Covered in Yuck

A couple of the little people in my life had lots of fun playing with shaving foam recently. It got everywhere....despite the fact that I only put it on 3 trays. But man! The fun they had!!!

But it got me thinking about how I get myself covered in 'yuck' ...and it's not a fun yuck.

When I deliberately avoid eye contact with someone so I don't have to talk to them....when someone tells me a story and I have to top their's with my own rather than just listening and letting them have the limelight...when I lose my temper over something very trivial....when I judge someone before I have even heard their story...when I am fearful....when I speak before thinking.....when I make a snide remark - and that's just this week's YUCK!

How easily we weigh ourselves down with YUCK....with sin.

But how thankful I am that I can go to God and seek forgiveness and ask for His help to do better. And how gracious He is to answer that prayer with love and patience and His divine power.

As the week heads to a close and a new month starts, I pray there will be less YUCK covering me.

Well Said

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience.....

Hmmmm...sad to say that it has been a lean season for patience of late.

I think I am one of the most impatient people I know...hang around me long enough and you'll probably agree.

My latest battles with impatience have been over our house building epic (not quite to lock up yet) and dealing with a toddler who has authority issues (okay...so I am prone to exaggeration, but it does try my patience when Little j does not listen to Mummy.)

Anyway, I have moaned and groaned and whinged and whined and expressed my frustrations to God...to friends....to family...really to anyone who stopped still long enough to listen.

But is was a sweet, smart Godly lady who I have only spoken to a handful of times, who gave me the timely reminder in the middle of Best & Less the other day.

I was venting and saying how God obviously thinks I need more patience and she simply said, "Well anything that helps us become more like Jesus..."

She's right! That's the point, purpose, plan of my life. To become more like Jesus. And you know what, the easy-peasy seasons are not the ones where that happens. It is the seasons where we have to cling to God and rely on Him for wisdom and patience and peace and self-control and love and ......

And so in this season when patience seems to be a virtue I am sadly lacking, I need to remember that the One with bucket loads of it, is wanting to teach me, train me, change me and see me become more like His Son.

Do Everything

Yesterday I posted on the little things my life consists of and how so much goes unnoticed....by humans. I fully believe that God sees it all:) Oh my, that is a scary thought!

My sister sent me a link to Steven Curtis Chapman's new song Do Everything.

How timely that this song fell in my lap to remind me that there is purpose in all that I do and the result is so worth the effort.....I can make Him smile.

Have a listen (click the link in the song title above)....read the lyrics...and be encouraged today that what you do matters...all of it!

And if you want to hear where the idea of the song came from, have a listen to SCC himself! he reminds us that there is no separation between secular and sacred.


When we walk with God He makes it ALL matter.


So today, as you wash and cuddle and cook and post and catch-up and read and help and rest and drive and clean and.......do it with eyes and heart open to hear God speak and see Him smile:)

Sick

Being sick is nothing like delightful. It's just plain hard.

What's harder is when the one who's sick is your little nearly-10 month old.

Little j has woken up this morning....mega early.....with a runny nose and cough and that look of  generally feeling miserable.

And there's nothing I can do to make him all better...now!

So in the midst of snot and tears and eye rubbing and nose wiping, I think PATIENCE and CUDDLES will be the best medicine.

I can do cuddles, but I struggle with patience. I like things done...NOW! I like things done...MY WAY!

So in this little season of sickness, I will ask God to give me patience. And I love that He answers those prayers.

To me, that's one of the very best things about being a Jesus-follower....He sets the example but He also gives us the power and ability to do like-wise.

So....if today your challenge is not a lack of patience, but a lack of peace or joy or courage or self-control or goodness or.......don't stew on your 'lack' but go to the One who has it all in abundance and ask Him to share.

He'll be delighted to.

Perfection

Bam!
Matthew 5:48 hits hard.

Part way through His very first sermon...delivered open-air style to masses of people...Jesus calls those who would follow Him to 'be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect.'

A tall order, don't you think? Particularly considering the teachings that sandwich this idea earlier in chapter 5 and then into chapters 6 & 7.

We're called to love our enemies and pray for them....challenged about how we look at others...told sin is extremely serious and we need to deal with it in radical ways....taught to give secretly....reminded not to worry....and not to judge.....all difficult things to do.

In fact the standard of God, being perfection, sets me up to fail. There is no way I can meet God's standard.

But God knew that and that's why I say 'Thank God for Jesus.'
It is His perfection that God sees when He looks at me.

So in God's eyes, once I have believed in Jesus as His Son and turned from my sin, I am perfect.

And in His strength I can have the best go at living the way that pleases God (loving my enemies, not worrying or judging, etc...) and creates for me 'my best life.'

What a Woman #Seven

The end of the series is nigh...in fact, here's my final thoughts.

The woman of excellence in Proverbs 31.......What a Woman! She's a little like a mythical creature....can she really be real? She's a little too challenging at times....can anyone really be that perfect? She's clever and capable, practical and thoughtful, generous and energetic, wise and well dressed......so many things I am not. And yet, I don't resent her for that. I am just asking God to help me be more of those things, not so my head gets any bigger....just so I can be the blessing He wants me to be to others.

So I'll finish with a quick flick through the original list I wrote when I first looked through Proverbs 31 at the end of last year. These are things that stood out to me and challenged me most about how I was living...or not living as the case may be.

She.....(and therefore I need to....)

• laughs at the days to come....I can smile at the unknown future because I have blessed assurance - Jesus is mine and He walks with me through all things
• speaks with wisdom....Lord may my words be few and when I do utter them, may they be so very wise
• is not idle.....I'm looking for balance here - to not just be busy for busy's sake, but to know when and how to rest as well
• brings her husband good.....through prayer and then very practical means
• starts the day early....thanks baby boy - you make that so much easier:)
• helps the poor and needy......ahhhh! my never-ending challenge
• has value....thanks God that WHO I am and what I do matters
• is enthusiastic.....yay for life!
• is ready...no matter the season of life. As I said last post, if times are good....prepare now. And if times are tough....hold on my friend.
• dresses well......clothing herself in strength and dignity
• will be rewarded...bring it on!
• is praised, not because she is and does all these amazing things, but simply because she fears the LORD. May that be you and I too.....that we are women who consider the good He has done and the awesomeness He is and we revere, worship and honour Him.

Ahh yes....a woman of excellence...who can find?

I can....she is reading this line right now!

From Numbers 6

“The LORD bless you 
   and keep you; 
the LORD make his face shine on you 
   and be gracious to you; 
the LORD turn his face toward you 
   and give you peace.”


Who is this LORD?
He is YAHWEH....Jehovah.
He is the ETERNAL, UNCHANGING ONE.
He is the God who is self-existent, holy, 'other'.
He is CREATOR of the whole universe....and you.
He is ALMIGHTY, POWERFUL, KING of KINGS.
He is LOVE, GRACE, PEACE, GOODNESS, LIGHT.


He PROTECTS and PROVIDES.
He fulfils promises.
He is concerned for His people and acts on their behalf.


How do I know?
A. I have seen Him at work in MY life
B. Exodus 3 tells me He is 'I AM'


So today, I pray that YAHWEH pours all that He is into your life.

What a Woman #Six

This is a really difficult post to write. In light of all that's happened disaster-wise lately and with friends and family facing very difficult circumstances, I don't want anyone to think I am being insensitive to their current pain or challenges. 


But I do think we need to know what God's word says...to believe it and to live it.


With that in mind, consider the woman of excellence in Proverbs 31. In verse 25 we read about a woman who is intentional and confident....She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.


This woman dresses herself each day in strength and dignity. As routine as putting on our clothes for the day, should be our clothing ourselves with these two attitudes and qualities. The beauty of the Christian life, we clothe ourselves in the strength and dignity of God...with His enabling, we can be strong and dignified....even when it seems to be humanly impossible to be so.  In the midst of trouble, stress, pain, trials, suffering, disaster, difficulties, we CAN be women who rest in God...and that's where we will find all we need to be strong and dignified.


It's true that in His presence, we find those things....many of you could testify to that because you have walked through exceedingly tough days, months, years.  It's also true that because we can live in His presence, we can laugh at the days to come. Because we love Him and live with Him, we can have all we need for today AND for the future. The Amplified Bible says her laughter and lightness comes from knowing she is ready for the future.


Now none of us necessarily expects and prepares for a future touched by major floods or an earthquake or cyclone. And few of us look to future events like family fall outs and separations or days of depression and confusion and laugh. But no matter what we see - or get blind-sided by - God is with us. That's one encouragement. The other, is to make sure that in the good/easy times, prepare. Get into His word, live each day acknowledging Him, ask for His character to be developing in you...so that you are ready for whatever comes next. His presence is the only thing that can lighten the load and even when it still feels like an enormous burden, it's His presence that gives us the strength to carry it.


I'm struggling here....as I re-read what I have written it sounds like just words on a page. Mere platitudes to those who really are struggling today...both with the present and the future. I feel so inept at encouraging or helping.


All I can really say is Hold on! Hold on to Jesus....to the promises in God's word. Walk each day, in fact each moment that you are aware, with your eyes on the One who has created you and crafted your future. Ask for His help to look beyond the circumstances and see Him. Draw on His amazing character qualities....I know He has what you need. 


I know you may not laugh out loud at the future....at least perhaps not today....but I hope you'll know joy and peace as you walk clothed in strength and dignity into a future that is filled with His presence and His love.

What if....?

A story I heard this week got me thinking....
A friend was in a season of being challenged by God about his lack of thankfulness. One morning as he was brushing his teeth, he paused to thank God for healthy teeth...something he'd never done before. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, this thought popped into his mind: "What if I only had tomorrow, what I gave thanks for today?"

Whoa! That's worth thinking about isn't it? If this was the way life worked, what would you be waking up to today, based on words of thanks you expressed yesterday?

If you think the cupboards and the rest of life might be awfully bare, how about determining today to be much more grateful? How about asking for eyes to see and a heart and mouth to express gratitude to the One who blesses and the ones He uses to bless you?

Make saying 'thank-you' a HUGE part of your day, and I guarantee your spirit will be lighter and God will be well pleased....after all, His word tells us at least 33 times to 'give thanks.' In fact, you want to know God's will for your life? It's 3-fold, but includes giving thanks in all circumstances. See 1 Thess. 5:16-18

One thanks I have already expressed, even though it was a bit of a challenge, took place at 3.43AM this morning. This was the third time I was up to j last night (most unusual) and I could feel my frustration rising. But then I remembered the thanks theme I had been dwelling on and I simply said, "Thanks God for my little boy and that I am not buried under rubble, but I'm here to feed him and comfort him."

And those simple words made a huge difference to my emotional state and attitude. I wonder if your thanks today will do the same?

Answers?

Another disaster...more destruction...death...pain and suffering. And that age old question of.....Why does a Good God allow Pain and Suffering?....continues to be asked.

Long-time family friend, Pastor Bruce Stewart, recently addressed that question in a newspaper article in his local paper. Here's the article...

I love a sunburnt country, 

A land of sweeping plains, 

Of ragged mountain ranges, 

Of drought and flooding rains. 

I love her far horizons, 

I love her jewel-sea, 

Her beauty and her terror 

The wide brown land for me!

My Country,  Dorothea Mackellar  (This is just a portion of this wonderful poem)

I am often reminded of the words coming from Dorothea Mackellar’s poem which I and many others learnt off by heart  back in Primary school in earlier years.  Australia is indeed a rugged country with climactic and geographical extremes but many of us who come from the rural areas and indeed many city people develop a deep attachment to this wonderful land which our Creator has made.

In the last few weeks Australia has been capturing the headlines overseas for all the wrong reasons –  with  devastating floods  down the eastern side of the continent;   with severe fires on the west side of the continent and then the destruction caused by cyclones –especially Yasi.  It is only natural that some people start to ask the question – Why does a loving God  allow these tragedies and difficulties to occur?

The Bible tells us that in the beginning God made everything perfectly.  Genesis 1:31... God saw all that He had made and it was very good (perfect).   God gave people a free will – which allowed us to choose to do good or evil.  Adam and Eve chose to do wrong and all of us have continued  this tendency.  Humankind is capable of wonderful acts of creativity, love and compassion but acts of harm, madness and destruction can come from the same lips or hands.  Through sin came death (Romans 5:12) disease and  destruction – in fact the whole creation “groans” (Romans 8:22). Therefore we have tsunamis, cancer, cyclones and devastating fires 

We are all trapped on this amazing – though damaged planet – spinning through space and there is nothing we can do to save ourselves.  But the reality is that God has done something about death and suffering once for all.  He sent Jesus.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son,  so that whoever believes (meaning “to give oneself to”) in Him shall not die but have eternal life  (John 3:16).  The Bible gives a clear message that if we commit to trusting and obeying  Jesus then one day we will go to heaven where there will be “no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away” Revelation 21:4.  There will be perfect restoration.

In the meantime we live on a damaged planet and we have choices to make.  One thing many people have commented on in the face of  recovering from recent flood damage  is the sense of  community and “selfless compassion showed by neighbours, friends and often strangers just wanting  to lend a hand”.  Much good can come out of the bad if we so choose.

Let me give one example from the local church of which I am part of.  A farming family near Avoca was afflicted by the ravages of a torrent of water going down the Bet-Bet creek.  Six kilometres of fencing was flattened and other damage was caused.  People from the local church have conducted three  “back yard blitzes” so far and  much of the fencing has been restored.

All the people involved spoke of the wonderful sense of community and bonding which occurred as we worked together to help restore what had been damaged.  Of course the owners of the property are very grateful.

When we are confronted by tragedy we can continue to shake our fists at God and people or we can roll up our sleeves and with determination and resoluteness and faith work together to  make a difference. We can help our brother in need and humbly submit to the God who made us  who also grieves at death and destruction around us.  If we submit to Jesus and follow Him, one day all pain will be left behind.

Bruce Stewart.

A few thoughts from me....

Having read Jesus' words in Luke 21:11 (and echoed in Matthew and Mark), I KNOW there will be times of great pain and suffering and death and destruction. I KNOW it is bad now, but will, in all likelihood, get worse. 

BUT I also KNOW that I have a job to do and Jesus has a promise to keep...Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

I KNOW I can trust Him, but can He rely on me?

Eye Witness

Yesterday I was an eye witness to a very special event. My baby boy rolled over for the first time. And for a first-time Mum, that is exciting.

It got me thinking about other things that happen in life, many of which go unseen. The grandparent who faithfully prays for his/her family. The husband who works hard in tough conditions each day to provide for his loved ones. The mother doing countless loads of washing after being up most of the night with the sick child. The son who wheels the bins out without being asked. The friend who cooks dinner to pass on to the family who has received bad news. The visitor who quietly helps the new Mum hang the load of washing. The boss who takes the time to write a word of thanks and slip it in a colleague's pigeon hole. The aunt who bundles up a few clothes and toys and passes them on to her niece.

So many little things that make this world go round. So many unwitnessed acts of kindness and goodness.

No! Wait! Not one of these things is unseen. God sees it all.....every single thing that every single person does on every single day. 

May you be encouraged by that thought today. That all those little (and larger) things you do this morning, this afternoon and tonight that keep your home going and bless your family and friends....God sees. And even though you may not receive any earthy thanks for what you do today, the One who really matters, smiles.

And may you be challenged by that thought today. That all those little (and larger) things you think, say and do today that hurt and harm and discourage others...God sees. And He does not smile.

I want my 'Audience of One' to be pleased He made me today. I want Him to be witness to generosity and kindness and to compassion and love. I want Him to be excited that His child is living right and well today.

From Exodus 13-16

Free at last! The Israelites were released from Egypt and on the road to the Promised Land...how exciting!


Yes, that does sound like a dream come true, considering where they'd come from and the conditions they had been living and working in as slaves of the Egyptians. But the Israelites seemed to think it was a nightmare.


Well certainly the amount of complaining they did suggested they were not thrilled to be free and on their way. We have no food...no water. Did you bring us here to die? It would have been better for us to stay in Egypt! Whaaa!!!


But the reality was.....they were on their way to a place so much better than where they had been. And they were going there with God. 


Exodus 13 tells us: By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people. (v21-22)


Astounding! God's presence WITH them...in such an obvious way. They could see Him...night and day. He went ahead of them....leading, guiding and showing the way. And as He did, He provided all they would need...food from heaven morning and night, protection from enemies, victory in battle, water from rocks.

What's YOUR reality today? Have you taken a moment to acknowledge God's presence WITH YOU today? Will you continue to look to Him throughout your busy day? You may not see Him in a cloud or fire ball hovering over your house, but He IS with you. 


So talk to Him.....ask Him for what you need....follow His prompting and leading and enjoy His provisions for you today. He has ALL you need and will give it to you as you need it. He is the same loving and powerful God who rescued His people from Egypt and His plan today....to help you walk this road of life. 


What a great reality...I get to do my day with awesome God. How exciting!

What a Woman #Three

Have you felt a little like me these past, oh I don't know, 22 years?


You look at the world, watch the news, hear stories, travel overseas and feel a little overwhelmed by the needs that are out there. You desperately want to do something to help and praying just doesn't seem like enough. 


So you....sponsor a child, give to mission offerings at church, fill a Christmas shoebox, volunteer at your local op shop, do a 'Walk for......', run a jewellery sale, support individual families who are working overseas for God, sign up as a member at your local Christian radio station, buy school supplies for children in Africa, collect underwear to donate to needy families overseas, get sponsors for the 40 hour famine, run kids' holiday cooking classes to raise money to rescue children in Asia from the sex trade, patch a quilt to give to someone who has just lost everything, donate your old towels to the SES for flood clean-up use, teach your children the importance of giving to and caring for others, make a meal for someone in need, mow the lawn for an elderly neighbour, give a day's wages every month to a mission organisation, make and sell biscuits to raise a bit of extra money to give, purchase rabbits and chickens for people overseas at Christmas time, do a mission trip to PNG, Vanuatu, Africa, Thailand, Chile, collect the silver coins in your home to give to a favourite cause, write a letter to someone in prison.....etc.......


Hey...if you've ever done anything like those things just mentioned...you are being the woman of excellence described in Proverbs 31...She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. (v20) Well done you! But let's keep going....


Right now, with a recent flood and cyclone causing mass damage just down the road, there's never been a better opportunity to give and to help....to open arms and extend hands. But I get a bit stuck on how best to do that.....so please, comment or email me with great ideas.


So girls, women, let's keep on keeping on with looking for opportunities to be generous and kind. They certainly aren't hiding themselves right now. And let's be creative, dig deep and help others, as God's ambassadors. 


We bless others when we help them. We bless ourselves when we give and we share. We bless God too. Now that's a great feeling!

How Do I Pray?

With Cyclone Yasi looming on the eastern horizon a couple of days ago, I was trying to pray. But how do you pray in such a situation?

Do I ask God to make Yasi disappear? Sure, God is BIG and MIGHTY and POWERFUL and He's the CREATOR....so He could make that old cyclone just vanish. But did He want to mess with the natural way (systems He orchestrated way back when) things go?

And yes, I could have prayed for it to change direction and go away, far away from Australia. But in all honesty, I didn't want that to happen. The alternatives to Yasi hitting northern Qld were that it might come further south...and that's where I live. Or even worse, maybe it would head north...to PNG or back east to Fiji or Vanuatu and I certainly didn't want those tiny island nations in the path of this monster.

I could pray for it to downsize....and I did. And it didn't straight away, but it sure was answered prayer when it became a Category 2 (from a 5) in a matter of hours.

And like so many others, I could pray for the PEOPLE involved. I prayed for no loss of life. God is the giver of life and He's the One who values life most, so I knew I was praying in His will. I prayed for people's safe-keeping and protection. For lives to be protected, even if replaceable properties and businesses weren't. I prayed for their emotional state....that fear and sadness wouldn't overwhelm them. I prayed for the children who might be so very scared with the loud noise and seeing so much devastation of homes and other properties.

My prayers were also for those making decisions in the lead-up to landfall and now in the aftermath. We pray for wisdom and strength for them. And for those on the ground now helping, cleaning up, assessing, rebuilding, and the rest....we continue to ask for courage and determination and perseverance and that God would bless them with moments of laughter and lightness in this tough journey ahead.

Is that how to pray? I am still not sure.....but I am ever so grateful there is Someone so much bigger than us that we can ask these things of. And I will be sure to pray prayers of thankfulness too, because He has answered so many prayers so graciously already.

From Job

So I have just finished reading Job and even after all those chapters and having read it last year as well...I'm still not sure I 'get it.' So much suffering........pain.....despair.....loss.....well-meaning friends who get it wrong....Satan on the war path.....God with 'hands-off'.....Job is given bad advice from his wife....doubts.....questions......Then finally, God speaks....

One thing I do know though, is Chapter 38 is awesome! Have a read.... 
This God we serve cannot be contained. He is not answerable to us. He is astounding, inexplicable...indescribable.

From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea

Creation's revealing Your majesty

From the colours of fall to the fragrance of spring

Every creature unique in the song that it sings

All exclaiming

Indescribable, uncontainable,

You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.

You are amazing God

All powerful, untameable,

Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim

You are amazing God

Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go

Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow

Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light

Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night

None can fathom

Indescribable, uncontainable,

You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name

You are amazing God

All powerful, untameable,

Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim

You are amazing God

Indescribable, uncontainable,

You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.

You are amazing God

All powerful, untameable,

Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim

You are amazing God

Indescribable, uncontainable,

You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.

You are amazing God

Incomparable, unchangeable

You see the depths of my heart and You love me the same

You are amazing God

You are amazing God

(Chris Tomlin)

You can watch a great film clip and listen to this song here.

If we had the tiniest glimpse and appreciation of this today, it would CHANGE our lives. We serve THE God of ALL CREATION. The ONE and ONLY. The GOD who SPEAKS and IT IS. The GOD who LOVES US. The GOD who GAVE SO MUCH for US. The GOD who KNOWS US and DESIRES TO BE WITH US.  

Like Job, may we live lives of trust and obedience in this indescribable God....no matter what.

What a Woman #Two

I wonder what you would think if you heard me speak today. Would I make sounds that you'd consider helpful? Gracious? Kind? Wise?

This mouth of mine can get me into all sorts of trouble. Sometimes I gossip...telling people things they do not need to know, things I do not have permission to share. Sometimes I use words meanly...to have a go, dig, put someone in their place. Sometimes my words are dark...I whinge, complain, swear, make fun, criticise. Sometimes I just use too many words....preferring the sound of my own voice rather than taking the time to listen. Sometimes I talk over others, or butt in. Sometimes, it's not the words that do the damage, it's the way I say them. I speak in anger....annoyance....frustration. I yell at the silly driver who failed to indicate. I raise my voice to the wrong people.

How about you? Do you ever find yourself regretting what you just said? Wishing you could take it back? Or do you ever kick yourself for using THAT tone?

It's likely that the woman of excellence we read about in Proverbs 31 had a few 'ooopps' moments with her words, but verse 26 suggests she used her words well...often. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

What a nice idea...to be a woman who speaks with wisdom. What a powerful idea....that my words would be wise, impacting for all the right reasons and in ways that help, not harm. Words that encourage and comfort. Words that communicate hope, joy, love and bring peace. I want that to be the case for my words...and it can be.

The Bible also says that out of the heart, the mouth speaks (Matthew 15:18). So it's logical to assume that if my heart is dirty, upset, cold.....my words will be unclean....unhelpful.

So my new goal?  To make it a priority prayer each day to bring my heart to God and ask for Him to clean it. And then, ask for His wisdom to fill it, so that when I speak, wisdom will be heard.

I do like the sound of that.

Australia...The (VERY) Lucky Country

A little late I know...but at least it's still in the week that we celebrated Australia Day.
Here's just a few reasons why it's great to celebrate being residents of The Great SouthLand. Thanks for that privilege God!

Infant Mortality: PNG - 44.59 deaths/1000 live births
Australia - 4.67 deaths/1000 live births

Life Expectancy: Afghanistan - 44.65 years
Australia - 81.72 years

HIV/AIDS Prevelance Rate: South Africa - 18.1%
Australia - 0.2%

Literacy Rate: Bangladesh - 47.9%
Australia - 99%

GDP/Capita: Zimbabwe - $400
Australia - $41, 000

Blessed to be a blessing! Be grateful for it and live it!

P.S. For more interesting (and visual) comparisons check out these pics

From Genesis Again...Crazy Families!

Oh......My.......Goodness!!!!!

Deceit. Pride. Favouritism. Selfishness. Jealousy. Disobedience. Murder. Pain. Rage. Nastiness. Affairs.
The families whose stories we read in Genesis had it all...and more!

Sarah thought she'd never have a baby, so she gave her servant to her husband and then got jealous of the servant and treated her terribly.
Rebekah favoured one son over the other and helped him deceive his father and steal the family blessing.
Rachel stole from her Dad.
Cain murdered his brother.
Lot offered his daughters to evil men.
Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers who then proceeded to lie to their father about what had happened for years and years and years.
Tamar pretended to be a prostitute and slept with her father-in-law.
Laban tricked his son-in-law Jacob with the wrong wife at the wedding.
CRAZINESS!!!!

Makes me so grateful for my family.

And makes me realise that no matter how crazy things are or get in my family, God can still work His incredible plan and purpose for us, IN SPITE of us:))

Because it was from the line of Adam (who disobeyed God)...and Abraham and Jacob (who made more than a few mistakes) and Tamar and Judah (who received honourable mention above) that Jesus comes to us.


And it is through Him that we join an amazing family...of saved sinners and an awesome heavenly Father. CRAZINESS!

Ahhhhh....LIFE!!!

The best things in life are the nearest: breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of God just before you." (Robert Louis Stevenson)

Thanks God for breath.....it is the fuel of my physical life. I am blessed to live in a country with clean and fresh air....ask our friends D and E about the lack of that in Vietnam and you'll soon appreciate what we have. I can breathe freely on my own and my body does all it should to turn that oxygen into what I need.

Thanks God for hope and delight....they are the light in my eyes. Love shines there too. And may what lights my eyes, bring a gleam of gratitude to my heart. And a ray of hope to others.

Thanks God for flowers.....for your magnificent creation made just for us. Thank-you for the full moon and for the light refreshing rain. Thank-you for the passionfruit growing on the vine and the frangipani's fragrance. Thanks for my darling little boy's blue eyes. And for the rolling green waves at the beach. Thanks for seahorses and fluffy chickens. And for snowy peaked mountains and crystal clear streams bubbling over smooth stones. Thanks for cascading waterfalls and wispy clouds. I could go on and on and on...but you get the idea I'm sure.

Thanks God for duties at my hand....I have work to do and the ability to do it. Thanks for the work I have to do at home to look after my husband and my son. To care for our home. Thank-you for the opportunity to minister in a school. To spend time with vibrant teenagers and encouraging colleagues and get paid for it! Thanks for a job that offers variety and challenge and allows me to be creative and have fun. And thank-you for the joy of working so closely with people and having opportunity to make a difference in their lives, every day.

Thanks God for walking with me.....for guiding, directing, purposing and planning my path. Thanks for your Word and the advice it offers in living life well. Thank-you for family and friends to walk the path with. Thanks for the Holy Spirit's joy, comfort, strength and counsel to make the walk do-able and more than that, exciting! And thank-you for caring about me so much that you would bother with all of this.

Will you take a moment RIGHT NOW to pause and to say 'thanks' to God? Thank Him for the 'best things in life' and then....comment below, telling me 3 of your 'bests.' Thanks and God bless you!

From Genesis 1-12

As I read thru the Bible again this year, I am going to try and keep an online journal (of sorts) with a few thoughts from what I read. Perhaps some of my thoughts might be relevant to you too...I pray that may be so....at least on some of the days.


As most of us know, the first book of the Bible - Genesis - is about origins or beginnings. But have you ever thought about what it is the beginning of? It's not just the beginning of the world, although there is that remarkable account of an awesome God planning and creating this magnificent universe. And to think, all He had to do was say it and it was...and it was GOOD!


So Genesis is also the beginning of life. It tells us how we got here. Life - including humankind - was created by a loving God. Logically then, life is precious. It is a gift. It is to be revered and valued. And we are to be grateful for it and thoughtful in how we treat and use it. The early chapters of Genesis remind us that we have been created in God's image...the only part of His creation that can claim this. I hope that as I live my life today, I reflect even a part of His amazing character.


Genesis tells of the beginnings of marriage....Adam and Eve together as a God-ordained couple. And a definition of what marriage should look like: Genesis 2:24 - For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. And we are also given the principles for a successful marriage.....walk daily with God and wives, be a helper to your husband. Someone who 'does him good.'


The early pages in the Bible also reveal other beginnings, not all good. There is the beginning of sin, as Eve and then Adam disobey God. They chose to live life - this life given by Creator God as a gift - on their own terms. And the result? Separation from Him and a legacy of sin and separation for all generations to come. The beginning of judgement....God cannot abide sin and as a just God, He needs to deal with it. And as we know from Romans, the 'wages of sin is death'.


But how incredible that Genesis also is the beginning of grace. God has made a way for us to be forgiven, reunited with Him and able to live life without fear of eternal death. And finally, we can read about the beginnings of covenant....solemn promises God makes with Noah and Abraham. Promises that still impact us today and particularly relevant as flood waters continue to rise and fall. (see: Genesis 9:9 and on)


To me though, one of the best bits about the book of beginnings is the fact that it tells us that God had no beginning. He always was and always will be. Beyond time and space, God existed....always. He is not limited in any way. He is limitless. Infinite. Exceptional. And He is the One in whom our hope and trust can find the firmest and most secure and fulfilling foundation. I have a small grasp of WHO He is and who He is makes all the difference when I consider WHO I am. A simple, but astounding, concept I heard at a conference once is 'Because He IS, I AM.' If God was not, then neither would I be. If God did not exist, I would not exist. Just a little reminder that you and I are not here by accident. There is a plan and purpose to our existence...and it's not just for the here and now, but for an eternity.


Finally, Genesis: it is the story of a good God and His good creation. It tells of man's role and outlines sin and its effects. It is the story of hope as we read about God reversing those effects and providing a future. Yes Genesis is about origins...but it is also about our destiny as well.....and when we faithfully walk with our Creator, that destiny looks VERY GOOD. 


(Credit where credit is due.....thanks to the Bible Society's Women's Devotional Bible for ideas for this post.)