A reunion of co-workers!

As some of you will know, last year I worked for Life Education, Queensland.

The role as 'educator' meant that I was a drug and health education teacher. I would travel around from school to school in a mobile classroom, a class of kids would come into the classroom, and we would watch videos, play games and do activities to reinforce the message of each particular lesson (a different one for each grade).

The big star of the show though, Harold the giraffe. The kids barely notice me when Harold's around. He can bring home a message better than anyone I know, he is funny, charming, friendly, and handsome :)

On Tuesday of last week, my old boss rang me up to see if I would be interested in helping them out. I would be working with Harold again, for 4 weeks, while a new educator was being trained.

I had a few days to think about it, and today my boss rang back and asked what I had decided, and I've decided to do it.

So, come the 22nd of May, Harold and I will be reunited. I'm looking forward to it, I've missed the fun of being part of such a fantastic program.

I went to Life Education when I was in primary school, and I absolutely loved it! If you would like to know more about Life Education, you can check out their website: Life Education, Queensland

This Harold works with my friend, Janet.
I personally think this one's a bit freaky looking. I think it's the eyelashes.
He is still cute though, despite his freakiness.

I admit it!

Since it's 3:50am, and I can't sleep, and my alarm is going off in 2 hours and 10 minutes, I though to myself 'I might write another blog', cause my thinking is so clear at 3:50am...3:52 now. Man, I'm a slow typer.

How many of you blog readers out there learnt to touch type at school? I did not have that luxury. We had 'computers' as a subject at school, but I don't really remember what we did...not touch typing, that's for sure. I am a terrible typer! Hands flailing all over the keyboard, lots of 'backspacing' to repair misspelled words, lots of 'backspacing' to delete all the words I typed after I accidentally hit 'CAPS' and didn't notice cause I can't type and look at the screen at the same time. Man, my life is tough!

I have a confession to make, now that I've released some angst about my lack of typing skills. I feel like I should get this out in the open, before I forget who knows and who doesn't, and we have one of those awkward moments where I'm chatting away like I told you weeks ago, and you're trying really hard to cover up the shock in your facial expression over having just found out. So, to avoid any such situations, here goes...

I like Taylor Swift's music.

There. I said it. I still can't believe it myself. I blame The Hunger Games.

You see, when I got home from seeing The Hunger Games, I downloaded 'Safe and Sound', by Taylor Swift, from the sountrack for the movie. Over the next few days, I fell in love with the song, and her voice! Before I knew it, I had expanded my Taylor Swift collection, by buying her album 'Fearless' on iTunes too. I have watched about a dozen of her interviews on youtube, and I think she is just so lovely, very sweet and funny too.

I feel like I'm a bit above the demographic that she's aiming for, in that I'm old, and not a teenager, but how can I help what I like? Right? I reckon there's a lot of people in my 'demographic', you know who you are...

Phew! I feel so much better, now that's off my chest!

Thanks for listening :)

Onya Taylor!

One of the funniest guys I know!

The following is a facebook conversation between myself and my little brother (I'm in the purple text, he's in the blue). He really is hilarious!
This is the end of a conversation we had a few nights ago, on the 24th of April. Prior to this, we had been chatting about doing an 'A Current Affair' style interview, where we uncover the secrets behind 'the real Smurfs': Papa Smurf is rallying up the other Smurfs to take over the world and maim a few people along the way. That they probably have secret underground colonies and such.
We also talked of informing Obama about our findings, to get him on our side in the fight against The Smurfs.
When I mentioned how inspirational my brother is, in his generosity over the percentage I would be getting in this multi-million dollar story, this followed....

You, sir, are an inspiration!

I'm like yoda but I can't lift spaceships with my mind
And I'm not green, 3 foot tall, or 1000 years old. Apart from that we're identical!

I've often thought of how similar you are to Yoda.

If ever people are confused when I am talking about you, I simply say "Oh, you would've seen pictures of him on facebook, he's the one that would remind you of Yoda"

Problem solved!

It’s the face isnt it, you're not the first person to say that

  

I don't doubt it

I reckon you should contact James Cameron

He'd use you in some remake for sure!

HaHa

I mean Steve Spielberg

Or George Lucas

And say hey what up im not green or 3 foot tall im not a thousand years old and cannot lift spaceships with my mind but apart from that im pretty sure im yoda

Yeah, third time's the charm!

My Star Wars knowledge surprises even me!

He would sign you, then and there, and probably buy you a car and a house, just for good measure

And probably give you his own personal hoverboard, that's how excited he will be to be in the presence of the real life Yoda

 (if anyone's gonna have a hoverboard, surely he would)

and maybe a pencil do you think i could get a pencil

sorry starting to get a little too excited

If you're REALLY lucky, maybe

Would it be too much to ask him for a stationary set? You might get a ruler that way too

And maybe a rubber shaped liked R2D2

Ok, now that might just be pushing the friendship

if i could get a protractor i would just die

Without a doubt! Who needs a hoverboard when you can have a protractor!?

with a protractor i draw everything in my house 1:12 to scale

If only you had gotten to George Lucas earlier, that's what you could've done tomorrow

miniture pictures of everything i own that would be a wonderful world to live in

You'd better watch where you leave things like that though, if those Smurfs gotta hold of any detalied designs, they might find weak spots, and the next time you have a shower, they could figure out how to drown you

Just sayin'

And you know Papa Smurf would be the instigator

dont worry i got a tracker on his car i will know when he is coming and suprise him with an assault of my own

Ambush him

Nice

the old jump out of the cupboard and ambush your enemy trick

gets them every time

You'd probably clean him up, just with the swinging door of the cupboard

thats pretty much the entire attack just make a noise in the cupboard so they come closer then POW i smash them with the cupboard door

Pure genius

I am proud to call you my brother

So proud 

i know my plans are pretty ingenious and worthy of much praise i shall have to alert the press so that i get the thanks from everyone that i so very much deserve

I reckon, when you alert Mr Obama, he will instate a national holiday, in your name

call it day of legend

More than likely

There will probably be merchandise with your face all over it

I reckon a protractor might be in order

Take that Mr Lucas!

Well, now I really should try and sleep for a little bit

Thanks for chatting! Can't wait to receive my cheque in the mail ;)

Night xx

yeah you will get your cheque when hell freezes over i mean yeah sure. talk to you later

Business venture...not really, but wouldn't it be cool if it was?!

Hmmm...I am thinking about transforming part of my bedroom into a 'studio' of sorts.

You see, I LOVE photography! Particularly of kids/families. Nothing makes me happier than taking a photo that captures a sweet little smile, the absolute love between parents and their children, or the fun of siblings! (cheesy, but true!) Well, I say 'nothing' makes me happier, but really lots of things make me happy. Rainbows, animals, catching up with friends, theme parks, a really good nectarine (has to be 'yellow flesh' though), my family, colourful things, a good book, storms, and so on and so forth. Oh, and Milo, it makes me happy! Man, if that stuff wasn't so ridiculously bad for me, mostly cause I eat it like the world's gonna end tomorrow, I would buy it more often! Shout out to Nestle :)

Lots of things do make me happy, but photography is different. If I could do it full time, and make enough money out of it to support myself, I would do it, but I like it as a hobby. Someone recently said to me "you can have too much of a good thing" (I know it's a common phrase, but we were actually talking about my photography). I don't want photography to become 'too much', I don't want to over do it, and start to despise it. So 'hobby' status is great for right now, cause I also love teaching, and I do want to do that full time.

Anywhozles, my bedroom is kinda perfect to convert the end of into a mini-studio. There are 2 parts to my bedroom, a small room that my bed and wardrobe is in, and another, bigger and longer room that is currently home to my tv, a couple of bookcases, a massive Harry Potter cardboard promo-thing, and a whole bunch of stuff that I don't know what to do with. So, if I sorted through all my stuff that occupies about half of the bigger room's space, and cleared it all out, I could turn that end into my mini-studio!
I could offer to take photos for my friends, of their kids, I could do family photos and stuff too. So I could have all my fabric, and little hats and other props, and keep them all together in my 'studio'. I could also do 'on location' photos too, outside ones and such.

 Behind that awesome poster, is the other half of the long room...that 'hidden' half would be where I could set up my 'studio' (I love the sound of the word!)
All along the left, are windows, great for photography (not the windows themselves, though I'm sure they're great, but I more meant the light that they would provide).






 

Here, the people I don't need for whatever photo I happen to be taking, could watch a dvd, read a book, check the time, check out another HP poster, listen to music...I might even move the washing basket of dirty washing into where my bed is, cause that's just the kind of photographer I am :)

This is the wall opposite the tv. I could upgrade from one beanbag to a whole couch (I have a great red couch that is just asking to be placed in this very spot!), you know, so my clients have somewhere to rest while they watch dvds...or, they could fight over the one beanbag :)





 Doesn't this all sound like heaps of fun!!??

I could make it cheap as chips (if I even charged at all), so I am making a little money from it, and I'd be getting some practice in, which would (hopefully) result in some half decent shots :)

Oh, the world is my oyster!

This has nothing to do with the rest of my blog, but isn't this just the cutest photo ever!?!?!
This is my youngest nephew, he's 5, and so stinkin' cute! If I ever have a prep class, I am definitely stealing this idea for my kiddies! :)

Thoughts of the day...

Good evening, my friends!

I have 12 pageviews from Russia, 12...according to the stats...12. From Russia! I won't lie, I was excited to see that my little blog has broken the banks of Australia and the U.S!
So, I feel I must say a hearty 'G'day! Let's throw another shimp on the barbie' to my Russian readers.
Firstly, my Russian friends, if you have heard the above phrase before, and if it does in fact make you think of Australia, I need to inform you that we don't say that phrase, except if we want to make fun of how we must be viewed by the rest of the world :) We don't even call them 'shrimp', we call them 'prawns'...a 'shrimp' would be a term for someone short, whether that be a child, or someone who is in fact, genetically short...I do not suffer from such genetic stature myself, but I have a few friends that do, and I love them just the same ;) And we don't 'throw them on the barbie', that's for sure!

So, back to Russia! Thanks for visiting, and I hope to see more stats of you guys visiting my blog :)

Well, as you may have read previously, I am a fan of 'The Hunger Games'. I bought the first book in the trilogy last Thursday, and finished it Monday night. I then managed to borrow the other 2 books from a friend, got them last night, finished book number 2 last night, and am 4 chapters in to book number 3. I am hooked! The story that runs through the books (promise I won't give away anything major, just in case you were gettting worried!) covers a lot of emotional ground, it is sad, suspenseful, happy, confusing, angering, & though provoking.
A friend said to me recently that she wonders whether the writer was trying to draw some parallel between the books and our own lives. Those living comfortably in homes being those that live in The Capitol, and those that are suffering from things like homelessness, war, and poverty being those in The Districts (not so much the 1st few districts though). Now, if you have read the first book, or watched the movie, you will understand completely what I'm saying, those that haven't, I am sure you can get the general idea of the parallels.
I have been thinking about these paralells as I have been reading the books. I have been thinking a lot about how blessed I am to have a roof over my head and food to eat. I go through phases of being thankful to God for all the ways He has blessed me, two of the millions of things being food and shelter.

The stats on worldhunger.org state the following for the period of 1996-2010:
 
In round numbers there are 7 billion people in the world. Thus, with an estimated 925 million hungry people in the world, 13.1 percent, or almost 1 in 7 people are hungry.

One in 7. There are 7 children in my family, that means one of us would be going hungry. This is something that I cannot even begin to imagine! How awful would it be for a mother and father to watch their child slowly starve to death, for siblings to watch also. How dreadful to be working so hard to feed your family, and to watch them die.


My husband went looking for food every day in the bush but there was not much to hunt. It was like the whole country was dying. Some days, he will come with enough from the bush to eat for one meal; other days we will go hungry. We went hungry more days than we ate. My children started dying slowly.

"I lost four of my six children to hunger. We felt helpless. There is nothing in the world worse than watching your own child die in front of your eyes because you cannot feed him.


This was part of an article I just read about a mother of 6 children on irinnews.org.


How incredibly heart wrenching! I don't have any children, but I have 7 nieces and nephews, and just the thought of any of them going days without food is unbearable, but to be powerless to help them?? My goodness, how dreadful!




I guess the point of all this is to say that it has gotten me thinking, and I hope it has gotten you thinking also. Australia certainly a plave that isn't free from needy people and families, but I am so incredibly blessed, by not being hungry or homeless, that I want to help! I have done the 40 hour Famine a few times in the past, which is a great event, but there are so many other ways to help too!


As I mentioned, a great way to help is to raise money for things like the  40 Hour Famine.
Or you could donate a sum to an organisation that is helping families struck with poverty, a few suggestions are:Compassion Australia
World Vision 
Caritas Australia 
Plan Australia
Or, you could sponsor a child:
Compassion Australia
World Vision 
The Smith Family 
 I am sure there are many other websites and organisations that help needy families.
Another website that comes to mind is:
Tear Australia
On this site, you can buy anything from school supplies for a child, to a goat, to family health care, right through to a community school, or a water sanitation project for an entire village! It's a wonderful site, and a great idea for birthday/Christmas presents for friends and family, as it is helping people in need, and they give you a little card explaining what you gift has done.

Anyway, just some things that I've really been thinking about these past few days. I am so very blessed, and I am going to try to spread these blessings by helping others that are not as fortunate as me.

Bye for now :)

Holidays, why do you move so quickly?

Today I farewelled my mum, and left Tamworth after having spent a glorious 13 days there! I must admit that I wasn't took keen to leave, I love hanging out with my mum, she is just so darn lovely, and she is hilarious! Plus, leaving means that I have to return to Brisbane eventually, and holidays are just so nice...
Mum likes to scare people, and she also likes to kick the back of your knee while you're standing still, so your leg collapses. Her favourite place for doing this in when people are leaning on the top of the half-wall around the kitchen, so that when your leg collapses, your knee hits the wooden wall.
She has passed these wonderful traits on to her kids.
Mum got me good last week when she jumped out from an empty room as I walked down the dark hallway, I screamed and kicked her in the shin, out of self defense. I didn't kick her very hard though, so if she had've been an intruder, it wouldn't have done them any damage...maybe put them slightly off balance, but not injure them.
Then, a few nights ago, I crouched in the dining room (mum walks from her bedroom, through the dining room, to get to the kitchen). I closed the door between the dining room and kitchen, and turned off the light...then, just as she walked past, I yelled and grabbed her leg at the same time. She screamed such an ear piercing scream, that me ears were almost ringing. Pay back :)

The drive from Tamworth to Lismore is about 5.5-6 hours. I spent about 5 hours of the trip singing at the top of my lungs (I love doing that!). I didn't sing at the top of my lungs the whole time, in truth, cause it hurts your throat after a while, so I toned it down sometimes :) Singing is such a fun way to pass the time! It's especially good on long trips if you have recently purchased an album, gives you time to listen to the whole thing and pick your favourites, then repeat the ones you really like, so you can attempt to learn all the words...or, in my case today, learn a couple of lines from each song, and then get them mixed up accidentally, and sing songs that make no sense :)

I did not stop to rescue any animals this time (I didn't see any that needed rescuing...otherwise I probably would have).
On the drive from Brisbane to Tamworth, I drove past a turtle, in a 100k zone, that was in the middle of the other side of the road, so I turned around and parked near it. The the rescue mission was on!
I picked it up and immediately had visions of it flicking its head around and biting my fingers, so when it moved it's head slightly as I was carrying, I instinctively dropped it (from a bit of a height) onto the road...poor thing! Attempt two at relocating it, and I picked it up and put it in the grass on the side of the road, but not before it peed on me! There I was, trying to save its life, and it has the nerve to pee on me? What's with that!? Anyway, I'm hoping it survived, not that I'll ever know. I should've taken it with me to Tamworth, mum would've loved that! I would've called it Michelangelo, put a bandanna on it, and fed it pizza, oh how 80s tv has misinformed a generation!

So, I made it to Lismore! Relatively unscathed! (I did spill half a can of Sprite on my lap while I was driving...not cool!) I'm now at my friend Amanda's house for a couple of nights...she got me strawberry filled chocolate eggs for Easter! She's the greatest friend ever!

To end, my favourite joke at the moment:
Why do seagulls fly over the sea?
Cause if they flew over the bay, they'd be bay-gulls!

HILARIOUS!!

My Dad Whom I Love!

In previous posts, I've noticed that I've switched between saying 'mum and dad's', and 'mum's'. There is a reason for this, please read on.

On the 28th of February, 2012, my dad passed away. He had cancer (brain tumor - discovered September, 2010) and had been in a wheelchair since his last surgery in September, 2011. A couple of people have said "He was sick for a while, so it wasn't a total shock", and while I am 100% sure that those people did not mean to come across as insensitive, it was hard to hear. Yes, he had been sick for a while, but it doesn't make losing him any easier. I mean, I spent 5 weeks in Tamworth over Christmas, and he was talking and joking and being demanding, I thought he would be around for at least a few more years...but, it wasn't part of God's plan. He died in his sleep, and next to my mum, his wife of almost 44 years, so he wasn't alone.

It is hard, and sad, and still a bit surreal, to have lost my dad. I don't think I will ever be 100% ok without him, but it is kind of a blessing that he doesn't have to suffer anymore.

I have been in the habit (obviously) of saying 'mum and dad's', my whole life, and it's taking a bit of getting used to to switch to saying 'mum's'...plus, it IS my mum and dad's house, they bought it together, and worked to pay it off together. So, for future reference, this is why I switch between the two.

My dad was a great man. The most amazing man I could ever hope to know. He was so smart, and loving, and caring, and friendly, and hard working, and other-ish...he is greatly missed, and will continue to be.
Never have I met anyone more willing to offer up his time for other people. Dad worked hard in all areas of his life: work, leisure, and home.

There is a magnet on mum and dad's fridge that says 'Stop me before I volunteer again' - That was my dad. He was on the school board all through the 7 of us being at school, he was at so many of our sports carnivals, running the bbq, he volunteered at the South Tamworth Bowling Club for almost as long as I can remember. Dad taught 6 of us to drive (he reckoned that's where his grey hair came from), and taught us all the importance of checking water, oil and tyre pressure. He picked us up from sports training, and dropped us off (and often watched) our weekend games. Dad was a big factor in me getting my first job (at McDonalds) cause he was friends with the store manager (I think he may have done some mantainance jobs for him too).
Dad was more than willing to help us wherever, and with whatever he could. He was my go-to for any questions that I had...mostly about cars, mechanics, road rules, and homework...he knew so much! He knew so much about everything!
I cannot bring him the praise he deserves in this blog. Just know that he was an amazing dad/husband/brother/uncle/cousin/and friend.

Dad and I definitely came to blows about things (especially things to do with me being a Christian), and sometimes he would frustrate me so much that I couldn't even stand to be in the same room as him, but I loved him. He was stubborn, and I could be too. Sometimes, we would get into a 'discussion' about something, and even if I figured out part way through that I was wrong, I wouldn't back down. I'd stick to my guns, no matter how ridiculous.

So, while he is gone, there are lots of things that remind me of him, and I'm sure the things that I know about him, will continue to have some influence on my life and decisions.

For those of you who pray, please do be praying for my mum, my 6 siblings, dad's 6 siblings, and all dad's friends, as we all continue to process everything that comes with this sad event.

Lunch in Southbank with mum and dad! (mum took the picture)

Easter is over :(

Wow! It's late. Currently 2:22am. I've really gotta get out of this 'holiday habit' of staying up late and sleeping in late...maybe tomorrow night ;)

Easter is in fact over. My weekend at mum's was busy, noisy, and lots of fun! In total there were 16 people sleeping in the one house! (one brother in law, and my little brother weren't able to make it). 16 people makes for busy meal times :) My 7 nephews and nieces were all here, they had an Easter hunt on the Sunday (and I only forgot where 3 of the eggs were this year!).We all ate lots of chocolate, and lots of other food too! It was a fun weekend, I LOVE hanging out with my family. Almost everyone has gone home now, only 8 of us in the house at the moment, and I'll probably be leaving in the next day or two.

I've not done much at all since my last blog. I love how relaxing it is in Tamworth! I love that I can't hear traffic at all hours of the day/night. I love looking at the stars. I do not love how cold it is. It is currently 6 degrees celcius here, and it's 15.7 degrees right now in Brisbane. I have definitely gotten used to the warmer weather up there!

I went to see The Hunger Games tonight. I went by myself. I'm cool like that.
I really enjoyed the movie! I was surprised, cause all the sci-fi-iness of it didn't appeal to me at all, but I wanted to see what all the hype was about, and I loved it! I laughed, I cried, I was on the edge of my seat a few times, I got involved in the characters! Now I am on a mission to get the book (and the other 2 in the trilogy) to get the whole picture.
I almost got up to tell off the teenage boys that were laughing in all the serious parts (there were probably only a dozen of us in total watching the movie, so it was easy to know who they were), but I, in true fashion, chickened out...mostly cause I was worried they'd have a go at me being at the movies by myself. Like I should care what a few teenage boys think, right? I should've walked up there and told them off, I should've lectured them about respecting the rest of us that actually wanted to watch the movie. Shoulda, woulda, coulda, didn't. Next time. Maybe.

On the subject of movies, the other week I mentioned that I was going to work my way through a movie list my family had compiled, and the 1st one was 'Heat'. I did hire it, and I didn't like it. I didn't watch it all, I got kinda bored of it, so maybe I didn't give it enough of a chance, but what I did see wasn't enough to make me want to see it through...so I returned it :) I'll have to get the 2nd movie off the list out when I'm back in Brissie (can't remember what it is).

Anyway, I should get to bed before everyone is up, I guess. So, as exciting as this post has been, I must go.

TTFN (anyone else seen the 'Winnie The Pooh' movie?)

Easter Preparations!

Dear Diary,

Today I totally let the guy that I like know that I like him. It was like, so wicked!

Just kidding. Though, I am still yet to let anyone know about this blog. All in good time...

Good evening, my friends!

I hope you have all had/are having a lovely weekend! I have had a splendid weekend myself (thanks for asking!). I am writing this blog while I sit at the table at my mum and dad's house! In Tamworth. The Country Music Capital of Australia. That's right, I am in the magical place of Tamworth right now. Living it up.

I was born in Tamworth, and lived there til I was 19. Truth be told, I couldn't get outta the place fast enough! I was ready for a move, and I can't decide whether I backslided or not, but I moved to Lismore. I love Lismore, don't get me wrong, but it's called 'the wok' for a reason! Boy can it get hot and stinky there! I had a great church there, and met some awesome people there, and I visit fairly frequently (now I live in Brisbane, and it's only a 2.5 hour drive from Brisbane to Lismore).
As keen as I was to get out of Tamworth, I appreciate coming back here so much! It's so quiet (mum and dad's house in on 9 acres), and beautiful, and there is hardly any traffic...no needing to factor in peak-hour traffic when driving places in Tamworth! Not to mention my mum is here, and one of my sisters. There are so many more stars visible here too, and we have 'The Golden Guitar'...Tamworth has a lot going for it! ;)
In saying all that though, I am not planning on moving back anytime soon. I do like Brisbane too, for the most part anyway.

So, I'm in Tamworth for a while, at least a week and a half. I arrived Friday arvo, half an hour ahead of schedule (I am my father's daughter after all!). Easter is next weekend, and the rest of my siblings will be arriving between now and then. I am very much looking forward to having everyone here!

Now, my blog title declares that I am 'preparing for Easter'. I am, but probably not to the extent that you might have assumed. Mostly, I am sitting around, eating food, doing odd jobs for mum, and contemplating all the things I will/might do. Like have an Easter egg hunt for my niece's and nephews. I also have big plans of helping the younger ones make an Easter basket...and if I can be bothered, and if it looks as easy as it did on telly the other night (Better Homes and Gardens, for those of you playing at home), and they turn out, the kids will be stoked! :)

I am floored by what Easter is about. No, not magical rabbits and chocolate, but Jesus' death. His death for us. His crucifixion.
Now, crucifixion was the worst punishment of all, it was horribly painful, and the most disgraceful. This type of punishment was mostly reserved for traitors, captive armies, slaves and the worst of criminals. Jesus was none of those things. Far from it. Jesus was and is the Son of God, sent to endure the full wrath of God, as a payment for the sins of this world.
Now, this is massive already, but add in that Jesus, as the Son of God, was perfect, and had committed not even one iota of a sin, and this excruciating death becomes even more astounding.
I mean, why should God bother sending a 'way out' for us? Why would He want to save the very people that had turned their backs on Him? Was there no other way for our sins to be atoned?
Well, I could go on about all this for hours, but I'll try to keep it brief....

The beginning of Romans chapter 6 verse 23 says this:

For the wages of sin is death...

SIN = DEATH
We are all sinners (except Jesus), so we all deserve to die as a result of our sin. This is true.
Seems pretty harsh from a God who's supposed to love us, right?
The last part of the verse though, that's where God's love is shown:

...but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Incredible, huh?

In the Old Testament (before Jesus was born and began His teaching), God's people had to sacrifice animals to pay for their sin. They had to do this over and over. There had to be an animal sacrifice in order for the people to be free from the wages of their sin.

Hebrews 9:22b

...without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

When Jesus came though, He taught about faith, faith in God. We can't die for our own sins, cause we're not perfect, we're tainted. Old Testament animals were deemed 'perfect' (first born lambs without blemishes, things like that).

Romans 10:9 says this:

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Because of Jesus' death, that blod has been shed, and we have the opportunity to be forgiven. He was sacrificed to wash away our sins.

Those who have faith in Jesus, will receive the gift of eternal life! This is not about 'earning' your way into Heaven, you cannot 'earn' His forgiveness. Nothing you can do is going to make God think you're 'good enough', nothing I can do is going to make God think I am 'good enough'. I could be receiving recognition and awards left, right and centre for all the people I've helped, all the puppies I've saved, and all the good deeds I've done, but that is going to mean nothing without faith in God.

Ephesians 2: 8-10

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Those who believe in God and trust in Him do 'good works' in response to what God has done for us. We live our lives for God, because we have this gift. We don't do 'good works' to earn God's love and a spot in Heaven. It's all about grace!

God's

Riches

At

Christ's

Expense

We're all in the same boat, no one person is any better or worse than any other person. We are all sinners. We all need forgiveness. We all have this chance for a clean slate! There is nothing in the world, nothing at all, that God can't (and won't, if you ask Him) forgive! Think of the worst 'sin' you can, times it by 100. God will forgive that sin, he will forgive a multitude of sins! He is so loving and merciful and gracious, He wants to forgive us, He wants us to be part of His family again. He wants us to have eternal life!
Being a Christian is not easy. It is really hard. Being a Christian is basically going 'against the grain'. Being a Christian does not mean you won't slip up either, Christians still sin, we are not 'better' than Joe Blow around the corner, but as Christians, we can be changed and transformed, day by day, and we can ask God to give us strength and wisdom and good judgement, to deal with the sin in our lives.

Deciding to trust God with my life, to live my life as a Christian, is the best decision I have ever made! One that I can never thank God enough for!

It may sound a bit fruity, but I encourage you, to check it out. I'm not trying to convert the world, but if one person is encouraged or challenged to look into Christianity further, then that would be awesome!

Sorry, it ended up being longer than intended...I hope it all makes sense!

Ciao for now!

PS It is officially my sister's 43rd birthday (for 62 minutes now!), Happy Birthday, to my eldest sister! You definitely don't look 43! :)