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 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.