Are you a Well?

On our former Church property there was an old well. Early in the last century that well used to give life giving water and refreshment for passing travelers and horses that used to stop at the wayside Coach-stop there. But for many years now it has been dry and filled in. Although from the outside the well looks promising and looks like it even might still house a long deep hole, it is only a metre or so deep and instead of being used for its original purpose its usage now is only symbolic.

On the one hand I think that it was very, very appropriate that the old well site was in the middle of the church property symbolizing the living water that can flow out of the Church, if we are all serious about God’s purpose for both us as individuals and for us as a church or more correctly as God’s called out gathering that gathers there.

But on the other hand I can’t help thinking that many a church is more symbolically like the dry barren well out there.

What about you? Are you a clear well full of life saving water? And if you are, are you giving out this life giving living water or are you just storing it away out of reach of those who need it most?

Or are you dry and barren and just about all filled up with rubbish like the well in the garden of our former Church property? Like it are you dry and Empty? Symbolic perhaps but practically useless?

Good only to look at and no earthly use for its intended Purpose.

Are you fulfilling your God given calling to the best of your ability?

Or are you dry and useless? Even worse, are you dry and useless but still taking up valuable space?

Taking up valuable space but not giving anything of value back?

Looking promising from the outside but empty inside?

All promise and show but nothing of value inside?

Why does the well outside, no longer give access to water?

Because it has been disconnected from its source by rubbish.

The outer self or shell, the thing that outwardly signifies that there is a water hole here, has been disconnected from its source for a more convenient and comfortable purpose.

What about you and me? Have we been disconnected from our power source? Our source of life giving water, simply because the new way is more convenient and comfortable spot?

Or worse? Have we not just allowed but actually moved ourselves to a more convenient spot?

Have you allowed the outward forces on our lives to move you to a more comfortable spot?

Let me remind you brothers and sisters, there is no more comfortable spot that being in God’s place for you, no matter what storms are raging around you. Return, return to the source of your being.

Return to the source of the true living water. I am not abdicating that we build a new well, but I am encouraging you to return in your heart to Jesus Christ as your life giving water supply and return to the task that he has called you to be.

Remember Acts 1: 8?

“Be My witnesses…”

Mismatched or complimentary?

I was recently reminiscing to my First Born daughter about a couple of the dogs from my childhood. At first sight, they were as a mismatched pair of male dogs that you had ever seen, four years apart in age. The oldest and smallest of the two was Bluey, who was a Queensland Blue Healer. (Now called, Australian Cattle Dogs.) The other was called Wimpy and was a brindle coloured Greyhound.

Now Wimpy was acquired because dad had always wanted a Whippet and thought that a Whippet would be better than Bluey in catching the abundant rabbits that abounded then. Unfortunately, when one of our Aunties purchased a Whippet pup for Dad at the Melbourne market, she was sold a pup! A greyhound pup that is!

Anyway we got Wimpy and when he grew up he was dynamite on rabbits! If the paddock was big enough for him that is! In an open paddock he was able to quickly run them down, far outpacing Bluey, who vainly followed far behind. In smaller areas however, Wimpy’s weakness was soon displayed to all. In confined spaces, the rabbits had a habit of turning back when he was nearly on them and he was unable to turn sharp enough to follow them. However that was where Bluey came in. He could never keep up with Wimpy but always followed along well behind and when the rabbits turned to escape from Wimpy, they often ran back into the open Jaws of Bluey.

Although mismatched in size, height, weight, colour, age and speed, they were a very coinordinated team, when it came to working a paddock.

What about you? Forget what your workmate, friends, or partner looks like, how well do you work together? As a team of two, complimenting each others weakness, working together for the common Good of all? Or as two individuals competing against each other?

Also don’t be discoursed by first appearances. Wimpy may not have been the dog dad wanted but he did the job dad wanted. And he did it well! Well, as well as his size would allow. So even though dad knew with one glance that this so called “3 month old Whippet”, was more likely a “3 week old Greyhound”, He stuck with him and never once regretted it. Although at first he was a big sook and whimpered all night, hence his name!

What about you? Are you prepared to give new-comers ago, even if they initially fall short of your previous expectations? Over to you: Walter

How Close is too close?

In my article “A Big Surprise! Really? “I wrote about how my son was too close to his friend to see the natural progression of his friend’s relationship with a young lady. As this was probably the most personal item I have written about any of my kids and their associates, I thought I had better get my son’s permission before posting it.

He said, “It is very good dad and you make a very good point, but it’s just not true.” At first I thought, “Oh great, it was a good article and now I can’t use it because it isn’t true.” Then I thought, “Why isn’t it true?” He then went on to say, “I Know “So & so” and this wasn’t the next natural progression. I know “So & so” and this is so out of his character.”

I thought about that for a moment and then challenged my son by saying that his argument, rather than make my statement untrue, in fact vindicated my whole original statement, and that my son was unable to see that because he was too close to “So & so" to see that whilst it may be out of normal character for “So &so”, it is the normal character of a normal young man in a relationship with a young lady. Well for most, still!

My son then sat down and thought about it for a while before replying, “I’m trying to think of an answer to your argument but I can’t.”

It took a while and specific mediation by my son to realise that what I was saying was in fact correct. Not that Dad is always right! (In my case, it is seldom! According to them, that is!)

It is good to be close to events and too know what is going on from first hand information, but it is also good sometimes to step back a little for personal or even public inspection.

I am not advocating that we challenge everything we hear or see, but there are times when it does pay us to spend some time in reflection, before assenting to everything we hear, as being totally correct or incorrect as my son tried to convince me.

So as too answer the question as to how close is too close, only you can answer that. But anytime that you feel you know all there is to know without need of further enquiry, it is probably a very good time to step back a little even if only to ask an outsider to see if they see what you are seeing. Even if they verify your previous opinion, it is still a good exercise to make sure you are still on the straight and narrow and not starting to wander, even just a little.

Now in this case it was only a minor incidence and of no real consequence to us, but sometimes we can get ourselves into big problems because we fail to take some time out for private, specific consultation, and just let things flow because we are too close to the action to see the obvious. Over to you: Walter

A Big Surprise! Really?

Recently our son came home and announced that he had gotten a very big surprise that day. He then went on to announce that “So & so had announced his engagement that very day. His sister somewhat factitiously asked what I was somewhat sarcastically thinking, "And you’re really surprised?”

It turns out he was genuinely surprised by this turn of events. For him, of whom “so &so” was one of his inner circle of 3 close friends, it was a real shock, but to us, whose only source of information about “So & so” was from our son, it was only the natural progression of what we had heard, so therefore was no big surprise to us.

It seems a classic case of standing too close and not being able to see the forest for the trees! It seems that not only did our son have the same information as us but more that what we had came from him, but we understood it differently.

Sometimes we can be too close to see something objectively and need to step back a little to get a clearer picture.” We have all the information we need but do not necessarily see it as objectively as we might, because we are too close.

We may have the same information but because of our involvement, understand it differently.

What about you? Are you standing too close to an event that you can’t take it in properly. Do you need to step back a little and analyse it from a different perspective? Perhaps you may need to get some outside advice or confirmation before you proceed! Over to you.

Nasturtiums and you.

The Nasturtium plant is an annual trailing plant with rounded edible leaves and bright yellow, orange, or red flowers.

Although the leaves are edible, they are a little on the strong side and although, along with the flowers, they are often used to decorate Salads, they are rarely eaten by the Hoi Polloi. (Yours truly included.)

Irregardless of how I feel about its edible qualities, I do love it as an easy, fast-growing, pretty, ground covering plant. As it is only an annual it does mean that if you want it permanently in your garden, you do have re-grow it every year. On the other hand the Nasturtium is one of those plants that once seeded, tends to self propagate itself, and thus all you usually need to do, is either thin them out, or pull out the resulting self-sown plants growing where you don’t really want them.

One major problem some people have with the Nasturtium plant is not the fault of the plant but rather the fault of the grower. Many people complain that whenever they try to grow Nasturtiums, no matter how much tender loving care and fertilizer that they put into them, all they get is a massive show of leaves and next to no flowers.

The problem here is that Nasturtiums unlike some plants do not need massive fertilization or rich soil to grow in. The plant grows and flowers best in average conditions, and by over feeding them, you encourage the plant to put all its energies into growth making at the expense of flowers.

The more you feed them, the less they produce what is expected of them and the rest goes into unwanted plant growth and not into desired flowers. This reminds me of the currant situation with obesity in our generation. A recent survey suggests that we get more than our daily need of energy, in just one Take Away meal, without the need of the extra energy taken in from our other meals for that day.

Because we are taking in more nourishment than we need for normal; activities the extra goes into excess growth and its resultant obesity, and resulting inefficiency in our normal activities; in some case, our former normal activities, as some are now too difficult to do anymore.

What about you? Are you over fertilizing your Nasturtiums and yourself? If you desire the proper results from your Nasturtiums, then you need to watch what you feed them. The same goes for yourself. Are you giving yourself the proper care needed to get the best out of you or are you over fed?

There is no easy solution to this but a major beginning would be to cut down on the size of your energy intakes, plus some extra exercise. Maybe even just to getting out into the garden to start with, Hey? Walter

Cardigan, Vest or Windcheater?

In my, “Me? Trendy,” article recently, I used interchangeably the words, Cardigan, Vest and Windcheater. Now you may be wondering which is correct.

I honestly don’t know. I was happy to generically call them Windcheaters, which is what I bought them as. However I had felt compelled to also refer to them as a Cardigan, so as to describe it more accurately verbally. Or so I thought!

At the same time, while I would never have called it a vest myself, I can see how others saw it that way. So at the end of this discussion, I don’t know the correct name for them. All I know is that they achieved the purpose I bought them for. To keep me warm from the Wind.

Instead of asking which is correct, it may be more instructive to ask, does it really matter what we call them?

Yes and no. On the one hand it doesn’t matter what you call it as long as it achieves the purpose that you bought it for.

On the other, it does help when talking about something if you are all on the same wave length. It did not help me to find it again by asking about a wind cheater, when my sister was thinking of a Cardigan.

Yes we did eventually work out that we were both talking about the same thing, but time and effort was wasted in doing so. This time, no real damage or delay was inflicted by/on us talking/thinking at cross purposes to each other, but that is not always so.

So we need to be careful when we are talking with others that we are all on the same wavelength and that when we use a word we also need to be sure that others understand it in the same way as we do or they and we can sometimes be completely misled.

What about you? Are you careful in what you say? Are you always hearing what the other person is actually saying, or do you only “hear” through your own understanding of the words said?

For your own sake, as well as others, be aware of what you are really saying: Walter

Me? Trendy?

Me and Trendy, especially related to clothes, is a real oxymoron. Me and comfortable clothes, is more accurate, even if everyone else thinks them daggy! Comfortable, not trendy, is my scene.

Real Australian men are supposed to wear Jumpers, not Cardigans. But me, I have always been a cardigan type person. Being a bit of a cold fish, I found Cardigans more accessible as you can still wear them, undone, and be cool, yet not cold, like I would if I had a jumper on and had taken it off. As Zippers came more and more into fashion, I much preferred them over buttons.

Since our return from O/S I have acquired a liking for those el-cheepo Windcheaters made of some warm but light material, which are also relatively quite cheap too.

My father on the other hand was a jumper man nearly all of his grown years. Right up to a couple of months before his passing. Before then I had visited him in the Hospital one day and he was sitting dressed in a chair by his bed and although reasonably warm, he was complaining of being cold. At that time I had on a light, tight warm jumper, which I knew he would never be able to get his arms into. Then I remembered that I had one of these windcheaters in the car, so I went and got that and put it on him, and later left it with him. A couple of weeks later I enquired of my youngest sister where the windcheater was. When she worked out that I was asking about what she called a cardigan with a zip, she told me that he loved it because it was easier for him to get on and off.

With that thought in mind and his 86^th Birthday, we went out and bought him a new one of his own and at the same time bought him a sleeveless one too. I have never really been a fan of sleeveless jumpers and such; but as I am a real cold fish, I thought I would buy one of these zippered windcheaters for myself and wear it under the normal one when it was really cold and over a jumper, when it was only so so. Over the course of 3 days, both of my daughters independently remarked on how trendy I looked in my new vest.

This prompted the following thoughts. Firstly that there is hope for every one at some stage or another. Even though it has taken some 55 years, even daggy old me, has finely been called trendy.

Secondly I find it incredible that something as simple as one piece of clothing can change people’s opinions so easily.

Thirdly at how cheaply this change can be. In my case, these particular items of clothes were marked down to $7.95 or two for $12.

This got me to further thinking. Firstly, as to how easily someone else’s words can effect your/our mental well-bearing. And likewise how ours can affect theirs!

Secondly, at how often, we can effect a person’s well being, with some thing very simple and basic to everyday life.

And thirdly, at how often this can also be so inexpensive for us to do.

Is there some simple, easy inexpensive thing that you can do, to improve the life of others, even if you never get called trendy by doing it?

Last Born or a cockroach?

In South Africa among the Xhosa People with whom we spent an enjoyable 10 years plus, they have a habit of referring to their children in the order of their birth. Ie. First Born; Second Born: & so on down to the last, as Last Born.

Some are even named similarly. We know a boy who was their 3^rd son and thus called “Sithathu”, which means “We are three”. We also met another Child who, wishfully thinking perhaps, was named, "NoLiphelo” which means, last born. Unfortunately for them they had at least one more child after him! Another family, when they decided that they had had enough, named their last born son, “Sikhosonkhe”. ”Now we are all here.”

In writing my stories I have refrained from using my children’s actual names and using the Xhosa referencing framework instead, to refer to them. When it came to referring to my second daughter and last born child, I was reminded of an incident that happened in our time in Umtata, (Now spelt/pronounced, “Mthatha”,) the then Capital of the Xhosa homeland of Transkei, now re-incorporated back into The Republic of South Africa.

Using the Xhosa phrase, I often refereed to her as my “Liphelo”. The problem I later found out that sometimes, in stead of saying “Liphelo” I would say, “Liphela”. Now I was only one letter off so you wouldn’t think it to big a deal would you? I mean what difference can one vowel make anyway? Well it did in that case, because in stead of referring to my last born child I was in reality and unintentionally referring to my “Cockroach”!

Now I know that there are times when her brother and sister might be tempted to call her that, but even then, not in public, like I was doing. Fortunately someone finally corrected me but I have no idea how many times I had previously and more embarrassingly for her, publicly misrepresented my beloved daughter to the Xhosa world. I guess at times, most people expected to hear the word "Liphelo" and so never noticed the difference. Others may have noticed the difference and thought, “Well what can you expect from a foreigner anyway? At least he is trying”.

Now trying is good but without correction, wrongfully trying doesn’t help in the long run. Incorrect pronunciation, like any wrongly done deed, needs to be corrected and the sooner the better. Not just to avoid future embarrassment, but also future potential damage of a possibly more serious nature.

What about you are you? Are you always clear in what you say? Especially yes, in using new and foreign words, but also in every word you say?

Are you always saying what you think you are? And are people hearing what you are saying or what they expect you to say? Likewise are you really listening to what people are saying or simply hearing what you expect them to say?

Also are you prepared to nicely and quietly correct some when you see or hear them do the wrong thing? Are you prepared to put yourself out to help others? Not to put to other person down or to make somebody of yourself, but to help somebody. Some anybody and not just your friends and acquaintances?

Are you a “good friend” or a “good fiend” instead? Again there is only one letter different but a whole world of difference in the meaning!

Who will visit you?

I was recently thinking of something which reminded me of an event that happened over a quarter of a century ago.

It was only a few months after my wife and I were converted at Bulleen Baptist Church and started worshipping there. At that time there were at least a half dozen of the members at Bulleen who were doctors. Three of whom had Practices at Greensborough and were among the imminent Doctors there and frequent attendees at the Greensborough Hospital. (One of whom later went on to remove the Appendix of both my Mother and older brother, but that’s another story.)

We were living at Hurstbridge at the time and using the services of the local Doctor there, who also went on to deliver our second born, at said Greensborough Hospital, shortly after we started attending the Bulleen Baptist Church.

So it was no real surprise that after our second born arrived, my wife had visits from her own doctor plus, independent social visits from each of these three doctors from our Church, two of whom were Specialists there. Well no surprise to us, but a big surprise to the Nurses and other Hospital staff, who started to wonder who this “Nobody” was who could merit visits from at least 4 eminent Doctors.

It is wonderful to have visitors at any time and the more so when we are not well and in Hospital. But you know we don’t have to wait till then, nor go to such extreme measures just to get a visitor. And from someone more imminent than a Doctor or even a Specialist Doctor!

As Christians we have a greater visitor in Jesus Christ. And all we need to do to have him visit us is to ask.

To paraphrase both a James Taylor song and Scripture, “all we Have to do is call out His name and where ever He is, He will come to us because we have a friend in Jesus.”

And this visitor is more than just a visitor He is a friend who will stick even closer than a brother or sister.

Remember that famous piece of scripture that says, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock. If any man* hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come into him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Revelations 3: 20. KJV.)

* Any man refers equally to women and men and to young and old alike! So what are you waiting for?

Your friendly visitor stands knocking even now. Will you let him in? Walter

What is a great thing?

Recently I was told by a third party that I had done a great thing in the past week. Which threw me a little bit, as apart from having a rather hectic first week back at work after the holidays, I was not aware of having done anything remotely out of the ordinary, let alone any ”Great thing”.

When I was told that the great thing that I had done was encouraging someone by a phone call during the week, (to enquire as to their health after a minor eye incident,) I was very surprised by this, as I had not actually spoken to either of them on the phone as they were not home. I simply left a message as to my intention for the call on the Answering Service, meaning to ring back later, which I never did.

I was even more surprised by this comment by the third party, as I had just previously spoken personally to these people and they didn’t even acknowledge to me that they had even received the message. Of course I know now they must have, otherwise they third party would not have known about my attempted phone call.

It just goes to show that you never can tell how other people will respond to even the smallest gesture on your part. Not only had I not followed through with a follow up phone call, which had been my intention, when I failed to make direct contact the first time, but even now I still think I did nothing extraordinary. In fact as I am the Pastoral Deacon, a phone call should have been the least that they should have expected from Me. I would have thought that a miserly phone call would have been a valid reason to complain about, rather than compliment.

It just goes to show how sometimes, even just the minutest of actions on our part, can bring about a response. Sometimes positive, sometimes negative. Here I wish to focus on the positive side and wonder what other “great thing” I can do for someone else this week?

What about you? Is there someone who you can reach out to even if just via the phone, or even a smile? Don’t worry whether you get a response from them or from a third party, but do what you can to encourage others, no matter how small or minor you may think your action is.

So, what “great thing” will you do this week for someone?

Smoking? Or Smoked out?

Over the past month and a half, at various times, there has been an awful lot of smoke around Melbourne even though the Bush fires are a few hundred kilometers away.

These fires have been very destructive having burnt out over a Million Hectares. However they have in and off themselves proposed no fire danger to Melbourne itself.

However, on certain days when the wind is in our direction, Melbourne is occasionally blanketed with grey smoke. Fortunately it is too far for the hot embers to blow, so there are no spot fires arising from it, but the smoke has been causing some hazard, especially to those with breathing difficulties; and also causing some visibility problems, not to mention the increased humidity.

It has often been said that where there is smoke there is fire. Well it is certainly true that this smoke has fire as its cause. Unfortunately, although separated by some distance from its source, the prevailing winds have sent it to us and it is still causing problems. Certainly it would be worse for us if we had the fires too, but the smoke by itself is troublesome enough.

What about you? You may not be causing the smoke but you may be constantly battling with the drifting smoke of distant fires. Are distant problems enveloping you in their resulting smoke and fallout? Unfortunately, at this distance there is little one can do to extinguish the source. All you can really do, is to take all the necessary precautions you can, and wait it out till either the wind changes again or the fire is finally extinguished.

So if you are going through a rough patch at the moment, do all you can to address the problem, taking all the precautions and necessary changes you can, and simply wait it out.

Change will eventually come, but will you be ready for it?

50 days on and still Burning! Are you?

As reported in earlier stories, a major Bush Fire, caused by a lightning strike, began burning in the rugged Victorian Highlands back on December 1^st last year.

Because of the recent environmental conditions, there has been a heavy build up of combustible fuel on the forest floor and because of the continuing drought this has been tinder dry, and just waiting for a spark to set it off. These conditions, along with the inaccessibility of the area, have enabled this series of fires to continue on for so long with no real end in sight.

In my earlier articles I have been discussing the negative results of fire, but in this one I would like to discuss fire itself. (I am not negating the destructive power of fire here, simply emphasizing the positive side!)

Although destructive, fire does also bring new life in that it removes the dry grass and other debris from the ground and forces the grass and other plants and seeds, many long dormant, to grow again and put out fresh new shoots. We also see this with Eucalyptus trees. Whilst some tress are totally killed by fire, the native Eucalypts usually recover, only now with less competition.

So whilst Fires do often cause great damage, they also do some good. However it is the fire itself that I would like to draw your attention to now. A fire releases a lot of heat and energy but also needs lots of input in the form of fuel to keep it burning, otherwise often all what you get is a large flare up which quickly runs out of fuel and heat and energy, thus just as quickly fizzles out. The above bushfire has had and still has plenty of available fuel to keep it going, but what about you?

I don’t know about you but sometimes I feel great and start a project with great plans, dreams, and energy, only to see it fizzle out for some reason or another. Sometimes it is a lack of time. At others a lack of energy, due to a change in the weather conditions, or for some other reason!

Some of these things we have no control over but others we do and it is in regard to those things we have control over that I wish to focus on.

As we cannot change or even properly predict the weather, there is little we can do to control it, but sometimes we can prepare against it or even work with it and use it to our advantage, rather than allow it to work against us in our desire to get our objectives done. Likewise with our own energies! If we know we have a draining job ahead of us we should plan ahead before time, conserving our energy levels, and even building them up by paying attention to both our diet and to our sleep habits etc. We can also make sure that we have all the necessary tools and recourse needed lined up and ready before hand.

We need to take care of these things plus , make proper planning otherwise we will be like a lot of spot fires. A quick flare up, lots of heat and energy displayed, but with little real end results to show for it!

Yes there are some things in life that we can just loaf or bluff our way through. But there are others where we shouldn’t even start until we have prepared properly for and counted the cost off. This is also scriptural. See Luke 14: 33- 38.

What about you today? Are you in the habit of starting something without proper planning, just to see it flare up and fizzle out, or are you like the fire above, still burning months later?

50 days on and still Destructive.

Way back on December 1^st last year, a lightning strike started the first of a series of fires burning in the rugged Victorian Highlands. As it is too rugged to get to, apart from Aerial fire bombing, the on ground fire crews have been unable to get safe access to these blazes and have had to wait in large part, till the fire reaches an area where they have a chance to stop it.

By now these fires have largely joined together and have burnt over a million Hectares, an area larger than the greater Melbourne area. Because of the rugged, inaccessible country the fire is in, without a major change in our current heat wave and masses of rain all over the area, there is little hope of putting the fire out, just in controlling and containing it to where they can safely access it.

Although 39 houses have thus far destroyed, thankfully there has only been one human life lost to it so far and that in an accident rather than the fire itself, but it has cost the lives of countless animals, both domestic and wild, causing massive damage to the natural habitat and environment, let alone the cost to the economy.

From the start, there have been up to ten and a half thousand men involved in the effort, working in shifts, just to control and contain at the moment. With crews of fire-fighters coming from New Zealand, Canada, and the US of A.. Plus all the local residents who have stayed home and defended their properties whilst waiting some, even still do so, at the cost of their wages and sometime even their future employment. So whether you judge this fire (Series of) as an environmental or economical disaster, it has been very, very costly.

Although there was more than one fire and possibly more than one original cause, the first fire was by a lightning strike in a remote area impossible to reach and full of flammable material built up over many years.

The warning herein our every day lives is to be very careful in all that you do and say and to avoid any lightning strikes from you or an deliberately lit arguments from others, whether part of your group or complete outsiders who just like stirring up trouble.

The above fire can not be put out unless it comes into open country. As long as it remains in rugged country, it will continue to burn. Either till it reaches the coast and runs out of fuel, or we get the massive rains promised this weekend that will dampen it enough for Air Bombing, and so that Ground Crews can get safe and effective access to the edges.

Likewise in our lives, whilst some problems can be effectively handled almost immediately, some problems simply have to be controlled until they burn themselves out or the problem is neutralized by natural causes.

The thing to do then is to be like the Fire-fighters and local residents. Stay alert, do what you can do and dampen down all the hot spots and put out all the spot fires. As warned this can be costly, both physically, mentally and financially.

So be warned and do what you can to reduce possible, potential disasters either starting or gain access to extra fuel to keep them burning.

50 days on and still on Fire.

Way back on December 1^st last year, a lightning strike started the first of a series of fires burning in the rugged Victorian Highlands. As it is too rugged to get safe access, apart from Aerial fire bombing, the on ground fire crews have been unable to get safe access to these blazes and have had to wait in large part, till the fire reaches an area where they have a chance to stop it. So far there have been over ten and a half thousand men involved in the effort, working in shifts, just to control and contain at the moment. With crews of fire-fighters coming from New Zealand, Canada, and the US of A.

Even though it has burnt over a million Hectares, an area larger than the greater Melbourne are, because of the rugged, in accessible country the fire is in, without a major change in our current heat wave and mass of rain all over the area, there is little hope of putting the fire out, just in controlling and containing it where they can safely access it.

This seems to echo some troublesome situations in our lives doesn’t it? It seems that things are going along okay, although a little bit on the inflammable side but still safe, when all of a sudden there is a lightning strike from almost no-where and everything flares up in to an uncontrollable situation. A situation that you may be able to control with a lot of unplanned and unexpected effort. Or you may even have to call in experts (fire crews) from outside to control the situation.

Sometimes you may not even be able to resolve the problem and you will have to let it largely run its own course like with this fire, which unless there is heaps of rain very soon, will have to run its own course and burn itself out, or at least down, so it can be finally put out.

How are you handling your own Bushfires? Can you control them yourself or do you need to call in outside help? Can you extinguish them safely and quickly? Or do you simply need to control them and ride them out?

Remember it is best to control and extinguish while small before they can cause massive damage. Final questions. Do you try and cause problems or try and put them out?

Are you a fire fighter, or a fire lighter? Walter

Hanging Pots and false economy.

Although a keen gardener I tend to do things on the cheap. Thus since our return to Oz late in
2002 I have begged, borrowed and scrounged various things for the garden. The most noticeable of these would be plants and pots. As I have collected various used pots from here and there, I have picked up a few hanging baskets. Unfortunately, most were without the hangers, or what was left of the chains, was broken.

Visiting one garden place one day, I saw and bought some spare hanging chains (Minus pots.) At first I was happy with my purchase but later I walked into a Reject shop and realized that I could have bought new pots for less than half what I had paid for these new chains.

At first it seemed practical to use these existing pots, but the reality was that it would have been far cheaper to use them without chains, or even throw them out altogether than to make them hangable again.

What about your life? Is their some false economy in it? Is there something that you are hanging onto, spending more on it than it is worth when you should be either side-lining it or getting rid of it all together?

Remember it may not be necessary to throw it away completely, but better to use it for another purpose than what you are currently using it for now.

Again, what about your life? Are you living in such a way that others are getting full value from your input? Or perhaps you need new Chains like my pots?

Humanely speaking it might be false economy, but God sent His only Son Jesus to "re-chain" us, so that we can be used for our original purpose, if we only let Him.

Even though it was not economical, I did replace those Chains and the pots are now hanging and fulfilling their original purpose. Are you? Walter

Only one story but more than one application.

Recently I shared two items with you that came from the one incident. How is that possible you may be asking? Surely with every story there can be only one application?

Not so! Often we may only ever see one application from that which we experience but that doesn’t mean that that is the only way an incident can be seen.

Just because you only see one application doesn’t mean that there are not others, and even less so that others experiencing the same event as you draw the same implications from it as you.

So often there is more for us to experience from every situation than we draw, simply because we are not looking for more. If you are only looking for one thing from every situation then that is often what you will find. You will miss many more blessings simply because you were not looking for them.

I am not saying that you should look for more in everything you do, but rather that you look to see, if there is any more, to be experienced and shared with others.

Border Plants, Rhododendrons and Aussie Native Plants.

At church recently Sunday, the Preacher used an illustration to illuminate his sermon. The illustration was about how the root system of potted Border Plants needs to be disturbed and teased out when being planted out, to get the strongest plants for your time and money.

Now I know a little about plants and such but was not aware of this information about Border plants. I have usually planted Border Plants out as seedlings and rarely from pots so have never been aware of the advantage of spreading out their roots if they were filling the pot when time came to plant them out

However, I did know for instance that not only is it wise to do so to Rhododendrons and Camellias, but actually imperative, if you want your new plant to survive more than a season or two.

Now the above mentioned plants both live for many, many years. If done right, most will outlive the person who planted them. However many people have bought one in a pot or root ball and planted it in their garden, only to see it grow for a season and suddenly the next thing they know, it is dieing and unless they dig it up immediately and aggressively attack it’s root system and spread them out, before replanting, it will die for sure. These plants tend to let their roots grow into a ball within containers and unless they are spread out to get outside nourishment, they curl up into a ball while they inwardly feed on themselves until they kill themselves.

It sounds outrageous to some people to attack their roots but it is what is needed to get them to grow out. Some take to the roots with a knife, others hose off all the soil and then tease the roots out by hand. Either way it is done, the roots have to be vigorously spread out for the plant to reach its maximum potential. With them you have to be cruel to be kind.

On the other hand with Australian Natives, it is best to disturb the roots a little as possible. With most plants, people like to buy nice big established plants. However with Australian Natives it is the smaller the better and it is better to buy small plants in tubes than to buy tall plants in big pots. Because in a couple of years or less the smaller plant will outgrow the larger one and be healthier overall.

So you see, with plants as with people, there is no single rule suitable to all and to get the best out of both you need to know the basic categories and corresponding treatment for the plant in hand. The right treatment to the right plant will bring great results, but the wrong treatment for that plant, although life for others would be death for that plant.

So are you trying to treat everyone equal and wondering why it isn’t working?

Or are you treating them as individuals and giving them the appropriate care?

Likewise, how are you being treated? Are you getting the right care? Or better still, how are you treating yourself? Are you giving yourself the right care?

Do you need to be left alone to grow or do you need a little teasing out to get the best from you?

Or do you like the Rhododendron, need aggressive surgery on your roots to prevent you shriveling up onto a ball?

Where to from here for you? You are your own gardener here: Walter

Border plants Information

At church one Sunday, the Preacher used an illustration about plants to illuminate his sermon. (The illustration was about how the root system of potted Border Plants needs to be disturbed and teased out when being planted out, to get the strongest plants for your time, money & effort.)

Now if there is any one less likely to know about this subject other than him, I’ve yet to meet them. Yet to his credit he is not afraid to admit this and openly did so whilst crediting the information to an expert on the subject.

How about you? Are you likely to listen to information from someone you consider unlikely to know what they are talking about because you don’t consider them personally knowledgeable on that subject? Or are you prepared to at least listen, even if you reserve the right to decide later?

Is it more important for you to know something from first hand information or to learn from someone else who doesn’t know from personal experience but does know where to access it from, and how to pass it on to those in need?

Many years ago one of my Uncles, who was a Chronic Asthmatic, was complaining to Dad about this new young Dr. he had recently been to see. It appears that the Dr. was not overtly an expert on the specific treatment/medication needed and had to look up a book or two to work out what was needed. This didn’t particularly impress my Uncle and he was letting everyone know so. However a couple of questions from Dad brought him to a grudging admission, that maybe the Dr wasn’t that bad after all.

Dad first asked whether the treatment worked. To which my Uncle openly expressed that it was working better than anything he had previously tried. Dad then asked then what did it matter if he had to look it up first? Isn’t it better to be sure, when you are not, before you act? To this My Uncle had no argument and reluctantly agreed that maybe the Doc wasn’t as bad as he thought, and would even improve as his experience grew.

Again I ask, are you more impressed with the Messenger and not the message? Providing that it is correct, does it matter one iota whether it comes via a book or someone else. The important thing is the correctness of the information, irregardless of the source.

Actually, that is not true, the really important thing is what you do with the information you have received.

My Uncle could have disregarded this “New” “Unproven” chap, and gone elsewhere and settled for the same old, not as effective treatment that he had previously been getting. Or he could do what he did, even though not totally convinced; he tried it out and proved it not only effective but also superior to previous treatments.

What about you? Are you prepared to try something different without grumbling, until you know if it works?

As a disclaimer I have to admit that not everything we hear is correct, and we do need to be careful of blindly following every new idea and doctrine on offer, but there are times when we need to heed the advice on offer, despite, in our opinion at least, their lack of experience in that field.

We also need to give credit where credit is due and not to go on whining like my uncle did until Dad pulled him up.

What about you? Are you moaning when there is really nothing to moan about, or will you give things ago and give credit where credit is due? Walter

Oxalis and how to get rid of it.

Now the Oxalis plant is another of those loved or cursed plants. There are a few very lovely types available in white, pinks and variations between. The most common type and the one most people think of when they hear the word oxalis however, is the common yellow flowering type.

Now the more pretty and fancy types can be purchased as bulbs or already flowering pot plants, in various Nurseries, and can even be quite expensive. On the other hand while the common yellow one may also often be found in Nursery grounds, they are never for sale. (Or shouldn’t be!)

This pale clover leaf type and bulb, with its pretty yellow flowers can be quite eye-catching, and possibly desirable. In someone else’s garden, but most definitely not in mine! Everyone I know that has it, despairs at ever getting rid of it, as it is so prolific. Also as it spreads from little bulblets attached to its own, that drop off at the slightest touch, pulling them up can in fact spread them further, rather than actually help in eradicating them. They are also fairly resistant to weed Killer too, so eradication is not possible with a one step application. However whilst total eradication may not be possible they can be controlled. If you keep at it.

When we first moved into this place 4 years ago, among many other problem plants, we also had major infestations of this yellow oxalis all around the yard.

Now on my father’s farm he never had a problem with oxalis but he did have a major headache with both Bracken Fern, and Blackberry. The Blackberry was brought under control fairly easily with irregular spraying. However with the Bracken, he brought it under control with constant slashing. Now he realised that he would never fully eradicate it this way but by constantly slashing the Bracken, he was therefore forcing the plant to use all its energy and nutrition into constantly struggling to make new growth. Thus he was weakening the plants resources, and the plant itself. At the same time as well as not only stopping the bracken from spreading and chocking out the grass, this allowed the cattle to graze among them. Now the cattle would not actually eat the ferns but they would occasionally step on the fronds breaking them and in turn helping to keep new growth down.

With this thought of not actually ever totally eradicating the Oxalis, simply controlling it, I decided to put my father’s Bracken Fern theory into practise with my oxalis. Where possible I have pulled up the plants and bulbs, carefully removing all the bulblets I could find, and then, smothering the whole area with leaf mulch and mower clippings etc, making new growth just that little bit harder. I then simply kept following up by removing any new growth I could find. Where it was difficult to get to the bulbs I kept spraying them with weed killer when I could. After 4 years of this I still have oxalis in our garden but no-where near the quantity that was there originally.

Recently I glanced at a gardening article in the Weekly Times and it was by a top “TV” Gardening expert, and I was quite chuffed to find that his advice on how to control Oxalis was the same as I had devised from my own father’s experience. The only weakness with this theory, as he also pointed out, is that you simply have to keep at it and not let the oxalis recover and spread again.

I was reminded of this lately with all the talk about New Year’s Resolutions and how they never work. Now as such there is no problem and every advantage in making resolutions, whether they be New Year’s ones or simply situational ones at any time.

These resolutions are nearly always good ones and ones that will either benefit ourselves or those around us, so if you are thinking of making a resolution to change some area of you life, I would encourage you to do so. And not to wait for the next New Year either!

However like my Oxalis problem, it won’t be easy and it won’t be achieved with a one-off application of resolve. Permeant and ongoing change can be achieved; but you will have to keep at it and work on it.

Sometimes, like when I pulled the oxalis out by hand, you will achieve the correct effect by your own labours. At other times you might need to use neutral help like I did when I used the mulch to retard (Note not fully stop.) future growth, you also will find that these other competitive activities will help diminish the appeal of, and time available, for those old habits of yours. At other times, like when I used weed killer, you will need outside and specific help to achieve your desired results. Like in most things in life, genuine change seldom comes from one action and one source. To achieve most goals in our lives we need to desire it; to work at it; to keep at it; and to call in expert help when necessary. Even to use the ideas and examples of those who have gone before us, adapting them if necessary to our own situation, like I did with my father’s original theory.

How’s your life-garden growing? Got any Oxalises in it? If so what are you going to do about them? Remember, it’s your Garden! If you don’t make a start, no-one else will either. They may be more than happy to help you but they can’t do it all for you. You have to make that first call, and sometimes even ask for help: Walter

Modern Technology! Weird, Wonderful or both?

How do you feel about Modern Technology? Do you think the whole thing just too weird to worry about? And if you miss out on anything new, well tuff! After all you have lived all your life till now without it, and see no need to try anything new.

Or do you see modern Technology as wonderful and have all the latest creations, no matter how much they cost you? Whether you really need them or not?

When it comes to keeping up with the latest Technology, I am definitely a needs only follower. For a long time I had resisted both the Mobile Phone and the computer. Eventually I was introduced to various functions of both that I came to accept. However, a mobile phone is still only for taking and making necessary phone calls and not for every day usage. There is still a land-line for that. As for Text Messages? What are they?

It is similar with the computer; I truly believe it is a wonderful piece of equipment and has a myriad of wonderful uses. But! As for me, I only know how to open Word, and e-mail, and as that is all I perceive I need to know, that is all I want to know. Also it works for me. Well most of the time that is. The only problem is that when I have a problem, I have a major problem and I have to wait till my son is available to solve it for me.

Recently I became aware of the benefits of Blog sites, and after thinking of it for some time, eventually had my son create one for me to put my musings on. Which he did, lovely boy that he is! And every thing went fine; until early this past week, when for reasons I have yet to learn, I became unable to open up to my own site. Unfortunately my son was away for a week leaving me stuck with my problem.

As I was on holiday this week and as it was a non important matter, I was reasonably happy enough to wait till he gets back. However had this been important, I would have been in BIG trouble and would have had to hire some expensive outside professional to do that which is probably a very simple task.

Enough of me, what about you? Are you making the most of what is available around you? And are you taking the trouble to learn all you need to know about it? Or are you like me? Only making do which what you have to use, and with no idea how to maintain it? And as there is little need to know, refuse to learn?

Remember, despite our hopes and wishes, there won’t always be someone around able to help us out all the time. If we are going to use something regularly, then we really should learn the basics about it. Even if that is like how I am learning. One step; or rather one problem, at a time.

So, if you are reading this on my Blog site, you know I have just learnt one more valuable lesson in modern Technology and its uses and problems! Walter

What next for the Australian Cricket Team?

A couple of years back, more than a couple of our overseas Cricket following friends, asked me if there was another team in the world who could beat the then Australian Cricket team.

(This was before the 2005 Ashes Loss!) I replied with a positive response.

My positive reply then was that yes there was. The bad news being that it was the Australian Second team. I then went on to explain my theory of why Australia was so good at that time.

It was because we had so many other players good enough to be a winning second string team, yet still not able to get a regular spot in the Number One team.

This discussion came to mind again today, as the Australian Team now has 3 world class champions retiring after the last Test. (4 if you count a world class Batsman who retired two tests back!). So now the question on every ones lips is, “Where to now for Australia? Can these 4 top players be replaced quickly? The answer is twofold.

As Individuals They will never be replaced. There is only one Glen McGrath. There is only One Shane Warne. There is only one Justin Langer. There is only one Damien Martyn.

All true, but as in the past, so in the Future. As far as fast Bowlers go there was only one Denise Lillie, There was only one Jeff Thompson. Still all true. But since them we have had, only to name a few, Massy, Pascoe, Alderman, Lawson, Lee, and oh yeah, McGrath!

As Individuals They will never be replaced, but collectively there are many other potential greats waiting in the wings. People who perhaps would never get a chance to show there potential wares as long as these champions are holding down their spots. Like wise with Batsman! Yes two top world class Batsmen have retired in Langer & Martyn, but as expressed on the TV by someone more knowledgeable than me on the subject, there areallready a couple of obvious talented batsmen in the wings already like Brad Hodges & Phil Jacques, who couldn’t previously hold down a permanent spot, but who now get their chance to regularly show their wares, and not have everything hinge on one performance to get a regular run.

Enough of Cricket. What about You and your life? Do you feel like you can never be replaced, yet still know you can’t go on forever? What will happen when you retire, whether voluntarily or involuntarily?

Are you training others to fill your spot, or whatever other spots that eventually there will be a need to fill? (It is always a shot to one’s confidence, when they hire two people to fill your role!) In Cricket it is not the players, but the Administrators job to train and prepare replacements. However usually in our lives, it seems that we don’t always have that luxury and if we don’t train our replacements, no one does! Thus either making it difficult for us to retire when the time is right or leaving a large hole to fill, when we have to. A hole that shouldn’t really be there if preplanning had been properly done.

Pre planning has been done by the Australian Cricket Board and thus we already have quality replacements ready and waiting, plus future replacements for them also being prepared. Stuart Clark, as top Wicket Taker this series, has already shown that he is a capable replacement for McGrath and in the wings are a couple of young guns like Mitchell Johnson, waiting to show his wares at the top level. So again, are you prepared for the future or do you need to start on it right now?

On the other hand perhaps you feel only a second string player and feel that you may never get the chance to take over the top spot? Are you continually frustrated because you never get a chance to show your wares and when you do, find you still can’t do enough to win the top spot permanently.

If so, spare a thought for Stewart McGill. He is a great Spin Bowler. Some would argue that as a bowler (but not Batsman) he is better than Shane Warne, yet he has had to play second string to Warne for nearly his entire career because normally there is only one spot in the team for a spin bowel and that spot has always belonged to Warne. The only way McGill could normally get a game was when Warne was injured or suspended. (They have played together a couple of times on the rare occasion that that particular Cricket Ground favored two spinners.)

Anyway McGill long ago accepted this reality but still kept playing his best, even though he thought he would retire before Warne. That has turned out to not be the case and now he again has the chance to prove he is good enough to do the job for his own now that Warne has retired.

What about you? Are you doing your best irregardless of your chances of getting the top job? Ready at any time to step into the breach and fulfill the task?

Or have you simply given up and simply going through the motions, or even worse given up altogether and walked away from something that you are in fact very good at, for no other reason than that you couldn’t be number One. Well remember, as in life, as in the Cricket Team. There may be many in a team but there can be only one no, 1.

My advice to you is to stick at what you are good at even if you will never be regarded as Number one, or even to get the chance to be No.1. Hang in there and do your best always, even if it is never properly recognized or rewarded.

If you are already doing that, great! If not buckle down, throw away the excuses and give your best in all things: Walter

Natural Born Leaders?

Is there such a thing as a natural born leader, or do they have to have the chance to grow into the Job?

In the wake of the Test Team’s 5 nil drubbing of the English Test Team someone asked the question on TV today, whether Ricky Ponting was the best Australian Test Captain ever. The wise answer was that although he has come a long way since the team under him lost the Ashes in 2005 and he is captaining very well at the moment, he still has a way to go to reach his best, let alone to be regarded now as best ever.

Ricky is not the best ever, but this is just another example of a person growing in his job as he is able and allowed to do. Now not everyone in Australia has been on Ricky Ponting’s side in regard to his Captaincy skills. It is not that long ago that, when he first became captain, there were many who thought he should not have got the job ahead of Shane Warne. The Ashes loss did not help his cause either. But he put his head down and his captaincy, and his batting both improved and now his captaincy is both accepted and recognized.

My point here is that very few are born fully talented and experienced and thus have to be allowed to grow into their Jobs. Some do so very well, some don’t. Some don’t get the chance. Some countries, like England recently, have had a whole series of Captains. When they have struggled, they have been replaced, rather than being given the opportunity to grow into the Job.

In Australia, most recently, Taylor, Waugh, & Ponting have all inherited strong teams and gone on to be recognized as strong, good and successful captains. But it has not always been so.

I remember well when Alan Border became Captain. It is no disrespect to him to say that he was not good at it originally, but he was the only one available who was prepared to put his hand up for the Job. I also think it true to say that in his first few season’s he, would have lost the captaincy, many times over, if there had been an obvious alternative. There wasn’t so he stuck at the job and the Cricket Board stuck with him and in due course he turned both his, and the Australian Team’s fortunes around and retired as one of Australia’s greats, and as already stated, passed a successful team on to Mark Taylor, who in his turn, turned a successful team onto Stephen Waugh, who in his turn turned the Team over to Ricky Ponting, equally as successful as any of the previous two Teams. Nothing breeds like success! However success never lasts without hard work and strong leadership, working with what you have before you at that time.

My point here that it is hard and even pointless to compare a Captain who inherited a successful team against any who came before him, let alone against those who made successes of unsuccessful teams. Each has to be assessed on what they did with what they had to work with.

It is the same for us. We can’t really bask in someone else’s hard work, nor can we blame the failures of those who preceded us. We have to deal with what we have. Make the most of what life deals out to us. And then be assessed on how we responded to our challenges. Sure we can blame our circumstances and environment to some degree, but at some point all of us must take responsibility for what we have done with what we got. It doesn't matter how little recognition we recieve. Or how poorly we feel we have been treated. Always react with your best. Not excuses, just your best.

How are you reacting to your present situation? Reacting against all the adverse challenges? Basking in someone else’s successes? Or doing your best with what you have been given to work with, without comparing yourself to anyone else but your very own best.

In all that you do, don’t ask if this is better than anyone else but ask yourself, if this is really the best you can do? If so take solace in that.

If not buckle down, throw away the excuses and give your best in all things: Walter

Pretty plain but pretty, still.

I like to garden and to grow things. However I am not a great gardener and many of the things I grow are the common plants that anyone and everyone else grows.

As I potter around my garden I often pot up smaller plants into pots. Either to plant elsewhere, or keep in pots, or to give away, or simple because I can’t bear to throw away a potential plant even though I have no need for anymore of that type.

Lately I have decided that I have too many pot plants around the place. So I planted a lot in the garden, just to get them out of pots. Some others I took up to the Hall where we now hold our Church services, on Christmas Day. My idea was to initially brighten up the outside entrance and then to give them away to whomever wanted them, after the service, as so called Christmas presents. Even though they were big healthy plants, no one really wanted them as they already have them. So although I did find a taker for one Hydrangea, I took the rest home.

So, as an exercise in getting rid of my excess plants it was pretty much a failure. However in talking to the Pastor later, he complimented me on improving the Ambience of the place with the lovely plants. So I have now been encouraged to continue taking plants up there, not just to get rid of my excess baggage but to improve the ambience of the Worship service. This of course, involves a bit of extra work and not what I was intending originally. It was to get rid of extra work, not create more! However if it helps others and doesn’t cost me more than I am happy to provide, why not.

What about you? Have you started something plain and want to get rid of it, thinking it is not appreciated? Have you started off trying to do one thing and ended up doing another, not intended?

If so, the thing to do is to ask yourself a few questions. Such as:

Are my efforts, bringing some benefit to others, whether originally intended or not?

Am I doing something that no one else will do?

Am I stopping others from doing better, by my efforts and thus need to step back and encourage others to come forward?

The answers to these questions should help you to decide what to do.

For me, I will continue to take plants up and back each week, for as long as I can, or until asked to stop.

Because even though they may be pretty plain and pretty common, they are still pretty and pretty useful!

Are you using costly stone? Or cheaper stuff!

I was recently reading through the first Book of Kings in the Bible and came across this line in Chapter 5 verse 17: “At the Kings command, they quarried out great costly stones in order to lay the foundation of the house with dressed stones.” (NRSV.)

Now I know that King Solomon was rich therefore could afford to do it, by why do you think he used Costly stones for the foundations? After all, once put down, no one would see them again and thus cheaper ones would have been as equally effective?

It was not the same as with the foundation, or stumps of this house, where cheapness did make a difference. Recently my son planned to do some renovations to this house. In his preparatory work he got down and dirty and under the house, and believe me to get under the house, you have to get down and dirty.

Anyway he went under the house to check the foundations or whatever, and found that not only were the stumps not solid but also badly in need of replacement. So money previously allotted to other work had to be extended to replacing the stumps. This resulted in another dilemma. Replace them with what? With wood again? Or to go for the more expensive Concrete? Added to this was the practical consideration that he only plans to hang on to this place for another couple of years at max and sell and move on, so why spend extra money on something that he will not really get the benefit for?

Like Solomon, he too went for the more expensive option, thus preventing the next owner having to face the same problems that he had to.

Some times we think and act with the thought, “That out of sight is out of mind”, and therefore it doesn’t matter.

Now sometimes that is true like with Solomon’s costly stones. As long as the stones were solid it didn’t really matter how they looked, but Solomon wanted to give his God the very best he could. Therefore he did, even where it didn’t really make any difference and no one else would ever see.

On the other hand it made a big difference when my son had to decide between the cheaper option, either eventually perpetuating the present problem onto someone else in the future, or going for the extra cost at the beginning, to no obvious benefit to him, but with some extra costs also for him.

What about you today? Are you like Solomon giving the best you can for God and for family, even where it will never be seen?

Are you like my son and choosing the more permanent option when you have the choice, even though it will cost you more than you planned?

Are you tempted to go for the cheaper option and let the next person suffer with the same problem, or fix it once and for all?

Do you think you can get away with shoddy work and that no one will notice and even if they do, it will soon pass from memory?

If you are thinking along those lines just remember the Leaning Tower of Pizza. World famous only because its builders scrimped on its foundations. Think too of the vast amounts of money spent on it over the years to stop it falling completely over. Do you really want people to spend their money and efforts to correct your failings?

Or would you rather see extra money spent on more deserving causes?

So, what are you building with? Costly stones? Or with the cheapest alternative?

Something brings eternal benefit to others, even if your contribution is soon forgotten?