It's a New Year!!!!....Christmas and other things.........

Welcome to the year 2008. Well......It's about time this little chick got around to actually blogging a bit more. Time just seems to fly by, with lots of work to do and some great God stuff happening. Well Christmas is over for another year and what a lovely Christmas it was. It's absolutely amazing how many Christmas dinners, break ups, social events that we have been to, way too much eating....though there have been some lovely moments. One of the highlights for me this Christmas was going to the home of one of our Corps members, it was a corps barby and having a bus load of people from one of the local nursing homes come by and share in some carol singing. It is always a joy to see people enjoying themselves and even though it ended up raining, for the first time the people actually got out of the the bus to join in. (You see this is an annual event and the people usually stay on the bus even during the carol singing.) This was the first year that I have not been in Ballarat for Christmas and with my family at home. I thought I would be more emotional about it, but I managed quite well. We were very fortunate to have our best friends and family Belinda and Mark come and share Christmas with us with their beautiful family ~ Josh and Jess. It was really great to have someone we know and love here for the celebration of Christmas. Another first for us was a Christmas Eve service, it seems here that people are used to having a service on Christmas Eve and not on Christmas Day, which was quite unusual, but really nice all the same. We started with a showing of the movie "The Nativity Story" followed by supper together and then we had a service at 10:00pm which went really well, I think so anyway. Well, that's about all from me for now. Hope to post again soon. I found this picture of Mary and Jesus......it's just lovely really...so I thought that I would share it here.



Mmmmmmmm.......it's very peaceful and just one of those pics that show you the heart of God. One of the main thoughts that I have had this Christmas time.....or I guess that you could say, one of the main major revelations from God was that Jesus came as "God in the flesh"...you may well say.....der.....I know..........it is something that I know about, and havce known, but for some reason it really struck me this year.
A new year........what is God going to do in and through me this year? Mmmmmmmmm.......I have been thinking about new years resolutions and such, and that they don't really work all that well, so maybe I will just continue to strive to be closer to God and live my life for Him. I did come by this though which I thought was kinda cool.............
William Booth, the founder of The Salvation Army had these 6 resolutions......not that I'm a real huge reader of Army history, I think there is something to be learnt from this....or at least a model I can make my own resolutions around.
Booth's 6 Resolutions
1. That I will rise every morning sufficiently early to wash, dress and have a few minutes, not less than 5, in private prayer.
2. That I will, as much as possible, avoid all that babbling and idle talk, in which I have lately so sinfully indulged.
3. That I will endeavor in my conduct and deportment before the world and my fellow servants especially to conduct myself as a humble, meek, and zealous follower of Christ, and by serious conservation and waning endeavor to lead them to think of their immortal souls.
4. That I will read no less than 4 chapters in god's word every day.
5. That I will strive to live closer to God, and to seek after holiness of heart and leave providential events with God.
6. That I will read over this everyday or at least twice a week.
Wow right? There's a challenge...... I encourage you to try to live out Booth's 6 resolutions or make some similar. Hey......life is our gift from God.....let's take every opportunity to grow closer to Him.

love Kylie xxx

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