God has been pouring on the blessings lately. Well, I can't say that because He blesses us abundantly everyday with life, breath, health, provision, joy, grace... the list could go on and on. But the last couple days it's been even more evident. I wrote about the new young couple moving to Coffs, which is huge. Last night God blessed my socks off again. As many of you know, I pinched a nerve in my back playing racquetball my senior year of college. That was almost a year and a half ago. Since then I have lost my ability to touch my toes, sit up straight with my legs out, and many other such things that involved bending over/straightening my legs. Although the problem was in my back, the pain was in my hip and my leg, making it really painful to walk, play baseball and many other things that I love to do.
Anyhow, lately I haven't experienced as much pain, although I was still unable to sit/stand in certain positions.
To get to the point, yesterday Charles and I went to the beach reserve, played some cricket and did some swimming. Everything felt fine for the most part, although I had some trouble reaching for the ball when it rolled past. When we got home and I got out of the car, I couldn't believe how badly my hip hurt. Later that night, I got up to go to the kitchen and fell over. My leg wouldn't support my weight at all. Charles had to help me up and help me walk. I thought it might be a good idea to try and stretch it - loosen it up a bit.
So I stretched and stretched. I did every stretch I could think of when all of a sudden it hit me - I was doing a stretch that I normally can't do. I did it with my right leg, no problem, and then, without thinking, did it with my left. I couldn't believe it! No pain at all! So I decided to try and sit up straight with my legs stretched out in front of me. Something I've been trying to do for the past year, but haven't been able to. And... I could do it! No pain! So then I tried touching my toes... NO PROBLEM!!!! :)
I tried doing everything that has been impossible for me to do, and could every single one without an ounce of pain. Somehow, God touched my back and moved it back into place. Whether I jarred it somehow playing cricket, I don't know. I didn't feel anything. All I know is that on Saturday morning when I stretched, I couldn't touch my toes, and Saturday night when I went to bed, I could!!!!
The Lord is so good! Every time I woke up last night I sat up in bed, just to see if I was dreaming! This morning I got up and touched my toes. It was no dream! It was real! After a year and a half I have been healed!
Praise God!!!
When we played cricket this afternoon I felt so free! It was so weird to be able to bend over and pick up the ball as it went past! It was wonderful!!!
Thank you, Jesus!!! You truly are the great physician!!

Charles and I have been praying for something for a long time and today God dropped it in our lap. Lately we have really felt an emptyness due to the lack of relationships with people our age here in Oz. We have brainstormed over and over again of ways to try and meet people but everything seems to flop. Well, God heard our prayers. Today while we were in A-Mart (a sports store), we got a call from a guy who said he and his wife were moving to Coffs in a couple weeks and were here visiting and wanted to meet some people. He is a relative of a previous pastor of this church so he thought he'd check it out. Well, we went to church to meet him, and we were so excited and blessed out of our socks to meet them! They are fresh out of university and newly married!! They are in a similar situation, where they know no one in Coffs - especially young people. They are moving up here in 3 weeks and we have planned to get together! Oh, I'm so excited! I think we will hit it off fantastically! The really cool thing is, she is Australian and he is American! He asked us where we went to college and Charles was saying that we went to this really small christian college in NY - Houghton, and he said "no way. I went to Indiana Wesleyan!" I almost fell over! God has such a sense of humor!
Praise the Lord for meeting all of our needs!

In other good news, I bought a punching bag today. I have wanted one for ages but thought it was silly to spend the money on it when I couldnt' take it home. Well, last week Charles and I managed to get a free pass to the local gym and they had a punching bag. Although there is no way we can afford a membership, I thought I could go periodically and just beat up on the bag, so I went today to buy gloves. While there, I found a really good bag for cheap. It's not a heavy one, like I really want someday, but it's a good inflatable that I can take home, use here, move around to wherever it's convenient and beat up on it whenever I feel the need (and I dont' have to pay $15 to go to the gym!). To say the least, I've already gotten my money's worth out of it. It's such good exercise and great stress relief! I'm so glad I found one that I could afford that does the trick. Yay! Great fun!

Lastly, I was reading the "Worlds Greatest Bathroom Book" today (a great Christmas present to Charles from my parents!) and I read this in the section about Mother Theresea. It hit me like a bomb.
"She routinely tought those who joined her order to treat each person, no matter how ill, as God's child. She wrote, ' speak tenderly to them. Let there be kindness in your face, in your eyes, in your smile, in the warmth of your greeting... Don't only give your care, but your heart as well."

So basically I hate blogger. Sunday night I typed up this whole post, complete with pictures that I finally got to upload and when I went to publish, blogger screwed up and it deleted the whole thing. So so irritating.
Anyhow. There is no way I can remember everything that I wrote in that last one. It won't let me post pics today so I might have to try that again another day.

Anyway, lately God has really been hitting me over the head with what it means to really worship. We studied it in church on Sunday night and I've been reading a lot about it in Tozer and then Dr. King (a prof from Houghton) mailed us Dr. Walters (one of Charles's profs from Houghton) new book which is all about worship. Charles is reading it right now but I managed to snag it for a few minutes on Sunday. He talks about worship as a whole, but has a chapter for worship through song, and it speaks directly to worship leaders. It was so good. I mean, I've been learning a lot through experience, but it was good to hear thoughts and insights from someone with years of experience and research. So I've been meditating on that a lot lately. I can't wait til I can really get my hands on the book.

Also, I've been thinking a lot about the future lately. I have no idea what God has in store for my future. I have no idea what he wants me to do with my life. With God, I can't even begin to guess what he has planned. I was talking to my roommate on Sunday and we were laughing about God's sense of humor. How he must look at us and shake his head and chuckle when we think we've got things all figured out. He's plans are usually way kookier (is that a word?) than we would ever think. I was specifically thinking about the day I met Charles. I was in the middle of this emotional fiasco and wondering why God wouldn't answer my question about this other guy, and here he is introducing me to my future husband... and I was so totally clueless. But yes, the Lord's time is perfect. So I trust that He'll reveal the right things to me at the proper time. It's just hard to wait sometimes.

Speaking of talking to my roommate, I miss my friends so much. It's hard being so far away and knowing that I may have to miss some major events in their lives. But, I guess people have to do that all the time. It's part of the call. But it just really sucks sometimes.

Charles and I were having a rough day yesterday - just feeling very discouraged. And then that song from "The Sound of Music" popped in my head, and it gave me a great idea! So instead of sitting around being sad yesterday, we spent time just thinking about our favorite things! We both came up with quite a long list. And they are so different! It's cool the different things, big and small, that we delight in! God made us each so unique and gives us so many different things that bring us pleasure!
Here are a few of my favorite things:
Composing (especially when I get a great idea!)
Conducting (hearing everything come together)
Singing (especially harmony)
Mastering a difficult piano piece after hours of practice
Worshipping the Lord in spirit and in truth
Reading a good book
Listening to music that sends shivers up my spine
Swing dancing with Nathan
The smell after it rains
Bear hugs
Weddings
Holding hands
Hiking
Spending time exploring God's amazing creation
Coming home to the smell of a roast in the oven or freshly baked chocolate-chip cookies
A good love story
Euchre
Being my with family
Laughing until your sides hurt
The smell of a running dryer/fabric softener
Spending time with friends
Going to football games
Roses
Aquariums and Zoos
Big dogs
Theology and learning more about God
Coming home after a long trip
Bubble baths
Being warm under lots of covers in a cold room
Thick, warm socks when my feet are cold
Camping (made even more fun when done with friends!)
Getting letters/packages in the mail from people I love
Traveling
Cheese (and cheesecake!! yum!!!)
Listening to the birds in the quiet and stillness of the rainforest
Swimming in the ocean
Thunderstorms
The look of a freshly mowed lawn
Flying (especially take-offs and landings)
Pepper (freshly-ground, maple, garlic, gourmet, etc.)
Flip-flops
Canoeing

"When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad, I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feel so bad!!!!"

Charles and I had a super fun morning this morning. We went to the hospital to visit a guy from church and found out the he had already been discharged. So since we were almost there, we went to the Coffs Harbour Butterfly House. We saw big and small butterflies, ones still in the crysallus (dont' know how to spell it), we tromped around the maze and solved all kinds of puzzles, had tea in the cute little shop and played Noughts and Crosses (tic-tac-toe) on a giant board! It was a fantastic date!

God is so creative. His creation is so full of amazing varieties. There is nothing like a butterfly house to remind me of that!

Also, did you know that most butterflies don't live more than 3 weeks? They hatch, mate, lay eggs and die. What a life, eh?
The guy next to us listening to all this info said "it's all about the sex, isn't it!"

hahaha - i laughed!

Saturday it actually stopped raining. That seems to be unheard of these days. Today it cleared up and I hung some clothes out on the line, but alas, it poured on them. yippee. Anyway, Saturday and Sunday were beautiful and Charles and I finally got our "date day." We went to the Coffs Harbour Zoo, which is small but really nice. Because it's small and not a lot of people, it's very hands on. So we got to feed dead mice to two owl-like birds (i can't remember their names) and they even let us pet them. We also got to pet a Koala (complete with the cutest little baby koala hanging on it's back), a kangaroo, an echidna, we got to feed the monkeys and I got to hold a python. That was cool. They really do have a tight squeeze, and he wasn't even trying to kill me. :) And I have to say that Wombats are the cutest things ever! Anyhow, it was a great time!
After that we had lunch and then walked around Muttonbird Island and took a quick dip in the beach. We had a fun movie night and watched Ghostbusters and then I made Charles suffer through Clueless. That movie is so much funnier now that I know that it is based on Jane Austen's Emma, and having studied that at Houghton, I laughed and laughed at all the modern ironies.
Sunday was a good day as well. I made Chicken Enchiladas. Church was really good. Charles gave a good sermon and I had a lot of good feedback on the music - people were able to really worship and focus. Praise the Lord!
Well, that's it - gotta run. Busy day today. I cleaned all morning and still am not done.
More later. Keep praying for us!

From Celebration of the Disciplines by Richard Foster and A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life by William Law:

"Law urges that every day should be viewed as a day of humility. And how does he suggest that we do this? By learning to serve others. Law understood that it is the Discipline of service that brings humility into the life. If we want humility, he counsels us to '...condescend to all the weaknesses and infirmities of your fellow-creatures, cover their frailties, love their excellencies, encourage their virtues, relive their wants, rejoice in their prosperities, have compassion in their distress, receive their friendship, overlook their unkindness, forgive their malice, be a servant of servants, and condescend to do the lowest offices for the lowest of mankind.' "

That is the heart of Service.
Can you imagine if all people lived in this way?