You said you wanted to see me

"You said you wanted to see me".  Larry said to Carolyn, who then ushered Larry into the pew near the front of the church. 

There weren't that many pews, although the church is a vast, cavernous space. To Larry, it seems very bare after his mother's place of worship; no children's posters or colourful tapestries, just grey stone and a high altar that's almost invisible. 

There are some statues around the outside wall, but they are grey too and seem to blend into the stone. It's a cold place, and Larry started to shiver- he was physically cold, but also freezing inside. He and Carolyn kept their coats on,

Thank you for seeing me, Carolyn. Is there something I have said or done that has upset you?

"Yes, there is actually Larry. When we were together the other night, you were telling me how great a Christian you were and how you were always telling people how God always wanted to meet with us in a special place of worship - how warm and friendly the building was, and that was the only place God wanted to me with us.

Well, that put me in my place, didn't it! Here is my church, and there are lots of places where we worship God that aren't anything, like the place where you worship God, and yet what you are saying is that God will only meet with us due to the type of building?"

"Well, yes, I truly believe that", says Larry. "Isn't it God's way that He only wants to meet with us in special places and not just anywhere?"

"Sorry!!!" Said Carolyn, "What did you just say? And what do you truly believe?  That God only wants to meet with us in special places and only in 'HOLY' places?

"Well, yes, I truly believe that", says Larry. "Isn't God a holy God, and should we believe that he can't meet with us in any old place, especially in a cold and very old place like this - after all, who would want to come here at all?

You know - God meets us where we are - we don't really need to go to church - mind you church can be a most rewarding place to go and especially if you want to meet with God in a special place of your own liking - BUT God is so willing to meet with any of us anywhere at all even in the places of beautiful solitude.

I know of a weekend my wife SueAnn and I walk the beaches around where we live. We go so early in the morning, just as the sun is coming up. Seeing God's creation at that time is so beautiful - we can see Him in everything - the waves, the sand, the wind, the total creation is there before us.

We don't really have to go to any special place to meet with God. 

God meets us where we are, BUT only if we make the effort to meet Him. Because God is truly LOVE, and that with a capital L. He will not push Himself onto us or coerce us or force us to find Him or even to want Him.

He is always so willing to respond to us when we open the door to our lives and invite Him in, BUT we just need to be willing to open up to Him and invite Him into our lives.

Another thing we should think about is that we can't have God on our own terms - We can't expect God to do what we want when we want it or to meet with us in some sort of special place - God is NOT like that at all. We all have to realise that God knows us all better than any of us knows our own selves.

He created us all so unique - He breathed life into us - and He knows us all inside and out - who we really are, and he knows he has plans for all of us - He actually created us for a purpose

The other thing is that God knows where we will all end up; unfortunately, for so many of us, that place will be none of God's plan - the thing is, He has given us a mind of our own and a will to match. He has designed pretty much a paradise for us, BUT it is really up to us to accept or reject Him.

So many people reject God - you see it on television or at the movies - so many times they use the Lord's name in swearing and hostilities rather than what Jesus actually did on the cross to save all of us - so sad really. 
God will not hold us guiltless when we take His name in vain or reject Him entirely.

It's so encouraging when we listen to other people's encounters with God - it just comes bounding out to us that God will meet with us exactly where we are - it certainly doesn't have to be in a cathedral or some church - His great love for us transforms us, and also the lives of whoever responds to Him.

God's amazing love for you can transform you exactly where you are - be it at a beach, in a crowd, at work, or yes! even in a church. We certainly don't need to go anywhere special to 'find' God. He is so willing to find us if we are so willing to find Him.

How are you feeling about God - if you are at all?  I know from many years at work that so many people feel God is just some sort of mind spectre who appears in your mind and then disappears. I know for a fact that He is real and his love can transform you if you take the time to acknowledge His very presence and accept Him into your life.

He transformed me, and I know He can transform you - all you need to do is accept Him and ask Him into your life to lead you.

God bless you this week. Take care.

There's not a cloud in the sky

Life is just so beautiful - every day is just so wonderful - there is just nothing that can change the way we live and what we do - it just gets better and better as we go along.

Enjoying our life every single day with nothing to interrupt us - it is like living in fairyland every single day - laughing and joking - going out with friends and eating in restaurants, making new friends and being there, going overseas and giving lots of presents and getting presents from lots of people 

Yes! Life is perfect

Isn't it amazing when you hear others saying things like "isn't life great - everything is so wonderful"? Hmmm, makes me think - Yes, life can be great, but then on the other hand, life can be traumatic, and sometimes it can jump up and bite you unexpectedly.

The other day, our amazing son-in-law was rushed off to the hospital, yet again, and not just to our local hospital, which in itself is pretty good, but two hours down the highway to a private hospital in Sydney. He is suffering from cancer and had to have major surgery yet again.

So it just goes to show that there are often "clouds in the sky," and life can be traumatic.

Then, looking at the news we hear every day of people being attacked in their homes - brutally assaulted or even murdered - How do families cope with things like this? It is truly life-changing, and I can imagine life taking a drastic turn. When I hear of so many people overseas and here at home who are struggling to cope with so many problems, it really blows my mind.

A person just enjoying the drive, going along, and suddenly another car racing alongside and a huge collision, then disturbed gravel, deep ruts, then skid narks gouged through long grass at the side of the road. The driver is attempting to brake and regain control after their vehicle, which has left the road, as it spears towards the guardrail. But it is too late. 

The sideways force of the collision and the momentum of the sweeping left-hand curve have caused the car to flip over and clip the top of the guard rail.

Hitting the guardrail has only added to the momentum of the flipping motion of the vehicle. The car then rebounds off a tree and ends up twenty metres further down the embankment.

WOW, suddenly these horrible things happen, and can happen to any of us when we least expect it, and so many of us are affected currently and unfortunately permanently when we lose someone whom we love and adore.

So many of us are affected by car accidents, leaving the family in deep mourning or constantly at the bedside of someone extremely injured in a horrible car accident.

Sometimes it is not car accidents but horrible illnesses that can affect even little ones in our family, and all these sorts of things can affect us our entire lives.

Mathew is a flight guy - loves flying, and off he goes flying low over his rugged landscape where he lives and works. Over seemingly endless craggy hillocks and jagged ravines. He loves it, and he is all alone.

Matthew was on a mission, actually, orders from his boss - his mission was to attempt and locate missing cattle, and he was to photograph and mark such positions as he found on the map squashed on his lap.

He passes over what appears to be nomadic camel trains, and they remind him of the people recorded in the Bible all those years ago who had lived their lives oblivious to any Western influence. Matthew muses and waves down to them. The camels look so slow and awkward as they are spurred on by their riders. Matthew loves his job and really enjoys it.

Suddenly, the engine falters - misses a beat but keeps on going. "Phew," thinks Matthew - "I must head back." he turns the plane around only to once again hear the engine give a jolt and falter. He keeps going, and then the engine seems ok.

Suddenly, it stops completely - nothing - he tries to restart - nothing - it nosedives so quickly - he tries the ejector - too late.

Matthew was a great guy - he loved his job.

How often are we affected in our families when something obscure like this can change our lives in a twinkling of a second? Losing our loved ones in disastrous accidents can have huge effects on us in so many ways.

I know I lost my little twin sister when she was just 12 months old. Did my family ever get over it and put it behind them? No! We did get on with life, and we did enjoy our family get-togethers, but in the background, the loss of a family member is always with you, no matter what.

You know, years ago, Jesus gave his life for you and me - the question that remains in so many people's lives is, why did he have to do that?

The Bible is pretty plain when it explains why Jesus had to die. Way back, sin entered the world through Satan, and all of humankind has been going downhill since then - we are all doomed to die at some point in our lives.

Jesus made it pretty plain that no matter how we live our lives, we all have to give an account to God the Father but Jesus died to take the punishment for our sins, and all we have to do is, accept by faith and believe in what Jesus did by dying on the cross to abolish our sins - which in itself is pretty amazing.

If you accept Jesus as Lord of your life and fully accept his death as the sacrifice for your sins, then this is the best part. Becoming a Christian is having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ - How do you do that? It is simply through faith - ask Him to come into your life and lead you. 

If you are ready to ask Jesus to save you, that is become your Saviour, all you have to do is to believe. You have to understand that like me and everyone else in the world, you have sinned, and that means a big judgment from God the Father. 

The thing is, Jesus took our punishment when he died on that horrible cross, and he died in our place. He paid for our sins that we have already committed.

All we have to do is simply put our trust in Jesus as our Lord and saviour and fully trust in Him alone all done by faith - that is all it takes.

God bless you this week.

Stop Looking - Found it

Nothing worse than losing something?

Elsie was walking along the street, making her way home, when she looked down in her bag to get the home key out, and she noticed her wallet, containing pretty much everything, was missing. 

Shock and disaster rang out - Oh NO!! I've been shopping all afternoon, and it could be anywhere!

Ever lost anything?

I know I have, and it's a horrible feeling, especially when whatever you have lost contains all sorts of important things that can have a huge effect on your life.

My wife was shopping for new shoes at some point, and when she went to pay for the ones she had picked out, she couldn't find the credit card - all dismay hit her! Where could it be? 

To cut a long story short, after going to all the other shops she had visited, she had to cancel the lost card (which in itself can be a lot of work) and pay for the shoes by cash - pretty much unheard of here in Oz.

She got home, and the shoe shop rang to tell her that the lost card had been found under the seat she had used in the shop - very frustrating.

Back to Elsie - her whole wallet was lost - it contained not only her house keys, but all her credit cards, all her money, all her other cards, including her car licence, her blood bank card, and numerous other cards.

Her life changed in a twinkling of an eye - Another long story cut short it took her months to finalise everything- she lost at least three hundred dollars in cash as well as all her credit cards - fortunately she was able to cancel her card and save her bank savings which was in jeopardy if someone had been able to withdraw cash form her bank accounts or go shopping in her name.

We are pretty lucky in this country of ours - mostly banks and others will help us out if a disaster like this strikes us.

You know our lives can change in the twinkling of an eye as well - something can happen in our lives that will immediately and permanently alter us in so many different ways.

Just yesterday, here we are in Newcastle, Australia, a total disaster fell. A young couple who had decided to go surfing early was attacked by a huge bull shark. The young couple was viciously attacked. A young man tried to rescue them, pulling them out of the water.

So sad, really - the young lady died at the scene, and the young man is in a horrible condition, maybe losing his legs - truly a disastrous situation.

How do we cope with something like this? Quite a question!

There is really no answer because no matter what we go through, our lives can change so quickly and permanently.

We hear on the news constantly, every single day, how people the world over are suffering all sorts of disasters - things that many people will never get over.

I know the world changed dramatically when a young baby was born in a dirty old stable well over 2000 years ago - the baby, of course, was Jesus, born in extreme poverty, and yet grew up and forged ahead to make our lives a miracle if we can accept His salvation.

So many people today think that Jesus was nothing, that he was born and died, and that was the end of that - how wrong can you be?

I know that he changed my life - I was completely lost, dwelling on the bad and horrible things that happened in my life. They are still with me, and unfortunately, I will continue to live with them come what may, BUT I know that Jesus came into my life and changed me.

Before I asked Jesus into my life to lead me, I was completely and utterly at a loss, trying to cope with all the horrible and nasty things that kept surfacing in my life.  Did my life's circumstances change after I asked Jesus to come into my life and lead me?

Actually, NO, I still had all my upsets and worries - my life seemed to keep going through lots of traumas, BUT my life did change - I know that asking Jesus Christ to come into my life and making Him No.1 had a huge effect.

When things go crook, I ask Christ to guide me, to come into my life and take charge, helping me to cope with whatever it is that changes my life. I keep my eyes and my heart on Him at all times no matter what disaster falls on me.

I'm off this weekend and traveling a couple of hours to be with my son in a hospital in Sydney. He has a severe case of cancer and has undergone major surgery, removing his pelvis. I doubt he will ever be able to walk again.

Do we give up?

Never!

Jesus died for us, and both my son and I and the rest of our family know that whatever may happen, we all know where we are going regardless.

Do you know?

Give your life to Jesus today. He will come in and guide us all through the tough times, whatever they me be in your life and mine.

God bless - see you next time.

Envy is a terrible thing

 Envy is a terrible thing - a cancer on the soul.

"These days, he calls himself a property developer and a 'facilitator', although I don't know what a facilitator does and have no desire to find out. It's like that famous quote about sausages. "Sometimes it's best not to see how they're made or what goes inside."

The above is a famous quote from an unknown, but to me, it sounds like someone is really quite envious of someone else, as goes the story of many different people throughout the world.

Envy is quietly going on behind many people's lives - it can be dangerous, it can be malicious, and it can border on murder!

Envy apparently involves painful and resentful awareness of an advantage someone else has rather than yourself.

Envy comes with a desire to possess whatever someone else has and keep it all to yourself.

Envy can lead to many and varied negative thoughts and actions, and also extreme resentment, insecurity in yourself, and, unfortunately, a serious case of envy for some other person.

Envy can also be about wanting what someone else has, and it can lead to extreme cases of jealousy, being terrified of someone liking someone else better than yourself, or fearing the loss of something you already have.

The definition of "envy" is to want what belongs to someone else. That is a really a very simple way of putting it, I guess.

In lots of ways, I guess a whole lot of us have suffered from envy at some point in our lives - I know I definitely have. Here I was stuck in a family of Mum and Dad and three other siblings, all with amazing singing voices (except me and Mum), and having to listen to them over and over again.

I was actually quite envious of them - so many times I watched them all perform and had to well and truly take a back seat. 

It wasn't till good old Mum sat me down and explained in great detail that envy is a resentful, dissatisfied, and extreme desire and longing to be like someone else or to want their talents or even their possessions.

I was really taken aback by what she said. Here was I thinking, "I want what they have got," and I received quite a shock when she explained we all have our unique lives and we are all so different!

Envy is, as the Bible explains, an act of humanity and is the result of sin, which unfortunately is in all of us.

There are lots of types of sin in the world, from hatred, jealousy, rage, etc, etc. If you look in the Bible in Galatians chapter 5, it says quite plainly that those of us who live like this will NOT inherit the Kingdom of God.

Now that to me is pretty scary, so I will quote from Galatians 5:19-21: "The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and ENVY; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will NOT inherit the kingdom of God."

The very first case of envy is recorded in the Bible, in the story of Cain and Abel - here were the brothers (whom I have mentioned before in my blog), going about their work and also offering special things to God, such as burnt sacrifices (not human, I might add). Cain became jealous of his brother Abel and then killed Him.

And so it goes on in the Bible, with Esau and Jacob, Rachael and Leah, Saul and David, and so on. It's well worth the read when you have the time; it is really very interesting.

Envy is a heart thing, and it can really muck you around - I am so pleased that my Mum, all those years ago, dragged me screaming over the fact that I should never lust after what others have and be so content with what you do have - regardless of what that may be.

Trusting in Jesus as Lord of our lives is really THE only way to avoid envy - does that mean you will never ever be envious of anything or anyone? Unfortunately, no, it doesn't mean that - we will all fall into the trap of being envious of something or someone BUT being aware of what has befallen you, coming to God in prayer and asking His forgiveness is really all you need to do.

He will certainly forgive our downfall IF we are truly sorry for being caught in Satan's net of lies and traps, and God will forgive - He has promised to do so, and he certainly will if you truly come to Him and ask Him to.

FORGIVE means to completely start anew - get rid of the old -  pardon the past - start anew - cancel all sorts of debts. Forgiveness is an act of pure love and certainly means holding nothing against the person who has wronged you. Tough? Yep, can be! But with, God on our side, we CAN forgive - and we can also ask forgiveness if we feel we have certainly wronged someone in the past.

Takes courage to do that, and unfortunately, when we do ask for forgiveness, that person may decide not to forgive - that is entirely up to them, but the miraculous thing about that is that God knows YOUR heart and He is fully aware that you asked for forgiveness, which came from your heart regardless of whether that person decides to forgive or not.

So, where are you with your walk with God?

Come to Him today - ask His forgiveness and also ask Him to come and lead your life. Hand your life over to Him.

God bless you this week - any questions, please ask, and we will try to help.

Unbearable

Oh, sighed Hannah - in the past few weeks, she had been feeling a bit off. She had a lump in her throat that came and went, and there were times when her throat felt constricted, as if it was being squeezed by an invisible hand. 

It's absolutely nothing she felt and got dressed and went off to work in the restaurant next door - in her usual nice manner, being extremely beautiful in nature to all the customers - everyone loved Hannah.

As the day wore on, her throat worsened, and the discomfort was unbearable - she kept working. Her throat was scratchy, and a rough sort of feeling seemed to worsen as the day progressed.

She experienced a stinging and burning sensation, particularly when swallowing or speaking.

She ended up with a dull aching sensation which kept turning into a sharp, intense discomfort in her poor old throat. There was tenderness when she touched her neck as well.

She didn't want to go to the doctor! BUT she did. She was so helped.

What do you do in this situation?? Do you go to a doctor?? Some people in some countries can't go to a doctor - I think of the many, many people overseas in so many war-torn countries that can't seek any sort of medical help at all. It is really bad news.

Many people have and are suffering all sorts of horrible and even terminal illnesses, and can't do anything about it.

Living in countries that have medical help available is truly wonderful. Our neighbour recently went to have just a normal check-up, and his doctor advised him that he had the start of cancer and advised that an operation was necessary straight away.

I feel so sad when I consider so many people the world over can't have access to medical help at all - we are truly blessed, just as Hannah would have been.

Hearing the news last night, I was again shocked at the disasters around the world happening every single day, from tornadoes to hurricanes, from alarming murders to kidnappings, from horrendous car crashes to shootings by the score.

I am just in awe that we live in an area where toothaches, sore throats, and broken toes can be remedied by doctors, whereas throughout the world, so many thousands of people are going through absolute hell - no doctors - no medical treatment - homelessness (which we have here as well) and yet where we live we are incredibly blessed.

You know, Jesus went through absolute hell Himself while he was here on earth - He was ridiculed, spat on, beaten, whipped, crucified, nailed to a cross, laughed at as he died, and yet he did it for you and he did it for me.

He took our sins even though we weren't even born yet and killed them for us by His horrible death on that cruel cross. Sometimes I find His death amazingly sad yet amazingly courageous - He is our Lord and King, and there is nothing that can take that away.

Today, it is often so hard to stand up for God - there are so many countries in the world that not only ridicule Christians but torture and kill many thousands who stand up for Jesus and believe in His holy name.

He has prepared a place for us or for those who come to Him, confessing their sins and asking Him to come into their life and change them.

Come to Him today - hand your life over to Him - the world itself is going downwards at a rate of knots, and yet our Lord is amazingly there for us every single second of every single day.

Have a good week, regardless of what is happening around us.

God bless - see you next time.

Hero

Cam was this fierce little boy, the youngest, but always scampering to follow after his brothers. He was trying hard to find his place in the world and holding on for dear life. Take the camping trip, the one where he saved his brother Pete's life.

Pete hadn't been well all the previous week, and he didn't really want to go camping, but he was never one to miss out on an opportunity. He had come down with an allergy and should have been more careful not to eat peanuts, but when you are camping, well....

Pete went down so fast, gasping for breath, and a feeling of dread came over all the boys who were camping with Cam and Pete.

Cam searched for his allergy pen to inject for his brother, but couldn't find it. As small as Cam was, he hauled big brother over his shoulder and struggled through the bush for at least 4 kilometers until he finally found a passing car and flagged it down.

Fortunately, Pete was still breathing, albeit pretty faintly. The driver of the car, a lady, quickly turned the car around and went back the way she came to the local hospital ten kilometres away.

The hospital organised a helicopter and flew Pete and Cam to the main hospital, at least 150 kilometres away. Cam asked the pilot to contact their parents, and of course, they obliged, and they flew into Sydney hospital.

Cam stayed with his big brother as the doctors and nursing staff rushed Pete through the emergency ward and to the theatre. Cam stayed with him as long as he could until one of the nursing staff very nicely took him aside and seated him in a waiting room not far away from his brother.

Cam and Peter's parents arrived and were rushed to the waiting room, where they met up with Cam. Pete had to have a resuscitation operation, and when it was over, two doctors came into the room where Cam and his parent were waiting.

They quickly got up to talk to the doctors to find out exactly what had happened, and one of the doctors explained that it was really touch-and-go when it came to saving Pete's life. They explained in great detail exactly how much young Cam had actually saved his brother's life.

How amazing to be in such a place to have saved someone's life like that - it makes me wonder just how many people have actually been in a very similar situation. Incredibly, people put themselves in precarious situations to help others - a sentiment we have heard many times over the years.

Cam is a HERO

                                                                                        ****

It was when the twin towers at the World Trade Centre were horribly destroyed in the USA on September 11th, 2001, by Islamist terrorists' suicide attacks by al-Qaeda. 

Nineteen terrorists hijacked four airliners, and then one flew into Centre in New York City. So many people were horribly killed, but what was extraordinary was the fact that so many people put their very own lives at incredible risk to save others. My heart goes out to the families of the 2,977 people killed on that day, and also to the thousands more injured.

This from Wikipedia

"Firefighters from the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) rushed to the World Trade Centre minutes after the first plane struck the North Tower. Chief Joseph W. Pfeifer and his crew with Battalion 1 were among the first on the scene."

How amazing were these firefighters and, of course, the many, many others all on the scene - truly awe-inspiring 

It's so sad when a family member dies. It truly can be heartbreaking.

These firefighters and rescuers are HEROES

                                                                                    ****

Jesus put his life well and truly on the line for all of us. He gave his life to save mine and yours on that devastating day over 2000 years ago. WHY? Because without His payment for my sins, I would be held accountable by God and would pay the price.

We have heroes in this old world of ours - people who really put their lives on the line for us every day. 

Jesus actually gave his life to pay for my sins and yours - all you really have to do is ask Him to lead your life.

JESUS IS OUR HERO

God bless you this week

Gabby dabs her eyes with a tissue

Gabby dabs her eyes with a tissue. She looks at Jennie. It's been a lot to process, you know.

Jennie nods. You're doing great. Wish I could be really helpful.

Poor Gabby, losing her boyfriend Nate in a disastrous car accident, isn't anyone's favourite thing to witness - he was horribly hurt - Gabby just couldn't take it. She was so right saying that it is a lot to process.

Yes, Nate was speeding, and yes, Gabby was with him when they collided with that truck - all he did was lose his concentration for hardly a second, reaching for a surprise present for Gabby in the back seat. He had spent a long time choosing this surprise, and he certainly didn't expect that this surprise was something that would cost him his life.

Jennie, too, was so physically injured that it was really touch-and-go! Why was Nate speeding so much? They really weren't in that much of a hurry! Oh Nate! What have you done?

Nate's friend Martin trots after Jennie and Gabby. "You all right, Gab?"  says Martin. "Yes," says Gabby, but of course, she isn't.

Martin nods, his expression sympathetic. He couldn't help but express his thoughts out loud. "Nate shouldn't have been speeding - what an idiot."

Thank goodness Gabby can be comforted by friends such as Jennie and not Martin.

It's amazing, isn't it, how some people express themselves.

I know, from my limited experience, that people can be really thoughtful and expressive, but some people, like Martin, have to express their feelings regardless, and let everyone know how they are really feeling and reacting.

I know in my own family, when we lose a young loved one, some people can be sympathetic and can take your burden and really show genuine concern. While others can, and yes, they seem to show concern, but then just brush the concern away and get onto the next problem.

It can be a problem, especially for those of us who have been really hurt and sharing our hurt and concerns with others, only to find out down the line that these others really don't care at all.

A bit like Martin - showing concern and then bad-mouthing the deceased, Nate - sad but unfortunately so common.

Jesus's disciples were like this in lots of ways - they all stuck with him over at least three years of his ministry, only to let him down at the last minute before his horrible crucifixion.

I guess it would have been pretty ghastly when Jesus was crucified, and in lots of ways, I can understand where the disciples were coming from. If they had stood up for Jesus during his trial, then I guess they could have been crucified along with him - pretty horrible, really.

But then, as we know, Jesus knew all along exactly what was going to happen to Him; He was born of the virgin Mary, he was a sinless child, and a sinless youth and adult. As he grew, He knew exactly what was going to happen to Him and yet His life was sinless in every possible way.

Jesus died to take away sin, and he did. Unfortunately, not all of us accept what Jesus did when He gave His life for us. 

Only those of us who accept His sacrifice as an atonement for our personal sins will gain eternal life when we die and spend eternity with Him.

In John 3:16 in the Bible, it says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life."

So...To receive eternal life, we must believe with all our heart and soul in Jesus and accept what he did on Calvary all those years ago. This also involves confessing our sins and accepting Jesus as Lord and Saviour of our lives.

Do you want to come to Jesus today? Then ask Him into your life; accept what he did on Calvary all those years ago; then ask Him to come into your life and lead you.

Life will go on regardless, and the world can have some nasty results, BUT when Jesus comes into your life, then He becomes your pilot and leader; you rely on Him entirely regardless of any calamities you may experience as we travel along life's paths.

God bless you this week. Rely on Jesus regardless of what you are going through.

Hope to see you soon.

My Tribute

It's truly amazing what the mind believes when you are in a hurry to do what you need to do. We can get really carried away with all the things that are happening in our lives, and it goes on.

Our minds are amazing - they dictate to us what needs to be done, what needs to be amended, and often, sadly enough, they tell us all sorts of lies and crazy things, which we believe and will cause us all sorts of grief and anguish.

The "prince of this world," Satan! loves to goggle our minds and stops us from seeing the very marked truth that screams to us and shows us the very image of God through the life of Jesus Christ.

Satan has pulled the wool over the eyes of so many people and has stopped them from seeing and even thinking about what possibly could be true. The very fact that Satan has become a huge obstacle to make so many people 'blind' to the truths of their very need to accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour is a huge obstacle for so many people.

Jennifer makes her way over to the podium - a thousand things are going on in her mind - she is not sure why she is going except that after the guy out front said that anyone wanting to accept Jesus as Lord of their life should come down the front to talk to someone about accepting Jesus as No. 1 in their lives.

She felt a huge tug in her heart, and for the very first time, she felt so strongly the need to have Jesus in her life. Up until now, her parents had described Jesus as just a 'story', and he was seriously cute!

After tonight, sitting there with a couple of friends (and she didn't really hear what the guy was saying out the front), she felt this gigantic urge to walk out the front to somehow come to Jesus - she needed to pay him her tribute - and her huge thanks for everything he had done for her.

Suddenly, what Jesus did on that cross all these years ago all made sense. He died for her to pay for her life of sin - all those times her conscience was worrying her - all those times she had to push herself forward, not thinking of others - all those times her jealousy got the better of her and she put people down so often behind their backs, and it went on and on.

Not that she was overwhelmed by the address by whoever was talking out the front, BUT something inside of her clicked, and she knew she had to make a decision - a decision that she knew would affect her life from now on.

When she went out the front and made a commitment to the Lord of heaven, she knew in her heart without being told that her life would go on seemingly as normal, but in her heart, she knew that she had changed inside. She realised that her life would change, but she was fully aware that she would be making a lot of mistakes, and what would happen after that.

When she went out the front, there stood a lady with a big smile on her face and a BIG welcome hug.

She sat with Jennifer and talked a lot about her decision to come wandering down the front. Jennifer explained that she didn't really listen to the sermon at all, but she felt that God had spoken to her in a very special way. The lady explained that it was actually God who talked to her and not the minister at all. She also explained that the decision she was taking tonight would actually miraculously change her life.

That miraculous way was that her life path (which often can be hard to negotiate) was now going to end in heaven, where she would meet her saviour, Jesus Christ, in person. She also explained that while here on earth, she was going to continue to make the same mistakes over and over again.

The miraculous part of that, as the lady explained, was that when we make mistakes (as we all do) that we are constantly reminded that "YEP! You've made a mistake." Come to Jesus and confess your sin and ask His forgiveness - of course, He will.

She also explained that no matter what we have done, God will accept us into His amazing kingdom when our time comes, because we have asked Him to lead our lives, and we are going to trust Him, regardless of what may happen in life.

The lady also explained that because God, in His mercy, has accepted us and granted us eternal life with Him, that is indeed a huge and amazing gift. She explained that God always answers our prayers, but we can't expect an answer in the way we expect for every single one of our requests. 

Does that stop us from asking God to answer our requests? Not at all - pray in faith knowing that God, in His mercy, will keep us ever close to Him regardless of whatever happens to us or our loved ones here on earth.

Jennifer was pretty excited - she felt overwhelmed and yet hugely overcome with thankfulness for God's amazing gift of eternal life for her, regardless of what she had done in the past.

You can come to Christ right now if your heart asks you to. All you need to do is accept His great love and sacrifice for you, accept by faith His life and love - Put Him before everything else, and I can guarantee that your life will change amazingly - you may not feel it straight away, but I know you will change as a person.

Give your life to Jesus today.

God bless you this week  - looking forward to getting back in contact next time.

Log in to my account

 How many times have I seen this on the computer - I am so (very often) bewildered by it all. Go to pay your bill and have to press the key which says "Log in to my account," so there you go, it is all over to you - all they ever want is your $$ and be quick about it.

I shouldn't be whining - when you consider what is happening in the world around us, we live in a special place here in Australia, which is pretty comfortable considering what other people are going through. So, I thank the Lord that we are here.

I am so overwhelmed when we see the world around us. So many people take for granted the actual creation of God - the amazing start of each day and the equally amazing end of each day. The creation of the Earth as we know it. The stunning sunrise, then the equally stunning sunset. God's incredible creation.

When we read Genesis and how God created the earth, it really does blow your mind - God was here well before time! Which in itself never ceases to amaze me. He created time when you think about it.

Our beautiful world is amazing, even though many in this world of ours are suffering horribly, and their particular world is falling apart just by looking at it. BUT God's creation of our world, His invisible attributes, His eternal and amazing power, and of course His very divine nature stand out so visibly in all of creation - even though we take it so much for granted.

When, on the odd occasion, we stand back and look at God's amazing creation (if you haven't done it, then I suggest you do), we can just catch a real glimpse, and sometimes it's more than a glimpse - it's a real whack over the head as we consider there are over 100 billion galaxies and when we stand and look we can see the glory and the total might of God.

Even when we consider the very intricacies of life as we know it, well, it never ceases to amaze me.

God's very presence is in every living cell - there are 96,560 kilometres (60,000 miles) of blood vessels all placed in correct and amazing places in each of our bodies - WOW, what an amazing God we have.

So when you think about it, what does it mean to be in the presence of God, or in other words, to be close to God, which in itself is amazing as it sounds.

When Adam and Eve were created, God was with them all the time, personally and spiritually. Then, unfortunately, when they sinned, it meant that no longer could they, and of course, we ever have real face-to-face and heart-to-heart conversations with God. That to me would have been truly awesome. Instead, God had to turn away from them and us because he couldn't look at sin.

That is why God sent His son Jesus to live here on earth in a sinless and holy way and to die and shed his blood for all of us so that He would atone for the whole sins of the world. 

Of course, we have to accept his forgiveness, come to God through the death of Jesus, who died for us to atone for our sins. If we decide NOT to come to Jesus and ask His forgiveness, then we can't or ever will be able to come to God. 

The very fact that Jesus died for us can wipe away any sins we have committed or will commit in the future, BUT of course, we have to ask Him into our lives and make Him No. 1 in every situation where we find ourselves.

Once we have given our lives over to God, we never lose the gift of salvation, no matter how quickly or badly we fail - we never sin enough after giving our lives to God that we lose our salvation. Of course, we must continue to come to God, asking for forgiveness and relying totally on His Holy presence to guide our lives.

No matter how badly we fail through life in our Christian walk with God, we never sin so badly as to lose the miraculous miracle of salvation given to us through the very death of Jesus, who died to save us from our sins. I can imagine how sin angers God so so much, and he can't look at sin, BUT because we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and saviour, he will still be our God.

All of us, unfortunately, continue to sin because that is the world we live in, and human nature, being what it is, dictates to us all sorts of weirdness. But God accepts us through the very blood of Jesus, which was sacrificed for us all those years ago.

BUT...Being part of God's amazing family is and will continue to be one BIG JOY! Being gloomy in God's presence is and can be normal, so don't knock yourself out if life's misery can override your happiness, but God, in His wisdom, understands everything we are going through.

Underneath all of what life throws at us, perseverance through countless heartaches is at the core of our salvation through Jesus Christ, our Lord. The very presence of God in our lives increases and really helps us through the many crises we may face, as we often have to travel along life's rocky paths.

So...keep your faith strong in our Lord - keep looking to Him for guidance and encouragement as you travel along this week.

God bless you heaps and hope to see you next time

We are Truly blessed by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority

This is an actual case registered by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority...

"Around 9pm, on Monday, 29 September, a Westpac Rescue Helicopter was tasked by NSW Ambulance and asked to plan for a winch extrication of a passenger suffering a serious medical condition on board a cruise ship off Seal Rocks, northeast of Port Stephens. 

Due to the distance offshore, an aircraft from Essendon in Melbourne was dispatched by AMSA (Australian Maritime Safety Authority) and provided top cover during the rescue. The NSW Ambulance critical care paramedic from the helicopter's critical care medical team was winched onto the vessel and treated a man in his 60s, who was stabilised before being winched off the ship and airlifted to John Hunter Hospital."

This is just one of the most frequent cases of paramedics saving lives off our coast here in Newcastle, Australia - we are really and truly blessed.

It happens all too often, unfortunately - many people come to all sorts of grief off our coast. We have so many beaches that it is a constant job for so many people in all kinds of situations. As I mentioned, we are truly and honestly blessed to live where we do.

Grief is an awful thing; so many times we have seen people truly overcome by grief, which can affect all of us in so many ways. What some people see as truly immeasurable grief, to others, it may not seem to be grief at all.  Everybody is so different.

I am truly overawed by the very grief in my own family - sad but true, and sadly, where we have been overwhelmed by sadness and grief, others see it as 'just life', so get on with it.

Our neighbours agree with me that the world is going crazy with all sorts of grief and pain - we are often overwhelmed with the news we hear - the horrible and ghastly things that are happening in our world - none of us is immune to anything that happens.

Grief is an emotion, a huge emotion in our human experience, and I guess we all suffer from grief in our own way as we go through life - heaps of people recorded in the Bible went through grief, and we still are.

Sadly, we all experience all sorts of grief - it is a human experience and is part of life, unfortunately. We lose all kinds of things - and of course, people,

BUT...the amazing part of grief is that we have our hope and trust in God alone, knowing that He is strong and willing to help us carry whatever burdens we may have.

In Matthew 11, God's message to us is that  "His yoke is easy and his burden is light"; in other words, he is strong enough and so willing to help us carry our burdens.

We can give all of our troubles to Him - our hurts and our disappointments - our bereavements and our solitude, and he is strong and willing enough to help us carry them.

If we ask God to help us through our troubles, He will give us, through the Holy Spirit, a special comforter. In John 14 and verse 16, he says: "I will ask the Father and he will give you another advocate (helper) to assist you and be with you forever!"

Life can be so short - it wasn't all that long ago as I sat beside a dying man in a nursing home, he held my hand and he said to me, "Is God really there? - Can he see me where I am at the moment?'

It's so sad, isn't it? I always had the impression that this particular man knew God and had asked Him into His life to lead Him - I know He had a quiet time each day and read God's word through his bible, and yet here he was on death's bed and wanting to know if God was indeed real.

Praise God that when we give our lives to Him, He will come in and there He will stay.

You know we need faith, and that's what brings us to God in the first place - if we accept Christ and have him in our hearts like this chap did and ask him to lead us in life, then Christ does come in and will make His home in our hearts.

Praise you, Lord, that salvation does NOT depend on us - if it did, then it definitely could be lost and lost forever. BUT it doesn't depend on us at all!

We can all have doubts, but God's word, especially on the subject of ETERNAL LIFE, cannot be temporary - God won't ever EVER go back on His word - In Titus 1:2 it plainly says "GOD DOES NOT LIE."

In John 10, it says, "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand."

So how encouraging is this! God is with us if we truly believe in His word and put our whole faith and trust in Him!

Have you done that? Are you ready to give your life to Christ? Ask Him today!

God bless you this week.

startling gongs

 

What is a GONG?

This from Wikipedia

"Suspended gongs are played with hammers and are of two main types. The gong has been a Chinese instrument for millennia. Some gongs are loud enough to be heard from up to eight kilometres (five miles) away." 

Gongs were also used to summon the slaves from the fields.

Slaves years ago were apparently known as JIANMIN. Apparently, different dynasties used captives and criminals as their slaves.

It was also at that time, that is the Shang and Zhou dynasties,  peasants were constantly in servitude and weren't ever able to own their own land or even leave it without the permission of their 'owners'  - sad really!

Then there were the Qin and Tang Dynasties, when slavery, such as it was, expanded to not only using criminals and war captives but also all prisoners of war and whoever the chief in charge thought was needed to expand public works or to be spared execution to work the rest of their lives in hard labour.

Some people worked as domestics or on all sorts of large-scale public works. Slavery was a persistent and recurring issue.

Slavery was all around the world, even in Jesus' time. Slavery in Greece and Rome during this time was far in advance of what horrible things were happening in China at that time.

Slaves were considered property of their owners and must have faced really brutal conditions. Slavery in those days was really institutionalised and so virtually par for the course, as the saying goes, and everyone just accepted that fact. I can't imagine what some poor people were going through.

Jesus Himself must have seen what was happening all around him, and he was sure that His whole being was totally against slavery of any kind. Exodus 21:16 was so explicit against all kinds of slavery - reading that verse says it all - virtually anyone found selling people at all will be put to death - WOW, couldn't be more explicit.

But here we are in today's world, where slavery is still in existence - pretty horrible. People tricked into or even forced to work for no pay - kidnapped even - it's pretty devastating. 

Wow, even today, there are approximately 27 million people who are subject to slavery, forced labour, sex trade, and so it goes on and on. In the Bible, in Leviticus 25, it says that slaves should be treated as hired workers or temporary residents.

When we become Christians and we give our lives over to Christ, who paid with His life to save us from our sins, our lives are often changed dramatically, so dramatically that our entire life around us changes amazingly.

All women and men are created in God's image - we are ALL loved so intensely by God that slavery really has no place in our world at all. This condemns all who kidnap and sell persons from any race, anywhere, at any time.

In Genesis 1:27, God created us in His own image, which is itself an amazing and truly beautiful concept. It actually says in 1 Timothy that we are all brothers and sisters in the Lord, which is very encouraging.

God, in His love and mercy, created us to love and be loved in hugely various forms - his love is evident and with us in all sorts of situations which are available to us when we give our lives to Him. Unfortunately, there are lots of people in the world who refuse to know God at all.

Just recently, Sue and I were walking on the beach, and just on the promenade leading down to the sand. there is a memorial to a young bloke who was savagely knifed in the chest by one of his so-called acquaintances - he died instantly. 

They were apparently vaguely aware of each other, and it was late at night or quite early in the morning, and there was an argument, or what you could call a so-called indiscriminate argument.

Apparently, it wasn't what you would call a savage type of argument, but a guy pulled out a knife anyway and stabbed the young fellow, who died pretty much straight away.

These young people had no idea about God and what he actually did for them all those years ago. In today's world, there are a few people who truly believe in lots of ways that they are really important and, in fact, in God's eyes, they are, but here on earth, we should really be putting others ahead of ourselves.

I know I have had all sorts of trouble with that, so I really can't point the finger at anyone - But this young man really wasn't going to let another young man take the shine off his personality - so so sad, really.

The young guy who was killed so dastardly that early morning now has a tribute along the beach walkway put there by his mum and dad. As a parent myself, I can only imagine what they go through - I really can't wrap my head around that fact.

It wasn't that long ago in a nearby neighborhood that a young man approached a group of noisy young people wrecking garbage bins and things on the sidewalk, and the same thing happened - they pulled a knife and he ended up dead.

When you think of the slaves mentioned above, even today, and also of the families so bereft of their members, young or old, taken from them forcefully and horribly, hundreds of them worldwide, it really gives us a wake-up call!

Where do we go with this? Always makes me really wonder where it will all end.

Putting God first is extremely important for us when we give our lives over to Jesus. In the Bible, in Matthew 22 and verse 37, it says, "Love the Lord your God with all your soul and with all your mind." In other words, we have to be totally 100 percent given over to God

Nothing has to come before God - of course, loving your family is awesome, and we are so willing to give up everything for them - the same has to be said for God - he actually comes first in everything. Does that make it hard to live like that?

Of course not - putting God first means we strive constantly to give Him first place in everything we do.

So, where are you with God? Do you think of Him at all? - Is He some sort of mystic being that you are vaguely aware of?

Do we know God at all? Are we going to have to give an account of our lives to God?

Yes, we are!! Are you ready?

Our very salvation is gained by faith. In John 3:16, it says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." Through faith in Christ and by fully trusting in Him, salvation is ours.

How are you? Ready to give your life to Christ? Jesus' death on the cross fully paid for your sins. Accept Him today and fully trust in Him. Doesn't mean that you will live the perfect life, but what it does mean is that God is there for you. Come to Him, always asking His forgiveness.

Have a great week, and hope to see you next time.