Steve Irwin's death

Here in Australia, the death of Steve Irwin is a frequent topic of conversation here in Australia. Even I have nearly shed a few tears over the descriptions of his death, and the fact that they have footage of it, and I definitely would not describe myself as a fan! I know that Irwin's death has also been big news in the USA, as he was even more popular over there.

Apparantly Steve Irwin's widow Terri is a Christian and she homeschools using the same curriculum that I use where I work. So we can be praying that she will find her comfort and strength in God.

I was interested to read a story on the Creation Ministries International about Irwin's death. In some ways it seemed insensitive to use his death to put across our own religious ideas. However, we all have to make sense of death in some way. I have read numerous articles in The Australian exploring the death from various perspectives. Explaining how various ideas can be answered and understood from a creationist perspective is helpful. Check out the article: The stingray of death.

Mike Jolly has also written about death in the context of Irwin's unexpected demise. Check out his article here. As he says, what are you living for? Is life all about doing what you love, or is there something more?

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Joy in life and death

Dr. David Menton's talk on the DVD
Fearfully & Wonderfully Made explains in detail the beauty of our beginning. Many people, Christians included, speak of some pregnancies as accidents or mistakes. As Dr. Menton explained all the processes that are necessary for a human being to even come to the stage of conception, it became clear that this could never be so. God has designed the human body with the intention that conception will occur. If one process is not working properly conception becomes unlikely or impossible. The parents may not have planned a baby, but God did.

After conception, human survival is just as remarkable. The walls of the womb must be hospitable for the child to implant. Unfortunately, some birth control devices including “the pill” not only interfere with pre-conception processes but also change the lining of the womb so that the tiny human being is much less likely to be able to implant. Considering this, it is even more amazing that we are here! The processes of a child’s conception and implantation happen without a woman’s knowledge. The beauty of the child’s beginning, and often its premature ending in the womb, is unknown to her. When a child dies before birth, whether the death is known or very early and unknown, we often mourn the person less than someone who dies after birth. This is not because the person is less valuable to God. It is because we know him or her very little.

For most of people, the beauty of a child’s beginning starts to sink in with the first ultrasound. As one uncle excitedly declared to me, “there is a little person in there”! The suspense and excitement builds as the birth draws closer. In my family, no one has found out whether they are having a boy or a girl through ultrasound. Even my sister, who is having twins, has decided to keep it a surprise. The anticipation is wonderful! After birth, the beginning person is still largely a mystery. What a joy it is to watch them grow. Wispy strands of hair, which never seem to grow much, somehow turn into ringlets. Chubby legs become lean. The person becomes known, and all the more precious.

Endings, like beginnings, can be beautiful. A life well lived will lead to a blessed end. My Grandad is an example of this. Granddad spent much of his life serving others, including as a missionary. Close to the end of his life, it was beautiful to sit beside his bedside and hear some of his recollections. A hard worker all his life, Granddad rarely stopped to talk. Yet here he was, in pain and confined to a hospital bed, with time to talk. He told me his favourite Psalm, number 139, and I read it to him. He shared special experiences from his missionary days, including his close friendship with a native man in PNG.

At his funeral, his children and grandchildren rose up to speak during an open sharing time. Their comments showed the foundations of Granddad’s life. As Mum said, Granddad often spoke of how wonderful it is that God accepts us not for what we have done, but because of Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins. Dad spoke of Granddad’s great humility. While some struggle at their parent's funerals to find good things to say, Dad struggled to fit in all he wanted to say of Granddad’s character: reliable, dependable, diligent, gentle, loving, serving, compassionate. The funeral was a celebration. Living well means being Christ focused and servant hearted. I am grateful for a grandfather who demonstrated that such a life leads to a beautiful end.

This post was written for the Carnival of Beauty. This week's topic is The Beauty of Beginnings and Endings.

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Big changes underfoot!

I have decided to undergo a massive blog re-make! I was never thrilled with my original colour, so I am glad I can now change the colours as I like them. Please let me know what you think of my new colours and design, even if you don't like it. I will perhaps change the colours each season.

The main reason I changed over to blogger beta is that I want to use categories. I have not yet sorted it out completely, but hopefully all my posts will soon be filed under and appear on my sidebar under those categories. I hope it works out!

I am also thinking of changing my blog name. I am not sure what to though . . . everything I think of seems cliched. My latest thought is "Sovereign Seasons", accompanied by Eccles. &: 13-14 "Consider the work of God; For who can make straight what he has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, But in the day of adversity consider: Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, So that man can find out nothing that will come after him." This seems very sober, and will perhaps offend any less Calvanist readers I have . . . but I like it. What do you think? Do you have any other suggestions for what I could call my blog?

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A Red Hill tour

The ladies over at Montain Musing made a visit to Red Hill recently, after reading my travel wish list. They have posted lots of photos, so I can have my own Red Hill tour via the computer! Isn't blogging great? I love "meeting" kind people like the Girotti family. I haven't had a chance to look at all the photos yet, but I intend to spend plenty of time enjoying them as soon as I can! Patrick Henry is one of my heroes, and I am looking forward to visiting his home in person some day.

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Joy and contentment in Christ

I often hear excellent sermons that I would love to share about on my blog. Like most of the things I would love to share on my blog, they never quite make it here. This time, though, it is finally happening!

A few weeks ago we had a visiting preacher from England, Pete Woodcock, at my church. He spoke on Philippians 4. As you may have gathered from some of my posts, I have been having a tough time being content this year. I keep repenting, and keep failing. So I was grateful to hear a sermon on joy and contentment. I can't say I've improved since hearing it, but I am grateful for the reminder of where true joy lies. Here are some of the points Pete made, taken from my notes.

Question: What takes your joy? What makes you discontent?

These things can be broken down into rough categories:
1. Relationships
2. Circumstances
3. Worries
4. Wrong thinking

God wants to rub it in that we are to rejoice (Phillipians 4:4). We can do this because we have a relationship with God. We need to trust he is in control, pray, and think right.

We are easily side tracked into putting our energy in the wrong places. Put your energy into rejoicing in the Lord. Devotion to the wrong things will kill your joy and bring discontentment.

1 Tim 6:6-8 For godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can take nothing out. Therefore, if we have food and clothing, with these we shall be content.

Hebrews 13:5 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,"

You have God! Rejoice in Him! When you have God, that is everything. If you rejoice in the Lord, you will get your thinking right. Your resources and your future are in God.

We live in a time when people are utterly discontented. We need to shine out satisfaction in God. Be satisfied within yourself, not needing anything from the world (except food, drink, and warmth). You only need God. Be Christ-sufficient.

Biblical contentment is not indifference, not the absence of emotions. It has been said, the Stoics: "Make the heart a desert, and call it peace." This is not what we are called to. There is a time to weep. Contentment does not mean things will not hurt. But there is something bigger than the hurts - God. God's peace transcends understanding (4:7). The God of peace is personally with you.

1. Right relationships will bring a joy in the Lord (4:2-3). Rejoice in the Lord and divisiveness will go away (provided it is a personality problem, not a doctrinal, error problem). Joy comes in serving in relationships. Even though there are differences, they recognise those they differ with are in the Lord and that is the most important thing.

2. Right focus (4:6-7). Anxiety throttles us and chokes out the truth, so we are unable to bear fruit. Anxieties drain us and cut off our motivation. God's remedy: worry about nothing, pray about everything. Transfer everything on your worry list to your prayer list! We often worry about non-essentials or future scenarios instead of rejoicing in the big, good things God has given us in the present. Worry = self focus. Prayer = God focus, puts God at the center.

3. Right thinking. Feed your mind with positive things (4:8). Think on Christ. He is the epitome of all the things mentioned in this passage (lovely, true, noble, virtuous, etc.). See how everything relates to Christ.

4. A right trust (4:10-19) in the one who is in control. Confidence in God's providence. Paul had a patient confidence in God's providence. God has the times and seasons in his hand. When you start trying to take control, you become discontent and worry. Realise God is in control of the fact that you haven't been healed yet, or you don't have something you want. There are two ways God can act: 1) miracles. 2) working out millions and millions of events to accomplish his plan - providence! Which is harder? Which is more complex?

Our first reaction to a discontent person should be to teach them about God's sovereign control. Teach them not to try and manipulate things and take too much upon themselves.

Conclusion: Our culture is not content with little or with much. It is a consumer age. We constantly think we need more. Christians who rejoice in having enough can be a wonderful witness. Shopping is the national pastime in Britain. The average person receives 2,000 ad messages per day. All saying: be discontent. We have turned our wants into needs. Food, clothing, warmth, friends are needs. There is nothing wrong with wanting something - it is wrong to turn it into a need or a right. For example, many couples want a baby and there is nothing wrong with that. However, it is wrong when those couples decide it is their right to have one and they should be able to do whatever they like to get one - including processes that kill embryos. If only we could see that God is what we need. Even Christians are always falling for ads. When you have the Lord, you can do anything (4:13). You'll be able to be poor, rich, mistreated, or comfortable and still be content.

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Mount Wellington

Last weekend I visited Mount Wellington. This beautiful mountiain is a spectacular backdrop for the city of Hobart. I have not been up the mountain for years. I loved the views, especially since we were there on a clear day.









Here I am with some snow, which you can't really see! I wanted to see snow before winter was over. This snow was scarce, clinging between rocks, but I did get my wish! It was still August when I got to hold snow in my hands.

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Travel

My favourite quote on travel is from Bess Steeter Aldrich's A Lantern in Her Hand:

Abbie Deal (the central character) responds to her daughter’s comment that she has lived a narrow life as a pioneer who settled in the same town from her early twenties. “You know Grace, it’s queer, but I don’t feel narrow. I feel broad . . . I’ve married . . . and borne children and looked into the face of death. Is childbirth narrow, Grace? Or marriage? Or death? When you’ve experienced all those things, Grace, the spirit has travelled although the body has been confined. I think travel is a rare privilege and I’m glad you can have it. But not everyone who stays home is narrow and not everyone who travels is broad.” Abbie also speaks of how she has enjoyed nature, seen history in the making, and war.

This is an unusual favourite travel quote for a person like me, who is fascinated by the world and would love to see more of it. I loved visiting the USA in 2003. It has sparked in me a great love of the history of the country. It would be wonderful to go again. Here are a few of the places I can think of that I'd like to visit:

Shaker Villiage in Kentucky

Biltmore Estate in North Carolina

And far too many places in Virginia, including these:

Montichello

Shenandoah National Park

The wonderful, the marvelous Colonial Williamsburg which I visited last time and fell in love with

Patrick Henry's grave at Red Hill

I also have a hankering to visit Africa . . . and wouldn't Europe be nice?

However, I believe the quote I have written out above keeps all these desires in perspective. Ultimately, whether or not I travel is unimportant. Many people have lived their whole lives in one village, and their lives were good and broad in the sight of God. There are far more important things to do in life than travel. It is not like moving around the planet somehow translates wisdom into the heart.

Travel is a blessing, and I have learnt a lot from it. However, I never want to place it above more important things. A Lantern in Her Hand is a beautiful book, because it shows clearly what those more important things are. Abbie Deal was deprived of many things in order to serve her husband and children. She earnestly desired that her children would have what she did not have. Yet as they pursued art, music, literature, education, and travel, some of them left out more important things. One chose not to marry solely so she could concentrate on her career as a teacher. Another chose to have no children so she could fulfill all her musical talent. The book portrays Abbie's sadness and wonderment at such choices.

Relationships are the essence of life. Travel will leave photos, memories, and perhaps some distant friends. Music will play and bring pleasure, and then be gone forever. All the literature in the world will someday be burned. Yet people are eternal beings. It is as we enter into their lives and choose to serve them that we grow truly broad and deep in spirit.

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