Do the unexpected

I need to admit something. I'm not like everyone else. Not even close. I may occasionally dress myself up as "one of them" or watch the same mindless TV shows, but it seems the more I try and fit in, the more of an outsider I become; like I am watching all the normal people live their automatic existence. Everytime I say club passwords such as "Have a nice day" or "Isn't the weather awful" I yearn inside to say forbidden things like; "Tell me what makes you cry" or "What do you think de ja vu is for?" I even want to talk to all those people packed tightly in on my morning rush hour train. What if they are all thinking the same things I am thinking?

Who knows what you might learn from taking a chance on conversation.. with a friend or even a stranger?

 

Everyone carries a piece of a puzzle.. and nobody comes into your life by mere coincidence.

Trust your instinct. Do the unexpected.

 

 



You are worth pursuing

Today I am having one of those days where my hair is not going right (thanks english weather) my skin is looking awful and I'm just feeling gross. I was moping around feeling sorry for myself when I came across this beautiful quote...

 

Now I have never had a man actually say to me "You are not worth pursuing" (not in those exact words anyway) but I have had knockbacks, hurtful comments as we all have and I often put myself down. To see this quote and read "God became man, died and rose again JUST to pursue you" really touched my heart. This quote doesn't just apply to me. It applies to all of you reading this. Even if you are a male - never let a WOMAN tell you you're not worth pursuing. Because God thinks you are worth a whole lot.

I guess this quote can apply to a lot of things; You have been told you you aren't clever enough to get into that university, you didn't get that job promotion you wanted etc... but at the end of that day thats just a humans view of you, in some cases its a piece of paper in an exam view of you...
 What really matters in this life is God's opinion of you. He loves you and thinks you are beautiful (yes even on those bad hair days!)

Now I'm only human so when I am having these "I suck" days I tend to go shopping... but today I decided to do something a little different. I got my usual cheer me up product of new make up, but then I decided to go to the christian book shop and buy some new quiet time notes. After all, it's our heart that should be beautiful, it's our heart that God looks at, and it's our heart that men/women should fall for.

Keep going guys, it's nearly the weekend!
Bethany x

A little something

Just a little thought provoking poem for you all too read today... 

 

 

 

As children bring their broken toys, with tears for us to mend,

I bought my broken dreams to God, because he is my friend.

But then instead of leaving Him in peace to work alone,

I hung around and tried to help,

with ways that were my own.

At last I snatched them back again and cried,

"How can you be so slow?"

"My child" He said, "What could I do?

You never did let go."

 

Trust that God knows what he is doing. Trust he has perfect timing for your life. Remember you can make all the plans in the World for your life, but at the end of the day God's plans will win. We all go through things and wonder why at the time they are so painful, awkward or upsetting.

I promise you God has planned things for you that are bigger and better than you could ever imagine.

 

 

Enjoy the sunshine x

 



 

 

 

Australian Adventure; Closing Chapter

My last few days in Australia have been crammed packed with exciting sight seeing. I was taken up too some waterfalls called "Emerald Creek" in the Table Lands. The Table Lands are up in the mountains so I was 1000 meters high when I was walking along those pavements and swimming in the waterfalls! The nature I saw was so beautiful... and it made me feel happy. Everything that has gone on in the World the past week (the tornado in Oklahoma, the killing of the man in Woolwich, and my family loosing a good family friend) had kind of made me doubt the World. But, seeing nature in this way made me remember that God has created this beautiful world for us to enjoy and that he cares and loves for everything he has made. 

 After the walking around waterfalls and swimming underneath them we then sat in the sun, drinking beers and I asked a few questions about the Aborigines as the man who took me to the waterfalls used to do tours around Kimberly, Australia where the Aborigines mainly live. They are a very interesting people group... and I think we all need to find ways to reach out too them. As far as I am aware they are not being reached at all.





The things that they get up too sometimes are shocking and sick  and at some points I was stunned to silence because of the stories I was hearing. One story that is suitable for me to write on the internet is that when an aborigine dies, they aren't buried yet their bodies are put up high in the mountains so that the dingo's can't get them and a year later when they have turned into bone their bones are tied up in a bag and buried. Crazy how some people live.. but this is their traditions. They are also very big on spirits and voodoo and have been known to put a curse on someone too kill them even if that person is on the other side of the country. (Scary!) I think we all become so focused on helping those in Africa etc (not that that is a bad thing!) but we forget that there are other people out there who really need help, mentally, phsycially and spiritually.

Today (Saturday) and tomorrow I am off to Port Douglas as it is a carnival, so we shall see some fireworks, do some shopping and then eat at a popular restaurant called "Salsa" Then tomorrow we hope to do Cape Tribulation and Mossman Gorge. 

This may be my last post in Australia as I head home to London early Tuesday morning and the weekend is very busy and Monday I shall be packing.
 I have had the best experience ever coming out here. Every experience we go through, good or bad are depositing something on the inside of us. The challenges we all face are sharpening us into who we are going to be. I know people, and have been that person who feel they have wasted some of their life because of poor choices. We spend years in a toxic relationship, years with an addiction, years at a job were you are not fulfilled. But we need to realize nothing we go through is ever wasted. 

I have a funny feeling inside of me at the moment. A feeling I get when I'm about to leave a place. Like, I'm not only going to miss the people I have met and the weather and the sights I have seen. But I'm going too miss the person I am right now in this time and place. I hope I can carry on being who I am here when I arrive back in London, because I quite like who I am becoming - and that's not a vain, boastful thing. It's good to like who you are. And I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons, and maybe we will never know most of them. But even if we don't have the power too choose where we come from...we can still choose where we go from there. 

Whats next I wonder...?
Bethany x

Mumble Jumble

I feel like I need to write a post about the events that have gone on in the World the past few days. I feel sad. This blog will probably make no sense but I just need to put it out there.

To be honest my head is a bit all over the place and I'm afraid this blog may be a bit jumbled. And I feel like I could say some things a bit.. out there.

The past few days there has been the tornado in Oklahoma that killed many people including young children. Then yesterday in London there was the horrific attack of a man - an attack that I can't get my head around. An attack that has made me feel sick to my stomach. It has also been a week of personal sadness as my family lost a good family friend. I have no answers for it. I have no answers to justify any of the acts, whether caused by nature or by man.

The World is full of crazy, wicked, sick, sinful people. And you want to know why? Because the world is FALLEN. We are living by our rules, our ways and not God's. When people start to live by their own way, their own rules, and not God's then it all goes pear shaped. (I restrained myself from using a worse word there) Even if just one person stops following God's ways life can spiral out of control. So when a group of people stop following God's ways its just a mess. I know many people believe that religion caused the attack of the man in the streets of London. And I hate the word religion because I don't believe in it. Some of you may laugh at this and think "Bethany, you are the most religious person I know - you go to church every Sunday and you talk about God most of the time" Well that's a label you have given me yourself and have given to others who practice faith. And there's the key word FAITH. Faith and Religion are two very different things. Religion is all about following a set of rules and if you don't stick to them you are a bad person. Religion can brainwash people. It can cause them to believe that their God wants them to do certain things. No. They have no idea what God wants.

God is hurting right now too. He is looking at the event in London, the event in Oklahoma and he wants to do everything possible to heal everyone's pain and show them what true love is. Everyone needs someone to look after them at times like this. They need unconditional love. And that's what you find and receive when you come to God. Not what you get when you are brainwashed or absorbed in religion.

I expect we all have many questions we want answered about life and death. About the tornado, about the attack about long term illness. But I guess the point I am trying to get at is that I don't say I have a religion. I say I have a relationship with God. And isn't a key factor in a relationship to TRUST? I need to trust God that he will provide answers (if he needs too) and have faith that he knows what he is doing.

This event is certainly not making me want to return to London. I don't really feel like I can write anything positive about my trip whilst all this is going on in the World. I am currently in the state of "mourning with those who mourn" rather than "rejoicing with those who rejoice"
Maybe my trip up to the world's oldest rain forest tomorrow will cheer me up and remind me of God's amazing ways in the beauty of his nature. 

Hope you are all smiling x

Australian Adventure; Sydney!

I LOVE Sydney. If I wasn't missing my family so much and had a lot more money I would get a working visa and move out there instantly.

Ah there is just so much to write I don't even know where to begin.. so I'll start at the very beginning.. the very best place to start...

I woke up early Friday morning and caught the 2hr:45min flight to Sydney. When I arrived I checked into the hotel (YHA The Rocks  - very reasonable for Sydney prices!) and then went exploring. The YHA was a 5 minute walk away from "The Rocks" where all the sights too see in Sydney are, so the bridge and the opera house. 

Then to get to other places in Sydney you need to catch water taxis... so on I hopped to a ferry to Darling Harbour. Here I had the first two drinks of the night - cocktails of course. Next I headed too Darlinghurst in a taxi (the traffic in Sydney is even worse than London at rush hour!) and found another cool little bar to have a drink in before a mexican dinner. Then for the final leg of the evening, I went to a "bar/pub/club" called "The Victoria Rooms" - Great Gatsby style! Amazing... my cocktail had hot peppers round the outside instead of salt.

Saturday morning I got up early and went to the markets - for breakfast there was this amazing turkish food stall which was selling turkish pancakes. I had a breakfast one which was filled with, salami, mushrooms, cheese and spinach. Then on to another market called Paddington market where I had a good old shopping spree. Then it was on to the famous Bondi Beach... 

I stayed at Bondi for a while, the people I am staying with have friends there so we all met up at Bondi Social club for food and the BEST Shiraz wine I have EVER tasted. EVER. On the way home the bus journey was so funny - the till or whatever was not working so the bus driver stands up and says "on ya get for free, as long as I get paid who gives a ****" then he started playing Bob Dylan and asking everyone if they were having fun. THEN, he starts making waves with the bus (by stopping and starting really quickly) and tries to get everyone to surf them! It was brilliant... Then for dinner that night it was on to an Italian restaurant where I had my first ever grappa.. and NEVER AGAIN. It tasted like petrol.
Sydney was amazing, an experience I shall never ever forget... and I want to go back some day.

Now I am in my final week of being in Oz. I have honestly learnt a lot about myself, and realized I am stronger and braver and wiser than I used to believe I was. And I have come to realize sometimes change is a good thing. Where would we be without change? Yes change can be uncomfortable, painful and sad but for me it has been the best thing for me. I encourage you all to take a look at your life... if your life was the same as it is now this time next year, or even in 5 years time would you be happy? Would you like who you are? Would you like how you treat others.. would you wish you had gone for that career change?
If my life had not changed I would still be working miserably in a supermarket, in a long distance relationship with someone who was my life and who would be moving to Europe anyway... And even though I try to deny to myself and to others that being in that relationship wasn't the reason I didn't take opportunities, it was. And that was nobody's fault but my own. BUT, now I'm here - in AUSTRALIA, where I have always wanted to go too, and I'm in sunshine and I'm getting to sing and travel and look forward to MY future. My changes happened for a reason and no matter how painful it was, and to be honest sometimes still is (people seem to forget I'm still grieving) the change needed to happen and is best for me in the long run and is all part of God's plan for my life. 
However, I suppose change can also be too much of an easy thing for people. They CONSTANTLY change things about themselves, their lives etc. and I think that is PROOF that no matter how much money you have, how much fame you have, how many changes you make to yourself and to your living situation and yet you are still not content then surely the only answer to fill that void is something higher than us human beings.. If you don't have God in your life you will never be satisfied as he and a relationship with him is the only thing to make anyone whole. Even if you are hurting.

Anyway, sermon over and sorry for the length of the blog!
Hope you are all well xxxx

Australia adventure; singing, smoothies & soulful walks

Tomorrow I head to Sydney! So very excited... I can't wait too see The Rocks, Bondi beach and of course the Opera house! 

Today has been a nice laid back day. I headed too a place called Trinity beach where I got a berry smoothie (so good!) the little cafe I got it from reminds me of the set of "Home & Away" Then I headed off for a walk up some rocks to see the whole view of the sea...

It was beautiful and once more my breath was taken away by the handiwork of God's creation. 
Then it was time to head home for some lunch and a singing session! I will insert a clip of me singing below. Please note that it was just a rehearsal, I had no make up on, the camera is at a dodgy angle and I mess up! But now I've mentioned these things nobody can comment on them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruYHDg9FiAQ This song is called "Perfect" and means quite a bit too me. 
I have felt that in the past I have tried so hard to be perfect for people, to impress them, and I get nothing back. I realize now, as I am older that I don't need to do this. People who like me, will like me for ME. People who don't like me, or don't think I am a good role model well... I'm sorry. I am a very open and honest person and tell everything how it is; including how I feel about things. I talk about my mistakes I make and I try and learn from them... And just another little note to add, if you have an issue with someone about ANYTHING, maybe other than just gossiping about it or embarrassing them, you could find a gentle, loving way of telling them.. just a thought. And this applies to all age groups by the way.

Rant over.

I then went on my evening walk along the beach and am now waiting for my fish and chips... Fish and chips is a big thing out here! I thought it was a really English thing. 
The other day I filmed my walk home from the beach and got a good response from it.. I was told the sound was bad so I did another one today! Enjoy....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVPW9UIYXy8

Bethany xxxx