Noosh News : April 07

As most of you are aware, I have been sending out a monthly newsletter, however, for some email systems, they reject the newsletter and so it doesn't get through to everyone so I thought I would add a modified version (for security & condifentiality reasons) to my BLOG for those that missed it via email for whatever reason!

Dear Friend

"Nothing shapes your life more than the commitments you choose to make. Your commitments can develop you or they can destroy you, but either way, they will define you … we become whatever we are committed to … you were put on earth to make a contribution. You weren't created just to consume resources - to eat, breathe, and take up space. God designed you to make a difference with your life. While many best selling books offer advice on how to "get" the most out of life, that's not the reason God made you. You were created to "add" to life on earth, not just take from it. God wants you to give something back." (Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life)

What are you committed to? What are you giving back to life on earth? What is the purpose of life?

What is Easter really all about?


As we celebrated the death and resurrection of our Saviour, Jesus Christ at Easter, I was reminded of the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf as he suffered and hung on a cross so that we might have eternal life with God in heaven forever. I was challenged to think about the questions above in a renewed way. I'm thankful to God for the many blessings I have received in my life, the most important being that He revealed himself in such a way that I can say wholeheartedly that I am committed to being faithful to God, to becoming more Christ-like and to continually transforming my life and my character. In addition, I'm hoping that by doing God's will through mission, I will be giving back to life on earth, a tiny part of the big slice that I have already taken from it. I am also committed to taking you all around the world with me and I am so excited to know that your hands, your feet, your eyes and your ears will be with me all the way on this journey as you pray, encourage and support me.

Could it possibly be that there are exactly 9 weeks to go before I leave Sydney? Writing this newsletter, I feel the butterflies swirling around, as it reminds me how fast this past month has flown by, and how much is happening in my life! Only 63 days left … and counting!? Eeek! God is always faithful though and has continued to show me that He is very much present in this whole process by answering my prayers and allaying my fears.

Cabin Fever?!

So what will my cabin really look like?


I am constantly checking the LH website (www.LH.org - type the name of the ship in full if you know it for the actual web address) for updates on the progress of the ship refurbishments and I recently found a photo of a partially completed cabin … and I have to say that I was most pleasantly surprised. However, I have a lot of things and I am only allowed to take the 20-23kg airline limit, so my whole life is going to have to fit into one suitcase, which, is going to be one of the biggest challenges I could ever face! Once I get on board and make myself at home, I will have to send you an updated photo of what my actual room looks like!

Other News

For a few weeks this month, I have felt that I've been under a big grey cloud and it occurred to me that the Enemy is on my case BIG TIME! Praise God that I have the power of the Holy Spirit within to withstand any attack! I had an amazing experience in relation to praying through scriptures called "Lectio Divina" which really impacted me - read about it on my BLOG. The point is that God has a way of revealing himself when we least expect to find Him, and I find it comforting to know, that no matter what is going on, no matter who is judging me and no matter how much self-pity I may have or alone and self-absorbed I may feel, I know that God is always with me and will never leave me. It is my prayer that each of you has the same experience of God in your lives, because the sun is always shining above the clouds, no matter how grey they get!
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

It may not be easy but it is possible to remain faithful.

Finance Update

Two great verses from 2 Corinthians are a reminder that "what is unseen is eternal" and that we live by faith, not by sight. Therefore, I continue to praise God for raising up supporters who are committing their financial resources and fixing their eyes on what is unseen ie. the people that I will meet and the ministries that I will participate in as a result of their generosity. I will be living completely by faith so I cannot do what I am doing without your financial support and it is exciting to know that God is working in your lives too! For every child that I hug and every hand that I shake, my support partners will have played an "unseen" part in the lives of people across the world. Effectively, along with me, you will be living by faith in my mission and not by direct sight of it. I believe that this will have eternal consequences in your own lives as well as the lives of those that I meet. The impact will be global!

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18)

We live by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7)

So, if you would like to commit to what is unseen yet eternal and have faith in my mission, please consider financially supporting me on an ongoing basis. Email me and I will send you a "Financial Partners Support Form", otherwise, you can provide one-off donations.

Power in Simple Prayer

I have to thank a group of very close friends who have been so faithful in their prayerful support and encouragement. Last year, after the Mission Outreach conference, 8 of us formed the MPT (Mission Prayer Team) and we have faithfully met together once a month since Aug 06 to pray specifically for each other regarding our mission plans and where we are at in relation to where God wants us to be! We have seen amazing answers to our simple, yet faithful prayers, and we have all seen and experienced God working powerfully in our lives! One of our group is now studying at College in Victoria to be a member of the Mission Aviation Fellowship and is learning to be a pilot, which is the realization of a lifelong dream that he never thought possible! Another member of our group is in the process of planning to do a 5-month missionary course in Darwin. Others are considering study at Bible Colleges and involvement in community aid projects and changing careers to live out God's will in their lives. And of course, I am leaving everything that I love and know here in Sydney to live out God's will for the next 2 years on a ship which, if you had told me I would be doing this time last year, I would have laughed at you … God has certainly been at work!! The power of simple prayer has been evident in our lives and it is so encouraging to know that God is hearing us and responding according to His will.

Praise & Prayer Focus

Every month, I ask that you spend a few minutes sending up prayer points on my behalf because it is key to opening the way for God to work, so thank you for your prayers.

* Praise God for the donations of time, space and money that have been offered to help me with storing my stuff

* Praise God that he is listening to simple prayers and that the MPT group has now grown with the departure and impending departure of some of our members to do God's will

* Praise God continually for His faithfulness in raising up supporters who are contributing generously in finances and prayer

* Pray that God will give me peace in my packing process, which I am finding stressful and exhausting

* Pray that I will be able to be positive in the face of adversity when trials come my way and that I will stand strong knowing that I can do all things through Him who gives me strength (Phil 4:13) and that I do not have to do things in my own strength

* Pray that I will be uplifted and positive in my attitude towards work, packing and saying Good Bye to friends

* Pray for a spirit of confidence that God is in control and I do not need to worry about the small things, but rather that I can remain open minded and open-hearted to give Him the ability to continue working in my life always

Food For The Soul

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labour. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. (1 Corinthians 3:6-9)



Will you help to "water" the seeds that I will be "planting"? Only God makes the flowers grow but together we can plant and water seeds of light, love and peace to a hurting world.

God's richest blessings in Christ to you … Vanoosh :o)

Noah's Lesson

Find the one thing that can sink your boat ... and never lose heart!

Weight Management

As some of you who "battle the bulge" know ... losing weight can be hard ... I've come to the conclusion that this is the best way to perform my weekly weigh in ... don't you just love it?!

Memories of Blue Bottle Mania

One Sunday a few years ago ... a bunch of us were down at Dee Why Beach for brekkie ... and there were just masses and masses of blue bottles everywhere ... it was amazing!

Sunset on Sydney Harbour

One of my favourite ferry shots ...

Accepting The Embrace of God : The Ancient Art of Lectio Divina

Do you believe that God can talk to you? I do ...

Recently, I attended a bible study group where we learnt about "Lectio Divina" which is an ancient monastic method of reading the Scriptures. Latin for "Divine Reading" or "Praying the Scriptures", Lectio Divina is a quiet and contemplative way of coming to Gods Word in which the participant allows the rhythm of Scripture to wash over them as they meditate upon the passage. The process involves 5 steps and the first step is to select a passage of scripture or ask God to reveal a passage to you which you can meditate on.

I want to share how powerful God is, even when we don't understand His ways at the time.

Initially, when we undertook this process during the study, I chose a passage from Matthew or Mark, I forget which now but in the initial quiet time, I asked God to reveal to me anything that He wanted me to know and meditate on ... and a specific passage came into my head as clearly as if someone had spoken to me audibly - James 4:11

I had no idea what the passage was about but I thought to myself, well, I better check this out:

"11 Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you - who are you to judge your neighbour?" (James 4:11-12)

Now you may be wondering why I've written this entry and what relevance it has ... the point is this ... at the time, I had no idea why God was revealing this passage to me, because I did not feel particularly judged by others and I also didn't feel guilty of being particularly judgmental of others. That's not to say that I am not guilty of this sin at times in my life or that I'm free of the judgment of others either.

Anyway, as we continued to work through our individual passages using the steps of Lectio Divina, I believe God had this message, which I want to share.

"Be careful and mindful of what you are thinking and saying about others, even if it remains in your own thoughts and headspace because you have no right to judge, only God has the right to judge. He knows your thoughts and the words you say before you utter them from your mouth. When you do these things, you are breaking God's law - be warned. Repent of all judgment of others and seek God's forgiveness for judging His laws. When you are free of judgment, then you can receive acceptance in your heart for things that are not meant for you."

As mentioned, at the time, I did not understand why God would reveal this to me and I felt convicted that perhaps there was some area in my life that I needed to review closely. However, in this past week, I have experienced judgment over my life which has been painful and upsetting. I have sought God's forgiveness and release from this judgment and the strength to rise above living in judgment of others, because I now know why God gave me this verse in the first place. I remain in awe of how God can speak to me through his Word even weeks before a time when I actually need to be guided by a specific passage in relation to a very real situation.

My prayer is that God will speak to you through his Word and that your life will be transformed ... and for those that wish to know more about this amazing way to connect with God ... read on about the steps to Lectio Divina

Method
Lectio is typically practiced daily for one continuous hour. A selection from the Holy Scriptures is chosen ahead of time, often as a daily progression through a particular book of the Bible.

Time
Selecting a time for lectio divina is important. Typical methods are to pray for one hour in the morning, or to divide it into two half-hour periods, one in the morning and one in the evening. The key is to pre-select the time that will be devoted to the prayer, and to keep it. Using the same time every day leads to a daily habit of prayer that becomes highly effective.

Place
The place for prayer is to be free from distractions. This means it should be isolated from other people, telephones, visual distractions, etc. The same place should be used for lectio if possible, especially as one first begins to practice it. Familiarity with a location reduces the possibility of distraction away from the prayer.

Preparation
Prior to reading, it is important to engage in a transitional activity that takes one from the normal state of mind to a more contemplative and prayerful state. A few moments of deep, regular breathing and a short prayer inviting the Holy Spirit to guide the prayer time helps to set the tone and improve the effectiveness of the lectio.

Once the stage is set it is time to begin the prayer. There are four phases of the prayer, which do not necessarily progress in an ordered fashion. One may move between different phases of the prayer very freely as the Spirit guides.

The Four Moments

Lectio
Read the passage slowly several times.

Meditatio
Reflect on the text of the passage, thinking about how to apply to one's own life. Gravitate to any particular phrase or word that seems to be of particular importance. This should not be confused with exegesis, but is a very personal reading of the Scripture and application to one's own life.

Oratio
Respond to the passage by opening the heart to God. This is not primarily an intellectual exercise, but more of the beginning of a conversation with God.

Contemplatio
Listen to God. This is a freeing oneself from one's own thoughts, both mundane and holy. It is about hearing God talk to us. Opening our mind, heart and soul to the influence of God. Any conversation must allow for both sides to communicate, and this most unfamiliar act is allowing oneself to be open to hearing God speak.

Further reading: http://www.valyermo.com/ld-art.html

May God Bless you and may you know Him in a deeper way through Lectio Divina.

Happy Easter to Princess Agnes Pearl : 6 months

Our little Princess Agnes Pearl is growing fast ... and so beautiful too ... in case you didn't know, I just adore this child ... and I'm going to miss her soooooo much ... however, I was contemplating that at least I will be able to look at my own BLOG to remind myself of everyone! Agnes came to visit us on Easter Sunday and much to our delight, her gorgeous parents accompanied her too ... but she took centre stage with lights, camera ... action!