The main thing that I’m having to get used to is not being in the classroom. When you are in a classroom you have your fellow students there with you as well as the tutor. Online you don’t get to see faces, just names.

Also in the face to face environment the tutor normally has notes for each lesson they are teaching, whereas online, all the info is available at once and you have to just go through it all in your own time, something I find challenging as I prefer to have someone telling me to do this then do that.

I’m learning very quickly to manage my time around the other things in life; I’m working in the afternoons so keeping up with my study while keeping a regular job makes me tired. I expect this will get better as the time goes by.

So those are some of my first impression after 4 days. It will be interesting to see how things change,

It is a slow and painful process of preparing for this, as I have to register with 2 universities through OUA, order my textbooks online and a whole heap of other stuff that you wold normally get in the classroom.

Then there is the process of dealing with Centrelink for finances. That is the most difficult part; forms and more forms. Because of my current employment, as a sub-contractor, there is more red tape and extra forms to fill out. Sometimes I think it would be easier not to work at all.

Anyway, I start studying on Monday, and I’ll hopefully be able to blog about how it’s all going.

Have you noticed how 99% of the ads have been about shoving negativity about the other parties rather than actually trying to sell their own party? The only decent ads I’ve seen have been the local MP’s selling themselves and what they will do. That’s the way it should be, shouldn’t it?

I’ve noticed that over the last week particularly the frequency of the ads have increased. I had to tune in the TV last night and as I was searching through the channels there was “one of those ads” on every channel; all bad mouthing the other party.

The good news is that as of midnight Wednesday, by law the ads have to stop. So the TV can return back to normal now, at least until the next state election.

Remember to make your vote count on Saturday.

Today marks the 12 month anniversary that Jo and myself have been back in Australia. We boarded an international flight in Christchurch at 2.15pm on the 18 August 2009 bound for Queensland.

Since that date we have lived on the Gold Coast for 8 months, and then relocated back home to Perth. It hasn’t been an easy 12 months, but at least things are more settled here.

Up until a couple of weeks ago I have been in the city every day for work, just walking around delivering stuff and taking in the sights.

There’s something about the inner CBD that’s just a real buzz. People everywhere; entertainers doing their thing; I find it stimulating watching what goes on in the city.

Unfortunately I’ve now been taken out of the city as far as work goes, and am now out in the suburbs; I find the atmosphere in the suburbs is not the same as it is in the city.

I was sitting on the train coming home after being in the city, and it got me thinking that I would love to have a job that puts me in the city everyday, in some sort of business.

Many people enjoy the quieter life away from the hustle & bustle, which we did as young kids for several years, but I’m always drawn back to the city again.

Do you enjoy the busyness of the city, or do you prefer the quieter life of the suburbs?? Why not register with this blog now and leave your thoughts below.

Up until last week I have been doing the same run that I enjoy doing every day. Visiting the same places with the same friendly faces; and while some may find that boring or unexciting, I quite enjoy it.

Last Monday I was told that I was going to be learning a new run as they were changing things around a bit, so to compensate for the lack of drivers. I thought it was only going to be a temporary thing, so I wasn’t too concerned; but now I find out that they want to keep me on that new run permanently.

This last week I have been learning a new run. It’s an area which I don’t know and never go into personally, as it’s the opposite end of town to where I live. I have found it rather tiring at at times down right annoying.

So my motivation for getting up and going to work lately rather than being enjoyable, is becoming a thing I have to do in order to get paid at the end of the week. I’m also battling a cold & flu that has me blowing my nose every 5 minutes; not the best really.

We’ll just have to see how things pan out over the next few weeks. Hopefully I can get my old run back again.

At the moment as I don’t get the chance to post & check comments on a regular basis, it gets difficult to monitor the comments that are coming in. Obviously I don’t want spam appearing on my blog, and for that reason have had the comments set to moderation approval which is not working to well as sometimes the comments sit in the moderation queue for days at a time until I’m able to check and approve them.

So the new system will be like this; to post a comment you need to register with this blog and then whenever you leave a comment it will appear straight away. I know it’s a pain this way, but until I can get on more regularly, it’s my best option. I know you will understand.

So please take a few minutes now to register and then that will be it. if anyone has any other better suggestions, I’m open to anything.

Thanks in advance.

We found a rental property a suburb north from where we are currently staying with my sister, and are getting ready to move in. Our household goods are waiting in storage, and will be delivered by the removal company tomorrow. We were supposed to have the delivery last Thursday while the kids were in daycare, but due to illness in the family, it was postponed until after the weekend.

It’s a huge house with 4 bedrooms & 2 bathrooms, huge open plan living, dining & kitchen area, double garage & ducted air con(yay).

We have a 6 month lease initially, and hopefully if the landlord likes us, we can extend for a further 6 months.

Here are a few pics.

My job has been busy over the past few weeks as I get back into it again & learn my new run; there have been times where I have wondered whether it’s all worth it, but am starting to settle into it and become more happy, although it does make me very tired.

We are still staying with my sister and brother-in-law with their family while we look for our own place; we have looked at several properties, but as yet nothing has succeeded; we know God has the right place at the right time.

Our stuff is still sitting in storage until we can secure permanent residence, so with the weather starting to cool, especially overnight, I am running out of warm clothing. We also have little Chlo’s 3rd birthday coming next week and we have a B.I.K.E (sssshhhhhh don’t tell her) in storage which at this point we cannot get to, so there may have to be something else for her birthday.

Anyway, I’ll stop rambling. Life seems to be busy especially with a house full of people (14 of us at present), but I’ll try & blog more regularly.

The following article comes from Randy Robison from Life Today, and gives us a bit of insight of the true meaning of Easter.

The Necessity of the Cross
by Randy Robison

Did Jesus really have to die to save mankind? In the limited, contradictory framework of human logic, it may seem like a God who can do whatever He wants could easily avoid all of the suffering – and perhaps He could have. But what we do know is that Jesus chose the cross, proving to the world His ability to relate to our pain, His willingness to take our sin on Himself, and His supreme power over death. In the process, He exemplified a truth that applies to each of us every day.

In John 12, Jesus was nearing His crucifixion. “Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives.”

Here, Jesus explained a key reason for His death: the exponential expansion of salvation. But in the very next sentence, He ties it to the attitude of His followers: “Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.”

Among other mysterious and miraculous works, Jesus’ suffering and death illustrated a truth that we, His followers, must learn. In order to enter into His glory, we must die to self.

The interesting thing about Jesus’ usage of the wheat kernel is that in order for the harvest to come, the kernel must go through a complete transformation. It must cease being a kernel to become a stalk of wheat. That stalk of wheat then produces many kernels, which multiplies the fruitfulness of the field.

Do you want to enter into the glorious purpose of Jesus Christ? Do you want to live a fruitful life, reaping a harvest of lost souls? Then you must undergo a complete transformation and cease being what you once were. Paul put it this way: “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NLT)

Other translations use the phrase “new creation” to describe believers. The idea is consistent with Jesus’ illustration of the wheat kernel – one thing dies in order to become something else.

Interestingly, the context of Paul’s statement is a discussion of the death and resurrection of Christ. “Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life,” Paul wrote. “He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.” (v 14-15)

Perhaps the biggest barrier in a Christian’s life is this desperate clinging to the old ways. We come to Christ looking for a new life, and rightly so. But without death, there is no resurrected life. In a graphic demonstration, Jesus showed us the necessity of death. His was literal, but ours is spiritual. The fleshly nature must die so that the spirit can truly live.

Jesus related this truth in a bit of a warning. “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.” (Luke 9:23-25)

Jesus marries two concepts here: the symbol of suffering and death (“your cross”) and the perpetual nature of it (“daily”). Of course, the wonderful promise of life always follows. In every instance, the suffering and death precedes a glorious resurrection.

So how do we do this? We don’t literally carry crosses, though a few people, such as my friends Arthur Blessitt and Keith Wheeler, have been called to do so. Even their display symbolizes of a greater principle. It, too, is found in Jesus’ words and actions. “If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me,” He said while contemplating the cross. “Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” (Matthew 26:39, NLT)

This is the simplest definition of taking up the cross or dying to self: submission to the will of God. It requires subjugating our will to the purposes and plans of God. This is how we kill our old, sinful nature. The ultimate goal is the good news of salvation, but, as Jesus showed us personally, death to self through submission to God is a necessary step. So as we commemorate Christ’s crucifixion and celebrate His glorious resurrection, let us incorporate a lifestyle of submission in order to experience new life in Christ each and every day.