ONE VITAL SOMETHING REMINDED ME OF MY VALUE AND STOPPED MY TAILSPIN!

(July 24, 2021) Mama Lava shares an important realisation…

My eyebrows threatened to send me into a tailspin a few minutes ago!

I thought I’d write about it… just in case anyone else is in a tailspin and needs to be reminded of their value.

Tailspin horrors
So here’s what happened… I had just returned from a quick lunch date with my husband, Michael; nothing fancy, just a quick burrito at the place around the corner. I glanced into the mirror and noticed that my eyebrows really needed reshaping.

Suddenly, I heard the voice of one of my friends echo in my head about how vitally important it is for a wife to look ‘put together’ for her husband. I saw her beautifully kempt face in my mind’s eye, and I felt so inferior. ‘My poor husband must not feel as honoured by me as my friend’s husband does by her.’

Also in the mirror, I could see the shower door. It had water spots on it. The voice of another friend quipped up about how vital, and easy, it is to keep a clean house.

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WHY MISSIONS IS PERSONAL TO ME

(July 23, 2021) Erica Grace, ex-missionary to South America, shares a personal reflection…

What comes to your mind when you hear the word ‘Missions’?

You’ll probably say: the ‘lost’ and that would be right.

A lost man
There was a young man who was totally lost.

He had lost his career, his home, his future, his dreams. He was so lost people had given up on him. He drank himself to oblivion every day and often had wild fits of violence. Friends would bring him to his desperate wife each night, where she would endure his frustrating beatings. She had resorted to hiding money so she would have enough to feed her son.

One night this wild he met a humble missionary. He was reading the story of the Prodigal Son with a very heavy accent.

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READY TO HANG MYSELF, BIBLE APPEARS IN MY CELL

(July 22, 2021) Scott Bailey (prison I.D. left) shares his testimony…

‘I’m not going to survive this. There’s nothing left to live for. I give up!’

Through tears I fashioned a noose from the bed sheet, eyeing the light fixture at the top of my cell. It should hold me I thought. What was there left to live for? I had failed in every area of my life, withdrawal from drug addictions would probably kill me anyway. I prepared to end my life. I had become a prisoner of my own making.

Cancer death sentence
Years earlier, I had received a blow that changed my life forever… My doctor told me, ‘Scott, you have a rare cancer called Mucadermal Carcinoma. Due to the rapid growth of the tumour in your lymph nodes, you have one to three years maximum to live.’

He had removed a large tumour located near my brain, nerves had been nicked and the right side of my face was paralysed. All I could hear echoing in my ears was the death sentence. Reeling from shock, I recounted the beginning of my drug addiction 15 years earlier.

What was once a ‘party addiction’ of heroin, cocaine and pills now became a way of life, massive amounts. It didn’t matter; I was going to die anyway. I pushed away those who loved me. I became so strung-out that I kept a syringe of heroin in the drawer waiting for me so that when I woke up in cold sweats in the middle of the night.

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LORD, WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?

(July 20, 2021) Carol Round challenges us to ask God’s will for our lives…

Most of us are familiar with the story of Saul, the persecutor of the early Christians, how he was struck down struck down on the road to Damascus.

Acts 9:3-6 NKJV records that ‘Suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord? …What do you want me to do?’

After being struck down on the road to Damascus, he was used by God and eventually became the apostle, Paul.
 
Paul discovered God’s gospel truth and God’s will for his life. He then spent the rest of his days spreading the message of the good news and planting churches throughout the Mediterranean world.  
 
The apostle determined God’s will for his life with one important question: ‘What do You want me to do, Lord?’

It’s the question every one of Christ’s followers should be asking.

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ABIDING IN THE VINE

(July 19, 2021) Geri B shares from her heart graciously on a vital issue…

Jesus made it clear in John 15: 1-2,4-5 that the Father wants his children to be fruitful… ‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful… Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.  I am the vine and you are the branches.  The one who remains in me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.’

We tend to skip over ‘while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes …’! But three things are outstandingly clear –

  • If we remain (abide, an action verb!) in him, we will bear fruit.
  • Although bearing fruit, the Father will prune us so we’ll be even more fruitful. 
  • A twice-mentioned warning… remain in him otherwise we cannot bear fruit, do nothing!

More abundant than before
Have you ever seen a pruned grape vine? It is quite brutally cut back to the main trunk so that it would appear there are no branches at all remaining, just the main trunk.  You would be forgiven for thinking the pruning was too much, the vine dresser had gone too far and there would be no fruit for the coming hasrvest season.

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THE WIGGLESWORTH CHALLENGE

(July 17, 2021) Robert and Maureen McQuillan again encourage practical Christianity in one’s locale…

Firstly, many thanks to so many friends worldwide who congratulated us on our 60th wedding anniversary last Wednesday. One cheeky young girl immediately asked Maureen how she’d put up with me for so long to which Maureen gave her usual response that she was still working on me!

The reality is that our threescore ‘diamond anny’ journey with its typical marriage challenges (yes, even Christian have them!) owes its success to the Lord!

Good, sumptuous meals
So we celebrated at Hogan’s Hotel, Wallan and were treated as royalty, repeatedly congratulated by helpful friendly staff, expressing that 60 years married is a rarity.

And what meals we were served! Sumptuous, delicious… particularly the unexpected, excellent huge desserts! Our tastebuds were more than satisfied! Thank you, Darren and staff! As we left we again expressed our gratefulness, adding ‘You’ve really blessed us… so we’re believing that you and your staff will be blessed.’

Simple words… but such that get people thinking in these uncertain times, and to which one hears a thank you response, or sees a nod, and sometimes an ‘Amen. You too.’

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THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

(July 17, 2021) Robert McQuillan responds to a question linking with our The Wigglesworth Challenge article and Geri B’s Abiding in the Vine…

Dear Dr Robert
You’ve encouraged me to trust the Holy Spirit. Please explain about the fruit of the Spirit. Mitch

Hi Mitch

Most happy to share on this… but it means writing a full article!

Firstly, fruit grows and is meant to be enjoyed.  ‘Fruit’ is karpos, usually used in connection with the vine (See John 15:1-5’s requirements!). Singular in source, it’s collective multiple manifestations are as if the first mentioned – love – is the fruit that contains all the rest.

In Galatians 5:25, Paul urges us to follow the Spirit. Follow is stoicheo – keeping in step, walking virtuously and orderly in respect to flowing in the fruit of the Spirit, thus displaying the character of Jesus, not the works of the flesh.

To simplify Galatians 5:22-23’s declaration of the love aspects of the Spirit’s fruit, let me quote Donald Barnhouse’s definition: ‘Love is the key. Joy is love singing. Peace is love resting. Long-suffering is love enduring. Kindness is love’s touch. Goodness is love’s character. Faithfulness is love’s habit. Gentleness is love’s self-forgetfulness. Self-control is love holding the reins.’

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AVOIDING A BITTER HARVEST

Have you ever heard of the ‘Law of the Harvest’?

It simply says: You reap what you sow. This truth has hit home lately having observed it in the lives of a couple whom I’ll call Robert and Ruth.

Robert and Ruth have worked hard all their lives. They both enjoyed their careers and were considered by many to be good workers, having given all their time and energy to their jobs. Their five children, far from being an asset, were more or less considered a hindrance – an intrusion in their ambitious race.

Quite frankly, Robert and Ruth enjoyed their jobs and career challenges far more than raising children.

Children can be so easily hurt
At first it hurt the children that their parents were never around, not even for special days, or for school or sports events but they soon got over it. The children learned to look after themselves, much to their parents’ relief.

They became used to their parents many trips away and endless meetings and learned to cope with the scant attention they got from their parents. They found other meaningful people in their lives to fill the void left by the parents.

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BLUE AND BLACK OR GOLD AND WHITE?

(June 19, 2021) Dr Jim McClure, straight shooting theologian, brings a timely challenge…

About seven years ago someone posted on the internet a photo of a dress that caused quite a debate among people regarding its colours. Some people adamantly declared that the colours were obviously blue and black while others just as dogmatically stated that they were gold and white.

What do you think? What were the actual colours of that dress?  (Answer at the bottom of the article!)

There is a correct answer to the question and there are also perceived answers… and there are many reasons why the perceived answer appears to be the ‘obvious’ answer!

So what point am I trying to make?
Simply this. Christians often disagree over things that are mentioned in the Bible and often that disagreement leads to disagreeable conflict, arrogance and legalism.

After many decades of academic study and personal reflection of the content of the Bible I must confess that I do not have all the answers!  Indeed regarding some of the things I once was convinced were undisputable, I now have to admit that conceivably I may have been incorrect in my strongly held perceptions.

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GOD DOESN’T HAVE A ‘TOO HARD WORK BASKET’

(June 17, 2021) Maureen McQuillan brings an encouraging reminder…

What joy we had yesterday afternoon when our darling granddaughter Bonnie-Jane called round with our latest family addition, little great-granddaugther Avaleigh Grace, soon to be three months old. Nice to see our son-in-law, now Grandda Steve, with them but, needless to say, the centre of attention was Avaleigh!

How she’s grown in only a few weeks… and those beautiful big dark-brown eyes taking everything in, as well as grabbing our attention with her warm grins. To our delight, it’s so obvious she’s a very intelligent child.

We joked with Bonnie-Jane… ‘She’ll soon be just like you were, crawling all over the place, into everything, opening cupboard doors and enquiring about this and that, question after question.’

Bonnie-Jane laughed as she too recalled early times. It really was a wonderful time together, especially as we’d been in lockdown for a couple of weeks and hadn’t got out.

After they left l remembered fun days with Bonnie, joyfully recalling many delightful happy memories that Robert and I have. We’ve always had an incredibly close relationship with Bonnie; throughout her childhood she would often spend much time with us and, she recently admitted, still loves to come ‘round the corner’ to us (that’s how far away she, husband Matthew and Avaleigh live).

‘Grandma, God must be pooped!’ memory
Like her keen-eyed little daughter, even when Bonnie-Jane was very young she too would always be quietly observing things. Even while enjoying a Maccas, she wouldn’t rush eating her food like some other kids but sit with us properly digesting her chosen burger, quietly observing both adults and children around her.

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