A totally bizarre, and not altogether pleasant day.

1. Nooman excitedly told me this morning we go to Hawaii in a month.. A MONTH… day spirals out of control and stress levels hit the roof…

Out of Control is the absolute guarantee of stress for Deeleea. A choleric by nature, control must be wrested from all situations before appetite goes and skin breaks out… Nausea has set in… and so I should [Insert Faith quote of choice] and remember [insert Jesus scripture about all things working out] and hopefully tomorrow should be a better day.

2. In the course of a normal email forwarding between my new client, a supplier of his, and myself I came across a comment by my friend(his supplier) to him (client) offering to contribute to the new web project… undoubtedly for money… money that would otherwise go to me because I have been contracted to do the work. Not sure if she meant for me to see it or not… Oh well I did see it and now I’m ticked at her for stepping on my toes. Bah humbug.

3. There are too many people at work who take advantage of the fact I have a desk not an office and stop by my desk to tell me what the want on the website. I don’t function well this way, especially while I am concentrating… Remembering that I work in a Christian environment you will be amused that I nearly swore at a senior pastor today because he startled me by stepping into my field of view, very close up, and didn’t realise I was unable to hear him due to the Coldplay in my ears… Wish I’d said it aloud just to see his face… *grin*

4. Had a blast from the past when Miss Step, a girl I was in school with msn’ed me after dinner… I nearly blocked her invitation because I didn’t recognize her name and was relieved I hadn’t when it was revealed the name belonged to her partner so I could be forgiven for the lack of recognition… It’s been 20 years since we left school (OMG) and I doubt I’ve seen her since. Not the usual course of conversation, largely as I’m the full on Christian girl with a job in the church and she’s the full on lesbian with a partner and a son donated by artificial means…. surreal. Still, I was unfazed actually, such things are not unheard of in my family, and we chatted for an hour and caught up on 20 years worth of history. Of course long conversation meant that I didn’t achieve any of the work I had meant to do.. [refer back to 1.]

5. On a somewhat more interesting note I have a new YGM (you’ve got mail). This one is completely outlandish, a lefty, South African, black (I suspect, as he hasn’t contributed a picture yet), catholic, totally ridiculous but completely irresistable to write to.

You’re asking how I even got involved in such a correspondence aren’t you?? Normally if there’s no picture it’s a no go, well, to tell the truth, he writes the way I do, our conversations have totally been on the same wavelength (or will be till we get to politics and religion) and are hysterically funny.

It’s stupid to be imagining a relationship, but I’d be lying if the girlish part of me wasn’t revelling in his interest. I had cpme away from my conversation with Miss Step feeling seriously sub par, we’ve both aged, and gained upholstery and as she chatted on about us getting old and queried my feelings on my childlessness (good Christian girls hardly have her options) my crap day was compounded in spite of the pleasantness of the conversation in general. So, Mr Africa is a welcome diversion and made me feel girly again.

I hereby give you leave to keep reminding me that I’m mad to be flirting, and not to let me allow my heart to engage in this silly firtation…

Just in case I start telling you it’s a good thing black men like girls with big bums…

Well, in spite of the sobering events of last evening (or morning depending on your geography), yesterday was an extraordinary day for me.

The queues were long; reinforcing for me my introverted tendencies. The afternoon came and I was sapped. By 4pm all I could think of was my room and my quiet bed.

I had heard Joyce Meyer speak, Reihard Bonke, Brian Houston, and Phil Pringle, all of whom are Pentecostal heavyweights so the names may be strange to some. It was all inspiring to me in degrees, but the piece de resistance was the Michael W Smith worship session in the evening. Part concert but mostly congregational worship, it was so moving that I was far from the only one in tears, and far from rarely.

From the outside looking in, such gatherings may appear strange, the pentecostal emphasis on encounter with God comes across as a bit bizarre sometimes and while it has certainly had it’s fruit loops (all of whom even I raise my eyebrows for) it has quenched the thing in me that said for years, “There must be more to God than this”.

After the evenings worship I am changed again, and my alignment is set back to my true North, I’m a little wiser, a little less innocent but all the more grateful for His grace to the fallen.

Total acceptance and no condemnation – Relief and Encouragement.

Tomorrow could be considered a day off work which is, of course, a Very Good Thing though I have to spend it at this Big Thing which to some, may not be considered quite such a great day off.

I am happy to be going, in spite of being in the midst of a crowd of 28,000 people and in spite of having to leave home at insane o’clock to get there before the traffic gets out of control… The line up of speakers for the day is impressive, and our very own Senior Pastor has even been offered the platform so we will be there to support him and raise a rousing cheer.

There is an interesting dynamic between the hosts and us. Being the 2 largest churches in Sydney inspires a touch of competition… strange considering that we are all working toward the same goal. That of seeing Sydney changed into a better place. seeing peoples lives changed.

Still, there are elements who see them as a threat and that bothers me exceedingly.

It is true, they sell ridiculous numbers of albums of their music and we make albums and sell less than ridiculous numbers.

We have a college that trains up artists as leaders. They have a college that trains up leaders as artists. Each has their benefits, neither is perfect.

There are thousands of other churches out there trying to achieve the same goals as us. With smaller numbers but with no less genuine people. No one church has the monopoly. No one church gets it All right. But something they are doing has favour on it.

And so, tomorrow I will go and support them wholeheartedly because to do so benefits all of us.

And because it’s a day off…