No Time To Waste

What is time? It is the most valuable commodity anyone of us could ever hope to maintain because once it is gone, it can NEVER be recovered ... time lost is time lost forever ...

I know for a fact that I waste this valuable resource that I have been given ... I waste it by filling my days, hours, minutes with mindless entertainment (Sudoku, for those who are as addicted as I am is certainly a big time waster!), talking the hours away on the telephone, sitting at my computer and surfing the net or typing emails ... I really don't think I understand the true value of time. Do you?

I've often pondered over the fact that when we can see a finite date and time to a particular event or activity that we are undertaking, we tend to somehow enjoy it more or appreciate it more or value it more and we take it less for granted because we know that on a particular date, at a particular time, we will no longer have the opportunity to enjoy the pleasure of that experience any longer and it will then become yet another file in the old memory bank of experiences and adventures. Why is it that we take the commodity of time so for granted? Why is it that we believe we will live till we are 90 in the shade, so to speak, without considering that today might be the last day of our lives.

Now before you get upset, I'm not a pessimist, I am actually a very happy, positive person ... but the reason I am thinking about these things is because in 7 more sleeps, I will be leaving my home, my friends and everything that I possess to go overseas on an adventure holiday and also to spend some quality time with my family who I love and miss dearly. And just lately, as I've travelled home on the ferry, the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge and even just the harbour itself, have all seemed to be so much more beautiful and impressive than they are, especially at sunset. It is almost like my mind has automatically switched to the mode of "countdown" and I must be more aware of my surroundings as soon I will not be able to experience seeing these things and these people on a daily or weekly basis and therefore, I need to ensure that my memory bank is fresh with new and lasting images and experiences that will draw me back at the end of my holiday.

By the same token, I am really excited about the thought of the actual holiday and the time that I will be able to spend in some foreign places, meeting new people and experiencing exciting adventures in the African bush as well as bonding again for special time with my close family ... and these experiences are also bound within a finite period of some 5 weeks so again, I will undoubtedly, value every moment of these upcoming 5 weeks more highly and the memories of the experiences will be burned brightly and permanently in my memory bank.

So what is my point here ... I guess my point is that tomorrow may never come and we may be here today and gone tomorrow without having any say in the matter ... there is no time to waste! The Bible has clearly indicated that Jesus will return but that no one in the whole world will know the hour or the day on which he will return. Now you might say "So what! Who cares?" ... to which I would reply, you should care because the reality is that Jesus is coming back, and when he returns in glory, he will bring judgment to this earth and people will live in fear and trembling because God is a God of Justice and he will not tolerate sin. God's wrath will come upon this earth and upon all those who have rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ and who have turned their backs on God and chosen to put their faith, trust and hope in things of this world. Believers or followers of Christ will also face judgment, however, we will have Jesus standing in front of us and he will be our rock and shelter because he has already stood trial for our sins and he has paid our penalty on the cross through his blood.

So what does this all mean for us now? It means that we should spend almost every waking moment that we have sharing the gospel of Christ with people who we meet on the street, people who we see every day at work, people who we have been friends with for many years yet have been too afraid to tell that we are Christians, people in far away places who are unreached by the gospel ... our family ... starting close to home is not always the easiest place to start but it's at least a good starting point because it will be joyful when you stand side by side with your family in heaven one day and rejoice for taking that moment of courage and using it to not only bring God glory, but to bring your family into eternal life with you.

Matthew 24: 3-51 sums up what I am saying ... read on (even though it is quite long, I guarantee it is good stuff and quite relevant to what is going on in our world today) ...

3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"

4Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. 6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains.

9"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

15"So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. 18Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 19How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. 22If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. 24For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. 25See, I have told you ahead of time.

26"So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. 27For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

29"Immediately after the distress of those days
" 'the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'

30"At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. 31And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

32"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. 34I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

The Day and Hour Unknown

36"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

42"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

45"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' 49and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.


If that passage does not urge you into action for God, I don't know what will because there is "no time to waste" ... the coming of our Lord is an inevitable certainty and I urge to consider the case for Christ. If you are reading this and wondering what to do next, my first piece of advice would be to pray to God asking him to forgive you for your past sins and acknowledging that you want to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour and that you want to live the rest of your life following him. Then thank God for his grace and mercy to you and ask for his guidance and his wisdom to continue walking closely to him. I would then highly recommend that you find a local church where you can ask the Minister to assist you to find out more about Christianity through courses like "Christianity Explained", "ALPHA" and of course, you would need to get a copy of the Bible and start feeding yourself and building yourself up in God's word, God's truth. And PRAY ... pray some more ... pray about everything that is happening in your life and ask for God's help and his Holy Spirit to fill you up and strengthen you with his mighty love which is unfailing. Amen to that !

So ... if you have just prayed that prayer for the first time ... welcome brother or sister in Christ ... welcome to God' family ... the road will be long, the road will not be smooth and it may even become bumpier than ever before but God's strength will be living in you and he will sustain you through every trial that comes your way. I want to tell you that if you prayed that prayer, there will be a party in heaven tonight and all the Angels will be rejoicing with God and with Jesus that another stray sheep has come home to the fold.

This is the beginning ... but there is "no time to waste" ... do God's work and he will work in you !

God Bless you !

Noosh :o)

Katoomba Women's Convention

In mid-September 2005, a group of approx. 40 women from St Matts went to the Katoomba Women's convention for a weekend of bonding, sharing, encouragement and fellowship! It was a fun time and a fruitful example of God working in the lives of ordinary women without our own community ... here are some of the girls who went and some of the things we did!



Mundy & I made a pitt stop at the Hydro Majestic at Medlow Bath ... looking at the entrance and the intricate chandelier in the main foyer ...




I also took a few photos of some gorgeous cherry blossoms along the road ... just amazingly delicate and beautiful!






And a patch of brightly coloured daffodils, pansies and other spring blossoms also caught my eye ...




Some girls chilled out by the log fire ... Hayley ...



While Josie attempted to smash the Sudoku puzzles ...



Some read books ... Mundy ...



Zooming in on the bookshelf without realising what I was initially looking at, I capture this interesting photo of books ... read the titles ...



Girls just wanna have fun ... (L-R) Josie, Merryn & Kirsten with Skye, Lisa and Chloe behind ...



(L-R) Christelle, Sue, Hayls & Nomi get to know each other ...



In the evening, the whole group got together for a dinner ... what fun ... what chaos ... what a laugh !!?? My apologies that I don't know everyone's name ... sometimes I can't see who was in the photo?

(L-R) Nomi, Flo, ? and Jenny



(L-R) Jenny, Chloe, Josie, Evangeline, Mundy, Mia, Hayley, Kerry, Esther, Jess and Lisa



(L-R) Baerbel, ?, Jules, Jo and Christelle



(L-R) Nats, Rachel, Mars and Julia



(L-R) Rach, Peggy, ?, ?, Penny, Linda, ?, ?, ? and Merryn



(L-R) Margaret, Karen and Sue



(L-R) Sue, Skye and Lisa



Mia


(L-R) Margaret, Karen, Sue, Sue, Skye, Lisa, Nomi, ?, ?, ?, ? and Jenny



(L-R) Skye, Lisa and Nomi

Trusting in the Unseen

Gosh ... who would have thought that it was 4 years ago since the 9/11 disaster struck the world and gripped us all in fear and terror as our world was plunged into further darkness ... I still remember that dark day ... my heart goes out to those who still live in the nightmare of pain and grief that resulted from such terror ... God Bless you ...

One of my favourite passages from the Bible is located in Hebrews 11:1 which says ...

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

To me, that statement alone alludes to more than just faith ... it practically shouts the word "TRUST" ... we have to TRUST in what we hope for and BE certain of what we do not see.

Recently, I have had a very unpleasant experience on ebay which really led me to question the level of TRUST that I value and place in things and in people. Without going in to all the details, the reality of the situation was that I did not know the person on the other end of this transaction ("the Seller") and when things did not go according to normal rules of buying and selling, then my level of trust in the integrity, honesty and authenticity of this Selller went right out the window. You see, I started with a level of trust when I entered into the transaction, believing, perhaps naively as I was a first time ebay user, that the Seller on the other end would be someone who I could trust to honour the transaction. I was trusting in the "unseen" and was sure in what I hoped for, which was that I would receive the goods that I had anticipated buying ... and subsequently been certain of the Seller's authenticity.

However, it was only when PAYPAL, the finance website through whom I was going to pay for the transaction, prohibited the transaction from continuing and then warned me about it, that I then lost complete trust in that Seller and subsequently, I cancelled the transaction, much to the annoyance of the Seller. I was not aware of why PAYPAL would not authorise the transaction because for privacy reasons, PAYPAL were unable to provide me with this information. I then had to place my trust in PAYPAL who were my "Protectors" and have faith that their warning message was accurate, authentic and real. You see, although the Seller was unseen, I had placed my trust in him for this transaction to be successful ... unfortunately, the Seller continues to pursue the matter and still believes that despite all the issues, the transaction will be completed. However, from my perspective, the moment that PAYPAL notified me that there was a problem with that Seller, the transaction became null and void because I could no longer maintain my original level of trust in the Seller and therefore, I was uncertain of what I did not see and the transactional relationship was jeopardised and compromised.

This led me to think about what I have learned from this situation in relation to understanding things from a Godly perspective and this is how I see it ... we are in the world and every day, we interact with the world and we are tempted to participate and become involved in things and/or with people of the world. These things or people can sometimes be potentially harmful to ourselves and can even have very serious consequences ... relationships with people that are wrong for us, interactions with Satan's deceivers which lead us to dishonour not only ourselves, but also dishonour our Heavenly Father ... small sins that don't seem to affect anyone except us or big sins that affect us and others around us ... whatever the case, it is all SIN and it hurts God. The "Seller" in the spiritual realm is Satan ... he tries to sell us the "good life" and make tantalising offers to entice us, to draw us in to trusting in him ... and then, if we do, we inevitably find ourselves in trouble and strife and Satan is no where to be seen because he has not honoured our naive trust that he would deliver on his (empty) promises.

But thankfully, God is like PAYPAL ... God is our Protector and our Guide and He delivers on all his promises and his "compassions never fail, they are new every morning". God stepped in and offered us, not only forgiveness for our past sins, but also protection from our future sin(s) and he did this through the blood of his son, Jesus, which was the ultimate sacrafice so that we might be warned against the evil corruption in this world and participate in the divine nature. 2 Peter 1 : 3-4 tells us that:

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires."

God is faithful and we can invest our utmost TRUST in him because he cannot be unfaithful to himself and his promises are good ... they are promises that we can hold on to, that we can look to for guidance, comfort and peace. How wonderful our God is - He wants to prosper us and he wants to teach us about his goodness, his wisdom, his truth so that we may escape the corruption of the Deceiver, Satan and his followers, who so easily can mislead us! I know that I can put my trust in God with all my heart and in all things, I acknowledge him because in this way, according to his Word, the Bible, he will make my paths straight ... I can be sure of what I hope for and certain of what I do not see because God has shown me his love and his faithfulness is abundantly clear ... all he asks is that I give him my love, faith, hope and trust!

So ... who are you trusting in today? Do you have assurance of eternal life with the most trustworthy, faithful and loving God of the Universe? If not ... I challenge you to think about where you are placing your trust ... in mortal men or women? ... in possessions and material wealth? ... in tangible things of this world which will not go with you in death? ... I urge you to reconsider and put your trust and faith in God because with God, all things are possible and with God, eternity is eternity ... forever in heaven!

May God's faithfulness be your rock tonight! May God's protector and Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, guide you and protect you wherever you may be reading this note from me!

God Bless!

Dreams and Destruction

Africa is calling me ... I leave for the wilds of the African bush in Kenya and Tanzania in less than 4 weeks time which will be the realisation of a life long dream. I'm really looking forward to having some solitude in God's amazing creation, lying out under the African sky with the stars twinkling so brightly, with lions roaring in the distance and the milky way smiling down on me ... I'm so excited ... I can hardly wait !! I won't quite be sitting on top of Kilimanjaro ... more likely I'll be sitting on top of a bush truck navigating around it's base at a distance but who knows, one day that dream may be fulfilled too!

Funny thing about dreaming about stuff ... sometimes achieving these ideals and goals and sometimes accepting that they will forever be out of reach and in the fantasy land of zzzzz's!! Having thought about my dreams, I turned to thinking about the devastation that Hurricane Katrina has wreaked in New Orleans and how many people's lives have been turned up side down and destroyed in the process. When events like the Boxing Day 2004 Tsunami, September 11 and now Hurricane Katrina affect our world, the things that matter most are not the material wealth of those affected (or lack of it), but the relationships, the friendships and the lives of those left behind who are shattered into the depth of finality that only death and destruction bring.

It gave me pause to think about the fact that at the end of the day, material possessions really will be worthless and meaningless in the face of God's wrath, judgment and his power. It is clear from the Bible that we are instructed not to store up for ourselves treasures on earth, but rather that we should be storing up treasures in heaven because that is where our heart will also be focussed. Matthew 6:19-21 says:

19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

At the Reach Out Conference in Katoomba over the weekend of 20-21 Aug 05, I had the privilege of hearing Sunny Philip speak and he spoke on the passage above. I have mentioned some of his teachings in a prevous posting but I felt it necessary to revisit some of what he said as an encouragement for us all. I am sure that at some point, like me, you may have felt overwhelmed by the sheer scale of poverty, inequality and need there is in our world and it is often really hard to decide where to place your efforts to meet the vast needs of so many people that are so desperate and so desolate. Sunny reminded us that our mission is not about responding to a need, but responding to God, however, he warned that if we hear God's leading and do not respond, then we should be checking ourselves and considering where we are at with God. Sunny went on to show us that our significance comes from what we let go of and not what we hold on to because the problem is not with the message, but with the messenger who betrays the incongruence of the lifestyle he/she leads and the message he/she proclaims. The problem is not with the treasure, it is with the storage and why you want it. The temptation to do the right thing for the wrong reason, is, according to Sunny, the greatest treason we could ever commit.

Dreams can be destroyed and destruction always comes at a price ... a personal price which we are often not willing or able to pay ... God had a dream that we would all spend eternity in heaven with him and he did pay the price through the blood of his Son Jesus ... and every time you share his message, you are helping to fulfill God's dream ... so dream big, dream far and wide and dream with God because destruction will be coming, whether you want to believe it or not and as the cliche says ... "All good things must come to an end ..."

Sending you God's blessings tonight ... Sweet Dreams!

Bollywood comes to Manly

In September, Katie and I decided to throw a surprise birthday party for Jane ... and we thought it was time that "Bollywood" came to Manly ... we held the party at Katie's place ... everyone really got into the swing of the "Bollywood thang" ... it was such fun as you will see ...

In the beginning ...

About 7 years ago, I came to the realisation that if I was going to consider myself to be a Christian, I needed to embrace the full weight of what that meant.

Living a Christian life is, in my opinion, undoubtedly taking the road less travelled and yet it is also the road with the most life changing experiences as I have drawn closer to God. One of the things that I openly admit was a real revelation to me was the understanding that Jesus existed with God from the very beginning ... before the world was spoken into existence ... which, honestly, blew me away! My childhood idealism had only ever imagined that although Jesus was the Son of God, he had been born as a baby and been created from the virgin birth. How much clearer it became that Jesus could not be born of a natural conception because he was God and he was with God in the beginning. The Gospel of John 1: 1-2 states this case ... "In the beginning was the Word ("Jesus") and the Word was WITH God and the Word WAS God. He was WITH God in the beginning." (Enhancements and brackets were my additions to the text). Therefore it is unquestionably acceptable, in my mind, that his conception was of the Spirit ... it was the only way and the most amazing conception ever to have occurred to create human life. WOW ... I'm blown away still.

Today, I was reading a passage from John 17: 1-5 which again reiterrated that Jesus was with God in the beginning ... he prays for himself and says the following:

"1After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began."

Note verse 5 particularly where Jesus says "And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you BEFORE the world began" ... this adds such weight to understanding the sacrafice that Jesus made for us ... he gave up the glory that he enjoyed with God BEFORE the world began in order that you and I may one day share in his glory as co-heirs and children of God.

But not only that, Jesus did not leave us alone when he took his place at the right hand of God, for he left us the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit and he also left us with his peace ... John 14: 26-27 testifys to us this very fact ... John records that Jesus says:

"26But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

So, what have I learned from this ... Jesus Christ sacraficed his glory for me which he enjoyed before the world began. Jesus Christ was, without doubt, THE most amazing man to ever have been conceived in this world because he was with God and he was God from the very beginning and he knew why he had to come to the world as a man in order that we might catch a glimpse of not only God's power and glory, but also of God's amazing love for us ... I thank God every day that he sent Jesus to this world to save us and to give us eternal life.

My prayer is that if you do not know Jesus Christ's power in your life, that you might take the time to pause and wonder if you may just be missing out on understanding the most influential, most powerful, most amazing man to ever have walked this earth ... don't miss out ... life is not worth living without Jesus ... he loves you more than you might ever understand!

God Bless you in your place right now !