marylou.eu

45 Second Speech...

2012-03-13T07:10:30Z

I said to my friends on facebook that I had to write a 45 second speech that changes the world. Well let me say... I know I can't do that with any amount of my own words, but I hope that God touches your heart as you read.

Remember, this was a timed speech, I had to cut bits out to make it under 45 seconds. It made me cry in the last two lines, but I still managed to finish it in time. My lecturer asked me to take a deep breath, then she told me that I did a good job and that I sounded very natural. (There was a set of really specific criteria and this was the result.) So here it is:

45 second speech: by Marylou Lovely

Matthew 6:15

But if you do not forgive men their sins, your father will not forgive your sins.

This means that if you want to get into heaven you need to forgive everyone that hurts you. No questions asked.

Let's Pray About That:

I pray that everyone here today can put their pasts behind them. I pray that they know that in your eyes Lord God, they are a new creation and that you love them, no matter what labels others have put on them, they are still children of God. I also pray that you are able to give them the strength to forgive all those who have hurt them in the past and anyone that may still be hurting them now. I pray it in Jesus name. Amen.

Looking forward to 2012

2011-12-29T02:24:05Z

Hi, I know I promised a super amazing post on the years achievements and the rest, but... The more I learn the less I have to say. I'll do my best, but I'm very busy with a new family member, house work and new homework.

This year I studied; Old Testament, New Testament, Biblical Interpretation and Living in Christ. I loved studying them all, but my favourite for the year was Living in Christ. This coming semester I will be studying; Public Communication Skills, Leadership 1, Faith Foundations and Christology. I'm really looking forward to it all. I've already started reading my Christology text book by Bloesch. It's blowing my mind, which is no news to my facebook friends. (I keep going on about it.)

Sophia has made a lot of new friends at Kindergarten and we've been on a lot of playdates. Next year will be her first year of primary school, so we wont see much of each other.

Last but not least, our new family member... is Daniel. My father, who has been really kind lately, praise God... has bought us a kitten. (He also paid for my books for College.)

Foodie Post!

2011-11-20T11:07:58Z

It's time to park it and write this blog post! I have been so busy lately and I'm on holidays, probably sounds familiar to most, especially Pastors who are preparing their churches for Christmas. I will give you an update of my studies and church life another time, for this post I'm talking about the best bit of the Bayswater Street Party...The Kitchen. : )

If you didn't go, you missed out on some great presentations, there was a mixture of Sri lankan and Indigenous food, as well as Steven Kain (Food Safety Officer for Knox City Council.) Steven always puts on a great show and presents us with mouth watering food to taste at the end. His experience as a Chef and his passion for food is totally appreciated by onlookers who get to sample.

Steven was explaining to us how thermometers were important in cooking all meats. I didn't think much of it until I tasted the chicken. Steven explained how we often over cook chicken because we're so scared of salmonella but then miss out on tender, moist chicken for dinner. So now I'm going to buy one, because I totally want to reproduce what he prepared for us.

This chicken breast was so tender...Go and buy yourself a thermometer.

This is Steven serving up his dish at the end. A chicken breast fillet over a chickpea and spinach salad. Nice work.

Conflict Resolution

2011-08-21T03:52:56Z

Today's sermon... because we could all use a little help when it comes to communication.

Here were the main points - Conflict Resolution:

1. Control your anger. (Create space to heal. Take a walk or whatever, but cool down before you confront.)

2. Have the courage to confront. (Speak the truth in Love.)

3. Seek to understand the other person's perspective.

4. Learn the art of apology. (Preacher made us repeat 3 awesome phrases, which made us all laugh, but they are important to make real...)

I'm sorry.

I was wrong.

Would you forgive me?

5. Value reconciliation over being right.

Some Key Bible Verses:
Matthew 5: 21-23
Matthew 18: 15-17
Romans 12: 18
Romans 14:19

Use your words to Love and Forgive. Create space for healing and peace.

Living in Christ: Prayer Journal (2)

2011-08-04T06:24:39Z

I've been reading a book called, "Streams of Living Water," by Foster, which is a prescribed text for us and it has a whole chapter on living a prayerful life. Ever since I started reading this book, I've started praying even more. My life was already full of plenty of prayer. It seemed as though there wasn't room for anymore, but alas, like there's always room for more dessert, there's always room for more prayer.

I do my usual praying and then pray with my friends, my family and find even more and more people to pray for each day. (I remember when I was a child, I used to pray every time I heard ambulance sirens, for the people inside the van and anyone else they would have as a patient. That would mean as a 10 year old I was doing a lot of praying...it was a bit exhausting, but obviously had some value, otherwise I wouldn't feel compelled to do it.)

Reflections:

Over the holidays my parents weren't getting along, so I prayed with them, made them dinner and then served them Holy Communion. They stopped fighting.
I watched the last Harry Potter film with my friends and at the end of the movie, we stopped to pray before we left the building. ( I cried.)
With my 4yr old daughter Sophia, we recite the Alphabet, in English and Hebrew, AND pray The Lord's Prayer before she goes to sleep every night.
Whenever someone is sick, I pray for them.
I pray before I eat anything. Most of the time in silence so I don't offend any non-Christians that might be dinning near me.
I have an illness that doesn't have a cure, so I take the herbs that help and ask others to pray for me, to manage it. (The herbs and prayer work.)

This is about the only place I don't feel comfortable praying...

Note: Let me know if this is your artwork. : )

Prayer Journal Post: Living In Christ

2011-07-31T05:59:11Z

I think one of the most important parts of prayer is Listening. People often associate prayer with a conversation with God that is basically you doing all the talking and then waiting for an answer. Let me tell you a story about a lesson I had in listening to God.

I grew up in a Christian home. When I was born, my parents were living in Germany and I was their 2nd child. My brother was born a muslim and I was born a Christian. He was named Neva, but I had to be given a Christian name, so they handed me to their German (bestfriend) Preacher and said, could you please bless and name her? What could be more Christian than Mary? So I was born Mary Ozel in Wiesbaden - Germany, to two Turkish parents who were now, new Christians. (If you haven't snooped around very much yet and don't know who I am, my legal name and the name I go by today is, Marylou Lovely.)

I was devout and even became a Teacher's Aid at Sunday school at the age of 9. I loved God so much I wanted Holy Communion every night, I sang hymns all the time and did a lot of praying out aloud. (That sounds so much like my 4 year old daughter...) Then when I became a teenager and was totally sick of being called a Bible Basher... I gave up and left Church, I ran so far away from Jesus, that I started worshipping false idols through Fung Shui and worshipped many Gods in Paganism. Starting to sound a little bit like our Forefathers who were trying to divorce themselves from the surrounding Pagan customs and worship. Thankgoodness for Leviticus! Lol.

God waited a long time... He waited, and waited, and waited and waited, until my ways became so sinful that I was getting close to being so far from the Kingdom of Heaven that I was knocking on the doors of no man's land in Hell. My life was full of fear, dread, loneliness, despair, self-loathing, hatred... just to name a few. My friends know what the details of that existence were. Not a pretty picture. In a sense I was already dead. (All the while, God never left me, but I was not listening.)

Finally after getting so close to physical death in more ways than one, I heard his call. I was listening to The Shema, I had been listening to it for a few months, morning and night. (The Shema is Deuteronomy 6: 4-9 sung in Hebrew.) I still didn't have any friends, but was listening. I felt protected and in the end it made me long for closer proximity to God. This longing is hard to describe. It's like I wasn't breathing and I needed God to breath air into me again.

So I did what anyone does when they are longing for the presence of God. I went to Church. I spoke with a Preacher who listened to me as I told him my story, through tears, while Sophia (my 4 year old daughter,) made a huge mess of the Church toys. The Church didn't make me feel the intimacy with God that I was longing for, (I was so messed up,) but the instruction and lessons on prayer that I would receive from Church Elders and my mentor were the things that drew me closer to the God that waited. My God who loves me, with an unfailing, unchanging love that satisfies every longing desire that's in my heart. My mentor prayed with me every time we were together, she gave me sermons to listen to that were specifically on prayer and they always emphasised listening instead of talking.

So now whenever things are going wrong in my life, I ask myself... Was I listening to God or did I take matters into my own hands again, thinking I could control the outcome?

God has given me a new motto:

Listen, Praise, Listen, Ask, Listen, Intercede, Listen and be Guided. Prayer is the beginning of relationship with God.

Below is a picture of an Israeli Soldier praying before he goes into battle or possibly before he goes on guard duty. Either way, he's entering a warzone. Aren't we all doing that when we step out into the world. I think the first most heart-felt prayer happens when you know your life depends on it.

Reflections on Today's Sermon: Love of The Father

2011-07-24T04:49:29Z

A lot of people comment on how prayerful my life is. I didn't think it was that obvious, but I can tell you why I love prayer so much and it's not just because in the Gospel of Matthew Jesus says, "...through God all things are possible."   19:26.

I love praying so much because it draws me closer to God. Singing his praises and praying, make me lift up my arms in reverence and obedience to my God. Don't we all want close proximity to God? I know God's Love, I feel it, experience it and I share it. I recognise that I am his Princess, that he designed me, knows my heart and soul, knows my journey and destiny and he never ever leaves me or stops Loving me. Yes, that last part means, even when I'm being bad. My Heavenly Father looks at me, and even though he might be disappointed, he doesn't stop Loving me and doesn't leave me. And THAT last part means, I never do anything to earn it, and I know I never will, because I am imperfect, by my very nature I am a sinner and always need to be bought back by the saving Grace of Jesus. I'm so Loved that the Son of The Father laid down his life for me. He did it for the world, John 3:16, but I know that he also did it just for me, because he knows me by name and knows how many hairs there are on my head. John 10:3; Luke 12:7

When you properly internalise this message, it blows your mind.

I could go on, but that would detract away from an already, pretty fantastic sermon done at our church today, which made a lot of parishners say (in unison) hmmm, yeah, oh.

As you know by now reader, this is my favourite topic, so here is one of my favourite verses from the book of Psalms. 139: 13-14

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
   you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
   your works are wonderful,
   I know that full well.

You don't get more personal, intimate, awesome or wonderful than that.

Prayer Notes: Listen, Praise, Listen, Ask, Listen, Intercede, Listen and be Guided. Prayer is the beginning of relationship with God.

Today's Sermon: Agape

2011-07-17T04:22:53Z

I've never blogged about a sermon before, but this one had a lot of personal meaning for me, so I wanted to share it and encourage you to come along to our Church to hear more on the subject of LOVE.

The main message was:

God is Love by his very nature. (God Loved us first, he made us with Love to Love him and each other.)
Trinity = spoken about all through the NT. Mark 1:9-11, Matthew 28:19, 2 Corinthians 13:14, Ephesians 2:18. Look it up, understand it, experience it.
Trinity is explained in many different ways, usually emphasising hierarchy. Trinity should be, "fellowship and community of equals."
Perichoresis : word of the day, meaning: peri - around, choresiso - to move or dance. (Preacher had some volunteers represent the Trinity to dance in a circle and show us how The Trinity moves around and supports each other, rather than one ruling over the other.) (A Divine Loving Dance, all in relationship.)
God says, Love your enemies.
Jesus tells us that we are sent a helper... The Holy Spirit.

Mark Conner's Ideas on Moving Towards Love

Move from Isolation towards Community.
Move from selfish to selfgiving Love. (Notice he says, "selfgiving, not selfless.)
Move from discord to unity. (A musical cord is made up of different notes, producing harmony.)
Move from suspicion towards Love.
Move from exclusion towards Inclusion.

It was an awesome sermon with lots of great info to chew. Full Sermon at : Mark Conner's Blog: http://markconner.typepad.com/

I would like to leave you with my favourite part of The Bible that encapsulates Love very nicely.

1Corinthians 13: 4-13

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Some other great passages: Ephesians 4:2 and Ephesians 3: 17-19.

Update

2011-07-05T23:56:48Z

It's been a nice and cruisey mid-year break. It's been filled with friends, prayer and lessons. I've been learning more about The Holy Spirit and Mission work. By the Grace of God I did well in my studies last semester and am going to be studying, Living in Christ and New Testament this following semester. I also attended a service at Celebrate Messiah, which made me cry tears of joy. They sing the Shema together, so they made me very happy. They're a great congregation. When I have more time to myself I will go back again.

For a few different reasons, (mainly to do with change in my life) I have had a stressful time. God has continued to hold me close and get me through. I would still appreciate it though... if anyone would take the time to pray for more peace and order in my life, so that my health can improve.

Besides learning the Hebrew Alphabet with my daughter, I have had a big lesson in my self-worth and confidence, in relation to Christ. God keeps showing me how special I am to him. It's very nice and humbling at the same time. Having confidence and being humble doesn't sound like they could go together, but you'll just have to trust me, they do. : )

God Bless you all.

Here is a quote that my Mentor read to me yesterday when I caught up with her. Click on the link below to see it.

Luke 12: 22-34

PS: I went to the Prayer Night at our Church and it was incredible, so I highly recommend it, just look up City Life Church on Google. I'll also be attending Soul Survivor's Prayer Day on the 16th. I'm enjoying my lifegroup, my friends and my Church. Praise God.

Talmud: (Learning): תַּלְמוּד

2011-06-26T08:55:55Z

~~Learning Hebrew over the holidays... very slowly, first the alphabet, then eventually one day words...~~
Edit: 22/07/2011: I just saw my study load for this semester... maybe I'll take up Hebrew again over the Christmas break...

Photo by Leprechaun

April

2011-04-25T23:25:16Z

This has been a really busy month. I've had some really important assignments due which are coming along very nicely. I've really enjoyed doing them. I got 100% for my last Greek test. I think that's what I got for Hebrew too, can't remember it's been several weeks...

I also got Baptised. My parents never thought that was an important thing to do as Christians. They're not alone on that one, but I disagree. My favourite book of The Bible is The Book of John. It explains exactly what I mean. So I had to write a Testimony for that, it was very emotional. I've had a busy social life, as well as hanging out with Sophia (my daughter) and making sure she is making friends too. (She's 4.)

The other really big thing that happened to me this month was doing my first ever Children's Talk. Several people in our Church have had a go at it and no doubt find it an easy task and not much of a big deal, BUT if you don't know already, I'm studying the Bachelor of Theology. I want to be a Preacher. This upsets some people because they don't like the idea of a woman becoming a Preacher, (they refer to The Bible for their reason,) other's think I've been away from Church for too long... You have to be careful, as I have discovered in my course, when interpreting The Bible, you need to make sure that the passage you might be referring to has been considered linguistically, contextually and historically at the least. As for not being Christian long enough... It's the newer Christians that give everyone a shake up and a rattle in the pews. Enthusiasm for God's Word and the desire to tell everybody about Jesus... I don't get how that is a bad thing...I'm getting the best guidance in the state at the least (from Tabor College) and have an awesome and supportive Church with a wonderful Leadership program.

Besides all of this I have to do a 50K walk for Charity on Saturday the 30th of April. Thank you to everyone who has sponsored my walk.

PS: I almost forgot to mention... Come to Friday Night Games! I'm cooking for that too.

The first day back after Sophia had spent four days with her Daddy. I had missed her.
She's such a poser. We had lots of fun eating chocolate and making faces. Happy Easter. x

A Quote from, God Came Near, by Max Lucado

2011-03-23T12:15:43Z

"She looks into the face of the baby. Her son. Her Lord. His Majesty. At this point in history, the human being who best understands who God is and what he is doing is a teenage girl in a smelly stable. She can't take her eyes off him. Somehow Mary knows she is holding God. So this is he. She remembers the words of the angel. "His Kingdom will never end."
He looks like anything but a King. His face is prunish and red. His cry, though strong and healthy, is still the helpless and piercing cry of a baby. And he is absolutely dependent upon Mary for his well-being.
Majesty in the midst of the mundane. Holiness in the filth of sheep manure and sweat. Divinity entering the world on the floor of a stable, through the womb of a teenager and in the presence of a carpenter.
She touches the face of the infant-God." (Lucado)

Mary: An amazing person who believed, obeyed, trusted and was delivered. Delivered like all of us who are born of the Spirit.

Seminar : Eternity...

2011-02-12T12:18:38Z

Today was incredible. Before today and I know this is going to sound really strange... I didn't believe in a heaven and hell. I actually expected to work in the kitchen all day, just helping out with catering. (I'm also reading a book at the moment that has a chapter on immortality and I was going to skip it....) Boy was I in for a surprise. The topic was Eternity and our beautiful Rabbi was Ginney Macpherson. The word Eternity made me think of that guy that wrote Eternity over all the pavements of Sydney and I really just didn't get it. I just thought that guy was delusional. The concept of Heaven and Hell just seemed like a fairytale concept to me. Ginney pointed out all the scriptural references for us, expanded on the idea through her personal experiences and study of the concept and showed us a dvd on someone's encounter with God, Heaven AND Hell through his experience with death. God brought him back to tell people what both places were like. After viewing this dvd, I can say with complete confidence that I do not wish hell on the worst of my enemies. I wont preach to you in this post I'll just share with you the fact that today's Seminar was not just a lecture, it was a time of healing, prayer, bonding with my Sisters and growing and learning with my spiritual family.

This is my absolutely wonderful Mentor Helen. She served us lattes and took care of all our needs for the day. I can't explain how blessed I feel to have her as my Mentor. She fills my heart with Joy and teaches me so much with her words and good deeds all the time.

Abraham's Completion Or Elevation of Spirit

2011-02-11T08:21:26Z

This year I will be studying The Old Testament and Interpretation of the Bible. Of course I'm reading over the holidays and one of the books I'm reading inspired me to write an embellished version of the Story of Abraham and his Son Isaac.

______________________________________

There once was a guy who lived in a time where there weren't too many distractions. You know like MTV, Multimedia, Cinema, Advertisements, etc. (Nothing is more distracting and intrusive than Advertising...) He lived in an era where, reading, writing, daily tasks, prayer, eating and sleeping, took up most of his time. He had a wife named Sarah and she couldn't have any children. The world wasn't over-populated like ours is now. No one ever thought strange thoughts like, "yeah I don't think I'll have children, there's enough in the world anyways..." HAVING CHILDREN WAS ONE OF THE REASONS FOR LIVING.

Without children, he did everything else very piously. (Sorry, that's a big word for those who barely care about what I'm writing... it just means he's doing everything with great devotion to God in mind all the time.) God noticed this and favoured him, so they exchanged numbers and had each other on Speed-dial. God spoke with this guy all the time. His heart was pure, he worked hard, he was honest and had a very healthy Awe of God. He never really did anything wrong, just did what God wanted him to do. He obeyed and thanked without fault. The Adversary (meaning the Angel of Death...) came to God and said, "This guy is totally devoted to you right now, but what if we took something away from him that he really loved, would he still love you this much?" God told the Adversary to leave him alone, so the Adversary left Abraham alone. Afterall, the Adversary is a gentleman and only ever does things with permission and invitation...

After a while, God's favour for Abraham grew and he decided to give Abraham and Sarah a son. Abraham thought this was ludicrous, considering his and Sarah's age. They were old buy now and it seemed like a strange gift after all these years. That didn't mean that Abraham wasn't willing to receive, he just thought it was weird. Sarah laughed and God thought. "I'll show these two who's God! Nothing is impossible for me. Besides, I know it will make them happy and I love making good people feel happy."

To Abraham's and Sarah's astonishment, God's Will came about and they had a son and they named him Isaac. Isaac brought many years of happiness to both Sarah and Abraham and would be the beginning of a wonderful Lineage for them.

One day (around Isaac's 37th Birthday,) the Adversary came back to God and said, "You really should test these guys, seriously. If I just take away one little thing, I bet you Abraham just drops everything and spits in ya face."    God in all his majesty says to the Adversary... "Go on then, do your worst and see what happens." (God doesn't do this to be cruel, he does it because he knows if Abraham can do this, Abraham will experience a spiritual shift that will bring him closer to God. God loves us so much, he'll sit and wait (a life time if need be) while we go through something extremely tough to be able to truly and deeply feel his presence and love.)

The Adversary comes up to Abraham and says, "God said, you should go over to that there Mountain, make an Altar and sacrifice your son on it, to show that you love him." Abraham thought this was weird... (as you would...) He says, "Sure I'll just flick God an email and make sure that's actually what he said..." The Adversary stands next to Abraham's Laptop while Abraham taps away and then presses send. The Adversary looks cool and non-shallant while Abraham sweats and waits for God to respond. An email pops through (he checks the address: god@heaven.com, it's correct, his heart sinks,) and Abraham opens it up. Sure enough, God has replied with, "Yep, that's right, I told the Adversary to do his worst, I guess he did his best. Sorry Abraham, you must do what he says." His phone beeps and it's a message from God again, "Believe the email, what he says is true." Abraham hears the Fax machine spew out a piece of paper, it reads, "I'm sorry Abraham, you must do what he says." Abraham sighs and looks at the ground as he contemplates his next move. The Adversary leaves Abraham and pays a visit to God. God and the Adversary sit on a cloud together and watch Abraham as he makes slow and deliberate moves towards his special task. Abraham sits in his den and cries. He cries so hard, his head hurts. He coughs and spit falls from the side of his mouth. He swallows tears, he beats his chest and forehead with his fists. His eyes are bulging and red. Then he takes deep breaths, dries his eyes and prepares an extremely sharp knife. Isaac walks in, he's laughing about something funny that one of his servants said about donkeys and their stubbornness... He looks at his father and stops laughing. Abraham doesn't make a sound as a tear rolls down his cheek, as he thinks of his son as an infant, how happy Isaac made them feel.  He thinks about the dreams he had for Isaac for the future and how they would all vanish as soon as he slashes Isaac's throte. (Abraham has been sitting in the den for an hour by now and is calm, with his heart fixed on God's Will, as Sarah weeps in the dinning room. She begged him not to do it, but he never spoke a word, just prepared himself for what had to be done.)

Isaac listens and agrees. His heart is racing, for a second he thinks, "If I just manage to distract dad for a second, I'll be able to run to Moses' place and I'll hide out until I work out how to get away from this task that Dad thinks he has to do." Then he realises that Moses will probably bring him back to his Dad on a a Donkey with some servants that will make sure he doesn't get away, and thinks better of it. His heart is sinking, he's thinking of his Mother and how much she will miss him. Then he thinks of his Dad and realises how astonishingly devoted to God his Father is. It fills his heart with an unexpected Joy. Isaac realises, if his Dad does this task that God has Willed, then he will be able to meet God. Meeting his maker didn't sound like a bad idea, neither did pleasing his God.

Isaac walks slowly with his Father to the Mountain, they are both silent, both with tears in their eyes. They make it to the place, where they both make an Altar together.

The Altar is ready. Isaac sits on the Altar and looks at his Father, who still hasn't spoken. Isaac starts off a prayer that they both start to say in unison. "I will love my God with all my heart and all my soul and all my might." Isaac pleads with his Father, "Please Dad, make it a clean cut, don't make me suffer." Abraham doesn't speak, he holds his son down on the Altar and he lifts his other hand with the knife and is just about to slash Isaac's throte.   (Isaac looks into his Father's eyes and a tear rolls down his cheek.) (Abraham is sweating, his heart is about to burst, but he knows he must do it, because his Mighty God has commanded him to do so.) God is sitting there watching with The Adversary and is weeping. God is pleased with both Abraham AND Isaac. The Adversary is rolling his eyes and saying, "Fine, I tried. Stupid humans and their unwavering Faith. Makes me sick. You win." God's heart is filled with Joy and moments before Abraham's knife come's down to kill his beloved son, God sends down an Angel to stop him and tell him that God can see very clearly how much Awe of God he has in his heart. *

Abraham is standing in front of this Angel, trembling. His mouth is dry, his eyes are sore and swollen. He drops the knife and falls to his knees. Isaac joins his Father in front of the Altar and they both say a prayer of Thanks to God. Their hearts are filled with an inexplicable Joy. God has shown his Mercy (Hebrew: Adonai = Merciful God) and his Judgment (Hebrew: Elohim = Judgmental God.) Through their actions they have experienced a deepening of their Faith and an alignment to God. They cry and embrace each other, Abraham kisses his son all over his head and squeezes him. They pray again and they kiss the ground.

There is nothing on Earth that can make you experience elevation of spirit and a connection with God like an extreme test.

Note: * Awe (–noun 1. an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc., produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful, or the like: in awe of god)

Tabor College and details of my next cooking demo... : )

2011-01-26T08:14:26Z

I suppose some people are wondering whether I got into Tabor College to do the Course I've always wanted to do... Indeed I did. I enrolled yesterday into the Bachelor of Theology Majoring in Ministry. I'll be studying part-time and starting off with Introduction to the Old Testament and Introduction to Biblical Interpretation. I'm very excited about it all. I'm very excited about my life in general at the moment, so happy to say. Sophia will be attending Pre-school 3 days a week and I'll be at Uni once a week, one of my subjects is online. I dare say I'll be making more than one trip a week to the Library for books and study though.

Basically these days my life consists of being fully involved with my Church, I'm always rostered on for something. I am one of the Welcomers at the door, I've started doing Bible Readings in front of our Congregation and I bake cakes and muffins for morning tea every Sunday. I attend study groups with my friends and read stuff about God...a lot... My favourite band is News Boys and my new favourite writer is Max Lucado. This kind of life might be boring to some, but to me... it fills my heart with Joy.

I've also been going along to other Church services to experience different styles of Sermons and Preachers so I have a variety to be inspired by. I absolutely love my Church and consider them my spiritual family, but it is very nice to go along to more than one service in a day to worship God again. : )

And if you're reading this and have some advice or a contact, I'm looking for a Life-Coach, Christian of course. Message me.

Details for my next Cooking Demo:

Knox Festival

On the weekend of the 5th of March 2011

Ethni-City Kitchen Area B

Time of Demo: 3:30pm to 4pm

The Cooking Demos at Bayswater Street Party!

2010-11-23T05:30:06Z

Hello There! You're all probably wondering how the Cooking Demo went! It was totally awesome. I had sprained my finger earlier that week, but then it healed up just enough for me to be able to not only continue doing the two cooking demos that I had said yes to, but I was also able to help my work colleague Steven Kain from The Knox City Council with set up. We started at 8:30am and went until around 4pm.

We were blessed with the best weather you could ask for, there was a very attentive and receptive crowd. We had people watching, asking questions and loads of people coming over for samples. The positive feedback was very encouraging and well appreciated.

I'd like to say thank you to Steven Kain, who had enough faith in my talents to be able design the Kitchen with him and make it a reality on the day. I had the opportunity to have experience in bringing together a project and assisting in the realisation. (It was huge!)

Steven assisted with cooking while I spoke with our MC Andrea from Knox Community Health and the crowd. Then we swapped over and I assisted Steven with his cooking demo. From start to finish, we made The All Foods, All Cultures Kitchen come alive.

Feedback on Steven's Cooking Demo: You absolutely rocked! Couldn't believe how much more confident you were this time. I didn't think there was room for improvement in your performance, but you proved me wrong and stole the show. Well done. It was an honour to cook side-by-side with such a passionate chef who's cooked a ridiculous amount of meals for meals on wheels and so many huge Events. Your intelligence, work ethic and good nature make you an amazing person to work with and learn from. Thanks again.

This is a pic of me assisting Steven with his demo. He cooked the Penne Pasta dish that he served up at the Stringy Bark Festival, so scroll down to that post for the recipe. If you want a handout from my demos, leave me a message or email me and I'll send you an attachment. My demos were about Allergy Free Cooking and Eating Lifestyles that require restriction.

Edit: 24th November 2010

I totally need to mention and thank Hyacynth, the other Cooking demonstrator we had on the day, who did a tremendous job under the circumstances, (it was hot and she was making a curry.) I also need to say a great big thank you to Andrea for doing our MC work on the day. Andrea was engaging, asked all the right questions and facilitated audience participation with great professionalism. AND thanks again to Catherine for also having enough faith in me leading up to the day and on the day.

THE BAYSWATER STREET PARTY!

2010-11-04T21:24:32Z

Put this on your Calendars!

Time: 20th November 2010 from 10am to 3pm

Street: Macaulay Place

City/Town: Bayswater

It is part of the Social Inclusion Week Festivities.

For more information go to the Knox Community Health Webpage: Bayswater Street Party KCH

Oh and if you're kicking yourself for missing my Cooking Demonstration at The Knox Festival, then come along to see me Prepare two of my Vegan Dishes at the Street Party!

The Stringybark Festival at Rowville

2010-10-16T08:43:33Z

It's difficult to know where to begin. I think I'm also suffering from a bit of mild heat stroke which doesn't help, but I'll do my best. While I wait for my new management to kick into gear and make up my new Comp Card, which will be completed by Brett Robson , I'm going to start doing posts on my new tasks as a registered Volunteer with Knox Community Health. This particular blog post is not directly related but there were so many familiar faces at the Stringybark Festival and I know I'll be working with a lot of them over the coming months, that I couldn't resist but give you a review of my time spent there . (So it's not about me being a Volunteer yet, as my jobs haven't been expressly defined thus far, but it's a start for now, there'll be more to come with following posts.)

The weather was rubbish. I stood there like a trooper with Earl Grey Tea (with a recyclable cup) in one hand and a Falafel wrap in the other. Eating and dreaming of being on a warm couch drinking hot cocoa but there I was like a popsickle, thinking, "I love my Community, if I have to eat in the rain, while supporting local business and meeting new people and making meaniful connections with lovely people, while I freeze like an Eskimo, then I'll do it." Just then in true Melbourne fashion, the Sun came out and all was well again. I continued to smile through the cold and rain and lap up the great Community Spirit that was present.

I must say, I ate heaps! The Falafel I et was huge and there's only one guy selling them. Get one tomorrow, they're delicious. There were these girls handing out little weiner thingies. I forgot what they're called, possibly something to do with a dog in a blanket or a pig? Who knows, but it was a tiny little sausage wrapped in a piece of small pastry. Very cute and yummy. I had three helpings but only because they kept shoving them into my hand. I didn't ask for them, honest. Then I ate some food at the Community Kitchen as well but more on that later.

There was a great turn out for the first day, despite the horrible weather. Loads of Community bands, choirs, singers, dancers etc. performed on the Community Stage. There were also these really cute sisters that sang together at the Busker's Stage. They were gorgeous and absolutely fantastic at their performance. They had a very proud dad watching on, it was all very sweet AND the girls were very talented and very intertaining. (Isabelle and Juliette Coleman, both under the age of twelve. New contestants for X Factor perhaps?)

Ten points if you can spot the Celebrity in the background? (Alan Tudge speaking with the Bayswater Boys Scout Group.) : )

There were friendly Stilt walkers scaring, I mean entertaining the children. Face painting of course, which I've got to say was brilliant. These guys were true artists and did lovely artwork on all of the little faces. There was a fantastic little cafe, with well priced, delicious cups of tea and coffee, with the friendliest service ever. Someone at their stand called me darling and asked how I was and I got confused. I don't think Australians are used to good service. These guys were the best. Sorry I didn't know I was going to write about it, so I don't remember what they're called, but they're right near the Community Stage.

Fantastic Stilt Walkers!

Frill neck lizard Stiltwalkers, entertaining the children.

The stalls that I engaged with the most, of course had things that I personally was interested in, so sorry to all of the fantastic stall holders that had equally great wears, but these are the ones that I bought stuff from and/or plan to buy something off.

I bought recyclable goods from Obsidian Star. I spent ages talking to these guys. They had great products, great prices and were very friendly. Oh and there was a very cute little baby to ooh and ah at . : ) obsidianstar.com.au/

I bought my new favourite ring from: Blessed-Life who were also very friendly and amazing. The woman who sells these products has an amazing story. If the story's not on her website, go and ask her about it tomorrow, her name is Stephanie and I'm sure she'd love to tell you all about it. Very inspiring. Here's the ring.

It was made by Fair Trade Nepali Handicrafts. Nice. blessed-life.com

[Edit]

AND... It was an absolute pleasure to bump into the wonderful Steven Kain. Steven works at the Knox City Council and does a lot of work behind the scenes at Festivals and usually gets other people to do Cooking Demonstrations... He's very passionate about food and shares this passion with the Community by teaching (amongst other things). Today it was Steven's turn to be in the spotlight, so we all got to see how Steven prepares a dish on stage with his own Cooking Demonstration. Just ask anyone, Steven is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. He had some really sweet jokes he told while cooking, even though you could tell he was nervous, his delivery was seemless and the dish was awesome. I got to have a little taste and was so impressed that as soon as I've finished writing up this blog post, I'm going off to make it for my dinner. The dish was Tomato & Bacon Penne Pasta.

Here is a photo and his recipe.

Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 12 minutes

Ingredients

400g penne pasta
6 rashes shortcut bacon
1tbsp olive oil
1 leek, halved lengthways and finely sliced
1 onion, finely sliced
200g cherry tomatoes halved
50g baby spinach leaves
125g fresh ricotta cheese
Parsely sprig for garnish

(Steven's Demonstration was a Healthy Habits: Happy Lives initiative brought to you by the Knox City Council.)

Fashion Exposed & Preview Exhibition 2010

2010-08-29T08:30:52Z

Today I did something a little different thanks to @StyleMelbourne . They gave me a double pass to attend the Fashion Flash Seminar at the Fashion Exposed & Preview Exhibition in the City. It's for Industry only, so I can't give away all of the details. There weren't any camera's allowed in the Exhibition area either. I will however tell you and give you the names of my favourite Designers. These names are recommendations for Retailers. I've had to sort out a lot of catalogues and some of them went in the bin. It took a lot to impress me, with that many stalls to look at, if you didn't grab my eye straight away, I just kept walking and a lot of people complain that I walk too fast.

First I'll tell you what my style is, because what I choose isn't necessarily everyone else's taste, it's just my opinion. I like comfortable shoes, so I've favoured a lot of comfy Mary-jane stockists, (and platforms) I've started to like more colour and I like things either form fitting with a solid colour or flowing with texture, but no fur or leather. (See, I picked up a lot during the documentary in the Seminar in the morning which was Narrated by Marylou Luther. )

I can't show you any photos of the clothes because they're not even due out for the next season, but you'll see most of them in the stores soon enough. For some, their websites aren't complete yet, so the links wont work straight away, but for the rest there will be a sample of what they have.

These were my favourites:

Simone Dennis Designs Jewellery

NAOT Shoes

Dynamic shoes

Handmade by Tania Angeli

Made in Donald

MEDASI

ERASE

Chic Empire Ugg Boots & Sheepskin Footwear

Ahnu Shoes

Amanecer Trading Co (Silk)

There were heaps more, I mean heaps of shoes, accessories, clothes, jewellery, everything, but as I said, these were my favourites and the clothes, shoes and jewellery of these designers is indicative of the latest trends from Europe. Trust me, Marylou Luther told me so. : )

The Seminar was Fashion Flash: Ready to Wear Autumn/Winter 2010. It was such a privilege to be there and be part of something so exciting and so fresh off the Runway. Only one person asked a question and they complained about the styles they saw in the DVD, something about it all not being streamlined enough for her tastes, she wanted less diversity. I loved all of it. I now want some faux fur pants, some silk skirts and really baggy silk suits. The two favourite Designers were Stella Mc Cartney and Burberry. The two most popular colours were Camel and Orange.

So long as you remember to make the Fashion of the Season fit your individual style and comfort. It's all good.

FashionExposed.com

fgi.org.au

Style Melbourne Fashion Blog

More Work Please!!!

2010-07-29T08:29:34Z

Very happy and tired. Worked all day on the Set of Offspring. A new Hospital Comedy... I think. The last time I was on this set, it was all a bit serious, so I wasn't sure but now they tell me it's a comedy. It felt more like one today and everyone had a lot of fun. It was a really great group to work with and I wont be a blur in this one. You'll actually see me, "acting." Lol. Not really, more like being paid to fool around and talk crap. Seriously though, you should all watch the show, "Extras." It's funny and gives an interesting insight into the world of the Extra. You know the one with Ricky Gervais in it.

This is a pic of me in the morning, this shoot went from 08:00 to 16:30. And there was much rejoicing. I'll be on Set again for this show tomorrow morning from 07:15 for 4 hours. Great to be working.

Edit: 30th July 2010
_______________________________________________________

I just wanted to add that The Offspring Team was one of the nicest I've worked with so far. They work well together and they are very suppotive of Extras and all their staff members. I also wanted to say that Tremaine, the Extras Director is one of the best Extras Directors I've ever worked with. She really takes pride in her work. So she should, her efforts will reflect her talents and they do. Other Extras Directors don't seem to care what the Extras do but T as she prefers to be called makes sure that the Extras reflect more of what REALLY happens in the background. Thanks T for making things more enjoyable and giving us a more interesting part to the equation.

Coles TV Commercial...

2010-07-23T07:03:35Z

This is a bit of a late post, sorry... I had a particularly bad week, until I got some work doing a Coles TV commercial. I had been given two opportunities to do an audition for the Ad but I had two other appointments at the time so I missed out, then I got the call to be one of the extras, so less money but work and money none the less.

It was a fun day, met lots of interesting people, the job itself was a lot of fun. I was also introduced to the world of Dolly Eyes by one of the other Extras which was interesting. I really enjoyed looking at the Japanese version of Vogue with her.

Class: Modelling: Lesson One

2010-07-05T11:29:07Z

Tonight's class was awesome!

It was our first class on Modelling. We went through the history of modelling, all the different types of models there are and what kinds of work there is for everyone... It kind of made me a little nervous as I know it made some of the others, especially when we discussed what had to go into the Model's Bag to take to each job and what we're going to do on our graduation night when we do a show on the Catwalk.

It made me think of when I was a little girl and how I flirted with the idea of ... being on the front Cover of a Magazine like Vogue. Lets face it, there are other great fashion Mags but if you want a Bench Mark, it's Vogue. My belief as a child was that making it onto the cover of this magazine was the ultimate way of saying how incredibly beautiful you are and of course fashionable.

I have so much more respect for people like Kate Moss and Lara Stone, who have both been on the Cover of Vogue. They both have worked very hard and deserve way more kudos for their efforts. People need to stop being so jealous of them. I say that because they get a lot of crap from tabloid magazines and a lot of people leave derogatory comments under their articles in Online Magazines and Newspapers often.

This link will take you to a great article by Erin O'Connor. She's an incredible beauty.

Hair and Make-up Revisited!

2010-06-28T12:05:04Z

SO MUCH IS GOING ON!!! Hard to think, hard to stay awake, hard to smile, hard to... you fill in the blanks... *sigh*

Last night I got to bed at 2am then was up at 6am, then spent the whole day getting my hair dyed and cut at a Hairdressers College, then a quick bite to eat, then off to my course at Suzan Johnston! OMG! I can't believe I'm still awake! But hey, I've still got more to do before I get off to bed and tomorrow's another big day... Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!

Thank you to Michelle, who's college we were at to get our hair done for free, thank you to Sanita who did my hair and the lovely teachers who guided her and made sure I didn't look like a disaster. : )

As I think I promised, here is a photo of my new hair-cut and a before and after photo of me in class tonight. We were taught how to do evening make-up by Zana. I've got to say... It was a hell of a lot of fun. I don't often get into girlie things but this was cool. Thanks for being an awesome teacher in every way Zana. x

Me at the college straight after getting my hair done, it took about 5 and half hours. Very tired...

Before photo, while in class.

After photo, with eye make-up that I probably wouldn't wear to a party but might go for something like this on a Catwalk.

Being Tasteless...

2010-06-26T01:34:48Z

I just wanted to have a word about my tastebud situation. People are freaking out and well I can totally understand because eating is one of the things in life that keeps us alive, is one of our basic survival instincts etc. That's why some people get addicted to it...

This situation has been an interesting experience for me. It's made me look at life in a new way that of course I would never have imagined doing, (in this particular way.) I used to think, wow Martin Parr's a great photographer... but now he's even more interesting to me because of the different ways that he captures food. Food magazines go to extraordinary lengths to depict food as appetizing and delicious, Martin Parr makes it look really ordinary, old and tasteless. This has driven a new focus with my amateur attempts at artistic photography. If Frida Kahlo can teach herself to paint, surely I can teach myself to take photos...

This is a photo by Martin Parr. It strangely seems very Australian and says so much about class and the drudgery of everyday life in suburbia. So much conveyed in such a small space. Of course you may not see anything at all, or maybe you see a sad version of the left overs of a Tea Party with Alice. Everybody has different ways of seeing, that's the point of Art. I love it.

Former Food Blogger

2010-06-26T00:24:45Z

I used to be really passionate about my little food blog called, "Skinny Chic." I poured my heart and soul into the production of it, it brought me joy and other people found it and still find it very useful. It not only has great recipes to try, it also has a whole lot of great weightloss ideas. I am now a, "former food blogger," because I don't seem to have tastebuds anymore. It's a little bit depressing but when I consider all the things that are going on in my life at the moment, it's an insignificant part. I still eat and take plenty of vitamins and minerals. I'm taking care of myself. I drink loads of tea as usual, lots of soup - a strong flavoured Tom Yum Soup. If you tasted my version of Tom Yum, you'd probably puke but when I taste it, it tastes just right. So my taste buds aren't completely gone, they're just very disfunctional. I can also still taste sweet, but not very well... I also eat cucumbers and celery because I know I wont be disappointed with the flavour, mainly because they don't have any...

As a result of this change in my life I have put the url skinnychic.org up for sale, which can be found through Dynadot but the Skinny Chic Blog will always be available through http:skinnychic.wordpress.com

Oh and if you didn't notice yet, my new url for this blog is http://marylou.eu short and sweet. :)

That's it for now.

x