Ken Duncan has brought us this beautiful Christmas reflection with some of his amazing photographs. Take a look.
Christmas is a time of surprises.
We get to open presents that, sometimes, are just what we wanted, and while there may be some predictable presents, it’s always good to get a surprise.
As a child I used to spend a lot of time wrapping presents in such a way that no matter how much you looked at it under the Christmas tree, or felt it or shook it, you still couldn’t guess what it was.
Christmas is a time when families get together and sometimes that produces surprises. Look how much the baby has grown … when did the children turn into teenagers? … Isn’t Aunty May looking old?
There are a whole lot of surprises in the Christmas story as it’s told in the Bible.
It was a massive surprise to a young teenage girl, by the name of Mary when an angel popped into her little village of Nazareth and told her that she would have a child who would be the saviour of the world.
It was one mighty surprise for a group of shepherds in the paddocks outside Bethlehem, when a whole band of angels appeared and told them about the birth of a baby.
The wise men, or astrologers, who travelled from Iran, or even as far as China, would have been very surprised that their search for a king led them to a baby in a manger.
And, to be honest, it’s a huge surprise to me that almighty God, the creator of heaven and earth, should consider little old me worthy of his love, such that he would send his son to earth so that I could be made right with him.
That’s the message of Christmas, and that’s a surprise that doesn’t need to be disguised by fancy wrapping.
Here’s another great song to get you into the Christmas Spirit!
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Posted: December 7, 2013 in Uncategorized
Tags: Christmas, Little Drummer Boy
Time to get into the Christmas spirit with some great music from the Piano Guys. I enjoyed this one.
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Posted: December 5, 2013 in Uncategorized
The Web of Prayer
Posted: November 24, 2013 in UncategorizedTags: Communication, Following Jesus, High Wycombe, Messy Church, Prayer, Religion and Spirituality
We participated in a great activity at Messy Church on Saturday night, creating a web that filled the whole room. We then pinned prayers to the web and reflected on the way in which God hears our prayers, no matter how messy the situation in which we find ourselves. Take a look at this video showing the results of the evening’s activity:
Jacaranda “Blues”
Posted: November 18, 2013 in UncategorizedTags: Bible, encouragement, Jacaranda, praise, Psalms, thanksgiving
I opened my window this morning and was greeted with the amazing site of a corner of the church car park covered in purple from the flowering Jacaranda tree. Jacarandas are out everywhere you look at the moment, and I think it is a beautiful site. The purple-blue flowers create colour and life and for a few weeks add a different perspective to the local environment.
By the way, did you know that Jacarandas are a native of Brazil?
As beautiful as they are Jacarandas will probably bring complaints from people at times because of the mass of flowers that cover roads, footpaths, gardens and driveways. They get in gutters and stain driveways and are a right pain in the neck.
How we view something like the Jacaranda flowers is probably the way we will view a whole lot of other things in life. You might call it the “glass have full/glass half empty” concept. Do we look on things around us cause for thanksgiving and praise, or do we only see the problems and the disadvantages.
Reality says that you need to take both into account. It’s important to identify the problem rather than deny it and pretend it doesn’t exist, but then we need to find a way to address it and look for solutions. If we get stuck in our problems they leave us with more than the jacaranda blues.
I love the Psalms in the Bible where the writers often express their fears, complaints, and grudges, but go on to praise God for his goodness and love. The language of praise is incredibly effective in lifting you out of your blues into a new place.
For a few weeks in late Spring and early Summer I figure it’s worth enjoying the Jacarandas … and it’s always worthwhile lifting your spirit in praise.
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- Jacaranda (normamartiriphotography.wordpress.com)
Stressing Out in Paradise
Posted: November 10, 2013 in UncategorizedTags: anxiety, Australia, Health, Jesus, Job satisfaction, Mental Health, stress, worry
How’s this for a confusing set of statistics? Earlier this week The West Australian reported that Australia may be the best place in the world to live since it had topped “the good life index”.
A comparison by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development of the richest and fastest growing countries ranked Australia the No.1 nation on a range of indicators.
The How’s Life? study went beyond economics to areas such as life expectancy, hours worked and pollution. Australia was among the best in every one. Australians have a high level of disposable income and increasing household wealth.
They enjoy one of the longest life expectancies at above 83. With the Americans, New Zealanders and Canadians, Australians had the highest proportion of people reporting good or very good health.
Australia has low homicide and assault rates and Australians are likely to say they are satisfied with their life.
But today’s West reported that we’ve got some big problems with stress. According to a state-of-the-nation survey commissioned by the Australian Psychological Society (APS), Australians overall report declining wellbeing and increasing stress. The article goes on to say:
They also have more depression and anxiety symptoms than those revealed in the 2011 and 2012 surveys.
Younger people are the most stressed and people older than 66 are coping the best, according to the online survey of 1548 people, 999 of whom are employed.
Workplace issues include a lack of feedback, unclear expectations and not feeling valued.
Employees report significantly lower levels of job satisfaction and lower levels of interest in their job compared with previous years.
While most employees feel physical injuries are taken seriously, only 50 per cent feel supported with mental health issues, according to the survey, released to coincide with national psychology week.
They also have more depression and anxiety symptoms than those revealed in the 2011 and 2012 surveys.
Younger people are the most stressed and people older than 66 are coping the best, according to the online survey of 1548 people, 999 of whom are employed.
Workplace issues include a lack of feedback, unclear expectations and not feeling valued.
Employees report significantly lower levels of job satisfaction and lower levels of interest in their job compared with previous years.
While most employees feel physical injuries are taken seriously, only 50 per cent feel supported with mental health issues, according to the survey, released to coincide with national psychology week.
OK, how do we work that out? We live in the best country in the world, but our stress levels are increasing.
I talked at church yesterday about the time that Jesus asked his disciples for a quick trip across the lake and took the opportunity for a quick nap. While he was asleep a sudden squall hit the lake and the disciples, who were fishermen and no doubt, highly competent sailors, got themselves into a lather, and woke Jesus up, claiming that they were all going to be drowned.
Jesus queried their faith, but in my opinion, it wasn’t to do with how much faith they had. Rather, it was about where their faith was directed. Everything fell apart when Jesus was asleep, which suggests their faith was directed towards their own skills and to a Jesus who was awake and standing up. They fell apart because they thought he wasn’t “on the job”.
But Jesus wanted them to know that he was trustworthy and could be trusted, even when he was asleep. In the best country in the world, it’s time we directed our faith, no matter how weak it may be, towards the One who can be trusted in every situation. I’m sure that no matter what experiences we may have and how stressed we may become about those experiences, Jesus can be trusted to help us through that situation.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
The Power of Being Sent
Posted: November 4, 2013 in UncategorizedTags: Following Jesus, God, the nature of God
Saturday morning was the time I remember as a child, going on errands for my mother. I would have some money in one pocket, a carefully detailed list in another pocket and I would hop on my bike and ride to the shop to buy whatever mum required.
I was proud to be have been sent on this errand, not only because I had been asked to do something useful, but because it gave me a sense of independence and achievement.
“Being sent” can be a very powerful experience not just because of what we are doing for the person who is sending us, but in the way it empowers us as we meet the needs and requirements of the sender.
John’s Gospel, in the Bible, says a whole lot about God as a “Sending God”. Throughout the Gospel there are 26 references to God the Father, the Son or the Holy Spirit as one who sends, and Jesus constantly referred to himself as having been sent. What that says to me is that it is part of God’s nature to be a “sending God”.
And the sending of nature of God was evident in Jesus when he said … “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.“
As I reflect on what it means for me to be a follower of Jesus, I am reminded of proudly riding my bike to the corner store on Saturday morning, the list in one pocket and the money jingling in the other. Doing what Jesus wants in my life is something I can do with a knowledge that I have been sent by the creator of the universe on an amazing errand.
What’s more, he’s given me the resources for the job in one pocket (the Holy Spirit), the list in the other (the Scriptures), and the independence and authority to fulfil his requests.
Hope Community Services
Posted: October 28, 2013 in UncategorizedTags: Addictions, Community service, Health, hope, Hope Community Services, Substance Abuse
It was a pleasure tonight to launch Hope Community Services at Linton and Kay Galleries in Perth.
Formerly Drug ARM WA, tonight’s launch marked the culimination of more than a year’s review of our branding, leading eventually to a name that reflected the heart of the organisation.
It was a pleasure to explain tonight how the new name represented a full circle for the organisation that was established in Perth 111 years ago as the Band of Hope and Temperance League, eventually becoming the WA Temperance Alliance then in 1993 became Drug ARM WA.
I explained tonight that in 2010 we began the process of looking at our statements of vision, mission and values and a new word found its way into our vision statement:
It was a new word, yet it was an old word. It was a word that the organisation started with 111 years ago when the City Band of Hope and Temperance League was set up. It was the word hope.
Our vision statement became “Nurturing Hope and Opportunity”. And we began to explore what it meant to offer hope in many different ways to people who were bereft of hope because of the circumstances in which they found themselves. Addictions, family breakdowns, incarceration and mental illness all contributed to feelings of hopelessness, and worthlessness.
So it wasn’t surprising that as we began the process of reviewing our brand, that once again the word hope came to the forefront. During this time we engaged a consultant to help us reflect on both the past and the future of the organisation, and to hear the thoughts of the people who made use of our services, as well as staff and other stakeholders. We spent time listening and reflecting and over time a new name emerged that we are proud to launch tonight.
At this important stage in the organisation’s life I salute my fellow Board members, our hard working CEO, Debra Zanella, and the many staff and volunteers who make up the organisation.
Services include:
INSPIRE NEWSCAST 