Lost or forgotten?

I don’t know where it is! 

Have you looked everywhere? Yes!

Have you looked in the car?  Yes!

Have you looked on the desk? Yes!

Have you checked your pockets from yesterday? Yes!   

This is a conversation that, I am sorry to admit, has happened more than once in my home.  Usually it takes place early in the morning or just before I am rushing out to an important meeting – the item that is lost might change but the rest of the pattern remains the same.  I rush from room to room looking for what has been eluding me and eventually I find it by either retracing my steps or finally opening my eyes.  

It is not so much that it is lost – I just have forgotten where I left it!   

I still have in my possession a number of items from when I was a small child – other things I had have been lost forever.  Some I will never see again, others may still turn up (especially if I ever get around to cleaning out my garage!).

When it comes to you… what do you still have, what have you misplaced and what have you lost?

 I’m not only talking about possessions…what about things like hope, faith, joy and love?  

I have found that my wife is really helpful when it comes to finding my keys and mobile phone but on the bigger issues I am glad that the Lord Jesus weighs in!  

Whatever you may have lost, He is able to renew.  All we have to do is ask for His help!

Just one more!

One person is normal and acceptable, two people if you are willing to help someone out but beyond that seems over the top!  

 I am currently in the Philippines on a missions trip and yesterday I was taken for a ride on the local transport.  There were 5 of us on a small motorcycle with a large sidecar attached.

A Yamaha 125 was never designed to cope with that sort of abuse!   

It was amazing to listen to the straining of the motor as this bike worked well beyond its capacity to struggle up the rocky paths and then fly down the other side at amazing speeds of up to 40km/hr!  

The thought crossed my mind of all the work opportunities we could create if we abandoned our penchant for safety standards – imagine the growth industries of paramedics, health insurance clerks and funeral directors! 

As we drove along the road I was amazed that we actually stopped to pick up more passengers!  It seemed that there was always room for one more.  The reality was that at some point this poor little motorcycle was not going to be able to go on but you had to admire the faith of the driver! 

This little experience made me think about the power of the Gospel – the good news message of Jesus Christ. 

Literally millions of people have taken up the offer to be transported by its power and purpose, to be delivered to a better destination.   

The powerful truth is there is yet room for one more! 

The Gospel has not yet even approached its ‘maximum capacity’ so there is definitely room for you.   

So – jump aboard! 

Stiff Neck!

Usually I have no problems at all, if anything I find it easy, but today it was difficult and there was nothing I could do about it.  

You see, I live on a ‘battleaxe’ block at the end of a very long driveway (about 60m).   This driveway is narrow and has fences and plants all the way along and so you have to be careful when you are reversing. 

As I said, this is usually fine but this morning was different because I had pulled a muscle in my neck.  It wasn’t a huge deal but it meant that I couldn’t turn my head fully and so I began to both ‘zig’ and ‘zag’ my way up the drive. 

 I am really glad that I didn’t have to drive very far with my stiff neck because I would have been hopeless and I would definitely have caused major problems.  

 This made me think about how small things, like a pulled muscle, can make a huge difference to the direction you are travelling in. 

If your heart is open to the Lord then you will be Ok but if not…then you’re headed for trouble.   

The Lord calls out to you today and asks you to “cut away the calluses from your heart and stop being stiff-necked”. (Deuteronomy 10:16)

Have a look behind you and check whether there are squashed plants or other indications that you are moving off the right path. 

If so I have found someone who is great at fixing spiritual stiff-necks, all you have to do is ask!

Don’t hide at the back!

I remember deliberately standing at the very back of the line…and this was a first for me! Usually I had the uncanny ability to wend my way to the front, but today, there was method to my madness! From where I stood, this line reached all the way back to the Deputy Principal’s office and it included all of the year 5 boys (about 60 of us).   The Deputy had been brought in to deal with a significant disruption during lunchtime and because he couldn’t find the culprits, he had decided that he would ‘cane the whole lot of them!’ 

I was sure that caning 1student would not require much effort, caning 5 however, would start to become a physical challenge. 

I immediately saw the opportunity and so, I ‘graciously’ offered to take up my position at the rear of the line. 

118 strokes of the cane later my planning paid off and my punishment was delivered by a man covered in sweat whose muscles, I am sure, were screaming at him to stop! 

It was one of the few times I was caned and it hardly hurt at all.   While I can see the funny side of this now, I can also see the massive error that was made at the time.  The problem was that the punishment was delivered ‘en masse’ and, for the most part, it was unfair.  We were accused, sentenced and punished as a group.  

I have spoken to people who believe that this is the way God operates, but I have it on really good authority that the opposite is in fact true.  

The Lord knows you individually and He responds to you individually, He is never harsh or unjust nor does He want you to hide yourself at the back of the line!

What’s that in your eye?

It started out being a little uncomfortable but it soon became really annoying! It was surprising, it was so small and yet it made such a huge impact.  The problem was that I couldn’t see the problem, because the problem was a speck of dust that had lodged itself in my right eye.

The thing is that my eyes were watering so much I couldn’t see enough to work out what was going wrong! 

All I could see, through foggy vision, were two bleary eyes growing increasingly red with each passing moment.  

I tried all the tricks I had ever used before but to no avail, what I really needed was someone else to take a look and someone else to administer some eye drops. 

Finally I asked for help and when I did, immediate relief was mine.   I am sure that you have had a situation similar to this: something in your eye or something caught in your shoe…something that had to be fixed before you could move on.   Sometimes it is not the big things that impact us but the small things:  Things we have failed to do or mistakes that we all have made.  The Bible talks about the fact that we all stumble, and because we stumble in small things “we are guilty of all”. James 2:10  In the same way that I could not help myself with my bleary eye, we all need someone to remove the sin that trips us up and stops us moving forward. Don’t try and fix something yourself that you were never destined to fix…Ask the one who really can help!

The ultimate tax deduction!

Work related car expenses, depreciation on my professional library & use of my home office…I spent some time yesterday getting all my tax affairs in order, double checking that I had everything right before lodging my tax return for the year.     

Most people I know dread the task of doing their tax but those same people really enjoy writing down any deductions they are allowed to claim.

I have never heard anyone whinge about the fact that they have too many deductions but I have heard heaps of people say that they think they pay too much tax! 

A couple of years ago I was audited by the Tax Office, they checked everything that I had claimed for the previous couple of years and found everything to be in order. (Phew!)

I wasn’t really concerned because I had been careful and fair in reporting and in claims but it still was nice to know that everything was OK. 

The one thing we all want to avoid is having a big debt at the end of the year, especially one that we cannot afford to pay! The Bible says that “We all have sinned” (Romans 3:23), that activity comes with wages: “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).  This doesn’t sound so promising – but there is an option – something we can do about it! 

Jesus gave His life to take our place – He is the ‘ultimate tax deduction’ for your life. If you give your life to Him you qualify for what He offers – Your sin removed and your life restored!

That’s the best offer you are going to hear today! Don’t leave it too long before you do your tax and don’t leave it too long before you do your business with the Lord!

The first step is a doozy!

On the way up things were fine but the trip down was a whole lot quicker!  

My excuse (and I am sticking to it!) is that I usually work on a two sided ladder and I had borrowed one with rungs on one side and nothing on the other.  This was fine whilst I was on the way up but when I stepped over the ladder and started my journey down there was nothing left to do but head towards the floor quicker than I had planned! 

 Don’t worry, the ground broke my fall! 

It is amazing the things that rush through your head in a moment like that…first you think ‘Why am I falling?’ then… ‘This will probably hurt!’ finally… ‘I hope no-one is watching!’ 

The problem with a ladder is of course that if you miss one rung you are probably going to miss them all.  One stumble is enough to cause you a huge problem.   

The Bible says that the same is true when it comes to God’s Laws, “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.”   James 2:10   

If we have broken even one of God’s laws, even in the smallest way then it is like we are trying to climb down the wrong side of a ladder… but the good news is that hitting the floor is not the only option!   The Lord Jesus offers forgiveness and help when we find ourselves on the floor. 

All you have to do is allow Him to help you up!

10 Things you should do before you die!

Bungy jumping, swimming with dolphins, a front row seat at the World Cup Soccer Final or a candlelit dinner for two at the base of the Eiffel Tower. 

What would you include on a list of “The 10 things you should do before you die”?   

A list like this conjures up moments of adventure, exciting cities or once in a lifetime opportunities…everyone’s list is different and we remain constantly hopeful that we will be able to tick off at least one or two off our list before our lives are over.  

But I want to remind you of a couple of things that many people would never consider adding to their list. 

At first glance, they may not seem to bring the rush of jumping off a bridge with a rubber band attached to your ankles and yet they bring about benefits that I believe no life should be without.  

The first is being a part of a church…I am not talking about going to Church – I am talking about being part of a family of people who really share their lives and their faith with you.   

The second is knowing the joy of forgiveness – when our faults and failings are wiped clean by the One who is without sin.

The last one is finding that God has a purpose for your life – finally realising that there is more to life than possessions and power.  

I don’t know what is on your list of things you are yet to do…but I hope that you will at least consider mine. 

You never know, you might be missing out on some of the greatest moments of your life!

Ran Aground!

100’s of people everyday and 1000’s on the weekends have made special trips to Newcastle to see an amazing sight. 

It caught everyone’s attention because it was so out of place.  

The bulk carrier Pasha Bulker was driven ashore by rough seas on 8^th June and for almost 3 weeks it became the centre of attention on the coast of Newcastle.   This vessel was built to handle the high seas; it was built to be surrounded by deep water. Beached on the coast, it was in danger of being slowly broken into pieces; it could not fulfil its purpose; it was in danger of becoming a permanent wreck.  None of us would probably have known the name of this ship except for the fact that it was so out of place. 

Rough weather in our own lives can cause us to get off course and in extreme cases it can cause us to ‘run aground’.  We can find ourselves in situations where we feel trapped and in danger of breaking up or of never breaking free.  

The only solution to the big ship stuck on the beach is a huge tide and some very powerful tug boats to help. 

The only solution when you ‘run aground’ is for effective help to come your way.  

I am thankful for family and good friends who can help us change desperate situations but I am even more thankful for the one who controls the tides.  

“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:36   If you are off course or ‘beached’ why don’t you look to Him for the help you need?

Clean on the inside!

It was dark, wet and horrible and it wasn’t doing what it was supposed to do.  The rain was bucketing from the heavens and it seemed to be going everywhere except down the drain immediately outside of my house.   

I plunged my arm into the muddy drain because a small lake was forming and I had visions of water lapping at my front door then making itself at home in my lounge room. 

The more I reached into the drain, the more gunk and junk I managed to pull out.  Roots, leaves, dirt and all manner of ‘nasty’ had gathered together into a lump and had totally blocked the drain.  

 I pulled and pulled but eventually I could not reach any more of the obstacle…I needed assistance…I needed something that could go deeper and reach further.  So I borrowed an ‘eel’…not a real eel but a claw like devise on the end of a 6m flexible pole.  It was designed so that you could wind it into the drain in sections and reach much further than any normal arm would go.  As you turned the handle it would chew through anything in its way and, with perseverance, the blockage would be no more! From one end and then from the other I utilised the eel and then I felt a ‘pop’ and the blockage was gone…everything began to flow!   There can be many things which cause blockages in your life and some of them require something more than your natural strength or abilities to remove. I have found that Christ can reach further and penetrate much further than any blockage I have ever suffered from.  Don’t wait for a storm before you invite Him to clean you up on the inside!