#2019 #awesome

Let's look at what happened here at AGT (and in my world), this year!

Crafting
We began the year with a Scrap/ Pattern Paper Challenge and created some great cards in the process. I tried out some ink dragging with embossing folders and stamping on cork.  Making this magnetic frame was really helpful (thanks Simon Hurley) for holding my most used dies.  In April and May, I took some craft supplies on vacation and had lots of fun making cards with my nieces.  This year, I invested in some card classes, background stamps, an electric die cutting machine, texture pastes and perfect pearls.  As far as craft is concerned, 2019 was one of trying lots of new things.  Check out some of my favourite cards of 2019.

This is only a few of the cards I made this year! Wow, I've been busy. 

Travel
You got some postcards from me this year.  My first road trip in a long time, took me to Biloela (a small mining town west of Rockhampton in Queensland, Australia).  My sister moved her tribe to "Bilo" in January 2019, so in April, my Mum and I headed there for a visit. We celebrated my sister's 40th birthday and my niece's 5th birthday.  It was hot. If you want to read about how I handled the long drive with my chronic illness, click here.

In August, my Mum and I took a whirlwind tour of our nation's capital, Canberra.  Now I can tick Canberra off my list of Australian state capitals that I want to visit.  It was busy and exhausting and oh, so much FUN!  Check out my postcards here.

Other Stuff
This year, I also shared some Apps, websites and Youtube channels, that I have found useful as well as some other favourite things including some flashbacks to posts from previous years. Professionally, 2019 was amazing.  I enjoyed teaching new subjects and spent more time working with different students.  I got a new job at a new school, which meant packing up 10 years worth of teaching resources and bringing them home.  I still have piles of books, posters and stationery littering my craft studio/ home office.  I enjoyed helping out at Sunday School at church too.

I lived out the word "Pause" and I truly feel this has helped me reach goals and make changes to my life style for the better and forever.  I am looking and feeling better.  I can't wait to see what 2020 brings. :D  I will be spending New Year's Eve with my family and having an early night.  

This year was good, this year was fun!  
Tomorrow is another one!  (apologies to Dr Seuss)

How was your 2019? What are your plans for New Year's Eve? 

May you all have a happy and safe New Year! 

One word Reflection Time

The end of 2019 is very near and it's time to reflect on the rollercoaster of an awesome year. First, let's talk about my One Word 365 journey.  I started the year with a 'Resolution' of Just One Word - Pause.  I had some thoughts about how this would impact my life and certain actions that would work towards Pausing in real life.
For me, the word Pause was about stopping to think before I said or did things as well as giving myself permission to stop or even move away from things if I needed to.  It was about self-control and rest.  It's important to remember that "Pause" doesn't mean quit.  "Pause" implies a brief moment of stopping with the intention to start again.

This year has been amazing!  I'm not saying there weren't times that were hard, there were certainly difficult moments and painful times.  I managed that pain and difficulty better than before. I took the time to rest when I needed to and I made decisions based on consideration and prayer.  For the most part, my relationships have been such a blessing and I feel like interactions with others have been so much more positive this year.  Maybe this was the result of a choice to stop and think before I spoke, or maybe it was the choice I made to not worry about others opinions of me.  Maybe it was a result of the fact that I was well rested (in general) so I was kinder and calmer.  What I do know is that I am happy and healthy and this year was the best in my career and my spiritual life.

Thank you for sharing my One Word Journey with me this year.  If you want to learn more about the One Word 365 movement, check this out.

More to come, before the year is out.

Peace at Christmas

I promised to share some Peace with you this week. While this year, we have already celebrated Christmas, I feel like this part of the Advent series is too important to be skipped.  Peace has certainly been an important word for me this year, so let's do this. 

The final candle in the Advent Wreath is Peace.  Christmas is the time we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Angels announced the arrival of Jesus and they spoke of Peace on Earth.  While Peace is a word that can mean so much, the Biblical meaning of Peace is different.  Peace is not about a quiet afternoon reading or the absence of war.  It has nothing to do with a lack of people or crisis.  Peace is about a reconciliation between God and His children; an end to the discord between the sin of people and God.  Peace is a result of God's Perfect Love for us.  This video from The Bible Project explains it so well.

Shalom, My Friends!

Joy and Love at Christmas

I'm running very behind.  The last few weeks have been crazy! Today we will cover two of the Advent "candles" or themes.

Love

The theme of Love lights the "Bethlehem" candle. This candle is also known as the "Faith" candle, and refers to the prophecy of Micah, who foretold the arrival of a baby, born in Bethlehem.  The baby, Jesus, was placed in a manger. The stark differences between the Son of God and a trough for animal feed, highlights just how far He was willing to 'fall' in order to rescue His children (that's us).  

Christmas is a new beginning, brought by love.  The love that God has for His creation.  The love that came from Heaven to Earth.  The love that brought a deity to become human.  Jesus fulfilled a prophecy, recorded hundreds of years before, because He loved us.  God still loves us; despite the rejection of Jesus and the commercialisation of Christmas and Easter.  The world seems to be in quite a mess these days (a mess we made ourselves) and yet, He Loves Us.  Therefore, show love to others at Christmas and everyday of the year. 

Joy

The Joy of Christmas is something we all seem to be a little confused about.  This theme encapsulates all the excitement and rejoicing of the Shepherds.  These boys would have known about the prophecy of Isiah and Micah, they knew that a Saviour was coming to rescue them. Their parents, their priests, their grandparents, uncles, aunties and cousins were all waiting for the coming of a King.  Now, watching their flocks, an angel appears to them and brings them the most glorious news.  A baby has been born in Bethlehem.  Oh, the Joy!  The overwhelming, heart bursting, face glowing Joy that only comes from an encounter with God.  The shepherds went to Bethlehem and found the baby.  They worshipped Him and they went to tell everyone they met.  They had true Joy.  

Christmas is a time when many seem to think they have to be happy and they will try anything and everything to find it.  They go to parties with people they don't like, buy things they don't need, decorate their houses, they sing songs and they dress up.  They play at being happy then feel more exhausted and empty than they did in November.  The true Joy of Christmas comes from a real relationship with Jesus. It certainly doesn't come from a shop and it can't be found at a party.  

Stop putting so much pressure on yourself to 'enjoy' the Christmas season. Instead, find the real joy of the Season in the true story of Jesus.  

Next week: Peace and JESUS! 

While there is LIFE there is HOPE

Welcome to the first in my Advent series for this year.  It might seem a bit late, but it's never too late. I will start with a brief explanation of Advent, but the main purpose of this series is to share my reflections on each of the Advent themes as I participate in Advent traditions.

What is Advent Anyway? 

Many people only think Advent is a December Calendar with a chocolate or gift for every day leading to Christmas. While it's true that there is a commercial version of Advent, the real root of this indulgence comes from a tradition which dates back to the 4th Century church.  It was four weeks of  daily Bible reading and reflection during the weeks before Christmas.  Ironically, Advent was first considered to be a time of fasting prior to Christmas day, which allowed Christians to be more focused on spiritual matters during the season.  Advent comes from the Latin word, adventus which means "arrival".  So, the Advent season begins four Sunday's before Christmas. This year, that was the 1st of December.  This is the time when we get ready, we prepare for the arrival of Jesus.  We prepare for celebrating Christmas. Click here to learn more abou the origin of the Advent calendar and click here to learn more about Christian origin of Advent. 

The Advent Wreath

During the Advent season, there is a lovely wreath displayed in the church, with 5 candles.  Four of the candles each represent a particular theme which is the focus for each week: Hope, Love, Joy and Peach.  The fifth candle represents Jesus, The light of the world, who came to Earth at Christmas.  If you want to learn more about the Advent Wreath and symbolism of each candle check out this Learn Religion page and this Crosswalk.com page. 

Week One: HOPE

We began this week by reading about the prophecy of the coming of Jesus. Isaiah wrote about the birth of Jesus literally hundreds of years before it happened.  He wrote about a virgin giving both to a son and the impact this little baby would have on the world.  At first, this prophecy was considered to be a bit of a joke, but by the time of Mary and Joseph (Jesus' parents) were engaged, the Jewish people were waiting for a King to come and rescue them. They believed that God was going to send a saviour and they lived in hope for the day when the Messiah would arrive.  

As a 21st Century Christian I know the rest of the story.  I know how it all turned out and what Jesus did.  It certainly wasn't what the Jews were expecting.  I know that Jesus is coming again and I can live in hope for that day.  I also know that my God works in ways that are mysterious to the human mind and my expectations are nothing compared to His mighty power. I live in Hope that Jesus will come in my life time and put an end to the darkness in this world.  I have Hope beyond rational understanding that God created me and the stars in the sky, loves me, has a plan for my best life and a future for His people.  Hope in Jesus really does anchor my soul because my circumstances don't matter, the power of God does.  He is in control and I can trust Him.  

I'm getting ready for Jesus to come.  I'm making room in my heart.  I can't wait.  Do you understand why Christmas really is the best?! If you want to learn more about the Hope I am talking about, please feel free to ask any questions in the comments.  I will do my best to reply promptly. You might also like to check out the links on the left.  

Jesus Loves You and So Do I
See you next week,