Best Way to learn. 4/2/2009

Read a quote In “Our Daily Bread” for Feb.4, where it said, “ A good way to learn God’s truth is to teach it to others.”
Now without wishing to get bogged down on the religious side of this quote, (Which I firmly believe) I do also think that this quote is also relevant for all aspects of our life too. I have found many times, that as I am preparing items to pass onto others, that I study the subject much more carefully and thereby discover much more than my normal casual readings had previously discovered.
So I would like to encourage you today to spend much more care and concern over the important things and also to pass them onto others, so that both of you can learn more each time. Secondly the best way to teach anyone is by example, so as you learn more and more each time in theory, pass it on, not just as theory, but pass it on as part of your normal life practise. i.e. teach by example as well as by word. Well that’s my say! What say you?

One question Re Calvin & Hobbes: Two different responses!

On a Religious Forum site, someone asked the following question: “Why are there Calvinist denominations but no Hobbsist denominations?”
On the surface a fairly straightforward question one would think, but obviously not everyone on the forum was on the same wavelength.
Here are some of the responses: *Because Hobbes only exists in Calvin's mind. That cartoon is the best of all time.
*Because Hobbs wasn't into manipulating, that was more of Calvin's thing.
*Which would you rather be alone with, a six year old boy, or a hungry tiger?
*Because Hobbs doesn't have any vision, like Stupendous Man.
All funny answers and actually appropriate responses, even if they don’t really answer the question as the asker wished. I somehow think he/she would have voted for one of the other responses such as: *I have the boring answer. Hobbes' name is taken from Thomas Hobbes, who was most definitely NOT a theologian. Also, even the Hobbes we all know and love would never want a religious sect named after him.
*You've read Hobbes, of course, so you know that Hobbes was pretty much a strict pragmatist. He didn't see Reason as something that can lead us to the Truth, but more as something that can figure out how we can get what we want. You might call Karl Marx a Hobbesist. Out upon all Relativists and Pragmatists!
*Calvin focused on reforming and breaking away from Catholicism. Hobbs focused on political not religious thought.
*Hobbes was a Secularist.
The above, just goes to show that even when you think you know what you are saying, some can, intentionally or unintentionally, take it in a different way other than you imagine and come up with a completely different response than the one you planned.
Now sometimes, like in the above references to the Calvin & Hobbes Cartoon characters, this can be quite humorous. But at others, it can be either offensive or even out right dangerous.
So please learn from the above exchange and try and may sure you always say what you mean and always mean what you say. Herewith endeth today’s lesson!

Elzéard Bouffier left something behind, will you?

Recently read a story told of Elzéard Bouffier, a 55-year-old widower who lived in a French village in 1910, surrounded by poverty and despair. Not happy with his lot and believing He could personally do something, no matter how small and insignificant about it, he did something, simply by using available material.
He collected thousands of acorns and planted them throughout the area. When they took root, he cultivated beeches. When they become saplings, he planted birches. One day, amidst the death and devastation of World War I, a mysterious grey mist appeared on the horizon. It was the oaks of 1910, below them the adolescent beeches, and below them the tiny birch seedlings.
The storey goes that, “ Bouffier kept planting, and at the end of World War II, French environmentalists announced that a "natural forest" had "mysteriously" sprung up, flourishing amidst its barren surroundings. But the story doesn't end there; his forest started a chain reaction. Water flowed in brooks that had dried up. The wind scattered seeds, and willows, rushes, meadows and gardens sprang up. New people came to live there, bringing with them hope and prosperity. Elzéard Bouffier found acorns, planted them, and God did the rest.”
The article* continues: “God can do much with little. Look what He did for David with a sling and a stone. Watch Him feed five thousand with a boy's lunch. And He will do the same for you! Your life is like a pebble: it may not look like much, but drop it into a pond and watch the ripples spread in every direction.
Every day you live you have three options: (a) Think only of yourself and your own interests. (b) Since success doesn't come without the possibility of failure, take no risks and go no further. (c) Ask God to show you what you've got, then use it to make ripples.”
I like this story and others like it, because it echoes my own personal philosophy of always trying to leave something permanent behind, for coming generations. I know little about Beech or Birch trees, but I do know that planting Oak trees is a long term Vision. My father tells the story of planting an oak tree when his first son was born, for him (and the others, including me, still to come then,) to climb on later. Of course it never happened, but Dad did live long enough to see it finally grow big enough for his Grandsons and granddaughters and even great Granddaughters, to play on.
And there are many things like oak trees that we can start off with now, that take a long, long time to come to their full potential, but if someone doesn’t start sometime, it will never happen. So what “acorns” can you plant to day for the next generations to benefit from even if you can never realistically expect to benefit Personally? Over to you now.

* WISE WORDS 14/1/09

How to recognize Phony things?

Recently read a comment, which said, “Counterfeit money is only recognised by those who know how to identify the real thing”. And from my time behind the counter selling newspapers where I often to late, found coins from other countries being used, either accidentally or intentionally as Australian currency, I know this is true. When things are busy and you are not watching very, very carefully the non-genuine article often slips through leaving you unaware until it is too late. I didn’t (that I know of) have any problem with counterfeit notes. Or even counterfeit coins for that matter, but every now and then foreign coins would come through passed of as “real” Australian currency.
In some cases you had to see the other side of the coin to tell the obvious differences, because often the “Heads” side was very similar as many Commonwealth countries also have the Queen of England on one side of their coins.
What is true of money is also true of many other things too. Just like there is a lot of phoney money (both coins and notes) floating around, so is there a lot of phoney things floating around being passed off as the real thing and you need to know the real thing if you wish to avoid being tricked into buying into the inferior and often dangerous alternatives being offered around as the “Genuine article”.
This is true of religions too. There are many phoney religions floating around including many phoney so-called Christian ones too! And just as with religions in general, so as with Christianity too that we have to both know and pay attention to the real thing, so as to be able to distinguish between the phoney and the real thing.
So this year as we fast approach the Christmas season, let us all keep an eye out for the phoniness of the festival, and remember the true reason for the season. And the only way we can safely do that is to know the real thing from the phoney when we see it and to take our time in analysing and checking out what we accept, so that we don’t get “fooled” in our hurriedness, like I did a few times with non-Australian coins being passed off as the real thing.
So it is my prayer that even in the busyness of the fast approaching Christmas Festival, that this year at least, you will remember the real Reason (Christ) for the 9Christmas) season and spend quality time and prayer over the word of God; and then know and show the full and whole Christ to the world. Let there be nothing phoney about you or the message of God that you share, this Christmas and beyond.

Comparing God to A Diet.

I hate to compare God to a diet, but it seems that a lot of people treat God a bit the way they do diets at times, doesn’t it? We become overweight and suffer from it and are put on a strict diet, which achieves the desired, required goal, but then!!!!!!!!!
Then, we decide, well now that I am down to the required weight I can go off the diet can’t I? Oh yes, at first we will not stray too far from the diet, but. But before long we are back to our old eating habits aren’t we?
Now as I said above, I don’t like comparing God to a diet, but for many of us, we do treat God the same way we treat diets don’t we? Good for when we need them but unnecessary the rest of the time. Well that may be how we treat God, but that is not how it is meant to be. And like when we break our diets and go back to our old ways, the problems return don’t they? So it pays in the long run for us all to stick to our diets of healthy living in the first place, doesn’t it? And the same is true for our relationship with God too. It is far healthier for us to continue to walk in God’s path, or if you like, in God’s diet, for you now, rather than pay the consequences later, isn’t it?

Real Life Auto-Correct, For Our Lives?

I warn you right here at the start that this one is about God and the Bible, and if you don’t like that, you can blame my American Blogger Pal Lynx, who instigated this by writing the following in reference to her struggles to get her Computer Program to properly auto correct. Any way this is what she wrote: “Ever since I redid the pda I seem to have forgotten how to do the basics lol. I'm ok though. I just have to reprogram the thing, which will take a while, so that it capitalizes the "j" in January, the "f" in Friday, etc... No it doesn't do it automatically, except when you type an "I" (see, I can't even put one in quotes without it doing it). I love auto-correct programs. I need one for my life.

Oh there's a blog - and I'm sure this is going to get Walter thinking... LMAO”.

Until that last comment, the thought had never crossed my mind; but not being one to willingly pass up a challenge, I did think about it. And when I did think about, it I realised that our creator, God, has indeed given us His instruction Manuel (The Bible) and if we apply it properly, it does indeed act as an automatic mistake corrector or at least, mistake pointer outer.

Personally I think that it is a great auto-correct on Life, but like Computer programs, there are a couple of Drawbacks with it too.

1. It has to be installed properly at the beginning. Like a lot of computer programs are not properly or fully installed at the beginning so there are problems. So like with the Bible. It must be properly applied and right from the beginning too for maximum benefit.

2. With a computer, all instructions must be followed properly, (or at least the proper short cuts applied,) otherwise there are problems. Likewise with the Bible. Applied properly, there is no problem. Applied incorrectly or with improper shortcuts, you can (& do) get yourself and others, into all sorts of predicaments.

3. Sometime the computer Auto correct gives us instructions / corrections that we just don’t like doesn’t it and so we just over-ride it. Likewise with the Bible. Many try to apply only what they like and reject ort override the rest. Sadly it just doesn’t work in the long run.

So you see we do have an Auto – correct for our lives. It is called God’s Word, the Bible. But we do have to apply it to our whole lives. Sometimes though, when we do just that, what it points out is not always acceptable to us, is it, and thus we either ignore or totally override God’s auto- correct and continue in our own desires don’t we?

So Lynx, we do already have an auto-correct program for our lives, but it is still up to us whether we use it or use the override on His program, like we often do with our computers. Well that’s all for now: Have a great day! Walter.

PS. Although I may be the only one on here that doesn’t know what LMAO means, could someone explain it to me please?

How to Asses if you are a true friend.

Another Sunday item for you. Recently I received the following in an e-mail titled, ”Wise Words 24/6/08” under the heading, “The importance of relationships.”

“Solid relationships keep us grounded and accountable. If we start to get off course they help keep us on track. So who are the significant people in your life, the ones you spend the most time with, the ones whose opinions really matter to you? These people are your greatest influencers. The question is, how are they influencing you? To know the answer, ask yourself the following questions:

(1) What does he/she bring out of me? Author William Alan Ward remarked, "A true friend knows your weaknesses, but shows you your strengths. Feels your fears, but fortifies your faith. Sees your anxieties, but frees your spirit. Recognises your disabilities, but emphasises your possibilities."

(2) What does he/she think of my future? People tend to become what the most important person in their lives believes they can be. Indeed, that's what our children grow up to be! We embrace the opinions of those we respect.

(3) What does he/she think of my future? Paul tells Timothy, "Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young" (1 Ti 4:12 NLT). Do the most important people in your life understand God's plan for you? Do they help or hinder you?

(4) How does he/she behave toward me in difficult times? The solid relationships in your life are those who are slow to suspect, but quick to trust. Slow to condemn, but quick to justify. Slow to offend, but quick to defend. Slow to expose, but quick to shield. Slow to reprimand, but quick to forbear. Slow to belittle, but quick to appreciate. Slow to demand, but quick to give. Slow to provoke, but quick to help. Slow to resent, but quick to forgive.”

I think this is a great article (otherwise I wouldn’t be sharing it with you now,) but I can’t help but read it in its opposite form. This article has given us some questions to ask when assessing others as friends that can positively influence us. But what about asking ourselves these very same questions in assessing whether we are a positive or negative influence on others first?

So often we look to others to make not only the first move, but also each and every move, don’t we? And maybe just maybe, it is time some of us took the initiative and made that first move, Hey?

Instead of asking, “What does he/she bring out of me?” Let us ask, “What do I bring out of them?

Instead of asking, “What does he/she think of me? Let us ask, ““What do I really think of them?

Instead of asking, “What does he/she think of my future? Let us ask, “What do I think of their future?”

Instead of asking, “How does he/she behave toward me in difficult times? Let us ask, “How do I behave toward them in difficult times?”

When we honestly answer these questions, we will know what sort of friends we really are, won’t we? Before we can honestly assess the friendships of others, we really need to assess our own first don’t we? So my closing query today is, “How good a friend are you really, to your friends?”

Naked Priest verses the Naked Cowboy.

There is an American (who was recently in Australia a couple of weeks back as part of a Myers Store promotion,) who has been Busking for the better part of Ten years in New York and gains upwards of $300 an hour for his trouble. As a traditional Country singer, and even as a singer, he couldn’t even make a living Busking until he stripped off to his jocks, and now he is infamous and popular for doing so. He actually goes around in Cowboy boots and hat and brief underpants, thus avoiding arrest for being naked, yet he still proudly claims to be “The Naked Cowboy” and has even registered the Name.

Reading in the Book of Isaiah recently I came across again in chapter 20 in verses 2 & 3, a passage where it states that Isaiah walked barefoot and naked around Jerusalem for the better part of three years to symbolically pronounce what was going to happen to the rich and powerful, of Egypt and Ethiopia (Cush) when they would eventually be taken into Captivity by the Assyrians.

Now while it is possible that the word translated Naked in Isaiah, means that Isaiah went buck naked, it can also mean that he was only as naked as the Naked Cowboy today, as he most likely wore, not white jocks, but a brief linen cloth instead.

Now I could not but help wonder what would happen if today, someone else were to do an Isaiah, complete with underpants and nothing else, and went around proclaiming God’s word to all who would listen? Would they also be as freely accepted as being normal, as the Naked Cowboy is and rewarded with money and fame? Or would they be scorned and even locked up as another typical raving luniticial religious nut?

It has been said that what is sauce for the Goose is sauce for the Gander too! But is that how we truly look at things? Or do we have one set of rules for one group of what is acceptable, but yet another for another group, which makes what they are doing, although the same as others, totally unacceptable?

What say you? Do you too have double standards? Or do you have one standard of what is or isn’t acceptable for all? Again what say you?

What Do I know!

I find sermon Preparation, not one of the easiest parts of my Job. Sure, sometimes if I come across an interesting text, a sermon will virtually pop out and almost write itself, But usually and especially when preaching through a book in the Bible, it is rarely that easy to get a good message from it without constantly repeating oneself.

Well at least that is how I find things and thus and I prefer to have a lot of preparation time on each sermon before hand, and even while I am preparing for the next Sunday, I like to have at least the bones of the week after’s sermon down on paper too, if not the one after as well!

Lately I have been preaching through the Book of Isaiah and doing pretty well up to the end of chapter twelve. But then when looking for the main point of the following text, I found that the main point of the whole next 9 chapters was basically the same. (“All Other Help Than God will fail, so who will you put your trust in?”) And so as to avoid repeating basically the same message for the next 9 weeks, only with a different text/passage each week, I ran the nine chapters together. Of course this made it a little longer than normal and in my mind a little bit disorganized. And so I agonised over it for quite some time and as we had a surprise guest speaker on Mother’s Day, I had an extra week to agonise over it.

Then just before I delivered it last week, at our Friday Cell group where we are also looking at Isaiah, but not at the same speed, one of the people there, mentioned that they were struggling with an overload of Isaiah and not looking forward to spending the next year on Isaiah.

Well I didn’t say anything then but thought to myself, if they feel that way now, how will they feel after my long message on Sunday.

Now with a small congregation, it is rare to get much feedback, so it is often hard to tell how well a message has gone, and this mob are not large on comments. So I was somewhat surprised after the message to have two people comment and comment positively. Especially as one was this person who mentioned previously that they were struggling with Isaiah.

So here was a message that although it was the best I could do with it, I wasn’t entirely happy with and yet others were! Go figure, hey?

So the message I got from this was, don’t worry about your own feelings toward what you do. Just make sure it is the best that you can do under your circumstances, and leave the rest up to God and your audience. Besides, there have also been times when I have preached what I thought was a brilliant message, only to receive blank stares and no acknowledgment of such.

So again don’t judge by your own feelings, but just do the best you can with everything you do in life and let others be the judge. For if you are anything like me, you would make a lousy judge too! At least where your own work is concerned!

Things God won’t ask.

Recently received an e-mail that I have slightly altered/shortened and added my comments to at the bottom, which, seeing it is Sunday, I thought I would share with you. Many people say, ‘When I get to heaven I am going to ask God “such and such”’. But have you ever wondered what God might ask you instead? Well here are a few things He won’t ask you.

· God won’t ask what kind of car you drove. He’ll ask how many people you drove who didn’t have transport.

· God won’t ask the square footage of your house. He’ll ask how many people you welcomed into it.

· God won’t ask about the clothes you had in your closet. He’ll ask how many you helped clothe.

· God won’t ask what your highest salary was. He’ll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it.

· God won’t ask what your job title was. He’ll ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.

· God won’t ask how many friends you had. He’ll ask how many people to whom you were a friend.

· God won’t ask in what neighbourhood you lived. He’ll ask how you treated your neighbours.

· God won’t ask about the colour of your skin. He’ll ask about the content of your character.

· God won’t ask why it took you so long to seek salvation. He’ll lovingly take you to your mansion in heaven and not to the gates of Hell.

Yes it is only us who are interested in owning the biggest and best of everything. God is only interested in how we use these things for the benefit of others and not for ourselves. How are you using what you have now, whether you think God gave them to you or not?

Are you using the things you have for the benefit of all around you or for just your own selfish needs? Who are you able to help with the things you have, without any real effort? I ask myself this as a person who often drives around with only myself in the car. Yes I know it is not safe to pick up hitchhikers willy-nilly, but how many friends and neighbours do you know that you can occasionally offer lifts to without really going out of your way. That is the secret here. How many people can you currently help by sharing your current possessions with out any real effort or going to extremes? Over to you for comment.

God/Heater Illustration.

Seeing as though it is a Sunday I thought I would share with you a true illustration I used in a recent sermon of mine.

“Bad Illustration time. I realise that it is not a good illustration to compare God to a Heater, but I hope it gets the message across that we need to make the connection to God before we can get His benefits. Anyway, please bear with this illustration, as bad as it is.

God is a bit like the central heating of our house, with which we had a minor problem with recently. The central Heating System of our house is always there but it is not automatic. If we want its full and proper benefits, we have to first switch it on. When we do, we then can choose whether just to heat a few rooms or the whole house by shutting some rooms off. The experts tell us that we are not supposed to do this, as it is not good for the whole system, yet sometimes we do it anyway, don’t we?

Then, if conditions suit us, we often just don’t bother with the heater at all, do we? Then sometimes after a long period of inactivity, when we decide that we finally want heat and we try to switch it on again at the flick of a switch, we find that the pilot has gone out. And often, like a couple of weeks back in our cold snap, it was with some great difficulty that we have to go through to relight it again and get everything up and running like it should, all because we had not been maintaining the system.

Any of this beginning to sound like how we treat God? We try and restrict Him to only certain parts of our lives and even then call on Him only when we want His help or benefits, yet fail to keep the system operating and then wonder why we have so much trouble reigniting with God again when we try!

There are many wonderful and mighty promises in the Bible, particularly in Isaiah 9; 6 –7, but they are also promises that only God can bring about for as Isaiah 9:7 says,” The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. Thus we must remain ever connected to Him, don’t we?”

Yes it is the Lord of Hosts, (God almighty - Emmanuel - Jesus Christ), that will give you all you need for eternal life and peace in this one. All we can do is connect and stay connected to this power through our faith and walk with Christ as laid out in His word the Bible. Will you do that? As shown repeatedly, God has done all that needs to be done, and now all we have to do is to walk in that Connection. Will you? Will you now? If so turn to God in Prayer now.”

Hopefully this will give you pause for thought on this Lord’s Day. If not, hold out for tomorrow’s musings instead. Walter

Positive reporting.

Recently I was reading the Annual Report from the Church Denomination (Africa Evangelical Church) that we had worked under whilst in Transkei and South Africa last century and very early this one, and came across the following recommendations:

“Look for positive things that will encourage people to pray for you. Sell your Christian life in style as AEC member. Do not be wishy-washy and hanky-panky! Negative reporting turns people away. Share what is worth sharing and keep those things that might be sensitive and handle them with skill.” (Taken From AEC 2007 Annual Report.)

Just temporarily removing the Christian content (and the African Grammar,) for a moment, I thought that it was very good advice for all of us, irregardless of our spiritual involvement, or lack thereof!

· I believe it will do no one any harm if we always look for good and positive things to focus our thoughts on, instead of worrying about all the negative things.

· I also believe that none of us should ever sell ourselves short as valuable members of the Human race, with something genuinely important to give to the world at large. Therefore we should not be unwarrantedly ashamed of ourselves or our place in society

· I also believe many valuable opportunities are lost to the world because we are so wishy-washy that we can’t make up our minds whether to do something or not. We may have the world’s greatest invention in our minds, but it will help no one if we do nothing with it.

· However sometimes we do get involved with Hanky-panky of some kind or another and distracted form our original and beneficial gaols and end up hurting people rather than helping anyone.

· Whilst there is great danger in always looking through Rose Coloured Glasses, there is the other danger of only ever seeing danger and missing the opportunities also available.

· When it comes to sharing, it seems all we ever want to share is the rubbish and the unhelpful, but not the beneficial and helpful. Let us all be more selective in what we share and why.

· Whilst we should always speak the truth, we should do it in love and not in a hurtful or spiteful way. And sometimes we should only share the truth when asked or not at all.

· Sometimes it will have to be said whether you want to or not, and those are the times where you will need skill, tack, patience, and even a thick skin yourself, because often the truth is so painful that people refuse to see it and not only reject it, but you too. But if we truly love or care for them than that should not stop us trying to help.

So what about you this year? Are you going to be as positive as you can? Or do I hear a negative response there?

Everyone was apologetic; but all suffered too!

Two separate but related stories today. Last Sunday, as we do every Sunday, we headed off to the Hall where we hold our Church services to help set up. The other family (Who do most of it anyway) were already there and were already in the process when we arrived.

As I was (incorrectly it turned out) predicting a low turnout that day, I remarked on the number of Chairs already out. Only to be told that they were not putting them out but putting them (and about 20 long folding tables) away. At the same time they were muttering under their breaths (or was that me?) about other people using the Hall and not packing up after themselves. As well as the 20 or so tables, they had every chair on the premises out, something like 200, whereas we never have out more than 40 or 50.

So there we are a small group going off to the hall expecting all to be as it should be and finding it not so and having to put most of it away before we could set up for our own purposes! I think it fair to say that we were not particularly pleased with this situation.

Next story. Three mornings later I receive a phone call and a voice says, “Walter? This is Perter Sellers. You don’t know me.” Which was true enough, as I didn’t, nor had any idea how he had my number and name until he explained.

It turns out it was his party who had put out the Tables on the previous Saturday. Not for that night but for the following Monday (New Year’s Eve).

Apparently he had been told that no one was using the hall in the meantime and so set it up on Saturday and rocked up on Monday Morning to just throw some table cloths on in readiness for final setting up for Monday night, only to find it all put away again. They also did some muttering to I am told!

At first they were mystified as to what had happened, but eventually found one of my Business cards and a flyer advertising our Church there, and put two and two together and thus he rung up to apologise.

He was very apologetic, and so were we, when we found out the true situation. Had we known in advance we could have made some changes ourselves to accommodate them, but as we didn’t, we all wasted time; either in having to set up twice (for them) or having to put away someone else’s chairs (for us). All because they had received false information in the first place! What about you when you give out information?

Do you take the trouble to check all the facts or do you take short cuts or rely on memory. In our case we have had the hall booked for every Sunday Morn for the previous 15 months and already booked for the next 12. Yet someone still didn’t notice or recognise our Booking. Yet had they done so, no one would have had to feel apologetic and a whole lot of time and energy (In their case 3 hours, each time) would not have been wasted.

So please when you give out any and all information, please do your utmost to see that you are up to date with all the facts so that others do not suffer because of YOU.

IXTHYS. The sign of the fish.

Have you ever seen a car go by with a sticker of a fish on it and wondered what it meant?

In the first 300 or so years of Christianity, the earliest followers of Jesus were persecuted and often forced to worship in hidden locations. Often these believers would scratch the secret symbol of a fish on the ground to help them identify other Christians.

Not only was fish a common food of the day, but also as such it was often used and referenced to by Jesus himself, during his ministry. However of more significance to Christians is the fact that the letters which make up the Greek word for “fish” also spell out a secret message about our Lord Jesus Christ.

I = Jesus.

X = Christ.

TH = God’s.

Y or U = Son.

S = Saviour.

Throughout the generations, the fish symbol continues to identify the true followers of Jesus Christ. Even today the fish symbol transcends differences in cultures and denominations, and helps Christians to identify one another.

So in closing, what does the sign of the fish mean to you? A meaningless symbol? A Puzzle? A Bumper sticker for the car? Or a special message to you? Walter

Reply To A Question.

Recently I received the following comment on my Blog site. “I note from your profile you ask...Do you really know where you stand before Jesus Christ? What do you mean by that?”

I don’t normally post “religious items” on my blog site, but as I was asked the question once, I thought others might also be interested in my response and so I will this, one time, share a ‘religious” item with you. So here is my response to the question.

As to the question on my blog site, “Do you really know where you stand before Jesus Christ?”
I guess that that comes out of my time as both a Missionary and a Pastor. I have found that in talking to people, many claim to “Know” Jesus Christ, but when you talk to them, you find that they have a different picture of Christ than what the Bible has.

There are some weird and wonderful ideas out in the world about who or what Jesus is/was and what their relationship to Him should/could be.

Whereas the Bible says that not only is Jesus the Son of God who came as a Perfect sacrifice to pay the penalty of Mankind’s sins and to restore redeemed mankind into relationship with God, (John’s Gospel Chapter3 Verse 16.) but that He is the only way. (John’s Gospel Chapter 14 Verse 6.) And that we are to live a new life empowered by the Holy Spirit. (Book of Romans Chapter 7 Verse 4.) And if we don’t live this life then we are not standing saved before Christ as Romans Chapter 8 verses 5 to 9 say.

I hope that I haven’t come across too preachy here, but what I meant in my question was, not so much are you saved and born again, which is the ideal, but do you just know if you stand redeemed before God through Jesus Christ, or whether you know that you are not one of God’s Children. (Romans 8 verses 12-17.)

Again I don’t wish to come across too preachy here, but as a Bible believing Christian, I feel it is important that people know where they stand before God, and not remain ignorant, even if they still wish to reject God and Eternal Salvation.

If you have any further questions, I will be happy to try and answer them, and hopefully not come across too heavy. Take care there. Walter

Observation Point – Isolated But Still In Contact.

Another Sunday and another spiritual moment inspired from our stay at Philip Island. (Don’t worry this will be the last spiritual one from there!) On the same foggy morning I told you about last Sunday, I went for a walk along the Cowes Beach towards Observation Point. As said then, it was a reasonably good easy approximately 3 kms walk, along the sandy beach at Low tide, even though visibility was poor. As the sand was hard and firm, I was making good and easy progress on my way to this place called Observation Point, which was only accessible on foot along the beach. As already stated, it was very foggy to start with but visibility improved as I went along.

Because of the fog and the fact that it was winter, I basically had the beach to myself! Or so I thought. Initially I thought I was isolated from the whole world but no, the world was still around me and I couldn’t escape from it.

One of the Psalms in the Bible says that there is no-where that one can go that he can avoid God and be beyond His reach. A bit like Mobile phones I guess? As I was walking along the apparently deserted beach that morning in the mist, about 2kms from Cowes, the fog lifted a little and I saw two men ahead of me, walking back from the water’s edge at low tide in a direction that eventually cut directly across mine.

As I got closer I could hear talking. As I got even closer I realized that one, whilst he was walking next to the other person on the beach, was talking to another on his Mobile Phone. I could also gather from the way he was speaking that the person on the other end was having trouble believing that the one he was speaking to was “on the Island now”.

It seems these days that if we have our Mobiles with us, we can be reached anywhere and at anytime. Even when we don’t want to be reached, unless we turn our phones off.

Sometimes I think humankind must have a built in Mobile phone in our Heads where God can reach us anytime and any place, if our receivers are on.

The trouble being, we often have our “God-receivers’ either switched off or leave the calls unanswered because we are busy doing other things to bother with God?

Maybe even worse, it could be like the chap on the beach’s friend on the other end, and we struggle to really believe where the call is coming from and ignore God’s call to us as unbelievable.

What say you? Is your God-receiver, switched off, on but unanswered, just waiting for you to make the right connections? Or is it on but you are having trouble believing the call is what God says it is? Again what say you? Is your direct line to God open or have you switched it off? Over to you now as the answer is figuratively and metaphorically in your hands now.

You can either switch on and answer God's call with your full attention, or you can continue to wander in the fog and mist and often with wet shoes from the ever-changing tides of life: Walter

Observation Point- Observing But Without Seeing.

Seeing that it is Sunday I thought I would pass on one of my more spiritual moments of our Philip Island holiday.

I went for a walk one (non Sunday) foggy morning along the Cowes Beach towards a place called Observation Point. It was a reasonably good walk about 3 kms along the sandy beach at Low tide. Thus the sand was hard and I made good and easy progress on my way to Observation Point. The only problem was that, because of the mist, I couldn’t see very much around me. There could have been big ships passing going on up the Bay like the day before, or little fishing boats out there. Could have been anything out there and I wouldn’t have been able to see it! Even close in front of me! Just as well that I didn’t really want to see anything wasn’t it? It was a place where ships and boats and sea are to be seen in abundance normally, but at that time it didn’t really matter to me, as I didn’t really want to see them then.

Reminded me a bit of how some people look for God. They look in the right places, but at the wrong times, and then complain that they couldn’t se Him anywhere! Yes they looked but with eyes that didn’t want to see!

Yet, if one really wants to find God, they will find Him, even in the fog and mist. One of the Psalms in the Bible says that there is no-where that one can go that he can avoid God and be beyond His reach. Not even you! I know that that is true for myself, what about you? Walter

Religion is for Fools.

While we were at the Philip Island Baptist Church Service last month, their little in-house Book Store did a sales pitch on is a small little book called “Religion is for fools,” by an Australian author, Bill Medley. Despite being written by an Australian, it is published both here, in the UK and the USA. In Australia it was originally published by Viva Press. In the UK and US, it is put out by Monarch Books and distributed in the US by Kregel Publications (P.O. 2607, Grande Rapids, Michigan 4951.)

In fact this copy was published in America, hence all the above information was available to me. I am passing this onto you because I think it is a book for all Christians and non-Christians to check out. Now when I say it is a small little book, I mean it is a small little book! Just a fraction bigger than pocket size (unless you have extra large pockets), and only 160 pages long!

It is written by a former Australian Comedian (No, I had never hard of him either!) Now although I have never heard of him before, he obviously has a sense of humour like mine. (Which could explain why no one has ever heard of him, too!)

Anyway it is short and simply written, in the form of a letter (A long one admittedly, hence it is in 8 chapters with 8 short appendixes at the end. Actually, the appendixes occupy half as many pages as the main text!) Anyway, Bill claims to have been a sceptic originally and wary of “organized religion” when he started to examine the claims of the 5 leading Religions. (Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism & Islam.)

He now uses this research to answer his sister in law, who is still searching for answers and is still where he was originally. As I say it is only a short book so obviously there is not a lot of in-depth material in it, but I still think it is worth a look if you get the chance, whether you are a Christian, a non-Christian or someone else.

If you have already checked it out I would be very interested in your opinion, even if you hate it. If you have not read it and you do get the chance to check it out, please let me know what you think sometime: Walter