TOO KEEN!!

I awoke in the red shed for the last time on Sunday morning and did the morning routine for the last time. We ate breakfast then cleaned our shed and the bathroom. We did a few last dishes and watched as the family got ready for church. Tea dresses herself and she had a beautiful fairy outfit with wings and her gum boots.

Down by Curio is where the church is, same place we got dropped off a week ago, there were about 15 people at church. It is lead by an elderly couple who are very very excitable. They seem really genuine, but I couldn’t help feeling like they were a little to emotional for a group of sheep farmers. The topic of the day was the Father’s love....and what a great topic that is. Unconditional, undeserved, unfathomable, unending love. It’s what gets me through the hard days. Anyway, church. The singing was lead by the wife, but before she started she asked that we write a love song to God...so she passed out paper and pencils and slide projection sheets. Haha it was amusing. One little kid wrote a rap that the everybody learned and sang. All I could think of was a song that I hadn’t written....but it was about love.

Your love is deep. Your love is high. Your love is long. Your love is wide.
Your love is deeper than my view of grace higher than this wordly place...longer than this road I’ve travelled...wider than the gap you filled.
Your love is deep. Your love is high. Your love is long. Your love is wide.
[Youtube Link]
So I sang that for church.

The church (the people, not the building) was very welcoming and encouraging. We got prayed for many times before we left. One thought I was having trouble coping with was some thoughts on communion. They kept saying that Jesus died and his body was broken for us and the bread represents that (all of which I totally agree with) and they repeated “by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5) so our bodies are healed from disease and hurt and pain by Jesus dying on the cross. I don’t agree with that necessarily.
Here are some verses:

"When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God." After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you." Luke 22:14-20

"While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the [fn] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom." Matthew 26:26-29

Isaiah 53

Our bodies are messed up, because this world is messed up and after Adam and Eve sinned we are all going to die. No questions. 1 out of 1 people die...pretty convincing stats. Jesus dying on the cross was paying the price for our sin so that we could have a relationship with the God of the Bible and experience our eternal new bodies in heaven. This act of sacrifice was for something far bigger than our physical comfort now. God has the power to heal and it is in Jesus’ character to be our Jehovah-rapha, healer, I don’t doubt that for a second. I can’t think about all the Christians with health issues and believe that it is that simple, he can’t be talking about our bodies we have right now when the bible says we a re “healed”. This bothered me throughout the communion service at Curio Bay. So now I'm just thinking through it some more.
Here’s a few more thoughts kinda on this idea by someone much older, I mean wiser, than me. :)
“GOD AT BAT”
After we had pot luck lunch at church and a final PDP Rata took us down to the bus. I gave him a copy of “The Spirit is Deeper than Flesh” LINK book and a note to the family about how much of an encouragement they were to me.

On the Catlins Coaster tour bus, we sadly left our week long home area and began to work out way northeast along the coast. It was a rough transition from being on a real kiwi farm living and working for a week then thrown on to a tour bus. I HATE tour buses. It’s like skimming the surface of an area in a large group in an obnoxious vehicle, with a driver who is less than keen and a few travelers that are a little TOO KEEN. One American in particular was skipping, wearing a pink fleece, asking irrelevant questions and just all around being too keen. In order no to offend anyone Laura and I made up a sign to mean too keen.
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We stopped at a very pretty series of three water falls. Small, medium and large.

We stopped at Nugget Point, which is one of the main attractions in the Catlins.



The strata is dipping steeply at nugget point making the attractive scenery, but the geology wasn’t too apparent other than that because the outcrops we walked by were really messy (faults and joints and such). Near Nugget Point we stopped for tea. I got wedges and coke. It was delightful. But a little rough on the stomach after Sheila’s healthy organic food :) Then we stopped for ice cream. The rest of the ride back was uneventful and relaxing...but reality started sinking in the closer we got to uni. I have hw due tomorrow and it’s not done. I am happy to be where I am, but it was bitter sweet to return to reality in Dunedin.
I got caught up on internet things, chatted with Monique, unpacked and headed for bed.