The Chronicles Of…

I’m thinking about putting a twitter account together for the company where I work… A Volkswagen dealership.

I haven’t entirely worked out why, what I would write (I have a few ideas actually) or if there’s any real benefit except being about to be caught on twitter during work and not having to really explain myself…

I hear lots about how businesses should really jump on this stuff and engage with people through social networking and the like, but don’t want it to turn into a boring thing that people end up following.

So, what do you think? Actually what I would love to know is if you follow any businesses on Twitter, or Facebook or in any other online form? And if so something you like or hate about what they post?

Due to popular demand, ok one person asks and i like to make everyone happy, whenever you comment on a blog posting you can now subscribe to have notification of all following comments emailed to you.

Thought I should let the people know…

I was recently informed of a young girl passing away who I had known from a long time ago. It got me thinking.

Firstly, I thought again how I hate death; just hate it with a passion. I know that as a Christian I can look forward to something far better than this world, but still, I just can’t handle death. Hate it.

I knew the girl from primary school, well I knew of her more than I knew her, she was 24 so a bit younger than me, but her mum, my mum and a bunch of other mums would wait, while chatting, at the back gate of our school for us to come out. Then after we got out of school would continue to have their chats so we played for a while, sometimes only minutes, sometimes a lot longer.

I already knew back then that she had struggled with her health for all her life and to hear that she only made it to 24 just made me cry. I hate death, especially death at a young age.

It made me think too about how life changes, how we all go through stages which either you never even think about how they may change, or maybe you do acknowledge that will or could but hope so much they won’t. We go through other stages where you hope they will change, but I guess that’s another blog altogether.

I may be wrong, and I haven’t asked mum, but I think that would have been a great time in life. Those mums hanging out at the back gate of school, at first they wouldn’t haven’t known each other, the first few days and weeks may have been awkward, but as the years went by would have become closer. They would share in good times chatting, they would share concerns about the school, and then actually act on those concerns, whether it be at a P&C meeting or something else, as they were the sort of mums who were involved in the school and cared.

And now due to circumstances they’ve drifted apart, but they still care, if on the grape vine (which always has it’s way of working among mums even if it hasn’t been used in a while) they find out of something happening to one of the others or their family which requires action or support they’ll contact each other and help out anyway they can.

My mum is especially great at caring, it blows me away sometimes. Nothing is too hard, if you need money, food or anything else she’ll be there, she isn’t rich or anything, but even before she became a Christian I could see how incredibly generous she was. I love the love she has for others and her giving heart. And she’s quiet about it, she wants no praise, praise actually makes her a little awkward, she just wants you to be ok. I want to be like her when I grow up.

And Dad’s the same, he loves to help, he loves to give, and he really gets stuck into the things that he feels he can do. They both hate being in the limelight but love to help behind the scenes. It’s been like that all my life too, just one example of many is how is how when we grew up my brothers and I played Aussie Rules and they would always be there with the other early birds on a Saturday morning setting up the fields and dragging out the canteen which was a caravan and then setting it up and getting everything going and be there most the day. They did all this because they cared, about us, about the footy club and the people in it.

I don’t know where I’m going with this blog, but I suppose a few points are:

• I hate death
• I love life even if it’s not always easy
• I love the example my parents are in their love for others
• and, I don’t like how life sometimes takes you away from people that are such a blessing and amazing to be/have around, people you love, but I vow to try to hold onto those relationships which really mean something to me, even if I don’t see them today or tomorrow or this month, I’m not going to say good bye.

I watched Hurt Locker last night for the second time.

I first saw it up Terrigal way, can’t think of the name of the place right now, with Dicker and I have to admit that it is very different seeing it for the second time.

I’m the sort of person who gets really caught up in a movie, and even if I keep telling myself “it’s only a movie” while watching it, it doesn’t matter as I still go through all the emotion and stress of the situation. It was great to see it at the cinemas, it was great to be on the edge of my seat, not knowing what would happen next, actaully to be honest sometimes it was very nerve racking waiting to see what would happen next.

But watching it again I could really sit back and enjoy it, knowing what was coming next for me meant that I could just see it as a movie and probably see a lot of stuff I didn’t last time, and enjoy some of the ‘funny’ things that are said and done.

So I recommend watching it. Twice.

At least he’s got a garage…

There were some there who wanted to stop the boats of refugees coming in Australia so Jesus told them this parable:

Jesus said “There was once an orphanage that housed many children. Some orphans would find a new family in a new place if they went through the official adoption process that took many years.”

Jesus continued “One day the orphanage came under new management by evil men. One night the new managers set fire to the orphanage saying ‘we will destroy the building, kill the children and rebuild’. And there was a great and terrible fire. That night the children tried to flee the flames and seek shelter with a new family in a new place. Many children perished but some managed to escape and reached a new place of shelter that was open and spacious with many empty rooms, but the people who lived in that place said to themselves ‘Who are all these children? They have not come to us through the official adoption process. Surely they will fill up our empty rooms and spacious grounds! We must turn them back from here and ill treat them that they may warn others not to come to our land.’

So the people of that place turned some of the children around and sent them back into the fire where they perished. Others they locked in small cages for many years before also sending them back into the great fire where they too perished.”

Those standing near by were outraged by this and said “Teacher, why tell us this parable? This is a terrible and monstrous act! May the Lord bring judgment upon those wicked men and the people of that land for this injustice!”

Jesus said “Truly I tell you, you are the people of that land! You brood of vipers, you evil snakes! You enjoy this spacious land with many empty rooms!”

If you like this parable why not email it to Tony.Abbott.MP@aph.gov.au and Julia.Gillard.MP@aph.gov.au

We’re back!!

Ok, so there’s still a bit to do, I’m sure that before too long Dicker will have a new theme loaded for us (hint hint), and in the older posts the images aren’t showing yet as I need to fix those up, but sooner or later we’ll get there.

So we have a new web host, who should also now renew our domain name at no extra cost, therefore we shouldn’t be offline again due to stupid domain name renewels or hosting issues… I stress the ‘shouldn’t be’ part.

Oh, yeah, we also lost the latest 2 blogs or so but that was just some rambling or something from Dicker from memory.