Getting the best for your soul AND spirit, along side the best for your body.
False religions are everywhere. It is a bizarre reality – with so many different camps believing they are the ones that are correct. Who is right? Who is wrong? The answer is quite simple, but will likely surprise you… Make sure you are in the right camp!
Everyone wants to be happy – we look for it in a variety of ways. But happiness can be so elusive – despite the fact that many purport to have the ‘answer’. The claims are universally misguided and normally falsely attributed to products or services through clever advertising. Humans are suckers though, we keep paying and trying to attain it at all costs. Unfortunately, most never attain even a glimpse of true happiness – but it is possible… “Happiness is our translation of the Latin word fortuna, and it is closely related to chance. Thus, if things happen to work …
Ever wondered why some people talk about ‘sin’ and hell so much? The answer may not be what you think… People who talk about hell generally don’t do it because they want to – far from it – they often feel scared and would rather say nothing about it. It’s not because they think you will like it or like them for it – far from it – they often no it will be taken offensively. It’s not because they are religious or have to – most of the groups that have to go out getting people to join their …
Sometimes it is the strangest things that remind me I am living a *different* life… Like the other day, I was struck how it is an amazing feeling to walk into a shop and NOT steal something… Or even want to. That might sound like a crazy statement to some people (maybe even most!), but for some, like me, you understand. At around the age of 11 or 12 I started to steal. First from my step dad, then at 13 from my first employer, then occasionally from certain shops or businesses. By the time I was 18, I found …
I still have memories of hearing the lotto numbers in my grand parents house around dinner time on the few occasions I was there. My granddad bought tickets every week, sitting in his armchair with a rug over his legs crossing off numbers. I had no real care for it at that age – In fact I wouldn’t even have known what the prize pool was. Some have been huge…what is the biggest prize you know of? 6th Nov 2012 in Australia – Oz Lotto jackpot tied at $112MILLION!! That was nothing compared to $1.3 BILLION in the USA!! But …
Death is a tragic thing. The death of a loved one has such a deep and lasting effect – in fact it is actually hard to believe just how much it can affect someone. The closer you were to the person, the harder it can be. The more open you are and connect emotionally, the more painful it is. The regrets can be crushing, leaving people to try to cope in many different ways. Through all the pain and tears, regrets, hopes and grappling with my brother in laws recent death, there is one thing that was never tempting:I haven’t …
Today we watched a movie about the true story of a guy called Lee Strobel. He was an investigative journalist who had a loose relationship with the truth. He would have fit in with the current legacy media, where truthful reporting seems to be a thing of the past. Today, most journalists have sacrificed truth in order to tow the company line. Western Government incentives (in supposed democratic countries) achieve a level of censorship any communist government would be proud of. But something happened to Lee that would rock his world. As a result, his determination to prove something false …
Suffering the loss of a child is one of the most painful human emotional experiences for a parent. But imagine, knowing it was a violent death and then being accused of being the one who did it. That was the plight of Lindy Chamberlain: after witnessing a dingo take her baby from a tent, she was found guilty of murdering her baby and then spent 4 years in jail before new evidence led to her release. It would be 26 years later before the real cause of death to her beloved baby was a dingo. What a tragic and emotionally crushing …
Forgiveness is an incredibly important part of the human experience. It is important for a persons mental health, emotional well being and spiritual experience. Many Christians take serious their Masters’ command to forgive others and think they have done a great job. Some even have – maybe even following some of this advice! But even then – do they, do you, do WE, LOVE forgiving people or is it just something we try to do?! That sounds absurd – what an incredibly high – unreachable – standard! But that is the heart of our God. He doesn’t forgive under coercion, …
Many religious people (and those with a more advanced knowledge of psychology), know the importance of forgiveness. Many know that harbouring unforgiveness is very damaging mentally, emotionally and spiritually. For this reason, a lot of people try to forgive – they really do try – and many would say they have succeeded in ‘letting this person go’, ‘moving on’ or ‘put that behind them’. While the intent may be good (or even great!), it normally does not even start to address the real depth of forgiveness that is needed. And even if it does, it is virtually always missing a …
This Australia Day, I gleaned a little from some of the mainstream media across the country and world. It is quite interesting to see just how clear the agenda of each news outlet is: many owned by the same umbrella company or person. They are very clever at the way they reach their target market and influence them towards the set agenda. Of course, the position of the vast majority is that of the left, liberal or progressive ideals that will chop away at the country we love. (If you can’t handle that truth – I suggest you stop reading!) …
There are many places where you will hear about ‘God’, or at least one side of the entity that people believe represents Him… From public figures, movies, mega churches and cults – the difference in messages can be dangerous no matter which side of the fence they sit. I hope this clears things up for you!
Steve Jobs was kicked out of Apple because of the famous super bowl advert shown on the 22nd January 1984. Imagine that – the company he co-foundered and poured his life into, booted him out. It seemed futile … he would have been forgiven if he had walked away and got on with the rest of his life. People expected that there was no other option. But no, he eventually worked his way back, took the reins again and turned the failing company into a massive success – the momentum of which is still surging. An incredible visionary and great leader – there was one thing he could not claw his way back from, his death. Understandable – no one could right?!
Well One person did…
It is amazing how easy it is to put things off: until tomorrow, next week, next month, next year… Whether it is eating healthier, exercising (more), education, time with God, spouse, children, parents etc, there is only one time to start: NOW! Let’s be clear: what you put your time and effort into today, will be reflected in all your tomorrows. If your time and focus is on your friends, your friendships will grow, maybe at the detriment of your career. If you spend more time with this person or that than your spouse, your marriage will be at risk. If …
I spent some time this morning listening to an elderly man talk about his life. As he talked about his exploits, mishaps, property sales, business ventures, children’s careers etc – At times I was thinking how long I would need to be here and what else I need to do. But at some point I was confronted with a thought process: “This man, with all his memories and achievements, was a mere breath away from eternity. All of it, every single second of it means *nothing* if he dies in sin.” He uttered a phrase at some point, exclaiming that …
The Gospel – the message about Jesus as King – can be stated in many, many ways. At best, what we often hear are just short summaries – small snippets – of different aspects of the Gospel. But the truth is, despite being easy to understand, the Gospel is incredibly complex, unbelievably powerful and incomprehensibly large. Oh, and it is Eternal! In a million years from now, those who are saved will still be amazed, humbled, empowered and driven by the Gospel. Simple enough for a child to recite, amazing enough to captivate the most distracted, intellectual enough to engage the …
My eldest had booked a driving lesson 30 minutes from us. I thought I could sit in the car with him, and walk around for an hour while he drove. I had some phone calls to make and could just walk around the town. That is not how things turned out though… As we arrive, I get out of the car and there is an elderly man in the park starring right at me. As is normal I say G’Day & shake the hand of the instructor… The guy is still looking at me so I go and say hello. …
Silent Night, Holy Night It’s a great carol – but it’s a *crazy* reality… Seriously, the first time I understood & experienced who Jesus was, everything else went eerily silent. And I mean EVERYTHING! The loud chatter of ‘success’, fame, fortune, self, substances and even the demonic? Silenced immediately! May we all experience more & more of who He is this Christmas… “Silent night, holy night, Son of God, love’s pure light; radiant beams from thy holy face with the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord, at thy birth, Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.” #thankYouJesus
17/9/1966 Dianne Keidel 12-year-old Susie and 8-year-old Kelly I just learned today about Kelly, an 8 year old girl, who showed incredible love. She saw her sister, (Lori), go back into their house that was on fire to get a cuddly toy. So she follows her sister back into the burning house. Things only get worse from there… Lori starts screaming as the fire burns her body. Kelly, knowing they can’t get out of the house, lies down on top of her younger sister. She comforts her: “they are coming to help us, you will be ok. I love you. …
So today, a piece of celery (filled with peanut butter of course!) was thrown to someone across the kitchen bench. It landed face down and someone joked: “Murphy’s Law!” It got laughs all round, then a barrage of people trying to prove it: crackers were tossed into the air, avocado… well you get the idea! Murphy’s Law is often boiled down to: “If something can go wrong, it will!” For thinking minds, you know this is crazy! Imagine is everything that could go wrong did! Heart attacks, stroke, seizure, fire, pulled muscles… In everyday situations, millions of things would happen, brakes …
So today, my 4 youngest children we singing / dancing in a Christmas play. It was set on a spaceship that travelled back in time to visit earth when Jesus was born. It was incredible to see how our kids have grown & the way they participated, but there was something far more powerful… The younger 4 all had different things that they were working on this year. Areas they recognised that were not their strong suit but were willing to try and grow, despite it being uncomfortable. What an encouragement – firstly that they were willing, able and dedicated …
He Created the world simply by speaking. He emptied Himself and came to earth as a helpless baby. He taught teachers and gave the most astounding moral advice He healed the sick and raised the dead. He submitted to unjust treatment and false allegations. He willingly died for those who ignored and hated Him (you and me). He rose again, defeated sin, death and hell. He went back to Heaven in front of witnesses. He rules from Heaven in victory. And He’s coming back as King of the Universe! Are. You. READY? When Jesus is revealed to the world, everyone will …
The photo of this delicate set does not do it justice – one of our cutest sets… The fact that all the characters are children, reminds us that all the people in the scene (and us as observers) are all God’s children. It also captures what Jesus focus is: children! While the adults were concerned with ‘important things’ Jesus directed their attention back to what was valuable: “let the children come to Me!”. We have set up this set in front of our largest set, meaning it actually takes effort to not get distracted by the larger, more colourful backdrop. …
The last few days, the warmer weather has excited a hive of bees that had moved into an old dead blackboy a couple of years ago… It has resulted in a few bee stings, and some of the smaller children are fairly allergic. One poor fella’s hand quite badly swollen for a couple of days. Having visitors coming, we thought it best to try to do something about them today. Our local bee keeper David McCormick kindly offered to come and help, right on dark. It’s rare to come across someone who loves their profession as much and is friendly enough …
There will always be something that seems to be a stumbling block to you serving God…but He can use you regardless. Consider some of the things that the ‘heroes’ of the Bible had against them…
Many of you will have some idea that you are being slowly conditioned by volume of God-less and opposed-to-God posts you see on a day to day basis. Some of you may be aware that the algorithms of social media deliberately filter out certain topics to make sure you are the influenced, not the influencer. But not many of you will realise that most platforms are actively banning people from their platforms – discriminating – on the basis of belief in Jesus. You heard that right, but likely have not seen any report of it: While fake and contrived attacks …
What’s the worst act of hatred you have ever committed? For me it was….
Do you HATE people – I mean REALLY HATE them? I don’t mean just ignoring them or failing to help them, I mean do you hate them enough to deny them the message about Jesus – the only way to avoid hell?
So today, someone replied to a sales advert, but the item in question soon took second place… “I was interested in your [deleted for confidentiality], however reading further on your ad I became more interested in your comments regarding Jesus! Haha!! So what do you have to say about this carpenters son? This religion says he’s this, another religion says he’s that, but who do you say he is? What do you believe? Where do you go to church? By the way this is not spam I’m [deleted for confidentiality]. 😀” Below is the reply I typed in between family activities, …
Sometimes inspiration comes from the strangest places! Being in acute pain, sleep can be really difficult. It was made worse last night by a single fly that kept landing on me and waking me up. So tonight, I was showing one of the younger children how to catch it: make the house dark and turn one light on… the fly would head towards the light. How amazing is it that we can learn from these disgusting creatures?! Make out like a fly…and head towards the Light! The Light, is Jesus! The one who is the true light, who gives light …
This post is going to be brief, hard hitting and you may hate. I do! It’s because it’s so simple, yet reveals sooo much of what we would prefer to ignore, condone or justify. But knowing the answer, no matter how harsh, can be the start of positive change…that lasts! So here it is: You are either following God, or following satan… there is no third option! Now you may believe that neither God nor satan exists, but that doesn’t change a thing. There is ample evidence for God and He states clearly that satan is alive and active. If …
Please folks, start to panic & worry even more as the sky is falling… again! This new strain… ahh forget it. I’m not going to waste time re-hashing what the media will use to try to create panic in the next few weeks / months about. And I won’t predict the usefulness of any ‘vaccine’ or booster for this new strain. Nor will I go on about how many new strains there will be over the next few years & the accompanying new jabs that will become available and then mandated. I want to take a different tack: Well done …
THE MISSING SLICE OF LIFE… The Pie Chart of Life reveals why you are missing some of the most beneficial rewards available to man…
If you have grown up with parents who were not present, had unrealistic expectations or were discouraging, you may be aware of your internal desire to please people or gain their approval.
Sometimes, when we are low or in pain, it can be easy to think we don’t have anything to be thankful for… Nothing could be further from the Truth!
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For those I have not personally thanked: I wanted to say a HUGE THANK YOU! The last 2 years have been the hardest of my life, but for those who have helped practically and prayed / sent love – I am deeply, deeply grateful. From myself, Sharmini and the children – thank you – I would not have made it without your support. For nearly a year I could not get up – I was literally confined to a table in the front room lying on my stomach. Even a short stint upright on crutches had major consequences. It …
When you realise that the One who should condemn you wants to come & eat with you instead.
Rarely discussed evidence of the Holy Spirit – and not ONE mention of tongues!! Are you saved? Is God working in your life?
New Age spirituality – Powerful Prophecies – Futuristic Visions – Healing Power – Insight
You’ve heard some Jesus freaks say it…well maybe you haven’t – but you should have! Jesus Christ is Lord! But for those of us who never grew up in English Manor life of the1800’s, what does it actually mean? Let’s break it down: Jesus: An everyday, unattractive, Jewish man who lived from 4AD to 30AD. Much has been written about His life & death, with the Bible claiming He rose from the dead. Numerous specific prophecies thousands of years earlier predicted His very unusual and now famous birth: Born in a manger (animal food trough). Born in Bethlehem, Called a …
The news that Cleo has been found gave a reason for joy, and a needed prod…
Recently, we had a situation with our children that escalated to a point of tears that is quite rare. After working through the complexity of the situation, it became clear that the cause of it ALL for everyone involved, was LIES… I have to say up front: “I HATE LIES!” Seriously, at so many levels, lies have affected my life: Believing I was unlovable led me in to (and out of) many unneeded relationships. LIE! Believing I needed to earn people’s approval led me to becoming a workaholic. LIE! Believing there was no God led me to having no respect for people …
Very thankful to a stranger this morning. Two actually. They both responded to me in a way that I definitely did not deserve…
Have you ever attacked your wife or partner? Yelled, screamed, used those angry eyes, given silent treatment or just left (emotionally or physically)? Has it ever been because of something that has happened with or to your child? A parenting issue? A dis-agreeance on what has or should happen? Me too. It is a common source of conflict in a marriage. Today I feel God wants me to share a different take on these times. Maybe when you reacted, you just experienced part of God’s heart? What? Maybe – let me explain: As I look back at my childhood, I …
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