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 what 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 beginning 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, the first thing we should do is, hmmm, 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.

Download the app

We live in a world of "apps".

Up until just a few years ago the word  APP was probably never used - it is amazing how it has taken over.

Today in the 2020s and beyond it has become the normality - it has taken over entirely.

All these fantastic search engines are available "Free Christian apps - Christian apps for Bible studies - Christian apps for adults - Best free Christian apps for adults" - and the list goes on Infinitum. Of course, all the thousands of others covering a myriad of subjects are mind-blowing. Who would ever have thought it?

There's an app pretty much for everything these days so it makes perfect sense that there would also be some very helpful apps for Christians.

Well, in Jesus's time here on earth there were no apps. He (Jesus) preached the word, and healed the sick and dying. He caused a lot of ruckuses but most people flocked to Him. he was the most amazing person to come out of the lowly town of Nazareth ever.

Our God is a mighty God - and He didn't even have a mobile phone - His attributes and His Word are still broadcast today in a million different ways across the globe. God does not change. Who He is never changes. His attributes are the same from before the beginning of time into eternity.

Before creation, God was already there - before even time God was already there. He is mighty, self-sufficient, independent, loving, righteous and the list goes on.

Phil Wickham sang this amazing song - his version of Amazing Grace. Love this verse:-

"Who breaks the power of sin and darkness?

Whose love is mighty and so much stronger?

The King of Glory, the king above all kings"

No matter what you have done or who you are or how guilty you feel, God isn't mad at you.

He is SO willing to forgive you, He died for you to pay the ultimate price for your sins and mine - all you have to do is hand your life over to Him,- the change in your life will be absolutely astronomical - I know - believe me! - I was so lost in sin - you just couldn't take it in! 

Forget what the world is saying about God and also forget what you are telling yourself about your failures and what a complete mess you have made of your life. Tune into His word and believe what He says.

It is so easy to listen to what others say about you and it is so easy to believe them. Your feelings can change from moment to moment - and the world out there will love to tell you you're just not good enough for God - you are way too "out there" for Him.

Well, believe me when I say that God has seen it all there is absolutely nothing he hasn't seen, heard, or dealt with. My personal life can jump up and scream how true that is - If He can forgive me then He can forgive anyone!

Well, saying all of that - Just how are we able to even come close to God?

In Romans 3:22 - "We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are."

That's pretty awesome if you ask me - NO MATTER WHO WE ARE OR EVEN WHAT WE HAVE DONE!!

And it all revolves around what Jesus did on that cross all those years ago. He took the scourging, the nails, the sword in the side, the crown of thorns, the mocking, the jeering, the spitting, the insults!

WHY? Because of His love for YOU! - Yes YOU!

God will forgive you completely and freely if you come to Him, confess your sin and accept His Son Jesus's amazing gift of freedom that He paid on that wicked cross all those years ago.

In Romans 8:38-39 "For I am sure that neither death, life, angels, rulers, things present, things to come, powers, height, depth or anything else in all of creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord"

How incredible is this verse? Read it again and again - take it into your very soul and let it take your life and mold it to our everlasting father.

Then how about this in Jeremiah 29: 11-13

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for good and not for evil. To give you hope and a future. CALL UPON ME AND COME AND PRAY TO ME AND I WILL HEAR YOU. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with ALL of your heart."

How about that for a promise! I will hear you says our Lord and God - seek Him with all of your heart.

If you accept Jesus into your life and heart everything you have ever done wrong will be forgiven at that time.

What a great honour it is to write this blog. Being a child of the Great King Jesus I have had this honour to share my faith here in my blog to you my readers.

If you are in pain, if you are suffering with huge regretfulness in your life (like I was) or maybe overloaded with guilt or shame can I in all sincerity point you to the one who can heal you of all of this - Jesus Christ!

When you read this blog may you get a huge taste of God's never dying never ending love for you. May you reach out to His love and take into your life His unflinching and undying grace that saves.

May God go with you this week and, personally, I look so forward to writing more and more blogs as I share with you just How God is working in my life.

If you can, please share with me your own thoughts and maybe too if you have any questions that I may be able to assist with, please contact me.

God's richest blessings be with you this coming week

I Can Only Imagine

 MERCY ME  - What a group - how amazing are they - love their songs and the group is so devoted to our God - How tremendous!

Love the lyrics of their original I CAN ONLY IMAGINE - makes me really wonder what it will be like when we come before the Lord or Glory - the very Majesty of God, I feel, will be enough for us to almost melt in His presence.

Just listening to this song by MERCY ME got me thinking about how really mesmerizing and majestic our Lord God is - and really what sort of reverence we pay Him while we are here on this very earth that He created. Bit mind-blowing, isn't it?

Like in the second verse of their song, the guys from MERCY ME ask "what will it be like when we get to Heaven? - How will my heart feel? - Will I dance? Will I be still standing in Awe of God almighty or will I fall on my knees? Will I sing? Will I be able to talk at all?"

A thousand different questions but in my mind, the thing that stands out for me is that we will be in the presence of the Creator God and Jesus His son who died for us. The very thought makes me consider just how much reverence I am showing to God while I am here on earth?

So these things considered what does the Bible say about showing reverence to God and just how much will it affect our living?  And how about going about our daily activities? Does reverence for God have or should have some sort of impact on our lives?

The Bible uses the word FEAR a lot when talking about our relationship with God and many times over the years I have heard people say "Oh No! We shouldn't fear God - He is our friend and Buddy". 

To revere God (have reverence for Him) is in fact, in my opinion, fearing Him - having a horrible fear of displeasing Him. We should be standing in awe of God, of His sheer holiness, not wanting to disappoint Him in our lives. Honestly, I seem to do that enough, going through my personal life and never considering our God, the very Holiest of Holiest.

I/we need to get a grip here! God is the very essence of Holiness. So very holy in fact that we mere mortals can never get into the presence of God. His awesome holiness says that He cannot even look at sin. Not sure about you, but I seem to be the very essence of sin.

The only way we can come into the presence of God is by accepting the very gift of Jesus - who took our sins on Himself and dealt with them on that hill all those years ago.

This means that when we as Christians, who have accepted Jesus into our lives, finally come before the Lord God Almighty, His very holiness will look at us, and rather than seeing the horrible mess we have made throughout our lives, He will see Jesus. The one spotless and sinless only Son of God. Whose very sacrifice on Calvary covered our sin-drenched lives but, again, only if we decide in our waywardness to accept the perfect gift of salvation he offers.

So in lots of ways, how can we show any reverence for God while we are stuck here in this old bullet-flying, fire-starting, drought-stricken, flood-prone, crazy, mixed-up world when all around us everything seems to be going out of control?

I feel our very humility in the fact that we, while we are here on earth before that great day comes when we either pass from life to death or when Jesus comes again in all His amazing glory, is the time when we are so privileged to be able to be fully aware of being reverent to our God.

Psalm 89 verse 7 says (from the New Living Translation)

"The highest angelic powers stand in awe of God. he is far more awesome than all who surround his throne"

So if the very angelic powers in Heaven stand in amazing awe of God, surely we sin-bound mere mortals can do the same. Mind you, it will take some doing!

It won't come easy for us, because every single day we are confronted with this mixed-up world of ours - we constantly need to be putting bread on the table - constantly having to pay the bills - constantly hearing of the atrocities of so-called world powers fighting and bombing other countries - constantly being confronted with murder, rape, brutality, and thieving - constantly dealing with death, illness and family crisis.

That is why it is so essential to FIX our eyes on God at all times no matter what comes barging into our lives. Keeping our eyes on God gives us control over our reactions which in itself is pretty extraordinary.

God can give us a fantastic arm to lean on in THE most horrendous times we ever go through. In 2 Timothy 1 verse 7 it says:- "For God gave us a spirit NOT of fear but of power and love and self-control."

If God is prepared to do that for us, surely we can accept His amazing gifts with fortitude, gratitude, and utmost love and appreciation.

I truly believe that if for some reason I lose the very essence of reverence and in fact awe of God then I really do put in jeopardy my faith which would eventually dwindle away - God is far more to me than singing love songs and becoming besties.

My amazing Saviour, friend and awesome (in the true sense of the word AWESOME) King is continually there for me and is near me even when I am oppressed and weak. 

I doubt I would be able to stand up to the world today in all of its conflicts and strange happenings if not for the steadfast and continual support of my amazing King and Savior. He is with me constantly even on the nights when things often go pearshaped for me

If I am constantly not in awe of God and His amazing mercies towards me, probably one of THE more terrible sinners, I will not be able to proceed with the ongoing journey through this maze we call life.

Trusting in God for strength and relying constantly on his love brings me an appreciation and a real reverence for Him. All of this only adds to my constant awe of God.

I am so undeserving of His love - The fact that He died for me and sinners just like me is the very sole reason I stand in awe of His holy name.

Heaven, Jesus, Almighty God, and Hell are all real - please DO NOT realize this fact too late! The opportunity to hand our lives over to Jesus and trust Him is right here right now and is open to you. Accept and trust Him today.

Proverbs Chapter 3 verses 5 & 6:-

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight

God bless you and may you have a real encounter with our Lord and Saviour.

In The Eye of the Storm

Well, it's been quite a few years since I last updated my blog, and God has worked in my life in numerous ways since then.

I have surely missed my time here, and I hope to be able to maybe spend more time getting back to drawing closer to God and maybe getting my experiences with Him down in my blog on a more regular basis than I have in these last few years (before going off to work, that is).

My life changed quite a bit when my son-in-law was diagnosed with cancer, and my daughter had to make a decision to become the wage earner of the family. 

It was very much like being in the Eye of the Storm - waiting for the inevitable - praying and hoping that things would work out for the good.

Through all of the unknown and in an amazing turnaround and through all of the turmoil, she went into her own business, and unbeknownst to me, I was suddenly caught up in the whirlpool of her business ventures, hence the postponement of my blog each couple of weeks.

Isn't it amazing how God works! - Who would have thought my 'very loved' son-in-law, going through those horrendous times, would have had such a marked effect on so many of our lives - his diagnosis was truly horrible, and yet at the same time, such changes have marked such a turning point in so many of our lives.

When you consider what is happening in our topsy-turvy world, our problems sort of fade into insignificance, yet God overall continues to work in countless people's lives - so praise to our wonderful King. Sometimes it takes a disaster on a scale we hadn't even thought possible to jolt us into a continuing walk with God - our Creator and wonderful Lord.

Continuing pain, ignorance, and obvious discomfort can really throw us off the mat so many times - we can be walking through life feeling so comfortable, and everything seems so rosy in our gardens, then WHAM! We are thrown into the deep end of life  - so you really never know when a curveball is coming your way.

Personally, I can become so engrossed in my own life and self that, unfortunately, I can become quite selfish. Alarming really when it comes right down to it - isn't it?

So, having a bit of a sit-down and taking life a tad more seriously, and really thinking about it, it is far more important that no matter how difficult things in life can be, it is NEVER EVER an excuse for being disrespectful, or can I add presumptuous with God. 

I have probably been THE most presumptuous person that God has ever come into contact with - I have just presumed he will always forgive me whatever happens - so it is good to sit down just for a tad and rethink where I am and where we are with God right at this minute.

So where are you with God? Where am I?

Certainly, in my opinion, we can be frank with God, and we can pour out our troubles, our confusion, and our struggles in life to Him. 

But always keep in mind that God deserves our utmost reverence, always standing in awe of who He is and what He deserves of us.

In other words - quite frankly - with God, we need to remember our place!

God is our Father, our friend, and our Confidant, and our ever-companion. He is the source of all wisdom - so we need to get to know God for who He is, respect Him, and show our love to Him in many numerous ways.

The very highlight of God's wisdom was the very fact that He showed His great love to us in that He sent His only son, Jesus, into our mixed-up world. It is through Jesus that we can fully know God.

I reckon the way to negotiate our way through this funny old life is to get to know Jesus in a very personal and individual way.

When a disaster hits us, and it will, we can throw our hands up in the air and cry out, "Why is this happening to me?" Or we can take huge deep breaths, get a grip on life, start trusting God, and instead of blaming Him, realise that since this is happening, how can I use it to know Him better?

Through all of my own personal struggles, I have realised that life in general, no matter what it throws at you, is all about staying close to God and trusting Him even in the bad times and when disaster hits us.

I reckon that staying close to God is far more valuable than giving up or blaming Him.

With those thoughts firmly in our minds, it's with such sadness that I recall one of our clients who recently gave birth six weeks prematurely. The child has spent the last seven weeks in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, only being discharged just a few days ago.

Seriously cute, the baby seems to be thriving, but Mum, who has been through a horrible time, is now suffering from Postnatal Depression - the whole situation is so sad.

All of us are so susceptible, we are so open to the world's pressures, and we all can experience grief, intense sadness, and emptiness on more and more profound levels. We may begin to withdraw from any social activities and from the activities we normally participate in during our daily lives. 

Sounds terrible, doesn't it? But in many ways, being separate or on one's own for a while, in my opinion, can often help in times of intense stress.

Through all of this, and I believe not just PND but all sorts of depressive illnesses, God never ever lets you go if you have given your life to Him.

Getting professional help in times like this is very, very necessary and certainly can help us out of the deepest pit of depression and sadness. It may take quite some time, but through sheer perseverance and hopefully, with the continued prayers, support, and love of family, friends, and other people, we can survive this. 

We don't need to suffer in silence; firstly, we need to pray and keep on praying. Then we really do need help - talking to professional people or even our friends and relatives can often be of great assistance.

I guess the great news is that there are all sorts of medical and psychological help out there. It may not happen immediately, but depression can be helped. Keep your eyes firmly on Jesus - he is the Author and finisher of our faith.

I am so reminded of this verse in Deuteronomy 31:8

"The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

Keep looking to Jesus, friends - May God go with you this week, and may His richest blessings be with you and yours.

The Return of the king

Loved the Lord of the Rings - The Return of the KING!!

"The eye of the enemy is moving - the end has come - Frodo moves closer to Mordor - It is time - give him the sword of the king - claim who were born to be"

WOW!!! Gives me chills - the return of the king saw the gruesome end of Saruman the once great powerful wizard and finally corrupted by his desire to own THE ring.

The end of Sauron the amazing dark Lord and maker of the THE ring

The end of the trolls those horrible and nasty protectors all out to receive THE ring and so it goes on.

So what does a king do to those who rebel against him.

In days gone by and history records it vividly there was no going back once you were labelled a traitor to the King - there was no hope for you - none whatever.

Why on the 8th February 1587 Queen Elizabeth 1 executed her cousin Mary Queen of Scots and this year marks the 432nd anniversary of that dreaded time. Bad and cruel times indeed all in the name of power, intrigue, lies and mayhem. It took three whacks with the axe to finally decapitate the young Queen of Scots. I trust Elizabeth could rest easy after that.

If you were labelled a traitor as was the beleaguered Mary, you were imprisoned, tortured and finally executed in the most abhorrent ways ever thought of by a human mind.

Kings have been named and famed for years and years - cities and countries lost and gained throughout history by wayward kings and queens - overthrowing their enemies left and right to gain the power of the King/Queen.

But God has named His king: Jesus Christ Himself. Those who continue in rebellion against King Jesus have another fate in store which we will discuss a little later on.

Jesus as King gave His life so that we didn't have to - His love was far greater, more far reaching, more immense than anything that we have encountered. His love was SO great that he died to make us alive.

Jesus was labelled a traitor, a rebel, a blasphemer and a rabble rouser. He was tortured and nailed to a cross to die in abject horror and excruciating pain. He was mocked and scourged, flogged and ridiculed yet he did it for us anyway.

Today the majority of people choose not to accept Christ - they mock him and treat His saving power as a falsehood - a myth - a fantasy to be believed by the 'tooth fairy crowd' just like they did on that day at Calvary over 2000 years ago

Christians and believers are treated with a growing pessimism and yes even hatred - Christians have been hounded over the centuries and today it seems to be getting worse with more and more countries bowing to the lies of the enemy in the name of tolerance - all very sad because so many even in our own families giving into the watering down of the faith that saved them originally.

Many strange and wayward thinking contradicting the Bible has surfaced and re-surfaced again and again ad-nauseum. Many today don't believe that Jesus rose from the dead as foretold many times in the old testament - many years before Jesus came and died for us.

Many refuse to believe in hell! A place described again and again as the place where all non-believers and haters of God are going to end up for eternity. It's so easy to live life in your own little world if you believe you are just going to die and that's that. Jesus Himself talks about an eternity without Him.  Mark 9:43.

The latest I have personally heard is that many Christians believe that evangelising is wrong - so much for Jesus saying "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel"  Mark 16:15.

There are still many who believe in rituals to come to Jesus - eg You must do certain things you must go certain places, you must eat certain foods on certain days, you must bow down to statues and keep lots of rules and regulations and if you don't Jesus will turn His back on you

So you can see that there are many falsehood surrounding Christianity and many believe that the Bible is a myth and Jesus never came at all.

Whatever the reasons many reject Jesus, their rejection according to the Word of God will have disastrous effects and eternal consequences.

This in Acts 4:12 Jesus is the only name under heaven by which men and women can be saved ie Jesus is the ONLY way - there is no other.

Then again Matthew 25:30 which I will let you read for yourself describes utter anguish for those who reject Him and it's for eternity!

Honestly!! If you feel like you have blown it with Jesus - If you feel you are just TOO far gone and nothing you can do will make God love you and forgive you, then I have great news for you and there is still great hope for you right now even as you may be reading this blog.

No matter what you have done you can't erase His love and what Jesus did for you on Calvary all those years ago.

Right now there has never been a better time for you get honest with God and yourself  - there has never been a better time to ask forgiveness of God - run to the cross and claim His love and mercy for yourself.'

No matter what you have done - no matter who you have been with - who you may have cheated - who you may have hurt - what you have taken from someone - no matter what you have been through and the list goes on  - While you still have breath IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO COME TO CHRIST.

Ask His forgiveness today, repent of your past and be washed clean through the very sacrifice of Jesus who paid for your sins in the past, right now and in the future.

Yes! we all fail - we will never be perfect until Jesus comes again BUT he has left us an amazing legacy of continuing forgiveness and repentance.

AND YES!!! Jesus is COMING AGAIN - Yes! Our King is coming back.

Are you ready for Him or are you going to be left behind to face the consequences?

Come to Him right now - Our King is the King of the impossible - no matter that you have doubts or just how HUGE they are are, or just how little your faith is - He died for YOU and loves you and is waiting for you to come to Him right now.

God bless you this week as you consider just where you stand with Jesus.

When life takes a hideous detour

How  do we cope when things go radically wrong??

People, events, attitude and even the weather can change our lives in often dramatic ways - things we never even thought of before can come thumping into our lives in the most unexpected ways and times. Things that can floor you and change your life forever.

Thinking along these lines my hearts and thoughts go to the horrific murder of a young women and her 2 year daughter in 2008.

The murders ripped the very soul out of the small town where they lived and because it was murder and also of the sheer brutality of both I doubt the family will ever be the same again.

So how do you cope when life takes a hideous detour?
It is certainly way too hard to lose a  loved one anyway, but to add a brutal murder to the events of death the complexities become 100% deeper because of denial and shock.

Murder, and again I am thinking of this particular shocking one, is especially horrifying because another person, a third person, felt that your loved one's life was worth nothing and took innocence and through their own decision blotted it out.

The very shock of losing a dear one, a friend or acquaintance grabs hold of you immediately and leaves you totally devastated.

I guess after the shock comes anger -which up to now may be completely unknown to the Christian especially in regards to a family member if they are involved.

Many people feeling this way, beat themselves up because of guilt - it would not be uncommon to be so angry at people, jealous of other families.and even angry at God. In lots of cases I can imagine that this anger and heartbreak will never go completely away.

It is so natural to feel anger and the need for revenge that your minds and your lives can think of nothing else.

So understandably, the very thought of forgiveness is way out of your comfort zone if I can call it that! It doesn't even make a blip on your radar. Again please don't beat yourself up for this. It is understandable and completely natural.

Yet, forgiveness can be a soul/life restoring huge event that is really not about the perpetrator at all - it's about you! Letting go of your anger, your jealousy, your need for revenge and yes, even your guilt and anything else that is holding you back can point you in the direction of living a fulfilling life.

Can we do this on our own? This is a question I struggled with for years after an event in my own life that has affected me constantly. I have come to the conclusion that YES in a way we can but not fully!

Believe me I tried. But it was only after I decided to let God have 100% of my life was I finally was able to put a full stop to that period and let go of my guilt and anger and the ever-present need for revenge.

I realise now that no matter what we do or the legal system does to the perpetrator or even if he/she seemingly "gets away" with the crime, nothing will leave you with any feeling of completeness and finality as forgiveness does,

With time and when I say that, it took years and years in my case, (so please don't be hard on yourself) to feel any sort of forgiveness to the perpetrator. The sheer fact that you even commence to feel forgiveness or even to allow the thought to fly through your heart and brain is a HUGE step forward.

So in the case mentioned above, to begin to feel a sort of forgiveness towards the killer will be an amazing step - a huge leap actually!

Now, this is something that I learned and would dearly love to pass onto you.

I would suggest that we don't forgive him for his horrendous crime but for his erroneous, flawed and counterfactual humanity. It is so natural to feel hatred, when you face evil and honestly. With the case mentioned above that is what we are dealing with - pure evil.

But with forgiveness comes the miraculous feeling of self preservation and a release of guilt. It's not saying 'go ahead and let the perpetrator off the hook' far from it!  But it is a release to let compassion heal your own heart and soul.

God really is the only one who can forgive the perpetrator fully and properly. Let's face it we are all flawed we all have erroneous and counterfactual personalities and really we are the ones that need forgiveness too.

Should hatred, spite and the need of revenge rule our lives or are we ready to at least entertain forgiveness?

Below is a eye-popping website to visit - please take the time to do just that but I must warn you that it is very very heart rending.  It tells the story of Marietta Jaeger and her family who were out camping when her young daughter, Suzie aged 7, was seized and brutally murdered about a week later. It's a heart rending account and really quite horrific but also shows how Marietta coped and still coping.

https://jjie.org/2015/10/14/forgiving-someone-who-kills-your-loved-one-seems-impossible-until-it-isnt/

Forgiveness takes courage and a trust in God - it takes boldness to confront your own thoughts, angers and the
 need for revenge but with God we can be overcomers and we can grow in love, mercy and forgiveness.

Will we ever 'get over' such atrocities as this? I hardly think so. But God alone knows the outcome of EVERY situation in our lives and knows what is the best way for us to move or inch forward to grow us into Christ followers regardless of the atrociousness that has marred and scarred our lives.

God bless you all this week as we move on with God and we may even consider for a fleeting moment what it would be like to forgive.

With God's grace leading us, you never know we may find security in knowing we are in a healthy place again.

JESUS?? Really??

We have a son named Daniel and a daughter named Rachael. We have five amazing Grandblessings. Sue Ann my adored has one brother and two sisters. I Have two brothers and one sister and another sister who was a twin unfortunately died when she was just 12 months old.

It's amazing what you don't know about people even when you have known them for quite a while isn't it!  Some people feel they know our family well yet I can tell you what we are really like because I know them all so well.

Most people have at least heard about Jesus - they may have even formed a mental picture in their minds as to what he looked like, what he wore, where he went, where he was born even how he died and for the majority of people out there that's about it.

To get to know Jesus better check out the gospels - here we have the facts from the people who knew HIM better because they actually lived their human life here on this amazing spinning ball we called earth with Him during the three short years of His ministry.

Most people that I have talked to assume they know Jesus, yet I wonder at their complete lack of knowledge regarding Him. They readily tell me that he was a great teacher or that he came completely from left field, or even that he didn't exist. Some tell me he was the founder of Christianity some even tell me he was the son of God.

Knowing about Jesus intimately nearly always brings surprises - he is the SURPRISING JESUS.

I think the most surprising thing about Jesus is His complete trust in the Father - He knew he was born to die and die horribly for us - for example if Jesus had died peacefully in his sleep one night then I doubt the impact of the life changing and incredible sacrifice for our sins wouldn't have had the impact it had on that terrible but beautiful day on Calvary all those years ago.

Do you know the real meaning of the cross? many people wear crosses with no idea what they are adorning the necks with and how the REAL cross saves people even today.

The REAL Jesus can change your life!

John R W Stott asks in his book THE CROSS OF CHRIST why the cross emerged as the symbol of Christ? Why did the early Christians not choose a crib where he was born, or a boat where he preached, or towels with which he washed dirty feet, or the stone rolled away from the tomb where he rose?

Stott goes on to say that while Jesus' birth and life and preaching are all so vital - It's his crucifixion and resurrection that are absolutely central to really knowing him.

I truly believe at his death on Calvary and that last cry IT IS FINISHED was a shout of victory not a cry of resignation - Jesus had finished the work he was destined to fulfil.

The Father's will was completed - Jesus had paid the price for you and me to know Him fully. It is really really sad that many people don't grab hold of the incredible truth and apply it to their own lives - if they did they would notice a HUGE change

The resurrection of Jesus of course is the very climax of the life of Jesus and being raised he is again with the Father, It is really THE most important event in the history of world,

One amazing day the heavens will open wide like a huge scroll and then everyone who has gotten to know Him not just on paper but intimately known Jesus and invited Him into their hearts to rule their lives will be caught up to meet Him - an amazing event indeed.

Jesus came to earth to save sinners like you and me. If you are one of those people who couldn't care less about what happened 2019 years ago then I urge you to take a bigger and better look at who Jesus really is then sit down and really think about what you have learnt - it could have wonderful unimaginable or disastrous consequences of your life.

Once we are dead it is far too late to come back - there really are no second chances after that but let me tell you this one important fact about Jesus - he died for your sins. The sins you committed before you knew him, the sins you have committed since knowing him and even the sins you will commit in the future,

All you have to do is come before the Lord, confess your sins - ask Him to rule your life and to truly repent asking him to forgive you.

Once we have given our lives to Him - then His very spirit will come in and take up residence in your life, then when you do mess up His spirit will prompt you to come back ask forgiveness again - it really is that simple.

It is really simple but is THE biggest decision I made such a long time ago. Did I ever mess up since making that decision? Of course I did and still do BUT the most amazing part is that God in his mercy and because of what Jesus did on that cross is so willing to forgive me.

Of course it doesn't mean that I can live my life doing exactly what I want and when I want to do it - my whole demeanor changed that day and I really want to live for Jesus. He always ALWAYS prompts me and helps me to confess and restart when I mess up.

Come to Him today.

Do you know JESUS???   REALLY??

Preventing Bush Fires

WOW!!! the fires in California are so devastating - we live in and love Australia and have been watching the devastation from way over here.

We also live in this amazing country where it is summer at present and what happens?

Snow down on the alps - floods in NSW - unimaginative disaster, and to top it all off major bush fires in Queensland - So our hearts go out to the people in California for their huge losses - words can't describe how these people who have lost everything are feeling and coping.

Fire, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes and typhoons etc are really distressing and so painful. Personal belongings lost forever and worse still the loss of life..... Well words just cannot express how you feel.

Hurtful words can have the same effect and impact - I have been reading James lately and going on my life's past experience, I am left pondering this question WHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT TO CONTROL THE TONGUE?

In James 3 the brother of Jesus tells us that "NO ONE can tame the tongue".  Powerful words indeed. James has lot to say about the tongue - He may have had the same problem I have had - I have lost count of the time I have lost control of the tongue.

He goes on to say that the tongue is such a small part of our bodies yet it makes HUGE boasts - worse than that he says it can be like a fire a world of evil that defiles the whole body - set on fire from the very gates of hell itself YIKES!!!!

Hiding inside all of us I feel is the horrible ability to flare up all sorts of 'fires' including hatred, jealousy, envy, judging and the list goes on and on

Our tongues can destroy someones reputation by simply one or two words. We can be taken out of context and the rumours can  spread just like wildfires in the Aussie bush.

It doesn't seem that long ago that something I personally said in a concerning and absolutely innocent way was misinterpreted by another person and next thing I knew I had a young lady phoning me wondering why I had said such a thing which in her opinion was so so wrong.

So you see we have to be so careful with what we say and even how we say it. As I have shared before I have had to let a friend of long standing go because of what he called my 'banter'. We have to be so careful with how we present ourselves to others. Not everyone thinks or talks like we do.

Our tongues are capable to lying on one hand and being sarcastic and patronising on the other. It can flatter and malign even in one sentence.

Our tongues can criticise  in such a destructive way that it can cause suicides and the power to change minds, situations and ideals. WHOA!!

On saying all of that our tongues can be soothing in times of bereavement and crisis it can even encourage and bless - so how come James is insistent in saying that 'no one can control the tongue'?

James explains in chapter 3 verses 9 to 12.  'With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in the likeness of God, Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this SHOULD NOT BE. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.' (NIV)

So we see here that even though we love to flatter and 'be nice' we can also be completely the opposite and James reminds us so clearly that this is so wrong!

What is to be done then to tame this tongue of ours that James even likens to a rudder in a ship, controlling what we do and what we say and even where we go?

We always seem to bang on about being ' the master of our own fates - the captain of our own souls' how subtly we convince ourselves that we control our own lives.

It often takes a crisis or even death itself to convince us otherwise. James goes on to tell us ' you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes'.

Our lives are so transient. We really do not have full control of our lives at all. Our tongues can set us on paths of destruction that we just cannot change or undo.

There is only one who can control the tongue. It is only when God comes onto our lives that we have any hope in controlling our tongue. Even then we have to keep focusing on Him at all times.

When we have God's spirit living inside of us he convicts  us when we sin with our tongue. When we are focused on Him, we know immediately what we say is wrong and we repent and pray earnestly for a refreshment of God's spirit so that we can put things right and avoid getting further into the sin-hold that our tongues can bury us in.

The further we rely on God to captain our lives we will find that he will control our wayward tongues as well which has to be a good thing considering all the damage it has done and continues to do.

Let's ask God today to make our tongues a source of life rather that a source of destruction.

God bless you this week as you ask God to control your tongue and help you to be so aware of what you say.