"Who Am I?".....Taking care of business??

Who am I? - I've often wondered that - it's really a funny old business, isn't it, that is knowing when to step in and when to stay well out of the way.

That to me is one of my biggest hurdles - I've always been pretty well known for sticking my nose into other people's business, and it is especially hard for me to keep away from interfering when it comes to the people we love the most.

I really need to stay well out of the way. And sometimes we actually run away - I know I have,  maybe not physically, but I certainly have made myself scarce.

Lots of family and friends go through some pretty tough times with lots of challenges and hardships constantly banging on their personal doors. 

I remember when I was really involved with a special family who were going through a pretty horrendous time - my natural instinct was to jump in and help, help, help as much as I possibly could. Sometimes great! Othertimes not so great. 

So, where are we?  Having brekky the other morning, I found myself reading Exodus chapter 3 - I relate so well to Moses - He took off in a hurry, hid himself away, and found himself relaxing (but not for as long as he thought).

"Who am I?" must have seemed like a legitimate question to God when He grabbed Moses, who was minding sheep and minding his own business in the wilderness, and spoke to him through a burning bush (which in it iteslf is utterly amazing) and told him that he had to go back to Egypt and rescue the Israelites from Pharaoh. You can just imagine Moses's surprise! WHAT!!! NO!!!

Years before, Moses had escaped from Egypt after he had saved one of the Israelite slaves from being beaten up brutally by an Egyptian, and Moses jumped to the rescue and ended up murdering the Egyptian himself.

Moses took off like a rocket after he realised that what he had done was becoming known, and Pharaoh was out to kill him. He ended up in a place called Midian and stayed there for many years.

He married Zipporah, the daughter of Jethro, a high priest in Midian, and Zipporah and Moses had two sons. So Moses thought life was pretty good - he had left Egypt and settled in Midian, had a wife and two sons, and was happy being a shepherd and wandering around in the wilderness.

So... you can imagine his surprise when God pushed this enormous enterprise onto him, not only the surprise but the responsibility of rescuing His people from Egypt and out of the hands of Pharaoh.

After much tooing and froing, Moses and his brother Aaron took off for Egypt and a long story cut short. Moses and Aaron took the Israelites from Egypt, and finally they saw the promised land after many, many years wandering in the desert. So much suffering followed, and so much hurt.

Is there is purpose in our suffering? Why am I going through this suffering? Does God know, hear, and is with us during this time? 

The Bible suggests that suffering, whatever that suffering is, all started when the world fell apart with sin. All suffering is unavoidable. That's what being human is about - It's not all loveliness and light; unfortunately, there is sadness, bitterness, and resentment.

Moses must have felt like he was all stirred up with doubt, fear, and a huge inadequacy. He felt amazingly burdened by his stuttering, a speech impediment he was obviously born with, and he was terrified to face Pharaoh. (I really can't blame him for that!).

You know, when you think about it, if you meet your suffering, whatever that suffering is, with faith in Christ Jesus, then God can use your suffering to give you hope. 

In Romans 5, it states, "believers can rejoice in their suffering because it leads to endurance, which then produces character and ultimately hope". 

Endurance is an amazing skill. When we look at Christ's life, His love and His endurance in what he went through here on earth for us, it all points to God's love and His grace as the very source of strength, endurance, and hope, even in the middle of suffering, whatever that suffering may be.

When we are suffering, it can often be challenging. I know when I suffer all sorts of things, it can often lead me to a deeper relationship with God because I really feel I can't cope when things go zooming out of control. I need his strength and endurance more than anything in those tough times. 

When I think of what our family has been through this past 12 months, it has just made me realise that we really need to grow more and more into a deeper relationship with God. It is through these tough times that I personally have realised we have an all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-great God.

Unfortunately, many people leave their faith when things get tough. The very presence of tough times can lead to people challenging their faith and questioning Christ's love for them.

To me personally, and knowing the way I am, Jesus' very death on that cruel cross saved me from my obvious desperation and depression. 

Jesus can do the same for you - If he can do it for me with my mixed-up life as it was, He certainly can do it for you.

All you need to do is to pray to Him and ask Him to lead your life and take control. He can uphold you in the tough times and rejoice with you in good times.

Have an amazing week, and please keep your eyes on Jesus Christ this week. He is our God and King.

Take Care.

24-7 access

It's amazing to have access to whatever and whenever we need it - access on a 24-hour basis is truly great.

I was listening to the radio, driving along yesterday, singing along to myself, which is normal, and as my wife tells me, just keep your singing voice to yourself and give the rest of the world a break! So when I'm driving alone, singing is good.

Anyway, the music stopped and along came the host of radio ads as normal and among them was the one from a solicitors of all peiople saying that they have 24 hour service and quote "no matter what you are going through at the moment we are available for you no matter the time or the hour." How exciting, and I hate to think just how much they would really charge.

But really listening to that, I realised that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ has a 24-hour service to us. Had you realised that?

Do you know who or what a Christian is?

Years ago, the word CHRISTIAN originated in Antioch in the first century A.D. It was originally intended to be an insult, and it meant "little Christ". Now we truly believe we identify with Jesus Christ when we use the term Christian.

Philip Yancey is a Christian American author and has written many Christian books

In his book on prayer, he shares a story about an interview with a Chinese minister who has spent decades in prison due to his faith in God and also his ministry.

Mr Yancey asked, "What can Christians in the rest of the world do for you?" The pastor responded immediately, "You can pray."

Prayer is truly remarkable - I have experienced it firsthand many times. We are truly blessed to be able to come to our Lord and saviour in prayer, no matter the time of day or the hour - God is there for us no matter how we are feeling and what we are doing

If you are an insomniac, God is there for you - He never sleeps - Jesus our Lord is so ready to hear your prayers, no matter the time or the hour.

Prayer also allows us to worship and praise our Lord. I find it so important. To me, prayer is also confession time. Like me, many out there sin a lot - often when we don't realise we are sinning - prayer in this circumstance is really, really important. God is there for us 24/7

And then also....Prayer gives us opportunities to request things from God, our Saviour, Lord Jesus.

You know if we don't pray, we miss out on God's grace.

Sinning is so human, it is incredible. Just when you may think you have put sin behind you, here it comes again and smacks you in the face. 

So many people think that once they have become Christians, then sinning falls away from their lives, but you know it doesn't. That is why God is there for us constantly, and he reminds us of the sins we have committed.

The Bible tells us that having accepted Jesus Christ as Lord of our lives means that he has forgiven our long and sinful past and, amazingly, if we confess our sins to Him, He will continue to forgive us.

SO, what does this mean?

It means that when Christians sin (whatever that sin may be), they should confess those sins to God just as soon as they are reminded of them by the Holy Spirit, who is God.

1 John 1:9 says, "Ïf we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Life in general is a journey. Often, a journey we don't want to travel, but the Christian life is also a journey, a journey that can transform us to become more and more like Jesus Christ Himself.

So the question is often asked, "How can I become a Christian?" 

God has made it really simple for us to become Christians. All we have to do is receive Jesus as our savior, accepting His death as an atonement for our sins (John 3:16)  and trust Him as our Savior.

Being a Christian means having a personal relationship with Jesus through faith.

Are you ready to become a Christian?  We ALL have sinned, every one of us  - Jesus took our punishment and paid for our sins on that cross all those years ago, so all we have to do is to place our trust in Jesus as our saviour and Lord, pray and ask Him to come into our lives.

God bless you this week.

Bullfrogs and butterflies

I've been reading NO COMPROMISE: The Life Story of Keith Green

Keith was born on 21st October 1953 and died in a horrible plane crash on 28th July 1982,  at the age of 28.

Keith was born to loving parents, who were Jewish and became Christian Scientists who believe in Jesus's divinity but do not view Him as God.

Keith struggled with believing in God in the same way his parents did, but he always had that inquiring mind to ask, "Who is God? "and "Why on earth did He come here?"

He ran away from home at a very early age, seeking to truly understand what life was all about, but kept coming back home. 

During many of his "runaways," he met many people all with differing views on life eternal, and Keith had many, many questions - drug taking was imminent in his life, and he met many others affected similarly.

He kept coming back home, and his parents tried to help, hoping to assist him in many ways.

Keith had many questions involving Christianity, and he was truly seeking the truth about God and that Jesus was actually God Himself - Keith had heaps of questions, and, with his constant seeking, he tried many diferent versions of so-called Christianity and in the end, he virtually gave up trying to uncover the REAL truth.

Keith was a fantastic musician and composer of many songs - he played at a place called the Blah Blah so often his compositions led him in many directions, and he was able to record records in those days, his talents were extraordinary.

Through it all, looking back, God had a plan for Keith's life. Sometimes we find God's plans so extraordinary that we, as mere humans, truly can't understand them.

He then met the amazing Barry McGuire, a well-known singer-songwriter with numerous hit songs, including the 1965 hit "Eve of Destruction".

Barry was a Christian and wrote many Contemporary Christian songs. It was during Keith's seeking years, and because of his recording, he ended up meeting Barry, who changed his life.

To quote Barry McGuire, "What do bullfrogs and butterflies have in common? The frog comes from a tadpole, and the butterfly emerges from a cocoon - but they both get born again. And just like them, we need to experience a spiritual rebirth before we can really know God".

Keith gave his life to Christ at that time. He met Melody, who was also struggling with life in general, and she too became a born-again Christian.

They truly have an amazing story, and if you honestly get the chance, please read "The Life Story of Keith Green - NO COMPROMISE." 

I know this book really made me think of how my life was going and if I really was as committed to God as I should be - I have spent time in prayer asking God to make me aware of how much I need Christ to take full control of my life. 

Keith and Melody were married, and after an amazing story (which I have already suggested you should read), they were blessed to have three children, Rebekah, Josiah, and Bethany. Melody was also pregnant with her fourth child.

Quote: "On a blistering hot day on 28th July 1982, their friends John and DeDe Smalley were coming for a quick visit - they had six children."

Quote: "After dinner, Keith lost no time because it was getting late. Even though we were all tired, they wanted to see the rest of the ranch, including a quick sightseeing flight in our leased Cessna 414. Our pilot, Don Burmeister, who had flown in the military, would take them up. Apparently, John had promised one of the children a plane ride, and Keith was excited to give them a birds-eye view of the area."

Everyone boarded the plane except Melody and her youngest, Rebekah. Melody was so anxious - it was a spur-of-the-moment decision to take everyone.

The plane went down, killing everyone on board. Melody had another daughter, Rachel Hope. A daughter Keith never saw.

Such a tragedy.

You know - nobody knows how our life will be - it can all change in a matter of seconds.

Where are you in your thoughts of life and death?

I know this book really challenged me and how I really thought of life and death. 

God is truly amazing if you trust Him entirely - He is so ready to receive you as one of His own, but it really makes me think how ready are we to face the facts of death. Are you ready? Have you considered what it could mean?

I know this book really made me think and made me recognise that I am a sinner and need forgiveness, as we all do.

Jesus died for you and He died for me - He took our sins upon Himself, and all we have to do is to accept His amazing gift of eternal life. Acknowledge your sins and ask Jesus to forgive them, no matter what they are, and make Him number one in your life as your leader and guide.

God bless you abundantly this week, and please pray earnestly and really consider giving your life over to God and King Jesus.

Helter Skelter

Charles Milles Maddox was born to a young 16-year-old by the name of Ada Maddox on 12th November 1934.

Charles Milles Maddox turned himself into Charles Manson - one of THE most notorious killers in American history.

Little did anyone at that stage in Manson's life know just how infamous he would become.

Manson is pretty well-known for his brutal, hippie, and drug-fueled murderous escapades, which claimed the life of the famous and very pregnant Sharon Tate and her companions who were visiting her that night. Her companions that night were Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski, and Steven Parent.

The following evening, while everyone was still recovering from shock and horror, the Manson family murdered supermarket executive Leno LaBianca and his lovely wife Rosemary at their home in Los Angeles.

Who actually killed these seven people? Was it Manson himself?

No! Actually, he was the instigator and told his hippie followers, Tex Watson, Susan Atkins, Linda Kasabian, and Patricia Krenwinkel to get themselves to the Tate home and totally destroy everyone inside and to quote Manson, "as brutally as you can". 

How horrible, how ghastly - the four women and Tex Watson went to Sharon Tate's home, knowing that Sharon's husband, Roman Polanski, was away filming. 

Sharon and Roman met while making a film, and they were married in London on 20th January 1968.

On the night of the 8th August 1969, Manson's followers, ie, the ones mentioned above, carried out the brutal killings.

Sharon Tate, who was 8 months pregnant, and the other occupants of her home were relaxing around midnight when the murderous four arrived at the property. Young 18-year-old Steven Parent was driving home after visiting the caretaker of the property. Watson shot and killed Parent, and then Atkins and Krewinkel smashed into the home, leaving Kasabian outside.

All of them inside were made to cluster in the living room and were linked by ropes around their necks. Atkins and Watson fatally stabbed Jay and Sharon even though she was pleading for her baby, asking them to take her with them so she could give birth. They laughed, tortured, and killed her, and wrote "PIG" on the front door in her blood.

Abigail and Wojciech freed themselves and dashed out of the door, only to be gunned down so horribly in the driveway of the home.

The next night, Leno and his wife Rosemary were tied up by Watson and Manson and robbed. Manson left, and Leno and Rosemary were stabbed to death by Watson, Van Houten, and Krewinkel. Once again, leaving words written in blood on the walls.

When you consider what those poor people must have suffered and how cruelly they died, it is very, very sad even thinking about it.

Manson and his crew were all arrested, tried, and all received the death penalty, which was changed to life when California abolished capital punishment.

Since then, Manson died on 19th November 2017 - he was 83 years old. Tex Watson is still in prison. Susan Atkins died in prison on 24th September 2009. Linda Kasabian died on 21st January 2023, aged 73. Patricia Krewinkel is still in prison after 56 years.

Manson had believed that the Beatles song "Helter Skelter" contained an apocalyptic vision - so sad really!

So, where does that leave us as Christians? Jesus gave His life so that we can be forgiven, which in reality is amazing. Jesus took our punishment for us - how extraordinary that would have been if Manson and his followers had had a glimpse of Jesus and what he did for us.

Jesus paid for our sins by his sacrifce on Calvary all those years ago, How amazing would it have been in Charles Manson had come to the realisation of his need for Jesus to take control of his life - I can just imagine what a great Christian Manson would have been considering he had such sway over his followers.

Through Jesus' death, and if you accept that He died for you, it means that your sins are washed clean, and Jesus has offered us all a real path to forgiveness and a miraculous reconciliation with God. 

We all need to recognise the very need of Jesus as our saviour and trust in His death on that horrible day on Calvary as His amazing way of opening the gates of Heaven for us.

Have a great week, and please let us know if we can help you in your walk with Christ.

God bless

GO!

Well - what a year it has been - here we are getting older all the time and as we progress through the years ahead I just praise God that He is with us regardless of what is happening in our world especially the world around us.

When we listen to the news and hear of the awful things that are happening in our broken world it is pretty staggering and then of course there are our personal lives - we all have our different problems in life and many need to make adjustments.

I had really no idea that I would have to go back to work - All was well and then suddenly all changed when a life-threatening illness bounded into our family and knocked us sideways.

There is always change!

Change for us can be an absolute shock in so many ways.

Have you found change in your life? Has it been good change or bad change?

You know change can be tough but it is healthy in a way and it becomes a necessary part of life.

Sometimes we have to move on even when we don't want to - it just means we have to use the word "GO".

We can't just stand around asking "what am I supposed to do?"  Let's not waste time looking for the right moment to act and really let's not wait for other people to open all the doors for us.

Let's not let our lack of motivation slow us down  - let's just GO!

You know the only person who can really stop you achieving what you need to achieve especially under unforeseen circumstances that affect your life in hundreds of ways is.......YOU

Acknowledging change and what is happening in your life - even when it can be extremely painful - is the very first step towards moving forward.

When bad things happen we can sit around wringing our hands and sighing - does it help? NO definitely not - believe me.

Sue and I have been in that situation quite a few times and even now we find ourselves once more facing such a hard time. We have to accept the things we can't change - jump out of our lethargy and build up resilience even when often our hearts can be breaking and we really do NOT want to embrace
change.

During really tough times of change, reaching out to trusted friends, even maybe family (if you have any) or professional people for support is a great way to help you cope - far far better than letting the emotional side of your trauma take control of your life.

Tough times in life can bring about potential anxiety especially when there is no way to avoid distress and huge sorrows or even misfortune and very unpleasant situations. Resilience and trusting in our living Lord is a huge ability to cope with life's traumas.

Maybe focusing on what we can control (as we know lots of things are out of our control) and also maybe not being so hard on ourselves in the process can help us to maintain a positive outlook on the problems we face in trials.

At problematic times it is so good to have strategies in place to help us cope. These strategies, including focusing on our Spiritual journey in life can make a huge difference in having to rise up to all sorts of problems and anxieties.

Asking our Lord to help us cope with hardship and turbulence gives us the strength to come bounding back from life's tragedies.

Life throws us all sorts of curved balls and we find it hard to dodge them but God is there for us. He calls you and me to trust His word and adjust our lives accordingly, and to maybe reform our ways.

Do you trust God? Do you believe in Him? He wants you to come to Him regardless of how you may feel or what you may be going through.

I personally am probably one of the worst people to slip up in my walk with God - but do you know - God loves me - truly He does and is always there for me even when I make huge mistakes. Every time we give into temptation whatever that temptation is - we do a 'slip' up in our walk with God. 

We all make mistakes no matter how we live or what we do which often seems to change our course in life.

That's why prayers and repentance should be part of our daily schedule. 

SO.....By repenting we can direct our course and come back to our God and Father.

We need desperately to come to our Lord Jesus - firstly we need to confess our sins (whatever they may be) no sin regardless of how big we feel they me be is too big for God to forgive.

That is remarkable. Many people feel they can't come to Jesus because of the many many times they have sinned against Him. God will forgive ALL sins - there is no grading of sins in God's eyes.

So whatever you have done, wherever you have been or whoever you have been with. God is ready to forgive you if you come to Him in repentance.

God is there to help us cope with all the tough things that are going on in our lives - I know I trust Him and rely on his love to get me through.

God go with you this week - God bless

DNA Genetic Codes

I've been reading Genesis - the first book in the Bible - and once again I have been overwhelmed by God's amazing creation.

The painted Desert. The Northern lights. The Milky Way. The blue whale. The Tiny little micro-organs.Genetic Codes DNA.  And so it goes on and on - it is truly amazing  - the extra-ordinary creations.

When you stop to consider just how sensitive is our world - The Sun. The Moon. The universe. The very atmosphere. The beaches and the surf.

Sue and I walk each Saturday morning at the beaches near our home - looking at the surf and the extra-ordinary beaches are astounding and never ceases to amaze us.

Dixon Park Beach looking to Bar beach

Each Saturday the beaches are unique and beautiful - sometimes so beautiful they catch your breath - the sand and the surf - the bright morning sun the glittering and reflections on the waves - the surfers and the swimmers all enjoying themselves.

Yet other times it can be quite quite different - the winter time - the darkness the coldness of the beach - hardly anyone around - often the waves are so big and it is so so cold - BUT...

It is extraordinary how different it all looks week after week - often after maybe a cyclone off the coast the waves are huge and extremely dangerous - the sand on the beaches washed away leaving exposed rocks and many trees and logs washed up on what remains of the beach and yet.....

The next week it's all so peaceful and beautiful - it never ever ceases to amaze us and it keeps resounding constantly of the huge reminders of just how amazing is our Creator God.

God brought all of these incredible creations into existence with just a word or a nod - Genesis is awesome - a must read!

How can you not respect a Creator with that kind of power - Do you take time to think about how incredible this world is  - and how about the fact that we are all so different and unique. God made us all so different - not one of us is exactly the same - even identical or fraternal twins are different. God indeed made us all unique.

The awe-inspiring beauty highlights God's original plan for the entire universe and reflects his nature of wisdom, intelligence and His absolute care of all things. All of us tend to take so much for granted...

We walk outside and see the world around us, often without any thought of its incredible majesty, it's wonder and total grandness! We take for granted the very sky - the sun - the mountains - the trees - the ocean any of which is enough to overwhelm us by it's very beauty, hostility and magnitude. We take it all for granted.

It's only I when stop. Look. Listen and contemplate just how magnificent is God's creation. The day - the night - the twilight - the sunrise and sunset - truly incredible.

This from Colossians 1: 15-17 "He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, For by Him all things were created; Things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. he is before all things, and in Him all things hold together."

When we read Genesis it captures the sweeping story of a world that swings from perfect to pathetic - from flawless to fallen - our world is still beautiful and fully awesome BUT think just how truly magnificent it would have continued to be if sin hadn't entered.

When sin entered our perfect world and when you read Genesis you'll find a world of lust, murder, incest, lying, cheating, stealing and power-grabbing. Pretty horrible really but one solid theme resonates through the Bible and that is when Jesus returns a perfect world will one day be restored.

The awesome God who created our world wants to know each of us personally and He has made a way that we do just that. We can believe and accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour  - Jesus needs to come into our lives. We need to confess our sins - and probably do this on a VERY regular basis - and invite Him into our lives and hearts.

We need to not hold grudges against anybody - harder sometimes than we may imagine, especially if people have really hurt us in some way. When you consider what Jesus went through in his life here on earth and what he went through on that extraordinarily cruel cross and how he forgave the very ones who did that to Him, then who am I to find it in my heart not to forgive?

Tomorrow Sue and I will get up pretty early and God willing we will make our way to Bar Beach in Newcastle and Sue will take her weekly pilgrimage along the esplanade covering Bar Beach, Dixon Park and Merewether Beaches and then make her way back from where we started and meet up with me I personally will do the same except I'll be on the beach taking a slow trot along the sand and back - that is if there is any sand left after the terrible weather we have had.  Then it's brekky time and great coffee from any number of Newcastle cafe's selling breakfast.

God bless - have an awesome week - and don't forget God wants you to give Him your heart and invite Him into your life.

See you next time

Mayerling

On the 30th January, 1889, Crown Prince Rudolph of Austria committed suicide at the amazing age of

30 years old at Mayerling with his young mistress at the time Baroness Mary Vetsera. aged just 19 years.

*****

Rudolf was born at Schloss Laxenburg - a beautiful castle near Vienna.

On 10th May 1881 he married Princess Stephanie of Belgium (who incidentally was the daughter of King Leopold 11 of Belgium)  It was a politically valiant marriage

The couple drifted apart after the birth in Vienna of their only child - Elisabeth who was born on 2nd September, 1883.

Rudolph was renowned for having huge extra-marital affairs which caused him to contract syphilis in addition to the already diagnosed gonorrhoea. Unfortunately, Princess Stephanie also contracted gonorrhoea which abruptly put a stop to her fertility and left her unable to have more children.

Crown Prince Rudolph died on 30th January, 1889.

How and why did the Crown Prince Rudolph commit suicide?  - Quite the question.

Crown Prince Rudolph's health deteriorated very quickly. More than likely due to mental problems caused by his physical conditions and also probably due to his on-going political problems.

In 1886 he ended up buying Mayerling and it was here that he and his young seventeen year old mistress Marie von Vetsera committed suicide.

*****

This really put a bomb under the royal family - The next in line to the throne after the suicide of Crown Prince Rudolph was Archduke Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria  - and of course his wife Sophia, Duchess of Hohenberg. There were to be huge dramatic changes to Archduke Franz and his wife's life.

Archduke Franz and his wife Sophia were destined to become rulers of Austro-Hungaria - only because the heir presumptive Crown Prince Rudolf committed suicide at his lodge in Mayerling in 1889 and also Archduke Franz's father Karl Ludwig also died of typhoid fever in 1896.

Sophia and Franz had been married on 1st July 1900 much to the dismay of the royal family - (goodness gracious me - can you believe it Sophie was not from a royal line! How awful - not) - at that time the ruler had been Franz Joseph and of course he and his family wouldn't attend the wedding. They wouldn't have had any idea at that time that Archduke Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria would have become ruler.

This was quite a revelation to me being an Aussie I had no idea that Franz Ferdina, once he had become the heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne found time for extensive travel between 1892 and 1893 around the world including good old Australia. In this time he had travelled to Noumea, New Hebides, Sarawak, New Guionea, Solomon Islands, Hong Kong, Japan, USA, Columbia and a few more - well done!

On Sunday, 28th June 1914 the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophia Duchess of Hohenberg arrived in Sarajevo for an official reception. 

One Colonel Dimitrijevic of the Serbian Army organised seven men to go to Sarajevo to assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand. It was important to him that the assassins did not tell anyone who had organised this. Obviously he desperately wanted to stay in the background.

Why did they want to assassinate the Archduke? Because they sought to unite Bosnia and Serbia.

They were known as the "Black Hand" but little did they realise that their underhanded and secretive mission in all of this plotting to assassinate the Archduke would start the beginnings of the 1st World war.

And so on 28th June 1914 the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophia Duchess of Hohenberg were both assassinated by 19 year old Gavrilo Princip who shot them both as they entered the vehicle to see their people who had been injured by a bomb blast at the local hospital.

The bomb blast again organised by the"Black Hand". 

As reported by Count Harrach - Franz's last words were "Sophie, Sophie! Don't die! Live for our children!"

The Archduke Franz Ferdinand died there while his wife Sophia died on her way to hospital.

After Franz and his wife were so brutally killed his nephew Charles 1 took over - Franz and Sophia's children could not ascend to the throne as Sophia was not recognised as royalty - pretty sad really!

Throughout history there have been many people just like our above mentioned assassins who have been fooled by some common misconception. These misconceptions can cause irrevocable damage and have often changed history just like above.

You can personally discover practical insights for discerning truth and debunking myths. With prayer and discretion you can begin to live a life based on God's truth.

God bless and thank you for reading this blog.

Titanic

The amazing ship that sank in the early morning hours of April 15th 1912.

It is truly an amazing journey through Titanic's history.

The White Star and Cunard shipping lines back in 1907 were the main transatlantic passenger trade.

In 1907, Cunard shipping line constructed two new ships, The Lusitania and the Mauretania which were amazing for that period because they actually set records across the Atlantic Ocean.

The White Star Chairman J. Bruce Ismay (who unfortunately perished in Titanic's disaster) virtually went hand in hand with Ireland's Belfast Shipbuilding firms and decided to construct three more huge vessels for the day - they ended up being the Olympic the Britannic and of course the very ill-fated Titanic.

No-one knew the outcome of this beautiful liner - no-one knew the amount of people, passengers and crew who would perish in the freezing night of Titanic's maiden voyage. This disaster made and still makes headlines throughout the world.

Titanic's sinking must have been such a shock back in the day and it came home to me just how important it is to make sure that we know where we are going - Eternal life is a gift from God through Jesus Christ - who made the path to eternal life - everyone can have this gift by just accepting your need of salvation - believing on Jesus' sacrifice for our sins and confessing our faith in Him.

So..... on the 10th April, 1912 on her maiden voyage with her awesome Captain Edward J Smith at the helm, Titanic set sail from Southhampton with New York as her goal.

On her fatal voyage two of the wireless operators apparently were constantly receiving iceberg warnings that they passed directly along.

A quote from BRITANNICA.

"........an iceberg was sited, and the bridge was notified.  First officer William Murdoch ordered both the ship 'hard-a-starboard' - a maneuver that under the order system then in place would turn the ship to port "left" -  and the engines reversed.  The Titanic began to turn, but it was too close to avoid a collision.  The ship's starboard side scraped along the iceberg.  At least five of its supposedly watertight compartments toward the bow were ruptured." 

The Titanic's fate was sealed after that - apparently, if the iceberg had hit full on she could have limped to port but because the iceberg ripped continuing holes in the starboard side it was impossible to save this amazing vessel.

As the ship began listing and the compartments quickly filled with freezing cold water I can't imagine what the passengers, captain and crew were going through.

Constant distress signals going out from Titanic's telegraph office from Phillips - which in itself was amazing - apparently never stopped he was virtually surrounded by sea-water.

The Capathia, another Cunard ship, received the message at approximately 12.20 am and immediately headed for Titanic, BUT it was 107 Km's away - disaster approaches!

The Californian - another ship very close to Titanic than Carpathia - in fact a very short distance away, didn't hear any distress signals because their wireless had been switched off for the night.

Most of the people were doomed - what a night!!  

Lifeboats (what there were of them) were being launched - women and children first.  There just weren't enough boats to carry all passengers and crew.  

"Nearer my God to Thee" that famous hymn was apparently being played on the ship's deck as she sank fairly quickly beneath the icy waters - none of the musicians survived - how very sad.  

The ship went down bow first into the freezing waters and that was about 2.00am.  The propellers were way above the water line - clearly visable for the few who had escaped into lifeboats.  

Smith ordered  '' Every Man for Himself " -  he was last seen on her bridge as the beautiful ship went down.  At approximately 2.18am the Titanic broke in two the bow going down and the stern going round in circles before disappearing into the freezing depths. 

Many many passengers jumped into the freezing waters only to die of shock - finally over 1500 people died - 174 survived - what a ghastly horrible thing to have happened.

As followers of Christ, we can treat death like a temporary enemy.  

No matter how much pain it can cause us right now.  Suffering will end when we are in God's presence.  

Death can't touch us in eternity.

WOW! My schedule is so so hot - I haven't got time to think!!

This is the story of busy young Carl - very busy young Carl

Carl's story:-

"Here I am in the middle of it all - my schedule is amazingly hot and so so busy!!

It's great really the money is so good!

Well - that's what I'm thinking anyway - it's just so sad sometimes that I don't seem to have enough time for the kids - funny that! - But really?

Like the other day - here I was watching my daughter at her ballet - all the family was there - all cheering Amelia on she was so excited that dad was there - probably the first time in a long long time. Suddenly, my mobile rings - not so unusual - I had to get up to answer it  - I was in and out of the ballet hall listening on my phone to blow by blow of all the negotiations that involved me.

The next thing I know here comes the wife - 

'What do you think you are doing?? - have you any idea what this means to our girl?? - you are always on your stupid phone just like you are controlling the universe - Amelia was so excited that you were coming tonight she asked the BIG question - Is Daddy coming tonight - That's all she cares about Carl - and here you are preferring to chat on the phone than to finally watch your daughter perform.'

After she storms off  I'm thinking- but that's my job - ísn't it - that's what I do?"

.........

You know Carl is not a bad guy - did you know that 70%  of working parents do not have enough time for their children (E. Galinsky National Study of the Changing Workplace)

Let's consider Psalm 39: "Show me my Lord, my life's end and the number of my days, let me know how fleeting my life is."

Let's think about how much time we each spend in meaningful interaction with our families!

Hmmm worth thinking about??

Is our working life taking too much of our time rather than spending it with God and family?

When we read Psalm 39 we realise just how fleeting our lives can be - we can spend it working hard day after day working our little hands and feet off  - making a living (which is fine and it is something we are truly blessed to do) - BUT... 

Do we spend too much time making a living and living just for me and the family? 

Very commendable in lots of ways but putting God first in all aspects of your family and you and prioritising Him in everything means making Him the very foundation of everything you do.

Asking God's guidance in every decision and spending as much time as we possibly can with our families are the very blessings God has given to us. 

God needs to come first before everything else - so making Him first in our lives helps us to realise what amazing blessings he has given to us  -  so let's enjoy His amazing and beautiful blessings.

God be with you this week - think very carefully about putting God first in your life - realise the many blessings he has given you and also just how fleeting life can be. God bless.

How do we accept an amazing invitation?

Isn't it amazing how God works - I am in total awe.

Every single day I am overwhelmed when I read about all the horrible and ghastly things happening all over the world - it pulls at my heart strings and makes me wonder where the world is headed.

Of course we know exactly where the world is headed - ever since Adam and Eve fell for satans good old tricks way back in the Garden of Eden we as the human race have degenerated worse and worse - sadly many populations feel we are actually progressing but actually we are degenerating and it was predicted in the Bible from Adam and Eve's fall that this was going to be the end of Creation as God had planned it.

BUT...God works in amazing and brilliant ways - when we look at creation how it was originally planned it is truly magnificent. Our very creation is truly awe inspiring to say the very very least - we are nothing without God almighty.

God Himself wants to be very close to us all - He wants to have intimacy with us in a real and volitile way - He doesn't intend to scare us in any way - He loves us 

He has thrown out the life saving equipment to us and all we have to do is to accept his amazing offer.

Jesus died in a cruel and ghastly way - why? To show the world in a real way that He himself paid the price for all of our sins.

All we have to do is accept his amazing invitation and to hand our lives over to the Almighty God and Saviour of the world.

What do we mean by "handing our life over to God?" 

It means asking God to take control of our lives - surrendering everything to Him

Maybe you are in a situation where you have been really really hurt emotionally by one or more people in your life. You have felt extremely hurt, angry, wronged and even desiring to get your own back somehow.

You know handing your life over to God is an amazing step forward and one where you will be changed often quite breathtakingly.

Once we hand our lives over to Him - He encourages us to love everyone - forgive wrongs and leave any vengeful feelings to God Himself. Now that can be quite a mouthful when you think about it - forgiveness can be quite a huge problem.

God's amazing love and grace and the very fact that he has forgiven us helps us to move beyond any desire we may have to wreak vengeance upon any who have hurt us in the past. 

God's greatest desire is that He really wants us to overcome all of our past hurts - he knows the pain we have been through and He is so willing to transform our sufferings and sadnesses.

So come to Jesus right now - pray to Him and acknowledge any sins and ask forgiveness also ask God to help you to forgive anyone who has been pretty nasty to you.

Believe me you will change - God will work a miracle in your life.

Of course, we are still human we will continue to sin and make mistakes BUT God is there and always willing for you to come to Him in earnest prayer asking for and receiving forgiveness.

God bless you and may our Heavenly Father come into your life and change you in a miraculous way.

Human love - super romantic and amazing!

Sometimes it is hard to give up on something you love - especially when that impinges on your family or your life in so many different ways - even though you may love what you do, it may be detrimental to everything else.

I was so affected by family commitments and illnesses that I had to seriously reconsider what I should do to improve what I had and assist those I love when necessary.

Even though, I seemingly, enjoyed what I did - I feel God had other plans for my life - these plans came hurtling out of the blue, bowling me over and changing the direction of my life entirely.

But when God is in charge of your life, His plans are best.

How about you?

How has your life been?

Has your life been changed in any way at all? 

I can't help thinking about the war in Ukraine or what is happening in Iraq and Iran. Things again came hurtling out of the blue for these people changing their lives in so many ways.

Another horrible thing that has happened here in Australia is the flooding - through the long wet Autumn, the weather has been so so wet and so many people have lost their belongings, homes, and even family members - it's been heart-rending - it really has.

It seems to me that disaster strikes throughout the world in so many different ways it's mind-blowing, to say the least. Not sure about you but it makes me wonder where it is all going and whatever will happen in the immediate future of this planet!

You know not one of us can or ever will be able to think and act like our Creator God - he is omnipresent, omnipotent, and perfect in every way - again I repeat that not one of us will ever be able to fathom His greatness or plans for this wayward planet of ours.

I reckon it all goes back to the very of creation when Adam and Eve, our forebears, decided to bring sin into the world - up till then the world was a perfect place - humming along in all of its beauty.

Many will say then why didn't Creator God keep it like that?

Well, in my humble opinion, God wanted humankind to come to him in all openness, love, and faith, so He gave us all a will to decide what we were going to do with our lives - otherwise, we would have been like robots, waddling along doing as we were told and having no mind of our own.

That wasn't what our Lord had in mind at all.

He wanted us to come to Him of our own accord, bringing with us love, patience with one another, kindness, humility, and a genuine love of our Father God above all else.

So how do we go about loving God? - Do we just say we love God and wham! there we go?

I feel that to be truly in love with our Lord then the first thing we should do is let's see what it says in the Bible.

Jesus himself said - "you must love God the Father with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength." (Mark 12:30) 

We should be loving God more than we do our parents, and children, in fact, everything - God's love is an all-embracing, amazing, and powerful love - something that is unheard of here on earth. 

Our mortal love is great and wonderful and can be super romantic and amazing - yet God's love and our love for Him even surpass this - so hard to even put into words. His love for us never ever falters or fails. So unlike our human kind of love.

God IS love! I know we would like to think that well "so are we" but you and I both know that there is no way we can show others continual and eternal love constantly because we are just that - we are human.

God Himself became flesh in Jesus and was crucified for our sins and in so doing paid the price for our sins. 

Our lives are unfortunately sin-based but Jesus came to earth as a human and paid the ultimate price - through a hideous and torturous death to pay for our sins so that all of us who come to God in repentance and faith can accept Him as our Lord and God.

That love that Jesus showed that day far outstrips any human-type love that we show to others - His love is unconditional and absolutely something that no person here on earth can or ever could possess.

So what do we do to become a follower of Jesus, leaving all the yahoo of this crazy world behind and seeing Jesus for who He REALLY is - The only one who can wash us clean from all the yuk and dirt and bring us to His Creator Father. 

So what does repentance mean? It means being sorry for all the stupid things we have done - those times when we hurt someone - became vengeful, set out to "get our own back",  maybe even hit out in all sorts of unique and different ways. Even being adamant about how you live and will not be open to others' suggestions and ideas - after all, you are in charge of your life and will live it according to your rules - everyone else should follow your example!

All sorts of ways we can separate ourselves from God and all of these myriad ways are called sin. God is love and His love and mercy want us all, regardless of what we have done or who we have hurt, or even who we have slept with, to come to Him in unity and humility and of course repentance.

Once we have come to God and asked his amazing forgiveness, does that mean we will never fall into the same old traps again? Of course not! We are human after all and we will continue to make mistakes time and time again.

But the beautiful thing about asking God to lead us is that He will convict us of what we have done wrong and immediately we will need to put it right. That may even involve asking forgiveness and even apologising to whoever we have hurt in the meantime (even if we may feel we are well and truly in the right here).

In saying all of that, getting right with God gives us a freedom we never knew existed - His love amazingly overrules everything that ever stands in our way - we are free to come to our Lord with anything and everything. Even through the night, He stands with us regardless of what we have gone through, even the worries of the day that used to keep us awake at night - we can hand them over to our Lord.

Come to Him right now - it really doesn't matter what your past has been - He will accept and love you no matter what.

Ask Him into your life and hand it over to Him.

God bless you this week.