early not wanting to waste the day and started it fresh with a swim and time of prayer.

The ocean early this morning was breathtaking and after such a peaceful start, we were hoping the day would continue in the same vein.

The day was great but peaceful is not a great adjective of our experience.

Today was the day!

Today was antenatal class day, with crazy videos and all. I have been quite proud of my chilled out demeanor through this pregnancy but today had the opportunity to upset my current vibe.

Charl and I took it all in our stride however, laughing and enjoying our time together learning all the ins and outs and ouchs of giving birth.

I am actually a real advocate of community learning. I love learning new things and skills. Every town council has brilliant free activities to learn more and do more in your locality.

Antenatal classes may not be in your season, but what classes could be? Check out your local library, your town council, your local halls, search the web.

From cooking to craft, to Eco friendly pursuits to budgeting, you’d be surprised what you can learn in a local environment.

I love it.

(maybe not the crazy birth stories part)

Keep learning.

Mrs V

Place: home

Poison: chocolate covered licorice

Favorite Things: little baby clothes

I got given a couple of things today that are just so detailed that it makes me once again so overwhelmed by my God of detail.

Ever since we first found out we were pregnant, I had quite a strong sense that God was going to give us everything we needed.

Day after day, week after week, this sense has been more than a unction, it has proved to be reality.

From cots, to prams, to clothes, pretty much everything we need has been given to us in abundance.

Last week my mum suggested I write down a list of things we need still and bit by bit this week I put some of it on Layby and today I got given some of the most amazing little things off my list.

Without anyone seeing it!

Crazy but true.

We’re grateful.

God is a man of detail and although this dream of having a child came long after I imagined it would, every part of every day I am so overwhelmed at Gods faithfulness.

This baby is a miracle in the making and more than that the miracle is still unfolding.

In awe

Amps