La la La, da DA de dum!

Here in Cambridge, the atmosphere is changing as the students are all arriving ready to start the new term this coming week, the holidays are over, and it's all back to work. The days are getting shorter and the wind is increasing. The most is made of the sunshine when it appears but primarily now it's raincoats and closed shoes that you see everywhere.

 

With all the students arriving for university it got me thinking about my own time at university in Australia. I have such a short attention span that I'm always amazed that I made it through my degree. I had to come up with a lot of different strategies to help me get there though.

 

The Institute for Learning Styles Research breaks up the way individuals learn into seven basic categories. These are print (read), aural (hear), visual (see), haptic (touch), interactive (repeat), kinesthetic (do), and olfactory (smell & taste). Everybody learns through a combination of these but work and learn better with some rather than others. For me, those some are haptic, kinesthetic, and interactive (with a lot of crossover into visual).

 

These aren't the ideal learning styles for studying at university - and honestly a lecture was way too long for me to stay attentive for (my mind drifted off topic). Taking notes helped but because I'm really not a print person, it didn't help a lot. I do like pictures though - and I can remember them - so sometimes I would take lecture notes in image form. This worked sometimes but not all topics lent themselves towards images (ie. I couldn't put pictures to math equations). Practicals were the best as this didn't require effort to change up the learning style given but just go with the flow (follow on) - unless they were computer based which goes pack to the print style learning - this wasn't so good. Sometimes I would imagine (picutre in my mind) I was doing the things I was putting into the computer for real - this helped. As I was studying a form of Earth Science sometimes I would take a 'field trip' to an area like that which we were currently studying (beach, mountains, lakes, etc.)to see and feel just what I was looking at on a page - somehow this made it make much more sense. One other method I came up with was to sometimes 'act out' my lectures - go back over notes and put movements or expression into it to help me remember; or sometimes I would write the information (data, study material, lectures) into a song against an easy tune to hum.

 

This last 'method' is something which has stuck with me but in a different way, even though I did not do it a lot. When I have a slightly quieter time in my day, like when riding from one place to another, or doing the dishes or some gardening, I often find myself making up tunes to either go along with my current mood, or mimic (parallel, copy) my day so far. It's like I'm in tune with the world - and this is my tune which works together with everyone else's to make a wonderful melody (tune) of life. But sometimes I have an off day, it just wasn't quite right, and there just isn't a tune which fits, it's like you're suddenly out of tune - like you're separate from everything else.

 

It's on these days, when I feel down, out of touch, not quite right, lonely, isolated, like a floating island - on these days that I remember that there is so much more than just now, and that I am so much more than what's now. I remember that we are made in God's image (Genesis 1:27), that we are loved by Him (Romans 5:8), that we have a future beyond here and now (John 3:16, 1 Peter 1:3-5), and that nothing can ever separate us from this (Romans 8:38-39). And the great thing is that I don't need to learn these things the same way I had to learn the things for my degree because these things are shown to me every day through my relationship with God, through Jesus, by the Holy Spirit. The same way I don't need to learn that my family loves me because they show me every time I talk to them.

 

I love learning things but even better is to know something with such certainty because it is shown to you again and again, without fail. I also love to be 'in tune' with the world and what's around me, but when I'm not I still know that God will always be there to take my off beat ways and show me his own rhythm to follow - this is the most important one in my books (my opinion).

What do you think about this?

 

God Bless

 

PS - sorry, I started rambling (going on and on) a little again

A bit of Rambling...

It's been two months now (and one day) since I first arrived in England, and a day later in Cambridge. On Wednesday of this week I had the fortune to spend a day in London doing touristy things and catching up with a wonderful woman whom I'm privileged to have in my life. As I walked around and looked at many old things in a modern city completely wrapped up in its past, I found myself becoming more and more interested in the history of this place.

 

An observation to make - if there is a slight interest, or curiousity in something, the more and more you are surrounded by that, the more and more your interest and curiousity grows.

 

For me, it has a lot to do with the architecture and how that reflects the thoughts of the day and those who built it or had it built. Also the marks left on these structures which tell stories of the lives which it has held. A crumpled arch delicately rebuilt tells of the destruction which befell it during the World War, it tells of the design ideas of when it was first built, it tells of the importance of that to those who had it rebuilt, and it tells of the people now who continue to have it preserved. The ornated ceilings which are of such high standard because you look up to God, and the ceiling is the closest of all the building.

 

History is often seen as such a boring subject, but it was once the present, and not the past. As George Santayana once said, 'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.' When you actually look at history, it is not all boring but rather very complicated, just like life is now - and a lot of recorded history is not things which we would like to repeat.

 

As a christian though, my interest goes further perhaps than some. Some might say that christians live in the past, but the truth of the matter is that we live very much in the present, with a hope for the future which is founded in the past. The more we learn about what happened in the past the more we learn about who God is NOW and ALWAYS.

 

John wrote in his gospel, 'And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name... This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true.'

 

What do you believe, and why do you believe it? Everything which we know and learn is somehow found in history. If I was slightly more forthright I might challenge one to look into it if they do not know. And to follow up, if you are at all curious or interested, take that next step and start asking questions... Just some food for thought.

 

God Bless.

English Reflection

CIO is over although the work continues all year round on a smaller scale. There are some lessons learnt from this time that I hope I will always remember. One of them is the importance of taking time out to spend with God. Now, we already know this but when you really are go, go, go for so long you inevitably start to get quite tired and even when you would sometimes much rather sleep it is important to always take that time to spend with God - also to take the time given to you to rest, to rest! I think some people learnt this the hard way. Give it your all but also pace yourself so you don't burn out before it's over.

 

Something else I learnt is that life is full of opportunities, we just often don't recognise them - or do, and don't grasp them. I think CIO has perhaps helped me to recognise more opportunities and be unafraid of taking them up - primarily in a relational, and gospel speaking way. And they are there - every day! Before, I would naturally talk about the gospel, now I think, perhaps, I can more intentionally speak about the gospel also. Learning how to form and follow up friendships.

 

On team, we were from all over the world - having over 20 countries represented. This opens up for a lot of cultural baggage, and misunderstandings - but learning how to respect one anothers backgrounds, and adapt so that we can best work together as a team united in Christ. And not only that, but get along really well with some people too. Learning the difference also for many of us between what is Christian, and what is simply a cultural way of expressing that.

 

Looking forward now, you may know that I am hoping to stay here in Cambridge. Today, I was flicking back over past entries of my 'Journal' since I have been in England. I would like to share with you something I wrote on Monday 27th August.

 

7.45pm - the buzz or drone of traffic in the background reminding you you're not far away while also causing what would otherwise be in the background to come to the fore. A sky covered in cloud without being menacing in the least whilst providing no colour or bright light to what is left of this summer day. The crickets gently bring their song while birds calling to one another add their melody. something is still missing as I lay facing the sky, my back against the fresh, damp grass - a bird draws my attention as it sets itself in the place of a missing picket on the fence, it's height... perfect. - I laugh and this brief interlude from sound to sight is ended as my own joins with the sounds around. here is the missing sound. the rain gently falls and I can hear it all around me giving many different tones before I even feel the first wet drop upon my face. It falls in a cascading rhythm on the trees, the ground, the rooftop, the plants and completes the sounds of the garden, interrupted only be the occasional call of the neighbours - it says many things, but one of them is this is your home... welcome to Cambridge.

 

 God Bless

Remembering and Trusting

I feel like I should do a debrief or summary of CIO but I have quite a few notes to read through first I think. I kept a journal every night of CIO as recommended to me by others as when you get to the end, you do not remember what happened at the beginning - or first impressions. In fact, I find it difficult to even remember everybody from team.

 

At the end of each team we would each get a card which different people from team wrote in. One of the verses which someone left in some cards, which I thought I would share with you today, was Romans 8:28.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

 

You might ask, just what does that mean?? Well, to put it very briefly it means that God knows what is best for us, more than we do, and if we love Him, we will trust Him and do as He will, following his purposes and He will work everything out in the best possible way for everyone - this doesn't mean that it will necesarily be happy and comfortable for you, but best for everyone. So.. trust God.

 

If you have any thoughts or questions from this, please share them.

 

God Bless.