Marching Forth!

I followed the advice of a good friend and went to an AA meeting yesterday as an observer.  About 30 of us sat around a table and the moderator asked questions to people known to her, and they shared from their experiences concerning alcoholism and sobriety.  Everyone was very friendly and without judgment as everyone called upon honestly spoke about their own defects of character and how meeting together and having a sponsor made a positive impact on their lives.  All attendees were able to benefit by hearing and identifying with the experiences of others and the wisdom gained at great cost over time through failure and success.  The high level of self-awareness and insight people had into their own patterns of thinking and motives was impressive--as well as their willingness to share freely with other like-minded people who desire sobriety. After the meeting, I was approached by a kind woman who inquired about what motivated me to come along--seeing I have not stru...

During a morning walk today signs of activity were all around:  the magpies hopping around looking for feed, galahs sailed overhead, and other walkers and joggers were out in force.  The local oval was quiet and serene as the sunrise began to shine over the trees--the silence suddenly broken by the strained grunts of a shirtless man in tiny shorts stretching.  That wasn't the only odd thing that I observed, for as a car drove by a newspaper was hurled from the open window over my head and landed expertly on a driveway.  The resident of that house had already set up a sprinkler to water the turf, and it seemed like the perfect morning to water the grass, enjoy tea or coffee, and browse through the paper. I find it fascinating how different people's interests and daily activities can be.  One person looks forward to retiring from paid work so they can sleep in late, while another loves rising early to walk or water the lawn.  One person enjoys having a cuppa ...

" Understand, you senseless among the people; a nd you fools, when will you be wise?  9 He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed the eye, shall He not see?  10  He who instructs the nations, shall He not correct, He who teaches man knowledge ?" Psalm 94:8-10 Everything man is capable of doing is a shadow of what God does perfectly without fail or limitation.  Our ability to see and hear clearly fades over time, but God who created and formed the ear can hear everything; He who gave sight to mankind, beasts and birds can see everything at once.  By extension, all the wonders and marvels of creation speak of God's wisdom, abilities and attributes.  From the greatest and mightiest beasts to microscopic organisms, creation declares the glory of God. Spring in Sydney ushers in a flutter of bird activity, and the mornings are full of singing and squawking from the trees in our area.  Rainbow lorikeets, noisy miners and the warbling of mag...

A majority of our back yard is supported by a short retaining wall, and my project of late was to repair a portion of it that had been damaged by large trees.  Based upon the location of the wall in relation to the driveway, it seems the lower courses of the wall were set before soil and sand was brought in to ramp up to the garage.  Rather than digging way down to reset the first course--and risk undermining the driveway--I removed enough dirt to grind the lower blocks level.  As a result of allowing the first course to remain, rebuilding the wall required small modifications and adjustments.  The results are not perfect, but it is in far better condition now that it is plumb. The repair of the retaining wall has been a great illustration of the necessity for a solid, level foundation for our lives.  Because it was only a short section of wall and I lacked necessary stakes for a line, I made the decision to level one block according to the adjacent block, filli...

During a morning walk before dawn I prayed the LORD would speak to me, and He did in a most unexpected way.  Not long after I saw a woman jogging towards me, so I moved to the edge of the footpath to make as much room as possible.  What happened next was in slow motion:  my toe clipped the edge of the slab of concrete (which had heaved from a mature tree) and after a couple of stumbling steps I sprawled onto the footpath in a heap.  I can't remember the last time diving onto concrete, but it was a good reminder to keep stumbles and falls to a minimum. The jogger stopped and asked if I was ok, and I said I was fine as I popped up on my feet, relieved no bones were broken.  Apart from grazes on my hand and leg, I jogged away relatively unscathed.  What struck me is that even though I was able to stand up unassisted, it was kind of the woman to pause and ask if I was ok after seeing me fall.  I imagine me falling looked hilarious, but her instinctive inqu...

Today our family spent a good portion of the day moving in the rain, and preparation for this involved buying a tarp and a net to spread over it.  Made of elastic material with plastic clips, this net of bungee cords (octopus or occy straps here in OZ) was quite handy to ensure the tarp was kept from flapping in the breeze as we transported furniture and household goods.  God was gracious to us and helped us move everything we needed, and water damage was kept to a minimum. Whenever I use a net I am reminded of when I was an apprentice and one journeyman always had a net to cover insulation material that resembled a fishing net.  I was not a fan of the net because it seemed totally unnecessary and it was my job to untangle it.  This fellow used wire to secure ladders on the rack on his truck, and when he cut the wires he habitually allowed the twisted bits of metal to fall into the net which turned it into an unusable, gnarled mess.  I spent more time than I car...

" They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them ." Ode of Remembrance Yesterday I rose early and went with many others throughout Australia, New Zealand and across the globe to an ANZAC dawn service.  There may have been well over a thousand people who lined the streets in front of the cenotaph, standing in the dark chill of the morning for the sober occasion.  25 April is the anniversary of the first military action of Australians and New Zealanders in the first World War on the shores of Gallipoli.  It is also a time to remember those who have served and died in war for our nation.  It is a longstanding tradition to gather at dawn to remember them, lest we forget. One thing that is always well done at the ANZAC dawn services I have attended is an explanation of what ANZAC Day stands for and why we gather.  The structure to the service...

God who created all things is able to do everything, and this includes using a common household appliance to reveal unbelief in a heart and mind.  Allow me to explain. :) A couple weeks back our condensing dryer stopped working.  I have a systematic approach to such events:  I dig up the manual, look up the error code and see if there is anything I can do about it.  In this case our Electrolux dryer flashed the letters "EHO" which meant there was an electrical fault in the circuit board.  Since the machine is under warranty for another 6 months it was not a repair I was willing to tackle.  And besides, I have never bothered to invest in a soldering gun.  The manual was hardly informative, and from what I gleaned online the only way to reset the machine was to turn it off for a few minutes and turn it on again.  It was the same problem over and over. When my wife handed me the extended warranty paperwork for the machine, it was evident to me she wa...

As I tried to manoeuvre all the tools I was carrying into my car, I groaned inwardly as I watched my stud finder clatter to the ground.  Almost in slow motion the plastic cover for the batteries popped off and the batteries released from the housing and rolled away.  I wondered if the device would be broken and hated the thought of needing to purchase another one due to my clumsiness.  It was the most expensive stud finder I ever bought, and the quality of the instrument justified the price. When I reached down to retrieve the batteries and the finder, I noticed one of the batteries had been heavily corroded.  A stud finder is something I don't use all the time, and leaving batteries inside devices can lead to leakage.  Because the finder worked fine I never thought to open up the case an examine the batteries.  There I was, concerned I had potentially damaged the finder because I dropped it, while all the time it was insidiously being destroyed from within...

Live long enough and you will have experiences that supply beneficial lessons God can use to live wisely.  Today I had one of those moments when a situation provided insight beyond the surface and speaks spiritual truth. When I went to change the batteries in my favourite torch, I noticed the lack of the familiar rattle of the batteries inside.  To my surprise the alkaline batteries over a year had swollen in size and were stuck fast in the aluminium housing.  Try as I might, I could not make them budge.  Tapping the end of the torch on a piece of wood making use of gravity had no impact, and grabbing the end of the battery with needle-nose pliers popped the circular end off!  I could see the end was blackened and oily, welded tight to the torch all around.  This was not a good sign. So I did what many people had before me:  look for posts on the internet by people who had the same issue and succeeded in fixing the problem.  This led to me drillin...

Today I walked through the Macdonald section of Tamborine Mountain and came across an enormous stump of a tree that fell some time ago.  It was of impressive size and a reminder that even the most seemingly solid, strong and longstanding specimens can only stand for limited time. The almost solid canopy high overhead was broken where the large tree once stood, and light from above flooded the area.  I was surprised by the many smaller trees that were taken out when the great tree fell, gnarled and uprooted underneath.  The fall of the great tree impacted many other trees, a silent testimony of the damage a fall can have on others that spoke volumes.  As I walked the circuit there were many examples in various stages of decomposition. But it was not all bad news:  the gap in the canopy allows direct sunlight which quickens other trees to sprout and grow towards the light.  This tree for many years had been likely suffering from an insect infestation that bor...

During an early morning walk it is not uncommon for me to see snails of all sizes crossing the road.  It must take hours for those persistent mollusks to slowly make their way across the bitumen.  People ask why the chicken crossed the road, but I don't have a clever punchline about why snails would cross the road from a green, lush grassland to a construction jobsite filled with bricks, sand and clay, where nothing is able to grow.  It makes no sense to me why a snail would venture across the road towards a location which will only bring certain death.  The saturated clay is covered with puddles that would drown snails that attempted to ford them, and there is no food source for them to eat and survive. I imagine a snail crossing the road might say something like this:  "Life had become unbearable for me.  My spouse left me and I have nothing but trouble with my annoying brothers and sisters.  I was in an unfulfilling job, an abusive relationship, and...

Early this morning during a walk I happened upon an unexpected sight.  It wasn't the sliver of a moon hanging overhead or the mist which couched in the low lying fields that surprised me:  it was repeated declarations of love emblazoned in white and blue chalk all across the bitumen road that read, " I love Ned ." I was amused as I walked over the writing of someone who clearly was smitten by "Ned."  It made me wonder who this "Ned" was, if it was a person, dog, cat or skink.  Was "Ned" aware of this love written so boldly with elaborate lettering, or were these affections still a secret to him?  I considered what Ned must have done to have such devoted persistence to declare this love so willingly and passionately.  The last proclamation was even more personal:  " I love my Ned ."  Let's just say these messages made me curious about Ned and his chalky admirer. As I finished the walk, my thoughts went back to the chalk messages...

Over the past week my family and I have moved into a new house down the road.  Our prayers to own a house in Sydney have been answered by our gracious and generous God who has fulfilled His promise to establish us in Australia.  Like Joshua affirmed, not one word has failed from God's promises to His people and we are thankful and grateful for His faithful provision. The days this week ran together as we rose early and stayed up late packing, moving, arranging, and organising in the new house and cleaning the house we vacated.  My thoughts have been as scattered as the books, boxes, and furniture around the house and the chaotic mess around me.  I have been easily distracted by jobs unfinished and I forgot as soon as I remembered.  A couple of maxims have been confirmed during this move, and one of these is it is better to be done than perfect.  Striving for perfection from the onset leads to analysis paralysis or sets up an impossible standard to meet...

Every few months I receive a letter or email that announces an upcoming inspection from the real estate company which manages the property we are renting.  Because of the current quarantine restrictions in NSW they will be conducting them remotely and requested pictures of the exterior and each room.  Usually we have weeks to prepare for an inspection and finish tidying up on the day, but the photos were requested as soon as possible.  We have always found the silver lining in these regular inspections which aid our family to take regular stock in the cleanliness of the place, promotes being tidy and organised, and encourages effort in upkeep of the yard. Today I learned the difference between tidying up for a physical walkthrough or with photos.  As real estate agents and photographers know, pictures are able to capture and present the most flattering views.  A stack of papers, various dishes or containers, and loose clothing can be moved out of sight rather...

I don't think we can imagine a world where the almighty, living God is not good .  If God was not good, there could be nothing resembling good in the world.  It is only because God is good there are admirable and praiseworthy characteristics in people.  Love, joy, peace, and kindness are a reality to be desired because in God we find all these things. Today I checked out a new sandy spot to metal detect and I saw a sign which was amusing and confronting at the same time.  The beautiful natural landscape was in stark contrast to the reminder that everything is not right in the world. The sign read in all caps:  "BEWARE:  DO NOT TEMPT THIEVES, DO NOT LEAVE VALUABLES IN VIEW, LOCK YOUR CAR."  The only reason why these signs were placed throughout the car part was because people do not keep God's 8th commandment which says, " Thou shalt not steal ."  The signs warns and urges law-abiding citizens are to take precautions against thieves because...

God has many lessons to teach us outside of church, practical sermons we can put to personal use.  Yesterday I was gifted one such lesson.  Our church building is located in an industrial park which has unit numbers painted on each space in the carpark in addition to a sign on the kerb.  I removed the signs to prep the concrete to install new signs and placed them on top of the kerb in the meantime due to rain.  When I arrived at church yesterday the signs had been thrown into the planter.  There are almost always people who utilise our parking spaces since we do not keep regular business hours.  Seeing those signs in the planters made me shake my head and smile, imagining people could then justify parking in our spots.  This is a picture of hypocrisy that seeks to justify self. I was suddenly reminded of an event which unfolded over 15 years ago when I worked in the shipyard at NASSCO.  One of my work mates came into the shack before work abso...

Today I officiated a funeral for a much loved mum, nana, and friend.  It was an emotional time for all to hear touching tributes that conveyed the depth of love and gratitude coupled with mourning great personal loss.  Saying goodbye to a loved one is always hard, and it is a great blessing when grief can be tempered with the knowledge of a future reunion in heaven through faith in Jesus Christ. During the service attendees were invited to place a flower on the casket adorned with a lovely bouquet, Scottish tartan, and smiling portrait to the sound of bagpipes.  All the flowers provided were ultimately laid on the closed casket soberly and with tears.  It occurred to me after the service how the person we honoured and remembered was no longer with us, though the deceased body remains.  The real person created in the image of God, the soul of the departed, had already gone to God.  What remained in that casket could be compared to a seed, a husk that bear...

God can use things like simple yardwork to convey spiritual truth.  I spent the morning chopping down a rogue jasmine vine which had taken over several plants in the vicinity.  I realised the lush green which blanketed the area was a jasmine vine which quickly spread.  Most likely it wasn't that the vine that grew so quickly, but a demonstration of the high price of neglect. Truth be told, I am a low-maintenance gardener.  My focus had been on the turf while the vine slowly crept, twisting around other plants, choking out light and nutrients.  The result of passing glances without closer inspection resulted in not realising how prolific the jasmine vine had become:  the fresh green looked healthy but hid problems.  Attacking the jasmine brought my attention to a hollowed out bottle-brush tree and a bush which was also overgrown.  It was easy to chop off the shoots but the root stock is a solid mass.  Because of the limited size of my bin...

This past week I traveled to New Zealand with a fellow pastor who flies much more than me.  Because of the millions of miles he has logged he has earned status I have not:  free entrance to the Air New Zealand lounge and the ability to bring a guest.  On my own I would be denied access to the comfort of the lounge:  comfortable seats, free food and drink, well-maintained toilets, and internet access.  Bronze status certainly doesn't provide the benefits diamond or gold status does! I admit that when I follow my friend into the lounge, there is a sneaking feeling of unworthiness because I haven't earned or paid for the right to enter on my own.  What I was struck with today is in a similar sense I will only be able to enter heaven one day because of what Jesus has done.  It is because He has paid for us and is good and gracious to invite us we can become children of God and gain access into the presence of God.  We are all unworthy, but it is ou...