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Tag: <span>addiction</span>

Tag: addiction

Prostitutes

Today, two things seperate things struck me about ‘prostitutes’: 1) I met a man who (after I started to tell him about Jesus), shared how he was struggling with resentment towards the ‘church’ for what he had seen: A couple of prostitutes started attending the church he was at while young. These girls were never really accepted by the regular church goers. They were excluded while the ‘good’ kids & ‘proper’ people kept to themselves – hung out in their own clicks. Eventually after a few weeks, these two women left the church. He shared that a while later one …

for thought  

Jesus is my crutch

Tonight, I was reflecting on what some (condescending) people say:  “If you need religion, it’s ok for you” or:  “Religion is good for those who need it”  Seriously? If you’re an ex-addict who has met Jesus, you know how ludicrous these sorts of statements are. Religion? Easier? Really?  First off: religion can’t help *anyone*. Religion is a man-based system of rules to help people think better of themselves. From Atheism to Islam, religions simply deceive People into believing their perception of morality is correct and that they are *good*.  Second: if you’ve met Jesus & know what He He wants …

for thought   |

Face to face with evil…

Recently. I watched a documentary about ‘encounters with evil’. Police investigative and psychological interviews (+ descriptions) of people who they considered evil.  Some of the acts were gruesome, the detective work to find and convict them riveting. But one particular phrase really grabbed me:  What is it like to come face to face with evil? While these heinous crimes were disgusting, there is a difference between those who do evil things and evil itself…  I remember clearly the day I came face to face with actual evil. A spiritual entity that had so much power it captivated me. A master …

for thought | Newman Trip | Suffering   | |

How a Hernia Op is evidence of A Changed life

How a Hernia Op is evidence of A Changed life TRIGGER WARNING (drug use). Some of you may know that, just to add insult to injury, I have been struggling with the addd complication of a hernia the last few months. Typically, it was on the side that I have to use to stand up (due to back / SI joint issues), so it has been pretty painful and debilitating. Thankfully, within a couple of weeks of the doctor diagnosing, I was in hospital getting the procedure done. I was informed that the recovery would be painful due to where …

Personal   |

This Yellow Sticker Saved My Life…

First off, for those who don’t know, a yellow sticker is a defect notice given out if an authorised person (like a police officer) determines your car is unsafe for the road. To say I have quite a history with them over the years would be a gross understatement. I have been given many, many yellow stickers on different vehicles over the years.  At a guess, I would have received around 50 and likely 10 or more on some of my Holdens / Toranas. As a marked man, the police often wanted to give me a fine or catch me …

for thought   |

Easter – an annoying inconvenience.

If Easter is just an extra day off, family / holiday time, chocolate eggs or a slightly larger hang-over: you’re missing out… BIG TIME!  It still blows me away, how, as an acute alcoholic with a house set up like a pub with beer on tap, how many times I ran out of alcohol on a Good Friday. Driving for hours trying to find anything open, desperate to get more off my face – it was about the only ‘meaning’ Easter had for me: an annoying (but predicable) inconvenience.  But now, this Easter morning, too sore to drive to church, …

for thought   | | |

Lotto – can you afford to win?

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 …

for thought | Jesus Time   | | |

A Bong, a lung and a bucket!

Why I was thinking about drugs at church today. I was thinking this morning about how participation in an activity can make all the difference in our experience of a situation. In the setting I was in (‘church’), it might seem very strange for my mind to be on drugs, but it was, at least briefly. My mind went to times where I have been in large groups of people, all standing around smoking drugs, playing pool, darts or whatever just having a ‘fun’ time together. One regular picture came to mind, where I had come to a group of …

for thought   | |

One of the saddest photos in the world?

This photo does two things to my heart… It is a photo taken just after my 9yo son & I left emergency after a very difficult night. He had suffered a serious concussion and had amnesia and a possible brain bleed. I was sick, over tired and very sore but somehow – miraculously – we had just been released. All seemed to be going well…

Ministry / TPM | Parenting | Relationships   |

How to stop speeding? (Or any addictive behaviour)

There are a number of factors to addictive behaviour – but the root of them all is the same: sin and pain.   Sin: is breaking God’s law – Lying, stealing, hating, lust, envy, idolatry etc. Anything we rely on outside of God is sin. Alcohol, drugs, sex, relationships, other people, food – the list of idols is long! Pain: pain increases a persons drive to look for comfort or release. Being in pain though (physical, emotional or mental) does not make sin ok – there are no free passes. But it does make it more difficult to break a …

Ministry / TPM | Soul Food   | |

Shoulders Forward – the sign of a death wish…

So driving through the wind & rain after a long day on the road, my back is hurting, I have a headache and the effects of a cold are becoming more noticeable. I contemplate overtaking someone slowing down due to the conditions, but it’s only a short hop to the overtaking lane… As the lane opens I have been accelerating for about 500m to give the bus & trailer enough momentum to pass up the hill. My shoulders are forward as I pass and it becomes obvious that roos are a real threat tonight. I narrowly miss one that is …

Soul Food   | | | |

Who is Alive – Jesus or Jack?

JACK LIVES HERE: I had this sticker on my car, and in the bar. I loved Jack Daniels (like loved Jacks!) – but I didn’t know something that was of vital importance… He’s actually dead. One day he forgot the combo to his safe…he got angry, kicked the safe & died from gangrene! Seriously! Jack is not alive he is dead…and you will be too one day. If you keep drinking Jacks you will likely be sooner than you expect. Maybe you’re like me & don’t care that memory loss, anger & death will result. Maybe you think that it …

for thought   |