Want to see somethign really embarrassing?
Check out the video on my Children's Ministry Blog.
http://ukzoe-childrensministry.blogspot.com/
Monday, November 17, 2008
Friday, November 07, 2008
Looking back on my THEME for 2008
This is copy and pasted from a post I made right back at the beginning of the year.
My next post will be comments on how I've done with that.
I hadn't really intended to seek God for a theme for this year. Not after last year which was the year with the theme of seeking God for myself, not relying on others. That turned into the most isolating year of my life. After that and other people's tales of years that did indeed follow their theme but not at all in the way they expected, I wasn't going to do it this year.
Then one of the guys at church prayed for me the other week. I trust this man so much, trust his instincts and his ability to hear God. And this time, as he has does and as he has done a number of times recently he talked about resting in God's presence. And I KNEW, I knew that I had my theme for the year. 2008 is to be the year I REST!
It's a funny theme really and I expect that some people might misunderstand it or think that I should be DOING something to make myself acceptable to God. Heck, I'm not sure I understand it all myself. I mean, REST? Does that mean I sit back and do nothing? Well, in a way yes, because this is about God coming in, loving me, pouring out on me etc.
BUT rest is active. Not in a "I must do ........." and "I have to do .........." in order to be acceptable kind of way or anything like that. But, sometimes rest has to be a choice. I have to choose to rest, choose to ALLOW God to do whatever He wants.
But, back to the other point, it is about me doing NOTHING!, because there is not one single thing I can do to make myself acceptable and I have been trying for so long. Trying to make myself a good enough wife, a good enough mother, a good enough friend, a good enough office worker, a good enough person, and I CANNOT do it! Not one think I can do will ever make me good enough, or acceptable or lovable.
And heck, most of us are good Christians and we know this in our heads, right? We KNOW that stuff, we don't need little old Zoe telling us, I mean, she must be daft is she hasn't worked this one out by now. But, you know what? I thought I had got it worked out, I thought I understood it, but I was STILL striving, still trying to be enough. So, really, the only thing that I believe god requires of me this year at the outset is for me to say "YES LORD!" "Yes, Daddy!"
Does this mean I might stop doing some of the things I have been doing? Oh quite possibly. I have no firm plans for anything like that right now, and actually in effect some of the stepping back from things might be more emotional and spiritual, cutting the ties that involve too much of my soul in these things, whilst continuing to be involved in them in a more right way.
There is going to be a lot of learning to say "NO!" So be prepared for that if you need to ask me for something later in the year. Because this year is about learning that God loves me no matter what and I do NOT have to do do do do do do do to earn his approval. Even those things that you personally think are good and right for me to be doing, even that you think I SHOULD be doing, for whatever reason, I might well, not do them, I might well, say NO! And I don't have to give an explanation, I don't have to make it OK for me to do that, all I have to do is do it. And if I hurt or upset anyone with that this year, I am sorry.
So, is it all going to be nice, and lovely, and me sitting back, letting go of things and just being loved loved loved? Probably NOT! I sincerely doubt it in fact. Because I sincerely doubt that all of the times of rest will be by my choice. When this guy at church prayed for me last week, one of the things he said was that he got a sense there MIGHT be coming a time of ENFORCED rest. He's been through that himself the last couple of years and it has not been easy, I know that. But he said, not to fight it and try and battle my way out of it but to just let go and treat the time of rest as a gift. It's not necessarily a nice and pretty prayer, that one, but my spirit recognized it. Does that make sense? Something in me said "yes, he's probably right".
Does that mean I sit in fear of what that might mean? Absolutely not. There are two possibilities that immediately come to mind and that is either me losing my job OR something health related. But it wouldn't surprise me if it comes a totally unexpected way, or even not at all. And that's OK, because I KNOW that god is in this. That's all I can say, I KNOW that He is in this and I say "Yes, Daddy".
My next post will be comments on how I've done with that.
I hadn't really intended to seek God for a theme for this year. Not after last year which was the year with the theme of seeking God for myself, not relying on others. That turned into the most isolating year of my life. After that and other people's tales of years that did indeed follow their theme but not at all in the way they expected, I wasn't going to do it this year.
Then one of the guys at church prayed for me the other week. I trust this man so much, trust his instincts and his ability to hear God. And this time, as he has does and as he has done a number of times recently he talked about resting in God's presence. And I KNEW, I knew that I had my theme for the year. 2008 is to be the year I REST!
It's a funny theme really and I expect that some people might misunderstand it or think that I should be DOING something to make myself acceptable to God. Heck, I'm not sure I understand it all myself. I mean, REST? Does that mean I sit back and do nothing? Well, in a way yes, because this is about God coming in, loving me, pouring out on me etc.
BUT rest is active. Not in a "I must do ........." and "I have to do .........." in order to be acceptable kind of way or anything like that. But, sometimes rest has to be a choice. I have to choose to rest, choose to ALLOW God to do whatever He wants.
But, back to the other point, it is about me doing NOTHING!, because there is not one single thing I can do to make myself acceptable and I have been trying for so long. Trying to make myself a good enough wife, a good enough mother, a good enough friend, a good enough office worker, a good enough person, and I CANNOT do it! Not one think I can do will ever make me good enough, or acceptable or lovable.
And heck, most of us are good Christians and we know this in our heads, right? We KNOW that stuff, we don't need little old Zoe telling us, I mean, she must be daft is she hasn't worked this one out by now. But, you know what? I thought I had got it worked out, I thought I understood it, but I was STILL striving, still trying to be enough. So, really, the only thing that I believe god requires of me this year at the outset is for me to say "YES LORD!" "Yes, Daddy!"
Does this mean I might stop doing some of the things I have been doing? Oh quite possibly. I have no firm plans for anything like that right now, and actually in effect some of the stepping back from things might be more emotional and spiritual, cutting the ties that involve too much of my soul in these things, whilst continuing to be involved in them in a more right way.
There is going to be a lot of learning to say "NO!" So be prepared for that if you need to ask me for something later in the year. Because this year is about learning that God loves me no matter what and I do NOT have to do do do do do do do to earn his approval. Even those things that you personally think are good and right for me to be doing, even that you think I SHOULD be doing, for whatever reason, I might well, not do them, I might well, say NO! And I don't have to give an explanation, I don't have to make it OK for me to do that, all I have to do is do it. And if I hurt or upset anyone with that this year, I am sorry.
So, is it all going to be nice, and lovely, and me sitting back, letting go of things and just being loved loved loved? Probably NOT! I sincerely doubt it in fact. Because I sincerely doubt that all of the times of rest will be by my choice. When this guy at church prayed for me last week, one of the things he said was that he got a sense there MIGHT be coming a time of ENFORCED rest. He's been through that himself the last couple of years and it has not been easy, I know that. But he said, not to fight it and try and battle my way out of it but to just let go and treat the time of rest as a gift. It's not necessarily a nice and pretty prayer, that one, but my spirit recognized it. Does that make sense? Something in me said "yes, he's probably right".
Does that mean I sit in fear of what that might mean? Absolutely not. There are two possibilities that immediately come to mind and that is either me losing my job OR something health related. But it wouldn't surprise me if it comes a totally unexpected way, or even not at all. And that's OK, because I KNOW that god is in this. That's all I can say, I KNOW that He is in this and I say "Yes, Daddy".
HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED
How you get involved in Operation Christmas Child depends first on your location.
Each nation that sends boxes has it's own website with it's own rules and so on.
So your best bet is to check there first, then take my rules as a "general" list of what to do.
United States
Australia (New Zealand comes under their office)
Canada
Germany
Ireland
Netherlands
United Kingdom
If you live in one of those countries, you can take part in sending a box.
Next you'll need to source your shoebox. For us that is a matter of just walking into any shoe shop and asking "please may I have an empty box". If your situation is anything like ours, businesses pay for their refuse to be taken, so if they give you a box that's one less they have to pay to dispose of!
Wrap your box in bright paper, it doesn't matter if it's not Christmas paper, just keep it bright and cheerful! be careful how you wrap it, remember these boxes are getting shoved into cartons next to other boxes and any loose bits of paper have a tendency to rip. If in doubt spray paint a box with gold paint. That was a new one to us this year, but they look so good. I have a can to spray some of our empty boxes at the depot but MUST go get a face mask first, I got a bit light headed after 2 boxes last time, heeheee.
I understand that one of the nations is actually giving out boxes, but I'm not sure which. These come printed with the instructions on the inside of the box. You pay your "donation fee" to get your box, for the rest of us that "donation fee" will come later.
The rest of us will need to either get hold of a leaflet OR go onto the website for OUR OWN NATION and find the page about packing boxes.
This is because the list of acceptable and unacceptable items is slightly different for each of us.
For instance, this link takes you to the United States "How to pack a box" page.
And this one to the United Kingdom "What to Pack in a box" page.
One obvious difference is that the United States can send t-shirts and underwear. United kingdom is only supposed to send socks. Also items with batteries are fine in the US, but are on the "general" NO list for the UK. However, some depots will be able to send battery items because of where their lorry is going to.
But here's the thing,
IN GENERAL if you want to pack a reasonable box try and include something from each of the following 4 areas.
You will need to choose whether your box is going to a boy or a girl and which age range it will go to. We have 2-4 year olds, 5-9 year olds and 10-14 year olds. If the clothing items in your box don't fit directly within one of those age bands it is not good scribbling off the ages on your label and writing your own in. It HAS to go into one of those because of the processes at the other end! So choose your age range based on the average contents of your box, or better still choose your age range first and shop accordingly.
You want to pack your box so that it is full enough not to collapse in transit but not so overfull that it explodes when we take the elastic band off.
The last thing you need to do before attaching your elastic band is pay your "donation". This covers the cost of transporting the boxes to their destinations. In the UK that is £2.50 this year for each box. Please fill in your details on the envelope provided on the leaflet and insert either a cheque or cash. BETTER STILL, please please please, if your nation allows you to pay online (I KNOW UK and US does, haven't checked the others), do that, the system will give you a code number to write in a space on your leaflet, which you then pop in the top of your box.
Wrap it around with an elastic band and take it to your nearest drop off point!
If you don't know where your nearest drop off point is, please go to your nations website and there should be somewhere for you to enter your location and it will tell you where to go!
Take it to your drop off point and the rest is up to us!
If you want to get involved there are plenty of opportunities, particularly in those locations that have OCC depots, or checking centres, check out the "how to volunteer" page of your nations website!
I THINK I have covered everything, but please, ask questions!
Each nation that sends boxes has it's own website with it's own rules and so on.
So your best bet is to check there first, then take my rules as a "general" list of what to do.
United States
Australia (New Zealand comes under their office)
Canada
Germany
Ireland
Netherlands
United Kingdom
If you live in one of those countries, you can take part in sending a box.
Next you'll need to source your shoebox. For us that is a matter of just walking into any shoe shop and asking "please may I have an empty box". If your situation is anything like ours, businesses pay for their refuse to be taken, so if they give you a box that's one less they have to pay to dispose of!
Wrap your box in bright paper, it doesn't matter if it's not Christmas paper, just keep it bright and cheerful! be careful how you wrap it, remember these boxes are getting shoved into cartons next to other boxes and any loose bits of paper have a tendency to rip. If in doubt spray paint a box with gold paint. That was a new one to us this year, but they look so good. I have a can to spray some of our empty boxes at the depot but MUST go get a face mask first, I got a bit light headed after 2 boxes last time, heeheee.
I understand that one of the nations is actually giving out boxes, but I'm not sure which. These come printed with the instructions on the inside of the box. You pay your "donation fee" to get your box, for the rest of us that "donation fee" will come later.
The rest of us will need to either get hold of a leaflet OR go onto the website for OUR OWN NATION and find the page about packing boxes.
This is because the list of acceptable and unacceptable items is slightly different for each of us.
For instance, this link takes you to the United States "How to pack a box" page.
And this one to the United Kingdom "What to Pack in a box" page.
One obvious difference is that the United States can send t-shirts and underwear. United kingdom is only supposed to send socks. Also items with batteries are fine in the US, but are on the "general" NO list for the UK. However, some depots will be able to send battery items because of where their lorry is going to.
But here's the thing,
IN GENERAL if you want to pack a reasonable box try and include something from each of the following 4 areas.
- Something to Love - that's the toys of all sorts. Make up, hair accessories, etc.
- Something to Do - that's the pens, pencils, colouring books, note pads, and so on.
- Something to Use - that's the soap, flannel, other acceptable toiletries, NO liquids and please check before putting toothpaste in, some nations are OK with it, others aren't.
- Something to Eat / Wear - sweets (check your website for the use by date they need to have), hats, scarves, gloves, socks, ties for the older boys, head scarves for the older girls.
You will need to choose whether your box is going to a boy or a girl and which age range it will go to. We have 2-4 year olds, 5-9 year olds and 10-14 year olds. If the clothing items in your box don't fit directly within one of those age bands it is not good scribbling off the ages on your label and writing your own in. It HAS to go into one of those because of the processes at the other end! So choose your age range based on the average contents of your box, or better still choose your age range first and shop accordingly.
You want to pack your box so that it is full enough not to collapse in transit but not so overfull that it explodes when we take the elastic band off.
The last thing you need to do before attaching your elastic band is pay your "donation". This covers the cost of transporting the boxes to their destinations. In the UK that is £2.50 this year for each box. Please fill in your details on the envelope provided on the leaflet and insert either a cheque or cash. BETTER STILL, please please please, if your nation allows you to pay online (I KNOW UK and US does, haven't checked the others), do that, the system will give you a code number to write in a space on your leaflet, which you then pop in the top of your box.
Wrap it around with an elastic band and take it to your nearest drop off point!
If you don't know where your nearest drop off point is, please go to your nations website and there should be somewhere for you to enter your location and it will tell you where to go!
Take it to your drop off point and the rest is up to us!
If you want to get involved there are plenty of opportunities, particularly in those locations that have OCC depots, or checking centres, check out the "how to volunteer" page of your nations website!
I THINK I have covered everything, but please, ask questions!
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Thankful Thursday
I'm putting this up early, purely because I won't have a lot of time tomorrow morning and I do not want to miss out on it.
If you also want to participate in Thankful Thursday, just click the link above and head on over to Grace Alone where you will find all of this week's participants.
THIS WEEK I am thankful
- For government legislation that gives the warehouse owner a tax break for 6 months for letting us have the warehouse for 1 month! I am sure it's the main reason we got a depot.
- For the estate agent who worked with us to find a suitable location.
- For everyone who has done anything towards our shoebox depot!
- For friends, both those near and those far away who have been MORE THAN generous in providing towards my trip to Belarus,
- For the dry weather and good crowds at the first car boot sale that we did.
- For God who still loves me despite everything.
- For sleep, naps and my upcoming appointment at the sleep clinic.
- That God is still in charge no matter who thinks they are in charge.
- For the opportunity be part of God's family, my family, my church family and the OCC family!
- For my wonderful husband who is still working too hard and needs his bosses to be EXCEPTIONALLY GENEROUS next year. he is worth so much more!
- For a fantastic Sunday afternoon, sofa, formula one final, which was nail biting to the end and someone else cooked dinner.
- for Elizabeth, Brian, Alan, Les, Eileeen, Peter, Elaine, Carol, Lesley, Rita and my long suffering husband, Andrew!
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Vlog 2 - Shoebox Depot Begins!
Take a journey into our Shoebox depot with me.
My bits to camera at home are much quieter than the bits done with the video camera on site, so you might need to reach for the volume switch part way through.
You might also wonder why I didn't help the lady with the signs. Me too! but at the time I was busy filming.
I have to head down there now, BUT will get my still photos from yesterday loaded up this afternoon!
My bits to camera at home are much quieter than the bits done with the video camera on site, so you might need to reach for the volume switch part way through.
You might also wonder why I didn't help the lady with the signs. Me too! but at the time I was busy filming.
I have to head down there now, BUT will get my still photos from yesterday loaded up this afternoon!
Saturday, November 01, 2008
What is a Car Boot Sale?
Oh dear oh dear oh dear, for all my American friends, I shall now explain what a car boot sale is.
Imagine having a yard sale or garage sale where you had no HUGE items to sell.
Where it was all stuff that would easily fit in a car.
Now imagine the time and effort you put into publicising your sale.
And the numbers of people who come through your area?
Now imagine someone ELSE doing the publicity.
SOMEONE ELSE putting out notices, making sure it is in the local newspaper, etc!
And then imagine hundreds and hundreds of people coming through your sale area!
So, a Car Boot Sale is where we load up our car with all that stuff, take it to an organised Car Boot Sale event, sometimes on a car park, sometimes on a field, where other people have also brought their cars loaded up with stuff, and the customers only have to come to ONE place! They haven't got to traipse around whole neighbourhoods looking for today's sales, they know where to go and when and they will find all those items together in one place.
Usually you pay around £5 to take your car full of stuff into the site and have a pitch, you take fold up tables to lay your wares on, and you sell as much of it as you can. Often to people who then go on and sell it on ebay for a profit, but who cares, we got rid of it and we got something for it and that is what counts.
Is that clear? Are there any questions?
The one we are going to tomorrow is small in car boot numbers, BUT is attached to a regular weekly market so that still brings the customers in, the one we want to get to next week is huge with hundreds of car booters coming together in one place.
Imagine having a yard sale or garage sale where you had no HUGE items to sell.
Where it was all stuff that would easily fit in a car.
Now imagine the time and effort you put into publicising your sale.
And the numbers of people who come through your area?
Now imagine someone ELSE doing the publicity.
SOMEONE ELSE putting out notices, making sure it is in the local newspaper, etc!
And then imagine hundreds and hundreds of people coming through your sale area!
So, a Car Boot Sale is where we load up our car with all that stuff, take it to an organised Car Boot Sale event, sometimes on a car park, sometimes on a field, where other people have also brought their cars loaded up with stuff, and the customers only have to come to ONE place! They haven't got to traipse around whole neighbourhoods looking for today's sales, they know where to go and when and they will find all those items together in one place.
Usually you pay around £5 to take your car full of stuff into the site and have a pitch, you take fold up tables to lay your wares on, and you sell as much of it as you can. Often to people who then go on and sell it on ebay for a profit, but who cares, we got rid of it and we got something for it and that is what counts.
Is that clear? Are there any questions?
The one we are going to tomorrow is small in car boot numbers, BUT is attached to a regular weekly market so that still brings the customers in, the one we want to get to next week is huge with hundreds of car booters coming together in one place.
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