Amanda’s Musings

Our kitchen is slowly transforming to what I want it to be…a 1950’s retro kitchen with ‘diner’ tendencies. The other day I had 10 minutes to browse a local op shop (thrift shop) and discovered these three canisters amongst the recycled ‘treasures’ in the kitchen section. I was excited to find them and even more pleased when I turned them over for the price to discover that they were only $3.75 for the set. Wow, what a bargain!

To some this is not a bargain at all. Many would think that they are only worth $3.75 and would still have left them on the shelf but I saw so much more value in them. They fit into my kitchen perfectly next to my ‘diner’ style sugar container and items that I’ve collected which were once well used in my Nanna’s kitchen.

Lately I’ve been feeling a bit like these canisters, undervalued. It’s a tendency of mine to go down that line of thinking and something I have to watch out for. I have to try to remember that God has a use for me no matter how small, I just need to be patient. For now I am completely satisfied with being a stay at home Mum and contributing to my role within SIM where I can. I just have to keep reminding myself that God values me even when I ‘feel’ undervalued. I am also aware that I can pass on this pouty-ness to my daughters (Keziah already makes a grunt noise when she can’t get something to work) and must work on this area for their sakes. I want to be the best example I can and show them they are valued and loved by their parents but also by God.

So, which kitchen item are you like?

If you are then there are some very interesting missions opportunities with SIM at the moment. Here are some examples in the area of arts/media;

Role: Graphic Artist- Video Production
Country: Philippines
Length of Service: Long-Term
Link

Role: Media Designer Associate
Country: Ghana
Length of Service: Short-Term
Link

Role: Christian Media Designer/Implementer
Country: Ghana
Length of Service: Long-Term
Link

Role: Staff Writer/Producer
Country: United States of America
Length of Service: Long-Term
Link

Role: Sudan Reporter
Country: Sudan
Length of Service: Short-Term
Link

Role: Radio Technician/Mentor
Country: Uruguay
Length of Service: Long-Term
Link

Role: Web Content Editor
Country: International
Length of Service: Long-Term
Link

MORE HERE!

My very good friend Simon returned from his trip to Peru with a big bag of Peruvian ceramic hand painted beads for me this week. You have officially climbed to the top of the totem pole : )

Lately I’ve been thinking a fair bit about what it REALLY means to be called a Christian. This word seems to have so many contexts these days as well as quite a few generalisations attached to it. I am very aware that the way a person reacts when I say I’m a Christian will depend greatly on their personal experience with other Christians. In many ways its unfair to be associated with generalisations and stereotypes but there’s nothing I can do about it.

I suppose all I can say is what it means for me to be a Christian. Firstly, it has nothing to do with church and nothing to do with being good, perfect or judgemental. If I’m honest, those characteristics were three that I did try to emulate back in my school days and as a result I was pretty self-righteous and judgemental of those around me.

People in general (myself included) prefer others to be genuine, confident in the way they choose to live (in other words, not wishy washy) and non judgemental. I must admit, us Christians can look very arrogant and pushy at times and these are two characteristics I do not agree with.

The arrogance seems to stem from our view that we believe to have the truth and the only truth. We believe that everyone should follow Jesus and those who don’t are separated from God. That’s a pretty strong viewpoint to hold and yes, it seems arrogant…….or does it? Perhaps its more of a confident view than an arrogant one. While I’m being so honest I have to say that I do hold these views.

Another thing I want to make clear is my stance on Bible bashing. I don’t believe in it at all. I believe that you cannot force another person to share your point of view and that each person’s beliefs are personal and a place they have come to on their own. The thing that I wish people would do is take a serious look at Jesus for themselves. Not the Christmas Jesus and not the painted Jesus but the actual Jesus of the Bible. The Bible is a historical record and should not be thrown out lightly. Look at Jesus for yourself.

This finally brings me to the though of the word ‘testimony’ or ‘witness’ and what it means. I used to think that if you allowed others to see your mistakes, negative emotions or slip ups you would ruin your testimony. A testimony is simply showing other people the way that Jesus has made a difference in your life. As I’ve grown older I’ve come to see that if you guard the real you from other people then you are not allowing anyone to really know you and they cannot see how much Jesus has affected you. I have also come to understand that as a Christian I should be allowing Jesus’ teachings to penetrate my inner being. His words (and I believe Jesus is God) should so affect a person that it changes the way you do everything. This does NOT mean that a Christian is perfect, nor does it mean that everything I do will reflect Jesus (because I’m human!).

My conclusion is this. I am a Christ-follower. I believe in Jesus (Christ) and that he is God and that he died to save me. I believe that I must follow his words (as found in the Bible) and be completely confident and genuine about this. I believe that other people should see Jesus when they look at me (as in see his characteristics). I believe that it’s wrong to shove Jesus at people and its also wrong to befriend people with the sole purpose of doing this. I believe in respecting other people, regardless of whether I disagree with their choices or thinking.

That’s my conclusion and I’m completely confident in it. Serious post over.