Our last post… well from this blog anyway!

Hi all,

Just a quick post to let you know that our blog is moving from this one to c3churchthirroul.wordpress.com

So as we bid a fond farewell to this old blog, we look forward to all of the new and exciting posts that will be coming your way via the new C3 Church Thirroul blog.

Make sure you change over your favorites pages, bookmarks and any RSS feeds.

Cheers,

The God of Social Justice

by Peter Starr & Lisa Lockett

Christians generally seem to think about the Old Testament and the New Testament as entirely separate works. Most often, it is generally felt that the God of the Old Testament was mean-spirited and quick to anger. In contrast, Jesus in the New Testament is the essence of love, tolerance, grace and compassion. Separated by over 3,000 years of culture, the Older Testament (often called the law) can be difficult to understand or comprehend. Because of these challenges, the God of the Old Testament gets a bit of a bad rap! In Bruce Almighty, Jim Carrey sums up the feelings of many of us when he throws up the ultimate challenge to God – “Smite me, oh mighty smiter!”

But the law is still worth a look, for woven all throughout its pages are wisdom that transcends time and culture, and social justice that is as radical as any that is championed today. This is the way it has to be, because the God of the Old Testament and the compassionate Jesus of the New Testament are really one and the same. The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 7:12 that “But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good.” So within the pages of this mysterious book is the essence of the love, grace and compassion that came to it’s fullness in Jesus Christ.

So what are some of the gems hidden in the Old Testament?

Respect for parents

Leviticus 19:3 Every one of you should honour and respect his mother and his father, and keep My Sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.

What can we say? All parents would love this one! Parenting has become a million-dollar industry as parents try (and fail) to raise the perfect kids. God understood that a family environment of love, boundaries and respect is good for parents and kids, no matter what their age.

Protection for the disabled

On a recent trip to Cambodia we witnessed Christians educating and caring for kids with disabilities. They had set up places to give mothers much-needed support. On closer investigation we found out that the prevailing culture believes that these kids are born cursed, and deserve such a fate and therefore no one should seek to help them. We’re glad that Moses got it right with the following:

Leviticus 19:14 you should not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but should fear your God: I am the LORD.

Protection for the poor and disadvantaged

In most of our world the poor are ripped off and just used up by the rich. Through God’s good provision the world has enough resources for all, but the problem is in the distribution, which is really the greed of man. Below is just one example of providing for the poor:

Leviticus 19:10 and you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I am the LORD your God.

Other poverty fighting initiatives included cancellation of debts after 7 years and zero interest on loans – who wouldn’t love that?

Loving treatment of all – the world’s best immigration policy

Many people have difficultly comprehending the Old Testament’s instructions for war – they are pretty ugly. War has always been ugly by nature; no country, if honest, could claim any sort of virtue in this regard. But look what the Bible says about those who have been displaced by war, or have sought refuge in another country – the compassion in this next verse is quite striking:

Leviticus 19:34 The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

The world’s first feminist?

Many think that the battle for equal rights for women was a battle that only really began in the last century, and in many respects they are right. But all those who battled for women’s rights had a kindred spirit in Jesus, who was the forerunner for justice for women. Whether rescuing a woman from death (found in John chapter 8), or engaging with women from different cultures (check out his conversation with the Samaritan woman in John chapter 4); Jesus was consistently defying the culture and authorities of the day to give dignity and respect to women.

Throughout history, whenever Christians have left these principles of justice by the wayside their ventures have led to disaster. Righteous intentions have, without grace and mercy, become murderous endeavors. The tragedy is that that there are too many examples. And yet, for every misstep and mistake, there are many more Christians whose drive to follow the loving example of God has led to many great works. It was Christians who started orphanages and hospitals. Others were at the forefront for the abolition of slavery or education during the middle ages. Many Christians have lost their lives in the pursuit of this kind of social justice. This is the history that every Christian should build on; the history that started with the God of the Old Testament, and the Christ of the New. Some things in the Old Testament are pretty difficult to understand to our modern minds, but the God of the Bible really is a God of social justice, one who has always “so loved the world,” and desires to see His love and justice at work in the world today.

The 5th Commandment – Preface

Church Blog – 5^th Commandment

Exodus 20:12 (New American Standard Bible)

¹²“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you.

Hey Church,

I hope this Blog entry finds you well and loving life being in God. As promised here is an expanded, written version of my message that due to time restraints was unable to be fully examined on Sunday. I have decided to break the message/essay in to four parts in order to make it easier to read (less daunting) and hopefully, also, to string a few people along! This is what it will look like:

1.     Preface (like an introduction).

2.     Part 1 – Breaking Apart Texts and The Context of the 5^th Commandment.

3.     Part 2 – What relevance does the 5^th Commandment and the Ten have today?

4.     Part 3 – How do we make Godly decisions or how do we use these teachings effectively in day-to-day life?

Preface

The Ten Commandments is about decision-making. God spoke the words of these commands to Moses in order that they be read out to the people of Israel as guidelines/laws that would allow them to remain/to be holy and righteous, pleasing to God. God designed these laws so that the people in their day-to-day decision-making had a foundation to fall back on. This would allow them to know the heart of God and discern what would be and not be sin in their decision. For instance:

• The goats need milking but it is the Sabbath
• It would be so easy to just take a few of my neighbour’s chickens, I need them
• Should I listen to my parents today

I think we get the point here. Remembering also that the Ten Commandments were just the concrete slab for a high-rise building of laws and guidelines for God’s people. Can the law of the Old Testament still work today? It could, however, you must be willing to pay the consequences of breaking the law. For instance:

• A disobedient son can be stoned to death (Deuteronomy 21:18-21).
• A sacrifice of perfect livestock and other foodstuff must be paid in atonement of sin.
• You would need to be circumcised guys.

The inescapable universal law that cannot be avoided is that a consequence or more accurately a price always needs to be paid for a sinful choice. Remembering also that God judges the motive behind choice (Prov 16:2, 1 Chron 28:9). Alternatively, a Godly choice will produce or lead to producing what we call ‘good fruit’ (see Hebrews 11:24-26). Here is a basic taxonomy of what this looks like:

The reason we no longer need to live through the ‘law’ and the Ten Commandments is because of Jesus and his gift of Grace that includes the sending of the Holy Spirit. Jesus paid the price for our sin so that we don’t have to. Paul explains the significance of this in Romans. That basically because of inherited sin in our earthly body/mind if we rely only on the law and the commandments then we are sure to fall short of God’s glory. This is because we are relying on ‘Flesh’ that is dead and as such is naturally predilected (will naturally try) to sin (Romans 7). Instead, with the death and more importantly the resurrection of Jesus Christ we no longer need to rely on a static law because our God is alive within us and we have a Holy Spirit who counsels and intercedes for us. The situation has not changed. God still wishes us to be holy, righteous and pleasing to him through good decision-making and choices. What has changed and become better is that we now have a dynamic helper in the Holy Spirit and a perfect example in Jesus and his word (the Bible). With these two things we have every opportunity to make good decisions that will bear good fruit for God’s glory.

Bless you readers and keep an eye out for Part 1 – Breaking Apart Texts and The Context of the 5^th Commandment.

Tim Canosa

tim_canosa@hotmail.com

The world of a missionary…

After 8 months in Burma, a young female missionary living by faith shares some of her experiences:

§ Monsoon rains that bring floods, somewhat cooler weather and electricity.

§  Humidity, dampness and mould.

§  Leaky roof.

§  “What have you cooked today?” “Have you eaten yet?” questions I’m asked everyday.

§  A foreigner asks me “How do you run your appliances when you have no electricity?” my reply “I have no appliances. I buy fresh from the market everyday, I cook with a little gas stove and wash my clothes by hand”.

§  A young boy who likes to eat the noodles off my plate and share his noodles with me.

§  Tea salad, sunflower seeds and mohinga (fish noodle soup), favourite snacks between meals.

§  Street kids, getting to know them and them getting to know me.

§  Seeing elderly western men holidaying with young Burmese boys.

§  Teaching English to a Buddhist monk and a Catholic nun.

§  My neighbour showing me how to do my hair Burmese “teacher” style.

§  A taxi ride paid for by a stranger.

§  The world cup with my neighbours.

§  A 72-year-old lady now retired, spends her time making donations to monasteries and schools with the hope of being richer in her next life.

§  An all day trip in a utility truck to see a 92-year-old monk.

After five months, and at this stage only being able to get by in the basics of Burmese language, I find myself looking and listening more than talking. I’ve learnt that the Burmese are very passionate about their beliefs, whether they be Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism or Christianity.

I hear the neighbours below me pray to their Buddhist shrine every night. Most people when they have a view of the famous gold-coated Shwe Dagon Pagoda will stop and pray, whether they are walking, in a bus or driving a taxi. I’ve seen Hindu festivals of people walking through the streets with fire, singing and dancing. I’ve seen 100’s of Catholics parade down my street with shrines to Mary praying and singing.

I am regularly invited to join friends who visit Pagoda’s on Buddhist holidays to worship with them. One close friend always asks me to visit her Buddhist “saya”, teacher, who she goes to most every week for counsel and prayer. Another friend has been explaining to me about the Islam holy month of Ramadan.

One good friend has shared with me that he has a “strong desire” for me to learn meditation so I can discover the truth of inner peace. In the past 2 months, he has been on two 10-day Buddhist meditation camps. We talk about faith and belief often. He shares with me the truths of Buddhism and I share with him the truth of the love and grace of the one true Creator God.

What Motivates Us…

by Pete Starr

What is it that motivates us? Quite often the assumed number one motivator was money.  This clip truly challenges that belief .  It is a whiteboard animation of a Dan Pink talk.  Really well done.  Hope you enjoy it.

Being Proactive…

by Peter Starr

I love to see people taking responsibility for their actions. Some things we cannot change but all we can do is do the best with what we have been given. The following comes from the book “Successful Christian Ministry” by Mark Conner.

“We cannot choose how many years we will live, but we can choose how much life those years will have.

We cannot control the beauty of our face, but we can control the expression on it.

We cannot control life’s difficult moments, but we can choose to make life less difficult.

We cannot control the negative atmosphere of the world, but we can control the atmosphere of our minds.

Too often, we try to choose and control things we cannot.

Too seldom, we choose to control what we can…our attitude.”

What can you do?

Are you making the most with what you have been given?

Would the word proactive be used by your peers in describing you?

We cannot change our past but I believe we can change our future!

A couple of the best April fools jokes ever…

by Pete Starr.

Here are a couple of the best April fool jokes ever done. Taken from a top 10 list in “Time”.

The Left-Handed Whopper – 1998

Burger King cooked up a whopper of a different sort in 1998, but that didn’t mean fast-food customers were any less willing to swallow it. In a full-page ad in USA Today, Burger King announced a solution for the 1.4 million left-handed customers visiting their restaurants every day: the Left-Handed Whopper. Burger King said all the condiments were rotated 180° to suit the left-handed burger connoisseur. Southpaws eagerly tried to order the burger the next day, but they had to wait in line behind right-handed folks equally caught up with making sure they got the correct Whopper. The thought that a burger is basically, you know, a circle apparently never crossed their minds.

Planetary Alignment – 1976

The British media have a unique affinity for pulling April Fools’ pranks, matched only by the British public’s unique ability to fall for them. On April 1, 1976, BBC Radio 2 astronomer Sir Patrick Moore gave listeners some bunk about how, at 9:47 a.m., Pluto and Jupiter would align in such a way as to temporarily reduce Earth’s gravity. Moore told listeners to jump at exactly that time to experience the once-in-a-lifetime effect. At 9:48, callers flooded the lines, eager to describe how they had briefly floated. News that Moore had played them no doubt brought everyone crashing back to earth.

Atheism: Why the argument?

by Pete Starr

There has been a lot of debate in the media regarding the existence of God which has been fueled by the recent visit to Australia of some of the worlds leading atheists. Newspaper editors have commented that they are surprised by the number of letters and the passion of the writers no matter what their view is. As a Christian I have been embarrassed by the rudeness or lack of respect shown to others who may possess a view different to our own.  Anyway best stick to some facts of the big picture.

• No one can ever win an argument. I cannot prove the existence of God any more than Richard Dawkins can prove that he does not exist. If fact as a Christian for nearly 30 years it is still possible for me to personally doubt the existence of God. Having said that I have decided to live God’s way which is a life lived by faith.

• The Bible teaches that people who do not believe in Christ are if fact not able to discern the truth of His Word. Finding God is not a matter of intelligence on the part of man or proving God through an argument. Although, christian people should be a people of prayer, good attitude and some intelligence. It’s the Holy Spirit who convicts of the need for one to change his or her way. It’s impossible for one to come to Christ without the help of the Holy Spirit.

• Believing in God is a good thing. I personally was lost, without hope and feeling pretty empty until my conversion. AA is well known throughout the world for helping people overcome their addiction to alcohol. People who go to AA are not trying to find God but step 2 is about believing in a power greater than oneself can restore a person to sanity. Believing in God or a higher power is vital for the person to move on in life.

• I always said to my kids when they were in high school to check out their friends. If family life was better in their families then we could learn something. It has been statistically proven that people with faith live longer, have a greater chance of staying married and have more sex within marriage than non- believers. Christian people should be upright people who work hard and pay taxes. It is unfortunate that many of my Christian brothers and sisters seem hung up on judging others but Jesus was never like that. He modeled love. Our message is positive and many are helped through the good news of Christ. I would hate to come across judgmental of those who do not have faith but I would also like them to not judge me. I was reading a Lady GaGa quote taken out of recent Sydney Morning Herald article where she says “Have filthy thoughts. Express them constantly. The more provocative you are the more publicity you get.”  I personally do not think that those attitudes are helpful and would hope that the common sense of that opinion would be shared with those who do not believe in Christ.

Variations in “F” on the Prodigal Story

Feeling footloose and frisky, a feather-brained fellow

Forced his fond father to fork over the farthings.

And flew far to foreign fields

And fabulously frittered his fortune with faithless friends.

Fleeced by his fellows in folly, and facing famine,

He found himself a feed-finder in a filthy farmyard.

Fairly famishing, he fain would’ve filled his frame,

With foraged food from fodder fragments.

“Fooey, my father’s flunkies fare far finer,”

The frazzled fugitive forlornly fumbled, frankly facing facts.

Frustrated by failure, and filled with foreboding,

He fled forthwith to his family.

Falling at his father’s feet, he forlornly fumbled, “Father, I’ve

Flunked, and fruitlessly forfeited family fellowship favor,”

The farsighted father, forestalling further flinching,

Frantically flagged the flunkies.

“Fetch a fatling from the flock and fix a feast.”

The fugitive’s fault-finding brother frowned

On fickle forgiveness of former folderol.

But the faithful father figured,

“Filial fidelity is fine, but the fugitive is found!

What forbids fervent festivity?

Let the flags be unfurled! Let fanfares flare”

Father’s forgiveness formed the foundation

For the former fugitive’s future fortitude!

What is Love?

We hear things like, “I love apple pie!” or “Women love to shop!” or “I’ve fallen in love!”

On the other hand I have such a deep love for my wife and children – its hard to put into words.

Love in the Bible is not weak or a feeling but it is powerful. It will fight for a worthy cause, reach out to help another, break down walls that may keep people at a distance or give without keeping a record.

The giving and receiving of love on a daily basis is vital for soul (emotional) health. We are nothing without love.

Listed below are a few of the aspects of the love that God has for us all.

Love of God is

• Unconditional

Rom.8:38-39  For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

You cannot do anything to keep Him from loving you. No sinner has committed an unpardonable sin. You may be in a state of unbelief – but He still loves you. You may have committed such a sin (you think – inexcusable) but He still loves you. You can put an umbrella up to keep yourself out of the rain, but you cannot stop the rain from falling. Neither can you stop God from loving you – regardless of the umbrella of sin or unbelief that you are under.

• Eternal

God’s love is constant and never changes. We may be disillusioned with life or ourselves but God has no illusions about our true condition.

Jn.15:9 As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.

To abide is to make it our abode or dwelling place. That means we can always live out of such a place.

• Powerful

Love will

-       cross an ocean

-       fight a fight

-       reconcile people

-       pay a price

-       say sorry

Our doctrine and high ideals are nothing without love. I’m upset when I read of African pastors wanting the death penalty for homosexual people in Uganda when the pride of some Christians makes us no better. People need love not judgment. When we are filled with love, we are filled with God, we are filled with the Spirit,  we are filled with life! It draws people, people want it, people need it, God in us is powerful.

The love of God is very powerful!

Colossians 1:13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,

• Complete

Although we have so much in the west many are so empty. More and more people are living alone. Depression is on the increase and many are addicted to various substances. Many of our relationships are fragmented.

I believe that there is a void within us all that was meant for God. He is the perfect fit and in Him you will find completeness. He is love and you can personally experience Him if you really want to. No matter of what you feel or what you have done its not too late to make a change.

Col.2:9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;

Pray this prayer: “I thank you Lord for your great love for me. That you died for my sin so that I can be restored into a right relationship with you. I ask you to come into my life. To be my saviour and Lord. Help me to follow you and to live for you for the rest of my life.”

Funny things kids have said…

Here are a few funny things kids have said about God and church. Hope you get a laugh out of them!

3-year-old Reese :
'Our Father, Who does art in heaven,
Harold is His name.

A little boy was overheard praying:
'Lord, if you can't make me a better boy, don't worry about it.
I'm having a real good time like I am.'

After the christening of his baby brother in church,
Jason sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car.
His father asked him three times what was wrong.
Finally, the boy replied,
'That preacher said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home,
And I wanted to stay with you guys.'

One particular four-year-old prayed,
'And forgive us our trash baskets
As we forgive those who put trash in our baskets.'

A Sunday school teacher asked her children as they
Were on the way to church service,
'And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?'
One bright little girl replied,
'Because people are sleeping.'

A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin 5, and Ryan 3.
The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake.
Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson.
'If Jesus were sitting here, He would say,
'Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.'
Kevin turned to his younger brother and said,
' Ryan , you be Jesus !'

A father was at the beach with his children
When the four-year-old son ran up to him,
Grabbed his hand, and led him to the shore
Where a seagull lay dead in the sand.
'Daddy, what happened to him?' the son asked.
'He died and went to Heaven,' the Dad replied.
The boy thought a moment and then said,
'Did God throw him back down?'

A wife invited some people to dinner.
At the table, she turned to their six-year-old daughter and said,
'Would you like to say the blessing?'
'I wouldn't know what to say,' the girl replied..
'Just say what you hear Mommy say,' the wife answered
The daughter bowed her head and said,
'Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?'

Leadership: “The Power of One”

Nelson Mandella and Mother Teresa are people of our age that are held in the highest esteem. One definition of leadership is that a leader is a change agent. He / she is a person of conviction who will dominate the environment that they have been placed in.

Dr. Myles Munroe brings to life some of the characteristics of a leader in his book “The Spirit of Leadership”.

“Most leaders go against the grain, at one point or another, and have to stand alone in their convictions. For example, Nelson Mandela was willing to die or be imprisoned alone to fulfill his passion to end apartheid. His determination inspired many people to keep believing during all the years that he was incarcerated. When he was finally released from prison, he went on to influence the world because of his courage.” “Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, whom the world has come to know as Mother Teresa, was born in Skopje, Macedonia. From the time she was a girl, she felt her life’s purpose was to serve God full-time. When she was eighteen, she became a nun and went to India with the Sisters of Lorento and taught in a Catholic High School for many years. During this time, she witnessed the life of poverty and sickness that many people in India were leading. Her life’s purpose and passion crystallized as she felt called by God to help “the poorest of the poor” and devoted herself to bring hope, dignity, healing and education to the needy in Calcutta – those whom other people dismissed as being either beyond help or not worthy of it. Mother Teresa started her own order called “The Missionaries of Charity” and became nationally and internationally recognized for her selfless humanitarian work. Her passion to help others led her to identify totally with them: She became a citizen of India and always kept her vow of poverty, even when she became famous.”

A helpful checklist for the day.

I’ve found this a helpful check before walking out the door.
It’s like a quick checkup although such a list could be alot longer.

Pete,

• always be grateful

• always be open

• always be desiring more of God

• always seek to serve people

• always look for the best in others

• never justify any sin

• never get tired

• never justify bad attitude

Just have to put your own name at the top!

New Year Reflections…

Everyone seems to have a new year!

Even though people may celebrate it at different times and in different ways, we all need a time to reflect on the past and take a fresh look ahead.

Below is a very brief look at some prevailing customs from around the world.

Jewish new year is called “Rosh Hashanah” where people consider things past and present and special services are held in synagogues. The “Shofar” is blown.

In some Islamic nations, people put out grains of wheat or barley which produce shoots, reminding people of a new year of life.

In Vietnam, the New Year is called “Tet Nhuyen Dan”. They believe that there is a god in every home who travels to heaven (traditionally on a carp – fish) to report how good or bad each family member has been in the past year. Live carp are often purchased and set free in a river.

In Shinto families in Japan, a rope of straw is often placed across the front of houses to keep out evil spirits and bring happiness during the coming year.

Chinese New Year is a time of parades and street processions involving large costumes and thousands of lanterns which light the way for the New Year. Firecrackers are used to frighten away the evil spirits.

Julius Caesar began our calendar system and named the first month of the year after the two – faced Roman god Janus. One face looked back and the other forward.

Francis Havergal celebrated every new year by writing a poem. She wrote this one for 1874.

“Another year is dawning

Dear Father let it be

In working or in waiting

Another year with thee

Another year of progress

Another year of praise

Another year of proving

Thy presence all the days“

Decisions

by Peter Starr

Decisions are yours to make. It’s your life. You have a free will. Yet with so many options and pressures that people are facing in life, the art of good decision making is needed by all.

We may live with the consequences of our poor decisions for the rest of our lives. If we make quality decisions then we will also live to enjoy the benefits. If we make poor decisions then we will be stuck with the consequences of something that may have been done in a moment of time.

Of course sometimes life can just throw something at us that we have not asked for or deserved, maybe even unfair but we still have to decide how to deal with such things.

I’ve found the following helpful:

1. I like to pray about the decisions I need to make.

Why not pray and ask God to guide you? I’ve known people to make poor decisions and say that they should have gone off their gut instinct or an inner feeling etc.

‘Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct[a] your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.’ – Prov.3:5-7

2. I have found the Bible relevant to the things I face in life.

Of course we need to be careful to take things in the right context. There is an old saying, “a man is as good as his word.” I have personally found God and His Word to be good.

‘Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.’ – Ps 119:105

3. Sometimes prayer and Bible reading is not enough. I need to ‘phone a friend’.

‘Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety‘ – Prov.11:14

4. I try and see the big picture and think in terms of consequences.

‘I’d love a puppy but I don’t really want a dog?’ Sometimes our decisions are governed by fears or pressures and as a result we may feel driven by such things. Many make poor decisions because people want to please others or feel like they have no control. Much of the advertising uses language like ‘you need’ for a better life with the time frame of ‘hurry or you will miss out’. Another one is ‘enjoy now’ but often we don’t grasp the ‘pay later’ meaning.

The Weapon of the Wooden Spoon

The Wooden Spoon and Words of Mass Destruction.

By Peter Starr

(media release)

A Victorian woman has been questioned by police and threatened to be charged with assault after hitting her 9-year-old daughter with a wooden spoon. Claire Davidson was warned by police that she risked an assault-with-a-weapon charge after her child revealed in a classroom discussion that her mother hit her with the spoon. “We only use the wooden spoon and that is only when she is being naughty and we give her fair chance to rectify the situation and we talk her through it,” she told the Herald Sun.

Like most of my generation we were smacked when we were children by parents and others who were in authority like teachers. The experience was never pleasant and sometimes completely wrong in how it was administered.

Physical pain, however, does not last but words do and these are far more damaging to us as people because words can damage our soul or our identity.

We have all heard words spoken to children like “You’ll never amount to anything” or “You’re a naughty little girl”. Often these words are spoken without thought or in anger. This kind of speech is wrong, damaging and can never be justified.

“death and life are in the power of the tongue” – Proverbs

Statistics on violent crime show a connection to violent movies and video games. Also a connection with “death metal” music is a proven link to violence. There is no such proven link to balanced parental disciple which is given in love and self control.

All children need:

1. Security

2. Consistency

3. Love

4. Words of affirmation

5. Provision

And….Discipline

“The rod and rebuke give wisdom, but the child left to himself brings shame to his mother” – Prov.29:15

Kids and the little bird.

by Peter Starr

A story that has been getting a lot of media in Australia is the debate regarding Jessica Watson, a 16 yr old female and her dream to sail around the world.

Are the parents right in allowing this? If you say “yes” to this spirit of adventure then it may be a 14 yr old next year as we humans seem to want to push the limits and break the records etc.

Where to draw the line is a problem. A so called sailing expert has indicated that the risk involved in her proceeding would be 30% that she will lose her boat and another 30% that she will lose her life. Now that’s risky but what would be an acceptable percentage of risk seeing that all life involves some kind of risk. Hey “fortune favors the bold!”

Having raised 4 children who are now adults I realise that there is a time to let go. To over protect our children will do them no favor as the need to develop their own skills.

I’ve heard it said that if you see a young chick pecking away as it tries to break free of the egg shell. Don’t help it! If you do then you may well kill the bird. Just leave it pecking away because the bird is actually developing muscles that it will need in life.

5 Keys to a Healthy Marriage

by Marie Starr

Ephesians 5:22-33

1st Key: Pray together

• Is an act of surrender, let both of you be wrong and God be right.
• Get the mind of Christ, seek out His ways.
• Let things go.
• It makes us soft to God’s will.
• Allow the Spirit of God to change you.
• You are more likely to go the distance.

2nd Key: Read the Bible together

• Teaches you how to live.
• Gives you principles on His Kingdom
• Teaches you how to worship, love, give, provide for one another, your family, God & others
• It’s our manual on how to live this life God’s way

3rd Key: Make decisions together

• Communicate with one another
• Spend time together just talking
  
• In counselling you talk – find out what each other truly meant or didn’t mean just by spending time to talk with one another
• Respect each others opinion – be kind – big decisions are best made when you both agree…God commands a blessing when there is unity

4th Key: Attend church together

• God says “you build my house I’ll build yours”
• During tough times stand on God’s promises – it’s funny how before church we can be having a disagreement & get flustered but these are the times to get to church together!
• Church is a place of healing, good teaching, friendships & a place to give to others together

5th Key: Continue Dating

• or start dating!
• If you dont know what to do ask someone for ideas, be creative & spontaneous with each other
• Find out each others ‘love language’ each of us have different needs – find out your partners love language & give accordingly! It might be through words – gifts – time etc

It takes two committed people to have a good a good marriage – it’s not a stroll in the park – it’s hard work at times but the rewards are great. At times it may take one partner to take the higher road and save the marriage, we need to be a strength for each other in times of need & this alternates over the years, but the importnant thing is we are there for one another.

God is all powerful & in the business of changing lives for the better!

Women Who Know Their Place (And Their Husband’s)

Barbara Walters of Television’s 20/20 did a story on gender roles in Kabul, Afghanistan several years before the Afghan conflict.

She noted that women customarily walked five paces behind their husbands. She recently returned to Kabul and observed that women still walk behind their husbands. From Ms. Walters’ vantage point, despite the overthrow of the oppressive Taliban regime, the women walk even further back behind their husbands and appear happy to maintain the old custom.

Ms. Walters approached one of the Afghani women and asked ‘Why do you continue with an old custom that you once tried so desperately to change?’ The woman looked Ms. Walters straight in the eyes and without hesitation said ‘Land Mines.’

The moral of the story is (no matter what language you speak and where you go): BEHIND EVERY MAN THERE’S A SMART WOMAN.

2 sleeps to go…

Please help us spread the word! Click here for more info…