Some truths about money from the Bible and other observations
Love of money is the root of all evil…
Break through the poverty mentality by giving till it hurts
Scrooges are not rich. Even if they are they hang onto it like Easter eggs
Money is a tool to get what you want and give what you want
Make a budget. Be faithful in the little things and you will be given more.
Make money decisions using peace as your umpire
Trust not in uncertain riches
Lend freely
Give to the poor See the results (Psalm 112)
Give and it shall be given to you
Look out for simple savings
Wednesday 29 August 2007
Saturday 18 August 2007
History of the World - simplified
Handel’s ‘Young Messiah’ holds a great Scripture from Isaiah, ‘The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of God’ This has not happened but is identified in a strange powerful dream by an ungodly king of Babylon BC. It was a history of the world.
Daniel a young Hebrew was able not only to describe the dream without a clue in the natural but to interpret it also by the wisdom of God.
There was a huge, brilliant statue standing before Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. This statue had a head made of fine gold, a chest and arms of silver, a belly of brass, legs of iron, and feet made partly of iron and partly of clay.
In the dream, the king sees a stone, cut out WITHOUT THE USE OF HANDS. It appears and strikes the feet of iron and clay, smashing the statue to pieces until it is dust. Then the wind blows the dust away, while the stone becomes a great mountain that fills the whole earth.
Daniel’s Interpretation
After telling the king what his dream was, Daniel then tells him what it means. Nebuchadnezzar himself, king of Babylonia, is the gold head of the statue. After Babylonia will come another empire that is of inferior quality to his, represented by the chest and arms of silver. After that empire will come a third one of brass, followed by the fourth empire of crushing iron, that crushes all others. However, this fourth empire will later be divided, and end up as the feet and toes that are partly clay and partly iron.
"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever." (Daniel 2:44, King James Version).
(This is explained as the meaning of the stone cut from the mountain without hands, that smashes the idol to pieces.)
The kingdom of iron and baked clay "feet and toes" will be divided. It will have some of the strength of iron, (partly strong and partly brittle). The toes that are a mixture of iron and clay seems to represent a mixture of peoples that will not be united.
WHILE these kingdoms exist, God will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed. It will crush all the other kingdoms and bring them to an end, but 'not by human hands.'
Scholars have proposed two alternative views regarding the identification of the four kingdoms in Daniel 2.
One view has traditionally been more prevalent among Christian scholars, The sequence is as follows:
1. Babylon
2. Medo-Persia
3. Greece
4. Rome
Another view has been more popular among Jewish scholars, and a few Christian scholars
1. Babylon
2. Media
3. Persia
4. Greece
He knows the end from the beginning. He is alpha and omega.
Daniel a young Hebrew was able not only to describe the dream without a clue in the natural but to interpret it also by the wisdom of God.
There was a huge, brilliant statue standing before Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. This statue had a head made of fine gold, a chest and arms of silver, a belly of brass, legs of iron, and feet made partly of iron and partly of clay.
In the dream, the king sees a stone, cut out WITHOUT THE USE OF HANDS. It appears and strikes the feet of iron and clay, smashing the statue to pieces until it is dust. Then the wind blows the dust away, while the stone becomes a great mountain that fills the whole earth.
Daniel’s Interpretation
After telling the king what his dream was, Daniel then tells him what it means. Nebuchadnezzar himself, king of Babylonia, is the gold head of the statue. After Babylonia will come another empire that is of inferior quality to his, represented by the chest and arms of silver. After that empire will come a third one of brass, followed by the fourth empire of crushing iron, that crushes all others. However, this fourth empire will later be divided, and end up as the feet and toes that are partly clay and partly iron.
"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever." (Daniel 2:44, King James Version).
(This is explained as the meaning of the stone cut from the mountain without hands, that smashes the idol to pieces.)
The kingdom of iron and baked clay "feet and toes" will be divided. It will have some of the strength of iron, (partly strong and partly brittle). The toes that are a mixture of iron and clay seems to represent a mixture of peoples that will not be united.
WHILE these kingdoms exist, God will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed. It will crush all the other kingdoms and bring them to an end, but 'not by human hands.'
Scholars have proposed two alternative views regarding the identification of the four kingdoms in Daniel 2.
One view has traditionally been more prevalent among Christian scholars, The sequence is as follows:
1. Babylon
2. Medo-Persia
3. Greece
4. Rome
Another view has been more popular among Jewish scholars, and a few Christian scholars
1. Babylon
2. Media
3. Persia
4. Greece
He knows the end from the beginning. He is alpha and omega.
Monday 13 August 2007
Summer Winter
In the natural we’ve had a long winter. On the Gold Coast it is a magnificent season – no bugs or snakes and the weather is beautiful. You can enjoy outdoors for six months without worrying about cold or heat. This winter, however, has been uncharacteristically cold by comparison to its wonderful history.
When people complained of a cold breeze when I first moved here it was a laugh compared to the real cold coming off the south pole.
In a single day you can feel the season change. There’s always this excitement about a new season. I remember ringing my step mother once and we agreed though it was raining all day it was the demarcation of coming winter and we both reveled in it staying home, loving it.
Yesterday for me was a glorious day though August, on the Gold Coast, it was 28 degrees and it was as though you could hear the words, ‘It’s almost summer.’ Wow.
And in God there are seasons too. Our pastor talked about winter today – not much happens in winter. It is a time of ‘storing nutrients.’ We can’t have spring everyday.
When people complained of a cold breeze when I first moved here it was a laugh compared to the real cold coming off the south pole.
In a single day you can feel the season change. There’s always this excitement about a new season. I remember ringing my step mother once and we agreed though it was raining all day it was the demarcation of coming winter and we both reveled in it staying home, loving it.
Yesterday for me was a glorious day though August, on the Gold Coast, it was 28 degrees and it was as though you could hear the words, ‘It’s almost summer.’ Wow.
And in God there are seasons too. Our pastor talked about winter today – not much happens in winter. It is a time of ‘storing nutrients.’ We can’t have spring everyday.
Tuesday 7 August 2007
Sister Golden Hair
Maybe someone reading has met Elizabeth when she was in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia all those years. She said the city had the best transport in the world. She’d know because she was always on trains, buses, trams.
She would spend all her time convincing people of a possible salvation. With her excellent grooming and blonde bob of hair, she once recommended scrubbing your tongue when you had the most important job in the world - speaking one on one.
On this occasion she dropped off some boxes at my place. I’d asked Elizabeth to train me in the art of street evangelism and we’d go down to the highrise and meet Gisella and pray and then arm ourselves with tracts. Her boxes were full of tracts (and Bibles).She had spent all her savings on foreign language tracts. She had all from Ukrainian to Vietnamese and everything in between and she had the Scriptures to argue any case. The tracts were carefully labeled as noone would know the languages. (The Vietnamese community in the Highrises were then making way for the Ethiopians).
The single, sporty woman was off to her home town of Fallbrook California. Concerned about her boxes being stolen, I said just write Christian materials on them and a thief will leave them alone. She laughed in surprise. Why wouldn’t anyone want her precious materials. In her small room in Richmond she had only a bed, a suitcase, some bags for carrying what was in those boxes. She had to go home she felt but intended coming back to Melbourne - a melting pot of cultures where the people were polite enough. They were not put off or offended by Elizabeth because she was so sincere.
In 1995 I decided to visit Elizabeth.
Here I was at Los Angeles Grand station in the morning with some time up my sleeve. I felt safe cos I knew Elizabeth had prayed for my journey to Santiago. I was devastated when my ticket which I’d held upright with some personals had vanished. A woman had approached me earlier with some questions, maybe I was pickpocketed. I lined up for another ticket. I was in the wrong queue and was told in a robotic way, ‘I’m sorry M’am you’ll have to go to that ticket box over there.’ The ticket was not cheap either – I think $26. Phew just made the train. I was waiting for the scenery to get pretty but sadly it didn’t. The few hours were quite ‘industrial.’
When I arrived, Elizabeth gave me the option of the Santiago Zoo or Seaworld. I chose the zoo. She approached a man sitting on a bench. He was wearing sunglasses but when she said just one sentence, a tear fell from his glasses. She had touched his thirsty soul.
She went on to bring the gospel or good news here and there as I observed on this occasion. She told me Americans were harder to reach than Aussies because they considered themselves Christians already, but most had no real relationship with Jesus. Australians on the other hand were honest and in lacking were easier to win over. You knew where you stood.
We had a great day. I went to her church, Fallbrook AOG, her departed parents home, a beautiful old worldy home set on a farm of orchards of citrus fruit – oranges etc. She had a sister there - one of a few. It was a gorgeous warm day. The zoo was wonderful. Herds of wildebeests running wild on the large plains etc.
I wasn’t looking forward to the trip home. I would arrive in LA after 8 pm and get a taxi to Burbank where I was staying with a friend. I don’t know whether it was God or Elizabeth or someone else but I distinctly heard this statement, ‘Don’t go in any other taxi other than yellow.’ I arrived finally at the station and went out to the main road under the archway there. A man with a psychotic look – a mixture of excitement, shame and stuff, approached me from a large old dented blue car with a taxi top. Maybe I would’ve been silly enough to go with him as he beckoned me but I was intercepted by a large older man who barely said a word. I was hid by this man as he ushered me around the corner. There I saw rows of yellow cabs waiting. With a sigh of relief I hopped in one and was on my way home.
Sadly Elizabeth died of cancer a couple years later. Her sisters said ‘she fought the good fight of faith.’ We knew from her letters she knew the warfare but didn’t elaborate too much on the negatives as all soldiers do. I gave her special boxes to Stitches, an outreach to the Highrise in Melbourne, as Elizabeth would have thought that was a good idea.
Though we were opposites, Elizabeth was my chosen mentor and her life and lifestyle were a glorious message of hope, not being spent in vanity but in satisfying service. She always brought people to church and their souls were saved. I’d never seen such dedication, holiness and desire to please God. She had the church’s full support.
She was God’s golden girl.
She would spend all her time convincing people of a possible salvation. With her excellent grooming and blonde bob of hair, she once recommended scrubbing your tongue when you had the most important job in the world - speaking one on one.
On this occasion she dropped off some boxes at my place. I’d asked Elizabeth to train me in the art of street evangelism and we’d go down to the highrise and meet Gisella and pray and then arm ourselves with tracts. Her boxes were full of tracts (and Bibles).She had spent all her savings on foreign language tracts. She had all from Ukrainian to Vietnamese and everything in between and she had the Scriptures to argue any case. The tracts were carefully labeled as noone would know the languages. (The Vietnamese community in the Highrises were then making way for the Ethiopians).
The single, sporty woman was off to her home town of Fallbrook California. Concerned about her boxes being stolen, I said just write Christian materials on them and a thief will leave them alone. She laughed in surprise. Why wouldn’t anyone want her precious materials. In her small room in Richmond she had only a bed, a suitcase, some bags for carrying what was in those boxes. She had to go home she felt but intended coming back to Melbourne - a melting pot of cultures where the people were polite enough. They were not put off or offended by Elizabeth because she was so sincere.
In 1995 I decided to visit Elizabeth.
Here I was at Los Angeles Grand station in the morning with some time up my sleeve. I felt safe cos I knew Elizabeth had prayed for my journey to Santiago. I was devastated when my ticket which I’d held upright with some personals had vanished. A woman had approached me earlier with some questions, maybe I was pickpocketed. I lined up for another ticket. I was in the wrong queue and was told in a robotic way, ‘I’m sorry M’am you’ll have to go to that ticket box over there.’ The ticket was not cheap either – I think $26. Phew just made the train. I was waiting for the scenery to get pretty but sadly it didn’t. The few hours were quite ‘industrial.’
When I arrived, Elizabeth gave me the option of the Santiago Zoo or Seaworld. I chose the zoo. She approached a man sitting on a bench. He was wearing sunglasses but when she said just one sentence, a tear fell from his glasses. She had touched his thirsty soul.
She went on to bring the gospel or good news here and there as I observed on this occasion. She told me Americans were harder to reach than Aussies because they considered themselves Christians already, but most had no real relationship with Jesus. Australians on the other hand were honest and in lacking were easier to win over. You knew where you stood.
We had a great day. I went to her church, Fallbrook AOG, her departed parents home, a beautiful old worldy home set on a farm of orchards of citrus fruit – oranges etc. She had a sister there - one of a few. It was a gorgeous warm day. The zoo was wonderful. Herds of wildebeests running wild on the large plains etc.
I wasn’t looking forward to the trip home. I would arrive in LA after 8 pm and get a taxi to Burbank where I was staying with a friend. I don’t know whether it was God or Elizabeth or someone else but I distinctly heard this statement, ‘Don’t go in any other taxi other than yellow.’ I arrived finally at the station and went out to the main road under the archway there. A man with a psychotic look – a mixture of excitement, shame and stuff, approached me from a large old dented blue car with a taxi top. Maybe I would’ve been silly enough to go with him as he beckoned me but I was intercepted by a large older man who barely said a word. I was hid by this man as he ushered me around the corner. There I saw rows of yellow cabs waiting. With a sigh of relief I hopped in one and was on my way home.
Sadly Elizabeth died of cancer a couple years later. Her sisters said ‘she fought the good fight of faith.’ We knew from her letters she knew the warfare but didn’t elaborate too much on the negatives as all soldiers do. I gave her special boxes to Stitches, an outreach to the Highrise in Melbourne, as Elizabeth would have thought that was a good idea.
Though we were opposites, Elizabeth was my chosen mentor and her life and lifestyle were a glorious message of hope, not being spent in vanity but in satisfying service. She always brought people to church and their souls were saved. I’d never seen such dedication, holiness and desire to please God. She had the church’s full support.
She was God’s golden girl.
Friday 3 August 2007
On a Scale of 1 to 10 how do you rate?
Women, on a scale of 1 to 10 how did you rate on respecting your husband(remember that word) today?
Men on a scale of 1 to 10 how did you rate on loving your wife (remember that word) today? I’ll skip you guys.
Ouch that hurts. The intention is not to beat ourselves up or discourage but to take on the challenge fearlessly as this is a big fat issue in people’s lives. With all its complications marriage is a like a garden and we’re not all good gardeners. I speak for myself. Families are where our core values come from and all-important to God.
We can blame our childhood but once we’re a new creation in Christ, the Holy Spirit puts his finger on a blindspot and off you go together to correct it. It then becomes a fun exercise (gulp).
A friend described her partner as a comfy armchair but sometimes recliners can become a bed of nails. Marriages do require good maintenancerather than a backyard blitz.
My husband and I were put together by God however, marriage has been relatively tough for both of us. He lost his father in a plane crash when he was 8. My mother was paranoid schizophrenic. We were both robbed. Our parents were robbed also as you can see.
Now you can get out your violins. Discipline, security, boundary problems, a lost childhood, no mentors.
The hardwiring in our minds when traumas took place at various times, now needs to be replaced. Where one might say, ‘Life’s not fair,’ God can come in like a standard against the flood and put a line like, ‘I have a plan for you, you wouldn’t believe even if I told you.’ And if we hold fast to that belief and vision there wouldn’t be that pressure, a morbid expectation, a lie to hold us from blessing.
How does that relate to marriage you say? Well, the whole atmosphere will change with a new thought planted in the heart. The home becomes happy with a purpose, focus on a partner turns northward and things fall into proper place. Attitudes are corrected.
No our partners are not the be all and end all. Write a list of positive incentives if respect/love are implemented. Reward yourself when you can put a tick next to your list. One day the responses will become natural.
Men on a scale of 1 to 10 how did you rate on loving your wife (remember that word) today? I’ll skip you guys.
Ouch that hurts. The intention is not to beat ourselves up or discourage but to take on the challenge fearlessly as this is a big fat issue in people’s lives. With all its complications marriage is a like a garden and we’re not all good gardeners. I speak for myself. Families are where our core values come from and all-important to God.
We can blame our childhood but once we’re a new creation in Christ, the Holy Spirit puts his finger on a blindspot and off you go together to correct it. It then becomes a fun exercise (gulp).
A friend described her partner as a comfy armchair but sometimes recliners can become a bed of nails. Marriages do require good maintenancerather than a backyard blitz.
My husband and I were put together by God however, marriage has been relatively tough for both of us. He lost his father in a plane crash when he was 8. My mother was paranoid schizophrenic. We were both robbed. Our parents were robbed also as you can see.
Now you can get out your violins. Discipline, security, boundary problems, a lost childhood, no mentors.
The hardwiring in our minds when traumas took place at various times, now needs to be replaced. Where one might say, ‘Life’s not fair,’ God can come in like a standard against the flood and put a line like, ‘I have a plan for you, you wouldn’t believe even if I told you.’ And if we hold fast to that belief and vision there wouldn’t be that pressure, a morbid expectation, a lie to hold us from blessing.
How does that relate to marriage you say? Well, the whole atmosphere will change with a new thought planted in the heart. The home becomes happy with a purpose, focus on a partner turns northward and things fall into proper place. Attitudes are corrected.
No our partners are not the be all and end all. Write a list of positive incentives if respect/love are implemented. Reward yourself when you can put a tick next to your list. One day the responses will become natural.
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