mightychurch.com

Well, it’s that time of the, err, decade. What were your high/lowlights?

There’s a great bunch of photos here from the excellent Big Picture blog:

The decade in news photographs

Call it what you will, “the noughties”, “the two-thousands” or something else, the first decade of the 21st century (2000-2009) is now over. Looking back on the past ten years through news photographs, it becomes clear that it was a dramatic, often brutal decade. Natural disasters, terrorist attacks and wars were by far the most dominant theme. Ten years ago, Bill Clinton was ending his final term in office, very few had ever heard of Osama bin Laden, the Taliban ruled Afghanistan and Saddam Hussein still ruled Iraq - all that and much more has changed in the intervening time. It’s really an impossible task to sum up ten years in a handful of photographs, but below is my best attempt at a look back at the last decade - feel free to let me know what I missed in the comments below. (50 photos total)

There’s also a meta list of ‘best of the decade’ lists here: The Noughtie List: the 2000s in Review

Or was it, from an American point of view, the Worst decade ever?

It is indeed an interesting time to reflect - but we can only look at the first 9 years of this “noughties” decade, which actually began on 1 January 2001 - and will end on 31 December 2010.

Yes, they were discussing this on the radio last night, and decided the year 2000 is more this decade than it is the 90s, so if you want to put 2000 in the 90s that makes sense, if not… :)

It is indeed an interesting time to reflect - but we can only look at the first 9 years of this “noughties” decade, which actually began on 1 January 2001 - and will end on 31 December 2010.

I guess the first century began in the year 1. But before one year was up, was it still BC?

NO!!!!

So, by that simple reasoning,  the 20th century was happening in 1900, and the 21st in 2000!!!!!

Well, all up I’m not upset. The decade ended with Howard getting dumped!
Makes up for a lot in my books!

As a whole, I’ve had a good decade.  Grew heaps in the Christian faith and friendships with others both outside and within my church.  Spent most of the decade not failing in uni, and in a (previously) steady full-time job.

Right now it is utter crap, both job-wise and relationship-wise.

Ah, Mr Atkins, another non-worshipper..

Owen Atkins - 22 December 2009 07:15 AM

Well, all up I’m not upset. The decade ended with Howard getting dumped!
Makes up for a lot in my books!

Amen brother!!

Arthur Lee - 22 December 2009 11:06 AM

Right now it is utter crap, both job-wise and relationship-wise.

That sounds a bit drastic Arthur. Does that mean you don’t have a job any longer?

I am thankful to look back on the last 10 years and see God’s faithful, kind growth of me in Him. It could have been a lot worse without Him keeping me on the rails. (I’d like the growth to be a bit quicker in the next 10 years, but all in His timing.)

Year highlights:
2009 - finally having the time and money to go on short-term overseas cross-cultural mission (twice)! ..Also, reading the HSC honours list in the paper last week and feeling privileged to have been a part of some of those students’ lives

2008 - seeing the Spirit at work in me in times of great weakness and sadness

2007 - finding a workplace of refuge provided by the God of Israel, among His own original people Israel; having a sister-in-Christ to co-teach Sunday School with

2006 - going on camp to Narrabeen with Year 6 students from Blacktown (1st-time-ever abseiling/kayaking)

2005 - getting to teach the Bible during school hours to over 200 teenagers in total (what a mental three months 3rd term in 2005 was!)

2004 - visiting my sister in Perth

2003 - recording 9 original songs onto a CD; teaching my first G&T class at Smithfield (some kids from there are now the HSC Class of 2009)

2002 - fun and games, frustration and God’s goodness during my last year of uni. and teaching internship (my internship class, Y5’02, are also part of the Class of 2009)

2001 - life-shaping teaching prac. at Northbridge (Y4’01, yes, more Class of 2009 members, oh how they do grow up, sob, sob)

2000 - not the Sydney Olympics! (hehe)

1999 - finishing my music degree and getting my AMusA, letting go of one of the greatest hindrances to my Christian growth (ie. a male non-Christian friend), and listening to Michael Raiter (this year’s CMS Summer School speaker) regarding steps towards overseas mission opportunities
________________

I would never have anticipated it would have taken 10 years between taking first steps towards overseas mission (1999) and actually getting to finally GO on a short-term one (2009)!!

TZ.

Wow that’s really counting your blessings Tia!

Job-wise, I had a continuous job for four years full-time and am recently (2mths) unemployed.

Sorry to hear your job news. Understand fully what unemployment can be like.

As for counting blessings, I have found it helps to reflect on God’s faithfulness throughout life in times when jobs are in want (or, conversely, aplenty). For me, it highlights how God has always provided what I needed
- whether I appreciated/understood it, or not!

TZ.

We have called the last decade ‘the noughties’ or the ‘naughties’ maybe.

What will we call the next decade? Can’t be called the ‘teens’ until 2013.

Is there a name already thought of? This link Name the next decade seems to come with the answer.

The name they came up with was the ‘one-der years’ because the years all start with a one.