Ellen Miles

Fader vår

2011-09-01T15:18:00.001-07:00

"Fader vår, du som er i himmelen, la ditt navn holdes hellig..."

I kveld går min tolkning av denne bønnen sånn her:

Kjære pappa!

Du er som et menneske som gjør godt - bare større. Du er godheten selv. Og du er større enn at vi kan helt forstå deg.
Du er gode nyheter for de undertrykte i verden. Du er dårlige nyheter for de som vil at verden skal fortsette som den er.

Du vil få det siste ordet en dag. La flere forstå det...

Kunnskap

2011-08-08T15:09:00.001-07:00

Vi har kanskje mye kunnskap. Men vi forstår likevel bare stykkevis og delt.

Det var tanken bak denne skulpturen som jeg lagde på ungdomsskolen.

tell a story, shed a tear

2011-07-22T04:22:00.000-07:00

I've just discovered the Rauch brothers. They get people to share something about themselves, record them speaking, and then create an animation to go with that person's story. The stories are so moving, and the last one I watched made me cry...

Here's the first animation I watched. It's based on their recording of a twelve year old boy with Asberger's syndrome, interviewing his mum. It's fascinating, and moving.

Lek mer!

2011-06-21T15:10:00.001-07:00

Man er ikke voksen før man tør å være barnslig!

Natalia's birthday

2011-06-10T03:40:00.001-07:00

I found this book at mum and dads, it was one of the many childrens books I made for my little sister.. I must have been 11...

You consume me

2011-06-06T15:51:00.001-07:00

Don't you love how art inspires art?

I'm on one of my rare visits at mum and dads place in Sandefjord, and came across this old painting:

I remember painting it inspired by how I felt when listening to one of DC talk's songs....

Lovely traces
I can sense you in everything
The way that you move me
Takes me far away, I seek no escape
I'm dreaming through your eyes
I am wondering through your mind
I'm overtaken by the way that you deliver me
I'm transcended
There's no place I'd rather be
Than here in heaven
Without you I'm incomplete
It's hopeless

You consume me
You consume me
Like a burning flame
Running through my veins
You consume me
Moving through me
Anytime, anyplace
You invade my space
You consume me

...Dare be consumed ...Dare be moved ...Dare to express it!

Location:Kråkåsveien,Sandefjord,Norway

New song

2011-06-02T13:24:00.001-07:00

Nothing better than a productive creating session!

Me and Dan just wrote a new worship song, and we love it ;)

No matter where we go, we can always know
You are with us
And when the storm winds blow, though it's hard to know,
You are with us

Time to read

2011-05-23T07:41:00.001-07:00

Finally exams are over, the summer holiday's set in, and I just stocked up on books I wanna read - not cause I have to but cause I want to - aah the luxury!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Treasure

2011-05-20T11:25:00.001-07:00

Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
What do you treasure?

Chocolate?

Interesting music?

Nice clothes?

Being told you look hot?

Being shown you're loved?

Having time for friends?

Knowing someones got your back?

Knowing you just blessed someone?

Hearing words you needed to hear?

There are a lot of things to love. Want. Enjoy. Hope for.
I'm realizing more and more that it's enjoying Gods love, and passing that on, which gives the deepest satisfaction. I think that's what Jesus was talking about when he said "seek Gods kingdom first, then you'll have everything you need." God is love. I wanna live in it, bask in it, treasure it, seek it, overflow with it, give of it, live off it!

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sorting

2011-05-18T08:13:00.001-07:00

Just finished my last exam, and now I'm sorting my life into this filing cabinet. I love sorting. I love my life. I love my filing cabinet. :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Introducing the 17th of May

2011-05-17T14:58:00.000-07:00

"Love it, love it and think on our father and mother and the saga night that sends dreams to earth." This is a lovely line from our beautiful Norwegian national anthem - kinda ruined by google translate though :)

Me and my fantastic boyfriend Dan celebrating, as you do, the 17th of may.

The 17th of May is the day Norway stops. To celebrate itself, of course. Shops and schools are closed, everyone gathers in town for the festivities of the day. The schools and local orchestras always organize a huge parade that marches through the town streets, the kids wave their Norwegian flags and shout "hurraaaaa!" (hooray), and the onlooking crowd answers them cheerfully "hurraaaaaaa!" Most women are wearing their "bunads" (Norwegian national costumes) - and also a few men are wearing theirs.

If my dad had been Norwegian, I probably would have been given one of these in my late teens, they're worth around $5000

Note: these costumes are IN. Every year. Fascinating :) I love them, I have to say. You would too if you saw them being worn every 17th of may, every christmas, every wedding....

On the 17th of May, a couple of things are compulsory. Buying an ice cream, for example. Imagine you've been stuck in a dark dark country for months on end. (Norway in winter, in case you didn't guess.) Winter depression is a commonality here. Finally, the sun starts to stay up longer. It even starts to warm your face again... Now, every time you're out, you lift your face towards the sun and just soak it in. You have to, you've missed it so much. Soon you can take of your jacket and scarf - ahhh - your jumper even! And oh how good that ice cream does taste in the warm spring air.

Another must for the 17th of may, is to barbecue. Not the Aussie way, I'm afraid. We use these:

"Engangsgriller" - or "disposable grills" if you like. Handy.

And the parks here in Oslo are filled to the brim with topless guys and nearly topless girls, sunbathing, barbecuing, playing soccer... It's the winter depression counterpoise. We love it.

But I have to finish now, cause I have only 5 minutes before the 17th May is over, and since I've lived here for twelve years now and have realised we have a lot to be thankful for in this country which sadly most take for granted, I have to say something. That something is a big thank you to those who've gone before us and made this a peaceful country, with social systems built on honesty and generosity. I pray with God's help, in the midst of the confusion easy wealth, globalization and commercialization has brought us, that our generation will manage to see, and stand up for, the Christian values this country was built on.

Kjære Norge, gratulerer med dagen!

Spirals

2011-04-23T01:06:00.000-07:00

Life is full of spirals. Things that happen again and again. Like my mum forgetting something every time she has to go somewhere. Or my dad being a perfectionist.

Some spirals embrace you like a whirlwind, you can't escape and they take you places. They can pull you down, down to dark places where there seems to be no way out. Depression. Desperation. Hopelesness. Or they can take you up, up to new hights and to freedom. God's healing. Forgiveness. Joy.

Can you think of some spirals in your own life, or in your family history?

If you're thinking of a positive spiral, then what can I say, that's great, happy easter to you, enjoy the ride!

If you're thinking of a negative one, it doesn't seem right to just say happy easter and be on my way. This easter I wanna acknowledge those of you who are struggling, those of you who want out but feel powerless to change the situation, those of you who feel the world, or God, is against you...

Cause this is where the easter message steps in and becomes more than chickens and chocolate eggs.

This is where God shows himself as a warrior, who fights for us and for our freedom.

Jesus Christ, through his death and resurrection, disarmed the spiritual forces that are making it impossible for you or your family to escape whatever negative spiral you're in. (Read colossians 2:15.) This is God's truth for you this easter. A truth to be embraced. A truth that brings hope. A truth which somewhere along the road will bring final freedom.

If it's difficult for you to embrace this truth, ask someone to pray for you or your family. God's intervention in your situation could be immediate, or it could be a process. Whatever the outcome, I want to encourage you to continue to trust that Jesus died and rose again to free you! It will happen. God wants freedom for you no less than he wants it for others. God has not forgotten you. He loves you.

Trust him.

And keep trusting.

A hopefilled easter to you all!

A poem about Silence

2011-04-21T02:00:00.000-07:00

Sorry, did you just call me friend?

I mean, I've always known of you. Don't think I ever knew you.

You confronted me for a while but I excluded you every time.
Pretended not to hear,
was up to my ears in some new project or some new party or some new program on TV
and I expected you to leave.

If you stayed, I didn't see.

I mean, I thought you'd take a hint when I filled my life to the brim,
thought you'd realise you couldn't fit in.

Sorry.

I see you now.

Okay Silence, speak to me.
Or rather, tell me how can I hear?

I mean, it's become a fear,
a fear to make room for you,
a fear to get close to you.
It's like I can't stand you, so forgive me, but I can't...

But maybe I can this time. So I wait a second,
I expect for a second.

But as soon as you speak, my throat tightens.
I need a get away, an escape route, where's the closest exit?
Tell me whatever it is you're saying but don't expect me to look you in the eyes cause I need to find the exit - what's the next step?- and suddenly I'm up to my ears again and you're gone I think,
cause I'm up to my ears in some new project
or party
or program on TV.

Sorry...

Did you just call me friend?

Which way does your wind blow?

2011-04-16T02:59:00.000-07:00

Not seldom do I find myself getting caught up in a need to control my life and my future... This is inevitably an impossible goal and only causes a huge amount of stress for me, as well as affecting those around me. It's a weakness I have had for a long time, but I want to be free of it and I believe learning to let go and trust God is where I'll find freedom!

Lately the battle in my mind has been over deciding what to do next year. On one side of the battlefield is the stressed out control freak which wants to take over and drive my decision making. On the other side is the childlike faith in my Father, wanting me to let go, relax my shoulders and calmly trust him in my decision making.

Jesus uses the wind as a metaphor to describe the Holy Spirit and those who follow him. It blows where it wants to, we can hear it, but we can't tell where it's been or where it's going. I've experienced that when I delight and trust in God, I lose the weight and stress of control; it's like I know I'm light as a feather, being blown in the right directions and at the right times by his Spirit. As followers of Christ, we may not see where we are headed - we may not feel like we are being blown anywhere at all - but we can trust that our love for Jesus means we are in his Spirit's wind, and that's the best place we can be.

If you've read this and felt you can relate to it in some way, I wanna recommend the song "which way" by Andrew Ehrenzeller. Click on the album to hear it on Spotify...

Compliments with no strings attatched

2011-03-04T03:09:00.000-08:00

In the last blog I shared how, when I'm down, I tell myself that God thinks I'm stunning and it helps to hear myself say that. In this blog I want to gradually zoom out, and see how my own self esteem affects how I relate to others. Is it possible to compliment others with no strings attatched?

I have a boyfriend who throughout the time we've been dating has made it his mission to fight for my self esteem. And his project has been fruitful; I now know I'm as irresistable to his eyes as chocolate is to mine! ;) What makes me sad, is how many girls don't have a guy like him in their lives... I know what it's like needing a self esteem refill, we feel we have to pose, fish for compliments, fish for your admiration whatever way works, and our relationship with you becomes an ego one more than a giving one...

I'm so lucky to have a boyfriend who loves both me and his camera! Although I'm posing for you here, thank you Dan-Thomas for telling me I'm beautiful every day, that I don't need to pose or wear make up or be fashionable for you to love what you see. And thank you for thinking the same thoughts and saying the same words about other girls as well!

Then there's the guys who step up to the plate. I've been given compliments from some guys throughout my single life, guys who I know didn't want to hint at anything more than friendship, and those compliments have gone a long way! I still remember a friend Janson telling me years ago, "you'd look good in a potato sack" and another friend, Kristoffer, saying "så vakker du er i dag". Us girls really need to hear and be reminded of this so please, do stand up and fight for us!

These guys also got me thinking; how often do us girls tell you - no strings attatched - that you are handsome, that you have our admiration and that we'd be lost without you..? I often think these things - but how often do I speak my mind? Girls, can we learn to compliment and adore the guys of our lives? And can we do this out of love and respect, instead of greedily flirting, fishing for a response that'll make us feel good? I know I'm guilty of this last way of communicating, and I'm shameful of it. Surprisingly, even being in a relationship doesn't put a lid on that temptation. But this doesn't mean that I need to stop giving guys attention. Cause I've also noticed that the times I know I'm loved and beautiful no matter what the guy I'm talking with thinks or expresses, I'm free to talk and laugh with him and give compliments without needing him to make me feel good.

So I've concluded that my self esteem decides my relationship with those around me. When I'm confident, I'm content enough to compliment those around me with no strings attatched.

Wanna join me in this? Building confidence in the girls and guys that surround us? If you have any thoughts, comments, questions, tips - please share! :)

Words

2011-01-27T13:19:00.000-08:00

Words

are powerful

Words can create

Words can break down and destroy

And words can heal and restore what we lost in this mess

The truth

I want to rip out the dark pages of my diary, those destructive words

I want to fill in the blank pages with thankfulness and light

I want to write about the goodness of today

Relish in the small great moments

Describe in detail

What's good

and true

When I was living in Oxford, twenty one years old, I started struggling for the first time with how I looked. Which is stupid, I know, cause I'm not that different from the fashion standard of "good-looking". Yet every second diary page was filled with thoughts of ugliness, lists of how to eat more healthy, exercise more... I just couldn't get the "how do I look" and "how could I look better" out of my head. What is it with us girls??!

I asked God for words I could use as a weapon against these destructive thoughts. And the immediate thought I had was: I'm beautiful in your eyes. That's all that matters. You are all I need. I wrote down these words on a small piece of paper and hung them on my mirror. Every day I repeated these words to myself. And, gradually, I started believing them! Now, whenever I become aware of any unsatisfaction about my appearance, I say those words to myself, three times. And it helps.

So, my challenge to you today is: what kind of truth do you find difficult to believe? Ask God to give you words you can use as a weapon, and find some creative way to use them!

Fear and trust

2011-01-26T14:09:00.000-08:00

"Fear God!" I´ve often crincled my nose at this. Isn´t God supposed to love me? Want to look after me? Care for me? If so, why on earth fear him? The bible's full of passages telling us to fear God - but as long as I haven't found a sufficient answer to this question, I've just overlooked it and gone on focusing on other things.

What I haven't realised until lately, is that by not understanding the fear of God, I've given in to fearing other things...

Like the future. Will I earn enough to pay the bills next month? Will I have studied well enough to pass my exam? I can't help but worry, I need to stress through life to get the ends to meet...

Or people. She'll probably feel judged if my way of life differs too much from hers, so I'll hide who I am and try to fit in...

Or failure. I can't be sure that I have what it takes to do what I feel God's called me to. So I'll play it safe instead of stepping out of my comfort zone...

The stories in the bible make it clear that God is almighty; stronger than any threat people may face, he is able to send plagues, destroy towns, kill people... He is also able, in any situation, to save, heal, give new life, soften hearts... and He desires to do this because He is love. God is righteous; whatever He decides, we can be sure it is deserved, just, fair... When it comes to other things that can cause fear - like worries, fear of what people will think, fear of failure - we can be sure that in the end, God will have the final word. This to me proves that God is worth fearing more than anything else.

Psalm 34 verse 7 tells us: "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them." Giving in to the fear of God is giving in to trusting him. It's safe, it's freeing, it's delightful, because He's our creator, the king of the universe, and also our Dad. He loves us intimately.

Australia

2011-01-18T15:34:00.000-08:00

I just came back yesterday from a month in Australia!

It´s been twelve long years since I moved from Aus to Norway. It was really hard at first, thirteen years old and in the middle of my identity crisis, and on the top of that having you´re whole world ripped out from underneath you... The first couple of years in Norway I remember feeling like I was looking down at my own body. Because mum had spoken Norwegian to me since I was a baby, it took me only a couple of months to become fluent, and friends would relate to me as if I was fully Norwegian. But I hadn´t landed, and I felt frustrated and sad as I looked down at my own body, playing with my friends and talking and laughing - how could they not see I wasn´t actually down there with them? I hadn´t landed, I couldn´t...

One evening mum came into my room to talk, and when she suddenly mentioned Australia I started crying. I managed to explain to her how I felt, and said that I didn´t want to "land" because if I did become fully Norwegian I would lose the Australian in me. But at the same time I didn´t want to stay up in the air forever, it made life so difficult... Mum answered, "you know, you can be both 100% Norwegian and 100% Australian." This un-mathematical truth shocked me, cause I was 15 and knew that 100% + 100% does not and can not equal 100%. Yet in this case, for some reason I realised, it could. Finally - I could land safely.

Since this final landing, I´ve enjoyed being in Norway and feel I´ve been blessed here in so many ways. It´s been twelve years since our family moved here, and I didn´t ever go back to visit until the 17th of december 2010...

Me, my sister Natalia and a friend Michelle went to Melbourne & Sydney to catch up with family, friends and places we knew from down under. As soon as we got off the plane in Melbourne, the smell hit me and I knew I was home. Trees, road-signs, wooden fences, k-marts, targets, the westgate bridge... Things that wouldn´t have meant anything to me while I was living there, but that made up the background scene of my life, and seeing them again was an amazing feeling.

Visiting my aunty and cousins was fantastic, as well as getting to know the Crockers (dad´s cousins and his mum´s sister) in Sydney. We also had time to be a bit touristy, saw the fireworks on new years and stayed at Bondi beach for 5 days where we recognised a few of the lifeguards from TV ;) I´m also very thankful to have been able to see Lorna, my adopted grandma, while we were there. Adopted grandma? you may ask... Well here´s the story: My dad´s mum died when I was 6. At age 7 I was being babysat by a lady named Lorna and one day said to mum and dad "I wish Lorna was my grandma". She had no husband or kids, so they got me to ask her, and she said yes and has been a part of our family and a grandma to my sister and brother ever since! Lorna is 89 now and frail - but feisty! She wasn´t gonna turn down an invitation to spend Christmas with us at a campsite in Tootgarook! We had a very laidback and meaningful Christmas, full of love :)

So now I´m back in Norway, pleased that I have adult memories from my homeland, not just childhood ones. I must say I love being back in Norway, with friends and boyfriend and family - and snow! :) But I also love knowing that I´ll be going back to Aus to visit - and that I won´t be waiting twelve years next time!

merry christmas from oz!

2010-12-24T18:40:00.000-08:00

So this is me yeah, standing on the bottom of the world shouting MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM AUSTRALIA! To be precise, caravan F9, Tootgarook, Melbourne, Australia, the universe, God's hand, Amen!

Today is Christmas day, and me and Natalia and Michelle are camping with aunty Jenni. Went for a swim this morning, which was DE-licious, and Lorna is visiting as well which is great! ('t wouldn't be christmas in Australia without her)

Wishing you all a very merry Christmas and a blessed, joy-filled new year anchored in peace :)

priming

2010-09-06T00:43:00.000-07:00

I´m learning good stuff in my psychology course :)

For example: "priming" is when a stimulus (even a really really short one that doesn´t register in our consciousness) effects how we "read" the next stimuli...

Immediately I was like aah, so that´s why my day always turns out better when I start it off spending time with God!

:) Good day to you all!

Pause and play

2010-08-20T03:46:00.000-07:00

This year´s action-filled summer has left me feeling thankful for all I´ve been a part of, but also quite worn out. So I´ve decided to pause from doing live concerts for a while. It´s something I LOVE, but when you´re multitasking manager&recordcompany&songwriter&performer, you need to pause to breathe in order to play well the next time :)

So this term will consist of

studying pedagogy at Oslo Uni
enjoying being Dan-Thomas´ girlfriend
working at a home for kids with multi-handicaps
learning what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ
playing with words and music and whatever else intrigues me :)

Now that I´m about to start studying again, I´m reminded of last year, when I was about to start uni for the first time. I was excited, and the only thing that really worried me was how I´d manage financially. I knew God wanted me to do music as well as study, but I also knew I didn´t have the capacity to do both of these AND get a paid job...

I often have quiet times with God where I focus on him, share my thoughts, ask questions, and write down the thoughts that "answer" these questions. Often those answers turn out to be God´s answers. So last summer I asked God in a quiet time what to do. I felt reminded that he had called me to do music, so I should choose that. What about money? The answer I got was "I will be your provider". Logically I didn´t see how I could get enough income without another job, but I decided to trust him anyway and go with the music. I see now that God knew what he was doing. I´ve been able to visit different churches and events and sing truth into people´s lives, and pass all my exams, and learn that God is my provider!

Pause and play; a handy lesson to learn. Pause: check with God when I´m in doubt about where to go next. And play: dare to go where he guides me!

little old lady

2010-05-10T09:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I met the cutest little old lady I think I have ever seen. She must have been in her late 90s, hunched and frail, but with a genuine smile and lively, beautiful blue eyes.

Me and my grandma and grandpa had just been out for dinner (at an old peoples´home!) and met her on our way back to the car. We talked with her for a bit, and learnt that she´d grown up in the orphanage which used to be where the old peoples´home now stood. My grandma was astounded and commented on how much joy she spreads. How can she be so happy now, when she has so much to be bitter about? She answered that Jesus means the world to her. He has given her so much to be thankful about!

As we had to leave, grandma touched her arm, bent over to look her in the eyes and said "God bless you". The little old lady lit up with surprise, and thankfully said "I love hearing that!"

I was surprised that a christian lady like her would react that way after a simple "God bless you"! I mean... I hear those words all the time. But then she was very old. Maybe all her friends are gone... Maybe she can´t make it to church on her own...

She interrupted my thoughts with a chearful "I´ll see you!". Catching my smile, she looked me in the eyes and added assuringly, "maybe not here again, but in heaven!" Content, she turned, and I went to help grandma get into the car.

I realised I had tears in my eyes.

I think it was the effect of this little old lady´s deep certainty of where she was headed. How she so looked forward to it. And her certainty that we were all headed there together.

sneak peek

2010-01-30T01:20:00.000-08:00

this morning´s diary entry

true for you

too

New beginnings...

2010-01-21T05:01:00.000-08:00

A new year has begun, new things are happening, I´m excited :)

I´ve started studying at MF, a Christian university in Oslo. The plan is to do a year of RLE (religion, worldviews and ethics) and incorporate that into a teaching degree. But knowing me that plan could change. ;) So far I´m enjoying being new at this small university, studying the bible and church history again, and learning about eastern religions.

Another bit of news is that I´m putting together a new band this year, bringing in el-guitar and piano. We´re going to do some songs off the album, and arrange some new ones. Creativity is blooming again which is delightful!!

One of my newest songs is called first love and is inspired by C.S.Llewis´ view on longings...

Every desire I feel echoes my need of you

Don´t let deception steal my heart away from you

I´m coming back to you

back to my first love

That´s what I want 2010 to be marked by! I want to seek God; find out more about Him - like on a date ;) ...I want to fear him not people; He will after all have the final say. I want to trust Him. That state of mind is ultimately where I have and will find deepest satisfaction. Letting desires after other things crowd my mind and stear my choices is not what I want.

How great is Your goodness,

which You have laid up for those who fear You,

which you have prepared for those who trust in You

in the presence of the sons of men!

(Psalm 31:19)

Christmas holiday update...

2009-12-25T15:20:00.000-08:00

The clock just struck 12. Christmas day is over. I feel it´s time to write an update on my Christmas holiday so far. In case you´re curious. It´s consisted of:

being in snowy Sandefjord & seeing the wonderful Miles family again
driving my beloved Billy (a golden golf from 83 which houses many warm memories and which to my horror is being put to death in six days)
snow-clearing. I swear my arm-muscles have grown
having a huge house to myself, and so fearlessly playing piano and singing LOUDLY at 1 am
hosting girls night, which as always includes at least two things; chocolate and boy-talk
singing christmas songs and dancing around the christmas tree with the whole church (no joke. It´s custom here)
feeling elegant in high heels
eating loads of unhealthy food, mentally preparing myself for a 3 month snack/desert-fast starting 1st of Jan
relishing in the knowledge that I have no work or school until the 12th of January

Hope your Christmas was a good one! May the year 2010 bring with it a turning of many more hearts towards Christ who came to reconcile us with God. :)

list-lover

2009-12-13T06:14:00.000-08:00

I´ve always loved neat. Keeping neat notes. Making lists. Organizing thoughts on paper. Organizing life on paper.

So it isn´t that surprising that at age eleven I had a list of what to do every morning:
7:00 - wake up
7:02 - wash face
7:06 - get dressed
7:14 - brush hair
7:17 - eat breakfast
7:31 - brush teeth
7:34 - pack bag
7:40 - leave for school
...I´m not kidding it was that detailed. And I kept schedule.

I am a perfectionist, not only when it comes to time-keeping. So much so that I got sick of myself at one stage and enjoyed learning to be spontaneous and messy and careless about timekeeping.
...Tried anyway.

Cause the other day I made another morning list ;)

-Praise God
-Short yoga routine
-Give the day to God
-Shower & get dressed
-Eat breakfast
-Bible and "ask God" time

See I´ve been struggling with sleep lately, and one of my friends was like "you need routine that makes you relax". And so I thought: I should make spending time with God routine, cause I´ve noticed that the times I do, the day is so much better. Things are put in perspective, I´m calmer, and more aware of his presence.

So if you´re a list-lover like me - I recommend a morning list which includes God :)

life un-photoshopped

2009-12-02T09:58:00.000-08:00

I was having a coffee with my good friend IK yesterday, and we started talking about blogs. She was saying how it´s so easy to create a superficial, perfect-life-appearance on the net... Bloggers tend to photoshop their lives. We all want to look as good as possible.

So, as a protest, my blog this time is gonna be honest about the not so perfectness of my life at the moment!

Last night I read a chapter in Joni Eareckson Tada´s 31 days toward intimacy with God. It was about looking people in the eyes. She writes about an experience from her childhood when she stole her mum´s diary, and later at the dinner table couldn´t look her mum in the eyes cause of guilt. "Looking one another straight in the eyes has always been a test of truthfulness", she concludes, and goes on to quote God:

"If my people, who are called by my name,

will humble themselves and pray

and seek my face

and turn from their wicked ways,

then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin

and will heal their land."

I´ve noticed that in my own life. It´s hard to focus on God, "seek his face", when I´m struggling with my own pride in some way or another...

Without being too revealing, I can say that these days I´ve been struggling with letting go of something and giving it to God. It´s like I don´t trust him; that if I give him this I´ll lose out. But I know that´s just stupid, he´s proven to me so many times that he knows what´s best for me and he does lead me to what´s best when I just let him.

Why is it such a struggle to surrender my will to his?!

Ellen Miles at the moment reminds me of the Israelites when God led them out of their slavery in Egypt. He sent all those plagues so that Pharao would send them off, and parted the sea, led them by a cloud in the day and by a fire in the night, fed them in the desert by sending food like rain... I mean, I´d be convinced by less. Yet they turned against him, complained, doubted....
It´s easy to point the finger.
And then realise I´m just like them.

So yeah, that´s my struggle at the moment. Just so you know. I´m not perfect, none of us are.
God is, and I´m trying to believe that by trusting him with my life.
Wondering if I´ll ever get there.
But I choose to trust that he´ll finish the good work he´s started in me. (Fil 1:6)
And though I´m faithless at times, he is faithful always. He´ll stick to his word. (2.Tim 2:13)

Have a blessed advent!

JOY =D

2009-11-04T05:27:00.000-08:00

What do we say?
We watch
We look on
We see
But what do we do?
Stand by and say “bless you”?
“May God who is our hope help you”?
And yet we are not willing to walk out
To step through the mud
Through the stench
Through the muck
And reach that child
She sits there
Patient
Wide-eyed
Begging
For love

Don’t touch!
You can’t hug her
She’s dirty
You dunno where she’s been
Where she’s come from
Or even what she is
I mean
She may have lice
Leave her where she is
She probably has aids
And look,
You’re wearing a nice white shirt
Keep it clean
Besides she may steal your pen
Don’t go
It’s a trick
There’s probably someone behind it

And so
We turn away
We forget
We go and find some food
Talk about something else
Laugh loudly about yesterday
Plan for tomorrow
Turn our backs

Meanwhile she sits there
And watches
Through the eyes of a child
As the ones Jesus sent
Look elsewhere
And walk away.

This was written by a friend I made on my trip to China, Mongolia and Tibet two summers ago... She is truly an inspiration, a role model in following Christ whole heartedly; listening for his guidance and being obedient, knowing he is always faithful and will provide for her every need.

We´re not called to save the world. We´re not called to be guilty about all those we can´t help. But we are called to be loved by a God whos love is so overwhelming that we can´t contain it, it has to overflow.

A sign of this love is the absence of fear, I was told at a meeting last week at Mosaic. "Perfect love drives out fear". Fear of stepping out of my comfort zone, fear of what people will think of me, fear of the unknown... If I love someone nothing can stop me from being there for them. It´s a JOY to be there for them!

"I´ve told you these things so that you can experience my joy; fullness of joy", Jesus said as he explained what it means to love others; laying down your own life in order to lift someone else up. (John 15, paraphrased.)

Have a good week everyone! And let´s try to look beyond our own busy time schedules and personal interests! :)

JOY

news update...

2008-03-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

long time no write! Since my last entry,

I had Anna and Amy from KBC visit (over new year's), and Janson (also KBC) came for a week not long after.

I did a concert at the Adventist Church, which went very well. :)

Billy has died... (At least momentarily.)

Elisabet and I celebrated Easter by spending Thursday-Sunday reflecting on Jesus' way to the cross through meditation on scripture / prayer / fasting - and we even went out at 6am Sunday to go to a Church service by the sea, in the snow, watching the sunrise. It was beautiful. What God spoke to me about through those days is summed up in one word, trust.

God's told me to go to China/Mongolia/Tibet for four weeks in June-July, which I'm very excited about!

I've almost decided who is going to be my producer...

Will probably study part time after the summer, either psychology or teaching.

And so through the chaos of planning concerts and trips, working and Billy breaking down I am slowly, and I'm afraid quite reluctantly, learning: "in quietness and trust is your strength". Isaiah 30:15

Christmas 2007

2007-12-24T07:55:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone!

And a happy new year :)

I'm living at home with mum and dad and Natalia and Daniel for a couple of days, which is nice. Then on the 27th Anna and Amy, two friends from England, are coming to visit for a week. We're gonna go skating and skiing and snowboarding - action packed holiday coming up - hope we survive.

More updates next year!

Billy

2007-11-30T14:16:00.000-08:00

Just remembered I promised to stick in a photo of Billy, my beloved car. This blue car is not Billy, it's Hilde's car - look she has the same steering wheel lock as moi! We found her car in Oslo, how random is that. So we just had to book her.

Bebbe (to the left) has a saying: "kjøss mæ" (kiss me) - and in the randomness of fate, her saying became me and my housemate's common threat to any mean person's words about our innocent car: you dare say a nasty word about the golden golf and you have no choice but to kiss him behind!

Ok, so here's Billy. (As you can see, Solveig sinned - and had to take the consequences of her actions.)

Welcome in!

2007-11-28T14:52:00.000-08:00

Here are two videos for those of you who are too far away to visit... Enjoy :)

new home

2007-09-20T03:31:00.001-07:00

This is me and Elisabet in our new flat eating our first dinner together. Fish, rice and vegetables with home-made bread.. mmm!! We're the best cooks ever, you'll just have to invite yourselves round. :)
And here come the pictures from our trip to Rjukan, when we climbed to the top of Gaustad. 1883m. Nice walk with warm waffles and hot chocolate at the top.
(It was a perilous journey.)
Oh, the strength of a woman!
Isn't my mamma beautiful :)

mountains

2007-09-19T00:16:00.000-07:00

Wow, I just saw it's 2 months since I last wrote anything here - on the one hand that's long time, but on the other hand it seems so short when I think about all that's happened since I left KBC!

As soon as I got back to Norway we went for a trip to Rjukan, a "cooshley" valley (with hardly any sun) and went for a walk in the Norwegian mountains. Enjoyed this trip much more than my last Norwegian mountain experience, which I felt was overwhelmingly grey. This time it was tiring but refreshing, and the beautiful view I will share with you all once I have my camera and internet at the same time.

Straight after soaking in beautiful Norway again I started work at a nursing home. A lot of hours as well as fighting off a cold meant that I didn't get to catch up with friends for a while.

I was still stuck at home sharing a room with my sister (cooshley, but cramped) when the phone rang and I got an interview at the Adventist primary&secondary school in Sandefjord. I remember hesitating at the staff-room door after getting the job - can I actually just waltz in here without knocking? And the realisation that teachers don't get recess. Hm!

A phrase which God has reminded me of a lot since back in Norway, is "I can climb this mountain with God." Lately though, finding the job's challenges less like mountains and more like hills, I'm finding it easier to trust in myself rather than on God. Just yesterday God took me back to His words to me on my first morning back in Norway; one step at a time. That is; ask God what to do, do that one thing, stop and listen, take the next step, stop and listen, next step... I remember facing the first task of the day; unpacking my suitcase, and feeling so strongly I can't do this without you God!

I know that's what God wants from me this year - to see my utter dependancy on Him and to learn sensitivity to Him in both the business and the boringness of life. Cause it's so refreshing when I do focus on Him and find (again- why do I always "forget"?) that He is the only one who can give me what I need. I can rest in Him! :) And it's so exciting when, by just having my eyes fixed on Him, I see something of His heart for people! Although I still struggle with being obedient...God give me fear of You - love of You - which drives out all fear of man! I know this comes naturally when I rest in who I am in Christ... Thank you Jesus..
Ok I better stop here. I'll update on the flat that me and Elisabeth have moved into and our BEAUTIFUL car, Billy (haha) when I can get some photos on the blog aswell.

Superheroes gather to celebrate Charlotte and Mark

2007-07-03T09:56:00.000-07:00

Here follows yet another collection of crazy KBC-goes-mad-dressing-up photos! This is Charlotte, also known as Supergoth, and looking out for her from behind sits captain Legg-Bagg. From the left: Superpunk (Rachael my housemate), Super? (Dan from Indiana), Superchav (Claire) and Superstop (Mike)
And here are Ben and Michelle dressed as Supersaik and Supergypsey (don't you just LOVE the tights - £3 at Primark if anyone's interested)
Super Bee, Lady lips and Big dog enter the scene...
And last but not least (although there were many more great costumes that didn't make it to this blog), Supernerd and Supergeek thoroughly enjoy being in the spotlight.

Last Sunday...

2007-07-02T15:46:00.000-07:00

well, I will be here one more Sunday, but this was the last one spent with Tash and Beth, and our last Sunday in North Witney Church. I didn't think when we first came that we would get to know the church so well by only spending time with them on Sundays. But meeting with different people every Sunday has been such a great way to become a part of people's lives... If there's one thing I've learnt at Church placement, it's the importance of inviting people to your home and sharing meals together. It really made us feel welcomed into the church family.
After church we were taken by the above family to an old church and some ruined buildings around it...

This, by the way, is Beth's fiance, Johnny - they're getting married in a year.
After our afternoon in Witney, we went back to Oxford and joined the rest of KBC for Abi and Tash's baptism! It was absolutely beautiful - I had no idea I'd get so emotional - but I was either crying or smiling the whole time - it was so special...

And it was amazing to be able to baptise Tash with Beth - a great ending to our year together as a bio-group. Beth and I had never baptised anyone before either, so it was a great first baptism!

This definately felt like the perfect ending to our last Sunday together.

Praise God, who has set us free from what kept us from Him, buried our old self and clothed us with Christ - I want to follow Him without hesitation, second thoughts or reservations (1 Pet 3:21)!

off to Africa!

2007-05-16T09:03:00.000-07:00

hey peoples - long time no update!
Well, we're off to Africa tonight and I'll be away there for the next 2 weeks so I figured I'd let you all know kind of where I'm at... God has really been working in me the last weeks. For those of you who don't know, I'm doing a Level 1 Christian counselling course, and God's really been speaking to me on a deep level. This last week I've been wrestling with giving space for past hurts to come to the surface - and it climaxed over the weekend when I was challenged to "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger" (Eph 4:31), and finally opened up for the process to start. Basically, as things came up, this real sadness came over me and I was under it the whole weekend... I was really anxious about going in to college on Monday cause the Friday before there had been some really heavy prayer going on for people. I think I was anxious both that I would be expected to have it all together in prayer and worship but also that if I was prayed for, it would be too "extreme" and emotionally overwhelming.
I didn't get prayed for that day, but the next day I did - and I was less anxious by then, so probably more ready for it. It was an extreme prayer session like I've never experienced before - but it was good 'cause I was set free - God is good and Jesus is Lord over every existing evil in this world! I'm so thankful - so many people on our course have been set free from stuff. We had visiting lecturers Allard and Nick from New-Zealand, and they have a prophetic gifting and discernment which set it all off. We're all nackered, but ready for the trip!
So if you'd like to pray for us that would be great. Pray that the freedom God's Spirit has brought into people's lives would be protected. Pray that God would continue to humble us, softening our hearts so that we don't become ignorant and give in to temptations that satisfy a life apart from God. Pray that we would learn to walk with the Spirit, that He would continue to transform our minds and give us discernment to know what God's will is, and faith to do whatever He tells us. And love - that we would learn to love others around us in the same way Jesus loved us - self sacrificial love that flows out of thankfulness to God!

Prancing in France

2007-04-12T17:03:00.000-07:00

to Prance or not to Prance

that is the question for those in France This is Eric, KBC's Frenchman... (he's quite tall)
Had a great time in France; met Eric's family, went prayerwalking, questionairing, even busking (without asking for money) - just singing and playing guitar and the "box" outside the metro while those who knew a bit more French than "je m'appelle" talked and prayed with people - and Tash was chalk drawing on the pavement.. was heaps of fun ;)

We also went to a youth meeting and let the Sunday meeting at Eric's Church - have to say it was funny seeing Dave lead worship in French. But it was a good, Spirit-led meeting, thanks to God ;) And Eric preached.

And we drove home, full of French cheese and wine and pineapple cake.

England @ Easter

2007-04-12T16:44:00.000-07:00

Was in Middlesbrough for 1 week over Easter staying at Anna(cartwheeler)'s family with Amy(treehopper) - had a great time - as you can see, prancing through the park and being cool......

Kent

2007-03-27T15:25:00.000-07:00

From 17th-25th of March, me, Tash, Eric, Matt and Dave were in Kent (above), around Hythe and Folkestone. Here we are OWNING the cinema......We went to see Amazing Grace, which by the way is a film worth seeing! Below you can see me on the left sitting beside Håkan, a guy who joined our team from Sweden, and who taught Dave Latham to say "nordmenn har ingen humor" - haha very funny :( Dave Richards, the next guy, led our team together with his wife Chris. He has an apostolic ministry in fathering (following up, building up and encouraging Churches).
I just have to say, I played pool and got FOUR IN A ROW.... I know, I'm amazing.
This is the rest of the people from KBC in the team - Tash, Matt, Eric and Dave.
These are two lovely people who were also on the team, Marilyn and John from Basingstoke - I spoke to them about maybe going to India with them in the end of October, for about two weeks...

This is Vanessa and John and their grand-son Riley - the couple me and Tash were staying with. We really got to love them and their family and the area (Hawkinge)...
We also got to love many others, for example Phil (below) and his wife Lorna, who lead South Kent Community Church.
Just to say a bit about what I learnt from the trip: Firstly, community. Phil and Lorna are good friends with the couple leading New Romney Church. This is the real basis for working together with other Churches - just plain old, proper friendship.

We also learnt more what it means to work together with a team, and it was inspiring to see how Dave and Chris lead teams and do their work.

Two things were specially significant for me this week, one was prayerwalking with the team and people from the specific areas we were in (like Hythe, Lydd, Lymbe, Seabrook) - Praying into households, situations, hearing God for what needs prayer and what He has planned for that area and praying with faith out of that.. And then sharing what God's been speaking about with the team and those from that area... It really gave me a heart for the people and the places, and showed me the importance of intercession and the benefits of prayerwalking.

The other thing was just meeting people and seeing how they give their lives for Christ, sacrificing having their own plans of where to live and what to do, seeking God about where to go and going, and giving so much of themselves to the Church and the people in the area... It was challenging and inspiring :)

Below is Sunil Paul from India (also a part of the team) - he invited me to visit his Church there which I really hope to do!

Who knows what the future brings.... I'm open to God to tell me when the time is right. Frustrating - I'd like to have things planned and sorted now -but God always seems to wait until the last minute in giving me peace about something. So at the moment I'm just waiting, trying to focus on the now... :)

Trip to Teeside (backwards)

2007-03-12T15:34:00.000-07:00

Check out this tyre... It properly broke on the highway.... James came to the rescue (I can change tyres too by the way) ..what you can't see is the cars flying past right beside us... quite scary!

Here are most of the KBC group on Saltburn beach in Middlesborough
Below: Abi has just inspired Janson to be creative. Mike is pushing them over. Some people are talking and playing and laughing in the background. Oh the joy of community.
And here's Mike, Dan and Abi, inspired by good old lectures and trying to be munks on poles.
And here's beautiful me with the sun in my eyes - what's really the sight here though is the cliff and sea behind - see I didn't realise England could be sunny and beautiful by the sea... Reminded me of Australia actually :)

Nuneaton

2007-03-02T09:39:00.000-08:00

Went to Nuneaton to visit my Sol...

We had a great time, an excuse to be girly.

We chatted and prayed, were incredibly cool.

And here's living proof England makes u go curly:

belated photos...

2007-02-22T01:53:00.000-08:00

this is in the KBC classroom - blonde-Ellen, Sarah, Beth, Amy and Anna up front This is my bio-group ("bring-it-on"-group, originally called "spiritual formation group" but apparently that word was too long and boring) - you're supposed to meet with your bio-group once a week, and answer a whole heap questions honestly - confess - and pray together... We live together anyway, so that's fine. Right now my bio-group is scattered all over the world so I miss them. Beth (on the left) is in Middlesborough (just got engaged by the way!!) and Tash (right) is in Hungary with her dad.. exciting!
This is Abi, me and Simon-Zoolander (!) --the principal of KBC, in case u didn't notice.
And I just have to say: I FINALLY FLEW A KITE!!! (Me, Abi, Mark)
And this is the M&M (Mission and Ministries) gang.. sadly Tash isn't in the photo, as she's taking it. Otherwise everyone's on it - from the left: Amy, Sarah, Beth, Dave, me, Matt, Mike, Mike, Eric, Anna and Jack in front and James kneeling.

2007-02-19T14:46:00.000-08:00

Watching a TV documentary today, a mother was talking about her conjointed twin teenage-daughters... She said something like: you have to see them like a child does - not asking questions like "how do they work", "how do they fit together", etc - just accepting that they do work, and who they are...

It made me think about God. Jesus said we have to become like children to enter the kingdom of God. Open. Accepting. Trusting.

Jesus' prayer to our Father was that we would receive the kingdom life - eternal life, which means to know the Father and to know Jesus...

Knowing God, the perfect father, creator, king, saviour, friend, is proper mint!

Questions of Creation

2007-02-14T13:40:00.000-08:00

Today in Transforming Culture (a series of lectures every Wednesday evening), we learnt about the centrality of creation care to our lives as Christians in today's world. It was very, very interesting! Thanks dad, to all you've exemplified in your (as I now understand) prophetic lifestyle. Getting a bit of biblical background as well has helped me see that this is actually not an incidental issue, which some Christians just happen to have the gift to see and do something about - it's important we all see the significance of God's relationship with his earth, and our relationship with God and the earth.

Whilst many people who don't know God personally take the current state of the earth seriously, many Christians I've encountered till now don't seem to see it as important, arguing that the earth will be "burned up" anyway..

Read Genesis 9:8-17, Leviticus 18:28, Jeremiah 12:4, Psalm 24:1 - The earth is God's, the earth as a whole... It's a beautiful gift to us which we were told to subdue/rule over in the same way Psalm 72 describes; bringing justice to the afflicted, crushing the oppressor...

When we read in some bibles, in 2.Pet 3:10, that the earth will be "burned up", the proper translation of the Greek word may in fact be "found". In 1.Cor 15, Paul's use of the word "changed" (v.51-52) implies a continuity of his created world in our final redemption. And in Romans 8 Paul says that the world- that is mankind and creation alongside each other - waits in eager expectation for God's final redemption. Christ's life and death have cosmic consequences - John 3:16 talks about the world - the cosmos. Colossians 1:15 onwards talks about Christ holding everything together - this confirms again the relationship between man and the earth (which God first confirms in Genesis 3:17b-19).

So the Gospel, the good news, is for God's whole creation..!

We are called to be worshippers, who are in right relationship with God, treating the things he has made in the same way as he treats them. Stewards. Kingdom-bringers...

We all know Jesus said to "love your neighbour"... Who is my neighbour? The current state of the earth, with climate change and all it's consequences, forces us to face the fact that by not getting informed and appreciating creation and worshipping the creator by actually acting on what we know, we are contributing to devastating consequences (which affect the poor the earliest and the most, result in desertification, declining crop yields, malnutrition, hunger, conflict, refugees...), we are not acting out God's heart for the earth... But when we do, we are in effect helping the poor and future generations - which is acting out the heart of God. So I have to ask myself, am I ready to lay down my life of comfort for the sake of my "neighbours" - whether they live miles away or years ahead...?

(I wonder... what does God think about one of his creatures becoming extinct..?)

2007-02-02T14:25:00.000-08:00

Back to the partey...

found some new pictures, bl.a. av de norske englene:

And here is an A-Z of the personalities at KBC - first, the A:
And here's the Z:
også måtte jeg bare drite deg litt ut Solveig ;) du er jo så søøt!

PARTEEEEY

2007-01-21T11:39:00.000-08:00

Claire as an Egyptian dancer...

Beth as Avril with Attitude...
and Simon (note: our principle) as himself...

Hm... you may be thinking: "what is going on? What is this KBC sekt?" Do not be afraid, have no fear - I am alright. Here follows a pictoral account of Ellen's, Rebecca's and Alison's 21st(!) birthday party, where everyone came dressed as something beginning with E, R or A. It was held at Pinnocks Way social club with the KBC gang + street + Norway. I was so lucky to have bebbe, michelle, mirjam & solveig around for the occasion - bebbe & I even sang together again, which was so good! Here are my crazy house-folks again, from the left: rapunzel, eyelash, emo, rodeo and robber.

Here are the lovely Earl & Rebecca...

And here is mr. bling, Mark, who did a great job organizing the entertainment with Earl - thank you! :)

Poor Solveig was forced on stage in order to be spoonfed by a blindfolded rapunzel - canned rice pudding. mmm. poor amy (out of sight) had to eat some soggy pea mixture. Alison and "Earl" (Rachael) won with the can of spaghetti. Here's our Irishman, dr. Mark, as Augustine...

And here's our fantastic cook Steve, dressed as Abraham - for those of you who don't know your bible, Abraham was God's chosen tattooed father of the nation Israel.From the left: Eric(frenchman)-the-gangster, Janson-the-rocker, Dave-the-Eric(frenchman), and James-the-rocker. All in all I have to say I had a great evening, so thanks to everyone who turned up!

a heart for people

2007-01-16T14:03:00.000-08:00

Since last weekend I've been learning about having a heart for people. Was in Hexham with Beth, Matt and Eric from the Mission and Ministry team in KBC - a place 5-6 hours drive up north:

It was a rich experience meeting the people there... Example:

Tony and Jo on an old English farm in the countryside, complete with rain and mud. Open-house, open-heart people for whom generosity is a matter of course. Their freedom from materialism and rush of time was noticable, they have freedom to look out for people in need and to be there for whoever, whatever, whenever... living a lifestyle of putting others first... it was challenging. Made me realise how consumed I get with my own needs, my own worries, my own stuff. Let us pray indeed. They are passionate for God, not only vertically but horizontally - they know God. Inspiring!

Was also great to meet all the other people who I won't name but who all blessed us. Was challenging and inspiring to be with Dave & Chris Richards', who travel around the world encouraging and building up churches, very prophetic, very servant-hearted and committed to people in many ways (for example in helping wash up). And ofcourse living with Suzanne was pleasurable; she had a lovely English house overlooking a field of sheep, the wind was fierce, and standing by the wooden gate I felt like I was in a film. Beth took a picture on her mobile - sadly I didn't bring my own camera so you'll have to make do with an internet-picture (sorry I cheated) of the famous Hadrian's Wall:

We arrived back in Oxford past midnight some time (was too tired to register the time) and on Monday kicked off with Mission and Ministry's separate lectures, where we officially began to learn about getting a heart for people. So far we've been looking at love being the most important motive in all we do, and how to guard our heart so it doesn't harden (through unconfessed sin / weariness / self-condemnation / disappointments / pride). Also discipleship and teambuilding. Very convicting, helpful and encouraging!

overwhelmed

2007-01-11T15:03:00.000-08:00

Today I woke up feeling a bit sad - being my 21st birthday, I was missing my family a bit. Then I remembered God's my Dad... and that made me feel better. Then, not expecting anything really, when I got to KBC, people met me with cards and gifts and hugs and smiles and cake and candles and prayers and prophecy! It was quite overwhelming... At the start of the day I got a love-poem from my Father read out to me, which was very special. And at the end of the day, people's prayers and God's words through them really blessed me by speaking to the depths of my heart, which just intensified the specialness - God is really revealing His Father's love towards me.. And I am so thankful!

Also, I am so thankful for the family I have at KBC - I love those people so much, and will miss them so much when this year is over... But I am excited about what God has for us all. And for you who are reading this! And for the communities we are and will be a part of. :) Let's pray that we will approach God as our Father and find our identity in Him, so that driven by this love, this treasure, we can lead others to Him. He is a God who likes us. He wants the best for us. He wants to discipline us and help us mature into His likeness so we can live life to the full. He's so worth the price we pay in the process. He is the best by far. :)

quotes

2007-01-08T15:44:00.000-08:00

I just discovered this: (click on the link below)

KBCTC quotes

I don't think I've ever laughed so much reading something on the internet. Priceless. Or should I say mint.

2007-01-05T10:44:00.000-08:00

It's great to be back at KBC - new year, new oportunities...
This week we've been learning about prayer from Steve Thomas and his wife (who is a proper pray-er. Impressive. So many people who owe her thanks for her unnoticed, but passionate and painful warfare). She inspired me to pray that God would break my heart for people: That in meeting people, or in reading or watching the news, I would see things as God sees them, that I'd feel what He feels... The pain of love... And that I'll channel that into prayer. And to use every oportunity - every tedious que, every tiring bike ride, every towering wash-up, every sleepless night - to pray. "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." Col. 4:2

Paul knew what it meant to love. And what's heavy on your heart, you pray for. "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in he heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion not only in the present age but also in the age to come." Eph. 1: 17-21

Let us pray! :)

ting og tang

2006-12-13T16:05:00.000-08:00

Jeg fikk mail av Annelies idag med følgende spørsmål: Fornøyd med dette halvåret i Oxford? Hva er det viktigste du har lært om 1. deg selv, 2. Jesus, 3. Bibelen ? - og tenkte når jeg svarte at dette er i grunn en god oppsummering av ting og tang :)

1: Jeg er a sinner. (New revelations about that for every revelation of God's holiness.) Jeg er elsket som en datter. Jeg har gaver lagt ned i meg som jeg må bruke der Gud leder meg. Jeg kan høre Guds stemme = Gud har ting Han vil si til andre gjennom meg. Jeg trenger Gud. Jeg vil søke Gud. Jeg vil leve helt og fullt for Han, selv om det koster - jeg vil glede meg i "the pain of love".

2: Jesus er Gud. Gud er også Far. Har opplevd "Faderen" mest det halvåret her, siden det er Han jeg har forholdet meg til minst tidligere. Så det er bra:) Gud er også den Hellige Ånd. Gud er tre personer = Gud er en. Jeg stiller mer spørsmål jo mer jeg lærer. Jeg blir mer ydmyk jo mer jeg lærer. Gud er stor. Gud er mystisk. Gud er hellig = jeg skjønner Gudsfrykt mer nå. Gud er god. Gud har større hjerne enn jeg, dermed opplever jeg mye av Ham som "paradoxes" - men Han er sannhet.

3: Bibelen er Guds Ord. Jeg vil lese mer :) Jeg forstår mer = jeg skjønner hvor mye mer jeg har å lære. Teologi er ikke tørr kunnskap. Det er livsforvandlende. =)

2006-12-07T16:04:00.000-08:00

ok peoples..this is where we're going with KBC in June!
Africa here we come...

we're all really excited :)

But what I'm most excited about at the moment is Christmas

å komme hjem

frokostbord med knekkebrød, ferske rundstykker, makrell-i-tomat og agurk, gulost, brunost

snø

boller og kakao og kvikk-lunsj på skitur

mamma, pappa, natalia, daniel, mormor, morfar, etc etc

jan&britt&heile gjengen i vintreet

solveig, ina, bebbe, dan-thomas, benjamin, isabel, hilde, michelle, linda, lars, martin, kristoffer pluss pluss pluss - mirjamGIFT, elisabethGRAVID, malinmedBARN... the list goes on!!

kjøre gobilen igjen blir digg

snowboard - jeg skal hoppe høyt

nye (savnede gamle) klær

gavelaging

nyttårsfeiring

kos

2006-11-22T09:53:00.000-08:00

Ok just to prove the insanity of the people at KBC, here's a link to an episode from yesterday's lectures, Dean of Theology Dave Perry performs a rap about Christology

...On a more serious note, this film really shows Dave's humble heart - he's ready to be undignified for God and for our entertainment :) Just have to say that Dave Perry is an excellent teacher, very wise but at the same time wanting to be ready to change, however humbling that may feel, whenever God challenges him through people. That's the kind of teacher I feel safe in the hands of, and want to help shape my mind, cause he leads you to God and so your heart is shaped aswell. He's both funny and serious, and a true worshiper... I'm always inspired by him.

Ok and since I'm in the flow of things, might as well continue the boasting about the KBC staff:

Simon Shaw, our principle, is fantastic. The best principle you could have. He's funny, he's humble, he's sensitive to the Spirit, he's a worshiper, he is honest and bold in challenging the group and individuals to walk in step with God's will, and at the same time gentle... Gaynor, his wife, is fun and creative and a lovely person... Mary, the Dean of Studies is a great teacher, a sensitive person who meets you where you're at and doesn't force you into anything you're uncomfortable with but rather helps you let go of whatever baggage you've carried with you from past schooling, and challenges you in a good way...

Like I've said before, the course is GREAT - the teaching is deep, thought provoking in the way that makes you seek God. The lecturers are wise in the word and Spirit-led (without one of the two our faith is lacking...), the community is a community of worship and of learning to live together as a people of God; loving each other and reaching out with God's love. It's challenging - if you go with the flow you will definately experience God's transforming power in a gentle but extreme way.

So, if you're thinking about doing a bible course for a year, I recommend KBC from the bottom of my heart!!!

If you don't want to come for a whole year, or if you just want a taste for what it's like here, come to a study break!! Click here to get an overview of the studybreaks for 06/07.

bakingsong

2006-11-20T16:14:00.000-08:00

Ok, last time the video on this site didn't work... so if u click on the link below, u can see the film that all of u have been dying to see - our kitchen and it's cooks in action:

singing the bakingsong

random photos...

2006-11-19T11:15:00.000-08:00

Firstly: finally here's a picture from like 2 months ago when Hilde visited..which was a treat!! I've missed her presence and her mess and her laughter and her squeals---it was so nice having a piece of Norway in my room and house and in Oxford :) As u can see, there is room in my room - so feel free to come one come all!! You are deeply missed :( But it is now only 1 month till I come home to Sandefjord, so, mine norske venner, despair not.
In our cozy sofa u can see Mark being made up by James Allen.. Now Mark (the bear) can fall asleep anywhere, and does not wake up easily. Which can be quite fun.
Last but not least, I've posted a picture of Beth, Jeanette and Rachel. A flattering picture, I know, which is why I included it ;) Beth loves her feet and so does her boyfriend apparently so there u go. Don't mess with her she'll kill u. Seriously. She's dangerous. I would know.
But I love her :)
Come visit us and find out for yourself!! Our house is a mysterious, dangerous place. But full of love.

prime minister of the united kingdom

2006-11-11T09:04:00.000-08:00

Ok, so, as you all should know by now, I am a Very Important Person. So, it will not surprise you that Tony Blaire came to visit me and my group of Very Important Peoples at the King's Centre. Don't believe me?? <-click on that link, then click on "Tony Blaire's aim to enthuse youngsters about science", under "video and audio news"...

pain of love

2006-11-02T15:41:00.000-08:00

Read 1.Peter 2:18-25... I just recently did a paper on verse 24-25, and got a lot out of it; saw more of God's role as shepherd and how Jesus' death is proof of His love - a love which gives without getting a return... And how Jesus' death is an example to us, to submit to suffering in the same way. And that His death also empowers us to do so... Anyway, all that's fine and good and mindblowing and everything, but just have to share what I read in a book captivated (for and about being a woman).

"Women who are stunningly beautiful are women who have had their hearts enlarged by suffering. By saying "yes" when the world says "no". (...) By paying the high price of loving truly and honestly without demanding that they be loved in return. (...) Jesus offered like no other. And many rejected Him. In those moments or seasons when that happens to us, God's invitation is to bring our sorrows to Him. Not to shut down with "I'll never try that again", but to keep our hearts open and alive, and find refuge and healing in His love."

What's been on my heart and mind quite a lot lately is the pain of love...

Firstly, God's love for me, for us, for the world... That God almighty, creator of a universe which is so vast our brains will never be able to grasp it's eternity (and yet He's put eternity in our hearts; we just know that behind the end of as far as we can think, there must be more..) and which is held together by atoms so small we can't see them, which again are built up of smaller particals I don't know the name of, which again must be built up of something smaller - and it goes on; eternity of detail... The creator of all this, wants a relationship with us... It's amazing. It's too amazing for me to grasp. And to think He wants relationship so much that He chooses to love us. To love us rebellious, selfish, irritatingly stupid humans who just do the same mistakes over and over and who constantly choose to live in ways that are not of love, effectively hating God and who He is...
He loves us still. Even when we give our hearts to Him, as in marriage, and then we are unfaithful. Turn away, cheat on Him, despise Him in our actions or words or thoughts... But He chooses to wait it out, to continue to love, to take the pain of loving us...
He chooses to be broken hearted for us. I had this picture when reflecting on the trinity - Father, Son, Holy Spirit are one, they are perfect unity. The pain God must have felt; Father and Son separated in the curse of the cross when Jesus took all our sin on Himself. That moment of disunity; that moment when the devil probably thought He'd pierced God's heart to death. (He did, in a sense. But, somehow, by the power of God's Holy Spirit, Jesus conquered that death curse. And we are "raised in Him" - He took our sin; we receive His righteousness. Not a fair trade. To think that He loves us so much.) That cosmic heart-ache - God is eternal, I can immagine the ache of that moment must echo throughout eternity and be intensified with every heart beat of His never ending love for us...

This is the love God wants us to abide in and to be so soaked in that we love the world in the same way. We are called, as sons and daughters, to grow and become like Him, the loving Father who always waits, painfully, vulnerably, for His children to come to Him. We are called to suffer for others as He suffered for us - I'm called to the pain of love. And when we are wounded by this pain of loving others, we find healing in His love for us.

By His wounds we are healed - Isaiah 53 v.5

2006-10-22T03:56:00.000-07:00

tribute

fantastic

friends

entoxicating

encounters

and

drama

queens

me. God. God and me.

2006-10-17T15:21:00.000-07:00

Sunday night was a rough night - I was really upset, cause I'd just found out that I might not be able to go home for Christmas. Cause of lack of money basically. Had spoken to dad; him and mum had talked and suggested that I should prioritize putting all my finances towards the course and basic living expenses and not come home for Christmas. Which ofcourse is true, specially if I'm going to be dependent on other people's gifts.. Need to learn to live frugally. And missing home isn't necessarily bad. As in- it feels terrible, but isn't necessarily evil.

It was just really hard cause I couldn't face the thought of being away from home for Christmas.. I was so upset. And I didn't even talk to God about it, I was just upset and angry at the situation. Sent a text to Solveig saying how I felt and that I might not be coming home. Went to bed crying and feeling confused and angry at myself for not being able to accept the fact that it might be a good learning experience to spend Christmas away.. all I ended up praying before I fell asleep was along the lines of God, if it's selfish to want to go home when so many people don't have the chance? Didn't have to wait for an answer, cause yeah, if I'm honest - I'm human - I want things for my own good, thus I am selfish.

I woke up in the middle of the night, the phone was ringing, it was Solveig. She asked me why I couldn't come home, I said "cause I don't have enough money"- she said "it's an answer to prayers!" I was like "what.." Then she explained she had an amount from her tithing which she didn't know who/what to give to..she'd been praying about it and still didn't have a clue, until she got my text. So basically, she wanted to put it towards my Christmas ticket (and it's the amount I needed)!

Next morning I woke up and was still confused..felt even worse actually. Like, "either God's really blessed me, or He's been really mean letting Solveig say a thing like that if I'm not supposed to go home for Christmas" -cause I still had this fear that I should be putting the money towards the cost of the year instead of Christmas. And in a sense, that's really what I should be doing. So that day I was emotionally drained, but Amy prayed for me in class about having my hope in God, and that He would be enough for me, no matter what.. which really calmed me a lot. That's what I want to learn this year.

Lately, God's really been trying to show me His Father heart for me... and when I was praying later that night about it I just opened up and felt Him saying kind of "why can't you just accept my blessing? No strings attatched.. I just want to bless you. I love you.." and this I love you over and over again.. It was really hard to accept cause I so often feel yeah but I have to this or I have to that and (all you who know me well will recognize) I never feel I'm good enough... So it was really good to just force myself to sit there and let it sink in. He loves me. And He just wanted to surprise me with a little Christmas gift like that... It's just so special.

For those of us who are so hard on ourselves. For good reason (it's always for good reason, there's always implications of what we do) - but then God just surprises. With some little thing that's so precious for you. And it makes me so thankful.

Can you believe we have a God like that - who's jealous of our love - who actually wants a relationship with us? Me? So unperfect in love, so unfaithful. And His Father heart longs for me to become His child, through God's sacrifice of becoming human; the God Almighty was pierced through the centre of His heart when Father Son were separated... For my sake. In the Spirit's raising Jesus from the curse of sin, death, I am raised in Him to new life as God's daughter...

Wow (!!) We have an awesome God.

And I'm loved. Hihi ;)

pinnocks by night

2006-10-11T07:53:00.000-07:00

you thought you knew me?

Here are my weird friends:
it's not safe on our street....
better watch out for miss punk and cleo.

a Spirit-filled weekend

2006-10-08T10:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I came back from Derby-- and what a weekend it's been!! Basically I feel like this:

That said, I'll try to explain what experiences lie behind this feeling.

On Thursday and Friday we were a part of the salt and light leaders prayer&fasting... I thought I'd be hungry and tired and maybe a bit bored, but actually it was just great, inspiring, everyone was geared to pray and it produced more hunger in us all for God to breathe his life into our churches- and we also prayed for Europe (yay Norway!) so yeah, that was all good.

Saturday was DI-day (for worship leaders / those interested in the prophetic / musicians), which was, for me, AWESOME. And considering the note we ended on in praise (WOW!!) I think everyone was shaken that day.

First, we were seriously provoked in a seminar through Dave Richards, a prophetic guy, asking where are our songs? Some points from my notes:

Are we still a prophetic people in praise and worship?
Pointing to how some people go mad praising God (he was giving examples from churches in America but if you don't like seeing anything good about the USA then just look up some how people worshipped in the bible), what can we learn? 1) half hearted people can't worship a whole-hearted God 2) prophetic praise gathers people, produces thanksgiving and produces warriors for warfare
Intimate worship is wonderful, but currently our worship leaders are more individually focused than corporate.
Who are we gathering the people to?
Are we as worship leaders following others, singing other people's journeys, or are we being led by the Spirit?
Worship leaders should be on the leadership team, to know what God is saying to them, to musically journey with them.
Do we build faith as we lead or do we run through a song list?
Is there an atmosphere created for Body Ministry (the body of christ- the church- building up one another) and a willingness to follow the Holy Spirit? (Be sensitive- what does God want- where is the wind blowing?)
Is there an Ascension in the meetings or are the meetings like the grand old duke of york? ("He marched them up to the top of the hill and he marched them down again...")

And on a more personal note:

Are you expecting to deepen your gift or are you just looking for a bigger platform?
If you take care of the depth of your gift, then God will take care of the arena it operates on (depth being found in spending time with God, getting deeper in His word, and learning to listen to what His Spirit is saying and to follow).
Do you believe that the anointing you have is your only anointing..? (David needed new anointings: Bethlehem, Hebron, Jerusalem..)

Which leads me on to the last thing I want to share, how God's been stirring me to realise that I can actually hear His voice and speak out when He wants to speak to someone through me... and I went to the prophetic singing seminar, which was really challenging - I actually got a song! Which was scary... specially cause at the meeting afterwards I realised the consequenses of my actions. Dave had challenged us and said that when we come to church we should all come ready to give, or we may as well just stay at home. So I almost didn't want to go to church today! But I did (and God didn't give me anything to share today, luckily!) hehe but I am happy that I'm learning to be open to the Spirit! Don't want that to stop. It's what makes life hot, not lukewarm :)

bakingsong

2006-09-26T14:50:00.000-07:00


these are my crazy housemates...

a day of my life

2006-09-26T13:59:00.000-07:00

wake up 06.45.

snooze.

get up five to 7.

have to go to the loo but have learnt to wait till the bathroom's free;

half 7, my turn.

by then I've packed a lunch and finished breakfast,

allbran flakes

or bread with jam and banana or marmite.

and tea.

(with milk).

shower, hurry up get out of the shower.

get dressed.

spend time with the king of the universe (wow, I know..)

round to the back, into the shed

take out 5 bikes, pretty big job cause they're packed tightly

then we're off, 5 girls in a row

on the oxford roads

(left side, don't forget)

concentrated; balancing on the 50cm wide space

between

the sidewalk and the great big

bus, almost getting run over but not quite.

singing

laughter

whizzing past the ques of cars which can't use the buslane, haha!

get to school early

drink of water

devotions at 9.

first lecture at half 9

tea break at half 10

next lecture, break, last lecture (yawning, head spinning, tummy rumbling)

lunch at last.

chatting with my fellow lads and ladies.

do anything else that needs doing.

cycle home, survive the trip.

sleep for a half hour, work on assignment or entertain visitors, resist or give in to the temptation of a snack (saltnvinegar-chips, cadbury chocolate, mmm), do chores, chat, sing, pray together, dance in the kitchen, eat dinner, maybe desert, wash up.

more homework or visitors or maybe read the web-news.

tired. laugh at everything and anything.

see a spider, scream (wolf) - rachael doesn't come. face my fears. feel proud.

miss friends, miss family.

think about them. remember. smile.

write a letter or blog.

yawn, good night-- I just need to write in my diary

then I'll go to bed.

love

2006-09-23T05:09:00.000-07:00

love is a light your laughter shines - not knowing when or how or who - love is the heart that always entwines - wanting so hard to hug just you - and you and you and you and you - nobody left out, nobody cries - love is a light which never lies - making it through and through and through - love is the morning meant for you - the God who died to make things new

life as a kbc student

2006-09-22T17:04:00.000-07:00

ok here's me and rachael at work setting up the diningroom table.. actually I'm kind of cheating; Beth and her did most of the work, about 2 hours, and then I joined in the last half hour. But anyway, the point is, we're proper mechanics. Oh yeah. No messin with us.

this is at the barbeque we had last sunday, out the back at the guys house on pinnocks. From the left: james, katherine, steve, jack, rebecca, jazz, rachael and jo.

just have to say that this lovely lady and her husband; Rebecca and Earl (Earl I don't have on camera yet I'm afraid, but he basically looks like your stereotype American.) are the new håkon & irene for me! Well, not the new (no one can replace you in my heart!!) but they remind me a lot of u :) hehe when i told them they just started laughing at your names-- do u get that response in australia too I wonder..?

ok now these r some of the music freaks in the group. By the way, the past 2 weeks we've been singing this greek alphabet song which I can't get out of my head- you'll definately hear me singing it some time this christmas, and you'll wish I never came to kbc when u do. (Thanks to Mat, who's the one standing.. put it this way, he's a good song writer, his songs stick.) And the guy on the drums, Mike, actually has a digeridoo!! hehe how cool is that.. On our retreat weekend 2 weeks ago he played and I taught everyone the dance I "learnt at aboriginal dance classes".. it was so funny.

the grand tour

2006-09-15T17:44:00.000-07:00

Tash (18 from Canada), Beth (18 from Middlesbrough), me (20 from Norway), Anna (also 18 from Middlesbrough) and Rachael (21 from Oxford or hereabouts) ...

Welcome to our wonderful house!

So, this is Tash in the livingroom. It looked much worse before. A bit like a waiting room in some old medical clinic. We've made it look a bit more acceptable now and hung Rachael's art up on the walls.
This is my room seen from 2 angles... (Had to include the dresser, with the antique mirror Elisabeth Peters lent me!) and just so u know, I've hung Karin's paintings on the walls. They were in desperate need of colour! Now it feels a bit more homely there. But if anyone has any pictures to send me, please do! That would make me extremely happy :)
Last but not least: our lovely kitchen&laundry-in-one.
The frustrating thing about our house is the clothes dry sooo slooow...

Oh, just have to say: today I almost stepped on a hedgehog! It was in the middle of the path (the catwalk between the hedges) to the door... immagine if I had. Owch.

Okai, I better go now, the time is late, I just came home from a rock concert (the darts) in a small, humid club (ehe..) Basically they should think about getting airconditioning .. or windows..

Anyway, I'm tired, tomorrow's the sabbath, I can sleep in for the first time since I got here (!yay) so good night, and sleep tight. <3

important informationn

2006-09-14T08:43:00.000-07:00

+44 1865459586

is our house number! Feel free to call :)

(Calling from England of course, u take out the 44 and start with a zero (0). Just so u know. Good.)

og til alle dere norske som har lest eller kommer til å lese posten nedenfor; det de hadde å fortelle var at Tash ble døpt i den Hellige Ånd idag! Det var det Gud hadde vist henne gjennom 1.Kor-meditasjonen at ho trengte! -Så det var derfor ho var så cheerful når de kom inn døra...hehe.. morsomt :)

en post for de norske

2006-09-14T07:17:00.000-07:00

Okey.. litt oppdateringer.. where to start?? Jeg har det hvertfall utrolig bra. De jeg bor sammen med er kjempe koselige, jeg har vært så heldig! Vi har d utrolig gøy sammen, vi snakker og ber sammen om ting og tang.. de er så nydelige mennesker, håper virkelig dere får møtt de en eller annen gang! Gjerne kom på besøk er du grei, og bli gjerne noen netter etter du har sagt hei - seng og mat ordner vi i en fei, og med ryanair ordner det alltid seg! ;)

Må bare si at alle mine skumle frykter for bibelskole har fordampet totalt... Er SÅ glad for å være her, og vet at Gud kommer til å riste meg våken og at jeg vil bli bedre kjent med Ham.. (it's already started!) Folk (både lærere og elever) er så åpne for Guds Ånd; det er en god balanse mellom hjerne og hjerte her merker jeg. Altså; samtidig som at jeg lærer viktigheten i å studere bibelen og finne ut hva de inspirerte forfatterne prøver å si (som innebærer gresk og gramatikk og kan være ganske teoretisk komplisert før det fører til en aha-opplevelse), så er lærerne keen på at vi ikke glemmer å være sammen med Gud, lytte, meditere på vers osv.

I "chapel" idag hadde Gaina satt opp noen trinn vi skulle følge som innebar å reflektere over 1.Kor 2 v.11-16. Basically: Vi var i grupper på 3 og leste gjennom noen ganger. Så skulle vi spørre Gud om å "highlight" et ord, så dele det med gruppa, så spørre hva Han ville si til oss, så dele. Jeg følte at at 2 ord ble highlighta: "received" og "truths" - men syntes det var litt merkelig, så hadde en ganske stor mistanke at det bare var mine tanker.. helt til siste trinnet når jeg skulle spørre Gud hva Han ville si til meg gjennom de orda. Plutselig skjønte jeg at det ikke bare var meg, for det her hadde jeg ikke klart å tenke meg til, hvertfall ikke når de orda virka så "random" og fjerne fra sammenhengen. Jeg følte Gud utfordra meg til å speak out sammen med folk som ikke kjenner Han; ikke holde igjen. Jeg er kanskje ikke flau over Gud, men er så vant med å tenke sånn at det alltid er en "wider picture" at jeg er redd for å være for sikker på noe selv i tilfelle det er trangsynt. Og jeg er så vant med å lytte til folk og ville forstå andres synspunkter og vil ikke at de skal tro at jeg tror at "jeg har rett" eller at jeg setter Gud i en boks for dem, at jeg ofte holder igjen det jeg har å si selv. Ikke at jeg har tenkt å slutte å lytte, og ikke at Gud / bibelen / livet noen gang kan forståes fullt ut av menneskehjernen (er det noe jeg har forstått jeg vil lære her på KBC så er det det!) Men jeg har skjønt at det er like viktig at jeg snakker ut, jeg må ikke skjule hvem jeg er, hva jeg har opplevd og hva jeg forstår av Gud (selv om det alltid vil være begrenset). For jeg har fått den Hellige Ånd, og det er sannheter Gud har vist meg som jeg burde dele. Det er egoistisk å holde det for seg selv. Som om jeg har mer rett på Han en andre.

Ok, nå har de andre kommet hjem her så jeg får gå- de har visst noe å fortelle meg, spennende ;)

Vi blogges!

pictures at last!

2006-09-12T14:27:00.000-07:00

welcome to Oxford! Here we are at O'Neills watching football with some of the KBC group...
here is our between-the-hedges-catwalk..
and here is our house! my window's the big one down the bottom...

Haven't taken any pictures inside yet - we just got the internet set up today, so I thought I'd post what I have for now, but now I REALLY need to go to bed! So I'll catch up with u all later. Hope ur all good... Happy in school and jobs and life generally.. I am now going to go learn the Greek alphabet, read 1. Peter for the fourth time and then finally go to bed. Lovin' it ;)

Tired. Good night. Missing u all!

MWA <3

English Mobile!

2006-09-02T06:22:00.000-07:00

ok, my new number is actually quite easy to learn by heart:

(0047) 7726 453 853

calling me is probably a lot expensive -- but do send an sms sometime, and u might just get one back ;)

arrived in England!

2006-09-01T01:49:00.000-07:00

finally here! I've seen my house, tried to make my room "cozy" (but I must say the walls are so white it's quite depressing - so if anyone wants to send any pictures I'd be more than thankful!) I don't want to post my address on the internet really, so if you do want my address then send an email to me> ellenmiles@gmail.com ..I don't have a mobile yet either, but am hoping to fix that today.

Right now I'm at Karin's place, I slept the night here..they've been so generous in helping me out and Karin wants to come with me to town to help fix getting a bank account and the stocking up on essentials. I must say I find it hard not to be a teeny bit worried about finances, so if you'd like to send up a little prayer for me to just trust God I'm sure I'll learn to along the way :)
I feel a bit weird about everything. It's really strange - I don't think it's sunk in yet - that the house I was in yesterday is my own house which I'll be living in for 10 months with 4 other girls, cutting the lawn, cleaning windows, cleaning out cobwebs (owch! There's a fireplace in my room filled with cobwebs- I haven't dared do anything about them yet! But I'll have to before I sleep there....) Basically I keep feeling like I'll be coming back to Norway soon. Guess the truth will hit me soon - I'm gonna miss u all so much!!!

Enough of that. I'll tell you some good news : I do feel very at home here in many ways. Taking the bus to Oxford I looked out at brick houses, high grey wooden fences dividing properties, brick fences along the pavement (the kind I used to balance on when I was a kid), salt and vinegar chips (mm!!) - and just hearing English all the time --- I feel like I've come home :)

Ok, well that's all for now.. When we get the internet working at home I'll be able to write with my laptop, which means I'll be writing more NORSK (aa oe ae -can't be bothered trying to write Norwegian with an English keyboard).

And I'll stick in some pictures soon too! For now all u get is this smiley =)

when one walking in God's salvation, falls asleep...

2006-08-18T08:38:00.001-07:00

Awake

daughter of dreams
your life is yet to be lived
Remember
yesterday's longings
commitment's rewards
Remember
your first love

Awake
daughter of man
this story is yet to be told
your pages of faith will unfold
Created
you are a human
and love is a choice
Remember
your first love

Awake
daughter of life
this freedom is yet to be found
a gift still unopened, waiting
a Father's yearning, aching
Remember
death, resurrection
the Spirit's embrace
Remember
you are loved

vannpipe-eventyret

2006-08-16T15:37:00.000-07:00

det var en gang fem jenter som gjerne ville røyke litt vann
med smak.
De kjørte rundt i sandefjord, og etter langt om lenge kom de til
føden, den etterlengtede restauranten.
Men huff å huff, hva fant de der?
Ingen verdens ting, for der var det stengt.
De banket på og viftet med armer og ben og øyevipper.
Men ingenting hjalp.
Jaja, så fikk de vel gi opp, tenkte ellen bebbe ina og solveig.

Men ikke birgitte! Å nei å nei, hun skulle ha vannpipe, om det så skulle koste henne hele hennes dyrebare reputasjon!
Hun banket på og trampet og viftet,
de andre ble i mellomtiden ganske så flaue-
men se - der åpnet visst døren seg!
En mann kom ut, og lot seg til slutt overtale;
vannpipe skal bli, "mademoiselle".

Så satte de seg, alle fem, spente og forventningsfulle.
Mannen kom ut og gjorde i stand den store pipen full av vann og smak,
og en etter en prøvde de pipen.

Vannpipen var god, og stemningen fin-
men vannpipe-eventyret
manglet etterhvert litt futt, så vannpipe-mannen bestemte seg etterhvert for å ta saken i egne hender
og viste dem hvordan å røyke skikkelig vanneksos.

Jaja, så fikk de prøve da, tenkte jentene,
alle gode ting er tre...

Birgitte den brasiøse var ganske så flink!

Huff å huff, benedictemor gikk visst opp i røyk!

Søte solvieg, hun ville tøffe seg ... men dret seg visst ut i stedet.

Alt i alt hadde de fem jentene en koselig kveld, og levde lykkelige i alle sine dage.

The Pakt

2006-08-11T07:22:00.000-07:00

Natalia Miles and Ellen Miles
hereby promise to
(as long as we remember when the time of testing arrives)
only eat 7 pcs of
chocolate
or
lollies
when offered by some other sweet human being
- and this occurance may only occur
twice a week.

In cases where the temptation is more of a fake one,
(ie: we don't really like what is served, but just have a longing for something sweet)
we must say no
thank you.

The only way
around
this pakt
is if we overflow with generosity to some neighbour
and go shopping
for their sake.
(Our motives must be checked thoroughly before hand.)

It is necessary to add:
this pakt is not one made both for "in sickness and in health"
for in times of PMS one bar of chocolate is allowed for personal indulgance!

The pakt will last until the 31st of August...

Signed;
Natalia Miles & Ellen Miles
sisters in blood and in faith.

konkurranse...

2006-08-04T15:55:00.000-07:00

Gjett hva vi "mimer" her...

The Road Trips of July

2006-07-19T16:53:00.000-07:00

Spacewagon + Solveig + me and bebbe = Roadtrip
to: Mysen ---> Isabel.
Lovely talk.
Lovely person <3
Next stop: Fredrikstad. Oase. Benedicte Walseth <- adorable, inspiring, faith building
midnight praise (MPN --is that supposed to stand for midnight praise??)
good night's sleep (it's true actually)
next night: drive night
home in Sandefjord 6.30 am so why not go straight to Skjellvika beach and catch up badly needed sleep there instead of in bed;
outside, sun, waves, seagulls, engangsgrill ("BBQ-for-one-time's-use-only")
aaah enjoy
and read "how to read the bible for all it's worth"

*summer in norway*
-pleasant.

Skjærgårds

2006-07-19T16:47:00.000-07:00

helløw helløw, long time no write. Ok, first up, I thought I'd summarize my concert at Skjærgårds Music & Mission Festival: it went good. Nervous = shakey. But according to those listening: it went good. And I was able to put across the message I wanted to for each song. So. It went good. :) ...Click here to read one report on it...

stikkord fra mai - juni måned

2006-07-15T06:52:00.000-07:00

yeah, en ny venn, jarle

råner'n ina ;) "nå tar jeg en spansk en!!"

sommer kommer sommer kommer......

fisketur me family. jeg fikk fisk. sløya fisk. oh boy.
but i have to say my bro is the pro.

stikkord fra mai - juni måned

2006-07-15T06:31:00.000-07:00

bebbe 20 år ! MWA.

malin gravid -- føder i sep :)

ny hårklip (av michelle of course)

kjærestebesøk-og-ellen-bare-å-så-søte-dere-er!

ny bekjentskap med gammel nabo

my new home :)

2006-06-04T05:35:00.000-07:00

Today I was welcomed into Vintreet Church..! A church here in Sandefjord which mum and dad (&Natalia &Daniel) have been a part of now for a couple of years... Well, actually dad was also welcomed today- see, as well as having to have time to think over the whole becoming a member thing, he wanted to make a point of not having to be a member to be able to take responsibility and help out. Good point :)

Anyway, I'm very happy, feel like things are falling in place in my life. Vintreet is a church where I've always felt at home. It's a place where you're encouraged to be yourself, and you can feel it in the atmosphere there, it's a place of freedom and openness and honesty, and a place where people grow.

Other than that I don't have much exciting news... It's only a month till Skjærgårds, and we've just started practising - bit too last-minute really, but I guess it'll work out, it usually does:)
One not so good thing - Hilde's moving out very soon; she and some friends have found an apartment in Oslo which she had to start paying for 1st of June.. so this is an unusual, unexpected situation for me. I'm used to leaving friends and moving on to new places, this time Hilde's suddenly leaving me behind. It's sad cause we've got to know each other really well this past year, and I'll miss her :( ..But, new place, new friends- I'm looking forward to Oxford and what comes with it. And thankful that it's not too far away for everyone to come visit :)

Oxford here I come....

2006-05-21T08:05:00.000-07:00

Ok, I've now made up my mind, finally, and the winner is; Kings Bible College and Training Centre!!!
so u know....... :)

Also just have to say it's so nice having people come home to Sandefjord! Michelle and Bebbe and IK are back from "folkehøyskole", Mirjam's back (though to and fro) and now we're just waiting for Solveig and Annelies... oh boy am I gonna miss you all when I leave.. but Oxford isn't that far away so I'm hoping you'll all visit at least once! ;) --- but Håkon&Irene, Lorna, Samantha, Jenni... fear not, I will come home to Australia sooner or later.

Mysentur

2006-05-10T03:42:00.000-07:00

ja, nå har meg og Hilde kommet hjem fra Mysen (og dratt me oss Isabel i samme slengen) .. Dere skjønner det at Isabel er den skjønneste jenta i verden, Sandefjord savner henne, vi savner henne, og hun jobber i Mysen og gjør en fantastisk jobb der altså, men vi måtte bare dra en tur i helga og OVERRASKE henne - det var så gøy! Ho hadde ikke anelse om at vi skulle komme, så ho fikk helt sjokk.

Men jeg må si at det er trist å kjøre til Mysen og ikke skulle til norges navle Trøkkstad (er det sånn det skrives, eller er det trøG..?) Men Håkon og Irene er vel på sin rette plass i Sydney... Jeg gleder meg til å høre den australske accenten deres ;)

Ellers må jeg bare si at vi møtte gutta boys i Mysen, fotballgutta lissom, ja anyway, de kommer til Sandefjord til sommeren så da må vi vise dem vårt vakre hjem. (For jeg har bada i Mysen og det er ikke så mye å skryte av, sorry..)

NÅ ska jeg lage meg banan-og-sjokolade-milkshake, gå ut og sette meg i det fine været og kose meg samme Gud :)

future plans and other uncertainties

2006-05-02T05:13:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know you're probably sick of hearing about everything I plan to do this next school year, but I just have to ask for you to pray for me cause I'm pretty unsure still what to choose and I feel kinda stressed out cause I really should know soon and buy air tickets let alone apply for the school I'm gonna go to... (breathe IN - out --) ok. The ones I'm thinking of are DTS in Brisbane, Hillsong Leadership College in Sydney and King's Bible College in Oxford... so; Australia or England? (my home-country or my birth-country..?) (or, I forgot to mention, a DTS in Armenia. Heh.)
Anyway, time will show and I'm sure God'll let me know in His time. Those of you who know me though, know that I'm not that good at stressLESSing.. hehe.. but I guess that's why I have to learn to!

Ok enough enough, other than that I just have to say that's it's very nice ("hyggelig" hehe I just thought of how that would sound reading it in english) if you want to leave a comment or a hello or something else heart to heart for me to read - just click on the "comment" link below.. :)

Birthday Joy!!

2006-04-26T05:21:00.000-07:00

here are some pictures from our last-minute-easter-birthday-party...

"leiligheta vår"

2006-04-25T08:45:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share some inspirational photos
from the life of Hilde and Ellen
oh the joy of living
;)

massage thingy

2006-04-14T06:40:00.000-07:00

hehe I just have to show these facial expressions - we tested a massage thing that benita bought in some exotic country - worth buying if you come across one - works fabulously!

2006-04-13T11:42:00.000-07:00

just wanted to show off my fellow-singer in the get focused worship team, soon sweet sixteen, lovely person, lovely voice.. (we're also singing at skjærgårds by the way)

Sorry I haven't updated for so long, I just never remember to bring my camera back home, but when I do I've got a heap of pictures to share. So stay tuned! :)

skjærgårds!

2006-02-24T07:09:00.000-08:00

Hello hello, I'm back again:)

Last weekend I went snowboarding at Trysil with Salem - I've actually started to get the hang of it, which is SO great coz it's such a pain, literally, falling all the time and getting up and being bruized all over by the end of the day.. But now I'm much better, and it's so fun!! Worth trying ;)

Ok, big news: I'm singing at the music and mission festival in Skjærgårds!! --> not on the main stage of course - it'll be a 45 minute concert with me plus Johannes on guitar and Dan-Thomas on jamba, in a small room (sjøbua) ..Pretty big thing for me though! Looking forward to it :) All norway-friends: you have to come !

precious moment

2006-02-13T07:25:00.000-08:00

when the moon shines upon my path

gentle breeze, I can feel Your love
and the stars are twinkling, softly singing of Your wonder
and I am thinking, Your Spirit whispering words to ponder

precious moment
falling through
into water, into warmth, into love
I'm into You

the rain pours upon the soil
soaks my skin, I am filled with joy
heavy tears of rain You wept, and washed away the grime
dancing in the rain today - tomorrow in sunshine

locked into your self

2006-02-13T06:02:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd start publishing some of my newest songs / poems here as well...
This one's a song about those who are "allergic" to church, God, Jesus - for understandable reasons. It makes me sad.. you don't know what you're missing when you shut your eyes to something or someone because of past hurts you unconciously associate them with.. It always comes down to that choice; to face things and to forgive..

I see you lie beneath a clouded sky,
you think there lies nothing beyond.
A wall of rage you've built around your mind;
a lonely stage you can sing from.

In the cold I listen
and I am told to freeze
I am told there's no way
you will unfold and forgive
and so you will live;
locked into your self

I wish, I pray that you will see some day
beyond the clouds there's an ocean
of stars and frail prayers that souls have prayed

for you to see heaven's open

God's creation...

2006-02-06T12:23:00.000-08:00

If we believe God created the world, for us, I think it would make Him happy that we receive it with thanks. And appreciate it. And if it's not just for me, but for us, I think it would make Him happy if I'd stop blindly using up so much more than my share of this great gift.. Norwegians are very good at keeping their eyes shut, in many ways, and so am I - it's so comfy here in Norway you see. Easy to fall asleep. But I don't want to. I want to honor God with my life..

Anyway, take a look at this:

plane journeys

og denne er på norsk:

generell livsstil

Når Gud Taler

2006-02-06T11:45:00.000-08:00

Okey, er det noe dere må lese så er det denne boken, den heter God Calling på engelsk. Det er en andaktsbok, så det passer perfekt også for deg som ikke er så glad i å lese. Litt hver dag. Eller litt når du blir leda til det.

Den er helt fantastisk bra, jeg har gitt den i gave til noen venner og de synes også den er veldig inspirerende og utfordrende - og det er utrolig hvor ofte det som står der treffer deg midt i hjertet. Du kan lese mer om den (og i den) her:

Når Gud Taler

islam og jødene

2006-02-06T11:19:00.000-08:00

Vi kan se på tv og få med oss alt av nyhetsoppslag og debatter om islam og muhammed tegninger og blasfemi og situasjonen i midtøsten og krangel og hat... Kan være greit å få med seg litt annet enn det media viser oss. Jeg har en bok å anbefale:

kampen som ikke er over - islam og jødene av Mark A. Gabriel.

Bakpå står det: "Mark Gabriel (forfatteren) har vært en overgitt muslim, men han er nå en overgitt kristen. Det er en kraftig påminnelse om hvordan kjærligheten kan overvinne hatet. Forvandlingen som har skjedd i hjertet hans gjør at han kan velsigne det jødiske folk i stedet for å øse ut forbannelse og hat." Selv skriver han: "Jeg har ikke hatt islam som et forskningsprosjekt. Jeg har levd det i 32 år!"

Videre står det:

Det er kraftige kulturelle og åndelige krefter som forklarer

hvorfor palestinerne avviser fredstilbud
hvorfor radikale muslimer angriper de som støtter Israel, spesielt amerikanere
hvorfor muslimer dreper jøder i Allah sin guds navn når islam er en fredens religion
hvorfor Koranen kaller jødene "barn av apekatter og griser"

Mum's 48th

2006-01-31T11:46:00.000-08:00

today mum turned 48!! (or as she put it: 27) and I just had to capture dad's surprise for her on camera, cause for I dunnow how many years he's always given her a "useful" gift, like saucepans and kitchen knives. This time however, she got useful gifts and a bit of extra attention.. (natalia assisted with her creativity) - I must say I was impressed:

new job :)

2006-01-29T10:44:00.000-08:00

Latest update: I've now got a new job in "hjemmetjenesten", which means I'm like a personal care attendant.. The state pays for old/sick people to be cared for in their homes. So I drive around with a list of people to visit and give medicine, food or help wash and stuff like that.. A lot different from dealing with clothes at H&M! At first there were a lot of new impressions, but I liked it from the start. At the end of the day I don't come home feeling I've worked for some hours doing whatever.. I've actually done something which people need, and it gives me something too :) ..what's not so good is that we have so little time to get through the list of people in our area, and some of the people we visit need so much more. We're only given time for the body's needs. Psychological needs aren't met like they could be, let alone spiritual.. but I have experienced being able to give in those ways too, which is a good feeling :)

Anyway, I'm very happy with the new job, and I'm still working at H&M so it's been a tiring couple of weeks! Was worried it would be too tiring, but I've been spending more time with God lately, and as always He's given strength and inspiration:)

Ice skating...

2005-12-29T09:02:00.000-08:00

christmas 2005

2005-12-27T01:07:00.000-08:00

I've been at home this christmas, sleeping in the top of Natalia's bunk, which has been nice:) We celebrated christmas eve, up at mormor and morfar's place with "mandel i grøten" (porridge with an almond in it - whoever finds it wins a marsipan-pig!) and then gifts...But we waited with some so we could try celebrate christmas day.. Bit hard when you can't go out and have a barbeque or play cricket of footy in the park though ;) Sadly there was no snow either - didn't come till the day after boxing day. But now it's all white :)
Here's Natalia and Daniel on christmas morning, they got lollies and a comic book in their stocking..

haircut time...

2005-12-25T14:54:00.000-08:00

yyepp, this is definately haircut time and boy did I get a shock when I saw myself in the mirror.. so why not make the most of it and put on some make-up aswell... "girls just wanna have fun"...

WELCOME to my blog :)

2005-12-11T14:42:00.000-08:00

Hello! Ok let's see if I handle this better than freewebs.. I'll try and update this site a bit more often too..

Right now I'm sort of half-stressing about christmas.. sorry Samantha and Karin, your presents may come a bit later .. they're packed and ready, but still not sent.. heh.. Anyway. I'm now gonna figure out how to upload a few pictures, and by the time you're reading this I guess I can say: take a look! :)