Coffee Break Lane: December 2005

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

The Franz

Waterfalls. Lakes. Valleys. Hills. Snow capped mountains. Rivers. Winding roads. And glaciers.
As we drove from Dunedin to Wanaka and then Wanaka to Fox Glacier, i sat in awe of each of these things.
Amazing.
Beautiful.
You cannot but know these things were created by an awesome and loving God.

We have been blessed with good weather lately, a change from the rainy days in Dunedin, and I have been continually falling more and more in love with this country.

Eventually arriving in Fox Glacier yesterday was exciting. But also humbling, as you step out the door of your motel, or look out the window of this internet cafe, and are surrounded by mountains. Its beautiful. And the sunset last night - which eventually came about 9:30pm - through a few clouds and over the mountains, was breathtaking.

But what is incredibly more breaktaking, in every sense of the word, is what i experienced this morning.
8:30 I arrived the township of Franz Josef, where i was equiped with socks, a jacket, hiking boots, and cramp-ons. With out guide (Nick, who's from Canada, and very cool) we walked through some rainforest into the valley that led to the glacier. From a distance it is obvious this block of iceis rather large, decending from a mountain into the valley, but it is not until you notice the people in the distance who next to the glacier, are the size of ants, you realise just how massive this thing is.
And when you get to its base, this is definately reinforced.
This massive ice formation is apparently moving a metre a day at the moment, but i am very pleased that the only movement i could notice was the occassional rock or block of ice tumbling down a crevase.
The most amazing part of the journey was climbing the glacier - we have cramp-ons for a reason you know! Yes, with the aid of little ice stairs that had been freshly reformed this morning - and continually shapped by Nick as we climbed - we ascended the ice.
Ok, I have to admit, there were times i was a little scared. Several times. But overall, this was an amazing experience. We spent about 2 hours on the ice, and luckily, coming down wasnt nearly as frightening as i had thought.
Ice is amazing. The formations, the colours, the power. Yes, as I admired the view of the valley below and looked up at the kilometres worth of snow and ice, I was reminded that none other than the hands of our creator carefully moulded these wonders into existance. Amazing!
And we didnt even get to go to the top (that would take days.....or a helicopter flight)!

Aside from being a little frightened at times and been remineded of something I would rather not have thought of (long story), it was an awesome experience! Although I am glad that unlike Nick, I dont have to do it again this afternoon!

My camera is getting a lot of use and my memory cards are filling up fast, so when I return home I shall have some photos of this beautiful place to share with you all!

For now, I hope you are all well, i hope you all had a great Christmas, and I wish you all an even better new year!

In Him,
from Fox Glacier,
Chelsea

Friday, December 23, 2005

Raindrops on Roses

Kia Ora!
We have been in Dunedin for almost a week now.
Although the sun is currently shining, it has not always been the case over the last few days. But never fear! We made the most of this weather, shopping, movie watching, photo taking - roses in the rain -, sharing stories of years gone by, and looking through a stack of photos - from the old days of parents' childhood to many spectacular images of the snow capped mountains that stand not too far away.
Good times!

Meanwhile, I had hoped to include some photos of the journey so far, but i just dont think this computer will cope with it! Thus, we shall wait til my return!

In Him,
Chelsea

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Garden State

Well, Garden City actually.
After a day of sitting in planes and sitting in airports, consuming numerous cups of not so tastey airport lounge coffee, and various random photographs taken to make use of the time waiting for a flight, that is where we arrived - Christchurch, The Garden City.
And I have to say, the city deserves its name. When we finally got the chance to wander around the town we came across several beautiful parks, gardens and rivers. It is a beautiful city!

We were blessed with very pleasant weather, and were welcomed into the home of my mother's aunt and uncle. They are lovely people! And have the best sense of humour for old people! Aunty Val, knowing her husband very well, said of Unlce Peter, "There are only two things in life: food and cars."
To which he very quickly added "and women".
Yes, men never change.

Meanwhile, one night we went to my mum's cousin's house for dinner - which was awesome - they live on a farm just out of Christchurch, and its absolutely beautiful!
My cousin currently lives in Christchurch too, so we had a day with her too, enjoying catching up over lunch, visiting an awesome photographic exhibition at the new Chrischurch Art Gallery, wandering through the Art Centre, where we stopped at a cute little coffee shop and then hunted down the Fudge Cottage - if you are ever in Christchurch, you must go there! - and of course, checked out the local markets! What could be better than markets, art and coffee!?! Not to mention the amazing home made waffles with strawberries and cream created for us for breakfast by the very talented chef, Aunty Val!

After a few days there we headed South to Dunedin in a rental car, allowing us to stop at various little towns along the way, and make numerous photo stops, ordered by me from the back seat. It was an absolutely beautiful drive, admiring the coastline of New Zealand's South Island. Seriously, I may be somewhat biased, but you have to agree, it is a beautiful country!
Photos will be coming when i get home!
And now i sit at my Aunt and Unlce's house in Dunedin, cup of tea in hand, and enjoying having a holiday.
We are here for the week, til after Christmas, when we will be venturing off across to the West Coast!

With memory cards cleared and ready, Bring it on!

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Smashing Plates and Saving Grace

Last night had to be one of the best nights I've ever had.
Big call? Maybe. But i think its justified.

A group of us went to Dimitri's, Pappy's dad's Greek restaurant. Not only is this a really funky place, but the food was amazing! Pappy educated us on the names of all the extremely tastey dishes presented before us - i tried to learn, but the food was too much of a distraction.
After a beautiful 4 course meal and a couple of glasses of red, it was onto the Greek dancing, the best way to work off a large meal! This was my first experience of such a tradition, but, led by pappy and her father, it was so much fun! Mid dancing, the plates were introduced, and we all vented the frustration we had accumulated during the day, or in the case of some, celebrated the joy of the day, throwing these little clay plates as hard as we could to the ground. We then proceeded to dance on top of the remains!
If you have never tried this, you need to!

And just when you think it couldnt get any better, the karaoke was swtiched on. The mikes soon became redundant as the entire group began singing at the top of their voices. If the plate smashing had not been therapeutic enough for you, then this would certainly do the trick.
Mid Karaoke, Mr P requested a song from Pappy, and we were treated to an absolutely beautiful sound as, guitar in hand, Psalm 130 was sung!

When it came to choosing the final song for karaoke for the night, Livin on a Prayer was brought out. And oh how we sang! Luckily we were the only people in the restaurant that evening!
But wait, theres more!
Mr P then put on Summer of 69.
And as we prepared for the fact that this in fact would end the evening, Mr P brought out another clasisc - Bohemian Rhapsody - and boy did we scream along! Yes, I saw a side to people I had never seen before. Derek, shouting into the mike, eyes closed, whole body into it - yes, i think he was enjoying himself!

Such an awesome night.
With 4 tired but enthusiastic bodies singing along to Love Song Dedications in the car trip home to top it all off!

Meanwhile, I am off to New Zealand tomorrow, and as I am not sure when my travels with next bring me to the internet, I shall take this opportunity to wish you all a very merry Christmas!!

Wherever you are for Christmas and whatever you are doing, whatever gifts you receive and meals you are blessed with, please remember what we are celebrating. This is not just a birthday. It is the birth of a Saviour.
"In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness"

The greatest gift you will ever receive. The Christmas gift we actually need.

In Him,
Chelsea

Saturday, December 10, 2005

Its official!

So, you may be thinking that my latest entries have been a little deep, a little too full of complicated thoughts and questions about life, so today my day can be summed up with two simple words - sun and water.

But to go into slgihtly more detail of my extremely uncomplicated day, it all starts with a swim in my pool, the sun shining in the beautiful blue sky, and some lazing around the house, enjoying the fact that i am on holidays.

This was soon followed by a trip to the beach, where the sound of kids laughter could be heard as sand sculptures were crafted and their little legs flirted with the edge of the water. Families, frisbies, surfboards, soccer balls, and of course, sleepy beach-goers lying in the sun.
Definately a good vibe.
And as we had the windows down and some appropriately summery music blearing, it became official - yes, summer is here.
And it is very welcome!

Thursday, December 08, 2005

Meditation

I dont know what comes to your mind when you hear the word 'meditation'. Perhaps there is an image of some random little dude sitting with his legs crossed, hands resting on knees with palms facing upward, and the sound of a soft soothing hum. Maybe some insence or candles even. Maybe you think its strange. Maybe you think its weird. Or maybe you yourself enjoy it.

Well, whatever your image or perception right now, forget that for the minute, and come with me on little journey....

Tonight I was writing Bible study for this week, based on the chapter 'The Place of Personal Discipline' from The Pursuit of Holiness. Let me share with you some words from this chapter:

"if we are to pursue holiness with discipline, we must do more than hear, read, study, or memorize Scripture. We must meditate on it. God said to Joshua, as he was assumming leadership over Israel, "Do not let the Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it" (Joshua 1:8). To meditate on the Scriptures is to think about them, turning them over in our minds, and applying them to our life's situations. Few of us practice meditation on the Scriptures...Most of us think we don't have time for this, but there are blocks of minutes during the day when we can meditate if we develop the habit."

The challenge?
Make more time to meditate on God's word.

Such a simple concept really. We dont need to be sitting in a particular way, or be surrounded by candles (although, dont get me wrong, a love candles!) We can simply open up God's word and read. And let it remain in our minds. And meditate on it.
It truely is great when the time is made! We just gotta make more of an effort. Its all about patterns and discipline.
I'm working at it!

In other news:

Listenin: Jason Mraz; Quote of the moment: "The comedy is that its serious"

A present from a friend:

Sunday, December 04, 2005

A Call to War

Back in August I posted a quote from one of Nathan's songs. Once again these words are in my mind.
"This is not a call to comfort, Its a call to war, Come and join the battle, Fight like you've never fought before"

Why bother bringing it up again, you may ask? Well, because this is a battle that is a life long struggle. One that will be fought til the day we die or Jesus comes again.

"So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me."
Romans 7:21

Ok, so I have posted this quote before too. But this is the battle we are emersed in every single day of our lives. The enemy is within and is fighting to take over using whatever it can, whenever it can.

Can you imagine a soldier at war falling asleep at his post?! It means nothing but defeat and death.
In Proverbs we are told to guard our hearts.
In 1 Timothy we are told to "fight the good fight of the faith".
In Ephesians we are told to "put on the full armor of God"
And in Matthew, Jesus tells us to "watch and pray".

These images of battle are there for a reason. And like a soldier in war, we cannot afford to fall asleep.

This is why i come here again today with these words - we are to stay alert! I am here to help myself and you, my fellow soldiers, to do that.

Life is hard.
As we have all of a sudden ended up in december, the end of another year, I was thinking about what this year has held. While i concluded 12 months is almost impossible to sum up accurately in a few sentences, there has been everything from Heartbreak to Death, and Serious illness. Not to mention of course the many natural disasters and acts of terrorism across the world.
Yes, this has been a hard year, and life is a battle.
We are surrounded by pain - personally, in those around us, and in the world itself, as it groans, calling for the pain to stop. What we experience each year may be different for everybody. But the pain is there.

BUT Before you get too depressed, let me remind you that not all is bad. A battle can be positive - maybe not a worldly battle, but one that is in faith and striving for holiness can. One that calls its soldiers to be bold and defend their saviour. Is that not why Paul calls it a 'good fight' in 1 Timothy?

Life may be hard. And it may be a call to war not comfort, but there is still comfort for those who fight, as for them comes life, not death, through Jesus, who "has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" (2 Tim 1:10).

Know you are not alone in the pain you may feel, my brothers and sisters. But stay alert in the battle. The battle that is inevitbale in this world but worth it in the next.

For those who were patient with my writing and got this far, well done, and thank you!

In Him, Chelsea

Thursday, December 01, 2005

The good, the bad, and the better

9am my alarm goes off. Its holidays, so this aint too bad.
I decide exercise is in order, and head off around the local streets. As I walked I continually saw the beauty of the Lord's creation - His skillful craftsmanship in a single pink rose against a wall of green; the way the light flows through leaves, lighting them up in a way that is indescribable. And thus, I returned home only to grab my camera and to follow the exact same path, capturing those moments while they lasted! I could not let them go to waste!
A good way to start the day I have to admit!

The evening that followed provided a similar sense of joy.
A group of us headed to Balmoral beach for some dinner and fun times. A great way to celebrate the December 1st - the start of summer! We were not disappointed.
A drop of wine, F'N Cs (otherwise known as fish and chips), beautiful scenery, nice weather, good company, good laughs...and even a little fun with the camera (the crowd were willing!).
A good night indeed!

My day went from good to bad to awesome - Thanks guys!

(If you want to see a few more of the pics click on the flicker)

Coffee Break Lane