Well, after a long two flights all in all 25 hours, first with Thai which was good, although a bit squashed, and then with kenya airways which was an old plane and quite uncomfortable, not to mention the overfilled lugage compartments which spilled out wheneve opened and scored me a bump on my head in the middle of the night when someone opened the compartment just above me, my father and I made it to Africa!

will update more, and with some photos when I get the chance to scale down the images to a reasonable size....thanks for you comment sorawit.

JuneBug song “Softly and Tenderly, Jesus Is Calling” by Will Thompson.

This is a beautiful hymn taken from an interesting movie called Junebug, a sad and pensive film. This character has been away from home for many years and married, when he turns up to his old home town with his wife. His wife had no idea he used to sing in the church choir.

I love the song, its something like which we seldom hear these days, tender and moving with a soprano, alto and bass vocals each working together in harmony. The lyrics are amazing too.

Cookie Jar

This song is relevant to sorting out our culture, I think.

This is a lizard.....


will upload more paintings later.

Im gonna try and get this blog up an running again. Why you may ask, it already died?
Well, Im gonna use it to update on my trip to Africa, Tanzania, whats happening, what Im doing and think. And anyone can comment, so you don't need to sign up to contact me.

So , if you're wondering 'whats Simon up to, come and check here for the next 3 months.

So I'm leaving for Tanzania in about two weeks from now, I'm just pressing to get all my uni work done and have some time left to pack etc. Im a bit our of action at the moment as I have just had a wisdom tooth out, which is feeling rather nasty at the moment.

Im very excited about my trip, but Im pretty stressed at the moment with work, so keep me in your thoughts and prayers if you will, the latter is of more importance of course...

As a friend of mine likes to say:

In his grip.

This is funny, take from it what you will ... :)

Here is a quick water colour I did with Richard, a boy I tutor, on saturday. Was very nerve racking, but satisfying.

Hillsong - For who you are

Thumbs up to all those hand models. Love the song though, for some reason. wooo

Uni, Rowling and Africa

Here are my thoughts from tha last few days/weeks (in a very raw form, ok!)

Uni

Its always been about balance for me while studying at AUT...How much time should I give to what, how to make sure I'm in the right place, doing the right thing and at the right time. I have been putting a lot of time into church, Youth group and AUT Christian Fellowship this year (and last). But as Africa approaches I think Im gonna have to lean back in the service side of things...maybe. Vineyard Youth Camp was great, it was a get together of many youth groups from the north Island and it was just good to see God moving in young peoples lives. Was also encouraging as I got to fellowship with some other ppl my age who are a part of leading a youth group. Was great to pray with this one dude who was going through a hard time and spend a few hours talking to this guy. Bless God.
But balancing Uni work is getting more demanding and I must admit Im not really giving it the time it needs to get done -_-

Rowling

Don't read this unless you have read the last book of harry potter, or don't care if you kill the story for yourself as you will never read it.






































I finnished the last Harry Potter book on thursday, read it in four days, and I was quite affected by it. J.K.Rowling, the writer, planned the books very well from the very first book. It was always intended to be a series of stories with a climax and a whole lot of closure in the seventh book. Rowling took a lot of inspiration from C. S. Lewis' Narnia books, also seven, and she uses a heap of images and ideas from his books. Tolkien was also an influence, amoung others.
Now I have come against lots of christians who don't think highly of The HP books at all, and it is true in some ways it has encouraged witchcraft (though this was in no way Rowling's intention in the books.) She herself said "I believe in God, not Magic". She is also a member of the church of Scotland, attends church, and a believer. If you are interested in this point I suggest you read this interesting article:

here

It was written BEFORE the seventh book was written and is remarkably predictive. Now I don't agree with a few things in the article, especially that HP is the son of God. No of course he isn't and Rowling doesn't make him out to be, BUT he is a type (an archetype if you like) of Christ. He is like Jonah, an image in someways of Christ as the article goes into, yet decidedly not him. HP had flaws: He has anger problems, he makes bad desicions which hurt others, he can be stubborn and ignorant. He is obviously is not the son of God, but in some ways he is like him. He lays his life down for his friends, he can't help to love others unto death, as revealed in the last book. "No greater love is there that a man should lay down his life for his friends."
Rowling makes this especially obvious in the final book, bluntly obvious. She quotes the verses such as "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" Matthew 6:21 and " the last enemy to be defeated is death" 1 Corinthians 15:26.
read it and tell me what you think, if you wanna.
___edit:
I've been thinking, and I may have been wrong in these words above. In many ways, if Rowling was truly for God's kingdom above all else, she would have taken a very different approach to her books, but especially how she communicates with the media. She is in the spotlight of the world, and in being so she needs to glorify God. Which she hasn't done. So I could be wrong in my assumptions.



Africa is looming over me, Im excited and nervous, but not very consciously. I don't notice it until I think about it. I can't wait!

adieus

Hey ---

Life is a struggle isn't it?
Every step is an effort, every word is painful. I always think what an effort it would be to go through this hard, homeless world and not to have a destination, not to have a goal of a home after death. God has promised a home to me, a land of peace. When life is hrad I look to that. I find it hard to comprehend the lives of those who live without a non-temporal hope. Its no wonder that a third of western civilisation is depressed...you'd have to be a robot not to be at sometime in your life, without hope.

Its good to look back and see whats been happening in your life. In fact its important. Where have I been? Where am I going? Who has joined my path and is walking beside me now? who has left? Who am I giving my time to? Why?

As a christian I ask myself 'who are you that you would serve a mighty god'? That the bright and morning star would shine a light on my path when I lose sight of the path set before me?

Its amazing how humbled I am in just a few moments considering the greatness of God.


Look at the Universe; the stars are so far away, the universe so huge, and for all we know this galaxy we are a part of could just be one of many such galaxies. Then change the lens and focous on a leaf, on an insect, on a human cell. The hugeness creation is just mindblowing!
Now I don't know about evolution, I don't really understand it. Im not going to make a judgement on whether its reight or wrong. But I cannot believe in aetheistic evolution anyway.
Do you balieve your brain is a product of time+matter+chance?
And what is chance anyway?
I don't beieve in chance..think about it...do you?

The sun sets
the starts fade
the moon slides away
yet the spirit goes on.
Yet the uncreated
remains unchanging
remains forever
who he says he is.

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