Christmas is coming

Sorry for not having updated this blog since I was in Melbourne last. I'm now back home until early January, when my next trip is to the US - probably my last one before my J-1 visa expires in June.

I'm also not sure if I'll get around to updating this before Christmas - not that I haven't sorted out all my gifts yet, which I have, but just because I don't see much point in writing anything if nothing's happened, if you know what I mean!

This week just been has gone at a fairly steady pace. I've made quite good progress on a number of things at work, and other things have proved a bit more elusive but overall it's been good.

Anyway, if I don't get around to saying so later, I hope everyone reading has a great Christmas and new year, and that you'll take some time out to remember the reason for the season!

Another two weeks in Melbourne

I'm at the Australian Synchrotron at the moment, having attived on Tuesday last week. Cue 5 days of experiments (Wed-Mon), then the annual user meeting (Mon-Wed) then another 5 days (Thurs-Tues), the latter of which is where I am now.

Our first experiments were looking at crystallisation of zinc oxide from sol gels using X-ray diffraction. Conceptually quite easy (especially compared to other experiments I've tried to do here), but not without its challenges. Most of the problems were sample related rather than beamline so that's ok - and we have thought of some ways to alleviate many of those if we come back a second time.

On our final day I was at the beamline at around 4:30 am, finishing off a temperature calibration and tidying up. From there it was straight into the city to go to the user meeting, after which a group of us decided to go to dinner, which was nice, but made for a very long day! I had a poster to present which was a bit of a rush job given the timing but hey.

The user meeting finished on Wednesday afternoon and I managed to get a ride with someone back to the synchrotron, where I met up with collaborators who had started preparing things for soft X-ray spectroscopy experiments the following day. This brings us to right now, day 2 of experiments with another weekend of work looming. I will be glad to get home!

Pics from Hobart

Here are some pics from my trip to Hobart in mid-October. The trip was for a badminton tournament, but there was also enough time for some sightseeing.

 Day 1, Salamanca Markets.

The next day we walked (a long way) to the Botanic Gardens.

 Later in the week the weather warmed up a lot and I had a whole afternoon to myself, so chose to hire a bike and head up Mt Wellington (4000').

 This is about as far as I got - about 3 km short of the top but the view was well worth it and so was the adrenaline rush heading back down!

 On the last day I went on a tour to Richmond...

 ... Tasman Peninsula...

 ... Port Arthur...

 ... Port Arthur...

 ... and a Tasmanian devil wildlife sanctuary...

... where they also had a birds of prey show. Bumped into some other ladies from my team there, one of them got to hold the tawny frogmouth.

I won't be going to another badminton tournament, but I wouldn't mind spending more time in Tasmania. It was quite laid back and just adds to my theory on the comparison between New Zealand and Australian cities:

Sydney = Auckland (big, bustly, not the capital but would like to be)

Melbourne = Wellington (arts centre, cafe culture)

Adelaide = Christchurch (gardens - and I only found out recently, they are actually sister cities)

Perth = Tauranga (laid back, nice beaches, place where people go to retire)

Hobart = Dunedin (southern-most, really laid back, friendly people, has a building that looks like a castle, Cadbury factory, both even have a Portobello Road)

Pics from Queen Charlotte

So I finally got around to sorting through my pictures. Here is a selection of shots from the Queen Charlotte Walkway (10-12 October).

There were a lot of shots like this!

Krista and Amanda on the track, day 2.

More nice views, although this pic is mainly to prove that I was there.

300

I don't know if you know this, but today (27 October) is the 300th day of the year.

300 days since I started my devotional blog: The Honest Truth - where I'm taking one Bible verse a day and writing a short piece about what it means, or why I like it.

Hobart

I have one more day and two more nights in Hobart. The town actually reminds me quite a lot of Dunedin in a weird sort of way... quite hilly, cold, laid back culture, etc. (Sydney = Auckland, Melbourne = Wellington, Adelaide = Christchurch. Perth = Tauranga?)

There was snow on Mt Wellington on the first couple of days we were here, and with temperatures around 11-12 degrees (Celsius) we realised we hadn't packed enough warm clothes. But here we are at the end of the week and it's 25 degrees - shorts and T-shirts...

The badminton games have been reasonably good, but all the socialising has grated on me a bit. Particularly the relationships between me, the people in my unit, and the people next door. Anyway I'm trying not to dwell on that.
Then everyone is saying, 'See you again next year', and I'm thinking to myself, 'No you won't!' None of this has really been my cup of tea. Being a midweek ladies' tournament, the average age of the participants is probably around 55-60. But despite this, the mid-week dinner we had consisted of food, then music almost as loud as the conference dinner at ICONN earlier this year. I simply could not stay - and I don't know how the old people coped, but they were all up the front dancing... seems that they all see it as a time to get away from their families and let their hair down. I can't really relate to that. I guess I just haven't fitted in to anything. Was I expecting to? Probably not. Am I bothered? Not now. I had a good time by myself yesterday - had the afternoon off after playing early in the morning, so I hired a mountain bike and went for a ride up Mt Wellington. I made it as far as the chalet (about 3 km from the top), decided that was far enough so I turned around and rode down - biggest adrenaline rush I've had for a while :)
Tomorrow I'm going on a tour to Richmond, Port Arthur, and a Tasmanian devil sanctuary place. By myself (i.e. not with the people from my unit). Then on Sunday it'll be time to go home - and not a day too soon. I am so over all of this. It's just like school really - girls all giggly and stupid, gossipy and backstabbing. No, I won't be going to another ladies' badminton jamboree thing.

I haven't got around to downloading the photos off my camera (for both the Queen Charlotte trip and Hobart) but as soon as I do I'll put them up here...

Queen Charlotte, here we come

Tomorrow, early, a bunch of us from work are taking the ferry down to the Marlborough Sounds, ultimately for our annual nanoparticle meeting between the research groups at IRL, Vic, and Canterbury. There are 14 of us who are getting to the venue (the Portage) via the Queen Charlotte walkway. I'm looking forward to it, even though 14 could be quite a big group and the weather is meant to be showery. Anyway the walking should take us 2 1/2 days, then the meeting is 2 days including a quiz on Monday night, which I'm also looking forward to... So here's hoping for smooth sailing on the ferry (definitely not my strong point) and that I'm able to exercise some patience and longsuffering with people in the group whom I'm expecting might get on my nerves from time to time!

Photos to follow...

When you just want to zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I have 4 hours of beamtime left on these experiments - looking for evidence of iron carbonate precipitation in solution. We think we have seen it, which is great, but it has come at a cost.

You see, normally when we've run these experiments in the past we've had 4 people to cover the shifts 24 hrs a day - two electrochemists and two synchrotron people. This time, we had 4 people lined up, but then when the dates were scheduled, two of them couldn't make it. So it's just been me and one other person, and because both our expertise is needed for each experiment, it means we've not been able to get much sleep over the last 2 days.

So yeah, it's been a productive trip and good preliminary work for future experiments, but very, very tiring!

And now for something similar

Yeah, it's not really all that different - the beam time allocations came out a week or so ago. So my schedule from now until the end of the year looks something like this:

27 Sep - 1 Oct Experiments in Melbourne, SAXS (small-angle X-ray scattering) of iron carbonate scale precipitation

8 - 12 Oct Annual 'cluster day' meeting in Marlborough Sounds, following a group tramp on the Queen Charlotte Walkway for 2 1/2 days

15 - 23 Oct Badminton tournament in Hobart

29 Oct - 4 Nov Asia-Oceania Crystallographic Association conference in Korea, which I have been invited to speak at

18 - 30 Nov Experiments in Melbourne, X-ray diffraction of zinc oxide thin films and soft X-ray spectroscopy of bismuth oxide thin films, also the annual Australian Synchrotron user meeting - for which I am yet to obtain approval from work to attend...


On top of all this I have two book chapters to write, both due by the end of October, revisions to make to one paper, another paper nearly ready to submit, and several more that we would have liked to have finished by the end of the year... must... learn... to... prioritise...

It's ok, I can take rejection

If it's not ok, too bad. This seems to have been a recurring theme this year, and I'm sure God is trying to teach me something through it. To rely on Him more, probably.

First there was the badminton rep team. Tonight I've just got home from badminton interclub after arriving and finding that not only is my regular doubles partner away, but nobody thought to let me know that I wouldn't be needed. Just as well it's only 3 minutes to drive back home.

Then there is work. Last weekend there was a hen party, this weekend there's a house warming, neither of which I was really keen on going to, both of which involve driving into Wellington and not being able to park anywhere. There's the being left out of important meetings and decisions because I don't spend half my time at the university; the always being the odd one out because I live in the Hutt, I don't drink, I don't enjoy crude stories, and a myriad of other reasons.

Lately I've been challenged to see everything that I have as belonging to God, every task I need to perform as being service to Him. So when I leave my clothes in piles in the lounge - neatly folded piles, but piles nonetheless - it's God's house that I'm leaving piles of clothes lying around in instead of putting them away. When I stop what I'm doing at work to have a quick read of a news website, that's God's time that I'm wasting. So in looking at life like this, in a bizarre way it is helping me deal with all these rejection situations. He sees it, and He will never reject me.

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On a more positive note, the quiz night at church last week went really well; everyone had a great time. I had the job of putting together questions for the 'Science and Nature' and 'Bible' rounds. Try your hand at these questions, if you like:

Science

1. To the nearest 10%, what percentage of bones in the human body is in the hands and feet?

2. How many kilometres does light travel in one second?

3. What is the chemical symbol for plutonium?

4. What is the only bird that has its nostrils at the tip of its bill?

5. What is a parsec?

6. What does BMI stand for?

7. What planet in our solar system is the third closest to the Sun?

8. What colour has a longer wavelength: blue or red?

9. In anatomy, what is the clavicle commonly known as?

10. What is special about an isosceles triangle?


Bible

1. What were the names of Naomi’s two daughters-in-law?

2. Who is the only woman in the Bible whose age is recorded?

3. How old was Noah when the Flood came?

4. How many books are there in the Old Testament?

5. How many books of the Bible start with the letter J?

6. Which book of the Bible contains the shortest chapter?

7. In which book of the Bible do we read of Satan being ‘the accuser of the brethren’?

8. When Jesus fed the 5000, how many loaves and fish did He use?

9. What was Jesus’ first miracle during His earthly ministry?

10. How many epistles did the apostle Paul write?

Back and busy as ever

So I've been back home for a week, and spent most of it catching up on things that happened while I was away. The trip was really good: the experiments went well, the workshop was worthwhile, and visiting Perth was great.

Badminton has been a bit frustrating; the team was up north this weekend for the playoffs. Our coach had said before I went away that it was likely that I would be needed, but then last weekend at our final training session it turned out not to be. Oh well - there's always next year. And also there's the trip to Hobart for a tournament there, although lately I haven't been looking forward to that as much as I was.

Work-wise, things are going well and I have a lot to do - two book chapters to write, half a dozen papers, endless data analysis... This week the beam time schedule at the Australian Synchrotron should be sent out, so hopefully I'll be able to plan things for the rest of the year soon.

And for something different, we're having a church quiz night on 3 September. Should be fun :)

Jetting off again

Yay! Two weeks away from my computer, off to Aussie for some more experiments. These ones aren't too exciting; two days of measuring sample after sample. The first is helping some new users from Victoria University (Wellington) look at nanoparticles coated on plastics; the second is part of some ongoing work with our collaborators at Cambridge University (UK) looking at fuel cell catalyst materials.

These finish on Thursday, and the following Thursday and Friday there's a workshop on at Melbourne Uni that would be really useful for me to go to. It's about a new X-ray scattering technique that would help a lot of the projects I'm working on. But work was loathe to pay for accommodation for me in between, almost as loathe as they were for me to come back and fly across a second time. So I'm taking a week of annual leave to visit a friend in Perth. It'll be my first time there and also our first time actually meeting in person (we 'met' on the Chuck Missler internet message boards about 7 or 8 years ago). I'm excited and I know she is too! Now I just need to figure out what clothes to pack...

Getting on with things

Things are still plugging along, another week gone so quickly. Last week I had a few days off with a bad cold; this week on Thursday it felt like Tuesday.

Work has been going well and I'm starting to feel like I'm on top of things despite having ten things all going at once. We received word of the success of our funding bid, unfortunately the $$ amount is about half what we applied for, so we're having to cut back on some of the proposed activities. In other news, there are a couple of other things that I'm applying for: the Prime Minister's emerging scientist prize and a Rutherford Discovery Fellowship. The former consists of three rounds; I was successful in the first round which means I now have to submit a poster and either a 90-second video or a 500-word essay about my research, aimed at a secondary school audience. We filmed the various bits and pieces for the video this week, so that was something a bit different!

Today our badminton rep team has another tie, at Wellington North. Although there are a number of people who have hardly been at Sunday night training at all over the last few months, they are all available for the tie... needless to say, the trip to Feilding made for a really long and frustrating day, so I'm not going today. Besides, I need to make something for church pot-luck lunch tomorrow. And the rugby's on tonight. Those are my excuses and I'm sticking to them.



In other news, Al and Vicky tied the knot a couple of weeks ago, so big congratulations to them. The weather was good (if a little cold; but it is July, after all) and it was neat just having an intimate family affair.

De-facebooking, and other stuff

So it's been about three weeks since I last posted anything here, mainly because not a lot has happened - no overseas trips, no disasters or emergencies; things have just been muddling along. And for some reason this has given me a real case of the blues. Things are a bit better this week, but last week was just awful - not because anything bad happened, but for whatever reason the joy just went out of my life for a while. I asked for prayer at church last Sunday and things have been much better since. Perhaps it's because the wintery weather has been really miserable this year; perhaps because I haven't had as much time as I need to spend in Bible study (badminton three nights a week doesn't help there); perhaps because of spiritual attack. It's not out of the question...

Anyway as part of getting out of the rut and back into the groove (haha, get it?) I was convicted by the Holy Spirit to stop spending time on Facebook. There had been a few incidents lately that left me less than impressed with some of my 'friends', and writing something on someone's status and then have somebody who I don't know write on it and say what I'd said was 'a load of cr*p', was pretty much the final straw.

As some of you will know, I was a bit reluctant to sign up for facebook in the first place. About a year ago I noted on this blog how it was concerning me how much time I was spending there. So things kind of came to a head last week, and I figured, I can do without it, my real friends know how to contact me outside of facebook, and after all it's more healthy to have real relationships rather than online ones.

What a relief it has been, although deleting a facebook account is really not easy - I did my best though; deleting as many of my posts as I could be bothered to, deleting all my photos, deleting all my 'interests' and other biographical info, then finally disconnecting all the people I was connected to and clicking that 'Deactivate account'. Woo!



(This isn't the button, by the way; I just made it up - but imagine if it was...)

On the eve of 30

Significant birthdays are time to reflect, on the past, the present, and the future. This time five years ago, I had just moved to London for my post-doc. This time ten years ago, I was probably sitting 3rd year undergraduate exams. This time fifteen years ago, again probably mock exams for School C. This time twenty years ago, our family had just got back from our trip to Disneyland. And this time thirty years ago, it was the day before my mother gave birth to her first child.

This time next year, and this time in five years, ten years - I don't know what will have happened. But it's comforting to know that God already knows; and more than that - that He has planned it all.

In the meantime I am looking forward to this weekend. Since my 21st was a family-only affair, I asked Mum if she would mind organising something for my 30th. One thing led to another, and within a short space of time we'd decided that she would organise a car rally and I would invite whoever I wanted. With people from work, church, and home group, there's about fifty people who've said they are coming. The weather forecast is looking good (as good as can be expected for June) so I'm hoping everyone will have fun.

30 is a significant age in the Bible as well. It's the age at which priests began to serve in the ministry (Num. 4:3 etc.), the age at which Joseph became prime minister of Egypt under Pharaoh (Gen. 41:46), the age at which Saul became king (1 Sam. 13:1), and David also (2 Sam. 5:4), and of course the age at which Jesus began His public ministry (Luke 3:23). Will this be a defining year for me as well? I hope so. Food for thought.

Winter is here

So it's that time of year again - short days, cold days, wet days, snuggle up in front of the TV days. Despite all of that things are going reasonably well at the moment. I don't have any trips planned for a while; at work I have two rather huge mountains of data to analyse which is a bit overwhelming at times but I am running out of other things to do in procrastination.

In other news, it looked like I was about to inherit a cat from my next-door-neighbour, who agreed to look after it for someone for 'a couple of weeks'. Nearly two months later she'd had enough, and although it was a really nice-looking and affectionate cat, I thought with the amount of travel I have to do at times, it wouldn't be fair to the poor thing for me to take it in. Fortunately Stu and Nicola were thinking of getting one, so last weekend they came by to pick it up. I hope it's able to settle in quickly as it sounds like the first few days were a bit frustrating for them. Nothing out of the ordinary though: cat won't eat, hides under the bed most of the day, etc. It'll take a few weeks to adjust - I just hope they'll stick it out.

Our first badminton reps tie is at Feilding this Saturday. I'll be going up even though I'm only the reserve and have no guarantee of playing, but there's a bug going around the team so you never know. Interclub is going well too, although none of my team mates have given me any money for the shuttles yet.

Finally winter also means it'll be my birthday soon... and since this year is a significant one, I've invited a bunch of people from church and from work (should be an interesting combo there) and asked Mum to organise something...

Badminton etc.

April means (at least in NZ) getting cold, dark, rainy - and badminton season. This year I was really looking forward to being in the Hutt Valley reps again, but unfortunately they did the grading during one of my trips away (the NY/Melbourne one, I think). So this year I'm a reserve.

While I'm naturally disappointed, I'm also trying to look on the bright side: I can still go to training and improve my game, and it won't cost as much. Opportunities to practise singles are few and far between. And I'm not hoping that someone injures themselves, but if they did then I'd get to play in the ties.

On work-related matters, I'm in paper-writing mode at the moment. We have one on the iron carbonate scale formation (experiments done in Melbourne last July) that has come back from the reviewers requiring revision, then another on a computer program I started writing in 2005, and finally a third on some experiments we did at Stanford in January 2009.

100 km

Last weekend was the Oxfam Trailwalker - a challenge to walk 100 km in under 36 hours.

Here's us at the start line at 6 am on Saturday morning.

We had two goals: first, to get all four members over the finish line, 100 km later. Second, to do it in a quicker time than the two members who finished last year.

This was no mean feat (no pun intended), and it definitely helped having an awesome support crew. As some of you will know, I was on the support crew last year and watching Christina and Marama cross the finish line was what drove me to have a go this year.

The first leg was the most crowded, which stands to reason since 600 people passing the start line within a minute or so of each other is going to result in a big bunch-up. It was foggy but not too cold, as we made our way up the bank of the Waikato River, across the bridge at Huka Falls, and through Craters of the Moon to checkpoint 1. Leg 2 was along some back roads through the scoria quarry and through pine forest to the Girl Guide camp. Leg 3 through native bush along the W2K track to Kinloch, at which point my right knee was starting to complain. We began leg 4, the longest at 19 km, about an hour before sunset and once it was dark we found ourselves very much on our own. Following the trail in the dark was not too difficult at first, but as the track moved from bush into farmland the markers got further and further apart and we had to spread out a bit to find them again. Legs 5, 6 and 7 were all in the dark, crossing the river and more farmland. Sometime during the night my left knee decided it had had enough too. But that's what strapping tape is for. We began the final 13 km leg just as dawn was breaking. Following the new Taupo bypass road and then cutting under State Highway 1, then the final push along the lakefront back into town to the finish line.


As you can see we achieved both our goals: all four members made it to the finish line, and in 27:51 - beating last year's time of 29:30.

It was an experience; I'm not sure yet if I'm 'glad' I did it - I guess it's just one of those things you challenge yourself with. And one that for me, is certainly 'been there, done that' (i.e. not doing it again).

Post-Easter

Just a quick catch-up on the events of the last couple of weeks.

The experiments in Melbourne went really well, despite only getting about 20 hours' sleep in 5 days. I used my two complimentary long-haul upgrades to travel business class from San Francisco to Auckland, and let me tell you, it was worth it. Also managed to catch up with my good friends Paul and Marge and spend an evening with them before the experiments started.

Easter I spent at home. Mum and I went to a Good Friday service at a small local Anglican church that was a bit dire, and Easter Sunday service at Knox. I might try there again on Sundays after Trailwalker, and see how things go. It helps that I already know a few people there.

The next big thing however is Trailwalker. Four days to go. I don't know if I'm ready for it, but it's a bit too late now! I'll let you know how I get on in my next blog entry... and that website again if you want to sponsor us is right here.

In transit

So I made the mistake on my trip to NY of watching the new George Clooney movie, 'Up in the Air'. Really, they should not show it on planes. How depressing - a life of transit lounges, waiting, security checkpoints, one hotel room after another, meeting people whom you'll probably never see again. While I'm not a business(wo)man, sometimes my life does resemble the tediousness of travel. It's at this point I have to remind myself that not many people get the opportunities I have been given to travel, and that there's more joy in the destination than the journey itself (thinking of long-haul flights here).

Anyway the experiments in NY worked really well; the samples were much more stable, reproducible, and generally better behaved than when we attempted these experiments nearly 2 years ago. There were 5 of us working which made the shift work a little bit easier, but still the days were long. Now comes the task of analysing the data, but the students should be able to do most of that themselves with a little guidance. Hopefully this won't be too difficult - they are in the UK.

I'm now on my way to Melbourne for the next round of carbon dioxide corrosion of steel experiments. We performed the first ones of these in July last year and are about to submit a paper on that work.

All in all things are quite intense at the moment, and I can't afford to slow down just yet. Better to stay in a state of sleep-deprivation than to let the fallout hit me just yet!

March madness

So it's been a few weeks since I updated this blog; sorry about that - there's been a lot happening.

So I got back from a very successful trip to Stanford and visiting my friend Alison; that was followed by a not-so-inspiring trip to Sydney for a nanotech conference. I don't know quite what it is, but nothing there really seemed to inspire me. Perhaps it was the fact I'd been living out of a suitcase, and the only time I got to spend at home was all used up on Trailwalker training walks.

Anyhow, that saw February out the door, at which point I spent a week and a bit hosting a colleague from Stanford. We met with some people re: science stuff and then took a few days to head up to Taupo to do the Tongariro Northern Circuit (one of the Great Walks). It was fantastic - there's no other word. We had a day in Taupo afterwards to relax a bit, then he took the bus to Auckland and I drove back home. Now I have one more day at work, before heading off to New York on Monday, spending a week there and then heading directly to Melbourne. Both trips for yet more experiments - and yes, I am looking forward to them.

When I get back it'll be Easter and then the following week is Trailwalker. It has come up really fast and it's kind of scary to think that it's less than a month away. Life is being measured in weeks again. But sometimes that's the only way to make things manageable!


View over Mt Tongariro from the top of Mt Ngauruhoe. As you can see, the weather was perfect.

Still on the road

Well I'm still on the road (figuratively), have got to see a lot of different airport lounges in the last month. The latest trip is to Sydney for a conference; hopefully I'll get more out of this than the last one I went to in Waiheke at the beginning of the month.

Wrapping up from the last trip, the experiments worked reasonably well. I haven't had a chance to look through things in any more detail but I may get some time this week. I also had a couple of days afterwards where I went to visit my friend Alison who had to move back to northern CA after her NZ visa ran out. So that was fun.

Managed to get in another long walk last weekend - measured on the map to be about 33 km but it was probably longer than that. However it didn't help my cold any, but hopefully I'll be able to get rid of it in a couple more days.

Goodbye NZ summer, hello CA winter

Once again I have forfeited the good ol' kiwi summer to come to Stanford for some synchrotron experiments. Everything's going well so far - samples arrived on time from two different sources, I've arrived safely, and meeting up with friends is all going to plan. The airline didn't lose my bags and I haven't pranged the rental car. They even gave me a GPS with it. The only thing I forgot was the US cash that work gave me a week beforehand, but I discovered in time and was able to get some more at the airport.

Strange to think that this time in a week I will be heading home again - there's so much to get done between now and then!


Lastly - I shared a plane (and the koru lounge) with some minor celebrities called the NZ rugby sevens team and entourage. Photo proof.

Wedding bells

Today my youngest brother is getting married. Over the last several months, since their engagement, I've struggled to understand my emotions about all of this.

On the one hand, I acknowledge that it is a part of life and it is God-ordained. But on another I'm upset about it, and I don't really know why. Maybe because I'm still single, maybe because it feels like I'm losing him (although I'm not really - on the contrary; I'm gaining a sister!).

I spent some time in prayer last night, on and off. The following passages of Scripture came to mind:

"Jesus replied, Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it." (Matt. 19:11-12)

I remember coming across this passage in my 'teens, and thinking even then that somehow it applied to me. Then here is another one:

"I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion...
"Nevertheless, each one whould retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him...
"Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgement as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy. Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for you to remain as you are...
"I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord's affairs - how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world - how he can please his wife - and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world - how she can please her husband. I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord." (1 Cor. 7:1-2, 7-9, 17, 25-26, 32-35)

This whole chapter is relevant, but I've highlighted above the verse that is for me at the present time.

I've known God my entire life. I've known how much He loves me since I can remember anything. I've grown into a fuller and fuller understanding of just what that means, and I'm almost ashamed to think that any human love I might receive could ever compare with that.

For sure, there are great benefits to marriage. It's God's invention for creating families and sharing His love between each other. He said Himself, "It is not good for man to be alone; I will make a helper suitable for him" (Gen. 2:18).

But at this stage in my life, with so many opportunities to travel for work, and so little time to spare, being single does enable me to use that time in God's service and to spend time in prayer and studying the Bible. I'm not alone, because He is with me all the time. He may not be visible, but He's there.

I've already found the love of my life. And some day I will be His bride (2 Cor. 11:2, Rev. 19:7-8).

"I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." (Isa 61:10)

Anyway today is not about me. It's about Stu and Nicola and the rest of their life. Congratulations and wishing you all the best.

Planning the next few months

January has been rather quiet, which is just as well since I will be travelling for most of February and March. 2 conferences, 2 trips to the US, 1 trip to Melbourne, and hosting an overseas visitor for a week who wants to do the Tongariro Northern Circuit.
Oh and Stu's wedding is just before all that.
And then in April is Trailwalker.

I'm going to be busy.

Happy New Year 2010!

A big hello to all of you in cyber-world reading this. As is my habit, yesterday I spent a bit of time reflecting on 2009, which naturally led to thinking about 2010. Perhaps the scariest thought is that I'll be 30 this year. But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it, and try not to feel old in the meantime!

One of the things for this year is that I feel like I have a new lease on life church-wise. I was recently stood down from all ministry activities in the church I have been attending for the last 2 1/2 years, and it gave me time to reflect. In the end I realised that I didn't agree with the governance structure (or at least, their interpretation of it) and I've decided to move on and start a new chapter. There are pretty slim pickings for standard Sunday churches around here, but not to worry because I'm part of a home fellowship group that meets every Friday. I've prayed a lot about this and I really feel that God is going to do something awesome through that group. Now I'm just praying that He will give somebody in it the vision that He wants to achieve. I am also beginning to realise how I've been stuck in a spiritual rut for the last few years, so it's all quite exciting really.

Other things coming up in the near future, I'm going to be involved in writing a significant chunk of a major ($2.4m) funding bid at work, which is a big responsibility. On another note there's Stu and Nicola's wedding at the end of January, and on another is the Trailwalker in April. Finally, about the only thing I would count as a new year's resolution would be to visit a friend in Perth sometime this year.